Great, real-life characters. Learned a lot. A roller coaster ride of emotions.

I'm not much of a reader, but I enjoyed Truth Or Dare. Barbara Hammonds' technique makes 415 pages easy and interesting reading. I'm looking forward to her next novel.

Ambassador Ian Knowles is one of the best bad men I have ever met in a novel. Barbara Hammonds has given women one of the best checklists for what to look to make sure you avoid bad men. Now, if you like bad men, especially one who'll shower you with the world, here's one for you. Just be prepared for the worst!

Why Struggle?life is too short to wear tight shoes. Is very inspirational and uplifting. The phases are short and an easy read. I love the exercises that are given to enforce the meaning of each passage. GOOD JOB

Why Struggle? life is too short to wear tight shoes is a book that truly speaks to the life changing questions of what is life and where do I fit in it? Barbara Faison introduces the reader to various soul searching techniques and encourages you to create your own way of finding yourself. In a world that is changing everyday this book is a necessity in learning how to continue to keep up with life without losing yourself in the process.

If you are in search of meaning, Why Struggle? : Life Is Too Short to Wear Tight Shoes is an excellent insight into why some things simply do not mean as much as the power given them. It was a refreshing look at life's perspectives. Great Book and a must read !

I purchased this Duets because I love everything Barbara Dunlop writes -- always laugh out loud funny with off the wall characters. The Wish List Wife was true to form. Haley, who has sworn off men, decides to help her new neighbor Adam find a wife, using his own wish list. Haley herself doesn't meet any of the requirements but, guess what? True love finds a way around requirements. Mad about Mindy - and Mandy, has a similar matchmaker with a list theme. The results in that one are also hilarious.

Ms. Blake wows us once again with this wonderful, light-hearted, and very touching story, Mad About Mindy... and Mandy. This is a delightful book about a well-crafted character who finds true love as she discovers her hidden personality. It will leave you smiling and definitely wanting more from this gifted author. I want to see more books by this author!

Like another reviewer said, both stories are great and packed with laughs, but I too enjoyed "Mad About Mindy..and Mandy", a little more. Perhaps, that is because that any book written by Toni Blake is a must grab for me! Her stories never dissapoint, and always have characters who pull you in and keep you entertained to the last page. Mindy/Mandy and Benton's story is lighthearted, funny romance at it's best. If this is your first time reading Toni Blake, I highly recommend her Harlequin Temptation titles, "Hotbed Honey", "Something Wild" and "Seducing Summer".

This is a excellent book that should be used by both parents and teachers alike. As a society we are teaching children that its "ok" to alientate and say hurtful things to others. When we really should be teaching the message that being different isn't a crime. Thank you, Barbara, and all others out there who are helping to put an end to this vicious cycle.

As children, in a school setting, we all knew a Mandy. There seemed to be a shy kid in each class until someone befriended him or her.

This story cleverly showed a means to bring Mandy out of her shell, so she could open up to trust her classmates.

The author's work flows smoothly and is heartfelt. The illustrations are well done, as well as the cover design.

Great job Barbara & Twynz Pub!

As a child that went through being bullied, I found this book brought a tear to my eye. It made me remember how I felt as a child. It also made me wish that my outcome had been the same as it was for Mandy. I hope people will buy this book for their children to make them undertand that words DO HURT. Here's to saying good-bye to all the worlds bullies.

This book was brought home from school with my daughter in first grade. I was frantically trying to get ready for Christmas and was a little frustrated that at this particularly frantic moment, I was asked to read a book with so many words! With my daughter tucked in I began to read. After getting to the end, I couldn't wait to get downstairs and tell my husband about it. The peace and love that is Christmas is what this book so gently reminds you to focus on. It conjures in me the same emotions as when reading "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. This book should not be missed!

This book ranks in the top five of the hundreds I have read to my children over the past ten years. It is sensitive but direct, artistic in its utter simplicity. The beautiful illustrations evoke the gentle, honest spirit of Appalachia in a true way. This book was given to my children by their grandmother, who lives in Appalachia. It brings us back home, and brings tears to our eyes everytime we read it.

I enjoy reading this book every year around Christmas time. My mom first read it to me when I was little. I am sophomore in High School now and I still find delight in reading this classic Christmas story. Since I am older now, and have a deeper understanding of compassion, I have discovered a whole new meaning to the story. If you are putting together a Christmas story collection, "The Year of the Perfect Christmas" Tree should be one of your selections.

I have several books on the subject of ribbon flower crafting and most do a good job of teaching the basics, including this one. But what puts Ms. Kling so far beyond the others is her exquisite color sense. Speaking as a colorist painter, I can promise you that you will see subtle color relationships at work in her arrangments that demonstrate a very sophisticated understanding of value,tone and key. Her choices of which color next to what color (which is more important than just color itself!)are either exceedingly well thought out or dazzlingly intuitive -- an accomplishment made all the more complicated by working with ombre and two or more toned ribbons.

Ms, Kling delivers not only the information you buy the book for, but also page after page of visual delights.

The book was so beautifully written and photographed that it inspired me to take a class from Ms. Kling. The class was elegantly and intelligently taught. I have passed along the skills I learned from Kling's book and her class to several delighted friends, with whom I have spent many entertaining hours (that SPED by) creating the most gorgeous ribbon works of art. This kind of activity is deeply satisfying and reminds one of the best aspects of the ancient art guilds formed by craftsmen in the Middle Ages (and before), where artistic knowledge was preserved, shared, enhanced and passed along to the next interested party. The artistic and conversational processes begun by this book have lead me to some of the most rewarding moments I have spent with my women friends. I have planned another "ribbon day" for this coming weekend and it promises to be as refreshing and productive as the last several were. Thanks to Kling for being courageous enough to develop an almost unknown and almost exclusively female art form to unimagined heights.

If you want to try your hand at textile Arts this is a good book to start with. Page after page of beautiful ribbon flowers are demonstrated meticulously with diagrams, stitching instructions and photos. As the author says in the Introduction, "For this text, I've tried to develop a fuller and more consistent instructional language both in illustrations and in words, giving the techniques easy nicknames where possible. The 'Invitation to Use this Book,' which follows, will get you started easily, answering your most basic questions. But don't skip the technical sections; they're filled with tips and tricks."

The first chapters after the Invitation chapter start out with simple projects. You'll practice creating simple baby rosettes and thereafter the projects introduce more intricate and ornamental flowers, stems, leaves, stamens and buds. There are plenty of diagrams on each page as well as photos - many of them full-page. For example, you'll start making a basic scalloped rosebud. From there you'll learn to embellish it such as a Scalloped Rosebud with Knots or create a Hatpin Rose, Flatbud or Carbochon Rosebuds with One or Double Rolled Edges. You'll learn to create a Dahlia. Or create full bloom roses with variations such as budded finish, off-center, off-center w/ zig-zag ruffles, internal petals and separate petals. And these are only a select few flowers and techniques you'll learn. Other chapters show various ways of attaching your finished flowers to fabric with other chapters on creating pompoms, knots or various lazy daisy designs, pansies, fushias and daffodils.

Leaves, stamens and buds receive just as much treatment as the flowers and help fill out the designs. There are chapters on textured finishes such as ruffled edges, hand pleating, scrunching, wet look and tips on getting your flowers into final form as well as knowing when they're finished. There are tips on collecting ribbons, buying them, washing and ironing them as well as a chapter giving extra tips and techniques on the various stitches used throughout the book. The final chapter discusses the meaning of flowers and inspirations for creating your own ribbon flower artwork.

Beginning and Advanced ribbon crafters alike will find this book full of easy to understand instructions, diagrams and photos. For convenience there is a list of mail-order sources for ribbon in the back as well as a Suggested Reading and an index. If you have any interest in this type of work at all don't miss this book.

Thank to all the readers for having read an Italian book, and above all one of the best authors on this century in Italy. When I was a teenager I read mots of Morante's books and I can say that she was one of the best writers I have ever met in my readings. May I suggest to all of you to read (if you find a transaltion in your language) "L'isola di Arturo" (Arthur's Island) and above all "Menzogna e sortilegio" (Lie and witchcraft). Sorry, but the translations of the titles are improvised and I am not sure they are correct at all!

If you really want to know what war does to ordinary people read this book. It is a superb, beautiful, deeply sad,uncompromising,uplifting masterpiece. With fascism on the move again across Europe, this work of art will convince you, if you ever needed convincing, that such evil should never be allowed to pass this way again

I CONSUMED this novel over fifteen years ago and re-read it recently. I had forgotten what a wonderfully funny, scary, sensitive story it is.

Elsa Morante is truly one of the best writers of the 20th Century. She is able to express the anguish and the glory of "her" little man. Indeed, regardless of what happens in our lives, the events that may seem catastrophic, happiness is still all around us, we just have to fight for it. This is the lesson that Elsa Morante wants us to take away.

How do we achive this? Read "History" and discover the secret...

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I've read nearly every Barbara Michaels book-and this is by far my favorite. I once spent two hours describing this book to my friend in minute detail-and she loved it! Dashing Andrea, dreamy Stefano, vivacious Miss Perkins, ever-changing Francesca are the key players in one of my favorite stories. Bravo, Ms. Michaels, for writing this story!

I have collected and read many of Barbara Michaels' Books and this one is My favorite. Set during the Italian Revolution, it gives you a different perspective of Italian History, through English eyes. It was very well written, so much so, that you feel as if the excitement in the book, is very real!! The main characters are intelligent, witty, and daring. You cheer for them throughout the book. I wish this were made into a movie, so visual people, like myself, could indulge in it further. Whether you're a closet romantic, history student, or mystery buff --- you'll want to read it twice....like I did!!!

I am a HUGE Barbara Michaels fan, quite possibly because she has the ability to encompass mystery, thrills, and romance, without dwelling too much on one aspect. Which holds true for this book as well. You will absolutely love Francesca, Stefano, and Miss P., for their wit, and intelligence. I wish this book were turned into a movie, so all of us visual people can watch all the events unfold, IN STEREO! At any rate, if you're a closet romantic, history student, or mystery buff, this is sure to enthrall you!!!

This novel is about the trials and tribulations of a woman who is being divorced by her ex-husband.

Central character Claire Raphael seems pretty passive and simply stands by while her husband takes custody of her kids and takes her to the cleaners because she has her own business and earns more money than the ex-husband.

There needed to be more conflict and drama. Maybe, Claire could have kidnapped the children or taken revenge on her ex, for the sake of plot suspense and momentum. Instead, poor Claire waits for the legal system to dole out what little she does end up with.

Also, Claire has to deal with her aging and dying mother, Connie. Why do characters in Barbara Delinsky books call their mothers by their first names always?

Coming off the surreal and mystical "Three Wishes" by Barbara Delinsky, "A Woman's Place" was a let-down, due to the central character's (In "Woman's Place") inability to take action, no matter what it was, regarding her sad situation.

The book just plods along while central character, Claire waits for her situation to change. This novel comes closest to repetitive Danielle Steel novels, since much of "A Woman's Place" is taken up by Claire doing nothing but endlessly and incessantly complaining about her lot in life instead of pro-actively doing something about it.

I love this book because the writing is excellent but the story is one of the most compelling I've ever read. Delinsky made me care about the characters, to the point where I wanted to cry, laugh and scream at times. I can honestly say I hated being interupted when reading it and couldn't wait to get back into it. I think this is the best Delinsky book I've read thus far.

Bravo for Barbara Delinsky. A Woman's Place captures the real-life trauma one woman faces when her world falls apart. This book is smart, thoughtfu, realistic and, for me, portrayed each character with balance and tolerance. I was struck particularly by the main character's strength and how she was able to negotiate and survive one of the most difficult experiences a woman can face. As a reader, I felt her horror and her confusion; this is the sign of a well-crafted and successful book. I heartily recommend A Woman's Place and look forward to Barbara's next book

What Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) does best is make us uneasy. You can never settle right in and accept the persons and scenes quite the way they are presented. "What a lovely girl --- and yet?" is a typical reaction. In "The Brimstone Wedding" Ms. Vine is at her best, right up there with "Dark Adapted Eye." The novel is beautifully crafted, the prose spare and the atmosphere of the Fen Country in East Anglia is perfect. Because The Fens are a series of islands based in the boggy soil, the foundations are forever shifting. Nothing changes, but nothing stays exactly the same which is an excellent setting for this haunting tale.

Jenny/Genevieve Warner is a care assistant at a luxurious home for the elderly where she has built a friendship with terminally ill, exquisitely turned out Mrs. Stella Newland. Two women could not be more different on the surface. Jenny is a modern, practical, hard working country girl who has never traveled and is a product of village life and education. Stella comes from the gentry, married very well and seems so sheltered as to have come from a different age all together. Yet the sparkling Jenny's humdrum marriage is teetering because she has discovered passion in the form of a married lover. Stella has some dark secrets she has lived with for over twenty years and wants to share them with Jenny. Stella believes in nothing, but would like redemption. Jenny believes in everything: omens, charms, and every passing happenstance has psychic meaning for her. Jenny is willing to work her way to better things; Stella is passive. But why does Stella own a house that no one knows about? And why is she afraid to even ride in automobiles when she once was considered a dashing driver? Why does she refuse to sit outside in the sunshine?

The author keeps us asking these questions and sends us down some strange paths to get the answers. We know we are heading for a nameless horrific climactic event in Stella's past that will somehow impact on Jenny's present, but what can it be? Ms. Vine never falls into a Gothic romance-type of trap. Her people and events are sharp edged. Stella smokes irritably in spite of the fact she is dying of lung cancer. When Jenny finally works up her courage to leave her husband, he will not take her seriously; so what should be a grand melodramatic episode degenerates into farce. "I'm leaving you Mike"----"Well take the washer and leave the car, there's a good lass."

The author builds the tension until we are wrought up for at least a tornado strike, and she doesn't disappoint. Then when we think we have taken quite enough for one day, she adds another zinger. A great well-done page-turner.

Genevieve Warner, a young woman trapped in a hopeless affair and a loveless marriage, works at Middleton Hall, a home for the elderly. Most of the residents are pleasant enough, contentedly reminiscing about their lives to their carers, but Stella is different. Stella and Genevieve immediately form a bond, taking to one another, seeing little bits of their own personality and situation within the other. Unlike other residents, though, Stella is sharp, smart, and in control, and she does not share the memories of her past, so retains a definite air of mystery. But Stella is dying of lung-cancer, and now she feels a desperate need to tell someone the story of her eventful life, so that her secrets do not die with her, following her into the grave, unknown forever. Thus, she decides to tell her story to Genevieve, slowly unfolding a tale that is moving, powerful, and, ultimately, subtly horrific.

This, "The Brimstone Wedding", is yet another masterpiece of atmospheric fiction from Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell). Yet again she synthesises her twin storylines - one in the past, one in the present - brilliantly, and they eerily mirror each other down the generations. She builds the atmosphere brilliantly in both the time periods, and the suspense is continually ratcheted up, helped along by subtle and tantalising hints as to what exactly Stella's shocking secret could possibly be.

This time around, the characters are also more likeable than is the norm for a Vine novel, so it has a warmer, deceptively (and dangerously) cosy feel, which is juxtaposed with the usual chilly atmosphere and down-to-the-bones and wonderfully detached writing style. They're characters you are motivated to care deeply about, which serves to make this not only a powerful in places but also very moving. Certainly, there was one point when I even shed a few tears.

The story is told brilliantly, giving readers enough information to satisfy, but yet as little as possible, to ensure that they need continually to turn the page to find out more. It all culminates excellently with a shocking revelation about the true nature of Stella's secret. This revelation is not overblown and exaggerated, as some authors might make it, instead Vine underplays it, clearing it entirely of melodrama and simply telling things exactly as they were, which forces the reader to actually think about it, thus bringing huge power to the climax.

This, a masterpiece that is the sum of many excellent parts, is a complete triumph for Vine, matching up very equally with my previous favourite of hers, the erotic and chilling genius that is "No Night Is Too Long". Neither of these books should be passed over by any reader worth their salt.

Jenny/Genevieve Warner is one of the most appealing heroines in contemporary women's fiction. Vine (Ruth Rendell) creates a dark, complex plot that unwinds almost too slowly, drawing the reader inward, to a conclusion too horrifying to want to believe. How does love die? Many ways, but none more sad than the story of Stella and her boyhood sweetheart, reunited at last and lost to each other forever. Strong stuff! Is redemption at hand with what might happen with Jenny and Richard, Stella's son? Vine leaves it open, but surely some happiness has to come out of all this misery! Masterfully written; a poignant psychological mystery. The setting --- the brooding, watery fens of England's east coast, adds a subtle layer of unease to the story and almost becomes another character with which to reckon. Another writer who does this well -- combining mystery, broody setting, and psychological drama -- is the wonderful Minette Walters.