Book Description
Struggling writer Jess Conover needs a job. But when he meets lovely, willowy Elena on a cold November night in Boston, he is swept into an age-old mystery instead.
At first he thinks that it is Elena herself who makes him feel as if his whole reality is about to be transformed. Then Jess discovers that this woman, who talks so knowingly about love, is the leader of a "mystery school" going back many centuries.
The Daughters of Joy, as they are called, serve Amor, the god of love. In the modern world, with its restless longing and terrifying violence, Amor may seem extinct. Yet the lessons of love have been passed on like a secret treasure from generation to generation. Jess is compelled to enter "the second world" that lies behind our own, a place nurtured and preserved by a handful of women who can guide him on this remarkable adventure of the heart.
Customer Reviews:
Unbelievably disappointing.......2005-03-03
I would offer that Mr. Chopra is best advised to stick with the non-fiction. There was a total lack of character development -- every character seemed to sound and act like Mr. Chopra himself. The plot was poorly constructed and downright confusing at times. Our book club read this one and almost unanimously disliked it. And I mean REALLY disliked it.
The Daughters of Joy: An Adventure of the Heart.......2004-07-27
For those of us who are enamored with Deepak Chopra's work, this delightful book will not be a disappointment. Intriguing life principles are cleverly woven into such an unlikely story that the reader finds him/herself truly engaged in the unfolding of a story that both informs and entertains, leaving one with gems of wisdom to ponder as we move through our own mystical journey.
This book changed who I am being in the world.......2003-04-20
I recommend reading this book ONLY if you have done your spiritual work, otherwise you probably won't get the message, which is, by the way, incredibly powerful and life changing! It isn't until you weave your way through the story that the true pearls of wisdom show up in plain english. I am so grateful to Deepak for being the vessel through which we can transform our lives. And whether you know it or not, the only thing you've ever wanted is Love.
Very Enlightening.......2003-04-13
Anyone looking for enlightenment will enjoy this book. Chopra's writing will help us change the core of our beliefs from a fearful society to a loving society.
Inspiring.......2002-11-18
I am a longtime fan of Deepak Chopra's career, and despite the editorial review listed above, I found Daughters of Joy to contain great inspiration. It is definitely an inspirational novel with lots of lessons contained in the story--the book ends with fifty pages of direct question and answers about the issue of love and personal growth. So if you expect straight romance, this isn't the novel for you. However, I don't think that was the author's purpose. This is a direct, attempt to confront society's need for love as a saving grace, and the hero does ssomething not a lot of men whoud dare to do: he accepts a woman as his teacher and guide. For that alone, I think Duahgters of Joy is worthwhile. I wound up admiring the book and was glad I read it. Thank you, Dr. Chopra for continuing to get the message out.
Amazon.com
Beyond croaking, "Nevermore," what exactly do ravens do all day? Bernd Heinrich, biology professor at the University of Vermont and author of Ravens in Winter, has spent more than a decade learning the secrets of these giants of the crow family. He has observed startlingly complex activities among ravens, including strong pair-bonding, use of tools, elaborate vocal communication, and even play. Ravens are just plain smart, and we can see much of ourselves in their behavior. They seem to be affectionate, cranky, joyful, greedy, and competitive, just like us. And in Mind of the Raven, Heinrich makes no bones about attributing emotions and intellect to Corvus corax--just not the kind we humans can understand. He mostly catalogs their behaviors in the manner of a respectful anthropologist, although a few moments of proud papa show through when he describes the pet ravens he hand-raised to adulthood.
Heinrich spends hundreds of loving hours feeding roadkill fragments to endlessly hungry raven chicks, and cold days in blinds watching wild ravens squabble and frolic. He is a passionate fan of his "wolf-birds," a name he gave them when he made the central discovery of the book: that ravens in Yellowstone National Park are dependent on wolves to kill for them. Mind of the Raven offers inspiring insight into both the lives of ravens and the mind of a truly gifted scientist. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
In Mind of the Raven, Bernd Heinrich, award - winning naturalist, finds himself dreaming of ravens and decides he must get to the truth about this animal reputed to be so intelligent.
Much like a sleuth, Heinrich involves us in his quest, letting one clue lead to the next. But as animals can only be spied on by getting quite close Heinrich adopts ravens, thereby becoming a "raven father," as well as observing them in their natural habitat, studying their daily routines, and in the process painting a vivid picture of the world as lived by the ravens. At the heart of this book are Heinrich's love and respect for these complex and engaging creatures, and through his keen observation andanalysis, we become their intimates too.
Throughout history there has existed an extraordinary relationship between humans and ravens. Ravens, like early humans, are scavengers on the kills of great carnivores. As scavengers, ravens were associated with hunters they found in the north: wolves and, later, men. The trinity of wolf, man, and raven in the hunt is an extremely ancient one. In considering the appeal of the raven, Bernd Heinrich suspects that a meeting of the minds might reside in that hunting trinity.
Heinrich's passion for ravens has led him around the world in his research. Mind of the Raven takes you on an exotic journey--from New England to Germany, Montana to Baffin Island in the high Arctic--offering dazzling accounts of how science works in the field, filtered through the eyes of a passionate observer of nature.
Heinrich has a true gift; through his stories, his beautiful writing, illustrations, and photography, the ravens come alive. Each new discovery and insight into their behavior is thrilling to read. just as the title promises, the reader is given a rare glimpse into the mind of these wonderful creatures.
Following the dictum of Leonardo da Vinci--"It is not enough to believe what you see. YOU Must also understand what you see"--Bernd Heinrich enables us to see the natural world through the eyes of a scientist. At once lyrical and scientific, Mind of the Raven is bound to be a modern classic.
Customer Reviews:
Mind of the Raven.......2006-07-31
Very informative yet not too scientific. Contains many facts not commonly known about these intelligent birds. This book could change your mind about them.
The ultimate book of raven behavior.......2006-04-03
I knew the raven had many interesting feature to them before I opened this book but after reading "mind of the raven" I will say I was amazed of both the research Bernd Heinrich has done and of this remarkable bird. Heinrich are presenting his findings about the ravens where he is taking the subject (the raven) seriously and simultaneously managed to make it attractive for people that have not specialize in beaks and feathers.
3 - 2 - 1 ...........2006-03-16
I agree with most reviewers that this book fascinates the reader with interesting science and anecdotes about ravens. There are countless facts and amusing information provided about the intelligence, behavior and antics of both wild and tame ravens. One of the more humorous sections was on vocal communication, particulary mimicking. Heinrich provides descriptions of captive ravens making perfect renditions of radio static, toilets flushing and a motorcycle being revved up. There was also a scientist in a national park who distictly heard several times: "Three, two, one, bcccchhhh", sounding as if coming from a speaker. This was acually a raven who was sufficiently impressed with the park rangers conducting avalanche control to repeat the count-down and sound of the explosion. Hilarious...
The experiments and observations the author describes of wild ravens in the forests of Maine, Alaska,the western states & elsewhere are also superbly written and provide insights into the interactions and cooperation of ravens with large (and dangerous) predators including Man.
Proof that ravens understand a lot more than "Nevermore!".......2006-01-10
Although I have not yet read Ravens in Winter, after having read Mind of the Raven, I would not have any scruples about declaring these birds to be smarter than certain individuals who claim to be my relatives.
Each chapter is essentially a mini-story describing Heinrich's observations of raven behavior in exquisite, although at times excruciating, detail. Many of these observations are of Heinrich's wild-caught, hand-raised ravens housed in his aviary in Maine, while others are field studies conducted with (I dare not say "on") wild ravens. Heinrich also incorporates stories of pet ravens along with the research of others who have conducted field studies with these elusive birds. I was impressed by the fact that observations of ravens throughout the world were integrated throughout the book.
Heinrich manages to neatly intertwine innumerable factoids related to raven ecology and natural history within each behavioral observation. One learns what constitutes the typical diet of wild ravens (if there is such a thing), that only females make a call that sounds like knocking on wood, that it is not uncommon for ravens to reach 20 years of age or more, that ravens either are not offended by or simply cannot smell skunks - honestly, I felt like a raven expert after having read this book.
Overall, Heinrich does an excellent job of interpreting raven social behavior and cognition from his studies. Studies of the social behavior of wild and tame ravens are explored, and the behaviors of other animals are often presented to provide support for his speculations. Heinrich also examines the hypotheses proposed by the forerunners in animal behavior, such as Konrad Lorenz, along side his observations.
Heinrich incorporates studies he designed to test raven intelligence as well. One cannot help but marvel at how smart these birds are. Heinrich provides speculations on the results of these tests and I found myself nodding in agreement; however, I cannot decide if it is because his arguments are so cogent or if I'm simply so amazed by the results that I'm succumbing to anthropomorphism. Nevertheless, Heinrich notes that he was warned in graduate school to not study anything more intelligent than himself - he claims to have met his match.
Gotta love this raving naturalist.......2004-11-04
Bernd applies his multi-faceted brand of research to a species that is clearly close to his heart (the raven), with spectacular results. He weaves anecdotes and scientific studies together flawlessly to draw conclusions that are hard to argue with, if only because he refuses to draw unwarranted conclusions when the evidence isn't clear. He personally studies ravens in his northeastern home area, in Alaska, and in Germany to note the differences between different populations of the animal. He also draws extensively on his observations from his own aviary, where it seems he is at times obsessively painstaking in recording nuances of behavior that would fly over the heads of the average bird owner.
The Good and the Bad:
This book has been done right, with a real attempt to keep the reader's interest without compromising the scientific value of the work. The information given is enough to be compelling without being too boring about statistics. The end of the book gets a little more tilted towards hard science, with a fairly in-depth discussion about what warrants consciousness and intelligence, but there's no other conclusion that would be appropriate.
On the bad side, there are very occasional forays into self-indulgence, as when he takes the opportunity to argue the comments of a peer reviewer who contributed to the rejection of the publication of his study, or when a not-so-funny joke is recounted.
What I learned:
The raven is a remarkable animal, and consciousness evolves for as much of a specific reason as anything else. One bird might be given all of the instinct necessary to operate within a very narrow range of activity, but shorted on additional brain tissue, which is costly to maintain. But the raven has evolved to develop food gathering skills through problem-solving, which allows it to be much more flexible in its approach to food gathering, social interactions, and defense. This hardwired ability to solve problems manifests itself as curiosity, a desire to play, and the ability to visualize consequences without actually performing the action; this last is the most compelling criterion for awareness.
Other interesting raven facts: They can count to as high as seven. They hunt items ranging from ground squirrels to baby seals, but subsist mostly on the carrion provided by bigger predators. They lack the physical ability to pierce skin, and so have to eat through natural body openings or wounds. They have a collaborative relationship with other predators, generally wolves, which results in the ravens possibly directing the wolves to a kill so that they can take their share. This has a strange effect where they're actually uncomfortable eating from a carcass that lacks a predator as a feeding partner. This relationship has been transferred to other species where wolves are scarce, ranging from human hunters to polar bears to, possibly, a cougar, which seemed to be led to a human by a raven hoping to feast on the aftermath of a human kill. The problem-solving abilities were best demonstrated by the fact that a raven, when confronted with a piece of meat dangling from a string, will pull the string up by degrees so that it can reach the meat.
Book Description
Understanding how spinning works, building a simple spindle, spinning on a treadle wheel, choosing a wheel, preparing fibers, carding, twisting, and plying are explored in fully illustrated detail.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent tutor.......2007-01-12
This is an excellent book for learning to spin yarn. A lot is covered in this book, but it is not cumbersome. While taking spinning classes, I found it very helpful as added explanations to what I was learning - like my own personal tutor. This book was recommended to me and I, too, would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn to spin wool into yarn. It would also make a great reference source to someone who has learned to spin. Patterns are included to knit items with the yarn you spin.
Hands on Spinning.......2006-07-09
The book is very educational. I learned alot about different methods of spinning. I also learned how to process yarn and storing it. The book also has many different projects you can do after you are done spinning the yarn. It is a good book to have around the house. Glad I purchased it.
Great for beginner's.......2006-05-30
I should've bought this book about a year ago or so when I first became interested in spinning. Don't know why I didn't but it really is a good starter book. It touches on a good variety of subjects and had I bought it previously, might not've made some of the choices I did.
Hand Spindling.......2002-08-02
I did not find this book as helpful as I had expected to. I guess if I was using a wheel, it would be better. But the instructions for using a hand spindle were pretty sketchy, I thought.
Very clear and thorough---.......2001-01-08
I had not spun in about 25 years prior to this fall, so I knew that I needed a refresher book to get me going again when I got my spinning wheel. This is an excellent book. It has good photographs, clear text, and very nice projects for novice spinners and knitters intersperced in the text. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in spinning and needs information and confidence building.
Customer Reviews:
The ancient legend re-told in fine form.......2003-04-22
The tale of Sigfried the dragon slayer has been told and re-told for over 1,500 years in many forms. This modern re-telling brings the world of fifth century germania to life in a way which is a pleasure to read.
Diana Paxon has woven the threads of the story and embellished as all storytellers do in a way which clothes the tale with intrigue and power of magic and wyrd. The authors background as a respected teacher of magic and sedir in the norse tradition shine through in the truth of her descriptions of the power, magic, and deities. The knowledge of runes and herbs in the book aren't just fiction, and reading this book can be a lesson in learning the ways of Wodan.
Although I have read this story in other forms from eddic poetry to other novelizations, and know the tragic end this tale will become, I still find myself hoping for Sigdrifia and Sigfried. You will find more focus on the woman's world of ancient magic than in other re-tellings, but it's a facet to the story which gives another perspective to the depth of the Saga of the Volsungs.
From the Mouth of The God..........2002-05-02
Spine tingling when it comes to the words printed from AllFather himself! Diana L Paxson is probably the best writer in this particular genre alive today. I highly recommend this entire series, as well as Brisingamen!
A fine re-telling of an old tale.......1999-07-23
Diana Paxson has done a great job of re-creating the world of fifth-century Europe. The reader gets a good sense of what that chaotic era was like. This is one of the strongest aspects of the book. (As a student of history, I was pleased with the notes and bibliography that Paxson provides at the end.) The huge cast of characters is somewhat bewildering. It is difficult, at first, to keep track of them all, though well worth the effort. Many of the supernatural characters from the original, ancient tales are made into humans in this rendition, but this only makes them more interesting. For example, Brunahild, who is an immortal demigoddess in the original, here becomes a Hun princess who joins up with the Walkyriun, an order of priestesses. Likewise, Ragan, the dwarf from the old saga, is here made into a man of the Earthfolk, a race that is far older than the Germanic tribes, and even older than the Celts. The story follows the lives of Brunahild and Sigfrid as they go through childhood, grow into their respective powers, and, finally, meet. While Brunahild is learning the ways of the Walkyriun, Sigfrid is being fostered by Ragan out in the woods, where he learns to utilize the shapeshifting powers inherited from his late father. Both Brunahild and Sigfrid are very likable characters, and it is easy to sympathize with them. Theirs is a grand story and Paxson does a fine job of telling it.
A fantastic modification of the saga as told usually........1999-04-26
Wow... Being German and living in the area of Cologne, this saga has accompanied me from earliest childhood. I've been to all these places and it was like reading a report on your home town. It definitely rang true and I could recognize my home in Diana's story. The approach she takes is unusual but it gives the story a welcome twist in explaining - or rather attempting to explain - what the motivation for the betrayal is and where the bitterness in the characters stems from. I felt it hard to enjoy their time together, as it is obvious how the story must end. No Disney end to this saga. Thank God! Overall, a MUST READ!!!
Ending is enough to make you retch!.......1998-01-03
This book was very engrossing from the start. It was a colorful and beautiful story. I could not wait for Brunahild and Sigfrid to meet. Yet I was anticipating a beautiful love story. A lovely romance. They didn't fall in love, they fell in lust. That scene at the end was of desire, not true love. It disgusted me! Still, if you are able to brace yourself, read the novel. It is worth the read.
Book Description
This "braided novel" set in the Shadowrun(r) universe features the adventures of Wolfgang Kies, solider of fortune. Together with a group of cyborg bounty hunters and computer wizards, he assists Elf Lord Dr. Richard Raven in keeping humanity safe from preying monsters--both magical and technological! But crimelord Etienne LaPlante interferes with their vigilantism, preparing to strike at Raven and those who serve him....
** Shadowrun(r) novels have over 1 million copies in print ** Shadowrun(r) novels sell over 5,000 combined copies per month ** Cross-promoted in role-playing games, computer software, and FASA miniatures ** Michael A. Stackpole is the New York Times bestselling author of the Star Wars: X-Wing series ** Fans have been clamoring for Shadowrun(r) stories about the characters featured in this collection
Customer Reviews:
Complete Shadowrun Experience.......2004-04-21
This book is actually a set of short stories woven together as plot twists into one longer tale. These continuous arcs offer the reader exposure to every aspect of Shadowrun such as the return of magic, advances in technology, and cultural climate of Shadowrun's universe. Wolfgang Kies and Kid Stealth are two of the most memorable and well-developed characters in Shadowrun fiction. This book is so good, any fan of Sci-Fi Fantasy would enjoy; even readers totally unfamiliar to Shadowrun. If you ever wondered how the SOTA-elite-Delta-grade runners work and play, check out this novel.
THIS is Shadowrun at it's finest.......2001-11-15
If you want to play Shadowrun, read this book first. THIS is what every runnerteam should strive for.
As always, Stackpole gets the essence of the universe he is stepping into without being in your face about it, and then putting realistic people into it. If for nothing else, read it for Kid Stealth's sense of humor. :)
What every Shadowrun Campaign should be..........2001-04-27
I will preface by saying that I am a HUGE Mike Stackpole fan... and this book is why. Way back in 'the day' many of these stories appeared in the late-lamented mouthpeice of GDW.. a magazine called Challenge. I picked up every issue in hopes that I would get a new story about Wolf.
This anthology collect those stories and more into a chronological set of case studies by Dr. Raven's number ONE aide (ala Doc Savage) Wolfgang Keis... The stories have a lusterous pulp-novel field set in the high-tech magic of Shadowrun... each one carries a sense of wonder and amazement and overflows with likeable characters that set you to cheering in every installment...
In the words of Oliver... "More please?"
My latest book........2001-02-23
This book is not my first Shadow-run novel, and it'll not be my last, that much is sure. Great plot, cool way of telling the story in couple o'short stories, this book seems great, but the ending leaves a bad aftertaste in my Brain. Sure, nobody wants a totally happy ending in a Shadowrun book, that would'nt be right. But finishing this book makes me long for a sequel, probably because I'm a bit Lycantrophic myself, or because I really enjoyed this story around Wolf Kies and Lynn Ingold. Maybe the ending would've tasted better if SHE became a shadowrunner herself, but thats just he way it is...you still here? GO BUY THE DREADED BOOK ALREADY!
The very best Shadowrun novel I've read.......2001-01-09
I don't know what the one-star guy was on when he read the book. Maybe he just hates Shadowrun. I've read perhaps 20 Shadowrun novels, and of those, this is the best. In fact, not only is it one of my favorite Shadowrun books, it's one of my favorite books, period. The entire Raven team is great, and I eagerly await any more adventures the author may pen in the future. Go with the majority this time. This once, they're right.
-Nick Youngblood
Average customer rating:
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Geldzauber. Für neue Hexen.
Silver Raven Wolf
Manufacturer: Heyne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 3453868803 |
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- GARDENS IN THE DUNES: A Novel
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