Audiobook Books

I bought this CD for the yoga nidra track, and I've ended up loving both discs. Shiva Rea does a fantastic job with different ways to relax and calm down, including pranayama. I use this CD nearly every day, and it really helps for calming down for a good night's sleep.

i love shiva rea's work and this is a good cd for relaxation, yoga nidra and shavasana, good to use before going to sleep at night.

I am amazed by the tranquility and relaxation I enjoyed after following the Yoga nidra instructions. Believe me, the background music, the soft voice of Shiva and the soothing instructions will put you in a totally relaxing mood and the entire body, mind and spirit gets rejuvenated. It is worth buying the CD for this track alone.

This CD set is a must for anyone handling stress in their life. And who among us is not? There is only so much room in anyone's budget for therapists, massages, etc. At some point we have to use our own devices to deal with stress on a regular daily basis, or succumb to the ills it causes.

Shiva Rea comes to the rescue with this jewel of a CD set. It has been adequately described, I'll just add that the Chandra Namaskar (moon salutations) on Disc 1 are gentle and accessible to most people. There is a booklet included that describes the asanas (positions). Most of the material offered involves the motion of your mind rather than body. Light a candle, unplug the phone, make a nest with some blankets rolled under your knees and over you, and indulge in Disc 2 with its invocation, assortment of guided Savasanas, and healing Yoga Nidra. Then head straight to bed for a lovely night's sleep without the aid of pharmaceuticals. Highly recommended.

I'm new to whole world of yoga and decided to purchase this CD collection based on amazon reviews. I use this CD everyday for meditation and relaxation. Shiva Rea has a very soothing voice with beautiful music in the back ground to accompany her. If you are looking for a very well rounded collection, this is a good bet. Once again, I'm always so pleased with Amazon - they're so helpful in making an informed decision on new purchases!

Nicholas Sparks is one of the few writers that make you stop and savour his words, his sentences....He is an amazing writer that grabs you from the very beginning. The Notebook is one of those books that you can read over and over again...It is a classic and a must have in your book shelf. JUST AMAZING!!!

I read the book before seeing the movie. My daughter had advised me not to attend the movie in the theater, but to wait til it was on DVD because she felt it would be too emotional for me. Though the story is a bit thin at places and the characters are sometimes a bit cliche, I still loved the book and the movie. I cried through both of them because my mother died with Alzheimer's Disease. My father was a devoted caregiver to her throughout her illness. For someone trying to cope with the effects of this disease on the family, this movie can be very moving. It reminds you of what you have lost, but it also stirs up those happy memories from the past.

The book The Notebook was very good. it had a very good message to it which was to listen to your heart. When you are stuck in a situation that needs solving, you listen to your heart and do what you think is best. When Allie went and visited Noah, and became close to him, she didn't know what to say to her husband, Lon, about it.

What was Nicholas Sparks thinking when he wrote this book?

*Let me tap into the minds of lonely heartbroken women all over the world.

*Let me add a new age man who reads poetry and pours out his feelings in letters.

*Let me re-create the classic lovestory with a dose of Bridges of Madison county (which should have been shorter, as in should never have been written in the first place)

I loved the movie and was dying to read the book. It is AWFUL. Sugary sweet with no real story or depth.

How can any one read this shallow garbage and cry?

I am shocked that the author signed a $1 million publishing deal and then went on to write more sugary sweet garbage. His only half decent book is 'Message in a bottle' but there is only so many times you can write a boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy loses girl, boy or girl die love story before its gets ridiculous.
Sparks wants the 'pulitizer prize' now. How?
He writes nothing more than trashy chicklit.

I think the 'Horse Whisperer' by Nicholas Evans is so much more classy, now there's a male author who can write a love story.
Not everyone would agree with me.

Sparks seems like a great guy but he is a terrible author.

This book was so beautiful, I couldn't put it down. If only we all could find a love like this once in a lifetime, and hang onto it!

When Eve is called to a homicide on Park Avenue, she finds herself in the bedroom of Thomas Anders, sports fanatic and the head of Anders Worldwide. Sixty-one, he, like his father before him, ran a top enterprise of sporting-goods turned into more; several cities set up to help underprivileged children with sporting-goods to play sports. Unfortunately, Anders's life was cut short. His body was found by his House Manager (housekeeper); each arm and leg tied to either the headboard or footboard with velvet cord, and a velvet cord around his neck. Upon first glance, looks like a lover's tryst gone wrong. But that doesn't sit well with Eve - and her gut instinct was correct. Everything was too clean, made too easy, and once confimed that he'd been drugged, Eve is on the hunt for a killer.

After meeting the characters involved in Anders's life, Eve believes in her gut that the wife, Ava Anders, did the deed. But how could she? She was off in the tropics with her two best friends on an girls-only holiday. But something about Ava sets Eve off. Too pristine, in every way; from attire to manner to emotion. However, proving it is Eve's challenge. And Eve enjoys a challenge.

Along the way, the more the facts fit together, the more and more they point away from Ava, but Eve refuses to let go. She knows Ava is in up to her pretty little head, and she'll be damned if Ava gets away with it. Baxter, on the sidelines, asks Eve to take a look at a case a couple of months old that he and Trueheart have been working on. They can't close it, the trail's gone cold, and they're hoping a fresh set of eyes can help in closing the case. But upon another glance, Eve catches something that wouldn't have caught anyone's eye: the wife of the victim in Baxter's case is loosely connected to Ava, through Anders's charity of sporting-goods. No all Eve needs is a confession to wrap it up.

I'll admit, I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts (I have everything she's ever written), but my ultimate fave is her J.D. Robb series. And while I've been a faithful fan since I stumbled upon this series back in 2003, I didn't find this one as thrilling as the rest. Although different, I thought it was good just the same. Just not 5-star good.

Eve is called to the homicide of Thomas Anders. But something ring's false to her - everything seems staged somehow. Meeting up with Morris, the ME, over Anders's body, one thing stands out. Anders had been drugged. And even though he was strangled, it was still a slow death. Something's wrong, and Eve plans on figuring out what it is. Question is: How? The wife was in the tropics, sharing a huge suite with her two friends. There are witnesses. The nephew has an airtight alibi. Was it murder for hire? Eve doesn't think so, and after going through their financials, there is no evidence of a payoff.

The more Eve investigates, the more her gut points her toward the wife. But there's nothing to support it. So Eve digs and digs and digs until she finds something, with the usual cast of characters: Roarke, Peabody, McNab, Feeney, Baxter and Trueheart.

Now, usually, there are several suspects and it takes the entire book to figure out who it is, if you can figure it out. But Eve is so sure that it was Ava, directly or indirectly, that the story pretty much stayed focused on Ava, the wife. It was different from the norm, and I can't say I liked it overmuch. It was like putting a stereotype on the rich - something that Eve is intimate with as she is married to a billionaire. The greed key has been played so often that I was hoping for something more.

The way the case came together was different. A twist I wasn't expecting. I figured for sure a hired hit. Far from it. The more I got into the story, the more it had a sort of Hitchcockian feeling to it. Now, anyone who's watched a Hitchcock movie will understand when they read this book.

What was disturbing was how a woman can play a roll such as Ava did, to rise herself to the top, to get everything she wanted, all for the sake of "because I deserve it." How she tested the waters with `potential candidates' to help her with her crime, the questions, the manipulation, reduced to threatening kids - the kids and the mothers that she's supposed to be helping, caring for.

Wasn't any action in this one at all. More running around, thinking and tying things together than anything. It didn't have the feel for what I'm used to, and I wasn't thrilled. Yes, I liked how Eve played her hand, how she slipped Ava up, but it was from point A to point B that wasn't thrilling.

I must, however, comment on the fight that Eve and Roarke had. I have yet to hear of a couple, married, common-law, or even roommates, not having argued about money. While most arguments are based on the money spent, over-spending, etc..., their argument was the opposite: Eve had spent the money from her paycheck but didn't even thing to ask Roarke for some, even knowing that she had an account in her name that Roarke set up simply for her to use. But to her, it's his money, and she didn't marry him for his money. She can't just take it, it doesn't feel right to her. The money he has is because he earned it, legally or not. And while each of them has a hard time understanding why the other is being so pig-headed about it, they finally get it, and it becomes a compromize between two people who love each other, regardless of their financial situation. That was a part of the book I adored. Every time Eve and Roarke get into a personal argument, they seem more and more like real life people than characters in a book, like a truly happily married couple, going through what just about every married couple goes through. I can give top marks for that!

When I happened upon Naked In Death and finished, I was hooked. I immediately started to purchase all the books in order and could not stop.I did not think when I first read the synopsis of Naked In Death that I would be interested in a futuristic police/romance book of any kind. Boy, was I wrong. I have read each book at least ten times (sounds sick I know) but each time I read them, it's as if I am reading them for the first time. I am anxiously awaiting the November releases. My only wish for Eve and Roarke is that some baby comes into the picture, one where they can bond to a child and experience the love and nurturing they did not have as children. Maybe, they can keep Mavis' baby for a while due to her schedule of something. I want to see how they would respond and maybe decide to have their own child. Eventually they have to have a family, this is Roarke's desire down the road as he says to have children.

As usual, J D Robb has done it again. This is another great addition to the "Death" collection.

This book is just an extension of Stranger on a Train. Which is mentioned in the book, so you can't call fowl.

It depicts what would've happened if the second person completed their task instead of balking. That might have been interesting, but I so figured it out by the 3rd chapter.

Good read if you've nothing better to do.

The product arrived on time, in great condition. I am in the middle of reading it now. I was very pleased with everything.

I don't think that anyone could ask for a better presentation of Virgil's classic. Fagles's translation is scintillating. When I listen to a work like this I generally simultaneously read or consult a number of translations, and Fagles definitely has created a wondrous and exceptional work in English. Simon Callow's rendition is simultaneously exhilarating and haunting. Highly recommended.

I just started this book, and have really been looking forward to it. Now Im so disapointed because I cant understand it because of the readers dramatic reading. I am still listening but Im in the market for another copy read by someone else. rb

I think that Robert Fagles is one of the best translator of Greek and Latin in the past 50 years. I thought that the Odyssey, read by Ian McKellen, was superb, although Homer's Epic was meant to be heard. Virgil's was meant to be read, but, with the enjoyment I had listening to the Odyssey, I thought that I would give the Aeneid a try. What a horrible, horrible mistake! Simon Callow makes the Aeneid virtually intolerable. He reads Virgil's Epic as if he is mocking over-acting. In fact, if this were offered as a parody of bad reading, then most would believe it was simply too hyperbolic even to be funny. No professional reader should ever over-act this badly nor should Penguin Audio Books allow such a travesty to actually be recorded! Honestly, a high school drama student could have rendered a finer job.
The book is wonderful. The audio book is worse that I can describe!

I understand that many readers in the United States find Robert Fagles' translation easy to read. Some likely appreciate his use of colloquialisms. A reader with a European accent surely wasn't the best choice for this translation.

Most importantly, Penguin should never have allowed this audio book to leave its shop in the present condition. Sometimes Mr. Callow was so loud that my ears hurt and at other times he sort of muttered. Some of his presentation was enjoyable, but I gave up on the second CD. I use a reasonably good sound system to listen to audio books and have never before had such difficulty.

This is a review of the CD audio book version of Robert Fagles' translation of Virgil's Aeneid.

Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once quipped, "My wife is a lovely woman, but she can never remember which came first: the Greeks or the Romans." The Greeks "came first" in two senses. Their civilization produced great works of literature, philosophy and art when Rome was still a primitive village, and although the Romans later conquered the Greek world their cultural achievements never quite matched those of Greece, and they knew it.

The Aeneid is an epic poem that tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan who flees his city as it is being sacked by the Greeks. (The story of the Trojan Horse is actually not in the Iliad, but there is a moving account of it in the Aeneid.) Aeneas wanders for many years and eventually comes to Italy and founds what becomes Roman civilization. Aeneas is thus conquered by the Greeks, but founds the civilization that will conquer them. And this poem about Aeneas is meant to rival the Iliad (with its accounts of battles) and the Odyssey (with its accounts of the wanderings of its hero on his way home).

The Aeneid is also a commentary on the politics of the era in which it was composed. Virgil lived in the time when the Roman Republic had come to an end and Octavian had succeeded Caesar as emperor. Aeneas is the supposed founder of the Roman royal line, so in honoring him Virgil is honoring his patron. And Octavian came to power only after a period of warfare (just like Aeneas). Further parallels are provided by the relationship between Aeneas and Dido, Queen of Carthage. Aeneas and Dido fall in love, and he is tempted to stay with her. But he remembers his sacred duty to found a new empire in Italy, so he leaves her behind. (I don't want to spoil the story for you, but what happens with Dido after Aeneas leaves her is one of the most famous parts of the Aeneid.) Carthage was a city that fought two wars with Rome. (Remember Hannibal leading the elephants over the alps? That was the Carthaginians.) So Aeneas's psychological victory over the temptations of Carthage foreshadows the later conflict between the empires. Furthermore, Octavian's rule was secure only after he defeated Mark Anthony. Mark Anthony allowed himself to be seduced by a foreign queen (Cleopatra in this case). So in showing Aeneas's resolve against the temptations of a foreign queen, Virgil is condemning Octavian's opponent.

The Aeneid is considered one of the greatest works (perhaps THE greatest) of Latin literature. It was so highly esteemed that it was sometimes used as a book of divination: you opened it up to a random page and stuck your finger on a line, which was your "fortune." (I tried it: apparently I am going to be shot dead with an arrow by a goddess.)

As a story, I find the Aeneid good but uneven. Parts of it are quite gripping. In addition to some of the events I've mentioned, the account of Aeneid's visit to the underworld, and the poetically appropriate punishments that the vicious receive, is engaging. We can see why Dante was so inspired by it that, in the Divine Comedy, he makes Virgil be his guide through Hell. At his worst, though, Virgil can be a bit bombastic. This isn't helped by the actor who reads the text for this audio book. His delivery reminds one of a stodgy British professor delivering a commencement address.

The CD case includes a booklet with the introduction to Fagles' translation by classicist Bernard Knox. This is very helpful, situating Virgil in his time, summarizing the poem (I found this useful as a review after having listened to the whole thing), and offering some personal reflections on the meaning Virgil has for him.

In the final analysis, the Aeneid is very good, but not as great as the Iliad or the Odyssey. I guess the Greeks do still "come first."

AMAZING! I devoured this book. This is one of Richard's best books! This incredible tale touched my soul! These characters share their hearts and opened mine! I immediately donated to the Christmas Box Lifestart Initiative! It made me remember those relationships in my past that have left an impression or shaped my life. For those I am truly grateful.

"Grace" is an exceptionally tender book that is sure to capture your interest and touch your heart. Just like a flame, our lives need to be nourished, strengthened and protected in order to grow. A wrong word, action or decision can quickly dim our flame. "Grace" teaches us that life and love have depth and it reminds us that age does not necessarily determine wisdom. A must read for all!

"Grace" touched my heart and has left me a better person. Not only is this book beautifully written, it also brings awareness to critical issues facing society. The characters are charming and witty. I felt like I was reading about my brothers and childhood friends. Their concerns and experiences display courage and deep love, lessons we all need constant reminders of. It is my favorite of Richard's writing - hands down. I love it! I treasure this story and am excited to share it with my family and friends. It is one I will read and cherish over and over again. One read is not enough.

I'm not sure why I ordered this book other than that it was free. I am not the type of person who reads self-help or business books and the one or two times in my life that I was forced to do so I couldn't see the point of the book nor did I derive anything beneficial. I have been in sales most of my life and at various points have been known as one of the top salesmen in my field. I've often been asked to share what has made me successful so I have taught classes on selling. It seems to me to be an exercise in futility. I wish it was easy to simply tell some one how to be or what to do and that success will follow. It is my belief that human beings are infinitely more complex than what the business & self-help books portray and they do not change easily, if ever. I am sure that there are people who have benefitted from this class of book but I have never met one and I suspect they are rare. People are what they are and even if you get them excited for a short time they soon revert to their norm.

As far as this book goes it seems neither better nor worse than other books in its class. It relies on telling stories to show people how they might use different behaviours to achieve more influence. I don't think reading this book is going to enable anyone to make a profound change in their lives, just as the past twenty years worth of self-help and business books haven't seemed to make a bit of difference to anyone I know personally or within society in general. There is an old saying, "Those who can, do, those who can't, teach". That's why I don't teach anymore. It's depressing to try and teach something and see that the message sent just isn't ever received because of the fundamental difference in experience, motivation, outlook and thought processes between two different people. I would also offer this thought....the only way you'll change your life or influence others successfully is simply to go try doing it and get better. In other words, there is no magic words/spell/book that is going to change your world. There is only doing, practice, and gaining experience. Save your time and money, skip the book, and go practice influencing others. You'll fail a lot, but then you get better incrementally, and you'll have made progress. It's as unlikely that you'll make progress reading a book as it is unlikely that you'll learn to play the piano by reading a book. People make a lot of money by the lure of a shortcut to be found within the pages of their book but I don't know of any shortcuts to playing a piano or in learning to influence others. I sure didn't see any in this book.

The title of this book is "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything." I'll call shenanigans on that subtitle, because this is not a book about exercising personal power. Rather, it's a series of case studies that demonstrate how influence can be used in positive ways to improve the world around us. It's powerful reading, yes. But that's because many of the anecdotes are interesting, and some are quite powerful.

This is a very well-written book, with some extremely interesting stories to share. Dr. Donald Hopkins and his fight against the dreaded guinea worm is a common theme, and it's an interesting story. Another "influence master" detailed started a rehabilitation center for convicts that actually works. Yet another started a small business program in Bangladesh that has given hope to the poor. The stories really stuck with me after I read the book, and they've helped me to think of ways I can influence others in my own life.

Of less value to me was the "six sources of influence" model, which sounds very academic, but lacks the intuitive "oomph" of methods like the "7 Habits" or the "22 laws" that leadership gurus like to bring up. You can actually find all of the information about the abstract concepts on the book's website, and you can read case studies on many of the featured stories on publisher VitalSmarts's site. (This is mentioned in the book as well, so I'm guessing the authors don't mind if people mine their sites for information before reading.)

Still, "Influencer" is a great read, and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone looking for inspiration. The world can be a better place, and this book does a good job of calling out some notable cases. Just don't expect to walk away prepared to change the world -- apparently, it's not as easy as the subtitle would lead you to believe.

Great book for educators. Should be required reading for all who work with people. Practical and effective information taught in a comprehensive and understandable fashion. Our faculty is doing a group study and application to our school with great results!

Terribly realistic research and data. Contains absolutely practical insights and solutions for use in my leadership development organization. After referring this to over 50 colleagues, the reports back to me are; 'Grateful', 'Glad you thought of me', 'Hit me again', 'Going to put this to use immediately',and more. Phil at http://maximizeothers.wordpress.com

In general, I am not easily impressed by these business books that purport give some great insight into how to make things work. If somebody really had the ability to "change anything" then he wouldn't be wasting time writing books, he'd be out there changing things, if not for the better, then to his advantage. With that caveat in mind, however, I have to say that I enjoyed this book.

There are a couple of reasons why I enjoyed it. First, it is so much better written than most. I don't know how its five authors actually collaborated to produce this volume but it reads very well. It doesn't show the effects of too many cooks. It delivers a series of very clear, easy to follow steps. If it doesn't support itself with a lot of quantitative research, it has a selection of well-chosen anecdotes. The Guinea worm stories and the Delancey Street stories have etched themselves into my memory. I've already shared them with a number of people.

Second, the six sources of influence, the elucidation of which takes up the bulk of the book, are simple to understand and seem very reasonable. In fact, most of us have used or experienced each of the types of influence before. It is the author's cleverness to synthesize them for us. Not only that, that demonstrate how to use them effectively. Ultimately, they make the point that, to have real success in influencing others, you must use as many of the sources of influence as possible, preferably all of them. Too often, change doesn't happen because we don't use all the sources of influence available to us.

Like many books of this type, it wouldn't have suffered any by being a little bit more compact. Still, as someone who works for change in my day to day life, I was able to draw a lot of useful information out of it. Perhaps more useful things than in any book I've ready recently. That's high praise indeed.

I bought two sets. Sent one to my 29 year old daughter in New Mexico and one home to my 24 year old son. They both have enjoyed listening to the set. Well worth the money that I paid for it.

Last summer we listened to this series in the car, by borrowing them one by one from the libary. Come Christmas time we decided to buy the set. Both the adults and kids (ages 5&7) enjoyed listening. The readers do a great job, giving differant voices to the characters. We did borrow one book in the "radio style" format. We found the radio style confusing and not as pleasent to listen to.

I ordered this for my middle schooler who has a Learning Disability that prevents her from reading quickly and she has to read and test on many books a quarter to keep her grades up. The teacher said that I could suppliment with books on tape/cd. I love the Chronicles of Narnia myself and thought that she might like them too. She loves them. She would have never been able to get through one of the books by herself but she listens to them without my prompting. That is great.
One thing about this purchase was that in the picture it looked to me like it came with a set of books but it does not. I am not saying that the product was misrepresented I just didn't pay close enough attention. I had a set of books at home anyway so it was no problem.

I didn't expect to like these books; I don't care for fantasy. But these were more than that. I read them to my children years ago, and by the third book, I was hooked, too. We each have different favorites in the series.

C.S. Lewis does an excellent job in turning Biblical truths into epic, mythical stories. A danger of these books is that the stories are so engaging, you might read them instead of the Bible. I'm sure that wasn't Lewis' intention; rather it was to turn children onto Christianity with his understanding of it.

I would definitely recommend this collection for families. The collection is one of my 10 favorite children's books of all time.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

I've wanted to reread the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, back to back, for a long time and just never got around to it. When I found it in audio as a boxed set, I had to have it and it gave me the excuse I needed to revisit my childhood for a little while.

In The Magician's Nephew, we discover the origins of the wonderful land of Narnia and how Aslan the Lion brought it into being. Digory is a young boy tricked by his magician uncle into travelling to another world, where he must rescue his friend Polly who Uncle Andrew trapped there. Thus begins a grand new adventure for Polly and Digory, not all of which is enjoyable, as they jump through various worlds and see the birth of Narnia. Digory knows he caused most of the problems and will not quit until he fixes his mistakes.

It's been so many years since I read any of this series, I can't remember if I read The Magician's Nephew before or not. What a delightful story! Here we have the prequel to one of the most beloved children's books of all time. I enjoyed my foray through worlds with Digory and Polly and especially enjoyed being there when Aslan creates Narnia. I also liked getting to see the origin of the witch and how the division of good and evil in Narnia began.

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevency are sent to live with a reclusive professor to protect them during the war. A game of hide and seek leads to a whole new world when the children discover a wooden wardrobe that is a door to Narnia. The game grows serious when they learn they are the answer to a prophecy about two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve bringing peace to the land.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is definitely the most popular book in the series and probably every single person of the past few generations has at least heard the name. This is the story that drew me into the world of Narnia and as such, it will always hold a little corner of my heart with the memories of meeting Aslan, the centaurs, the fauns, all the talking animals, and of course the infamous Pevency children.

In The Horse and His Boy, Shasta is a young orphan taken in as a baby by a fisherman and raised to work the fishing boat. When Shasta finds out his master is going to sell him to someone new, he decides to escape. While trying to figure out what to do, he discovers the horse belonging to the man wanting to buy Shasta is a talking horse from Narnia who also wants to be free. So they run away and early in their journey bump into a young girl Aravis who is also running away with Winn, her own talking horse from Narnia. Aravis and Shasta decide to journey together and find themselves in a whole mess of adventures that lead them to bump into King Edmund, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy and even the great Aslan himself.

The Horse and His Boy is first and foremost a quest novel, at least in my opinion. Here we have young Shasta who escapes his dreary life to go on the adventure of a lifetime, where he finds out there is such more to him than he ever realized. Aravis too, is trying to get away from her fears and she finds the strength to do so with Shasta at her side. She also has a tendency to speak her mind with n fear of consequences, which gets her into trouble on more than one occasion. I loved the horses, who added so much personality to the story, and experience some adventures of their own.

Centuries after Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy left Narnia they are unexpectedly called back from their world. There is a usurper ruling in Narnia and the true king, Prince Caspian calls for aid in defeating his uncle the phony king, so he can take his rightful place on the throne.

Much has changed in Narnia since the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve disappeared. Centuries have passed in Narnia though only a little more than a year in Earth time is gone, and Prince Caspian needs their help to bring Narnia back to the way it is meant to be. I especially liked meeting one of my favorite characters, Reepecheep, in this installment of the saga. Anotehr part of this story I loved was seeing the reactions of High King Peter and his family when they realize Narnia is nothing like they remember it. Their friends are gone and their castles in ruins, but we also get to see them overcome their shock to once more step into the roles prophesized to belong to them. They've all grown up a bit and this has quite an impact on their reactions to their beloved Narnia.

Lucy and Edmund are sucked into a painting, with their cousin Eustace in tow, while visiting Eustace's family. They end up in Narnia on The Voyage of Dawn Treader, King Caspian's ship. Caspian is on a journey to the east and The End of the World in the hopes of finding several knights sent out seven years ago by Caspian's uncle, and they hope to finally reach Aslan's country.

The Voyage of Dawn Treader is actually much slower paced then the majority of the books in this series and as a result seems to take an awfully long time for the adventures to begin. Eustace is a spoiled little rich boy who finds everything he believes challenged on this sea voyage. He has to rise above his faults to become the boy he is meant to be. Anotehr nice touch is we see how much Caspian has grown up since he won the throne of Narnia from his uncle. He is destined to be a great king and here we really see this side of his personality.

Eustace Scrubbs (cousin to the Pevency children) has had a complete personality change after his first experience in Narnia. While trying to help a young girl, Jill, being bullied, they run off through a door in the stone wall and end up in the far east of the world, Aslan's country in Narnia. They have been summoned by Aslan to assist King Caspian in finding his long lost son, missing for 10 years. While on their journey they have four signs to follow that Aslan gave them and manage to mess up three of them. They get into scrape after scrape as they search for Prince Rillian and discover The Silver Chair.

Eustace is back in Narnia, quite by accident, and he has changed so much since his last experience. But then, who wouldn't be changed after what he had to go through in the previous story? We also get to visit with Caspian one last time, in the twilight of his life as king. I have loved Caspian since we met him in his first story so while I was pleased to see he had such a wonderfully blessed life, I was a little heartbroken to see him so close to the end, in agony over the disappearance of his son. I had a hard time deciding what I thought of Rillian initially, but he grew on my after a while, especially once I understood the curse he suffered.

When Shift the ape and Puzzle his donkey friend find a lion skin in the water, the ape decides it would be a great idea to dress Puzzle up in the lion skin and tell everyone Aslan has returned. When Shift gets greedy and makes a deal with the Callormens to sell the talking animals into slavery and cut down all of the dryad's trees, the real Aslan sends Eustace and Jill back to Narnia to help the king put an end to Shift's schemes with The Last Battle.

Patrick Stewart narrates this one and he does a fantastic job. He had me cracking up as he brayed like a donkey and barked like a dog, among other little bits he had to perform. The Last Battle starts a little slowly, as Shift and Puzzle put their plan into motion. But once the scheme starts to work, the pace picks up as we fly down the road into battle preparations and the final war.

For years I've heard about The Chronicles of Narnia as being a Christian allegory and the many references to similarities between Narnia beliefs and Christian beliefs. I also know there are many people who spend significant amounts of time studying the books for these Christian references. When I was little, all those hidden meanings were way over my head and the books were just adventure stories. Now that I'm older and wiser (or like to think I am anyhow), I can view the series with new eyes and pick up on many of the references. The allegorical nature of the series is most evident in The Magician's Nephew (the creation story) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (the rising, crucifixion, and rising again of Jesus Christ) and The Last Battle (the Second Coming of Christ). The Voyage of Dawn Treader also struck me after I looked back on it, as reminding me of Noah and the Ark in some ways.

I loved the opportunity to read Chronicles of Narnia once more and enjoyed the fact that it is now so much more to me than just a fantasy saga.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2008. All rights reserved.

Another solid book. I read all his books and they are all motivational. You learn 50% new stuff, and 50% is just relaying the foundation. But it helps to stay submerged in his stuff to motivate yourself into taking action!

This was an excellent book. The book has taught me a lot about the true state of the Union. Robert tells you what the main stream media and the government will not admit. Both the Democrates and the Republican party have really messed things up for you and I, in this beloved country of ours. From reading Robert's book you would get the idea that the "Central Banks" both foreign and domestic are running our puppet government. The average citizen has been sold out by the rich and the greedy. God bless and protect us from the storms both now and yet to come!

This is a great read for anyone looking to learn how money really works. We need to put this into the cmoneyuricullum at every school so kids learn something about the real world before getting shoved out into the cold.

It was very fun to read though. It definetly follows in the line of his other books

This is the first kiyosaki's book I read and it revolutionized my idea about money. I wish I could have read it 7 years ago before I finished my ph.D in Biochemistry. I wanted to be an entrepreneur for many years but it's the thought that wanting to be safe and getting a secure job keeping me from it... Now I am thinking about getting a MBA. I highly recommend this book to anyone wants to know some truth about money and even life!! If you have not read any other kiyosaki's books, I think this is the one you should start with but not "rich dad poor dad". This book contains most of the ideas from "rich dad poor dad". It updated "rich dad poor dad" and has a lot more practical suggestions.

My family enjoys Adventures in Odyssey very much. Relatively speaking this is not my favorite-but still worth listening to. Each adventure the characters take is a journey in learning life lessons. This mix may be better for older children. One episode deals with the subject of abortion. The producers give an excelent preview in advance of the episode. Parents will have an opportunity to listen before sharing with children. Odyssey never fails to serve up an interesting and entertaining life lesson.

Over the years, there have been a few episodes of Adventures in Odyssey that have never made it into a collection. Well, that problem is now partially resolved with this four CD set containing 12 such episodes. (Unfortunately, a few of my old favorites are still missing in action, but I know we'll never get them.)

The set starts out with four episodes that were originally part of the "Family Portraits" test series. (And yes, I'm old enough to remember listening to these each week before the show actually started.) Admittedly, they aren't the best since the storytelling was a little weak. The best of these by far is "Dental Dilemma," an absolutely hilarious tale of sibling teasing gone wrong. The others are fine, but they are rather forgettable as well.

The next three shows are shows that the producers felt didn't live up to their potential. While I certainly agree that "What Are We Going to Do About Halloween" is extremely preachy, I thought the other two were enjoyable then and are still enjoyable now. I especially enjoy "It Sure Seems Like it to Me," about exaggeration.

Then come two shows that started out with Officer David Harley and were later rewritten with Eugene. Isaac learns about the Golden Rule and Jimmy learns about crushes in two fun episodes.

Things get very serious for "Pamela Has a Problem," when Connie's California friend shows up and confesses that she's pregnant. It takes a serious, pro-life look at things and included one twist I absolutely loved. This is certainly aimed at the older end of the audience and includes an introduction with Paul McCusker.

Finally, the collection winds down with "Train Ride," in which Whit has to clear Eugene of murder, and "Isaac the True Friend" which introduces Sam as he and Isaac have an Imagination Station adventure.

And keep your computer handy. They've collected some of the retrospective shows they've done as CD-R content.

Even though there are a few below par episodes, this is still an enjoyable collection. Because of the jumps in time, you'll already need to be familiar with the series. Recommended, but only for the die hard fans.

Most of these audio drama stories have never released in a package - until now! Includes bonus booklet and audio features explaining the themes and why certain shows (such as "Pamela has a Problem") are no longer broadcast. Also included on CD-ROM: an Actor Photo Gallery with pictures of the cast and producers. 17 episodes total!

"Dental Dilemma" (teasing)
"My Brother's Keeper" (sibling conflict)
"No Stupid Questions" (communication)
"A Simple Addition" (sibling rivalry)
"Honor Thy Parents" (respecting parents)
"It Sure Seems Like it to Me" (exaggerating)
"What Are We Gonna Do About Halloween?" (bringing light to darkness)
"Isaac the Benevolent" (the golden rule)
"The Trouble with Girls" (honesty/relationships)
"Pamela Has a Problem" (the sanctity of life)
"Train Ride" (pranks)
"Isaac the True Friend" (Biblical history: David and Jonathan)
(CD-ROM) "Auld Lang Syne" (celebrating Adventures in Odyssey's 1st year)
(CD-ROM) "A Look Back, I & II" (celebrating 13 years of Adventures in Odyssey / salvation)
(CD-ROM) "500" (behind-the-scenes of Adventures in Odyssey)
(CD-ROM) "Inside the Studio" (more behind-the-scenes)

This set of Adventures in Odyssey is a great listen!
It is a collection of older adventures-the ones I remember listening to on the Radio when I was a kid. A great addition to anyone's collection or a great set to start one!!

Adventures in Odyssey has long been one of my favorite audio dramas. The acting is superb and the messages quite relevant. Though I was at first skeptical of The Lost Episodes, seeing as the episodes themselves are nearly 20 years old, I was pleasantly surprised to find them as enjoyable and entertaining as some of the more recent episodes, and would highly recommend this product. It is a fabulous set and a wonderful series.

Melinda and her friends attend a high school party during the summer between Middle and High School where Melinda has a close encounter with a high school student who goes too far even after she says No. She is drunk, confused and scared so she calls the cops. In a fit of panic she flees the scene and spends the rest of her summer alone. From the first day of school she knows she has no friends now, her actions landed many people in jail. She befriends a new student named Heather and begins one long silent year of schooling. She stops speaking to anyone, they can't understand because she has no voice to explain it to people around her. In art (the only class she is passing) she is assigned to spend the year trying to work on one subject, trees. She recedes into herself as she tries to work out what happened and what she can do to fix it. She finds an abandoned Janitor closet and creates a safe space for herself.

http://dailylitmajor.blogspot.com/2008/08/speak-by-laurie-halse-anderson.html

Speak is a good book that deals with a young girl who has been raped, but she doesnt tell anyone what has happened to her. she is an outcast at her highschool, and is depressed.

Speak is written well but its depressing...although, the end is very good, i liked that.

the price was great and the story itself was ok. it's another look at pressures placed on girls during high school

I first became interested in the book after seeing the film adaptation of it on TV one day as I was flipping through the channels. The character of Melinda Sordino was captivating. Soon afterwards, I bought Speak and read it in one sitting.

Although this is labeled as a YA novel, I'm an adult woman and thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Anderson has written a completely realistic, heart-breaking, inspiring and at times funny portrayal of high school. Melinda is a character I could become friends with, she is that real. The rape and Melinda's reaction to it are so vividly and sensitively portrayed by Anderson. You really begin to feel the pain, despair and loneliness of Melinda as you read the first person narration of her first year of high school. If you're thinking of reading this or giving it to your teen to read, definitely do it. You won't have any regrets. I can also vouch for the movie adaptation, it was excellent and Kristen Stewart IS Melinda Sordino, no question.

Hmm.... what to say, what to say....
Okay- Speak.
The plot sucked and the character was obnoxiously TYPICAL - or rather, what an adult who doesn't know thinks a teenager is.
I thought that this book would be a real great story about being alone, being solitary, and depression. I was wrong. It was "oh I'm not popular, woe is me" type things, and the whole story about the rape is unreal and just blah.
The main character lacked any real depth no matter how hard the author tried- and so did all the rest of the characters. There was no character development or development of ANY kind - yes, it has a happy ending and all is well - but there wasn't any real journey and there was no plotline to follow along with.

I would only recommend this book to people searching for books featuring two-dimensional stereotypical teenagers at a high school that survives on labels.

The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because - at least I read the whole thing.