The Contrary Blues is such a page-turner that you might not realize until you reach the end how cleverly it is constructed. Humor, colorful West Virginia colloquialisms, and poignant characterization make this book a lot more interesting than the average mystery.

A SEASON TO INVESTIGATE FIRST-TIME NOVELISTS - Boston Globe. A fine beginning, funny, irreverent, written with an ear well-tuned to authentic West Virginia dialogue and an eye for small, accumulating scenes...Billheimer unfolds his wry tale steadily, with just the right mix of humor and menace, and his Department of Transportation investigator-auditor, Owen Allison, is convincing and likable.

John Billheimer's first Mystery novel, Contrary Blues, leaves you feeling satisfied and wanting more. Fans of Rick Boyer, Bill Crider, and Bill Tapply will recognize the sure fire formula that made their writing a success. A fast moving plot taken to sudden and unexpected turns, characters who jump out of the pages into your living room, and an unassuming hero that Mr. Middle America can relate to. Billheimer tells his story in a quick but enjoyable pace, giving the reader a glimpse into everyday life in a region of the country most of us have never stepped foot in, and with the subtle humor and true to life street dialog that show his respect for his characters and his reader alike. This one is sure to be enjoyed.

The Iron Curtain over America by John Beaty. Originally published in 1951, scholar and WWII intelligence officer Beaty's classic diagnoses America's condition in mid-century and finds our land threatened by the cancerous growth of Communist and Zionist subversion and control. The extraordinarily well-informed and courageous Beaty was one of the first Americans to breach the Iron Curtain of silence guarding the Holocaust hoax and the Middle East mess, and to call (in vain) for Americans to clean out the Augean stables of New York, Washington, and Hollywood. A revisionist classic.

Boy, I love these types of books. Printed in the height of the Cold War, Beaty sees just about every Democratic leader as a stooge for Communism, and every Republican leader as the last line of defense against the gathering Red hordes. Hilarious! In its defense, there is some good information on the frustration that President Truman had as the Chinese revolution was taking form.

That said, this book was most certainly a John Birch Society pick of the week, right along with the dangers of fluoridation, integration, and secret radio waves emitting from televisions which transmit signals from Joseph Stalin.

Read this to understand the thinking of the early extreme Right Wing, which today feels at home with the likes of Pat Buchanan, etc.

The Iron Curtain Over America" is a most pertinent and excellently presented treatise on the cancer on our national set-up. "I hope this book has had, and will have, the widest possible dissemination, particularly to our leaders-in Washington, and in industry and the press, -- and that our leaders who are "uncontaminated" will have their serious attention engaged by it.

I can't say that I have read this book...yet, but what I can say is that anyone who endeavours to read any work of Dr. Haykin is in for a real treat. He was my prof. for Church History, and a man whom I am thoroughly impressed with. He is a humble, diplomatic, professional person with a strong heart for God and His glory.
His knowledge on Church History is incredible, especially his understanding of the Reformation, the Puritans, and the Particular Baptist movements. But he cannot be limited there even. I could literally listen to him speak for hours.
I strongly recommend anything by Dr. Haykin as you will become well informed on the topic that he writes about, whether it's Cromwell, Bunyon, Edwards or anyone else.

God bless and enjoy.

The Pilgrim's Progress is the 2nd most famous book in the world. John Bunyan is a genious and the arguments in the book are very convincing and hard to deny. Anyone who believes in "free will" would be turned around if they read this book. It clearly explains that we do not choose God, He chooses us, or rather, he CHOSE us before the foundations of the world. Everything in his book is scriptual and I love it!

John Bunyan's journey toward saving faith parallels my own more closely than any other fellow sinner's. When I first read his story, I grabbed a pen and filled the margins, and all the while my heart whispered, "Comrade!" At once, I was comforted by the realization that though Bunyan was long gone, there had been another human being who had known the same fearsome battles waged on our behalf by the God who never relinquishes what belongs to Him. Those years when I had felt strange and apart from other believers, suddenly became "safe" to recall. For anyone who is still holding on to the arrogant belief that a person chooses God, rather than the other way around, Bunyan's story is for you. It puts all arguments to rest, leaving only humility and worship in its wake.

Aside from the Bible, this is, hands down, the best book on the challenges of personal godliness. Owen, who is a Puritan theologian, brings forth the issue of sin, why it is indwelling in every individual, how it causes enmity between us and God and why we will, in this life, continue to deal with it.

This book is a must for those who are struggling with temptations of any kind (which pretty much includes everyone universally). Owen discusses how we battle sin, ways in which we can overcome temptations, how we allow sin to fester and build in our lives to an unhealthy point, and what we can do to avoid these types of problems. But let me warn you, this is not a "self help" book. Rather, this text is one which has the glory of God as its ultimate end, the awe we should all have for God, where our focus should constantly be, namely on God. This is, ultimately, how sin is conquered, according to Owen. Since too many of us are focused on everything else but God, sin is able to creep in easier and take hold of our lives.

What is more, Owen discusses the grace of God and how God's grace and mercy covers our sins. Finally, mortification of sin is covered in great detail. What do we need to do to mortify sin? Why is mortification needed? How do we practice mortification? All these are covered and more. Another nice feature of this book is that it is formatted in such a way that it can be used as a study book for Bible studies, Sunday Schools, or any other type of group study setting since it includes a very nice Scripture index, and margin topic indicators, as well as a study guide for group discussions with very user friendly questions.

I highly recommend this book for everyone no matter where you are in your Christian walk. This is the most detailed, heart wrenching work on sin and temptation that I have ever read. It can never be read too many times.

I read it cover to cover three times in row and bought copies for several others. It helps open your eyes to how Satan's forces infiltrate our lives, what his strategies are and how to combat it. I love the reverent classical language. It got me craving all the classic early christian works. Many modern christian books are fluffy and light. This is reverent and satisfying, yet you will crave more like it.

This is much more than a deep theological treatise. The editors have distilled three short wirtings of the great Puritan thinker and preacher, John Owen: The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of Indwelling Sin; Of Temptation; and Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers, and made them accessible to the modern reader. Because the doctrine of indwelling sin has been mostly forgotten or ignored by even conservative and evangelical preachers and writers, this book serves as a much needed slap on the face, reminding Christians that we NEVER, in this life, "get out of Romans 7 and into Romans 8". Using his comprehensive knowledge of Scriptures, he relentlessly pounds home the message that sin is a constant inhabitant in every human heart, and that, although (in believers) it is weakened and irreparably damaged in its ultimate goals, it nevertheless continues to harass and frustrate and cause great damage all our days. He proposes that the only antidote is to acknowledge sin's constant presence, noting from Rom. 7:21 that it is a "LAW present in our members, that WHEN WE WOULD DO GOOD, evil is present in us". In other words, it is especially at times when we want to do good and have every intention of being obedient and feel the desire to honor God that sin reveals itself as not an intruder, but a natural inhabitant of our heart, and sallies forth to sabotage and mar our best performance. In the section on mortification of sin, he addresses an issue mostly relegated to the Catholics of previous centuries.

This book is without doubt essential reading for any Christian who wishes to live a holy life and please God. I have made significant practical changes in how I live my life as a result of reading it. Initially, it is shocking and painful to realize the truth of the extent of sin's presence and power in our lives- but it is the only way to learn the vigilance required to fight it.

This is a work that deserves to be read and reread. John Owen has tackled the heavy issue of sin with more insight than most modern day psychologists. He thoroughly explains what it means to mortify sin by the Holy Spirit, and provides the equivalent of a 12 step program, Puritan-style. Of course, those steps are heavily interlaced with secondary points and supporting scripture texts. Eminently practical, completely biblical, and ultimately an uplifting look at the power of Jesus Christ over the dominion of sin.

Recommended for every Christ, but be prepared for difficult vocabulary and sentence structure. However, as an introduction to John Owen, this is probably one of the more accessible works.

Also available in The Works of John Owen Vol. 6, this is a masterpiece on how to kill corruption in one's personal life. It is less than 100 pages long (in my copy!), but it is packed with some of the most insightful thinking regarding sanctification, that I have ever read. Owen packs much into this brief book leaving hundreds of rocks just turned over for the reader to search out treasures for himself. There are nine preliminary steps to mortifying sin which were of great practical help to me. They are: 1. Consider the dangerous symptoms of your lust; 2. Get a clear sense of the guilt and danger of the sin; 3. Load your conscience with the guilt of the "perplexing distemper"; 4. Have a vehement desire for deliverance; 5. Determine whether the sin is rooted in your natural temperment; 6. Prevent the opportunites for sin; 7. Vigorously oppose the first actings of sin; 8. Think deeply about the majesty of God; 9. Speak no peace to your own disquieted heart - let God speak it. These principles form the bulk of the book, but they are fenced in by strong opposition to all legalistic methods of dealing with sin and with hearty exhortations to focus on Christ and be empowered by the Spirit in the whole task of mortifying sin. An excellent treatment of the subject and worthy of repeated readings. In fact, it is #17 on my "Master Reading List" (which is a short list of the best books I have read and which deserve to be mastered - if you are interested email me at bghedges@thewhitetail.net)

This provides most thorough and explicit instructions for the Christian life. It is outstanding in its class, a very encouraging work.

I believe William A. Owens is all too often overlooked as one of Americas greatest authors and this book just proves my point. It is a great piece of work and an inspiration to all that read it.

My one line summary says it all. I am sure I was there. I anticipate each chapter anxiously waiting to see what funny, tragic desperate event is next and admiring the author for the practical and inventive mechanisms he has in place to keep his education going. I would like to know more about him in his later life.

I first read This Stubborn Soil 8 years ago and I can still recall images conjured up by this books beautiful writing. I consider this book to be a classic. It is written in a simple, straight forward manner which fits the story perfectly. The characters are vivid and you can almost feel the dust blowing and the rain drenching you. The hardships endured by Mr. Owens family and the story of his success are truly inspirational. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel real emotions being brought out by a piece of literature. When I read it I cried

Rightly called the Prince of the Puritan Divines, John Owen is a master of biblical exposition and practical theological insight. Not for casual reading, his treatises should be read slowly and with a Bible open. Yet very often, Owen has quotes that grab the reader. Whether you understand the complexities of his thought and subtleties of his logic, there are jewels to be mined from his work.

Examples from Owen:

"Your state is not at all to be measured by the opposition that sin makes to you, but by the opposition you make to it"

"It is a vain thing for any to suppose that they place their chiefest happiness in being for ever in the presence of Christ, who care not at all to be with him here as they may."

"What the mind cannot comprehend the heart doth admire and adore, delighting in God, and giving glory unto him in all."

These 16 volumes by John Owen are a must for the thoughtful Christian. Fighting Temptation (6), For whom did Christ Die (10), the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit (2,3) and of course the Excellency of Christ (1) are all dealt with and so much more. Purchase these and study them with care and you will have so much assistance and encouragement in life and hope for the life to come. Owen doesn't so much as touch upon issues but open them up explore and apply them thoroughly and biblically.

I don't have children, but I found this in a children's asile in my local bookstore and I had to buy it! This is the book I have on my backyard picnic table right now and I read thru it daily and love it! It's NUMBER 1 on my list of books to read right now with summer here. The photos are wonderful; the small editorials are written so that anyone can understand them, and as an adult I don't see the "child -like" reading here, but rather a book that everyone can enjoy and learn from and all of Time Life Books are finely manufactured. For a book I'd rate them as "Excellent Quality" and suggest this along with the other's from this series would make a wonderful gift for children and adults alike. You'll learn alot about gardening, how to attract butterflies or hummingbirds to your backyard; wild flowering, A-Z, way too much to mention.

This book is beautifully designed and well organized. Full color photography enhances each page. It includes basic information on gardening with native plants, planning a garden, attracting birds, butterflies, and other wildlife to your yard. Photographs and desriptions of plants and trees, organized by geographic location, are accompanied by maps, field notes, tips, and drawings of animals prefered by each. Lots of references are included in the back. It may be geared more towards the layperson than the expert, but this book really opened my eyes to the possibilities of gardening. Gardening is not just picking pretty flowers anymore! Natural Gardening a joy to browse through and to read.

If you are looking for a well written easily understood C++ book, this is it. I've been in the MIS business for 15 years and am currently attending Penn State. This book as enabled me to recieve A's in all my C++ courses. The book starts off slow for the novice user, showing basic concepts. Within weeks the reader can master the most challenging C++ algorithms. I refer to this book as the C++ bible. Definately worth the investment!

This is the best book I ever read in my entire life which gave me all the details about the c++ programming language. The author of this book professor Hennefeld are the best teacher and the writer in the entire world that is why I am taking him for the third semester in a row for my computer and info science major. The book is so clear that anyone who has no background in C++ can master this language and yet the best c++ reference book for any professional.

This book, as with all the Princeton Review series, is funny, witty, frank, and effective. The sample questions provided in the book, as well as in the disk, are just like those on the real test. It worked a miracle on my verbal score!