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Content by Alejandra Vernon
Reviewer Rank: 20
Helpful Votes:
5049
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Reviews Written by
Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California)
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Direction Determines Destination, 29 April 2009
This remarkable book is both simple and deep, and caused me to reflect on my life and how the twists and turns of my many adventures have led me to where I am now. It asks the hard questions, and contains ageless wisdom, applicable to any stage of your life. It asks:
"Are there disconnects in your Life? Are there discrepancies between what you desire in your heart and what you are doing in your life? Is there alignment between your intentions and your direction?"
Andy Stanley helps us connect the dots, and helps us see how "Today's decisions create tomorrow's experiences." And he sets us on a Truth Quest in Chapter 5, "The Heart of the Matter." This chapter gives us many examples of why your brain shouldn't take orders from your heart, and how "Telling ourselves the truth is liberating, but it can be terrifying."
Chapter 10 pulls it all together with the final realization (especially for those of us who have already burned some bridges) that some of our dreams will not become reality, and that "Some destinations become unreachable because of lifestyle choices. Some are unreachable because of a single decision." Some rest entirely on us, some on what others have done, but "We are where we are, we aren't where we want to be-and there's nothing that can be done to change that." This may all sound depressing, but it's like wiping the slate clean and dealing with the present with a clear mind and biblically sound principles of truth.
Andy Stanley is a pastor and founder of North Point Ministries, and has authored many books. He is also the son of well known minister and television Bible teacher, Dr. Charles Stanley, of In Touch Ministries. He has a clear and concise writing style, without ever being dry and boring. "The Principle of the Path" has the feeling of an earnest conversation at your kitchen table, and hits home with every chapter. It can also be used for a small study group, and has an excellent study guide in its final 24 pages. This book will dig deep if you let it, and will bring forth gold.
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Marley's Treasure
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by Gable Yerrid
Edition: Hardcover |
| Price: £9.68 |
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| Availability: Usually dispatched within 4 to 6 weeks |
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Gift from the Heart, 7 April 2009
"Marley's Treasure" is a wonderful book, to look at and to read. It touches the heart with its message of giving and parents will enjoy reading it as much as their children will delight in hearing it. Marley is a lovable monkey, who becomes not so lovable after he has found a golden treasure, and decides to hide and hoard it. When he realizes that this is making him lonely and sad, he turns to his friends again, and shares his bounty, learning that the greatest and most abundant gift of all comes from giving.
"Marley's Treasure" is beautifully written. The language is simple but flowing and has a large enough vocabulary to interest, educate and expand as the youngster grows. Author Gable Yerrid wrote "Marley's Treasure" for his younger brother Mason, and his dedication to him is very special and must not be missed. It is truly a gift from the heart.
Illustrator Jennifer Fitzgerald comes to this project from a career as an Art Director in advertising, and her skill as an illustrator is excellent. Expressive and full of charm, Marley and his friends are depicted with humor and a sense of wonder (I have a particular liking for Lester the turtle) and her feeling for the leafy jungle is terrific. The final scene of Marley on the beach below a starry night sky is the perfect end for this sweet and tender book, with its example of charity and true friendship.
"Marley's Treasure" is a sturdy, well constructed book with a nice weight to it. Its pages are thick and will last through many years of reading, bringing joy to the entire family.
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Great Trio for Sinatra Fans, 1 Mar 2009
This is a fantastic trio of Sinatra films, and though he is only in the last scene of "Till the Clouds Roll By," his performance singing "Old Man River" warrants it being a "Sinatra film." Both "The Man With the Golden Arm" and "Suddenly" are in black and white, and show their age by being quite grainy, but are well worth watching and especially owning if you're a Sinatra fan. "Till the Clouds Roll By" is in color and in remarkable condition, and the running time on this version is 2 hrs. and 17 minutes. An added bonus is a ten minute film to teach kids about the evils of bigotry (although this being a WWII film, it is not exactly Japanese-friendly). Included are 2 songs, "If You Are But a Dream," and "The House I Live In." The audio on these songs is poor, but shows us the era when Frankie made the girls swoon, and we can understand why.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955)
Viewing this film is like lifting a rock to see what has been existing under its dark weight, and from the stylish Saul Bass titles and jazzy Elmer Bernstein score, it is a riveting film, with a brilliant, intense Sinatra performance.
As an ex-con trying to beat a heroin addiction, "Frankie" (Sinatra) slips back into his old habits and friends upon release from prison, and is chained to a guilt-based relationship with Eleanor Parker, who is excellent as "Zosch," a woman who manipulates from her wheelchair, blaming "Frankie" for her fate, and resenting his friendship with "Molly," beautifully played by the gorgeous Kim Novak, who exudes vulnerability and a soft, sweet soul.
Well written from the Nelson Algren novel, and visually interesting with superb b&w cinematography by Sam Leavitt, the details of the costuming are also worth noting...I love Molly's old threadbare chenille bathrobe...and like much of the clothes in the film, looking like it was bought in a thrift shop.
I don't find this 1955 film dated at all; its themes and "types" are timeless and occur in every class and level of society, and the characters can be found in the Bowery or Beverly Hills.
The film was nominated in three Oscar categories: Best Actor (losing to Ernest Borgnine in another gritty film, "Marty"), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration ("The Rose Tattoo"), and Best Score (losing to the romantic "Love is a Many Splendored Thing").
TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946)
Though only marginally a biography of Jerome Kern, and with a corn and syrup plot, anyone who likes traditional American musical theater will appreciate this film, which is a great showcase for Kern's wonderful songs.
Robert Walker as Kern, and Van Heflin as his arranger James Hessler are good, but this film is all about the music and the singers, especially Judy Garland, Lena Horne, and Frank Sinatra.
Directed by Richard Whorf, with Vincente Minelli directing the Judy Garland portions, and musical numbers staged by Robert Alton.
Musical numbers include:
Excerpts from "Showboat", with Lena Horna exquisite singing "Can't Help Loving that Man of Mine". Others include Kathryn Grayson, Tony Martin and Caleb Peterson.
"Howja Like to Spoon Me" from the "London Gaieties" with Angela Lansbury.
"They'll Never Believe Me", Dinah Shore.
"Till the Clouds Roll By" from "Oh Boy" with Ray McDonald.
"Leave it to Jane" with June Allyson and Ray McDonald.
"Look for the Silver Lining" from "Sally" with Judy Garland. This may be the most interesting song of the film.
"Who" from "Sunny" with Judy Garland.
"I Won't Dance" with Lucille Bremer and Van Johnson.
"Smoke gets in Your Eyes" from "Roberta" with Cyd Charisse (a short but lovely dance).
"The Last Time I Saw Paris" with Dinah Shore.
"The Land Where Good Songs Go" with Lucille Bremer.
"Yesterdays" by the chorus (one of my favorite songs).
"Long Ago and Far Away" with Kathryn Grayson.
"A Fine Romance" with Virginia O'Brien.
"All the Things You Are" with Tony Martin.
"Why Was I Born ?" with Lena Horne.
"Old Man River" with a remarkable vocal performance by a very bushy-haired Frank Sinatra.
SUDDENLY (1954)
Frank Sinatra is riveting as a cold-hearted hit man obsessed with his spurious war record, who traps a family in their house, along with a few others that get caught in his net, as he plots to assassinate the president, who is making a stop in Suddenly, California, on his way to Los Angeles. It's a great character study, and Sinatra pulls it off flawlessly, making this a taut thriller, with a quiet, folksy beginning that turns into a nightmare.
Sinatra followed his Oscar Award winning performance in "From Here to Eternity" with this film, which unfortunately hasn't been seen much, and one of the reasons is Sinatra himself; he was horrified to know that Lee Harvey Oswald had watched "Suddenly" shortly before the Kennedy assassination, and requested the film be pulled from distribution.
Co-starring Sterling Hayden who is excellent as Sheriff Tod Shaw, it has well paced direction by Lewis Allen, a crisp script by Richard Sale, and a score by David Raskin. There have been other films with this type of hostage scenario like the '55 Humphrey Bogart "Desperate Hours" and its 1990 remake, and this is up there with the best.
Filmed almost entirely in one room, it holds one's attention, mostly due to Sinatra's superb performance.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Treasured Volume, 26 Feb 2009
"His Name is Jesus" is an exquisite book, and would make an excellent gift, especially as one of the first of its thick pages is a lovely presentation page. It is illustrated with glorious scenic photographs, and with a tasteful layout with varied font sizes and type. I have always thought of Max Lucado as primarily an author of books for young people, but "His Name is Jesus" cuts across all ages and denominations. It is written in a contemporary style, but its truth is timeless.
There are 5 chapters: His Birth, His Mission, His Death, His Resurrection, and His Legacy. You can read this book in several ways...from cover to cover, or studying and contemplating a single chapter. My favorite way is to open it at random and meditate upon what is written on the 2 pages in front of me. This method can produce great fruit, as each page is filled with wisdom and biblical truth.
It also makes a marvelous book to share on family nights and special occasions. Every Christian home will be blessed by "Jesus is His Name," for its content, and just to look at. It's a heavy volume for its size, and comes beautifully slipcased. Put it on your coffee table, share it with others, let it fill your soul with its love of the Savior, and His incredible love for each of us.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
"Become the Author of Your Own Story", 24 Feb 2009
Think and Make it Happen" is a book that gets better and more meaningful with each chapter. In Appendix A, it gives the psychological and psychosomatic symptoms that will tend to indicate who will benefit from this book, and even though I didn't fit any of the criteria, nevertheless I found it inspiring, and a reminder to "fine tune" in certain areas. And I learned a quote that deserves to be embroidered and framed: "Learn the prayer of the wise: Silence."
It uses as its model or ideal, the life and characteristics of Jesus as He lived on this earth and coped with the stresses of life, using in each chapter an example from the Gospels. It also shares a "real life" case history of someone Dr. Cury has known or treated as a patient. I usually skip these "histories" in self-help books as they are often trite and redundant, but the cases in this book are engrossing, very informative, and occasionally really touching (the story of Carlos in Chapter 6 moved me to tears). Each chapter also includes Selected Topics for Reflection and Discussion which is great for reading this book in small groups (see Appendix B for more information on group and classroom use) and Exercises and Reminders for Daily Practice.
I'm especially fond of Chapter 7, Contemplate Beauty, and the following Unleash Creativity. Dr. Cury writes in a lovely and yet concise style, and though perhaps even if "Think and Make it Happen" won't instantly move mountains in your life, if you reflect on the well thought out principles and apply them to your life, it will gently get you to the destination you were born to reach
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Burn Those Calories!, 2 Feb 2009
The Bellycore system Melissa has created combines the use of Pilates techniques with a cardio belly dance, to firm up the tummy and then burn the excess away with lots of energetic but basic belly dance combinations.
The initial Pilates warm-up/tutorial is excellent and quite long. It gets every part of your body strengthened and stretched, and ready for the fast and furious cardio section. Simple enough for a beginner, the cardio bellydance steps are very easy to assimilate and the trick is to just keep on going at the tempo given. It's a good workout, and fun to do. Finally there is a lengthy and well deserved Cool-down, and a lovely performance by Melissa finishes the DVD.
The biggest plus is Melissa's no-nonsense way of speaking and teaching that carries us through, with her winsome personality and energy, to go beyond the "I quit!" phase to our second wind and the finish line. Melissa has a lot of experience as a teacher and performer, and with Cardio Bellydance we can benefit from her expertise and get in shape too.
Music is by Gypsy Caravan, Knossons, and Jehan, and the setting is a plain, white walled, bare floor studio, with bright lighting so every movement is clearly seen. Melissa does her floor work on the bare floor, but you would probably feel better with a mat or rug under you. She also wears a T-strap dance shoe with a short heel, but barefoot is OK for me!There is also the option on the menu to play the Pilates workout just with music, and no tutorial, a nice option to have once you know all the movements.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
The Easy and Fun Way to Learn Vavavoom!, 31 Jan 2009
Lady Morrighan has made an art of exotic dance; sensual, incredibly graceful, and never lapsing into vulgarity, and always with a bit of humor on the sidelines. The choreography is very easy to learn, the hard part is the smoothness of the style, if you have any awkwardness or angularity in the way you move. This DVD above all will teach you to slither slowly, seductively, beautifully, and should be a boon to young dancers and actresses who need to learn these kind of movements without looking coy on one side of the spectrum, or sleazy on the other side.
The simple choreography is broken up into smaller sections, making it a breeze to assimilate. There is the Exotic Dance section with Mae West movements, a floor work segment, and a final striptease and lap dance. A chair with an oversized bear is the audience, and I'm sure his little furry heart must skip a beat or 2 as Lady Morrighan does her tantalizing dance. This routine would be great for your special teddy bear, and will certainly add some spice to your marriage ladies!
The final performance is a lark, with an amusing costume (are those giraffe patterned tights?) and it's set to a fabulous jazzy bluesy rendition of "Still Too Late" by Ron Sunshine.
Lady Morrighan says "There is one rule in exotic dance. Don't be shy"!
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hemingway Remembered, 31 Dec 2008
Anyone with even a limited interest in Ernest Hemingway will find "The Best Friend I Ever Had" riveting. I was captivated from the start, and found it almost impossible to put down. It's a rare book that is worth exchanging sleep for reading, and this beautifully written loving tribute to one of our greatest authors is one of those rarities.
David Nuffer has been an Hemingway enthusiast since 1958, and has been to many places connected with Hemingway (some written about in Nuffer's "A Walkable Feast") and in this book he has interviewed those closest to Hemingway. Perhaps because of their mutual interest and rapport, and Nuffer's remarkable talent as writer, conversations with people like Tillie Arnold, who was Hemingway's best friend during the years he lived in Ketchum, Idaho, become magically alive and bring forth information never before published.
Nuffer takes us to Finca Vigia and the famous La Floridita bar in Cuba, Key West, Florida, and many more places of interest with the interesting people who knew that champion of living life to its fullest, Papa Hemingway. There is extensive correspondence with Mary, Hemingway's 4th and last wife, and a chapter where Nuffer visits 2nd son Patrick. The book is filled with marvelous photos, and is an unforgettable look at a complex, creative and fascinating man, a man who touched the world with his genius.
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9 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
The Unvarnished Facts, 16 Dec 2008
In "The Case Against Israel's Enemies," Alan Dershowitz writes with passion about a subject close to his heart. He lays out the facts in this well researched book (which includes 35 pages of small print references) in a direct and no-frills style.
Chapter 1 lays out the errors made by one man, Jimmy Carter, whose actions while president have had consequences we are still contending with. Carter's foreign policies were even worse and more long lasting than his national decisions, and I concur with Dershowitz on all his assessments on the past and present behavior of Jimmy Carter, who as an ex-president has done tremendous damage to Israel, and "may be remembered not as a Nobel peace laureate but as a vain and destructive meddler."
Chapter 2 lays out the case against the authors of "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. A book that starts with an agenda, and shifts "facts" to prove its case, they admit to not having interviewed a single person, and not making any original research for the paper that was the basis of this book, and yet students and professors give credence to their warped views. Among the other chapters, Dershowitz describes the anti-Semitism of many in the hard Left and hard Right, like Noam Chomsky on the Left, whose relentless hatred of Israel and embrace of Holocaust deniers is staggering, and Pat Buchanan on the Right (though I consider Buchanan more of a 5 star crack-pot than a Right-winger, rather like a book-end to the Left's Ramsey Clark).
Another chapter describes Israel's suicidal enemies, and how parents are known to urge their children to blow themselves up, with as many Israelis as they can take with them, and then celebrate their "martyrdom." Dershowitz concludes with "The Case Agaist Simple-Minded, One-Sided Solutions to Complex, Multifaceted Problems," which is well reasoned, concise and illuminating, and a fitting ending to a book that is a good response to the many anti-Israeli statements that seem to be coming from many directions, and in abundance, in recent times. "The Case Against Israel's Enemies" is good reading, and excellent up to date history.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Luscious, Healthy, Easy to Prepare Recipes, 15 Nov 2008
This is a sumptuous, imaginative cookbook, while at the same time keeping nutritional values high on its list of priorities. I have never seen such healthy meals with such beautiful presentations, and so lusciously delicious to the taste.
Most of the recipes are very unique, and they will take your breath away as you read the ingredients, with their marvelous blend of flavors, and look at the wonderful photography. But wait until you try them! If you want to impress your friends or family with a fabulous meal, make them something from this book.
Another plus considering our busy lives is that the recipes are not complicated to prepare. All the recipes are relatively easy to make (some of them incredibly easy), and don't take long to get from kitchen to table. The ingredients are few compared to the long lists that accompany many gourmet recipes, and make no mistake, these meals may be healthy and simple, but they are also gourmet deluxe in taste and looks.
When you see "Kosher" on a book title, you might think "Jewish food," but these creations have the flavors of the world, with many delectable Asian, Italian, Mexican, and other international dishes, as well as Middle Eastern fare, and even a knock-your-socks-off burger.
My main interest in getting this book was for the soups, and they exceeded my expectations. Those on a budget will really appreciate these wonderful bowls of goodness. Some of them will cost you next to nothing, like the Peasant Soup, Cabbage Soup, and Velvety Roasted Vegetable Barley. Put them together with the incredible Honey Oat Challah, and you will be in gastronomical heaven.
The book has a superb layout, starting with Supermarket Savvy to descriptions of the healthy ingredients that are used in the recipes. It also lists the useful gadgets that will help you in the kitchen and has Ideas for Entertaining. The recipe chapters are: Appetizers; Soups; Salads; Poultry; Meat; Fish; Eggs, Pasta and Dairy; Side Dishes; Desserts. The photography by John Uher is terrific throughout, and also adding to the book with her expertise is Bonnie Taub-Dix, who is spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Kosher by Design Lightens Up" is perfect for a Holiday or new house gift, and an absolute must for a new bride.
Susie Fishbein needs no introduction. She has consistently delighted us with her "Kosher by Design" series, and for my money she is The Ultimate Kitchen Diva. Thank you Ms. Fishbein, for this exciting, fabulous cookbook!
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![Frank Sinatra: Signature Collection [DVD] [1946] [US Import]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Z7ct2dE9L._SL110_.jpg)
![Cardio Bellydance [DVD] [2006] [NTSC]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5191THB688L._SL110_.jpg)
![Exotic Dance: The Irresistible Art (All Regions)(NTSC) [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vToyZMmgL._SL110_.jpg)
