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Book reviews for "Perceval-Maxwell,_Michael" sorted by average review score:

Medicine of the Cherokee: The Way of Right Relationship
Published in Paperback by Bear & Co (1996)
Authors: J. T. Garrett and Michael Tlanusta Garrett
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Great way to think, and to help keep things in perspective
The Garretts pull from their experieces from the "real world," as well as their healings and practical experience with the Cherokee to give us excellent starting points in helping ourselves and others. For such a thin book, there is a lot of advice hidden in the stories and accounts, if you know what to look for.

Wado
This book offers a plethora of information regarding the Cherokee way of life. It is very insightful and respectful. I have recommended it to everyone I know. Many thanks to J.T. and Michael for sharing such beauty with the world. Dohiyi and Wado

This is not a book. It is a living entity. It breathes.
The reader can sense that it was written out of love and respect for Cherokee heritage and the desire to share the beauty of The Way of Right Relationship. In a world filled with the sham of plastic books dedicated to the way of shamanism, Medicine of the Cherokee stands bright and clear.

You are given an understanding of the four sacred directions, animal totems, journeying, crystal vision, the way of the circle, the principle of noninterference and more. Father and son, J. T. Garrett and Michael Garrett, guide you along the path and at the same time give you the most important gift - the freedom to find your own path.


My Name's Friday : The Unauthorized but True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb
Published in Paperback by Cumberland House (2001)
Author: Michael J. Hayde
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My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet
While any television buff would enjoy MY NAME'S FRIDAY, it is a MUST read for Dragnet or Jack Webb fans. This book documents exactly how Jack Webb came up with the idea for Dragnet and how it evolved from that moment on covering scripts, writers, stock players, and every aspect of the show. It gives us an idea of what kind of man Jack Webb was and what it was like to work with and for him. It is not, however, dry reading, but a fast moving, interesting, colorful and smoothly written account of what happened. I found the book definitely hard to put down and give it a five-star rating.

Just What I've Been Waiting For!!
I just put down my copy of this book and I can say after reading it and "Just the Facts Ma'am" - this is the book to read. The author, Michael Hayde, has really done his homework on this nice retrospective on Jack Webb and all the works he did before he died in 1982. While both books are good, the attention to detail is outstanding, making this Jack Webb book, in my opinion, the best ever written to date. This book covers Mr. Webb's associations, detailed history and traditions in the creation and production of Dragnet from its inception, to Adam-12 (1968-1975), Emergency!, Hec Ramsey, and many other Jack Webb related projects. Jack Webb's historic contributions to television production and filming is detailed nicely, outlining many aspects that have not been widely known. I couldn't put it down, and neither will you. Mr. Hayde's years of research really stands out, and there is also a section dedicated the terminology of the LAPD in that era as well. If your a fan of Jack Webb, the Los Angeles Police Department, and vintage cop shows, this book will make an outstanding addition to your collection.

"My Name's Friday"- Mr. Law and Order personified
The definitive work for "Dragnet" buffs and those fascinated by the genius of Jack Webb. Mr Hayde has done his homework on this one, exploring every facet of the man, his TV and theatrical productions, successes, failures, motivations, eccentricities, and the people in his life, both personal and professional. Well written and alternately amusing, sad and informative, the author has spent years researching his subject and presents his story in a way that keeps the reader glued to the book. Nearly every page contains photos of Webb's "regulars" plus many big-name stars who cut their teeth on early Dragnet. The appendix is loaded with information on each episode from radio, '50's black and white TV, and the color series from the late '60's. In addition, his theatrical film output is reviewed picture by picture.

Although obviously a big fan of Webb's, Hayde does not gloss over the failures and personal shortcomings of this brilliant but flawed personality. For all his successes, Webb apparently lacked an ability to "bond" with people and a miserable childhood undoubtedly contributed to his "control-freak" obsessions. One cannot complete this book without feeling a certain sadness for Webb- so much success and so many wonderful people entered his life, but his perfectionism kept happiness elusively from his grasp.

A "must read" for early TV fans- Webb belongs in the company of Arthur Godfrey, Lucille Ball and Milton Berle in measuring his contribution to the medium. Michael Hayde's narration makes this a delightful book for all who have been enthralled by Webb's work.


Pole to Pole
Published in Audio Cassette by BBC Consumer Publishing (04 October, 1999)
Author: Michael Palin
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Excellent!
This is a great video set; watching Michael Palin travel the world, adding his unique sense of humor to every situation is a treat. ditto w/ Around the World in 80 days, and Full Circle.

It's like I was there, but in book form!
I actually purchased the book before seeing the series, noting the name Michael Palin on the cover, and remembering his adventures around the world in 80 days. The fact that I did not see the show somehow made the book more enjoyable to read. Palin has a very descriptive, yet easy-to-follow writing style, which helped me vividly imagine the exotic locales & various personalities. Of course, the photos by Basil Pao helped a lot. All in all, great work, so much so that it doesn't feel like a TV companion, but a travelogue that can stand strongly on its own.

A superhappyterrific fun-time video series
Michael Palin takes us on a voyage from North to South Pole and along the way introduces the interpid couch-traveller to some great sights, inateresting people, and the usual Palin humor. Highlights include the fjords of Norway, Russia and the Ukraine before the general's coup and a crazy long trip through the heart of Africa. Lots of fun...a great way to spend a cold autumn saturday.


Nice Shot, Mr. Nicklaus : Stories About the Game of Golf
Published in Hardcover by Huntington Press (01 November, 2000)
Author: Michael Konik
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MUST READ
Excellent book about golf for fanatics as well as ignoramuses like me. I liked how Konik reminds us that the high stress of competition and money and stardom don't excuse a rotten attitude on the golf course, or in life in general. The way he describes some golf courses made me want to log onto the Internet to instantly buy an airplane ticket. And the clever chapters -- describing equipment in the style of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and rewriting the Canterbury Tales to include golf -- were a charming surprise. This is a very touching book that made me laugh as well. A great combination for a sport I used to find sort of boring.

A Winner from Michael Konik
Michael Konik weaves humor, insight, golf trivia, travel adventure and philosophy into a wonderful set of short stories. You don't have to play or even like golf to enjoy this collection of clever and witty observations about the game of golf and the people who play it. The "hero" of each story might be a world class pro, or a caddie. Konik's ability to capture the moment makes this book a joy to read.

Thanks Mike. Waiting for more.

Easy Going
Very enjoyable to read one chapter at a time. Like one nice golf hole after another. Funny, touching, educational. Any golfer you know will love this book. Looking forward to more.


House of Many Shadows
Published in Hardcover by Dodd Mead (1974)
Author: Barbara Michaels
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Another good book from Barbara Michaels
Although I read this book a long time ago I still re-read this book often. Perfect for a cold, stormy night spent under the covers. It has the perfect touch of suspence that will keep you up till you are done. It has a little romance but not enough to get in the way of the story or to overwhelm it. I loved this book I would recomend this to any suspence/mystery/romance fan.

House of Many Shadows
As a dyed-in-the wool Barbara Michaels fan, I couldn't read this book fast enough. It was one I have been looking for for quite a while and may I tell you, the wait was worth it! Ms. Michaels never lets a reader down. In my opinion, she is one of the best writers of this genre in our century. ( That is, 20th. and 21st.)I highly recommend any Barbara Michaels books to readers that like a good romance, mystery, chiller and all-around good read!

Chilling---wonderful for a cold winter's night
I have read and re-read this book countless times---and I still find myself needing to check under the bed after reading it!

At the urging of her bossy cousin, Sylvia, Meg moves in to an old Pennsylvania farm house which Sylvia owns. On the surface, Meg is there to recuperate from an accident but Sylvia has also persuaded her to help restore the house so it can be donated to the local historical society. Andy, Sylvia's adult stepson, has also been enlisted to help in the restoration.

Since her accident, Meg has suffered from auditory hallucinations...but while at the farmhouse, Meg suddenly begins to experience visual hallucinations. At first, she dismisses them as the result of her accident but when it becomes clear that Andy is seeing the same "hallucinations" both Andy and Meg are forced to acknowledge the unthinkable---the house is haunted.

Barbara Michaels is an incredibly gifted writer of suspense/ghost stories. She combines the ordinary with the extraordinary---most of her heroines are skeptics which make their experiences with the supernatural even more chilling. You know that these are not the fanciful people who would see ghosts wherever they are. In fact, these are the people who will deny the ghost's existence until the last possible moment.

As an historian, I love the research Michaels puts into her books (and she makes it seem effortless!). She does an incredible job recreating the past and providing you with wonderful tidbits of historical information---all without hectoring or lecturing you!

Buy this book---but make sure that there aren't any impending power outages when you sit down to read it because you'll want to keep the lights burning for at least a week after you've read this!


Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia
Published in Hardcover by Del Rey (1998)
Authors: Michael D. Resnick and Mike Resnick
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A real story
I have been a Resnick fan for some time so I am somewhat biased. Saying that, I find Kirinyaga to be the finest fiction ever written. Rarely, every three or four years, I find a story so moving I share it with everyone I know, a story that will not leave my mind. I read Kirinyaga to my wife. Some stories like, "For I Have Touched the Sky", brought us too tears. This series of short stories combine into one fine novel. These are lessons everyone should learn. Every story has a message. Read this book and share it with a friend. It is the only thing to do.

a tour de force
Kirinyaga is one of the best books I have read of any genre (I read just about anything). It made me think about many things:

1. humans and where humanity is headed

2. what gender roles mean and how changing them changes a society profoundly

3. the past is a place that holds many charms and many restrictions

4. the consequences of our choices, and the effects that those choices have on those under us-- who amongst us is wise enough to make the decisions?

5. utopia, Resnick explored this topic in ways that I could never have predicted, and in very human ways without over-exaggeration (unlike the treatment in Candide, etc.)

I was alternately fascinated, interested, angered, amused.... At one point I was so upset that I put the book down for about two weeks because of the emtions that it aroused in me-- I can't say that about many books that I have read. I finally picked it up again and was completely satisfied by the ending. The fact that it was written as a series of separate stories was effective as well. I have used this in class (adult ESL) and it was successful.

Can We Live Without Change?
A highly educated man tries to, in effect, stop time for the Kikuyu tribe, on their own planetoid, where he can isolate them from the outside world (so-called "western" influences) and propagate their ancient customs.

This is a remarkable book, written with so much wisdom and insight. The dialogue and prose is sharp and controlled. Resnick presents both sides of the arguments with such clarity and humanity, it's sometimes heartbreaking. Koriba's well-intentioned but ultimately misguided crusade against change is challenged again and again, not necessarily by the "outside", but by the "inside" - the minds and hearts of his villagers. It's fascinating to see how he resolves these challenges to his authority and his hopes for the Kikuyu ... and sometimes downright scary.

The book also shows us the erroneous assumption of multiculturalism - that everything in every culture is worth saving and perpetuating. The modern myths of the Kikuyu - and indeed of many peoples on this planet - that "the West" is to blame for their condition and/or corruption (and everything "Western" should therefore be anathema) is not spared. It's tempting to carry on here about the general public's overwhelming ignorance of Africa's booming slave trade, because it's all in the same vein.

The stories show that for all our differences in time and space, people are the same everywhere - and that is the "problem" that cannot be controlled by isolation.

The reality is that every culture is always changing. The Kikuyu ways Koriba is trying to preserve are only a snapshot of a tribe that is both naturally degenerating (see "Eternity in Their Hearts", by Don Richardson) and gravitating towards "Western" ways - which, by the way, were largely exported from the Mediterranean, that is, from Israel! (See "How the Irish Saved Civilization", "The Gifts of the Jews", "Desire of the Everlasting Hills" by Thomas Cahill.) No culture is meant to live in statis, nor can it be done. Peoples and people are meant to grow, to mature. Multiculturalism can serve us by preserving, recording, or interpreting that which is worth saving; but it's self-evident (I hope) that it should stop at re-instituting human sacrifices, or some of the more subtle horrors we read of in this book. And that fact alone should make us question some of the sillier aspects of this trend.

The view that everyone is of equal worth, that freedom, accountability, and responsibility are important clues about what it means to be human. The dangers inherent in free will, and the element of curiosity sometimes recalls the Garden of Eden, but this is no Paradise. The problems of humanity, it is shown, lie squarely within.


People of the Silence (The First North American Series)
Published in Audio Cassette by Soundelux Audio Pub (1996)
Authors: Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear
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Entire series wonderfull
The first book I bought from this series was People of the Mist.I really enjoyed it so I bought People of the Wolf.After reading the second book I realized the story followes through from one book to the next.I went out and got the entire series.I am now on my third time reading these books.I never get tired of them.There is history,romance,action,adventure and mystery all wrapped up in every book.Well worth the investment.Not for young readers,adult content.

hate to see the story end
I have read all of the "The People" series and just started "The People of the Mist". I anxiously await each new book. They are entertaining and informative at the same time. When a book can make me feel like I'm there, the author has hit his mark. Keep them coming

most excellent, brilliant book I've read in a long time
People of the Wolf is such a good book. It has everything, love, adventure, hate, passion. It is mind blowing....cant wait to read People of the Lightning. I would recommend this book to everyone. The authors should take a bow...


McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: A Container Garden of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers
Published in Paperback by Workman Publishing Company (01 February, 2002)
Authors: Rose Marie Nichols McGee, Maggie Stuckey, and Michael A. Hill
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The Bountiful Container
The Bountiful Container. Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey. Workman Publications New York 2002 0-7611-1623-0 432 pages

This most readable book was written for "everyone who aspires to have garden-fresh foodstuffs but has no yard in which to grow them". This is a detailed book about growing herbs and vegetables in containers - there is a chapter each on fruits and edible flowers too. Both writers are experienced growers and standard growing information is not only tailored to container growing, but is supplemented by the experience of two down to earth women who have been there and done that.

Sensibly organized, the book starts with planning a container garden and moves on to basic information such as the tools you'll need and the pros and cons of different types of containers. But most of the book tells you how to get the best crop from a great long list of vegetables and herbs There are chapters on growing fruit and edible flowers in containers and a decent list of mail order sources for seeds and plants.

I liked the direct, no-nonsense approach of the two writers. They have produced a thorough and thoughtful book, sensibly organized and both readable and knowledgeable.

Complete, simple guidelines
I have an apartment with a small balcony, and this book has been very helpful for gardening ideas both inside and outside. It's been especially helpful for giving clear but detailed descriptions of different types of container plants, and giving advice on what types of plants work best in different conditions. It's well-organized, includes personal anecdotes, and makes you feel like you can try out anything in the book. I especially liked that they warn you if something has specific requirements for growing--it's much easier for me to cut down on my choices for buying seeds or plants when I know what will grow best.

GREAT for novice and/or small space gardeners!
What a find! I am a novice gardener; I started my gardening journey at the library, where I found this book. It is just about the most user-friendly book on gardening, specifically container gardening, that I have found! McGee and Stuckey's love of gardening is contagious; it makes you want to rush out and begin planting! There were two aspects of this book that I found particularly helpful. First, they present detailed write-ups on an extensive list of various vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible flowers--how and when to plant, what size container is needed, etc. Second, and very interesting, they suggest numerous theme gardens; specifically, how to plant a variety of edibles in a single container or grouping of containers around a particular theme or color (i.e., a kid's garden, a lemonade garden, etc). A MUST have for any gardener!


Official VisiBroker for Java Handbook
Published in Paperback by MacMillan Publishing Company (08 January, 1999)
Authors: Michael McCaffery, Bill Scott, and William Scott
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The most comprehensive book on Visibroker for Java to date!
This book is by far the best handbook for any development tool I've ever read. I recommend it to anyone who has a vague interest in learning how to program with the VisiBroker for Java.

A must have book for CORBA/JAVA developer
Too many CORBA/JAVA books just discuss the CORBA in a high level and throw a lot of terms in the first chapter and make the readers frustrated. (Something I thought those authors just do a simple copy and paste from other sources). "The official VisiBroker for Java" is different. It is an excellent and practical book. It is the first CORBA book I can read throught the first three chapter after try many others.

If you want to have time for a life, buy this book.
This book is the difference between going home at 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

I've been working with Visibroker for Java for about 3 years now. The documentation that comes with the product itself is so bad that the only way I learned anything about the product was from experimenting with it.

About six months ago, I bought this book. I learned more from reading this book than I did from years of working with the product itself. (Usually it's the opposite.)

If you working on a project using Visibroker for Java, or any ORB for that matter, you must get this book. It will save you hours of frustration and you'll have time to spare to play Unreal Tournamnent.


A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson
Published in Hardcover by University Press of Kentucky (1998)
Author: Michael Troyan
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A treasure for old movie lovers
I loved this book! Being a fan of the glamour of old-time Hollywood, it was so exciting to be able to read all these wonderful anecdotes and stories about what it was like making movies at MGM during its golden era. Greer Garson was a wonderful actress and lady who deserved to have her story told and I'm glad someone did her justice. Michael Troyan writes with much respect and admiration about Garson and digs up the most interesting details, directly from those who worked with her, knew her, and loved her. I would have liked to find out just a little more about her personal life, such as why she never had children and why she quit the film business, but all in all the book is great. Mr. Troyan, we anxiously await your next book.

Lovely book for a lovely lady
This is an utterly enjoyable book, both for the fans of Greer Garson and for fans of classic Hollywood in general. Michael Troyan weaves her story together with all the simplicity, grace, and humor that his subject deserves. The best feature, to me, is the wealth of personal commment included that Miss Garson had on her own life, as the reader sees her wit, personality, and loveliness of being begin to take form. It is the best star biography that I have read.

Excellent presentation of an incredible woman
Michael Troyan's writing style provides so much insight and information about this wonderful person, one cannot help but feel that Greer Garson had become a personal friend long before the end of the book. His extensive research has resulted in a genuine treasure for Greer's old fans and the new ones generated from reading this well-done biography. He is to be congratulated on an easy-to-read format with amazing attention not only to the details of Greer's life, but also to the history of Hollywood's Glamour Years and the behind-the-scenes activities that resulted in so many of our favorite movies. This book celebrates someone who wouldn't quit or loose sight of her goals, while "following her star". One cannot help but be inspired to excellence after reading Michael's tribute to Greer Garson. Highly recommended for readers of ALL ages.


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