In book #14 of the Bailey School Kids series, the gang goes back again to Camp Lone Wolf (you know, the one where the counselor may be a werewolf!). There they meet the bagpipe playing, wetsuit wearing, Scottish brogue speaking Nessie, the camp swimming teacher. There's something odd about her, and very odd about the shapes that seem to be surfacing in the lake late at night. Is it possible there's a monster in there?

"Monsters Don't..." is a cute, quickly moving book in this series, but it not one of the best books. It's confusing at a lot of points because the reader isn't sure if there's a separate monster from Loch Ness in the lake, or if the camp swim teacher is a monster herself. While this may seem to add to the mystery of the series and infuse it with that characteristic weird-creepiness seen in other books in the series, here in "Monsters Don't..." it just winds up being confusing. The ending is a bit weak, leaving readers wondering why the book ended when they finish the last page and the character of Nessie isn't very strong or well sketched out. If you're a diehard fan of the series, then by all means read it! However, if you're just picking up a few here and there, you may want to think about skipping this one.

I thought this book was good for first through third grade.I thought it was a really good book because the Bailey School kids think there is a monster in Lake Erin.I would recommend this book to first threw third grader because it is a short book with very big print. I thought when Eddie saw a tiny fish and thought it was a shark it was very funny.My favorite character was Eddie.Eddie is a redheaded boy who cracks me up.One reason I liked Eddie is that he likes to argue with the teacher.Eddie also hates school and reading.

I gave this book five stars because it was a great mystery. It
had a thrill about finding out if their scuba teacher is a lake monster.They eventually find out that she is a monster
but it brings in an adventure and mystery to find out.The book
brings in some beliefs and realistic things about monsters.

Talk about recycling...this series is getting old and redundant. Don't we get enough trivia in our daily lives? Do we need more when we're on the can? I think the Bathroom Readers "Institute" should give this a rest and save a few trees in the process.

Having rediscovered "Bathroom Readers" I was not disappointed . Full useless information that is the perfect salve to the rest of the trafffic on the information superhighway.
A perfect gift for someone who loves trivia.

I've bought all of the Uncle John books, and have enjoyed them throughly. I've also noticed that a lot of the questions on "Who wants to be a millionaire", I have previously read the same information in one of Uncle John's books. Surprised the heck out of my kids when I can answer the questions that has the current contestant stumped.

This is a good book and it helps you read better because the words start out easy and then they get a little bit harder.

Wizards Don't Need Computers is about four kids,who go to the Baily City library. They find a new librarian. The four kids think he is a wizard from the middle ages. So they sneak into his desk and find a wand. One of the kids waves the wand in front of the wizard. Read the book to find out what happens.

This was the first Bailey School Kids book I ever read. It was good. I liked the wizard a lot!

Here is a clear, concise, and extremely well-written book. A model, IMHO, of how authors should write history. If you were ever curious about why Hutus kill Tutsi's, why Zaire is such a mess, or how DeBeers came to practically run the South African government, this book's for you. If you haven't been curious, you should be. Read it anyway.

The book covers African history from archaeology and anthropology through present era. (It stops at the 1994 Rwanda crisis and Mandela's election in South Africa).

I picked up the book after reading an excellent review in The Economist. I knew very little about African history and reckoned I should know more. I was not disappointed.

John Reader writes clear and concise prose and chooses his words carefully. Each chapter is fairly "portable" and can be read indpendently and, as a bonus, has an abstract at the beginning which help clarify the author's ideas and direction.

The two shortfalls I found were trivial:

1) I find the archaeology and anthropology less interesting than portions which dealt with the Portugese on. That said, I found the subject matter of the first 200 pages a bit dry.

2) It needs more maps inserted in the body of the book, i.e. detailed enough to support some of the texts. The Appendix in the back contains some interesting maps, not in the level of detail necessary to follow some discussions. (E.g. the Congo headwaters and locations of Brazzaville/Leopoldville.)

That said, I found the book worthwhile and have given it to two friends moving to Kenya. They liked it also.

This is a long book about Africa, that is nevertheless very interesting all the way through. It comes in two broad sections: the first part talks about the geology of Africa and about how people lived in relation to the land and how they survived there. This part is about people who lived with no (or very scarce) written records. It's done very well. Reader is very knowledgeable about the most recent theories and discoveries in human evolution . It's relevant, of course, to the history of the world and not just Africa. The second part is about what happened once Europeans and other types headed back in to Africa. This part reads a bit like a news summary. It's interesting, it's detailed (horrific in places), and it's only part of the story. That's fair enough, though. Goodness me, you can't have everything in one book. My position was: I know nothing at all about Africa. I need to start somewhere. This was an excellent book for that purpose.

Considering the magnitude of his undertaking, Mr Reader did a superb job of covering his subject in nearly every aspect possible. Almost anyone with an interest in geology, geography, anthropology, ancient and recent history, political science or ethnography will find this book of interest in some aspect. Personally I enjoyed the first half of the volume more than the last half, as the later chapters are a depressing compendium of the inhumanity of mankind to its brethern. The unfortunate effects of foreign involvement in African affairs has a long history, and Mr. Reader dealt with the subject fully and fairly; nor did he entirely absolve native African involvement in the down fall of some of its own cultures. The author seems to have a feel for the complexity of the events that occurred through time and of the reprocussions--the almost dominoe effect--of actions and decisions made, often times outside of Continental Africa itself. (A case of 20-20 hindsight, perhaps). In all a very readable book for anyone desiring a broad overview of Africa.

John Irving fans should not overlook this gem of a book, though it departs drastically from the style that Irving is known and loved for. While there is little of the over-the-top humor and element of the absurd that made him famous, the deep-felt humanity and compassion that fills his characters is here in abundance. This is certainly the leanest, most serious, and yes, the saddest of his many fine novels. It tackles a thorny and complex subject - the effect that a ménage a quatre has on the two couples involved - with honesty and grace. For one of his earlier works, this book shows a surprising level of maturity, both in the terse, precise prose and the nuanced, layered approach to the subject matter. Irving's exploration of human emotion and the consequences of our decisions and actions are remarkably reminiscent of similar work by Philip Roth and Richard Ford years later.

This book was written early on in Mr.Irvings career. It has those wonderful, quirky, little off center character,so carefully developed. It's no Owen Meany, but it is still a wonderful read.

"The 158 Pound Marriage" is another example of John Irving at his best. He masterfully explores the consequences of infidelity in a modern marriage through a story of two couples, each in love with another's spouse. Though the wrestling imagery can get tiresome after a while, it's a fitting theme for a book whose characters are wrestling with the choices they have made in their marriages. The characters are all well developed, and the non-linear plot flows with ease. The one warning I would give is not to pick up this book looking for another "Garp." There is, was, and will always be only one "Garp." Let "The 158 Pound Marriage" stand on its own merits and you will not be disappointed.

I bought this book for a college class and the next semester they changed the book. I read some things on my own and found some good but I don't think it was worth the money. I still have it though because when I read it, it makes me feel smart. Plus they come out with new ones all the time...dont buy it new. Just get a used one. All they change is the cover and a couple inserts so the pages are different and you think its different than the old one. Dont be fooled.

Although the editorial selection clearly slants to the left, and is bubbling with postmodernism, many of the essays here are quite enjoyable, especially the humorous prose of James Thurber and Mark Twain, and George Orwell's "Politics and the English Lanuage" is delightfully informative. The best expositionary anthology I've yet seen.

College English text yes, but contains a huge variety of stories from notable writers. Short stories yes, but great for those who don't want to delve into full-length novels. Also contains questions to think about after many of the essays and mini biographies of the authors.

An outstanding book on the subject of transpersonal psychology. This is a collection of essays from the leaders in the field. I Especially enjoyed the articles by Ken Wilber (of course) and Roger Walsh

This book is a wonderful series of essays for those of us interested in transpersonal experiences. It was very inspiring and helped me experientially get closer to transcendence. The richness in content comes from many people discussing the transpersonal experience from many different perspectives. I'd highly recommend this book. Another book on transpersonal psychology I'd recommend is "Rhythm, Relationships, and Transcendence" by Toru Sato. It is the best book that explains what transcendence really means! Both books are excellent!

I love this book and am glad to see it has passed the test of twenty years of use. I found its first incarnation as "Beyond Ego," a wonderful distillation of transpersonal psychology and consciousness research, and am happy to recommend what is now a completely rewritten, updated, and even better version to clients and friends today. I appreciate writing that makes learning easy, and the current "Paths Beyond Ego" succinctly introduces its readers to the key ideas of more than thirty five of the most influential thinkers in the field, thus saving the effort of wading through the hundreds of original texts.

Although easy to read, this is a rigorous work that integrates scientific and psychological thinking with the spiritual traditions to create a comprehensive transpersonal vision of the highest possibilities of what human beings can be. The media is full of the wonders of physical technology, while this book offers a much needed counterbalance by examining the less commonly known wonders of psychospiritual technology. One of the most interesting questions this book explores is how something non physical like spirituality can be studied with scientific rigor rather than being left adrift in the realms of arbitrary belief, superstition, and dogma.

"Paths Beyond Ego" examines some of the major ideas, practices, goals, and experiences, that underlie the spiritual traditions and the new discipline of transpersonal psychology. It does this in a non-denominational way that avoids getting lost in the beliefs and details of any particular path or religion. The editors paint a broad interdisciplinary overview of what leading researchers of consciousness are exploring today, including; personal growth, transpersonal psychotherapy, spiritual emergency, addiction, meditation, enlightenment, gurus, lucid dreaming, psychedelics, science and spirituality, ethics, philosophy, mysticism, love, near death experiences, service, and ecology.

I have used this book as an introductory text for university undergraduates, who rated it highly, as well as an introduction to transpersonal thinking for "growth oriented" therapy clients. I have also recommended it to corporate managers and trainers who wanted a quick overview of how "normal every day consciousness" can be developed by practice into much more effective "higher states of consciousness" through self awareness, self transcendence, and ultimately, enlightenment.

For those who find the gems in this collection of fifty essays engaging and want to go deeper, you will have both the "big picture" and a reading list with which to select among authors and longer works that will take you there. In this field, theory is only proven by personal application of the understanding it offers, so if you are inspired by the possibilities of inner exploration, and ready to move beyond theory into actual exercises and practices, Dr. Walsh's newest book, "Essential Spirituality," is an excellently written, user friendly, and highly recommended place to start. (Recommended by Wilber, Grof, Tart, Ram Dass, Jampolsky, Arrien, and other leaders in the field, with a forward by the Dalai Lama.)

Of the three volumes I've looked at in this series, this is the only one I've found worth keeping. A major disappointment of these brief discussions is the failure to include a timeline summary--of either the narrative or the actions it contains. As a consequence, the usefulness of the commentary is limited to readers who are fresh from reading the novel.

All the same, Bolland brings lots of welcome information, helpful clarification, and fresh critical perspective to Ondaatje's major achievement. Moreover, his frequent reference to postcolonial theory and Foucault post-structuralism proves to enhance rather than obfuscate his discussion of the novel. Somewhat disappointing, however, is the author's decision to afford no more than 4 pages to the film, especially given its critical reputation and Ondaatje's keen interest in the project.

This short book is an excellent overview for people reading or studying The English Patient. I got it to help with an English/linguistics course with the novel as key text, and it has been very helpful to me. I found though that it was an interesting read in itself and in some cases gave me new insight into others of Ondaatje's books which I have read for pleasure rather than studying.
The first chapters are invaluable for providing a background to Ondaatje's work through his personal and academic history, as well as charting the development of the Canadian post-modern movement which provides much of the impetus behind Ondaatje's work. There are numerous and detailed references to his other works as well, which help in showing the development of the concerns and themes prevalent in The English Patient.
The section dealing with the narrative and thematic structure of the novel was exceptional - I make particular note of the section on intertextuality, where clear points and inferences are made about the relation between the novel and key intertexts such as Kim.
The section on the movie didn't seem to live up the promise - it would have been good to have seen more detail on the similarities and differences between the two texts, and the implications of some of the decisions Minghella made about changing the script.
All in all a good resource, but the detail on theory (e.g. post-modernism) may be irrelevant to high school students. There is also a comprehensive list of articles and websites for further reading.

This is not a sereis of books that I have seen before, so I don't know if any of the others are good, but this particular volume was very helpful. Short enough to get through in one sitting, it helped me get my thoughts together about The English Patient. I hadn't been sure how to approach it beforehand. I'll admit that once or twice the author lost me - it's a complex novel and his analysis of it is, at times, equally complicated. Ultimately it works, though. You get the impression that John Bolland would be a good teacher. Recommended, if you need help with this novel.

I usually love this series of books, but apparently Uncle John has a new author/editor who is bent on trying to be cute and witty, which comes off trite and boring...even distracting. I used to pick up these books without a second thought. No longer the case.

The husband starts telling me that the heart isn't really on the left side of the chest, it's just that the left ventricle is bigger, and why it developed that way. How did he acquire this arcane knowledge? Uncle John's "Plunges Into the Universe," of course.

My husband loves this book. I got it for him as gift (an entirely successful gift), and he keeps showing me things. Math Mnemonics: did you know that you can remember the order of Roman numerals (L, C, D, M) if you can recall "Lucky Cows Drink Milk"? In this book you can also find out more than you ever wanted to know about dead-skin-chomping dust mites, the teeth of elephants, space-travel foods developed by NASA, plus the ever popular "much, much more!"

Short articles full of fascinating trivia with a lively presentation -- the perfect gift for the geek-on-the-run who doesn't have time to read more than "Scientific American" articles but Wants To Know Everything Anyway.

Lots of quick enjoyable reads in this book and a good laugh or two -- something for almost everybody. I especially liked the article about using flowers and fish to predict the weather... the sort of thing you'd only find in Uncle John. My hubby liked the info about the sturdiness of houses built out of dung. He's ready to try it if our rent goes up again... Yep there's good stuff in this book.

Poor Clarence! He doesn't want to hurt a living thing, but his refusal to kill mice gets him thrown out on the streets. By chance he is found by a kindly librarian who takes him in and gives him the most wonderful home he has ever known. Clarence is supremely happy. And then... MICE show up at the library! And his new friend expects Clarence to do something about them! Will Clarence get tossed out in the street again? Or will he go against his heart and kill a mouse?

This is a lovely, well-written story aimed at children age 5 and up. Older kids would enjoy deciding what Clarence should do and/or examining his principles. Clarence's no-kill credo is not presented as being didactic-- just a personal decision. In other words, this isn't a book that is going to tell kids they need to be vegans. The focus is on Clarence's particular situation. The illustrations are just perfect for the story: Clarence is a thin, nervous looking cat, rather shabby; but the vibrant background colors make all seem hopeful. Clarence has a definite place in my heart and on my bookshelf.

This story is about a cat that will not change for anybody. He is a stray that is just looking for a home. Everywhere he goes, people want him, but only if he will kill their mice. One day a librarian kindly takes him in. He doesn't have a mice problem. He sits on top of the copy machine, which is why they call him the Clarence the Copy Cat. This cat is very strongly principled. He will not change no matter what is offered to him. He decided that he wasn't ever going to kill another living creature and that is exactly what he did. A lot of people tried to get him to kill mice, but Clarence just wouldn't do it. This is similar to life when people try to get you to do something you don't really want to do and you don't do it no matter what.