But the examples and stories used to illustrate each point are extremely weak. Some are downright outrageous. Why, for example, does the author need to expound his views on the death penalty as if his are the only reasonable views around? Why does he go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about his alcoholism and his ability to lie?

I listened to the audio version of this book. This guy is a motivational speaker???
:: snore ::

Maybe someone new to self-examination can get some useful information from this book. But I don't recommend it. There are works of fiction that portray the truths this guy is trying to present ... and the fiction will seem more real.

Not worth your time

Like the other books in this series, the characters are very likable. The mystery plot, however, is thin. Still, a nice light read.

Don't expect too much.

I was still unimpressed.

I suppose that it's because the language is too archaic or the thing is too ethereal or mystic or something. It just didn’t jive with my sensibilities. I suppose this just isn’t the right shaman for me.

The underlying premises were fine, but I just did not enjoy the way the author got there. I didn’t really learn anything new that I hadn’t heard in some other form and said much better.

Unimpressed

Well ... I did learn a few worthwhile things from the book, like the importance of the middle and high school gifted child finding a mentor to give her someone to talk to, inspire her, and help her reach her goals. I also learned how a gifted girl having some time in an all-female high school or college will teach her some leadership skills that would be harder to learn in a mixed-gender school.

But most of the book was extremely dry, and reads like a doctoral disertation. As I read the book, I could picture in my mind the outline the author used to write each chapter. Not very exciting or engaging. But the summary at the end of most chapters was helpful because I found I could read the summary first, then decide if there was anything worth reading in the chapter.

Hard to slog through.

This is a children's picture book, the retelling of a Chinese Folk Tale about an old couple and their magic pot. I enjoyed the illustrations, but found the telling of the tale (the moral) weak.

As events unfold, the three children discover thousands of letters that Jack wrote to his wife every single Wednesday of their married lives. As they read, the grown children learn of deeply held family secrets that threaten to destroy the siblings.

This was a good premise. Some of the characters are pretty well crafted. But for me, the story is ruined by the writing. It reminds me of something a college sophomore would write ... or of the language of romance novels. That caliber of author has a pretty good grasp of how a story can be constructed, but the flowery language and overt use of too many adjectives and stilted dialog get in the way. Some of the minor characters are nothing but caricatures ... and their lack of realness also distorts the story. I wish this was a better book, because I really liked the premise.

Good premise, poor execution

You do get a sense of how chaotic it was inside the buildings and how difficult it was just to find the correct staircase(s) that could lead to escape.

A lot to absorb

After that insight, reading the rest of the book wasa bit of a chore. The stories are all good, but not riviting. A person could pick, choose and skim the stories in this book and still feel satisfied, even if they don't read every word.

Fair read

I like this book enough to give it to my own daughters heading out the door into the realm of college life.

Common sense. Compassionate.

I guess folks with a similar background would really like this book. I just kept waiting for her to say, "That was then, this is now," then grow up and stop whining. Some says she writes with "courage, honesty, and bold living." I guess I was waiting for the next chapter where she really comes to peace with what happened and goes forward with optimism. If it's in the book, I missed it. She does have a great voice that makes for interesting listening.

A good book for the right audience

The Awakening Heart is about how Betty took the message she received in her experience, and used it as the basis for growing her faith. She talks a lot about how she feels called to continue to share her message through writing books, working as a hyponotherapist, and through her speaking engagements. She talks about the people she's met along the way that help her continue to grow in her understanding of God's love.

I can't say that what she writes is accurate or not, because I've never had the kinds of experiences she has. I believe she is sincere about her spiritual path. But some of what she writes seems questionable to me as I view her ideas from my own current state of spirituality.

I do have one picky thing to mention, though. I listened to the author read her own words. Each time she came to a word beginning with "un," she pronounced it as "on" -- so "unconditional" sounded like "on conditional," "unusual" became "on usual." It's a small thing, but it was highly distracting because it happened so often and it could completely throw off the meaning of her sentences.

OK and interesting

I really tried to like this book, but just couldn't. I started it three times before I could get past the first few chapters and really get into the book. I do enjoy Toni Morrison's use of language and her word images. But I only marginally liked this book.

Disturbing