I simply ADORED this book! My first read from the author and can't wait to read some of her other novels.

All I can say about this book is it's Confessions of a Shopaholic meets Sex & The City.

So, if you are fans of either the two, YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE!

I have stumbled upon a great new writer and her name is Louise Bagshawe. Way more fun than a chick-lit book, FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS is a tale of deceit, romance and cattiness in the social circles of Manhattan. Louise Bagshawe has a gift for drawing the reader in and never letting go until the very last page.
FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS is the story of Diana Verity. The novel opens with the very demure, very British, and very princess-like Diana on the morning of her wedding to Ernie Foxton. Ernie has just been named head of a huge publishing house in New York, and after the wedding, the two are heading to New York to live. It doesn't take Diana long to find her footing in the top social circles in Manhattan. Her weekly dinner parties are a hit, she's getting all sorts of great publicity, and making good friends with the highest ranking society ladies in NY. What Diana doesn't realize is that her life, her marriage and her social standing is all one big game, and it seems she is playing it a little too well for some people's tastes. She ends up finding out about her husband's affair, and refuses to sit back and take it quietly. She leaves and tries to make it on her own assuming Ernie will come running after her. He doesn't, but Diana soon realizes that maybe she doesn't need Ernie. Will Diana pick herself back up and regain her place in society? Will she find the one true love she never had in Ernie? All these questions are answered, and getting to the answers is all the fun. Highly recommended!

This is another first-rate collection of deco commercial art that you wouldn't see elsewhere, and it proves that graphic design was in a kind of golden age at the time. The work here is rich and appealing, as in all the books of the series, and if you're a designer, you'll find it very inspiring as well, and a handy reference tool.

The book itself is a fairly small paperback, though very nicely printed on glossy paper. The work inside this and other volumes in the series certainly justifies a larger, hardcover treatment.

Chronicle's Art Deco Design Series, is one of the best series of design history books on the market. Steven Heller, one of the world's most prominent design writers, has created a masterpiece in this series. There are three which I believe stand out among the rest, and French Modern is one of them. Perhaps this is due to a personal interest in the material, but nevertheless, this book is fabulous. The images are beautiful, the design is good, and the text is informative, accurate, and interesting.

Minerva Louise is so wonderfully drawn and cleverly written that I could read this and her other books to my son every night. I absolutely love this chicken, and the myriad adventures she takes. My son and I laugh every time Minerva Louise mistakes a common item for something a chicken might use, and get a kick out of correcting her. Just a great book.

Have read this book to my students and they LOVE Minerva Louise. She is so much like a real child it is uncanny. A must for any child's reading library.

At Wal-Mart, this book costs only $11.86

Each page of this book contains an affirmation, along with space to write a few lines, and record the day, date and time of your entry. You can either use the space to write your thoughts on the affirmation itself, or use it to jot a few lines about anything on your mind.

The affirmations themselves are inspiring and thought-provoking. Physically, the book is small enough to fit easily into a large purse or knapsack, and its hard cover is beautifully decorated. The spiral binding also makes it easy to write in for lefties. The only drawback that I can see is that the space allowed for filling in the day, date and time is a bit small for those of us with larger handwriting.

If you're working with affirmations and self-esteem issues, this is a great tool.

The story is fun, the writing first class and the gardening essays made me want to race out and start planting. I will admit, however, that toward the end I did skip over the essays to follow the mystery line. My curiosity appeased, I was then eager to go back for the essays. I did read the paperback version and the cover doesn't do justice to the story or the writing. Also, one minor point. For me, Louise "felt" much older than forty and it threw me when references to her age were mentioned. I fear this is a publisher issue in that there is some fear readers won't want to read about a mature woman. Wrong! I don't know if this was actually the case or not, but it seems likely, and that is my only quibble with my first Louise Eldridge Mystery. This is a very talented writer with much to share with her readers and I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

After Ann Ripley so cleverly blended stories together in the first three Louise Eldridge stories, you think her ability to weave paths together in Death of A Political Plant couldn't be beat; then you read The Garden Tour Affair. The story changes the setting from the capital to the Litchfield Falls Inn in Connecticut. A quaint setting is the perfect foil for the hustle and bustle of the three first novels set in Washington. Our heroine Mrs. Eldridge takes the first major trip for her PBS show Gardening With Nature to a house of quarrel between members of the Seymour family. Halfway through, you'll think you have it all figured out, and then the story takes another twist. The fast paced action continues right up until the last page. Ripley can truly do it all, between her masterful storytelling ability to her knowledge of gardening and wonderful use of allusions in her literature. An entertaining read, the best so far from Ann! 5 stars.

Robert E. Lee and Santa Clause is a very moving and inspirining story about christmas, Santa, a war, a General and southern children. Having ancestors who fought this war and being a Civil War Reenactor it was a very special story for me.

GENERAL LEE AND SANTA CLAUS is a charming tale from a bygone era in our history. Its Americana appeal, wit and charm make it a holiday classic for anyone who holds dear the treasured folklore of our nation. The unlikely pairing of General Robert E. Lee and Santa Claus is as surprising as it is sentimental. It is a tale of reconciliation, hope, wonder, and a little Christmas magic. GENERAL LEE AND SANTA CLAUS is a must-buy for this holiday season and many others to come!

Oxford University Press' ongoing translation of the German government's official history of the Second World War, Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, has produced yet another fine volume. This is to my knowledge the best work available on Germany's attack on the Soviet Union. The sheer scope and depth of the campaign are laid out in astonishing detail.

This is the 4th volume of the "Official German" history of World War II. There are suppossed to be 10 volumes altogether. Volume 4 is so far the most ambitious and controvesial of the set. It is well over 1000 pages, many, many tables, charts etc. It even comes with a spiral bound 4 color map book that shows the operational side of the conflict. Considering that this tome covers the decision to invade, the build up, and attack from June 1941 thru December 1941 you will understand the scope of this project. While laying the bulk of the blame on the conflict to the Nazi's, there is some discussion on the new revisionist thinking that Stalin was in fact preparing a strike into Germany but was forestalled by the German assult. I will let you the reader figure out which way the book tends to go. The translation from the German is very good, I had no trouble following the text. This book and series is not meant for a first time introduction to World War II; great detail is given on the socio/economic aspects of this conflict that rarely get mentioned at all the standard popular books. All in all a great addition to the series and a wonderful new look at a topic that never seems to go out of style. You will love it in your library!!

Robert Johnson said it best, "We each have but to walk down the path and turn left to find the Grail Castle. It's simply being conscious enough to know when the time has come to enter the Grail Castle." I love the story of Perceival so very much. Not only because it mimics so much of my own personal spiritual quest but also because of the hope it gives Western man. We have only to ask the question to heal the Fisher King, not know the answer. The question, "Whom does the grail serve?" is enough.

Emma Jung, Carl Jung's wife, made a lifelong study of the Grail Legend, preparing for this book. After her death in 1955, her project was completed by Marie-Louise von Franz, the most pre-eminent of Carl Jung's disciples and one of the most respected expositors of Jungian psychology. This book, a Jungian analysis of the Grail Legend, is regarded as a masterpiece. What is the Grail Legend about? In a word: meaning. It is how the Fool, Perceval, finds the Holy Grail and thus rescues the suffering Fisher King from his non-life in the Wasteland. This book explains how that story, with its triumphant conclusion, can take place in each one of us. For anyone fascinated by the Grail and curious about its relevance to life today, there simply is no better book than Jung & Franz's study.

I loved the book The Long Secret because it was just exellent!Hup! You MUST read this!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Harriet The Spy books are among the best books written for this age group. Although, it is suitable for any age group. When I was a child, I read this book and loved it. I even started to mimic it. These are great books that no one should pass up. Definitely a must read.

I bought this book with intentions of enriching my marriage. It had been recommened to me by my christian counselor. I read through it, and now am ordering another one. I gave my copy to a friend and her fiance. Issues regarding communication and religion were areas they struggled with. I knew this book would help them in their engagement journey. I wish I would have had it 15 years ago.

I've been single (divorced) for 26 years and I'm only now thinking about marriage again. As a Christian I want a high quality marriage and I want to get this one right. The Healthy Marriage Handbook deals with 200 sensitive and difficult questions that are hard to ask and even harder I think to get straight answers to.

The six major problem areas covered are "communicating with confidence"(26 questions), "working through conflict"(24), "sex the way God designed it"(28), intimacy - growing closer together"(27), "growing in spiritual oneness"(27), "parenting as a team"(36), and "making sense of money matters"(28). Each question is real because the people who originally asked these questions are real, and each question deals with an obvious potential trouble spot, things a newlywed in the making needs to know. The answers (from various contributors) are compassionate, sensitive, direct, and often well thought out.

To start with, as someone who has "lived for God" with his body for many years, I found the section on sex to be rather startling in its frankness. However it has to be kept in mind that this book is dealing with difficult (read sensitive) questions. While the answers deal directly with the questions, they remain appropriate and in good taste, and this observation applies generally to all the sections of the book. An example of the thoughtfullness of the answers can be found in the question "A husband with a low libido". No less than 7 possible reasons are presented, and each is dealt with in a sensitive and compassionate way. A number of issues that one might expect to be encountered by people who "keep themselves for the right one" (read naive) are dealt with. What is appropriate and healthy behavior in the marriage, and what is unhealthy and should be left "outside" of the marriage, is also dealt with. Issues like boredom are dealt with, and re-establishing a love life after an affair is covered. Several questions also deal with the special needs of older couples.

In the "growing in spiritual oneness" section (a very important section), issues such as different levels of spiritual maturity, different styles of worship, changing churches, praying together, the more (or less) spiritually interested spouse, the spiritual leadership role of the husband, and many other good issues are dealt with. For Christian couples, I think this area is extremely important to talk through and work out.

The communication section deals with a variety of communication problems that can develop between spouses. Differences in the way men and woman communicate are covered. Many of the answers seem to deal with overcoming the fear of being too open and vunerable in the circumstance being discussed. A number of special circumstances are covered such as forgotten anniversaries, a quiet spouse, feeling emotionally shut out, a self-centered spouse, a busy spouse, and many others. All are covered with thoughtfullness and compassion.

Many of the questions in the book are thought provoking and lead to discussions in other areas. I plan to get another copy so my potential spouse and I can read separately and discuss the issues that each of us personally feels is important. We want a marriage that will avoid major problems, and we feel that discussing these potential pitfalls beforehand will help us to avoid them. I have bought other books on Christian marriage, and I find that this book is the only one that I can't seem to put down. I highly recommend it.