Ruth McDowell's well-documented journey to develop an extremely personal and artistic quilting 'statement' almost leaves you breathless. She has been able to adapt complex photos and themes into vibrant fabric art, using mostly traditional quilting techniques. However, her innovative use of fabrics (plaids never had it so good), shapes, and design concepts truly rate the title of "Art & Inspirations". A good friend with whom I shared the book got halfway through and said "I'm afraid to turn the pages - they're all so wonderful I can hardly stand it." My sentiments exactly.

What a joyous collection of inspiring images! This amazing teacher creates paintings with fabric. Her wording is clear and uncomplicated for the novice and, I am sure, challenging enough for the seasoned quilter. Buy this book to look at as well as to learn from! I purchased it to use as inspiration for my paintings but Ms. McDowell makes the whole process sound exciting enough to get me peicing too!

What is surprising about this book is that it is not just a text-book showing simple patterns that you can copy, nor is it a picture book of dozens of incredible quilts that you will probably never equal. Instead this is a clear-eyed tour of the history of a wonderful Quilt Artist. Ruth shows some of her first simple, but well chosen and unique quilt patterns. These simple patterns from nature, lead directly to her more complex quilts, where she shows her increased talents in dazzling quilts of landscapes and semi-abstract trees and plants. But if nothing else, this book is well worth the cost for the single quilt using her daughter's outline in translucent black cloth in an amazing picture quilt. This is a book of inspirations for quilters at all levels.

Food scientist Edouard de Pomiane turned the world of French cuisine on its ear with his beautifully simple approach to classic cooking. With over 300 recipes and many amusing anecdotes, and a fond introduction by renowned food writer Elizabeth David, COOKING WITH POMAINE remains a treasured resource for cooks of all kind.

This is my favourite cookbook-- or should I say my favourite food cookbook (The Anarchist's Cookbook is my fave overall). There are lots of recipes in here for all dishes and occasions- be it a fancy dinner or a not-so-fancy dessert- and the good news is, most of them are of the minimalist tradition, so no complicated procedures or fancy-schmansy ingredients. Just plain old good food, and believe me, if you follow Pomiane's and tips, you'll be cooking like a pro in no time!

This is an absolutely delightful read. I haven't tried any of the (delicious-sounding) recipes yet, but just reading this book was enough to whet my appetite! I particularly enjoyed his many witty asides and poetic turns of phrase. Highly recommended. Also take a look at "Clementine in the Kitchen", another charmer.

This is the best regional bird guide I have ever read. Not only is it indispensable for birders, but its a great guide for anyone who wants to find new places to explore. It is everything you would want in a birding guide.

This is a very impressive and timely book on Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) by 74 contributors in the field of pediatrics and child health from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Holland and Italy.
The term EBM was developed by Sackett and colleagues from the McMaster University (Sackett DL et al. Evidence based medicine. BMJ 1996;312:71-2) as "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients" or in other words, good medical practice based on as much facts as possible for the benefit of your patient. Since 1991 this field has been incooporated into many medical schools around the work, textbooks published and now we see it reaching pediatrics and child health.
This superbly edited book (updates will be regularly posted on www.evidbasedpediatrics.com) is devided into three sections: "Finding, evaluating and applying the evidence"; "Evidence for routine practices: screening/prevention" and finally "Common pediatrics conditions" with a good and comprehensive index.
The steps in the practice of Evidence Based Pediatrics (EBP) are: to evaluate the clinical situation (by history, by examination and laboratory tests), identify information needs and structure clinical questions, search for relevant information from the literature, evaluate the evidence found or identify lack of evidence and finally apply the evidence to your patients.
You will find many useful and structured entries in this book from the issue of the "well child" to the common pediatric problems of otitis media, constipation, short stature or croup.
We believe that this important book should find its way to the desks of the practicing pediatrician, the lecturer in child health and the researcher in pediatrics.

Professor Joav Merrick, MD
Medical director, Division for Mental Retardation, Box 1260, IL-91012 Jerusalem, Israel, email: jmerrick@aquanet.co.il

Mohammed Morad, MD
Family physician, Division for Community Health, Ben Gurion University, Box 653, IL-84105 Beer-Sheva, Israel, email: morad-62@barak-online.net

This book was given to my husband, who happens to be a physician, by one of his patients.He brought it home and I couldn't wait to read it since I've personally experienced eye problems. I found the book inspirational, informative, interesting and very well written. It's obvious the author has a sincere compassion for the people of China as well as people in need everywhere. The photos added so much, bringing her words to life. I would highly recommend this book to every person practicing medicine. My husband just finished reading Dr. Vaughn's book and agrees with me. I plan to purchase copies to send as gifts to several of my husband's colleagues in the medical profession. As a lay-person, I admire Dr.Vaughn's tenacity and genuine concern for people. I think we can all be encouraged by what she was able to accomplish through the Grace of God. No matter who you are, where you live, or what you do, God is able to use each and every one of us as an instrument in His Hand if we're only willing. I applaude Dr. Vaughn for what she has been able to accomplish for the people of China. She has touched the lives of many...including mine! Pam Mycoskie

Medieval Women Mystics: Gertrude the Great, Angela of Foligno, Birgitta of Sweden, Julian of Norwich: Selcted Spiritual Writings

Medieval Women Mystics is a wonderfully inspirational and uplifting book of spiritual writings by women who lived in the medieval era during the radically changing Christian reform. These writings were compiled and edited by a contemplative nun of the Carmelite Order, Sister Elizabeth Ruth Obbard.

In the introduction, Obbard introduces us to the medieval era and explains how the roles of women were changing and how their individual philosophy was mimicking the changes within society. Women were forming new religious orders, such as the beguines, and women saints were suddenly increasing in number. Women were stepping into new religious roles while the men were away on crusades. Many were adopting prophetic roles. As the age of romance and chivalry unfolded, women began to incorporate passion and romance into their Christianity, desiring to be the bride of the Lord. It was an era of widespread upheaval in the belief s of Christians.

Another important change that took place during this period was in education. Previously, education had been reserved for the elite, royalty or the wealthiest of the upper echelons of society. During medieval times, as women were elevated in their position in society, they were given the opportunity to learn to read and write. Many of them began to record their thoughts in written form. But while the men focused their writing on the theological aspect of spirituality, the women utilized all their senses, including their sexuality. This got their writings swept under the carpet and mostly ignored. It is only in the recent years, as the feminist movement has gained widespread support, that these writings are beginning to be taken seriously in the world of Christianity.

Obbard has arranged her book into four sections, one for each of the women included: Gertrude the Great, Angela of Foligno, Birgitta of Sweden, and Julian of Norwich. All four women lived between 1248 and 1420, but their lives were quite different in many respects. Each section begins with an introduction that tells about the woman, when she lived, how she lived, and what she believed. Then, Obbard provides many pages of their writings, covering the widest array of spiritual topics imaginable. My favorite was Gertrude the Great, who maintained that God was, in fact, a woman.

These writings will uplift your soul and warm your heart. They are the testimonies of four women that were thinking and acting ahead of their time. These women had a message to deliver to the world and had a gift for delivering it through the written word. Their writings are beautiful!

This book is outstanding. It provides the reader, or viewer, with the opportunity to enjoy and study many of O'Keeffe's works, in watercolor, pastels, and charcoal drawings. I was very satisfied with my choice. I searched and searched for a book that contained works other than her standard oils and watercolors, that have been so available in other books for years. As an art student, this one fits the bill as a great book to study one of my favorite artists and her varied use of techniques and mediums. Who else could make an avocado look so asthetically wonderful. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. You won't be disappointed.

It could have been better.

This book provided me with new ideas on how to spice up my old and bland receipes. I am truly enjoying the excitment this is putting into my cooking. Elizabeth has captured the flavor of Mexico with a Texas / US flair. A great addition to any bodies cooking.

I was in San Antonio for the first time recently, and discovered this thing called Tex-Mex cuisine. Why I didn't get the book when I was there, I don't know, but I couldn't stop thinking about all the great dishes I had when I was there. I have tried several recipes from this book and they are wonderful...the fideo pasta dish, avocado soup, cucumber salad and mango salad. The dishes accomodate light to hearty appetites, and the quantities make it easy to plan for entertaining guests. If you want a break from the usual, pick this one up.

I used Online Law as a reference for my E-Commerce project at the community college. It covered all the important topics in great detail. The book is organized like a textbook, so it is easy to find the information you need. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in doing business on the Internet.

Any book on "online law" that was published in 1996 is going to include _some_ things that are out of date. Nevertheless this volume has held up extremely well. And it was written by a group of attorneys who know their stuff in both law and technology.

The coverage is thorough. A short introductory chapter explains what's "new and different" about online law; then a second chapter gives an overview of the legal issues that affect e.g. websites and e-commerce.

After that, the books breaks out into subheadings, each including multiple chapters on specific topics. Part I covers information security; Part II, online transactions; Part III, intellectual property rights in electronic information; Part IV, the regulation of informational content; Part V, the regulation of online conduct. As if that weren't enough, there's an appendix that provides a quick overview of cryptography. (If you think you might actually need to work with the stuff, you'll eventually want to invest in Bruce Schneier's book. But this is a good intro.)

As I said, some of it is a _little_ out of date. There's a lot of talk, for example, about modifications to the Uniform Commercial Code that were under debate in 1996; and of course any book written in 1996 can't take account of, e.g., the Digital Copyright Clarification and Technology Act of 1997, let alone the final outcome of _New York Times v. Tasini_. But the underlying legal issues haven't changed much, and this volume is still about as good an introduction as you'll find.

If you want a solid grounding in the law relating to information technology, supplement this book with Jonathan Bick's _101 Things You Need to Know About Internet Law_ and you'll be in good shape. If you want to specialize in this field there are other books you'll want too, but by the time you need them you'll know what they are.

A close friend of mine who has wrestled with depression for some time confided to me how deeply this book had touched his life. Indeed, while every page reflected in some measure the life of my friend, each page also touched on issues common to us all. What a comfort it is to know that so many in the body of Christ have traveled before us, traversed the same valleys, felt the same anxieties, trusted in the same God, and found Him to be absolutely true to His promises. Spurgeon himself, regarded by so many as one of the greatest preachers having lived, speaks with such frankness about his own internal and emotional struggles that he is likely strikes a common chord with all of us. Spurgeon's writing is uncommonly rich and filled with keen observations, anecdotes, and gems of wisdom based on the truth of Scripture. In one such anecdote, Spurgeon comments on the nature of death for the Christian as simply a transition to a more glorious life hereafter: "At Stratford-on-Bow," Spurgeon notes, "in the days of Queen Mary, there was once a stake erected for the burning of two martyrs, one of them a lame man, the other a blind man. Just when the fire was lit, the lame man hurled away his staff, and turning round said to the blind man, 'Courage, brother, this fire will cure us both.'" Although this book is composed almost exclusively of Spurgeon's writings and sermons, it does contain a modest amount of Skoglund's observations as well. In fact it seems that Skoglund has so saturated herself with the writings of Spurgeon that the styles of the two are at times nearly indistinguishable. Perhaps because of the denseness of Spurgeon's writings, this book can be slow going at times. However, as a relative newcomer to Spurgeon, I have the sense that Skoglund has done a wonderful job of piecing together many of Spurgeon's writings on emotional struggle and the encouragement which is to be found in Christ.

This is a wonderful little book. Elizabeth Skoglund has done a fine job of weaving together the writings of Charles Spurgeon on topics dealing with emotional pain and suffering. Each of the chapters are broken up into short segments. The book is best read "devotionally"; a little at a time. It has been a great help to me as a supplement to regular prayer and Scripture reading. Chapters are titled "Confidence", "Depression", "Anxiety", "Loneliness", "Change", and "Transition" (dying). Spurgeon, having suffered from these emotional problems himself, was ahead of his time in recognizing their more common sources and in dispelling some of the easy answers that are still common in evangelical Christian circles today. The first chapter, "Body, Mind and Spirit" offers a good foundation. It recognizes that we are whole persons, not separable into neat compartments. Emotional problems often stem from physical as well as spiritual causes. This book offers strength and courage from a great man who has been through plenty of dark times himself

This book can really help anyone who struggles with depression. I never knew Spurgeon was so wise, but you better believe I'll be reading more of him. Last saturday I got so fired up about this book that I bought every used or new copy on Amazon that netted out under 10$ (I'm on a budget, afterall) to give away to friends.

This book will help you if you struggle personally with depression, and it will help you if you care for people who do.