Product Description
In Victorian England, an orphan girl is sent to a country estate to work for-and ultimately woo-its young heiress, on behalf of a mysterious benefactor known as Gentleman.Amazon.com Review
Fingersmith is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor, Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs: pickpockets, orphans, grim prisons, lunatic asylums, "laughing villains," and, of course, "stolen fortunes and girls made out to be mad." Divided into three parts, the tale is narrated by two orphaned girls whose lives are inextricably linked. Waters's penchant for byzantine plotting can get a bit exhausting, but even at its densest moments--and remember, this is smoggy London circa 1862--it remains mesmerizing. A damning critique of Victorian moral and sexual hypocrisy, a gripping melodrama, and a love story to boot, this book ingeniously reworks some truly classic themes. --Travis Elborough, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Customer Reviews (191)

Dickens would be proud!
To reduce this Victorian style tour-de-force Dicken's would be proud masterpiece to the label of lesbian fiction does a great disservice to the incredible talent that is Sarah Waters.Yes, the two main characters in Fingersmith are lesbians, but more importantly, they are thieves, victims, pickpockets, connivers, lovers, and a dozen other complex and intriguing character types that make this book such a compelling and intriguing work.
The story starts off in the back alleys of London- that dirty, seedy, criminal underbelly of a bustling city where the ability to survive depends on wits and quick thinking as much as it does on luck.A plot is hatched among a handful of life long petty thieves to aim big and go for more than the meager earnings from a day's work of pickpocketing and petty thieving.Young Sue Tinder is convinced to play a major role in the lengthy scam, moving into the country in the guise of a maid to befriend and ultimately betray a more well to do young lady.
To give away much more would ruin the sheer surprise and unpredictability of this Waters' masterpiece.Let's just say that the old adage, "One good turn deserves another" applies, and just when the plot looks like it is safely headed in one direction, it turns around and heads in the exact opposite.There is no honor among thieves in mid-nineteenth century London.
This is Charles Dickens at his best written with the sensibility and intelligence of a late twentieth century woman.Lesbian fiction? Yes, but it is way more than that.

Enter A World Of Dastardly Deceptions
Author Sarah Waters has written a crafty, at times poetic, story about the many complicating ways of feminine love.A story of two orphan girls raised in households as different as city from country, when a twist of fate brings them together as young ladies.

I came to the book Fingersmith months after seeing the movie version.And as with many books adapted to the screen, this one gives so much more of the little details that makeup its desperate characters and their dire circumstances.If ever a book quenched the thirst of a reader who'd already seen the film version, Fingersmith is that book.

Set in a time when men's truths and falsehoods determine a woman's station in society, Fingersmith touches on the restrictions of women in 1860's Victorian England as well as the hidden taboos of men.Ms. Waters convincingly writes as if she'd lived in the place and time of this story, a time of Gentlemen and Rogues, Ladies and .....Fingersmiths.

What I enjoyed most about this book, full of twists and unexpected turns, are the supporting cast of characters and the seasoning they give to each serving.The author masterly uses the supporting characters to dress the story and enlighten the reader along the way while advancing the plot that's being played out by the main characters.Yes, very tastefully done!

"His own voice is low, tremulous, complaining, like the shadow of a shivering man." (This quavering quote from Fingersmith is an eleven-year old girl's extraordinary thought as she's being evaluated by a coldly calculating gentleman)

Books Books Books
Wonderful book, delivered on time and no bends scratches or tears at all. One of the best lesbian fiction stories there are out there. Good to buy someone who is discovering who they are, help them get over that hump. Thank you!

Disappointed
I secured this book specifically because of the glowing Amazon reviews. The first 100 pages left me uninspired. I stuck w/the text though; hoping it was just off to a slow start. It does get better towards the middle, however, it never really picked up tempo, remaining redundant and constantly supplemented with non essential fluff throughout. The insane asylum piece drug on and on. "I'm not Maude, I'm Susan" torture, beating, humiliation, cold baths ensue, lather - rinse- repeat. Her escape and subsequent return to London were interesting, but the much hyped plot twists and turns were predictable. I could also do without the lesbian love affair. All around it fell flat of my five star expectations. Boo.

Expect the unexpected...
Are you a Dickens fan? Did you read The Woman in White (Barnes & Noble Classics) by Wilkie Collins? Have you enjoyed Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White? If so -- this is the book for you!

Set in Victorian London and outlying areas circa 1862, the novel is the gloomy, grim, yet enthralling story of two very different girls whose meeting results in circumstances that change both in cataclysmic fashion. Sue Trinder, a fingersmith (pickpocket) lives among con men and thieves with an adoptive mother who takes in infants. Maud Lilly, heiress, lives a protected existence on a country estate with her bookish uncle and finds herself in need of a maid. The two are brought together by Gentleman, a scoundrel and rogue, in a dastardly plot to gain him Maud's inheritance.

The novel is divided into three parts giving you the perspective of each of the girls. The third section is the conclusion, full of surprising twists and turns. The characters in London, the ones on the estate, and those in the lunatic asylum, are interesting and their plights are compelling -- some you will love and others you will hate. Or will you change your mind, once you understand their motivations and secrets?

I really enjoyed this novel because of its setting and I liked the plot -- including the many times that I discovered that what I had thought was not what happened or when a foregone conclusion proved false! I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a complex and entertaining read with many layers. I have not read any of Sarah Waters' previous books, but will certainly rectify that now.

PS -- The BBC adaptation (2005) of this novel was excellent! ... Read more

Product Description
Andrea Camilleri's novels starring Inspector Montalbano have become an international sensation and have been translated from Italian into eight languages, ranging from Dutch to Japanese. The Shape of Water is the first book in this sly, witty, and engaging series with its sardonic take on Sicilian life.

Early one morning, Silvio Lupanello, a big shot in the village of Vigàta, is found dead in his car with his pants around his knees. The car happens to be parked in a rough part of town frequented by prostitutes and drug dealers, and as the news of his death spreads, the rumors begin. Enter Inspector Salvo Montalbano, Vigàta's most respected detective. With his characteristic mix of humor, cynicism, compassion, and love of good food, Montalbano goes into battle against the powerful and the corrupt who are determined to block his path to the real killer. This funny and fast-paced Sicilian page-turner will be a delicious discovery for mystery afficionados and fiction lovers alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

Food, fun, and murder! Cool!
Television made me do it.

No. Really. There's an Inspector Montalbano mystery series made in Italy, filmed in Sicily, and all in Italian with subtitles. Since there are no Italian people in New York City and environs, our local PBS stations AND the city's wholly owned TV station neither one carry it. {/sarcasm}

It was left to a not-very-cultured bud of mine in her lowbrow, low-rent hometown, to gush and rave and generally make a to-do over scrumptious Sicily and handsome Montalbano blah blah blah. Wench. And oh the insufferable coos of "Really? Truly? You haven't even *read* the books? No! Get out!"

THEN, to add insult to injury, who but my very best online gal-pal should pop up with more rapturous flutings about Camilleri and Montalbano and well, you see?? See?! How on earth is one two-eyed human supposed to resist a nine-eyed cyborg's enticements? Okay, she's not really a nine-eyed cyborg, but she's always on a plane traveling for her job, giving presentations, making impromptu gourmet meals for ten friends, and never, ever a hair out of place!Someone tell Hermione her time-twister's missing.

So fine fine, I give, five lights, I'll go get the blasted thing. I did, at 2:10pm yesterday. I finished the second read at 4pm today. It's short, obviously, but it's just completely fabulously delicious. It's wry, it's witty, and it's got my favorite quality: Good people do the right thing, even if it's illegal, and bad people don't get away with dick.

Montalbano's got a lover in Genoa, and a hot chick who happens to be his friend's daughter who's all worked up for him, and a murder suspect who is an Italian man's wet dream: tall, blonde, Swedish, racing car driveress. Does he cheat on the lover? No. Does he seem to want to? Not so much, he really can't be bothered about silly stuff like that when the local party big-wig is found half-naked and dead in the local errr, mmm, uuuh "playground" shall we say. The man's widow, completely unfazed by this, helps Montalbano see the details that are wrong, the little discrepancies that shouldn't be noticeable, but when added up make the whole picture...askew.

The resolution to this case is one I wish some publisher would allow an American author to get away with. I just can't say enough about the rightness of it all. Sicily needs me, I must fly there immediately! Well, via Camilleri's books. The fare's so much more reasonable.

The Shape of the Writing
Th Shape of Water is our introduction to Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano- Vigata, Sicily's most respected Detective and what an intro they both make! Montalbano has what looks to be a simple death on his hands in an area favored by pimps and prostitutes but with Camilleri you get more than just a 'simple' death. You get Old World politics and corruption, weekly Mafia retribution murders, good to great food, slashed tires as a hobby, and a few women who are more than willing to say grazie to Montalbano for some other undercover work.
A good read and a nice twist on the whodunnit, especially for those of us just discovering why Camilleri is an International besetselling author. The best thing about coming late to this party is the ability to stay around to read the rest of the series!
Thanks to the reviews section for turning me on to yet another good author.And may I say, come on in, the water's fine.

A good start...
I have several friends and family members who are fans of the Mantalbano series, and who have been urging me to read these books forever. So I finally picked up the first one, as I do enjoy books set in Italy, even if mystery is not my favorite genre.

After a bit of a slow start (there are very many characters introduced, some without a lot of set-up), I did eventually find myself quite engaged in the story and wanting to find out how it all ended. Montalbano is an interesting character, although we don't learn a great deal about him in this first book (I'm told to expect the later books to get better). The Italian politics and societal issues may be difficult for foreign readers to fully comprehend, but at the core of it all is a tight mystery, with several unexpected twists and turns to leave you guessing.

I will continue to read the books in this series as it is fairly light reading, and opens up a unique window on life (and death) in Sicily.

Life and Crime in Sicily
Set in a village in Sicily, this mystery novel introduces Inspector Montalbano, an urbane, thoughtful man with a broad perspective.I know little of Sicily, so it particularly interested me to read about life and law enforcement there.I was seeking a successor series to Donna Leon's mysteries set in Venice, and while this is quite different, it has some of the same elements of setting, humor, and interesting characters.I found the translation pretty good, with only a few inappropriate words, and I definitely recommend this to readers of the Guido Brunetti books by Leon.

A good beginning
I backtracked to this one because I started with Terra Cotta Dog and loved it so utterly that I had to know Montalbano from the beginning. This first one is definitely a delight, but Terracotta is much better, much funnier. Still, I'm glad I came back to the start. Buyers: Know that it only gets better. My only complaint about this one is that it's SO SHORT! Barely an evening by the fire. That can be a mercy when you're reading someone awful, but sad when it's as good as this one.

AUDIO: The reader is an excellent choice. He's not totally perfect, but close enough. He has a good sense of, and is a good fit for, this wonderful character. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Good info
I am reading several books at the same time, all relating to crystals.When elixirs and gem waters are mentioned in others, I am cross referencing to this book.I have found a lot of the *same* info.It's all good!

Gem Water paperback

I love this little book.Full of great information and easy to understand. Just what I've been looking for.I recommend it to anyone who is into metaphysical healing and meditation.

very good book
while its a small book, it really is jam packed with good knowledge. i use it often now and love the results.

Where's the book?
Small book, small print, some information, but I thought for the price I would at least get a normal book size. I should have looked more carefully about the size and only 94 pages. It reminds me of a pocket reference, no I take that back, the pocket reference is bigger and more information. Some useful information, but I am not impressed or thrilled about this book. Pretty pictures but the same information about the stones as you can get out of any other gem therapy book. Useful mixture information and toxic stone information, but over all, I was not very excited when I got my copy.

Crystal Waters of Energetic Healing.
This book is helpful to readers who align with the use of crystals for physical and spiritual healing and clarity. For those that have purchased gem and crystal water from their local apothecaries, this book allows the reader, with some simple instructions, to create their own healing "gem water" at home.

The authors guide us in considering first the quality of the crystals that we have in our homes and then proceed to inform us as to how to cleanse them in preparation for the creation of the gem or crystal waters. There is emphasis on the cleansing process of crystals intended to be directly placed in the water itself. Most of this is known to those who steward crystals already but still the reminder is appropriate.

Cautions are written in the text as to some of the higher intensity crystals and subequent possible "toxic" effects from those crystals and that the same list should not be placed directly into the water. Those same "toxic" effects can be avoided through the other methods suggested.

Placing crystals directly, the boiling method, the evaporation method, the test tube method, transferring energy directly(not submerged), glass of water on a crystal slice and water in crystal bowls are discussed as options for the reader.

Specifically educational is the combinations of crystals(color photos provided)to create therapeutic waters for specific concerns or intentions. This is extremely guiding and clarifying and takes the guess work out of which crystals to combine to address certain emotional, spiritual and physical concerns.

The book is small and portable, colorfully illustrated and an informative reference for anyone who includes or is beginning to include crystals in their wellness regimen.

It's a very easy read, with brief but clear directions that should quickly guide each reader into the fulfilling creation of their own crystal "gem" waters.

... Read more

Product Description

Acclaimed author Sheri S. Tepper returns with a stunning novel in which a dreadful, awesome, killing power is resurrected from the past . . . and only a dying woman, a child, and a man who has come to help them can prevent humanity's extinction

The Waters Rising

Customer Reviews (5)

The waters rising review
I'm a great fan but this text struggles to maintain you're interest.Rather corny in parts.At the end you feel the concept was fine but was not able to capture your imagination.

We've been here before
Maybe it's because I am a long time Tepper fan, and own everything she has written that I've given this a 3; I can certainly understand why other reviewers have been more generous, but to me this book is a little repetitive on themes that Tepper has already covered.I also felt a little offended that she was writing off a world that she created in the (superior) Plague of Angels using a theme she introduced in Singer from the Sea.I would recommend that readers seek these out first before reading this.I'm totally behind Tepper's themes of environmental damage, the issues with religion and a patriarchal society, but I just couldn't really warm to this book as a whole - Abasio really only as a walk on role and doesn't need to be there at all, the baddies never really threaten, and the plot wrap up just didn't quite work for me.There are good points to it - Tepper's work is always well written with interesting characters - but it felt a little like treading old ground.Read this certainly, but seek out her other books which are superior.

The Waters Rising
Sheri Tepper has done it again! The book is very timely in that it is based on how to survive rising sea levels. The approach is new and fresh and totally riveting. It is one of those "can't put it down" books that will be reread time and again to pick up all the nuances of intrigue and humor.

This Is a World Worth Exploring
THE WATERS RISING is a fantasy novel in sci-fi's clothing. I say this now so readers know what they're getting themselves into. Most of the story reads as one of myth and magic, replete with fiefdoms and talking horses. But at its heart, this is an introspective story about our past and how we can't escape it, and how future generations must take up the mantle of our mistakes.

Further back than anyone cares to discuss, an event called the "Big Kill" ended the era of "ease machines." Since then, humanity has turned its back on all technology and looked inward to provincialism and essentially medieval living. We meet two wanderers, a man and his talking horse, who in turn come upon a young girl named Xulai charged with great responsibility: to carry the sole of her kingdom's princess. As she journeys to carry out her charge, dark forces rise against the travelers in what is revealed to be a conspiracy not just against them, but against every human being and their way of life. Her story is a fantastical journey, but it's also a carefully constructed mystery that reveals its secrets with only the greatest reluctance.

The nagging question for this sci-fi reader unexpectedly launched into a fantasy world was what happened to all the "ease machines." They're couched in the language of worship, and a dark, unseemly past is hinted at throughout the novel. It's a tantalizing secret Sheri S. Tepper refuses to give up without practically exhausting your patience, but it's what makes digging through the extensive dialogue that populates this novel an exciting and worthwhile experience.

Along the way, the novel picks up typical fantasy tropes. A fellowship is formed to protect the young girl; they encounter strange villages with stranger micro-cultures; a great darkness lurks in the background and sends out its agents to attack. But these aren't ideas to take at face value. Tepper plays with identity and social perception on multiple levels with her characters, and it's clear they're not the plucky representatives of good against an onslaught of evil. They're mostly pawns in a game they (or even those great forces of evil) don't understand.

But for all its magic, mystery and tantalizing excitement, THE WATERS RISING can be a tedious read. It's a long tale, and most of the page is taken up by dialogue sometimes blatantly expository and other times seemingly pointless. This isn't damning in and of itself, but it does detract from the central mystery of the novel. The specter of this world's past (our future) would have been better explored by dynamic action than almost constant conversation.

However unbalanced THE WATERS RISING may be, it's an intriguing play on both fantasy and sci-fi dramas. It toys with the tropes that define the genres and questions their mutual exclusivity. As a novel of ideas and as a conceptual experiment, this is a world worth exploring.

--- Reviewed by Max Falkowitz

clever enjoyable post apocalyptic thriller
The Big Kill has left the earth shattered as most life died during the pandemic mass murders by the unseen Slaughterers.However, the survivors of the onslaught have no respite as a second potentially deadly threat has arisen.In places like Norland, the sea is overwhelming land masses with decreasingly safe places to stay.

Young Xulai is a no more than a superfluous gnat in the scheme of those struggling with surviving the rising waters.When she meets an apparent Slaughterer apparition, she flees for her life.However, unlike her species who feels she is a throwaway to disregard, that deadly beast recognizes her potential as the only person who could save mankind.To insure the extinction of humanity this predator goes after Xulai planning to kill her.

Returning to the Plague of Angels realm, The Waters Rising is a clever enjoyable post apocalyptic thriller that deftly uses a Noah like tale to disparage current societies for their disregard and abuse of the planet.The cautionary story line is fast-paced as a frightened heroine arises amidst the shrinking livable land.Readers (except for deniers) will relish Xulai's coming of age escapades as she and her idealistic cohorts simply hope and pray they can save mankind though some of them doubt whether humanity deserves a third chance.

Harriet Klausner

... Read more

Product Description
A New York Times Bestseller

Two decades ago, Sarah Jane Whitman's father disappearedwith an embezzled fortune, subjecting his wife and daughter to a vicious scandal. Now, the grim discovery of Frank Whitman's body proves Sarah's father was innocent. . . and that the real thief got away with murder.

Suggestive content ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Twenty Years in Dark Water Couldn't keep the Truth Buried
Twenty years ago Sarah Jane Whitman's father supposedly robbed the bank he managed in Marmet, Maine, making off with a cool million. Her mother couldn't stand the innuendos and committed suicide. Alone in the world, Sarah went to New Orleans and was raised by a woman she called her aunt.

Now, her father's body has been found in a trunk in Flagstaff Lake outside of Marmet. So maybe he didn't steal that money after all.

Jane has grown into an independent woman who owns her own trendy restaurant, called Ma Chère, but she's not going to let her business keep her from going back and clearing her father's name.

Tony DeMarco owns a nightclub in Chicago called by the name he went by in high school back in Marmet, Silk. Franklin Whitman, Sarah's father was the only person who believed in Tony back when he was sixteen years old. He loaned Tony enough money to start a small business. When he hears Franklin's body has been found, he goes back to Maine to help Sarah.

However there is someone who doesn't want the truth to come out and will stop at nothing, not even murder to keep it buried. But when someone tries to kill Sarah, she becomes even more determined to stick it out and find her father's killer, no matter what the danger. Luckily she has Tony by her side and her mystical aunt.

Ms. Sala has written a gripping romantic thriller that had me hooked with the first sentence: "If Avery Wheeler hadn't robbed an armored truck in Farmington, Maine, and taken a woman hostage, the state police would never have given chase when he headed north up Highway 27." With an opener like that, how could you do anything else but read on. And that just what I did.

Perfect mix of suspense and romance
This is my first book by Sharon Sala and it certainly will not be my last. I absolutely fell in love with the main characters and loved their story. I was only sorry that the story came to an end. I would love for it to continue. I just could not get enough!!!

A must read!
I found this book in a thrift store and it was the best 10 cent purchase that I've made!I immediately connected with the main character.The growing suspense and romance kept me wanting more.The setting was lovely and I was kept guessing until the end to find out who the murderer was.This is a book not be be missed.

Thin but interesting plot
When she was ten, Sarah Whitman's life was turned upside down; her father was accused of robbing his bank when he disappeared at the same time a cool million bucks went missing. Her mother, unable to cope with the humiliation, committed suicide, leaving Sarah to grow up with an "aunt" in New Orleans. She returns to Maine upon discovery of her father's body, which is found at the bottom of a lake outside town. Sara insists the bank heist investigation be re-opened. She also plans to avenge the devastation that the town brought to her family. Her first love, Chicago nightclub owner Tony returns to stand by her, something he failed to do 20 years earlier. But someone would rather see Sarah dead then the past revisited.

Overall, the plot is a bit thin and somewhat predictable; I guessed the bad guy early on (a rare occurrence for me). But Sala always creates such engaging characters, and despite its predictability, I found it to be an interesting story.

I loved this book
this was my first read by this author.I loved it.It was an easy read and I could feel the characters feelings.I recommend this book to every one. ... Read more

Product Description
In Rome in A.D. 165, two men named Carpus and Papylus stood before the proconsul of Pergamum, charged with the crime of being Christians. Not even torture could make them deny Christ, so they were burned alive.Is my faithfulness as strong?In the fifth century, Melania the Younger and her husband, Pinian, distributed their enormous wealth to the poor and intentionally practiced the discipline of renunciation.Could living more simply deepen my trust in God?In the sixteen hundreds, Philipp Jakob Spener's love for the Word of God and his desire to help people apply the Bible to their life moved him to start "Colleges of Piety," or small groups.In what ways could commitment to community make me more like Christ?The history of the church has shaped what our faith and practice are like today. It's tempting to think that the way we do things now is best, but history also has much to teach us about what we've forgotten. In Water from a Deep Well, Gerald Sittser opens to us the rich history of spirituality, letting us gaze at the practices and stories of believers from the past who had the same thirst for God that we do today. As we see their deep faith through his vibrant narratives, we may discover that old ways can bring new life to our own spirituality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Beyond expectations
This is a book for a class that I am taking (Spiritual Theology). The book arrived in plenty of time and in very good shape. Everything was better than I expected. It is what I call and "easy read book". I would recommend it for anybody that wonders about "early times" Martyrs.

A Wonderful Read!
Quite simply this was a surprisingly wonderful book to read. Gerald Sittser makes history come alive with his engaging style andflowing style. They say that you must understand something profoundly in order to explain it simply. This is true for Sittser. His scholarship is impressive but his scholarship does not make this book hard to read.

This is also an important book. The study of Christian Spirituality in Church History in one volume is a great resource. Tracing the various forms and practices of spiritual life in the major epochs of the Christian Church is eye opening - not just in how spirituality develops but in both the differences AND the similarites.Sittser is broad and fair in his study covering a largespectrum of traditions and theologies. Sittser does not focus on the differences, or the problems - he acknowledges that there are many problems between the various denominations. Instead he has focused on the positivesand that is a good thing. The subject matter of this book is important and now, with this volume, is it available in the form of an excellent book. I have a shelf of books which I try and read each year. This book is going on that self. It will also be in the top 3 books i will recommend for Church History reading. Highly recommended.

Refreshing Drink from this Well
Jerry Sittser's book WATER FROM A DEEP WELL offers readers a refreshing drink from the well of Christian spirituality. Sittser writes this survey of Christian church history with clarity and depth, with mind and heart fully engaged. For anyone wanting an overview of the great movements within Christian orthodoxy, this book provides a great resource. The format of this book flows chronologically, beginning with the early martyrs, concluding with modern pioneer missionaries. Each chapter focuses upon one specific character trait of Christian spirituality. For example, his chapter on monasticism, Sittser focuses upon the important spirituality of a balanced, rhythmic life. Give this book to friends who are spiritual seekers and may not know the great depths and wealth available to them through the Christian past. For another book surveying Christian spirituality, for the family and home, take a look into: The Busy Family's Guide to Spirituality: Practical Lessons for Modern Living From the Monastic Tradition

Promoting this book far and wide!
This is a wonderful book.The breadth of coverage, accessibility of style, and the judicious use of sources reminds me of one of my favorite books: Dynamics of Spiritual Life by Richard Lovelace.

A Must Read
Just finished Gerald Sittser's book Water from a deep well for my next D.Min. class. I have to admit, this is not a book that I would have sought out or even stumbled across in a bookstore, but it is a treasure. This is one of the most powerful books I have ever read, and that is saying a lot, since I've read a few.

What Sittser does is something that every Christian needs, not just leaders, but everyone who claims to follow Jesus. He gives us a history lesson.

So many of us have no idea about the history of Christianity, why at its heart it is a missionary religion, the passion of those who have gone before, the blood that was spilled for the movement of Jesus to be where it is. It is so rich, so powerful and gives us such passion and enables us to continue following after God to this day.

It starts by looking at martyrs throughout church history. For many of us in the Western world, the idea of dying for your faith is remote, if not a non-thought. But, as "missiologist David B. Barrett estimates 160,000 Christians were martyred in the year 2000 alone. They died that year for the same basic reason they died in the year 155, when Polycarp was marytred, or in 202, when Perpetua was martyred. The early martyrs believed that if Jesus is Lord and the only Savior, then he accepts no rivals - no person or religion or ideology or empire. They affirmed that the Christian faith requires nothing less than a firm and joyful commitment to this conviction. Jesus came as God in human flesh to show the way to God and to be the way to God for us. This is the only Jesus there is. A lesser Jesus is not the real Jesus at all, at least not according to the testimony of the martyrs, from Stephen to the present."

Here are a few things from the book I highlighted:

The only way to understand something is to love it first, that is, to study it with sympathy, patience and appreciation.
That we might not have to die for Christ is irrelevant. How we live for Christ is the real issue.
It is easy to gawk but not learn, listen by not sympathize and thus trivialize what is sacred. These stories are not fanciful, fictional accounts that have been recorded and passed down for our entertainment. The martyrs were real people who did in fact die horribly. They had families and friends, hopes and longings, and they wanted to live a long, peaceful and prosperous life, just like us. They chose to accept death rather than renounce their faith because they believed something was more valuable than the long and happy life for which they longed.
The early church lived by a different ethic, which impressed the very people who suffered the most as victims of Rome's immorality and injustice.
The appeal of Christianity still lay in its radical sense of community:it absorbed people because the individual could drop from a wide impersonal world into a miniature community, whose demands and relations were explicit.
To love all members alike, pastors have to love them all uniquely.
Struggle is normal, necessary and even healthy in the spiritual life. Struggle proves that we are taking the Christian faith seriously.
Mystical spirituality is concerned with one basic question:how can we truly know God?
Preaching is the Word of God only if the sermon itself actually proclaims the Word of God.
This statement summarizes the essence of the book:"The Bible tells the story of human resistance and God's persistence. The story is full of flawed heroes and strange twists of plot, of the wretchedness of evil and the triumph of good, which was accomplished in a way that no one could have predicted, namely, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

This book was one of those books that impacted me on a personal and professional level, which is quite rare for a book to do. The stories, especially chapter 5 "holy heroes" left me with a sense of awe for the legacy and history of Christianity and what God calls each of us to.

Chapter 9 on the reformation showed me the high view of God and the Bible that the reformers and their churches had. Their role in communicating the words of God and their love and passion for the people they were called to lead was inspiring.

This is one of those rare books. If you want to know more about how Christianity got to where it is today, this is the book to read

More at www.missionalthoughts.wordpress.com ... Read more

Product Description
Vandana Shiva, "the world's most prominent radical scientist" (the Guardian), exposes yet another corporate maneuver to convert a critical world resource into a profitable commodity. Using the global water trade as a lens, she highlights the destruction of the earth and the disenfranchisement of the world's poor as they lose their right to a life-sustaining common good. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Original, Grounded, a Foundation Book
Published in 2002, this is a foundation book within the twelve books on Water that I am reading, with all reviews both here and at Phi Beta Iota the Public Intelligence Blog where you can easily use Reviews/Water to see all my reviews of books on water.

Right up front the author impresses me with her discussion of the paradigm war--a culture clash--between those who see water as sacred and its provision as a duty for the preservation of water, and those that view water as a commodity and its exploitation for profit as a fundamental corporate right.

Up front she lists and discusses the key lessons she has drawn:

01Nondemocratic economic systems that centralize control over decision making and resources and displace people from productive employment and livelihoods create a culture of insecurity.

02Destruction of resource rights and erosion of democratic control of natural resources, the economy, and means of production undermine cultural identity.See my reviews of the Hidden Wealth of Nations, Identity Economics, and The Politics of Happiness.

03Centralized economic systems also erode the democratic base of politics.

I am sure she sets people off when she speaks of the "double fascism of globalization" as well as "corporate terrorism" but the bottom line is that corporate control of government is fascism, and its time We the People woke up to all the wrong that is being done "in our name."Those who really understand ecological economics as pioneered by Herman Daly understand that "true cost" is the measure, and that the truth at any cost reduces all other costs.This is a book of truths, including the truth that the computer industry is a bigger water polluter than traditional companies.

The entire book is a "tour of the horizon" that captures the essence of what is covered in more depth in the other books listed below.I am especially taken with her Principles of Water Democracy:

01Water is nature's gift
02Water is essential to life.
03Life is interconnected through water.
04Water must be free for sustenance needs.
05Water is limited and can be exhausted.
06Water must be conserved.
07Water is a commons.
08No one holds a right to destroy.
09Water cannot be substituted.

The author skirts topics covered in more depth in such books at The Next Catastrophe: Reducing Our Vulnerabilities to Natural, Industrial, and Terrorist Disasters; and Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America, so this is by no means an end all book, but it is a foundation book.We are the ones responsible for environmental degradation including the paving over of wetlands and the damming of rivers as well as the ignorant and complacent externalization by corporations of all environmental costs of water exploitation they do not own and should not be allowed to expropriate.

Chapters on the global corporate control network including the World Bank, and on the unsustainable costs of industrialized agriculture.Her final two chapters (this is a short book, quick read, excellent notes) focus on the importance of both indigenous knowledge in conserving every drop of water, and on the importance of assuring that natural resources are properly valued and not just commoditized with financial values that are at best arbitrary if not downright corrupt.I am reminded of both 1491, and of E. O. Wilson's The Future of Life.

Other books I have reviewed or am reviewing this week include:

The Atlas of Water, Second Edition: Mapping the World's Most Critical Resource
Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource
The World's Water 2008-2009: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources
The Evolution of the Law and Politics of Water
Governing Water: Contentious Transnational Politics and Global Institution Building (Global Environmental Accord: Strategies for Sustainability and Institutional Innovation)
Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization
Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water
Whose Water Is It?: The Unquenchable Thirst of a Water-Hungry World
Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water
The Blue Death: The Intriguing Past and Present Danger of the Water You Drink

Inspiring, but be wary, readers
Resource scarcity has been the basis of arguably most of the world's deadliest and longest-lasting conflicts. From wars waged in the Democratic Republic of Congo over precious minerals to multinational conflicts between countries along the Tigris and Euphrates, the access and control of resources have been causes in substantial loss of ecological integrity and human lives. In her book Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution and Profit, Vandana Shiva demonstrates the deadly effects of current water resource management practices and the "water wars" that have risen from recent policies. Shiva defines water wars as being either a traditional war, fought with weapons and strategy, or a paradigm war, a subtler conflict with deep roots in socioeconomic systems.

In an expressive manner, Shiva introduces the recent water problems as rooted in major shifts in the management of this resource. The first chapter sets-up the dichotomy between the traditional management of water and a market-based approach to resource ownership. According to Shiva, "more than any other resource, water needs to remain a common good and requires community management" (19). In her home country of India and in many other traditional societies throughout time, this was, and in a few remaining cases, is still the wisdom that dictates the use of water. A change in management principles, from a communally-held necessity to a privately-owned commodity, lead to the complete disregard of inherent human rights. People began to take a backseat to corporate interests, and Shiva structures chapters 2-5 as forum to analyze how the alteration of management has led to intense conflict. Broad topics she expands upon in this section of the book include climate change, the diversion and damming of rivers, the production of food, and large international governing organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the World Bank. All of these chapters reassert how power in managing water has shifted from many hands to an elite few. Like in all wars, the conflicts presented here describe the definite threats to their security and livelihood with the loss of their personal control.

Water Wars is well thought-out and sincere approach to current water crises. My attention was held the entire time through the clever interplay of anecdotes, case studies, and hard science. The struggle between traditional systems and capitalism remained a pervasive theme throughout the book, and examples of injustice and abuse were constantly emerging. There were times when I had to put the book down because my sentiments and emotions were on high alert; Shiva uses her grace and knowledge to present issues from India, a place so near to her heart. Still, it goes without saying that this book definitely lacked as a piece of academic literature. Although this was a very impassioned and comprehensive book, I found Water Wars to be written rather haphazardly and with little regard to academic integrity. Even though it is only 139 pages, the book manages to become rather redundant by the end. Shiva never maintained an unbiased approach to the topic, making it a heavy-handed ridicule neocolonialism. I sometimes felt as if I were listening to a broken record. Yet, her solutions for altering the way we manage water are inspiring, calling for citizens to become engaged in the fight towards gaining shared power of natural resources. Shiva also does an excellent job of weaving in cultural and spiritual attitudes towards water bodies.

In conclusion, Water Warsby Vandana Shiva is a thorough investigation of the social justice issues that surround the administration of water. It is an excellent text for someone desiring a positional account of resource allocation and management, as well as an involved activists perspective on the topic. This book, however, is not a stepping stone into the scientific and academic assessment of water crises; it is far too loaded with personal voice and opinion to be considered a candidate for unbiased literature. If you are in the market for a book on sensational water politics, then look no further.

Informative but lacking...
After reading Water Wars and going back through some things in the book I believe that many people will find this book interesting and informative.Shiva seems to believe that the root of all these wars is our disconnection from the water.We turn on a faucet and voila, water.Who cares where it came from, how much there is or where it's going.Now, take that and mix it with socio-political-economic factors and you can see why we are just beginning to see the emergence of water wars.

Those looking for any sort of solution towater wars should look elsewhere.She has the grassroots mentality that water need not be privatized but run and managed by the people who use it.I fully agree but the problem remains this is simply impossible for the majority of systems already entrenched.

Ultimately, if you have an interest in the state of water on a global scale this is a good book to get you started and asking questions.

P.S. I believe John Wesley Powell was quoted out of context on pg. 54.I have a hard time imagining that Powell said that rivers are wasting into the sea in the context of we should dam the Colorado.

The Single Most Important Book You Can Read Today
the global water crisis is the biggest issue we will face in our lifetimes and not much is being done. This book puts things in a human light and makes solutions seem possible.
Stop Bottled Water Industries
Protect Global Commons
[...]

Don't waste your money
Written by a so called academic, this is a series of essays which nevershould have been published. Over -priced and over reviewed,whoever approved of publishing this travesty should be fired. ... Read more

Product Description
Bestselling author Gail Tsukiyama is known for her poignant, subtle insights into the most complicated of relationships.Dreaming Water is an exploration of two of the richest and most layered human connections that exist: mother and daughter and lifelong friends.

Hana is suffering from Werner's syndrome, a disease that makes a person age at twice the rate of a healthy individual: at thirty-eight Hana has the appearance of an eighty-year-old.Cate, her mother, is caring for her while struggling with her grief at losing her husband, Max, and with the knowledge that Hana's disease is getting worse by the day.

Hana and Cate's days are quiet and ordered.Cate escapes to her beloved garden and Hana reads and writes letters.Each find themselves drawn into their pasts, remembering the joyous and challenging events that have shaped them: spending the day at Max's favorite beach, overcoming their neighbors' prejudices that Max is Japanese-American and Cate is Italian-American, and coping with the heartbreak of discovering Hana's disease.

One of the great joys of Hana's life has been her relationship with her beautiful, successful best friend Laura.Laura has moved to New York from their hometown in California and has two daughters, Josephine and Camille.She has not been home in years and begs Hana to let her bring her daughters to meet her, feeling that Josephine, in particular, needs to have Hana in her life.Despite Hana's latest refusal, Laura decides to come anyway.When Laura's loud, energetic, and troubled world collides with Hana and Cate's daily routine, the story really begins.

Dreaming Water is about a mother's courage, a daughter's strength, and a friend's love.It is about the importance of human dignity and the importance of all the small moments that create a life worth living.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Another successful book by Tsukiyama
I have been a fan of Gail Tsukiyama's books since first reading Women of the Silk. This particular book is equally enjoyable and informative. It good deeply into the effects of alittle-known condition called "Werner's Syndrome" - a devastating genetic anamoly that causes lack of physical maturation in a child and then causes extremely accellerated aging. Hama, the main character in the novel, is close to dying of old age in her mid-thirties,. Her sixty-two-year-old mother, Cate has to cope with her daughter's condition - trying to both ease Hama's life and face the loss of her only child. Characters are well-drawn and interesting beyond the medical scenario.

Oddly soothing novel
I found this book to be compelling and soothing.Odd I know.A woman dying of old age disease might be depressing but this is not.It's a wonderful story about living your life NOW and not waiting for anything.

I do agree with a previous reviewer who lamented that the "voices" of the various characters were not differentiated.The author does have the rebellious twelve year old sounding a lot like the wizened 60 year old and I, too, had to flip back to the title of the chapter a few times to see who was "talking."Other than that, a wonderful, uplifting story that I highly recommend.

great human interest story
Very well written with good character development and an interesting storyline!It portrays a topic not many people are familiar with - Werner's Syndrome - and it expertly depicts the feelings and emotions the main characters experience while dealing with the disease.I found myself sympathizing with the people involved, yet always admiring and appreciating their strength and intelligence.I have recommended the book to several people, and it is one of the few books I've purchased after reading it.

Reviews from Brizmus Blogs Books
Gail Tsukiyama has such a beautiful, graceful style of writing that I feel as if she could write about ANYTHING, and I would love it. Everything just sort of flows, each idea merging neatly and beautifully with the next one. With Dreaming Water, as with every other book I have read by Gail Tsukiyama, I felt as if SHE must have been ALL of the characters. How else would she have that much insight into what that kind of relationship must be like?
Dreaming Water, aside from being about a relationship between a mother and her sick daughter, a girl and her sick best friend, and an American woman and her Japanese husband, this book is about strength and courage and being open enough to see things through different eyes than your own. It's about what makes life worth living but also about why these things make it okay to die.
It's such a simple story, but Gail Tsukiyama's telling renders it heartbreaking and heartwarming and magical.
This book is majestical.
Who Should Read It?People who enjoy books that explore relationships in depth, especially those of a mother and her daughter

Spotlight on Werner's Syndrome
A moving story of a 28 year old woman living, and dying, with Werner's Syndrome -- the medical condition which causes one to prematurely age at a rapid pace.The book is told mainly from the standpoint of the young woman and her mother.Each chapter identifies the speaker as the two women struggle with Werner.

The book highlights things one doesn't automatically think about when they think about premature aging.Everyone thinks about wrinkles and gray hair but rarely about cataracts, incontinence, and ulcers on one's feet which require one to become wheelchair bound.In addition to the two women's day-to-day struggles, one learns about life in the Japanese internment camps established in the United States after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

This is a powerful book.I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Product Description
Water exercise is excellent for physical therapy and fitness because it enhances range of motion and eases pain of movement. This book makes it easy for you to design your own water exercise program, whether for injury rehabilitation, special conditions, cross-training, or just shaping up.

Water Exercise features 78 clearly described and illustrated exercises that range from beginning to advanced levels of difficulty. The book also provides complete exercise programs for specific injuries and conditions as well as for improved fitness. You can tailor each program to suit your own needs so, no matter what exercise program you choose, you’ll start at the appropriate level and progress safely into more challenging movements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Purchase from International source
Take care while purchasing from any international source.You'll find that their acception of the item and shipping is, in most cases, will be very, very slow.
Nevertheless, it was finally delivered in good condition..,

water exercise book
Just what I was looking for.Has a lot of exercises in it.Buyer was fast and quick would buy from again

Just OK
The book was just OK, I was probably expecting to get more details and background. The photos are black and white.

Water Aerobics
Very helpful book. First class photos and diagrams make it simple to follow the instructor.

Great book!
This book has done wonders for me.I have a bad back and I am currently in physical therapy. I brought this book to my doctor and he highlighted the exercises that I should do and told me the ones I shouldn't. It's really nice to exercise the CORRECT way in the pool. ... Read more

Product Description
"You will not turn on the tap in the same way after reading this book."
--Robert Redford

"Blue Covenant is the most important book that's ever been written on the global water crisis."
--Wenonah Hauter, executive director, Food & Water Watch

Maude Barlow has for decades been a leading voice arguing that access to safe drinking water should be a basic human right. Called the "Al Gore of water," Barlow is the very best kind of advocate--deeply informed, articulate, and persuasive. Essential reading for anyone interested in the emerging international movement for water justice, Blue Covenant is one of the most important books of our time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Superb Overview and Update As of 2007
I now realize that this book is a sequel to Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water and I will read and review that book next.

First off, am really starting to pay attention to Right Livelihood, the Alternative Nobel that seems to avoid really big mistakes that have characterized the Nobel Peace Prize in recent decades (Kissinger to Obama).I first learned of this award when Herman Daly, conceptualizer of Ecological Economics, spoke at one of my conferences, and now I am going to look into this and post a listing of recipients at Phi Beta Iota, where all my reviews can be easily exploited across 98 distinct categories, something not possible here at Amazon.

Up front I will still say that Marq de Villier's Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource is the best book around, along with the The Water Atlas: A Unique Visual Analysis of the World's Most Critical Resource.

This book joins with Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit and its own prequel Blue Gold (now also coming out as a DVD along with another DVD, For Love of Water) to make the case for water as a human right.The book ends with a Blue Covenent in three parts.

Two points in this book hit me hard:

1)We have to deal with sewage first, globally, deeply, and reliably BEFORE we can address the clean fresh water challenge.

2)Desalination produces a poisonous by-product of concentrated brine mixed with the chemicals and heavy metals used in the production of fresh water, creating 20 billion liters of WASTE worldwide every DAY.

The two points above come together when the author points out that most of the places where desalination plants can be located are surrounded by polluted seas.I was thrilled a year or so ago when I saw the price point for a cubic meter of water comes down to ten percent of what it used to be, but now I realize that we have not been serious about calculating the "true costs" ofthe whole system.

The author brings out a few facts that I am glad to note, but for the over-all treatment, Marq's book is still the best.

+US west is the driest it has been in 500 years.
+2006 is the year in which urban population overtook rural population in numbers.
+75% of India's lakes and rivers are too polluted for safe use.
+Groundwater (aquifers) is nose diving, wells are so deep they are bringing up dinosaur-era water.

A very brief discussion of virtual or embedded water is included, this is done better in other books.

The author uses the middle of the book to address the failure of political leadership (at least in representing the public interest), and the three types of privatization:concession, leases, and management.

The author is starkly relevant in her concise discussion of how the UN water bodies are corrupt, accepting the funding of conferences on water by the water corporations, and then coming up with answers that favor the corporations.Like the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the author finds that hte Global Water Partnership and the World Water Council are inherently corrupt, while Aquafed is an outright industry representative.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) of note include WaterAid, Freshwater Action Network, World Wildlife Fund, and Green Cross International, all with severe ethics issues when it comes to actually representing the public interest rather than the interests of those who fund them.

The author provides an excellent overview of major global water forums, each discredited in its conclusions as time passes.

This section of the book concludes with ONE TRILLION A YEAR as the author's estimate of the value of the fresh water market, this includes all the infrastructure.

Two chapters review how countries are fighting back, one country at a time.

QUOTE (142):The three water crises--dwindling freshwater supplies, inequitable access to water and the corporate control of water--pose the greatest threat of our time to the planet and to our survival.

The author touches on water refugees and the fact that not only is water a global security issue now, but it is closely linked to energy security, and especially so in the USA.

I am fascinated by a discussion of how the US is encraoching on the Guarani Aquifer in South America, this is being called "hydro-geopolitical conflict.

TIBET is featured as providing fresh water for half of the Earth's population through ten watersheds, and this makes it easier to understand why China has invaded Tibet and strives to keep it and its resources under direct control.

The conclusion of the book focuses on the Blue Covenant in three parts:

01Water Conservation
02Water Justice
03Water Democracy

The author is earnest and credible in her descriptions of the many UN conferences and offices that reek of corruption as they go along with the corporate endeavor to buy equal footing with human rights to water.

The sources section of the book is superb, this would have been a great place to have QR Code, I anticipate a new tool soon that allows a USB "light" to double as a reader of QR codes so that references can be pulled online from hard copy materials.The index was disappointing, primarily names.

The author cites Pillar of Sand and Crimes Against Nature as two books with special merit.

The other books that are in this "set" include:

The World's Water 2008-2009: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources
The Evolution of the Law and Politics of Water
Governing Water: Contentious Transnational Politics and Global Institution Building (Global Environmental Accord: Strategies for Sustainability and Institutional Innovation)
Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization
Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water
Whose Water Is It?: The Unquenchable Thirst of a Water-Hungry World
The Blue Death: The Intriguing Past and Present Danger of the Water You Drink

Once I have them all done, I will create a Worth a Look: List of Book Reviews on Water at Phi Beta Iota.

Global Water Intelligence gets several good mentions.

Good overview, but needs more about the solution
I came at this book as an academic teacher and researcher (in the field of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Cornell) who is working in the energy area and wanted to get an overview of the current status and challenges with world water issues, since energy and water are related in many ways.(You can learn more about my background from my energy systems book Energy Systems Engineering: Evaluation and Implementation, coauthored with Lou Albright.)I read the book cover to cover.I found the book helpful by and large to get me up to speed, especially the first chapter ('where has all the water gone?'), where Barlow lays out what is going on around the world and identifies certain key geographic hotspots.There were two limitations in my view: 1) too much time spent naming and recounting the interactions between various players in the struggle over water, which did not interest me after a certain point, and 2) more importantly, too much discussion of the problem and not enough time spent outlining a solution at the end.In other words, the book spends a fair amount of time detailing the failures of the privatization of water delivery service to address the need to provide clean and adequate water, but even if there were no privatization movement afoot, would all of our global water problems be solved?I doubt it -- there would still remain the need to modernize the infrastructure, to bring clean water to millions or probably billions who don't yet have it, and to manage it more carefully so that we don't run out overall.Hence 4 out of 5 stars.

Only good for the Bibliography
This book is horribly written. Perhaps the professional reviewers want to call it "dry" or "stark" to soften the blow, but it comes across more as "shrill". The author tries to make a huge impact with a barrage of numbers. Many topics are strewn over several chapters when a more cohesive format would have served better. This is a real shame, as this is a very important and pressing matter of public policy.

I would hope that nobody who is new to this issue tries to become well informed by reading this mish-mash of a text. If you pick it, use it for the bibliography. Then, at least, maybe you can get some coherent context for all the facts and figures.

Highly Informative
This book provides ample information about what is going on in the world of water. It explains how we attain freshwater, the environmental and social implications of our actions, and who the key players are. In some places it provides more names and organizations than one may be interested in, but other places are loaded with eye opening facts and explanations about water and its role in our future. I would recommend picking it up and at least reading the 3rd Chapter.

Blue water tells all
Concise and compact analysis of World's Water Dilemma. Maude Barlow transcends her Social and Liberal background to give a real snapshot of what's coming.
Jack Flobeck
Chairman
Aqua Prima Center Inc.
think tank for water research ... Read more

Product Description
Now in paperback! From the award-winning author of Babe: The Gallant Pig comes the story of how the Loch Ness monster finds his home, thanks to the human family that raises him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great book and movie!
Bought this for my son after watching the movie, but it's great for all ages!

I'm sure the story is great...
So I am sure the story itself is wonderful, but this book is a LOT smaller than I expected.(I might have not read the whole description).I was under the impression this book was a real book, not an elementary school book.The girl I bought it for enjoyed it, but I wish it took her longer to read it.

miraculous
The Water Horse was fairly enjoyable, my son and I was sucked into the adventure of the boy and the water dinosaur. The vibe of the film is enchanting, old school and the pictures and effects at some times stunned us.
The plot is somewhat like Free Willy, but it has much more to it, twists, history, funny accents and landscapes filled with beauty and roughness.
The story is working and the actors are mainly unknown which brings a certain sent of truth to it.
Go watch it

Excellent book for kids
AFter taking my grandson to see The Waterhorse, which he loved, I promised to get him the book and read it to him. He is only seven and a nascent reader, so the plan was to read one chapter each night before bedtime. WEll, one morphed to two which then morphed to three. The book,very different from the movie in plot line, wonderfully depicts the logistics of caring for an unusual creature and it also subtly addresses the relationships between the brother and sister characters and their grandfather and father. My grandson loved this book--including the whimsical illustrations and the stills from the movie--and now we have a list of books we plan to tackle each night. This is the first longer book I have read to him, and it is perfect. The book can spur discussions between adult and child about the difference between it and the film.

Excellent Book for Children!
I bought this book for my 7 year old niece.She has already read the first 5 chapters and she really enjoys the story!She was somewhat disappointed that the illustrations were not in color, but I explained to her that this was just how the book was printed.Her interest in it now has really peaked since I took her to see the movie that the book is based on!I would recommend this reading for ALL children!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (87)

A kids review
this is a great read, there are 3 sharks, scarface (the smallest megalodon 56 ft.in the book, yet is still able to swallow a person and sink a boat) Angel (the main megalodon and the largest at 76 ft) and the adolescent male (the main villain shark, does not appear till the end of the book at 65 ft)
This book is awesome. this is the first book of the meg series i have read. because it is the only one i own, i bought this little gem at a pharmacy.
Angel got pregnant. what happens in the lagoon stays in the lagoon

A modern day Jaws!
The cover of this book got me attention when it first came out. and it really says it all. After reading this book i voracisly eat up all this authors books and the trench was the best.
Goin throgh my books today i saw this one and wondered if i ever review it, but i had not.
Man if you want to get some sleep at night then dont. If you ever want to go swimming in the ocean then dont. But if you like a horror shark book - then do! Please!

Perfect for the beach - but maybe not the boat!
I actually enjoyed this shark book quite a bit. Parts of it were a little dumb, but overall, it was an exciting, shark-full read that was very adventure-filled. There's not much to say, as this was a straight-forward book. That being said, I will definitely keep an eye out for his other books - they are quite exciting and great for summer.

Meg Primal Waters
I have read all the Meg books and Steven Alten hits a home run with this book! (Ha - you'll have to read the book) Giant sharks have never been this much fun.

WILDLY ENTERTAINING.
TOTALLY BELIEVABLE PLOT-NEVER A DULL PAGE,AMAZING, INTERESTING.MY TEEN AGED GRAND DAUGHTER INSISTS ON READING THESE AS SOON AS I FINISH...SOME TIMES EVEN BEFORE!! ;) ... Read more

Product Description

Stone Barrington only wants a winter getaway from the chill of New York in the beautiful, tropical Caribbean paradise of St. Mark's. But what the lawyer and ex-cop gets instead is the chance to defend Allison Manning. The beautiful young woman stands accused of killing her rich husband on board their luxurious yacht and then burying him at sea.

Customer Reviews (64)

What?!
The books keep getting worse! The character keeps getting worse too! The plots keep getting worse! The dialogue is terrible and Barrington is a total creep.

Scenic and Wild!!
The book is not the most fast paced but when you are a lover of Stuart Woods and Stone Barrinton the plot and storyline wont let you down~!!! Stone and his women... One to read!

Arrived timely and in good condition
The book arrived within the time and condition promised.I was very pleased the book arrived so quickly.

Dead in the Water
I came across this while visiting my Mom and cruising her shelves I found this author and am now devouring every book I can get that he has written.A real page turner.

My second Woods book
The Margin
When Stone Barrington isn't practicing law he usually can be found island hoping. This time Woods invites us to go with Barrington to St. Mark's. He's there to take a relaxing vacation with a friend Arrington Carter who is to arrive later. While Stone waits, a 45 ft. yacht arrives and docks in the slip next to his much smaller, leased boat. Local police arrive and escort the only occupant off the yacht to jail. Ordinarily this event would not have piqued his interest, but the lone sailor happened to be a beautiful woman. He follows up with an inquiry and finds out that the woman has been arrested on charges of murdering her very rich husband. He also learns that according to St. Mark's law, if someone is found guilty of a capital crime they are summarily hung in a public court yard. Well, being a gentleman and a lawyer he couldn't let this happen, particularly since the defendent was so attractive. The plot begins to unfold at this point--secret meetings, sleep overs for Stone on her yacht, disguises, bribery and the ever present double crosser. All this will tease the reader through the spiraling drama that unfolds.Dead In The Water, by Stuart Woods is well worth your time. ... Read more

Product Description
The first authorized biography of "the mother of American cooking" (The New York Times)

This adventurous book charts the origins of the local "market cooking" culture that we all savor today. When Francophile Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley in 1971, few Americans were familiar with goat cheese, cappuccino, or mesclun. But it wasn't long before Waters and her motley coterie of dreamers inspired a new culinary standard incorporating ethics, politics, and the conviction that the best-grown food is also the tastiest. Based on unprecedented access to Waters and her inner circle, this is a truly delicious rags-to-riches saga.Amazon.com Review
You can't tell the story of Chez Panisse, Berkeley's famed restaurant, without relating that of its diminutive founder, proprietor, and sometime chef, Alice Waters. This is what Thomas McNamee does most handily in his Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, a chronicle that begins with the seat-of-the-pants opening night of the "counterculture" venture in 1971, and ends 35 years later with Waters's restaurant an American institution--one credited with birthing California Cuisine, a style devoted to simplicity, freshness and seasonality. The book also limns, with tasty gossip, the ever-evolving Chez Panisse family, including the cook-artisans uniquely responsible for dish creation; follows the attempts, mostly failed, to put the restaurant on sound financial footing; shows how dishes and menus get made; and of course pursues Waters as she broadens her commitment to "virtuous agriculture" by establishing ventures like The Edible Schoolyard and The Yale Sustainable Food Project.

The success of Chez Panisse--Gourmet magazine named it the best American restaurant in 2002--has everything to do with Waters, yet she remains an elusive protagonist.Sophisticated yet naive, professional and amateur, hard-driving but emotionally blurry, she invites reader interest but doesn't always satisfy it, as least as presented here. If McNamee cannot quite bring her to life, and if his tale lacks an insider's full conversance with his subject, he still engages readers in the considerable drama of people finding their way--blunderingly, with talented intent--to something new. With menus, narrated recipes, and photographs throughout, the book is vital reading for anyone interested in food, period.--Arthur Boehm ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Very interesting
This was well-written and interesting - about a fascinating woman.I disagree with a previous reviewer's opinion that the author has painted Waters in a saint-like light.Many of the stories recounted certainly portray her as less than perfect, especially in her treatment of some of those closest to her, including her former husband.With all that she has accomplished, she is found to be just as human and with shortcomings like the rest of us.

The author seems to have gone to great pains to be very thorough and include a great deal of information, the book is filled quotes from those closest to Alice, there are menus reprinted from the earliest days onward, letters from friends and employees, stories taken from different sources (sometimes conflicting).

Overall I found it to be fairly balanced and a worthwhile read.

Yummy
Interesting to learn about Alice.If you are into food you will probably like the book.If not, you may be bored.

Great Restaurant, Mediocre Book
Everybody knows that Alice Waters's Chez Panisse is a foodie's delight, specializing in organic and local highest-quality ingredients and infused with the Slow Food ethos.The story of Chez Panisse and of Waters might be interesting, but this book didn't make it out to be.The beginning had some merit, detailing Waters's introduction to French cuisine and her ability to create a successful (by many measures, though not financially) restaurant in Berkeley and in the Berkeley style (e.g. waiters smoking dope and running off with wine bottles).At just before the midway point, though, the book begins its succession of less-than-interesting run-throughs of various characters (cooks, assistants, managers) who were part of the Chez Panisse story.It does not make for terribly interesting reading to chronicle which periods employed two chefs and which employed one, nor the preparations for the tenth anniversary party, then the twentieth, then the twenty-fifth.The last chapter brings it together nicely, though, being as it is about the food, its preparation and service.Instead of buying or reading this book, I'd suggest spending your time and money eating at Chez Panisse rather than reading about it.

Well-written social history of a food revolution
You will understand how radical a concept Chez Panisse restaurant was in its inception, and truly up until 10-15 years ago, after reading this juicy and compelling book.For all of Alice Waters' eccentricities, at times hard to overlook in terms of the practicalities of running a restaurant, you end up understanding how the simplest concepts in our society are so often the hardest to execute post- the 1950s industrialization and consolidation of the food industry.

A wonderful, delicious story
This is a fantastic book that is part personal biography, part history of the sixties and part cook book.The story is about an enchanted princess/dreamy visionary/tough CEO who created a global trend in haute cuisine.The writing is excellent and one reads this book like a page turning novel.One who reads this also gets a great appreciation for the way many of us look at food - both from Alice Waters' genius and from Thomas McNamee's own enormous knowledge and wry take on that world.

... Read more

Product Description
Water is a fascinating yet challenging subject to paint. It changes forms, moods, shape and color as the surrounding influences are altered. In The Complete Guide to Painting Water, the reader will learn how to paint water in all of it's forms in order to incorporate it as part of their landscape and still life paintings. Readers will not only learn how to paint water, they will learn how to observe the motions of water in order to master this ever-changing subject. Through careful observation, readers will understand water's actions and reactions, how it reflects and refracts light, how it moves and much more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

The Complete Guide to Painting Water
The author included many painting tips to improve techniques.His painting are wonderfully inspiring.

great reference book for painting water
This book gives step by step instruction on painting many different scenes involving water. It is a great instructional book, easy to read and follow. It has clear progressive drawings. Another great beginners book and a great addition to my library of Seascape painting guides.

Excellent Book-Excellent Service
The used book was delivered in better condition than expected and much faster than advertised.All aspects of the purchase went quickly and trouble free.

Decent
This book was decent in it's approach to painting water, but only covered the basics.It didn't go into enough detail in places, but it is a nice start for the begginer and possibly intermediate painter.

So So...it's a very old book.
Not one of my favorites by far and probably should have returned it. Mostly black and white with not many pictures, mostly text...not my favorite kind of art book. But I kept it anyway as part of my Painting and Art Library...it's just okay, but I'd pass it up if I had the choice again. ... Read more

Product Description
The long-awaited companion to the best-selling Animalia!

Graeme Base is back-with an exciting and fun new counting book! Children will love counting from one to 10 as animals of the world gather around a water hole. As one rhino gives way to two tigers, then three toucans, on up to 10 kangaroos, die-cut pages reveal the water hole in 10 different worldwide habitats, from African plains to Himalayan mountains to the Australian outback. But the water hole keeps shrinking, and with it the number of frolicking frogs. Can anything bring back the water that the animals all need to survive? Careful readers will find additional animals, many of them endangered, silhouetted in the borders of every spread and hiding within every landscape.

A stunning fusion of counting book, puzzle book, storybook, and art book, The Water Hole features the layers of interest that make Graeme Base's books among the world's best-loved picture books.Amazon.com Review
Who can resist the allure of the hidden wilderness water hole? Certainly not one rhino. Not two tigers. Nor three toucans. Pretty soon the delicious pool is drawing moose, catfish, pandas, tortoises... and more than 100 other critters from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and beyond. But is it our imagination or is that rhino-sized water hole dwindling to a mere shadow of its former self, a puddle not fit for eight ladybugs, let alone 10 kangaroos? As the seasons change across the world, and the animals get thirstier, the water supply diminishes. Eventually, even the flowery-shirted frog that has stoically lingered through the drought packs his suitcase and takes off. The only hope now is a drop of rain on the parched earth...

With his usual elaborate detail, Graeme Base, mad genius behind Animalia, The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery, and other wild and wonderful titles, presents a one-of-a-kind counting book. Naturally, Base would never be content to stick with a simple 1 through 10 format. Readers of all ages will linger over each spread, first counting the highlighted animals and giggling at the translation of their grunts and growls (the moose's "Moo, moo, mooooooiii!" means "Hey, get your hoof out of my ear!"). Then it's time to check out the diminishing size of the die-cut hole in the pond. And finally, readers will want to find each of the 10 additional animals cleverly hidden in every illustration, based on the silhouetted creatures in the border. A safari on paper--with an environmental and mathematical education thrown in for good measure. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

love this book
Fantastic way to teach about geography, wild animals, habitats, migration. The illusrations hidden within pictures are beautiful. Just love this book!

Truly Inspiring
One of my favorite children's book, "The Water Hole" is loaded with goodies of all sorts. Masterfully painted animals and creatures of all sorts from around the globe. As an artist I am truly inspired by the gifts and talents that Graeme Base so seemingly effortlessly portrays in his works of art. This book is truly clever and is garanteed to capture the attention of any child or adult for that matter.

I was first introduced to Graeme's work in about 2003 at the San Diego Zoo, I could not put the book down. Amazed and wishing I had his skills. I can't imagine the time it takes for just one single page, the patience, the energy and the creativity. The book is chock full of stunning and clever imagery, not to mention one can learn and count from this book. I highly recommend this book.

great
All of Graeme Base's books are absolutely stunning from the story to the illustrations. The story is wonderful and only exceeded by the gorgeous illustrations.This book can be read cover to cover but then it is also fun to go back and solve on the hidden puzzles.

The Water Hole
I ordered 2 copies of Graeme Base's "The Water Hole" and received them in perfect condition.Packaging was excellent.The books are wonderful and very entertaining for my grand-daughters!

Riley's new favorite book
I purchased this beautiful book for the grandson of a friend. He's a cool little guy. When he saw the book, he started giggling and smiling so wide I thought his face would break. This is a gorgeous book to be enjoyed over and over. ... Read more

Product Description

Hot Water Music is a collection of short stories by Charles Bukowski, published in 1983. The collection deals largely with: drinking, women, gambling, and writing. It is an important collection that establishes Bukowski's minimalist style and his thematic oeuvre.

Customer Reviews (18)

my fav
i've read every single bukowski novel and short story collection, as well as a bunch of his poetry. for some reason, this book sticks out as my favorite. As far as his short story collections go, this is a really strong collection of him during his peak creative period.

read it twice.

". . . trying in vain to sleep, and deserving that rest, if they could find it."
The stories in Hot Water Music are the equivalent of walking through the worst parts of town at the best times, when both ends of the social spectrum empty--the gutters and nice houses--and the scumbags within start to move from bar to bar with a bad attitude, filling their guts with handout bar pretzels and stale popcorn. Bukowski follows these people around for awhile and ditches them before they become old news. These thirty-six stories rarely exceed six-pages, and they don't need to. We get a sense of the vulgarity that rubs its belly near the feet of us all.

This is standard Bukowski fare: women, booze, coming to grips with popularity after a life of being shunned and enjoying it. At their worst, these stories are uneventfully bleak ("Turkeyneck Morning") or just sort of uneventful ("In And Out And Over"). At their best, these are stories of perverts and weirdos settling for less than what everyone else expects them to. The characters in these stories are drunks, rapists, sexual hounds with pathetic justifications for drinking whatever flows down the curb. Though this collection gets a bit tedious towards the end, the great writing Bukowski cultivated with the previous year's Ham On Rye sees him taking his minimalistic approach to life and language and turning it into a series of blinks past the windows where the shady people dwell.

Don't read this book...
Let me say that I am a huge Bukowski fan.I absolutely adore Factotum, Women, Ham On Rye, Hollywood and Post Office.Unfortunately, this book is not of that caliber.In fact, Hot Water Music is so bad that it's hard to read.The stories aren't funny, are very repititious, and are pointless.I would say this book is about as bad as Pulp, which was horrible.Bukowski is just not a fiction writer.He's only good when he writes about his personal experiences.If you have exhausted all his novels and are looking for some decent Buk, South of No North is okay, but forgettable.Notes of a Dirty Old Man also is interesting, even worth rereading.But let this be a warning: Hot Water Music is terrible and so is Pulp, so don't buy them.

Lukewarm Liquid Haikus
I am quite the fan of Bukowski.I enjoyed Factotum, Pulp, and Post Office in particular, and I think Ham On Rye is a work of art.Perhaps the only real catch to Bukowski's work is that he is something of a one trick pony.Don't get me wrong, though.It's still a good trick.

Where Bukowski fails in his writing (when he fails at all) is when he allows his nihilism to devolve into creative redundancy.He doesn't have very many points to make, and sometimes he tends to make them in the same way.Still, the man is a craftsman when it comes to the rough-hewn and the unflinching gaze of existentialism.

This is why I was disappointed by Hot Water Music.

Bukowski's themes (which are a lot deeper than just drunkeness, sex, ambivalence, and poverty, as some of the other reviews here seem to suggest) translate remarkably well when they are drawn out novelistically by his crisp, spare prose and his dry, gritty dialogue.In his books he takes his time teasing his message out of dark shadows and, when it is exposed to the light, he crushes its skull with a sledgehammer.

Short stories, of course, don't give him as much leisure for dilly-dallying, and as a result his work here is blunter (inasumcuh as that's possible) and duller and far more repetitive.The majority of these stories are about, of course, ambiently depressed alcoholics who haven't the motivation or energy to do anything but keep digging their own grave.You read enough stories about soused women farting and horny men with hemorrhoids and your head starts to swim.Some people might argue that these stories are meant simply to be funny, and depending on your sense of humor, they are -- but no one likes to hear the same joke told ten, twelve, or twenty times in a row.Unless, of course, you really really like the joke.

The more absurd pieces (You Kissed Lilly, Strokes to Nowhere, and I Love You, Albert) are fun enough, and although their playfulness tends to be vacuous, they are still chewy enough to be enjoyable.And there are really some remarkably subtle and clever stories here as well.Most notable among these are Cold Night, The Upward Bird, Beer at the Corner Bar, The Death of the Father II, In and Out and Over, and Head Job.

In these Bukowski trades in his usual and obvious attempts at crassness and crudity for a more ghostly skill: the stories are delivered with his typical point-blank attitude, but their profundity is couched without bravado or brassiness.His short stories work best when they avoid the more blatant trademarks of his novels -- liquor-soaked abuse and disdain.Head Job, especially, is notable for being the first time that I have ever read Bukowski write something from a woman's point of view, and he does it admirably.

This is a decent but repetitive collection of stories, with gems interspersed throughout, but the overall impression is mostly lukewarm, although hardcore fans will love it.

Edgy laughs and splendid moments from the Poet Laureate of the American gutter
Ah, the Drunken Master his own self...here he is at his best, writing pleasingly spare and oft hilarious vignettes of his later life's ramblings through the bars and bedrooms of Hollywood's seedier avenues.

Not recommended if you don't like to drink, laugh and/or are easily offended...Buk is as far from politically correct as Santa is from Antartica...but oh man, the laughs that his laconic delivery can produce!

His genius also lies in his occasional moments of true clarity...once in a while he flat out nails what it is to be human, male, drunk, or just a bum treading water while waiting for St. Peter's inevitable rejection.

Of the great writers in the English language, few other than Chaucer are this saucy and brazen and unabashed...and yes, I think Buk's best work can stand beside Joyce and Hem and Whitman and even the mighty Shake when it comes to revealing some of life's truths. Especially the antisocial male's truths.Bukowski keeps it simple and to the point, and has a special talent for revealing the joys of the mundane...his territory is very much his own, the hallmark of a truly classic writer.

Be forewarned, there are some verrrrry edgy moments here...but CB's willingness to confront aspects of the human (well, male--very male) psyche that others dare not go near makes him the unique freak that he is.

His poetry comes and goes, as do his novels, though Post Office and Women are classics. His short stories have the most humor and twisted pathos, and this is the best collection, methinks. "The Great Poet" alone is worth the price of admission. Buk loves to hold the idiocy of fame and our culture's shallowness up to the light...usually the barroom light...and no one else has quite his way with love scenes...if you can call them that...

Many women find Bukowski to be a pig. Fair enough. But when you're wondering if your new girl will put up with you in the long run, give her this and wait for the reaction. If she laughs, you're good to go.

Warning: this book will make you want to crack a cold one or three, or seven, just to enjoy the happily nihilistic thrill of not giving a damn.

I don't reread many books...life is too short, with too many books left to enjoy...but this one gets read at least once a year, usually when I need the solace and joy of drinking a few too many at two in the morning while laughing my ass off.

One of the funniest books of all time, if you like your laughs a little warped.

... Read more

Product Description

I turned and faced the road we'd come down, my face hard and set. The kids moved on without me. I could still see a slight glow and the murky, gray smoke reaching above the trees, where it spread to the south....

When I thought they were out of earshot, I took a deep breath. "You lied to me," I whispered toward the building, to all the people it represented, to the hours I'd spent on those hard, split-log seats, and to my childish epiphanies born there .... "You lied," I said. "These are my best friends now."

Rare is the gift of a writer who is able to conjure up the voices of very different worlds, to give them heat and power and make them sing. Such is the talent of Nancy E. Turner. Her beloved first novel, These Is My Words, opened readers to the challenges of a woman's life in the nineteenth-century Southwest. Now this extraordinary writer shifts her gaze to a very different world -- East Texas in the years of the Second World War -- and to the life of a young woman named Philadelphia Summers, known against her will as Frosty.

From the novel's harrowing opening scene, Frosty's eyes survey the landscape around her -- white rural America -- with the awestruck clarity of an innocent burned by sin. In her mother and sisters she sees fear and small-mindedness; in the eyes of local boys she sees racial hatred and hunger for war. When that war finally comes, it offers her a chance for escape -to California, and the caring arms of Gordon Benally a Native-American soldier. But when she returns to Texas she must face the rejection of a town still gripped by suspicion -- and confront the memory of the crime that has marked her soul since adolescence.

Propelled by the quiet power of one woman's voice, The Water and the Blood is a moving and unforgettable portrait of an America of haunted women and dangerous fools -- an America at once long perished and with us still.

Customer Reviews (21)

Good Water, Bad Blood.
I found this book hard to follow in the beginning.I couldn't get past the first few chapters for the longest time.There were too many characters thrown at you way too fast. And way too many situations presented all at once.I found myself flipping back to the beginning chapters to understand a later character/chapter better.The author uses a lot of flash backs so you never fully know if you are in a memory or in the present story.The story has potential and is interesting enough to read once.

I loved Nancy E. Turners other books and These Is My Words is my favorite.But this one just didn't flow as smoothly as her other books.Her other books are written in a diary format.I like her way of writing diaries and this book should have been written as a diary as well.It still feels like a diary but there are absolutely no dates to follow.So you never know what time or year you are in.

If you can get past the first half of the book the story seems to go pretty fast.The characters are thrown at you fast and without any history to them at all until much later in the story.The mother is abusive but there is no revelation as to why.The author hints at mental illness but does not go into any detail as to why she would be this way.Many times you wonder if it is not her real mom and the author does nothing to correct your thinking until the very end.

Frosty marries a Native American and introduces him to her extremely prejudiced family and town.Knowing her family and her town, Frosty never thinks it is odd that her husband is invited to go "hunting" and doesn't return?She goes about her life the next day.Still no sign of her husband.She goes to church, still no sign of her husband.She never asks, or searches or wonders.When the church that her husband did electrical work on goes up in flames, she does not worry about her husband or go frantically searching for him.She just goes down to the church to check it out.Very odd.The character is very frustrating.At the end of the book she and her husband just up and leave.They make a stop out in the middle of nowhere where they both seem to contemplate suicide over a cliff.Then the book just abruptly ends.No epilogue, no wrap up.Just ends.Obviously leaving it open for the author to write another book.If she does, I hope it is entirely in diary format!

Two problems I found with this book:

The story takes place in 1941 & 1942.One third of the way through the book the author mentions "...a famous missionary like Corrie ten Boom..".Would the character even know that Corrie ten Boom was famous yet?The ten Booms helped hide jews during 1943 & 1944.They were captured in 1944.It wasn't until after the war that we even knew of the Ten Boom family and the help that they offered.Corrie became a missionary after 1944.Corrie ten Boom would not become famous until after the war.So how would the character in The Water & the Blood even know about her?

Page 344 is a complete mess!Apparently the editor fell asleep or couldn't make it to the end and approved the rough draft without finishing the book.A paragraph ends at the top of the page, and it sounds fine.But then you get to the next paragraph and the same sentence that appeared in the previous paragraph is now here.And it is now mixed with new ideas and new sentences.While the new paragraph works, it makes you question which ending of the previous paragraph you would have liked better.And now you wonder how you would have liked to read this new paragraph.Which paragraph should the sentence be in?Very odd and disappointing.

Pure pleasure
Once again, when I read a Nancy Turner book, it was pure pleasure.Since "These Is My Words," (Turner's best so far), I've looked for anything new from her.Ms. Turner has a way of speeding her story along via a country road filled with pebbles of details that you don't even notice at first.It's the details that make you feel a part of the story -- a neighbor listening in on a party line.I much preferred the background and time setting of this book over These Is My Words, but I felt that Gordon being a Navajo was an unnecessary, gratuitous race issue in a story based on racism in the WWII era.Beyond that, the book was truly a pleasure to read.

TheWater and the Blood
Nancy Turner is a very creative writer.Her 4th book gives insight into rural life during the 2nd World War and keeps the mystery going untill the end.Her first 4 books should be recommended highly.!They are hard to put down!

great time piece
I love reading about the mindset of the people in that period, and how one girl rose above it all. Very good story.

One of Turner's best works
Growing up among poor, uneducated farmers in Depression-era East Texas, Frosty Summers is no stranger to prejudice against non-whites. Still, she is unprepared for the horror she feels when one of her friends is dared to set fire to a black church, and the guilt she will carry inside herself for years to come because of it.

Quite unexpectedly, Frosty stumbles upon a black congregation at worship, and finds herself true friendships among its members. She begins to understand that people are all human beings, regardless of skin color.

As World War II begins, Frosty joins the war effort in California, where she finds true love...in a young Native American man who has been hurt by white people before.

This is truly one of Turner's best works. ... Read more

Product Description
Described by one surgeon as "soul-crushing, diamond-making stress," surgery on congenital heart defects is arguably the most difficult of all surgical specialties. Drawing back the hospital curtain for a unique and captivating look at the extraordinary skill and dangerous politics of critical surgery in a pediatric heart center, Michael Ruhlman focuses on the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, where a team of medical specialists—led by idiosyncratic virtuoso Dr. Roger Mee—work on the edge of disaster on a daily basis. Walk on Water offers a rare and dramatic glimpse into a world where the health of innocent children and the hopes of white-knuckled families rest in the hands of all-too-human doctors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Awesome book for parents of CHD
I read this book while my son was still hospitalized due to his serious heart defect. We had already been thrown into the world of CHD and it was nice to read about others in the same position. It was a great insight to the surgeons and what really goes on in the OR. It might be too much for some parents to know all the details, but I am the person who wants to know it all. I couldn't put this book down. It was so well written and as it tells a story, it also gives great information about many types of heart defects. As I was finishing the book, my son was on his last attempt to extubate before they were going to do a tracheostomy. We were discouraged because they said he was doing so well and we would be home within 10 days, and then they said he would probably need a tracheostomy due to breathing problems from the heart defect. The last line of the book said something to the effect of "you are your child's ultimate advocate." After I read that I knew I had to go to the docs the next day and demand they give him more time to show them he could breathe on his own. It proved to be the right thing. After a long 99 day stay, mostly due to airway complications, our son came home within a couple weeks, without a tracheostomy.

The book is not in my possession now, as many family members have asked to read it and it is making the rounds. It helps family members to understand CHD better, the surgeries, and what we have gone through. Can't say enough good about this book!

Outstanding and VERY well written.
I found this book outstanding. The author puts the time into providing a great deal of detail that really make you understand what's going on.
Many people know what it feels like to have a sick child and hand them over to a surgeon, but this book will allow you to know how it feels from the other side of the equation and understand how the doctor feels about it.

I've often wondered if doctors begin to see their work as just another job, but if all doctors are like the doctors written about in this book, then no, they do not..

An Amazing Story....
I'm not a doctor, nor do I know much about medicine, but I was totally captivated by this book from the very first page.Michael Ruhlman is a very gifted writer and story-teller, and this book is a perfect example of how the best writers are able to covey facts and feelings in a way few others can.In this book Mr. Ruhlman seeks to find out what it is that makes great doctors great; perhaps his next book should do the same for writers, with himself as the central character.Bravo!!

MUST if anyone in the family has congenital...
The book is outstanding, particularly if a child or anyone in the family has congenital heart disease.So good that close friends wanted to read it and this is the "spare" copy !

Great read
The book was well written. A must read for anyone having to deal with pediatric heart problems. My daughter is a cardiac surgeon and verified that it is accurate. My only complaint was that the print was misaligned and located close to the binding on a lot of the pages which made reading very annoying. ... Read more