This is one of the most spiritually helpful books that I have read in a long time. This would be excellant for anyone struggling with why does God allow things to happen. What an uplifting book. Please advise if anyone has found the other 3 books in the series. I want very much to continue the story.

BEFORE EDEN pulls back the vail of time and space for the reader to get an up front view of eternity past. Mark Littleton's style of writing captivates the reader by beautifully weaving together the story of this neutral angel and the truth revealed in scripture to bring fourth a compelling look at what eternity past was like. I found myself not able to put the book down and in fact have read it three times. I greatly look forward to the completion of the series. I hope some publishers take notice...

Before Eden is a well-conceived and extremely well-written behind-the-scenes look at Creation and the war in heaven. The story is a thought-provoking explanation of why faith is important, told by means of an angel's eye view of Evil's waking moments. As an "Alexis DeTocqueville" of events in Heaven leading up to the Flood, our humble angel narrator ponders some of the same questions we all have in our struggle to understand God and the reason for good and evil. Our angel, however, has access to the very throne of the Creator and asks some pretty tough questions and receives some very piercing answers.

Mark Littleton is obviously a man of God with a keen insight into spiritual curiosity. Unfortunately, this first book in a planned series is the only on that made it to print and now it is out of print. Too bad. Everyone with whom I've shared this book has raved about its clever treatment of nagging questions and have been left with a new perspective on the need for faith. And as for the realm of spiritual warfare, Littleton has my vote hands down over Frank Peretti.

If you are a bliever, get and read this book!!

If you are not a believer, get and read this book!!

As someone new to the study of the Tarot, I found Eden Gray's "A Complete Guide to the Tarot" to be the best general introduction to this fascinating divinatory system. Gray writes with a confident but accessible authority that makes her book very appealing.

Gray devotes one or two pages to every card in the classic Rider-Waite Tarot deck, and lists possible divinatory meanings. She shows how to use various spreads of the cards in order to give readings, and she also discusses the use of the Tarot as an aid in meditation. She also explores the connections between the Tarot and other systems of occult wisdom: numerology, astrology, and the Kabalah.

The book includes a bibliography for those interested in further study. Overall, I found this to be a useful and enjoyable book.

This was the first book that I bought, or read, to help me interpret the tarot. As the years have passed I have come to realise that it is also the best. There are too many mundane, cookie cutter, tarot references out there. This book truly explains the deep meanings behind the hermetic symbolism of the Waite-Rider deck. With the systems and symbolism section it becomes a comprehensive text on metaphysical thought- a true book of Thoth, or Hermes. My only complaint is that there is no deluxe copy with leather binding and vellum pages. I would gladly pay extra for it, for this is the kind of book you will refer to again and again over a lifetime. Of course, if the tarot is no more than a new-age parlor game to you, you might want to look elsewhere. If you are prepared to meditate on the meaning of deeper things, then you have found your guide.

I got a my copy in 1985... the same day i got my first deck. It is a perfect guide for beginners as well as an excellent convenient reference for more experienced readers of tarot cards. I've seen many books aimed at those new to tarot, none are as complete and most are confusing to novices. This book clearly and concisely explains the divinatory meanings of the cards as well as the symbolism behind each one. Its illustrations are of the popular and easily accessible Rider-Waite deck, but it can be used with most standard decks. Gray also provides information on some systems of thought that can illuminate the tarot experience. This book's low price is a big bonus. One wishing to dabble in tarot can easily afford this excellent guide. One who is experienced can easily afford to add this to a reference set.

I work on promoting Mideast peace at an organization called Israel Policy Forum in Washington, DC. So I see all the literature. And I'm not easily impressed.
But this book approaches perfection. And I'm not just talking about the writing, which is superb.
I am talking about a book which miraculously appeared at a time we most need it. Following the 911 attack, an atack committed in the name of Islam, we have Yossi Klein Halevi, writing from Jerusalem, who explains, who shows, Islam's other face. This author, a devout Jew, demonstrates that Judaism/Christianity and Islam, at their best, are the same and that to fill one's heart with the true message of one, is to know and be all three.
(The corollary, of course, is that the fanatics in all three faiths are the same as well. Isn't it amusing how a Jewish extremist, clothed in black, disdaining women and all who represent the "other" does not recognize his twin in the other faiths, and vice versa. If the extremists would meet each other, they would realize that they are one and the same. Maybe we can get to peace that way!)
This book shows that there is a way out of the current horrors by reaching out and finding those aspects of each faith community that are common to all three. It understands that, in the Mideast, the seculars cannot make peace without the people of faith. Halevi shows the way. This book is a gift to us all.

I just finished reading At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden by Yossi Klein Halevi. I couldn't put it down. In his search for Muslims and Christians who would let him share in their spiritual lives, Halevi tries to find a way to connect with his erstwhile enemies outside of politics. He takes us along on his journey and what an astounding array of people we meet: Sufi sheikhs and French nuns and Armenian monks.

And most of all, we get to know Halevi, an American-born Israeli, sensitive and conflicted , who wants to participate in the rebirth of the Jewish people in its own land without harming other peoples, and understanding the tragedy that these two desires are in conflict.

It's a sad book because it ends with the resumption of armed conflict that began in 2000. But it's also a hopeful book because of all of the people Halevi meets who are willing to clasp hands across the divide. In one beautiful scene, Halevi attends a Moslem Sufi zikr, a session of mystical dancing which allows the participants to connect with each other and with God. Despite initial hostility, the experience brings home Halevy and his hosts together in mutual understanding and respect. It's a scrap of hope we can all use in these difficult times.

An extraordinary book. Yossi Klein Halevy is a deeply religious American-born Jewish journalist and Israeli citizen who has lived in Israel for almost twenty years. This book is written as a personal spiritual journey, in which Halevy attempts to experience and understand Islam and Christianity by joining in their rituals of worship. Despite the personal nature of the subject, his historical, political and social commentary are invaluable for those who wish to understand the Middle East conflict today. In a world where hatred is running rampant, he sends a message that solutions can only come through understanding, not violence.

While reading Eden, I could hear Olympia Vernon's voice through her style, tuning every word like an instrument. I see strength in these characters. It is what they find their strength in that is different; this is a place that haunts them, hurts them or may heal them. Each character needs to find strength just to get by in their life walk. We can spy on them through Maddy; she is in the midst of adolescence, finding her own areas of strength to get by. She is growing up by visualizing and feeling the gut revelations that we all learn from family. Through watching the lives of those around her, Maddy sees that love, strength and truth do not always exist together in the same places. It is such a real to life revelation how family teaches us disappointment. There is also a strong sense of longing throughout Eden. Pip displays this longing. I love her name; it is like a flashback to how she used to be lively and exciting. She was once a free spirited beauty who found her strength in men. This caused her to betray her own sister Faye, and so she must live and die as an outcast from her family. What was once strength in her life cheated her by giving her loneliness. Mama Faye finds her strength in Jesus. This helps her function as a savior to her family. She needs His strength to overcome her husband's ways and heal the past hurt of betrayal. Chevrolet seems to find his strength in avoiding mama's Jesus. He gets messed up in the Jesus of the world, who seems to always be after him. He gambles with Jesus so much that his life is always on the line. Eden is a peek into rural southern living, filled with mystery and anticipation.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up the debut novel by new author Olympia Vernon. The title suggested to me that I was beginning a story about the concept of Eden, a place where old age ceases, evil is nonexistent, and a place of abundance. Quite the opposite was true.

Maddy Dangerfield, a fourteen-year old with the weight of the world on her shoulders, lives in a place that defies Eden and all of its niceties. Maddy's mother, Faye, sends her to care for her Aunt Pip, Mama Faye's outcast sister. Pip suffers from breast cancer and the loss of her breast. Maddy learns much from Pip, and this stop in her journey to adulthood takes on an important role.

There was a strong theme of missing pieces in the novel, beginning with Maddy's father Chevrolet, who was missing his arm, and ending with Maddy herself, and all of the losses she incurred. The writing spoke to me in hushed voices, Vernon allowing her words and lyricism to come to the forefront. You won't find a largely plot-driven novel in Eden, as the author allows focus to remain on her characters and their losses. A symbolic tale of coming of age and coming to grips, this was a fantastic debut...

Olympia Vernon has certainly marked her space on the map with Eden. The entire book sings like music. Every line, every chapter is indelible--like an ongoing paean that praises and celebrates life, love, loss, forgiveness, death, God, pain, nature, disease and the awe of body--the physical journeys it takes. I found the language as bare-boned as Hemingway. Quick, clean, sharp and vivid. Even cancer resonates as a "character" in the novel. I was enamored with the simplest "sharing" in the book and that was Maddy. Though a rift eases in between two sisters, Faye and Aunt Pip, the child is still allowed to go to her aunt. Could that in some manner be a gesture of forgiveness? The one and only frail part about the novel is plot. However, the characters, structure, language, magical-realism and overall theme of the work deems it all the more rich. I hope this young author continues to contribute good, qualified, "seriously imaginative" literature to the African-American canon. I think she will keep the map strong. Highly recommended!!

We have an inexpensive paperback version (see our reviews) of this classic poem, and we said that's enough for us. That was before we looked through this beautifully illustrated (by Bruce Whatley) edition of The Night Before Christmas.

The lyrics are the same, from book to book, but the fanciful illustrations in this one are enough to engage adults and children as they read this book together.

The perfect gift for any family whose Christmas tradition includes reading this classic!

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.

A fascinating book.. I couldn't put it down! Williams' command of words and poetic imagery is truly incredible. He draws readers into a dramatic story well woven with depth, romance and true honor. Combine all this with the book's strongly conveyed sense of Divine will and purpose and you have one fantastic work of literature! I hope for more books of the same genre from this author.

I got this book yesterday and I just got finished reading it! It is one of the greatest books I have ever read. Not only does it tell of virtues and morals, right and wrong, good and evil; but it also has a compellign story line that intrigues you from the first paragraph until the last word. How the author uses words to captivate the senses and paint visual pictures are astounding! It amazes me how I just couldn't seem to stop reading. This book rivals J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and definately one that I'll read again. Bravo Thomas Williams! And thank you for writing one of the greatest literary masterpieces ever. I truly love this book.

Aradon and Volanna are the perfect fantasy hero and heroine. They are called on again and again to make difficult decisions in the midst of the intrigue and hardships that surround them. This book really has something to offer everyone -- romance, suspense, danger, humor. The hardest thing about reading this book is that it ends -- far sooner than you are willing to stop reading. I hope that Mr. Williams will continue this story of Aradon and Volanna, along with the other wonderful characters of the Seven Kingdoms. Read this -- I am sure you will feel the same!

This is really quite an enchanting book. I really liked how seriously the author took the story of Cinderella and then delved deeper and added a twist to create a delightful turn on the classic tale.

The "twist" is that Ella is "cursed" with the spell of always having to obey direct commands. It's quite delightful to see the clever ways she gets around this curse, and sometimes when she cannot get around it the results are hilarious.

The book gets a little cumbersome about halfway through, voyaging through a forest of fantasy creatures and removing its attention just a little bit from the character development of Ella. While it helps advance the story, I found myself losing interest at that part, and my 10-year-old son (who broke down and read this "girl's" book at my insistance) decided not to finish the book when he got to the same spot. But I trudged through and then found myself enjoying the book at the end. It's not that long.

I'd recommend this book for girls in 4th grade and up, and it's not below the interest level of an imaginative adult. If you liked the movie "Ever After" then you'll probably like this book.

Ella Enchanted is a wonderful fantasy book by Gail Carson Levine. She puts a twist to the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. I would recommend this book to girls of nine to sixteen years of age. This book has every kind of creature: goblins, elves giants ogres fairy-godmothers, you name it! With a dead mother a kind a kind but misunderstanding father, Ella has a hard time. But on top of that, she has been cursed from the moment she was born. She can't say no! This truly is a fairy tale. It has it's sad parts, but a happy ending, too. I like this book because I can relate to Ella. We are about the same age, and we think similarly. I also like the way the author makes it seem realistic. Ella is learning things ad the book goes on and she gets older. This is a good book for peeole who like Harry Potter books, because they both have magic and strange creatures and a main character that has a speciality. And for those who don't like Harry Potter, or haven't read it and don't plan on reading it, maybe this book will change your mind

By retelling the famous fairytale Cinderella, Gail Carson Levine sends out the message in Ella Enchanted that in you believe in yourself, you can conquer the toughest things.
Ella, who plays Cinderella, is given the "gift" of obedience by a foolish fairy, Lucinda. Now Ella must obey every direct order given to her, which is partly why she is such a klutz.
To make matters worse, Ella's mom passes away. During her funeral, she meets Prince Charmont, or "Char." He's very modest and understanding, and he cheers Ella up a bit. Unfortunately, Ella also meets Hattie and Olive, two self-centered and spoiled brats.
Then, as if Ella's life couldn't be more miserable, her father sends her to finishing school in the town of Jenn with the disgusting slobs, Hattie and Olive. Soon, Hattie cleverly finds out that Ella is very obedient. So, being greedy, she turns Ella into her little slave. Strong-willed Ella doesn't take such torment. She runs away from school to try and break the curse but she's unsuccessful.
With nowhere to go, Ella returns home. Meanwhile, Char writes her to her, expressing his deep affection towards her. Although she loves him too, she realizes the danger that her curse would bring him. She pretends to run away. How will Ella ever be able to live happily ever after?
A descriptive, well thought out story. We couldn't stand to put it down. I was disappointed when the story was over. We wanted to keep reading. I felt myself laughing and crying with the characters. We recommend this book to anyone who once enjoyed the tale of Cinderella and wants to hear it told through a different point of view.

Ron Rash has written a beautifully told story about desire, heartbreak, cunning, murder and justice. He's done it in simple language and in a riviting style. Broken into 5 sections, each character tells the story from their own perspective. Ron lays out each section in such as a way that the story never becomes repetitive and the book is riviting. The Apalachian language with colloquialisms is delightful, making me want to read lines over again for their color and style, as well as content.

I hope Ron Rash is currently working on a second novel because I will be looking for it every day until I can purchase it!
I gladly give this book a 5 star rating.

Ron Rash is one of North Carolina's finest poets. Set in the Jocassee Valley in the southern Appalachians, One Foot in Eden is a taut, compelling story of infidelity and revenge killing that has the feel of archetypal mountain legend, a sort of "Lord Randall" updated by a psychological realist. A nifty and quite cunning murder mystery plot is parceled out to readers, Roshomon-style, from the cross-angled, and occasionally contradictory, first-person testimonies of the major players: the high sheriff, who knows murder has been done and who has done it, but can't find a body; the murderer himself; the adulterous wife for whom he kills; the bastard son of the illicit union; the deputy, a sort of Everyman, who serves as the reader's proxy and comes on, like Horatio in Act V, to wonder over the principals' unraveled fates. (There's also a witch!) For me, in some ways, the most compelling character is the Appalachian landscape, which Rash delivers tersely, with a poet's exacting eye and speech. Ultimately, One Foot in Eden is a parable about the pursuit of justice-its elusiveness at the human level, its certainty from the divine. True statement: I read the book-which is only 200 pages-- in a single sitting and couldn't (didn't) put it down.

I had read Ron Rash's three books of poetry and found his work extraordinary before I learned that he had also ventured into fiction. Then I became aware of Mr. Rash's two short story collections. I read them and found that this man, whom I had thought to be pure poet, was capable of a lyrical, poetic prose that I found engaging. It had the "feel" of endurance about it. But when I read Mr. Rash's first novel, gulping it down almost in one sitting, I was absolutely convinced that a major talent had come among us. Ron Rash can easily take his place alongside any number of the older, more established, and, alas, even major, novelists of the American South. I await Rash's second novel with bated breath. But I hope he will not forsake poetry. We readers need him in both genres--poetry as well as fiction.

You will laugh, cry and be confused when you read this book. This book can teach you that what you think is good is not always good.

There is a boy named Peter Pan. He sprinkles fairy dust in Wendy and her two brothers. Then he shows them how to fly. He takes them to Neverland and shows them to the Lost Boys who live there. Wendy becomes their mother. She makes up rules, like any other mother would do. The boys have to follow these rules. Everything was fine until Captain Hook came with his crew to where the boys and Wendy were. While Wendy and the boys were at the lagoon, where they go every day after dinner, they see a girl named Tiger Lily, princess of her tribe. She was captured by Smee, one of Captain Hook's men. Then Peter saved her. A few days later Wendy and the boys were on their way to Wendy's house when they too were all captured by Captain Hook. Then Peter saves them. Then the lost boys, Wendy and her brothers go home. All except for Peter.

It is mostly about what the people in the book think is right with childhood. The kids in the book think that if you grow up it is bad, but in our case it is actually good.

Peter Pan is a violent book not really made for children under the age of 10 but people 10 and up can read it. It is violent because of the language that is spoken and the idea that killing could be fun. Also, the vocabulary is very difficult for children under 10 to understand. Even if you're older it is difficult to understand.

Overall, it is a good book but watch out for the violent ideas if you are reading it to little children.

This is an utterly charming work. It has been retold myriad times, but nobody else has done it as well as the original teller, J. M. Barrie.

It's difficult to know what to say about a book like this... everybody knows the story. But I guess that unless you've read this book (not just seen a movie or read a retelling), you don't really know the character Peter Pan, and without knowing the character, you don't really know the story. So read it.

By the way, if you enjoy this, you probably would also like "Sentimental Tommy" and its sequel "Tommy and Grizel", both by Barrie. There are differences (for one thing they're not fantasy), but there are also compelling similarities. Anybody who found Peter Pan a deep and slightly bittersweet book would be sure to enjoy them.

-Stephen

When talking of literature, people tend to look solely at books they read today but forget what they used to read, namely the ones we read as children. It is a common misunderstanding that children's literature is to be read by children and children only, but when we come to think of it, which one of us are not children, at least in our hearts?

One of the best books any child, young or old, can read is Barrie's Peter Pan. Although written in the past century, it has something for any generation at any time. Its humorous views at the world from a child's mind left me rolling over the floor, laughing; the exciting storyline kept me busy with reading until the end; and the serious undertone made me think of whether the world wouldn't be a better place if we realised that deep down, however deep, we are in fact all children. So if YOU are a child, which you most certainly are, get yourself a copy and enjoy your ongoing childhood.

Night in Eden is a truly beautiful and touching story of passion, struggle, and survival. It's so rich and complex in characterization and historical detail that it stands above the best of the rest in the historical romance genre.

The journey of two like souls (Bryony and Hayden) coming together under tragic circumstances in brutal conditions was so compelling I read it through in a single sitting and will re-read it soon. I've rarely ever been so immersed in a book.

As soon as I finished it I ordered all the rest of Candice Proctor's books. I can hardly wait to read them.

This is without a doubt one of the best romance novels that I have ever read. It starts out just a little slow, but quickly picks up pace and from then on you won't be able to put it down.

You will sympathize with Bryony as you learn of how she lost her baby, was separated from her daughter, and unjustly convicted of murdering her "dead" husband. As soon as Hayden comes into the picture, you will instantly fall in love with him. Although he appears a little rough around the edges, you learn that he is a kind, thoughtful person as his character is further developed in the story. The sexual tension between the couple is enjoyable to read.

Night in Eden is a novel that I find myself reading over and over again. The setting in historical Australia was unique and interesting. The characters are likable, and the story is well written. Someone commented on the grammar in an earlier review, however it was written like that on purpose to show the area's dialect.

All in all, if you enjoy a good romance story, with lots of passion and intrigue, then you will enjoy this book. It's definitely a keeper by a talented author. The story of Bryony and Hayden is beautiful and unforgettable.

Bryony Wentworth, once a wealthy, privileged English landowner, is convicted of murdering her cheating husband. For her crime, she is transported to a penal colony in New South Wales, Australia while pregnant with her son, and after having her daughter ripped from her arms. Bryony gives birth to her child, then loses it to fever at five months. Captain Hayden St. John takes her from the prison to become a wet nurse for his infant son who's mother died in child birth. Hayden is bitter and untrusting. Bryony, as well as bitter and untrusting is also fearful and angry at the hand that fate has dealt her, but despite how much she resents Hayden she findsthat her heart has left her no choice but to love his child. It isn't but a short time and both Bryony and Hayden find themselves fighting attraction, and the eventually loose the battle to keep themselves apart from one another. It seems that all will work out perfectly for Bryony until Bryony's past comes back to haunt her.

Ms. Proctor has an undeniable talent for romance. She weaves a tale that is surprising in every way. She aims to please and rarely dissapoints.