A Good Hanging

Amazon.com

Penzler Pick, January 2002: Ian Rankin is now the United Kingdom's bestselling crime writer. His 15 police procedurals featuring the dour Scottish Detective Inspector John Rebus are beginning, at last, to attract a devoted--and deserved--following in this country. St. Martin's has just published this, Rankin's 1992 collection of short stories, and I can't think of a better way to be introduced to John Rebus and his creator.

Dubbed "Tartan Noir" by James Ellroy, Rankin's tales are set in Edinburgh. Not in the beautiful streets that tourists see (those cobbled sidewalks leading up to Edinburgh Castle), but in its dark, damp recesses where crime flourishes. That's where Rebus works. The crime and criminals there make Rebus's job a tough one, and they also offend his sense of decency and order.

These 12 stories tell of mystery, suffering, and mayhem, which Rebus alone of all the detectives on the force, with his remarkable deductive skills, can solve. In "Being Frank," a homeless man, from his unique perspective on the park bench, is able to give Rebus the information he needs to break up a scam by local ne'er-do-wells. Crimes gone unsolved for 20 years, religious sightings, lovers crossed, and tales of revenge all come under the jaundiced eye of the very talented Rebus.

Even 10 years ago, when he was writing these stories, Rankin was a writer of great gifts. Time has borne out this promise. So it is easy to predict that, once you have sampled these short cases, you will become one of the many readers eagerly awaiting another Rebus novel from this sensitive and enormously talented young writer. --Otto Penzler

Book Description

Twelve remarkable, gritty stories starring Detective Inspector John Rebus in his home city of Edinburgh, as only Ian Rankin can portray it: not just the tearooms and cobbled streets of the tourist brochures, but a modern urban metropolis with a full range of criminals and their victims--blackmailers, peeping Toms, and more than one kind of murderer. It's a city like any other, a city that gives birth to crimes of passion, accidents, and long-hidden jealousy, and a city in which criminal minds find it all too easy to fade into the shadows. As dedicated readers of the series well know, nobody is better equipped to delve into Edinburgh's back alleys and smoky pubs than Rebus, and no one better able to illuminate his world than Ian Rankin.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent airplane material.......2006-12-30

I enjoyed this book, as I have all of Ian Rankin's John Rebus writings to date. These are short stories that are quick and absorbing reading. Nothing is particularly heavy, but all are very clever. I wanted to move to the next after I finished each. That's my definition of a good airplane book. And, Rankin is such a talented writer.

A good collection.......2006-09-05

This is a collection of 12 short stories featuring Inspector John Rebus. They tend to be quick reading, without an excessive amount of background color. I would recommend the collection for readers who like to cut to the chase, and want some occasional quick reading material. It is a good book for commuters or travelers on long trips, or perhaps to take to the beach.

The stories have interesting plots, and are set in the present day (more or less) with car phones, answering machines, etc. They will give you a different picture of Edinburgh than what you see as a tourist.

I am surprised that I previously missed the collection, but I found it at a book sale.

Rebus at his most concise and puzzling.......2006-06-23

Of all the Inspector Rebus books, this collection of twelve short stories is probably the most powerful distillation of ideas. The mysteries are small but crisp in impact, thanks to the shorter length of stories and thus less of a need to throw obstacles into the reader's mind, and the characters pop out in poetic contrast to their surroundings. Although it tapers off into stories which are both inconclusive and obvious, the majority (2/3) of this book is the best Rebus so far.

A Great Way to Learn About the Early Rebus and Rankin.......2006-03-05

This book of short stories was written in between the third and forth novels. It's an intriguing bit of Rebus-ania because it tells us a lot about the character, the way he acts and about how Rankin saw him.

We get involved with these mini-mysteries, and in each we learn more about the way Rebus' mind works when he looks at a problem. We also get little snippets about his childhood, marriage and background. Mostly we get a feeling for how Rebus is on a day to day basis. Well worth reading.

Thanks, Mr. Rankin, now I'm hooked..........2003-09-07

I decided to try to read a Rebus novel after being introduced to the character one night while watching BBCAmerica. I thought I would start with a good hanging, based on the other reviews. This book is just great. Each story is well thought out and written. Rebus, a poor tormented soul can be dark one minute, and then put a smile on your face with his dry wit the next. Count me in as a Rebus fan.

Second Guessing God: Hanging on When You Can't See His Plan

Average customer rating:

Great Book
A pastor on scraped and bended knees
More readable than "The Purpose Driven Life"
Reality check
Majors on how God is intimately involved

Second Guessing God: Hanging on When You Can't See His Plan
Brian Jones
Manufacturer: Standard Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Second Guessing God: Group Member Discussion Guide
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Coming Up for Air: Simple Acts to Redefine Your Life
Making Vision Stick (Leadership Library)

ASIN: 0784718415

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-05-07

This book is wonderfully funny and enlightning. It makes you look inward and see what need re-aligning.

A pastor on scraped and bended knees.......2007-04-17

I saw this book on someone's wish list and was immediately intrigued by the title and decided to buy it. I am glad that I did. I have a deep respect for pastors, or anyone for that matter, that can share their short comings and their long findings about themself. It's like, "hey those shoes look familiar.... I think I walked in those just the other day!"

The last thing that I want to hear from a pastor is how they were brought up in a Christian home and yada yada yada.... had a supergodly clean life.

Not only is Brian Jones a man after my own soul, but I really dig his writing style. He will have a lump in my throat the size of a Jerusalem artichoke and the next second have me lauging out loud.

Lemme share a part of the book. At one point in his life, while he was second guessing God, he is talking to a friend and says his life is much like standing on the beach and the waves are taking the sand from under his feet, and that scares him.

His friend says, and this is my new fave quote: "In spite of all of this, I promise you can count on one thing: when the last grain of sand is finally gone, you're going to discover that you're standing on a rock"

Peeps have to know this or they will never survive the firey darts of satan. It is my new prayer that I see people as Christ sees them and to have a compassionate heart for the lost.

For the longest time I thought that I had no future as I have not planned my life out well enough. But now, I realize that it was all His plan. I will use my own life as a testimony to others. God has given me talents that will give me an edge to help others.

Thank you to the one who open'd my eyes to this book.

"Zooming down Agape Blvd. with the top down!"

More readable than "The Purpose Driven Life".......2006-08-20

"Second Guessing God" by Brian Jones shows how to live a purpose driven life rather than tell how in "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Not that I am knocking Rick. However I read Rick's book just prior to Brian's. When reading "Purpose Driven" my wife got mad at me because I would leave her to go downstairs to read in the quiet. With "Second Guessing God" it didn't matter what else was on because it was so engaging. The detailed and funny stories have a purpose and have me wanting to do more to serve God.

I am not sure the title "Second Guessing God" has the pizazz this book deserves. The humble but upbeat style makes this book very engaging. While reading I felt privileged to know Brian from his sermons on Sundays and to have received hugs and handshakes from him.

Reality check.......2006-06-02

Brian's transparent descriptions of his own spiritual journey assist the reader with realistic expectations of a life led for the cause of Christ. This book is a must read for anyone searching for meaning in his life.

Majors on how God is intimately involved.......2006-05-08

Life gets hard, harder, impossible, and we silently (or maybe not so silently) scream, what are you doing God? In Second Guessing God, Brian Jones comes up with some outstanding answers.

Just as Joshua directed the priests to put their feet into the flooding Jordan upstream from the people in order to stop the waters so they could cross into the Promised Land, so does God work beyond our sight and understanding-upstream--in our lives. Here's another of Jones' similes. Want God to work in your life? Think of Jesus like a taxicab driver. You get in the passenger's seat and let Him take over.

Pastor, leader of a support group for the sexually abused, fellow traveler in this world of trouble, Brian Jones draws examples from coping with his own problems as well as a large background of listening to others' problems. He shares a wide scope of problems with the reader from the simple (if there are any such) to the horrific. And through it all he continually shows how God actually is working. Most of us do not receive instantaneous miracles, rather, God gives us perseverance for the long haul.

Second Guessing God majors on how God is intimately involved in all facets of our life, working through others, through circumstances, through our own acceptance of living this flawed life. Jones gives us a strengthening list of what God is actually doing, illustrating each item with Scripture, experiences, and a wide variety of quotes from C. S. Lewis to F. Scott Fitzgerald to Bart Simpson. What is God doing? Working in power and compassion; understanding doubt is real and providing help; imparting insight and help through the very trials we don't want; giving help through others' witness; and, breaking what seems a brass-bound silence with His Word, the Bible. The closing section of this book turns us back to those institutions that help, urging the broken to avail themselves of that help and the rest of us to be really get in there and help. Jones looks at the church, the ministry, and that wonderful promise to all of God's own ones, Heaven.

Second Guessing God arrived for me to review right after a major problem caused me to spiral despairingly downwards. I can vouch for it. This book truly helps. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

Average customer rating:

A GOOD HANGING
IAN RANKIN
Manufacturer: ORION
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S96C5U

A Good Hanging: Short Stories (ST. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries)

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A Good Hanging: Short Stories (ST. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries)
Ian Rankin
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTSHLG

Good Housekeeping Rugs and Wall Hangings: An Illustrated Pocket Guide to Over 50 Beautiful Designs (Good Housekeeping)

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Good Housekeeping Rugs and Wall Hangings: An Illustrated Pocket Guide to Over 50 Beautiful Designs (Good Housekeeping)
Good Housekeeping , and Debra Maltzman Grayson
Manufacturer: Vintage/Ebury (A Division of Random House Group)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Rugs | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0852233132

Hanging gardens, indoors & outdoors (Grosset good life books)

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Hanging gardens, indoors & outdoors (Grosset good life books)
Elvin McDonald
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 044812386X

Hanging's too good (Red badge detective)

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Hanging's too good (Red badge detective)
Lee Thayer
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006AQ2GU

Beyond the low-hanging fruit: designing an enduring lean supply chain in the consumer packaged goods industry.(Fine Fruit): An article from: Industrial Engineer

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Beyond the low-hanging fruit: designing an enduring lean supply chain in the consumer packaged goods industry.(Fine Fruit): An article from: Industrial Engineer
Dinesh Kumar
Manufacturer: Institute of Industrial Engineers, Inc. (IIE)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Industrial Engineer, published by Institute of Industrial Engineers, Inc. (IIE) on May 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2476 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Beyond the low-hanging fruit: designing an enduring lean supply chain in the consumer packaged goods industry.(Fine Fruit)
Author: Dinesh Kumar
Publication: Industrial Engineer (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2004
Publisher: Institute of Industrial Engineers, Inc. (IIE)
Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Page: 44(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Is your summer crush a keeper? How can you tell whether he's just good times for now--or worth hanging with past beach season? This quiz will shed some ... Summer Fun!): An article from: Girls' Life

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Is your summer crush a keeper? How can you tell whether he's just good times for now--or worth hanging with past beach season? This quiz will shed some ... Summer Fun!): An article from: Girls' Life
Lisa Mulcahy
Manufacturer: Monarch Avalon, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Girls' Life, published by Monarch Avalon, Inc. on June 1, 2004. The length of the article is 713 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Is your summer crush a keeper? How can you tell whether he's just good times for now--or worth hanging with past beach season? This quiz will shed some light.(GL's Big Booklet o' Summer Fun!)
Author: Lisa Mulcahy
Publication: Girls' Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2004
Publisher: Monarch Avalon, Inc.
Volume: 10 Issue: 6 Page: 60(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Packaged good: Our Small Business of the Year blends folk art with flour power to create a recipe for success. (Cover Story).(profiles of Immaculate Baking ... An article from: Business North Carolina

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Packaged good: Our Small Business of the Year blends folk art with flour power to create a recipe for success. (Cover Story).(profiles of Immaculate Baking ... An article from: Business North Carolina
Irwin Speizer
Manufacturer: Business North Carolina
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008FVH86
Release Date: 2005-07-30

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Business North Carolina, published by Business North Carolina on December 1, 2002. The length of the article is 4724 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Packaged good: Our Small Business of the Year blends folk art with flour power to create a recipe for success. (Cover Story).(profiles of Immaculate Baking Co., Mitchell Brothers Moving Inc., S&L Painting and Decorating Inc., Comquest Solutions Inc.)(Company Profile)(Biography)
Author: Irwin Speizer
Publication: Business North Carolina (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2002
Publisher: Business North Carolina
Volume: 22 Issue: 12 Page: 20(8)

Article Type: Company Profile, Biography

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Shadow Eater (The Dominions of Irth, No 2)
Average customer rating:

Near Perfect

A good read, but not as good as the first.
The Shadow Eater (The Dominions of Irth, No 2)
Adam Lee
Manufacturer: Eos (Mm0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Octoberland (Dominions of Irth, Bk 3)

The Dark Shore (The Dominions, Book 1)

ASIN: 0380806274

Book Description

With the Shadow Eater--the second volume of his acclaimed saga The Dominions of Irth--author Adam Lee reconfirms the stunning breadth and uniqueness of his vision and the extraordinary range of his storytelling prowess.

Once a hero rose up from the Dark shore to aid a threatened dominion.

It matters not that his courageous efforts helped to vanquish an all devouring evil. Of sole importance is the wrath of a goddess--whose unborn child has been poisoned by the stranger's presence--and the power of her slumbering consort who, if awakened, will dissolve all worlds.

Now all manner of beings and charmed creatures are allied in a single cause: to scour a vast and breathtaking empire of worlds in search of the one man who could doom enternity...and to return his across the Gulf to the place of his origin; to a realm of darkness, pain and dread sorcery...called Earth.

Customer Reviews:

Near Perfect.......1999-08-18

The Shadow Eater was simply outstanding through the first 200 pages. I found myself hanging on every word.

Unfortunately the next 100 or so, though interesting, wasn't as good. Lee made the unusual choice of making The Dark Shore of the first novel into Earth. Perhaps I'm missing something (and that's very possible) but I don't see too many cacodemons in my city.

A good read, but not as good as the first........1999-06-08

THis was a good read, but not as exciting( I thought) as The Dark Shore. I didn't live up tomy expectations.

ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 7, number 10 - October Oct 1983: Transit; Hearts Do Not in Eyes Shine; Tethered Purple-Pebble Eaters; Greek; Invaders; Chand Veda; A Shadow Under the Sea

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ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 7, number 10 - October Oct 1983: Transit; Hearts Do Not in Eyes Shine; Tethered Purple-Pebble Eaters; Greek; Invaders; Chand Veda; A Shadow Under the Sea
Shawna (editor) (Vonda N. McIntyre; John Kessel; Martin Gardner; Leigh Kennedy; Andrew Weiner; Tanith Lee; Mary R. Gentle) McCarthy
Manufacturer: Davis Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KJNXM8

A Field Guide to Monsters: Googly-Eyed Wart Floppers, Shadow-Casters, Toe Eaters, and Other Creatures

Average customer rating:

Pretty darn cute

A Field Guide to Monsters: Googly-Eyed Wart Floppers, Shadow-Casters, Toe Eaters, and Other Creatures
Johan Olander
Manufacturer: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Monsters | Obsessions | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Frankie Stein

ASIN: 0761453598

Book Description

Insights into the lives of house and garden monsters-- from World-Famous Monstrologist Johan Olander

Customer Reviews:

Pretty darn cute.......2007-09-12

These days, my opportunites to share great children's books are limited. My 27 year-old son is so over storytime. I have no grandchildren and my nephews are in high school. My husband spends all day listening to his students read out loud.

When "A Field Guide to Monsters" landed on my desk last week, I was happy to once again read something light, bright and everso creative.

The publicity packet included with the book says the author is "a firm believer in monsters and will trust any report of monster sightings until proven false."

It takes a very active imagination and a mind open to all possibilities to write truly engaging children's stories. Face it. The Brothers Grimm already have a patent on the most popular plot lines. This encyclopedia of scary things that lurk under beds, in closets and bathtubs is a bright and fresh addition to adolescent literature.

With this book, young readers will "learn about monster habitats, life cycles, and how to avoid the most dangerous creatures; see historical evidence of monster sightings; read about chilling monster encounters; and find out how to become a monsterologist, too."

Olander teaches us the importance of having the right tools when on a monster hunt and how to go about stalking and finding new species.

Olander says it's helpful to have an old sheet or blanket and to cut holes for your eyes in the blanket so "you can see out while remaining covered."

He says "many monsters have a sensitive sense of smell, so using cloves or potpourri can be used to mask your human scent."

The very first monster Olander chronicles is the Balloonseter (bulla inflatus). Balloonster consumes gas of any kind, even plain air and is not aggressive or dangerous.

No safety measures are necessary when encountering a Balloonster.

Not so with the Corner Cat (felis angulosa). You'll need rubber galoshes or leather boots to protect your ankles from Corner Cat bites, since the creature is a specialist in "lightning fast sneak attacks and can cause grave injuries to small children."

According to Olander, there is no need to be afraid of the Domestic Dust-Devil (sarcinula diaboli domestica), even though he has distinguishing features that include "limbs full of barbs that catch dust bunnies and other prey." Olander reminds us that the Dust-Devil's natural enemy is the vacuum cleaner.

Olander warns of the dreaded Flesh-Eating Tub Frog (rana labrum carnivora). "This creature eats human flesh, soap and bath products. It also loves fruit- and bubble-gum scented bubble bath."

Although the Flesh-Eating Tub Frog is very rare, be careful if you find one of the hop toads in your bath. "If you find one, there are often many more."

Monster-X (monstrosaurus rex) seems to prefer children with few friends. They're vegetarians, so it's safe to hang with them. However, they are candy thiefs. They reproduce by laying eggs, which can usually be found in abundance during the month of April.

Olander takes a close look at the care and feeding of other scary beasts, such as Wearms, Two-Toed Jumping Rats, Snouted Grabbers and Hangers. Olander, who is also an illustrator, adds clever drawings to explain some of the monsters' peculiarities.

Olander's insight into the creatures and their habitants is just delightful, although not for the faint of heart.

Editor's note: The publisher has set the age guidelines from 9-12. You might want to push that up a year or so if your youngster is squeamish about guts, gore and things that go bump in the night.

Average customer rating:

Flame And The Shadow-Eater
Henrietta Weaver
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0548341516

Book Description

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

In the shadow of Fox Peak: An ethnography of the Cattail-eater Northern Paiute people of Stillwater Marsh

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In the shadow of Fox Peak: An ethnography of the Cattail-eater Northern Paiute people of Stillwater Marsh
Catherine S Fowler
Manufacturer: Nevada Humanities Committee
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1890591122

In the Shadow of Fox Peak: An Ethnography of the Cattail-Eater Northern Paiute People of the Stillw

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In the Shadow of Fox Peak: An Ethnography of the Cattail-Eater Northern Paiute People of the Stillw
Catherine S. Fowler
Manufacturer: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJVG78

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Shadow Eater
Benjami De Casseres
Manufacturer: AMERICAN LIBRARY SERVICE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TMN1BY

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The Shadow Eater
A. A. Attanasio
Manufacturer: New English Library Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M64W56

The Shadow-Eater. Preface by Don Marquis. Illustrated by Wallace Smith.

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The Shadow-Eater. Preface by Don Marquis. Illustrated by Wallace Smith.
Benjamin. De Casseres
Manufacturer: NY: American Library Service,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ITS1P4

Under The Shadow Of Man Eaters: (Bio. Jim Corbett)

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Under The Shadow Of Man Eaters: (Bio. Jim Corbett)

Manufacturer: Jim Corbett Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H7LEW4

Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
Average customer rating:

Best Book Ever on How to Live a Good Life and End Up Happy!

Easy read...enduring guiding principles

Good read

Happiness

Six stars would be even more appropriate

Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
Dennis Prager
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Happiness | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Think a Second Time

Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism

Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism

Right Turns: From Liberal Activist to Conservative Champion in 35 Unconventional Lessons

The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth

ASIN: 0060987359

Amazon.com

In this unique blend of self-help and moral philosophy, talk-radio host Dennis Prager asserts that we're actually obligated to be happy, because it makes us better people. Achieving that happiness won't be easy, though: to Prager, it requires a continuing process of counting your blessings and giving up any expectations that life is supposed to be wonderful. "Can we decide to be satisfied with what we have?" he asks. "A poor man who can make himself satisfied with his portion will be happier than a wealthy man who does not allow himself to be satisfied." Prager echoes many conservative political commentators in complaining that too many people today see themselves as victims; he submits that the only way to achieve your desires is to take responsibility for your life rather than blaming others. Whether or not you agree with that view, if you're willing to put some thought into achieving a happier outlook, you will find plenty to mull over in Happiness Is a Serious Problem.

Book Description

We are completely satisfied with nothing

There is little correlation between the circumstances of people's lives and how happy they are.

This is the repair manual we should have been handed at birth

When you ask people about their most cherished values in life, "happiness" is always at the top of the list. However, unhappiness does not seem to be the exceptional order to be happy, we first have to battle ourselves.

Happiness is an obligation--to yourself and to others

Not only do we have a right to be happy, we have an obligation to be happy. Our happiness has an effect on the lives of everyone around us--it provides them with a positive environment in which to thrive and to be happy themselves.

Customer Reviews:

Best Book Ever on How to Live a Good Life and End Up Happy!.......2007-08-07

I love this book! It is my favorite book on how to live in a way that you end up being happy. A key point is that if you focus your life on seeking happiness by focusing on yourself you will never be happy - a paradox the ancients recognized but we moderns seem to have forgotten. We seem to think that if we can just have the newest toy (read iphone!) that somehow we will be happy (the marketing folks have done a great job on us). I have bought the book for friends and I reread it often. When I'm blue, reading a few pages picks me up right away! My favorite story is the one about a beautiful mosaic with one missing tile. It is a work of art, but that one tile is not there. We all have missing tiles in our lives (his was not being with his kid as much as he wanted to due to his divorce). Some days when I obsess about what I don't have in my life (not material things, but things like an extended closeknit family living nearby, etc.) I think about the missing tile and it helps me accept my life, which is really great otherwise. Happiness comes from focusing on the mosiac not the tile that is missing. Now, I know this may sound simplistic, but there is really a lot of wisdom in all the simple ideas in this book. Read it and see!

Easy read...enduring guiding principles.......2007-06-13

I enjoyed most of this book. Included some solid takeaways, such as:

1) Prager doesn't define happiness, but basically equates gratitude with being happy. This has been useful to me in terms of not taking things for granted, and not expecting too much of myself or others.

2) Expectations of yourself and others are unnecessary, wasteful, and potentially hurtful.

Good read.......2007-06-04

This book offers practical and specific advice for increasing happiness. I found it to be a good reminder of the things we all already know but should put into practice more often. For example Mr. Prager relates in his book that comparing ourselves with others leads to unhappiness. I listen to this audiobook often to keep the advice fresh in my mind.

Happiness.......2007-05-13

A great book showing how and why we need happiness in our lives. Dennis is at his best in this short, vital editorial showing how we can become happy and why we are not.

Six stars would be even more appropriate.......2007-04-10

I liked the book. Nothing to add. Very serious and thought provokative. Need to reread at least every other couple years to keep things into prospective.

Happiness Is a Serious Problem : A Human Nature Repair Manual

Average customer rating:

Happiness Is a Serious Problem : A Human Nature Repair Manual
Dennis Prager
Manufacturer: NY : ReganBooks (1998)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KI0VEM

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Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
Dennis Prager
Manufacturer: ReganBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OES69O

Average customer rating:

Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
Dennis Prager
Manufacturer: Regan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QYGYMI

The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking
Average customer rating:

My Bread Bible (no religious pun intended)

Delicious and thought provoking

Wonderful !

Good bread, fun reading!

Nurturing Spirituality With Enjoyable Recipes

The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking
Rick Curry
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Bread | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060951184

Book Description

In the tradition of The Tassajara Bread Book, Brother Curry combines 80 mouth-watering recipes for bread--gathered from Jesuit brothers around the world--with his spiritual insights on meditation through bread-baking.

Customer Reviews:

My Bread Bible (no religious pun intended).......2006-04-15

I will never forget when I stumbled upon this cookbook. It was laying on a table at the Tulsa Public Library and since I was currently interested in the Jesuits and their Cathlocism (I'm married to a New Testament major) I picked it up. I had been selling my egg bread loaves to neighbors and as a new bride, hadn't any other cookbooks than the Better Homes and Garden, thus was interested in more recipes. After reading it cover to cover, I squeezed the money out of our meager college budget, I bought this book as soon as I could afford it. I have a great deal of affection for this book as I have baked from it for over eleven years and have had nothing but success and a great deal of raves from family and friends alike on the results.

Since I always save my five stars for a book that's a good buy for the frugal at heart, I can recommend it for no other reason that it is a bargain as it is really full of useful bread recipes. For example--it covers cornbread (three kinds including Johnnycake), Irish breads, wheat breads, all sorts of rolls and buscuits, starter breads (sourdough for Dummies, trust me), potato breads and even Jewish breads! I consider this an essential book for anyone who enjoys breadmaking, even if you only use a breadmaker.

I'd like to remark on the one reviewer's disparaging of the text and his saying this book has errors: I have yet to find one and as for the text, I absolutely love it--they are short sweet asides about the history of bread in both the Catholic church and world in general. His personal asides are insightful and inspiring, my personal favorite being the story he tells about first joining the Jesuits where he was assigned to managable portions of butter for the kitchen off of a huge block that was delivered to their residence. It was a menial job, and as a youth, it made him angry, naturally, and proved very frustrating because he had to use a wire to do it. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you realize Brother Curry only has one arm! An older brother chided him and said that if he couldn't handle the butter, then he'd never move on to greater things. A wonderful lesson that's stuck in my head--cut the butter first with whatever you're given!

And if that's not a good enough review to get you to buy the book, I'd like to point out that the profits from this book go to support Brother Curry's work with the handicapped: he runs a full-fledged bakery in New York for people with handicaps in order to teach them a trade, and also runs The National Theater Workshop for the Handicapped as well--so resist the urge to buy it used! Buy this book--you won't regret it as a baker and you certainly won't mind the good karma. (Catholic karma, at that!)

Delicious and thought provoking.......2005-08-24

The combination of Jesuit Brother and Bread is an unusual one on the surface but reading Brother Curry's book, you realise what a key role communal eating plays in the life of the Church.

Even if the closest to religion you have ever been is walking past a Nativity scene in a mall, the stories of Jesuit life are inspiring.

The recipes are simple to follow (no six day starters or special equipment here!) and are delicious. The seasonal breads are a perfect for presents or greedy home consumption!

Wonderful !.......2005-01-04

I really enjoy the variety of breads in this book, as well as the jesuit explanations and histories within. I have not had any trouble with the receipes I have worked with, but have had many compliments.

It is easy to spend $1.99 on a loaf from the store, but it is more of a "giving of yourself" to do the extra work for the delight of those who enjoy your efforts. This book helps feed that deeper connection to the art baking bread.

I copy (don't sue me) snippets of Brother Curry's stories when I send along a gift made from this book. Again, it makes an already wonderful receipe that much more meaningful.

Good bread, fun reading!.......2003-02-20

As an atheist I was wary of this book, but I actually enjoyed reading Curry's stories and Jesuit histories. The recipies are fantastic - well written and all have been successful so far. The only complaint I have is that the font in the recipies is too small, especially the fractions! Great book, great author.

Nurturing Spirituality With Enjoyable Recipes.......2003-02-05

When you ponder the history of breadmaking, just consider the continuous creativity derived from mixing flour and water. As author Brother Rick Curry, S.J., says, "I'm reminded of the simplicity...A little flour and water and some other wholeseome ingredients make an infinte number of breads".
"The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking" is a delightful collection of spiritual stories and easy to understand bread recipes. Building on the mystique of the Jesuit religious order, Brother Curry kneads the spirtual life and writings of the order's founder Saint Ignatius Loyola into the recipe collection. Indeed, this colection might be particularly interesting for those curious to know more about the Jesuits without having to read a long historical account. At first, I was leary of the large number bread recipes presented because my success with breadmaking was non-existent. I thought, "Why should I buy a book about breadmaking when I've never been able to get the dough to the first rise"? Nevertheless, I wanted to try Brother Curry's recipe for Irish Soda Bread, cooked without yeast, so I purchased the book. Of course, I could have simply copied the recipe without buying the book, but my religious side thought this was being disingenuous. Now, I'm so glad I made the investment because reading the recipes is just as much fun as baking them. Many recipes do not require using yeast, a relief for my breakmaking anxiety. As I tired several different recipes, I became more confident to try at least one yeast recipe. Finally, voila, like a miracle, I actually make O'Brien's Oatmeal Bread! Obviously, I'm now a convert to Brother Curry's recipes and, of course, I intend to try several more recipes as my breakmaking skills are tested. I already have several handwritten notes in the margins of this book documenting my own experiences with the recipes. Thank you Brother Curry and and also to Brother John O'Brien, who was a "vigorous" teacher of Latin at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane Washington when Curry met him and learned his namesake Oatmeal Bread recipe. This is a good book for those needing to develop more faith in their breadmaking ability. If you are already an expert breadmaker, Curry's collection is likely to sharpen the spiritual side of your God given talents.

Secrets Of Jesuit Breadmaking - Recipes And Traditions From Jesuit Bakers Around The World

Average customer rating:

Secrets Of Jesuit Breadmaking - Recipes And Traditions From Jesuit Bakers Around The World
Brother Rick, S. J. Curry
Manufacturer: Harper-perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K1P88I

The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking: Recips and Traditions from Jesuit Bakers Around the World

Average customer rating:

The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking: Recips and Traditions from Jesuit Bakers Around the World
Rick Curry
Manufacturer: Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEYOPY

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