"The Vigil" is a beautiful companion for anyone wanting to enter more deeply into the spirit of Advent and Christmastime. Poignant personal experiences, eloquently related, illustrate the author's profound insights into the Scriptural themes of the season. Being a musician as well as a theologian, she weaves in many of the Christmas carols, exploring their texts, background and musical styles. She writes simply and reverently on such themes as promise, preparation, rejoicing, wonder, peace and light. This is a book to be savored and read more than once.

I received this book four years ago and I have read it for every Advent/Christmas/Epiphany since. Though the circumstances of myself and those I love have changed every year, this book has continued to help me find a means of entering these seasons with faith. The author has stretched my understandings, brought me to tears with her very human approach to wonders of faith, and given me space from the dizzy commercial aspects of the season. I would recommend it to any Christian confronting the beginning of the liturgical year.

"The world asks, how are you, and I never know/ what to say. A word, a phrase won't do it." These lines begin Wendy Barker's poem "At 50, choosing New Make-Up." In it, she questions the thin concealment made possible by a bottle of beige facial foundation or an obligatory, "I'm fine." It is a vein of questioning that flows throughout the book. Although quiet in tone, this is not a book that hides or smiles sweetly and tiptoes on. Rather, Barker repeatedly insists that both poet and reader stop, look closer, and most importantly ask again and again. What is hiding beneath the surface? What is filling empty space? Why does that flower announce itself in this one moment and not another? There are no tidy answers. Instead, her poems place a reader in the immediacy of discovery as with the,"Miracle of sweet milk in coffee./ Dissolving." There, nestled in graceful silence, details accumulate like whispered hints. With a wide sweeping eye that lingers on the tender, Barker catalogues a generous embrace of the domestic. From Perennial, "I left a winter overcast sky, gray mud./ But now after flying back, and/ driving home, everything here too/as far as I can see has turned green-//lime moth, juniper, cypress, mesquite/ foaming lace over the grasses so soft,/ moist, I want to lie down in the field/ And as we talk of the mail that came//while I've been gone, the native sweet/ acacia, huisachillo, blooms a sudden/ start by the road, gold as the little/Tuscan peppers, sweet, crunch, home." In the hands of a less skilled poet, the delicate ripple upon ripple in the pond effect Barker uses could wobble. Fortunately, her watertight language convinces us that indeed this one word and no other is the one meant to fill this particular white space.

Among other things, WAY OF WHITENESS is an exquisite exploration of a middle-aged woman's vision of romantic love. This book--with its expert imagery, fine-tuned voice, perfect line breaks, and lush cadences--is especially insightful about the myriad shades of feeling and wonder that wave through consciousness, and just beneath. From the slightly comic metaphors of "Generation" to the riotous colloquialisms of "Stylist" to the sexy implications of "Eating San Ginigmano," Barker lifts away the thinnest veil of unnecessary decorum to expose all the runnels of desire. Without being unduly graphic, WAY OF WHITENESS is one of the most erotic books of poems I've read in a long time. Very few poets I know can render both the ethereal longing and the visceral impact of sexual romance like Barker. When I finished this book, I went back to it for a second and third time. I'll surely teach it. I hope she publishes another like it, soon.

This book has eye-opening subject matters for everyone who reads it. I am astounded that the U.S. Federal Gov't treats its own employees so ruthlessly. The author's story has made me question my own American ideals. Being fired for one's disability is disgraceful in this day and age, and we should all be aware of what is truly going on in the workplace!

When I first got this book and read it, I thought to myself "what is going on inside the Fed'l Gov't today?" Then I realized that this book is about scandal and controversy surrounding workplace rights and protections for every American who reads it. I am appalled that my tax dollars are going into a cesspool of gov't garbage, while the federal employee is left suffering the consequences!! Thanks, Wendy Ghannam, for writing this and allowing all of us to peer into the real world of civilian federal service. You are a hero for writing your story!!

I have read "Words of Love for Men" and it gave me a new perspective on the power of the spoken word. If everyone would learn to integrate the formulas from this book into their conscious behavior, the formulas can be generalized and applied to all of their interpersonal relationships.

This book provides concrete tools that will assist in transforming any relationship. It has definitely had an impact on my life, making communication so much clearer and easier, with my partner, my children and my friends.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to bring a little light and love into their lives and their relationships.

I have read Words of Love for Men and was amazed at the simplicity of the book but yet it was so thorough and powerful. I found the emotional discriptions in the book of how women feel mirrored my feeling exactly. It was so helpful to me to realize that other women were struggling and frustrated with the same issues and felt the way I did.

This book made such an impact on both me and my fiance. Our relationship continues to grow and our ability to effectively communicate our love for one another improves by using the easy to apply principles.

I highly recommed this book to everyone, men and women, to better any and all relationships. I would be more than happy to talk to anyone about the great things in this book and how it impacted my life.

Misty

I have bought all these books for my niece and they are her favorite. She has all the dolls too! I recommend these book highly.

The only bad thing about this book, is that I have to read OVER and OVER again - she loves it so much. Quirky, with great illustrations. I saw it reviewed in New York Magazine, and now I'm going to check out the others...

Wow this book was fantastic! The hero & heroine were lovers two years before but he had broken it off for reasons very important to him. But as soon they come together again....you can feel the heat between them. They are so obviously perfect for each other but danger is determined to keep them apart. This story has it all.....intense passion and intrigue. And for me the best part is it is set in New Orleans. The feel of the story is sultry & exciting. I am looking forward to the sequel in the fall of '01. Wendy Rosnau is now an auto buy author for me!!

Ex-lovers Ry Archard and Margo duFray meet again after a two-year separation. Ry's a cop whose job came between them. Margo's a much younger woman who needs his help and protection. They have some really great chemistry. Margo's strong, independant, and still very much in love with him. Ry's one of those macho, tough guys who has that tender teddy bear side. And is such a romantic! There were moments when I'd find tears rolling down my cheeks, and find myself wanting to just crawl right in the book with him! I don't usually read Intimate Moments, but this book caught my attention and held it the entire way through. Pick it up and you won't be able to put it down! What an excellent way to spend a day!

I first checked this book (and several others) out at the library, now I read our copy to my 10 yr old who has started puberty. She finds it very easy to understand and I found the Question / Answer method extremely helpful to relay information to her. This is a must for any mother with a young daughter who has no idea what's happening to her body.

I can not believe it! This book had almost all the questions I wanted and need to know. This book was informitive and very real. I only wish that there were more like it. Allison Bell must be the best author in the whole world.

We have a library of books to help us understand what we can do to best understand and stimulate our childs growth/development(i.e.- What to expect series, Brazleton, Baby book, etc). This is my favorite book since it covers what to expect each month (vs. grouping 6-9 mos developmental stage). In addition it has great ideas for games and play and is very easy to read. Only warning is that relative to other books this book generally is a bit aggressive in its projected milestones (assumes baby will crawl at 6 mos).

I admit that I'm not the most creative person at coming up with games to play with my 10 week old son, and this book has been inspirational for me. The ideas about how to teach your baby about where his foot is, or how to sit up, or that bubble float, are terrific, and the look on his face when I do something the book recommends is just pure joy! My only recommendation is that you stay at least one month ahead, and do things from that month which you think your child is ready for.

This is the only official guide to all ABA-approved law schools in the United States, and it's the only one that contains up-to-date admission criteria and other essential admission information provided by the schools themselves.

The 2002 edition is bigger and better than ever--over 800 pages of detailed, easy-to-read information! Produced by the two leading authorities in legal education--the American Bar Association and the Law School Admission Council--the Official Guide is the one book in which prospective students can best compare and decide which schools are best for them. Admission data, tuition, fees, living costs, financial aid, enrollment data, graduation rates, composition and number of faculty and administrators, curricular offerings, library resources, physical facilities, placement rates, bar passage data and post-J.D. programs are only some of the many categories covered in this comprehensive guide.

A must-have for prospective J.D. and post-J.D. law students, legal educators, lawyers and libraries. 832 pages.

This book really captured the trials and trumphs it take to be a strong entrepreneur. Each entreprener was challenged to compete with the big boys of their industries and did it with grace and style. They discussed ways of securing capital, finding qualified employees who could embrace their vision and help them take their operations to the next level. Each entrepreneur showed that he had the drive, passion, creative genius, and perseverance to pursue and achieve the American Dream.