A word about me--I am the mother of four children ages 7-17 and have always loved to read. My favorite books as a child are still a pleasure for me today, although I read them more critically now: the Narnia books (where I first read about the Bastables on the first page of "The Magician's Nephew"); "A Little Princess," "The Secret Garden," "Little Lord Fauntleroy," and "Toinette's Philip;" "Little Women," "Ivanhoe," "Tom Sawyer," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "Hans Brinker," "Tales of King Arthur," "Scottish Chiefs," etc. After my children were born I discovered new classics: Edward Eager, "The Phantom Tollbooth," Philip Pullman, Diana Wynne Jones, Lloyd Alexander, and of course Harry Potter.

The Bastable books were written for literate children of 8-14 almost a hundred years ago, and may be a little difficult for the easy-reader child of today, who thinks Harry Potter is full of hard words! It also has an "I" narrator, which many children do not like. But E. Nesbit was one of the first great children's writers, and in my opinion this is the best of all her books.

Although E. Nesbit is rightly well-known known for fantasies like "The Phoenix and the Carpet," "The Enchanted Castle," or "Five Children and It," this book is not a fantasy. The Bastables are six lively children who live in a dreary London suburb in a row house. Their mother is dead, their discouraged, rather milquetoast father has lost all his money. The children are left to their own devices, since they can no longer afford to go to school (this is the turn of the 19th century). They decide to go about seeking their fortune, and do so in the most imaginative and amusing ways. They often get into trouble, bicker, pout, and basically act like real children; but their emphasis on old-fashioned honor and bravery is a welcome change from modern books. Many of the scenes are very funny, especially to older readers who can figure out what is really happening, versus what the children think is happening. It is also fascinating to see how creative the children have to be to entertain themselves-- which they are very good at! and to marvel at how much more freedom of movement children had in those days. No one is worrying about their safety as they travel around London alone all day long. The narration itself is clever, both because the narrator, who is one of the children, tries to write in a literary style (with funny results), and because the narrator is trying to fool the reader.

The children accidentally bury alive a neighbor boy who "doesn't know how to play," ruin a fishing contest, kill a pudding, play with a real princess, meet a famous politician and a poet, and set out to catch a burglar. They quarrel over lost balls, who should pay for treats, and who has to take care of the youngest brother, whom they have nicknamed after a cereal ad, and who always insists on tagging along. You find yourself laughing and realize that these could be children you know today. There is almost no Victorian/Edwardian sentimentality (some may have been required to be publishable in those days, just as political correctness is now), and only a few convenient happy endings.

This book brings the past to life more vividly than almost any I have ever read. I find myself thinking of it whenever I read about that period of history. It's odd to think the boys would have been just the age to fight and perhaps die in the First World War. The Bastables are a children's classic.

This is the third book in the trilogy that also includes Love in Disguise, and The Game of Love. The story involves the handsome Julian who tries to avoid marriage at all costs, but finds himself engaged to Eliza, through an act of friendship and honor. This book is a fitting end to a wonderful trilogy.

Walking through Francis and Edith Schaeffer's lives via this book is challenging, encouraging, and edifying. Edith Schaeffer does an excellent job showing God at work in their own lives and through them in others. Definitely worth the effort to find a copy!

Jaime Manrique has carved out a unique and vibrant place for himself in contemporary literature. A gay, Colombian-born poet/novelist/translator/nonfiction writer who lives in the United States and writes in both English and Spanish, Manrique brings both passion and a complex perspective to his work. "Tarzan / My Body / Christopher Columbus" is a fine collection of Manrique's poetry.

This book is actually three volumes in one. "My Body" is a bilingual collection of his poetry, with his Spanish original on every even-numbered page and the English translation on each odd-numbered page. The poems in "My Body" had previously been published as a separate volume in Colombia in 1999 (as noted in the acknowledgments at the end of the book). "Tarzan" is a collection of poems written in English. And "Christopher Columbus" is a long poem about the final days of the iconic explorer; like "My Body," this appears in bilingual format. The translations have been done by Margaret Sayers Peden and Edith Grossman. In addition, the late Reinaldo Arenas, the great Cuban-born writer who lived his final years in the U.S., contributed an introduction to the "Christopher Columbus" section of the book.

The description of the book may sound complicated, but Manrique's beautiful poetry speaks with clarity and directness. His subjects include gay life and sexual awakening, bilingualism, Latin America, New York City, and more. Many of his poems pay tribute to the work and legacies of writers who have had an impact upon him: Emily Dickinson, Stephen Crane, Manuel Puig, Walt Whitman, and others.

Some of his best poems include the following: "Inscriptions from a Lost Tablet," in which a concubine from the ancient court of Tiglath-Pileser III speaks; "Poem for Matthew Shepard," a beautiful tribute to the young gay man who was brutally murdered in 1998; and "Al Was from Alabama," a moving poem about a man dying of AIDS-related complications. But perhaps my favorite lines come from "Train Trip at Nightfall": "Like smoky honey / night spills over the countryside."

"Tarzan / My Body / Christopher Columbus" is a complex and rewarding work of literature. Manrique's voice is earthy and compassionate, attentive to the world around him, and always striving towards transcendence. Those who are interested in Latin American literature, gay studies, bilingualism, or contemporary poetry should explore this book, and other works by Jaime Manrique.

My fifth grade teacher wrote this book and gave it to her students. A must have for the Halloween fan! This story is about a boy who goes trick or treating a day to early, yet no one tells him so and every door he knocks on people give him items for his bag, (ie. toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.) A wonderful story for all children. You will love to read it over and over.

Edith Baer's rhyming text explores lunch the world over, going far beyond the typical American lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She uses simple couplets to cover everything from veggie burgers to tacos to fish chowder (in the United States) and then goes well beyond American borders to look at Colombia, Italy, Puerto Rico, Japan, England, Australia, China, India, and more.

Not only do the lunches sound delicious (and teach children reading the book of the astonishing diversity of culinary habits the world over), but Steve Bjorkman's cheerful, colorful illustrations go a long way towards making the unusual seem utterly appetizing. This talented artist's work has appeared in national publications (he used to illustrate regularly for BETTER HOMES & GARDENS magazine, and I miss seeing his work there!). The simple lines and happy look of his pictures perfectly suit Edith Baer's text.

Wharton is as stunningly effective as in "A House of Mirth", here conveying the frustration of a circle of people interdependent upon one another, destined to follow society's rules no matter what the cost. Each character desperately clutches at a "twilight sleep"; the mode of coping each engages to distance reality. Masquerading as habit or whim, the painted veil of illusion overlays each mode of addictive escape. Nona, the beautiful, well-bred New Yorker struggles with an imperatrix sister-in-law Lita, whose values (and their consequences) threaten the entire social order Nona's family fabric is woven of. The Marchesa dispenses her social value as Pauline erases her son's debts. Lita's tabloid exposure and screen career must be suppressed. The men escape into work while the women flail at vanity of excess. The whistle of tragedy sounds in the distance as Nona falls into love with a married man, her brother Jim hopelessly esconced in a bad marriage with a woman he idolises, while her father works himself into an eagerly embraced oblivion, while Jim's father openly drinks to forget the societal oasis he knew before his divorce. Nona's mother compulsively schedules all their lives to death, while pursuing the escapist mysticism of faith healing and the blind support of the latest guru. As the Jazz Age brings down the curtain on the theatre of old New York and its values, Art and Cinema loom. While the family coalesces at their country estate to save Jim and Lita's marriage, each battle with their chosen talisman against life and its evils. Much more is at stake and much more is lost. This startlingly psychological novel will fascinate any student of life. The sacrifice of a fragment to obtain the societal whole inevitably comes, more starkly portrayed here than anywhere, the novel having served as forceful denouement. In the tolling bells of Whartons' worlds, the death of illusion sounds the deepest peal.

I read this anthology in the heat of summer by a pool. I was transported to a cold frosty wonderland as each story revealed itself! I read each story and enjoyed every last one, my favorites of the five being "The Bird of Paradise" and "The Black Beast of Belleterre." Each story in this anthology was well developed with fully fleshed out secondary characters. In short stories that is unusual to find.

"The Bird of Paradise" was delightfully funny. I laughed at each twist of fate that was thrown at Miss Kate Thacker in this Christmas tale. Charles was as honorable hero as you could find. Their adventure, complete with penny pinching boss, dreadful aunt, sweet brother Randolph, Charle's fine family (mom, pop, siblings and kiddies!) plus a TURKEY kept me pensive, giggling and cheering.

"The Black Beast of Belleterre" was a typical Beauty and the Beast story which takes place beginning in Spring and culminates at Christmas. That fairy tale is even mentioned in the story! I was kept guessing until the end what "The Beast" looked like! Don't peek ahead! This story moved me from despair to elation and all within 64 pages! Ariel and James are so brilliantly portrayed that their thoughts, dreams and wishes become your own. What a beautiful story full of surprises. And I loved the motley collection of misfit animals that James had collected. I have read this one story over and over.

I think this is the best anthology I have ever read. Even if you are normally a "Regency" novel reader, you will find the Victorian times close enough to satisfy. Do not miss obtaining your own copy.

The Visconti Hours, one of the most luxurious and unusual Italian Books of Hours from around 1400, is magnificently reproduced in this facimile edition. The introductory text begins with an excellent summary of the political and social context of the book's production for Giangaleazzo Visconti, its noble owner. It continues with a discussion of the book's structure, iconography, and painting techniques, and includes short biographies of the two artists.

The plates themselves are of particularly high quality, sharp, clear, and brilliant, with gold stamping. The commentaries are informative.

All in all, this book is a must-have for any serious student of medieval illumination, as well as for the simple pleasure of enjoying its outstanding beauty.

Warfare Accomplished is the third volume in a World War II trilogy by Edith Pargeter. It concludes the story begun in The Eighth Champion of Christendom and continued in Reluctant Odyssey. There is an immediacy present in these books which is missing in many war novels. Mrs. Pargeter wrote them during the war and apparently interviewed soldiers in hospital and on troop trains. The story is wrenching and poignant and one of the best reads I have ever had. My husband, who is not a fiction fan, was riveted. Edith Pargeter also wrote the Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet and The Heaven Tree trilogy, both set in medieval times. The Heaven Tree is a wonderful love story with beautiful descriptions of the mason's art and the building of a gothic church. We also know Edith Pargeter as Ellis Peters, the author of the Brother Cadfael mysteries.