A very intriguing story about the importance of myth in everyday life. At times, the writing is brilliant, poetic and powerful. At other times, it's more than a bit confusing. But it's a book that's definitely worth reading.

A beautiful account of a period in Van Der Post's life which tries to demonstrate the imponderable workings of love, of living myth and the weaving together of diverse lives into a single, greater synthesis. A profound, wordy and at times, utterly brilliant work.

I loved this book. It is very short and can be read in a sitting, but it is really profound. The clash of African and American cultures is depicted with great tenderness, with no judgment about which is better. The courage of the bushman is great.

The cover of this book gives a taste of the wonderful things to come. The designs are colourful and refreshing, and the charts are coloured and easy to read. I can't wait to stitch the 'Home Sweet Home' sampler. There are also great ideas for using the designs in innovative ways. This book is a classic for cross stitchers. Designs run over all the seasons, and include Christmas designs, things for children, and lovely things for the home. I have enjoyed just browsing through it and reading the helpful ideas and suggestions!

I've always loved Mary Engelbreit's artwork and was thrilled to find this book. I did the Angel "Peace" sampler and it is the most beautiful piece of needlework I have ever created. I gave it as a Christmas gift to my mother-in-law, and I have recieved many complements on it.

The design was easy to follow as each symbol was color coded. The instructions for the project were clear and concise. I am looking foward to making another project from this lovely book. My only regret is that my copy has been used so much that it's quite dogeared now.

I cannot express the feeling I got when I opened this book for the first time. Everything about it is just gorgeous, from the layout to the Englebreit touches throughout, to the very quality of the book itself. The stitching patterns are clear, colorful, and very easy to read. I can't wait to create some of these designs -- I wish I didn't have to work so I could stitch full time!

I love this book because all of the projects and ideas are so easy to make yet they all turn out so pretty. I work and don't have a lot of time, but I like to make my own gifts and decorations. Simply Christmas has given me so many ideas that I can make quickly. I love the pictures in the book, too. It makes me get in the holiday spirit. I especially like the ornaments you can make with dots of glitter.

Simply Christams is a delightful book filled with absolutely wonderful ideas for christmas. All the crafts are very clever, the pictures are bright and colorful, and the writing is fun and playful. I've made over half of the projects, and almost all of them have recieved praise from my friends. And the best part is, even though the book is named Simply Christmas, it will provide great ideas all year long. Great job!

I have several of Dahlstrom's books and thought this was the best yet. The recipies are similar to what my mom made when I was young and the whole book made me want to get started on Christmas cooking and projects. I made the fruitcake recipe the first night I got the book and my family loved it.

Though the book dealt with interesting material and exotic themes, I felt in some ways that the flow of the book was a bit awkward at times. There is more of the impression of having different episodes that together make up the story, with little transition between them. For example, the daughter's coming of age and relationship with her mother and grandmother could have been developed and explored much more to my satisfaction.

Field's writing style however is delicious and thouroughly enjoyed it. I am interested in readng her other work.

This book reads so well!! It's a page turner as well as being finely written. Fascinating characters and story.

This extraordinary first novel carries the reader into fascinating, mysterious worlds: the Dutch East Indies, the exotic lives of a charismatic cult leader and his followers, and the adventures of a magical monkey named Majine. But the heart of the story is the poignant, moving coming of age of the book's main character. The reader is instantly seduced by the rich images and vivid depictions of both Amsterdam and the East Indies. But Field's descriptions of the sumptuous dishes created by Miranda in her new restaurant are so delicious that the reader is compelled to read more, and then to read again this remarkable novel.

This book has a few original ideas. I got it for my son who loves to craft but most of the things in the book were too "girlish" for him. If you have girls this is a great book for them.

BUY THIS BOOK! Projects are very popular with kids. Great forteachers, camp counselors, or babysitters.

Informative, well written and easy to read book on poison ivy. Includes stories of other's experiences with poison ivy and the treatments they had to endure in the past. It is one of those books that you'll have to read sections out loud to others around you.

If you don't known much about the trio of poisonous plants, this book is a good place to start. It has a satisfying amount of information for identifying poison ivy, oak or sumac, where they are most likely to be found, plus scientific background and history. Then it provides guidelines for classifying your sensitivity and what to expect in a reaction, as well as ideas for remedies and prevention. Also included are stories from other poison ivy sufferers so the book does tend to repeat itself when discussing how the common myths are misleading. But because it has decent photos for quick identification; handy charts for finding desired info fast and basic tips for avoidance, makes this book a good reference to have on hand. Not to mention that it's size makes it an easy one to pack with your gear for extended trips into the backwoods.

Prevention is the best way to outwit the effects of poison ivy and this book will inform you on all you need to know. {After reading, I couldn't help but notice that the cover image is inadequate, because the poisonous plants described have white berries, not red.}

This book should be in every home, located somewhere near the medicine cabinet. It is a vital tool for preventing and treating one of the nastiest, most evil afflictions in nature! I urge all persons living near the great outdoors, much less venturing into it, to buy a copy of this book and study it. I also feel it should be "standard issue" to all troops entering basic training in any branch of the military. The author should check on that angle...

I purchased this book through the Internet, and when it arrived it was not exactly what I thought. It was somewhat of a simple guide, really for the beginners, and it read, really simple. My 10 year old daughter enjoyed it. I was expecting a serious book, with excellent references on Demons, but what I got was a "basics Demons 101" type book. I got this book for the section on the 7 Deadly Sins; hoping to get a thorough explanation on each, but each demo was rushed through, with not enough info, on each particular demon.

The Lore section on each Demon was interesting, and my kids enjoyed that as much as I did, but the section on Disarming and Dispelling Demons, was honestly not what I had expected. "Placing barrels on the side of a boats to discourage Water Spirits or Mermaids from bothering a boat." ??? Ooo-kay then, or Shutting Doors on Shaitan Demons, disarms them.. This section on dispelling was based more on Folklore. People must understand that Demons, and Spirits, are not bothered by barrels or closed doors, and that was simply just to funny, and info like that would put Buffy and the Charmed Ones out of business. Lol. This is an okay book, I honestly can not recommend it, as each entry leaves you wanting to know more information. And the Dispelling Section was also very disappointing. But my kids liked it, so I have to give it that extra star, because it kept them quiet for awhile.

This book should be on Buffy's required reading list! :-) It's a great tome for people looking for some humor mixed in with their demonology. At a page or two on each spirit, it doesn't go into a whole lot of depth, but it's a great overview and a good launching platform for more serious research. The whole approach of a field guide that takes the legends at face value (and even recommends warding and dispelling techniques) is a great way to discuss all types of creatures without making pronouncements on which ones are "real". Someone looking for a serious and deep delving into this sort of topic may wish to look elsewhere, but for a high level view of demons in mythology with a dash of humor thrown in, this book can't be topped!

This is a great reference work: useful, accessible and well organised. The demons, fairies and other mythical beings featured in this book were taken from the legends and folklore of several cultures and they are grouped according to their place of residence: water, mountain, forest, desert, domicile and psyche. Each chapter includes a short description of the creature's appearance, habits and preferences; one of two stories of encounters with it; and a section on disarming and dispelling techniques.

This guide includes some fascinating creatures, such as the Japanese Kappa and its surprising eating habits, the helpful and friendly Norwegian Nisse, the extremely fragile Australian Mimi, and the Chinese Madame White, who gives a whole new meaning to the expression femme fatale. Some better known beings like mermaids and werewolves are also featured. The Macks' writing style is clear and engaging, sometimes tongue-in-cheek but never disrespectful to other cultures. The detailed information on how to deal with these creatures is particularly useful; if you ever encounter any of them you'll know what to do to be able to tell the tale.

There are some good ideas, but overall the crafts are kistchy. Very little elegance, a lot of bright poofy things.

There is a reason that the words "simply" and "easy" are in the title of this book. The crafts are easy to do. For someone such as myself, who is just begining to learn about the world of crafts, this is a good thing. So really, what you get out of this book will depend on your experience level and how well you can extrapolate from the projects in the book to your own, perhaps more advanced, projects.

As for the style of the projects, they are predominantly country and kitschy, but most of them could be made more sophisticated by choosing other colors or materials. However, there are some elegant projects in the book that can be made without any changes. One such project describes using foam leaf stamps to decorate glass bottles. The examples in the book look handpainted rather than stamped. I was glad to see the project on how to create and add "festive" bows and other embellishments to presents. I especially like the wooden box that was covered with sheets of music. I also like the project that describes how to sponge paint and embellish a tray with pressed flowers.

Most of the projects have step-by step instructions and photos. Some projects are just listed because you don't need in-depth instructions to do them. All the projects are listed by season, but some projects can be changed to fit more than one season. The book also gives you two variations on every major project.

As a bonus, the book has quotes scattered throughout its pages, such as "No one was ever great without some portion of divine inspiration."

If you are interested in learning the basics of a variety of crafts, this book is for you. If you are a more advanced crafter, the ideas within the book might still be inspiring, but you probably already know the basic techniques presented in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone, but realize that not everyone will derive the same amount of enjoyment from its pages.

I just received this book in the mail, and I have so many pages already marked for great gift ideas. This book has something for everyone, and provides jumpstarts for other crafting ideas. Whether you have a lot of time or just a little, this book is PERFECT.

I bought this book thinking it had a lot of great craft ideas, but I was wrong. A lot of the crafts and ideas are too eccentric and too nouveau for my tastes. For example, I wouldn't consider making tassels as gifts or even to sell and I thought this craft was a bit eccentric. Then again I realize there are some who are into this type of craft, but realistically I don't think many of the crafts would sell well in an average bazaar or craft sale. Maybe for a gallery, but not for the normal craft sale afficianado.

There are some good ideas, like painting glassware, but there just too many gallery-type crafts in this book. I was sorely disappointed and I returned this book.

Just be ready for gallery-type crafts.

This is the BEST craft book I have found. It really has nice things to make that are fast and cheap to make, and that really bring in the PROFIT!

a good book for the wildlife enthusiast, but kinda boring at times. Not every day in real life can be as exciting as a Hollywood movie so this is accurate representation of what it must be like, but it takes a real passion for the animal kingdom to read it. It has been a couple of years since I read it so it isn't very fresh in my mind, but I did enjoy parts of it very much.

Carol Cunningham and Joel Berger, a husband and wife research team, describe their research on black rhinos in Namibia. It is very readable, telling their personal story, documenting their research, explaining African perspectives, and discussing the politics involved with their project. This book reads like a novel while dispensing eye-opening information.