I am expecting my first child, and my husband and I have really found this book useful. It tells you what to look for, and what not to waste your money on, in purchasing baby items. I'm glad I got this early in my preganancy, before we have bought anything, and before we register for any baby gifts. Very useful!

Identity crises plague both Claudine St. James and Robert Lester, though for entirely different reasons. Claudie comes from a broken home and a life of prostitution. Bo was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and a father who never deigned to notice him. As they struggle to connect the pieces of their past into a meaningful present, both Claudie and Bo must learn self-acceptance and forgiveness.

Claudie's been of the streets for seven months, starting a halfway house for prostitutes and using her experience to help others. But she can't forget the family she left behind, especially the youngest sister she practically raised. Fearing that at seventeen her sister may become her stepfather next victim, Claudie heads to Kansas to confront her past.

Bo follows Claudie, realizing the danger in her quest. Even as Claudie believes she can't share her used and damaged body with this remarkable man, he's equally determined to love her and give her a future. Claudie's skittishness and fears are portrayed compassionately and realistically, making her an extraordinarily sympathetic character without undermining her strength. Bo's own issues with her father prevent him from becoming "too perfect," and giving him sufficient flaws to be perfectly human. Indeed, Bo's both wonderfully tender and self honest, making him perfect for Claudie.

Debra Salonen's daring choice of a heroine brings gritty realism and compassion to BACK IN KANSAS. Salonen writes with a deep understanding of how good girls go wrong, and how a few can still make their lives right. BACK IN KANSAS also presents a flawed hero, providing the novel with dynamic characters guaranteed to win the reader's heart. Very highly recommended.

thing started! What started out as a simple camping out, turns into a nightmare! What's worse is that the local werewolf is taking names and his classmates are his victims. But something unexpected happens, and now the cocky hunter has an enemy he hadn't counted on. But which will be the winner in a battle to the Death? Plus learning to deal with being a werewolf isn't so easy either. There's new rules & stuff to learn about. Having a bloodthirsty, bad to the bone male werewolf around doesn't make things any easier. Add to that the fact he's after your friends, and you!

This was a great Bible study--I never knew all the parallels between the Israelites and African American experience today. Debra Berry is a black woman, so when she writes about it she really knows what she's talking about. I learned a lot about Nehemiah and learned a lot about how I can be restored myself and also impact my community for restoration. Great book for women's groups in any church!

"Bear at Home" is a very colorful and satisfying book for preschoolers. Basically it involves a tour of bear's house (he lives like a human does, and his pet cat also appears on every page) and his activities in each room, told in rhyming couplets. "This is the hallway where bear climbs the stairs... and this is the library with big, cozy chairs." The book's beginning invites us to "open the door, and what do you see?" which makes for great one-on-one sharing with toddlers, who will be glad to point out the various objects found in the house. The art work is simple, appealing, and very colorful, right down to the endpapers. Best of all, there is a map of bear's house at the end of the book showing all the rooms we have visited. (I would have loved that as a kid, and would have wanted to draw a map of my own house!) A good book for kids ages 1-3.

Debra Haffner gave parents an excellent resource in her previous book, From Diapers to Dating, and she continues her to-the-point, practical style in her newest book. Beyond the Big Talk picks up where the previous book left off: Haffner addresses the concerns of adolescents and their parents, covering most topics either could face. From the physical and psychological changes all teens experience, to some that we hope none will face (such as abuse and eating disorders), it's in there. The author's knowledge and experiences are validated by quotes and examples from parents and teens she has encountered during her professional practice and previous book tours, and, in a charming manner, by her own daughter (who also wrote the book's foreward).

The book's first two chapters bring the reader up to speed on some of the basics needed to communicate effectively with a teen. Further chapters concentrate on particular age groups, from youngest to oldest, focusing on the most important (and likely) discussions parents will have during each age. A comprehensive list of resources for parents and teens, as well as the author's reference list, gives those desiring further or more in-depth study a good start. The table of contents lists topics under each chapter heading, but, refreshingly, an alphabetical index is also included, making the search for a particular topic or bit of information that much easier.

I appreciate Haffner's direct approach to even the most sensitive subjects, just as most teens will appreciate the straight talk Haffner encourages of parents. As a religious leader, I also appreciate the obvious care Haffner has taken to explain her values, while encouraging parents to impart their own values and beliefs. So many books on children's sexuality seem either to exist in a moral vacuum ("anything goes"), or be full of "thou shalt nots." Beyond the Big Talk is neither of these, providing both objective scientific and psychological information and encouragement for parents to bring their moral and religious beliefs into the equation. Haffner respects the moral integrity of parents, and, just as important, of children. Just as I highly recommended From Diapers to Dating, I highly recommend Beyond the Big Talk. As the parent of a child who will someday be a teenager, I thank Debra Haffner for giving me such a wonderful resource!

I found that this book struck a particular chord for me. The best four years of my life were spent going to school with the Monks and sharing in a tradition that has been going on for 150 years. Father Paschal has pulled together a history of one of Belmont's great institutions, mixing a narriative history of the Monastery and school with pictures of a time long past. This book is great for everyone from an Abbey Alum to someone who has simply wondered about that "thing on the side of I-85." (you can see the Abbey Basilica's towers from the Interstate, it seems that anyone who has driven thru Gaston County on the interstate has seen them.) See what makes the "Catholic College of the Carolinas," one of the best treasures of the region.

This book is an excellent resource for BMT nurses. We use it at our center for quick reference, and for training new BMT nurses. It covers diseases that are treated with transplantation, effects of transplant on each organ system, different conditioning regimens and specific side effects common to each, oncologic emergies, nursing interventions, quality of life issues, future trends in BMT, ethical questions, and much more. The 1997 edition differs most notably from the 1991 issue in that the pediatric chapter was omitted. The book is thorough and user friendly, with easy to read charts that organize information for quick reference. I use the book regularly for practice and for teaching, and plan to purchase each new edition that is released.

Malina reads three very cool writers here -- Samuel Beckett, Christine Brooke-Rose, and Angela Carter. Their challenging novels grow more fascinating as Malina explores their uses of metalepsis.

(This is a very useful term from narrative theory. When the characters in the movie "Pleasantville" get sucked into the television and start living the lives of '50s sit-com characters -- that's metalepsis. They've left one narrative level and entered another.)

Malina shows that these writers have been playing sophisticated versions of this game for years. Metalepsis gives their novels uncanny power to invade a reader's life, and it raises wild questions about the political potential of fiction -- and the nature of reality itself.
Coolness, in short.

I loved this book and recommend it for all Moms. Debra Hook knows first hand what it's like to be a Mom in today's world. She's dealt with all the issues and writes about them in a humorous, poignant, and sometimes emotional compilation of her columns. The stories are short, generally a page or two, just the right length for a Mom to read during her two minutes of quiet time a day.