Full Books

the best book ive ever read. it has some amazing unknown facts about moonies life. like his involvement with marylon worshipers.(trust me he wasnt one)

My copy is called "Moon the Loon." It's one of the funniest books I've ever read. Totally unique. It is just a collection of stories about Keith Moon that do justice to his genius. I have lent my copy to at least 12 people (most of whom have never heard of Keith Moon) and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. When I went to London I tried to contact Peter Butler to compliment him on his fine work - but there are too many Peter Butlers living in London!

I found this book in the late 1980's, when I was really discovering the Who and figuring out what they all meant to rock n' roll and its history.

My real awakening was the film "The Kids Are Alright," and after that finding this book, written by Peter "Dougal" Butler, Moon's longtime "man," or personal assistant.

Butler's rollicking tale of ten-plus years with the madman of rock is a sometimes nasty one, following his string of practical jokes, endless escapades and occasionally spotlighting his musical prowess.

But it really mostly is the relationship Butler established with Moon, and some of the insights that later came out about Moon's personality, and what may have been wrong with him.

Butler notes that Moon sometimes would get into a state where he just could not discern the real world from the false. Case in point his work on the film "That'll Be The Day," where he plays a drummer. The star of the film is David Essex ("Rock On"), and Moon is unable to handle it. His dive into a mental pool of despair and thinking the whole affair is real is pathetic...and as Butler notes sometimes you just don't have a straight jacket available when you really need one.

Butler notes the problems in Moon's relationships with his wife Kim as well as Annette Walter-Lax, whom Moon had said he intended to marry toward the end of his life. Moon's friends, if ever he had close ones include Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson, as well as Vivian Stanshall of the Bonzos.

One problem I have is finding that Butler seems to have placed himself at events that he was not present for. He also I think in retrospect put too much emphasis on the zaniness without really getting deeper into the causes, etc.

But perhaps he just didn't know; Butler was no psychiatrist.

He also skips over certain pivotal moments in Moon's life; the accidental death of his close friend and driver Neil Boland (though in fairness, Butler was not present for that) and his longtime fling with groupie extraordinaire Pamela Des Barres (who has her own insights on Keith).

Either way, some interesting and funny photos, some intriguing stories and a sad, but truthful ending that pretty much says the only thing that really happened was that Moon up and died.

Nobody lived his life like Keith Moon. Those who knew him were astounded at his all consuming passion to get everything possible out of life. Dougal Butler has written, in a unique and incredibly humorous way, the best book I've yet read about the life and incredible times of Keith Moon. Don't miss this one. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

It's too bad this book is out of print, because these are the adventures (many very funny but in the end very sad) of one the greatest (if not THE greatest) drummers of all time. And besides that, it's written by a guy who knew Moonie and witnessed his antics 1st hand. I wish the guy who's trying to make a screenplay the best of luck. The next step after consulting Butler is to get permission from the Who to use their songs. To close this review, I'd like to paraphrase the last sentence in the book, "Keith Moon ups and [very] well dies."

This book is beautiful, powerful, and enlightening. The chapters that I loved most had to do with the concept of every woman, even single ones, being called to a spiritual motherhood (the book delves into this profound concept by describing how all women are called to be like the Blessed Virgin Mary.) It brought me to a greater sense of peace and self-knowedge as a Catholic woman. Other powerful chapters had to do with the "wounds of the heart" and "discerning the promptings of the Holy Spirit." I regularly refer to the latter chapter when making important decisions in my life. I've loved listening to Johnnette on her EWTN radio show "Full of Grace" too, which has been a life-changing blessing for me. God bless her for this gift she has made to women of faith. I hope she keeps writing too!

Excellent book I recommend for all women. They will definitely know their worth in GOd's eyes and give them direction in their life - for them and their families, friends, etc. Johnnette Benkovic is a gifted writer and evangelist. No woman will be the same after reading her book. Everyone I gave it to agree with this and it changed their lives.

Johnnette Benkovic is a brilliant writer, and she writes with the compassion and depth of a Godly woman. This book is a gift for every woman who wants to realize her calling from God as "Woman." It's quite a calling! :)

As a Catholic women in her 20s, I often feel that literature is written to women older than me who have children at home or even grown children. I find it hard to relate to these kind of books, and I usually try to stay away from them. This was not the case at all with this book. I found myself relating to it on so many different levels, and now, several weeks after finishing the book, I still hear Benkovic's words in my head as I go through my daily routine, attend Mass, and seek to live a Christ-centered life. I believe Catholic women, of all ages and levels of spiritual maturity, will be able to relate to and benefit from reading this book.

We have a Women of Grace group whose concept is based on Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life. We use this book as part of our study group. Everyone, without exception, loves this book. You cannot get enough of it. Most of us have read it more than once. It fully addresses a woman's spirituality like never before. Our group is uplifted, confident and energized by this book. We would urge all women to get a copy and read it over and over.

What a story, Entertaining and thoughtful. Gives a snapshot of Nashville as seen by a West coast person. Great splashes of humor, Wonderful photography.

Wonderful! Reading this book was an adventurous experience by itself, very real. Nashville seems like a very romantic, historic place. I feel like visiting it right away. Very nice photographs!! Loved it!!

This reads very easy -- like a rather funny travelogue / description of Nashville sent to you by one of your literary friends. Complete with pictures and personal experiences from the point of view of an Asian Indian immigrant.

This is an excellent book to learn about Nashville from the eyes of a new comer. good photography, excellent choice of words. absolutely loved it!!

I loved the symbolism in snow flakes! Very moving! The book is full of humor, and yet is very literary. As others have said, the author uses photography to accentuate his writing, very impressive!

Heard this story as a child from my grandparents who were on German background. This story is just like they told it. Beautiful illustrations complete the story that swirled in my head so many years ago!!

Ok.I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK.I hope that you don`t hurt my reviews for this,but in a way,I HAVE read this book.I am in this play,so I have read this script.And since the play is going to be on Saturday,(5th) and Sunday(6th) and also for the next weekend,I have to read this script over and over and over again.I think that this book is a very good book.In the play I am Miss Applebee but I think that this book is very good it must be.

When I was about seven-years-old a family member gave me a recording, (78s) of the Pied Piper of Hamelin narrated by Ingrid Bergman. As I listened, I could see the characters in my head and never tired of the story.

A month ago I bought the book for my eight-year-old granddaughter who lives about eight hundred miles away from me, because I was afraid with the passing of one more generation, the story might be forgotten.

It is a lovely book, written by Robert Browning more than a century ago. The drawings are perfect, given the dated language used in this book. And the story has a simple message, about honoring our promises.

Sadly, my granddaughter glanced at the book and was clearly not interested. I wanted to read it with her, intending to make clear the English used by Browning.

So, a tale almost twelve hundred years old bit the dust, at least in our family it did.

But if you are a lover of this fable, it is worth your time to try it out on the children in your family. They will be the richer for it.

This book would be a wonderful treasure for the pictures alone. Kate Greenaway, noted children's illustrator, has created a magical world of beautiful children, innocent faces, and romantic, nostalgic costumes. The colors on these pages are breathtaking, and the details (although Greenaway is always faulted for not drawing hands and feet well) are superb. This story is not for very young children, as it contains some troublesome themes. For the older child, perhaps 7+, the story might provoke some interesting post-read family discussions about honesty, trust, and the actual state of the children at the end of the tale. This is even a beautiful book to give to adults, as the messages about human nature can be appreciated on a deeper level.

"Rats!
They fought the dogs, and killed the cats,
And bit the babies in the cradles,
And ate the cheeses out of the vats,
And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles,
Split open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats,
And even spoiled the women's chats,
By drowning their speaking
With shrieking and squeaking
In fifty different sharps and flats."

Robert Browning (1812-1889) first published his poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin, A Child's Story" in 1842, based on an old German legend which may or may not have had some basis in historical fact. Browning was a serious poet; even in a poem filled with playful rhymes written specifically for children, he did not "dumb down" his language, but expected his readers to do a little work in understanding some of his "big words."

Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) was one of the most famous and popular illustrators of children's literature in the latter part of the 19th Century. She had grown up loving Browning's poem, and shortly before his death she requested and received his permission to republish it accompanied by her own illustrations. This edition was initially published in 1888 under the imprint of George Routledge & Sons, which was at that same time in the process of splitting between Routledge and Frederick Warne. Starting in 1889 all subsequent editions carried the Warne imprint. The book continued to be popular, and Frederick Warne has issued reprints from time to time, well into the late 20th Century. This Warne edition is not in print at present, but used copies with various reprint dates are available from Amazon Marketplace sellers.

However, two different reprint editions are currently available, each with the complete original text and illustrations, and each presented with loving care from an eminently respectable publisher, in well-made but modestly priced editions. The Dover reprint (ISBN 0486296199) is full-size, in a sturdy paperback; the Alfred A Knopf/Borzoi/Everyman's Library reprint (ISBN 0679428127) is part of their Children's Classics series, in a very sturdily constructed hardcover with sewn sections that will not crack with use, but the page size is somewhat smaller. Both are beautiful books, and either is an excellent value.

As noted in the Editorial Reviews above, there have been other editions of "The Pied Piper," with different illustrations, and at least one seems to have been issued with the poem itself "retold" to make the language simpler; neither of those reviews is discussing this original version. Some readers may prefer one or another of these different versions. But anyone wanting to stick with Browning's original full text and Greenaway's original charming, muted and subtle illustrations should choose between the Dover or the Everyman's, or visit Amazon's Marketplace sellers to look for a copy of the Frederick Warne.

TALKING WITH MY MOUTH FULL is a collection of winsome essays with recipes attached by Bonny Wolf, journalist and NPR correspondent. It seems as if today's food journalists come from one of two diametrically different backgrounds: either they were raised by parents who nearly poisoned them (think Ruth Reichl) or they were raised by parents who passed along their delight in food. Wolf belongs to the latter group, having grown up a baby boomer in Minneapolis reveling in particularly middle-class American institutions which she celebrates and has elaborated on as an adult. Just when you think America has gone to the food dogs with the endlessly vacant discussion of green bean casserole at holiday time, along comes Wolf to say, really, we're eating some good stuff here and we should just enjoy it. Much of it is comfort food and none of it is more difficult and elitist than what a family might serve at a dinner party for friends and family.

Her joie de vivre is contagious as she explores everything from the history and revival of Bundt cakes, regional foods, aprons, dinner party disasters, state fair fare, pot luck suppers, DC's (pre-fire) Eastern Market, Baltimore's crab cuisine, etc. Food as she talks about it is inseparable from place, friends, family, memory and living. Before I knew it, I was marking recipes to try and jotting down titles of old cookbooks to seek out. I doubt I'll overcome my aversion to Jell-o and do the retro thing and make a molded salad, and I'm not going to use lard or suet in the pastie pastry, but Wolf otherwise has me hooked.

I loved this book -- I had originally checked it out of the library, but had to buy my own copy. I wanted to write notes in it, mark passages to share with my parents -- it's a book that inspires you to think about families and food, plus it has some wonderful recipes. A must read.

Bonnie Wolf has written an absolutely beautiful meditation on the subject of food and its relationship to people. Throughout the reading of the book, I found myself nodding and thinking "The woman knows of what she speaks", particularly in her fantastic section on comfort foods. In the photograph on the book cover, Bonnie looks like someone I would very much like to know -- her kindness and joie de vivre shine through on every page. And the recipes, the recipes. Alas, too often reliant on processed ingredients which are not (and God willing never will be) available here in Eastern Europe where I live, but the recipes, the recipes! Thank you, Bonnie!

I loved this book. It was so real, reading made me hungry to try the many recipes. Though on some subconscious level I realized the importance of food, cooking, and recipes in my life, to have it written in such a way made it wonderfully apparent how. I too was a bit disappointed with how abruptly the book ended, I wanted a conclusion of sorts. Still a very wonderful book with special meaning to those of us who realize our lives are intertwined with food experiences.

"Talking with my Mouth Full" had me laughing with my mouth full of Bonny Wolf's comfy recipes.

This book was an emotional journey with the author through her struggle to educate herself about the available testing and available treatments for "all possibilities" that were causing her to deliver pre-term and miscarry. Very informitive. A great read for husbands who need a little insight....

This is an amazing book. Darci Klein paints an extremely powerful and realistic portrait of the anxiety and anguish of pregnancy after miscarriage. She also writes about the strain of loss on relationships, especially between spouses, and how these strains can be repaired.

Her story is interwoven with medical information that makes it an essential guide for women who face the same problem: needing to know more than your doctor tells you and to be stronger enough to overcome the many obstacles to becoming a mother and building a family.

Very easy to read, but with a depth & heart that only someone who lived this pain could describe.

It is a great story that I think all women should read, especially moms. I had a fairly easy and smooth pregnancy with my little girl, i didn't realize how lucky i was until i read Darci's story. I admire her determination to complete her family, she is a brave woman.

This book really educated me and helped me to understand the struggles many women have in carrying a baby to term. Darci's story is heartbreaking at times but also empowering and uplifting, esp. when she educates us on how to better manage our obstetric care. I also enjoyed the style, which blended personal accounts with research and fact. A must read for anyone who has had a miscarriage and for those who have not, because chances are you know someone who has had one who could use your support and understanding.

I recommend this book primarily for women in the determined phase after their miscarriages, who want to hear a strong, steady voice describing one mother's search for answers to her recurring losses.

Interweaved in the story are background facts, statistics about loss, the National Institutes of Health's woeful funding on miscarriage, and what she feels is the incriminating lack of chromosomal testing on early miscarriages to separate women into those who had "bad luck," and those who have a problem that can be treated to save pregnancies.

Klein's story is passionate and clearly told. She was adamant that she not lose any more babies and demanded medical intervention to save them.

I do think, however, that her mixture of stats and story is not very helpful in the early days following your first loss. It's hard to feel emotionally involved in her journey when you are constantly being fed facts in an order that might not be what you want to know, when you want to know it. Her writing is very edgy and strong, a voice that might be difficult to relate to during your saddest days.

But for those of you who have had two losses or more, those of you who are determined, frustrated, and maybe still a bit angry at your lack of answers or your care, then this is a solidly written and researched book about the journey.

Read a full review at www.pregnancyloss.info

Macrina Wiederkehr has a very intimate way of sharing her own spiritual journey, and prividing pathways for others to follow to deepen their own spiritual lives. Inspiring.

I wanted to write a review on the shipping of this book. I ordered it for my Mother and it arrived within two days!! We were both thrilled. It came from Grandma's Tree, www.fromgrandmastree.com. It was a used book but was in excellent condition.

This book came to me at a time when I most needed it. My life was undergoing major changes and I needed to make adjustments daily. It was a comfort and a guide to me then, and now. Macrina's writing made a profound difference in my life. I am so thankful for her.

More Catholic than I would prefer, yet still full of much wisdom and words to ponder. Could easily read it again. She so much loves Nature and sees (and seeks) God there, not in a church. This is the book's strength for me.

I absolutely loved this book! Macrina has a beautiful way of leading you through your own journey in finding the beauty in your surroundings. After reading this book I found so much to be joyful about everyday. It really changed the way I look at the ordinary things in my life. This book taught me to gaze instead of glance. I have bought as well as recommended this book for many friends and everyone has loved it.
Lisa Henneke

Kalpanik's style is fresh, unique, funny (in a dignified way), vivid and clever. For example, the author successfully anthropomorphizes the state of California! While I have not read another of his other books - I look forward to discovering them in the near future

Being an immigrant myself, I read it with the occasional tear in the eye and several bouts of goosebumps. Words are not enough to describe the feelings of transcendence, enlightenment and plain joy I experienced read this narrative.

Definitely a Must Read!

I've never read a book with so much substance, creativity, imagination, innocence and passion; so much so that I found my self re-reading some passages because I had to, to absorb it all -- the passion, the leaps of imagination, the super creativity of a genius grade brain, and the innovation of metaphors. The photographs play the same role as a nice bottle of wine accompanying a wonderful cuisine, it make it all flow even smoother.

I could not believe how good and hilarious was I was reading. Kalpanik made me not only feel, but also think and smile. Kalpanik has a curious mix of making complex concepts simple and make us live his life and experiences, make us laugh and yet be inspirational.

The book starts as a sweet story of a foreign born student who is struggling to adapt to a new culture, missing home and trying to find a balance between the demands of his academic life, and who falls in love. This part of the book shows us Kalpanik as a vulnerable foreign born student, a young person. This beginning provides a good background, and serves as a contrast to the rest of the book, where we see Kalpanik as an confident executive with a carefree attitude.

Kalpanik is an amazing writer with extraordinarily talent for combining simplicity with complexity and sophistication, writing thoughtful and meaningful material into a book which still comes out as light reading!

This book is a collection of three stories, accompanied with lot of professional grade photographs and covers three places--Davis (a small town near Sacramento), San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego. it also covers three different phases in his life.

He is able to sprinkle the description of these places and phases with a lot of humor, making you smile, laugh, guffaw, chuckle, snicker, giggle and crackup.

The First part is at University of California at Davis, which captures the unique experiences of a young man first time in a new country where he is a foreigner and falls in love, written when the author was 21.

The second part is fast forward to 12-15 years later by which time the author has firmly established in the Technology industry and is a Vice President of Technology in a Silicon Valley startup .He is lot more confident and self assured by then. The story humorously covers the life of a technology leader leading a team working at the cutting edge of innovation.

The third part is another 5-8 years later when the author has moved to San Diego and covers his family, including two lovely daughters. They get caught in the infamous wild fires of San Diego.

In all three parts, the author skillfully combines the colorful, vivid words with equally vivid photographs.

His journey is one of hopes and ambitions, of hard work and courage required to realizing those ambitions and tremendous power and insight. It is thoughtful, and yet he is able to infuse it with his humor very naturally!

A good read! Extremely well written and very thoughtful.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/REFLMMXJLP1ZT Writer is a risk taker, who is able to overcome being a foreign born, accented and is still able to assimilate at different places and befriend natives.

daughter loved this book when she saw it online--she attends the Museum of Fine arts School -Boston--and has enjoyed it since she got it.

The quality of this edition cannot be stressed enough. The reproductions of Rackham's illustrations are printed in rich, deep color, making each page an artwork in itself. Every page has a white margin around the illustration, and a quote at the bottom to let you know to what text the illustration refers. The book is well-bound and the printing is excellent. I plan to order another copy for myself, as I got the first to give away and wanted to keep it!

I heartily concur with all the other reviews as far as the necessity of exposing children to Rackham's illustrations as soon as possible. Hopefully this would happen in part through his books, like his Aesop's Fables, Favorite Tales From Grimm, Alice and Wonderland, etc. So my purpose is more practical: to say that the two Dover collections of his pictures, this and Rackham's Fairy Tale Illustrations are very true to Rackham's original color illustrations. I have seen reproductions of some of his illustrations that make his colors seem muddy. He uses a lot of dark colors in his work, but he also used many subtle light colors which have been captured well here. A great value for the money, along with the Fairy Tale book. All the pictures are suitable for framing.

As a child I was thrilled with Arthur Rackham's illustrations and I haven't lost my love for his work. They're timeless. He combines the real world with magical kingdoms, the almost-grotesque creatures with the unusually beautiful, the fairy creatures with the mortals, humor with terror. Rackham paints beautiful landscapes and beautiful people, yet we know to beware of the creatures who may lurk under the gnarly tree roots. His colors are subdued, but rich; and his detail is gracefully executed.

His illustrations have been and still are an inspiration to artists who wish to delve into an imaginative realm. And for those who wish to delve in themselves, I highly recommend this excellent book. Thanks to Arthur Rackham, the fairy world is alive and well, and shall remain so.

Denise Hillman Moynahan
The Great Cavern of the Winds: Tales from Backbone Mountain

As advertised. This is a Dover book, so it includes no scholarly apparatus to speak of. Still, the printing is good, and it includes a nice collection of prints that I hadn't seen. Shipping was timely.

I am one of the few to have read the book after having met Bruce and Barbara and enjoyed their company and hospitality. At 75, he is still remarkable---and an excellent pilot of his van in which we were driven to lunch, then to view a hung exhibit of his stunning floral photographs, a few of which were reproduced in the book. But most importantly, Bruce is truly that kind of man of whom you can say, "Wheelchair? I hardly noticed!" And you will understand when you read the book; it's a marvelous autobiography that doesn't mince words and presents the challenges and successes as they happened. I couldn't put it down!

ASCENT: how one quadriplegic fought for a full life and soared

It' inspiring and very well written. The photographs of the author's art and photography are an additional treat.

If ever there was a story of success against all the odds this is it. I found the book difficult to put down. Bruce's explanation of his treatment after the accident were heart-breaking, but his descriptions of soaring in his glider and his adventures in the African Bush were wonderfully captivating. He truly has achieved a number of things that able-bodied people cannot.
Compelling reading, and a rare insight into the life of a disabled person.
Strongly recommended.

This book is a wonderful inspiration to anyone who is going thru a debilitating injury or illness. While reading Mr. McGhie's story and how he has overcome so many challenges, I can see the fight and determination that my child, who lost a limb to cancer and subsequently acquired additional medical issues from chemo medication, has gone thru and overcome in direct parallel to Bruce McGhie's struggles and successes. They both met and overcome their challenges and have achieved a full and wonderful lives. Bruce McGhie's experiences and talent for putting feelings into words made me feel every pain and every triumph he achieved. Thank you for your voice and talent.

Bruce reveals that his life is richly fulfilling. Markedly not "normal", he details both his emotional and physical adjustments to achieve great satisfaction in his family, professional, and personal lives. Focussed beyond his circumstances, he invites us all to live courageously.