On-the-tape

Whether you meditate or not, Pema Chodron's message of compassion and tenderness toward self and others is profound. Two main resources have been helping me transform my consciousness and habits into a life of fullness and joy: this audiotape series and the program described in an extraordinary book by George Leonard and Michael Murphy, "The Life We Are Given." I recommend both unhesitatingly.

Life-changing. Highly recommended.

I was at the Dharmadhatu Center in Los Angeles in 1980. I had listened to some Tibetan nun lecturing. That was fine. I was talking to the guy at the desk. Asking him if I could only pay half on some seminar. It was a hassle. Suddenly, I turned around. There was the Tibetan nun standing in the doorway. She was looking at me with such intense love that I felt embarrassed. Just open love beaming at me. I don't know if the reader has ever felt that. Someone not loving YOU in a grasping way. But just total love. From the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. I suddenly turned away. It was a weird experience. Anyway, that was Pema Chodren. I have bought these tapes. You will do something called "Tonglen". You will also do Shamatha Meditation. And have 59 Lojungs (items to practice). I would like to simplify this if I may. You will learn a simple breathing technique (Buy "Start Where You Are" by Pema Chodren where she will tell you how to do this very simple technique of just following your outbreath). Then Tonglen. Another very simple meditation technique which you can also use during difficult times during the day. And then the slogans. I would like to share with you my experience with one of the slogans. "Drive All Blames into One". In this slogan, your focus is not on the person who is irritaing you, or the situation, but the focus is switched to paying attention to your anger. No matter what the situation. You are taking responsiblity for your emotions. Pema explains how this will enable you to be even more assertive! Because the anger is gone. You will eventually find yourself responding accurately to the person or situation. No back-talking in one of the slogans. No putting others down. It's a whole journey. I have only one question. Where will Bill Butler go?

As with most of the early Sadler books, this one is a great story of adventure and war. The main premise here is that a band of vikings, led by the main character, reached Central America long before Cortes, and become embroiled in a petty war. Casca's immortality helps him win over the people who regard him as a god but there is a price to pay, as Casca finds out in the end.

This series came out before the movie Highlander did, and if Casca were made right, it would blow highlander away! Read these novels and you will see.

This is one of the best book I've ever read.

Thank you to the author for yet another great story. Please write more than one book a year!

Grace Bagshaw Vance does not hesitate to wield a shotgun or dump gravel on the only paved road that leads to Stone Senterra's mountain production headquarters. Widowed, this thirty-four year-old ex-beauty queen and former host of a popular morning show on Atlanta TV earns the classic southern pronouncement, "She's crazy, bless her heart." Her husband Harp, a GBI agent, gave his life to prevent a serial killer from blowing up Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. His status as a national hero garnered the attention of action-movie superstar Stone Senterra who plans to direct the movie about Harp's life and death. Unfortunately, with such blockbuster films to his credit as Viper Platoon and Death Squad Patrol, Stone's ability to keep his outrageous tendencies under control seems doubtful.

Stone's bodyguard Boone Noleene proves to be the only hindrance in Grace's plans. She gracefully handles Stone's outrageous sister who stars in his movies and oversees publicity. She forces Stone changing locations to Alabama, and she strongly affects those who star in the movie. But Boone and she quickly develop a passion and an impossible desire that neither can afford to fulfill. Beneath the surface they are surprising alike, concealing poignant and painful pasts. They are equally loyal and equally determined as well, despite the fact that Grace intends to stop the movie Boone's boss vows to film.

CHARMING GRACE becomes a poignant and provocative account of the power of the media to reshape the world according to the price of a ticket. Grace struggle to preserve the memory of her husband even as Stone's careless exposure becomes far less than the truth. Her instant attraction to his bodyguard lends profound shades of grey to a tale that is at once simple and yet deeply complex. Furthermore, outrageous characterizations and marvelous witticism combines for a fast-paced read that readers will find impossible to put down. Fans who adored Deborah Smith's previous release, SWEET HUSH, will easily recognize her remarkable style as both lyrical and mesmerizing. Indeed, Smith's voice has certainly made an indelible imprint and although I had forgotten reviewing Smith's previous novel, I immediately recognized her wonderful authorial voice before finishing the first few pages. CHARMING GRACE earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.

Widow Grace Bagshaw Vance has protected Harper Vance all her life--and she doesn't plan to let his death affect that. When hotshot actor Stone Senterra comes to Dahlonega to film the movie he has written about Harp's life, Grace does her damnedest to make sure it falls through. But Stone pushes back, usually through his bodyguard, ex-con Boone Noleene. It doesn't take Grace long to notice Boone--or that he has a heart and a chivalrous nature much like her dead husband's, but Boone's got an edge she has trouble ignoring. Both Grace and Boone have those Deborah Smith heartbreaking backgrounds, and it just makes you want to cry to read what they're feeling sometimes. They try to avoid their attraction for a number of reasons--not the least of which being Stone Senterra.
Supported by a colorful cast of characters, all sporting odd little quirks that make them memorable, Grace Vance and Boone Noleene, through a rotating first-person viewpoint, make for a wonderful story.
Now, I thought the end of this otherwise "charming" novel was just as sticky, sickly sweet as the homemade fudge to which Stone Senterra is addicted. It didn't quite live up to the otherwise poignant and painfully realistic tone to the rest of the book. However, this is definitely worth your time, and I don't doubt that you'll remember it for quite some time once you've finished the reading.

This is such a great book-i would reccomend it to anyone! It is uplifting and after reading it you'll want to read it over and over again!

This book is a definite "feel good" book that I have passed along. It's a book made of love. Many stories helped me to remind me of the power of Christ.

I laughed, I cried, and then I cried some more! All in a good feeling sort of way. I would recommend this book to anyone, no matter what their belief system is. It definitely will impact them in many different ways. There are memories that come flooding back as they relate to the stories told. It makes you want to make sure you take advantage of all that is good and positive that we miss day to day by being to caught up in ourselves! I loved the book.

Here we have a wonderful book by one of the most successful law-enforcement officers in the entire world. Chief Gates became known around the world as a founder of a first SWAT team, as someone who initiated an International DARE program, and did so much for his department. His career is a good proof of that almost everything is possible in your life.

Gates gives in his book a realistic account of what it is to be a police officer on the street, what it is to feel the pressure from "upstairs", and he also gives negative feedback so realistically that I felt like I had been standing next to him while he was explaining things.

This book is absolutely wonderful, and as a someone who plans to become a law-enforcement officer -- it is MUST! Gates has written a book of the time. It is very informative and covers all the major turns on his career including WATTS riots, 1982 Olympic Games, and Rodney King case.

Thank You Chief for writing such a nice account on your life!

Don't believe everything that the media tells you about the LAPD. If they worked their beat and walked in their shoes, they might think different.

Chief Gates gives the insight of 42 years with the LAPD, complete with the backstabbing and infighting that has become common with several department in this country (Denver, San Francisco, etc.) When Chief Gates was replaced, the status of the department suffered greatly.

A must read for ALL police officers.

A really good read that gives incite into whta Gates is all about. I also liked "BOOT: An LAPD Officer's Rookie Year" by Dunn. That's a must read for any law enforcement fan!

"As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" is the story of Laurie Lee's travels (mostly on foot) from rural West Country England to London, and then through Spain in 1935-36. It's a joy to read (as was "Cider With Rosie"), and Lee recalls a world now lost due to the rise of the motor car and the arrival of the "global village": for example, I doubt that the arrival of a foreigner in a Spanish village would now be quite the event it was in 1935.

The majority of the book is devoted to Spain, and indeed this for me was the best part. It's a Spain in which Lee sees the faded glory of the past, but at the same time a backwardness reminiscent of descriptions of the Third World countries of today. Lee was no romantic - he devotes space to descriptions of the grinding poverty and social tensions he saw.

I puzzled over some parts of the book, however. Lee does not describe how he managed to pick up a working knowledge of Spanish. I suppose that youth helped (he was 20), and necessity can be the mother of education. If the dialogue was being reconstructed at some distance in time from the actual events, it might be best to consider that it was Lee's recollection of what might have been said rather than a truly accurate account.

Also, I was disappointed that while Lee followed the course of the Guadalquivir to Seville, he fails to mention the city of Cordoba. Did he visit it, or give it a miss?

In all though, a very enjoyable read.

"As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" [1], author Laurie Lee recounted his first sojourn away from home. At age 19, our narrator-biographer, walked out of his village at Stroud, Gloucestershire, and headed toward London. As Lee himself recalled, he was 'still soft at the edges' when he said farewell to his mother (a poignant scene in the opening chapter). All he had with him that Sunday morning in June 1934 was 'a small rolled-up tent, a violin in a blanket, a change of clothes, a tin of treacle biscuits, and some cheese.'

After nearly a year of living and working in London as a cement laborer, Lee decided it was time to move on. He bought a one-way ticket and sailed to Spain. He settled for Spain because he had had an introduction to Spanish. All he could speak then, Lee admitted, was only one Spanish phrase: 'Will you please give me a glass of water?'

In July 1935, Laurie Lee landed in northwestern Spain. For many months he roamed the exotic and history-filled landscape, living off his music and the kindness of the people he came to love. From Vigo, he wandered southward through the New Castile region (Segovia, Madrid, Toledo). By December, he came to the coastal region of Andalusia (Cordova, Seville, Granada). There, Lee holed up at a Castillo hotel until the outbreak of the civil war in July 1936.

This author's second autobiographical sketch could have been subtitled "From Spain With Love." His inimitable poetic description of the Spanish landscape and its inhabitants is sensual as it is lyrical. The warmth and beauty of this passage [no pun], for example, undulates this reviewer's reveries, not of memories but of what has never been: 'When twilight came I slept where I was, on the shore or some rock-strewn headland, and woke to the copper glow of the rising sun coming slowly across the sea. Mornings were pure resurrection, which I could watch sitting up, still wrapped like a corpse in my blanket, seeing the blood-warm light soak back into the Sierras, slowing re-animating their ash-grey cheeks, and feeling the cold of the ground drain away beneath me as the sunrise reached my body.'

Lee's "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" and its third autobiograhy "A Moment In War" have had a farther reach than any of his other celebrated works. These writings have been adapted to music to which Charles Baudelaire could only spoke of metaphorically. In June of 2002, the Allegri String Quartet in The Salisbury Festival (UK) premiered "A Walk Into War." A musical piece which the quartet had commissioned based on the two latter biographies.

The author once wrote that autobiography is 'a celebration of life and an attempt to hoard its sensations...trophies snatched from the dark... to praise the life I'd had and so preserve it, and to live again both the good and the bad'. By all measures he had not done badly. He was and is the one modern author whose memoirs have transcended into the realms of music and visual arts ('Cider With Rosie', a 1998 film by John Mortimer).

1] Laurie Lee's autobiographical trilogy - Book 1:"Cider with Rosie" (1959); Book 2:"As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" (1969); and Book 3: "A Moment of War" (1991).

It's a shame that this fine book is not in print. Those going after used editions--and you should--are encouraged to look for the 1985 reprint stunningly illustrated with classic paintings of Spanish life. But back to why you want to read this: in 1934, a young, naive Englishman who had never been out of his rural neighborhood packed up his violin and went walking, first to London, a hundred miles east and then via boat to Spain where he walked from Vigo in the north down to the southern coast. I'm having trouble shelving the book: is it a straight memoir? Certainly it is very much about the writer's encounter with the world at a historically significant time and about his own growth process. Or is it a travelogue? It is a very accurate account of the unique Spanish culture and countryside. Although written more than 30 years after the actual experience, Lee's account conveys a fresh sense of wonder and discovery and resists overlaying too much foreshadowing and hindsight. His style is lyrical, vivid as the blue Spanish sky and honest. He is refreshingly free of nationalism and prejudice.

Known for the wit of his English mysteries, Barnard takes his time setting up the plot elements of "The Bad Samaritan," which revolves around the back-biting congregation of St. Saviour's church.

Rosemary Sheffield, the vicar's wife, has lost her faith, an event she finds liberating. Her husband's congregation does not share her sanguine view, however. Upon her return from a short holiday, which has made her acutely aware of the Bosnian war through her friendship with a refugee waiter, Rosemary finds plots afoot to oust her from her role in church activities.

While not particularly attached to these activities, Rosemary resents the plotters' methods. And when her refugee friend turns up at the vicarage, she must aid him and thwart the tide of gossip as well. The murder, when it finally occurs, bringing in Barnard's black detective Charlie Peace, serves to force all the undercurrents out in the open. As much a witty novel of manners as a suspenseful mystery, "Samaritan" is distinguished by its crisp writing and wry perception of character.

The main ingredients for a wonderful literary feast: Take one Rosemary Sheffield, a pastor's wife who has lost her faith, add one young man named Stanko who has fled Bosnia and what results is gossip, rumors of scandal and even a murder. All of this is liberally seasoned with wit, detail and irresistable dialogue. The psychological suspense will keep you guessing what will happen next and there is just enough complexity to maintain interest without slowing the pace. Very moving, very satisfying and highly recommended!

When a member of the Church of England parish of St. Savior's is found murdered following a picnic, the crime investigation is undertaken by Detective Constable Charlie Peace and his boss Mike Oddie. Charlie is a likeable protagonist who prefers working alone. The dirty tricks and vicious maneuverings of the people of St. Savior's remind him of his own upbringing in a predominantly black parish in Brixton. Charlie plows ahead seeking answers to his questions as he interviews people repeatedly. When Charlie acts friendly, the wise suspect is on guard. Barnard's twenty-ninth novel has enough twists to keep it entertaining and the plot is very tight and believable.

When I look back at the multitude of menial jobs I've worked in my life, I see that I could easily write a book about them, but Ms. Shear has beaten me to the punch! If I didn't know better, I would think I had written this book!She, like me, has worked a variety of jobs that run the gamut. If you've just up and quit your job, read this book. If you're shlepping away at a menial ball-and-chain, read this book. If you're floating from one occupation to another in the hope of finding the perfect career, read this book. If you've been working at the same company for 20 years and have no intention of ever leaving, read this book. If you're a CEO pulling in a six-digit salary, read this book. If you're independently wealthy and don't have to work, read this book.Regardless of which of the above statements applies to you, you will come away a more enriched person for having read BSTL.

As Ms. Shear says, "Everyone has a story that would stop... your... heart." I caught her show late late one evening on NPR as I was getting ready to do another speech to hopefully inspire some young people to leave Job Corps and do good with their life - I was burnt out and uninspired myself and just listening to what she had to say - nevermind watching her magnificent presence on the small screen - brought me back up. It took me years to find this book in a library; and I'm glad to be able to buy another copy - maybe another 10 copies to give to people I know need it. Anyone who has ever felt beat down by their work and their lives melded into an amazing wash of effort to keep one nostril above the waves; anyone who has ever felt walked on by the world will be inspired by this wonderful woman's story.

Blown Sideways Through chronicles Claudia Shear's search for the true job, and the 64 jobs she had to enjoy/endure so far) before she she found the job (or career) that was right for her. Brunch chef at Fire Island, nude model,proofreader, receptionist at an brothel; Shear always spins a good story, and amuses us with life's wierdness. This is also a truthful look at the life many of us live. We have jobs, not careers, working where we can to make the money we need to live our lives. Shear makes no apology for the meandering work path she has chosen. There is dignity and humor in her retelling of seemingly menial jobs (some of them were pretty horrid). I think her rant of the observed rudeness of a donut store patron, and the pevelent attitude of "looking down" on service industry people is a must read for every person. Funny, insightful and honest, this is a book that deserves a reprint.

Please note that the Ingram description shown above is for a different book. The Carnal Prayer Mat is about a lecherous Chinese scholar, not the memoirs of some Viennese schoolteacher.

This is a bona fide world classic in literature. It stands as a classic both in erotica and pure (if such a thing exists) literature. This fable follows the sexual exploits of Scholar Vesperus who learns to find wisdom on the Carnal Prayer Mat so to speak. He refuses to learn spiritual wisdom through earnest prayer and hence learns his lessons the hard way. (pun not intended) He has his many affairs and shamelessly cheats on his wife. He even becomes a bigamist with a second wife in another town. The trickery involved is hysterical. It is reminiscent of The DeCameron of Boccaccio in the sneakiness of the characters. The humor is also a fabulous trait. Honest Quan gaining revenge is the moralistic turn. The Golden Rule was never so funny. Vesperus steals Honest Quans wife so Honest Quan debauches Vesperus wife. Li Yu strikes a moralistic posture in telling this tale but one can not help but feel that he had a smashing good time writing this book. Each chapter ends with a moral to the action. It merely adds to the humor. One can not help but feel that Li Yu is yanking the readers chain. The names for sexual positions and the numerous jokes on penis size are exquisite. He is having too much fun with the story. The reader also is having too much fun to be preoccuppied with the morals of each chapter. Of course, Vesperus does ultimately come to wisdom in the end. We should be grateful that he did learn the hard way. It was a lot more entertaining for us. This book will really dispell a lot of Western prejudices that hold the Chinese to be demure and asexual. (Well, there are over a billion people in China so they must know something about sex, but I wont go there.) I suggest this book to anyone interested in erotica and to anyone smallminded enough to doubt the wonderful sensuality and sexuality of classic Chinese literature.

The best thing about THE CARNAL PRAYER MAT is not just that it's sexually adventurous -- it's that it's one of the FUNNIEST, craziest works of its kind. There are moments that are strikingly sophisticated and "modern", followed up by sexual antics that are as outrageous as anything in a Franz von Bayros print. Hong Kong's movie industry took the hint and has put out a series of (very) loose film adaptations (SEX AND ZEN, I-III), but the book remains forever tongue-in-cheekishly brilliant. A great choice for people who are getting fed up with acres of drippingly solemn Anne Rice-derived nonsense.

Yeah, I'd say so. Catherine Carmier was Gaines's first novel, and it is clear that his writing has matured since. Nevertheless, it is a well-developed novel that will make you consider moral issues. Gaines presents these issues in a unique way; he doesn't clearly define positive and negative forces in the novel. Even though some characters are somewhat stock and underdeveloped, Catherine Carmier is a solid read that any Gaines fan will enjoy.

Gaines captures Louisiana culture to a 'T'. As someone who spends a lot of tiem their the Carmiers, Jackson, Charlotte and Mary Louise ring true. HIs descriptions and elegant choice of words are just plain gorgeous. Wonderful classic.

I throughly enjoyed this novel by Mr. Gaines. It was vivid, realistic, and delighful.This is an easy read.Read it and discover who Catherine really is.