Books on Cassette Books - Page 15

The Bronze Bow

Elizabeth George Speare, Mary Woods

Amazon Price: $39.95 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Blackstone Audiobooks Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $6.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( S ) -> Speare, Elizabeth George
Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> Fiction -> Ancient Civilizations
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Explore the World -> Fiction -> Middle East

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 96 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

planning to read it again 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an interesting read for kids over the age of 10, and for adults as well. The main character depicts a Jewish teenager named Daniel living at the same time as Jesus. Daniel is very disturbed over the Roman occupation of Israel and the death of his parents. The book provides an excellent forum to teach children about religious tolerance and getting along with others. The characters are complex, allowing for deep literary analysis, and the historical context is educational, something that adolescents will associate with, given their background in world history. The story is both endearing and stimulating, with an active plot. My 11 year old is planning to read it again.

5 stars is not enough! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

There are a great deal of "Young Adult Fiction" books that I didn't get around to reading at the "right age." The Bronze Bow is one such book. I didn't read it until I was out of college and had a better understanding of the Jewish faith and customs, and I wondered what had taken me so long. This book is wonderful! It presents an accurate picture of everyday life in early Christian Jerusalem and reveals how family tragedy can scar young lives. Daniel's hatred of the Romans is an obssessive passion; it consumes him to the extent that he cuts himself off from other people and future relationships that he could have. "It is Roman blood I want!" he says and he lives for the day when the last Roman is driven from the land. He sees his relationsips with others, his feelings for his girlfriend Thacia, his sister Leah, and his friend Sampson as his "weakness", something to hold him back from this goal he is trying to reach, and he continually shuts them out, though he is very lonely and unhappy when doing so. Only when he is alone and everyone is slipping away from him does he realize that hatred will not fill the emptiness in his heart.

I have always enjoyed Biblical fiction and am presently working on a book of my own. When I knew that this took place in early Christian times, I grabbed it right away! The unusual thing is that it ends before the
Crucifiction, leaving readers to wonder how the characters of this story will react to it. It beautifully illustrates Christian truths, the power of love over hatred and the power to do all things, even impossible things, with God's help. A treat for fans of Biblical and historical fiction!

Editorial Review:

In this Newberry Medal-winning novel, Daniel bar Jamin is fired by only one passion: to avenge his father's death by crucifixion by driving the Roman legions from his land of Isreal.

This Present Darkness

Frank E. Peretti

Amazon Price: $12.47 List Price: $15.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tyndale Audio Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $7.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General AAS
Subjects -> Mystery & Thrillers -> Thrillers -> Suspense

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 222 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Gross Ignorance and scare mongering at it's worst 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book shows a complete and utter ignorance of the spiritual realm. Worse still, it targets another religon, and makes it out to be evil, and the cause of all the said towns problems. Religious intolerance is the ONLY evil in this book! And I am so grateful to God that the spirit realm is none of the tripe, that this book purports. Nothing is more harmful than ignorance, except for the fear it creates. Surely the burning of innocent people at the stake, in the dark ages, by the church, should have taught us all, that religious ignorance, superstition and fear of the spiritual, only causes pain, suffering, religious wars and death! And then tell me where the real evil lies.

Editorial Review:

Ashton is just a typical small town. But when a skeptical reporter and a pastor begin to compare notes, they suddenly find themselves fighting a hideous plot to subjugate the townspeople--and eventually the entire human race. A riveting thriller, This Present Darkness offers a fascinating glimpse into the unseen world of spiritual warfare.

How People Grow: What the Bible Reveals about Personal Growth

Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend

List Price: $17.99 By: Zondervan Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $4.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General AAS
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Bibles -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Important reference work 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

How People Grow is an easily accessible, Biblically-centered, psychologically-deep, and thorough overview of the growth process. I have read through this book twice and refer to it sporadically to refresh my memory on various parts of the growth process and, in my work with college students, urge them to read the book. I have found that living out and sharing its insights has helped me in every area of life, from becoming a more effective evangelist to developing stronger work habits. My main challenge in reading it is owning up to how misguided my understanding of the growth process has been, how I have subsequently misled others, repenting of these mistakes, and seeking to think and live differently in the future. It is a book that speaks to deep issues in a grace-filled but challenging way.

Editorial Review:

This audio edition shows how the Bible relates to growth; how growth is not about actualization, but about sanctification; what has to happen for growth to occur; and what the Bible teaches about the responsibilities of the church and the responsibilities of the individual.  This audio edition gives gatekeepers (pastors, recovery leaders, lay leaders, paraprofessionals) tools to help people resolve issues of relationships, maturity, emotional problems, and overall spiritual growth.  Read by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.

Tao Te Ching

Lao Tsu, Jacob Needleman

List Price: $16.95 By: Audio Literature Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $8.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Eastern -> Taoism
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worse than worthless. 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 27 people found this review helpful.

The tao teaches the virtue and power of being empty with no desire. It's just an ancient crowd control formula.

"Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that
their use depends." Use to who? To those who would use you, of course.

"Always without desire we must be found"

Think about it. How many truly great non-mythical people that you're aware of fit that profile? Feynman? Beethoven? D H Lawrence? Cezanne? Michelangelo? the Williams sisters?

Beyond brilliant 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Tao Te Ching..meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. Certainly , the book that has had the most profound positive influence on my life.

If you are like me, you may be wondering should I get this particular version, and how does it compare with other versions like the Stephen Mitchell, Wayne Dyer and Jonathan Star versions, or even the Ursula Le Guin version.

No matter how great a writer you think Jane English is, she did not write the Tao, yet her rendition is consistent with the best versions I have read. The distinguishing trait of English's version is the photos and graphics, and this version is coffee table size.

My personal favorite version is the Stephen Mitchell version. The Tao is wise, paradoxical, counterinituitive, puzzling, fascinating, mysterious, inspiring, amazing and true. These concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing things by not striving is allowing a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action.

The Jane English version also has a regular size 25th Anniversary version which is the version I own.

One of the Jonathan Star versions has Chinese symbols at the back, with multiple meanings of each symbol. This is a great idea, which allows you to come up with your own version of the Tao, and would really open up your thinking on the Tao.

If you are like me, then as you read you discover the wisdom
like a raw jewel which you shape into a glittering diamond. That is the brilliance of the book.

The Tao is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.


81 chapters, all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood. Here is a selection from verse 81 to illustrate the difference between different versions.

True words aren't eloquent;
Eloquent words aren't true;
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
Men who need to prove their point aren't wise.

A different version might substitute the word beautiful for eloquent.

You can feel comfortable buying the Jane English version, or any of these other versions.

The Ursula Le Guin version, I liked her take on verse 1, but I did not find it as useful on other verses, and felt if did not really capture the Tao as well as these other versions. You might feel differently.

I also recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which is another classic book of wisdom, and The Dhammapada featuring the succinct teachings of the Buddha. For more Taoist writing, I recommend the Way of Chuang Tzu, by Thomas Merton. You will discover many parallels with the Tao, and he is also an incredible story teller.

If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.

Editorial Review:

A classic text for Eastern philosophies, dating from possibly as early as the 6th century B.C., advocating simplicity and peacefulness as a way of coping with stress and chaos. 2 cassettes.

Forgiven (Firstborn Series-Baxter 2, Book 2)

Karen Kingsbury

Amazon Price: $19.95 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Brilliance Audio Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $9.51

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> United States -> General
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> United States -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Deadly Accident
The Christian Kids Theater group is devastated by a tragedy greater than any of them could’ve imagined. Now their director, Katy Hart, must find a way to walk the kids through their grief and give them a reason to believe again. But will hatred and revenge have the final word?

An Aching Emptiness
Dayne Matthews is at the top of the Hollywood list, working on what could be his best movie yet. Still, he is empty and unfocused, aching for real love and the family he’ll never know. Then a friend tells him about a teaching center and a way to become like God. Is this the answer Dayne’s been searching for?

A Shocking Discovery
John Baxter reconnects with an old friend and shares a buried secret, one that he and his wife shared all their married lives. Now - in his wife’s honor - he decides to continue a very special search. But in the process he makes a critical mistake. What will happen when one of his daughters stumbles onto a letter she was never supposed to see? In this season for the Baxters, grace and redemption will play a greater role than ever before.

These High, Green Hills (The Mitford Years, Book 3)

List Price: $16.95 By: Penguin Audio Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $0.10

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Literary
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Praiseworthy & Full of Verdure 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Having just finished this third installment of the boxed set, I offer the following assessment: First, I usually avoid revealing plots or nuggets about the books I read for reviews and so I'll just stick with generalities here. With some humor, the author paints her unforgettable characters with verve in this book. Anyone with a warm heart will take delight in this most interesting tale down in the Carolina lands. Blockbuster entertainment? You can bet on it. Breathtaking action? Bet on that too! With a beneficent flair, the author narrates this story with depth of meaning and so much liveliness of expressions. Not to be sarcastic but, this book would be most beneficial, if not thought-provoking to Darwinists. In closing, I'd like to say BRAVO to Jan, for she delivers wholesome and vibrant outlooks on life. All of her books are graced with high value. The Den of IniquityAt Home in Mitford (The Mitford Years, Book 1)Home to Holly Springs (Father Tim, Book 1)

Editorial Review:

Mitford rector Father Tim faces the new challenges of matirmony after he marries his vivacious Cynthia, from the trials and tribulations of the parish's new computer, to redecorating the rectory, to his dog's new sleeping arrangements. Read by Jan Karon. Book available.

Unashamed: Rahab (The Lineage of Grace Series #2)

Francine Rivers

Amazon Price: $17.99 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oasis Audio Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $9.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Genre Fiction -> Historical
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A real person 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

You can read the plot and story line in the comments and reviews, so I won't get into it. The most important addition I feel I can make here is to say that this book takes a "character" from the Bible and makes her real. Too often I forget that the people in the Bible lived, and that most were "ordinary" like us. I raise them up to lofty positions in my mind. This series has given a human aspect to the lives of women who simply loved God, and it can inspire us to make a difference in our own little world.

Good Characters 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I liked the characters in this book. I thought they were well formed and realistic. I was a little skeptical of the emotions displayed. People seemed to easily switch from one extreme to the other in short order, but considering that this entire story is recreated from a short story in the Bible and the rest is imagination, it was well done overall.

Editorial Review:

In this second book of the Lineage of Grace series,

Francine Rivers retells the tragic yet tENDer story of Rahab

— another woman in the lineage of Jesus

The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality

Ronald Rolheiser, Bill Loran

Amazon Price: $22.76 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Saint Anthony Messenger Press Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $10.10

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Self-Help -> Motivational
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Refreshing Take on Spirituality, Spiritual Disciplines, and Morality 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Rolheiser begins by making a case for certain essential elements of a Christian spirituality. I didn't buy everything he said in this section, as some of his points were unsupported assertions that assumed a shared theological background, but I enjoyed his chapters on the roots of spirituality in the incarnation of Christ.

There's an excellent chapter on social justice, and despite Rolheiser's celibacy, he has a remarkably insightful and comprehensive perspective on human sexuality in the latter portion of the book. While reminiscent of the writings of Henri Nouwen, The Holy Longing strikes a balance with the average person that Nouwen - who, like Rolheiser, led a deeply contemplative life - never did for me.

The core of Rolheiser's argument is that spirituality is about channeling our desires, our passions, in life-giving ways. If these desires are either out of control or dampened entirely, inflation or depression - explosion or implosion - inevitably occurs, leading to a fractured self.

In an age when arguments for or against a particular practice on strictly moral grounds seem tired or antiquated, The Holy Longing masterfully links time-honored mores with an insightful analysis of the influence on the self that these practices have. It's not a book about morals or spiritual disciplines per se, but about nurturing a spiritual life that is truly life-giving.

If you've read dozens of books on spiritual disciplines, or are just getting started in the topic, The Holy Longing will be worth your time for its refreshing perspective and readable, almost meditative prose.

Editorial Review:

Ronald Rolheiser makes sense of what is frequently a misunderstood word: spirituality. In posing the question "What is spirituality?" Father Rolheiser gets quickly to the heart of common difficulties with the subject, and shows through compelling anecdotes and personal examples how to channel that restlessness, that deep desire, into a healthy spirituality.

This book is for those searching to understand what Christian spirituality means and how to apply it to their own lives. Rolheiser explains the nonnegotiables--the importance of community worship, the imperatives surrounding social action, the centrality of the Incarnation, the sustenance of the spiritual life--and how spirituality necessarily impacts every aspect of human experience. At the core of this readable, deeply revealing book is an explanation of God and the Church in a world that more often than not doubts the credibility of both.

Three

Ted Dekker

List Price: $19.99 By: Thomas Nelson Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $3.49

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General AAS
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Literature & Fiction -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 229 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Imagine answering your cell phone one day to a mysterious voice that gives you three minutes to confess your sin. If you don't, he'll blow the car you're driving to bits and pieces.

You barely manage to exit heavy traffic and ditch the car when, precisely three minutes later, your car blows sky high. The media and the police descend on the scene; your world has just changed forever.

So begins a nightmare that grows with progressively higher stakes. There's another phone call; another riddle; another three minutes to confess your sin. The cycle will not stop until the world discovers the secret of your sin. You have one huge problem: you don't have a clue what that sin is. If not for Jennifer, the brilliant FBI agent working to corner Slater, you would indeed go mad.

Three is a psychological thriller that starts full-tilt and keeps the reader off-balance until the very last suspense-filled page. W Publishing Group is launching this powerful novel in two distinct hardcover editions - a black cover version and a white cover version. This will be the novel of Summer 2003. Prepare now for Three.

Fame (Firstborn Series-Baxter 2, Book 1)

Karen Kingsbury

Amazon Price: $49.25 List Price: $49.25 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Brilliance Audio Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $16.07

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> United States -> General
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> United States -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

HORRIBLE writing and sterotypical characters 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I am always shocked at how Karen Kingsbury receives such high reviews... but I am most shocked that her writing actually makes it to publication. This is BAD writing. It is objectively bad writing; it's the kind of writing any freshman comp teacher would scribble all over. This book is speckled with lines like "She did a shrug" (as opposed to "she shrugged"), and another of her books says "she made a low breathy noise" (as opposed to "she sighed")

This book is about Hollywood, it's about the movie industry and movie stars, and it reads like the author has done research by reading "US Weekly" and "Tiger Beat" and now feels like she can paint an accurate picture of what it must be like to be a movie star. If you want to suspend intelligent thinking and read for an escape from reality (and common sense, and believable characters) then this sure is the book for you!

I read this book about a month ago, but these are a few of the things I had a problem with:

-the dozens of references to "there was a sparkle in her eyes"-- which, of course, is supposed to be the light of Jesus! and "He looked into her soul!" and "she felt it in that quiet place in her heart" I promise, non-Christians don't look at Christians and think "There's something different about his eyes... the way they sparkle"

-the idea that A-list movie stars spend all their time by themselves, consumed with tabloids and never going out

-the idea that if Katie reaaalllly was passionate about acting... you act for the love of the craft, it's what drives you. Katie never says anything about loving to act. She is driven by fear ("What if I move to Hollywood? OH NO! There will be drugs and paparazzi!!"), when, if God is on her side, wouldn't she be able to avoid temptations? Furthermore, does she not realize the good she could do as a Christian in the limelight? How many people she could minister to? What a good role model she could be? No. She just runs home to Bloomington, where it is safe. (that might be a spoiler, but it's nothing a 9-year-old wouldn't have been able to figure out was going to happen after the first chapter)

-this is a romantic comedy that Katie is slated to star in with this 'leading man!' and she says there is nothing objectionable in it at all! riiiight... how many modern, box-office hit, romantic comedies have no swearing, no making out, and no pre-marital sex?

-actors do not hand-pick their co-stars. there are casting directors and panels

-A-list stars do not come in for auditions; they are offered the parts, begged to do the movies. no one turns them down.

-when it comes to the contract, Katie would have a lawyer and the contract/business side would not go through her potential co-star. are you kidding me?!

mostly, the writing is really, really, really bad. To the point that there are sentences that are just plain gramatically incorrect. The characters are all stereotypes (Sweet, quiet midwestern Christian girl who always does the right thing. Go Team Jesus!) and are not at all developed. Karen Kingsbury just writes about things she has no knowledge of, but she likes to imagine how they are... thus, her stories are based on stereotypes, misconceptions, and ignorance.

My favorite author is Jodi Picoult. Her writing is breathtaking, and her characters are so developed that reading about their heartaches makes your own chest tighten, and her storylines are complex, non-formulaic, and not predictable. My Sister's Keeper is my favorite book by her. There is zero comparison between authors like Picoult and Janet Finch (White Oleander) and Curtis Sittenfeld (Prep) and Karen Kingsbury.

I can't say enough what a bad writer Karen Kingsbury is. She writes series because that's where the money is, and she is in the Christian market, because there's no way her writing would cut it mainstream. I've read two and a half of her books (I couldn't get through the last one because the poor quality of writing always puts me in a bad mood), and in the world of literature, they're complete jokes

Editorial Review:

Karen Kingsbury brings listeners a new series that picks up where the Redemption series left off. The Firstborn series focuses on the surprise new member of the Baxter family: Dayne Matthews.

As Dayne Matthews returns to Hollywood after his shocking discovery in Karen Kingsbury’s bestselling novel Reunion, he faces the dangerous world of fame and paparazzi. Meanwhile, Katy Hart receives the offer of a lifetime – starring opposite Dayne in a Hollywood film. Dayne and Katy’s choices will change their hearts and lives forever.