This book's vibrant pictures - paintings, really - will dazzle and enchant; the warm, touching story will remind that the greatest gift of all is the gift of knowledge.

Sara Pacher's epic novel about the gladiator, Isarna brings us into the Celtic world during its occupation by Roman militia during the first century AD. As the daughter of Iceni nobility, Isarna is dedicated to the preservation of the integrity of herself and her people while growing up in the hidden backwoods of rural Briton. Things spiral out of control when she and her brother, Cian are captured on a sunny spring afternooon by Roman soldiers.
The love story...between the Roman Prefect, Valerius, and a teenage girl, whose very name Isarna means "strong metal" illuminates human passions in an atmosphere of desire and hostility that transcends politics as it embraces the limitations of time and place. Isarna escapes from Valerius only to be returned to him in Rome as a woman, as his slave and his lover. Sara Pacher's deep understanding of life and love come alive in her creation of the characters which complete this tale of unbelieveable human strength in the face of danger and captivity. Valerius, now the Urban Prefect of Rome, does all he can to protect and comfort the woman he loves, but when Isarna is thwarted by God and nature in her attempt to assasssinate his father, he can no longer contain his anger and feelings of betrayal.
Isarna's life is spared only to be trained as a gladiator, where her survival becomes as legendary, as was her father's fame before her. Although, "Where I go, death follows" is engraved on her weapons, Isarna's spirit will live forever.
Misunderstandings and duplicity lace the lives of Isarna and her lover Valerius. The intrigues of the Roman court in AD 78 undermine the course of events and love during the reign of Titus and on into the reign of Domitian in AD 79. Celtic myth, magic and culture persist through the centuries.
The book excites and informs the reader as only the artisitic weaving of a great writer can do. Kudos to Sara Pacher!

Brother David takes experiences from the mythical to the literal in his captivating autobiography, God's Smuggler to China. As you read through the pages of his biography you will find your emotions surfacing in ways you have never known. His passion in spreading the gospel hovers over every chapter as his tramp continues through what is known as todays largest mission field and perhaps the most dangerous. As his heart is burdened to get the word to those in need he is combated by the present dangers luking nearby. You will "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those that weep," as you pray for those who are persecuted and the enemy at their side. This is an inspired work you should not pass up!

This book is worth six books! It tells you the crucial facts on how to maintain and enhance your health within the context of our increasingly polluted Earth. This bookis NOT "Thin Thighs in THirty Days". It is nitty gritty. Medical research tells usthat all degenerative disease states are related to EXCESS free radical production. How to counter this is the KEY to survival. And what causes these excess free radicals? The soup of toxins we are nowrom pesticides in your food to radioactivity in your air. Finally, to be trulyh healthy we MUST have a healthy Earth, and this book also makes this point clear. And this is the point most authors do not want to touch. Here you get the bare truth. Forthose who care and those who are willing to make an effort. sarasara

Sara Lightfoot is an incredible author that writes with style, candor and vividness that allows one to experience the context as though he/she is actually involved rather than examining the process vicariously. The author recognizes that it is important for readers to be able to place these high schools in context, visualize the terrain, the community and the people. Lightfoot has done this by working through the inside out, much like an artist painting a portrait capturing the essence of truth with a myriad of dimensions. Lightfoot offers a penetrable look inside high schools whhile exploring the inherent goodness of schools. She provides a description of "goodness" as not being static nor an absolute quality that can be measured as a single indicator of success of effectiveness but a mixture of parts that produce the whole. This mixture encompasses less tangible, more elusive qualities that can only be discerned through close, vivid description, through subtle nuances, and thhrough detailed narratives that reveal the sustaining values of an institution. A quality that is evident of Lightfoot throughout the text is that she looks for the"good" in all six schools,even though they are not equal. All too often, rersearchers get caught up in identifying a cause or over-emphasining the negeative aspects while allowing the "good" qualities to go unnoticed. Lightfoot goes the extra mile is this respect by bringing forth the good in each school. It is through work such as this that researchers can learn many transferable lessons that can be utilized in a wide array of research studies. With this in mind, I give Sara Lightfoot's book, The Good High School, a five star rating.

This book represents an excellent experience with a vision exam, culminating with a thorough visit to the dispensary.The heroine, Nomi is a 7 year-od child who is experiencing blurry vision and can't read the blackboard at school. When she squints to see, her siblings make fun of her. The worst embarassment is when she steps on the family cat who studiously avoids her afterward. Her father wears glasses so he knows that a visit to the optometrist is in order. The optometrist hands out his diagnosis: Glasses! Nomi remembers the eighth "good-luck" candle placed on her cake and decides that her glasses must be "good luck" to counteract the "bad luck" blurry vison. Nomi tries on a variety of glasses before settling on a pair. This is a wonderful book for parents to positively present glasses to their chidren before and after an eye appointment.

My mother-in-law recently gave me this cookbook and, since then, I have used it almost every day. At this point I have tried about half of the recipes and they are all superb. My husband and my dinner guests have been amazed at the quality of the food I have prepared. The instructions are easy to follow and include estimated preparation times. Suggested menus are strategically placed throughout the book, helping the novice know which dishes complement each other. The book is beautifully illustrated with color photographs of almost all of the finished dishes (so you know how they should be presented) and with photos of Greek landscapes. If I had to cook with just one cookbook the rest of my life, Greek Meze Cooking would be it!

Sara Midda reveals her keen sense of observation and sensitivity as she turns her attention to the topic of childhood. Her wonderful illustrations remind us of how mysterious, confusing, wonderful and painful the world of children can be, and how often children are misunderstood. It will probably help parents and grown-ups understand their children (by reminding them of what it was like to be a child) more than any self-help book.

Having been the Captain of a pleasure boat the last 16 years, I found the information contained in Guest Afloat a big help not only to me and my crew, but also to our guests. All too often, my wife and I have invited guests aboard only to realize that our friends have little or no knowledge of what to expect during the voyage. By reading Guest Afoat our friends are introduced to the essentials of cruising so that their apprehension of getting involved in the day to day routine is avoided. The book contains information for both the guest and crew, and I have found many points that I have forgotten over the years. The book is well written and well illustrated and I found the material informative and entertaining. This book should a be "must" for every boats required equipment list.

This text is ideal for someone who is seeking a comprehensive review of many major environmental issues. The book provides information on the U.S.'s pertinent environmental Acts and Ammendments. This selection is great for coursework, the professional, academics or just for personal enrichment. Stimson gives just enough information to keep the reader interested and informed. Bravo!