Jeff's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 21 Mar 2025 19:05:19 -0700 60 Jeff's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg She Likes You, Charlie Brown! 2094057 128 Charles M. Schulz 0449207889 Jeff 1
FINAL READ: January 18, 2017 (* Rating)
A couple segments had me grin but no outburst of laughter from the gut ever occurred. Just another book to give away to Value Village or elsewhere.

Merged review:

1st Read: April 7, 1987 (** Rating)

FINAL READ: January 18, 2017 (* Rating)
A couple segments had me grin but no outburst of laughter from the gut ever occurred. Just another book to give away to Value Village or elsewhere.]]> 4.00 1985 She Likes You, Charlie Brown!
author: Charles M. Schulz
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1985
rating: 1
read at: 2017/01/19
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: 1987, childrens-picture-books, 2017, gave-to-jen
review:
1st Read: April 7, 1987 (** Rating)

FINAL READ: January 18, 2017 (* Rating)
A couple segments had me grin but no outburst of laughter from the gut ever occurred. Just another book to give away to Value Village or elsewhere.

Merged review:

1st Read: April 7, 1987 (** Rating)

FINAL READ: January 18, 2017 (* Rating)
A couple segments had me grin but no outburst of laughter from the gut ever occurred. Just another book to give away to Value Village or elsewhere.
]]> <![CDATA[Manual of the Warrior of Light]]> 70746 268 Paulo Coelho 0007156324 Jeff 0 to-read 3.59 Manual of the Warrior of Light
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.59
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tongues 28562632
As the body count continues to rise, Catherine walks into one nightmare after another, uncovering a secret plot involving a group of neo-Nazis, top-level federal government, and the strange world of the occult--with global implications.

Before long, Catherine finds herself trapped in a terrifying world that she doesn't understand. And might not escape from.]]> 281 Sam Joyce 099350471X Jeff 3
1st Read: April 3, 2017 - April 5, 2017 (*** Rating)

Having read this book over a couple of days, I can say that it has a great story with some memorable characters. The suspense could have been drawn out more than it was, as well as more detail in some of the more chilling scenes.

The town of Elena, Texas could very well become the Castle Rock, Maine of Stephen King novels, if the author chooses to write a sequel(s) to Tongues. The horrors which were happening in Elena could not end with Carmen's fate alone, as a town possessed by a demon entity would call for another chapter - hence the sequel. There is another story or three that is left untold.

Good storytelling that grabs and baits you, dragging you into the pages as you read. Not bad for a first book!]]> 3.98 Tongues
author: Sam Joyce
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/30
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: 2017, fictional-horror, occult
review:
The author and I had been corresponding with each other since late January of this year, in regards to reading his first book and to give it an honest review. He'd asked if I'd read the Kindle version of his book and I complied.

1st Read: April 3, 2017 - April 5, 2017 (*** Rating)

Having read this book over a couple of days, I can say that it has a great story with some memorable characters. The suspense could have been drawn out more than it was, as well as more detail in some of the more chilling scenes.

The town of Elena, Texas could very well become the Castle Rock, Maine of Stephen King novels, if the author chooses to write a sequel(s) to Tongues. The horrors which were happening in Elena could not end with Carmen's fate alone, as a town possessed by a demon entity would call for another chapter - hence the sequel. There is another story or three that is left untold.

Good storytelling that grabs and baits you, dragging you into the pages as you read. Not bad for a first book!
]]> <![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days (Everyman's Library)]]> 7305995 336 Jules Verne 0460874667 Jeff 0 to-read 3.67 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days (Everyman's Library)
author: Jules Verne
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1872
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Adventures into the Psychic 11900704
Telepathy, reincarnation, mediumship, psychic healing, astrology, prophecy. These and other strange phenomena are beacons in the terra incognita of the human mind - that uncharted territory where
the unknown begins.

Jess Stearn is one of today's foremost writers and psychic explorers. In this remarkable book, he guides you through the fascinating world of extrasensory research and discovery, discussing such amazing happenings as the predicted deaths of John and Robert Kennedy, the extraordinary cures of Edgar Cayce, and fully documented occurrences of reincarnation and spirit contact. In addition, Mr Stearn provides detailed reports on the psychic experiences of Jeanne Dixon, Arthur Ford, General George Patton, Peter Hurkos, Bishop James Pike, Taylor Caldwell, Mark Twain, Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, and many others, including the author himself.]]> 240 Jess Stearn 0451045122 Jeff 4
Very informative, and as always, interesting subject matter. I had most definitely absorbed this one for the most part; being truly into it for its educational purposes.

2nd/ Final Read: July 2, 2018 - July 19, 2018 (*** Rating)

I still found this interesting as much as my previous read and will find more books like it. More than likely, I'll pass this one off to a friend who has similar reading tastes.

]]> 3.33 1969 Adventures into the Psychic
author: Jess Stearn
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/19
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves: new-age, prophecy, psychology, 2014, 2018
review:
1st Read: November 28, 2014 - December 5, 2014 (**** Rating)

Very informative, and as always, interesting subject matter. I had most definitely absorbed this one for the most part; being truly into it for its educational purposes.

2nd/ Final Read: July 2, 2018 - July 19, 2018 (*** Rating)

I still found this interesting as much as my previous read and will find more books like it. More than likely, I'll pass this one off to a friend who has similar reading tastes.


]]> Love - selected quotations 23588595 128 Paulo Coelho Jeff 0 to-read 3.58 2009 Love - selected quotations
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings]]> 899771 1178 J.R.R. Tolkien 0261103563 Jeff 0 to-read 4.68 1954 The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.68
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children, #4)]]> 947916 975 Jean M. Auel 034082445X Jeff 0 to-read 3.50 1990 The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children, #4)
author: Jean M. Auel
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> It 11381895
It is the children who see - and feel - what made the small town of Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurks, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes IT reaches up, seizing, tearing, killing...

Time passes and the children grow up, move away and forget. Until they are called back, once more to confront IT as it sirs and coils in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make their past nightmares a terrible present reality.]]> 1376 Stephen King Jeff 0 to-read 4.17 1986 It
author: Stephen King
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1986
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Awakening Upon Dying]]> 15797775 Ěý
Revealing a set of instructions designed to facilitate the inner liberation of the dead or dying person, the book provides a guide to navigating the bardo--the interval between death and rebirth. Originally composed by Padmasambhava, an important Indian master of the eighth century, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was concealed in Tibet until it was discovered in the fourteenth century by Karma Lingpa, a famous Tibetan tertön (discoverer of ancient texts). Describing in detail the characteristics and fantastic visions of each stage beyond death, the book includes invocations to be read aloud to the dying person, to help his or her successful journey toward the stage of liberation.
Ěý
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu's introduction clarifies the texts from the Dzogchen point of view and provides a scholarly summary of the ancient material based on his oral teachings and written works. In addition, material from several of NamkhaiĚýNorbu's more recent written works and oral teachers have been added, including an essay on the four intermediate states after death entitled Birth, Life, and Death . A full-color 16-page insert of traditional Tibetan art highlights Tibet's unique aesthetic wisdom.]]> 320 Padmasambhava 1583945555 Jeff 0 to-read 3.77 1350 The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Awakening Upon Dying
author: Padmasambhava
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1350
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Just After Sunset 11275658 526 Stephen King Jeff 0 to-read 3.72 2008 Just After Sunset
author: Stephen King
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/05/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Will of an Eccentric 19646643 312 Jules Verne 1484005155 Jeff 0 to-read 4.02 1899 Will of an Eccentric
author: Jules Verne
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1899
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Aleph 13573214 Transform your life. Rewrite your destiny.

In his most personal novel to date, internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho returns with a remarkable journey of self-discovery. Like the main character in his much-beloved The Alchemist, Paulo is facing a grave crisis of faith. As he seeks a path of spiritual renewal and growth, his only real option is to begin again—to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the landscapes around him.

Setting off to Africa, and then to Europe and Asia via the Trans-Siberian railroad, he initiates a journey to revitalize his energy and passion. Even so, he never expects to meet Hilal. A gifted young violinist, she is the woman Paulo loved five hundred years before—and the woman he betrayed in an act of cowardice so far-reaching that it prevents him from finding real happiness in this life. Together they will initiate a mystical voyage through time and space, traveling a path that teaches love, forgiveness, and the courage to overcome life’s inevitable challenges. Beautiful and inspiring, Aleph invites us to consider the meaning of our own personal journeys.]]> 288 Paulo Coelho 0307744574 Jeff 0 to-read 3.48 2010 Aleph
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Introduction To Sociology 24437170 438 Jerry D. Rose Jeff 2 January 1, 2003 - January 27, 2003 (*** Rating)

This is the most deep and intellectual subject matter I have read in my time since being out of high school. While reading this, I took notes periodically and sometimes underlined certain sentences or full paragraphs. This should prove to be beneficial in years to come for finding certain information that much more quicker.

It was a perfect introductory textbook for anyone interested in the science of sociology. The copy I have is a dated textbook from 1971 and I am assuming it has been discontinued. I say this as new understandings are being discovered through research and studies, which would and most likely have been documented in newer versions of the book. These new findings and books I would recommend if truly interested in the subject.

I will have to re-read it, as I couldn't concentrate enough the first time. It may have something to do with attempting to read during my lunch breaks at work. Too often, co-workers and other staff were always wanting to talk with me. Why do people do this? I don't distract them when they are watching television. Perhaps to find an answer to that question, it may be revealed in the book itself!

2nd/Final Read: February 11, 2018 - March 11, 2018 (** Rating)

It started out okay, but I could not get into this one again after nearly ten chapters and 166 pages. For much of the same reasons (excuses?) as my first attempt with it, I had to put it down as I could only read a few pages or an odd chapter at a time. Not my best choice in reading material, though I love Psychology, which is a conundrum of sorts!

This book put me four books behind schedule and I will have to recover the time through intense reading from here on in with material I gravitate towards.]]> 2.00 1971 Introduction To Sociology
author: Jerry D. Rose
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.00
book published: 1971
rating: 2
read at: 2018/03/11
date added: 2020/03/15
shelves: psychology, sociology, 2002, 2003, 2018, stopped-reading, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 21, 2002 - December 31, 2002
January 1, 2003 - January 27, 2003 (*** Rating)

This is the most deep and intellectual subject matter I have read in my time since being out of high school. While reading this, I took notes periodically and sometimes underlined certain sentences or full paragraphs. This should prove to be beneficial in years to come for finding certain information that much more quicker.

It was a perfect introductory textbook for anyone interested in the science of sociology. The copy I have is a dated textbook from 1971 and I am assuming it has been discontinued. I say this as new understandings are being discovered through research and studies, which would and most likely have been documented in newer versions of the book. These new findings and books I would recommend if truly interested in the subject.

I will have to re-read it, as I couldn't concentrate enough the first time. It may have something to do with attempting to read during my lunch breaks at work. Too often, co-workers and other staff were always wanting to talk with me. Why do people do this? I don't distract them when they are watching television. Perhaps to find an answer to that question, it may be revealed in the book itself!

2nd/Final Read: February 11, 2018 - March 11, 2018 (** Rating)

It started out okay, but I could not get into this one again after nearly ten chapters and 166 pages. For much of the same reasons (excuses?) as my first attempt with it, I had to put it down as I could only read a few pages or an odd chapter at a time. Not my best choice in reading material, though I love Psychology, which is a conundrum of sorts!

This book put me four books behind schedule and I will have to recover the time through intense reading from here on in with material I gravitate towards.
]]> <![CDATA[Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology]]> 24870551
"Based on Encyclopedia of Occultism by Lewis Spence, London, 1920, and Encyclopedia of Psychic Science by Nandor Fodor, London, 1934, substantially revised by Leslie Shepard and supplemented by new material written by him."]]> 539 Leslie A. Shepard 0810349167 Jeff 4 1st Read: May 30, 1996 - September 15, 1996

Another book I could not sign out of the downtown library in Calgary, Alberta. I'd spent quite a few hours reading this one while taking notes at the same time.

Very educational, taboo and enough to make people turn their heads and give you certain looks once they see the title. Different strokes, for different folks as the cliche goes. I loved that this book breaks down so much of the subject matter into mini chapters.

Like most sought after books, this one is no exception. I recently saw it listed for over $11,000.00 on more than a few sites!!!??? That is a lot of money for a book. Some people will pay it. Not me!]]> 4.00 1978 Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology
author: Leslie A. Shepard
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at: 1996/09/15
date added: 2019/11/11
shelves: 1996, new-age, philosophy-metaphysics-kinesics, spirits-paranormal-supernatural, reference, spirituality, vampires-dracula, science
review:

1st Read: May 30, 1996 - September 15, 1996

Another book I could not sign out of the downtown library in Calgary, Alberta. I'd spent quite a few hours reading this one while taking notes at the same time.

Very educational, taboo and enough to make people turn their heads and give you certain looks once they see the title. Different strokes, for different folks as the cliche goes. I loved that this book breaks down so much of the subject matter into mini chapters.

Like most sought after books, this one is no exception. I recently saw it listed for over $11,000.00 on more than a few sites!!!??? That is a lot of money for a book. Some people will pay it. Not me!
]]> Family Without A Name 32870326 The few acres of ice now form a Dominion, with an area larger than that of Europe.

In the year of 1534 a Frenchman, Jacques Cartier, landed, and took possession of this vast territory.

A few facts, a few dates, will suffice us to trace the progress of this important state from its foundation to the period between 1830 and 1840, in which the events recorded in this history took place.

]]> 286 Jules Verne 1484004957 Jeff 0 to-read 0.0 1889 Family Without A Name
author: Jules Verne
name: Jeff
average rating: 0.0
book published: 1889
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/05/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Catriona 20650814 Kidnapped tells the further story of the central character David Balfour as he attempts to solve the Appin murder and absolve himself and his friend, Alan Breck.]]> 363 Robert Louis Stevenson Jeff 0 to-read 3.65 1893 Catriona
author: Robert Louis Stevenson
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1893
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/05/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Complete Essays, Vol. I: 1920-1925]]> 30562 510 Aldous Huxley 1566633222 Jeff 0 to-read 4.42 2000 Complete Essays, Vol. I: 1920-1925
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Complete Essays, Vol. VI: 1956-1963]]> 273157 416 Aldous Huxley 1566634644 Jeff 0 to-read 4.56 2002 Complete Essays, Vol. VI: 1956-1963
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Complete Essays, Vol. V: 1939-1956]]> 119702 476 Aldous Huxley 1566634415 Jeff 0 to-read 4.55 2002 Complete Essays, Vol. V: 1939-1956
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Complete Essays, Vol. IV: 1936-1938]]> 30569 416 Aldous Huxley 156663394X Jeff 0 to-read 4.30 2001 Complete Essays, Vol. IV: 1936-1938
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Complete Essays, Vol. III: 1930-1935]]> 645097 653 Aldous Huxley 1566633478 Jeff 0 to-read 4.09 2001 Complete Essays, Vol. III: 1930-1935
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life]]> 29875487 New York Times Bestseller

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited�"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.

There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.]]> 206 Mark Manson 0062641549 Jeff 0 to-read 3.88 2016 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
author: Mark Manson
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Prince 168661 The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince... a king...a president. When, in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his post in his beloved Florence, he resolved to set down a treatise on leadership that was practical, not idealistic. The prince he envisioned would be unencumbered by ordinary ethical and moral values; his prince would be man and beast, fox and lion. Today, this small sixteenth-century masterpiece has become essential reading for every student of government, and is the ultimate book on power politics.

This Bantam Classic edition of The Prince includes selections from Machiavelli's Discourses as well as an introduction and notes by the translator, Daniel Donno.]]> 166 Niccolò Machiavelli 0553212788 Jeff 0 currently-reading 3.67 1513 The Prince
author: Niccolò Machiavelli
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1513
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Grapes of Wrath 504729 455 John Steinbeck 0140281622 Jeff 5 - The first 15 chapters.

- January 1, 2019 - January 13, 2019
Remaining chapters. (5 Stars)

This book is a Rite of Passage! It needs to be read by everyone once in their life! Very moving story with memorable characters in times of hopes and dreams, despair and loss and most of all, hope and faith.

It is understandable why it remains an American Classic. It became a new favorite of mine before I started the 23rd chapter]]> 4.03 1939 The Grapes of Wrath
author: John Steinbeck
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/13
date added: 2019/01/13
shelves: 2018, 2019, all-time-favorites, classics
review:
1st Read: Nov. 30, 2018 - Dec. 31, 2018
- The first 15 chapters.

- January 1, 2019 - January 13, 2019
Remaining chapters. (5 Stars)

This book is a Rite of Passage! It needs to be read by everyone once in their life! Very moving story with memorable characters in times of hopes and dreams, despair and loss and most of all, hope and faith.

It is understandable why it remains an American Classic. It became a new favorite of mine before I started the 23rd chapter
]]> Chronicles, Volume One 14318 "I'd come from a long ways off and had started a long ways down. But now destiny was about to manifest itself. I felt like it was looking right at me and nobody else." So writes Bob Dylan in Chronicles: Volume One, his remarkable book exploring critical junctures in his life and career.

Through Dylan's eyes and open mind, we see Greenwich Village, circa 1961, when he first arrives in Manhattan. Dylan's New York is a magical city of possibilities -- smoky, nightlong parties; literary awakenings; transient loves and unbreakable friendships. Elegiac observations are punctuated by jabs of memories, penetrating and tough. With the book's side trips to New Orleans, Woodstock, Minnesota and points west, Chronicles: Volume One is an intimate and intensely personal recollection of extraordinary times.

By turns revealing, poetical, passionate and witty, Chronicles: Volume One is a mesmerizing window on Bob Dylan's thoughts and influences. Dylan's voice is distinctively American: generous of spirit, engaged, fanciful and rhythmic. Utilizing his unparalleled gifts of storytelling and the exquisite expressiveness that are the hallmarks of his music, Bob Dylan turns Chronicles: Volume One into a poignant reflection on life, and the people and places that helped shape the man and the art.]]> 320 Bob Dylan 0743244583 Jeff 4
1st Read: November 5, 2018 - November 15, 2018 (**** rating)

Very refreshing to read a musicians story without the sexual escapades and the drug and alcohol abuse, which is so familiar in other biographies and autobiographies.

Bob writes well and paints a picture of his journey that is so clear, you feel as though you were there with him during the journey.

]]> 3.98 2004 Chronicles, Volume One
author: Bob Dylan
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/15
date added: 2018/11/15
shelves: biography, music, auto-biography, 2018
review:
My copy has the same cover, has 293 pages and shares the ISBN 13: 978-0-7432-4458-9 and ISBN 10: 0-7432-4458-3 with another edition.

1st Read: November 5, 2018 - November 15, 2018 (**** rating)

Very refreshing to read a musicians story without the sexual escapades and the drug and alcohol abuse, which is so familiar in other biographies and autobiographies.

Bob writes well and paints a picture of his journey that is so clear, you feel as though you were there with him during the journey.


]]> The Sun Also Rises 91878 Vintage hardcover 256 Ernest Hemingway 0020518706 Jeff 2 2018, fiction
The language the characters spoke was English, but it was so dated that it sounded stupid as I read it. Mainly, as no one speaks that way anymore.

It wasn't a great story (for me) by any means. I'd not read it again. Hopefully, this doesn't ruin any other Hemingway books to come into my hands to read. It was just another book to finish reading to say I'd read it.]]> 3.66 1926 The Sun Also Rises
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1926
rating: 2
read at: 2018/11/04
date added: 2018/11/05
shelves: 2018, fiction
review:
1st/Final Read: October 29, 2018 - November 4, 2018 (** Rating)

The language the characters spoke was English, but it was so dated that it sounded stupid as I read it. Mainly, as no one speaks that way anymore.

It wasn't a great story (for me) by any means. I'd not read it again. Hopefully, this doesn't ruin any other Hemingway books to come into my hands to read. It was just another book to finish reading to say I'd read it.
]]> Watchers 32423
A lonely widower; a ruthless assassin; a beautiful woman; a government agent.

Drawn together in a deadly hunt, all four are inexorably propelled towards a confrontation with an evil beyond human imagining.]]> 624 Dean Koontz Jeff 5 2018 4.17 1987 Watchers
author: Dean Koontz
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/10/31
shelves: 2018
review:

]]> The Broker 6480511 used book 422 John Grisham 0440296439 Jeff 2 2018, fiction
1st Read: September 22, 2018 - October 29, 2018 (** Rating)

This one didn't grab me at all - judging by the time it took me to read it. No real page-turning reading at all in my opinion. It's just not my choice of reading material, but gave it a go, as people keep giving me books to read.]]> 3.40 2005 The Broker
author: John Grisham
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2005
rating: 2
read at: 2018/10/29
date added: 2018/10/31
shelves: 2018, fiction
review:
The ISBN# of 0-440-24158-8 of my book is shared with a similar copy.

1st Read: September 22, 2018 - October 29, 2018 (** Rating)

This one didn't grab me at all - judging by the time it took me to read it. No real page-turning reading at all in my opinion. It's just not my choice of reading material, but gave it a go, as people keep giving me books to read.
]]> A Painted House 18396353 Thus begins the new novel from John Grisham, a story inspired by his own childhood in rural Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents in a little house that's never been painted. The Chandlers farm eighty acres that they rent, not own, and when the cotton is ready they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it.

For six weeks they pick cotton, battling the heat, the rain, the fatigue, and sometimes each other. As the weeks pass Luke sees and hears things no seven-year-old could possibly be prepared for, and he finds himself keeping secrets that not only threaten the crop but will change the lives of the Chandlers forever.

©2000, 2001 Belfry Holdings, Inc. (P)2001 Random House, Inc. Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, a Division of Random House, Inc.]]> 465 John Grisham Jeff 4 2018, fiction
1st Read: September 9-21, 2018 (**** Rating)

I really enjoyed this story and as one review stated, it does have "memorable characters".

For some reason though, The Walton family of the TV series always came to mind while reading. Particularly, with the character, Pappy and Luke's father. Luke, though, always came to mind as the boy from the movie, "Sling Blade".

Enjoyable despite the visual mind aspect.]]> 3.89 2001 A Painted House
author: John Grisham
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2018/09/21
date added: 2018/10/31
shelves: 2018, fiction
review:
My copy has the same cover. The ISBN#: 0-440-29598-X is shared with a similar copy.

1st Read: September 9-21, 2018 (**** Rating)

I really enjoyed this story and as one review stated, it does have "memorable characters".

For some reason though, The Walton family of the TV series always came to mind while reading. Particularly, with the character, Pappy and Luke's father. Luke, though, always came to mind as the boy from the movie, "Sling Blade".

Enjoyable despite the visual mind aspect.
]]> Wild Animus 25854639 315 Rich Shapero Jeff 3 2018, fiction
For whatever reason, I could not get into this book. It seemed to lack something from the first chapters up to the end of the book.

I didn't enjoy any of the characters in the story either, aside from the wolves. Maybe you have to read this on LSD to keep up with the character, Sam/Ransom, as he ate the drug like it was candy.

I read it just to finish it.]]> 2.00 2004 Wild Animus
author: Rich Shapero
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.00
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2018/09/07
date added: 2018/10/31
shelves: 2018, fiction
review:
1st/Final Read: August 27, 2018 - September 7, 2018 (** Rating)

For whatever reason, I could not get into this book. It seemed to lack something from the first chapters up to the end of the book.

I didn't enjoy any of the characters in the story either, aside from the wolves. Maybe you have to read this on LSD to keep up with the character, Sam/Ransom, as he ate the drug like it was candy.

I read it just to finish it.
]]> <![CDATA[National Geographic Magazine: Treasures of Egypt]]> 24630353
Los antiguos egipcios fueron un pueblo notable y conocemos más de ellos que de cualquier otra cultura que fue contemporánea con ellos. Conocemos sus nombres, sus vínculos de familia, sus batallas y sus triunfos. Sabemos cómo vivieron y cómo esperaban ser recordados por la eternidad. Esta edición de coleccionista te presenta una de las civilización más gloriosas del mundo -¡disfruta el viaje!

ĂŤ˛Ô»ĺľ±ł¦±đ

Del editor

- RĂ­o de El Nilo
- Majestad en Las pirámides
- Leyendas Reyes y reinas
- El tesoro de TutankamĂł Oro y gloria
- Dioses en la Multitud todopoderosa
- Orfebres del Las momias
- La casa de la La vida en el más allá]]> 120 Demetra Aposporos Jeff 5 1st Read: January 5, 2003 - January 7, 2003

A nice little magazine put together from many written stories about and photographed of Ancient Egypt through past issues. It wasn't much longer after this, when I'd started to really dig into Egypt and its history. Always loved history in high school and Egypt stands out among the best for me! This magazine is a great add to any collection. ]]> 5.00 2003 National Geographic Magazine: Treasures of Egypt
author: Demetra Aposporos
name: Jeff
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2003/01/07
date added: 2018/10/25
shelves: anthologies-collections, egypt, history, non-fiction, photography, reference, 2003
review:

1st Read: January 5, 2003 - January 7, 2003

A nice little magazine put together from many written stories about and photographed of Ancient Egypt through past issues. It wasn't much longer after this, when I'd started to really dig into Egypt and its history. Always loved history in high school and Egypt stands out among the best for me! This magazine is a great add to any collection.
]]> Godfrey Morgan 27024072 160 Jules Verne 150769993X Jeff 0 to-read 0.0 1882 Godfrey Morgan
author: Jules Verne
name: Jeff
average rating: 0.0
book published: 1882
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/10/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Holy Bible - King James Version]]> 24552714 1266 Anonymous Jeff 3 For the life of me I do not know these names and had never heard of them. What I do know, is that I periodically engage myself in reading the pages in this book from time to time. I have never finished it, although I have started it many times.
This may be that I find there are so many unanswered questions and who knows how many missing pages, or ones that were pulled from it before printing. Such as, If Adam and Eve were the first man and woman, having two sons, Cane and Abel...where did their wives come from? I am left to believe they were fruitful and multiplied with their own mother Eve! Sacrilegious thoughts for sure. But explain Noah's own family repopulating the world with their own incestuous ways! That in itself has to be an abomination to God!
I find it interesting and all, it is just that there are far too many questions left unanswered for me. I am aware that "God works in mysterious ways...", but that in itself is such a cliche that I no longer accept or support it when people throw those words out at me. ]]> 4.00 1611 Holy Bible - King James Version
author: Anonymous
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1611
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/10/07
shelves: christian-religion-theology, how-to-guide, classics, non-fiction, ongoing-reading-material, philosophy-metaphysics-kinesics, prophecy, self-help, biography, to-read
review:
I have no recollection as to where this version of The Holy Bible came from, or where I was when I obtained it. Inside, glued to the first page is a label with an insignia about the size of a Canadian quarter at the top center. It reads: Queen & Constitution - Orange Association, British America, around its outer edges. Below the insignia are the words, "presented to", printed in calligraphy and the gentleman's name, (Geo. Ulmer Edwards). More calligraphy below that, "On His Initiation", dated May 10, 1962 and two names below his. They are Ernest Humble (W.M) and R.W. Sandernook (Rec. Sec.)
For the life of me I do not know these names and had never heard of them. What I do know, is that I periodically engage myself in reading the pages in this book from time to time. I have never finished it, although I have started it many times.
This may be that I find there are so many unanswered questions and who knows how many missing pages, or ones that were pulled from it before printing. Such as, If Adam and Eve were the first man and woman, having two sons, Cane and Abel...where did their wives come from? I am left to believe they were fruitful and multiplied with their own mother Eve! Sacrilegious thoughts for sure. But explain Noah's own family repopulating the world with their own incestuous ways! That in itself has to be an abomination to God!
I find it interesting and all, it is just that there are far too many questions left unanswered for me. I am aware that "God works in mysterious ways...", but that in itself is such a cliche that I no longer accept or support it when people throw those words out at me.
]]> <![CDATA[Journal of the Dead: A Story of Friendship and Murder in the New Mexico Desert]]> 587214 236 Jason Kersten 0060959223 Jeff 3 2018, non-fiction, true-crime
1st Read: August 21-26, 2018

An adventure story turned tragic. Not too bad of a read, though, I wouldn't read it again.]]> 3.53 2002 Journal of the Dead: A Story of Friendship and Murder in the New Mexico Desert
author: Jason Kersten
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/26
date added: 2018/08/27
shelves: 2018, non-fiction, true-crime
review:
My copy of this book shares the ISBN# with another one. It is also 236 pages with a few photos.

1st Read: August 21-26, 2018

An adventure story turned tragic. Not too bad of a read, though, I wouldn't read it again.
]]> <![CDATA[Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder: None Too Fragile]]> 7297168 No Code, and its recent chart-topping return to form Backspacer. Extraordinary successes are counterpointed with scandals, personnel changes, band tensions, and substance abuse, all punctuated with revealing photographs. In Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder: None Too Fragile, the author brings to life the band’s captivating story: they're traced from their beginnings amidst Seattle’s grunge underground through the excesses and pressures of superstardom, to the their current incarnation as mature rock heavyweights. Fully revised, this edition features previously unpublished facts and stories as well as an updated, comprehensive discography.]]> 192 Martin Clarke 0859654443 Jeff 3 biography, music, 2018
Overall, it wasn't too bad. There was an anecdote which is wrong; when describing where Pearl Jam was as a band. "Ten" had not been released yet, but somehow "Superunknown" from Soundgarden was.

That is my only rant about the book.]]> 3.18 1998 Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder: None Too Fragile
author: Martin Clarke
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.18
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/20
date added: 2018/08/27
shelves: biography, music, 2018
review:
1st Read: August 19-20, 2018

Overall, it wasn't too bad. There was an anecdote which is wrong; when describing where Pearl Jam was as a band. "Ten" had not been released yet, but somehow "Superunknown" from Soundgarden was.

That is my only rant about the book.
]]> The Best of Chief Dan George 1354239 128 Dan George 0888395442 Jeff 4 2018, poetry
Great words from a great man! Such a simple philosophy to live by.]]> 4.47 2003 The Best of Chief Dan George
author: Dan George
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/18
date added: 2018/08/27
shelves: 2018, poetry
review:
1st Read: August 18, 2018

Great words from a great man! Such a simple philosophy to live by.
]]> <![CDATA[I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie]]> 50039 320 Pamela Des Barres 1556525893 Jeff 3
I found it a struggle to really get into this memoir. Hard to tell if I even enjoyed it. I purchased it because of all the hype surrounding it and it didn't live up to my expectations of how I thought it would be. Chances are good that I may pass this one onto someone else...who may or may not get something out of it that I didn't.

2nd/Final Read: August 14, 2018 - August 18, 2018 (*** Rating)

I didn't mind this one this time around as I read it more quickly than I had the first time.

I see Miss P has an ongoing tendency to triple word her words a lot (re: lovelovelove) and it had me shake my head each time I arrived at a passage where she did this in her writing. ]]> 3.71 1987 I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie
author: Pamela Des Barres
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/18
date added: 2018/08/18
shelves: music, 2015, auto-biography, 2018
review:
1st Read: September 1st, 2015 - November 10th, 2015 (** Rating)

I found it a struggle to really get into this memoir. Hard to tell if I even enjoyed it. I purchased it because of all the hype surrounding it and it didn't live up to my expectations of how I thought it would be. Chances are good that I may pass this one onto someone else...who may or may not get something out of it that I didn't.

2nd/Final Read: August 14, 2018 - August 18, 2018 (*** Rating)

I didn't mind this one this time around as I read it more quickly than I had the first time.

I see Miss P has an ongoing tendency to triple word her words a lot (re: lovelovelove) and it had me shake my head each time I arrived at a passage where she did this in her writing.
]]> <![CDATA[Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things]]> 24624291
just those with inquisitive minds, SNEAKIER USES FOR

EVERYDAY THINGS by author Cy Tymony is packed with

quirky, fun, and educational projects that are easy to

assemble, use common household items, and are sure to

excite your inner MacGyver. This entertaining

collection of over forty sneaky solutions and

applications will prepare you for almost any situation.]]> 141 Cy Tymony Jeff 3
This book is cool for the people who have a knack for, or an interest in science. I found it interesting and also questionable, though, I never attempted to try any of the experiments myself. That is yet to happen. Would be the perfect book to have in a backpack while hiking. Never know what you may find in the pages that could be of some help if lost, stranded or injured.

2nd/Final Read: July 29, 2018 - August 6, 2018 (** Rating)

Interesting, though, I don't believe I'd ever be faced with a scenario where I'd need to utilize the MacGyverisms.

]]> 3.00 2005 Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things
author: Cy Tymony
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/06
date added: 2018/08/14
shelves: how-to-guide, non-fiction, ongoing-reading-material, reference, science, bathroom-books, 2011, 2018
review:
1st Read: May 5, 2011 - May 5, 2011 (*** Rating)

This book is cool for the people who have a knack for, or an interest in science. I found it interesting and also questionable, though, I never attempted to try any of the experiments myself. That is yet to happen. Would be the perfect book to have in a backpack while hiking. Never know what you may find in the pages that could be of some help if lost, stranded or injured.

2nd/Final Read: July 29, 2018 - August 6, 2018 (** Rating)

Interesting, though, I don't believe I'd ever be faced with a scenario where I'd need to utilize the MacGyverisms.


]]> Watchers 64950 496 Dean Koontz 0425107469 Jeff 4
Very good reading material! It seemed as if I'd be able to knock this one off in about a week or so as it was quite enjoyable. This wasn't the case as my life got busy and it turned into nearly two months. I will read it again.

2nd Read: July 22, 2018 - July 29, 2018
(**** Rating)

This kept my reading interest pretty much on high! Great story by Mr. Koontz!]]> 3.96 1987 Watchers
author: Dean Koontz
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/29
date added: 2018/07/29
shelves: science-fiction, 2002, fictional-thriller
review:
1st Read: August 15, 2002 - October 6, 2002 (**** Rating)

Very good reading material! It seemed as if I'd be able to knock this one off in about a week or so as it was quite enjoyable. This wasn't the case as my life got busy and it turned into nearly two months. I will read it again.

2nd Read: July 22, 2018 - July 29, 2018
(**** Rating)

This kept my reading interest pretty much on high! Great story by Mr. Koontz!
]]> <![CDATA[Edgar Cayce On The Dead Sea Scrolls]]> 13644684 205 Glenn D. Kittler 0446900354 Jeff 3
Good book. Interesting person Edgar Cayce was. I will be keeping this one for reference on The Essenes as this is all I know of them. I'd never heard of them before this book.

2nd Read: June 21, 2018 - June 26, 2018

Still a keeper for my collection as it is quite interesting and oddly enough, educational as well. It has inspired me to find more books about Edgar Cayce and his readings.]]> 3.33 1970 Edgar Cayce On The Dead Sea Scrolls
author: Glenn D. Kittler
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1970
rating: 3
read at: 2018/06/26
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: history, new-age, prophecy, christian-religion-theology, 2014, 2018
review:
1st Read: November 21, 2014 - November 24, 2014

Good book. Interesting person Edgar Cayce was. I will be keeping this one for reference on The Essenes as this is all I know of them. I'd never heard of them before this book.

2nd Read: June 21, 2018 - June 26, 2018

Still a keeper for my collection as it is quite interesting and oddly enough, educational as well. It has inspired me to find more books about Edgar Cayce and his readings.
]]> WE LOVE YOU, SNOOPY 25884469
AND HERE HE IS - SNOOPY, THE THINKING DOG'S THINKING DOG - PROFOUND! WITTY! DEBONAIR! NO WONDER WE LOVE YOU, SNOOPY]]> 128 Charles M. Schulz Jeff 1
It made me smile to myself a few times. It isn't story enough for me to keep it in my collection. I prefer a solid character development to truly enjoy a book. This is hard to do with the Peanuts gang, as my generation knows them already.]]> 4.08 1962 WE LOVE YOU, SNOOPY
author: Charles M. Schulz
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1962
rating: 1
read at: 2018/06/20
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: 2018, bathroom-books, childrens-picture-books
review:
1st Read: June 20, 2018

It made me smile to myself a few times. It isn't story enough for me to keep it in my collection. I prefer a solid character development to truly enjoy a book. This is hard to do with the Peanuts gang, as my generation knows them already.
]]> Pearl Jam: Place/Date 9000932 you want to see your mug turn up in print after a bad hair day?), the result is often an excess of carefully crafted but soulless images that have everything to do with publicity photography and nothing to do with photojournalism. But with Place/Date, it's readily apparent that lensmen Charles Peterson and Lance Mercer spent plenty of unsupervised time in the company of Pearl Jam before assembling this handsome, rewarding volume. The twosome collect images dating back to the group's 1991 grunge salad days and up to 1998. Kinetic shots of the band in action (Eddie leaping, Eddie sprawling, Eddie crawling) are interspersed with backstage candids of the quintet playing dominos, napping, and killing time. In keeping with the group's egalitarian ethos, the lens is frequently turned away from Vedder and company toward PJ's fans, with telling results. --Steven Stolder]]> 128 Lance Mercer 0966859618 Jeff 3
Some really great photos from the early to late '90's, as well as some (if not more) NOT so great photo's from the era.

This is a great add to the hardcore Pearl Jam fans and collectors. I would never pay the $29.99 asking price for it, plus additional taxes!! So glad that I was given the book instead.]]> 4.04 1998 Pearl Jam: Place/Date
author: Lance Mercer
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2018/06/20
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: 2018, biography, music, photography
review:
1st Read: June 20, 2018

Some really great photos from the early to late '90's, as well as some (if not more) NOT so great photo's from the era.

This is a great add to the hardcore Pearl Jam fans and collectors. I would never pay the $29.99 asking price for it, plus additional taxes!! So glad that I was given the book instead.
]]> Animal Farm 822477 The Old Man and the Sea as the Shortest Serious Novel It's OK to Write a Book Report About. (The latter is three pages longer and less fun to read.) Fueled by Orwell's intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing, both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works. When the downtrodden beasts of Manor Farm oust their drunken human master and take over management of the land, all are awash in collectivist zeal. Everyone willingly works overtime, productivity soars, and for one brief, glorious season, every belly is full. The animals' Seven Commandment credo is painted in big white letters on the barn. All animals are equal. No animal shall drink alcohol, wear clothes, sleep in a bed, or kill a fellow four-footed creature. Those that go upon four legs or wings are friends and the two-legged are, by definition, the enemy. Too soon, however, the pigs, who have styled themselves leaders by virtue of their intelligence, succumb to the temptations of privilege and power. "We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of the farm depend on us. Day and night, we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples." While this swinish brotherhood sells out the revolution, cynically editing the Seven Commandments to excuse their violence and greed, the common animals are once again left hungry and exhausted, no better off than in the days when humans ran the farm. Satire Animal Farm may be, but it's a stony reader who remains unmoved when the stalwart workhorse, Boxer, having given his all to his comrades, is sold to the glue factory to buy booze for the pigs. Orwell's view of Communism is bleak indeed, but given the history of the Russian people since 1917, his pessimism has an air of prophecy. --Joyce Thompson]]> 103 George Orwell 0140126708 Jeff 3 2018, fiction
1st Read: June 18, 2018 - June 20, 2018
An interesting idea that may have spawned the creation of all the movies in "Planet Of The Apes" series. I enjoyed it and thought it was more of a children's story if anything.
]]> 4.07 1945 Animal Farm
author: George Orwell
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1945
rating: 3
read at: 2018/06/20
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: 2018, fiction
review:
The book I picked up today has this cover, though shares the ISBN # with another copy. As well, my book has 120 pages, opposed to the 95 pages it is credited for.

1st Read: June 18, 2018 - June 20, 2018
An interesting idea that may have spawned the creation of all the movies in "Planet Of The Apes" series. I enjoyed it and thought it was more of a children's story if anything.

]]> <![CDATA[Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)]]> 13542803
A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits. . . . An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House. . . . A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy. . . . And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.Ěý

From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again. . . .]]> 920 Ken Follett 0451232852 Jeff 0 4.32 2010 Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: 2018, fiction-historical, stopped-reading, to-read
review:

]]> Reign in Blood 2449963 160 D.X. Ferris 0826429092 Jeff 4 2018, biography, music
It was a great look into the making of one of the best albums of all time! It is still on my regular playlist to this day!]]> 3.57 2008 Reign in Blood
author: D.X. Ferris
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2018/06/17
date added: 2018/07/02
shelves: 2018, biography, music
review:
1st Read: June 13, 2018 - June 17, 2018

It was a great look into the making of one of the best albums of all time! It is still on my regular playlist to this day!
]]> <![CDATA[Hannibal (Hannibal Lecter, #3)]]> 15879701 546 Thomas Harris Jeff 2
It wasn't bad. I just feel like something was missing. I will have to read it again, as it started out good for quite a few chapters, then all of a sudden...flat-lined! From there, I couldn't get back into it.]]> 3.58 1999 Hannibal (Hannibal Lecter, #3)
author: Thomas Harris
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1999
rating: 2
read at: 2001/04/03
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 2001, fictional-horror, fictional-thriller, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: February 22, 2001 - April 3, 2001

It wasn't bad. I just feel like something was missing. I will have to read it again, as it started out good for quite a few chapters, then all of a sudden...flat-lined! From there, I couldn't get back into it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Car Mileage Book: How To Buy, Drive And Maintain Your Car To Save Money And Energy]]> 24625148 - Chapter's 1 - 5

SECTION II: DRIVING IT
- Chapter's 6 - 8

SECTION III: MAINTAINING IT
- Chapter's 9 - 10

APPENDICES:
- I - XIII]]> 110 0662009673 Jeff 3
For a book that is almost forty years old, it still holds some value for someone like myself who isn't as knowledgeable about vehicles as most guys and some women are. I can do basic things and this book can help you get around to being above the basics.

My lack of interest in motors and such made this book a longer read than what it should have taken me to read. I honestly don't find this type of stuff interesting and comprehending it just adds to the dislike. However, it is something every person should know when it comes to either buying a lemon or getting a great vehicle. This way, you will have no excuse to bitch when you get taken by a crooked mechanic or at a vehicle dealership.]]> 4.00 1977 The Car Mileage Book: How To Buy, Drive And Maintain Your Car To Save Money And Energy
author: Energy, Mines And Resources Canada
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1977
rating: 3
read at: 2015/02/20
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: how-to-guide, ongoing-reading-material, reference, self-help, vehicles, 2015, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: February 17, 2015 - February 20, 2015

For a book that is almost forty years old, it still holds some value for someone like myself who isn't as knowledgeable about vehicles as most guys and some women are. I can do basic things and this book can help you get around to being above the basics.

My lack of interest in motors and such made this book a longer read than what it should have taken me to read. I honestly don't find this type of stuff interesting and comprehending it just adds to the dislike. However, it is something every person should know when it comes to either buying a lemon or getting a great vehicle. This way, you will have no excuse to bitch when you get taken by a crooked mechanic or at a vehicle dealership.
]]> <![CDATA[PEOPLE 1,000 Biggest Moments in Pop Culture: Fame, Fads and Breaking News 1974-2011]]> 9878192 240 People Magazine 1603201858 Jeff 2
There were some interesting things and even more, not so interesting things in this book.

One of the saddest stories of 2004 was not included. That being, the reckless murdering and gunning down of guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, (formerly of Pantera) while the band, Damageplan performed, along with many others at the show! As well, the fire in a Rhode Island club that killed many people while Great White performed! Where was the Ben Johnson steroid scandal or Flo-Jo's? No deaths mentioned of any former WWE stars either. If I took the time to really think and mull over what is missing from these pages, as being more relevant and more important than Katy Perry becoming a star, I'd come across as an asshole. The inclusion of dates would have been an added bonus. The only positive thing I can say about this book is that the photos were decent!]]> 3.42 2011 PEOPLE 1,000 Biggest Moments in Pop Culture: Fame, Fads and Breaking News 1974-2011
author: People Magazine
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2015/11/10
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: history, music, movie-tie-in, non-fiction, ongoing-reading-material, reference, 2015, bathroom-books, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 10 - November 10, 2015

There were some interesting things and even more, not so interesting things in this book.

One of the saddest stories of 2004 was not included. That being, the reckless murdering and gunning down of guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, (formerly of Pantera) while the band, Damageplan performed, along with many others at the show! As well, the fire in a Rhode Island club that killed many people while Great White performed! Where was the Ben Johnson steroid scandal or Flo-Jo's? No deaths mentioned of any former WWE stars either. If I took the time to really think and mull over what is missing from these pages, as being more relevant and more important than Katy Perry becoming a star, I'd come across as an asshole. The inclusion of dates would have been an added bonus. The only positive thing I can say about this book is that the photos were decent!
]]> False Memory 182425
No fan of Dean Koonts or of classical psychological suspense will want to miss this extraordinary novel of the human mind's capacity to torment - and destroy - itself.]]> 751 Dean Koontz 0553580221 Jeff 2
I had stopped reading this in April 2002 with plans to return to it and it never came to be. Judging from the mixed reviews this book has received, perhaps this is why. Many loved it, some liked it and it seems like more feel they have been cheated out of a great story.

My bookmark is at the beginning of Chapter 33, which is roughly a third of the book. Next time I will be sure to finish it and return it to its rightful owner. Then again, maybe she thinks I did her a favor by keeping it.

2nd Read: May 14, 2015 - June 14, 2015

Once again, I couldn't digest this story and quit reading it. Not his best book by any stretch. Very lifeless and boring.]]> 3.90 1999 False Memory
author: Dean Koontz
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1999
rating: 2
read at: 2002/04/18
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 2002, stopped-reading, 2015, fictional-thriller, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: March 30, 2002 - April 18, 2002

I had stopped reading this in April 2002 with plans to return to it and it never came to be. Judging from the mixed reviews this book has received, perhaps this is why. Many loved it, some liked it and it seems like more feel they have been cheated out of a great story.

My bookmark is at the beginning of Chapter 33, which is roughly a third of the book. Next time I will be sure to finish it and return it to its rightful owner. Then again, maybe she thinks I did her a favor by keeping it.

2nd Read: May 14, 2015 - June 14, 2015

Once again, I couldn't digest this story and quit reading it. Not his best book by any stretch. Very lifeless and boring.
]]> Scar Tissue 96647 New York Times bestseller by one of rock's most provocative figures Scar Tissue is Anthony Kiedis's searingly honest memoir of a life spent in the fast lane.

In 1983, four self-described "knuckleheads" burst out of the mosh-pitted mosaic of the neo-punk rock scene in L.A. with their own unique brand of cosmic hardcore mayhem funk. Over twenty years later, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, against all odds, have become one of the most successful bands in the world. Though the band has gone through many incarnations, Anthony Kiedis, the group's lyricist and dynamic lead singer, has been there for the whole roller-coaster ride. Whether he's recollecting the influence of the beautiful, strong women who have been his muses, or retracing a journey that has included appearances as diverse as a performance before half a million people at Woodstock or an audience of one at the humble compound of the exiled Dalai Lama, Kiedis shares a compelling story about the price of success and excess.

Scar Tissue is a story of dedication and debauchery, of intrigue and integrity, of recklessness and redemption--a story that could only have come out of the world of rock.]]> 465 Anthony Kiedis 1401307450 Jeff 3
I never realized Anthony Kiedis lived the life he did with the excessive drugs and its hideous lifestyle that comes with it. After awhile, all one cares about is catching that momentary glow or buzz and willing to go to any lengths to get it.

While I am a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this book hasn't made me a bigger fan of them and their music. I admire their contributions to charity, their impact in music and that Anthony has let us into the world he's known and seen.

One of my favorite scenes in the book were on pages 366 - 367 where he "had a dream in which he was driving at about four-thirty in the morning." He goes on to write, "It was eerie and spooky and dark and rainy, and I was all alone in the car, driving and driving, and then out of nowhere, a hand came out and whoosh, grabbed on to the steering wheel and started fighting me for control of the car. I looked over to see who the person in the seat next to me was, but he was all slouched down with a hat covering his face, so I couldn't make out out the demonic person. We kept driving, and I became terrified of what I was about to see. Then we drove under a streetlight, and the light illuminated the face of the intruder. And it was me. I had this horribly scary grin posted on my face, and I was holding the wheel, saying, 'I got ya. I got ya. I got ya.'"

It was an interesting story that held my interest enough, but after awhile, I grew tired of the sexual escapades and having to indulge the reader with the woman he was involved with almost every time. Regardless of it was a backstage pick-up or a serious relationship. We know it happens to celebrities. We don't need the details. It seemed rather boastful and arrogant to an almost belittling aspect.

I probably won't be keeping this book and will pass it on to someone else.]]> 4.11 2004 Scar Tissue
author: Anthony Kiedis
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2016/11/13
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: music, auto-biography, 2016, biography, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: October 30, 2016 - November 13, 2016

I never realized Anthony Kiedis lived the life he did with the excessive drugs and its hideous lifestyle that comes with it. After awhile, all one cares about is catching that momentary glow or buzz and willing to go to any lengths to get it.

While I am a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this book hasn't made me a bigger fan of them and their music. I admire their contributions to charity, their impact in music and that Anthony has let us into the world he's known and seen.

One of my favorite scenes in the book were on pages 366 - 367 where he "had a dream in which he was driving at about four-thirty in the morning." He goes on to write, "It was eerie and spooky and dark and rainy, and I was all alone in the car, driving and driving, and then out of nowhere, a hand came out and whoosh, grabbed on to the steering wheel and started fighting me for control of the car. I looked over to see who the person in the seat next to me was, but he was all slouched down with a hat covering his face, so I couldn't make out out the demonic person. We kept driving, and I became terrified of what I was about to see. Then we drove under a streetlight, and the light illuminated the face of the intruder. And it was me. I had this horribly scary grin posted on my face, and I was holding the wheel, saying, 'I got ya. I got ya. I got ya.'"

It was an interesting story that held my interest enough, but after awhile, I grew tired of the sexual escapades and having to indulge the reader with the woman he was involved with almost every time. Regardless of it was a backstage pick-up or a serious relationship. We know it happens to celebrities. We don't need the details. It seemed rather boastful and arrogant to an almost belittling aspect.

I probably won't be keeping this book and will pass it on to someone else.
]]> <![CDATA[Who Killed Kurt Cobain?: The Mysterious Death of an Icon]]> 29974980
"Courtney Love has emerged as one of the world's most celebrated figures, shedding tears at will for reporters and fans when she talks about her husband's death while she catapults from tragic rock widow to a full-fledged star in her own right. But as she signs autographs and revels in her never-ending publicity, one man - L.A. private investigator Tom Grant - has vowed to reveal the truth about what really happened in early April of 199, By proving Kurt Cobain was murdered and possibly rewriting the annals of music history."
"Who Killed Kurt Cobain? sheds critical light on Grant's investigation, brings forward new information about Cobain's life and death, reveals many unanswered questions, and argues that the case must be reopened so that the world can learn the truth."]]> 214 Ian Halperin Jeff 3
Another book with a title where you expect somewhat of an answer. Instead we have speculation.

Three quarters of this book is about the individual lives of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, Nirvana, Hole, and the goings on of the music scene of the time. The remaining quarter of the book is dealt with the aftermath of April 8, 1994.

Personally, I believe Courtney paid someone to do the job which she couldn't do herself. Karma has a way of bringing things back to you. It is just a matter of when.

More than likely, I'll be passing this one on to someone else.]]> 3.00 1998 Who Killed Kurt Cobain?: The Mysterious Death of an Icon
author: Ian Halperin
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2016/11/14
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: biography, music, 2016, true-crime, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 14, 2016

Another book with a title where you expect somewhat of an answer. Instead we have speculation.

Three quarters of this book is about the individual lives of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, Nirvana, Hole, and the goings on of the music scene of the time. The remaining quarter of the book is dealt with the aftermath of April 8, 1994.

Personally, I believe Courtney paid someone to do the job which she couldn't do herself. Karma has a way of bringing things back to you. It is just a matter of when.

More than likely, I'll be passing this one on to someone else.
]]> <![CDATA[The Notorious Bacon Brothers: Inside Gang Warfare on Vancouver Streets]]> 15869103
With one Bacon brother dead and the other two behind bars, a power vacuum has developed for control of the drug trade in the Greater Vancouver area. The result has been full on war among the Hells Angels, Red Scorpions, UN Gang, and Independent Soldiers, as they fight to take the position once occupied by the Bacon Brothers--a lasting legacy to their place in Canada's gang history.Presents an incisive look at the violent lives of the Bacon Brothers, some of Canada's most notorious criminalsShows how the Bacon Brothers set a new precedence for gang violence that is being mimicked throughout the countryExplores how the void left by the Brothers has spurred on increasing violent gang warfare on the streets of Vancouver

Hard-hitting and insightful, "The Notorious Bacon Brothers" is a powerful look at the seedy underbelly of contemporary Canadian organized crime.]]> 272 Jerry Langton 1118388674 Jeff 3
1st Read: October 7, 2016 - October 10, 2016

I'd never heard of the Bacon brothers prior to receiving this book. It was a book that kept my interest and was remotely interesting, considering it is a subject I've never really enjoyed reading about. I felt that the title was a almost misleading, as the book deals and speaks more about the Hell's Angels more than they do the Bacon brothers. I probably won't be keeping this one.]]> 3.44 2013 The Notorious Bacon Brothers: Inside Gang Warfare on Vancouver Streets
author: Jerry Langton
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2016/10/10
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: biography, true-crime, 2016, gave-to-value-village
review:
My copy of this book has 258 pages instead of the listed 272 pages.

1st Read: October 7, 2016 - October 10, 2016

I'd never heard of the Bacon brothers prior to receiving this book. It was a book that kept my interest and was remotely interesting, considering it is a subject I've never really enjoyed reading about. I felt that the title was a almost misleading, as the book deals and speaks more about the Hell's Angels more than they do the Bacon brothers. I probably won't be keeping this one.
]]> The God Delusion 747213 463 Richard Dawkins 0618918248 Jeff 3
I quite enjoyed this book. There is so much about this subject where so many people blindly follow according to tradition and never asking questions. A part of me wants to believe in God, or something larger than myself, though being intelligent enough in my own right, science keeps on disproving - to some extent - of God being here, there and everywhere. I get tired of the clichés: "God works in mysterious ways." or "It's God's will or plan." For a being that knows the outcome of all things, it makes me wonder why our lives continue to drag on. Show me that same outcome with a lotto ticket and I'll believe more than I do presently! I'm not a full blown atheist but I am at a level three out of seven, judging by the examples in this book.]]> 4.04 2006 The God Delusion
author: Richard Dawkins
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2016/10/28
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: non-fiction, philosophy-metaphysics-kinesics, religion-paganism-wicca-witchraft, science, 2016, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: October 20, 2016 - October 28, 2016

I quite enjoyed this book. There is so much about this subject where so many people blindly follow according to tradition and never asking questions. A part of me wants to believe in God, or something larger than myself, though being intelligent enough in my own right, science keeps on disproving - to some extent - of God being here, there and everywhere. I get tired of the clichés: "God works in mysterious ways." or "It's God's will or plan." For a being that knows the outcome of all things, it makes me wonder why our lives continue to drag on. Show me that same outcome with a lotto ticket and I'll believe more than I do presently! I'm not a full blown atheist but I am at a level three out of seven, judging by the examples in this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Superman Smashes the Secret of the Mad Director]]> 12269769 166 George S. Elrick Jeff 2
Felt like I was watching a Superman cartoon on television, as this story read so fast. I was never a fan of Superman in the sense that most kids were when I was a child. I gravitated more towards Spiderman on Saturday mornings.]]> 2.78 1966 Superman Smashes the Secret of the Mad Director
author: George S. Elrick
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.78
book published: 1966
rating: 2
read at: 2016/05/30
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: fantasy, 2016, childrens-picture-books, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: May 30, 2016

Felt like I was watching a Superman cartoon on television, as this story read so fast. I was never a fan of Superman in the sense that most kids were when I was a child. I gravitated more towards Spiderman on Saturday mornings.
]]> <![CDATA[Keeping The Heat In: How To Re-Insulate Your Home to Save Energy and Money (and be More Comfortable Too)]]> 24626310
It deals with houses of all kinds, in all parts of Canada. It

does NOT deal with apartment or commercial buildings. These are

specialized cases most often requiring the services of a skilled

contractor (though some of the material contained in this book

may be useful background information).


If you own a house of any kind, read on! This book is

designed to serve both the experienced "do-it-yourself person"

and the novice.


If you rent, this book will still be of value to you. Refer

to page 9 for further direction. Regardless of whether you own

or rent, it is still good to "keep the heat in"!]]> 113 Jeff 3
Useful knowledge to have when planning a flip of your current or potential new home. More than likely, I will be getting rid of this book along with the previous books that came before it.]]> 3.00 1976 Keeping The Heat In: How To Re-Insulate Your Home to Save Energy and Money (and be More Comfortable Too)
author: Energy, Mines And Resources Canada
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at: 2016/08/07
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: canadian-culture-classics, home-repairs-carpentry, how-to-guide, reference, 2016, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: August 5, 2016 - August 7, 2016

Useful knowledge to have when planning a flip of your current or potential new home. More than likely, I will be getting rid of this book along with the previous books that came before it.
]]> <![CDATA[How it Works...How to Fix it - Plumbing Systems]]> 24623537
homeowner or apartment dweller. It provides easy-to-understand,

simple-to-follow instructions for performing common plumbing

repairs - and avoiding costly service calls.]]> 98 Rand McNally & Company Jeff 3
Rather quick read that is pretty much general knowledge for many of us. Would be a good trade to look into for the younger people as it pays decent! I liked that it was thorough and explained the steps in diagrams, or written format and often, both. Much has changed in the last forty-one years since this book was printed in 1975, as has with the technology of manufacturing, such as water saving dishwashers, self-cleaning and better operating hot water heaters, etc.]]> 3.00 1975 How it Works...How to Fix it - Plumbing Systems
author: Rand McNally & Company
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1975
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/19
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: home-repairs-carpentry, how-to-guide, ongoing-reading-material, reference, 2016, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: July 18, 2016 - July 19, 2016

Rather quick read that is pretty much general knowledge for many of us. Would be a good trade to look into for the younger people as it pays decent! I liked that it was thorough and explained the steps in diagrams, or written format and often, both. Much has changed in the last forty-one years since this book was printed in 1975, as has with the technology of manufacturing, such as water saving dishwashers, self-cleaning and better operating hot water heaters, etc.
]]> Muscle Cars Compared Book 2 12283148 Title page slightly faded 100 R.M. Clarke 090707362X Jeff 2
Very in depth look into the muscle cars we North Americans love so much. A great guide to help the backyard mechanic restore any vehicle written about to its original condition. The only downside I have to say about this book are with some of the accompanying photos being overexposed. They are so dark, it has me wonder why they were used. The photographers could have taken a few extra shots, opening or closing the f-stops on their cameras to have a better result, or at the very least, more options to go through in regards to selection.]]> 2.00 1965 Muscle Cars Compared Book 2
author: R.M. Clarke
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.00
book published: 1965
rating: 2
read at: 2016/07/17
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: reference, vehicles, 2016, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: July 7, 2016 - July 17, 2016

Very in depth look into the muscle cars we North Americans love so much. A great guide to help the backyard mechanic restore any vehicle written about to its original condition. The only downside I have to say about this book are with some of the accompanying photos being overexposed. They are so dark, it has me wonder why they were used. The photographers could have taken a few extra shots, opening or closing the f-stops on their cameras to have a better result, or at the very least, more options to go through in regards to selection.
]]> <![CDATA[The People's Almanac Presents The Book of Lists]]> 2616471 The Book of Lists, the first and best compendium of facts weirder than fiction, was published. Filled with intriguing information and must-talk-about trivia it has spawned many imitators � but none as addictive or successful.

For nearly three decades since, the editors have been researching curious facts, unusual statistics and the incredible stories behind them.]]> 519 David Wallechinsky 0553111507 Jeff 3 Looking through this book at the present, is bringing forth that same curiosity and content.

I've carried this book around for at least twenty-five years on my own, though, my Mom had it around 1980. Finally read it and found it to be interesting for the most part. I think I kept it for educational purposes and random knowledge for my bucket list of being a contestant on the game show Jeopardy. This never happened of course. I still have the dream though.
I'm also uncertain if I will keep this book or not. It is the kind of book that you can settle some debates with someone for its information within its pages regarding someone or something. I'll probably never read it again as well and it takes up valuable shelf space in my bookshelves.]]> 4.05 1977 The People's Almanac Presents The Book of Lists
author: David Wallechinsky
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1977
rating: 3
read at: 2016/04/30
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 2016, history, ongoing-reading-material, reference, gave-to-value-village
review:
I remember seeing this one around the house in the late '70's and it being one of my earliest intrigues. When I was still a preteen, I had picked it up, certain I'd never read the entire thing, only the sections and lists which interested me. My initial reactions are more than likely ones of being curious and content. This as a result of trying to sound out the: "Thirteen Longest Words In The English Language", or the chapter on "The Sporting Life".
Looking through this book at the present, is bringing forth that same curiosity and content.

I've carried this book around for at least twenty-five years on my own, though, my Mom had it around 1980. Finally read it and found it to be interesting for the most part. I think I kept it for educational purposes and random knowledge for my bucket list of being a contestant on the game show Jeopardy. This never happened of course. I still have the dream though.
I'm also uncertain if I will keep this book or not. It is the kind of book that you can settle some debates with someone for its information within its pages regarding someone or something. I'll probably never read it again as well and it takes up valuable shelf space in my bookshelves.
]]> <![CDATA[The Truth About Witchcraft Today]]> 28915841 alt cover for ISBN# 0-87542-127-X

Here is the first real look at the facts about Witchcraft and the religion of Wicca. As renowned author Scott Cunningham plainly states, the practice of magic is not supernatural or Satanic. Witches and folk magicians are only utilizing, through timeless rituals, natural energies found within the Earth and our bodies to enrich life by creating positive change. It's all revealed here in the easy-to-read, understandable style that was Scott Cunningham's trademark.]]> 185 Scott Cunningham Jeff 3
This is a great introductory book on how to begin your quest into Wicca. It removes all the myths of the negative things said about witchcraft and brings a light to those that thought they knew it all. That is from the movies in Hollywood, to the religious rite of many churches and from other people and enterprises/organizations have had you believe. What does it matter to anyone but yourself what religion you practice and God/Goddess you worship? That is the biggest problem in this world, people forcing their morale and religion on you, insisting that they are right and you are wrong.

Marilyn Manson said it best (paraphrased): "There has never been one religion ever in history that had us all love each other!" I believe that Wicca is a good place to start that happening. It is not all dark magic and evil intentions. True, evil magic is out there, but that is not what this book dictates.

2nd/Final Read: June 30, 2017 - July 1o, 2017 (*** Rating)

A great introductory book for anyone interested or curious about the practice of Wicca and what it is really about.]]> 4.00 1987 The Truth About Witchcraft Today
author: Scott Cunningham
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2017/07/10
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 1996, how-to-guide, religion-paganism-wicca-witchraft, occult, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: May 1, 1996 - May 3, 1996 (**** Rating)

This is a great introductory book on how to begin your quest into Wicca. It removes all the myths of the negative things said about witchcraft and brings a light to those that thought they knew it all. That is from the movies in Hollywood, to the religious rite of many churches and from other people and enterprises/organizations have had you believe. What does it matter to anyone but yourself what religion you practice and God/Goddess you worship? That is the biggest problem in this world, people forcing their morale and religion on you, insisting that they are right and you are wrong.

Marilyn Manson said it best (paraphrased): "There has never been one religion ever in history that had us all love each other!" I believe that Wicca is a good place to start that happening. It is not all dark magic and evil intentions. True, evil magic is out there, but that is not what this book dictates.

2nd/Final Read: June 30, 2017 - July 1o, 2017 (*** Rating)

A great introductory book for anyone interested or curious about the practice of Wicca and what it is really about.
]]> <![CDATA[Photoanalysis: How to Interpret the Hidden Psychological Meaning of Personal and Public Photographs]]> 24548351
Learn to read the hidden nuances of a a smile, the seemingly casual placement of an arm. What do they mean in photos of your friends, your family, VIP's? Dr. Akeret's penetrating analysis of 230 photos will show you how to recognize and interpret the unconscious meanings of gestures, posture, and expression.

Photo Analysis is an exciting new technique, a scientific method that gives you the power to discover from ordinary photo- graphs what people really think about themselves and each other.

Included also is a special selection on celebrities in the news, which shows how to interpret the power structure within the Kennedy family, the "two" faces of Richard Nixon, the sexuality of Marilyn Monroe.

The subject of nationwide interest and popular acclaim, PHOTO ANALYSIS has been excerpted in "Ladies' Home Journal" and is an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild.]]> 319 Dr. Robert U. Akeret Jeff 2 I grew up in a family of photo enthusiasts and picture maker's and taker's. This was more than likely my Dad's book, as he was the one with the manual Nikon SLR and assorted lenses.
This particular book has been a great add to my collection. It is not just because it was a part of my family, but more for what I have learned from its pages. It is a great book for education and personal use, whether you are a a seasoned photographer or a new one. Not only that, the same rules apply regardless if you shoot digital or film. I do use digital, however, when I am out in the the wild areas of Alberta's mountains, my SLR, assortment of lenses and slide film are still my choice.

2nd Final/Read: February 27, 2017 - March 4, 2017 (** Rating)
Still a great visual aid when dealing with the psychology behind a photo with people in it. I don't know many people who critique photo's in the manner as this book lays out, but I see the validity of it. It is still body language in just another aspect.
The only thing which I didn't like about the book were some of the photo's with nude or semi-nude children. When the book was originally published, such things were not frowned upon
as much as they are now. An infant could still account as acceptable, though a child over the age of six years old is something else altogether. One picture had me uncomfortable just seeing it.]]> 2.00 1973 Photoanalysis: How to Interpret the Hidden Psychological Meaning of Personal and Public Photographs
author: Dr. Robert U. Akeret
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.00
book published: 1973
rating: 2
read at: 2017/03/04
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: how-to-guide, science, photography, 1992, psychology, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 7, 1992 - December 4, 1992 (**** Rating)
I grew up in a family of photo enthusiasts and picture maker's and taker's. This was more than likely my Dad's book, as he was the one with the manual Nikon SLR and assorted lenses.
This particular book has been a great add to my collection. It is not just because it was a part of my family, but more for what I have learned from its pages. It is a great book for education and personal use, whether you are a a seasoned photographer or a new one. Not only that, the same rules apply regardless if you shoot digital or film. I do use digital, however, when I am out in the the wild areas of Alberta's mountains, my SLR, assortment of lenses and slide film are still my choice.

2nd Final/Read: February 27, 2017 - March 4, 2017 (** Rating)
Still a great visual aid when dealing with the psychology behind a photo with people in it. I don't know many people who critique photo's in the manner as this book lays out, but I see the validity of it. It is still body language in just another aspect.
The only thing which I didn't like about the book were some of the photo's with nude or semi-nude children. When the book was originally published, such things were not frowned upon
as much as they are now. An infant could still account as acceptable, though a child over the age of six years old is something else altogether. One picture had me uncomfortable just seeing it.
]]> <![CDATA[The First Orbit Book Of Horror Stories]]> 24502673
Not for the timid...not for those who live

alone...but if your stomach is strong and your nerves

sound here is an absolute orgy of modern horror,

culled by a master of the field from the world's best

recent offerings, plus a few spine-tinglers specially

written for this collection.


Ramsey Campbell, Harlan Ellison, T.E.D. Klein, Brian

Lumley, Brian M. Stableford, are a few among the

glittering coven of THIRTEEN spell-binders]]> 192 Richard Davis Jeff 1
1) "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" - Harlan Ellison
- Kind of sucked. I didn't care for this at all.

2) "The Man in the Underpass" - J. Ramsey Campbell
- Pretty stupid. It wasn't horror at all!

3) "S.F." -T.E.D. Klein
- Horror? Not at all! I'm not sure what it was besides a letter.

4) "Uncle Vlad" - Clive Sinclair
- Wasn't bad. It didn't get vampire-like until the end.

5) "Judas Story" - Brian M. Stableford
- So far, the best story in this book. I liked it.

6) "The House of Cthulhu" - Brian Lumley
- Bits and pieces were alright.

7) "Satanesque" - Allan Weiss
- Good story that ended as it was just beginning.

8) "Burger Creature" - Steve Chapman
- Very different. The author has a vivid imagination. So much that I wonder if LSD was a factor in the writing process!

9) "Wake Up Dead" -Tim Stout
- Not too bad. There are better stories in here.

10) "Forget-Me-Not" - Bernard Taylor
- Fuckin' A!! Finally...a page turner with suspense. Excellent story!

11) "Halloween Story" - Gregory Fitz Gerald
- For as different as it was, it wasn't great.

12) "Big, Wide, Wonderful World" - Charles E. Fritch
- Short and stupid!

13) "The Taste of Your Love" Eddy C. Bertin
- Interesting with a twist.

As always, I will re-read this one and decide if it is a keeper or not. One of the cooler book covers of the era!

2nd/Final Read: August 2, 2017 - August 7, 2017 (* Rating)

1) Introduction - August 2, 2017

2) "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" - Harlan Ellison - (1973) - August 5, 2017
- Second time around, it still left no lasting impression.

3) "The Man in the Underpass" - J. Ramsey Campbell - (1975) - August 5, 2017
- Much the same. I took nothing memorable from it.

4) "S.F." - T.E.D. Klein - (1975) - August 6, 2017
- Kept my interest. Reminded me of a few movies from the '80's and '90's.

5) "Uncle Vlad" - Clive Sinclair - (1973) - August 6, 2017
- Nothing here really stimulating.

6) "Judas Story" - Brian M. Stableford - (1975) - August 6, 2017
- Interest was there, but it didn't grab me. Would fit well into the Shock Rock books of short stories.

7) "The House of Cthulhu" - Brian Lumley - (1973) - August 6, 2017
- Not my preferred writing/reading material. Did not care for this one.

8) "Satanesque" - Allan Weiss - (1974) - August 7, 2017
- Enjoyed this once again.

9) "Burger Creature" - Steve Chapman - (1972) - August 7, 2017
- Still had a great visual of what the effects of LSD can have on one's writing process!

10) "Wake Up Dead" - Tim Stout - (1975) - August 7, 2017
- Still decent as a second time read.

11) "Forget-Me-Not" - Bernard Taylor - (1975) - August 7, 2017
- Great suspense writing!

12) "Halloween Story" - Gregory Fitz Gerald - (1973) - August 7, 2017
- Remotely interesting.

13) "Big, Wide, Wonderful World" - Charles E. Fritch - (1968) - August 7, 2017
- Had the potential to be something better than what it is.

14) "The Taste of Your Love" - Eddy C. Bertin - (1971) - August 7, 2017
- How the table is turned.

This book only has three short stories memorable enough to enjoy. It will not be staying in my collection for much longer.]]> 3.00 1975 The First Orbit Book Of Horror Stories
author: Richard Davis
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1975
rating: 1
read at: 2017/08/07
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: anthologies-collections, shortstories-novellas, 1996, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: December 11, 1996 - December 20, 1996 (** Rating)

1) "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" - Harlan Ellison
- Kind of sucked. I didn't care for this at all.

2) "The Man in the Underpass" - J. Ramsey Campbell
- Pretty stupid. It wasn't horror at all!

3) "S.F." -T.E.D. Klein
- Horror? Not at all! I'm not sure what it was besides a letter.

4) "Uncle Vlad" - Clive Sinclair
- Wasn't bad. It didn't get vampire-like until the end.

5) "Judas Story" - Brian M. Stableford
- So far, the best story in this book. I liked it.

6) "The House of Cthulhu" - Brian Lumley
- Bits and pieces were alright.

7) "Satanesque" - Allan Weiss
- Good story that ended as it was just beginning.

8) "Burger Creature" - Steve Chapman
- Very different. The author has a vivid imagination. So much that I wonder if LSD was a factor in the writing process!

9) "Wake Up Dead" -Tim Stout
- Not too bad. There are better stories in here.

10) "Forget-Me-Not" - Bernard Taylor
- Fuckin' A!! Finally...a page turner with suspense. Excellent story!

11) "Halloween Story" - Gregory Fitz Gerald
- For as different as it was, it wasn't great.

12) "Big, Wide, Wonderful World" - Charles E. Fritch
- Short and stupid!

13) "The Taste of Your Love" Eddy C. Bertin
- Interesting with a twist.

As always, I will re-read this one and decide if it is a keeper or not. One of the cooler book covers of the era!

2nd/Final Read: August 2, 2017 - August 7, 2017 (* Rating)

1) Introduction - August 2, 2017

2) "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" - Harlan Ellison - (1973) - August 5, 2017
- Second time around, it still left no lasting impression.

3) "The Man in the Underpass" - J. Ramsey Campbell - (1975) - August 5, 2017
- Much the same. I took nothing memorable from it.

4) "S.F." - T.E.D. Klein - (1975) - August 6, 2017
- Kept my interest. Reminded me of a few movies from the '80's and '90's.

5) "Uncle Vlad" - Clive Sinclair - (1973) - August 6, 2017
- Nothing here really stimulating.

6) "Judas Story" - Brian M. Stableford - (1975) - August 6, 2017
- Interest was there, but it didn't grab me. Would fit well into the Shock Rock books of short stories.

7) "The House of Cthulhu" - Brian Lumley - (1973) - August 6, 2017
- Not my preferred writing/reading material. Did not care for this one.

8) "Satanesque" - Allan Weiss - (1974) - August 7, 2017
- Enjoyed this once again.

9) "Burger Creature" - Steve Chapman - (1972) - August 7, 2017
- Still had a great visual of what the effects of LSD can have on one's writing process!

10) "Wake Up Dead" - Tim Stout - (1975) - August 7, 2017
- Still decent as a second time read.

11) "Forget-Me-Not" - Bernard Taylor - (1975) - August 7, 2017
- Great suspense writing!

12) "Halloween Story" - Gregory Fitz Gerald - (1973) - August 7, 2017
- Remotely interesting.

13) "Big, Wide, Wonderful World" - Charles E. Fritch - (1968) - August 7, 2017
- Had the potential to be something better than what it is.

14) "The Taste of Your Love" - Eddy C. Bertin - (1971) - August 7, 2017
- How the table is turned.

This book only has three short stories memorable enough to enjoy. It will not be staying in my collection for much longer.
]]> <![CDATA[Beyond Doubt: A Record of Psychic Experience]]> 24502293
been aware that her "hunches" were always worth paying

attention to, but it was not until receiving pre-cognitive

knowledge of the death of a young flyer during the second

world war that she began to realize the exact nature of her

gifts. She proceeded cautiously, experimentally, appraising

the salient comments which came through to her. She then

offered problems for consultation and found her adviser, whom

she named Trust because of his repeated admonitions to trust

the enlarged capacity of her mind - to be wise, practical,

humorous and impersonal. The author, a poet, teacher, and

psychologist, describes the development of her psychic gifts

through adolescence, two marriages, the tragic deaths of a

first husband and various family members and relatives.


This book is a remarkable and convincing narrative by one

who has experienced the meaning of life and death more deeply

than most people ever can.]]> 179 Mary Le Beau Jeff 1
This was a very good book that I found to be more common sense than anything.

2nd/Final Read: July 26, 2017 - June 28, 2017 (* Rating)

It started out interesting enough to keep my attention span. After awhile, I wasn't agreeing with what the author was writing about - getting her information from something contacted by a Ouija Board. It all sounds and reads good intentions throughout the book, I just don't buy into it. Too odd for a spirit, channeled by seance, to teach good and bad as if through the eyes of God.

I'm baffled of why I gave this a four star rating upon my initial reading over twenty years ago. Call me old fashioned, a traditionalist, whatever, pick your poison, I take the Word of God from the original book - the Holy Bible and no other.]]> 1.00 1971 Beyond Doubt: A Record of Psychic Experience
author: Mary Le Beau
name: Jeff
average rating: 1.00
book published: 1971
rating: 1
read at: 2017/07/28
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: psychology, science, new-age, 1996, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 4, 1996 - November 9, 1996 (**** Rating)

This was a very good book that I found to be more common sense than anything.

2nd/Final Read: July 26, 2017 - June 28, 2017 (* Rating)

It started out interesting enough to keep my attention span. After awhile, I wasn't agreeing with what the author was writing about - getting her information from something contacted by a Ouija Board. It all sounds and reads good intentions throughout the book, I just don't buy into it. Too odd for a spirit, channeled by seance, to teach good and bad as if through the eyes of God.

I'm baffled of why I gave this a four star rating upon my initial reading over twenty years ago. Call me old fashioned, a traditionalist, whatever, pick your poison, I take the Word of God from the original book - the Holy Bible and no other.
]]> <![CDATA[Susy Smith's Supernatural World]]> 24502094
Would you like to learn more about...

The doctor who dreamed he was holding a woman's severed head, only to see her photo in the next day's paper - a victim of decapitation?

The ghost who named his own murderer?

The Bhagwan, a vengeful Indian ghost who possesses and torments his victim until death?

The clairvoyant who located a girl's body in the depths of a river, after the divers had failed?

They're all here-exciting and well documented examples of clairvoyance, ESP, precognition, rejuvenation...

If you have any curiosity about the worlds beyond our own, this book is sure to disturb as well as fascinate you.]]> 192 Susy Smith Jeff 1
There were some interesting articles in this book and some were just okay. Another book into the box of read again stories in my collection.

2nd/Final Read: July 21, 2017 - July 23, 2017 (* Rating)

I - INTRODUCTION - - July 21, 2017
II - "THE SEARCH FOR THE TALKING CAT" - July 21, 2017
- I think the cat in question, if it did talk, was possessed or just one well-scripted put on by by all those involved.
III - "THE VIOLENT GHOSTS OF AMHERST" - July 22, 2017
- More of a believable story than the previous one. Enjoyed it!
IV - "RAISED UP BY A BHAGWAN" - July 22, 2017
- Nothing too special. Another form of bodily possession.
V - "MRS. LEONARD: THE STORY OF A GREAT MEDIUM" - July 22, 2017
- Again, nothing too special here.
VI - "PROPHETIC DREAM OF THE SEVERED HEAD" - July 22, 2017
- Interesting psychology of the senses and energies.
VII - "ALFRED R. WALLACE-SCIENTIFIC ENTHUSIAST" - July 23, 2017
- Interesting.
VIII - "THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL TENNIS SUIT" - July 23, 2017
- Nothing special.
IX - "KATIE FOX AND THE HYDESVILLE RAPPINGS" - July 23, 2017
- The most interesting tale so far!
X - "CLAIRVOYANT FINDS MISSING GIRL" - July 23, 2017
- It was alright. Was a theme in a few movies from the '90's.
XI - "THE YORKSHIRE MUSEUM GHOST" - July 23, 2017
- Nothing special.
XII - "THE SCHOLAR WHO WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME" - July 23, 2017
- This didn't do a thing for me at all. Supernatural? Hardly.
XIII - "THE CRYSTAL VISION OF MISS A." - July 23, 2017
- It was just okay for me.
XIV - "THE SPIRIT OF NIJINSKY" - July 23, 2017
- It was alright.
XV - "SUNDAR SINGH: MAN OF MIRACLES" - July 23, 2017
- Enjoyable!
XVI - "ORBITING CROCKERY IN NEWARK" - July 23, 2017
- Interesting.
XVII - "CHARLES DRAYTON THOMAS: PIONEER RESEARCHER" - July 23, 2017
- Nothing special.
XVIII - "THE AMAZING MR. E.S.P." - July 23, 2017
- It was alright.
XIX - "THE SLEEP OF THE SNOWS" - July 23, 2017
- Not bad.
XX - "THE REBIRTH OF REINCARNATION" - July 23, 2017
- Enjoyed this one.
XXI - "THE WOMAN WHO BOUGHT A GHOST" - July 23, 2017
- Interesting.

Overall, I'd rate the book as mildly interesting. There were only a couple of instances where I found a tale to grab my full attention. Most of the stories were not interesting and are forgettable.]]> 2.50 1971 Susy Smith's Supernatural World
author: Susy Smith
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.50
book published: 1971
rating: 1
read at: 2017/07/23
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: folk-lore, spirits-paranormal-supernatural, psychology, new-age, occult, 1996, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: October 29, 1996 - November 3, 1996 (** Rating)

There were some interesting articles in this book and some were just okay. Another book into the box of read again stories in my collection.

2nd/Final Read: July 21, 2017 - July 23, 2017 (* Rating)

I - INTRODUCTION - - July 21, 2017
II - "THE SEARCH FOR THE TALKING CAT" - July 21, 2017
- I think the cat in question, if it did talk, was possessed or just one well-scripted put on by by all those involved.
III - "THE VIOLENT GHOSTS OF AMHERST" - July 22, 2017
- More of a believable story than the previous one. Enjoyed it!
IV - "RAISED UP BY A BHAGWAN" - July 22, 2017
- Nothing too special. Another form of bodily possession.
V - "MRS. LEONARD: THE STORY OF A GREAT MEDIUM" - July 22, 2017
- Again, nothing too special here.
VI - "PROPHETIC DREAM OF THE SEVERED HEAD" - July 22, 2017
- Interesting psychology of the senses and energies.
VII - "ALFRED R. WALLACE-SCIENTIFIC ENTHUSIAST" - July 23, 2017
- Interesting.
VIII - "THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL TENNIS SUIT" - July 23, 2017
- Nothing special.
IX - "KATIE FOX AND THE HYDESVILLE RAPPINGS" - July 23, 2017
- The most interesting tale so far!
X - "CLAIRVOYANT FINDS MISSING GIRL" - July 23, 2017
- It was alright. Was a theme in a few movies from the '90's.
XI - "THE YORKSHIRE MUSEUM GHOST" - July 23, 2017
- Nothing special.
XII - "THE SCHOLAR WHO WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME" - July 23, 2017
- This didn't do a thing for me at all. Supernatural? Hardly.
XIII - "THE CRYSTAL VISION OF MISS A." - July 23, 2017
- It was just okay for me.
XIV - "THE SPIRIT OF NIJINSKY" - July 23, 2017
- It was alright.
XV - "SUNDAR SINGH: MAN OF MIRACLES" - July 23, 2017
- Enjoyable!
XVI - "ORBITING CROCKERY IN NEWARK" - July 23, 2017
- Interesting.
XVII - "CHARLES DRAYTON THOMAS: PIONEER RESEARCHER" - July 23, 2017
- Nothing special.
XVIII - "THE AMAZING MR. E.S.P." - July 23, 2017
- It was alright.
XIX - "THE SLEEP OF THE SNOWS" - July 23, 2017
- Not bad.
XX - "THE REBIRTH OF REINCARNATION" - July 23, 2017
- Enjoyed this one.
XXI - "THE WOMAN WHO BOUGHT A GHOST" - July 23, 2017
- Interesting.

Overall, I'd rate the book as mildly interesting. There were only a couple of instances where I found a tale to grab my full attention. Most of the stories were not interesting and are forgettable.
]]> <![CDATA[Bruce Lee's "My Martial Arts Training Manual #2" A Guide to Jeet Kune Do]]> 24486515
Follow in the footsteps of the greatest Kung Fu master of

them all! With this book, you will:

*Understand the physical and psychological reasoning behind
Bruce Lee's development of Jeet Kune-Do, or The Way of the
Stopping of the Fist.

*Learn to warm up and work out, Bruce Lee style.

*Discover the natural and powerful fluidity of your body as
you learn to direct and control your concentration.

*Develop and release your Chi, the internal life force from
which Bruce Lee drew his amazing strength.


Over one hundred photographs of Bruce Lee in action!]]> 176 Bruce Lee Jeff 1 Interesting, though, there is not enough information on his actual training sessions. They don't go into depth regarding repetitions, what to learn first, etc...

2nd Read: March 27, 2017 (* Rating)
I am still disappointed in this "training manual" as it really gives no detail in the aspect of training. There was barely a mention of his Wing Chun training; a nod at best. It gives a brief history of all the martial arts up to 1976 from its beginnings in 600 BC, including his own Jeet-Kune-Do. It also has a short biography of who Bruce Lee was (excluding his major movies and his death in 1973) and relied heavily on action still shots from all of his work in his movies, along with other photos. The photos alone took up more than two thirds of this book! This book is a farce and I am certain it was to make the authors a little money. They did not honor the legend of who Bruce Lee was and sped through the writing of the book as quickly as you can read it (roughly twenty minutes). The publishing company should be ashamed of themselves, the authors and this book for allowing printing rights and distribution of it.]]> 1.00 1976 Bruce Lee's "My Martial Arts Training Manual #2" A Guide to Jeet Kune Do
author: Bruce Lee
name: Jeff
average rating: 1.00
book published: 1976
rating: 1
read at: 2017/03/27
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: exercise-health-nutrition, philosophy-metaphysics-kinesics, 1993, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: September 1, 1993 - September 1, 1993 (*** Rating)
Interesting, though, there is not enough information on his actual training sessions. They don't go into depth regarding repetitions, what to learn first, etc...

2nd Read: March 27, 2017 (* Rating)
I am still disappointed in this "training manual" as it really gives no detail in the aspect of training. There was barely a mention of his Wing Chun training; a nod at best. It gives a brief history of all the martial arts up to 1976 from its beginnings in 600 BC, including his own Jeet-Kune-Do. It also has a short biography of who Bruce Lee was (excluding his major movies and his death in 1973) and relied heavily on action still shots from all of his work in his movies, along with other photos. The photos alone took up more than two thirds of this book! This book is a farce and I am certain it was to make the authors a little money. They did not honor the legend of who Bruce Lee was and sped through the writing of the book as quickly as you can read it (roughly twenty minutes). The publishing company should be ashamed of themselves, the authors and this book for allowing printing rights and distribution of it.
]]> Wolf Mountain 24486200
Karpus and Johns, master and whining slave,walked out of a minimum-security prison two days before, robbed a store for camping equipment and guns, and killed a couple hippy hitchhikers just for kicks. In their stolen truck, they are also headed for Wolf Mountain to hole up in a cabin.

They kill a climbing guide just for climbing practice, leaving a climbing club of teenage girls stranded. It is Whittaker who comes across the cabin just as the two villains are planning on having
their way with the captives. The rescue involves surviving an avalanche, deadly rifle fire and a chase through the mountains.]]> 307 Peter Lars Sandberg Jeff 3 Was an interesting book. Not great, but it was alright.

2nd/Final Read: March 16, 2017 - March 20, 2017 (*** Rating)
Review is much in the same regard as my first read in 1993. An adventurous and thrilling story that keeps you on edge.]]> 3.25 1976 Wolf Mountain
author: Peter Lars Sandberg
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.25
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/20
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 1993, fictional-thriller, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: July 8, 1993 - July 20, 1993 (*** Rating)
Was an interesting book. Not great, but it was alright.

2nd/Final Read: March 16, 2017 - March 20, 2017 (*** Rating)
Review is much in the same regard as my first read in 1993. An adventurous and thrilling story that keeps you on edge.
]]> <![CDATA[HAUNTED HOUSES [GHOSTS, VISITORS FROM THE DEAD, DEMONIC CURSES, TERRORS FROM THE by Richard and Nancy Osborn Winer (1979-05-03)]]> 2200464 237 Richard Winer 0553128833 Jeff 3 :January 1, 1999 - February 21, 1999 (*** Rating)

Some parts of this book were a struggle to get through! I found myself reading paragraphs or sentences out loud a few times, attempting to grasp what the authors were trying to convey. The book wasn't all bad. I found some of the places and ghosts they wrote of were quite compelling and informative. For me particularly, The Bell Witch, was one of the better. I was slightly familiar with that one because of the metal band, Mercyful Fate and their 1994 reunion EP "The Bell Witch", and the song of the same name.

2nd Read: December 28, 2017 - December 31, 2017 (*** Rating)

I) "INTRODUCTION" - December 28, 2017
II)"THE HAW BRANCH HAUNTING" - December 28, 2017
Quite intriguing of a place. I'd like to visit it and see if these things still happen.
III)"THE BELL WITCH-THE WITCH THAT IS REALLY A GHOST" - December 28, 2017
I still enjoy this one, I suppose for being a fan of metal music and knowing Mercyful Fate's song, "The Bell Witch", made it more familiar to me.
IV)"THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE-THE HOUSE THAT FEAR BUILT" - December 28, 2017
Quite decent. Another place which would be cool to visit and perhaps...spend a night.
V)"THE WHALEY HOUSE-THE HOUSE ON THE HANGING GROUND" - December 29, 2017
This was alright.
VI)"EROTIC ENTITIES" - December 29, 2017
Ready for a cigarette after reading this!
VII)"GHOSTLY GREETINGS FROM THE GRAVEYARD" - December 29, 2017
Had some interesting tales in this one.
VIII)"THE PHANTOMS OF VIRGINIA" - December 29, 2017
Nothing really enthralling in this one.
IX)"NEW ORLEANS-THE MOST HOSTS OF GHOSTS" - December 29, 2017
Same sentiments as previous story.
X)"A MACHINE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD, AND A GREAT CURSE" - December 30-31, 2017
Would make an awesome horror movie.
XI)"PATRIOTIC SPIRITS, MILITARY GHOSTS" - December 31, 2017
Longest one in the book thus far. Had its moments.
XII)"THE ISLAND OF TEARS" - December 31, 2017
Would be a cool place to visit and experience.
XIII)"THE CORNSTALK CURSE" - December 31, 2017
Kept me interested.
XIV)"ON THE ROCK-ALCATRAZ" - December 31, 2017
Same sentiments as previous story.
XV)"THE WORLD'S LARGEST HAUNTED HOUSE-MIAMI'S BILTMORE HOTEL" - December 31, 2017
Quite decent of an unsolved crime story.
XVI)"A SONG AND DANCE AND DEATH" - December 31, 2017
Not too bad.
XVII)"THE CURSE OF JAMES DEAN'S DEATH CAR" - December 31, 2017
One of the better stories in this book.

One of the better books in my collection regarding the paranormal, ghosts, possessions, etc. I like that the stories were just that; stories. Other books (I've read) have a tendency to give a brief haunting, some only a paragraph or two, then another story begins. This book takes you along with the authors words by their research and experiences they've shared.
I will be giving this one away to a friend for her collection, as I know I'd never read it again.]]> 3.43 1979 HAUNTED HOUSES [GHOSTS, VISITORS FROM THE DEAD, DEMONIC CURSES, TERRORS FROM THE by Richard and Nancy Osborn Winer (1979-05-03)
author: Richard Winer
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1979
rating: 3
read at: 2017/12/31
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: folk-lore, spirits-paranormal-supernatural, psychology, 1999, 1998, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 23, 1998 - December 31, 1998
:January 1, 1999 - February 21, 1999 (*** Rating)

Some parts of this book were a struggle to get through! I found myself reading paragraphs or sentences out loud a few times, attempting to grasp what the authors were trying to convey. The book wasn't all bad. I found some of the places and ghosts they wrote of were quite compelling and informative. For me particularly, The Bell Witch, was one of the better. I was slightly familiar with that one because of the metal band, Mercyful Fate and their 1994 reunion EP "The Bell Witch", and the song of the same name.

2nd Read: December 28, 2017 - December 31, 2017 (*** Rating)

I) "INTRODUCTION" - December 28, 2017
II)"THE HAW BRANCH HAUNTING" - December 28, 2017
Quite intriguing of a place. I'd like to visit it and see if these things still happen.
III)"THE BELL WITCH-THE WITCH THAT IS REALLY A GHOST" - December 28, 2017
I still enjoy this one, I suppose for being a fan of metal music and knowing Mercyful Fate's song, "The Bell Witch", made it more familiar to me.
IV)"THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE-THE HOUSE THAT FEAR BUILT" - December 28, 2017
Quite decent. Another place which would be cool to visit and perhaps...spend a night.
V)"THE WHALEY HOUSE-THE HOUSE ON THE HANGING GROUND" - December 29, 2017
This was alright.
VI)"EROTIC ENTITIES" - December 29, 2017
Ready for a cigarette after reading this!
VII)"GHOSTLY GREETINGS FROM THE GRAVEYARD" - December 29, 2017
Had some interesting tales in this one.
VIII)"THE PHANTOMS OF VIRGINIA" - December 29, 2017
Nothing really enthralling in this one.
IX)"NEW ORLEANS-THE MOST HOSTS OF GHOSTS" - December 29, 2017
Same sentiments as previous story.
X)"A MACHINE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD, AND A GREAT CURSE" - December 30-31, 2017
Would make an awesome horror movie.
XI)"PATRIOTIC SPIRITS, MILITARY GHOSTS" - December 31, 2017
Longest one in the book thus far. Had its moments.
XII)"THE ISLAND OF TEARS" - December 31, 2017
Would be a cool place to visit and experience.
XIII)"THE CORNSTALK CURSE" - December 31, 2017
Kept me interested.
XIV)"ON THE ROCK-ALCATRAZ" - December 31, 2017
Same sentiments as previous story.
XV)"THE WORLD'S LARGEST HAUNTED HOUSE-MIAMI'S BILTMORE HOTEL" - December 31, 2017
Quite decent of an unsolved crime story.
XVI)"A SONG AND DANCE AND DEATH" - December 31, 2017
Not too bad.
XVII)"THE CURSE OF JAMES DEAN'S DEATH CAR" - December 31, 2017
One of the better stories in this book.

One of the better books in my collection regarding the paranormal, ghosts, possessions, etc. I like that the stories were just that; stories. Other books (I've read) have a tendency to give a brief haunting, some only a paragraph or two, then another story begins. This book takes you along with the authors words by their research and experiences they've shared.
I will be giving this one away to a friend for her collection, as I know I'd never read it again.
]]> Mick Jagger 24416877 stardom-from the blues-crazed teenager, hooked on the
music from Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard, to his present position as Rock's reigning superstar - and provides a penetrating vision of both the man and the myth.

Here the full story is revealed - the days playing R&B at The Ealing Club and The Marquee; the founding of The Rolling Stones and their first big hit with "Not Fade Away'", their music; the whirlwind American tours; the power struggles; the tragic death of Brian Jones; Bianca; the violent undercurrents of the pop scene; and the millions of worshipping fans for whom Jagger has become a symbol of erotic defiance.

MICK JAGGER paints an original and powerful portrait of one of the most phenomenal performers of our age.

ILLUSTRATED]]> 156 Jamake Marks Jeff 2
This was a pretty good biography. It is a great piece of pop culture as it shows sides of the man whom many were never aware of. It reveals Mick not only as the singer for The Rolling Stones, but also as the actor from a 1970 film, Performance...also starring, Anita Pallenberg and James Fox.

There are many biography's out there of The Rolling Stones and of Mick Jagger. This one holds up well as it avoids the obvious that has been written of time and time again. I will someday read it again.

2nd Read: November 26, 2017 - December 1, 2017 (** Rating)

It was an alright biography of the bands early career and into the 1970's, But I just didn't care for the author's writing style.]]> 2.00 1973 Mick Jagger
author: Jamake Marks
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.00
book published: 1973
rating: 2
read at: 2017/12/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: music, biography, 1998, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 12, 1998 - November 21, 1998 (**** Rating)

This was a pretty good biography. It is a great piece of pop culture as it shows sides of the man whom many were never aware of. It reveals Mick not only as the singer for The Rolling Stones, but also as the actor from a 1970 film, Performance...also starring, Anita Pallenberg and James Fox.

There are many biography's out there of The Rolling Stones and of Mick Jagger. This one holds up well as it avoids the obvious that has been written of time and time again. I will someday read it again.

2nd Read: November 26, 2017 - December 1, 2017 (** Rating)

It was an alright biography of the bands early career and into the 1970's, But I just didn't care for the author's writing style.
]]> <![CDATA[Strange Prophecies That Came True]]> 6688531 189 Stewart Robb Jeff 1
This is an alright book that is written well and isn't hard to understand. It holds your interest, giving you a furrowed brow as you read. I may have to read this again as it made me aware that anyone can tap into this area of clairvoyance and psychology. Some of the things towards the end of the book were quite interesting.

2nd Read: November 17, 2017 - November 25, 2017 (* Rating)

There are fifty-nine short stories in this book and for me, there were only two or three stories which had any remoteness of being really interesting. What a waste of shelf space this has been the past twenty plus years!

As I have said in past reviews, an opinion of a book over long periods of time will alter your initial critique or thoughts about it. This is a spot on case in point.]]> 2.17 1967 Strange Prophecies That Came True
author: Stewart Robb
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.17
book published: 1967
rating: 1
read at: 2017/11/25
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: new-age, psychology, prophecy, 1998, occult, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: October 24, 1998 - November 3, 1998 (*** Rating)

This is an alright book that is written well and isn't hard to understand. It holds your interest, giving you a furrowed brow as you read. I may have to read this again as it made me aware that anyone can tap into this area of clairvoyance and psychology. Some of the things towards the end of the book were quite interesting.

2nd Read: November 17, 2017 - November 25, 2017 (* Rating)

There are fifty-nine short stories in this book and for me, there were only two or three stories which had any remoteness of being really interesting. What a waste of shelf space this has been the past twenty plus years!

As I have said in past reviews, an opinion of a book over long periods of time will alter your initial critique or thoughts about it. This is a spot on case in point.
]]> <![CDATA[Meta-Talk: The Guide to Hidden Meanings in Conversations]]> 24408066 "To be perfectly frank..."?
(Watch out. He's hiding something.)
"Incidentally..."?
(Here comes the zinger.)

Learn to read the hidden meanings in conversation - with over 350 key phrases that give you the clue to what people are REALLY thinking when they talk.

By the authors of the million-copy best seller:
"HOW TO READ A PERSON LIKE A BOOK".]]> 192 Gerard I. Nierenberg Jeff 3
As most "How-To..." books go, I will read this one again. Brilliant for its time and holds up quite well forty years later!

2nd Read: January 31, 2013 - February 10, 2013 (**** Rating)

I will keep this one for my collection. It is interesting enough for use as a reference guide.

3rd Read: November 8, 2017 - November 16, 2017 (*** Rating)

Still an interesting book after a third read. This is another which would (and does) take up precious space in my bookshelves. I've grasped the concept of the book where it is second nature to analyze in my mind what others are truly saying to me or others.]]> 3.00 1973 Meta-Talk: The Guide to Hidden Meanings in Conversations
author: Gerard I. Nierenberg
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1973
rating: 3
read at: 2017/11/28
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: how-to-guide, psychology, self-help, 1998, 2013, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: October 19, 1998 - October 25, 1998 (**** Rating)

As most "How-To..." books go, I will read this one again. Brilliant for its time and holds up quite well forty years later!

2nd Read: January 31, 2013 - February 10, 2013 (**** Rating)

I will keep this one for my collection. It is interesting enough for use as a reference guide.

3rd Read: November 8, 2017 - November 16, 2017 (*** Rating)

Still an interesting book after a third read. This is another which would (and does) take up precious space in my bookshelves. I've grasped the concept of the book where it is second nature to analyze in my mind what others are truly saying to me or others.
]]> Some Canadian Ghosts 6200318 208 Sheila Hervey 0671786296 Jeff 2
I) INTRODUCTION

II) "A MOVEABLE GHOST" - (June 18)
- Interesting. A few times I'd attempted to take a drag from my smoke, I had to stop midway and continue reading. To me, that is a sign you are in tune to a story or movie.

III) "WEST COAST SPIRITS" - (July 2)
- There were some really cool stories in this section. I'd someday like to visit some of these locations.

IV) "DEMON DOGS AND GIGGLING GIRLS" - (July 2)
- Once more, another interesting one. Visualization and audioization are both awesome! If I thought hard enough about it, I could actually hear the ghosts as I read.

V) "ONTARIO GHOSTS" - (July 3 - 4)
- I don't recall any of the stories???

VI) "HOW TO TALK TO A GHOST" - (July 9 - 26)
- Some of the short stories have been erased from my memory, although I didn't mind a couple of them.

VII) "SPIRITS OF QUEBEC" - (August 5)
- Had its moments, but there were wasn't anything really good aside from the cat story and the last one.

VIII) "POLTERGEISTS" - (September 6)
- Nothing here that I haven't heard before.

IX) "MORE ONTARIO GHOSTS" - (September 12 - 13)
- The same sentiments as #7 comment.

X) "GHOSTS ON GUARD" - (September 13)
- Same sentiments....

XI) "GHOSTS OF THE NORTH" - (September 14)
- It's been awhile, but this section of the book was pretty good!

XII) "SEEING THE FUTURE" - (September 15)
- This one wasn't too bad at times. So much that a smile appeared on my face as I read.

XIII) "MARITIME GHOSTS" - (September 15)
- Had its moments.

XIV) "BEYOND THE BEYOND" - (September 16)
- Yes! This is more on a psychological level and the most of what I am intrigued by.

XV) "PRAIRIE PHENOMENA" - (September 16)
- It was alright.

2nd Read: November 3, 2017 - November 7, 2017 (** Rating)

My review of these stories would be similar to the previous reviews of each chapter. Some were good and didn't stretch beyond good, while others were just okay. There was nothing really remarkable in these stories that would leave a lasting impression in the book as a whole. For me anyway.]]> 2.95 1973 Some Canadian Ghosts
author: Sheila Hervey
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.95
book published: 1973
rating: 2
read at: 2017/11/07
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: folk-lore, spirits-paranormal-supernatural, 1998, reference, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: June 18, 1998 - September 16, 1998 (*** Rating)

I) INTRODUCTION

II) "A MOVEABLE GHOST" - (June 18)
- Interesting. A few times I'd attempted to take a drag from my smoke, I had to stop midway and continue reading. To me, that is a sign you are in tune to a story or movie.

III) "WEST COAST SPIRITS" - (July 2)
- There were some really cool stories in this section. I'd someday like to visit some of these locations.

IV) "DEMON DOGS AND GIGGLING GIRLS" - (July 2)
- Once more, another interesting one. Visualization and audioization are both awesome! If I thought hard enough about it, I could actually hear the ghosts as I read.

V) "ONTARIO GHOSTS" - (July 3 - 4)
- I don't recall any of the stories???

VI) "HOW TO TALK TO A GHOST" - (July 9 - 26)
- Some of the short stories have been erased from my memory, although I didn't mind a couple of them.

VII) "SPIRITS OF QUEBEC" - (August 5)
- Had its moments, but there were wasn't anything really good aside from the cat story and the last one.

VIII) "POLTERGEISTS" - (September 6)
- Nothing here that I haven't heard before.

IX) "MORE ONTARIO GHOSTS" - (September 12 - 13)
- The same sentiments as #7 comment.

X) "GHOSTS ON GUARD" - (September 13)
- Same sentiments....

XI) "GHOSTS OF THE NORTH" - (September 14)
- It's been awhile, but this section of the book was pretty good!

XII) "SEEING THE FUTURE" - (September 15)
- This one wasn't too bad at times. So much that a smile appeared on my face as I read.

XIII) "MARITIME GHOSTS" - (September 15)
- Had its moments.

XIV) "BEYOND THE BEYOND" - (September 16)
- Yes! This is more on a psychological level and the most of what I am intrigued by.

XV) "PRAIRIE PHENOMENA" - (September 16)
- It was alright.

2nd Read: November 3, 2017 - November 7, 2017 (** Rating)

My review of these stories would be similar to the previous reviews of each chapter. Some were good and didn't stretch beyond good, while others were just okay. There was nothing really remarkable in these stories that would leave a lasting impression in the book as a whole. For me anyway.
]]> Eye Scream 522821 experiencing the morality shifts, attitudes, and rituals in different parts
of the country - the difference in the way people were in the Bible Belt as
opposed to New York City, the way blacks and whites interfaced, the
intolerance of homosexuality, the morality plays. I started to become aware
of how brutal the country is and how much ferocity, cruelty, and oppression
are inherent in the culture and how much of it was in me. I wanted to
document it and create a book that brought the whole thing to a boil and see w
here it left me off. In the summer of 1995, I finished the book and started
to edit. Re-reading the manuscript over and over, I realized all the things I
had picked up over a decade of playing Devil's advocate and it was inspiring
because it clearly defined who my enemies are. As an American, I feel it
impossible not to be infuriated by the way things are and have been. I refuse
to be happy about the day-to-day and go along with it. There's too much
spitting in my face and too much spitting in the faces of people who don't
know any other way of life. This book is brutal, and at times, funny. I know
that I will probably get a ton of shit for Eye Scream. Enjoy, or better
yet... don't." ---- Henry Rollins]]> 219 Henry Rollins 1880985322 Jeff 2
This is my first Henry Rollins book of which I connected to quite unexpectedly. I was well aware of who Henry Rollins is as the vocalist for Black Flag and the Rollins Band, as well as the actor, and the Spoken Word/Poet. I ate this shit up completely!

After I'd finished this book, somehow I couldn't disagree that I agreed with much of what his viewpoints are in this world. In some regard, we are cut from the same block of stone, having been affected by things that make us feel the way we feel, and do the things we do. Even more though, why we are the kind of people who love and hate the solitude we exist and live in.

At the same time, we are not that hateful that we deny the existence of goodness and beauty in the world. I see it and feel it everyday living near the mountainous regions of Canada. It can't always be bad and negative. Those negative things and people are out there as much as the positive things and people which are out there.

This is a definite keeper in my collection. I hope to acquire more of his books and also catch him live on a spoken word tour soon. He's not for everyone and to those people I say, "Go and see your Jim Carrey types then!"

2nd Read: October 11, 2017 - October 31, 2017 (** Rating)

I didn't care for this book half as much as I did the first time, twenty years ago. My head was in a different place at that point in time and today, I no longer have the sentiment of that first review. Time does indeed change people.]]> 3.84 1996 Eye Scream
author: Henry Rollins
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1996
rating: 2
read at: 2017/10/31
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: music, sociology, poetry, 1997, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: October 9, 1997 - October 21, 1997 ( Rating)

This is my first Henry Rollins book of which I connected to quite unexpectedly. I was well aware of who Henry Rollins is as the vocalist for Black Flag and the Rollins Band, as well as the actor, and the Spoken Word/Poet. I ate this shit up completely!

After I'd finished this book, somehow I couldn't disagree that I agreed with much of what his viewpoints are in this world. In some regard, we are cut from the same block of stone, having been affected by things that make us feel the way we feel, and do the things we do. Even more though, why we are the kind of people who love and hate the solitude we exist and live in.

At the same time, we are not that hateful that we deny the existence of goodness and beauty in the world. I see it and feel it everyday living near the mountainous regions of Canada. It can't always be bad and negative. Those negative things and people are out there as much as the positive things and people which are out there.

This is a definite keeper in my collection. I hope to acquire more of his books and also catch him live on a spoken word tour soon. He's not for everyone and to those people I say, "Go and see your Jim Carrey types then!"

2nd Read: October 11, 2017 - October 31, 2017 (** Rating)

I didn't care for this book half as much as I did the first time, twenty years ago. My head was in a different place at that point in time and today, I no longer have the sentiment of that first review. Time does indeed change people.
]]> Drum and Candle 24375523 276 David St. Clair Jeff 4
This is the author's first book and he hit a home run with it! Much of this book had kept me interested in complete fascination. One of my beliefs is to research before I cast criticism or judgement. Only then, will you know if it is a good thing or a bad thing - based on personal preference. I don't believe it is bad, nor good. Quite simply, it is what is right for the Brazilians and those who have made parts of the lower United States of America their home. It is all about one's personal tastes and disposition. I honestly have a better understanding of Voodoo Spiritism and Brazilian Spiritualism. There is a very good chance I will read this title again a few more times.

2nd Read: September 29, 2017 - October 9, 2017 (**** Rating)

Once again, an enjoyable read it was! My curiosity has been aroused by wanting to experience it in person. Another part of me isn't sold on the idea of it and I see it as skeptical.

The only negative thing I can say about my copy of this book are about the frequent spelling mistakes in nearly every chapter, such as the word nest, intended to be the word next.]]> 4.00 1971 Drum and Candle
author: David St. Clair
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1971
rating: 4
read at: 2017/10/09
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: spirits-paranormal-supernatural, religion-paganism-wicca-witchraft, spirituality, 1997, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: July 22, 1997 - August 18, 1997 (**** Rating)

This is the author's first book and he hit a home run with it! Much of this book had kept me interested in complete fascination. One of my beliefs is to research before I cast criticism or judgement. Only then, will you know if it is a good thing or a bad thing - based on personal preference. I don't believe it is bad, nor good. Quite simply, it is what is right for the Brazilians and those who have made parts of the lower United States of America their home. It is all about one's personal tastes and disposition. I honestly have a better understanding of Voodoo Spiritism and Brazilian Spiritualism. There is a very good chance I will read this title again a few more times.

2nd Read: September 29, 2017 - October 9, 2017 (**** Rating)

Once again, an enjoyable read it was! My curiosity has been aroused by wanting to experience it in person. Another part of me isn't sold on the idea of it and I see it as skeptical.

The only negative thing I can say about my copy of this book are about the frequent spelling mistakes in nearly every chapter, such as the word nest, intended to be the word next.
]]> Moonraker (James Bond, #3) 5296265 192 Ian Fleming 0330102346 Jeff 2
There is just not enough to keep me interested with James Bond books! Seeing how I don't watch spy movies, or much television for that matter, along with all the police and lawyer shows, may be a huge factor of why I didn't enjoy this book. I do however, enjoy the James Bond movies.

2nd Read: September 23, 2017 - September 24, 2017 (** Rating)

Well written story. Not in my general area of reading material; something I would never purchase new or used.]]> 3.45 1955 Moonraker (James Bond, #3)
author: Ian Fleming
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.45
book published: 1955
rating: 2
read at: 2017/09/24
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 1997, fictional-spy-espionage, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: June 10, 1997 - June 27, 1997 (** Rating)

There is just not enough to keep me interested with James Bond books! Seeing how I don't watch spy movies, or much television for that matter, along with all the police and lawyer shows, may be a huge factor of why I didn't enjoy this book. I do however, enjoy the James Bond movies.

2nd Read: September 23, 2017 - September 24, 2017 (** Rating)

Well written story. Not in my general area of reading material; something I would never purchase new or used.
]]> From Russia, With Love 2507693
James Bond is marked for death by the Soviet counterintelligence agency SMERSH in Ian Fleming’s masterful spy thriller, and the novel that President John F. Kennedy named one of his favourite books of all time.

SMERSH stands for â€Death to Spiesâ€� and there’s no secret agent they’d like to disgrace and destroy more than 007, James Bond. But ensnaring the British Secret Service’s most lethal operative will require a lure so tempting even he can’t resist. Enter Tatiana Romanova, a ravishing Russian spy whose â€defectionâ€� springs a trap designed with clockwork precision.

Her mission: seduce Bond, then flee to the West on the Orient Express. Waiting in the shadows are two of Ian Fleming’s most vividly drawn villains: Red Grant, SMERSH’s deadliest assassin, and the sinister operations chief Rosa Klebb-five feet four inches of pure killing power.

Bursting with action and intrigue, From Russia with Love is one of the best-loved books in the Bond canon-an instant classic that set the standard for sophisticated literary spycraft for decades to come.]]> 208 Ian Fleming Jeff 2
This isn't one of those "cannot put this down" type books, although it holds your interest just long enough every so often.

My cover is slightly different than the one on the computer screen. Where it is labelled 3'6 in the bottom right corner, mine is the price of the book at sixty cents, labelled, (60c). As well, under Ian Fleming's name there are two numbers: 4/6 that are not on my copy. Mine is the 19th Printing from 1965.

2nd Read: September 25, 2017 - September 28, 2017 (** Rating)

An alright story. Seemed odd that James Bond didn't enter the story until after sixty or so pages! The book was more about the Russian spy, Tatiana Romanova in some regard.]]> 3.66 1957 From Russia, With Love
author: Ian Fleming
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1957
rating: 2
read at: 2017/09/28
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 1997, fictional-spy-espionage, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: May 21, 1997 - June 10, 1997 (*** Rating)

This isn't one of those "cannot put this down" type books, although it holds your interest just long enough every so often.

My cover is slightly different than the one on the computer screen. Where it is labelled 3'6 in the bottom right corner, mine is the price of the book at sixty cents, labelled, (60c). As well, under Ian Fleming's name there are two numbers: 4/6 that are not on my copy. Mine is the 19th Printing from 1965.

2nd Read: September 25, 2017 - September 28, 2017 (** Rating)

An alright story. Seemed odd that James Bond didn't enter the story until after sixty or so pages! The book was more about the Russian spy, Tatiana Romanova in some regard.
]]> The Who 24504993
music - still together after ten years at the top.

That in itself is unique. Even more remarkable, The

Who were the first British group to make people take

rock music seriously, first with songs that told

story, and then with the world's first rock opera,

"Tommy", now filmed by Ken Russell. Each of them has

developed separate careers - Townshend as a writer,

Entwistle and Daltrey as solo performers, and Moon

with film appearances in "That'll Be The Day" and

"Stardust" - and yet remained a potent force in rock

music, producing their second major work,

"Quadrophenia".


This book tells you how it all happened...what

brought them together...how they survived

catastrophe and crisis...how they conquered the

States...what "Tommy" has meant to their lives. It

is.......THE WHO!]]> 125 George Tremlett Jeff 3
A story on The Who by the band and put into motion from George Tremlett. It was a nice change to bring in another group to the biography section of my reading material. The book was not outrageous as the some of the others have been, (re: The Doors, Janis and Jimi). Again, a nice change to read about excess on a different level. Enjoyable reading from one hell of a band!

2nd Read: September 20, 2017 - September 21, 2017 (** Rating)

A look at the band during the first ten years as artists. Great band with some great music; though the author repeats himself often in its pages. I found it surprising that certain tracks did not chart for the band, like, "The Seeker". No mention of "Magic Bus" either!]]> 3.00 1975 The Who
author: George Tremlett
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1975
rating: 3
read at: 2017/09/25
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: music, non-fiction, biography, 1997, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: May 15, 1997 - May 21, 1997 (*** Rating)

A story on The Who by the band and put into motion from George Tremlett. It was a nice change to bring in another group to the biography section of my reading material. The book was not outrageous as the some of the others have been, (re: The Doors, Janis and Jimi). Again, a nice change to read about excess on a different level. Enjoyable reading from one hell of a band!

2nd Read: September 20, 2017 - September 21, 2017 (** Rating)

A look at the band during the first ten years as artists. Great band with some great music; though the author repeats himself often in its pages. I found it surprising that certain tracks did not chart for the band, like, "The Seeker". No mention of "Magic Bus" either!
]]> Lupe 167368
In San Francisco, Emily Blake and her husband David, a dermatologist, by an old Victorian in Pacific Heights and hope to start a family. Emily's happy plans are threatened when David begins an affair with a beautiful patient named Jennie.

A visit to a mysterious young boy in the Mission District named Lupe starts a chain of events in motion that result in Jennie's death -- by spontaneous combustion -- a murder trial, a media circus, and demon possession.]]> 304 Gene Thompson 0345275616 Jeff 2
The first part of this book was really good, then it lost its luster shortly after. When I arrived at Chapter 30, the story took off once more and regained my interest up to the end of the book. In time, I will read it again and have a new opinion formed.

2nd/Final Read: August 12, 2017 - August 13, 2017 (** Rating)

Forty years ago, this was probably good horror/suspense. It just doesn't stand the test of time for me. Fast paced writing style that could use more detail and anticipated suspense. The exorcism was over far too quickly for the trauma it placed on the character of Emily. I did not care for the character David much, particularly when he had seen the face of Lupe appear on Emily's face and was still in denial about it near the end of the book.

Over the course of a few chapters, I knew this as another book that I would not be keeping. It wasn't scary or frightening at all, as some have mentioned in their own reviews that it indeed was. For true horror, pick up something that deals with actual possession, such as, The Terror That Comes In The Night.]]> 3.52 1977 Lupe
author: Gene Thompson
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1977
rating: 2
read at: 2017/08/13
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 1997, fictional-horror, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: January 16, 1997 - January 26, 1997 (*** Rating)

The first part of this book was really good, then it lost its luster shortly after. When I arrived at Chapter 30, the story took off once more and regained my interest up to the end of the book. In time, I will read it again and have a new opinion formed.

2nd/Final Read: August 12, 2017 - August 13, 2017 (** Rating)

Forty years ago, this was probably good horror/suspense. It just doesn't stand the test of time for me. Fast paced writing style that could use more detail and anticipated suspense. The exorcism was over far too quickly for the trauma it placed on the character of Emily. I did not care for the character David much, particularly when he had seen the face of Lupe appear on Emily's face and was still in denial about it near the end of the book.

Over the course of a few chapters, I knew this as another book that I would not be keeping. It wasn't scary or frightening at all, as some have mentioned in their own reviews that it indeed was. For true horror, pick up something that deals with actual possession, such as, The Terror That Comes In The Night.
]]> <![CDATA[The Reign of Terror in the French Revolution]]> 16060085 192 Cleveland Moffett Jeff 3 : January 1, 1997 - January 5, 1997 (** Rating)
I'd read this book and found it remotely interesting at times. There were flashbacks to grade seven Social Studies class often, which had me asking questions to myself. Such as, "How disgustingly rotten was the smell in the city of Paris after beheading over 40,000 men & women?" That had to be quite obviously as rank as a dead animal!

Pretty certain I won't be keeping this book as the final four pages are now missing. The remaining pages are a cigarette smoke yellow after fifty-three years of suffocation. On top of this, the pages are not even staying in the books binding. It has had a hard life.

2nd/Final Read: August 8, 2017 - August 12, 2017 (*** Rating)

I really enjoyed reading this book again after nearly twenty-one years. The content is brutal, horrific and filled with crimes that stained Paris streets with blood down to the last layers of permafrost. Some of the torture and abuse many women and priests had to endure before their death was truly fit for a novel of intense fictional horror. It was hard to fathom that a human could do such things to another human being, had made me shudder at the visualizations of them.

I wonder whatever became of Stanton, the Chief Executioner during this time in history!]]> 2.75 1962 The Reign of Terror in the French Revolution
author: Cleveland Moffett
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.75
book published: 1962
rating: 3
read at: 2017/08/12
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: history, non-fiction, 1996, 1997, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: December 11, 1996 - December 31, 1996
: January 1, 1997 - January 5, 1997 (** Rating)
I'd read this book and found it remotely interesting at times. There were flashbacks to grade seven Social Studies class often, which had me asking questions to myself. Such as, "How disgustingly rotten was the smell in the city of Paris after beheading over 40,000 men & women?" That had to be quite obviously as rank as a dead animal!

Pretty certain I won't be keeping this book as the final four pages are now missing. The remaining pages are a cigarette smoke yellow after fifty-three years of suffocation. On top of this, the pages are not even staying in the books binding. It has had a hard life.

2nd/Final Read: August 8, 2017 - August 12, 2017 (*** Rating)

I really enjoyed reading this book again after nearly twenty-one years. The content is brutal, horrific and filled with crimes that stained Paris streets with blood down to the last layers of permafrost. Some of the torture and abuse many women and priests had to endure before their death was truly fit for a novel of intense fictional horror. It was hard to fathom that a human could do such things to another human being, had made me shudder at the visualizations of them.

I wonder whatever became of Stanton, the Chief Executioner during this time in history!
]]> Lenny 28818527
He was the stunningly brilliant comic and prophet whose wild sense of the absurd and unerring antenna for human folly and fraud brought him into violent conflict with the courts and the cops. He was a man obsessed, a spellbinding performer with a high-pressure mind and a razor-sharp wit, whose short life was high adventure lived at a fever pitch of passion.

Here is the frank story of his dramatic life, his meteoric rise to fame, his tortured defeats, his years of unrelenting struggle with the authorities, and his final tragic end.]]> 176 Valerie K. Smith 0426164164 Jeff 2
One of my Mom's books that I always remember seeing in a box with many others from the 1970's. This is the book bio based on the 1974 movie which starred, Dustin Hoffman and Valarie Perrine. I never found the story completely bad, nor was it an absolute blast. It kept my interest in that shade of gray area, as it was a good story. The comedy dialogue had me thinking many good thoughts about Lenny's material. I will have to re-read this one as it is now forty years old and I'd last read it nineteen years ago.

2nd/Final Read: June 19, 2017 - June 22, 2017 (** Rating)

Never enjoyed this one that much more again. I did enjoy the scenes from the courtroom, mainly because of his tenacity and insistence to try and get his points across to people.]]> 2.00 Lenny
author: Valerie K. Smith
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.00
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2017/06/22
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: movie-tie-in, non-fiction, 1996, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: April 2, 1996 - April 7, 1996 (*** Rating)

One of my Mom's books that I always remember seeing in a box with many others from the 1970's. This is the book bio based on the 1974 movie which starred, Dustin Hoffman and Valarie Perrine. I never found the story completely bad, nor was it an absolute blast. It kept my interest in that shade of gray area, as it was a good story. The comedy dialogue had me thinking many good thoughts about Lenny's material. I will have to re-read this one as it is now forty years old and I'd last read it nineteen years ago.

2nd/Final Read: June 19, 2017 - June 22, 2017 (** Rating)

Never enjoyed this one that much more again. I did enjoy the scenes from the courtroom, mainly because of his tenacity and insistence to try and get his points across to people.
]]> The Bad Place 354967 417 Dean Koontz 0425124347 Jeff 3 January 1, 1996 - January 12, 1996

This would be my third Koontz novel and it was just below par compared to the previous two of his I'd read. It left me a little confused that he chose to change up his format somewhat. It is very good reading though. The final ten chapters...my eyes and mind were on auto-pilot it was so damn good!

2nd/Final Read: May 31, 2017 - June 8, 2017 (*** Rating)

My review remains for the most part, the same as my previous one. I'm hoping Dean Koontz has better books out there in his arsenal. For me, I just find them alright and not particularly page-turner's.]]> 3.68 1990 The Bad Place
author: Dean Koontz
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2017/06/08
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: 1995, 1996, 2017, fictional-suspense, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: December 23, 1995 - December 31, 1996 (*** Rating)
January 1, 1996 - January 12, 1996

This would be my third Koontz novel and it was just below par compared to the previous two of his I'd read. It left me a little confused that he chose to change up his format somewhat. It is very good reading though. The final ten chapters...my eyes and mind were on auto-pilot it was so damn good!

2nd/Final Read: May 31, 2017 - June 8, 2017 (*** Rating)

My review remains for the most part, the same as my previous one. I'm hoping Dean Koontz has better books out there in his arsenal. For me, I just find them alright and not particularly page-turner's.
]]> Shock Rock, Volume I 641739
Stephen King... David J. Schow ... Thomas Tessier... F. Paul Wilson... Richard Christian Matheson ... Nancy A. Collins... Graham Masterton ... Pay Garton ... Rex Miller ... and ten other stars of today's shock fiction know what metalheads and moralists, punksters and preachers have known all along. Rock and roll. With its hot licks and raw glitter, has a dark side too - where the party stops and the terror begins.

Put on your headphones. Open this electrifying book. Rock to the world of horror where martyred musical super-legends return from the dead at 120 decibels... where radio stations sponsor ghastly giveaways that no living soul could want ... where other-earthly pirates bootleg not records, but human souls... where people are strange ... and the devil rocks all night.

THE NEW SOUND OF HORROR

CONTENTS

Stephen King - You Know They've Got a Hell Of A Band
F. Paul Wilson - Bob Dylan, Troy Jonson, and The Speed Queen
David J. Schow - Odeed
Nancy A. Collins - Vargr Rule
Ronald Kelly - Blood Suede Shoes
Don D'Ammassa - The Dead Beat Society
Graham Masterton - Voodoo Child
Paul Dale Anderson - Rites Of Spring
Michael E. Garrett - Dedicated To The One I Loathe
Brian J. Hodge - Requiem
R. Patrick Gates - Heavy Metal
Rex Miller - Bunky
Bill Mumy & Peter David - The Black '59
Richard Christian Matheson - Groupies
Michael Newton - Reunion
Mark Verheiden - Bootleg
Ray Garton - Weird Gig
John L. Byrne - Hide In Plain Sight
Thomas Tessier - Addicted To love
John Shirley - Flaming Telepaths]]> 288 Jeff Gelb 0671701509 Jeff 2 Interesting reading material. Some of the stories were very good, some were alright, and others that left me thinking, "What if?", particularly, the Stephen King short story.

2nd/Final Read: February 16, 2017 - February 21, 2017 (** Rating)
I) FORWARD - ALICE COOPER (February 16, 2017)
Cool!

II) INTRODUCTION - JEFF GELB (February 16, 2017)
Nostalgic summary of rock/metal and horror mashups.

III) "YOU KNOW THEY GOT A HELL OF A BAND" - STEPHEN KING - (February 16 - February 17, 2017) (**** Rating)
To stumble into the small town of Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, Oregon would definitely be shocking for anyone who knows music. This is still not a half bad short story. I'd watched the short movie on You Tube a couple years ago and it was as good as the story in the book.

IV) "BOB DYLAN, TROY JONSON, AND THE SPEED QUEEN" - F. PAUL WILSON (February 17, 2017) (**** Rating)
This one left me wanting more, as the story seemed to just be getting started. It was alright.
V) "ODEED" - DAVID J. SCHOW (February 17, 2017) (* Rating)
Too short and too much chaos in the writing of it. Too much going on in too short of a story.

VI) "VARGR RULE" - NANCY A. COLLINS (February 17, 2017) (*** Rating)
Once again, another short story that left me wanting more. It sort of reminded of Whitley Strieber's, "The Wolfen".

VII) "BLOOD SUEDE SHOES" - RONALD KELLY (February 18, 2017) (**** Rating)
Interesting concept! Didn't mind this one.

VIII) "THE DEAD BEAT SOCIETY" - DON D'AMMASSA (February 19, 2017) (* Rating)
Nothing special here. Didn't care for it.

IX) "VOODOO CHILD" - GRAHAM MASTERTON (February 19, 2017) (** Rating)
Wasn't too bad. I like to believe that this is an original idea for a story.

X) "RITES OF SPRING" - PAUL DALE ANDERSON (February 19, 2017) (* Rating)
Too short for my liking.

XI) "DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOATHE" - MICHAEL GARRETT (February 19, 2017) (*** Rating)
I'd rate it a three out of five. Would make a decent work of fiction if the author developed the story another three hundred pages or so.

XII) "REQUIEM" - BRIAN HODGE (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
This one didn't do anything for me. The writing was okay.

XIII) "HEAVY METAL" - R. PATRICK GATES (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
It started out interesting and then interest failed for me.

XIV) "BUNKY" - REX MILLER (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
Starts off like concert banter from Ted Nugent ad becomes so much worse than it does better. Too much, "Ya dig?" and other nonsense in the writing style. Not for me,

XV) "THE BLACK '59" - BILL MUMY & PETER DAVID (February 20, 2017) (*** Rating)
Held my interest enough to enjoy it. It reminded me of the movie, "Trick or Treat" for the most part.

XVI) "GROUPIES" - RICHARD CHRISTIAN MATHESON (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
What the fuck did I just read?

XVII) "REUNION" -MICHAEL NEWTON (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
A lot of action but no chub!

XVIII) "BOOTLEG" - MARK VERHEIDEN (February 20, 2017) (** Rating)
It was okay. Had a couple good moments.

XIX) "WEIRD GIG" - RAY GARTON (February 20, 2017) (**** Rating)
Something straight out of "Tales From The Crypt"! Not bad at all.

XX) "HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT" - JOHN L. BYRNE (February 20, 2017) (**** Rating)
Another one which fits well with "Tales From The Crypt". Decent.

XXI) "ADDICTED TO LOVE" - THOMAS TESSIER (February 20, 2017) (*** Rating)
Potential for something good....but was just okay.

XXII) "FLAMING TELEPATHS" - JOHN SHIRLEY (February 21, 2017) (*** Rating)
This one too, would make an awesome mini-movie for "Tales From The Crypt"!

XXIII) CONTRIBUTING BIOGRAPHIES (February 21, 2017)
Backstory of authors.]]> 3.72 1992 Shock Rock, Volume I
author: Jeff Gelb
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2017/02/21
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: shortstories-novellas, movie-tie-in, music, 1992, fictional-horror, fictional-thriller, 2017, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: July 2, 1992 - July 8, 1992 (*** Rating)
Interesting reading material. Some of the stories were very good, some were alright, and others that left me thinking, "What if?", particularly, the Stephen King short story.

2nd/Final Read: February 16, 2017 - February 21, 2017 (** Rating)
I) FORWARD - ALICE COOPER (February 16, 2017)
Cool!

II) INTRODUCTION - JEFF GELB (February 16, 2017)
Nostalgic summary of rock/metal and horror mashups.

III) "YOU KNOW THEY GOT A HELL OF A BAND" - STEPHEN KING - (February 16 - February 17, 2017) (**** Rating)
To stumble into the small town of Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, Oregon would definitely be shocking for anyone who knows music. This is still not a half bad short story. I'd watched the short movie on You Tube a couple years ago and it was as good as the story in the book.

IV) "BOB DYLAN, TROY JONSON, AND THE SPEED QUEEN" - F. PAUL WILSON (February 17, 2017) (**** Rating)
This one left me wanting more, as the story seemed to just be getting started. It was alright.
V) "ODEED" - DAVID J. SCHOW (February 17, 2017) (* Rating)
Too short and too much chaos in the writing of it. Too much going on in too short of a story.

VI) "VARGR RULE" - NANCY A. COLLINS (February 17, 2017) (*** Rating)
Once again, another short story that left me wanting more. It sort of reminded of Whitley Strieber's, "The Wolfen".

VII) "BLOOD SUEDE SHOES" - RONALD KELLY (February 18, 2017) (**** Rating)
Interesting concept! Didn't mind this one.

VIII) "THE DEAD BEAT SOCIETY" - DON D'AMMASSA (February 19, 2017) (* Rating)
Nothing special here. Didn't care for it.

IX) "VOODOO CHILD" - GRAHAM MASTERTON (February 19, 2017) (** Rating)
Wasn't too bad. I like to believe that this is an original idea for a story.

X) "RITES OF SPRING" - PAUL DALE ANDERSON (February 19, 2017) (* Rating)
Too short for my liking.

XI) "DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOATHE" - MICHAEL GARRETT (February 19, 2017) (*** Rating)
I'd rate it a three out of five. Would make a decent work of fiction if the author developed the story another three hundred pages or so.

XII) "REQUIEM" - BRIAN HODGE (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
This one didn't do anything for me. The writing was okay.

XIII) "HEAVY METAL" - R. PATRICK GATES (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
It started out interesting and then interest failed for me.

XIV) "BUNKY" - REX MILLER (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
Starts off like concert banter from Ted Nugent ad becomes so much worse than it does better. Too much, "Ya dig?" and other nonsense in the writing style. Not for me,

XV) "THE BLACK '59" - BILL MUMY & PETER DAVID (February 20, 2017) (*** Rating)
Held my interest enough to enjoy it. It reminded me of the movie, "Trick or Treat" for the most part.

XVI) "GROUPIES" - RICHARD CHRISTIAN MATHESON (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
What the fuck did I just read?

XVII) "REUNION" -MICHAEL NEWTON (February 20, 2017) (* Rating)
A lot of action but no chub!

XVIII) "BOOTLEG" - MARK VERHEIDEN (February 20, 2017) (** Rating)
It was okay. Had a couple good moments.

XIX) "WEIRD GIG" - RAY GARTON (February 20, 2017) (**** Rating)
Something straight out of "Tales From The Crypt"! Not bad at all.

XX) "HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT" - JOHN L. BYRNE (February 20, 2017) (**** Rating)
Another one which fits well with "Tales From The Crypt". Decent.

XXI) "ADDICTED TO LOVE" - THOMAS TESSIER (February 20, 2017) (*** Rating)
Potential for something good....but was just okay.

XXII) "FLAMING TELEPATHS" - JOHN SHIRLEY (February 21, 2017) (*** Rating)
This one too, would make an awesome mini-movie for "Tales From The Crypt"!

XXIII) CONTRIBUTING BIOGRAPHIES (February 21, 2017)
Backstory of authors.
]]> Here and Hereafter 24465327
WHO HAS NOT experienced the eerie feeling, on glimpsing a village street or foreign seaport, that he has been there before/ Who has not met a stranger with whom he felt instant rapport, as if he had always known him, or taken a violent dislike to another before the introductions were even completed? Could these inner stirrings perhaps be prompted by soul memories of past life encounters?

Read HERE AND HEREAFTER then ask yourself: Is the cycle of rebirth really so hard to believe.]]> 175 Ruth Montgomery 4490129807 Jeff 3
So many case files of people who have had past life experiences in this book. There is also a lot of history there as well. I have often wondered about this regarding my own life.

I think anything is possible, other than the majority of people always believing they were someone notable or famous in history. That is likely, but it is more unlikely in my eyes. What is wrong with just being a regular person during The Black Plague? Or a Shepherd boy? It seems more gratifying to the individual to say he or she was such and such a person, in regards to the contrast of their pathetic life they are living today.

This is where an expert named Edgar Cayce comes into the picture and puts those who are willing, under hypnosis to search for truth in the matter. He has been making quite a few appearances in these last few books I have read. It wouldn't hurt to fire up the next book, EDGAR CAYCE ON THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS, which revolves around his gift of clairvoyance. It should prove to be an interesting and enjoyable read.

I have put this book into a box dubbed as, "To Read Again". It is an interesting read, but like anything, a second opinion never hurts either.

2nd/Final Read: April 9, 2018 - April 14, 2018 (*** Rating)

Enjoyable once more for the very interesting reading it was, particularly the final two chapters. Still curious about the past lifes I've lived. I often feel a sense of deja-vu when reading about the era of Alexander the Great and the 1960's. Who knows where I've been?]]> 3.67 1968 Here and Hereafter
author: Ruth Montgomery
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1968
rating: 3
read at: 2018/04/14
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: new-age, non-fiction, spirituality, 2014, 2018, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: November 19, 2014 - November 20, 2014 (*** Rating)

So many case files of people who have had past life experiences in this book. There is also a lot of history there as well. I have often wondered about this regarding my own life.

I think anything is possible, other than the majority of people always believing they were someone notable or famous in history. That is likely, but it is more unlikely in my eyes. What is wrong with just being a regular person during The Black Plague? Or a Shepherd boy? It seems more gratifying to the individual to say he or she was such and such a person, in regards to the contrast of their pathetic life they are living today.

This is where an expert named Edgar Cayce comes into the picture and puts those who are willing, under hypnosis to search for truth in the matter. He has been making quite a few appearances in these last few books I have read. It wouldn't hurt to fire up the next book, EDGAR CAYCE ON THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS, which revolves around his gift of clairvoyance. It should prove to be an interesting and enjoyable read.

I have put this book into a box dubbed as, "To Read Again". It is an interesting read, but like anything, a second opinion never hurts either.

2nd/Final Read: April 9, 2018 - April 14, 2018 (*** Rating)

Enjoyable once more for the very interesting reading it was, particularly the final two chapters. Still curious about the past lifes I've lived. I often feel a sense of deja-vu when reading about the era of Alexander the Great and the 1960's. Who knows where I've been?
]]> The terminal generation 1134217 210 Hal Lindsey w/C.C. Carlson 0553112597 Jeff 3
Such as the previous book by Lindsey and Carlson (Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth), this turned out to be just as good of a read. It was philosophical and deep, often keeping me in thought long after I'd closed the book for the night. I will keep this one for my collection.

2nd/FinalRead: March 30, 2018 - March 31, 2018 (*** Rating)

I found it was interesting as much as I did the last time around, I just got lost in the political aspect of it all which ruined it for me. The government to me is nothing but another clown jumping out of the same Volkswagon Beetle!]]> 2.95 1976 The terminal generation
author: Hal Lindsey w/C.C. Carlson
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.95
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at: 2018/03/31
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: christian-religion-theology, spirituality, 2013, 2018, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: January 25, 2013 - January 30, 2013 (*** Rating)

Such as the previous book by Lindsey and Carlson (Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth), this turned out to be just as good of a read. It was philosophical and deep, often keeping me in thought long after I'd closed the book for the night. I will keep this one for my collection.

2nd/FinalRead: March 30, 2018 - March 31, 2018 (*** Rating)

I found it was interesting as much as I did the last time around, I just got lost in the political aspect of it all which ruined it for me. The government to me is nothing but another clown jumping out of the same Volkswagon Beetle!
]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Alchemy: Learn the Secrets of the Alchemists to Transform Mind, Body, and Soul]]> 912621 128 Francis Melville 0764154621 Jeff 3
I will read this again! At first, it was a brief read where I focused more on the description of the photos in the book. Upon completing that, I totally ate this book up in small doses between working two full time jobs.

2nd Read: February 7, 2018 - February 11, 2018 (*** Rating)

Very interesting material and is a good introduction to Alchemy. In some instances it reminds me a lot of and about Wicca; without the spells and incantations.]]> 3.52 2002 The Book of Alchemy: Learn the Secrets of the Alchemists to Transform Mind, Body, and Soul
author: Francis Melville
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2018/02/11
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: occult, reference, 2002, 2018, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: October 22, 2002 - November 20, 2002 (**** Rating)

I will read this again! At first, it was a brief read where I focused more on the description of the photos in the book. Upon completing that, I totally ate this book up in small doses between working two full time jobs.

2nd Read: February 7, 2018 - February 11, 2018 (*** Rating)

Very interesting material and is a good introduction to Alchemy. In some instances it reminds me a lot of and about Wicca; without the spells and incantations.
]]> God Drives a Flying Saucer 24448645 131 R.L. Dione Jeff 2
It is hard for me to explain whether or not I had enjoyed this book. I have a relatively open mind to things, however, this book just seemed too far fetched to even consider. The last chapter is the one which held my interest the most, and enough to want to take some personal notes down to paper. Although, I didn't.

It is yet to be determined if I will remove it from or add it back into my collection of books. I will make that call when I read it again in the future.

2nd Read: April 8, 2018 - April 8, 2018 (** Rating)

It still seems too fantastical to me that any of this is even plausible. It doesn't hinder my belief and trust in God in any way that this book was written. It is the author's opinion and no one else's. I just don't buy it.]]> 2.33 1973 God Drives a Flying Saucer
author: R.L. Dione
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.33
book published: 1973
rating: 2
read at: 2018/04/08
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: christian-religion-theology, new-age, 2014, science-fiction, aliens-ufos, 2018, gave-to-value-village
review:
1st Read: January 6, 2014 - February 2, 2014 (** Rating)

It is hard for me to explain whether or not I had enjoyed this book. I have a relatively open mind to things, however, this book just seemed too far fetched to even consider. The last chapter is the one which held my interest the most, and enough to want to take some personal notes down to paper. Although, I didn't.

It is yet to be determined if I will remove it from or add it back into my collection of books. I will make that call when I read it again in the future.

2nd Read: April 8, 2018 - April 8, 2018 (** Rating)

It still seems too fantastical to me that any of this is even plausible. It doesn't hinder my belief and trust in God in any way that this book was written. It is the author's opinion and no one else's. I just don't buy it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Mysterious Island (Abridged)]]> 24454133 A great adventure classic by the author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!]]> 312 Jules Verne Jeff 4 1st Read: September 11, 2014 - September 16, 2014

Having this book in my possession for a great many years, it had originally been owned by a friend of my Mom's in the early 1970's. She inherited it, and hundreds of others like it, when he passed away. I'd borrowed a considerable amount of books from Mom and had full intentions of returning them. Some of them I did return and many others I still have. This is one of them.

Had I known earlier that the story, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a prequel of sorts to The Mysterious Island, I would have read it first.

I had found this to be a good book with an even greater story. It had all the adventure and mystery that has made certain books the classics which they truly are. The plot twists kept the story that much more interesting and the character development was well written, to where I could relate to each of them. It was especially cool that they also had the dog, Top, be included in the story as part of a main character.

The question remains though, do I keep this book? For as enjoyable as it was for me to finally read, and for how quick I'd read it, it doesn't hold anything more than that for me. It is currently in my to re-read box. ]]> 3.73 1874 The Mysterious Island (Abridged)
author: Jules Verne
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1874
rating: 4
read at: 2014/09/15
date added: 2018/05/16
shelves: classics, 2014, fictional-thriller
review:

1st Read: September 11, 2014 - September 16, 2014

Having this book in my possession for a great many years, it had originally been owned by a friend of my Mom's in the early 1970's. She inherited it, and hundreds of others like it, when he passed away. I'd borrowed a considerable amount of books from Mom and had full intentions of returning them. Some of them I did return and many others I still have. This is one of them.

Had I known earlier that the story, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a prequel of sorts to The Mysterious Island, I would have read it first.

I had found this to be a good book with an even greater story. It had all the adventure and mystery that has made certain books the classics which they truly are. The plot twists kept the story that much more interesting and the character development was well written, to where I could relate to each of them. It was especially cool that they also had the dog, Top, be included in the story as part of a main character.

The question remains though, do I keep this book? For as enjoyable as it was for me to finally read, and for how quick I'd read it, it doesn't hold anything more than that for me. It is currently in my to re-read box.
]]> <![CDATA[In Search of Ancient Mysteries]]> 1639515 197 Alan Landsburg 0553083767 Jeff 4
The first four chapters had started off slow for me. I put it down for a couple days, then started into it once more, finding my groove. This continued until I was done the book about four hours later on the same day. I had definitely been in "the Zone" while reading this one!

It is very enjoyable reading material and the author has done his homework, providing sufficient evidence that is still relevant and used today for many of these mysteries.

I have always loved this sort of subject matter and information. Even as far back as a child, I remember hearing about and seeing photos of the carvings in Peruvian hillsides, Stonehenge, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and so many others. It is fascinating stuff for some people. Others could care less. I am not one of them. Seems like a giant waste of space in the universe if we are to be the only ones inhabiting it. Deep subject that always starts a debate.

Many of these things I also learned about in high school and seeing them here, brought back those memories from History/Social Studies class. This book is a great addition to my bookcase and my collection thus far.

2nd Read: April 8, 2018 - April 9, 2018 (**** Rating)

Once again, this was an amazing read that I couldn't put down for very long! ]]> 3.43 1974 In Search of Ancient Mysteries
author: Alan Landsburg
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1974
rating: 4
read at: 2018/04/09
date added: 2018/04/09
shelves: history, non-fiction, science, science-fiction, 2014, aliens-ufos, 2018
review:
1st Read: November 2, 2014 - November 6, 2014 (**** Rating)

The first four chapters had started off slow for me. I put it down for a couple days, then started into it once more, finding my groove. This continued until I was done the book about four hours later on the same day. I had definitely been in "the Zone" while reading this one!

It is very enjoyable reading material and the author has done his homework, providing sufficient evidence that is still relevant and used today for many of these mysteries.

I have always loved this sort of subject matter and information. Even as far back as a child, I remember hearing about and seeing photos of the carvings in Peruvian hillsides, Stonehenge, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and so many others. It is fascinating stuff for some people. Others could care less. I am not one of them. Seems like a giant waste of space in the universe if we are to be the only ones inhabiting it. Deep subject that always starts a debate.

Many of these things I also learned about in high school and seeing them here, brought back those memories from History/Social Studies class. This book is a great addition to my bookcase and my collection thus far.

2nd Read: April 8, 2018 - April 9, 2018 (**** Rating)

Once again, this was an amazing read that I couldn't put down for very long!
]]> The Grizzly 24448326 160 Annabel Johnson Jeff 4 January 1, 2014 - January 6, 2014 (**** Rating)

This was a good story. It totally reminded me of the sort of Walt Disney movies I had watched as a child in the 1970's.

2nd Read: Auugust 3, 2018 - August 8, 2018 (**** Rating)
Enjoyed this one once again!]]> 3.50 1964 The Grizzly
author: Annabel Johnson
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1964
rating: 4
read at: 2018/04/08
date added: 2018/04/08
shelves: survival-guide, young-adult, 2013, 2014, fictional-thriller, 2018
review:
1st Read: December 29, 2013 -December 31, 2013
January 1, 2014 - January 6, 2014 (**** Rating)

This was a good story. It totally reminded me of the sort of Walt Disney movies I had watched as a child in the 1970's.

2nd Read: Auugust 3, 2018 - August 8, 2018 (**** Rating)
Enjoyed this one once again!
]]> Canada 24629528
countries landscape diversity. Everything from the

Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of British

Columbia to the furthest eastern edge of the

continent, Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador, and

from the northern tip of Baffin Island, Nunavut to the

southern tip of Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. "Canada"

is 168 pages with 144 color and black and white

images, professionally printed, designed and bound.]]> 168 Daryl Benson Jeff 5
Beautiful photos accompany the short introductions to chapters in this book devoted to the country of my origin, where I reside and always will! Great coffee table book!

2nd Read: April 2, 2018 - April 3, 2018 ( Rating)
Once I have a coffee table, this book will become a part of it!]]> 5.00 2008 Canada
author: Daryl Benson
name: Jeff
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2018/04/03
date added: 2018/04/03
shelves: nature-canada, mountains-nature, photography, reference, travel, 2013, 2018
review:
1st Read: February 5, 2013 ( Rating)

Beautiful photos accompany the short introductions to chapters in this book devoted to the country of my origin, where I reside and always will! Great coffee table book!

2nd Read: April 2, 2018 - April 3, 2018 ( Rating)
Once I have a coffee table, this book will become a part of it!
]]> Criminal Forever 24445946
"In thirty-five years on the bench I've never seen two more depraved characters!" the old judge told Ziehl and his partner in crime.

"Forget you have a son by the name of Gary Ziehl," a policeman advised his parents. "He'll never change."

But Gary Ziehl did change. Changed so dramatically a baffled lawman later sought an explanation.

For twenty years, Gary Ziehl has shared the secret of that change with others. In his first book, he shares it now with you.]]> 110 Gary Ziehl 0889650284 Jeff 4
This was a very good book. What a treat it was to read a story written from a person from my own hometown in Southeast Saskatchewan. His story of his troublesome youth had resonated deeply in me. Not for the reason of me being a bad ass, but for one friend of mine who seemed to always be in trouble, much like Gary was.

Gary Ziehl's story is only a couple of hours long in length and it was an enjoyable one for me. It had reminded me of how my childhood was growing up in a very small town. It had also painted a picture in my mind of some of the people I remember seeing on a daily basis in the 1970's. These people were friends and acquaintances of my own family. Many of them have since passed away

This story is a testament of one mans will to overcome the impossible odds of personal chang and succeed. It is also a story of rebirth and a second chance to living a better and more fulfilling life.

2nd Read: March 31, 2018 (**** Rating)

I really enjoyed reading this one again. I've never met the man, though I've known the name for many years. It would be cool to meet him at a hometown reunion.]]> 4.00 1979 Criminal Forever
author: Gary Ziehl
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1979
rating: 4
read at: 2018/03/31
date added: 2018/03/31
shelves: biography, christian-religion-theology, spirituality, 2013, true-crime, 2018
review:
1st Read: January 30, 2013 (**** Rating)

This was a very good book. What a treat it was to read a story written from a person from my own hometown in Southeast Saskatchewan. His story of his troublesome youth had resonated deeply in me. Not for the reason of me being a bad ass, but for one friend of mine who seemed to always be in trouble, much like Gary was.

Gary Ziehl's story is only a couple of hours long in length and it was an enjoyable one for me. It had reminded me of how my childhood was growing up in a very small town. It had also painted a picture in my mind of some of the people I remember seeing on a daily basis in the 1970's. These people were friends and acquaintances of my own family. Many of them have since passed away

This story is a testament of one mans will to overcome the impossible odds of personal chang and succeed. It is also a story of rebirth and a second chance to living a better and more fulfilling life.

2nd Read: March 31, 2018 (**** Rating)

I really enjoyed reading this one again. I've never met the man, though I've known the name for many years. It would be cool to meet him at a hometown reunion.
]]> <![CDATA[Satan Is Alive & Well on Planet Earth]]> 18304501 LOC number: 72-85564 255 Hal Lindsey Jeff 3
I never really read this nightly such as I have with other books. It is a very good read, dated, but enjoyable. I will keep it as part of my collection for now.

2nd Read: March 28, 2018 - March 30, 2018 (*** Rating)

I enjoyed this book once more, despite some of the repetition of it. I liked that the author had broken down the parables into English, where it made more sense. I don't understand, however, why we are not supposed to love the world though. I speak of the mountains, rivers, lakes, nature, animals and weather and seeing the beuty of it all - not of the things of technology - of which I don't.]]> 2.73 1972 Satan Is Alive & Well on Planet Earth
author: Hal Lindsey
name: Jeff
average rating: 2.73
book published: 1972
rating: 3
read at: 2018/03/30
date added: 2018/03/30
shelves: christian-religion-theology, spirituality, 2013, 2018
review:
1st Read: January 9, 2013 - January 25, 2013 (*** Rating)

I never really read this nightly such as I have with other books. It is a very good read, dated, but enjoyable. I will keep it as part of my collection for now.

2nd Read: March 28, 2018 - March 30, 2018 (*** Rating)

I enjoyed this book once more, despite some of the repetition of it. I liked that the author had broken down the parables into English, where it made more sense. I don't understand, however, why we are not supposed to love the world though. I speak of the mountains, rivers, lakes, nature, animals and weather and seeing the beuty of it all - not of the things of technology - of which I don't.
]]> <![CDATA[The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star]]> 5471702
When Mötley Crüe was at the height of its fame, there wasn't any drug Nikki Sixx wouldn't do. He spent days -- sometimes alone, sometimes with other addicts, friends, and lovers -- in a coke and heroin-fueled daze. The highs were high, and Nikki's journal entries reveal some euphoria and joy. But the lows were lower, often ending with Nikki in his closet, surrounded by drug paraphernalia and wrapped in paranoid delusions.

Here, Nikki shares those diary entries -- some poetic, some scatterbrained, some bizarre -- and reflects on that time. Joining him are Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Slash, Rick Nielsen, Bob Rock, and a host of ex-managers, ex-lovers, and more.

Brutally honest, utterly riveting, and shockingly moving, The Heroin Diaries follows Nikki during the year he plunged to rock bottom -- and his courageous decision to pick himself up and start living again.]]> 413 Nikki Sixx 1416511946 Jeff 5
The Heroin Diaries is fucking amazing! Very few books have affected me the way this one has. The Dirt was amazing as well...but Nikki took his own story to another level. These writings were probably intended to be included in The Dirt, and quite possibly, Nikki had said to himself, "Wait a minute...I have another complete story on its own here!". I don't know the back story on the writing process of this book, however, my theory is a plausible one.

I had about six hours to kill while I waited for my Mom's testing and procedures to be done at the hospital. I wasn't up to sitting around in the waiting room; as I was not allowed to visit with her. Instead, I ventured off to Chapter's on the south end of Regina, SK. While there, I purchased over $120.00 in books and related material. This book was one of those purchases.

Not even close to the scheduled time to be back at the hospital, I sat in my truck and started reading Nikki's book. I did not intend to read much of it. The ride was about to begin! Page after page, I found myself being pulled into the story as he described things I'd read about in Circus and Hit Parader magazines in the mid to late 1980's. It was like a revisiting of my younger self as I read, as the majority of things written were so familiar.

I was completely enthralled, chain smoking cigarettes, not wanting to put the book down...yet, every so often, I had to put it down! I also had to let my eyes adjust, step outside of my truck and stretch my legs. I continued that scenario every hour or so. Before long, I had devoured the book completely and was brought back to the present time.

Five hours and twenty minutes had passed. The drive to the hospital was about ten minutes away on a normal day. With the daily rush hour traffic now in progress, it would take me about twenty five minutes to arrive back to The General Hospital. I started my truck, pulled back on to Albert Street and headed north to meet up with Mom again, as his story played over in my mind.

What an emotional roller-coaster ride this book was! Impressive to the core!

2nd Read: March 26, 2018 - March 27, 2018 ( Rating)

This should be required reading in schools today! It is such an incredible story of self destruction and the will to turn your life around and just be. I fucking love this book as it is so hard to put down!]]> 4.28 2007 The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
author: Nikki Sixx
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2018/03/27
date added: 2018/03/27
shelves: music, non-fiction, 2011, all-time-favorites, auto-biography, 2018
review:
1st Read: October 24, 2011 - October 24, 2011

The Heroin Diaries is fucking amazing! Very few books have affected me the way this one has. The Dirt was amazing as well...but Nikki took his own story to another level. These writings were probably intended to be included in The Dirt, and quite possibly, Nikki had said to himself, "Wait a minute...I have another complete story on its own here!". I don't know the back story on the writing process of this book, however, my theory is a plausible one.

I had about six hours to kill while I waited for my Mom's testing and procedures to be done at the hospital. I wasn't up to sitting around in the waiting room; as I was not allowed to visit with her. Instead, I ventured off to Chapter's on the south end of Regina, SK. While there, I purchased over $120.00 in books and related material. This book was one of those purchases.

Not even close to the scheduled time to be back at the hospital, I sat in my truck and started reading Nikki's book. I did not intend to read much of it. The ride was about to begin! Page after page, I found myself being pulled into the story as he described things I'd read about in Circus and Hit Parader magazines in the mid to late 1980's. It was like a revisiting of my younger self as I read, as the majority of things written were so familiar.

I was completely enthralled, chain smoking cigarettes, not wanting to put the book down...yet, every so often, I had to put it down! I also had to let my eyes adjust, step outside of my truck and stretch my legs. I continued that scenario every hour or so. Before long, I had devoured the book completely and was brought back to the present time.

Five hours and twenty minutes had passed. The drive to the hospital was about ten minutes away on a normal day. With the daily rush hour traffic now in progress, it would take me about twenty five minutes to arrive back to The General Hospital. I started my truck, pulled back on to Albert Street and headed north to meet up with Mom again, as his story played over in my mind.

What an emotional roller-coaster ride this book was! Impressive to the core!

2nd Read: March 26, 2018 - March 27, 2018 ( Rating)

This should be required reading in schools today! It is such an incredible story of self destruction and the will to turn your life around and just be. I fucking love this book as it is so hard to put down!
]]> <![CDATA[The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band]]> 25378 The Dirt.

Here -- directly from Nikki, Vince, Tommy, and Mick -- is the unexpurgated version of the whole glorious, gut-wrenching story. In these pages, published for the first time anywhere, are Tommy Lee's letters to Pamela Anderson from prison: Mick's confession to having an incurable disease that is slowly killing him; Vince's experience burying his own daughter -- and the train wreck that his life became afterward; and Nikki's anguished struggle to deal with an entire life fueled by anger over his childhood abandonment, his discovery of the family he never knew he had -- and his subsequent loss of them. And all of it accompanied by scores of rare, never-before-published photographs, mug shots, and handwritten lyrics. No one is spared. Not David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Vanity, Aerosmith, Heather Locklear, AC/DC, Lita Ford, Iron Maiden, Pamela Anderson, Guns N' Roses, Donna D'Errico, RATT, or those two girls from Dallas, Texas.

Make no mistake about it: these guys are geniuses. They invented glam metal and then left it in the dust; sold more than forty million albums from Shout at the Devil to Dr. Feelgood; toured the world dozen times and have the scars to prove it; and maintained a rabid following in an era of throwaway pop stars. Mötley Crüe has done nothing less than tattoo the psyche of the entire MTV generation. They are the ultimate rock 'n' roll band. And if you don't believe it, read The Dirt. You don't know what decadence is...]]> 431 Tommy Lee 0060989157 Jeff 5
Page-turner! Entertaining like a good movie. Nostalgic look at four guys who were my idols for a few years in their humble beginnings. These stories from each member of the CrĂĽe, took me on a time machine back to my teenage years when nearly everyone I knew was a fan. Throughout it all during the reading of this book, I felt like I was there alongside them for the crazy and once in a lifetime ride!

I rarely listen to the band anymore. Yet, I cannot deny what they have achieved, what they have overcome and what they have left as a legacy to the pages of history. There will never be another band like them. Many try and are able to pull off the look quite impressively, but that is where most stop in similarity. They cannot keep up to the partying ways, a life of over indulgence and excess!

This is in my Top 5 Favorite Reads....so far!

2nd Read: March 15, 2018 - March 26, 2018 ( Rating)

My opinion of this book has not changed in the slightest. Another enjoyable read and throwback to my youth and twenty-something's. It is still a favorite!]]> 4.13 2001 The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
author: Tommy Lee
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2018/03/26
date added: 2018/03/26
shelves: biography, music, non-fiction, 2003, all-time-favorites, 2018
review:
1st Read: February 4, 2003 - One sitting ( Rating)

Page-turner! Entertaining like a good movie. Nostalgic look at four guys who were my idols for a few years in their humble beginnings. These stories from each member of the CrĂĽe, took me on a time machine back to my teenage years when nearly everyone I knew was a fan. Throughout it all during the reading of this book, I felt like I was there alongside them for the crazy and once in a lifetime ride!

I rarely listen to the band anymore. Yet, I cannot deny what they have achieved, what they have overcome and what they have left as a legacy to the pages of history. There will never be another band like them. Many try and are able to pull off the look quite impressively, but that is where most stop in similarity. They cannot keep up to the partying ways, a life of over indulgence and excess!

This is in my Top 5 Favorite Reads....so far!

2nd Read: March 15, 2018 - March 26, 2018 ( Rating)

My opinion of this book has not changed in the slightest. Another enjoyable read and throwback to my youth and twenty-something's. It is still a favorite!
]]> Cup of Gold 186364 187 John Steinbeck 0141186127 Jeff 0 to-read 3.43 1929 Cup of Gold
author: John Steinbeck
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1929
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Call of the Wild and White Fang]]> 415715 The Call of the Wild and White Fang, two American classics by Jack London, are presented together in this elegantly designed jacketed hardcover edition featuring an introduction by Jack London scholar Kenneth K. Brandt.

The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906) are two classic American adventure novels depicting the evolution of two dogs in the wild. The novels are in fact mirror images of one another, as Call of the Wild depicts Buck's journey from domestic to wild dog, while White Fang recounts White Fang's transformation from wild beast to domestic companion. Both convey powerful themes of redemption and survival that continue to affect readers even today.

These beautifully written stories, now together in one highly produced volume complete with a timeline of the life and times of Jack London, are a perfect addition to any young adult's library. Anyone with a taste for adventure, who loves the outdoors or camping, or who spends time daydreaming about living self-sufficiently will be enamored by these adventure stories.

Essential volumes for the shelves of every classic literature lover, the Chartwell Classics series includes beautifully presented works and collections from some of the most important authors in literary history. Chartwell Classics are the editions of choice for the most discerning literature buffs.

Other titles in the Chartwell Classics Series include: Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft; Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales; Complete Novels of Jane Austen; Complete Sherlock Holme; Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe; Complete Works of William Shakespeare; Divine Comedy; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Other Tales; The Essential Tales of H.P. Lovecraft; The Federalist Papers; The Inferno; Moby Dick; The Odyssey; Pride and Prejudice; The Essential Grimm's Fairy Tales; Emma; The Great Gatsby; The Secret Garden; Anne of Green Gables; The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe; The Phantom of the Opera; The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital; Republic; Frankenstein; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; The Picture of Dorian Gray; Meditations; Wuthering Heights; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass; A Tales of Two Cities; Beowulf; The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Little Women]]> 320 Jack London 0553212338 Jeff 0 to-read 3.96 1906 The Call of the Wild and White Fang
author: Jack London
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1906
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> King Henry VI, Part 2 424919 507 William Shakespeare 190343663X Jeff 0 to-read 3.62 1591 King Henry VI, Part 2
author: William Shakespeare
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1591
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/02/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Canadian Rockies 24601627
The heights of the Rockies have dazzled visitors since the CPR brought the first passenger train through the range in 1885. Geologist A. P. Coleman, one of the first to visit, wrote, "After years of humdrum city-life...here was purity and dignity and measureless peace." Whether they come to experience the serenity of the alpine reaches, or the adventure of back-country skiing, the Rockies continue to draw millions of visitors each year.

Some of the sights in THE CANADIAN ROCKIES, from Chateau Lake Louise to the Columbia Icefield, are recognized around the world. Others, such as the rolling alpine hills of Wilcox Pass or the forested slopes of Yoho National Park, offer a glimpse of nature untouched for hundreds of years.]]> 96 Tanya Lloyd Jeff 4
I love this book for the inspiration it gives me with my photography while I am in the mountains. Beautiful scenery and wonderfully laid out text compliment the photos. I have visited many of the areas you see in these pages, and they do not do justice for how captivating they truly are! Much like any picture book...you simply need to have been there to truly be amazed, inspired and left in awe. If you love the mountains and backpacking you will understand.

2nd Read: January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2018 (**** Rating)
More of a coffee table book and easily readable in under ten or fifteen minutes. Great photographs from some photographers who've influenced in my craft, particularly, Darwin Wiggett. It is a book of inspiration if you love the mountains, nature and the vast wilderness such as I do!]]> 4.00 1981 The Canadian Rockies
author: Tanya Lloyd
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1981
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/02/06
shelves: nature-canada, mountains-nature, ongoing-reading-material, photography, reference, travel, 2000, 2018
review:
1st Read: October 11, 2000 - October 11, 2000 (**** Rating)

I love this book for the inspiration it gives me with my photography while I am in the mountains. Beautiful scenery and wonderfully laid out text compliment the photos. I have visited many of the areas you see in these pages, and they do not do justice for how captivating they truly are! Much like any picture book...you simply need to have been there to truly be amazed, inspired and left in awe. If you love the mountains and backpacking you will understand.

2nd Read: January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2018 (**** Rating)
More of a coffee table book and easily readable in under ten or fifteen minutes. Great photographs from some photographers who've influenced in my craft, particularly, Darwin Wiggett. It is a book of inspiration if you love the mountains, nature and the vast wilderness such as I do!
]]> <![CDATA[Roots: The Saga of an American Family]]> 546018 her grandparents, and their grandparents, down through the generations all the way to a man she called "the African." She said he had lived across the ocean near what he called the "Kamby Bolongo" and had been out in the forest one day chopping wood to make a drum when he was set upon by four men, beaten, chained and dragged aboard a slave ship bound for Colonial America.

Still vividly remembering the stories after he grew up and became a writer, Haley began to search for documentation that might authenticate the narrative. It took ten years and a half a million miles of travel across three continents to find it, but finally, in an astonishing feat of genealogical detective work, he discovered not only the name of "the African"—Kunta Kinte—but the precise location of Juffure, the very village in The Gambia, West Africa, from which he was abducted in 1767 at the age of sixteen and taken on the Lord Ligonier to Maryland and sold to a Virginia planter.

Haley has talked in Juffure with his own African sixth cousins. On September 29, 1967, he stood on the dock in Annapolis where his great-great-great-great-grandfather was taken ashore on September 29, 1767. Now he has written the monumental two-century drama of Kunta Kinte and the six generations who came after him—slaves and freedmen, farmers and blacksmiths, lumber mill workers and Pullman porters, lawyers and architects—and one author.

But Haley has done more than recapture the history of his own family. As the first black American writer to trace his origins back to their roots, he has told the story of 25,000,000 Americans of African descent. He has rediscovered for an entire people a rich cultural heritage that slavery took away from them, along with their names and their identities. But Roots speaks, finally, not just to blacks, or to whites, but to all people and all races everywhere, for the story it tells is one of the most eloquent testimonials ever written to the indomitability of the human spirit.]]> 729 Alex Haley 0440174643 Jeff 5
This is a very moving story. As a child, my parents let my sisters and I watch the mini-series of the same name on television in 1977. Many memories are still fresh in my mind of those moments thirty-eight years ago.

This book had the visualization skills on overdrive for me! It seemed more like the memory of the mini-series itself, as I had no problems conjuring the characters appearance as they were revealed in the story.

On more than one occasion as I absorbed this book, I had tears in my eyes. One example which stood out was the death of one of my favorite character's in the story, Fiddler, portrayed by Louis Gossett, Jr. Another moment, was when Alex Haley had stood on the land of his ancestors, while meeting the Tribe of Juffure - namely, the Kinte clan.

At 729 pages, I recall a lot of the story to this day and it was never boring for me. I would most definitely enjoy reading this one again. It is a favorite of mine that really stands out from the rest and is a prominent piece of my life displayed in my bookcase. A favorite in any genre of all the books I have ever read, makes this my #1 book of all time!

It is a masterpiece for all to read!

2nd Read: January 17, 2018 - February 6, 2018 ( Rating)

Reads as good as it had the first time! I love this book and it is still my All-Time-Favorite book ever! I will read it again in the future. I just may have to look on You Tube and see if the complete mini-series from 1977 is available to watch. I'm aware of the 2016 remake as well. This book, though,....DAMN!!!]]> 4.44 1976 Roots: The Saga of an American Family
author: Alex Haley
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1976
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/06
date added: 2018/02/06
shelves: biography, classics, 2002, all-time-favorites, 2018
review:
1st Read: February 22, 2002 - March 29, 2002 ( Rating)

This is a very moving story. As a child, my parents let my sisters and I watch the mini-series of the same name on television in 1977. Many memories are still fresh in my mind of those moments thirty-eight years ago.

This book had the visualization skills on overdrive for me! It seemed more like the memory of the mini-series itself, as I had no problems conjuring the characters appearance as they were revealed in the story.

On more than one occasion as I absorbed this book, I had tears in my eyes. One example which stood out was the death of one of my favorite character's in the story, Fiddler, portrayed by Louis Gossett, Jr. Another moment, was when Alex Haley had stood on the land of his ancestors, while meeting the Tribe of Juffure - namely, the Kinte clan.

At 729 pages, I recall a lot of the story to this day and it was never boring for me. I would most definitely enjoy reading this one again. It is a favorite of mine that really stands out from the rest and is a prominent piece of my life displayed in my bookcase. A favorite in any genre of all the books I have ever read, makes this my #1 book of all time!

It is a masterpiece for all to read!

2nd Read: January 17, 2018 - February 6, 2018 ( Rating)

Reads as good as it had the first time! I love this book and it is still my All-Time-Favorite book ever! I will read it again in the future. I just may have to look on You Tube and see if the complete mini-series from 1977 is available to watch. I'm aware of the 2016 remake as well. This book, though,....DAMN!!!
]]> The Haight-Ashbury: A History 373497 294 Charles Perry 193295855X Jeff 0 to-read 3.87 1985 The Haight-Ashbury: A History
author: Charles Perry
name: Jeff
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Somebody to Love?: A Rock-and-Roll Memoir]]> 24428361
Andrea Cagan]]> 370 Grace Slick Jeff 4
The ISBN 10# is 0-446-52302-X for this copy of the book.

This was a very enjoyable read, much like anything written about The Doors, Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin that I have read thus far. Every time I read something from this particular era; the mid to late 1960's and onward, I feel transported back to a time I never lived in, yet feel a sense of deja-vu all the same.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great story. If you enjoy memoirs and great auto-biographies and biographies, have a deep fascination and respect for music that asked questions and truly said something in their lyrics, this is a good book to get comfortable with. A nice add to any collection!

2nd Read: January 14, 2018 - January 16, 2018 (**** Rating)

Once more, this was an entertaining read. I love her humour and storytelling. The only negative reaction I can give, is the overuse of the term, "Yours truly."

On a side note, I find it odd that Jefferson Airplanes's Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson had passed away on January 28, 2016. Something very strange with the cosmos there!]]> 4.40 1998 Somebody to Love?: A Rock-and-Roll Memoir
author: Grace Slick
name: Jeff
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/16
date added: 2018/01/16
shelves: music, 2001, 2018, auto-biography
review:
1st Read: November 2, 2001 - December 24, 2001 (**** Rating)

The ISBN 10# is 0-446-52302-X for this copy of the book.

This was a very enjoyable read, much like anything written about The Doors, Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin that I have read thus far. Every time I read something from this particular era; the mid to late 1960's and onward, I feel transported back to a time I never lived in, yet feel a sense of deja-vu all the same.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great story. If you enjoy memoirs and great auto-biographies and biographies, have a deep fascination and respect for music that asked questions and truly said something in their lyrics, this is a good book to get comfortable with. A nice add to any collection!

2nd Read: January 14, 2018 - January 16, 2018 (**** Rating)

Once more, this was an entertaining read. I love her humour and storytelling. The only negative reaction I can give, is the overuse of the term, "Yours truly."

On a side note, I find it odd that Jefferson Airplanes's Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson had passed away on January 28, 2016. Something very strange with the cosmos there!
]]>