No comments about Taking the Biscuit.

No comments about The Dreamer (Large Print Edition): A Romantic Rendering of the Life-Story of Edgar Allan Poe.

1 comments about The Waterlily.

1. This is the diary of a year in the life of a writer, living in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. It is honest and touching. In this book we get to see the author's frailities as well as her strengths. Kate Llewellyn is a poet and this comes across in her use of words and her observations of the everyday. It is like sitting in her lounge and talking with her about life and friends and shines with an enduring spirit. A very uplifting book - beautifully written and a joy to read.

5 comments about Martin Luther.

1. I've got to give the book 5 stars simply because Marty, a Lutheran, had me disliking the guy at the end :-). It's a much more balanced biography, for example, than Here I Stand, which I read many years ago. Marty is an excellent writer. He uses words well, chooses good words, and doesn't waste them. Marty's writing is one of the highlights of the book. The book moves quickly, which is unusual for a biography. More than that, I think Marty provides a plausible, unifying theme to Luther's life. He was clearly not a fun guy. He was intense, fiercely competitive, short-tempered, "over the top". Unlike many religious biographies, this one portrays a man who was deeply flawed, who arguably never developed a satisfying relationship with God. To Luther, you either saw things exactly his way, or you were his enemy. If people had to die to get his gospel preached (himself or others), oh well. As with some Christians today, he felt perfect confidence that his way was THE way, the ONLY way, and that everyone else, for better or worse, was going to hell.
   
   As an example of steadfastness and single-mindedness, he's awesome. You've got to admire someone who knew so thoroughly what he wanted to accomplish, and pursued it with a vengeance, come whatever may. But I can't help wondering if in his zeal, he missed the heart of God. Luther seems to have had a hatred for anyone who didn't "get it", anyone who stood in his (and therefore the gospel's) way, be they peasants or Jews. Luther was a positive for the world and Christianity, but clearly a very flawed human being.



2. For a reader looking for a concise, relatively short, introduction to the life of one of Christianity's most important figures, "Martin Luther" by Martin Marty is an excellent choice. This book does a good job of surveying the life and teachings of this founder of the Reformation. Marty presents a balanced picture, neither attacking its subject nor ignoring his faults and shortcomings. He generally presents the facts and lets the reader draw his own conclusions. While not ignoring Luther's sensual appetites, Marty explains how they conform to his theological teaching. Luther's attractiveness to princes but his hostility to the empowerment of peasants is an example of an historical fact which limits the vision of Luther as a champion of "democracy" against the establishment.
   
   At times the book seems to focus on Luther's writings and preaching, but later gets into more personal details. I suspect that this reflects the scarcity of the historical record with respect to some parts of Luther's life. While not delving into an analysis of Luther's impact on the world, the mere recitation of his life's work enables the reader to appreciate the tremendous impact which Luther has had on history. The reader, whether Protestant, Catholic or non-religious, who is interested in either religious or secular history will find "Martin Luther" to an worthwhile read.



3. Not as comprehensive as Roland H. Bointon's "Here I Stand". But it will do the job if your time for Martin Luther is very limited. Marty Martin concentrates on providing the reader with an insight into Martin Luther's inner experience.



4. Martin E. Marty doesn't write like one of the most eminent, respected professors of our time. Instead, he introduces the reader to a man he knows well from his studies at the University of Chicago.
   
   Marty's prose is as clear and powerful as the bolt of lightning which terrified young Martin Luther and prompted him to devote his life to the Lord. This relatively short book does a superb job of introducing us to Martin Luther.
   
   We learn that he was a man of his time and that he didn't want people describing themselves as "Lutherans." As a Luthern myself, a lot of Professor Marty's book came as revelation.
   
   Luther shared a lot of the flaws of his age. He was a man of an imperfect time and place. Yet, imperfect as he was, he took his stand where he thought God wanted him to and therein lies his great achievement.
   
   This is a great book about an important man who lived during a critical period of Western History. If you're at all interested in shaking hands with Martin Luther, this is the book for you.
   
   It opens a window on the man and the time in which he lived and it's superbly written. You needn't be a scholar to understand it and it reads more like a good novel than an important biography.
   
   I like it and gave it five stars.



5. This title is a little short, but the content seems ok on the controversial figure of Martin Luther.

5 comments about Second Act (G K Hall Large Print Book Series).

1. when i started to read the book i immediately became involved with miss collins life and it was like she was actually speaking to me although some of the information was incorrect(she stated that when she brought out her signature perfume every woman wanted to be like alexis or krystle. however if one was to look in the photos of joan with donald trump and ivana trump it says it was in 1990. dynasty had finished a year earlier due to falling ratings)it was neverthe less a brilliant read.



2. At first i thought this memoir was a rehash of her Past Imperfect (which i enjoyed immensely), but from the beginning, it was clear that JC had plenty more to say. This is an amusing, bright woman, with keen insight. Her discriptions of her meetings with Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Mae West are priceless, PRICELESS i tell you. One must fully realize that the phenomenon known as Celebrity happens to so few people, that its fascinating when one of "them" actually talks about it. Its also hysterical when she discusses how people treated her as if she were Alexis, the conniving b#@%h, when in fact she is a nice mother of 3 and step mother of 3. Doesnt it scare you when you hear that people actually believe that the characters she performed were real. Or that she was asked to give advice (as Alexis)? The revelation here isnt that she can write (she can), its that she continues to be a interesting woman, a beauty, and is gifted with an amazing memory.



3. Joan's first book, Past Imperfect, was absolutely awful! In fact, I gave it a grand rating of ONE star! So when I saw this book, Second Act, on sale at the local library, being a glutton for punishment, I decided to read it. Well, I was happily surprised as I turned the pages and read an entirely different Joan Collins. This book was extremely entertaining as Joan told about her very eventful life. All the famous people she worked with. I had fully expected another bunch of dribble like her first book which was filled with 'poor ol me' stories about her husbands screwing her over but this book turned out to be the total opposite. Maybe Joan learned by her first disasterous attempt at writing that it's not at all easy to be a best selling novelist as her sister Jackie is. This book was obviously researched and edited a lot better than her other one. So, I will give it three stars and if you're a Joan Collins fan, then this is definately a 'must read' for you.



4. Joan's life has been a roller-coaster but she's managed it with grace. In this book she talks about her loves, children, career and friends with deep emotion and tongue-in-cheek humor all at the same time. It's full of beautiful pictures and is a treat for her fans.



5. Very good, juicey and fun. Thanks Ms. Collins for writing this really provocative and warm book about many vast experiences, and for putting a little extra spring in my step!

No comments about EVEntful Years (ISIS Reminiscence).

No comments about Railway of Hell.

No comments about Uncle George and Company (Reminiscence).

No comments about A Wiltshire Childhood (Isis (Hardcover Large Print)).

5 comments about Buddha.

1. This book is below the expectancies the reader might have from other works by Karen Armstrong. The relationship between Siddhattha Gotama's life and his Teachings is essentially the intermediate path (the eightfold noble path). The tradition says the noble path balances the luxurious life of Gotama's first twenty nine years against the following painful six years of ascetic life. You do not need half of the book to explain this. There is no biography of the Buddha for the next forty years (no sequence of events, no chronology), neither in this book, nor in the Pali Canon. Only his last three months are described in detail in the discourse of the last days of the Buddha. Karen Armstrong packs Buddha's message in the middle chapters (Dhamma and Mission) with a final result which is neither a biography, nor an essay. There are no references of the author's own experience with the application of Buddhist messages in her own life. I did enjoy Ms. Armstrong's narrative, which is excellent as the good writer she is, particularly in the Introduction section.
   Gustavo Estrada Hacia el Buda desde el occidente: Sus Ensenanzas sin mitos ni misterios



2. By staying objective, and only telling us what can be known without making any outside assumptions, Karen Armstrong truly delves further into the life of this amazing man than anyone could have otherwise. There is not a single book on the subject of Buddhism that I find myself mentally referring to more often, simply because of her objective nature on the subject. Extremely well written and worth the read for instruction, an introduction on the philosophy or simply a history lesson.



3. It's difficult to fit this subject into the usual "Penguin Lives" format. As Armstrong acknowledges, we really know hardly anything about his dates of birth and death, many of the places mentioned in the early Pali texts (she uses this form of transliteration which differs from traditional Western spellings of even the name of the Buddha let alone terms for his concepts) no longer can be found, and the scriptures tend towards supernatural contests as often as they do pithy exchanges between mortals with names, if not developed characterizations. The absence of the texture of daily life that we gain from more familiar Jewish, Christian, or Muslim texts makes the study of the formative years of Siddhama Gotana challenging even in simplified form in a couple of hundred pages for the general reader.
   
   However, as I'm that reader, wanting a introduction to a topic I know next to nothing about, Armstrong's succinct summary met my needs. On the other hand, parts of even this short text dragged-- the fourth chapther on "Mission" with its accounts of internecine warfare between chieftains and strife within the burgeoning communities of adepts who followed the "dhamma" failed to rouse much of my attention. The most moving section can be found in her paraphrasing of the end of the Buddha's life. She tells the story well: "the Buddha experienced an extinction that was, paradoxically, the supreme state of being and the final goal of humanity" (187); she shows how he struggled to overcome "the distorting aura egotism that clouds the judgment of most human beings" (187).
   
   Especially strong are the background chapters that place the birth of Buddhism within the yogi practices and Hindu caste system, and that compare the rise of the new "dhamma" within the contexts of the Axial Age's shift from unchanging, unquestioned roles for gods vs. humans into a restless, almost existential, despair that Siddhama himself experienced. Armstrong shows how and why he left his sleeping wife and child, and why this separation would have been seen as necessary.
   
   Similarly, she explains the persistent structure of gender roles and how the women were placed in a subordinate position even as followers; likewise, the laity had to assume an auxiliary status and could not attain the full potential that only the monks could aspire towards. While Armstrong compliments Buddha's teaching as the first that broke out of a tribal or specialized group to offer enlightenment to all, it remains inevitably disappointing that the everyday pursuits of making a living, raising families, and tending to one's necessities turn into barriers to fulfillment, then as now, for most of the religious and spiritual paths that have been developed with roots in the Axial Age of 800-200 BCE. This isn't a fault of such systems as Buddhism, and Armstrong does her best to place this approach to holiness within the confines of its feudal times, but it does keep the full realization of what the Buddha offered to the rest of humanity at a bit of distance from the mundane preoccupations that consume much of our efforts.
   
   The liberation and the freedom from such worldly concerns turns interior for much of this narrative, and it's difficult material to make vivid on the static page. Armstrong relies on both the primary texts and interpretations to try to enliven this journey within to those of us who stand outside of the process towards "Nibbana" and away from "samsara." A list of further reading might have aided us after we close this study.
   
   Armstrong's a skilled interpreter for popular readerships of monotheistic faiths from the Middle East. The strengths lie in how she compares and contrasts the traditions more familiar to Westerners with the more esoteric nature of a less theistically based, more subtle and ethically centered tradition in Buddhism. However, I also wondered if Armstrong found herself a bit out of her familiar expertise with this daunting subject. She's a well-placed interpreter, but I did keep aware that she, not speaking from within the tradition, might not have been able to master the nuances and lived experiences that could have clarified and revivified what remain rather unfamiliar concepts for most of her English-speaking readers.



4. Karen Armstrong's BUDDHA is the first book I would give to someone who is "going forth" on a personal spiritual quest. My own Dear One gave me a copy of the book shortly after I'd begun my serious study of Tibetan Buddhism, and though I earnestly commenced reading, I found it tough going. Armstrong's historical perspective seemed vast, too much for me to absorb and make meaningful sense of.
   
   But a year later, something happened that proved to me all over again my belief that it's magic when a book finds you, when your spirit is aligned with the author's intent. I picked up the book one morning, beginning where I'd left off on page 14, and could not put it down. It was all so clear to me! Rather than putting me off, Armstrong's historical perspective seemed like a gourmet feast to a hungry traveler. I delighted in contemplating the rise of Buddhism on the tableau of history that included the founding and significant principles of all of the world's great religions.
   
   Armstrong succeeds in humanizing a figure who lived and died 2,500 years ago. In the process, she vividly evokes the political intrigue, social and popular culture that formed Guatama Buddha and struggled to comprehend and adjust to his marvelous message of freedom and living for the benefit of others.
   
   One of the most fascinating aspects of Armstrong's narrative involves the revelation that The Buddha's world before him was so ego-driven, and that in many ways his message actually begins where our understanding of modern psychology ends! Indeed, what is new is old, sometimes so old we have forgotten it!
   
   Read this book to discover many more examples, and read it and talk about it to continue your individual spiritual journey. As a history, as a spiritual and psychological text, Armstrongs BUDDHA is magnificent!
   
   --Robert McDowell, The Poetry Mentor (www.robertmcdowell.net), is the author of POETRY AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (July 15th, 2008) from Free Press.



5. If a person wishes to understand a basic but thorough overview of Buddhism during it's development, this book is very good, in fact, excellent. With a 3 year background of studying Buddhist texts, I found this book to be a Go-To primer to recommend to folks who are interested in the Buddha and want to know more.
   HikerBOB