ARPS

One word describes this book: OUTSTANDING! Given these two statistics: (1) Every seven seconds, a baby boomer turns age 50, and (2) the divorce rate is up 16 percent for marriages of 30-plus years, this book is a MUST READ for all couples who fall into the empty nest/second half marriage category. Don't let the word "fighting" in the title make you think for a minute that this book is only for couples whose marriages are on shaky ground. It is for ALL couples wanting to build, keep, or return to a great relationship.

This book is the best of the best. It is the best of the book The Second Half of Marriage by David and Claudia Arp in which they identify eight challenges every marriage in the second half faces. And, it is the best of the strategies and techniques of the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) developed by Stanley, Markman, and Blumberg. Not only do the authors suggest powerful, yet simple, ways couples can upgrade their communication and conflict resolution skills, they also stress the importance of building couple friendship, having fun, becoming empty nest lovers, and keeping the relationship strong.

Do you want the rest to be the best? READ this book!

Although we are an empty nest couple, it doesn't seem that way with the pets we inherited from the kids when they moved out. We have 3 cats, 1 dog and an iguana to keep us busy now. I think the kids were easier to raise!

This great book isn't just for couples who have a truly empty nest. Many midlife couples today find that their nests get refilled with boomerang adult kids, aging parents, visits from kids and grandkids, or grandkids on a full time basis.

I liked the section on how to learn about the danger signs of behaviors that can lead couples who have been married for decades to the divorce court. There is also good information on the major issues that midlife couples need to deal with in order to have a strong marriage.

I read this book when it first came out some time ago and wrote a very strong recommendation for the book for the publisher to use. It's an excellent book. It's well written, flowing, and well targeted at the issues that affect couples moving into the second half of life together. If you are moving into that time of life or know someone who is, I highly recommend this book.

Scott Stanley University of Denver

The Arps must have been secretly watching our home when they wrote this book. Their comments on the changes in relationships and priorities were right on the mark. My wife and I have applied several of their "challenges" and the positive difference has been very noticeable. I enjoyed the book so much, it's become the background for a popular class I teach to "empty nesters" in our church.

If your "nest" is empty now, or will be in the near future, you owe it to yourself and your marriage to read "The Second Half of Marriage". I doubt there is a better book on the subject available today.

Halton Arp stirs the pot with this one and makes the reader ask fundamental questions about the current theories of cosmology. This should be assigned reading for any astronomy student, but probably will not be. It cuts to the heart of the issues in current astronomy research and funding. After reading this book, one must conclude that the system has not changed much since the days of Galileo. An very easy to read and throughly enjoyable book. My copy has made the rounds. I highly recommend it.

Quasars,Redshifts and Controversies reads like a good detective novel - once you start to read, you can't put it down. Arp, the world's foremost quasar researcher, puts forward a convincing case that their high redshift is not due to the expansion of the universe but is an intrinsic effect and caused by their being ejected from the nucleus of comparatively local galaxies.

If you like this book, read the new one: it is even better! SEEING RED: Redshifts, Cosmology and Academic Science. by Halton Arp, Apeiron. (Sept 1998) ISBN 0-9683689-0-5

My fiance and I are currently reading through "10 Great Dates Before You Say 'I Do'" and we both are learning a lot about our communication styles and issues that need to be discussed before our wedding day. We are in a couple's bible study group and have used one of the dates as a group in order to have realistic expectations, hopes, and dreams. This book is a great way to share your ideas and realize some fun and interesting facts about your partner. The book set-up is great because it actually sets you up to go on a date. First you read the chapter (my fiance and I usually read it aloud together), then after the chapter it tells you to go to a specific location that is ideal for discussing the chapter (of course, this is optional but always fun!). At the back of the book are worksheets that both you and your significant other fill out and then together on the date you discuss your answers in regards to the topic and chaper that you read. A great way to open up communication... At the end there are bonus dates that encourage you to continue practicing what you have learned throughout the week. A great tool! One of my favorite things to do as I prepare for marriage...

The creative ideas in this book are simple, to the point, and effective. Much of the common sense style approach to family relationship building falls into the "why didn't I/someone think of that before" catagory. The format is perfect for our busy family of four, and a joy that has returned a thousandfold in our closeness and trust.

Having raised three "spirited" sons I can heartily reccommend Answering the 8 Cries of the Spirited Child. How I wish I'd had this book when I entered my child raising years! Not only do the Arps give us tangible, specific tools to provide understanding, encouragement, boundaries, and a listening ear to our spirited children, but they give us hope for maintaining our sanity as parents. This book is a must read for all parents.

Dr. Arp has long advocated that quasars and other high redshift objects can be ejected from nearby lower redshift galaxies. This catalog presents numerous examples of the associations he finds between high redshift objects and their low redshift parents. The book begins with an overview of the patterns and then proceeds to an extensive catalog with maps, descriptions, lists, and recommended follow-up observations for each object. Seventeen color plates are found at the end of the catalog. The numerous examples are compelling and make a strong case for follow-up observations. The book is a good read and a great look!

Really interesting short stories about living and working in the Middle East. Fun, fast and eay to read. This book gives some great insight into the Arab mind and how it works.

There are some really wonderful ideas in this book -- although, in all honesty, some are rather ordinary. Take what is meaningful to you and put it into practice. My wife and I still "date" after 17 years together.

If you are looking for more creative dates I'd recommend you check out 300creativedates. com -- I came across the site and the material was outstanding.

My husband and I have gone thru this book twice. It's so easy to read and fun to put into effect. Who ever said you couldn't have romance AND marriage!?

I find it extremely sad that those who should be dating aren't and those who are dating (12 year olds) shouldn't be. Thanks to the Arps for advocating that adults should be dating even if they have been married for dozens of years. Another excellent book on this subject which has even more dating ideas than this one is The RoMANtic's Guide: Hundreds of Creative Tips for a Lifetime of Love. I think both books are outstanding.

Read this book for Freshman English in high school. nice alternative to a textbook. Wouldn't really want to read this outside of class.

I have this book for a college level English class, and I absolutely love it! The best part about it is the depth and quality of its selection of poems and stories. I found it to be a comprehensive collection of the best that literature has to offer.

I have not yet read this particular book, but I have read the majority of this material in the Norton Anthologies. I did take some time to browse through the index; I was impressed by the variety of authors represented within. It is a general literature book intended for lower level literature classes, yet it includes many classic novellas and poems. I feel this book will provide a solid foundation for those who are interested in familiarizing themselves with the works of classic literature that have set the standard for the English language.