History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

A SOULFUL STORY HUMMING WITH BLUES, ROOTS & LOVE
Magic with every passing word
This is a wonderful book!
Flowers Reigns *****

Another Good Loving Blues
Arthur Flowers
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670848212

Book Description

"A charming, provocative novel in which Mr. Flowers seamlessly blends the rich rythms of the blues and a Deep South patois in a lyrical, literate style."
- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
It's Beale Street in Memphis in the age when jazz was spelled "jass" and ragtime was just a glint in Scott Joplin's eye. Lucas Bodeen is the bluesman, and Melvira Dupree is the conjure woman he loves. But pitted against them are all the forces of nature, the clashing of their own stubborn wills, and a society mired in the laws of Jim Crow and the mob. Combining the ancient African storytelling art of the griot with the American offshoots of blues and hoodoo, Arthur Flowers sings us a story that makes us smile - a story of life, and how love and happiness really happen.

Customer Reviews:

A SOULFUL STORY HUMMING WITH BLUES, ROOTS & LOVE.......2002-10-22

Talk about how (as a character suggests in the movie "Hurricane") "sometimes a book chooses you"... Was it quirky intuition or some funky higher power that moved me when, as I was about to leave the library, a sudden urge made me turn around and, overlooking all the other fictions on the shelves, with unknown purpose shuffle aside the books in a bin until my hand lit on this one. Had never heard of the author or the book (although the title was appealing), but something inside of me whispered "Read this!"

Whatever the spell, subconscious or spooky, I'm glad I did. This was a book that started out good and only got better; read it practically overnight. In the end, it was Arthur Flowers' vibrant storytelling, so warm and alive with understanding of human frailty and fullness of spirit--like a downhome, latter-day incarnation of the oldtime poet who said, "I am human, therefore nothing human is alien to me"--that spoke to me, made me smile and ache and glow.

"I am hoodoo, I am griot, I am a man of power," he trumpets at the opening in a verbal fanfare, a narrative device echoing and acknowledging ancient oral tradition; there is power in the word and magic in the story. "My story is a true story, my words are true words, my lie is a true lie--a fine old delta tale about a mad blues piano player and a Arkansas conjure woman on a hoodoo mission.... Plan to show you how they found the good thing. True love. That once-in-a-lifetime love.... because when you find true love my friend its strictly do or die."

Set in the Mississippi River delta country in and around Memphis, Tennessee, at the dawn of the Jazz Age, ANOTHER GOOD LOVING BLUES tracks the sweet & sour course of the relationship between bluesman Luke Bodeen--peacock proud, stylish and sure--and alluring, stiff-necked hoodoo woman Melvira Dupree, who's haunted by her past and future. Yet other rivers run through it: memories of arcane gods and religious rites variously practiced by descendants of African slaves throughout the Americas; the trickle, then stream, of Southern blacks fleeing impoverished indenture in the fields for the promise of Northern urban opportunity post-World War I. Race-conscious workingclass intellectuals gather with college-trained professionals to debate Garvey vs. Dubois, the church vs. traditional African religion. The periodic floods of "The Great Muddy," the mighty Mississippi itself, become legend in song and story.

It's territory that Zora Neale Hurston (who makes a "guest appearance," as does W. C. Handy) plumbed and celebrated, and more recently Ishmael Reed: the nexus of history and folklore, literal and visceral, sanctified and streetwise.

But, aah, the core of the story, that man-woman thing! Heart of the blues. "You don't know what love is until you know the meaning of the blues," goes the famous song. Flowers, a veteran bluesman himself, is especially deft, and searingly compassionate, showing "how to go down like a natural man" after Luke breaks off with Melvira:

"Lucas Bodeen let the music say all the things he wanted to say to her. O baby, I love you so. I don't understand why or nothing, I just love you. Lucas Bodeen played his heart out, another man hurting cause my baby's gone and o the loving sure was good blues.

"O God baby, how could you really leave me?

"Tears.

"...After awhile the music start getting good to him, and ol Bodeen, he forgot all about how bad he felt. Got into the music, made that piano stand up and do tricks. No matter how much trouble you got in mind, the blues tend to remind you that the sun is going to shine in your back door someday. For all the pain it cost him, he had to say he was glad she had come into his life. Don't do for a man to live and die without having known at least one great love in his life. He would have hated to have died without having ever felt like she made him feel."

Flowers, besides his talent, experience and skill, obviously has considerable affection for all his characters; all the people of this book live and breathe. What's more, he tells a plethora of stories and all of them involve you. And his triumphant narrative voice is the finest, most lyrical and comprehensible use of Southern black vernacular I've ever read. I love this book: It's a work of enormous heart, healing and redemption. Told plain and simple, touching and to the point. ("Literature and hoodoo," says one character, "both are tools for shaping the soul." "Spiritwork," says another. "Sacred literature... Rootwork.") Let this nexus of love, blues and hoodoo work its magic on you.

Magic with every passing word.......2001-08-17

I read this book a couple of years ago... It was not a book I normally would have read, but I picked it up and was quickly drawn into it. The voice of the narrator is very powerful and persuasive, convincing you that the characters are real--the emotions behind each of the words certainly are! The story is very believable. It seems simple, but it is more. You can actually hear someone telling you this story and it almost doesn't feel as if you're reading. In the end, you definitely feel a deep appreciation towards the writer and his gift.

This is a wonderful book!.......1999-10-09

Need something to cozy up to and sweep you away on a mighty good time? Get this book. The writing is lush, beautiful, yet concise. It's a good read. Thank you Mr. Flowers! And keep on writing. I, for one, want more.

Flowers Reigns *****.......1999-05-25

Arthur Flowers has created the most beautiful love story to come out in years.I was drawn into the world of Melvira, Luke, and the Delta's conjure women. I gained a deeper appreciation for the blues, (that I could hear gliding across the pages)as I savored the flavor of this magnificent work.

The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War

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Lyrical prose & gritty realism - a masterpiece
Black Flower
Beautifully written
Another View
doctorgraz

The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War
Howard Bahr
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312265077

Amazon.com

Howard Bahr compresses this moving Civil War novel into 48 hours--two short days filled with grim deaths and the prelude, at least, to a love story. First issued by a small Baltimore press in 1997,The Black Flower was nominated for four major awards, including one from the Academy of Arts and Letters, but failed to garner the attention paid to Cold Mountain. Civil War buffs will rejoice in Bahr's vivid retelling of the November 1864 Battle of Franklin, Tennessee. More to the point, The Black Flower transcends its historical fiction niche and deserves a wider audience. Confederate rifleman Bushrod Carter, the novel's protagonist, is wounded during the battle and taken to a nearby house. In this makeshift hospital, he and two childhood friends huddle together, "shivering with cold and exhaustion, ignoring the ghostly shapes still shuffling through the coiling smoke around them, calling the names of men who would never answer." Bahr has poured 20 years of research into his novel, but this haunting portrayal of suffering and death is the product not merely of historical diligence but also an impressive literary imagination. --Eugenia Trinkle

Book Description

The Black Flower is the gripping story of a young Confederate rifleman from Mississippi named Bushrod Carter, who serves in General John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee during the Civil War battle that takes place in Franklin, Tennessee, in November 1864. Written with reverent attention to historical accuracy, the book vividly documents the fear, suffering, and intense friendships that are all present on the eve of the battle and during its aftermath. When Bushrod is wounded in the Confederate charge, he is taken to a makeshift hospital where he comes under the care of Anna, who has already lost two potential romances to battle. Bushrod and Anna's poignant attempt to forge a bond of common humanity in the midst of the pathos and horror of battle serves as a powerful reminder that the war that divided America will not vanish quietly into the page of history.

Customer Reviews:

Lyrical prose & gritty realism - a masterpiece.......2007-07-30

Though not without its flaws, "The Black Flower" is probably the best Civil War novel I have read to date. Set during the Battle of Franklin, it tells the story of Bushrod Carter, a Mississippi lad fighting with the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Wounded during the fighting, he is carried to a makeshift field hospital where he catches the eye of Anna, a young woman visiting her relatives who own the house. Be forewarned, this isn't a happy story, but the melancholy tone didn't seem depressing; perhaps the best way to describe the tone is "pensive" or "sweetly sad".

Howard Bahr spins his tale with poignancy and insight, and he wields the English language like a master swordsman. He conveys the ironies of war beautifully, and has an uncanny knack for getting inside the mind of the common Southern soldiers and civilians and revealing what makes them tick. Bahr gets the little details of soldier life right, and as a Civil War reenactor myself, I thought the book really rang true.

There are some problems. The language is foul at times, which is the only reason I decided not to keep the book in my library. There are a couple of sexual situations portrayed, too, and though I found them to be tastefully done, some may find them objectionable. Some may also dislike the supernatural element in the story (a mysterious horseman who is more or less the Angel of Death appears throughout), but I thought it was an interesting approach. Bahr also includes a few too many weird characters, a quirk that he shares with Charles Frazier (unfortunately, he takes it to an extreme in "The Year of Jubilo").

All things considered, "The Black Flower" is superb historical fiction, and (with the cautions mentioned above) I highly recommend it as a moving portrayal of the tragedy that was the Civil War.

Black Flower.......2007-07-12

I wish there were something higher to give this book than simply five stars. Bahr is, in my opinion, the best writer of Civil War fiction that I have ever read. He captures memory, the pain of memory, the destructiveness and the salvation of memory better than any author currently writing in English. Anyone with an interest in the Civil War or the South generally will probably do what I did with this book, meaning that I was so caught up in it that I read it in two sittings, and have reread portions of it a BUNCH of times (look at the first few pages of Chapter 7 if you want the best take on human memory currently out there). But it's not just the Civil War. It's about humans having faced hellish situations and somehow made it through, though even they don't know how. It's about surviving, and dealing with your own demons over years and years. Bahr is just terrific. I call any reader's attention to The Year of Jubilo and to the latest one, The Judas Field, as well. Terrific! Just terrific.

Beautifully written.......2007-05-18

A very poignant and compassionate look at the civil war. Extremely well written with detail to historical accuracy. Well worth your time to read if you are interested in the civil war period.

Another View.......2007-05-13

This is an excellent feature story on the ravages on the human soul during the civil war. Worthwhile reading to say the least.

doctorgraz.......2007-05-13

Not bad, but not the greatest novel I've read. Maybe I could exchange it for another book.............right.

Les Blancs: The Collected Last Plays: The Drinking Gourd/What Use Are Flowers?

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Les Blancs: The Collected Last Plays: The Drinking Gourd/What Use Are Flowers?
Lorraine Hansberry
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679755322
Release Date: 1994-12-13

Book Description

Here are Lorraine Hansberry's last three plays--Les Blancs, The Drinking Gourd, and What Use Are Flowers?--representing the capstone of her achievement. Includes a new preface by Jewell Gresham Nemiroff and a revised introduction by Margaret B. Wilkerson.

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Black Flowers
Black Flowers

Black Flowers
E. F. Watkins
Manufacturer: Amber Quill Press, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1592798101
Release Date: 2004-12-06

Product Description

When a former employee of her husband's genetic engineering firm, Genesis, dies of a drug overdose on her front lawn, Allison Constantine is horrified. She can't forget the young man's final threats that "people like her" will soon "get what's coming to them."

In the days to come, Allie suspects she's being followed, and fears someone might try to kidnap her or her two small children. But who? A rival firm, hoping to extort technical secrets from her husband, David? A protest group that has accused Genesis of reckless experiments? Or a former Genesis president who supposedly killed himself two years earlier?

Probing the company's activities, Allie discovers a pattern of mysterious deaths by electrocution. She begins to fear that the greatest threat to her family may be Genesis, itself, if she dares to interfere with its terrifying secret plans for its executives, for society. . .and even for Allie's own children...

Customer Reviews:

Black Flowers.......2006-06-08

At the suggestion of a friend, I recently read "Black Flowers". From page 1, I was completely drawn in---just couldn't put the book down. The suspense throughout kept me totally captivated and I must say that it reminded me of a Stephen King/ Twilight Zone piece of work. In fact,it would make a great screenplay, in my opinion. It is definitely stirring, and quite believable in this technologically advanced age. Excellent novel.

Black Flowers.......2006-01-10

It all begins when an apparently drug crazed ex-employee of her husband's, their housekeeper's son in fact, attacks Allie's family and is killed. His death is especially gruesome, leaving his body in a condition that can not be explained by drugs. Allie's husband, David, begins acting strangely, secretively, and there are more deaths, more unusual events. Their autistic son begins exhibiting talents that are truly out of the ordinary. Allie overhears and sees messages that frankly give her the creeps. The key to all this is in David's past, but delving into the mystery will either free her from a madman, or cost her more than her life.

*** What makes this horror novel so frightening is its sense of "this could happen". Tension is kept low key, but very present from beginning to end as the reader follows Allie's quest for truth and deals with the betrayal she has suffered. Horror need not be filled with slashers and monsters. True fear lies in the commonplace turned against us, and that is captured here. ***

Amanda Killgore

I'm Just a DJ But...It Makes Sense to Me

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Great Book
I Liked it!
(RAW Rating: 3.5) - The end of a rainbow
You can do it too!!
Be All You Can Be

I'm Just a DJ But...It Makes Sense to Me
Tom Joyner , and Mary Flowers Boyce
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 044657676X

Book Description

Legendary radio personality Tom Joyner comes out from behind the microphone to share the wit and wisdom that made him a star. Hall of Fame disc jockey Tom Joyner uses his signature brand of humor to discuss everything from business to careers to relationships as he shares the insights and lessons hes learned along the way. Now the host of a radio show that is the most popular media outlet ever among African Americans, Joyner started his career at a small AM radio station in his home state of Alabama, working his way across the midwest, and eventually landing in Chicago. In 1985, he made headlines as The Hardest Working Man in Radio when he worked a morning show in Dallas in addition to his afternoon show in Chicago. His daily commute earned him the nickname The Fly Jock. In 1994, he convinced ABC Radio to syndicate his program, and The Tom Joyner Showa mix of comedy music, and guests who range from Stevie Wonder to Tipper Gorewas born.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-02-22

Funny, realistic, truth and well written in a short book. If you see the book in the library, just browse his list of advice. I recommend the book if you want to read a good book in short time.

I Liked it!.......2006-11-27

This is a good book. I enjoyed the humor and humility Tom Joyner used to write this book. He explains his beginnings and how he came to be the hardest working man in radio. He also gives insight to himself as more than just a voice on the radio. I really enjoyed reading this book all the way through without getting bored or wondering how many more pages do I have to read untill the end!

(RAW Rating: 3.5) - The end of a rainbow.......2006-02-14

My first thoughts about Tom Joyner's claim that he's just a DJ mirror my thoughts about 'O' saying she's just a..., but I digress. With a supporting cast of who's who in African American entertainment, Tom Joyner shares some infectious memories from being raised in Tuskegee, Alabama to his nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show.

Joyner, with what has become his humorous trademark, shares his meager beginnings as a DJ in Alabama and of a struggling, hustling student at Tuskegee Institute. But this book is far from a humorous undertaking. The message that resonates from the pages is that dreams are the springboard to life and a burning passion is the wind beneath your wings. It was those dreams and that passion that propelled him to reach beyond roadblocks, racism, and restitution. He talks about his weight, his family, his crew and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). And he shares his feeling of pride because of his dedication, hardwork and accomplishments.

I'M JUST A D.J. BUT...It Makes Sense To Me is a candid, pensive and lively read. Joyner lends three distinct rules 1)learn your craft, 2) know your competition, and 3) let jealousy be a motivator to improve or join forces. He has no problem getting high-ballers to appear on his show now, but his allegiance is to the people who believed in him before he became 'The Hardest Working Man In Show Business'. In step with his DJing background, the chapters are titles of songs which carry a message. This book surprised me; it was a good read.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

You can do it too!!.......2005-10-25

Very inspirational. Based on the character's story, makes you feel like anyone can accomplish anything if they work hard and set their goals high. Very easy good and enjoyable.

Be All You Can Be.......2005-09-22

"I was a fat kid, and a good sandwich was just the incentive I needed to become an advocate for change." That's Joyner telling about the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches served to sustain the protestors during his involvement in the protest against a white radio station that only played white music. My new mantra: Be all you can be, just don't join the Army. Listen to the Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS) instead. I'M JUST A DJ BUT...demonstrates how Joyner is rich is spirit, advice and generosity.

Believe it or not, Tom Joyner didn't wake up one day and suddenly realize he is a millionaire, he worked hard for his money and still does. In fact, his slogan is: "The hardest working man in radio, the fly jock Tom Joyner" holds a lot of truth. He dedicated countless hours of service, even when he wasn't sure about what he was doing; to always (not sometimes) make a good impression. He is "fly" because he once flew daily from Chicago to Dallas to work on two radio stations. Talk about dedication to the profession.

Joyner speaks openly about issues with his weight, the road to syndication, marriage, parenting, the Tom Joyner Foundation, his crew, his commitment to Black people and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In fact, he's received plenty of backlashes for wanting to help ONLY Black people. Why not cater to your people? I imagine him on his soapbox, preaching his gospel to those who didn't agree and saying something like, "oh well, I'm going to do it anyway." Now that's a man who is comfortable with whom he is, no airs about him. Money didn't change him; it only changed how he spent it. He had a plan; he stuck to it and is now reaping the benefits of his labor. Sure, he made some mistakes along the way, but to err is to be human. Consistency is learned by seeing and doing. It's cyclical and it's up to you to keep the wheels turning and passing on the lessons and good habits.

There are so many lessons obtained from reading I'M JUST A DJ BUT... In this book, Joyner reiterates points he's always talking about on his morning show. The pages are dog-eared and highlighted and soon to be passed on to my teenager. Don't sleep on good advice, even if it doesn't give a fool-proof plan on how to get more money. This is not about how to get rich quick; it's about how to work hard to get what you want and how to maintain it once you have it. Keeping a leveled head helps too.

Reviewed by Esther "Ess" Mays for Loose Leaves Book Review

Hellblazer: Black Flowers (Hellblazer (Graphic Novels))

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
Nothing we haven't seen before, but that's not a bad thing
Carey's run continues to be stellar.
No apologies.

Hellblazer: Black Flowers (Hellblazer (Graphic Novels))
Mike Carey
Manufacturer: Vertigo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401204996

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

More of your usual Constantine shenanigans, some not demons, mad people, and a card game for souls.

There are women involved, one that John fancies, and has fancied before, and she fancies him. One that doesn't like or trust him, and they are both of course going to be in serious danger.

This one does not end quite as badly, perhaps.

Nothing we haven't seen before, but that's not a bad thing.......2007-05-26

Picking up pretty much where Red Sepulchre left off, Black Flowers follows our favorite chain smoking master of black magic as he starts off on the run from demonic forces before being summoned to lend a hand in a deadly situation involving possession. He also teams up with Angie, the newbie magician who is fresh off recovering from her grisly attack in Red Sepulchre. While Mike Carey doesn't offer anything new that we haven't seen in a Hellblazer book already, he delivers the goods on a consistent basis. There's chilling moments, the trademark wit of John Constantine, and surprises to boot. The events in Black Flowers lead into Staring at the Wall, which will find Constantine in a dire situation that will impact the character more than he has been in years. Carey's run on the title was undoubtedly the best that Hellblazer had seen since the early days of Garth Ennis, and you can see why with each passing volume after Black Flowers. The art, which includes work from Marcelo Frusin and Jock, is solid as well. All in all, Black Flowers doesn't offer anything we haven't seen before in Hellblazer, but that's not always a bad thing, and it sure isn't a bad thing here either.

Carey's run continues to be stellar........2006-08-15

Mike Carey, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Black Flowers (Vertigo, 2005)

This is the second book in Carey's series in the Hellblazer franchise, which teams Constantine up with Angie Spatchcock, a spunky lass who's new to the world of magic, but a quick study and an eager student. John and Angie are tracking down leads that opened up for them in Red Sepulchre thorough three interconnected tales (one of which brings back John's old acquaintance the Swamp Thing-- who has been getting closer and closer to Constantine in the past few years, popping up more and more often here).

It's the middle book of a trilogy, so you shouldn't expect the world, but it's good, solid Mike Carey work, and John Constantine is as engaging as ever. *** ½

No apologies........2005-10-14

Azrillo certainly did wierd things to Hellblazer. I would say only that before Hard Time John was a bastard, but he always seemed at least a little sorry for it. With Azrillo, the wishy washyness slipped completely away to reveal John for the conniving, sadistic unapologetic bastard everybody always thought he was.
Which isn't to say I liked Azrillo. He did horrible things to the character and the supporting cast, but in many ways his mark has been left.
If Carey's first collection, Red Sepulchre, attempted to crawl out of the ditch Hellblazer was left in, Black Flowers represents Carey, not to use an obvious metephor, in full bloom.
I expected great things from Carey the moment I heard he was takeing the reigns. Judging from the complex, continuing storylines of Lucifer, I figured this for a man who dreams up issues years ahead of schedule.
Yet for all its achievments with reoccuring plot threads, Hellblazer has never been much for one long, linked storyline. Until now...
I would not have believed he would try to tie in Red Sepulchre, in itself an impressive storyline, with anything larger. But in this I committed the inexcusible sin of underestimating Mike Carey. In this collection, he takes up the tone of his other magnificent works and makes Hellblazer unmistakably his own, without oweing apologies to anyone else.
His work is not at all choppy, each episode proceeds naturally into the next. But don't mistake continous and flowing for predictable, Carey is also the master of dropping little hints that never make sense until the puzzle is assembled. And then you realize what you thought of as the whole puzzle is but a piece of something larger. That is the joy.
But I'm rambling. The two-part title arc is perhaps the most other-wordly story I have read in some time, and the Three Doors story arc represents John at his con-man best. Nothing is ever as it seems, and Carey presents just enough information to let you think you know what's going on. When all is said and done, you feel like you should have known what was going to happen, but you never can.
And the best is yet to come. Judging by the hints dropped in this book, and the way they simply beg for more information, Black Flowers will have Hellblazer fans and lovers of mystery and dark fantasy stories pleading for more.
Mike Carey is just getting started.

The Clue of the Black Flower (Dana girls mystery stories)

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The Clue of the Black Flower (Dana girls mystery stories)
Carolyn Keene
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Secret of the Silver Dolphin (Dana Girls Mystery Series, 3)

ASIN: B0007EPT64

Firefly and the Quest of the Black Squirrel (The Fairy Chronicles)

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My Favorite Book
"Great for 3rd and 4th Graders & A Breath of Fresh Air"
If you only read one of the series...
A wonderful series! Realistic fairies come alive before your eyes!
"I want a squit!" (quote from my twins)

Firefly and the Quest of the Black Squirrel (The Fairy Chronicles)
J. H. Sweet
Manufacturer: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1402208758
Release Date: 2007-07-01

Book Description

Inside you is the power to do anything

Anathema Bane has created a curse so powerful that it will not stop until all life on Earth is extinct

Firefly, along with some old and new friends, has been chosen to stop this Perfect Curse. To do so her fairy team must travel long roads, seek help from strange creatures, and, if they are brave enough, enter a place so hidden it can only be found under the light of a Blue moon.

What if you discovered you had magical fairy powers? Meet the girls of The Fairy Chronicles,
otherwise normal girls like you with special gifts. Their extraordinary adventures will change the world!

Magic surrounds us, though we can't always see it. Gnomes add color to the plants in our gardens, doves deliver our good dreams, gremlins occasionally break our things and Mother Nature keeps the balance between the light and the dark. But just because you can't see something doesn't mean it can't hurt you.

Luckily, Mother Nature has blessed some otherwise ordinary girls with an extraordinary gift: in addition to being girls, they have been granted a fairy spirit, each one as unique and beautiful as the girls themselves, each as wild and powerful as their counterparts in nature. Watch Dragonfly zoom by with the speed of her namesake, or witness Firefly use the incredible light that shines within her. Each fairy spirit is a powerful gift granting the girls who use them the ability to do amazing feats. But with power comes responsibility and the fairies might have the hardest of job of all: to protect Mother Nature and us, even though we don't even know they existed. Until now

Customer Reviews:

My Favorite Book.......2007-08-28

Firefly is my favorite fairy. The squit in this book might be a dwarf trick. The squit is named Firecracker and he catches air flies. A spcial kind of blue moon made Blue Moon Clover grow. This clover saves the squirrels and everyone else from a curse. Firefly and her friends go through the woods and find a dwarf and a stag to uncover the clover. I like this book because the fairies have so much fun. We are going camping when it gets cooler because there are less bugs. I read this book twice and I am going to read it again.

"Great for 3rd and 4th Graders & A Breath of Fresh Air".......2007-08-16

This book series kept my kids busy this summer. They read the first two books at least three times each. I was so glad when the next two came out so I could get them to read more books.
I have screened the books carefully, and I am not only satisfied, I am delighted. This is terrific -- nothing but good stuff here. The girls in the books even get along with each other. The nature and garden parts really add to the quality of the experience.
"Firefly and the Quest of the Black Squirrel" is my favorite of the first four in this series, so I am doing the review for it. The girls (who are also the fairies) go camping. They are on their Spring Break and expect to just have a fun time. Then they are sent on an important mission. They meet interesting characters along the way and help solve a pretty big problem. The story flow is excellent, and we are pulled along on the mission with the fairies. I could almost hear what they were saying and I felt as though I was breathing the clean fresh air.
My daughters tell me that they like the fun and excitement. I think they are drawn to this book and the series not only because the books are interesting but because they can identify with the characters. However the girls in the books are not all the same even though they have things in common. One of the characters is getting adopted, another is homeschooled, one of the leaders of a former fairy mission is on a trip with her family, another girl gets into trouble for abusing her fairy power. This adds nice variety and perfectly parallels the variety of fairy spirits with their different gifts and wands. I think my girls also feel empowered when reading these books. It makes them feel like they can make a difference in the world.
The books are labeled for seven and up. I recommend this series specifically for those in third and fourth grade. The length might be a tad short for a high level fourth grader, but the content is very appropriate and will keep them reading. First and second graders would also enjoy the books but might need a little help with the language. Because the books do not contain anything questionable, they would be appropriate to read aloud to even younger children.
I highly recommend this book and the series it belong to as a Breath of Fresh Air.
Teresa Scott-Wright

If you only read one of the series..........2007-07-22

...my daughter and I think it should be this one. Of course we don't know what the future may hold because it looks like there are going to be more of these, but of the first four books, we liked this one best. We are heading camping next weekend because of this story, and we have started spending more time in the backyard and at the park. We found a jumble of ghost leaves fallen from our ash tree. They aren't shaped like hearts like the ones in Firefly's book, but they are still lacy and pretty, and we are using them as bookmarks. We are also looking for the next blue moon. This is helping us connect with nature and we are spending less time as couch potatoes. Firefly leads this fairy mission to help save black squirrels, and a lot of other creatures, from something pretty horrible. We loved her story and can hardly wait to find out what happens next in this series.

A wonderful series! Realistic fairies come alive before your eyes!.......2006-07-31

J. H. Sweet ...
What a treat ...
Writing 'bout fairies,
she can't be beat.

Book one was pure delight;
Book two is "out of sight."

Book three is a kid's dream,
Book four will make them beam.

But wait till you see what's in store;
of fairy books, she has plenty more.

Each of this author's books stands alone as far as storyline, and I discovered something new about fairies and fairy lore in each one. She's a fine writer, so good at her craft that the fairies came alive for me. Interesting storylines, colorful characters in an exciting, entertaining format.

Highly recommended.

"I want a squit!" (quote from my twins).......2006-06-13

I have twin girls and my little "princesses" have turned into "fairies" because of this book. I have heard "I want a squit!" about a hundred times since we read the story. I guess I am going to have to make them out of some material from the hobby store. The way squits are described in the book, I am picturing basketball sized tribbles that are brightly colored and extremely active, popping around and whizzing through the air so I guess a bouncing plastic ball covered with fake fur would do the trick. We have ordered wings and wands too, but I am going to have to get some feathers or silk flowers to simulate the wands of this book because they are all so different.

This story itself is about a group of fairies helping a black squirrel find blue moon clover to heal an illness caused by a goblin curse. Only a Black Stag can find this special clover, which grows only during the most rare type of blue moon. The fairies have to get the location of the Black Stag from a dwarf who keeps that specific secret because dwarves are masters of keeping secrets. The journey is very lyrical as the fairies travel through purple meadows, over rivers, through a Forgotten Forest, and through a white meadow. I would say this is very much like an idyllic fairy tale because fairy tale would be the best way to describe it. It is a good story for both kids and adults because I don't think we ever really outgrow these kinds of stories.

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An inset selection of color plates rounds out this easy-to-use guide accessible to gardeners of all skill and experience levels.

Orchids to Know and Grow
Thomas J. Sheehan , and Robert J. Black
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Miniature Orchids

ASIN: 081303065X

Book Description

"Orchids are easy to grow, but one doesn't grow orchids like a rose, a cactus, or an African violet; one grows an orchid like an orchid! This book debunks some of the hard-to-grow myths, gives cultural information, and does so in easy-to-understand language."--Robert J. Ferry, research associate, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

"A sure-fire guide for the novice grower and an excellent resource for the experienced orchidist. Painlessly integrates the botany and horticulture of the Orchid Family."--Paul Martin Brown, research associate, University of Florida Herbarium

Orchids have been collected and grown for commercial purposes for more than 150 years, but while these spectacular plants are ever more available to casual gardeners and hobbyists, many still regard selecting and caring for orchids beyond their abilities. This book has easy-to-read, clearly defined chapters on identifying, classifying, and cultivating orchids. Also included are descriptions and illustrations of more than 150 of the more commonly grown orchid genera. The descriptions in tabular, readable outlines make it easy to select plants by appearance as well as a variety of criteria, including genus, particular light or temperature requirements, native habitat, and flowering time.

Sheehan and Black also provide valuable tips on selecting good specimens to buy and on caring for them under a variety of conditions found in either home or greenhouse. For enthusiasts, they provide advice on preparing plants for exhibition as well as chapters on uses of orchids, orchid items as collectables, diseases, insects, physiological problems, and special growing arrangements such as greenhouses and shade structures. Especially valuable is the best and most complete illustrated glossary of orchid terminology on the market.

This informative, user-friendly guide will transform even the most casual orchid fan from admirer to collector and cultivator.

Customer Reviews:

An inset selection of color plates rounds out this easy-to-use guide accessible to gardeners of all skill and experience levels........2007-10-07

Professors emeritus of environmental horticulture Thomas J. Sheehan and Robert J. Black combine their talents and expertise in Orchids to Know and Grow, a user-friendly guide to identifying, classifying, and cultivating orchids. Packed with tips, tricks, and techniques for selecting optimum specimens and properly tending to them at home or in a greenhouse, Orchids to Know and Grow also offers an extensive selection of orchid genera, with each listing featuring a black-and-white sketch of the orchid as well as its genus, tribe, subtribe, etymology, native habitat, number of species, commonly grown species, list of what the plant hybridizes with, and its generic description, flowering season, and methods of being cultured. An inset selection of color plates rounds out this easy-to-use guide accessible to gardeners of all skill and experience levels.

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