...whether you are into Waldorf education or not. I am not a Waldorf purist---meaning I do not send my children to a Waldorf school (I homeschool)or necessarily follow or believe in Rudolf Steiner's philosophy. Yet I have read several Waldorf books on caring for and educating children, because they are very wise as to what children really need. They DON'T need the media, malls, plastic toys, the latest styles in clothes, or a life of being pushed from this lesson to that club. What they DO need is plenty of peace and quiet (AT HOME!!), simplicity in all forms (in their toys, their life schedule, their food, etc.), and they need routine in their day, and they need to be loved and understood and treated like children, not mini adults. The author of this book is such a wonderfully calm woman...I wish she had been my own mother!! She really understands children and what they need. Her calm wisdom just flows from every page of this book. This is an easy book to read, a plus for any busy parent. She speaks of the importance of rhythm in the life of chidren, the importance of play , the importance of calmness, and she has a chapter on creative discipline. Our society is so crazy, it is so hard for adults to cope in this modern lifestyle; think of how much more difficult it can be for children.

A few things she talked about really stood out to me. One was how her one son could come down with a fever after a shopping trip to the mall, because it was too much for him to handle. We need to consider that children need to have QUIET lives! Another thing was that they had an 11 yr. old foster child live with them, and this child said that noone had ever read her a bedtime story. The author loved this child, but because she was ignored and unloved in her earlier years, it was never possible for her to really love or be loved. This brought out the importance of the early years in the life of a child, for they are truly the formative years of a person's character and personality. We cannot afford to ignore the years from birth to age 7. And the one thing that was so neat was that one mother asked the author to suggest what she could get for her preschool son, for the only thing she could think of was a video game. The author suggested a playstand, some cotton cloths, some baskets filled with clothespins, crystals, etc. The mother thought this was weird, but she did it. Well, was she ever surprised that her son LOVED these gifts, and spent all Christmas day playing happily with his sister!! We CAN be simple with our children, and because if it, they CAN be creative and happy. Do yourself and your children a favor and read this book. You'll be glad you did.

This is a goooood book. Very inspiring. Easy and quick to read. Well laid out, so I can go back and re-read stuff; like her great reading suggestions! I'm going to throw the word gentle in here. It's as if she's right there holding your hand and encouraging you....I mean me. Good, good, good.

Finally, a parenting book that makes sense! In a gentle, easy, and non-threatening way this book teaches the importance of creative play, the necessity of daily routine, and the merits of creative discipline. The suggestions work and are easy to incorporate into any lifestyle. As the mother of a preschool child I found this book to be reassuring and comforting. Learning to use statements with the directive "You may" as in "You may put on your shoes now" produced immediate results -- as did limiting choices, which ultimately made everyone feel more secure.

This is a phenomenal book -- it belongs on every parents nightstand, on bookshelves in our schools, and as required reading for elementary educators. I recommend this book to expectant parents, parents with young children, and anyone who values and understands the importance of a nurturing environment for children.

Barbara Neely has created a refreshingly different, unconventional detective in Blanche White. Blanche is a large, very dark woman who refuses to be limited by the conventions of culture, whether black or white. She strives to be her own person, to know her own mind and heart, and to find ethical solutions to the dilemmas in her life, even if those solutions are outside standard operating procedures.

I recently discovered Neely's Blanche, and I've devoured all the books in the series. These are entertaining tales, filled with life-wisdom, laughter, and mouth-watering descriptions of good meals prepared and eaten. Blanche is a brand-new character in mystery fiction. Invest some time in getting to know her!

Blanche is truly a self confident woman. She doesn't take any mess yet still shows the everyday human frailties we all possess. Barbara Neely's characters are well written from Blanche, the main character, to the culprit. Each is just complex enough to be believeable.

In this second in the Blance series, Ms. Neely continues her easy and inviting pace that keeps the reader wondering and wanting more. A definite page turner!

Barbara Neeley in Blanche Passes Go has yet written another supurb black feminist text. What makes this so well written is you don't realize the issues are so deep and multi leveled as you are in the process of reading the book. She is able to give many classic examples of class race and sex in terms of abuse of the black american women. She also has the ability to bring you in to the mystery even if mystery is not your favorate spear. She has dead folks all around with, Carolina catering recipes abounding in the book my mouth was watering. She solves a mystery but more importanly, why do men abuse women? Rape, physical as well as mental abuse are also examined. The silence these women must suffer are explored. Read it is great.

This would have to be my favorite book ever, I remember begging my mother to read it to me when i was little,and I even memorized the whole thing. To this day i can quote my favorite lines. This is a book that i highly reccomend for anyone and their children. I am in my teens now and I still enjoy going back and reading "Bootsie Barker Bites"

Whenever I read this story to a group of children, I'm a librarian, they're on the edge of their seats waiting for the next horror from Bootsie. Everyone knows a Bootsie, has been a Bootsie, or lives with a Bootsie sibling. The ending is satisfying in that Bootsie doesn't reform but her victim uses her intelligence to solve her problem. (With some help from mom) A good read-aloud and a wonderful story.

Bootsie Barker Bites tells the familiar tale of the uncongenial playmate, but it provides a much les conventional, and much more satisfying, ending. The story is interesting, funny, and encompasses a useful lesson about coping with mean kids.

The narrator of Bootsie Barker Bites hates playing with Bootsie, but she has to, because Bootsie's mother is her mother's best friend. Bootsie is mean - she treats the narrator very badly, breaks her toys, tries to hurt her pet lizard, and claims she is a dinosaur who will eat the narrator right up. The narrator grits her teeth and bears it until she discovers Bootsie will be staying at her house for the night; then she thinks up a plan that turns the tables on her unpleasant playmate.

Most authors would have forced an unrealistic but ultrasweet ending from this plot by having Bootsie and the narrator become friends. Barbara Bottner knows that isn't how real life usually works, so she provides a different ending. Bootsie doesn't change; the narrator's ability to cope with Bootsie changes. In addition to being thoroughly satisfying, this ending gives kids a small, easy lesson on dealing with difficult people.

The illustrations in the book are energetic and fun. The artist has done an excellent job of making Bootsie look like the archetypal evil toddler. And the small details of the pictures - the toy turtle on every page, the changing expressions of the stuffed animals, etc. - help hold kids' attention and make the book fun to reread.

Overall, this is a solidly entertaining children's book that contains, but not does not force, a message. Bootsie Barker Bites is fun for reading out loud or privately; kids enjoy it, and so do adults.

This is indeed a good algebra primer, though not without its failings. First the positive. The authors avoid the use of math jargon and long winded explanations that many other academic types use primarily for self-aggrandizement purposes. There are plenty of practice problems, and the lessons are laid out in a logical order. Now the negative. Some of the more difficult concepts are given little attention, while the very simple are given far too much attention. Also, the book should have been edited more closely (there are several typos and at least one repeated paragraph, but these errors are, for the most part, easily recognizable). I have found that books written by teachers are quite often rubberstamped by the people checking for accuracy, but this book avoids one of the worst failings of teacher/authors--the apparent practice of an author simply handing class notes to a publisher, believing their work is infallible. The authors of this book obviously put much thought into this work, and have succeeded admirably. Oh, by the way, "...In 20 Minutes A Day" means absolutely nothing.

I took Algebra over the summer and before taking the class I read this book. It helped me alot. This book gets down to the facts and helps you understand them with practice and examples. For me this book was better than a teacher teaching me Algebra. It was great and helped me alot. I think this should be a required material for all algebra classes; it is better than any textbook. I am taking Geometry next year and I am soon to order Geometry Success in 20 Minutes a Day!

I am planning to go to College as a mature student in Spring and really and truly needed to fully understand Algebra. Well this book is perfect. Step by Step. If you don't understand Algebra after studying this book, you really weren't paying attention.

That and it's actually enjoyable. I also bought learn Geometry in 20 minutes a day. And I also feel the same way about that book.

If you're exploring your family history - if you're interested in what really happened after the war - this book is a must read! It touched my heart and made me realize what my ancestors went through. . .

A must-read book to understand the complete history of WWII and its aftermath. Every person needs to learn this as part of our history--especially those whose relatives were affected in Europe. Although chilling, its gripping reality teaches us true history.

A family is awakened in the middle of the night as strangers with guns and knives burst into their home. The Father is not there to comfort them, he has been taken away and shipped off to Russia. The Mother is alone with her children. The strangers make demands in a foreign language and indicate they are forcibly taking the family away from their home. The family is terrified and they have no choice but to obey, leaving all of their possessions behind.

And so begins this shocking story of concentration camps, starvation and death - all taking place as World War II was ending - and when these atrocities were supposed to have ended. It's the story of the Expulsion, a period of time after WWII when Tito came to power in the then country of Yugoslavia, and proceeded to kill over half a million* Danube Swabians (ethnic Germans). Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans were killed by Tito's forces and thousands of others were locked in concentration camps and starved. Their only crime? They were German.

This story is told through the eyes of a child. The author, Elizabeth Walters, was only 4 years old when these events began. After 3 years, her family eventually escaped the camps and they walked by foot across Hungary and halfway across Austria. They scaled a mountain range to reach safety in the American Zone.

Most of the Western Media, and even our history books have neglected this horrific time in history, and some officials even deny that the action against Yugoslavian citizens of German nationality ever took place.

That's why the book, Barefoot in the Rubble, by Elizabeth Walters is so important. She dares to speak the truth about a period of history that remains largely unknown. Ethnic Cleansing is not limited to one country, or one time period in history. For centuries this has been going on and continues even to this day. This is a story that must be heard.

Source: *"Nemesis at Potsdam" - Alfred M. de Zayas

"The Blue Flame" is an excellent story, one that holds the reader's interest right up to the last page. The well-developed characters are true-to-life, and the descriptions of Daradawn and life there are so realistic that you wonder if the author might not have paid a visit to that world. I recommend this book highly and am awaiting with great anticipation another tale that will take me back to Daradawn.

I enjoyed The Blue Flame very much. It is the first fantasy novel I have read. Along with the characters we learn of magic, and how it must be controlled. I highly recommend the book. It is fast paced and once you start reading you do not want to put it down. The Blue Flame would make an outstanding movie.

THE BLUE FLAME is an excellent book in its genre, with
believable characters and interesting dialog. The moving
plot and realistic descriptions keep the reader intent on
knowing more. I am eagerly anticipating the coming sequel,
THE EMERALD DAGGER.

Highly readable with copious references to useful websites. The authors have cut through the chaff by prefacing topics with condensed but substantive overviews. Overall, I found the book to be a good practical resource. A good read.

I am a reader on the tail end of the boomer generation, yet I found the information provided in the book very helpful in assisting me when trying to place my grandmother in a nursing home. It guided me through the process as well as helping me to understand what she might be experiencing both mentally and physically. I completed the Crisis Information Checklist provided in the book in order to get my affairs in order. I also checked out the author's website and found it to be most useful! I applaud the authors for creating such a valuable reference guide both in text and online!

I have relied on WHAT TO EXPECT DURING PREGNANCY, WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE FIRST YEAR, and now there is a book to tell us what to expect for every year after that! Great resource. A must for your home library.

I have read this book at least a dozen times. Despite the humor, the book deepens with each reading. Once you've enjoyed the characterizations and laughed at all the witticisms there are all the literary allusions to digest. Then there are the references to other parts of the book to map. Truly a gem. The best book Barbara Trapido has ever written. I am so glad that this book is back in print. I've given many copies of this book as gifts and previously I've had to scour used-book stores to find it. Buy it, you'll like it.

What a marvelous little novel. This is a complex and sophisticated story that feels much longer than its actual length of a couple hundred pages. The story of Katherine and her intimate involvement with a large bohemian family is touching, hilarious and at times down right raunchy. The author has a wonderful way with words, she says so much with her sparse prose. I would highly recommend seeking out this book, and I look forward to reading other work by this author.

This slender epic is by way of being the prequel to _The Travelling Hornplayer,_ which I unknowingly read first. This one centers on Katherine Browne and her affair with the entire Goldman family: Jake, the Jewish cockney philosophy professor and semi-radical Bohemian; Jane, his wife and supporter of his soul; Roger, the older son, his mother's favorite, and a neurotic math genius; and Jonathan, his father's favorite, all-round bloke and decent sort. Katherine, a very naive and very sweet young girl, first meets Jacob when he interviews her for a university fellowship and later the same afternoon falls under the sway of John Millet, a bisexual aesthete to whom she loses her virginity. John takes her to visit his old friends in the country, who turn out to be the Goldmans. She falls for the beautiful Roger, who turns out to be something of a ...; when he dumps her four years later during graduation week, she departs for Italy and doesn't return for ten years, having had and lost a baby. Then she rediscovers Jonathan. The book divides neatly into two parts, separated by the Italian interlude: Young-and-Vulnerable Katherine and Older-and-Sometimes-Wiser Katherine. The Goldmans have changed a lot during her decade away, but in the essentials they haven't really changed at all. This is a lovely book and it's amazing Trapido could cram so much story into only 218 pages. The scintilating dialogue makes me want to see and hear it on the stage. And the characters, as in _Hornplayer,_ are absolutely believeable.

From the premise that coal is stored solar energy, Barbara Freese examines the role that coal has taken in the development of human history. She manages to lay out the "connections" between the discovery and exploitation of this resourse and the resulting economic, social, and political changes. All this is done in a very readable format.

The only mild criticism I can assign is that, toward the end of the book, she looks to the future and projects what the ultimate result of all this may be. To be fair, that analysis completes the "history" she sets out to profile, and is obviously the point of the book. However, the projection is not nearly as fascinating as the history.

When I have loaned this book to friends, my advice has been to read as long as it interests you, and then put it away without guilt. It will be well worth the read, no matter how far you go.

I moved back to the United States after living for about 8 years in Manchester, England. Even today, you can still identify the effects of coal in Manchester--from the many chimneys around the Northern landscape, to the coal-blackened Victorian warehouses. When I bought a house there, I pulled-up carpets that covered wood floors since 1911, and I myself was covered with coal dust that accumulated over the decades. Finally, in the North of England, you still have a few coal mining villages and towns that have very strong cultures. So I was aware of coal when I lived there, and had become curious.

Freese's book is an excellent and engaging history of the history of coal and its relationship to the history of three nations: The United Kingdom, the United States, and China. She writes exceptionally fluidly, with, at once, broad sweeps and minute details that keep you both interetsed and informed. She also has a lovely dry sense of humor. Her chapter on Manchester, by the way, is excellent.

The book isn't academic (to her credit), but nor is it a vapid popular account. Instead, Freese has written a book that does the nearly impossible in that it is well-researched, historically accurate, engaging almost, but not, to the point of being chatty. I couldn't put it down. What it lacks, by way of an academic angle, is a discussion of what else had been written in the past about the history of coal, as well as a theoretical approach. This is hardly a criticism because that really isn't the intention of this book. In fact, believe the book would have suffered had she taken this approach.

I agree with another reviewer who suggested that Freese didn't know how to end the book--although I did find her discussion of alternatives to coal to be compelling. There are two typos in the book that evaded the copy editor, but otherwise this book is a small masterpiece. You will enjoy it.

Coal doesn't leap to one's mind as a terribly interesting topic, now does it? This book, however, proves fascinating from start to finish. It depicts the commodity's influence on human survival, suffering, and industrial growth in a captivating presentation. Looking at coal's history provides fresh insights into parts of history we're already familiar with. I've literally lost sleep over this book - couldn't put it down!

I received this book last week and started using it with the readings immediately. The style of writing is clear and precise. Although the book describes the reversed meanings of cards, each card is first described with its upright original meaning. The book is illustrated with Rider Waite deck pictures which might annoy some people but for beginners and those in love with all things medieval this is a plus.

The upright descriptions are really useful but the book will help you in using reversals even if you used them before buying this book, like myself.

I do not agree with some psychological interpretations of the author which is the only reason this book gets 4 stars. Otherwise if you are looking to explore Tarot in depth, besides the usual quick interpretations, get it!

Mary Greer's Tarot for Yourself has always been a favorite of mine; I've only had this one on reversals for a few days but already it's another favorite. She discusses both upright and reversed meanings/connotations of the cards in a clear, thoughtful fashion. Every time I read Greer I make new discoveries and connections. Her spreads are also worth trying. A must for beginners or seasoned Tarot readers!

Mary Greer pioneered the psychological, experiential methods of reading tarot that have now become the norm. Her earlier books, especially Tarot for Your Self, are full of exercises to help beginning readers develop a personal relationship with their cards. I thus expected Tarot Reversals to follow this same pattern...a sort of workbook for getting comfortable interpreting reversed cards.

Although there are some very valuable exercises in this book, nearly 70% of it is devoted to card-by-card interpretation, typically a page or so describing the upright meanings of the card, then a somewhat lengthier description of the reversed meanings. These descriptions are an incredible resource for any tarot reader, especially if you use reversals in your readings. There is nothing even remotely comparable anywhere else. (Other tarot books explain the meaning of the upright card, but limit reversed meanings to a few keywords.) Besides the welcome in-depth look at reversed meanings, these card interpretations are just plain good, reflecting Greer's decades of experience as a tarot reader and teacher. A welcome inclusion is shamanic/magical meanings for each card, and healing/disease implications as well. This section of the book holds its own against any of the card-by-card interpretation guides on the market today. Although this book is part of Llewellyn's series on "advanced topics in tarot", a complete beginner could learn how to interpret cards very well by using this book.

The remainder of the book consists of general advice on using and interpreting reversals. Greer goes far beyond "reversals as opposites", describing twelve different senses a reversed card can have. The book includes a lengthy listing of words that can be used to modify the upright meanings of the cards. This is very useful, especially if your own deck is a little too far removed from conventional meanings to make use of the card-by-card descriptions.

There are a number of excursions into various tarot topics, such as elemental dignities, and some really interesting spreads. I could hardly read a page in this book without coming on something new I wanted to try out.

Although this book is not intended to be a substitute for a basic tarot book, it could probably be used as such without much difficulty. And as a resource for working with reversed cards, it is unique and indispensible.