Wendy Lawton's Almost Home, the third in her Daughters of Faith series, belongs on the shelf of every girl you know and in every school/church library. The story of Mary Chilton grabs your imagination and holds it captive until you finish the book!

As other reviewers have mentioned, the details, dialogue, accuracy and content excel. I don't remember the Pilgrim's story riveting my attention like this when first I heard it.

The beauty of Wendy Lawton's books for me remains that her skills, research, and craft are invisible. The story and the characters steal my attention and snare me within the pages. A tale that transports me from my day-to-day routines into the world of another place and time deserves my highest praise, and Wendy's done it again!

Not only is this a rollicking good story, but it teaches as well.
I learned new tidbits of information about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower journey without feeling lectured. The glossary of new words is a boon to every mom and teacher. I found myself sneaking back there to confirm I did indeed know the meaning of some of the words--and then grinning when I did.

These books will stand the test of time like many of your favorite children's classics. Join the adventure!

Between the romance of the Pilgrims' story with which I grew up and the story that our children hear today falls the truth, and I believe Wendy Lawton has shown quite a bit of that truth in her story, Almost Home.

In their quest to escape religious persecution in England and again in Holland, the Pilgrims put their faith in their God to carry them across the waters in a vessel that should have carried no more than half of the number that it brought to freedom. We see this trip through the eyes of Mary Chilton, a 13-year-old girl who must bear the pain of leaving her older siblings behind to go with her parents in order that they all might start a new life. Mary soon finds that that loss is just the beginning, and she struggles to find God's love through trials of sickness, loss, and starvation.

The book includes a glossary that explains the unfamiliar terms which Ms. Lawton uses to take the reader back into the early 17th century; also, an epilogue gives a glimpse of Mary's life as an adult in her new home.

A wonderful, challenging book for young ladies who are interested in history and in strong young female characters.

It's a universal truth that everyone longs to have a place to call home. It's the place where we feel most comfortable and can be ourselves. Thirteen-year-old Mary Chilton longs for the same stability in her life. Mary and her family are looking for a place to call home. In this highly readable and engaging book, Wendy Lawton takes the reader on the journey home through Mary's viewpoint. One of the 102 passengers who traveled from England to the New World on the Mayflower, Mary experiences hardship and joy as she discovers the true meaning of home and family.

The research and vivid details of this book will transport young readers yet teach them something about the early settlers to the New World called America. I recommend this book and encourage you to read it as well then you can recommend it to your friends. It's the perfect recommendation or gift for any library-school or church.

W. Terry Whalin...

Father Fox's Pennyrhymes, written and illustrated by sisters Clyde and Wendy Watson was such a wonderful discovery when our grandchildren were very small. Both our daughters bought copies for us to read to them. There are so many children's rhymes in it. Many are parodies on Mother Goose some are totally original. We have a step-great-grandchild on the way and this will be the first thing we buy as a gift for the baby. Please tell the publisher to make more copies.

Along with Catch me and Kiss me, my whole family has treasured this book. I have a copy in paperback which I have read to all the children in my family. It includes favorites like Bimbo Bombo, and Huckleberry Gooseberry. There is no reason for it to go out of print forever. Please bring it back.

My nephew Robert, loved this book as a child. His mother kept checking it out of the library for him. My kids now have a copy of it, which I still read aloud sometimes even though my youngest baby is now nine-and-a-half. I think I may have bought a few copies as gifts for babies last time it was in print. I'd buy another million today, as well as some copies for grandchildren someday. Please encourage the publisher to make more.

Fed Up! The Breakthrough Ten-Step, No-Diet Fitness Plan by Wendy Oliver-Pratt, MD. Review by Christine Hartline, MA. Dr. Oliver-Pratt's book offers important insights into the dieting industry, dieting myths and the psychological and physical dangers related to a life spent focused on diet and weight control. Fed Up! offers a comprehensive, well-defined plan on how one can free themselves from the enslavement of counting calories, self-starvation, binge eating, poor body image among other agonizing aspects of dieting. The books provides well-defined tools on how to develop a healthy relationship with food and your body. Dr. Oliver-Pratt share her own process of self-discovery and breaking free from the prison of dieting and an eating disorder and found her way to a healthy, fit lifestyle. Her techniques are based on her personal and professional understanding of the complex reasons people become caught up in an endless cycle of dieting and weight gain.

Christine Hartline, MA
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
...

Give up dieting? No way. That's what I used to think.

I suffered with anorexia/bulimia for over twenty years. Dieting was my life. It made me feel confident and in control. But the truth is that I had very low self-esteem, and food was in control - not me. I am now recovered from my eating disorder. A key element in my recovery was giving up on dieting completely. Today I am diet-free and living a life that I never thought was possible.

Wendy Oliver-Pyatt's book, Fed Up!, can lead you to a healthy, fit lifestyle, too. Her breakthrough ten-step, no-diet fitness plan is extremely practical and can easily be applied to your everyday life. It is so refreshing to read a book about health and fitness that does not give long lists of what you can and cannot eat. Dr. Oliver-Pyatt legalizes all food and simultaneously gives you the freedom to truly live your life.

If you hunger for a relaxed attitude toward food and are ready to throw away your diet books, read Fed-Up! You are worth it.

Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed: Declaring Independence from Eating Disorders (McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books - Feb '04 release)

This excellent book was a wake-up call that I sorely needed. I have been on Weight Watchers for a year and a half, and thought I had dealt with all my food demons. Yet I was living in fear of food - going to the extent of throwing it away and hiding it from myself! Wendy Oliver-Pyatt's book covers why many Americans have a love/hate relationship with food, and why diets do not work.

The first several chapters are about one's psychological relationship with food. Much of it stems in the way we are raised, and the way that our culture treats food. We have an abundance of food in America, and at the same time, thin bodies are the ideal. Both food and thinness are fetishized, leading many men and women into a quandary.

Wendy explains how diets do work in the short-term, but in the long-term they can cause depression, food cravings, and weight-gain. She struck a chord with me when she mentioned how many people are afraid to eat normally because they fear gaining weight.

I have already started to try Wendy's suggested mindset. She talks about honoring your hunger without overeating, and exercising to the extent that you still enjoy it. I have friends that can seemingly eat whatever they like without worrying about it like I do. Then I notice that they don't seem to obsess over food, and they naturally take as much as their body needs - no more no less. This is what the book's author suggests as the way to reach your optimum body weight.

Of course, I already eat fairly healthy and exercise regularly. I think this book is best for dietaholics, people who are tired of restricting themselves, but are concerned about maintaining a healthy weight if they stop. I already want to send copies to some of my friends and am planning on bringing this book to my Weight Watchers meeting.

While packing away all of my Anne of Green Gables books for a trip to Prince Edward Island, I could not find my paperback copies of the first novel. Since I was not about to take my original 6th edition hardcover copy I went to the library to pick up "Anne of Green Gables," and I stumbled upon the Annotated Anne. I lucked out big time. This volume footnotes almost every literary reference and allusion (there are a few that have stilled escaped detection), along with all the people and places. Appendixes present songs mentioned in the book, along with the music, as well as stories and poems, the geography of the story, and lots of other fascinating details. These books is ideal for not only those who want an additional level of understanding to this beloved classic as they reread it (again), but is extremely useful if you happen to be coming out to PEI to visit the "actual" locations. This book will tell you where to find the real Lovers Lane, Lake of Shinning Waters, and other places from the novel as well as places important in the life of L. M. Montgomery. I realize that if you are looking this book over there is a very good chance you already have a copy of "Anne of Green Gables." But you are going to want to have this one as well. I bought my own copy at the Cavendish site, where, as I learned from this book, is where Montgomery wrote the first two Anne books. This is a special edition of a very special story.

I just received this book for Christmas. I have been an "Anne" fan since I was 10 years old, and my love of all things L.M. Montgomery has only increased as I grew older. This new edition simply amazed me with all its informative footnotes. The best part for me was the inclusion at the back of the book of many of the poems and songs mentioned in the novel but not written out. Three cheers to the editors of this book! You've outdone yourselves!

This is one of the most outstanding annotated editions of a book I have ever seen. It is packed with interesting, relevant annotations about the world of Anne of Green Gables, as well as LM Montgomery's own life and Prince Edward Island itself.

Due to the nature of the writing in Anne of Green Gables, an annotated edition is especially welcome to fill in the blanks on Canadian politics (What is a "grit?") and social conventions at the time. Reading the annotations increases the pleasure of entering the Anne's world, and that is incredibly important.

Also, of special note and appreciation, many of Anne's favorite obscure poems and readers are included in the back. Finally, you are able to get the whole version of the many quotes that she drops, and see just where she picked up her big words.

The best gift you could get for a true fan of Anne of Green Gables.

Greta Huls has done an outstanding job in presenting the Cornish Rex in this book. She has prepared the reader well for the fun times ahead with this unique breed of cat.

The beautiful pictures in this book show a wide variety of Cornish Rex colors, sizes and types.

Her book is informative to both the novice and the experienced Cornish Rex owner and breeder. I have used information from this book in my own breeding program.

This book should be owned by every Cornish Rex owner and is the ideal gift for every Cornish Rex breeder for the new owner.

This book is a wonderful reference for the Cornish Rex owner (really someone owned by a Cornish Rex!) or for people considering taking one of these balls of energy and loving, non-stop attention into their lives. These cats are a little different... and Greta Huls takes you through background, grooming, feeding, healthcare and breed standards in a very interesting, straightforward and informative way. For instance, the information on the breed's intolerance to pre-op drugs is invaluable and possibly a lifesaver. In addition, the wonderful photographs perfectly illustrate the Cornish Rex's beauty and character.

when i first got my two cornish rex, i read all that i could find on the cornish rex breed, and i discovered that there were no comprehensive books on them. i really needed some tips + how-to's specific to rexes. fortunately, greta's book provides that. the text is informative and easy to read, as well as entertaining. thanks, greta! from one owner who's happier + a little more confident in her cat care now.

I knew nothing about Mary Bunyan before I read Wendy Lawton's inspiring book, The Tinker's Daughter. Of course I knew of John Bunyan and Pilgrim's Progress, and I knew it had been written in prison, but that's where my knowledge ended.

As writers we are told to make the reader hear, see, smell, and touch what's in the story, and Wendy has done just that. She has brought history to life with all the senses and the reader is the beneficiary. I've never really thought about what it must be like to be sight impaired, but Wendy painted such an excellent picture of Mary, who was born blind, that I felt as if I had at one time been blind so I knew exactly what Mary was feeling. How powerful.

Wendy has a delightful way of telling a story bursting with characters and color. In this book she made me understand the myriad of emotions felt, not just by Mary, but by her siblings, father, step mother, and her new gypsy friends.

Mary's struggle to feel like she can do all things herself and not depend on anyone else is one that I have struggled with. If the truth be told, I still struggle with it. I learned much from Mary Bunyan, and was just as thrilled with her acceptance of the Lord as if she was someone dear to me here in 2002.

I read The Tinker's Daughter because Wendy is my friend. I came away from this book a better person and a fan as well as a friend. This is a must read for children and a double must read for adults.

In "The Tinker's Daughter," Wendy Lawton does an excellent job of capturing both the experiences and feelings a visually impaired person faces. Her descriptions look at life from a blind girl's point of view and instead of focusing only on the cliche auditory signals most people think of for a blind person, she focuses on Mary's identification of her world by smell as well, even the disgusting smells! Even more so,she nails the two major emotions a visually impaired person struggles with: fear and determination to overcome. She shows the pitfalls of the fierce independence many physically challenged people cling to, yet balances it with the necessity, that it isn't always a bad thing. Mary's ultimate solution is found in the source all of us need to depend on - Jesus Christ. All of these profound thoughts are tucked neatly into a sweet story about the daughter of the historical religious giant, John Bunyon. This book is powerful writing!

John Bunyan penned Pilgrim's Progress, a Christian classic, in the 17th century, but it is still being read today. What most of us do not know is that he had a daughter, Mary, blind from birth, who is one of his few children mentioned repeatedly by name. Mrs. Lawton speculates that the reason Pilgrim's Progress is so vivid is because of a father's need to describe life to sight-impaired Mary. This makes perfect sense. Lawton has done her homework, making this book authentic, right down to the language, the feelings of someone blind in this century, and the everyday life. If you don't know what a jonguleur is (a traveling minstrel,) you can find out in the glossary, which makes learning history easy for children. History is a story of people, and sometimes authors forget to "tell me a story" while giving details and facts. Lawton is a master storyteller. You can trust the quality of this book, and it is a must for every Christian library catering to children.

This book was so wonderful to write. I live the Feeling Light Program and teach others how to follow it every day of my life. There is so much to learn about yourself from healing deep within. When you change how you interact with your self and those around you issues with food dissolve. It's so important to feel at peace, speak your truth, and honor yourself. I hope this book helps you to get on and stay with a powerful path of healing. You can learn more about me by checking out healing4u.com. Many Blessings, Shoshanna

I enjoyed the book Feeling Light, immensely. It had a lot of useful information and gave a definite program for the reader to use. Not a diet, but a complete change of lifestyle. Excellent book.

This book is not just about Weight Loss, it's about Total Wellness!! As it was mentioned several times in the book, the focus is on getting healthy and that will trigger the weight loss by itslef.

The book is very well written and structured with clear explanations of everything.

The book offers the program of total wellness combining all the revolutionary methods. I was coming up with some kind of the same health program for myself and I found everything I wanted to know in this book. Note that I don't have any weight problem and still this books makes a difference and it will make a big difference in your life getting you were you want to be in terms of not only the wellness but your life itself! Whether you have a problem with your weight or not, whether you consider yourself healthy or not, buy this book. It costs only couple bucks but contains million dollar information for you to be the one you want to be. The book is full of knowledge that is not easy to find! I just want to thank the authors for sharing this kind of knowledge.

I picked up this book in Shoshanna's Wellness Center after first acupuncture treatment. I am just fortunate to live in the same area where she has an office and receive acupuncture treatments. Not to mention that I received one treatment so far but felt amazingly much better already right after the first treatment.

Again, the book is full of knowledge authors are sharing with us and it amazes me that you can get this kind of knowledge for only ... bucks!

Be well...

The first time I read through this book, I was very new to dog training. I had no idea how valuable the information in this book is. After having trained a few dog, consulting with dog trainers and reading just about every book about dog training and behavior that I can get my hands on I now have a new appreciation for The Canine Good Citizen.

This book contains the basic information that every dog owner should know and understand. It's a great book for someone just starting out and it's a good review of the basics for those of us who have been there, done that. The simple trainig methods work and the added information about how your dog views the world will help you to understand why some of the things you might currently be doing aren't working.

I would and do recommend this book to anyone who has dogs.

This book is a step by step, week by week training book. It's not a "Train your dog in 2 hours" book. Any dog owner know that it take time, patience and more time to train a dog. There is an exercise at the beginning to teach your dog who is in control. It takes 30 minutes to do and you need to do it 5 days a week for 4 weeks. If you don't have that kind of commitment this book isn't for you. If you do, then you're in luck. I could see a change in my dogs after the first week. During the 4 weeks that you are doing the control exercises, you will also learn a new command each week for 8 weeks. If you have the time and commitment, BUY THIS BOOK. You and your dog will be good citizen!

This is a must have for every dog owner. If you own a dog then you need to teach your dog some manners. Every dog has the potential of being a well behaved canine citzen and the Volhards teach you how to motivate your canine to become one. They break down the steps into an 8 week course and thoroughly explain each step. This has become my bible of dog training. The book is centered around taking the Canine Good Citizen Exam, however even if you do not attempt the exam you and your dog will highly benefit from its instruction. It will become an enjoyable time between you and your dog as they promote motivational training. You will be happy with your purchase of this well written book.

The author of "Cold Calling For Women" used to be a ballet dancer and she helps you think about your sales routine in terms of a dancing "performance model". The book acknowledges that women often do things like worry about how others might perceive them in the assertive role of a salesperson. There are suggestions to overcome this if you experience it. The book is a combination of practical and philosophical approaches. It contains more "feature selling" tips than real in-depth information about qualifying for enterprise or large ticket sales. The author talks about using paper index cards to track your work and only lightly touches on using computer databases or sales tools for this purpose (although she seems to recommend them). There are some basic written exersizes and a list of good responses for frequent objections. The book recommends writing a funny letter to a prospect that you can't reach after several attempts. A final section helps you formulate a theory for the number of cold calls you need to make to start generating the income you want. Overall this is a good book for a beginner (male or female) needing to get over basic fears, someone who needs a refresher on cold calling, or someone selling a lower-ticket product or service.

Cold Calling for Women is one of the most helpful books I've ever read. It starts well before the tactics of picking up the phone to include the important strategies of identifying your market, targeting the right prospects, and positioning your product or service for maximum appeal.

That said, it is also extremely specific in terms of tips and techniques for handling each stage of the cold calling process - something I was formerly terrified of. By the time I finished this book, I thought "Hey - I can do this!" Let me tell you - that's saying a lot!

The book is also wonderfully readable and blessedly concise. Wendy Weiss' energetic writing style makes it a fast read, and the exercises she includes motivate you to take action NOW. I read it cover to cover in one sitting - including all the exercises and note-taking - and by the time I was done, I was ready to pick up the phone and get started!

Weiss is brilliant! Her ideas will get you past the cold call jitters and on your way to cold calling success. If your job requires making calls to people who have never met you, this book is for you! Wendy shows you how to make the calls, how to get past the screeners, and how to get down to the business of making money. If you hesitate before picking up the phone to make cold calls...if you have a habit of putting off cold calling until later...you may be experiencing cold call terror. Get over it and start making money! While it has a catchy title, Cold Calling for Women, is not just for women. It's for all sales people who want to improve their telephone skills.
~Kim Peek, Publisher Ad Genius Newsletter (www.adgenius.com)

Mallory Eden was dubbed by the Hollywood press corps as the "new Meg Ryan". However, her rising star abruptly burns out when she flees town to escape a stalker who has shot her. When she reaches her selected destination, she leaves a suicide note on the dashboard of her car, which is overlooking a cliff.

For the next five years, Mallory has hidden in Rhode Island under the alias of Elizabeth Baxter. For fear of being found by the stalker, Elizabeth has kept to herself. However, her nosy neighbors want to know more about her. Soon the stalker starts to send her letters informing her that he has found her. Elizabeth knows her deadly enemy is coming for her, but wonders if her foe could be the locksmith, a man she desperately wants to trust will protect her as he claims he will.

Elizabeth is a charming character who will solicit much reader sympathy. The support cast adds an authentic feel while propelling the story line forward. Though the novel is chilling,, FADE TO BLACK does not quite reach the level of tension it seems to have had the potential to generate, almost as if Wendy Corsi Staub could not bear having her heroine in non-stop danger. Still, fans of romantic suspense and women in danger novels will enjoy this well constructed tale.

Harriet Klausner

As a mystery author with my debut novel in its initial release, I genuinely enjoyed Wendy Corsi Staub's FADE TO BLACK. The novel tells the tale of Mallory Eden, a Holloywood flavor-of-the-month starlet, who apparently committed suicide. She was actually fleeing a stalker, and she moves to a small town and lives under an assumed name. Then, she receives a letter from someone who claims to know who she actually is. Her fears of the stalker return. There are a number of suspicious characters in Eden's new life, and the plot (with backstory) works well. I recommend this book highly.

"Fade to Black" is the firsrt book I have read by Wendy Corsi Staub and it was marvelous! So thrilling, believable, and grabbing. Cliff-hanger chapters with a perfectly delighting and surprise ending. Of course, you'll have to find out the end for yourself. The Main character, Elizabeth Baxter, used to be the famous actress, Mallory Eden, until a stalker forced her to fake her own death and begin a new lif in Windmere Cove, Rhode Island. A man she thought she couldn't trust might have some connection to Mallory Eden's past... Wonderful, don't miss it!!!!