Product Description
Join a fearless young explorer as she encounters different animals and terrains of the world and makes it home for supper, safe and sound. The Music CD is bursting with fun animal sounds and the book is vibrant and imaginative. Together they make a wonderful gift or learning tool. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Perfect for Preschool
I'm a preschool teacher, and I had checked this book and CD out from the library. After seeing how much the kids loved it I had to get a copy for myself. The book is full of bright, colorful pictures, and the preschoolers can point out what they can see in the jungle. The song is very catchy and gives preschoolers the chance to repeat the words instead of just listening, and it's fun to give them the chance to hear the book on CD rather than listening to me read it! A great addition to any teacher or parents' library!

Walking through the jungle
We gave this book(CD) to our 3 year old grandson and he plays it constantly.This is the second such book he has and as with the other, has it in his memory bank already.They are truly wonderful books for this age child

Great sing along for young children
My boys (2 and 4) love to read and listen to this book before bedtime. We all sing along. They just love it.

Great book
All the books by this author are the best. I was introduced to them at work, a pre-school for special needs students. My Grandson loves them and asks for them as soon as he comes to my house. What a wonderful change from the television.

new version not as good
I am a pre-school special education teacher. I had borrowed this book along with the cd from another teacher. My students loved it, and I loved it!However, when I purchased my own copy, I was terribly disappointed to find out that the musical accompaniment had changed. It is much faster and has more background noises that are distracting for this group of children and makes it hard for them to follow along or sing along. :( ... Read more

Product Description
San Francisco is a city of distinct neighborhoods, each with intriguing histories, notable architecture, and can't-miss dining and entertainment options. In Walking San Francisco, Tom Downs has created an exceptional guide to exploring the best of the City "on the ground," from North Beach to Lands End, Bernal Heights to Golden Gate Park. Take one of these specially designed walking tours and you'll not only get great exercise but soak up the history, culture, and vibe of the City by the Bay. It's like having a savvy tour guide at your side, showing you where to find great mojitos, and pointing out a rare worker-owned strip joint. Two special tours sample the best bars in North Beach and the Mission District. Locals and visitors alike will appreciate insider tips and entertaining asides in the 30 walking tours. Each tour contains a clear neighborhood map, route summaries, and a "Points of Interest" section outlines a walk's highlights. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

good book
I have only done one of the walks so far.I was hoping it would have more suggestions on places to eat and drink so you can take your pick.Sometimes you want to walk for fitness, sometimes you want an adventure.Good starter ideas, though.

Beats for your feets!
I am a volunteer tour guide in San Francisco ([...]) and for that reason I am interested in San Francisco history as well as good walks.

Well, that and a fondness for dive bars.

This is a great set of walking tours that provide a wealth of information as well as some lesser known stories of San Francisco history.

San Francisco (never Frisco) is a very walkable town.It's small compact size (it's the second most densely populated city in the US) along with impossible parking make it a walkers paradise.

San Francisco isn't so much a city as it is a series of intimate and unique neighborhoods that happen to share a city hall downtown.

For residents, this is your opportunity to explore new neighborhoods as well as finding places that in your own 'hood that you either didn't know existed or knew about but had never had an opportunity to explore.

For tourists, this is really the only way to see San Francisco.One of thiose big double decker buses will give a general idea of the city but you need to be out on the street.Eating tacos in the Mission, drinking espresson in North Beach or dodging strollers and dogs in Noe Valley.

This is a very good tour book (almost as good as a (free) City Guides Tour ([...]) well worth it's purchase price.

Walking is FUN
This was a great help in navigating S. F. on foot.The walks were interesting and the maps helpful.In our 8 day visit we utilized 8 of them, all delightful, some challenging with the hills.We loved learning the history of the various neighborhoods and some current culture.

Plan an extra day in SF to enjoy a few walking tours!
A great intro to San Francisco for those who love to explore -- we followed three of the recommended walks and were thrilled with the things we learned about the city.Definately read before your trip to make the most of it's historical references and reocmmendations!

It's a great collection for any walker who would see the City by foot.
Any California collection specializing in San Francisco explorations will relish WALKING SAN FRANCISCO: 30 SAVVY TOURS EXPLORING STEEP STREETS, GRAND HOTELS, DIVE BARS, AND WATERFRONT PARKS. There have been other books on San Francisco's walking opportunities, but this comes from an insider who offers a blend of history, gossip, architectural and cultural insights and includes pubs and bars for added interest. It's a great collection for any walker who would see the City by foot.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Product Description
A hiking legend, Earl Shaffer in 1948 came home from the South Pacific and set out to prove the then-little-known Appalachian Trail--its maintenance largely and necessarily neglected during the war--could be walked in a single continuous journey from Georgia to Maine. This is his own lyrical account of that walk, undertaken also to try to shake off World War II combat, during which he lost his best friend. Illustrated with his photographs during the hike, this book has inspired thousands to attempt similar "thru-hikes." In 1965, he walked it the other way, and, in 1998 at age 79, he did it again...on a trail far different from the one he basically rediscovered at mid-century, one that was more difficult than he liked as he neared his eighth decade. Originally self-published (300 copies), Walking with Spring was first professionally typeset and published in 1983; this is the second printing of a 1996 edition.Only the covers have changed since 1983. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Hope Springs Eternal
Walking with Spring is excellent!
I enjoyed every moment of reliving Earl's historic walk.
I'm ready to get back out on the trail myself!

Walking with Earl
I can thank the deepest recession since the Great Depression for the discovery of this treasure. While getting ready for work one morning, I enjoyed an NPR news story profiling the newly-unemployed. It seems a few, those with a bit of time on their hands and money to spare (5 grand or so), decided what better opportunity could there be than to hike the Appalachian Trail. It seems that spiritual quests don't come cheap these days -- you've got to be jobless, yet also have some cash to spare. A rare confluence to be sure, these days, for most of us

Not that everyone who hikes part (or all) of the 2,175 mile trail is looking for spiritual enlightenment. But I would venture that most of them seek connection with something bigger than themselves -- perhaps not God, not literally, not necessarily -- perhaps connection instead with the mountain they're scaling, the stream they're fording, the thunderstorm they're enduring, the tree they're climbing -- after being chased by a moose, bear, or pesky raccoon.

Not too long ago, I read Into the Wild, as well as other, more scholarly texts. Texts that talked a bit about philosophy, spirituality, compassion. I learned about Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, Eating Praying and Loving, Zen meditation, ashrams and monastic retreat. I learned about The Tao, Eckhart Tolle; I even soaked up the Zen is Stupid podcast. Check it out on iTunes if you get the chance, if you have the inclination. From these resources, I learned that even though the Earth's surface has been satellite-photographed inch by inch, virtualized on Google Earth and that at a click of a button even the underprivileged on the other side of the world can view the the street on which I live, the home I've bought, there are still great, virtually infinite swaths of the human experience -- our internal experience, our inner lives -- ripe to be explored.

How ironic it is, then, that for many, the road to connection with our own hearts, our own souls, our own spirituality, lies through external exploration, physical hardship, prolonged communion with Mother Earth.

Sometimes I find myself thinking all this civilization's a sham, as Shaffer points out a ways into his memoir. There certainly is a simplicity, a soul-stirring truth to the kind of solitude to be found walking alone on a hiking trail, contemplating eternity at the edge of an isolated lake, or peering from a high hill at the surrounding miles. And I can't help but feel the seduction. It pulls at me like a sixth sense. Sometimes I feel quite ghostly, that I might not actually feel or become alive until I have the opportunity to share in Shaffer's profound achievement.

Of course, I understand that my journey would never be like his. It would be different, my own singular, individual landscape, my own path through the woods. My footprints would become my fingerprint. No one would ever trod the trail just as I have, seen and experienced exactly the same things.

Oh, how I wish for such an experience. I long to feel so much more than I feel right now. To inhabit a cabin on a remote hilltop, commune with nature and write about my experience, my solitude. I guess I'm a bit of a dreamer.

I wish I knew more people like me.

At any rate, switching gears, Shaffer's book isn't great literature. It can be tedious at times, even for me -- so I recommend the book not for those who entertain only a passing fancy, but for those harboring, honing the focused mindfulness of the impassioned wanderer.

Shaffer's attention to detail, his devoted journal-keeping, have allowed for this marvelous record of adventure to be compiled and published. But it's almost too detailed -- particularly since so much of the trail has changed since his first thru-hike. His intrepid traversing, the endless creeks, lakes, ridges and towns become repetitive and begin to blur. It's unfortunate, really. I found myself reading for the anecdotes about animals, millions of munching inchworms, crazy loons and bald eagles, backwoods strangers and dangerously clueless hikers, the transcendent beauty. Not for the geographic logistics of the actual hiking, on which so much of the text dwelt. Too linear, too repetitve.

But even so, I enjoyed it immensely. How could I not? I hope you do, too.

Walking With Spring
Walking With Spring

The doughboy, the G.I, the grunt, the modern day land warrior, the men who combat theenemy-You may fly over a land; you may bomb it, pulverize it and wipe it clean of life-but if you desire to defend it, protect it and keep it-there's never been anything but boots on the ground.

All wars are different, and all wars are the same. They all have a price. The Army's first study of the mental health of troops who fought in Iraq found that about one in eight reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The survey also showed that less than half of those with problems sought help, mostly out of fear of being stigmatized or hurting their careers.

Once called shell shock or combat fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, feelings of detachment, irritability, trouble concentrating and sleeplessness.A lot of people, including vets, don't believe that PTSD exists, mostly because guys don't talk about it.

A lot of guys come back from wars really messed up, and it doesn't just go away. They aren't going to talk to you about it. They don't want your pity. They don't pity themselves. You can't see it. It's there...
It was the spring of 1948, and a young man from Pennsylvania had to work out the sights, sounds and violence of World War II, during which he lost his best friend. He took a hike, for four months. Earl Shaffer became the first person known to hike uninterrupted the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, from Springer Mountain in Georgia through 13 other states to Katahdin in the central-Maine wilderness...on more than 2,000 miles of footpath.

Earl Shaffer wrote a book about his experience called Walking With Spring. Originally self-published (300 copies), Walking with Spring was first professionally published in 1983. Written soon after his first of his three thru-hikes, the last undertaken at age 79, and far more difficult than he liked as he neared his eighth decade.

This book only contains hints and clues about this unusual man, the loner, the poet, and the man rooted in nature. Although Earl had suffered psychological trauma during his service in the South Pacific, he hardly mentions it at all. There are no long-winded passages of psychobabble or self-pity in this book. Instead, you get a real feeling of interest and wonder at the natural world Schaffer experienced--concisely, yet accurately conveyed.

This is not a book to prepare you to physically or materially hike the Appalachian Trail. It is instead a memoir of a period in time, the aftermath of war, and the recuperative power of the outdoors on the human psyche. John Muir knew this, as did Emerson, and Thoreau. Perhaps this is the strongest argument in defense of wild places. The wilderness is absolutely necessary for people to be human...

Hobo says: this is my side of the mountain. He's a real ridgerunner, born in the hills and suckled on the teat of a cougar. Can't get enough of Hobo? Hike on over to www.frommyshelf.blogspot.com for past columns. All hail the cat, I mean chief. Look for Hobo on January 20th. Politics are about to get a little furrier. The committee to elect "Hobo For President" approves this column.

As Spare as the Man Himself
Earl Shaffer was a man of few words, and this memoir of his first Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 1948 is no different. This is not a book someone picks up to learn about thru-hiking; there are practically no descriptions of the actual Trail itself, and the amount of road walking Shaffer had to do may have been the genesis of the misperception that the Appalachian Trail is a casual walk through the bucolic countryside of Appalachia. The gear and footwear he used are as anachronistic today as vacuum tubes.

Doesn't matter.

"Walking With Spring" is not a book to physically or materially prepare one for an Appalachian Trail thru-hike, although it could provide some psychological reinforcement. It is instead a memoir of a period in time, the aftermath of WWII, and the recuperative power of the outdoors on the human psyche. John Burroughs and John Muir both knew this, as did Emerson, Thoreau and Frost. This is the argument in defense of A.N.W.R. and other wild places: they are absolutely necessary, albeit often intangibly so.

"Walking With Spring" also seems to belong to a different era, the era of intrepid explorers such as Kane and Peary. Shaffer was the first to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail when many believed that a thru-hike of the Trail was not possible. Although his prose is unassuming, Shaffer understood what he was doing--he knew he would be the first and he took steps to document his hike. He was a true explorer. He made history.

He Writes as well as he Hikes
After reading many of the more contemporary accounts of thruhiking the AT, I finally got a hold of this great book.In my opinion, I recommend it the highest of any of them.
Unlike most of the other books, he complains the least about the hike, despite countless detours and the usual hardships (yet he still averaged 17 miles a day!).A real strength to this book is that despite the fact he had suffered such psychological trauma during his service in WWII, he hardly mentions it all.There are no long-winded passages of psycho-babble, self-pity in this book.Many subsequent accounts tend to make their problems too much of the story, dragging the reader down.
Instead, you get a real feeling of interest and wonder at the natural world Schaffer experienced--concisely, yet accurately conveyed in words.In addition, he keeps a steady pace of writing to match his hiking, so there are no slow spots.He simply goes about the business of hiking every day, and that strength is carried over into the book clearly.
Other books, such as Bill Bryson's, give a lot of good background and historical information, but a more perceptive, deeply felt account than Walking with Spring would be very difficult indeed, to produce.
The ATC's website has a good list of recommended memoirs which are good resources for more practical and current information, but in the end, this one stands out from and above them. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in paperback, Walking on Water is a startling andprovocative look at teaching, writing, creativity, andlife by a writer increasingly recognized for his passionateand articulate critique of modern civilization. DerrickJensen brings us into his classroom where he teacheswriting. He reveals how schools perpetuate the greatillusion that happiness lies outside of ourselves and thatlearning to please and submit to those in power makesus into lifelong clock-watchers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Not what you're expecting, somewhat of a throw-away from Jensen
I've so appreciated Jensen's other books, though I agree with other reviewers of them that a good editor would be really helpful--someone who could show him where and how to cut and distill. They're well worth slogging through, but there's definitely some slogging to do. I just skim past pages when it gets redundant and no longer helpful to his point. Not sure why this happens to every book of his--maybe the same editor? Anyway, I've read some other insightful critiques of the educational system and was eager to read his, so took a risk and bought it without having previewed it. It should instead be called "The great and provocative speeches I've given to my composition students." That would be a much more apt title. John Taylor Gatto has a blurb on the back--I'd suggest reading Gatto instead. Most of this book is a transcript of his composition classes. Sounds like he's a good and creative teacher, but it's just not how this book was sold. Sorry Jensen! I otherwise find your work deeply challenging and insightful.

thank you
You save my life. I needed this book for class and it came really fast and it was great. thank you.

Our Modern-Day Thoreau
Another amazing book, or should I say manifesto, from our modern-day Thoreau. An investigation into American industrial civilization and education, and the repercussions thereof. Of the many highlights I could share, here are a few:

"Here is what I do know: I hate industrial civilization, for what it does to the planet, for what it does to communities, for what it does to individual nonhumans (both wild and domesticated), and for what it does to individual humans (both wild and domesticated). I hate the wage economy, because it causes - forces is probably more accurate - people to sell their lives doing things they do not love, and because it rewards people for harming each other and destroying their landbases. I hate industrial schooling because it commits one of the only unforgivable sins there is: it leads people away from themselves, training them to be workers and convincing them it's in their best interest to be ever more loyal slaves, rowing the galley that is industrial civilization ever more fervently - enthusiastically, orgiastically - to hell, compelling them to take everything and everyone they encounter down with them. And I participate in the process. I help make school a little more palatable, a little more fun, as students are trained to do their part in the ongoing destruction of the planet, as they enter the final phases of trading away their birthright as the free and happy humans they were born to be for their roles as cogs in the giant industrial machine, or worse, as overseers of the giant factory/enslavement camp we once recognized as a living earth. Doesn't that make me, in essence, a collaborator? Hell, drop the in essence."
- Derrick Jensen -

"Mathematics, science, economics, history, religion, are all just as deeply and necessarily political. To believe they're not - to believe, for example, that science (or mathematics, economics, history, religion, and so forth: choose your poison) describes the world as it is, rather than acting as a filter that removes all information that does not fit the model and colors the information that remains - is in itself to take a position, one that is all the more powerful and dangerous because it is invisible to the one who holds it."
- Derrick Jensen -

Great read!
quick read. Jensen is insightful and discusses his experience teaching in the classroom and his approach to learning and writing.

Interesting, But Not My Cup of Tea For Teaching Creative Writing
Jensen's book encourages creative thinking in the classroom, and provokes creative writing teachers to look beyond conventional teaching methods.I think all teachers can likely benefit from thinking more about how they can inspire their students, through unusual in-class exercises and assignments, to become better writers.For example, one particularly interesting classroom exercise that Jensen writes about involves asking students to describe what "anger" and "love" feel like.He pushes students to use all of their senses, get specific, and try to explain these feelings."With this exercise, I hope to get my students to pay attention to details.Paying attention to the proper details is a fundamental lesson of life...and it's probably the fundamental lesson of writing..." I believe this personal, creative, and intriguing exercise can be a very effective way to make this point to creative writing students.The book made me consider what new and exciting lesson ideas I could bring to a class, to both teach and inspire students.

Although Jensen's ideas are provocative and creative, I believe they are also too extreme and impractical for most classes, and for most teachers.Jensen even concedes, "My style doesn't work for everyone."He says, "I'm not suggesting any one else try to run a class the way I do."While I admire the desire to help students lose control and explore their true selves to learn to write, I believe that Jensen sometimes approaches the subject matter from an overly simplistic point of view. He says discussions of grammar are "boring" and will never take place in his class; he asks a class to make marshmallow figures "of their hopes and dreams"; at times he frustrates his students with the lack of feedback about their work (other than simple praise).All in all, though the book made methink, I am not convinced that his methods are truly effective means to teach most students of creative writing.
... Read more

Product Description
A decade's worth of poems by one of our most reliable witnesses, National Book Award finalist Thomas Lynch.In his fourth collection of poems, Thomas Lynch attends to flora, fauna, and fellow pilgrims: dead poets and living masters, a former president and his factotums, a sin-eater and inseminator. Faux-bardic and mock-epic, deft at lament and lampoon, fete and feint, Lynch's poems are powerful medicines, tonics for the long haul and home-going.

from "Walking Papers"
     You can think of it as punctuation
     and maybe take some comfort from that, friend—
     a question mark or exclamation point—
     no matter, we're all sentenced to an end,
     the movers and the shakers, bon vivants,
     all ne'er-do-wells and nincompoops, savants,
     sage and sluggard, deft and daft alike:
     everyone's given their walking papers. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Secret stairs
I was very happy with the contents of this book.
Was well worth the money.
Thanks

Falling in Love With Los Angeles All Over Again
What a wonderful book!Not only has it kick started my Springtime outdoor exercise routine, but in the three walks I've done so far, it's already taken me to parts of my very own neighborhood that I've never seen before.Many of the staircases featured in the book are historical landmarks, and feature some truly beautiful construction. But it's not just the stairs that make these described urban hikes enjoyable, it's also the writer's knack for pointing out the architectural and environmental curiosities on each walk.Strolling the quiet residential streets, I've found myself chatting and sharing portions of the hike with friendly neighborhood residents, a wayward group of German tourists, and some garrulous joggers.Walking for leisure, it seems, really makes LA seem like a community in a way it never will if only viewed rushing past your windshield. I can't wait to do the rest of the hikes in the book!

Super Secret Stairs- Gotta Have
I've been impatiently awaiting this book and it's finally here! I'm keeping a copy of it in my car and I've already needed it for a walk around some secret stairs in Santa Monica/Pacific Palisades. I really liked the shaded parts of the maps which connect the dots (stairs) as it were so you don't get all lost & confused... Good background info too, gotta learn all about my adopted city ya know...the ONLY problem is that all my favorite secret stairs might not be so secret any more- but I guess I can share...Beautiful cover, I bought two cuz I know someone is going to spy it on my coffee table and I will be so cool when I casually just hand it to them, and tell them to keep it, but the only catch is, "shhh,keep it a secret!" Plus besides, I hate it when stuff goes out of print and you wish you would have bought it before it was too late...

The key to enjoying a cardio work out!
In a time when most of us are worried, or at least aware, of our physical health and gyms and various work-out methods (Pilates, Spinning, Bootcamp, etc) are sprouting everywhere, Charles Fleming brings us Secret Stairs. I have had the pleasure of taking several of these walks and I am here to say that is quite the Cardio work-out. However it is not just that, these walks are filled with secret paths, discovering new neighborhoods, stunning views and once you to read this book or take one of the walks with Mr. Fleming himself (treat!) you will then have tidbits of old (and new) Hollywood secrets. So order your book and get started today!

Tons of fun! Perfect for the family.
We are always looking for unique and fun things to do with our children or just on our own and this book offers both. We get to mix some fun history, good ol' exercise and family time as we seek out the next great secret stairs. Nice job Mr. Fleming. ... Read more

Product Description
A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing, but it is also used in rock music, blues, rockabilly, R&B, gospel, Latin, country and many other types of music. The term ÕwalkingÕ is used to describe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. The specific goal of this book is to familiarize players with the techniques used to build walking bass lines and to make them aware of how the process works. Through the use of 90-minutesÕ worth of recorded rhythm tracks, players will have the opportunity to put the new learning directly into action. This book literally gives bassists the tools they need to build their own walking bass lines. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Good Bass Instructon on Walking Bass Lines
Ed Friedland is an excellent instructor and this is another excellent title to his credit. He starts out slow and explains the technique. The CD recording is also helpful.

While the book is no substitute for an instructor, it is an excellent reference to learn on your own.

Some of the reviewers criticized this book since it does not have TAB.So maybe this is not for those who don't read music other than tab.

Nevertheless, Ed Friedland gives you the essentials for learning walking bass lines in this book.

The Key Word Is Build
I have loved this book since it first came out. I am an elementary teacher so how things are presented for learning is always of interest to me. Like my title says, Build is the key word. Ed starts off simple enough. You can play along with the CD if you can read the notes on the ledger (pencil them in by name ahead of playing if you haven't learned them yet). Nothing too earth-shattering at first, but you progress with each bit of information. When my guitar teacher was describing a gig he played upright on he said he was merely doing root-5th throughout the night. I knew immediately what he was talking about because that appears fairly early on in this book. No tab, but that is really no big deal. A good place for beginners to start if they not only want to learn how to play bass, but the process of building interesting bass lines. There is a followup bookfor those you have finished this one.

Great walking bass primer!
I am a guitarist of many years who has started dabbling in playing bass (out of curiosity and recording necessity) and this book is just perfect for improving my bass fundamentals and my ear for harmony. No special knowledge theoretical is required going in, Friedland explains everything you need to know in the introduction, although approaching it knowing a LITTLE bit of theory (like intervals and the circle of fifths) will make it easier to process the examples.

Aside from some brief explanations at the start of each section, this book is almost entirely applied exercises, and they are paced very nicely for a beginning-intermediate player, and the play-along CD is very nice.

For those reviewers who are complaining about the lack of tabs in this book, it's true, there are no tabs, but it is a great way to practice sight reading on the bass clef in a gently-paced fashion; you just have to WANT to learn.

Great learning tool.
I was in the market for a publication that would teach me how to develope walking bass lines.This fits the bill.Ed Friedland is known for quality material.

BUILDING WALKING BASS LINES
A bass lesson with Ed Friedlandfor under $20? This book has exercises & scales & examples for real life every day bass playing. Rhythm changes, chord progressions from simple root / five transitions, to the concept of scalewise motion are covered. Look bottom line to any bass player reading this ----it is a bass lesson with Ed Friedlandfor under $20---And you get to keep it AND it has a CD. Is this a great country or what? ... Read more

Product Description
Addressing a growing modern hunger for deep soul friendships, popular Catholic New York columnist and Our Sunday Visitor blogger Mary DeTurris Poust looks honestly but hopefully at today's culture, where people feel increasingly isolated despite the advent of myriad gadgets designed to keep them "connected." In ten practical chapters, Poust explores issues such as commitment and acceptance, the virtues that make for a lasting friendship, the importance of listening, open communication, and praying together. Readers will find here the guidance and encouragement to take the next step in developing spiritual friendships in their lives, one of the basic necessities of spiritual life.

Poust profiles inspiring spiritual friendships from the past such as St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare, and St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. She also examines famous contemporary friendships, like those between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien or Thomas Merton and famous Zen master D. T. Suzuki. Each chapter concludes with "Food for Thought"--reflection questions and a prayerful meditation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Spiritual Friendships are something we all should hope and work for
Our world does not seem to allow for deep friendships today. Family and friends are often separated by physical distance. Our lives are so busy that even keeping up with people via electronic means can be a challenge. One is lucky to have one or two close friends. A spiritual friend is an even rarer gift. In "Walking Toegther: Discovering the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Friendship," Mary DeTurris Poust emphasizes the value of such friendships while acknowledging the difficulty in forming them.

What makes a spiritual friend different from a "regular" friend? They are "two people bound together by a love of God." They walk side by side, with God always in between. "Spiritual friends magnify our virtuous qualities. More casual friends might bring out the worst in us through competitiveness, idle gossip, jealousy. Spiritual friends, however, bring out the best - in inspiring us to live in humility, honesty, charity. Spiritual friends inspire us to move beyond pettiness to a place where our hearts and minds are focused on doing what is right." The goal that both parties are reaching for is life with God in heaven.

Poust profiles some famous spiritual friendships, holding them up as a model for our own lives. The bonds between St. Frances de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, and St. Francis and St. Clare are all discussed. Poust, who seems to have been extraordinarily blessed in this area, also shares her own experiences of spiritual friendship.

Poust offers some practical advice on how to find and nurture spiritual friends. She also examines spiritual direction, which can sometimes develop into a spiritual friendship. Some time is devoted to spiritual friendships between men and women, both within marriage and outside of it. She acknowledges that there can be challenges in celibate opposite-sex friendships and cautions that the temptations toward infatuation and romantic interest must be overcome in order for a healthy, loving friendship to develop and flourish. If one or both of the parties are married, great care must be taken to make sure that the friendship does not threaten the marriage in any way. Despite these concerns, Poust does feel that male-female spiritual friendships can be a great blessing and she has benefited from them in her own life.

Spiritual friendship is a rare and good gift. It is to be greatly treasured. Hopefully, "Walking Together" will encourage many to pursue them in their own lives. ... Read more

Product Description
A stunning and lyrical Civil War thriller, Walking to Gatlinburg is a spellbinding story of survival, wilderness adventure, mystery, and love in the time of war.

Morgan Kinneson is both hunter and hunted.  The sharp-shooting 17-year-old from Kingdom County, Vermont, is determined to track down his brother Pilgrim, a doctor who has gone missing from the Union Army.  But first Morgan must elude a group of murderous escaped convicts in pursuit of a mysterious stone that has fallen into his possession.

It’s 1864, and the country is in the grip of the bloodiest war in American history.  Meanwhile, the Kinneson family has been quietly conducting passengers on the Underground Railroad from Vermont to the Canadian border.  One snowy afternoon Morgan leaves an elderly fugitive named Jesse Moses in a mountainside cabin for a few hours so that he can track a moose to feed his family.  In his absence, Jesse is murdered, and thus begins Morgan’s unforgettable trek south through an apocalyptic landscape of war and mayhem.

Along the way, Morgan encounters a fantastical array of characters, including a weeping elephant, a pacifist gunsmith, a woman who lives in a tree, a blind cobbler, and a beautiful and intriguing slave girl named Slidell who is the key to unlocking the mystery of the secret stone.  At the same time, he wrestles with the choices that will ultimately define him – how to reconcile the laws of nature with religious faith, how to temper justice with mercy.  Magical and wonderfully strange, Walking to Gatlinburg is both a thriller of the highest order and a heartbreaking odyssey into the heart of American darkness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Not what I thought it'd be
To me this book seems more like science fiction than anything else.I didn't enjoy reading it, but made myself finish it.Basically bought it because I live very near Gatlinburg, and wish I hadn't.

OK but flawed
After reading the reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, I expected WALKING TO GATLINBURG to be as billed:the journey of a young man through Civil War America, where he encounters weird and grotesque characters on his path to a destination that is both physical and psychological, within himself and within his country.The book is that, to a point, and it does have its merits, but from the beginning, Mosher gives his tale connections that strain credibility or at least just annoy.For example, right out of the chute, Pilgrim Kinneson, the protagonist's brother, is revealed to be a friend of Louis Agassiz, the famed scientist; a reader of Emerson and Thoreau (as well as Shakespeare, Bunyan, and Milton); an early reader of Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES; a critical reader of the Bible; a student of Joseph Lister in Glasgow; and an expert shot with a musket.Somehow, all that's just too perfect.Throughout, Mosher shows himself to be a pretty decent writer, but relying on details like these to do the heavy lifting of character development is a flawed approach and definitely detracts from the book.

A far more interesting novel of an odyssey through the Civil War is Stephen Wright's AMALGAMATION POLKA.

Walking to Gatlinburg
This was a gripping story and a real page-turner.I zipped through it pretty quickly.I thought the characters were fascinating and quite descriptive.I enjoyed that the story was centered around the civil war era and, although, I don't know a lot about that period, I thought it seemed very true to life.I'm not sure if it was historically acurate or not, but I didn't feel distracted by any of the details given.
If you like stories of this time period, I think you'll enjoy this one.I hadn't read any books by this author before but will certainly not shy away from reading anything further from him.

Editor needed...
I just finished "Walking to Gatlinburg". Mr. Mosher is a good writer, but in his latest work he can't decide whether he is writing an historical novel, a psychological thriller, a ribald comedy, or taking a stab at magic realism. The result is a Christmas tree with just too many ornaments. He is skilled at creating and describing scenes and characters, and that in itself makes this an enjoyable book to read. But a good editor, with a well sharpened ax, and then a scalpel, could have made this into a book really worth owning.

More Fantastical than Historical.
Like other readers, I had hoped Walking to Gatlinburg to have more to do with the Civl War, since the novel was mislabeled as having at least something to do with it. I at least knew that Gatlinburg had little to do with the war, which should be at least one clue for readers. On the whole I enjoy historical novels and do love the nineteenth century, but do have at least some expectations to carry me through the novel. I would expect them to be mostly accurate and researched, though don't need historical facts, figures, and details waved in my face. I usually don't expect historical figures to meet main characters, especially when it has no point to aid the plot. Unfortunately It ends up feeling like Forrest Gump, a lazy way to remind readers that, hey, the novel isn't set in the present day.

Honestly though if a novel is well written, with engaging characters, and well made plot, I'm willing to put up with a lot. I have to say though that Walking to Gatlinburg is lacking on all three accounts. We do get a lot of details about the main character Morgan, being raised in the Vermont wilderness that of course set up why he will be able to wonder the country with little trouble. Yet most of the characters are fairly wooden, there to fill the scenery and to either aid or impede Morgan's progress in looking for his brother. I have to agree with other reviewers, after even a few chapters, it feels like the character is walking (or riding an elephant) with the scene and random characters doing all the work in a way that calls attention to itself.

In a bad way, it ultimately reminds me of So Brave, Young, and Handsome [SO BRAVE YOUNG & HANDSOME] [Paperback], which also is a historical episodic journey with similar issues. If you want an easy, non taxing read, Mosher's book might be for you, but for anyone looking for a compelling historical novel, look elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
A consistent program of running or walking is the fastest, easiest, and least expensive road to overall fitness and well-being for women and men at any age.For women over forty it can be the key to the most fulfilling years life has in store.

Katherine Switzer, a pioneer in women's fitness since 1967, when she became the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon is once again blazing a trail with the very first running and walking program designed specifically for women over forty.Now every woman can benefit from Katherine's highly personal, motivational, and step-by-step advice.

"For women beginning fitness programs at age forty, fifty, and beyond, the results can be nothing short of dramatic.For the first time they are reaching the body weight and physical conditioning they've always dreamed of.Women who have been reasonably active off their lives can also firnd a new and exciting road of fitness ahead of them after age forty.Some even find themselves outrunning women half their age!" --Katherine Switzer
... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Kathrine Switzer is my heroine.
The subtitle--"The Road to Sanity and Vanity"--says it all. Switzer (the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967) is a role model for anyone who, like myself, wonders if she can start race-walking or even running in her forties and beyond. Switzer's unequivocal answer: Yes, you can! And she tells you how to do it. The book has easy instructions for beginners, insider information ("Real runners talk about their mileage in terms of weekly, not daily mileage"), and everything you need to know about shoes, clothing, training programs, stretching, and more. Reading this book made me want to lace up my sneaks and get right out there--and I did! I'm following Switzer's program to become a 30-minute runner in 10 weeks and it's going great. (Check my progress on my blogs on [..]and [...].) Viva Switz!

Running and Walking for Women Over 40
Loved it!!!!Suggested many different things for older people when starting out walking or running.

Good informative book
I found this book to be a very easy read, but filled with very useful information.I had been doing some walking outside and some running on a treadmill for awhile but never really started running outside or for any long distances.This book started me to, there were many questions that I found answers to, finding the right shoes, good stretches to do afterwards, training plans.All in all a good book for the beginner.

A MUST FOR WOMEN OVER 50!!!!!!
I have purchased MANY books on running but never found one that inspired me like this one.I am not an all out athlete but love to run because of the way it makes me feel. This book really talks about women of age and what to expect from walking and running. I am 53 and thought if I run to much I could really injury myself. After reading the book I have a whole different outlook and just let myself go and I've never felt soooo good. You will not regret buying this book.

Good for the beginner
If you are just getting into or thinking about a walking/running program this book is for you.If you have been doing both for some time, its a great read, just beyond where you are at in your program. I have given this book to my sister who has just turned 40 and she loved it. ... Read more

Product Description
After hiking the AT from Maine to Georgia, Lucy and Susan Letcher decided that the best way to get home would be to turn around and hike it again. So they did--barefoot, of course--but this time, they encountered hardships and joys the didn't expect at all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great Sequel to Southbound
What a great sequel to Southbound.Isis and jackrabbit start their yo-yo back to their home state of Maine just a week after finishing their trying southbound thru-hike in early March 2001, rather than buying a used car and returning home without any career prospects at hand.They continue to walk barefoot whenever the temperature and terrain allows, which is about 2000 miles more of the AT than I could ever imagine doing.

I really enjoy the way they shared the story, although part-way through I realized that they must be reconstructing a lot of the dialog between characters from memory. Still, it makes for an enjoyable read. In particular, they describe much of the trail (viewpoints, stealth sites, shelters, towns, even AT hikers) in sufficient detail that I recognize them from my section hikes over the past decade.

Ending a thru-hike is emotional, and especially so after being out for 14 months as these girls were.I really liked the ending, which was sad yet uplifting at the same time.

Just order both of these books, Southbound and Walking Home, together so you don't have to wait to keep reading!

Not easy to equal "Southbound"
It is axiomatic that it is difficult for a sequel to equal the original.

In "Walking Home," the Barefoot Sisters Isis and jackrabbit "yo-yo" their original "Southbound" hike and return home to Maine on the Appalachian Trail.

This time taking the more usual pattern, which more than 90 percent of AT through-hikers choose, the sisters leave Georgia in mid-March of 2001 to complete their AT return hike by October 15, the last day Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park remains open.

"Walking Home" could have been an extension in the first book.However, the sisters decided to set it up as a sequel.While it is quite good, some of the unusual and most distinctive aspects of the earlier work are lacking: namely, the less common direction taken in the original work(southbound); the fact that much of the hiking in the earlier work was done during winter months; and the fact that there was far less barefoot hiking than in the earlier work.

That said, "Walking Home" is largely a continuation. "Walking Home" includes the situation that jackrabbit faces when she comes down with early-stage Lyme Disease, a situation that goes unrecognized, undiagnosed and untreated for some time.

The occurrence of the "9-11" attack takes place in the latter months of their return journey.Its effect upon AT through-hikers who are trying to escape real-world concerns is notable.

Unlike in "Southbound," in "Walking Home," the sisters have real-life encounters with rattlesnakes, bear and moose, something most AT through-hikers look forward to while hoping that such encounters will be non-eventful.

Side-junkets such as the extended beach stay in Florida along with multiple off-trail side trips tend to distract the reader and take away from trail hiking. The large amount of "slackpacking" done by the sisters on their return journey (when backpacks are shuttled by car) will put off more purist backpackers.

By the time of "Walking Home," the Barefoot Sisters had achieved something akin to celebrity status.This has unintended effects upon them as well as upon others whom they befriend, even "trail angels" and supportive third-parties.

I highly recommend "Walking Home" but as stated in the first paragraph, it can be difficult for the sequel to equal the original.

Barefoot sisters had me at the first book!
This is a great second half of the barefoot sister saga of the A.T. hikes.
I think the second one was better written than the first.

Just as good as the first
AWESOME!This book was just as good as the first one.Almost couldnt put it down.Its funny how they could get along with each other for over a year of being together.Better them than me.But I loved reading this one.It seemed that their friends along their return home were so much more better than the ones heading south from their other book.But I def recommend this to anyone.

great read
the book is awesome. it actually puts you right on the trail with the barefoot sisters.anyone planning a hike should read this.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Walking In Freedom
What a great book!This is one of those books that I will read again and again.I appreciate how the author, Neil Anderson, uses the Bible to validate his writings.He uses the Truth to teach the truth.

Walking in Freedom
This devotional is well written and biblically sound.
A useful tool for experiencing freedom in Christ!
Excellent for young adults too!

21 Day Devotional for freedom, by Neil T. Anderson
Another good book.From this faithful saler! All the books in order to read for spiritual help are in this order. 1."Victory over Darkness 2. Updated and expanded Bondage Breaker 3. "21 day Devotional" All exsalent books, each just a bit different. walks you through the steps. With a open heart and honesty between you and the Loving Lord. You will be set free. Give it all you got, go for it. These books and prayer set me free from spiritual bondages holding on me...Voices... You read the prayer outline truthfully to the Lord - think while you pray.
His books are trully a must read by every believer, young or old, even Pastors read them. Books are to help the whole body of Christ. With love for everyone! I'm passing my book on now and started the legalishim book. All books by Neil T. Anderson

very disappointed
I have read other books by Neil Anderson and been encouraged, so this isnt a critique of his theology or ministry - but - this book was for me a waste of time.Walking in Freedom is mainly just information, God is your Father, you are already free, God is holy - stuff like that, which is "true" - but generally useless for anyone dealing with real struggles.Yes, the Truth with set us free, but information does not.Walking in Freedom is has been little-to-no help for me.

Neil Anderson hits the target dead-on.
Contrary to the uninformed review from Janurary of 2004, Mr. Anderson's book "Walking in Freedom" is theologically and scripturally correct.Remember-"we walk by faith and not by sight."The devotional is only for those who are serious about their walk with Christ and puts the believer in the position of trusting God completely for deliverance and guidance.I am not finished with the book, only half way through.I wonder why "believers" feel it is their duty to trash and discredit leaders in the body.This is a deception and the works of the darkness.Have no fellowship with such individuals.Read the book and do the devotionals- in faith - and find out for yourself.The journey begins with the first step- trusting God and leaning not unto your own understading. ... Read more

Product Description
Ancient calendars indicate that we are living thecompletion of a grand cycle of human experience. Within the last yearsof this cycle, we have been asked to accommodate greater change inless time than at any other point in recorded human history. Ourbodies, immune systems and emotions have been challenged tounprecedented levels. At the same time, science is witnessingphenomenon for which there are no reference points of comparison.

Two thousand year old texts remind us that compassion is an accessiblestate of awareness determining the quality of our well being. Are wewitnessing the birth of a new species of human genetically shifting toaccommodate this time of change? Recent data demonstrates thatcompassionate emotion may be our forgotten switch to turn "ON"powerful codes of genetic options.

Following his best selling book, Awakening to Zero Point: TheCollective Initiation, Gregg Braden explores these and otherpossibilities in his latest work marrying science, relationships andthe ancient messages of compassion.

Presented for the first time:

A step by step guide to the ancient sciences of compassion and blessing

The Essene mysteries of relationship illustrated with case historiesand true life accounts

The latest research confirming the role of emotion in our immuneresponse and life giving relationships

The opportunity to redefine hate, fear, separation and the role thatthey play in your life!

Could our greatest challenges of health, relationship and survival beour way of redefining accepted at some point biological limits in ourancient Memory? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Walking Between the Worlds: The Science of Compassion
I like Greg Braden bit his other books are more interesting. I don't remember the titles now as this is a stressful time and nothing stays in my mind.

IF IT WAS AN OPTION I'D GIVE IT 0 STARS JUST LIKE I DID FOR 0 POINT
Braden goes on another chain of erroneous logic based on "channeled literature,"
the fraudlant literature of Carlos Castaneda, Emerald Tablets, Alice Bailey and the Satanic Gnostic texts. He aims to convince the reader that they are really God and that they just forgot, and that we can all be God through compassion. Which is pure misrepresentation and perversion of the 'ancient teachings'. He makes all sorts of claims with no evidence to back them, about the physiological evidence of the anti-aging benefits of compassion without citing any form of peer reviewed studies. His incoherent rants about the 64 DNA CODONS are laughable, and not grounded in biological reality whatsoever. Humans do not possess all 64 Codons! 64 codons exist as map for DNA to RNA to protein transcription for all species possessing eukaryotic DNA. Get the biology straight and stop propegating rumours. Braden pitches his conjectures about DNA are the truth instead of explaining the true scientific facts. Rather than adding to the body of science, he exploits, twists, and changes scientific theory to suit his needs. Any genuine scientist worth his salt would be extremely skeptical if not cynical about this new age drivel.....Let's all embrace Ignorance, he's not such a bad guy after all, right. Now let's get even more compassionately confused in our science. Another reviewer made the witty comment that perhaps the electric surge Braden suffered did far more damage to his brain than he knows......

Viewing compassion with new eyes
This book gave me the opportunity to understand what happens to all of us who are in the "caring" occupations. Healthcare, nursing, etc. It provided insight into how to connect commpassionately all day every day and not become discouraged, bitter, or disheartened at all the pain and struggles in the world. It gave me hope and clarity into my own dealings with myself. A wonderful stretch of the mind and heart.

ON LEARNING WE ARE ALL ONE ON THE SAME JOURNEY
If we are all one on the same journey what is left is the choosing of our personal possibility out of all the possibilities and then recognizing that while we have free will and own our choices, we are still on the same journey as each other aspect of ourselves which amounts to the billions whooccupy our planet at this time and space.To forgive oneself is to forgiveeveryone and thus to save the planet.Gregg Braden is a knowledgeableteacher of the simplicity of our complicated planet and in compassion forourselves lies the hope of all of us.The science of compassion is onlythe forgiveness of ourselves. He is fascinating and makes so much sensethat even skeptics have to stop and wonder. Thank you, Gregg, for quittingyour 9 to 5 to give us all 24.

REMARKABLE--The Souls tapestery of Love.
A remarkable journey home, only to realize that we have been there all while. The Words in this book walk the Soul (clearly & gently) along the pathway of Life's experiences, showing that compassion is the Way. Life is a Miracle, blooming from this book, from the beautiful symbolicdrawings to the Soul Love Lessons etched in wonder.The Soul takes a deepbreath knowing It's finally Home. ... Read more

Product Description
Skye wants what all teenagers want--to survive high school.She lives in Southern California, though, which is making that difficult.Her mother has fallen victim to the pseudo-New Age culture and insists on dragging her to consciousness-raising workshops and hypnotists.As if this weren't difficult enough, Skye falls in love with Jessica, a troubled gothic punk girl who cuts herself regularly with sharp objects.When she finds her boyfriend having sex with Jessica in a bathroom stall at a rave, her romantic illusions collapse and she has to face the fact that she's been running away from her mother's insanity.Right when things look their worst though, Skye is helped by Mol, a pagan who becomes her true friend, and Lorri, a graceful volelyball player with whom she finds real love.From them she learns how to feel authentic emotions in a culture of poseurs and New Age charlatans. In this anti-coming-of-age novel, where growing up is irrelevant, this is the best gift of all.
Amazon.com Review
Although the protagonist of Girl Walking Backwards is ayoung, more-or-less "out" lesbian, this not a lesbian novel so much asa classic, post-Catcher in the Rye roman à clef, closelyobserved and skillfully written. Skye has even fewer illusions thanHolden Caulfield, but she manages to be cynical without beingworld-weary. She signs up for volleyball at her new high school onlybecause the girls on the team are beautiful, then shrinks from makingthe first move toward them: "Making friends is such a formal thing,"she reflects. "It would have been so convenient if we alldrank. Puking is great bonding, holding your friend's head over thetoilet seat is kind of an intimate act. Puking friends come and go,though, at least that was my experience in junior high." When shecatches sight of the doomed, black-clad Jessica, Skye thinks she hasfound a soulmate, but Jessica turns out to be a murky reflection ofSkye's mother--unhappy and unstable, feeling cheated by life. To whatextent Skye will be pulled down into others' trouble is the issuebeneath the more pressing questions of whom she will love, and whowill love her. A first novel of unusual distinction. --ReginaMarler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Couldn't Even Finish it.
I started this book with high hopes.I thought it was going to be a compelling, romantic story.What I got was a whole bunch of information on masturbation.I have no problems reading about sex in a book, as long as it doesn't get too graphic.This was not graphic, it was disgusting.Every chapter, or so it seems, had at least one moment where Skye or Riley was masturbating.
I couldn't get into because I was so disgusted.I stopped reading around chapter 8 and returned the book.

Okay...
After having read many novels from this genre, I just wasn't that impressed.There are many pros and cons to this story...

Pros: It did keep my attention, and I found the imagery between Jessica and Lorri as polar opposites interesting.It also exposes cutting as a real issue.

Cons: The blatant drug usage didn't really appeal to me.What I like about this genre is the actual realness of characters and I found the idea of this everyday usage being normal a bit out there.There wasn't very much development of the Skye/Lorri relationship and I thought the mother was just a bit too extreme.

So, in the end, it's nothing compared to the greats of this genre--Annie on my Mind, Empress of the World, etc., but it's not terrible either.Just not great for realists...

like it
im currently reading the book and i rele like it..the author is very intriguing in how she expresses the character's through sex and stuff...its just very interesting

Eh, ok.
I liked this book more towards the beginning. After a while, it became tedious and a bit sloppy. It was sort of depressing, but the problem is that it's depressive nature was not artistic, nor did it lead to any sort of greater understanding. It was just dim. I'd suggest that you just buy the book used or borrow it, if you're intent on reading it.

Good book with one caveat
I really enjoyed this book and thought the character of Skye was very fleshed out and real.However, I was a little disappointed by the character of Jessica, a goth girl who self-mutilates.I thought Jessica was a fascinating character, but I took issue with the fact that all of her self-mutilation behavior was described very stereotypically, in a way that shows that the author has limited knowledge of the subject.Jessica cuts herself for attention, to stand out, and to look tough. Her self-mutilation also works as a tool to show that she is ultimately self-destructive.The issue I have with this is that most people who cut are not doing it for attention, are trying very hard NOT to be self-destructive, and don't want people to know about their self-mutilating behaviors.It's a topic that I am somewhat sensitive about, and I was a little peeved at the author's stereotypical characterization of the subject.Other than that, I really loved this book and would reccommend it to anyone, teens or adults, as a beautiful, difficult coming of age story. ... Read more

Product Description
What if every step you took deepened your connection with all of life and imprinted peace, joy, and serenity on the earth? With Walking Meditation, listeners enjoy the first comprehensive instructional program in this serene spiritual practice to help them walk with presence and peace of mind whether in nature or on a busy city street. Presented in a unique format that combines a book with a DVD and audio CD, Walking Meditation features esteemed Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh along with one of his principle students, Anh-Huong Nguyen, as they together illuminate the central tenets of this powerful art, including:• How to recognize the miracle in simply walking—not as a means to an end, but as the opportunity to touch the fullness of life• Reversing "habit energy" through the unification of body and mind• Using walking meditation to work with difficult emotions such as anger and anxiety, and much more.

There is a Buddhist concept known as Apranihita, or the spirit of "wishlessness," in which one neither pursues desires nor flees from discomforts. With Walking Meditation, practitioners from every spiritual tradition will rediscover "our home in the here and now, as the long road we all must walk turns to quiet joy." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Positive difference for me the first day
Right away applying a few of the principles and practices affected the quality of my life in a positive way. I enjoyed nature much more, my pets, other people. Even doing shopping today it was helpful to me. I paid less than $17 for all 3 - the book, the DVD and CD-ROM. I had paid close to $100 for a DVD on mindfulness by an eminent psychologist, and it did nothing for me. This was an excellent purchase for me, felt like a gift.

Lack of subtitles or closed cpations
I'm disappointed I purchased this DVD hoping it could be something I can add to my daily walks in the morning and afternoon only to my disappointments there is no closed captions or subtitles. I have to give this a rating of one star.

Disappointing
I purchased it for the included DVD as I already owned a number of audio cds and books on Walking Meditation. This DVD does not teach or demonstrate the actual technique (Lift-Bend-Lower the foot). It is instead a lecture on the benefits of Walking Meditation. The book is also not enlightening. I did not bother to listen to the included audio cd.

Lotus Guide Review
Walking Meditation By Nguyen Anh-Huong and Thich Nhat Hanh (ISBN 1-59179-473-0) How many times have we gone walking with an endless chatter in our minds only to end up back home with no remembrance of presence during our walk? In a simple straightforward method that only a Zen master could teach, you can get in touch with the miracle that's "you" simply by walking. The method is presented in a unique format that combines a book with an audio CD and a DVD. It's a powerful way to take your morning or evening walk and, at the same time, unify your body and mind. No matter where you walk, in nature or in public places, it's all covered in this little book written by Thich Nhat Hanh and one of his principal students, Nguyen Anh Huong.Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide Magazine www.lotusguide.com

Not as good as I would have hoped...
This one was a nice walk in the park, defiantly Nothing new. I got bored the 1st time I listened to it, it was Very basic and I have Much better Cd's that convey these thoughts/attitudes in a more enlightening manner. Since I haven't even picked it back up in Months I don't feel good about recommending it. I know we all "follow" different masters & teachers so if Thich Nhat Hanh is one of Your favorite, don't let this stop you. I do believe Thich Nhat Hanh does have a lot to offer, this just wasn't my cup of tea.
~Quillnink
... Read more

Product Description
Imagine following Jesus along the road, listening in on his conversations and gleaning from the lessons He taught in the holy places He traveled. Join author Wayne Stiles as he walks in the steps of Jesus: through Bethlehem, Samaria, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Galilee and beyond. Experience the places where Jesus met a lonely woman in Samaria, a den of hypocrites in the Temple, a Jerusalem Pharisee still searching for truth, fishermen with a sea of false expectations and a hometown ashamed of Him. Entering the Holy land through the settings, sights and sounds of Stiles engaging travelogue, readers will not only discover more about these sacred places, but also learn practical lessons that will find their way into their hearts. And ultimately, prepare them for their own encounter with Christ. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Walkinf in the footspets of Jesus
This book made you feel like you were walking along with the author. I bought the book because my wife and I plan to go to the Holy Land nexst year. After reading the book I wish it was sooner. I will use this book when I go on my tour.

A Great Read
I was very excited when I heard about this book and it definitely satisfied my expectations.Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus is a very fun read, especially for those who have been to Israel and can relate to the author's experience.I also love the comments that the author makes about the life of Christ and his observations.

Excellent Picture of Israel
When a friend and former professor offered to give this book away, I jumped at the chance.I got to spend 3 months in Israel learning about, living in, and hiking through the land, and I always enjoy thinking back on those memories. This book did not disappoint. While this book is not an exposition of the life of Christ (nor is it meant to be), it serves its purpose well.

Wayne Stiles has a great way of making the connection between ancient history and Israel as it stands today.Even for someone who has never been there, Stiles' descriptions of the land give a vivid picture of what it looks like today, and how it would have looked in Jesus time.He weaves well the biblical narrative into his book, showing how the land of Israel fits into the biblical story. The reader gets a feel for not only the time of the biblical story, but the geography as well. Personal anecdotes make the reader feel as if he were actually there, experiencing the modern culture of Israel as he explores the ancient.the results are often humorous!

Of course, the best way to learn about the land of Israel would be to visit. But since that is not possible for everyone, this book gives a good grasp on what the land is like today, how it operated back then, and how invaluable a knowledge of the land itself, its artifacts, and its structures can be. And having been to Israel, it is a refreshing picture for me of what I saw, learned, and how important the land is in the plan of God.

good for a devotional book
I thought the book would be more of a travel logue which it really wasn't.If you are looking for a devotional book in conjunction with a trip to Israel or having just gone, you might enjoy the insights.

This book was a great read!
It brought back many memories of the semester I spent studying in Israel and challenged me to keep pursuing a deeper relationship with Christ.Stiles writes in such a way that you feel you are right there with him, especially if you have actually been there.He does an excellent job of reminding the reader/tourist of the ultimate purpose of studying/visiting these important biblical sites, which is to know and love the Savior more. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Insightful
Anyone who wants to live life without all the nonsense their thoughts often add to it should study this book. DeMello poses questions to the reader that cause one to step back and reconsider his or her interpretation of events and their responses. This book is not for those who think they know it all...

It needs to be read multiple times.
This book is so good and so packed with insight, you really need to read it 3 times or more.May our arms tire to drop all we are carrying....

Very Nice! And listen to the live CDs of de Mello!
The Title captures it all, Possibilities; the ability to know the "I" and to take the next Step which the world calls Miracles.

I also recommend higher than this, de Mello's Live Conference "Wake Up to Life" on audio cd. This is a Powerful Program, the only full-length Conference he allowed to be recorded.

Also Profound are his films, "A Rediscovery of Life" and "A Way to God for Today." De Mello's teachings are relevant, timely and I hope one day, in every home....

Look at the Moon, not the finger!
I consider myself very privileged to have joined the year-long Maxi-Sadhana, directed by Tony, at Poona in 1976, together with Carlos Valles, S.J. and 16 other priests and nuns.I also had joined a number ofTony's retreats and conferences.Tony had the special gift in touching somany lives and was instrumental in their transformation.After more than25 years, I continue to find sustenance in his writings. This book,translated from the Spanish, is an excellent introduction to Tony'srecurrent themes on being free from illusions and any fixed ideas of God,self and the world.He is like a Zen master, guiding people toenlightenment through anecdotes, stories and practical meditativeexercises.The fundamental and universal human aspirations for: peace,happiness, life, freedom, love, prayer, liberation, spirituality andhealing are all responded to in these conferences.You can dip into anypage and find much nourishment.This is true of all his writings, tapesand videos--if you relate to him with the awareness of one's hunger andpoverty of spirit and not trying to scrutinise him for doctrinaireorthodoxy.Do not mistake the finger which only points to the Mystery andSource which can never be fully conceptualised as the Moon.May all hisreaders share the blessings and liberations that I have personallyexperienced through coming into contact with Fr. Anthony de Mello. ... Read more

Product Description
Take the next step toward a stronger, leaner, healthier physique with Nordic Walking for Total Fitness. From selecting equipment to creating your own personalized workout, it is your complete guide to the power of Nordic walking.

In Nordic Walking for Total Fitness, Nordic walking experts Suzanne Nottingham and Alexandra Jurasin show you how to make the most of every walk. You'll learn how to choose the perfect pole, master proper form and technique, and supplement your routine for the ultimate total-body workout.

Nordic Walking for Total Fitness includes six essential workouts from short, quick walks to longer, more challenging workout excursions. You can tailor each workout to achieve your fitness goal, or you can select from a menu of sample programs developed specifically for cardio health, strength, power, flexibility, sport cross-training, and full-body fitness.

If you're ready to hit the path with power and purpose, Nordic Walking for Total Fitness is for you. It's like having a personal trainer striding alongside you every step of the way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An ideal pick for those who want to add more vigor to health walks
Walking is healthy exercise in itself, but throwing some technique into it can enhance it. "Nordic Walking for Total Fitness: Your Path to a Lean, Strong, and Fit Physique" is a guide to Nordic walking and its many health benefits. Outlining six workouts that one can use to enhance one's health, each with different focuses,. With plenty of tips for tweaking one's routine for better form and execution, "Nordic Walking for Total Fitness" is an ideal pick for those who want to add more vigor to health walks.

Nordic Walking for EVERYONE!
This book is ideal for the beginner to the athlete to the professional instructor.Suzanne Nottingham and Alexandra Jurasin do an excellent job of creating a progressive approach to describing Nordic walking technique, as well as all the exercises in the book.They have taken the total body approach to exercising with Nordic Walking poles and provided all the tools to build your own workout, regardless of the level.As a plus, injury prevention is addressed with each exercise.It's great to have all this information at your fingertips!This book shows that anyone who can walk, should walk with Nordic walking poles and take advantage of all the benefits!
Kendra Densmore
Fitness & Wellness Manager, UC Davis

Nordic Walking
In "Nordic Walking for Total Fitness," Suzanne Nottingham and Alexandra Jurasin have created a compelling and comprehensive guide to a variation of a fitness favorite - walking. By implementing their suggestions and tools everyone, from the novice to the athlete, can achieve a variety of levels of fitness. Unlike many fitness genres which might be isolating, expensive, and hard on the body, Nordic Walking can be a social event with friends, families, and loved ones. The authors include clothing and gear requirements, skill development, warm-up and strength exercises, and address injury prevention and rehab. As a professional in the fitness field, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great fitness program that can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime, and for your entire life. As an added bonus they've included easy to follow programs and advice for how to design your own programs.

Liza Forster - r.y.t
Western Regional Group Fitness Director/Plus One Health Management

Nordic walking for total fitness
I knew absolutely NOTHING about Nordic walking until I started looking through this book--it looks like a lot of fun as well as an activity that will benefit my health. The older I get the less likely I am to lace up the running shoes or hit the gym for mega-strength-building classes but investing in a pair of poles and enjoying the great outdoors while building my strength and energy levels is something I can get excited about. This book is full of great pictures, loads of information and specific "workouts" for everyone (beginner through the veteran Nordic walker). Can't wait to get started on this fun new activity/form of exercise! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great job
I got the book in a timely fashion.I haven't started the study yet though I can't review that!

Breaking Through
Look past the typical Christian marketing devices (perfect images) and listen to the heart of Jennifer; you will be enriched by her openness and message. The study is not the typical "fill-in-the-blank" so, sometimes, I had to read and let it "stew" in my heart and mind for a while. Her personal challenges and stories illustrate the struggles that I often overlook because I don't have to deal with blindness. But she has a way of making me drop my guard and I found the challenges enriching. If you're willing to open up to work of the Spirit and let the study probe into our security/comfort zones, this study will deepen your love for Christ and strengthen your personal journey with him. The forward/intro is by Beth Moore...not the study. ... Read more

Product Description
Running with Scissors meets Bewitched in this irresistible memoir, as Philip Smith describes growing up in 1960s Miami with his decorator father, who one day discovers he has the miraculous power to talk to the dead and heal the sick.

After a full day of creating beautiful interiors for the rich and famous, Lew Smith would come home, take off his tie, and get down to his real work as a psychic healer who miraculously cured thousands of people. For his son, Philip, watching his father transform himself, at a moment's notice, from gracious society decorator into a healer with supernatural powers was a bit like living with Clark Kent and Superman.

Walking Through Walls is Philip Smith's astonishing memoir of growing up in a household where séances, talking spirits, and exorcisms were daily occurrences, and inexplicable psychic healings resulted in visitors suddenly discarding their crutches and wheelchairs or being cured of fatal diseases.

While there are benefits to having a miracle man in the house, Philip soon discovers the downside of living with a father who psychically knows everything he is doing. Surrounded by invisible spirits who tend to behave like nagging relatives, Philip looks for ways to escape his mystical home life -- including forays into sex, surfing, and even Scientology.

By turns hilarious and profound, Walking Through Walls recounts Philip Smith's often bizarre but always magical coming of age in a household that felt like a cross between Lourdes and the set of Rosemary's Baby, and shows how he managed to map out his own identity in the shadow of a father who, truly, loomed larger than life itself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (204)

A Gifted Man Ahead Of His Time
Finished reading this book and found it amazing, astounding and absolutely humorous.The ending itself was just too fabulous to dismiss and ironic to say the least.What a life Philip Smith had with his father, a psychic healer extraordinaire.Lew Smith was so far ahead of his time and brilliant to say the least.To heal people that way he did back then and to find that his theories, charts, contacts with those in the afterlife feeding him the information and then Lew using it to help/save others, well we can only aspire to do half of that today...if the medical society would only listen.

I am also terribly intrigued with the paintings Philip Smith does (after viewing his website).He actually incorporates his father's ideas, as well as Arthur Ford's, Chander Sen's, etc.It seems Philip is channeling all these people into his artwork and it is mesmerizing to say the least.Learning the various things I am through my associations with gifted numerologists, astrologers and psychic mediums, I can see what Philip's paintings represent and mean.Also on Philip's website are some of the drawings his father was directed to do of charts, diagnostics, etc. and the now famed pendulum he used.There are people out there who are totally gifted and Lew Smith was definitely one of them.

Thank you Philip for sharing your fascinating life with your remarkable father, with us.If only we could have known him too.

This book was very well written and not boring by any stretch of the imagination.To read something so in-depth and to have it to be humorous too is an added plus.It was like Maxwell House Coffee..."good to the last drop".

Walking Through Walls
Walking Through Walls by Philip SmithReview by Alan Steinfeld


I interview a lot of people for my television program found at:
[...]

And usually they are all throwing their books at me to read.
So I have a pile of books sitting in my living room...and uh well...everywhere else;
ones I want to read and ones I will never read.

So when my friend Jan said you must read this one, I said: "Yeah right."

Then just to make her happy I peeked inside. I was only going to read the first few pages...but I was sucked in...into the world of Lew and Philip Smith and their struggle to be themselves.One of the things that captured me the most - was the opening note:

"At night my spirit guides take me up to visit laboratories on other planets and in other dimensions.Lately I've been spending a lot of time on the seventh plane, the eleventh plane and the twelfth plane" - Lew Smith, 1970

This is the kind of stuff I love.It reaffirms the purpose of this website; the unfolding of new realities.The book is a page-turner from beginning to end.The only thing that I wish there was more of - is this kind of "other" dimensionality that is so inspiring.

But this is a memoir, although not the typical father and son bonding story- although it is that.It is an extraordinary account of one of the most remarkable healers of our time. Lew Smith goes from successful interior decorator in Miami in the 1960s catering to a clientele of heads of state and celebrities - to healer, psychic, intuitive, clairvoyant and inter-dimensional witness on the likes of Edgar Cayce or Jane Roberts.

Lew was way ahead of his time (and his family) and a culture which didn't understand energy medicine and the power of consciousness.He could heal most people instantly by scanning their body and sending energy to the right organs. This was not the sort of thing the adolescent Philip wanted to be around.It left a longing on the part of the writer for a normal reality. A lot of the book is taken up with the son's desire to come to terms with the weird, wacky, wonderful, world he was thrusted into because of his father's awakening to the higher levels.

Throughout the book we get glimpses of Lew's remarkable talent, as well as a lot of Philip's kvetching: `C'mon Dad, do you have to heal everyone?' Philip longs for a stable reality, but what he doesn't understand is that his beautifully gifted father is giving him the essence of what reality is really about.While Philip pined for a security in the thin slice of the world tmost people call ordinary, Lew was soaring to peaks that would make the best of today's mediums envious (well, if they had an ego.)

Part of the story is about the trauma Philip suffers when he and his mother are confronted by other worldly experiences. They don't fit into our conditioned respectable notion of reality.This is what is coming in the shift of consciousness we are now witnessing. But for those in the 1960s reality was not even something discussed, it was assumed.And even today reality is more solid than the ground our under feet. The earth and sky can shake and move, but when the fabric of consciousness bends we are faced with an awful instability that is more unsettling than a shift in the exterior world. This is what new realities is all about; the ability to think differently; to open new parts of our mind and bring a new world into being.

What comes through the writing is that poor young Philip suffers from what the great psychologist RD Laing called "the politics of experience".Laing says: "we are taught that if a person has so-called "strange" experiences, and endeavors to communicate these experiences, he is looked at in a very odd way...People feel distinctly uncomfortable when they realize they are in the presence of someone who is experiencing the world in a rather different way... We feel threatened by that, because we are not secure in ourselves. A very secure person can adapt himself with amazing speed to different kinds of communication....[in] society which feels that it ought to maintain a certain average kind of normal experience."

A Turkish proverb I like says: "He who sleeps on the floor cannot fall out of bed."

Lew broke out of the box and his son wrapped the box around himself.Although this writing, seems to have turned on some lights.After Lew's departure Philip collected all his meticulous kept notes and wrote this memoir.Philip became an artist and his works are in museums and private collections.But we hope the next book will go deeper into the good stuff, like Lew's sophisticated geometries of 10th and 11th dimensionality and his remedies for a whole assortment of illnesses.

Another major thing about this book is that you feel, in the psychic sense, while reading, Lew's looming presence.In every tale about Lew, you sense his energy, compassion and love for humanity coming through the words.

Lew Smith was a living master most of us missed, except for the hundreds, or maybe thousands of people he was able to help and change their lives.His time has come and we have created a world thirsty for the knowledge of this bold explorer who marched off into the unknown and made a world of difference.

Thank you Philip for introducing us to your beautifully gifted father.But - c'mon let's get the real stuff, about outer and inner space. We are waiting for the return of Lew Smith in his true acknowledged glory and his unique spiritual perspective.This is a beginning but not the end. The world needs Lew and the spectacular sophisticated advances he made in health, healing, diagnosis, dimensional travel and expanded consciousness.

Stay tuned.

Walking Through Walls by Philip Smith
Get it.
Read it.
Do it!

Absolute required reading for students of metaphysics
This has to be one of the best books that I have ever read for insight into the metaphysical world of healing, spirituality, channeling, and personal energy fields. This is not an instructional book, or a how-to on achieving high order healing gifts. However the narrative telling of the author's father who did have access to phenomena that go way way beyond the abilities of your everyday walk a day mere mortal is spellbinding. For those who are of a religious bent, this book should be very inspirational. If a person like Lew Smith had all of the powers of the people as related to in the bible like say Jesus, then this should provide a reason to find the New Testament more than a collection of mere myths.

Walking Through Walls a memior by Philip Smith
I just finished this book.It wass truly amazing.I can feel Philips' angst as a teenage when he was embarraed by his father, evn when bing awed by his ailities. I cried and laughted.What a truly delightful experience.I, too, was uanable to put it down.
until I finished.I would love to know of Philp today. I loved this book nad will share it.
Shannon DOheny

I loved this!
I received this as a gift from my daughter and I must say this is one of the best biographies I've ever read.I ended up buying 2 more for gifts. ... Read more