Product Description

Sweet dreams can easily become nightmares…

Customer Reviews (5)

Dana M Bell
I love Dana Marie Bell as a writer.I got one book for free on my Kindle and then decided I couldn't live without reading the rest of the books.I finished the whole series in 2 afternoons.I couldn't put them down.Great reads!

Good but not great.
I liked the first book in the Halle Puma series so I was looking foward to reading this one. It was perfectly enjoyable. Nice and sexy but it seemed like it was trying a little too hard for laughs. My main gripe? Why must all the male leads in romance books have long hair? I can't be the only one who doesn't find long hair sexy at all. It's not the eighties anymore. Give me a nice closely cropped hairdo anyday.

the Halle Pumas, but now they are back with a vengeance to resume their story in Sweet Dreams.
"Oh yeah, come to the party," Emma had said. "Simon will be there and he wants you," she said. When did that transform into getting torn to shreds by an evil bitch? Becky isn't about to let Livia get a piece of her without giving something back, but those sure are some strange sounds coming out of that woman. Finding out that your best friend, your best friend's new boyfriend, and the man you have been lusting after are other than human is a bit of a shocker, but Becky is no weak-willed lady Plus, she has to decide the fate of the bitch that had attacked her.

When Simon finally gets Becky secured in his home, the Puma in him purrs. If he had any doubts at all about her being his mate, they had been erased at the scent of her blood and the sight of Livia crouched over her in the Friedelinde's garden. It was a good thing Becky had not even jokingly mentioned killing Livia as Livia's punishment for attacking her, because Simon would not have hesitated killing Livia for spilling his mate's blood. In fact, it had only been the fear in Becky's face, fear of him, that had stopped him from doing that anyway. He would have to work on that fear.

We got a taste of the Simon/Becky romance in "The Wallflower", the story that introduced the Halle Pumas, but now they are back with a vengeance to resume their story in Sweet Dreams. Becky is as sassy as ever and Simon is sweet, strong, and sexy with a healthy dosing of protectiveness and possessiveness from both the man and the Puma. Seriously, what woman wouldn't love the guy? Though I have to say I'm rather glad Becky doesn't just fall all over him because this story is a great deal funnier for it. If I had one problem with this story it was that it was too darn short and that I didn't want it to end, but if that isn't the best recommendation I can give for a story, I just don't know what is.

5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies
Rebecca `Becky' Yaeger's plans for the evening did not include being attacked by a psycho who sprouts claws and fangs.It was supposed to be a fun filled evening with friends at a masquerade party but instead she's fighting for her life and all of a sudden her life is irreversibly changed.She certainly never suspected that her friends and Simon, the man she loves, have the ability to shift into Pumas.Sure she wants Simon but eating cat chow and using a litter box holds absolutely no appeal so what's a girl to do?

Simon already suspected that Becky is his mate before the attack but he hadn't claimed her or even let on that he had any intentions toward her.His mate's life being threatened brings out all his protective instincts and he certainly isn't about to listen to Becky's arguments against their mating.It's a done deal as far as he's concerned.Before he can satisfy his inner animal and mate Becky though he has to take care of her injuries and even then she argues with him.It's when she tells him `bite me' that he sees the perfect opportunity to get exactly what he wants - to claim her.There's no denying that they're mated after he's marked her as his!

Livia's attack on Becky was completely unprovoked and makes absolutely no sense to her - all she knows is that Livia has suddenly sprouted claws and fangs and is intent on killing her.It isn't until Becky's best friend Emma arrives that the pieces begin to fit together.Livia's envious of Emma's status within the pride and believes that if she can acquire the Curana's ring then she'll be queen instead of Emma.That's not how things work though and `Senora Psychopath' is in for a rude awakening because Max, Emma and Simon aren't about to let her get away with what she's done.Livia's sentenced to life as an outcast and Simon carries Becky off as his new mate.If Simon thinks he's simply going to claim her and they'll live happily ever after then he'd better think again.Sure Becky loves him but she's stubbornly refusing to say the words, her change is taking longer than it should, and she's suddenly ailing and the doctor's diagnosis isn't fully explaining the odd symptoms.

Dana Marie Bell writes this story with such humor and drama that I was quickly caught up in the romance between Becky and Simon and was unable to put this book down.SWEET DREAMS is the second book in the HALLE PUMA series and flows beautifully from the first book WALLFLOWER.Becky's feisty comments and loving nature really kept me chuckling and Simon seems to get a real kick out of her snappy comebacks.I loved getting to know all of the characters in this story and they each quickly began to feel like treasured friends that I'll be happy to revisit many times in the future.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more Dana Marie Bell's books in the future.This story was fun, whimsical and wholly satisfying.I'd definitely recommend picking up the other books in the HALLE PUMA series as well.WALLFLOWER, SWEET DREAMS and CAT OF A DIFFERENT COLOR are all wonderful stories that truly capture the imagination.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Sweet Dreams- A Joyfully Recommended Title
Rebecca Yaeger's world turns upside down when she learns her friend's secret after an attack by a jealous woman bent on revenge.

Simon swoops in to take care of Becky after her attack when he realizes she is his mate.He wants to mark her as his and has to control himself while Becky comes to terms with the changes that are happening so fast.

As the two work through their problems, Becky is struck with an illness that threatens her happiness.

Can Simon and Becky figure out what is happening before it is too late?

Sweet Dreams picks up right where The Wallflower leaves off and I love it!Dana Marie Bell did not disappoint in this sequel.Sweet Dreams is just as hot, sexy, and funny as The Wallflower.

Becky is funny and plays dirty, making her my kind of girl.Simon wastes no time once he knows Becky was his.I do wish Ms. Bell would have explored how Becky knew about the ringing because I would have been interested to see more and have an explanation as to why it was happening.It was a cute way to break the tension and caused for me to laugh, so it works out in the end.

I am Joyfully Recommending Sweet Dreams because it made me laugh and kept me on my toes.I can't wait for book three.

Jambrea
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed ... Read more

Product Description
Third in a sizzling trilogy by the New York Times bestselling author of Nauti Boy and Nauti Nights.

Natches Mackay separated himself from his family years ago, except for the two cousins who gave him the only family he’d known. Now he’s being dragged back into his father’s life in ways that could destroy him and the one woman who tempts him beyond reason: Government Agent Chaya Dane, who has fought to put her own past behind her. A mission in Somerset, Kentucky, brings her back into the dreams of Natches—and into the shadows cast by his father, suspected in the theft of government missiles. And it could cost Chaya more than she ever imagined. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Nauti Dreams Book 3
Well what can I say, each one gets better and better.Getting ready to order then one in the series.The girl can write a love scene, like you are there....HOT HOT HOT.

Love That Man
Nauti Dreams is the best story in Lora Leigh's "Nauti" series, and Natches McKay is my favorite character.Natches and his cousins Rowdy and Dawg are close, but he distances himself from them when he wages war against his father.Rowdy and Dawg deal themselves in the game unwilling to let Natches fight this battle alone.Agent Chayla Dane comes to town to investigate the McKay family and the sparks fly between Natches and Chayla.

Natches is raw, dangerous, protective, loyal, and hot between the sheets.The chemistry between Chaya and Natches literally hops off the page; I was that way with a guy once, I ended up married to him.The first time I read Nauti Dreams I jumped my husband at the front door when he came home from work.He encourages me to re-read Nauti Dreams often.

what happened?
Natches story could have been a lot better in my opinion.
I did feel a little let down with the romance although I
did feel like they had some chemistry. I thought he would be alpha to the max. Not so. I wished his story would have been hot
hot hot. Instead it was just so-so. I wanted to love his story more than rowdy and dawg. Instead I fell in love with Alex.
He was alpha to the max and I wanted him for myself. I think
Natches was too busy being protective for me too enjoy his
sexuality. However having said that he was hot in the bedroom
I just expected lora to bring more than she did and that did
not happen. After all is said and done this is still a really
good read. I still enjoyed it. I give it 3.5 stars. If you
want to love an alpha male read the next one. Alex and Janey's
story that one is caliente. I give it 4.5 stars. Loved it.

Favorite in the Series
I read all of Lora Leigh's Breed series and while waiting for the next installment decided to give the Nauti Boys a try.Like most of her writing, I found the series generally enjoyable, but some books I enjoyed a whole lot more than others.I really liked Nauti Dreams.It is a highlight in the series.To be honest, the sex scences in the book are relatively tame compared to the first two novels, but I found that the trade was a much more emotional book with better developed characters who shared a deep emotional connection that was completely believable.Some people prefer the more erotic books.This one had no lack of sex scences in it.In fact, it had vividly described sex scenes throughout.But they were sweet and filled with emotion, as well as passion and lust.Natches simply stole my heart.I had a feeling he would since reading the first novel, but his story did not dissapoint.The plot moved along at a good pace, and while there wasn't much to it and the ending was predictable for the most part, it was entertaining.Let's face it, entertainment is the reason we read romance novels in the first place.This is one book that I recommend to readers looking for a sexy story that still manages to be sweet and exciting.And let's reiterate that Natches can steal any woman's heart without even trying.Out of all the Mackays, he is definitely my favorite.

Nauti was never so GOOD!!
This is the third book in the Nauti series. I strongly suggest that you read the second book at least before you start this one. This book takes place right where the second one left off, so unlike the first and second books this time you need to read them in order to fully understand the story. So far this is my favorite out of the three. I loved this one because I think that it really heals the main character where in the other books they didn't need to be healed like he did. I also like this one because it really shows you that monsters are out there, but you can fight them and win!! I did laugh at some of the scenes, especially towards the end, but not like I did in the second one. I also found it kind of funny at what happened to the women in this story and how it affects the men in their lives. I can't wait to read the next one! This was story was very much more substantial than just an erotic novel which is something that I can't say about the first two which is another reason why I just really enjoyed this story. ... Read more

Product Description
After centuries of neglect, the church is rediscovering the realm of dreams andvisions as a legitimate avenue for receiving divine revelation. In DreamLanguage, James W. Goll provides an insightful and helpful handbook to thisfascinating and little-known world. Based on extensive study and filled withpersonal insights from his years of walking in this realm, the author builds asolid framework for how Christians today can receive, understand, interpret andapply dream revelation from the Holy Spirit. Whether you are beginning to walkin this realm already or simply want to understand more about it, Dream Languageis the perfect guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Pretty good resource
I've never read a book on dreams before, so I don't have anything to compare this to.It's a good read, pretty good resource for things w/in dreams, but still not sure it was everything I was looking for.I have vivid dreams every night & it's often I go to look things up in this & there's nothing under symbols, etc. that are in mine.hmmmm.

A trusted and reliable resource
The Goll's are amazing. This is an excellent book. I have several books on Christian dream interpretation and I didn't know if this one would include anything new--but it certainly does. I love the sections where Michael Ann Goll writes from her perspective and out of her experience. This book surprised me by how good it was.

A Classic!
I read the first 40 pages and then re-read the first 40 pages with yellow marker and red pencil in hand.It is so well worded and is a valuable book covering dreams. It is a great book!!! I am teaching a class at my church about dreams and using this as a reference book.I have studied dreams for 30 years, so dreams are dear to my heart.Michal Ann and James have written a volume well worth reading and studying.I love it!!

Not a reference book
This was the 1st book I picked up to help interpret my dreams.I found that referencing words was very difficult and confusing at times.In my frustration, I purchased "Understanding the reams you Dream" by Ira Milligan. It has a very large index of words with scripture references to back each word up.I loved the book so much I purchased the 2nd volume.

The Dream Language
I particularly enjoyed Jim Goll's book because he shares a background about dreams as well as specific information about dream content.Jim Goll never disappoints. ... Read more

Product Description
At the outset of World War II, Jack Rosenblum, his wife Sadie, and their baby daughter escape Berlin, bound for London. They are greeted with a pamphlet instructing immigrants how to act like "the English." Jack acquires Saville Row suits and a Jaguar.He buys his marmalade from Fortnum & Mason and learns to list the entire British monarchy back to 913 A.D.He never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse.But the one key item that would make him feel fully British -membership in a golf club-remains elusive. In post-war England, no golf club will admit a Rosenblum. Jack hatches a wild idea: he'll build his own.

It's an obsession Sadie does not share, particularly when Jack relocates them to a thatched roof cottage in Dorset to embark on his project. She doesn't want to forget who they are or where they come from.She wants to bake the cakes she used to serve to friends in the old country and reminisce.Now she's stuck in an inhospitable landscape filled with unwelcoming people, watching their bank account shrink as Jack pursues his quixotic dream.

In her tender, sweetly comic debut, Natasha Solomons tells the captivating love story of a couple making a new life-and their wildest dreams-come true. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Amusing, endearingly quirky characters
Reviewed by Rita Grasshoff for RebeccasReads (09/10)

What would you do if you were forced to escape your country and had to adapt to your new home place?Jack Rosenblum and his wife Sadie, along with their daughter Elizabeth, are forced to move to London from their home in Germany at the outset of World War II.Their accents and the fact that they are Jewish set them apart.Sadie has a hard time and dwells on those in her past.Jack, however, tries to make the best of it and makes a list of what it takes to assimilate in his new country.He starts with a pamphlet given to him when he entered the country.He adds his own ideas to it.He has an obsession with doing the "English" thing.

To be a proper Englishman, he feels that he must live up to the ideas he has made a list of.He wants more than anything to fit in and not be noticed too much.As he tells his daughter, "Only if we become like them can we hide amongst them.We must not be poppies in the wheat field."Sadie's style is to ignore what's happening around her and lose herself in baking "cakes to help you remember" from her family cookbook.

The story is told with humor, has endearing characters and draws you in.Jack's plan to build a golf course is fraught with obstacles, including his own ideas.He and Sadie go through times that make you cheer for them, worry about them and wonder why he can't see that in an effort to be a part of things, he tries to change things.In his own bumbling way, Jack makes you really want him to succeed.He learns a lot along the way and is a very endearing, funny man. Readers of all ages should enjoy this one.

Once I got started on this book, I had a hard time putting it down. It's not often that I can lose myself in a book like I did in this one.It's hard to believe this is a first novel.I really liked the writing style of Ms. Solomons and look forward to more from this promising author!

It's been a while since I've read a novel this good
This is such a good, well-rounded book. Jack and Sadie Rosenblum are a Jewish German couple, forced to flee Germany at the beginning of World War II and make a home in England. Jack, as part of his quest to become the perfect English gentleman, applies for membership to golf courses. He is rejected from all of them for being a "foreigner," so he decides to move to the country and build his own golf course. Hilarity ensues, but it is always humor tinged with grief -- grief over the life they left behind and grief over their struggle to make a new one.
The novel was inspired by Solomons' grandparents' lives after they fled to England, which may be one reason why the book is so good -- there's an element of truth in it. It reads a bit like a children's fable, with mouth-watering descriptions of the English countryside and funny stories of Jack trying to build the course with a shovel and his own two hands, while the confused villagers look on. But Solomons also never lets you forget the true reason Jack wants to be an Englishman -- he fears that if he doesn't assimilate, one day he may be labeled as a "threat" and be forced to flee again. She shows you this through the small details, like Jack's insistence that his passport be up to date and his frustration over Sadie's longings for her family and her childhood in Germany. She grieves over her mother and brother, left to die, and tries to remember their lives and her past through baking all her mother's old recipes. In this way, the Rosenblums' English cottage becomes a place for Jack to build his new future and a way for Sadie to remember the past. I got this book from the library, so I had to resort to marking favorite passages with Post-It notes. Next time I decide to read it, I'll buy a copy.

A wonderful story!
Jack and Sadie Rosenbloom emigrated to London, England just before the Second World War. When they arrived in their new country, Jack was given a checklist on how a proper English citizen behaves - a cheat sheet on how to blend in to his new home. Following it literally and without knowing all the nuances that any British citizen takes for granted sometimes leaves him puzzled and bewildered, but never daunted. Mr. Rosenbloom Dreams in English is Jack and Sadie's story of how they adapted to their new lives and sometimes how they didn't.

I really enjoyed Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English/a (called Mr. Rosenblum's List in the UK). I think Natasha Solomon did a fabulous job in relating what it's like to integrate into a new and very alien life. While I'm not Jewish, I found Jack and Sadie's experiences as Jewish immigrants easy to relate to and I recognized Jack's struggle to fit into a new country and its well-established culture very well. The author's light touch in representing the Rosenblum's struggle to blend in made the story a lot less heavy-handed than it might otherwise have been.

Food is used throughout the story to demonstrate how family and family history is cherished and memories held dear. One particular dessert, a baumtorte, is prepared by Sadie during her most challenging days and helps her cope with her feelings of sadness at the lives lost during the war. The author uses the layered cake as a rich metaphor for layers of memories.

The characters in this book are muti-faceted. Jack and Sadie are neither all good nor all bad - a bit of each quality are in both and it is what I believe gives the book depth and richness. The author knows her characters; Jack is normally an optimistic man and I couldn't help but root for him even when he did something that aggravated me. Writing from the perspective of a male character couldn't have been easy but Natasha Solomons succeeded.

I recommend this wonderful novel to anyone who enjoys reading stories about family bonds and true friendship.

Sweet story of longing and optimism
Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (08/10)

"Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English" is the funny and sad story of a Jewish couple who has emigrated from Germany to England during WWII. Jack and Sadie leave behind her parents and brother and bring only their baby daughter Elizabeth. Although this is a hard transition for Sadie, Jack throws himself into English life with gusto. Upon his arrival in England, Mr. Rosenblum is handed a pamphlet called "While you are in England: Helpful Information and Friendly Guidance for every Refugee." Wanting so bad to fit in, he follows this list religiously, and even starts adding to it.

Natasha Solomons writes eloquently about the push and pull between Sadie and Jack, the past and the future. Sadie has strong ties to Germany and her Jewish heritage and doesn't want to forget her family there. She looks at pictures of her family, keeps up with her Jewish ceremonies, and reads her mother's cookbook for comfort and memories. Jack wants to be seen as and respected as an Englishman. He wears Henry Poole suits, drives a Jaguar and when his final list item of joining a golf club fails due to his Jewish background, he takes matters into his own hands and decides to build his own.

The book has a fairy tale quality about it, something I really enjoy in a book. Sadie tries the recipes from her mother's cookbook and cooks sadness into each dish. A Baumtorte is built layer by layer, reaching almost to the ceiling. Jack goes to great lengths to build his golf course and creates wild earth-moving contraptions. He also becomes a believer in the myth of the wooly-pig. These are the bits that expand the imagination and make a book above and beyond just a story.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. "Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English" combines a longing for the past with a sweet optimism for the future. Through it all, Sadie and Jack move apart then come back together in this heart-warming story that made me laugh and cry. Jack's unending desire to reach his goals will be an inspiration to any reader.

Wonderful
This is a sweet, sad, funny, poignant book about a couple who flee Nazi Germany and relocate in England.Jack copes by trying to forget the past and assimilate, going to great lengths to become a proper English gentleman, while Sadie copes by trying to remember and not let go of her memories and loved ones.Jack religiously follows the guidelines in the not-so-helpful "Helpful Information and Friendly Guidance for Every Refugee" pamphlet he's given when they arrive in England, eventually deciding to add his own copious notes about the British (his observations are hilarious).But one thing Jack discovers is that every proper English gentleman must have membership in a golf club, which he is repeatedly denied because he is Jewish.So, he uproots the family, buys property in the country, and throws everything into a dream of building his own golf course.

I am not remotely interested in golf, but I loved this book.The sweet, funny observations on life in rural England reminded me of a James Harriott book, while the tension between Jack and Sadie's individual ways of coping is heart-wrenching and yet tender.I rooted for them all the way. ... Read more

Product Description
Indigo Teen Dreams allows teens to manage stress, anger, and anxiety while increasing self-esteem and self-awareness. Teens explore the research-based, stress-management techniques of breathing, visualizations, progressive muscular relaxation, and affirmationsor positive statements. This straight forward, easy to follow approach encourages teens to take charge of their own feelings and stress. It provides a safe place where teens can be themselves while not worrying about peer pressure or living up to any ones expectations. The male narrator is motivating, encouraging and soothing at the same time! Additional uplifting music sound tracks are provided to further enhance their relaxation experience. Teens are encouraged to make good choices and believe in themselves while managing stress and anger. Great for teens entering Middle School through High School.

Indigo Teen Dreams is an approachable way to introduce your teenager to harnessing the mind s power to improve self-esteem, deal with difficult emotional or social issues, and instill calm during the tenuous years between child and adulthood. The introduction provides context for affirmation and positive thinking in a manner that is the perfect combination of welcoming and informative. Teenagers can be very resistant to trying new things, so the guidance is subtle enough to be effective without any over-the-top vibes that might make a teenager giggle or roll her eyes. The music for the exercises is relaxing and calming, devoid of screaming guitars or chest-pounding backbeats. The songs are suitably contemporary and pleasing, providing a seamless background for teens to practice their newfound skills of affirmation, breathing, muscular relaxation, and visualization. - Jennifer Sommersby Young, Reviewed in Rewind Resource Guide 2006 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Indigo Teen Dreams is a hit
Thank you for this wonderfull Cd ...We recieved it for some troubled teens in our life...Two of the teens just love the tapes you sent..One said,'I'm not listening to that junk!" I asked if he respected me and he said yes. I said; "then just humour me on this one please. I would not give you and get you to do anything that was not good for you, would I?" So he tried it before going to bed last night and today called and said; "hey, I'm creative and deserve to be happy." I said "yup, got that right.Goona listen to it again for me..? He said "yup and for me. just dont tell I listen to this stuff. can I borrow it for a while longer?" I said; "yes for quite a while yet, then we will pass it on, once you got what you need out of it.." Thank you Lori...Thank you and Rick so very very much.Of course I listened to it before giving to a teen and you know, I as an adult, learned much from that cd as well. I even enjoyed it! Parents, if you leave it lying around in your teens room after telling them that it is good listening in the evening or alone time...that you dont want to keep track if or how many times they listened to..but if they do and want to share, you are there for them. As always they must respect it as others one day, could benefit from it as well...They will listen to it...They will benefit from it. I promise.As for being childish..there are many a teens who play with Barbie hiding while doing so..many a teens who love to have a chance to babysit or play with a younger child just to be able to be younger again, to read a younger child's books etc..When I Tutored I found that when I gave the kids younger stories to read but sheltered them from the other kids while doing it, then let them do this all together, their reading skills improved much quicker and they really did enjoy the stories..We say too often "grow up" so they become afraid of critism if they listen to something that may seem for younger children. Remove that stigmatism right away and they will be fine with much more. The ages I gave this too were. on femail aged 17, one male age16...They both enjoyed it as long as I do not tell their friends what they did. Let the kids know this work is Private and then they will listen. I have worked with street teens and as an Early Childhood Educator most of my life. I highly recommend Lori Lite's Products for your children.

Stress Free News
We are pleased to announce our first Teen Music CDIndigo Dreams: Teen Relaxation Music Decreasing Stress, Anxiety and Anger, Improve Sleep We are honored to be a part of helping your teenager find relaxation.

An amazing and powerful CD!
Life can feel very busy for all of us, especially teenagers.Sometimes you feel like you are standing in the middle of a busy street with cars and people zooming past you.Horns are honking and people are shoving you.You feel as if you do not know which end is up and have no way of controlling the situation you are in.Luckily, with the help of Lori Lite and her inspirational CD,"Indigo Teen Dreams", you will able to escape the busy traffic and float into a world all your own.A world where you are in control of your own body.A world where you can be you.A world where you can finally be at peace with yourself.

As a teacher and an older sister to two teenagers and the creator/writer at [...], I have consistently been looking for a book, a CD, anything that young adults will listen to in order to build their self esteem and at the same time relax them from the stresses of everyday life. The search is over!"Indigo Teen Dreams" is top notch.From the moment you press play Lori Lite has provided a narrator who has a calm, even, steady tone to ease your mind.You cannot help but get wrapped up in the sound of his voice.The CD goes on and the narrator talks to the listener and not AT the listener.He is understanding and accepting which is something that teenagers long for every day.The narrator is able to make a connection with the listener and provide tips and words of encouragement for all.Combine this with the soothing background sounds and nature-like music that is provided and you have a unique CD that teens will actually listen to and learn from.

All teenagers should have this CD! It is a touching and personal experience that they should not miss out on.Encourage your teen to be open minded about listening to this CD.I guarantee that once they listen to the lessons Lori Lite provides they will feel empowered and start taking over their feelings, emotions, and everyday actions.

Indigo Teen Dreams is a Teenager MUST-HAVE!

-Heather [...]

Surprised me and my 13-year-old son!
Note: I have two boys that I adopted internationally as pre-teens.

Wow! My 13-year old took the CD into his room to give it a try - he's usually pretty good about trying new things anyway so I didn' t think much of it. He'd tried another adult meditation CD and tolerated it. He still hated resting in the afternoon (I homeschool my kids) but if he doesn't get enough sleep he's a bear. OK, so he takes the CD into his room and I don't hear a thing for two hours. When he woke up he came out of his room grinning from ear to ear, saying things like "I am a good person," and "I make good choices," how the music is wonderful and makes him feel great, AND THAT HE CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE A NAP AGAIN TOMORROW. At first I thought he was joking ... but he was completely serious! He insisted that I listen to it, explained to me what "affirmations" are and what "visualization" is (English is his second language so these are big words for my son!). Then he hugged the CD. His attitude continued to be great all evening.

You would think that a teenager, especially a boy would think this is ridiculous. This total basketball loving, soccer playing, bow-and-arrow, rock throwing boy loves this CD. He's copied it onto his iPod (it's the only thing on his iPod) and listens to it each afternoon and falling asleep at night. I am amazed.

So then my 15-year old boy comes out of his week-long funk and decides to resume his daily 15-minute mediation. He's OK with this but would rather do something else, often fusses about it but then tells me later that he feels better after meditation (pretty typical all-over-the-board teen). I offer him his brother's new CD. He declines. I tell him to suit himself. He can't bear the suspense of knowing that his brother did something before him and tells me he'll try it, but then get out the old CD if this one doesn't work. He fell asleep within minutes of turning it on. When he woke up he tried to argue that it was no big deal, one meditation CD was just like the other. His brother sat on the bed and told him he was full of it, that it was a great CD. He then pumped his iPod up full volume so we could hear it and started chanting the positive affirmations. I told my older son that if the CD wasn't working for him that I would happily take it back. Well, no, he says, he's not ready to give it back to me. He wants to give it another try. Ha! I bet he'll be hooked in no time!

Give it a try for your stressed out teen. Give them quiet time to really listen to it. It was a pleasant surprise.

Helpful and relaxing
I bought this CD because I enjoy Lori Lite CDs.I previously purchased Indigo Ocean Dreams, and Garden of Wellness.This was just as good at getting me to relax.Granted, I am not a teen, I am in my 40s.I could understand that some reviewers would feel it may be a bit childish for some teens.But for others, it might be just perfect.My guess is it would depend on the individual teenager, so I wouldn't dismiss it outright.Although it's not my favourite, it really does make me feel calm.Especially the part which is only music, it has a very surreal quality. ... Read more

Product Description
Richard Whittle's riveting narrative reveals how a venerable aviation dream became a nightmare for the Marine Corps. When the Marines decided to buy a helicopter-airplane hybrid "tiltrotor," they saw it as their dream machine. The V-22 Osprey was aviation's equivalent of finding the Northwest Passage: a vehicle able to take off and land like a helicopter but fly fast and far like an airplane. Many predicted the tiltrotor would reshape civilian aviation. The Marines saw it as key to their very survival.

By 2000, the Osprey was nine years late and billions over budget, bedeviled by technological hurdles, business rivalries, and an epic political battle over whether to build it at all. Foes called it one of the worst boondoggles in Pentagon history. The Marines were eager to put it into service anyway. Then two crashes killed twenty-three Marines - raising the death toll in Osprey accidents to thirty. The Marines still refused to abandon it, even after their proud reputation was tarnished by a national scandal over charges that a commander had ordered subordinates to lie about the Osprey's problems.

Based on in-depth research and hundreds of interviews, The Dream Machine recounts the Marines' quarter-century struggle to get the Osprey into battle. Whittle takes the reader from the halls of the Pentagon and Congress to the war zone in Iraq, from the engineer's drafting table to the cockpits where test pilots and Marines risked their lives flying the Osprey -- and sometimes lost them. He unveils the motives, methods, and obsessions of those who designed, sold, bought, flew, and fought for the tiltrotor. With previously unpublished eyewitness accounts of the crashes that made the Osprey notorious, this book chronicles an extraordinary chapter in Marine Corps history - and provides an unvarnished look at a technology that could still revolutionize air travel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

The Dream That Would Never Die
The story of the V-22 Osprey has many unique aspects to it including the personalities involved, the accident record, and the particular technology at issue.But in other ways it is a familiar story for any expensive military system.It requires decades of effort, more money than it should, and lots of lobbying to become a reality.Even now we do not know if the V-22 Osprey is living up to its billing.

Richard Whittle's story is comprehensive, beginning with the really early ideas for a combination helicopter and fixed wing craft and going right up to the Ospreys deployment.A major focus is Bell Helicopter employee Dick Spivey, who was both an engineer and marketer and really considered the machine his dream.The book takes us through the early concept Bell was pushing, their work to get the Congress and Pentagon on board, their alliance with Boeing, their fight against defense cuts in the late 1980s, and most tragically the several accidents that cost too many lives for too little reason.

As other reviewers have noted, this book is not a technical discussion of the Osprey though Whittle does provide some background.Really, it is a broad based telling of the vision, development, design, and deployment of an incredibly expensive and complex machine.Of particular interest to me was the lobbying in the Pentagon and Congress which originally got the funding and then kept it as then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney tried to cut the program.

An Outstanding Book About a Remarkable Aircraft
Richard Whittle's "The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey" is the best aviation book I've read in years. It is exactly what I look for, but rarely find, in an "airplane book." I enjoy heavy, detailed tomes about one narrow aspect of aviation, or about one specific aircraft, rather than broad tracts on wider ranges of material. I have little interest in books filled mostly with pretty pictures. I look for meaty, "tell-all" stories that I can sink my teeth into. "The Dream Machine" is just such a book--heavy on fascinating details and light on pictures (although there is an eight-page section of black-and-white photos). It hits my interest target spot-on.

Most people have probably at least heard of the "Osprey" tiltrotor, most likely via news reports about several crashes of V-22 prototypes in 1991, 1992 and 2000. These tragic events gave the aircraft a reputation for being unsafe and difficult to fly, even after billions of dollars had been spent trying to make it work. For many years, the "Osprey" was a political football, kicked back and forth by enthusiastic backers and equally vehement opponents. Several times during its 20-year-plus gestation period, especially in the aftermaths of the crashes, the program was on the very edge of cancellation. But it survived, and the radical V-22 entered service with the Marines in 2007 and performed with distinction in Iraq, where the dire predictions of its detractors did not come to pass. At long last, it came close to justifying the faith that its proponents had put in it for decades. "The Dream Machine" tells the whole complicated personal, political, technical and operational story of one of aviation's holy grails--a machine that can take off like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane.

Each of the book's 12 lengthy chapters covers a specific aspect or time period of the story. For example, Chapter One, "The Dream," presents an interesting summary of pre-Osprey designs, such as the 1931 Pitcairn Autogiro, most of which were unsuccessful because the technology to do the job simply did not exist at the time. Chapter Two "The Salesman," shows in great detail how aerospace companies sell their products to the military services. Using as an exemplar Bell Helicopter's Richard F. Spivey, the man who deserves most of the credit for selling the Pentagon on the concept of a tiltrotor aircraft (and, even more important, for keeping it sold), this chapter is fascinating, fast-paced and factual. Take it from a former aerospace engineer and marketeer--this is how it really is. Chapter Three, "The Customer," looks at the requirements development and procurement processes that the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps use to buy the military equipment they need. Chapter Four, "The Sale," shows how Bell's years-long marketing efforts, helped out by its experimental XV-15 tiltrotor that flew before enthralled audiences at the 1981 Paris Air Show, finally came to fruition when the Pentagon awarded the team of Bell and partner Boeing a contract for the V-22 "Osprey." The aircraft that the team designed is covered in Chapter Five, "The Machine." In addition to a detailed description of the design itself, this chapter contains an exceptionally good account of the compromises and trade-offs required when engineers try to develop a state-of-the-art aircraft. Technophiles will love this stuff!

The remaining chapters cover the trials, tribulations, personalities and political maneuvering involved in the V-22s pre-production, flight testing, maintenance, etc., all with, as far as I know, not one single technical error. Mr. Whittle has a marvelous ability to present complex technical issues (such as the "vortex ring state" phenomenon) in terms that any reasonably astute reader can understand. In particular, his presentations of the sequences of events that led to the four major prototype "Osprey" crashes (three of them fatal) are, bar none, the best descriptions of airplane crashes that I've ever read. As a private pilot who once crashed an aircraft myself, I can say with absolute candor that I felt like I was in the cockpit with the hapless crews when their machines went down. Just reading about the crashes was chilling.

I'll say it again: "The Dream Machine" is the best aviation book I've read in years. If you are at all interested in the "Osprey" itself, or in the process of designing, building, testing and operating a modern, high-tech aircraft, you should put it at the very top of your "must read" list. I can't say enough good words about it. BUY THIS BOOK!

One of the best accounts of an aerospace program
As a life-long aviation enthusiast and rotorcraft researcher, I was attracted to this book as soon as I learned of it. Since I have a particular interest in tilt rotors and the V-22, I knew I'd read it as soon as it became available no matter how accurate or well written it might be. Having read it, I can say it turned out to exceed any expectations I may have had for it.In fact, it is an outstanding work in the broadest terms - it accurately captures the technical complexity and significance of tilt rotor development as well as many other fascinating dimensions of the story involving the aerospace industry, the military, the engineers and test pilots, and much more. Although I am quite familiar with the subject, the author managed to pull together a decades-long story in a way that improved my own perspective.Despite the convoluted and controversial history of the V-22 program, the author has achieved, in my opinion, a degree of accuracy and balance that is a quite remarkable accomplishment.I often find fault with many accounts of aerospace material familiar to me, so, in this regard, Whittle's treatment stands out.

In addition to a history of the V-22 development, the book is absorbing, suspenseful, and fast-paced - a well-told story.The author brings key participants to life, recreating the unique and often colorful personalities of engineers, program managers, test pilots, and others.I've known a few of these individuals, and I can say that the author's characterizations invariably rang true for me. And for anyone fascinated by the high-stakes risks of experimental flight testing, the author's accounts are some of the most suspenseful and gripping I have ever read. Needless to say, I'm enthusiastic about the book, and have recommended it to all of my friends.I say this based on a somewhat unique perspective, having been an aerospace researcher for DoD for over forty years, working for the US Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (RDECOM) located at the NASA Ames Research Center. It was in this Army/NASA environment, and in collaboration with Bell Helicopter, that the tilt rotor was born. While never directly involved in tilt rotor projects, I was privileged to participate in basic and applied rotorcraft research and witness its emergence into practical civil and military products, an endlessly fascinating and sometimes flawed process involving government, industry, and university engineers and scientists. The birth and successful development of the Army-NASA-Bell XV-15 tilt rotor that paved the way for the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey stands as one of the most impressive engineering achievements in the aerospace field. The Army played a key role in the early days of the JVX and the V-22 before it was transferred to the Navy/Marines. I have followed the technical and programmatic developments with close interest ever since.

Based on my experience, I can attest to the degree to which Whittle accurately captured the essence of the V-22 story.Clearly, there were many aspects of the program of which I had no direct knowledge, but the accuracy of the story in areas I am familiar with lends confidence that the story as a whole is accurately portrayed.I offer a few examples that, in my view, illustrate the skill with which the author has developed the story. One of the more compelling technical aspects of tilt rotor aerodynamics is the vortex ring state, the initially under-appreciated rotor wake phenomena involved in the tragic accident at Marana, AZ. The search for the cause of the accident, the realization that it involved a heretofore a little understood aerodynamics phenomenon, the reaction of engineers and scientists to this revelation, and the the controversy that arose among government, industry, consultants, and university researchers is very well captured by the author.As a result of thorough investigation and discussions with many individuals, his account of the phenomenon, the views of the principals, and the ramifications for the V-22 were, in my opinion, accurately portrayed.In a lesser book an inaccurate portrayal of the vortex ring state would have contributed to ongoing misunderstanding of this phenomena and its significance. Unfortunately, the vortex ring state represents an aspect of tilt rotor aerodynamics that was missed by engineers and scientists and contributed to a tragic accident. As Whittle points out, more through research and more extensive wind tunnel testing may have revealed the problem, but, at the same time, new aircraft concepts sometimes involve surprises.The subsequent flight testing to evaluate the full extent of the problem is grippingly recounted by Whittle and captures the undeniable risk and suspense of flight testing that, at times, unavoidably probes the unknown.

Another well-handled aspect of the V-22 story is the ongoing question of the true value of the tilt rotor. The debate between supporters and detractors involves considerable hype, exaggeration, and mis-information. Is the V-22 truly a "dream machine" or an expensive and complicated white elephant?The truth lies somewhere in between and Whittle provides a fairly objective and balanced account of the conflicting views.In fact, the ultimate answer will depend on accumulating additional experience in future years; for the present, the book provides an objective assessment. Other examples could easily be presented to demonstrate the virtues of this book.

We are fortunate that the story of this unique aircraft attracted the attention of an author of Whittle's skill. In this reader's opinion, this is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the the tilt rotor, the V-22, or aerospace technology in general. You can't go wrong with this book.

The Dream MachineV-22 Osprey

Book in perfect condition. It was advertised as used but was like new.

Superb Historical Narrative of V-22 Osprey
Author Richard Whittle has written a very interesting, compelling history of the birth of the tilt rotor concept and how that has evolved into the V-22 Osprey. He begins the book with a very moving and fitting tribute to the brave men and their families who have paid the ultimate price for their county. The facts, dates, people involved alone would make this interesting, but Whittle has excelled in bringing this to life by also including the stories of the main characters. Some names are unknown to the public; others such as Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush are familiar. All of these folks have a role in the creation of this huge, expensive, exotic looking hybrid between a helicopter and airplane.

Whittle states that he has done his best to be objective and let the reader come to their own conclusions. In large part, he succeeds, but by then end, you know where he lands. That is not to take away from this book in the slightest. The arguments that the plane is unsafe are proved false (finally, after they did the right amount of testing and fixing of the prototypes which were not so safe). Whether or not buying this plane for the Marines is the most cost effective thing to do is the reader's decision...and the taxpayers, politicians, military as well.

The problems of weapons procurement - the politics, time, red tape, changing requirements, cost overruns, lobbyists, the alarmist, uninformed media are well documented here. Every weapon has its problems and takes time to develop. I think all would agree reform is needed here to protect our troops. Minor observation - one or two more photos of some of the prototypes they were discussing would have been nice. There are a lot of technical facts, but Whittle is able to explain them to the lay person to understand, but this is not a "nuts and bolts" type book.

I absolutely recommend this book to all aviation fans, those who want to see what the story is behind this controversial plane - the good, bad and ugly. There are plenty of all three elements in this book. It's a fast read and an excellent study on what has come to be a fine weapon system.
... Read more

Product Description
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Countdown returns with a knock-out suspense thriller that pits a mother and son against a killer who's the stuff of nightmares.

If you close your eyes, he’ll get you. Sophie Dunston knows all too well how dreams can kill. As one of the nation’s top sleep therapists, she specializes in the life-threatening night terrors that her ten-year-old son, Michael, suffers from. But she is also an expert in another kind of terror–the kind that can turn a dream life into a living nightmare in the blink of an eye.

Someone is watching. He’s a shadowy figure from out of her darkest fears and he hasn’t forgotten her. In one shocking moment of violence, he’d shattered Sophie’s world forever and left her with only one thing to live for: her son. But the nightmare isn’t over for Sophie Dunston. It’s just begun. He’s been waiting. Sophie was supposed to die the first time around, but fate intervened. This time he’ll make sure that not even a miracle will save her.

It wasn’t a miracle that saved Jock Gavin, but it was pretty close. A semiretired hit man, commando, and jack-of-all-deadly-trades, he knows what Sophie is up against–and that she’ll need help. But the man he’s chosen for the job is as unpredictable as he is dangerous. Matt Royd is a wild card–hard, cool, merciless–and putting him into play changes the game completely. But to whose advantage?

Sophie will soon find out. She will have to trust Royd because she has no choices left. Because the bogeyman haunting her dreams is all too real and he’s on the hunt again. Because the nightmare he’s got planned for Sophie won’t end when she wakes up screaming. It won’t end. Ever.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (70)

It was a Nightmare!!!!!
The one star reviews took the words right out of my mouth. This ranks right up there with some of the most stupid books I have read.

The thing that got me the most is how everyone rushed to our super woman's aid, with private jets, helicopters at a moment's call and private secluded cabins or castles. Not to mention fake ID.

Yet with all the modern equipment and supplies our hero couldn't find a bulletproof vest? Or was he still running around in his wet suit. Also the gadget devised to fake the bad guys voice over the phone was too much and in miraculous time, not to mention the transmitting wire no bigger than your thumbnail conveniently buried in the dirt right before the guards eyes,or how the weapon was quickly planted in a vat of liquid in a water proof bag at least on board a moored ship with more guards.

Just a few examples of stretching the believability. And you thought those were love scenes/steamy sex? Hardly. I think thrown in so the hero wouldn't seem like a robot.

So Johansen is writing Sci-fi now?

Killer dreams
I listen to the cd on my way to work and I enjoy it very much.I like the cd,s that Jennifer Van Dyke reads the best.She gives each character a personality.Iris Johansen,s writing especially the Eve Ducan series is the best

Inner Conflict
Throughout the centuries, the conflict has existed between scientist and intent for discoveries that will help mankind to those that want to use these who want to use these discoveries for control and greed.
Johansen weaves a romantic mystery around just such a conflict through her main character who is a brilliant scientist. She inspires us to look at the power we give to the pharmaceutical companies with their claim to cure the ills of the world. A fast moving read.

False Advertising
I picked up the paperback version from the library because I like scary stories and the cover and blurb on the back seemed to promise that.(A woman and child running through what looks like a forest in the dark, and the font of the book title almost looking like it was written in blood, only black in color.)The prologue DID grab me.An event that I promise you won't see coming knocked the socks off me and I thought a great story was in store.Instead, the story didn't seem to match the cover and blurb on the back.The plot itself was pretty good, but the heroine got on my nerves.She and her child are in danger and lots of folks are risking their lives to save them and instead of appreciation, the heroine is utterly defiant through most of the book.It left me feeling as though they ought to just drop her off on the nearest street corner and leave her to fend for herself.Also, I didn't see anything on the cover or back to suggest that this was a romantic suspense story, and I don't like those at all.Granted, this wasn't at bad as the "her heaving bosom, his throbbing..." types, but as the outside of the book gave no hint of it coming, I was sad to see it in the story.The evil plot was pretty good; if this book was written without the romance or without such a hateful heroine, it would be MUCH better.

Great book
One of my favorites from Iris. Once I started, I couldn't put it down as with all of her books. I love the awesome balance that Iris can always seem to create between action and love to keep her audience on the edge of their seat. This is a great story. This is a must buy and a must read. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
In The Dream of Scipio, the acclaimed author of An Instance of the Fingerpost intertwines three intellectual mysteries, three love stories-and three of the darkest moments in human history. United by a classical text called "The Dream of Scipio," three men struggle to find refuge from the madness that surrounds them...in the final days of the Roman Empire, in the grim years of the Black Death, and in the direst hours of World War II.Amazon.com Review
Like his elegant debut, An Instance of the Fingerpost, Iain Pears's The Dream of Scipio is an inventive, gloriously detailed historical novel told from multiple viewpoints. But Pears has set himself an additional challenge by spreading his narrators over several centuries: there's the fifth century French nobleman and bishop, Manlius, acivilized man who has embraced the uncouth Christian faith in order toprotect what he holds dear; an 11th-century scholar and troubadour namedOlivier de Noyen, the famously ill-fated admirer of a married girl; andJulien Barneuve, an early 20th-century scholar of de Noyen whodiscovers, through him, a magnificent manuscript of Manlius's called "TheDream of Scipio." Though all three men come from the same small Provençaltown, it is this manuscript, derived from the teachings of a wise woman,that links the three narrative threads of Pears's story.At the heart ofThe Dream of Scipio and, one suspects, at the heart of its author,is the conflict between a classical ideal of learning and the contemplationof beauty, and the noisy, uncivilized, democratizing impulses of theChristian era. A novel of ideas like its predecessor, The Dream ofScipio is neither chilly nor didactic and doesn't shy away from depictingthe costs of its narrators' unpopular devotions. --Regina Marler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (122)

So sad, and such a missed opportunity
The Book Report: Pears explores well-trodden ground here...what is love, how does love cause us to act outside our own best interests, what does loyalty mean in the end, what relationship does the world have to the divine...through the lives and acts of three men widely separated in time, though united by the existence of a manuscript called "The Dream of Scipio", written by one, and read by the other two. The writer is Manlius Hippomanes, Roman aristocrat and chaste lover of the Alexandrine philosopheress Sophia; the manuscript is his final love-offering to the goddess of his idolatry, given after his faux conversion to Christianity which he undertakes in order to organize the salvation of his beloved Provence. In the time of the Papal Babylonian Captivity, also that of the Black Death, poet Olivier de Noyes discovers this manuscript, reads and fails to understand it, and consults Jewish philosopher Levi ben Gershon to come to terms with the many subtelties lost between the Roman days and his own, degenerate Christian era; thus comes Olivier to his fatal love for Jew Rebecca. And in the modern age, Julien Barneuve, French flaneur and Vichy-government fonctionnaire, writes draft after draft of his response to Manlius's manuscript, thinking all the while that he's analyzing and understanding the life of Olivier de Noyes, the object of his studies.
All ends badly for each of these men, their lives, their loves, their very cultural roots are torn up, and grosser and grosser perversions of right and good thinking and living, fueled explicitly by Christians and their revolting religion, take hold and choke reason.

My Review: Well, no one can say it's not a subject I relate to and support. Too bad it's such a mess. The task of keeping three stories aloft while making sure that each is adding to the others is a daunting one. I don't think Pears did an especially good job of it. The transitions between narratives, all in third person limited PoV, are not keyed to anything that I can discern. I readily acknowledge that I could simply lack the cultural referents and/or the subtlety of mind to recognize them. I simply found the movement through time to be jarring and poorly handled.

But overall, this cautionary tale is one well worth considering. The role of "faith" in the decline of common sense in the public discourse is readily seen in our own time, and the horrifying results...teenagers bullied to death, consenting adults prevented from exercising their civil rights because of some ancient and culture-specific "divine" law irrelevant to modern times...surround us daily. Human beings cannot be trusted with piety. It's not something that becomes us as a species. It's quite the opposite of its stated goal, is piety: Instead of creating peace and harmony, it creates hatred and judgment. It certainly does so in me. And I am not a remarkable human being, but pretty darned average in my responses: I don't like people who don't like me.

Religion, sadly, in the hands of human beings, doesn't make that problem better, but rather creates a horrible echo chamber for the least worthy and most common feelings to be fed back upon themselves. Woe betide those who try to stand against this noisy tide...Pears points up the futility of this, while making sure we understand its absolute necessity.

I wish I believed that reading this book would change hearts and minds, so I could yodel a call to read it NOW from the housetops. It's too rareified, too precious, to make a general audience sit up and take notice. And it's not well enough executed to become the coffee-table adornment of the socially pretentious reader, either, so...here it is. Read it if you agree already, if not don't bother.

And isn't that the saddest sentence ever.

$12.99 for an old paperback?
I nice used copy of this goes for two bucks. Publishers need to get a grip - people will not pay that kind of premium for the convenience of a digital edition of an old paperback book.

Do not expect a new Fingerpost - but be ready to be challenged
This is a 3.5 stars really, once I got into this book (like other reviewers I did finally only after having read the first 150 pages), I really started to appreciate the questions posed. One has to come to the answers oneself. A few are pretty clear - civilization is what we the people make of it together, and christianity is flawed. If you come to this for historical mystery like the An Instance of the Fingerpost: A Novel, stay away. If you want to be challenged in thought, and read about three rather interesting characters, then this is a book which grows on you. Perhaps 4 stars after the second reading.

The Dreams of Scipio
Outstanding.For any lover of history, this is a must read. Beautiful prose, gripping drama and a range that I've rarely ever found in any other novelist.

A glimmer of beauty in the material world
I loved The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears, the author of An Instance at the Fingerpost. It's an outstanding novel featuring Neoplatonism, of all things, as a major plot element. This alone would have been enough to make me love this book.
The story alternates among three different dark times in European history: the fall of Rome, the Black Plague and the Second World War. A Neoplatonic text ties together the main characters in each of the periods. There are also three different love stories in the subplots.
What I really love about the book, though, is its theme/message/feel/whatever you want to call it. It expresses the idea that life is bad, people are evil yet there is always some very small mysterious glimmer of hope. For some reason, the material world is only 99% evil and some small and wondrous element of the material world is good. Just enough beauty has filtered down the scale of emanation to make this life bearable.
And so, dear readers, I exhort you to read this book! It is very rare that I find a book which has both an entertaining plot and a good philosophical basis. ... Read more

Product Description
The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politics—a politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's place in the world, refreshingly candid about his family life and his time in the Senate, Obama here sets out his political convictions and inspires us to trust in the dogged optimism that has long defined us and that is our best hope going forward.Amazon.com Review
Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people. We had the opportunity to ask Senator Obama a few questions about writing, reading, and politics--see his responses below. --Daphne Durham

... Read more

Customer Reviews (798)

THE LIVING WORD
I am generally not someone to favor audio-books over a regular hard-cover or paperback. Reading I reasoned, required effort on ones part to have some meaning. I tried the audio-book by Obama just by chance; it had been right there in front of me on a recent trip to a public library and remained intrigued by the audio-book "read by the author". So I immediately checked it out and proceeded to give it a try in my car's CD player while driving around.

Obama's mastery of language, his powers of analysis of the current economic, environmental and security situations in the United States and abroad, his superior powers of persuasion, his studious and rigorous policy descriptions, all are unmatched by his wit and ability to tell stories. Hearing the audio-book is a delight! Put simply, he reaches out to his audience and touches them...

Substituting the regular programing on my car's stereo - conservative radio talk shows - for Obama's audio-book for about a week reminded me of St. Augustine's description of the seven step in the ascent of the soul. He said that "the good angel touches the soul sweetly, lightly and gently like a drop of water which enters into a sponge". Obama's words on his audio-book are like water entering that proverbial sponge. I wish the man well

This Book is Worth One Penny!
How can you believe anything that President Barry Sotero says? This is a book of Fiction. Everything about Barry Sotero AKA Barrack Obama has all been a lie. The price of this book is one penny. Worth at least that much on a cold winter night if you need some kindling.

Snore, snore
What a snoozer.Beats me why anyone asked him to write this book:at the time he wrote it he had very little experience doing much of anything.However, it WAS interesting to note the contrasts between what he SAID he believed and how he has actually governed 18 months into his Presidential term.My advice is PASS.

A world changing work of propoganda
I really did NOT want to review this book, but it seems I must, as it's a key part of the Obama narrative. I totally distrust the content of this book for the reasons discussed below.

Obama's highly rated books are propaganda pieces impossible to validate -- this one even possibly written by unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers -- but do have a few interesting comments that can be mined for insights. For example, Obama warned us in "his" book that he would "Stand with the Muslims." (My paraphrase.) A very strange statement for one seeking to become an American President, and one that would later be validated by even stranger actions.

Source: "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage) by Barack Obama (Jul 15, 2008) [pg. 261]":

This was one of the early warning signals about Obama's true intentions. Since elected, Mr. Obama has revealed to the world his Black Liberation Theology ("God Damn America"), a radical religion that one of the Popes termed "demonic," an odd blend of Marxism and Christianity that started in South America. (Few understand Liberation Theology -- I didn't. It's totally creepy, easily researched, and worth looking up.)

There are many excellent books out now that reveal the true Obama. Probably the one to start with is Manchurian President, which is a deep look with many citations into Obama's radical connections. He ran as a moderate liberal, but he's actually Racial Left, probably best described as a Saul Alinsky (whose methods Obama taught) small "c" communist. The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists

And for his anger and hated of America, a good book is The Roots of Obama's Rage. The Roots of Obama's Rage

For what he's doing to our liberties, try this book: Crimes Against Liberty: An Indictment of President Barack Obama

If you want actionable truth, I would pass on Obama's original writings. This book is not worth reading, unless your goal is to study leftist propaganda. It that is your desire, it's probably one of the most significant political books written (right up with Mein Kampf), as it is a key part of what got Obama elected to the most powerful office in the world, an office where he (and his puppet masters) could pursue an agenda to bypass the Constitution and launch the "transformation" of America into a centrally controlled, Globally Governed, nation, one that is run by Czars, and one vastly different than the America we love. Mein Kampf (James Murphy Translation)

This history is still unfolding. Americans need to know who they elected, but I can't recommend this book as anything other than an expert piece of effective propaganda.

The Audacity of His Disingenuousness
"Dreams from My Father" was truly an impressive memoir, written with pristine prose and laden with mature, poignant insights.It was also an insincere and disingenuous piece of work, written by an overly ambitious young man who has carefully mapped out his rise to power.In the book, there was none of that self-hatred and anger that one would expect from a member, no matter how tall or good-looking or successful, of a persecuted and misunderstood minority.There was only self-control and understanding, and that came across as far more frightening and disturbing than hatred and anger:it bespoke of a man capable of the coldest calculation.

"The Audacity of Hope" is Barack Obama having achieved three-quarters of his master-plan.There is that pristine prose and mature thinking from "Dreams from My Father" and that cool calculation is ever more present.Written after having achieved his somewhat surprising senatorial triumph, "The Audacity of Hope" obnoxiously panders to the liberal elites who would form Obama's core constituency at a national level.Obama is all reason and all pragmatism:whatever works, he says.That's all good, and what's even better is he fails to point out any concrete solutions to the malaise dampening America today.Globalization is good, but it's important to make sure everyone gets a fair share of the pie - but how exactly does Obama propose to do that?

What's truly audacious about "The Audacity of Hope" is it's written in a sophomoric style typical of Ivy League senior theses.It seemed to be written by a committee with oversight from Obama."Dreams from my Father" was written by an individual, and "The Audacity of Hope" was written by several people, and there seems to be very little overlap.Given the clunkiness of Obama's speeches and the clarity of the prose in "The Audacity of Hope" I would hesitate to think that Obama wrote this book.

Who exactly is Barack Obama except the product of the collective imagination of America's elite?What exactly has he the man achieved for himself?He never published an article at the Harvard Law Review, a truly astonishing achievement.And he never published an article while as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, an even more astonishing achievement.There's tremendous doubt that he wrote "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope," and he achieved very little in his limited political career.He seems the perfect product of the liberal imagination, pushed and propelled by the liberal establishment into the presidency because they felt America needed a black president who was actually white.

That Obama is not his own man and that he himself knows that can explain the disastrous decisions he has undertaken as president, first by surrounding himself with the Clinton team that destroyed the American economy in the first place, and then by undertaking a series of bad political decisions (like healthcare) that were part of the liberal agenda but which are bound to destroy the Democratic hold on Washington.

Both "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" are liberal charades, and unfortunately this charade has to unravel in front of the whole world.
... Read more

Product Description
Incredible Dreams is the story of a modern-day ghost whisperer who travels through time to save the life of a WWII fighter pilot and ends up jeopardizing her own existence.Izzy Miller prefers to call herself a spiritual therapist because she thinks it makes her sound more professional than plain old ghost-whisperer. She expects her latest project to be quick and easy because exorcising military personnel is pretty routine.But there's nothing easy or routine about Captain Jack Baker-he's a rather forgetful spirit and somewhat mischievous. And even though he's intrigued by the US Government's latest attempt to remove him from the only place he can ever remember being...he has no intentions of going anywhere.Plans to exorcise Jack are quickly sidelined when Izzy discovers a portal into the past inside her dreams and sets out to change his fate. Trouble is...when she gets back there, she can't remember anything but her name. She still sees ghosts, but is far less accepting of her gift. And, to make matters worse, a demonic force pretending to be the forgetful heroine's sister has her own plans-to steal Izzy's soul. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

(* LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK *)
(((STUPENDOUS LOVE STORY!))) I HAVE READ ALL OF MS. EDWARDS BOOKS EACH ONE MORE INTRIGUING THAN THE LAST... IF THAT'S EVEN POSSIBLE. THIS IS ANOTHER ABSOLUTE INCREDIBLY CRAFTED ((MUST READ)) & WILL LEAVE YOU ABSOLUTELY ENAMORED WITH IT. THANK YOU MS. EDWARDS FOR YET ANOTHER GREAT FIND.
KEEP THEM COMING! I LOOK FORWARD TO READING "ALL" OF YOUR UPCOMING BOOKS.
YOU FOREVER FAN!

*AMY E.*

Incredible Dreams Is A Must Read!!
Izzy Miller is a modern day ghost whisperer. Her latest assignment is to rid an old warehouse of a World War II pilot by the name of Jack Baker. Through her dreams she goes back in time to change Jack's past. Only thing is her 1946 persona can't remember anything but her name or that she has a sister named Jeanette.Can Izzy remember what it is she suppose to do and save Jack's life? Or will her evil sister make it impossible for her to save the love of her life?

Just when you think you have this book figured out the author throws in a twist you never saw coming. Sandra Edwards has created a fabulous paranormal/time-travel novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat and a box of tissues at your side. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance. Sandra Edwards is here to stay.

Has a Few Annoyances
First of all, I'm not really into paranormal. I can handle ghosts though and what appealed to me about this book was that one of the main characters is a P-51 pilot and a lot of the novel takes place during world II. (I love pilots and world war II novels..)

However, there is next to nothing about the war or the aircraft the fellow flies.. It's simply a ghost and time travel story. And it was actually a decent story line, but I must say I like the idea more than the way it was implemented.

Izzy is a modern day ghost whisperer. Her current ghost busting mission involves a world war II pilot, Jack. Thanks to her dead mother, Izzy finds herself time traveling to 1946 and begins a love affair with Jack. She is supposed to save Jack somehow. But her 1946 persona can't remember squat and numerous factors come into play attempting to keep her and Jack apart, one being a evil "sister" named Jeanette sent from Satan himself. Um, that's where the book got a little ridiculous. Jeanette has magical powers and just controls people's mind and every now and then leaves to go sit by Satan's side. I can handle ghost whispering, time travel, and ghost busting, but demons too? Eh..

I don't wish to reveal too much so I will just state it simply. I knew the connection between Jack and Izzy LONG before Izzy figured it out. She is a bit ditzy and I grew frustrated beyong belief with her dim wittedness. There was too many repetitive conversations between characters and even tho it is a less-than-300 page book, I found myself saying, "get on with it already.." Also, I HATED the way Jack ended every other sentence with the word "see."

I did find him adorable tho. Makes me wish I could meet a world war II pilot's ghost myself.

Review From The Crazy Bookworm
This is a copy of a review from Cathy at The Crazy Bookworm. Link to the original review can be found at my website. Link to my website can be found on my Author's Central page.

Review details ~

My Thoughts: This book was incredible. Sandra Edwards created such a powerful love story. I love a "twisted romance" something that is out of the norm. She penned this gripping story of a modern day woman, that falls in love with a man that died 30 years before she was even born and then has the opportunity to save him. This book is sensual and romantic and it is impossible to put down...trust me, I tried. I just couldn't peel my eyes away. Incredible Dreams gives you the perfect dose of romance and suspense with some witty humour thrown in the mix. I fell in love with Jack Baker and Izzy Miller, I found myself flying through the pages dying to know what was going to come of the obstacles that Jack and Izzy were facing. It's been a long time since I read a book that captured my attention so much. This book has made it on my favourites list and I know I will end up re-reading this book over and over again. This is the perfect book to read when your in need of an escape from life's craziness or when you are curled up on the couch by a toasty fire. Be warned you will probably need a box of tissue close by, I had to reach for a few.

The Past and the Future Collide, See?
In all honesty, romance novels are not my preferred genre. Nevertheless, after reading the first ten percent of Incredible Dreams, Sandra Edwards' paranormal romance, I decided to take a chance on it. Her use of language was intriguing - particularly her unique metaphors.

Izzy Walker, the heroine, is a ghost whisperer hired to remove the spirit of Jack Baker, a WWII-era flyer, from an abandoned air base in California. The heroine is well-drawn and interesting, making the beginning of the novel an entertaining read.

Unfortunately, the author has given the hero an idiosyncratic speech pattern that reminded me of James Cagney and every 1940s-era gangster film I've ever seen. Every time I read a line of dialogue that contained the odd tic, it pulled me jarringly out of the story and made me notice every typo. As a result, I struggled through parts of this novel where Jack was talking a lot. While I understand the author's urge to give her hero something that separates him from the crowd, in this case a little lighter application would have been appreciated.

So what kept me reading? The storyline. Ms. Edwards' plot uses both paranormal and time-travel concepts to great advantage. With the exception of Jack Baker, I believed every character. And the ending actually had me holding my breath, hoping for a happy resolution.

I wish I could say that Ms. Edwards changed my mind about romance novels; unfortunately, that is not the case. Nevertheless, I do think her story will hold strong appeal for those who have a taste for this genre.
... Read more

Product Description
The only unanswered prayer of Jesus: "That they may be one" If a family can have a dream home...If a working person can have a dream job...If Martin Luther King can dream of a day when all races live together in peace...Surely then, God can dream of a day when His children work together in unity. God's Dream Team is his church - unified, reaching its potential in power. Five times in John 17, Jesus prayed "that they may be one..." hoping, perhaps, that emphasis might make His dream come true.Too often, we perceive man's will as weak, yet it is strong enough that God himself will not violate it. So, only God's refusal to violate man's will-and man's resistant nature - leave Jesus' prayer unanswered. His dream is in our hands. Let's answer His call to unity and make His dream come true. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Unity not built on the Cross is not unity
Tenny's book God Chasers was excellent but this book has so much in it that is leading the Body of Christ away from true unity.For someone such as Tenney who evidently has studied the Tabernacle of Moses and the Tabernacle of David the treatment of divine order in this book is pathetic.This book is more harmful than helpful and it is disheartening to read the reviews of others and realize how far we have come from aligning ourselves with the Bible.

Powerful insight.
Tenney's insight into "Church unity" is incredible.We all know we're supposed to get along, but for centuries we've found a way not to do that.Today, to be the church God wants us to be, we must work together.

Revival in South America was birthed in the unity and meeting of pastors from around the denominational spectrum.They worked and prayed together to see the purposes of God fulfilled in their cities and countries.The impact was revival and awakening that changed the course of history for the Kingdom of God.

We've seen unity produce strength in the relationships of pastors here too.In Ft Wayne, Indiana, dozens and dozens of pastors from Assemblies of God to Catholic meet together a couple of times each month to pray together.If that weren't enough, they attend a three day prayer summit once a year to seek the face of God for their city.They have united to reach their city of over 200,000 people.The result is a unity and strenght that allows churches to work together in evangelism and ministry support.They serve each other and are growing in spiritual strength.

Read Tenney's book and look for the way you can unify the body of Christ in your town.When we all adopt the Father's dream of a unified church, we will see many more people won to the Cross of Christ than we do now in separated and segregated churches.

This book changed my life!!
If you have a problem with your spouse or your family or mabye even people in your own church. Believe me this is the book to read. This book will change your prespective on unity. By the time you get this book read you will definately find unity with your spouse, brother, or mabye even your pastor. I give this book a five star rating, it deserves it without a question.

not for the nondedicated
If you don't intend on being serious about your relationship with God, you don't need to read this book or any others that Tommy has written.

The Cry of God's Broken Heart - Unity
Tommy is so in tune with the palpitations of God's broken heart.Every time we turn on our brother to attack or condemn we intensify the pain.You will learn through these pages and the multitude of scripturalreferences God's everlasting prayer request and your responsibility toprovide the answer. ... Read more

Product Description
A truly visionary book based on the popular workshops of a highly acclaimed art therapist, designer, and pioneer in personal growth through creativity.

In Visioning, Lucia Capacchione, the author of such self-help classics as Recovery of Your Inner Child and The Power of Your Other Hand, shows us that we can transform our lives in the same way that a designer transforms raw materials to meet his or her vision. Drawing on her experiences as a designer and corporate consultant, Capacchione uses the artistic principles she acquired from mentors Charles Eames and Walt Disney to teach readers how to apply a blueprint to their individual lives that will help them to realize personal goals and dreams. Complete with easy-to-follow and playful hands-on art activities and techniques, Visioning sparks "the designer within" and makes real the notion that if you can dream it, you can do it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Wonderful Book!
This is a wonderful book filled with a wealth of information to better anyone's life. And it really does work, if you follow Lucia's advise and guidance. I have the privilege of knowing Lucia personally. This is the first of her books that I have purchased. And I am very pleased with the book, it has helped me in so many ways! Believe me, dreams really do come true!

Not as impressed as I was with her Creative Journal book
This is simply coming across as a rehash of what she has discussed in prior book called The Creative Journal.This is more focused on creating a collage, and I quickly lost interest.I'd rather deal with more writing and drawing exercises, that's just me.

Where There IsVision, The People Prosper
There is a line in the Bible that says something to the effect of, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." I'm sorry to say that I do not have a reference for this quote and one day, I will find it and update this review to support it, but the bottom line is that when we don't have a vision for our life, something within us dies. And that's exactly how it is. When we forget our hopes, our dreams, and our wishes and just give into the everyday world, we are forgetting who and what we are and what we are here to be, do, and have.

Maybe I am just being naive here, but I really think and feel that everyone of us that are living here today are entitled to live great and empowered lives. Henry David Thoreau once stated that most of us live lives of quiet desperation...why? Why do we fall prey to desperation? I believe it is because most of us do not have a vision for our lives. I believe it's because most of us are operating on unconscious beliefs that limit us, that keep us down, that keep us thinking and feeling and acting in ways that are limiting and small.

For a moment, let us just think and feel what the world would be like if every one of us on this earth had a magnificent vision for their lives; if everyone of us followed the dictates of our heart and soul; if everyone of us were filled to overflowing with Love, Compassion, Peace, and Acceptance. This world would be entirely different than it is now. There wouldn't be greed or hunger or lonliness. Poverty, saddness, and unfulfillment would be things of the past. Everyone would be helping everyone to better their lives. Nobody would be competing with one another because competition would be done away with; being creative would be the order of the day. Being and feeling prosperous would be part of the "New World Order" and there definitely would be a New World if everyone had a vision of brilliance and magnificence.

Ghandi said, "Be the change you would like to see in the world." How do you become "the change". You become the change by opening your mind, your heart, and your soul to a greater vision. You allow yourself to sit still, to become centered, to breathe deeply in...and to breathe deeply out...you clear away any doubt, any fear, any uncertainty and you OPEN YOURSELF to LIFE, to LIGHT, to LOVE and you let the wisdom that is within you and around you now freely, and easily, and gracefully pour forth and then you ask with humility, with childlike wonder and excitement, "What is my vision?" And you let the Divine Wisdom that is Present present you with a vision.

Yeah, it may be sketchy at first, but just keep opening yourself to Spirit...just keep asking the question, "What is my vision?" And I promise you, it will be given to you. Then, allow yourself to leaf through magazines and periodicals and newspapers and with childlike glee and joy, cut out words, phrases, and pictures that match your inner vision. In other words, bring life to your vision NOW.

Do not be swayed into thinking that it's silly or stupid or foolish. We tend to see in pictures, anyway, so you have to choose what pictures you desire to follow. Do you want to follow the old images that lead to poverty, despair, and saddness or do you want to follow a new vision that promises you abundance, fulfillment, and success?

I firmly believe that what we truly desire ALSO desires us; that the things we want to express, extend, and experience want us to express, extend, and experience them. Let us believe in our visions, in our dreams, and our desires. Let us support one another in becoming all we can become. Let us honor the divine in everyone and everything.

This is a great book and what is even greater is that on some level you already know this is true. Consider this your lucky day, your "sign" to a greater life.

May you be the person that Spirit already envisions you as!

Peace and Blessings...
John P. Morgan

wonderful tool for accessing our inner visions
I have bought at least ten copies of this book in the five years since I first encountered it.I often end up giving away my only copy and then having to buy it again.It is just the thing for finding your way.The process is marvelously mapped out and easy to follow. I suggest resisting the impulse to skip any steps - the things you don't want to do are likely the very ones you will find most productive.Oh how we do tend to resist change, even as it is the very thing we claim to seek!LOL.

When I turned 40, I realized that the directions I had thought my life should go in were just no longer satisfying to me, and I needed a real change.But I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do.Working on this project gave my life an entirely new sense of direction, and I am still following the trajectories that my first efforts brought home to me.My life is like a dream come true... I just can't say it any other way. My journey continues to unfold, but I feel a much greater sense of purpose and pleasure than before.

I really recommend this for many purposes - once you understand these techniques, you can put them to use them over and over again for a variety of problem solving situations.I just can't say enough about this book.I also recommend The Creative Journal.

The book that launch 10,000 dreams
This book is a must to launch you directly into your heart's desire. Dr. Capacchione teaches these methods in a certified training program. I found this book to be just what I needed to complete my education,create a career of my dreams, find a new husband, and travel to the places that I desire.

Thanks, Dr. Capacchione for your amazing methods that are as easy as digging out old magazines,finding your scissors and glue. ... Read more

Product Description
Young Walter litters and refuses to sort trash for recycling, until he dreams of an overcrowded and polluted future which terrifies him into taking care of the earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Excellent Book
In my fourth grade classroom we complete an author study on Chris Van Allsburg. Around Earth Day I had been told about Just A Dream and I ordered it to add to our collection. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is a great lesson as well as a fun Read Aloud. I highly recommend this book.

A Must-Read for Everyone!
This book really affected me because it was written long ago and really rings true today.It touches me because I believe that people will go back to simpler ways of life after reading this, especially realizing how bad the environment needs our help.It's a wonderful message and it's one of my favorite books.

Just a Dream Review
I recommend this good book to you to read to your child.It's about a kid that sees a movie about the future, then he wishes to be in the future.When he wakes up he notices that he's in the future. In the middle of the story he does to different places. You should read the book to find out what happens next! -Dennys and Jhoselin

Trieu, Steven and Jang Yi's review
Just a Dream is a wonderful book because it teaches a lesson and the lesson is to take care of the earth by recycling your trash.You should read this book to learn why it's important to protect the environment. Even one person can make a difference.If I could pick from any book that I already read, I would pick this book as the best one.The author had an awesome idea for writing.He taught a lesson but put it in words that made me want to keep reading.It has colorful pictures that really stand out.I would recommend this book to anyone.

Just a Dream
I read JustA Dream I would recommend this book because it has detailed pictures. In the bookI saw the differentsized boats with great reflections in the water.This helped convince me that it was a good book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (41)

Far out man
Very interesting.If you lived in the 1960's you'll appreciate the insight.If you didn't live through the 1960's, you'll get a very good idea of what went down.

An Eye Opener of a Book
At first glance at the title, one might mistakenly think this just another, "Dope" book. That is far from the case. The subjects of LSD and its proliferation, are well covered, but there is much more here. As the subtitle says, it is a, "Complete Social History of LSD, The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond". Smartly written, you will find this highly readable book a real page turner. The authors have done a fine job, and because the raft of information is presented succinctly and to the point, much ground is covered. This book has wide appeal, as it explores important, little-known areas in history that span the better part of the 20th Century, and that unfolds between its pages at times, like a crime thriller. Although not written in textbook style, educators would do well to give this book a look, and anyone with an interest in the history of the counterculture, LSD, and covert operations of the CIA and their international counterparts, will find this book and eye opener. Highly recommended!

Acid Dreams
I lost a friends version of this book when I was reading it on the plane and had to replace it. This one came quick and in amazing condition!!! Thanks

Best book on LSD.
Anyone who is at all interested in LSD, on whatever level, should have a copy of this book. Fascinating, well-written and very informative. 5 dark stars. Mind Bomb

Get Ready for a Paradigm-Shift
If you're a person who has taken psychedelics and/or entheogens and you find yourself no longer fitting in with the status quo, more than likely dropping out of school and seriously pondering the life of a wandering penniless nomad, or are perhaps already well into that life, then read this book as it just might save your life.If you want the truth on a topic you absolutely must look at it from all viewpoints.This book does that and it delivers truth in an amazing fashion.Hippies tuned out and dropped out, but then what?I wonder if some of them ever sat there looking around in a daze and in poverty and wondered to themselves, "I've been totally destroyed, I'm holding a sign and begging for coin just so I can get something off of the dollar menu at McDonald's.Could it be that this whole 'movement towards enlightenment' was actually a well-engineered plan to demoralize us all into the oblivion?"Unless hippies are ingenius and/or have very rich parents who care about them, they will wind up in the grave or in prison.And they wont be hippies for very long in either of those places.Also, in their so-called "Sexual freedom" or the consequences thereof, I shudder to think of how many crack babies were blown out of their every hippy orifice after a night of "free love" and children who are now illiterate and illegitemit bastard children in group homes or juvenile hall, wondering why their parents would lay eggs without first building a solid nest.That's nothing, these are just my own musings on what becomes of the hippy movt, but this book documents all kinds of facts that will seriously change your mind about what the 60s actually were. ... Read more

Product Description
"Few in number are the parents who have made it through their toddler's years on just one copy of Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Dream Snow has similar ingredients: a simple story, lively collage-like illustrations and a fun gimmick for little hands..." (Time)

"This is a simple, well-told story about a simple farmer.... Viewers...will want to get their hands on it." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)

"Carle fans and toddlers learning the basics will...enjoy the gentle text and creative design features." (Booklist)

"The pictures are in Carle's trademark richly colored and textured collages that capture the snowy magic of Christmas." (Kirkus Reviews)Amazon.com Review
It's almost Christmas and it hasn't snowed yet. As the farmer naps on his small farm, he dreams of being covered in a gentle blanket of new snow. Then, one by one, he dreams of each of his five animals (aptly named One, Two, Three, Four, and Five) being covered as well. When he awakens, he discovers that real snow--not dream snow--has fallen. And "Oh my! Oh my! I almost forgot," the farmer shouts, and, bundling up, hurries out to his tree (named Tree) with a box and a sack, looking remarkably familiar in his white beard and red suit. After decorating Tree, the farmer shouts "Merry Christmas to all!" and pushes a button for a surprise Yuletide jingle.

Young fans of Eric Carle's The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, and other multisensory books, will delight in pushing the same microchip button the farmer pushes to hear the tinkling, oddly eerie holiday tune. In an even more unusual departure from standard picture books, Carle inserts a clear plastic sheet, covered with snowflakes and a white blanket, before each illustration of the dreaming farmer and his animals. Turn the plastic page to discover what kind of critter lies beneath the snow. Carle's magnificent collages, as always, are the heart and soul of his books. (Ages 3 to 8) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Dream Snow: Delightful!
I discovered this book in my public library and brought it home to read to my grandchildren.They love, love, love it!They love counting and naming the animals, lifting the "snow" transparencies to discover each animal, and best of all, they love pushing the button on the last page for that magical "tinkling" sound.This year I bought a copy to give them as a Christmas gift because I had checked it out many times and they never got tired of it.

"Dream Snow" is a great book for young readers.
Eric Carle's "Dream Snow" is a book that mesmerizes young readers, when they "listen" to the sound of the snow.

second Eric Carle ever read
This was our second Eric Carle ever read and found out it made noise! Oh what a bonus! My then 18 month old LOVED this book. Could not find it last year on here but is found and now purchased! This will be a great joy to see his face this Christmas.

Dream Snow in Kindergarten
I purchased this book for a colleague as a Christmas gift.She was thrilled to receive it!We both teach kindergarten, and she had been borrowing my very used copy for several years.Tbe special button at the end of the book is the perfect ending to a lovely Christmas tale.She can't wait to share Dream Snow with her grandchildren.

Not a huge Carle fan, but love this book
I find a lot of Eric Carle's books a bit humdrum, with the exception of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, so when my daughter was given this book for Christmas about five years ago, I thought it was all a bit gimmicky with its "tingle, tingle, tingle" noisy button at the end and plasticky, white-covered pages simulating snow.

But we read this thing over and over, and the rhythm of it was so gentle and the sounds of the book so hushed, that it was a metaphysical experience.In other words, I felt as though Carle was covering us with a white blanket of words.Ahh, the memories of the soft and slow pace bring back a smile.

Then the farmer suddenly realizes that he's forgotten something, and there's a flurry of activity (like a flurry of snow!!) as he rushes out to decorate the tree.Cap it all off with the "tingly" button, which gets pushed over and over and over and over, etc.

Anyway, the long and the short of all this is that I am buying a second copy for my family, having misplaced the original.I now have three other children who haven't been introduced to this lovely book, and I truly think your own children or grandchildren will find it a classic. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (19)

Good ingredients but half-baked
This book is brimming with insights into Butler's personal creative process, but the choice to transcribe his lectures rather than write a book based on his ideas is, in the end, frustrating. I will say that by literally capturing his extemporaneous lectures, the book does manage to convey Butler's effervescent enthusiasm for the art of writing. Butler clearly thrives on interaction with his students. Unfortunately, that ability to interact is lost in the transition from lecture hall to text.

The bottom line here, is that while there are a lot of gems in this book, they are not polished, and sometimes they are hidden halfway in a rambling story. It's the sort of book that you'll want to take notes from (and some of it is enviably quotable), but it's not a desktop reference or a how-to book, so you might be better off borrowing it from a friend or a library.

Wished I'd had this forty years ago
I think this is the first book any beginning writer should read. Butler walks you through learning to write in vivid detail so that your read can enter into the world you've created and feel it: see it, hear it, taste it, smell it, almost touch what you describe. This is a method he calls "sense memory."

But wait! Forty-five years ago, back when I was trying to seriously study drama and acting, I was reading the Russians, Boleslavsky and Stanislavski, the creators of what is now called (wrongly) "method acting." What the authors (the Russians and Butler) are trying to do is to render your story physically real and well as descriptively accurate. To this end, Butler keeps pushing his students to push through the veil of distraction, abstraction, generalizing, and get down into what Butler calls your "white-hot center" which is the immediate, the now, the moment, and would some scientists would describe as a trance of theta waves/particles. Theta is generally regarded as our source of creativity. If all this sounds vaguely meditational, it's not accidental. There's a practice of meditation called "mindfulness" in which you have to focus on as much as you can of what's surrounding you. Mindfulness is not easy, and Butler and Burroway (the editor who put together this collection of Butler's teaching) stress how difficult it is to get into the dreamspace from which you must write. And if I'd known about his focus on yearning all those years ago, I might actually have gotten some actual writing done. But, blood over the bridge. My great topic on which I'll spend the rest of my life came to me at 59, but now I know how to go about it.

The style is unusual, being a recording of several sessions of Butler's teaching a small class of hopeful young writers. The book includes a number of exercises, and the last half of the book consists of his critiquing of several of the students' exercises, so you can see how it's done.

This is an excellent and eminently useful book you'll probably return to often in your writing. Keep it close.

Caveat Emptor
This first half of the book had some good insights.

It became clear after a couple of pages that the book was a transcription of one of his actual workshops. Butler does not write this book, he TALKS this book.

Then the second half was full of student essays, which he then critques. It was painful to read most of them and even more excruciating to read the critiques.

Honestly, although I did get some good concepts, for the most part I felt ripped off.

If you are going to sell a book by claiming that you are a Pulitzer-prize winning author, the least you could do is write some of it.

They know their stuff and live it!
This is a how-to book about creativity.Talk about disparity! Contained in it is concrete information for those who are serious about their art, be it writing, music or other forms. What this book is not, however, is advice for the timid or dilettante. Author suggests becoming a morning person in order to take full advantage of the space indicated in the book's title, "From Where You Dream." Another strongly held belief is the idea that one must write nearly daily in order to remain connected to the creative space and be able to draw on it more easily. If one can manage these, do delve deeply. I sincerely believe this is a valuable book and am happy to have it.

Presenting his own prejudice
While an excellent writer in the short story form, this book is more involved in trashing other people's work that teaching anything and I question his qualifications (considering his own lack of success with novels) to teach how to write them.

Comments such as this: "Nonart, genre writing, entertainment writing, is typically filled with abstraction, generalization, summary, analysis, and interpretation." show at best a non-acquaintance with genre writing and an assumption that ALL genre-writing is "non-art". Well, thank you very much but he could learn a thing or two from one heck of a lot of genre writers.

I've seen a lot of literary writing that was distinctly non-art although the WRITER obviously thought highly of their navel gazing--his novels fall into that category.

Which isn't to say there aren't some good passages in this book but frankly there are better books on fiction writing elsewhere.

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Product Description
MARK APPLETON FACES HIS WORST NIGHTMARE AS HE HUNTS A KILLER, BUT LITTLE DOES HE KNOW THAT HE IS THE ONE BEING HUNTED.


KIRK WESTON IS A DETECTIVE WITH THE DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT. HIS LIFE, ALTHOUGH NOT GOING AS PLANNED FINDS HIMSELF INVESTIGATING A MYSTERIOUS GROUP KNOWN ONLY AS THE WJA. JUST WHEN HE IS ABOUT TO MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH ON THE CASE SOMETHING TERRIBLE GOES WRONG…HE FINDS EXACTLY WHO HE IS LOOKING FOR!

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Customer Reviews (29)

A Really Good Read
I really enjoyed this book because just when I thought I figured it out, it completely turned around. It had me guessing throughout. I actually spent 3 hours last night just to finish it because I couldn't put it down without knowing what happened. I went through all kinds of emotions feeling for some of the characters and while I thought some of it was a bit on the fantasy side I actually still enjoyed it very much. I fully intend to purchase another book from this author is short order.

Such a great book!
I bought this book by accident, thinking I was getting an incredible deal on a James Patterson book. I literally had trouble putting this book down. It is one that keeps the reader on their toes. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, it all changes. Such an incredible book. If you're looking for a book that will keep you up all night saying, "Just one more chapter..." then this is the book for you. And at such a low price, how can you not get this one? I highly recommend this book! It's one that you will want to read numerous times.

Sweet Dreams
Really loved this book.
I do wonder if the misspellings are the author's
or a problem with publishing.Example: "the sun was shinning..."
Good story.I didn't want to put it down.

Sweet Dreams book
What a great book. Could not put it down. Its was downloaded into my new Kindle. Love it.....

Not worth the time.
Although the book started off promising, it very quickly deteriorated.The glaring errors would bother me to the point I would have to return to a previous section, just to make sure I hadn't read it wrong.A previous comment posted was also correct regarding the abrupt plot turns and unrealistic sci-fi twists.If you want to read excellent books that combine science fiction with mystery/thriller, try James Rollins or, F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series. ... Read more

Product Description
New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper takes readers on a terrifying manhunt for a serial killer even the Special Crimes Unit may not be able to stop.

Dani Justice knows all about monsters. They haunt her dreams—and her life. But she never expected to find herself on the trail of a real flesh-and-blood predator so cunning, he’s eluded the best law enforcement could send against him; so deadly, he doesn’t hesitate to kill even a senator’s daughter. Or a cop. Dani doesn’t want to hunt this killer. But she doesn’t have a choice. She alone commands a weapon powerful enough to stop him. And she knows something even Bishop of the FBI’s Special Crimes Unit doesn’t know. Dani knows how the hunt ends. It ends in fire. And blood. And death. What she doesn’t know is who will survive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Great series
Since discovering Kay Hooper have not been dissapointed with her series.It is hard to put the book down once I start reading.

I don't get it. What was the point?
Ok, I've never before read a Kay Hooper book, and was thoroughly confused by the ending. I borrowed a "Blood Dreams" playaway from the library, so I could listen while walking. First, it was very short. I was surprised when it ended. The truth is, I'm still not sure I got to the end because it was so vague I thought a defective playaway had cut off the ending. After reading other reviews, and learning "Blood Dreams" is part of a trilogy, I now think it was supposed to be a cliffhanger.

If this is correct, it didn't work as evidenced by the fact that I'm still not sure whether or not I got to the end! While I enjoy series ending in cliffhangers, I'm not satisfied when nothing is tied up. To me, it shows a lack of care in giving the reader even the smallest gratification, just sloppy writing targeted toward selling the next book.

Also, while the premise had potential, and there were a few suspenseful moments, not much happened. I also never got to know or care about the characters. It seems the story centered mostly on lengthy descriptions of blood and gore; again, sloppy writing that grew old fast when coupled with a lack of plot or character development. This may be the reason the ending didn't work (can't say more without giving something away).

I can't recommend this book when there are so many well-written suspense mysteries to read.

Best way to buy books.
Loved the book. Loved the service. For people like me who don't have the time or the ability to get to the bookstore, Amazon is perfect. I've also found Amazon great for other types of shopping.Found a battery for my husbands electric drill that I was unable to get after numerous trips to several stores. Super!

I'm going for the sequel
The story is well written and fast paced. If you like paranormal stories this one won't let you down. You 'll read this book in two sittings at most. So I'm going for the sequel.

Blood Dreams
Kay Hooper's Blood Dreams is a fast paced book, just like her others.If you enjoy reading books written by Kay Hooper, you will probably like this. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (17)

Great book and bargain
Was a Christmas gift for my granddaughter - she is very happy with the book!Thanks for such great service and bargain

The Illustrated Dream Dictionary
This book illustrates an A-Z guide, in which the author Russell Grant interprets the meanings of dreams, covering every topic from adultery to the zodiac. If you have nightmares and recurring dreams, well this book how and why you have dreams, and whether the future can be seen through dreams. A great book, I think something valuable to have.

review
there was some dirt or something on the back cover but overall it was good

Many Explanations
I am always interested in any book that reveals the meaning of our dreams. To me, dreams are important and tell us little secrets so I was excited to have another book about them.
I love the cover and the illustrations in this work; they are beautifully done and give the work a mystic overall look.Great job.
The book is packed full of information on many subjects such as, people, events, places and objects. I like the way it gives meaning to one specific thing and depending on what is happening with that object or person the meaning of the dream will change,here is an example.
If you have a dream about wearing a cap, it is a good omen for your love life. If you buy a cap you could receive an inheritance,(I need to have this dream.) I found that very informative, interesting and helpful.
The book can be a bit confusing at times and isn't one you can quickly find a meaning until you are familiar with the books layout , but it does have many useful explanations that are quite helpful. No book could possibly have every dream with every object, person or event listed and explained. However, this one does cover quite a bit of territory and I believe if you are patient it will be useful to understanding the dreams you dream.
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

Ok...but not great...
I don't know if it's the poor organization or formatting in this book that is worse. First, it's very hard to find the main headings on any given page.Next, there is a "listing" at the back that most people will think is an index (I did anyway), and it's really not.For example, in this section at the back, you don't find the word, "Wedding."However, if you go to the "W" section of the book contents, there is a heading for Wedding.So far, of the 20 or so dreams we've looked up, we've only been able to find 2 that we could interpret.I have had much better luck using online dream interpretation software.I would not buy this book.Good thing I got it as a gift. ... Read more