I believe that the photographs capture the essence of Savannah. Susan Sully has provided us with a sketchbook of Savannah's mystery and charm. The over the top decorating schemes are perfectly matched to the quirky and brooding characters who inhabit these fabulous southern mansions. Every photograph evoked a glimpse of a place we would all secretly love to share.

Brooke challenges many comfortable myths about the history of science and religion in the West. Fans of Andrew White's "warfare" metaphor---that science and theology have always been in conflict with each other---will find that this simplistic metaphor fails to capture the complexity of actual historical data. On the flip side, Christian apologists who maintain that Christianity deserves the lion's share of the credit for the rise of natural science in the West will also find that reality is much more complicated than this neat story would have it. The book is a must for anyone who is serious about understanding the relationship between these two powerful forces that shape so much of Western culture today.

Don't waste money on multiple lesser books. Buy this one! You won't regret it. Especially if you want a natural look, such as plants to the edge of the water or easing into the water. This is my key reference for constructing my water garden. Excellent construction techniques for natural edges - no necklace of rocks - and stream flow and finishing to mimic natural creeks and streams. Very inspirational photos of water features that will surprise you that they are man-made, and sized for average gardens as well as larger acreages. Line drawings detail construction techniques showing placement of liner, underlayment and structural (concrete) support for heavy rocks, etc. Several options shown for each. Written such that homeowner could do it themselves. Only caveat is that the designs are based in Britain and may (or may not) need adjustment for severe winter regions. Although primarily a construction guide, excellent photos of completed gardens provide inspiration for plantings. There is a brief review of major species adapted to this sort of garden. I am looking forward to the new edition, due out in Fall 2002, which promises inclusion of some U.S. information. Don't accept less. Raise your expectations of what your water feature can look like. Buy this book.

This Cross Cultural Curriculum is amazing! This book focuses on concepts such as Space, Time, Relationships, etc. and how different cultures view these concepts. This curriculum is set up in a manner that encourages fun learning and an open mind to people's differences. It offers numerous examples of activities that help increase their knowledge and cross cultural skills. I recommend this curriculum for schools, treatment facilities, community groups, church groups and any where else that young people would benefit from learning to have an open mind. I've found it useful in Cultural Awareness Groups not only for the recommended age group of 4-8 grade but also for some high school age groups as well. I also found it mind opening for myself. I learned a lot while preparing for my groups. I have nothing bad to say about this one of kind book!!

This book is wonderful for quick reference. Beautiful pictures help guide plant selection. The "plant finder's guide" is useful because it uses symbols to define the care needed for each plant. This guide is categorized by the physical characteristics of the plants (ie, trailing plants, climbing plants, etc.). What is lacking is a more comprehensive selection of plants, especially the more unusual ones.

Whether you want to learn a little about hydroculture or terrariums to just your everyday houseplant or hanging basket, it's a very good overlook at different types and styles of indoor gardening.This is a great book that not only provides information on growing plants and caring for them, but also gives tips on where and how to place them in various environments. Also, there are interesting craft ideas thrown in for those who want to get creative with their plants and flowers.

This is an excellent choice for someone who wants to learn about plants. It includes a good number of plants and their care and also has excellent information about forcing bulbs, propogating by air layering, etc. The directions for the care of specific plants are easy to understand--no mention is made of the number candlelight whatevers you need to grow them. Overall I think this is an excellent book for anyone interested in indoor gardening. The pictures are nice too.

This book has help me understand in great detail how the spine vertbrae's are linked.With the surgeons letter i was able to see what parts of the spine where affected on my son.This helped to inform me, in a manner in which is easy to understand as the book is written in PLAIN English. I would Reccommend this book to parents or people with Scoliosis wishing to be informed without medical terms.Helps take away the fear of the unkown.rating by me 8 out 10.

I was recently diagnosed with scoliosis and began a search for more information. A woman on an online forum pointed me towards this book. I picked it up and read it in one sitting. The language is not overly complex- very understandable. But gave me a much better understanding of my condition, and what can be done about it. The individual patient's stories were also pretty inspirational.

This is a wonderful story (stories) about a real-life disease that remains with you for life. Brooke put real-life experiences of so many different people in this story. Living with scoliosis all my life (33 years), I am now faced with surgery. Even though my younger sister had surgery 13 years ago and has been my real-life source book, Brooke's compilation of facts, stories, and statistics has really been informative and inspiring. Extremely well-written. Thanks for giving us current and compassionate information!!! And congratulations from a nearby neighbor!!

This work is certainly original and brings in a lot of connections from the past with early Mormon theology. I think that he also presents, on the most part a fair interpretation of the history and belief's of the early Church, and presents a great general view of the 'mentality' of upper New York in the 1800's to 1820's. I do consider some of his conclusions a stretch, but nothing to get bent out of shape over. I just found the book boring and really hard to get through, and the material should be really interesting to someone with my interests in Mormon and Social history.
I have to say that I enjoy the information I recieved from the book greater then the process of getting it.

Conservative Mormons dislike this interesting book because Brooke attempts to trace the origins of some LDS doctrines back to 17th century mysticism or even farther. But just because Mormon theology has a history doesn't mean that it's man-made. Brooke's pedigree of LDS beliefs is really traces or remnants of ancient doctrines that were rediscovered by Joseph Smith (and as Harold Bloom points out, Smith had no initial knowledge of Kabbalah or other esoteric traditions.) In any case, Brooke convincingly demonstrates it didn't start with Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. For a more believing perspective on the same subject, see D. Michael Quinn's "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View."

Most reviewers of this text misunderstand it. The FARMS reviews and others on this site are clearly driven by an agenda to cover up the historical development of this 19th century new religious movement. In fact, Brooke's text seeks to investigate the depth to which early LDS history is indebted to modern interpretations of ancient and Renaissance Hermeticism and magic. Brooke successfully argues that the three-tiered Heaven, "pre-Creation existence of eternal spirits," and latent divinity of Man are all derived from a popular 19th century American hermetic milleu fused with apocalyptic Christian mysticism. We must not forget that the Gospel of John itself is an esoteric religious text. The development of Western esoteric and occult thought owes much to the Gospel of John as well as Hermetic thought born of Egyptian, Christian, and Jewish elements.

Brooke clearly shows that Smith was immersed in the treasure-divining culture of his time and place, as well as Masonic knowledge, visionary experiences, and other elements of a popular Hermetic framework. Contrary to some reviewers, Brooke displays an amazing knowledge of Mormon doctrine, faithfully backing up his assertions with credible citations of standard LDS theological sources.

Brooke does not claim that LDS is an "occult" religion. What he claims is that American popular hermeticism fused with an apocalyptic interpretation and command of scripture created the early foundations of Mormonism. Contemporary LDS institutions like FARMS are, like many religions, concerned with erasing their origins to maintain legitimacy. But excommunicating scholars and misinterpreting solid pieces of scholarship (perhaps deliberately) will not stand the test of rigorous historical investigation. To those who would let FARMS decide what is legitimate LDS scholarship and what is not, hear this: Religious institutions, like political and social ones, have a vested interest in projecting a certain image. Currently, the Mormon church is trying insert itself into the mainstream of activist Protestantism. But teaching that God was once a man who walked the soil, that earth is (or will be) a level of heaven, and that angels are essentially "recycled" humans, is essentially a hermetic, historically occult doctrine-- and no amount of political whitewashing will change that. There is nothing disrespectful about the presence of occultism in Mormon history---Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all have absorbed heavy doses of hermetic and kabbalistic thought, and all have survived quite well.

Read this book. Read D. Michael Quinn as well. Read Bruce R. McConkie, Brian Copenhaver's "Hermetica," and the Gospel of John, and you will begin to be able to trace the religious development of Mormon ideas starting in antiquity.

I keep this book right next to my watering can and refer to it for helpful hints every time one of my plant leaves turn yellow, or brown or another problem turns up.

It covers lots of information in few words. The illustrations are quite helpful. Love it, and wouldn't do without it

This is an great book for beginners plus it's cute and small and easy to read (this book would be especially appropriate for teenagers and older children). Chapters include: "Choosing Houseplants" including how to match plants to the growing conditions in your home and how to grow bulbs indoors; "Light and Humidity;" "Watering Know-How;" "Feeding Your Plants;" "Pots and Potting On;' "Pruning and Training;" "Propagating Houseplants;" "Tackling Pests and Diseases;" "Favorite Houseplants;" and "Display & Arrangement." The "Favorite Houseplants" chapter includes descriptions and growing requirements for 20 easy-to-grow plants including English Ivy, Philodendrons, Rubber Plants, Boston Ferns, African Violets, Cyclamens, Hyacinths, Poinsettias and Geraniums, etc. "Display & Arrangement" has instructions for container plants, hanging baskets and terrariums. The only reservation I have about this book is that some of the symbols used to designate humidity and amount to water are a bit confusing; in particular, I had a little trouble telling the difference between the medium drop ("water moderately") and the small drop ("water sparingly").

This book is an essential guide, just as the title says, for anyone interested in caring for house plants. Good photographs along with excellent tips make this a good starter before buying a plant. I found it particularly useful that it recommended plants according to my own lifestyle, location, as well as advice on what to look for when buying a houseplant.

This is a great intro to garden design drafting. It covers at a high-level how to draw a garden design and some basic principles of structure. If you are wanting to learn how to draw designs for your garden, this is a good place to start. If you have experience in garden design, another book may be a better choice.

A review of The Voice of Aliette Nouvelle

This book is an interesting variation on the basic detective story. It is quietly paced, more of a psychological puzzle than an action-oriented mystery. I think that is part of the point: This book is gently funny in the way it portrays macho men who dream of action with a capital "A".

As a female character, Inspector Aliette Nouvelle is engaging and believable. She is 35, single. She is doing well at her job. She is still looking for answers in her personal life. Her cat Piaf sits on the end of her bed as she sips a beer and reads alone at night. She uses the Billings Method of natural birth control to keep track of her body's rhythms which link her to the world. As a cop, Aliette has a way of "getting to" men, both colleagues and adversaries. (To say more would wreck the story.)

Inspector Nouvelle's assignment is to find a long-lost Public Enemy # 1. The story is set in an unnamed mid-sized city in present-day France. The author, who is from Canada, puts in enough authentic local color to let us feel the French environment - the Palace of Justice, shops in the dark, labyrinth-like streets of the Old City, the Vosges Mountains in the distance, a busy Rond-Point with a suave gendarme directing the daily flow of traffic.

My only problem was waiting for this story to become the usual kind of cop story. Once I accepted Aliette's way of doing it, I enjoyed it. The conclusion conveys some useful meaning in today's violence-prone world. I would be interested in reading another Inspector Aliette Nouvelle story from this writer.