Jeff CrosbyReseñas

A young knight-in-training has so much to do-learn about arms and armor, assist a squire, attend a medieval banquet, tilt at the quintain-and prepare to be "dubbed!"

Summary: A survey of the deepest longings of the human soul, within ourselves, for our world, and for the eternal.

Saudade. A word from the Portuguese that, strictly so, is untranslatable. Words like longing, yearning, nostalgia, the burning hearts of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. It is the desire for something more that takes us into the realm of the spiritually transcendent. Jeff Crosby believes these longings are the beckoning of God, speaking to the language of our hearts.

Crosby has been reflecting on these longings for much of his life and gestating this book for the past fifteen years amid a busy career in publishing. In this work, he weaves his own experiences, the thoughts of other pilgrims, and the strands of music that have been another of his great loves to identify ten longings of the heart:

The longing for home
The longing for an undivided self
The longing for forgiveness received and extended
The longing for friendship
The longing for spiritual transformation
The longing for peace
The longing for community
The longing to be freed from unhealthy fear and anxiety
The longing for meaningful work
The longing for heaven, our hearts true home

It’s striking to me that these longings are framed by our longing for home. I think of how I treasure the hours I spend in the various comfortable and pleasing spaces in and around my own home and yet revel in images of beautiful homes (usually with a library, leather chairs, and a fireplace looking out on a beautiful vista). We call our home Rivendell, after the refuge of Elrond in the Lord of the Rings, the last homely house. It strikes me we all long for that house, which Crosby identifies with the longing for heaven that we glimpse in those “thin places” where heaven is barely veiled–a passage of music, a scene in nature, a description in literature, a poem.

In between, Crosby explores the longings that permeate our existence. He invites us to recognize our discontent with fragmented, divided lives and to pursue the solitude, silence, and wise direction that is the path to a seamless existence. He shares his own experience of a panic attack and the practices of examen to recognize the presence of God amid the anxiety-producing concerns of our lives. He likens the burden of our own transgressions and grievances toward others as a rock-filled pack that confession and forgiveness of ourselves and others helps us unload. He speaks of a marketing meeting with one of the leaders of the Empty Hands Fellowship for a book project that was set aside because of a family in need in an unhealthy, mold-filled shack, exemplifying the richness of community we often only long for. He speaks of anam cara friends who never “should” on us, and take that away from us when we try to do it to ourselves. And this just from half of the ten longings.

As I mentioned, song as well as scripture and literature has been important to Crosby and one of the treats is that he offers a playlist for saudade and for each of the longings at the end of each chapter. I haven’t created all of these playlists but was able to create a playlist on Spotify for his Saudade playlist and suspect one can find most or all of his recommendations on a music streaming service.

Along the way, we learn from many of the spiritual writers Crosby has worked with over the years of his publishing career, yet Crosby weaves these into his own “playlist” as well, exploring our longings and the practices that draw us to the one in whom our longings find their fulfillment. As I read, I felt I was listening to one, still on the way, and yet living a purposeful, increasingly seamless vocation moving joyfully toward his, and our hearts true home.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

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Read to kids at our story time with my four wieners. The momentary violence of wolves tearing up a deer might have been to much for pre-schoolers so I skimmed over that part quickly.

Cute. Toddler and preschool dog lovers will enjoy this.

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This story is about a hero named Cloelia. Even though her family and her were held hostage by the Etruscan king Larth Porsena, Cloelia was still fearless. One night she woke her cousin to tell her that she was leaving tomorrow night to go back to Rome. She also planned to take some of the girls with her on the journey. The next day Aunt Tullia smelled the air and said she didn’t like the smell of Etruscan food, so she sent someone to tell the guard to get some different food. When she got the food, she cooked something different for her and the kids. The girls tidied tents while the boys wrestled and played football. While everyone was doing this, Cloelia went to tell all the girls what time she was leaving that night. Later that night as the girls escaped they had to make sure the guards didn’t see them. When they made a splash in the water the guards looked around to see what made the sound. The guards started shooting arrows into the water. When the girls made it ashore their loved ones dried them off with towels and gave them clean clothes to put on. The next day King Larth Porsena talked to Cloelia, they made a promise to release more hostages during a big feast with lots of food and music playing. Rome’s walls were filled with watchers as horses carried forty boys and Cloelia from Etruscan to Rome. The conflict between the Etruscan King and Rome ended.

I liked this story because it talked about a hero and her courage for Rome.
I also liked how Cloelia was able to find a way to escape with the girls and take them to their parents. I gave this book a four and a half because it told a story about Cloelia braveness and her independency. It also was a good book because of the pictures and the story of Cloelia’s life.½

Such a cute little story! I loved the illustrations and the expressions on the dog's face. He reminds me a lot of my own little weenie. I liked the message of always being able to come home. It was a nice contrast to all the "follow your dreams" messages in most books. Sometimes your dreams don't turn out the way you expect and that's ok too.

Delightful illustrations, scalable for different ages.

Fairy tale retold with a music-themed twist

good, grovin' story

Brave Cloelia is the tale of a young Atruscan girl who hatches a plan to save the women held captive by the invading Romans. It is based on true historical events. It is especially interesting for the fact that it features a strong female main character. Even more interesting still is that it is a strong YOUNG female character. In fact, in the end, the Roman leader actually honors the young girl for her intelligence and bravery. This could be an especially good story to tell young adolescent girls to help them understand that women can be strong leaders even though our society doesn't always communicate this. It can also be a good reminder to young boys that girls are just as capable as they believe themselves to be.

This is a little known true tale about a young heroine who escaped (and led others to safety) in Rome during the sixth century B.C. I think this would be a great book to highlight during sixth grade, when students are learning about Ancient civilizations. I'm going to pass this book on to a friend of mine who's a sixth grade social studies teacher. I'm really surprised that I haven't heard anything about this story before!

This is a "must have" for lovers of weiner dogs! It follows the adventures of a seemingly ordinary house dog that decides to go on an adventure.

This is a fun, sweet book. Wiener dog teaches us about pets, friendship, and the comforts of home.

An interesting book - horses by their uses, what they were bred and used for in the past and today. It (intentionally) covers only a few breeds, ones that are distinct and interesting (I suspect that's how they were chosen). The language is very simple and straightforward - I suspect intended for children, though it's far from a First Reader book. Several terms are defined within the text, though sometimes the choices are odd - one horse is described as having "sloping quarters", with no definition of 'quarters' (it means hindquarters, the horse's rear). Later, the authors chose to define Prohibition, in a description of Clydesdales. All right, kids might not have heard of it...but is it important, in a horse book? There are also a couple typos - Drum Horses are "steered with reigns attached to the drummer's feet" and there's a chunk missing from the horse fighting description for the Icelandic Horse. But while I was puzzled a few times, it didn't really detract from the book. The art is gorgeous, too - looks like pastels, with beautiful scenes delineating the individual characteristics of the different horse breeds. A few breeds are shown in isolation at the beginning of each section, showing, for instance, types of draft horses or riding horses. Then the page or pages devoted to each breed has a full scene or several depicting how the animal was used - being ridden to war, drawing a carriage or a sleigh, doing dressage - as well as text describing the breed and its origin and uses, and usually a sidebar mentioning an interesting fact about the breed or its history. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I'd keep it for information about horse breeds. I may keep it for the art, though.

This was a good book about a little dog finding out who he really is. I appreciated this book because it showed who he tried to be and showed that he could not change who he was and being himself is the best thing he can be.

Wiener Wolf is a classic!

This is by far one of my all time favorite children's books about a wiener dog. The illustrations draw you right into the pages and take you on an adventure you never want to end as you follow along with Wiener Dog. I chuckled (seeing Wiener Dog upside down in his bed- little feet in the air), related well (seeing Wiener Dog snuggled in Granny's lap)and laughed out loud (seeing Wiener Dog trying to hitch a ride with his front paw held up with one little toe pointing straight up).

But most of all I felt an overwhelming feeling of joy as I read how Wiener Dog realized how wonderful his life truly was with Granny and how grand it is to accept and be oneself. Wiener Dog (or any dachshund for that matter) are the perfect characters to teach young ones the value of being themselves no matter what.

This book will no doubt be a classic years from now because I believe it already is. Thank you Jeff not only for the absolutely glorious illustrations, but for writing a story that speaks to the heart of adults and children.... and that we all just want to be accepted and loved. BRAVO!

I've been reading horse books all my life and I was skeptical about whether I would learn anything new in this book. Fortunately, I was wrong! I learned about breeds of horse I'd never heard of before and a few things about breeds I was already familiar with. Although this is a children's book, there is no reason an adult would not enjoy it (and learn a few things like I did). The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is that the illustrations are just that -- illustrations. I have always preferred seeing photographs of real horses rather than drawings. Obviously, the historical scenes couldn't be photographed but a small photo of each breed would have been a nice touch.

This young adult book about horses around the world was done very well. A great variety of horses is presented including rare breeds. There is enough history to get the reader interested in finding more information, while remaining short enough that young readers will not get bored. The artwork is all drawn illustrations rather than photos, but they are well done and a good representation of the horses being described.

This book is an interesting collection of beautiful drawings, short historical sketches, and interesting fact blurbs. It is in no way comprehensive and doesn't claim to be. Many popular breeds are covered as well as many lesser known or even unknown breeds. Most of the drawings seem to be historically accurate with the exception of one about the American west that shows trailing ropes that would have been worse than dangerous to both horse and rider.
This book would be a great book for a child interested in horses. It would also be a great conversation/coffee table book. In addition, there are several reference books and websites listed in the back for further study and reading.

Wiener Dog thought life with Granny was too tame. He longed for adventure. One day, he snuck off to the state park when he made a group of new friends and became Wiener Wolf. It seemed like a good life, until he discovered what his new friends had to do in order to eat and suddenly he longed for his life with Granny again.

Paintings so real that they look like photos are the strength of this book. Kids will identify with Wiener Dog’s desire for adventure.

Harness Horses, Bucking Broncos & Pit Ponies: A History of Horse Breeds is destined to become a classic addition to the young reader's library. With beautifully rendered illustrations, the book would stand alone on that singular merit. More importantly, however, it is supported by concise and accurate breed information that will provide a good basis for the horse enthusiast's pursuit of further knowledge. This book would make a terrific gift for the young horse lover, as well as an excellent addition to any equine collection, regardless of age.

This book is a nice resource for children and adults alike. There is information about many different breeds of horses and their relationship with and uses by mankind. The entire book is crammed with rich and entertaining illustrations.½

Beautifully illustrated book filled with interesting facts about the origins and uses of current breeds of horses. The book is worthy of the coffee table for it's illustrations and a must in any young horse lover's library. The whole family enjoyed reading about their favorite breed.

Harness Horses, Bucking Broncos & Pit Ponies by Jeff Crosby is a great addition to any young peoples library. It is well written informative, and has beautiful illustrations. the bibliography includes books, articles, and web sites. A must read for anyone that loves horses, and a must have for every library that serves young people.