I ripped through this one on a trip across country. It's not literature but a fun story nonetheless. A man buys a cottage in the woods to recover from heartache. He slowly discovers that he's not alone in the house, but that the building is "alive" (sort of). Soon after, he finds that his home is a 4th dimensional way station to 1963 New York, a way station guarded by a paranoid cyborg from a post-holocaust future. Cool, huh?

Wilson is one of the today's best science fiction writers and "A Bridge of Years" is his most moving book. This story of a house that serves as a crossroad in time weaves together the unique romance of an unlikely couple, a reluctant soldier from the future and a mysterious caretaker from an enlightened era. Suspense and insight are expertly balanced in the three storylines. "A Bridge of Years" succeeds in pairing great characters with fascinating ideas and a love story that fits perfectly into the scenario. It's a great book for unlikely fans of science fiction as it offers more than just the usual revelations and situations.

One of the most memorable science fiction books I've read in the past decade. Wilson is both a stylist and a story-teller.

Compared to the many beefy, thick collections available from both of these creators, this book is horribly anemic! Crumb fans get 5 drawings. Buk readers get 6 pages. If you think that's worth $6, then you won't be disappointed.

The art is nice. The story is about this s.o.b. who visits his insane woman at the asylum, a story that Crumb has parralled in his own comic about visiting his beloved brother in a mental institution. The difference here is that every paranoid thing coming out of the crazy person's mouth seems to be true, as if the crazy person really has been victimized by the s.o.b. visiting her.

This would have worked much better as part of a much larger compilation, but sold as a single story, it ain't much. You will finish this book in 10 minutes and wonder what the point is?!

Both Crumb and Buk have MUCH better books available.

Bring Me Your Love is a 1983 short story by Charles Bukowski. The story itself is above average for Buk and far superior to There's No Business, which is offered by Black Sparrow Press in this same format. The R. Crumb art is very compatible with the tale. It's the story of a man visiting his wife in a mental institution and the conversations that follow. Typical Bukowski subject matter...madhouses, women, sex, booze & not much hope at all. If your shelves are already filled with the real Buk books, I would definitely recommend adding this to your collection. Keep in mind, we are talking about a fifteen page book here! There's not much tohold, hence the great price.

If you like Bukowski, or Crumb, you gotta have this. The story is a typical Bukowski oddball love story, and the illustraions are like Crumb can see the mental pictures you get reading it. A great price too. I saw this one on e-bay going for like 15 bucks, people don't shop around I guess.

This is a fascinating science fiction anthology that centers on a small bookstore, Finders, as if that place is the vortex of the universe. Each story is well written and connects back to the bookstore, some more so than others. Three tales are new though if readers are like this reviewer they were unaware that the author had written any short stories so all the tales are new. As with his novels, Robert Charles Wilson has written an exciting book that showcase why this writer is one of the centers of the genre as short science fiction is rarely as good.

Harriet Klausner

This book is more horror than science fiction. It's very strange, very dark, and very disturbing. I can't call any of the stories "optimistic." I can call them nightmares that have made their way into print. I have never read anything like this. The
author is very imaginative. But I wonder, what kind of a mind can write stories like this?

Robert Charles Wilson's fictions are always a great pleasure to read: populated by heartbroken, sometimes courageous, sometimes tragic characters caught in the galactic spinning wheels not of their design, depicted in elegant, spare and caustically witty prose, and addressing heavy metaphysical questions without losing sight of human-scale sufferings and losses. I sort of regard him as Graham Greene of contemporary science fiction, a healthy antidote to all the postmodern ironies and self-congratulatory razzle-dazzle that infect fictions of every genre these days. His first collection of short stories is, if anything, sparer and tougher than his epic novels like MYSTERIUM or DARWINA. Without employing unnecessary pyrotechnics (although he does kill off all life on earth in "Infinity Divided by Infinity") or dangling his attitude in front of our noses, Wilson draws us into the realm of horrors and wonders both cosmic (like Lovecraft minus the baroque intimations of "unspeakable") and personal. Potentially dreary subjects like alien abduction ("The Observer") and mineral-based life form ("Pearl Baby") are reworked into strange and unexpected touching meditations on the nature of mystery and the human ambivalence toward it. On the other hand, the collection's intimate scope might turn off fans of BIOS and DARWINIA, the stories being firmly rooted in the physical and emotional geography of Toronto. Some may also feel that science is not "hard" enough; others may object to the author's somewhat strenuous effort to construct a "shared world" around the stories that seem to have very little in common. I for one am quite satisfied, and am eagerly looking forward to his second collection.

The CD version of this book is very easy to use and the search function is wonderful. HOWEVER there is no way to copy text off the screen so you can paste it into other applications. I find this very frustrating and a big disappointment.

The CD version of "The Origin of Species" suffers from the same problem. Beware.

This was not the best choice for listening to in the car: too much tedious detail, and I found my mind wandering too often. Still, it was interesting, and I learned a lot.

Darwin was a promising but obscure student at Cambridge when he was suggested for the trip. By the time he returned, his reputation was made. It's not hard to see why: this book is packed with careful observations and attention to detail, as well as thoughtful analyses of topics from species extinction (though not origins at this stage) to the formation of coral atolls. Darwin is clearly very well-read and makes frequent references to the noted authorities of the time, sometimes supporting them and sometimes disagreeing.

I hadn't actually realized that the voyage of the Beagle was as long as it was. I saw it as a year or so, going from England to South America and back again. It was in fact a five-year, round-the-world cruise, covering the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and numerous other locales as well as the well-known South America and the Galapagos.

My favorite parts are actually the more human anecdotes. Darwin is less than enchanted with New Zealand and Australia, and is not afraid of saying so, noting that most of the citizens are ex-convicts. My favorite single anecdote, though, is about the South American governor who is so dedicated to the rule of law that he has himself put in the stocks when he violates one of his own laws. Darwin also indicates his dislike of slavery and admits to feeling shame when he accidentally causes a male slave to flinch when he makes a threatening gesture to him. So much for that creationist conceit.

There are two appendices not written by Darwin. One is a summary of the orders given to Captain Fitzroy about the mission of the Beagle, which is very telling of the naval issues of the time. It focuses on getting accurate locations of known ports as well as the possible finding of new ones. As a Hornblower fan (and therefore with some interest in naval trivia), I found this very interesting.

The other appendix is Captain Fitzroy's attempt to construe their geological observations to be evidence of the Noachian Deluge. This is not on the same intellectual level as Darwin's writings, and I found it mostly of intellectual interest as evidence that creationist arguments have changed hardly at all in the last 175 years.

All in all, it's an interesting book and a classic of natural history, though not something I'd recommend listening to unless one has a passion for the subject.

Remember this says "Journal" and that is what it is. It is his first parson adventures on and off the Beagle. He even includes stories about the people on the ship, the ship's life, and maintenance. He is always going ashore and venturing beyond the ship charter to go where no Englishman has gone before. He makes friends with tyrants and the down trodden. Once, to get an animal to come to him, he lay on his back and waved his arms and legs in the air. Whatever you do, do not turn your back on him. He is always knocking something on the head and taking it back for study. It is fun trying to match the old names for places with the new.

After reading the un-abridged I found the ABRIDGED version a sham and a waste of good paper. Let get political correct and cut out the parts that show the cruilty of the Fedreal troops and just show The Mean Nasty Bad Southerns People supposely were. Cut out the the letters that showed the love and respect that was shown to the slaves and cut out the parts of the Northern Troops raiding and pillaging people homes or setting the houseing on fire with both whites and blacks in them just because the blacks did not want to leave there masters. Cut out the letters of Mother and Childrens crying because they have no food due to the Federal Troops taking it right off their tables or out of ther mouths. Cut out the letters showing druken Federal Troops raping and murdering Southern Women. NOW YOU HAVE THE ABRIDGED VERSION TO SHOW what just a few people want to be shown. Just leave the book a lone and let the letters tell the truith of what happen those terrible days during the war.

I read the ABRIDGED and wish I could get my money back!!!!

Book is composed of actual letters from family members in Georgia during the Prewar, during actual war and after the Civil War.
You get an actual account on how life was day to day, with very enjoyable and easy to read wording. Much more accruate history in this book, than is currently being taught in our schools.

This book shows better than any other the disruptive effect of the Civil War on the lives of real Southern people. In 1,300 letters between many family members, this magnificant book chronicles the Jones family of Liberty County, Georgia from 1854 until the late 1860s. We see the family's lives from day to day as war clouds gather, the son becomes Mayor of Savannah, the army is raised, Sherman's army arrives and pillages the plantation every day for a month, the family becomes destitute refugees from the chaos of war, the slaves become free workers, etc. We see into the minds and hearts of this good family, experience their births and deaths, joys and sorrows and fears, at the time of the nation's greatest political crisis.

The DISC personality system on which all of the parenting advice in this book is based reminds me of your run-of-the-mill horoscopes, Birthday books, birth-order personality descriptions, and other miscellanea of that ilk: entertaining, but not particularly helpful. In responding to the various, hugely UN-specific statements that help determine your personality type and your child's, I found I had a different answer for different circumstances, moods, or times of day. For instance, in the section that determines if you are a fast- or slow-placed person, you circle 1 if you make up your mind quickly, or circle 2 if you take your time in decision-making. Well, am I deciding which preschool to send my child to, or choosing shampoo at the store? Different circumstances, different answers.

In addition to disliking the basis for the book, I found the parenting advice to be very basic. "Do not become impatient with the child. Don't rush or push him. . .Be open at times if your child suggests a different way of doing something. . .Realize that some conflict and change is healthy. . .," etc. Be aware, too, that this book is written from a fundamentalist Christian viewpoint--the author is a southern Baptist minister and liberally sprinkles the pages with Bible verses and other evangelical language.

The one part of the book that I enjoyed was a couple of pages of positive "one-liners" you can use to build your child's self-confidence: for example, instead of saying "What's taking you so long?" you can say, "You do things precisely and accurately." That is very much in line with the whole "observe, don't judge" philosophy of child psychologist Haim Ginott which I try to follow.

There are many more helpful parenting books out there--keep searching.

I am really enjoying this book. I say enjoying instead of enjoyed because it is a great reference for me. I have four kids and each child is TOTALLY different. This book has been an eye-opener to help me cater to each on according to their individual needs. This book is an easy read and very spiritual. I've been recommending it to every parent that I know who has more than one child.

This book will help you understand that different personalities aren't right or wrong, they are just different.
Using the DISC personality profile descriptions this easy to understand book can help you re-open closed communication lines with your child who is different than you in action, thought, and deed.
It's as simple as starting by asking yourself is he/she "slow-paced" or "fast-paced", "task-oriented" or "people-oriented"? I'm an associate pastor in a large church. Our children's minister is planning to use this book with teachers and parents. Her quote is, "Why should we wait until we are over 40 years old to understand this stuff?"

This book is comprehensive with alot of good information; however, the medications are listed by generic name only. I have found it very frusterating in the clinical setting. I would suggest the authors at least include an index of both generic and trade names to make it more user-friendly.

Excellent nutshell book. organized by generic name, with common brands listed, and cross indexed to generic name in the text if you look up brand name. many comparative tables in appendix simplify comparisons. not complete drug info, but very good rapidly retrivable basic info. quite current.

One of the best references available--recommended by pharmacy schools. Dense information per unit space. Drugs are listed alphabetically by generic name. To those who criticize this organization because of their lack of familiarity with generic names: It is a necessary compromise for manageable volume. Other inexpensive references can provide cross referencing between brand and generic names. The Drug Information Handbook gives some of the best summaries of indications, adverse reactions, drug interactions, available dosage forms, and dosing information for health care professsionals--far superior to the information in the more commonly used PDR. Medical professionals should consider using the former in place of the latter. The only criticism I have is the relatively sparse information on combination products--again, however, an understandable compromise for manageable volume.

This book examines transformation, growth and change through the story of the 3 Little Pigs. It suggest that we must make a radical shift to become one with our bad half in order to understand and overcome it.

The book introduces 2nd pig thinking (not really a change although it looks like it on the surface) as 2nd order change (example: a Presidential election).

It's an intriguing book worth a weekend read.

By using a familiar story, Charles Bates makes powerful tools easy to grasp. Pigs Eat Wolves engaged me to the point of rethinking significant decisions in my life and the assumptions on which they are based.

I can see a broader range of choices than prior to reading this book. It's easy to read and well worth the effort.

I loved this book. I couldn't imagine at first where Bates was going with this old, old story, but I was delighted with the new perspective and the underlying revelation that he brings out of this old tale. This is not a children's story. It is a completely new story to me, and has contributed to my person growth. I think he has skillfully reworked the metaphor of pig and wolf in a language that speaks to the inner self. It goes beyond the old moral of " work hard and you'll be rewarded in the end." According to Bates, whether you work hard or not, life still has some challenges for you, and understanding that will better prepare you to meet them. I think anyone who is consciously on the path to person growth will appreciate this story. It's short and can be read over a weekend. I hope that he will do the same with some of the other Mother Goose tales.

Having ploughed through the vast majority of Dickens's novels, I thought there were several things to say in favour of "Barnaby Rudge".

Firstly, it's unusual in being an historical novel by Dickens, set (mostly) in 1775, and in 1780 during the anti-Catholic "Gordon Riots" in London - the only other Dickens historical novel I could recall was "A Tale of Two Cities".

Secondly, it's (mercifully) shorter, less self-indulgent and meandering than many of his other novels. Having said that, it's still very uneven in pace - I found the descriptions of the riots far better than the thin sub-plots which ran through the novel (these tended to be pretty much run-of-the-mill stuff - young couple wanting to marry despite parental opposition, mysterious stranger flitting about, and so on).

Thirdly, there are some very well-observed vignettes, such as the landowner who wants to buy Barnaby's raven, Grip (this type, believe me, still exists).

But I found my usual problems with Dickens were still there, albeit in microcosm as the book is relatively short: for example, Dickens's descriptions of women are no better than they are elsewhere, and are only less nauseating because they are shorter. The characters are the usual two-dimensional bunch, and there's the usual nineteenth-century outrageous use of coincidence as a plot device.

No doubt Dickens aficionados will enjoy "Barnaby Rudge", others should, I think, enjoy its good bits and be grateful for its brevity.

Dickens' first historical fiction, "Barnaby Rudge" is not a big favorite either with Dickens fans or with critics, largely because of its curious lack of the divinely memorable characters for which Dickens is usually known. (There are some good characters, but not the all-star cast we come to expect from the master.) Be this as it may, there's no denying that the buildup and eruption of the Gordon riots in London offer us some of Dickens' most compelling writing. Once the riots finally begin, they sweep us along in a torrent of demonic energy that is suitably appalling to the reader. For this reason, "Barnaby Rudge" is certainly worth reading. Even "A Tale of Two Cities" does not conjure the same breathless chaos as "Rudge" does. Also, though it is one of Dickens' earlier books, it has much more evidence of structured planning than do more improvised works such as "Pickwick Papers" and "The Old Curiosity Shop." Dickens would not truly master the art of creating a well-rounded novel in serial installments until "Dombey and Son," but he is clearly on the right track here.

This work by Dickens takes the factual events of the "No Popery" riots of 1780's London,England and uses them as a backdrop for a dozen or so of Dicken's most colorful and well contrasted characters and combines with them a plot that includes a long unsolved murder. The reader can expect the usual thoroughly desciptive scenes, long a hallmark of his writing style, and characters that seem to come to life,jumping as it were, right from the very page. It is a pleasure,not a chore, to read Barnaby Rudge.

I read this book over a year ago but haven't gotten around to writing a review until now! :P

Contrary to one review here, I believe it is obvious that the Biblical authors considered the Book of Enoch to be "scripture." At least Jude did. (JFYI, I don't believe the Bible is infallible or literally "God's word", nor do I believe Enoch is)

Regardless of your perspective on the Bible or the Book of Enoch I think most will agree with me that the Book of Enoch is an enjoyably chilling, goose-bump giving read; absolutely fascinating!

Chapters 6-8 were marvelously entertaining. The descriptions of the vampire-like beings known as the Nephilim (also Rephaim, which some, interestingly, translate into "the dead") were more interesting than anything Hollywood could come up with! (This book gives movie writers a perfect story for a horror-film so I am surprised that so little has been done in this area---not that I would not Hollywood to corrupt the story)

I must say, however, that I do take issue with some of Charles' translations. Hebrew "Nephilim" should not be translated into "giants", not from etymology (which isn't a correct method of translation in the first place) or in usage. We do not know what it means, so he should have left the word as UN-translated (simply "Nephilim") instead of taking it upon him to decide that the word meant "giants", which is ridiculous.

"Sin against" in 6:5 is not a correct translation. I think "defile" might have been more accurate. This paints a very different picture since it then implicates that the Nephilim somehow mated with the animals (which happens to correlate with the Authentic Book of Jasher's account on the subject).

"Wives" in chapter 5 is also incorrect. The "Irin'" (often translated as "watchers", though others often have it as "those who are awake" or "those who watch") did not choose "wives", they chose "women." The Hebrew text indicates that these sex-crazed angels were lusting after "women" rather than choosing "wives." It is nonsense to think that the angels talked to the human fathers of these women and discussed contracts and legal issues (which is what usually went on before marriages could take place)!

"Bastards" (describing the Nephilim) in chapters 10 and 13 is not a correct translation either. "Biters" would have been more accurate. (And it is interesting that these "biters" happened to drink blood, according to chapter 6)

While I have much more to say about some of the translations, as well as some comments to make about Charles' theory of why the church rejected the book, I think I've said enough.

In summary, this book simultaneously beautiful and terrifying! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the paranormal and supernatural (which are not synonymous).

-- Pat Casanova...

Okay, the reviewer below is wrong about a couple things: A-Jesus said angels "in Heaven" don't marry; he wasn't talking about ones that might take human form! Also, Enoch never in this text is a mediator between God and men. Even if he was, Jesus didn't become the mediator until his rise to Heaven. Now for the actual review: While much of the Intro is wild speculation to say the least, ( I doubt the NT was as influenced by "Enoch" as Mr. Charles thinks ) it is still an invaluable document in studying how the Jews did eagerly await a PERSONAL Messiah and they believed in an EARTHLY manifestation of His Kingdom. The Book of Enoch is stunning in it's glowing poetry and vivid images; this text was of great importance to both William Blake and even modern day Anne Rice. I doubt strongly this is some "lost book" of the Bible, but it has added so much to my faith in the canonical Scriptures that I heartily urge ANY lover of the Word, or truth-seeker, to obtain and study this fascinating ancient text.

Dear Mr. R.H. Charles: I am very interested in obtaining a copy of your books in spanish, for I want to share them with a non-english speaker friend and find them to be extremely informative and would like to know where or how can i get them. Sincerely,