Amazon.com
In 1927, Walter Evans-Wentz published his translation of an obscure Tibetan Nyingma text and called it the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Popular Tibetan teacher Sogyal Rinpoche has transformed that ancient text, conveying a perennial philosophy that is at once religious, scientific, and practical. Through extraordinary anecdotes and stories from religious traditions East and West, Rinpoche introduces the reader to the fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism, moving gradually to the topics of death and dying. Death turns out to be less of a crisis and more of an opportunity. Concepts such as reincarnation, karma, and bardo and practices such as meditation, tonglen, and phowa teach us how to face death constructively. As a result, life becomes much richer. Like Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Sogyal Rinpoche opens the door to a full experience of death. It is up to the reader to walk through. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
This acclaimed spiritual masterpiece is widely regarded as one of the most complete and authoritative presentations of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings ever written. A manual for life and death and a magnificent source of sacred inspiration from the heart of the Tibetan tradition, The Tibetan Book Of Living and Dying provides a lucid and inspiring introduction to the practice of meditation, to the nature of mind, to karma and rebirth, to compassionate love and care for the dying, and to the trials and rewards of the spiritual path.
Customer Reviews:
An extraordinary book........2007-10-04
"Just as if you put your finger into water, it will get wet, and if you put it into fire, it will burn, so if you invest your mind in the wisdom mind of the Buddha, it will transform into their wisdom nature."
Considered by many to be the most astute interpretation for Western culture of the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Tibetan Book of the Living, this contemporary classic by Sogyal Rinpoche blends ancient ideas of Tibetan Buddhism with a fresh perspective from a master who has spent a good deal of time teaching and lecturing in the West.
It is most moving to read his prologue especially, in which he deals with the death of his master, for which he was present. The great spiritual process of learning to die, before dying, as the secret to life, is explored in this section. Much of what is now being reflected upon in the new spirituality of Echart Tolle and others is covered here with clarity and a certain depth not found in other western spiritual classics.
On a personal note, I revisited this book after dealing with a lost love and found it to be the pure water of the dharma that I needed in order to overcome the horrors of such a loss. I would encourage anyone to read this amazing book, but especially those who are in a place of pain, hopelessness, or suffering in this very moment. Strike while the iron is hot! The terrible, clear light of grief is in fact a step into profound self-awareness. It was an honor to read Rinpoche and to be touched by his sincerity and clear mastery of the practice.
First most lifechanging book I've ever read.......2007-10-02
I reviewed the second most life changing book I've ever read, so I figured I should come back and review the first most life changing book I've ever read, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. After my husband died, I wanted to know what happened after you died. He was my one and only true love. When I read this book, I realized that Sogyal Rinpoche had some knowledge of what he was talking about, and this book had all the answers to the mystery of life and death for those with the wisdom to recognize it, and the determination to study and practice it. I read the book 3 times in a row right away right after I bought it.
A few years later after reading the book I joined Rigpa and took the classes they offered. After few years of practice, the cube farm way of life no longer made sense to me. So, much to the chagrin of all my relatives, I ditched my 6 figure Silicon Valley job to go work on a horse ranch by the beach!
Maybe the book should come with a warning label. Warning, this book could be hazardous to your income! Don't feel bad for me tho because I have a sweet IRA which I invest myself so I'm all set for retirement. You can feel jealous instead :-)
Actually, after some years of Buddhist practice, my clarity of mind has improved so I think if I ever had to go back to my old work, I would get all those enterprise-wide IT projects done better, faster, and everyone would have a lot more fun along the way.
Understandable at Last.......2007-08-23
This book makes a complex Buddhist belief understandable for most. The author illustrates principals with examples from his own life. Interspersed with poetry and songs, it is an insightful study on a most important subject.
Nice book.......2007-05-21
A well written book by an author who understands the Tibetan teachings of impermanence. This book is an easy read for the novice student of Budhism, but I wouldn't recommend picking it up as a complete beginner. The book is best suited for early students who are at the least familiar with Tibetan teachings and philosophies.
It is an excellent companion to the Tibetan Book of the dead as it will help clear up some of the things explained in that text in an easy to read and understand fashion. The author makes good use of personal stories, and conventional teachings, and helps to simplify a very demanding aspect of Buddhist study.
the tibetan book of living and dying.......2007-05-14
I find it hard to fully express how important this book is.
The subject may seem morbid but the contra is true, like the bardol thodol it stands alone in spiritual writings.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Chinese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Irish
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Augustine, Saint
| ( A )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Doctors & Medicine
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Lawyers & Criminals
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Love, Sex & Marriage
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Early Civilization
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Historiography
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asian American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Asian American
| Poetry
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Victorian
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Epic
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Chinese
| Classics
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Conspiracy Theories
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
War on Drugs
| Crime & Criminals
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Arabic
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Armenian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Czech
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Greek
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Hungarian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Korean
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Norwegian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Persian & Farsi
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Polish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Portuguese
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Romanian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Swedish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Turkish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Science
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Online Research
| Genealogy
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Native American
| Earth-Based Religions
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
History of Science
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Magic & Wizards
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Sailor Moon
| Popular Characters
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Pilates
| Exercise & Fitness
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Fashion
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
-
History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
-
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
-
Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
-
They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
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.
Customer Reviews:
China '66-67 vs USA '02-07.......2007-03-13
The parallels I see between the behaviour and actions shown by the Chinese Government in 1966-68 in this book regarding the "Cultural Revolution's Gang of Four" and the US government's use of the "Patriot's Act" toward US citizen's and prisoner's in Guantánamo to be frightfully and terrifyingly similar.
Read this book and make your own conclusions.
Unbelievable - great inside story of Cultural Revolution.......2007-03-04
Five stars. Top notch book by a victim of the Cultural Revolution. You wouldn't believe it if it was fiction. It's hard to believe as fact, but China is a lot different than the US, especially during the Mao years (1949 - 1976). This is a great look of an average "capitalist" citizen who has to struggle to survive.
I think this could actually go in the "Survival" genre. Most in that genre survive against nature, but a few (including Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" survive against brutal governments.
I haven't had a book keep me up late into the night for a while. Highly recommended to all.
begs one question.......2007-01-02
An excellent book in the vein of the creative memoir, reminiscent in this way of Karr's Liar's Club. Historical fiction at its best. Occasionally, however, the book feels a little Rocky Balboa, i.e. too epic and romantic in the self-heroizing of the narrator to be completely credible. One thing that is never explained is why the Red Guards would go to all this trouble with her, trying to get her to confess, when they were essentially not accountable to anyone for their actions and could just as well have taken her out and shot her if they felt like it, or those they seem to want her to betray. She seems to have some secret knowledge that they in fact won't do this, which she doesn't share with us, which takes away a lot of the boldness and daring from her standing up to them as she does. It's great Count of Monte Cristo stuff, but there seems no good reason for all the care they take with her, instead of either shooting her or just locking her up a la gulag and throwing away the key. Unless of course the Red Guards were really as retarded as they seem in the book.
Chinese Hardball.......2006-11-25
A philosopher suggested that anyone wanting to understand the American people should first learn the game of baseball. Similarly, it might be said that to begin to fathom the inscrutable Chinese, one would do well to first learn Go. Whereas, baseball requires strength, speed, agility, and quick thinking, to excel in the board game Go, only superior intelligence and great patience are required. In Go, power and speed, be they mental or physical, are of little import. There are no home runs in Go. In Life and Death in Shanghai, our real life heroine relies on her intelligence and patience in a seven year battle against tyranny. Amazingly, her story is told unemotionally. Bit by bit, as if placing Go stones, she explains her situation. Stripped of her belongings. Accused of spying. Separated from her daughter. Jailed. Tortured. Ill. Interrogated. Hemorrhaging. Losing teeth. Isolated. Released. Watched.
For every harrowing event she always seems to have an appropriate studied response. As vicarious observers, the esthetic of her performance is on a par with hearing Yehudi Menuhin in his prime. Whether its DiMag in the outfield, Dr. J. to the hoop, or Cheng in a "struggle" meeting, there are few experiences that can match the thrill of seeing a truly great artist perform at the top of their game.
Triumph of the Human Spirit.......2006-11-05
This may be one of the most important books I have ever read. The lessons within its pages are as much about a period of history in China as they are about the power and strength of the human character. I bought the book as one of many to provide me with insight into China's recent history and what I took away was so much more than that. Nien Cheng sets the bar high for standards of integrity, discipline and commitment to the self. I am grateful she shared her painful, though triumphant, story with the world. This should be required reading for anyone interested in Chinese culture, but also for anyone who welcomes inspiration to overcome life's hardships.
Amazon.com
By any standard, Inspector Chen Cao is a novelty in the world of police procedurals. A published poet and translator of American and English mystery novels, he has been assigned by the Chinese government, under Deng Xiaoping's cadre policy, to a "productive" job with the Special Cases Bureau of the Shanghai Police Department.
Shanghai in the mid-1990s is a city caught between reverence for the past and fascination with a tantalizing, market-driven present. When the body of a young "national model worker," revered for her adherence to the principles of the Communist Party, turns up in a canal, Chen is thrown into the midst of these opposing forces. As he struggles to unravel the hidden threads of this paragon's life, he finds himself challenging the very political forces that have guided his life since birth. With party-line-spouting superiors above him and detectives who resent his quick promotion beneath him, Chen finds himself wondering whether justice is a concept at all meaningful in late-20th-century China.
Death of a Red Heroine is a book hovering uneasily between the spheres of fiction and fact, creativity and didacticism. For much of the novel, author Qiu Xiaolong seems more intent on driving home the actions and consequences of the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath than on the slowly unfolding plot. Tedious repetitions of the fates, under Mao, of "educated youths" joust with both the actions of the detectives and Chen's "poetic" ruminations, which, unfortunately, are infected by precisely the stiffness and arbitrariness Qiu is at pains to decry in his historical passages. The moving couplets Chen favors are potentially fascinating insights into the interaction between ancient and modern China, but instead of provoking the reader into reflection, Qiu offers reductive explanations of each and every poem.
The moments when Qiu concentrates on invoking atmosphere are both illuminating and rewarding: Detective Yu's wife's pride and pleasure in having brought home a dozen crabs at "state price" are movingly well crafted, all the more so because Qiu seems almost unaware of what he is doing. Rather than lecturing on the economic dilemmas of the modern worker, he lets Peiqin's simple happiness speak for itself. In the last quarter of the book, Qiu seems to find his stride, though his writing style remains undeniably awkward. Here Chen expands and relaxes, and with him, the novel. Qiu's debut, though anything but polished, holds the promise of better things to come. --Kelly Flynn
Book Description
Murder in Shanghai in the '90s presents Inspector Chen with a difficult choice.
The victim, Guan Hongying, was a National Model Worker, a celebrity of utmost probity. But perhaps her personal life was not so pristine. Inspector Chen Cao, a published poet and translator of T. S. Eliot, who has been assigned to head the Shanghai Police Bureau's Special Case Squad, is urged by his superiors to consider the political implications of his investigation. Commissar Zhang, an old bureaucrat, doesn't want Chen to peer under any stones. Does Chen dare to persevere?
Contemporary China is a society in turmoil. Faithful old party members, forced to retire, have lost prestige and perquisites; the new capitalists are on the rise. Still ensconced on top of the ladder are the High Cadres and, even above them, the HCC-High Cadre Children-their privileged status analogous to that of medieval princes. Chen is romantically interested in a newspaperwoman whose background would damage his prospects. He relinquished his former Beijing girlfriend as soon as he learned that she was the daughter of a Politburo member, thus far above his reach. Now, if Guan's murderer is to be punished, Chen must invoke her influence by rekindling the old flame. Or else a murderer may go unpunished.
Customer Reviews:
More than Just a Compelling Mystery Novel.......2007-09-06
"Mainland China," "compelling detective story," and "Chinese mystery writer" are not word combiations that one would expect to see often together in print, but Qiu Xiaolong's compelling DEATH OF A RED HEROINE justifies their joint appearance at least this once. Born in Shanghai but living in the U.S. since 1989, Mr. Qiu (pronounced "cho," rhymes with Joe) is now a professor of Chinese literature at Washington University in St. Louis. While he pens his stories in English, his heart is clearly in Shanghai, so much so that this most Western of mainland Chinese cities virtually becomes a character in his book.
Qiu's story revolves around a young woman's body found stuffed into a black plastic bag in a small canal about 20 miles outside of Shanghai. The discovery is phoned into the Shanghai Police Bureau, where the call is taken by Detective Yu Guangming of the Homicide Divisions special (as in politically sensitive) case squad. Detective Yu's superior, the up-and-coming Inspector Chen Cao (as much a poet and Tang Dynasty poetry enthusiast as he is a detective) ultimately decides that he and Yu will pursue the case in its early stages until they see how it develops. As it turns out, theirs is the perfect place for the case to be assigned - the body is discovered to be that of Guan Hongying, a sales clerk at the Shanghai Number One Department store and nationally known as one of the Communist Party's select group of "model workers."
By far the bulk of the story concerns Chen's and Yu's efforts to peer into Guan Hongying's intensely private life and find a reason for her murder. The arc of the novel follows predictable mystery novel lines - discovery, autopsy, identification, more discovery, witnesses, suspects, more discovery, motives, applied leverage, proof, and resolution. Yet while traversing this path, author Qiu sheds fascinating light on numerous aspects of modern life in mainland China. His story opens a door onto the workings of the Communist Party and its founding cadres (and their children). As well, he ushers readers into the whirlwinds of societal and even physical change swarming through Shanghai, contrasting the disappearing lifestyles and personalities of old Shanghai with that of the new city exhibited in Pudong and along the teeming shopping districts of Nanjing and Huihai Roads. To his even greater credit, Qiu takes us into his detectives' homes and daily lives, particularly that of Yu Guangming and his family.
Much like Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko (GORKY PARK, WOLVES EAT DOGS, STALIN'S GHOST), Qiu's Inspector Chen is intelligent and intuitive without being flashy. Outwardly, both Renko and Chen appear to their compatriots as dogged loners, unbending and resolute in their determination to solve the case and bring "the truth" to light, whatever the personal and political cost to themselves and their careers. Both authors have created charming, Columbo-like heroes whose foibles, talents, and persistence make them remarkably sympathetic to the reader.
DEATH OF A RED HEROINE is a thoroughly entertaining story that secondarily serves as an outstanding window into the life and culture of mainland China. Having lived in Suzhou, China off and on for several years and visited nearby Shanghai many times, I can attest that Mr. Qiu's characterizations of Chinese life and the sense of atmosphere he creates in his writing are spot on. This book is enjoyable both as a mystery novel and as an armchair tourist's look into mainland Chinese life.
China.......2007-08-23
This is an outstanding book which weaves the commercialization of the PRCand a murder mystery Ch into the continuing dominance of the People's party leadership.
A New Star.......2007-08-02
Qiu Xiaolong is one of the most exciting writers working today. He takes an immensely fertile environment -- the corruption, cronyism, and rapid change of present-day China and puts into it an ethical cop who is also a poet and a translator of American mystery novels. Chen is one of the great new characters in detective fiction: complex, conflicted, stubborn, absolutely committed to doing his job the best he can, despite the immense pressures on him to keep the blame away from the rich and influential, where it most often belongs. All the books are brilliantly plotted, fast-paced, packed with vivid characters, and full of fascinating ethical dilemmas. You can't go wrong with any of them. As someone who writes about Asia himself, I recommend every single one of the Inspector Chen novels. They'll take you into a different world, and in the company of a remarkable character.
A good read.......2007-05-02
Having just read this book (May, 2007) I'm a bit late to the party. I bought a copy speculating that it might be a good series (or at least not the typical mystery that I usually read) and I was very, very pleased.
Set in the critical early years of the transition of China from communit to free market, this is as much a review of Chinese society of the time as it is a detective novel. The characters are likable, the plot sound, and the setting leaves you wondering how anything could get done in a fluid political and social setting as Shanghai resides. But rest assured Inspector Chen delivers, finds the bad guy, and can still look at himself in the mirror when it is all done.
All accomplished pretty much without hidden codes, high speed chases, blazing gunfights, or some sex kitten extravaganza.
It satisfied me enough to buy "A Loyal Character Dancer" (second in the series) and I'm enjoying it as well.
So if you need a change of pace from your cozy or hard-boiled mystery reading, Qiu Xiaolong takes you to a totally foreign setting (for an American) for a very satisfactory tale of crime.
Interesting.......2007-03-16
It's a bit overwritten but it's much more than a simple who-done-it. It captures the strange limbo that China was in between the control of the old guard of Chairman Mao and the freer time begun by Deng Xiaopeng. The characterizations are strong. And Shanghai is described with visceral accuracy. I'm looking forward to reading another Chief Inspector Chen mystery.
Product Description
`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.
Customer Reviews:
Check and see.......2007-06-21
I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.
Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22
Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.
Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05
We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:
a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;
b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;
c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.
Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:
It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.
- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.
- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.
Fomenko goes by the following axioms:
- Chronology is the basis of history;
- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;
- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;
- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;
- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;
- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.
Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?
The Russians:
Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.
The Westerners:
Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.
The Chinese:
Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.
The Arabs:
Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.
The Divinity:
Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.
According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.
St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."
Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09
After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.
However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:
- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.
I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.
The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.
It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?
Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.
Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30
If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?
Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.
Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..
Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.
Book Description
Nominated for both an Agatha and an Anthony Award, Susan Wittig Albert's novels featuring ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles have won acclaim for their rich characterization and witty, suspenseful stories of crime and passion in small-town Texas.
In her first mystery, China's friend Jo dies of an apparent suicide. China searches behind the quaint façade of Pecan Springs and takes a suspicious look at everyone. Though she finds lots of friendly faces, China is sure that behind one of them hides the heart of a killer.
Customer Reviews:
thyme of death.......2007-05-30
This book truly was better than the average cozy. The main character, China Bayles, has much room to grow, which I am sure happens throughout the series. The plot was actually well written and interesting. China didn't jump to conclusions, which is probably b/c she is an ex-lawyer. Too many times in cozies, the heroine jumps to a conclusion, early on, that the reader knows is erroneous. China is actually a smart and real heroine.
The information about herbs was the icing on the cake and made the series that much more enjoyable. Definitely recommended for lovers of cozies.
It's all in the details..........2007-04-11
This one was a book club selection, and it was enjoyable, with plenty of twists and turns (though not all of them unexpected). The main character was likable enough, for an ex-lawyer. The one mystery I became absorbed with was not intended to be the focal point of the story. But I became obsessed with finding when the book was set. It was written in a very unspecific, late 20th century setting. But towards the end, they make reference to a football game, and a score. A somewhat plausible one, even, if you start with the given time of 11:45, add in the `five minutes later`s and some extra time for the action, and arrive at `middle of the first quarter.' Teams (Packers and Cowboys) and a score (21-3, GB) are even given, though it is not mentioned if it is a home or away game. The copyright date of the book is 1992, so I set about looking for a plausible year (I researched back into the 70's, anything further than that would not have fit because of the technology, etc). Green Bay and Dallas played each other twice in 1989 (Oct and Dec) and once in 1991 (Oct). Given that it was mentioned that the last days of summer were fading, and there was no mention of an impending Christmas holiday, I ruled the December game out. 1991 is out, because the final score was 20-17, Dallas, and in this game GB had already scored 21. In 1989 the game ended 13-31, GB, and that is a possible outcome of the given score. So I determined, given the facts, that this fiction story set in a fictional town took place the week of October 8, 1989.
A Sublime Series.......2007-03-24
I was fortunate enough to pick up the first book in the series, and am reading them all in sequence. The "China Bayles" series is so distinctly refreshing that I'm gobbling them down like peanuts! The books take place in the fictional Texas town of Pecan Springs, and I guarantee that after you've read a few (or even one)you'll want to move there. The writing is intimate and cozy, informative and interesting.
Ms. Albert is an extremely talented author. Her characters easily come alive, and I suspect she lives with them and understands them inside and out. The voices are strong and always even. Within the series as a whole, she takes them upon a life's journey. They grow and change, learn and discover things about themselves. There is nothing static about them, which I find quite unique in a mystery series. There's a lightness to the novels, a natural humor that shines through each and every one, no matter how grim the circumstances. China herself is a complex and yet easily identifiable character, a strong, independent woman who was once an attorney but who has given up that career, that rat race, to settle in a small Texas town where she now owns and operates a shop wherein she sells herbs and other natural products. She is complemented by her friend, six-foot Ruby Wilcox, who owns the New Age shop next door. China has a beau, Mike McQuaid, a former Houston detective, now a lecturer on criminology at the local college. We are introduced to numerous townspeople, each with their own place and story, all woven skillfully into each book.
I have only one complaint, and it has nothing to do with the writing. The type face used by the publisher is not easy on the eyes, and the italics are odd enough to distract. That, however, has no bearing on what Ms. Albert has fashioned.
The China Bayles series is first-class entertainment, a pleasure to read, snd no reader would be disappointed in this well-crafted and well-written string of books. I would recommend them highly.
My new favorite mystery series.......2006-08-31
This book is not her best, but it was good enough to make me order the rest. I am glad I did, because they get more entrancing with each story. Don't misunderstand me, I do love this book. I just love each new one more than the last.
There are no rough areas, it is easy to suspend reality and immerse yourself in Susan Wittig Albert's books. In fact after buying my own, I scoured used book stores to find copies to loan my friends.
The characters are lively and engaging, as well as being believably human. The mysteries are easy to follow, but not too easy to solve. In short, these are very worthy books for those times when you need something to take your mind off of everything else.=)
Don't start here..........2006-04-18
While this is the first book of this series - and therefore has an important place in the series - I would recommend not to start here. I really think China takes some getting used to - and she really mellows throughout the series. I think you get a better sense of the series and characters by picking up a later book to start this series with. And then come back to this one and read it as part of the series. You'll like China better that way. The plot of Jo's death and investigation are decent, but not Albert's best work.
Average customer rating:
- rueful death: a china bayles mystery
- China goes on a retreat
- China Bayles on retreat?
- Get thee to a nunnery!
- I agree, Not Her Best
|
Rueful Death: A China Bayles Mystery
Susan Wittig Albert
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Series
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Women Sleuths
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Albert, Susan Wittig
| ( A )
| Authors, A-Z
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
( A )
| Authors, A-Z
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Series
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Women Sleuths
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Love Lies Bleeding: A China Bayles Mystery
-
Rosemary Remembered (China Bayles Mystery)
-
Chile Death: A China Bayles Mystery
-
Hangman's Root (China Bayles Mystery)
-
Lavender Lies: A China Bayles Mystery
ASIN: 0425159418 |
Customer Reviews:
rueful death: a china bayles mystery.......2007-05-14
very good almost as good as carvic and braun
China goes on a retreat.......2004-08-18
Herb-shop owner China Bayles is worn out after the Christmas season, and living with her boyfriend McQuaid and his son Brian has caused its own stress in her life. Because of this China eagerly agrees to accompany her ex-nun friend Maggie on a retreat to the monastary where Maggie used to be. She anticipates two weeks of quiet, solitude, and the opportunity to meditate on the course she wants her life to take. When she arrives, she finds things to be very different than she had pictured. The monastary had been heavily endowed by the wealthy woman who donated the land and she intended for it to be used to house the nuns and to grow a special kind of garlic. Recently the old convent had been merged with another group of nuns and the new group wants to build a large meeting center with all the amenities. The sisters are deadlocked over this issue and it is causing strife between the two factions. Soon, disturbing letters are being sent to the nuns and some fires wreak havoc in the convent. Also some items begin to disappear and two elderly nuns die mysteriously. If this isn't enough, China encounters an old boyfriend from the days when she was an attorney in Houston. She is sorely tempted to resume her relationship with him, despite her attachment to McQuaid. All of these things cause a tangled web of intrigue which China unravels, after a few false starts. In a long-running series like this, it's always refreshing to have the books move to another setting from time to time. This is another good read from Susan Wittig Albert.
China Bayles on retreat?.......2002-04-10
In Rueful Death, China finds herself involuntarily and unwittingly tricked into using her amateau detective skills. China has decided to take a two-week retreat at St. T's convent in order to wind down from the busy holidays. While there, she is asked to look into a series of fires. This book is different from Albert's others in such that you don't really want to choose a suspect, because who wants to think that a nun, or anybody working at a convent, is behind all the trouble? China also happens to run into a hunky ex-beau that she knew from her lawyer days. China doesn't get much rest on this retreat, but she does catch the firebug. Pretty much par for course in this series.
Get thee to a nunnery!.......2001-07-07
China has survived the Christmas rush at her herb shop but is sadly in need of some private time. So off she goes to a nunnery! Together with her friend Maggie, she heads off to a remote nunnery where the sisters grow amazing garlic. Instead of the peace and quiet she longs for, China finds herself embroiled in a contentious power struggle between two groups of nuns working to combine two disparate orders into one. As the sister's jockey for position, fires break out and several mysterious deaths occur. If that wasn't enough, China runs into an old beau and the heat is still there. As she works to solve the nunnery mystery she is making major life choices for herself. Once again, I enjoyed the ride and learned more about herbs and gardening.
I agree, Not Her Best.......2001-04-13
I was so excited to find this series, and I've enjoyed all the books so far. I enjoyed this one too, but it was not her best. I really missed Ruby. We only see her at the beginning, and there were no real harmless eccentrics in this one, and I think that is what Ms. Albert does so well. Also, the mysteries were a little simple compared to her other plots. I will continue to read the series because I love China Bayles so much. I'm also curious to see what she does with her life after she has reflected in the nunnery.
Average customer rating:
- unforgetable
- Perfect, uplifting story for age 6+ explaining death and rebirth
- WONDROUS
- my new favorite book
- Wonderful perspective on death
|
The Mountains of Tibet
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Asia
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Other
| Fiction
| Religions
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Death & Dying
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Gerstein, Mordicai
| ( G )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
( G )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
| Galdone, Paul
| George, Jean Craighead
| Gibbons, Gail
| Grahame, Kenneth
| Gutman, Dan
Asia
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Death & Dying
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Other
| Fiction
| Religions
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Asia
| History
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told
-
A Pebble for Your Pocket
-
Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents (The Little Light of Mine Series)
-
Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas
-
The Wild Boy
ASIN: 0064432114 |
Book Description
`This story of the death and reincarnation of a Tibetan woodcutter is a beautifully gentle look at one human being dealing with life's choices and possibilities.' —SLJ. `The impact of its peaceful message will reverberate long after the last page is read.' —H.
Outstanding Children's Books of 1987 (NYT)
Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1987 (NYT)
Notable 1987 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1988 Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)
1987 Choices: The Year's Best Books (Publishers Weekly)
1987 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
Customer Reviews:
unforgetable.......2007-07-22
I checked this out of the library and read it when I was 4 and have loved it ever since. It's one of those "must-have" books. It's a children's book but adults can enjoy it as well. The idea of the book is very sophistocated but can be easily understood by kids due to the simple language and color artwork.
Perfect, uplifting story for age 6+ explaining death and rebirth.......2007-07-13
Gorgeous illustrations and a truly beautiful story make this book a rare treasure in Children's literature. A valuable addition to the book collection of Buddhist parented children. Explains the process of death and rebirth/reincarnation in a gentle and interesting way. Not weird at all and so suitable for children of non-Buddhist background as well as it provides an valuable insight as to how Buddhism/other belief systems explain death and the afterlife.
WONDROUS .......2007-03-17
I asked friends who practices Buddhism about any books that they could recommend that I could gift to a young friend who lost a companion very unexpectedly. Although they said that the content does not strictly follow Buddhist principles they suggested it with rave reviews. I was intrigued by the delicate simple manner of the story and noticed an interesting element in the illustrations ( read it to discover for yourself!)The story seems to soften the sadness of losing a loved one, reminds the reader of how dying is a part of living and raises hope that there is life after. It also beautifully narrates how fulfilling and rich a simple life can be. The illustrations are soft and enchanting like the story and the ending is all embracing....
my new favorite book.......2007-02-09
I LOVE this book. My 10 year old LOVES it as well. We both had big smiles in our hearts after reading it. This book is about reincarnation and the connection we have with ourselves.
~Shauna Schoenborn
Wonderful perspective on death.......2006-11-03
Whether or not you believe in the Buddhist concept of rebirth, this is a lovely story that offers a gentle, comforting perspective on what happens to us after we die. We have read this book over and over again.
Book Description
Now readers can join China Bayles in ten puzzling cases-and get a taste of her world. This delightful collection features loads of wonderful herbal tidbits on everything from rosemary to feverfew to catnip; recipes for such to-die-for dishes as a Deadly Chocolate Valentine, Ruby's Applesauce Mint Bread, China's Five-Spice Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry, and McQuaid's Tex Mex-and a host of creative ideas for garden and home. It's a one-of-a-kind collection featuring a one-of-a-kind sleuth-who's worth spending some "quality thyme" with!
Customer Reviews:
Scrumptious Mysteries and Tasty Tid-Bits...Double Your Reading Pleasure.......2007-01-20
"An Unthymely Death, and other Garden Mysteries" by Susan Wittig Albert has ten of the China Bayles scrumptious mysteries to have fun with. The short stories have China and pal Ruby Wilcox sleuthing mysterious happenings in their little town of Pecan Springs, Texas. All cleverly involve some sort of herb, flower or food, as China an ex lawyer,and Ruby run the specialty shops "Thyme and Season Herbs" and "The Crystal Cave"( a new age shop) respectively, along with a joint venture, "Thyme for Tea", a lovely little tea room. These gals get sidetracked by all kinds of strange goings-on. They solve the crimes and save the day for many of the town's residents, filled with specialty gardeners and wonderful cooks.
Finding the answers to murders, thefts, missing people, and sinister plots, are all part of a day's work for these two. Even the local police turn to them for help. The stories are deliciously fun and always have spicy, quirky, and well named characters. The theme of each story always stars some herb or spice, flower or food as the main character, and often have a seasonal twist. These tasty little stories include: "An Unthymely Death", "The Khat Who Became a Hero"(China's cat is missing, and has left it's trail through the town gardens), The Rosemary Caper", "Ivy's wild, Wonderful Weeds", "Death of a Rustler", "Mustard Madness"(this was a fun story of 2 old geezers who competed every year for the best made mustard", "The Pennyroyal Plot", "A Violet Death" , "A Deadly Chocolate Valentine", and "Bloom Where You Are Planted". Each a great way to pass the time, and try to follow the clues along with China and Ruby.
There is more to this book though, then these fun, light mystery stories. The fabulous gems to be found within these pages are all the flavorful side bars and tid-bits sprinkled through the stories that Ms. Albert has included. Tantalizing recipes, used by the characters in the stories; Curry and Cardamom Cookies, Genevieve Shultz's Grilled Chicken with Rosemary-Mustard Marinade, Myra Merryweather's Rosemary and Ripe Olive Pesto and Cordially Yours: Ruby's Cranberry-Orange Cordial are just a few among them that may make your mouth water, and get you all kinds of kudos for your cooking, all using home-grown herbs, seeds, fruits, etc. You'll also find many many gardening tips, craft ideas, lore and history relating to healing herbs and dozens of other sweet ideas and natural remedies!
10 delicious stories with bonus tips on page after page....solve the crimes along with China and then enjoy some of the tasty tid-bits inside!....Enjoy.....Laurie
A Mental Buffet!.......2006-07-05
If you love going to a buffet and choosing things that are sumptuous and delicious then you will love this China Bayles diversion. Take it on vacation - read it when you take a bath - skip around - there are stories, receipes, herbal lore, rose beads to make, potpourri --- everything on a mental smorgasbord. You will enjoy this book as a diversion from everything. Buy and enjoy!
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW.......2006-03-11
AN UNTHYMELY DEATH is Wittig Albert's "break" from her regular China Bayles series. This is a collection of short stories that have more recipes and herboidal facts than real honed plots. Fans of the series will enjoy the little "mysteries" which range from robbery to murder, but they're not intricately plotted. Albert is wise in that regard; how many murders can a little town little Pecan Creek have? Most of the stories focus on China and Ruby with only one having McQuaid involved. For fans only.
Hunting and Hinting, Texas Style.......2004-11-28
Susan Wittig Albert, author of the beloved China Bayles mysteries, and the often insightful "Lifescapes" blog on the internet, has given us a collection of ten short stories featuring her good humored herbalist sleuth. Pecan Springs is a small town, filled with small town folk and lots of good eating. In the ten cases assembled here, China solves the problem of who wtole the cookbook of out the Guild, and what happened to the cat, cutely named KHAT. When she does, she discovers a new member of the community, Ivy O'Toole, who is sort of a heavyset woman but one who knows a lot about herbs.
There isn't that much in the book about Mike McQuaid, China's new handsome hubby, but readers who like Mike will appreciate the glimpses we get into his private life. There is a more "adult" case about a man who feels he has been "stalked" and whose answering machine turns into a valuable clew in the mystery of the poisoned brownies. It is sort of like FATAL ATTRACTION, with a Pecan Springs twist. In addition, there are lots of little sidebars about herbs and how herbs can make your life better. As China suggests, planting a fragrance garden near your porch is a nice way to let their fragrance comfort you in times of loss or inspire you to help out a neighbor or two. She suggests planting carmint, chamomile, clove pink, lavender, lemon balm and nine more, winding up with violets (alphabetical order, but i think they'd look pretty that way). When spring comes there I'll be on my knees outside my porch, learning to live again. These tales, some of which were originally available on the internet, are here expanded and made a lot better by SWA's indefatigable storytelling flair.
A "must have" for any China Bayles fan!.......2003-07-30
I have just discovered the wonderful novels by Susan Wittig Albert, and I am playing catch-up trying to read all the past installment of the China Bayles saga.
Imagine my delight upon finding this delightful collection of short stories.
I love that these stories are a great deal more light-hearted than the usual serious themes found in the book length tales. Albert features all the familiar characters from her series, including China, her best friend Ruby, police chief Shelia Dawson, and of course, China's new husband Mike McQuaid. She also brings in a few new characters that have not appeared in any previously published mysteries to join in the fun.
I also love the many herbal tips and recipes that appear sprinkled throughout the book.
For fans of Albert's series, this collection is a "must have"!
Customer Reviews:
Women in 17th Century Chinese Society.......2004-01-27
In The Death of Woman Wang, Jonathan A. Spence wrote about a rural place in China named T'an-ch'eng. Using the compilations of The Local History of T'an-ch'eng, the memoirs from a scholar official, and third, the works of an essayist known as P'u Sung-ling, Spence informs us about the ways of the government (or lack thereof), agriculture, circumstances and situations of several characters, and most evident, the portrayal of women in China at the time. Indeed women were considered of lesser value than men, but there is much more to be found in that belief. There were certain elements that made a woman "virtuous and honourable," along with many other things expected from them . To be considered a success in her feminine role, a woman would have to do many things; if she was unable to surpass such challenges, the laws and customs of Chinese society were enacted.
Although the women in 17th century China were considered inferior to men, some women were also thought to be superior to other women. The superior woman, or ideal woman, was she who was "virtuous and honourable." The correct female behaviour included the virtues of "chastity, courage, tenacity, and unquestioning acceptance of the prevailing hierarchy - unto death if necessary" (pg. 100). First there was great emphasis on the loyalty of the wife, before marriage and even after the husband's death. Before a couple was married, the girl would have to live at her future in-law's house, which would give an extra helping hand. On the other hand, should a woman lose her husband, she is encouraged to remarry. Many women were quite loyal to their first, and so refused to remarry. Women would commonly run away, disfigure their face, or even commit suicide in order not to be disloyal to their first husband. Women were expected never to commit adultery, and could be severely punished. Men, however, were not shunned as women were. A wife's body was sacred to her marriage; along with not committing adultery, a woman was also expected to use her intelligence to outwit the "voracious soldiers" and bandits from taking and raping her body (pg. 104). Intelligence was also part of being an honourable woman, such as when a young widow leaves her own son with husband's family to return to her won widowed mother and bring up her brothers (pg. 62).
To be considered prevailing at her feminine role, a Chinese woman was expected to overcome many obstacles. With a deceased husband, the husband's family would encourage the widow to remarry so that they could regain his possessions. Relatives would sometimes "strip her home and family to the bones" (pg. 70). Despite the challenge of greedy relatives, some women, like woman Kao (pg.71) were able to overcome it. Woman Kao certainly struggled, but the harder things were the more upright she was; her son in turn was also brought up principled like her. Raising her children was another challenge by not having the father to bring in not only income, but also to bring up the sons to learn how to run the family's business affairs and to help them pass the examinations. In bringing up her boys, one a step-son, Hsi-liu was a determined wife as well as a determined mother. So that her boys would learn from their mistakes she gave up her reputation. Public opinion was weighed heavy on many women, and the people around Hsi-liu thought of her as cruel. Her boys turned out quite disciplined in the end (pg. 68-70).
Chinese society placed customs and laws to punish women if they were not successful at overcoming such obstacles. Despite not being content in a marriage, women were expected to remain loyal to the husband and to stay with him. Should the wife run away, like Woman Wang, she would automatically be considered a criminal, she "was classified as a fugitive and subject to a punishment of one hundred blows" (pg. 120). A husband was also considered justified if he was to kill his wife or the adulterer if he caught them in the act. If he waited and did not kill them immediately, the husband was not justified. If the wife returned after running away, the husband was to entitled to keep her. In the case of Woman Wang, her husband Jen took her back, but brutally killed her. Because Chinese society placed so much power in the hands of one gender at the expense of another, tragedies like the cruel death of Woman Wang were inevitable. An illegitimate child was greatly shunned, as much as adultery. In the story of the girl Tou and her father's friend Nan, Nan falls for her and swears his eternal faithfulness to her. Since she was a peasant and Nan was offered a rich wife, he took his words back. Tou became pregnant, but Nan denied to her father that it was his. Her father beat her and kicked her out of the hou
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Mystical Classics of the World)
Glimpse After Glimpse: Daily Reflections on Living and Dying
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Meditation (A Little Book of Wisdom)
Awakening the Buddha Within : Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
