I would recommend this practical and enlightening Bible study for any Catholic mother who wants to grow in grace. It was nice to finally discover a Bible study written specifically for Catholic women; I have completed two fine Christian Bible studies, but neither addressed issues of faith in the fullness that Mrs. Martin's does. The author points readers toward relevant, inspiring scripture and Catechim passages (oh, yes...you should have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church available for reference) and encourages us to strive ever higher in our own lives as wives and mothers. Mrs. Martin's personal reflections are engaging, and she weaves them nicely throughout the nine lessons. By the end of the study, I felt as if I had gained a friend and mentor. As we all know, a little while spent in scripture study each day does wonders for the soul, and I completed the study a little bit at a time (while the little angel was napping!). This study is a wonderful tool for helping us grow in faith and grace.

Why only 4 stars? Mothers who do not have the freedom to stay home with their children may feel uncomfortable with this Bible study.

Our MOM's (Mary Our Mentor) group at our parish is using this Bible Study and have grown in number and in grace. We're only on chapter five, but are so enthusiastic about it, I can't say enough good things. We do a chapter a month and share our thoughts and feelings about the reflections and questions. We have become better women, better friends, better mother and better wives because of this Bible Study. I highly recommend it.

Having just completed WOMEN OF GRACE, I must say that it was thoroughly engaging and thought provoking. Citing Scripture and the Catechism, Mrs. Martin leads you to the knowledge of what your life can hold if you accept and work towards God's graces. Her personal lfe stories only add to the intimacy, this is real life.... there are many times when the call of my children and husband interrupt my prayers or contemplation, Mrs. Martin has the answer for that! It is a great study to further strengthen your Personal relationship with God.

Last week my mother-in-law let me borrow her beloved tattered copy, saying she and her sister read it as teenagers and loved its romantic themes of loves found and lost. It's a thumping good read, but I DON'T understand Amazon's statement that it's intended for ages 9-12. I know it's tame stuff by today's standards, but the book does contain a suicide, adultery (real and implied), and racism consistent with the mores of the day. I enjoyed it for its unvarnished peek into middle-class America of 80-100 years ago, but think a 9-year old girl would be better served by the "American Girl" series for glimpses of that lost world.

The review below is wonderful enough to give you a good idea for the plot of this charming novel. What happens to Jane makes you consider the way you live life - do you just keep things in order and calm, or do you toss in a radical upheaval here and there? Barnes has written with beautiful description and the story flows quickly. Definitely worthy of its Pulitzer...

This story is probably one of the greatest novels I ever read. I first discovered it as a child, and read with fascination about Jane, who grew up in a different time, yet had hopes and dreams so similar to my own. How she fell in love and carried the image of her teenage crush Andre through all her life, how she married a good, oridnary man and had the expected children are all told in wonderful detail as we never lose little Jane, the girl in the beginning of the novel. Then as Jane grows older, and her children grow up, and do and do not fulfil her expectations, she and her husband travel to Paris, and she has a chance to see Andre again. I have been able to read and re-read Years of Grace at many different stages of my own life and to identify with Jane at the different stages of her life. This book contains no explicit sex, no violence, no horror, no supernatural elements, no serial killers and no autopsies done in graphic detail! Yet it is like other great novels, a book one can get lost in and believe in and open up at any point to live in the lives of the characters.I would have loved to have seen a movie of this book, but I doubt if it would have been a blockbuster, as the book was not a bestseller. But it sure is good and it's about my speed. Ordinary people, extraordinary only in their loves and lives and humanity.

James E. Coleman, Jr., writing in the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1999 notes: "Whether Leeming is as successful in taking on an artist's life as he had been with the literary life of [James] Baldwin, I am not certain. His knowledge of Baldwin's literary world is not quite matched by his savvy of the art world of the same period. Nevertheless, we have a fine introduction to an artist whose reputation is growing and who lived a fascinating life." That's high praise coming from Coleman, editor of The Encyclopedia Homophilica.

America's artistic milieu is known for dismissing from its memory those artists whose works and lives are deemed trivial and not worthy of consideration. Such an attitude has denied younger generations of artists the experience of knowing some of the great artistic man and women of our time. Beauford Delaney was one of those artists relegated to the halls of obscurity.

Amazing Grace is David Leemings biographical piece that examines Delaney's life and contributions to the art world. He looks at the forces which brought forth America's premiere modernist artist and shows how his gift impacted on the way one views life and art.

Who is this man, Delaney? A superficial view of his life reveals him as an impoverished homosexual Black artist who is plagued by many demons as he struggles to find himself as an artist and at peace with his sexuality. James Baldwin called him his spiritual father who was a cross between Brer Rabbit and St. Francis of Asissi. Others knew him as the good negro or an eccentric gadfly. Whatever one may call him, Delaney's goal was to infuse the concept of love within his work that would bring him the wholeness that he failed to capture in his life.

Plagued by paranoia, alcoholism and guilt over his homosexuality, Delaney failed to achieve intimacy in his relationships but poured out his inner struggle through his art. Like many artists, he went through several stages of development in his career which reached its climax in France. Unfortunately the demon of paranoia stripped him of his artistic ability in his later years.

This book must be read to get a handle on the artistic struggles of African Americans and how they succeeded inspite of their alienation from the mainstream art world. Delaney also struggled with being homosexual which undoubtably alienated him from his family and Black colleagues. His struggle opens up a new chapter in examining how sexuality impacts on a minority artists life. Delaney was saved from obscurity through this view of his life. Whether he was saved by grace is a moot point for his demonic voices did him in.

Although many books attempt to address the emotions that older siblings encounter when a new baby arrives in the family, NONE have illustrations that come close to these. The artwork is incredible, especially in the artist's use of light and the way in which he captures the mixed emotions of the big sister as she tries to adjust to the new baby. The text is equally sensitive to life with a new baby through a little one's eyes. As a parent, the text made me more conscious of how confusing this time is for little ones and how fragile their emotions are at this point. I have seen MANY books on this subject- this one stands out. It should be at the top of the list of recommended books for new siblings.

This is a very special book and I would recommend it for those tackling the arrival for a new sibling. Wonderfully written and illustrated.

This novel is a very enjoyable read but as an added bonus it also enables your eyes to be opened more about the maori culture through the lovable characters. It takes you into what they as a people hold dear and why, and as a sub-plot there is an attempt to get a piece of swampland returned to a particular tribe and this involves an occupation of a park not too dissimilar to the Wanganui occupation of recent New Zealand history. Especially if you are a New Zealander of european descent this book is valuable because it makes you see the issues from a different perspective then your own and I found that aspect nearly as interesting as the actual story. Overall I found the charm of this story is the ability to take a horrible act of insensitivity and turn it into one of the most original characters ever told.

This is one of those books that you want to re-read after finishing it. I love it.

I opened this book expecting a quick read: another warm-and-fuzzy meditation on the art of fly-fishing, and by extension a meditation on life (and how to live it). I didn't get what I was expecting, except for the quick read part. Frank Soos's little book is actually much better than that. Soos indeed does provide the fishing/life metaphor for our consideration, but he honestly deconstructs much that's held sacred in both. What is the good of this bamboo fly rod? he asks. By every objective measure, graphite rods are better. But while most fishing writers would, at that point, verge off into some squishy promenade through the lore and rhetoric of fly-fishing, Soos deconstructs these easy answers as well. And, by extension, he deconstructs some of the sacred beliefs most of us hold onto because we believe we must. In the end, Soos might agree with us, but not because he's taken the answer for granted. The meditation I expected from this book was one of silence, stillness, darkness, the meditation of a disciple sitting erect and cross-legged on a mat in the corner. Instead, this is a meditation hiked to, stumbled in, slipped across, cast about for, and otherwise sought fully and honestly. Please do read it. Also, I was very impressed with the beautifyl illustrations by Kesler Woodward. They seem mildly incongruous with the subject at times, but close and comfortable enough not to be distracting.

Winner of the Flannery O'Connor award for his awkwardly brilliant short story collection Unified Field Theory, Frank Soos understands that casting out for truth can get you hung up and wet before it makes you any wiser. In less adroit hands, a book like Bamboo Fly Rod Suite has the potential to fall apart like a poorly tied fly once it hits the water, but Soos keeps the central questions of this piece dancing gracefully above the surface with the same dry wit and surprising depth of his short fiction. A must-read for fly fishermen and a wonderful discovery for everyone else.

Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild is a true to life essay of being in a great wilderness area. I have recently been in the Boundary Waters. My experiences along with Gruchow's seem to coincide. This book is a must for any traveler to the Boundary Waters. For those that have not, it's a great way to leave the "rat race" of everyday life and discover an enchanting wilderness. Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild will help you to stop and discover what your true priorities really are. Gruchow will help you reach your full potential in every thing you do and find your personal meaning of life. Or for just an hour at a time. I recommend this book to whom ever can read! You will enjoy it. I know I did!

Whether you're an old voyager with a canoe paddle as worn as a river rock or someone who's just curious about the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, Gruchow's book will speak to you. The book is well-crafted, and each word must have been hand selected, but the stories still have the feel of a campfire yarn told softly over dying embers. Like the Boundary Waters, and nature itself, this book is at times profound, often educational, frequently beautiful, personally revealing, surprisingly hilarious, and always captivating. The Boundary Waters don't disappint, and neither does Gruchow.

As author of Child of Grace, I am very proud of the Christian message my first Women's Christian Fiction brings to Christian readers. I am the mother of three sons, and I've often wondered what our family--or more specifically what I would do if the worst happened to a daughter. A violent act committed, which resulted in the woman having to make some very tough choices. I wrote Child of Grace to help ( if even one victim) to make those choices if they felt scared and alone) I hope my readers will read and form their own opinions about Child of Grace keeping in mind reviewers tastes vary, just like readers.

I enjoyed Child of Grace very much. I was touched by the story and applaud this talented author's ability to make the reader care about the characters. The book was entertaining, uplifting, and inspirational--which is exactly what I hoped it would be. Brava to Ms. Copeland and may she keep up the good work!

This book very effectively shows the candidates of 1988 in black and white. The pictures are candid and mostly behind-the-scenes. These pictures are revealing because the candidates were often unaware they were being photographed. The Republican nominees, Bush and Quayle, are shown. So are the other GOP contenders, including; Al Haig, Jack Kemp, Bob Dole and Pete duPont. The Democrats include Michael Dukakis, Gary Hart, Bruce Babbitt, Richard Gephardt, Al Gore and others. The Foreward is written by Sam Donaldson.

This book shows the 1988 presidential campaign with everyone from Gary Hart to George Herbert Walker Bush in various stages of stumping. Some of the black-and-white are hilarious, some moving, but all are necessary in completely depicting a time in America's history with all its national and human impact.

An amazing book of love and grace. Taylor Field and his family are shining examples of servant evangelism. They moved out of their comfort zone to love the unloved in the harsh streets of NYC. There are not too many of those people who call themselves ministers who would do such a thing. If you read the Bible (and I mean really read it) you'll find that Jesus didn't stand in a pulpit, wearing a designer suit, shouting at the world to "get saved or suffer the fires of hell." No, he walked among us, loved us, touched us, helped us, and eventually, died for us. Field has taken the challenges Jesus set before us to heart and this book tells his (unfinished) story. I myself have ministered on the streets of NY. It's tough. (I was only there 2 weeks) Field lives there. He walks among them, loves them, touches them and helps them. Something tells me he would die for them. For inspiration and a look at the Great Commission at work, read this book.

Whether you are spiritual or religious (they are NOT the same thing) this book will speak to you. In times where many don't know their neighbor or where many humans view others who are different with suspicion --this book reminds us of what is important.

This autobiographical account is engaging and hard to put down. The stories and struggles of the growth of a ministry/church called "Graffiti" is set in a Lower East Side neighborhood in New York. It is poignant and speaks about the joys, heartaches, and relationships in day-to-day life.

Given the 9/11/01 events this book is well timed to remind us to get back to basics.....love, trust, kindness and honesty cross all barriers. We just need to remember...........

Buy it and share it.

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