Austin Reviews

Can one little lie mean so much to Hezekiah? When his wife does not produce an heir, his faith seems to flag. His wife takes desparate measures to ensure fertility but without Hezekiah's knowledge. With all that is going on in his kingdom he does not become aware of her duplicity until it's almost too late. Her betrayal of Hezekiah's love cuts to the very core of his being and his belief in God. Can Hezekiah ever recover from this deceipt, find the strength that God supplied in the past and renew his love for his wife? Where will God lead Hezekiah in his fight for correcting the wrongs of the past? Be sure to read the conclusion of this trilogy. The message depicts a conflict that is raging around us even today! See what the answers are for obtaining strength and peace in a world in conflict. Look for her next series based on the life of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. Biblical adherents as well as those unschooled in Bible history will love these books. A clear insite into the history of Hezekiah through one of Israel's more difficult times

I love this series so much that I have had to replace the entire set three times. I lend them out and they disappear!
These are by far the finest novels that Ms. Austin has written. I was drawn into the story, and I just couldn't put the books down. Ms. Austin provides Scriptural references so it is easy to see what she is basing her story on. After reading the Scriptures, elements in the story that are taken right out of the Bible are easily discerned from those that the writer may be taking an artist license with. It breathed life into these characters and made them very relevant to me.

I immediately began reading the remaining books in the series, and every one was a delight. I enthusiastically recommend the series.

This book, on the greatest championship in American sports, is well worth the purchase. If you are a football fan, then this book is for you. It covers the greatest Super Bowls (SB), the Bio's on the greatest players in the SB, and the Best teams.

People such as Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, Jerry Rice, Lynn Swan, and Joe Nameth are profiled.

My only disagreement with this book is, like any fan, who the chose as the best team and greatest games. That is of course, what makes football so fun. We have are favoriates and see this sport through our eyes.

This work is a comprehensive book on the subject and gives excellent insights to the stars of the game with pictures and articles by SI writers and photogs.

If you are a fan of the game, this book is a must have.

I especially appreciated the shots of the non-action stuff that gives you a sense of the craziness of this ultimate game in January from the fans to the halftime extravaganzas to the sideline shots.

Well done.

Leibniz's argument for the origin of evil in human freedom is perhaps the most famous of all the theodicies, and obviously if you want to read the source then this is it. The argument is easy to grasp and convincing - which made me wonder exactly why it required a book of this length (about 400 pages). The answer is that Leibniz sets out his argument within the first fifty pages and the rest of the book is devoted to meeting arguments that other thinkers (particularly Bayle) had made about theodicy. Leibniz really over did the treatment of Bayle's objections, to such a point that Leibniz himself admitted around page 300 that he was growing tired of refuting Bayle.

Fortunately this edition contains almost all of the original appendicies (bar one which set out the formal argument in Scholastic Latin), the first of which is the main arguments of the book stripped down into analytic logical arguments. This takes only 9 pages and to be honest, it's almost worth skipping the rest of the book and just reading this, as it contains all the important points. At the very least I find it very useful when I want to come back and remind myself what was said.

_Theodicy_ by Leibniz is amazingly relevant and readable considering how long ago it was written. This book is far better than many other works of philosophy which came much later. Very few authors have been able to tackle the problem of the relationship between the existence of evil and the existence of God with as much skill and clarity as Leibniz. The issues discussed in this book are still very relevant today, and the questions concerning evil and the existence of God still have not been answered. That is what makes this work so timeless; if I had been told that it was written yesterday I would have believed it, so relevant are the questions and so readable is the style. This is a must-read for even the most modern and scientifically-minded philosophers. Leibniz adresses questions that are completely independent of science, and can never be answered through science alone. The only way to solve the ancient problem of evil is to continue to think about it in the same way as Leibniz, even though we may never find a solid answer.

A lot of people have been talking about this book, so I had to check it out and now I realize why. William James Austin takes you to places that you'd never think of or want to go to. He caters to that voyeur in all of us. Basically, the man makes us feel dirty and like it. When reading this book there were so many moments that I felt like I was in the scene he created. It made me want to go back to traveling New York City's streets. And I never thought I'd like poetry!!!!!!

This isn't poetry. Underworld 3 & 4 is a mental journey through the most vulgar and sadistic aspects of existence and somehow, along the way, William Austin's words make you accept and appreciate them for what they are.

This man's command is sensational. Austin can take one from a simple narrative as "Ghost Story" right into such avant garde works like "Symphony," without allowing the reader to lose a beat of his visual style.

The last piece "Aenas in Hell" is perhaps the most successful work of experimental poetry that I've ever read. Here, Austin shows just how masterful he is. It's a thirty page piece that starting off as a narrative travels into every other poetic style, including a dialogue, and draws you in to a point where you're feeling the storms and artificial sense of safety that is being portrayed. It's as moving as a top notch quality performance.

Since reading this prized book, I've been trying to find out if Austin has been promoting it in any way. I can just imagine what such visual work would sound like coming from the mouth of its creator.

This is an easy to understand translation of the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Flannary's translation is quite good compared with other translations of the documents. These documents are a good place to start if someone is trying to understand what the Catholic Church is about and what its proper role in the world is.

Vatican II has gotten a bad rap. "The spirit of Vatican II" has been used as an excuse for liturgical abuses, offenses against canon law, etc. Yet Vatican II is being misquoted, misinterpreted! Every faithful Catholic owes it to himself to know, first hand, what the council REALLY brought forth. This book will inspire you, impress you, and teach you.

This book consists of two parts. The first is a collection of short letters by Spare and Kenneth & Steffie Grant, and also bits of Kenneth Grants diaries, all written between 1949 and 1956 common era. This gives explainations of Spares magical philosophy and his art in a less enigmatic way then his writings do. The second part is The Book of Zos vel Thanatos, containing The Logomachy, The Zoëtic Grimoire: The Formulae of Zos vel Thanatos and The Living Word, all later material by Spare published here for the first time.

The book is filled to the brim with Spare's art, including some beautyful colour pictures. Spare was a major influence on contemporary magick and this book deepens one's understanding of him greatly.

Zos Speaks! is the nicest book I own. The color plates are amazing. I have never seen a book with so many plates. This book is written so well.

Written by renowned author Jane Austen, Emma is quite an intimidating book to attempt at first glance and takes some patience to read; yet the patience is greatly rewarded. 21-year-old Emma Woodhouse is young, beautiful, rich and witty. She finds satisfaction in her successes and pleasure in the art of matchmaking for others. In her arrogance, she believes that she knows what is right for everyone, and is determined to "set the world straight", appointing herself cupid for all of Highbury. Fortunately, Emma is eventually "enlightened", drawn out of her self-delusion, and everything works out in the end. Jane Austen's admirable style and incomparable charm gets away with the happy ending without seeming like a sappy soap opera.

The characters in Emma are many, yet all incredibly human. Through wonderfully witty dialogue, these characters are depicted with amazing clarity. Emma's confidence in her knowledge of the world and ability to plan out the lives of others is simply hilarious! It's impossible not to fall in love with her wit, humor, good intentions, and ignorance. Of course, the paranoid Mr. Woodhouse, the talkative Miss Bates, and the innocent Harriet are also memorable characters. The wonders, complications, and misunderstandings of love and marriage are told brilliantly in this entertaining novel!

i had to read this for my english sophmore highschool class and while most of my peers *hated* this book, i found this book very intriguing and esp. realistic to even today in highschool. the subjects of vanity, friendship, honesty, control, reality, self-desire, relationships, status, and maturity is all incorporated in this book and deeply and straight-forwardly depicts the life of any teenager in any century then or now. Emma struggles to understand her intentions and learns what her mistakes were all about and the reader sees her mature through experiences and constantly learning and realizing her mistakes and flaws and misconceptions. though it was a long story and had a lot of old-language narration, i have to say, Emma is part of the epitome of what ever teenager goes through, female and male. while this is mostly a chick book, guys can find themselves related to the situations that Emma deals with with the other men in the book. i highly recommend this book for people who have patience and are open to the ideals of aristocracy back then. it's amusing, witty, and shocking. really great book.

Lovable Emma Woodhouse, Pretty, bright, and rich, not to mention a little mischievious. Since she has lived nearly twenty-one years with very little to distress or vex her, carefree Emma spends her time match-making for her friends. But when she undertakes the office of matching pretty, but not very bright Harriet Smith with the local Vicar she gets more than she bargains for.

The characters are rich and consistent, and Austen again gives us, the ridiculous; mr. woodhouse, Miss Bates. The scoundrel who pretends to be an angel of light;Frank Churchill. The concerned friends; Mrs. Weston, Mr. knightly. Then there is Emma, who belongs in a class of her own. She is the most fortunate, yet the most flawed Austen heroine, which flaws only endear her all the more. And in the end they pay off, when she falls in love with someone as imperfect as herself.

The language and diolouge are as shining, bright, and charming as the characters themselves. Overall this novel can do nothing but please, just as Austen's novels before and after Emma show. A must-read for Austen fans.

I so much wanted to like Jane Austen and, specifically, this book. That's because I dearly loved the movie "Sense and Sensibility" directed by Ang Lee with an amazingly good screenplay by Emma Thompson. Now that I've attempted to read the book on which it was based, I'm all the more impressed by Emma Thompson because she extracted the story from this novel and told it via dialog and made it interesting, engaging and charming.

So I have to credit Jane Austen, at least, with having invented the characters and their situation. I've heard she was an astute observer of human beings and apparently she was.

But her style! Reading Jane Austen was for me like swimming through half-set concrete.

Mark Twain made two obsevations about Jane Austen.

First, he wrote in "Remembered Yesterdays": "Jane Austen? Why I go so far as to say that any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book."

Second, in a letter to his good friend William Howells, he wrote in response to remarks Howells had made about Edgar Allan Poe:

"To me his [Poe's] prose is unreadable -- like Jane Austin's [sic]. No -- there is a difference. I could read his prose on salary, but not Jane's. Jane is entirely impossible. It seems a great pity that they allowed her to die a natural death."

I find Twain's prose eminently readable and agree with him about Jane Austen. I can't read her prose and I couldn't even do it if I were paid to do it.

I greatly admire those who can read Jane Austen. You are credited with great patience and intelligence. I'm not stupid, but my patience is utterly insufficient to the rigors of Jane's verbiage.

I simply have to have sentences of prose that hold my interest and make me want to read the next sentence and the next and the next until the book is done. If after reading several sentences, I feel as though I've just endured a lengthy session of reconstructive dentistry, I simply have to put the book down. There are thousands of authors whose storytelling style is as engaging as the story itself.

It's probably not Jane's fault -- she was a product of her time and place and that's how they wrote back then. But I understand completely Twain's hyperbole that she shouldn't have been allowed to die a natural death.

Jane Austen is definitely one of the greatest novelists of the world. I've read Pride and Prejudice &Emma and loved them both. However, I was disappointed with Sense and Sensibility. The story of two sisters altogether different from each other could be an interesting plot ... if it had Austen's usual style. Austen is famous for her keeping her balance between too romantic and too realistic. This time her style is much too romantic and by no means both feet on the ground. The sensible sister Elinor is really a charachter to fall in love with ,but the incredibly romantic sister Marienne has driven me nuts by talking foolishly throughout the book. Still , a good experience and worth reading.

Sense and Sensibility is an excellent book. When I started it I really did not know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. I will say though that this book is hard to get through at times, due to the old language used. But if you stay with the book, it will be worth it. The characters are wonderful, and you will find yourself wanting them to be happy. The Dashwood family gives a "girl power" message that makes it even easier to enjoy. Also, this book is easy to relate to, for everyone has known a Maryanne or Elinor before, maybe you are like one of them. I could identify with Maryanne, because I am involved in everything (and love it all) and I know I share my feelings too much. Although this book will be enjoyed more by young females, anyone would like it, for it also has a lot of humor in it used to display the dramatic situations the Dashwood sisters keep finding themselves in. The book became even more enjoyable when I saw the movie, seeing this amazing book acted out was great. I believe all of Jane Austen's books are worth reading, this one especially!

This book was pretty awful. I only say that because it was not a story - it was a bunch of occurrences just thrown together on pages. There was absolutely no discernable storyline. what a shame, because it could have been interesting. The way everything was thrown together came off as an attempt to create something, but what, I don't know. HORRIBLE. Completely not recommended. Suzy Spencer did her readers a terrible injustice - it was like she compiled it from a bunch of newspaper clippings.

This is a terrible tale about a woman (Regina) who used her money to gain popularity, and happiness. We all know you can't very well BUY happiness, so things don't go as Regina Hartwell plans. She meets Kim LeBlanc in a gay bar in Austin, Texas. Regina was hooked at first sight on Kim LeBlanc. Kim, seeing this of course accepted the money and gifts thrown her way, but ignored Regina's advances. Kim was straight and dating a drug dealing personal trainer with a violent streak named Justin Thomas. Justin soon grew tired of Regina and Kim's constant complaint's about the advances. Justin killed Regina, while Kim knew about it and said nothing. In fact Kim helped cover up the crime while posing as the heart broken friend.

Suzy Spencer tells a fascinating story, that will put you practically in Austin. I am a frequent visitor and her descriptions were on the money. Suzy also focuses on Regina's real friends, who actually cared about Regina. This is a book that focuses on Regina's life mostly of course, but also delves into Justin and Kim's life as well. There are a few snippets that might be disturbing to even the true crime reader. The picture section also might take a little to stomach. But, this is a essential read for a true crime fan. It adds credibility to the saying that money can't buy you love.

Suzy Spencer writes an interesting story of a little girl lost who's love for the wrong person, gets her killed. You really get a feel for the characters and what they are like. You want to give Regina a hug and tell her everything will be ok. You want to kick Kim in her manipulative butt and you want to lock Justin up, and throw away the key. As for Anita and Jeremy, it seems they were the only two people who really cared for Regina, and they should find peace in knowing what good friends they were. I couldn't put the book down and like another reviewer, I had wished for a different ending. But unfortunately, it was not to be. The true crime in all of this is how one person got away with murder.