Amazon.com
Meet Dexter Morgan. He's a highly respected lab technician specializing in blood spatter for the Miami Dade Police Department. He's a handsome, though reluctant, ladies' man. He's polite, says all the right things, and rarely calls attention to himself. He's also a sociopathic serial killer whose "Dark Passenger" drives him to commit the occasional dismemberment.
Mind you, Dexter's the good guy in this story.
Adopted at the age of four after an unnamed tragedy left him orphaned, Dexter's learned, with help from his pragmatic policeman father, to channel his "gift," killing only those who deal in death themselves. But when a new serial killer starts working in Miami, staging elaborately grisly scenes that are, to Dexter, an obvious attempt at communication from one monster to another, the eponymous protagonist finds himself at a loss. Should he help his policewoman sister Deborah earn a promotion to the Homicide desk by finding the fiend? Or should he locate this new killer himself, so he can express his admiration for the other's "art?" Or is it possible that psycho Dexter himself, admittedly not the most balanced of fellows, is finally going completely insane and committing these messy crimes himself?
Despite his penchant for vivisection, it's hard not to like Dexter as his coldly logical personality struggles to emulate emotions he doesn't feel and to keep up his appearance as a caring, unremarkable human being. Breakout author Jeff Lindsay's plot is tense and absorbing, but it's the voice of Dexter and his reactions to the other characters that will keep readers glued to Darkly Dreaming Dexter, as well as making it one of the most original and highly recommended serial killer stories in a long time. --Benjamin Reese
Book Description
The Basis for a New Showtime® Original Series Starring Michael C. Hall
Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened–of himself or some other fiend.
Download Description
Jeff Lindsay lives in South Florida with his wife and three daughters.
Dearly Devoted Dexter, the second novel featuring Dexter Morgan, will be published in July 2005.
From the Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
A fast but engaging read.......2007-10-15
I discovered "Dexter" through word of mouth about the Showtime series based on the title character. I watched the whole first season (12 hours) in two days. I ordered the book shortly thereafter.
"Darkly Dreaming Dexter" is fairly short and a fast read, but it is well written and an interesting glimpse into the soul of a psychopath. A psychopath with a code, but a psychopath nonetheless.
Overall the TV show is better, in my opinion, due to the development of multiple story lines (the main plot diverges somewhat, as well) and periphery characters, but the book provides a far more detailed look at the inner workings of Dexter himself. Thus, the show is made even better after reading the book. Even if you don't watch the show, though, the book is a very worthwhile read.
Excellent quick read!.......2007-10-04
Love Jeff Lindsay! He's my new favorite...used to be David Wiltse & Thomas Harris...no more! (But try David Wiltse if you haven't - I recommend starting with Close to the Bone) :) "Dexter" books are a very quick read, but that's okay...with this being a new show on Showtime I'm sure he's gonna be cranking these out @ warp speed, but the quality will not suffer, no doubt. Like Wiltse, he's one of those authors that grab you with the first paragraph and you can't put it down until your finished! AAAAA+++++ Catch DEXTER on Showtime if you haven't already!
Darkly Dreaming Dexter.......2007-10-01
The book arrived in perfect condition in a timely manner, but just wasn't for me. It was interesting but I was expecting something a little different. However, if you like dry, macabre humor, this is the book for you!
A good friend without human feelings.......2007-09-24
Dexter is a sympathetic character who happens not to have normal human feelings. Moreover, he harbors the Dark Passenger deep in his psyche, and his other persona is a viciouse, libidinal killer. Despite all of this, Dexter is an engaging and interesting person who you will want to get to know.. as long as he's only in a book. Excellent writing, humorous and dark.
DEXTER IS DELIRIOUSLY DELIGHTFUL!.......2007-09-23
Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first in the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay. The series is a firsthand account of America's first "likable" serial killer. Dexter only kills bad people...and his point of view is so original that it's impossible to not have a fun read.
The story focuses around the mysterious Ice Truck Killer who kills people by disassembling them piece-by-piece. At the same time he's engaged Dexter in a clever game of serial-killing one-ups-manship. Will Dexter save the day before someone close to him dies...by his own hand?
The Dexter character has also translated well to the Showtime series which is a great example of black comedy done to perfection. The novel and the series do share many similarities and some important differences (character deaths, unexplored plotlines). Thus you can read Dexter and watch Dexter and still get the maximum amount of entertainment value. This is a great character who hopefully will have a very long shelf life.
Customer Reviews:
Quick.......2007-10-12
A very quick and pleasant read. Once again, Ms. Moning delivers a memorable story without overloading it with a bunch of fluff. A truly enjoyable book for an unexpected free evening.
Into the Dreaming.......2007-09-10
This is short story. So just keep that in mind when you buy it. I was disappointed when I recieved it becasue I thought it was a full novel. I haven't had a chance to read it yet as it is in line waiting but I've never read anything from Karen Marie Moaning that I didn't like.
GOOD READ.......2007-09-07
As always Ms. Moning delievers excellent writing. The only substraction from this book is that its very short. Its a good book to travel with though and a good addition to toss into your order for a quick good read on the fly. If you are a moning fan its definately worth the search to get this booklet!
Teeeeeny Little Book.......2007-08-31
Although I am a big Moning fan I must admit I am dissapointed. This is more of a pamphlet than a book and I'm not even excited to crack the cover. I'm sure it will be great as I just love the Highlander Series but sheesh- 102 pages for 3 bucks!
Absolutely enthralling!!!!!!!!!!!!1.......2007-08-15
This was a great book: short, sweet and straight to the point. I am in the process of reading all of Karen Moning's Highland series and I would recommend this as a starting point for anyone interested. It was a wonderful story with just enough of everything to keep you glued to your chair for the entire reading
Average customer rating:
- Castaneda
- To Carlos, with gratitude
- Words cannot explain
- Dreaming truly is an art...
- Buy it
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The Art of Dreaming
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Castaneda, Carlos
| ( C )
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Dreams
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Power of Silence
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Fire from Within
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The Active Side of Infinity
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Separate Reality
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The Eagle's Gift
ASIN: 006092554X
Release Date: 2003-08-26 |
Book Description
Bestselling author Carlos Castaneda introduces readers to the worlds that exist within their dreams.
Customer Reviews:
Castaneda.......2007-07-01
Not the greatest but who's to say. Lists some practical guides for dreaming and is still a bit criptive to those not fully involve with the sorcerer's path. Still a recommended read for those not too inclined but interested. Don't know what else to say.
To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22
Carlos Castaneda was one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century. Some in academia branded him a fraud for claiming his stories were biographical rather than fiction, while lauding him as a great novelist for exposing a mass audience to otherwise inaccessible philosophical abstractions they claimed were largely plagiarized. Each of his works is a piece of a larger puzzle, which makes it impossible to critique any one book without addressing the larger context into which it fits.
His first two books, "Teachings of Don Juan" and "A Separate Reality" describe experiences induced by ingesting psychotropic hallucinogenics prepared by a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico he called don Juan Matus, and accounted for his becoming a guru to a generation seeking short cuts to spiritual enlightenment, as well as his lifelong interest in the relationship between perception and reality, a theme now explored in many popular books on consciousness and quantum physics. Unfortunately, these books remain his best selling works, in spite of Castaneda refuting their importance in his later works. Readers would be best served to skip these and avoid the risk of being turned off to Castaneda and missing the more stimulating works that followed.
His third and fourth works were "Journey to Ixtlan" and "Tales of Power." In Ixtlan he admits to over-estimating the value of his drug experiences, which caused him to overlook the more profound teachings of don Juan which became the focus of future writings. What emerges is a spiritual discipline dating back to the Pre-Colombian Toltec sorcerers of Latin America, culminating with don Juan's departure from our world, effectively ending Castaneda's direct affiliation.
In his fifth and sixth works "Second Ring of Power" and "Eagles Gift" Castaneda suffers strange flashbacks of what seem to be memory fragments of events he is unable to fit into any logical time sequence. In his seventh and eighth works, "Fire From Within" and "Power of Silence," Castaneda succeeds in reconstructing his lost memories, which derive from teachings previously administered by don Juan while Castaneda was in a "heightened" state of awareness.
In books nine and ten, "Art of Dreaming" and "Active Side of Infinity," Castaneda focuses on what he describes as inorganic predators from another dimension, some having the power to imprison humanity in "ordinary reality" so they can feed on the dark emotional energies we produce when succumbing to the negative thoughts they insert into our minds.
In later years several seemingly substantiating works appeared by two of Castaneda's female apprentices, Taisha Abelar and Florinda Donner-Grau. In addition, two scathing exposés were also published by two of his ex-wives. The first, "Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda" by first wife, Margaret Runyon, offers little corroboration, since her marriage pre-dates the time when the bulk of Castaneda's adventures were claimed to have occurred. While steadfast that Castaneda was a sorcerer, she doubts the existence of don Juan, even claiming authorship of many of the concepts Castaneda ascribed to him.
The second, and more credible work, is "Sorcerer's Apprentice," by well-known writer Amy Wallace, daughter of the late best selling novelist Irving Wallace. Here again, we find little corroboration since the time of the events she describes is well after the period when Castaneda's relationship with don Juan is alleged to occur. What the book does provide is a troubling look inside Castaneda's final years, a picture of descent into what seems sexual addiction and possibly madness, leaving one to wonder if Castaneda was just one cup of cool-aid short of a Jonestown.
Many have asked why I put any stock whatsoever in Castaneda. A story from my autobiography, "The Vortex" may shed some light. A year before Castaneda published his first book I had an experience that would remain a mystery until Castaneda published "Power of Silence" twenty years later.
For a brief time, in my youth, I became a practicing Muslim, meticulously performing the complex prayer ritual five times a day. Then one night, sitting in my car, frustrated and complaining at not being able to find the address of my next sales appointment, something inside me snapped. It was as if some part of me had disconnected from my body and assumed control, lecturing me about my lack of discipline. A profound calm settled over me, rendering me simultaneously detached and engaged. For two days my sales figures soared. It was as if no one could say no to me. On the evening of the second day I decided to put my new state of being to the acid test by visiting my parents. Their behavior was so uncharacteristically supportive I hardly recognized them. It was enough to convince me that I was now living in an altered reality. But by the following morning I had returned to "normal." So distracting had this event been that I completely forgot to perform my Muslim prayers, and in fact, never did so again.
Twenty years later, in a chapter of "Power of Silence" entitled "Place of No Pity" Castaneda describes a very similar experience. In the aftermath of the event don Juan explains that humans are like televisions stuck on a channel called "self-preoccupation," lacking the energy to tune into any of the vast array of other channels available to us. To change channels, he explains, we first need to accumulate energy, by practicing rituals that are deliberate, precise and repetitious. Do this long enough and eventually our stored energy precipitates a shift to a channel where self-importance and self pity become impossible. Once this happens we connect with the force that controls the entire universe, a force don Juan called "intent," and everything can be bent to our will and even more channels can be opened, assuming we remember to keep practicing the rituals that save our energy.
This one realization alone was enough to inspire me to dedicate my autobiography "To Carlos, with gratitude."
Maxwell Austin van Lack, Author of The Vortex: A True Story of Passion and Karma
Words cannot explain.......2007-02-05
The art of dreaming is a book that can help you understand an increase your awareness into the world of dreaming. Once you begin down that path you will never see things the same or experience things with quite the same thoughts or perception. If you can become aware of your dreams you will enrich a large part of your life you once thought of as nothing more than sleep or time away, after you master dreaming... you will never truly be asleep, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to approach the world of dreaming for knowledge and perception and a life long journey.
Dreaming truly is an art..........2007-01-10
Castaneda has shared again the Don's teachings, this time on the dream realm. Other than a dream guide, it is an unusual journey, and reveals a path for shamanic dreaming. This book could put you to sleep - if you want to test his words.
Buy it.......2006-11-17
Buy this book, RIGHT NOW. After you buy it, go buy THE Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Then go buy whatever looks good after that. These books are ESSENTIAL. I NEED CAPS TO EMPHASIS THIS!!!
Book Description
Readers everywhere fell in love with the mesmerizing, unforgettable Grayson family and their loves. Now bestselling author Francis Ray spins another sexy, compelling romance featuring the Grayson clan...LURING A MAN INTO LOVE Successful Santa Fe hotelier, Faith McBride has loved Brandon Grayson since she was a wallflower in high school and he was her big brother's best friend. Now hard-bodied Brandon is running a trendy restaurant a stone's throw from Casa de Serenidad, her posh five-star hotel. When Faith looks at Brandon, she dreams of being his wife. So although it's risky and risqu, she's plotting a secret campaign to win his body, mind, and heart.MAY LEAD TO PASSION...OR HEARTBREAKWith his mother determined to marry him off, Brandon Grayson is on the alert for single females being thrown his way. He's even stopped dating, afraid of being trapped into a relationship. Surely nobody's safer to be around than sweet, familiar Faith. But celibacy is driving him crazy. For the first time he's noticing Faith's enticing lips and incredible curves. Suddenly it occurs to Brandon that an affair with the one woman he can trust would certainly be a no-strings-attached affair...
Customer Reviews:
Who's Zooming Who?????.......2007-10-12
Ruth Grayson is still at it for the third time as she and her cohorts scheme for the fall of the family chef, Brandon, the middle child. Brandon has made up his mind that he is definitely not falling victim to his mother's tyranny as she's scored 2-0 already in marrying her brood off. So intent on dodging the bullet, he's become celibate and more focused on running his restaurant, The Red Cactus. Plumbing problems uproot him from his home to the family friend, Faith McBride's, five star hotel accommodations.
Faith McBride is the baby sister of two big, overprotective brothers, that live with a dismal theory that the McBride's can't find everlasting love. Although, she has been hopelessly in love with Brandon since she wore pigtails. The friendship between the two blossoms innocently for Brandon, who fights the attraction with all his might, but the chemistry is sizzling and building to volcanic temperatures as she also plots his demise. Not to mention the sexy men Faith has entertaining her to season her ploys for Brandon's attention.
Join Ms. Ray as yet again, she enthralls us a picture perfect love tale as we fall deeper and deeper in love with another Grayson man! Whew! If you're looking for a read in which you can fall head over heels for a superfine man, take your pick, Ruth Grayson made it do what it does with 4 superflous male species! Book #3 is hottttt!!!!!
What A Dream.......2007-10-03
This was the 3rd book in Ray's series on The Grayson's. This book centers around Brandon. Like his other brothers, Brandon is determined not to let his mother trap him with a wife. What Brandon doesn't know is that, not only is his mother plotting to get him married, but a woman he would never suspect is also plotting to get him married...to her. This was a good book.
An o.k. read!!.......2007-05-01
This book was an alright read it lacked the passion of the other brother's story (Luke and Mason)!! I really wished it was the same caliber.
Beautiful Dreamer.......2007-04-18
Brandon has fallen into the trap -- the love trap. In "Dreaming of You" we find Brandon trying to dodge cupid's arrow that he is sure his mother, Ruth Grayson is aiming directly at his heart. However, Brandon as Luke and Morgan both swore, is sure he will not be caught. Brandon decides to turn the tables on Ruth when he thinks she is parading women in hopes of him falling for one of them. Brandon decides to ask his friends' sister, Faith McBride, the owner of Casa de Serenaid 5-Star Hotel, to help him. Unbeknown to Brandon, Faith has no problems with this task because Faith has been dreaming of Brandon since she was a teenager and Brandon helped her by escorting her to her prom.
Faith, like Ruth, has her own agenda. However, Faith has come to the conclusion that Brandon only sees her as her brothers' younger sister and has no intention of it being anything more. Well, as Faith sees it and literally dreams it -- this is not so. Faith knows deep down that if she was not the younger sister of Brandon's friends, he would see her different and come to think of her as a love interest. Faith sets out to "open Brandon's eyes" for him. She seeks the help of her friend, the magnificient Blade Navaronne, a real estate mogul as well as a few other things. Blade comes to Faith's rescue along with a few of Blade counterparts. Faith is surrounded by handsome men showering her with affection. To Brandon's dismay, he is deeply offended by this because even though he did not admit it to Faith, he has been dreaming of her as a man dreams about the woman he loves. Brandon realizes that if he does not act and act promptly that Faith will indeed be just the woman of his dreams and another man will have taken her away. Brandon cannot bear the thought of another touching the woman of his dreams.
"Dreaming of You" is exciting with a twist of humor to keep you smiling. It is definitely a wake up call and I know some men read books, but this is definitely one that men should read.
Dreams Come True.......2007-03-20
Ruth Grayson is the mother of all mothers. How she picks the perfect matches for her children is uncanny. Thoroughly enjoyed the sweet romance between Brandon and Faith. Can't wait to see what's coming for Pierce and Sierra.
Amazon.com
"Deborah Crombie might be the most British of American mystery novelists," said an astute reviewer in reference to Mourn Not Your Dead, the fourth book in her excellent series about Duncan Kincaid, an inoffensively upper-class Scotland Yard superintendent, and Sergeant Gemma James, his rougher-edged partner and lover. In addition to her finely tuned ear for the subtler nuances of Britspeak, Crombie--a resident of Richardson, Texas--achieves a rare and therefore enviable balance between the details of her characters' private lives and the plot of each particular book. That delicate balance is especially welcome in Dreaming of the Bones, when Kincaid's former wife, Dr. Victoria McClellan, threatens his personal and professional equanimity. A Cambridge don, Vic has been writing a biography of poet Lydia Brooke, who claimed kinship to the distinguished World War I bard Rupert Brooke, and whose suicide five years before is now beginning to appear suspiciously like murder.
Book Description
After twelve years, the last person Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid expects to hear from is his ex-wife Victoria. But this is no social call. In her biographical research on troubled poet Lydia Brooke, Vic's uncovered reasons to believe Lydia's death five years ago was
not suicide.
Much to Kincaid's surprise--and the unease of his partner and lover, Sergeant Gemma James--he finds he can't refuse Vic's request to look into the long-closed case. The police report raises questions, but not enough to reopen the investigation--until a second death occurs, this one clearly murder.
Now Duncan and Gemma must sift through a tangle of relationships, secrets, and lies to find not just a killer, but a secret which will change their own lives forever.
Customer Reviews:
A bit uncredible........2007-05-21
After reading Leave the Grave Green as an audiobook and enjoying it thoroughly, I was tempted to read more Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mysteries. I picked out Dreaming of the Bones. While Deborah Crombie is a skillful writer, and there were many things in the story I enjoyed, there were a number of plot elements that I found uncredible that detracted from this sequel. I did not find a credible motive for the main murder nor the accidental murder years earlier that started the chain of deceit. It just didn't work for me that the whole group of kids would have hidden a foolish crime or an accident the way they did. To have a successful mystery you have to have a believable premise that delivers at the end, and this one didn't.
A powerful tale of love and loss.......2006-02-28
Reading this book was an emotionally draining experience-the kind that always comes after reading a thrilling literary novel. Many of the characters in this book feel loss in one sense or another, but it's the way Crombie conveys this that make the book so potent. With magnificent characters and startling plot twists, this elaborate whodunit keeps you guessing up until the end. Even though I was disappointed by the identity of the killer, the book was still worth it. Superintendent Duncan Kincaid gets an unexpected call from his ex-wife, who is writing a biography of ill-fated poet. Asked to look into the poet's suicide, Duncan finds some inconsistencies but the police refuse to reopen the case. Suddenly his ex-wife is murdered; poisoned just like the poet. Now Duncan and his partner and lover, Sergeant Gemma James, must find out who murdered the poet in order to expose his ex-wife's killer.
Got to Love It.......2005-10-15
I love Deborah Crombie's work and this is one of her best.
Gripping story.......2005-08-22
I have recently found this series and find it quite a joy to read. What keeps me coming back is the way Ms. Crombie develops the relationship between Kincaid and James. Their relationship is not free of stumbling blocks and this adds to the realism of the story. This novel, in particular, does a wonderful job of introducing the reader to Kincaid's ex-wife, Vic. The mystery which evolves is compelling in its own right, but what I enjoyed the most was the way Kincaid and James are changed by the outcome. A quick read.
Not up there with Elizabeth George..........2005-05-24
I read this book after hearing comparisons to Elizabeth George and that it had won an Edgar Award. I was somewhat disappointed. I didn't think the plot was very engaging (I had no trouble putting the book down) and I never really developed an affinity for the main characters Kincaid and Gemma. I never felt the book read as a true Enlish mystery. It felt more like the author had plugged in some British slang, some facts from a Cambridge travel guide, and had the characters drinking tea every other page. There was no shortage of possible culprits and the ending was a surprise. Maybe going into it expecting it to be as good as an Elizabeth George ruined it for me.
Book Description
Dreaming by the Book explores the almost miraculous processes by which poets and writers teach us the work of imaginative creation. Writers from Homer to Heaney instruct us in the art of mental composition, even as their poems progress. Just as painters understand paint, composers musical instruments, and sculptors stone or metal, verbal artists understand the only material in which their creations will get made--the back-lit tissue of the human brain. In her brilliant synthesis of literary criticism, philosophy, and cognitive psychology, Elaine Scarry explores the principal practices by which writers bring things to life for their readers.
Book Description
Gail Tsukiyama has been praised as a writer with 'wit, grace, and keen insight'* for her bestselling novels. Now, she moves from Asia to America in this stunning contemporary debut. Set in present day California, Dreaming Water is a wrenching portrait of mothers, daughters, and friends. Cate is caring for her daughter Hana who is suffering from Werner's Syndrome, which makes a person age at twice the rate of a healthy individual; at thirty-eight, Hana has the appearance of an eighty-year-old. As Hana's disease progresses, she and Cate must come to terms with their past and make peace with their future. Their quiet world is turned upside down when Hana's best friend appears with her two energetic daughters after being gone for many years. Gail Tsukiyama is at her best in this poignant, gripping, and beautiful story of love, loss, and friendship.
Customer Reviews:
She did it again!.......2006-12-02
What a wonderful story! I have read most of Gail Tsukiyama's books and this is second to the Samurai Garden.
Great concept, poor follow-through.......2006-04-07
The idea and concept of a young woman dying of old-age disease could be an intersting story. However, there was a lack of depthness to this novel. Ms. Tsukiyama writes each chapter assuming a different character, however, I had to keep going back to the chapter title to see who was speaking because there was no way to distinguish one character from another - they all spoke in very similar styles and language (almost as if she took on ALL of the characters herself - a one-woman show!), sometimes overly poetic or heavy on the metaphores and similes, that it took away from the story. Towards the end, it did get more touching and I must admit, I did get a tightness in my throat, but the ending left a lot unsaid, unsettled and could have had more meat to it.
I love her other book Women of the Silk, and was hoping for more.
A Warm Fantasy.......2005-11-17
The subject made me leery of reading this book, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and by its readability. Totally unexpected were the many insights into WWII and the Japanese internment, and how the victims and their children were affected by it. I found that aspect of the book enlightening and realistic. However, the story works in part because of the picture-perfect relationships between Max and Cate, a loving husband and wife, between Cate and Hana, a loving and caring and understanding mother and her child, between Hana and Laura, a lifelong and utterly honest friendship without conflict or jealousy, between Max's parents and himself and his child -- everyone is so GOOD, so LOVING, so UNDERSTANDING. That makes this a warm and satisfying story, and, believe me, the quiet resolution at the end of the book IS enjoyable and satisfying. However, I prefer stories that recognize that few people have such perfect relationships with their parents or their children, few people ever experience a true, lifelong, soul-mate friendship. I prefer stories that show us how real people deal with realistic relationships in our real world. It would have been more satisfying if there had been a little more conflict and a little more coping before reaching the same warm and uplifting ending.
Dreaming Water.......2005-08-24
Gail's writing is again wonderful in this in book, but I found the book disappointing due to a lack of closure. I felt the book led you up to a particular point in the life of the character's and then left you wondering in the end what the message was meant to be. I almost felt as if the writer wasn't brave enough enough to tell you the ending to a tragic, yet hopeful story. I can only compare this book to the Samurai's Garden since I haven't read a third book by this author yet, and I loved the Samari's Garden! So I was surprised that this book lacked closure at the end. I am not sorry that I read this book due to the fact that I enjoy the author's style of writing.
Dreaming Water - More Like A Nightmare.......2005-06-27
Having read all of Gail Tsukiyama's other books, and loving them, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Dreaming Water. It was a huge disappointment, a simply depressing story, with no imagination. To keep to her beautiful story telling, I think Ms. Tsukiyama should stick to the asian background of her previous novels.
Book Description
From an Alabama mining camp to India, from the Baptist church to Tibetan monasteries in Nepal, Dreaming Me is the account of how one woman realized her dreams against all odds.
The black section of an Alabama mining camp in the 1950s and 1960s is not where you might expect to find a budding Indo-Tibetan scholar, the first American woman and the first African American to become so. Jan Willis's journey from the Jim Crow south to Wesleyan University is a moving tale of spiritual exploration and a profound healing of the rage and low self-esteem that are the legacy of racism.
The civil rights movement was in full swing during Jan's teenage years, when she and her family marched with Martin Luther King in Birmingham, and when she later became one of eight black students to attend Cornell University. As with so many others of her time, Jan was constantly faced with the dilemma of how to win the struggle for freedom. She participated in the takeover of an academic building at Cornell, and she was actively recruited by the Black Panthers. But a trip to India, and her relationship with a Tibetan spiritual master, would set her firmly on the path to peace-both outward and inward.
Three decades as a student of Tibetan Buddhism gave Willis the structure and support to transform her life by helping her to confront the old wounds and to discover a well of confidence and joy we all share.
Customer Reviews:
A Valuable Book.......2006-09-16
I've always had the impression that Western/American Buddhism was overwhelmingly white, upper-middle-class and academic - an impression and perhaps a prejudice (or a hang-up); in spite of having read and been influenced by the philosophy and practice through much of my adult life, I've always held any personal endorsement or affiliation at arm's length because of this - I'm not white, upper-middle-class, or an academic, and the (perceived) insularity of that particular world doesn't often seem to be very inviting.
This is why this was such a valuable read for me - Willis belongs to a very, very small demographic - African-American Buddhists, and in DREAMING ME she traces a path from a Baptist upbringing in the segregated (and oft-violent) South to her present life as an academic and Buddhist scholar. Willis' recountings of her childhood were - to me - the most successful part of the book, with the grimness of Jim Crow-era Alabama rendered in cinematic detail. Willis also - with great success - draws parallels between the faith she grew up with and the philosophies she grew to accept as an adult. Beautifully written, she makes it almost seem effortless.
Not a very well-known book, unfortunately - and I fear this may slide into obscurity. I would encourage checking it out.
-David Alston
Fascinating.......2004-03-07
There is something intriguing about a story which chronicles a former Baptist's alteration towards adhering to the teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Jan Willis is an African-American Tibetan scholar and translator, a professor of religion at Wesleyan University and teacher of Buddhism for more than 25 years. She starts the book recording her life prior to finding the Buddha's teachings, a life spent as a devout Southern Baptist in a segregation ridden south. The KKK was active in her area of Alabama, and at a very early age they had burned a cross in her parent's front lawn. Later she would go on to march in Martin Luther King's civil rights movement, adhering to the values she so strongly believed in. In 1965, with 7 other African-Americans, she enrolled in Cornell University where during her junior year she sailed off on a trip to India which greatly impacted her life. For a brief period she returned to the states to continue her studies at Cornell, but eventually she felt drawn back unto the East again. She left this time for Nepal and underwent intense study with the Tibetan master Lama Yeshe. She studied with him for more than 15 years, where she faced a problem most predominant in all our practices: sense of self, ego.
This book is a fascinating look at a very small minority in the world of Buddhism, the role African-Americans have played in it's growth and the teaching of the Dharma. In the west, in my lineage of Zen, African-American's are probably the least represented group of all. While we have male and female teachers, and practitioners of several racial and cultural backgrounds, for some reason or another there is a very small pocket of African-Americans present. This is not due to any sort of discrimination but rather, to be frank, oftentimes the African-American individual can at times have a problem with breaking down ego. Something which has it's roots in the horrendous treatment this group underwent at the hands of a predominantly white America. This work is a fascinating look at practicing the Buddha Dharma in modern times with a voice of honesty, clarity, and incisive wisdom on each and every page. Enjoy this treasure.
Dreaming All of Us.......2001-09-19
Books like "Dreaming Me" are gifts or treasures that we rarely have the good fortune to discover. Ms Willis' journey is at times painful yet ultimately joyful. She shares this pain and joy in a compelling writing style that is filled with anecdotes and drama. No matter what your life experiences may be you are quickly drawn into the universal themes that every human being shares. As a white male living in the Northeast during the sixties I was on the other side of the world from a person like Ms Willis. Yet she made her experiences part of me. And like two parts of a greater experience I felt whole after reading this book. I highly recommend it. Thank you Ms Willis for putting your experiences into such a beautifully written book.
Universal Dreaming.......2001-06-11
This book was read in one marathon session that flew by all too quickly. It spoke to the very core of my being. Having this story told in such a personal way deftly teaches the reader at every level. It's well written and one could easily be fooled that they are simply being entertained with a good read. There were many moments where I felt stunned with deep recognition of a life experience that mirrors a good portion of my own. I connected with this book deeply at the heart level. Most touching were the moments with her teacher, Lama Yeshe. His extraordinary heart helped her heal deep societal and personal pains which have traveled across generations influencing and shaping our culture in difficult ways. Thank goodness Dr. Willis chose to develop the good heart, rather than fight the good fight. One does not need to be in a culturally specific group or religion to recognize and feel Dr. Willis' experience. She reached into the depths of spirit and wrote in a way that touches universally. This lady has a heart that totally outsizes her brilliant, immeasurable intellect and her story will benefit countless numbers. I'm one unabashedly grateful reader.
Loved Your Book.......2001-06-10
Since I have met Jan Willis a few times through my own work at Naropa University, I emailed her after I finished reading Dreaming Me. Here's part of what I wrote to her: "I just wanted to let you know how engrossing I found your book. It was like talking to you, hanging out with you, to read it. I had put it at the bottom of my pile of "books I want to read" but somehow it jumped right up to the top, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Please take that as a resounding compliment! Thanks so much for writing it, and for revealing so much of your big heart.
Average customer rating:
- Nina discovers her true totem
- A sweet look into a Charles de Lint world
- My opinion: Meh
- Simply Beautiful
- This is a SHORT story people
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The Dreaming Place (Firebird)
Charles de Lint
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Waifs and Strays
ASIN: 014230218X |
Book Description
A young woman locked in rage yet seeking magic, Ash is drawn into a wondrous Otherworld of totems and dryads, living tarots and mystic charms. At the same time, Ash's cousin Nina is stalked by an Otherworld demon-a manitou who can force her mind and soul into the bodies of beasts. Ash must find the strength to overcome her own anger, learn the full power of magic, and save Nina before she becomes the manitou's weapon, turning the faerie realm into an arctic wasteland. De Lint fans will relish this urban and otherworldly fantasy, partially set in the author's trademark Newford.
"One of the most original fantasy writers currently working." (Booklist)
Customer Reviews:
Nina discovers her true totem.......2005-12-21
Author, Charles De Lint says, "I was a little nervous when I started my first book written specifically for a teen audience, not being sure how to approach the actual writing. Do I make the language simpler? Do I tone down the intensity of the story?"
What he actually did was write a rather static story where the characters are very much into navel-gazing and long, dull speeches.
For instance, as the bad guy has his knife poised, ready to skewer one of the heroines, he says: "There is a spirit living in that tower; her name is Ya-wau-tse. She once lived free as the Manitou always have, but then she tasted worship and stepped from the turning of her Wheel. The worship sustained her, raised this tower for her, changed her perceptions of her place in the natural order of the world"...blah, blah, blah.
The really strange thing about this speech is that the reader already learned these details earlier in the book.
The heroines are also a bit too passive and introspective for my taste. I guess I'm used to the British 'get on with it' spirit in children's books. The Boxcar Children make a home for themselves in an abandoned railcar. Harry Potter wins the Triwizard Tournament. Lassie comes home. That sort of thing.
The supernatural themes in this book are handled with De Lint's usual deftness. I particularly like the tarot reading scene where Ashley begins to discover a purpose to her life, and the scene where Nina discovers her true totem.
The primeval forests of Otherworld, peopled with Manitou and other strange spirits are standard De Lint, but always worth a visit.
A sweet look into a Charles de Lint world.......2004-11-18
Normally, reading a Charles de Lint novel pulls you into an entirely new world, showing vivid landscapes (and dreamscapes), fascinating characters and twisting and twining plots. "The Dreaming Place" is like a junior Charles de Lint novel, just a peek into what he tends to give a reader. For a first timer, don't judge this as his best work. It's not. But it is a sweet story. It does lay the morality on a bit thickly, but for a young adult, it's a great little book. I enjoyed this short visit into the typical de Lint landscape. Don't take it too seriously, sit back, and enjoy it.
My opinion: Meh.......2003-11-20
The Dreaming Place is a YA urban fantasy novel about two cousins, sixteen year old girls, who get tangled up in a magical tug-of-war with a Native American spirit of winter. The story is a sweet one, but I felt just a little too heavy-handed with the moral. It did touch me in some spots, but in others I felt it was being too obvious.
The main characters, Nina and Ash, are so typical they verge on being stereotypes. The book ends up being Caitlin's Way crossed with Sabrina the Teenaged Witch...
I ended up liking Ash more than Nina mainly because I could identify with her pain (she lost her mother). And because, despite her predictability, she showed more personality than her cousin. I kept being annoyed by the book because Nina was acting rather vapid and whiny through most of it, and I could feel the author's preference for her on every page.
De Lint, I think, thought more people (or kids) would identify with Nina, who is smart and thinks math is interesting and worries about boys and complexions and reads Sassy magazine. Ash is the bad one--the girl who skips class and doesn't care about things, and walls off her emotions, and can't deal with the world. But Ash, who often sits in the park and has actual conversations with homeless people (oh my!) is a far more complex character in my view. She has bravery and skill as well as brains. This all comes into play when the conflict rears its ugly head, but the end message seems to be "Only when Ash learns that it's better to be more like her cousin than like herself can she save the day and be happy." I'm not down with that.
The idea for this book is a good one. But I think length worked against de Lint in that some areas of the otherworld and Nina's personal power (not to mention Ash's) and what forces led to this confrontation were not as fleshed out as they could have been. This felt like it should have been a longer book but just... wasn't.
The secondary characters need a lot of help themselves. Nina's parents are doing well in their roles until the end, where they come face to face with the weirdness going on in their daughter and niece's lives. However, at that point they become highly unbelievable and one wonders if things might have gone better had they not ever gotten involved. Better for the reader, anyway, not to have to deal with the thin or unbelievable characterization going on.
The most interesting person in the book is a secondary character: Cassie. At one point Ash realizes that she doesn't know much about this woman she calls friend and regrets it. I regret it, too, because I'm far more interested in her role in this and her past than I am in anyone else in the book.
Once we get beyond Ash and Nina, everyone else starts to take on the veneer of Plot Device.
There is a lot of bandying about with different kinds of magic and belief systems. Native American shamans (or, juju men...) hanging out with women who deal magical tarot cards. Then there is the Dreaming Place itself, which is supposed to be faerie or the dreamtime or any quasi-magical not the real world place in mythology. But it's mostly populated by Native American spirits and creatures. There's also something about a Cornish spirit that didn't come through clear to me.
Basically, de Lint is trying to weave several different systems here to create a mysterious, yet coherent, whole. It's not quite working, in my opinion.
Despite all my grousing, I enjoyed most of the book. It wasn't until the end that things started falling apart and losing steam. The premise is good, the execution not so. A good read for the Tween set, as it isn't truly bad, and may teach them a thing or two.
Simply Beautiful.......2003-08-02
I loved the intermingling of spirituality and fantasy within the pages of this Charles De Lint novella. I am beginning to seriously wonder if De Lint is pagan or not. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Lammas Eve
This is a SHORT story people.......2002-12-17
This is a delightful SHORT story by CDL. Full of interesting characters with the same sort of style we expect of CDL.
This book, originally printed in 1990 with Brian Froud's illustrations, was part of a special project I beleive conceived by Froud and CDL with others. I am very fond of this book and do not agree with folks that this isn't as good as his later work.
CDL had already written many novels by the time this book was released it was never intended to be a novel but just a short excusion into the world of Newford.
In all honesty I have been more disapointed with his more recent work, it all seems rushed contrived and almost boring in some cases. In fact, much of his new writing is too predictable now whereas this and his other older work is still amazing and new something to truly savor and enjoy.
Book Description
In New Jersey Dreaming the renowned anthropologist Sherry B. Ortner turns her attention to how social class is lived in the United States and, specifically, within her own peer group. Ortner returns to her Newark roots to present an in-depth look at Weequahic High School’s Class of 1958, of which she was a member. Exploring her classmates’ recollected experiences of the neighborhood and the high school, she provides an ethnographic chronicle of their journeys from the 1950s into the 1990s, following the movement of a striking number of them from modest working- and middle-class backgrounds into the affluent upper middle and professional/managerial classes.
Customer Reviews:
New Jersey Dreaming.......2007-06-16
Ortner returns to her classmates in order to determine their social mobility over 40 years later. She describes the boundaries created people during high school. She also offers a discussion about the complexity of structure versus agency as it pertains to social mobility.
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