If you missed Paul Wine's review of Spirit Stones: Unraveling the Megalithic Mysteries of Western Europe's Prehistoric Monuments (Five Star Publications, 320 pages, $19.95) back in February, you may want to check it out here. Wine says the book is a "worthy read" and "... is an interesting and scholarly introduction to one of the ancient world's most-mystifying topics."

Last month, judges of The Eric Hoffer Award awarded Beeaff's book with a first-place prize in the spiritual books category. Read on and visit the awards site and publisher for more information.

The Eric Hoffer Award for short prose and books was established at the start of the 21st century as a means of opening a door to writing of significant merit. It honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers. The winning stories and essays are published in Best New Writing, and the book awards are covered in the US Review of Books.

Of Spirit Stones, US Review of Books writes: "Beautifully illustrated with many fine color photographs of the prehistoric standing stones of Great Britain and Brittany, this book seeks not only to explain what these megalithic monuments are, but also what they meant to the Neolithic and Bronze Age people who built them. A thorough, but fascinating and account of the culture and background of these ancient builders provides both secular and spiritual links to our own culture and beliefs. Many books offer scientific and historical explanations of the mysterious stones and theories of their possible uses, but this author goes beyond the hard facts to suggest how our own spiritual growth may be enhanced by understanding things common to both ourselves and our ancestors."