would highly recommend this book for all familie

This is an nice book for those who want to know more about alternative health care. I give the book to patients who are interested in reading about the various subjects covered.

This book has been the backbone of inspiration for me and my family. I keep it by my bedside and read it constantly. I have numerous pages folded down of remedies and healthy living suggestions--suggestions that cater to both my physical well-being and my mental health.

The authors have done an incredible job detailing and researching all the alternatives to the typical drug-store remedies and present it in a very readable and consise manner.

I highly reccommend this book to anyone with a family who wants to explore alternative options to a healthy physical and spiritual life.

Louise Haulk as written a book that helps explains what is seemingly unexplainable; connecting with the world beyond.

She explores spiriual connections with lost loved ones from both her perspective and her client's point of view. This approach made the stories especially 'moving' for me. These are first hand testimonies and the positive effects on average individuals that I can relate to. Staying clear of jargon, she writes in a way that I would feel comfortable sharing these spiritual views with the cynics in my life.

Furthermore, Louise writes from the heart, no preaching, no 'rah rah' but simple offerings and suggestions to 'try' on your own.

After watching a friend endure the lost of a loved one, I find this book as the best gift I can share for a simple source of comfort, insight and growth.

If this is any indication of what's to come from Louise Haulk, I can't wait for her next release.

Having spent some time with Louise, I know from my own experience that she is one of the wisest people I have ever met. Reading this book, therefore, held even more of an impact for me. She speaks to me of the magic in life in topics such as life beyond "death", soul agreements and forgiveness. This book gives helpful hints about how to get connected or "dialed".

Louise Hauck shines through as a gifted intuitive spiritual counselor, with charm, intelligence and an attitude of pure love. The book is inspirational - it includes much on death, and it not being an ending, with examples of readings where specific messages were relayed by loved ones who have passed over. This is all presented in the context of making sense of our time here, and using our gifts. I enjoyed this book even more than Ms. Hauck's first one, "Beyond Boundaries."

I just recently got a copy of this book and ever since I've been glued to it! It's a really good book. Definitely worth the time it takes to read. The only problem is the ending, and there are 2 more to help with that. I have no complaints about this book. The confrontations especially are superbly well done, if you have any inclination toward fantasy or science fiction (especially both) this is one book you should look up.

If you are young, romantic, impressionable, warning! You are about to have a hero (Tarod) for life! This book is so melodic and finely balanced I never read it without hearing a silent wail of the perfect background music: U2's Achtung baby album... probably Mysterious Ways, Y Love is blindness.. And wasn't that just the best album they produced? I believe this series is LC's most outstanding trilogy.. it is achingly beautiful and impossibly tragic...
Okay I hope I'm not putting you off it here, but honestly, this is still one of the best books I have ever read, and I've read more than a few. For similarly smashing books, see my so you want to list...
Read the book and then write you can write your own overly gushy & cringe worthy descriptions trying to capture it's essence, and convince others to read it. Until then...

I first read this trilogy as a teenager, more than 10 years ago, and unlike other fantasy writers who shall remain nameless, these books have stood the test of time. My only regret is that Cooper's stuff, like that of other excellent UK fantasy writers, is difficult to find.

"The Initiate" is the first of the Time Master Trilogy, which also consists of "The Outcast" and "The Master," in that order. The series takes place in a nameless world, vaguely bronze-age, which is ruled by a triad of powers, two of which are religious and one of which is secular. The reason that religion is so powerful in this world becomes clear as the series progresses. Thar's gods in them thar hills, and they come into the world periodically to clash, wreak havoc, and overturn the very nature of human society. At the start of the series, this overturning has happened at least once that we know---when the gods of Chaos were overthrown by the gods of Order (related in a prologue, and in the later-published "Star Ascendant" trilogy). An unfathomable amount of time later, the world has been ruled by Order for so long that no one remembers anything of Chaos other than dark rumor and superstition.

The story focuses on a young boy, nameless at first, who through tragic circumstances reveals that he has a phenomenal amount of sorcerous power. He is miraculously transported to the Castle of the Star Peninsula, the ruling seat of the highest of the two religious organizations which govern the world: the Circle. There the boy, who names himself Tarod, seems to fit in perfectly, in an environment where his hunger for occult knowledge and magical power are encouraged---at first. But Tarod is different from the other initiates of the Circle. He's arrogant and hot-tempered and a bit cold and cruel, although he is also fiercely loyal and scrupulously honorable. He scorns their adherence to ritual and tradition, and experiments with magic in ways that no one else would dare. Yet the greatest difference between him and the other initiates only begins to make itself known gradually and insidiously, slipping into his dreams and darkening his personality yet further. His fellow initiates react to these changes with fear and suspicion, and gradually they begin to close ranks against the outsider. Matters come to a head when Tarod's best friend, the young High Inititate Keridil, discovers Tarod's true nature. Will he decide Tarod's fate according to his friendship with Tarod, or the tenets of tradition? Whatever he decides will affect Tarod's decision between the path of good and the path of... something else.

This is only the start of an extremely complex look at the old good/evil, order/chaos theme---an original one, which deliberately plays with the reader's conception of the two powers. The defenders of Order are not good; Keridil is motivated as much by jealousy and lust as he is by his duty as the High Initiate. The agents of Chaos are not evil; although their motives don't become clear until later books, most of them are driven by love and loyalty. There is order and chaos in *every* character, not just in the unseen gods. Which of the two powers will win? It's not clear until the end (of the series).

This book is slower-paced than the other two in the series, but that's in part because it's more of a character study than the other two, which are more event-driven. The tone of the next two is set, however, with a spectacular occult ritual in the climax that has unexpected results.

There are two other trilogies set in this world--- the "Chaos Gate" trilogy, and the "Star Ascendant" series. CG has been published in the US, but only the first volume of Star Ascendant made it over here. The Time Master trilogy, though, is the first, and the best.

"On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life without Bessie" is by Sarah L. Delany with Amy Hill Hearth. Their text is accompanied by illustrations by Brian M. Kotzky. This book contains the reflections of 107-year old Sarah "Sadie" Delany after the death of her sister and lifetime companion Bessie at the age of 104.

A foreword by coauthor Hearth discusses the lives of these two extraordinary African-American women and the success of their book "Having Our Say," published in 1993 and adapted as a Broadway play. Bessie was a pioneering dentist, and Sadie a teacher; remaining unmarried, the two enjoyed a lifetime partnership that lasted over a century.

The main body of the text is divided into four parts, each with an introductory section by a 3rd person narrator. But the bulk of the text consists of Sadie's first-person reflections. Interspersed throughout the text are Kotzky's beautiful full color illustrations of the many flowers that longtime gardener Bessie loved: crocuses, tulips, rhododendrons, coral bells, etc.

This is a wonderful book about family, faith, growing old with grace, and surviving the death of one's life partner. Sadie's voice is wonderfully moving and sometimes funny. Ultimately the book celebrates the cycles of life.

This book is a touching tribute to Bessie Delany and a celebration of the enduring partnership she shared with her sister. Early in the book Sadie declares, "Why, I have been so blessed in my life!" Likewise are we readers blessed with this beautiful book. Recommended especially for those with an interest in women's studies, African-American studies, flower gardening, and issues related to the elderly.

i think this book would be a wonderful source of comfort for ANYONE who has lost a partner or loved one...it is so 'upbeat' and positive that it would help the survivor cope with loss. it is delightfully written and offers a perspective from 107 years of life that most of us will not achieve! i am giving this book to friends who need comfort and a new perspective on continuing with their lives.

How difficult it must have been for Sadie to live without Bessie after having her companionship for over 100 years. As someone who has lost many people in my life, I truly admire the strength of this woman. She was and is a true inspiration. You won't regret buying this book.

Louise Dickinson Rich is a star! A truly wonderful and gifted writer. You can't put her books down.

Louise Rich is not what you might expect a person who has given up the "essentials" of life to be. She is not trying to escape, not trying to save the wilderness, prove a point or return to her roots. Her motivation, quite simply, is that she likes where she lives and is willing to put up with a fair amount of discomfort to stay there. Moreover, she is mightily amused by the questions she is frequently asked by friends and acquaintances, the most common being:
"How do you make a living?"
"But, you don't live here all the year round?"
"Isn't housekeeping difficult?"
"What do you do with all your spare time?"
"Don't you ever get bored?"
"Aren't you ever frightened?"
"Don't you get awfully out of touch?"
"Do you get out very often?"
and
"Is it worth-while?"
Rich's eminently practical, and amusing answers to these questions form the basis of this book and will keep you grinning from ear to ear for hours.

It is clear from the start that Louise and her husband Ralph are more than capable of taking care of and amusing one another, and things only get better with the addition of various family members. These include Gerrish, their friend and handyman, son Rufus, daughter Sally, postman Larry, a skunk, five huskies, a marten and an ongoing parade of visitors, neighbors and "sports" (that's backwoods for tourists).

You will be treated to Rich's opinions on a wide variety of subjects, including women's fashions (and why she couldn't care less what she wears in the woods), the futility of trying to do housework when you're married to a man who loves motors, how to plan meals that take the weather's idiosyncrasies into account, the best way avoid getting lost, cut with an axe or burned by a stove. Even better, you will be taken along on a whole series of hilarious escapades as Rich learns how to cope with life in the woods.

With wry amusement she tells of the day she and her husband delivered their son on their own, her trip to the "Outside" after not having left the woods for 4 years, and the afternoon she spent cooking dinner for a bunch of lumberjacks. Here too are entertaining stories of playing tag with a family of foxes, going berry picking, pulling porcupine quills out of dogs, learning to tie fishing flies and locating hunters who get lost.

The real gift of this book however, is the chance to spend time with Rich herself. Here is someone it would be worth a long hike through snowy woods to visit. You'll feel like you've made a friend by the time the book is finished.

This book is one of the most enjoyable to read you will ever find. It is written in such a clear, humorous and timeless style that you would swear it was written yesterday instead of in 1942. Each chapter answers a question that would arise upon hearing that one had decided to live in the deep woods of Maine---how you do school your children? How do you keep in touch with society? How do you keep house? There are pictures and the kind of nitty gritty details we all like to read! In addition to just being great to read, I think this book is a very important one. I would say it had a part in starting at least two trends. One is the back to the land movement. At the time it was written, you just simply didn't decide to get away from it all and live in the woods! I think this book, which was extremely popular when it came out, put some unique ideas in a lot of heads and may have had a big part in giving people ideas about alternative ways of living. Also, I think it's one of the first autobiograpical books of its type---written plainly but with humor about a unique way of living. I think this book, which in my knowledge has never been out of print, is really one of the key non-fiction works of the 20th century. But don't read it for that, read it because it's fun to read and you will love it!

This book has great, inspirational photos and very good instructions. My main disappointment with it is the authors attitude toward silk paints (i.e., not dyes). I have used several varieties of the paints that are made to mimic dyes and find them to work very well, leave the silk soft and be very easy to use. They are a great way for a beginner to get started and try most of the same techniques used with dyes without the hassle of steaming or the toxicity. I am glad that I had some experience silk painting before I got this book because her attitude would have discouraged me from every trying. Aside from that - it's an excellent book, worth the price and full of great pictures to inspire you.

This is THE best book I have read on silk painting and I have't seen another to better it in the past 10 years. There ARE other books on the same subject that are good, but I certainly haven't felt the need to purchase another since I thumbed through this beauty!

Everything you could possibly want to know in relation to silk painting is covered in a consise and presise manner. This is supported by photo demostrations for various techniques not easily explained through the written word. The authors pratical experience shines through in the text and fablously gorgeous photos of her and other artists work.

The book is full colour with lots and lots of sensational photos. Much of the silk painting shown is very detailed work eg flowers, pictures; rather than overall "textures" or designs which is more often what you find in other books on the same subject.

Seriously consider this fantastic book if you are interested in this subject, it is worth every $, if only for the inspiration provided by the fablous photos

Very good and to the point.

5 stars brandy I enjoy your musi

I LOVED the book,Brandy:Sittin'On Top Of The World. It was really informative, and since I AM Brandy's #1 fan, it was fun to read. It was great reading about all what Brandy had to do and her determination to reach were she is right now, which IS on top of the world!

It's cool and it gives a lot of information about it

Reading Daddy Was A Number Runner for the second time as an adult was like visiting an old friend. I first read the novel when I was in junior high and the only thing I remembered from it was this freaky movie theater scene. That and the fact that it was good. Now that I am grown, I took a lot more away from it this time.

Francie is twelve and growing up in 1930's Harlem. She has two older brothers who have totally different aspirations in life. One wants to be a hoodlum and the other wants to quit school to become an undertaker. Her father, a number runner of course, is too proud to go onto public assistance and that causes a lot of turmoil between her parents. She has a best friend that likes to beat her up most of the time. Old white men try to feel her up whenever they get a chance. Francie really endures a lot for a person her age. If you are into period novels, this is a must read because it gives insight in a generation we know nothing about.

From beginning to end, the book was enjoyable. Brutally honest and very mature, but an excellent read. Many times hit close to home, others were a learning experience (like the use of rags, the electric hair on juveniles, etc.) It was a quick read that I didn't want to finish!

Daddy Was A Number Runner provides a horrific historical and sociological picture of Harlem during the 1930's post-Renaissance era. The reader travels throughout the daily trials and tribulations of Francie Coffin, an adolescent girl living with her brothers, mother and father, who is a number runner.

Statistically we know of the crime, deviance, poverty, fatherless homes and emerging welfare system but what we do not read about is the human elements; the feelings involved. Through Francie's own words and her dreams we are able to feel and capture Francie's plight. While Francie appears to be somewhat naïve she is also able to navigate the streets and people within Harlem. Francie serves as an errand girl for her father, gets into scuffles with her friend and is a victim of molestation. On the positive side she is an obedient daughter and sister, attends school and she loves to read. For Francie, reading and attending movies at the theater is her salvation from the madness.

The book goes one step further to examine Black and Jewish relationships. These relationships are presented in the form of tenant/landlord, student/teacher, customer/business owner and domestic/employer and in each, the black characters appear to be the victims. While not harboring resentment towards Jews as a group, the characters demonstrate a dislike towards the individual because in each example the Black character is shown to be subservient towards the Jewish character for survival.

The characters portrayed are captivating and one of the books largest strengths is the ability of Meriwether to show some positive aspects of the inhabitants. Through all of this despair we find love, kindness and support of family and neighbors, male pride, the importance of education, and compassion. The word community resonates throughout this story and the women are the backbone of this community.

There is no happily ever after and everything is not neatly fixed at the conclusion for there is no conclusion. What we have is Francie's acceptance of her life and her community but also her ability to still dream of a different life. Meriwether has provided the reader with an assessment in the life of a small community but does not place blame on one entity. We, the reader, are able to empathize because Daddy Was A Number Runner offers a lesson in history that is relevant today. This is a story of family and the survival of it.

I am a big fan and owner of Miss Louise Ben And Animal Friends Fan Club. I enjoys promoting this great fairytale book because it is one of the finest pieces I have read in a long time. You don't have to take my word for it. Order a book and see for yourself. You will be glad that you did. P.S. Don't Miss Out, Miss Louise Fan Club.

I am a mother of three children ages 5 to eight and every night they want me to read them a bedtime story. I went online to find a fairytale book that I believe would be just right for them... I loved the covered. So that night I read my children a few pages and immediately they loved it and wanted me to continue reading. I enjoyed the book so much that I had read it again in its entirety to myself. This is a great fairytale book and everyone should own a copy.

I liked the story about the prince and the evil witch. I loved all the animals and their friend Miss Louise. I loved the book and I hope all my friends buy a copy of the book and read it. It is a great book!!!

I enjoyed the information in this book. It points out the numerous ways we are getting parasites inside our bodies, what they are doing to us, and how they affect us in so many ways.

What the author doesn't realize, however, that you can get rid of these parasites using minerals. Take one tablespoon of copper in the mornings, and in the afternoon you will take one tablespoon of zinc and one tablespoon of silver. These minerals must be angstrom sized, in liquid form, or it wont be effective. Copper kills parasites and makes them want to leave the body. Zinc and silver escort the dead carcasses out of the body for a complete "cleanse". It works as I've done this and I know many other people who have done this. Parasites have NO place in your bodies. They are destructive and you don't want them around!

All I can say is God Bless Ann Louise Gittleman. If it were not for this book that I brought with me into my physician's office, I would have never discovered that I had a chronic case of giardia. My doctor was dismissing my symptoms for the longest time and finally when I found Ann Louise's books, I realized that a parasitic infection can be misdiagnosed as flu, IBS, or even gall bladder disease. Now that I have taken the prescribed medication and am using Ann Louise's suggested natural herbs from Uni Key as a follow up, I am a new person. This book should be Mandatory reading for every high school student, college student and health minded individual in America.

I thought Ann Louise Gittleman did a wonderfully thorough job of exposing parasites in terms of where they come from, who gets them, and what we can do about it to prevent them. Her dietary information was right on in light of the current concerns about sugar and processed foods plus the herbal and homeopathic remedies really work. I think the overly sensitive reviewer from San Franciso should get with the program - This book tells it like it is and specifically states that parasites know no boundary regardless of gender, race, or economic level.