This book is a really good book. Like all of Mary Downing Hahn's books, this book is unlike others. Eliza, a tomboy girl who lives with her aunt and uncle decides to go and try to find her papa. On her journy she meets Calvin. A boy that claims he's an outlaw. They go through many adventures and then in the end Eliza shows true courage and they also find a shocking surprise that awaits them at the end of their journey. I recemend this book to ages 9 and up.

This is a really great book. It kept me interested not only because of its great descriptions and exciting plot, but also because I live in Colorado. Mary Hahn is a fantastic author and a lot of thought was put into her book. It's a story everyone should know.

This is a great book. I'm 12 and this a book for everyone to enjoy. the descriptions are great and not to long. There is not a single part where this story is boring. You feel like you are in the story and in the old west. This book is not an old fashioned book. You can realy picture the characters

I grew up on this book, and I loved it. It says that everything is possible for a child with imagination. "I can be anything--that's my way." (That's from memory.) Now that I've found it again,I'm getting copies for my niece and nephews--and one for myself!

Fans of the golden age Disney films and animation in general are very familiar with the brilliant career of color genius Mary Blair, one of the most important graphic and commercial artists of the century, and some of her best work is found right here between these covers. These beautiful illustrations are among the warmest and most engaging she ever did. "I Can Fly" is one of the very earliest (and best) Golden Books, and this miniature edition seems to be complete, unlike the more common modern reprints which are severely truncated. The color reproduction isn't a hundred percent accurate, either, but unless you want to spend considerable time at the swap meets or on eBay, this is your best bet. For more about Mary Blair (as well as Golden Books hall of famer Gustav Tenggren and many others) see John Canemaker's excellent book "Before The Animation Begins". Oh, yeah, and if you're a real little kid you'll find it much easier reading than this slightly pompous review.

I am 53 years old and my parents read this book to me. I loved it and always asked for this one to be read to me over & over. I was just about 3 yrs. old and had heard the story so many times, I could say it word for word by memory. During the years while moving, the book was lost. I always wondered what happened to my book. In 1975, after I had children I wrote a letter to Golden Books to see if I could get a copy, but they couldn't help me. About 6 yrs. ago, my sister-in-law was at a flea market and found a copy for me. I now read it to my grand daughter. I still enjoy the book, and love the illustrations.

Mary Sparrowdancer was living a typical suburban life--wife, mother, socialite--when "the Indian" began leaving little artifacts, like stones, shells and broken pottery pieces, for her. Then she began dreamwalking, receiving "visitors," and undergoing various other encounters with the spirit world.

These culminated in contact with a "Light Being," who taught her many things and gave her a message to relay to the world. When she was ready, the Light Being revealed his true identity to her.

The Love Song of the Universe is Sparrowdancer's account of all that happened to her, from the first white stones left on her doorstep to the final stunning revelations of the Light Being.

She learned "that there was more to the universe than what my beliefs or disbeliefs allowed, and that the other world existed whether I personally believed in it or not." She grew from feeling great fear to a deep love and understanding. The Light Being explained to her how Earth is being destroyed by wasteful and careless practices and offered a solution for healing the destruction.

When she tried to follow the instructions given to her and tell others of the message entrusted to her, she was ridiculed. Some accused her of consorting with the devil. Her marriage disintegrated and her young children experienced confusion. Yet she persevered.

Do you want to know where God is hiding? Sparrowdancer knows, and she's provided a map for you in her book. Do you want to know what you can do to fill your life with joy as you help to heal the Earth? She tells you how simple it can be.

"In The Love Song of the Universe, Mary Sparrowdancer combines personal experience and fascinating imagery to explore the divine interrelationship between all living things." . . [it's] a remarkable journey of healing, acceptance, and discovery for anyone who seeks a path from tears to transformation and beyond."

I have just finished reading Mary's amazing first book, The Love Song of the Universe, for the second time. And once again I am in awe. This book is profound. It is felt and lived rather than observed and recounted. In part this is due to Mary's eloquent and subtle prose. The words flow with the serene and simple grace of the master storyteller. They also overflow with humor. I laughed out loud over and over again when I read the book the first time, and discovered myself doing the very same thing (and in the same places) the second time through. If you only read this book to immerse yourself in beautiful prose, it would be time well spent.

But I also have to recommend this book for the story that it tells. While the publisher recommends the powerful spiritual messages, this book is also about the Hero's journey. And probably the most difficult one of them all because Mary's journey required her to surrender her upper middle class lifestyle and even her religious beliefs (or non-beliefs) in order to see the journey to completion. How many of us would be willing to accept the messages of a glow-in-the-dark stranger if it meant the loss of spouse, financial security and the fear that you were quite possibly losing your very sanity? I can only admire the complete bravery of this Tallahassee woman as she undertakes this journey, but even more so that she is willing to tell us about it while revealing all her own doubts and weaknesses along the way. Mary tells it all. Without hesitation she recounts her bouts of fear and self-doubt and thus reveals how very brave and fearless she actually is.

Mary is a Witness to miracles. This book is the testament to those events. In its pages you will find lost American Indian tribes, giant UFO's, shapeshifters, dreamwalkers and tiny white stones falling from the air. You will also find the most perfect description of the act of prayer ever reduced to words. I dare you to read those passages and not be moved to tears yourself as your heart resonates, and opens, to Mary's own experiences. The Love Song of the Universe is a must read book. Having experienced it, I am changed. You will be too.

I LOVE this book!! I love Mary Sparrowdancer's writing style, which is witty, funny, and enchanting. Mary is a normal housewife, married to a lawyer, with two normal kids. She starts seeing odd objects lying around her house and yard, such as white stones and pottery shards. Perplexed, she wonders where they're from, and she begins to have visions of Indians congregating in her yard. She wonders if she is going crazy because no one else can see them. Then a Being of Light comes to her and the strange odyssey begins....her search for God and the truth of humanity. Her enfolding adventures are amazing and sometimes hilarious. The ending is unbelievable!! It gave me chills and almost made me cry from the incredible secret knowledge that she discovered, some of which I have suspected for a long time, so it was awesome to see it written in a book. This is by far one of my favorite books, and I highly recommend it to everyone. You won't be disappointed!!

I have read this book 3 times now and each time God speaks to me in a different way--where I am at that moment. I am a classical Martha, but after reading this book, was told I had "softened"--which is a good thing. After reading "Secrets of the Vine" and this book, I find a constant desire to spend more time "abiding" and "sitting at Jesus' feet"--which will be a life-long desire. This book is a must-read for any Christian woman who desires to grow in her faith and walk with Christ on a daily basis.

I especially liked the chapter on Worry and ANxiety. Need to read it again. I bought it for all the "church lady/Martha" helpers at my wedding reception in June (Bless Them!) and they are liking it, too.

Joanna Weaver uses a simple analogy, the living room or the kitchen, to bring hurried, harried women needed truths about balance in their lives. Mary, of course, was the woman in the living room, and Martha was in the kitchen. I appreciated Joanna's willingness to open up her life and provide memorable stories and fresh symbols. For example, she compared picking up the house in the morning with the confession needed in prayer time to keep our spiritual house "fresh" for God. Women's Bible study groups will find this book targeting many needs.

The concept rocks: write stories inspired by TV and movie heroes, but don't do it directly.

Much of the writing is equally good: obviously all these authors are excellent writers.

Some of the stories were compelling, some were mildly entertaining. None were awful.

However, this book is uneven. I have a hard time imagining that any one person would love all these stories. Some of the stories suffer from being so short, and others are just not that interesting.

I loved Moon Over Miranda and Mary Jo Putney's reworking of the King Arthur tale.

Five stars for concept and two of the stories. The other stories were all 3-star and 4-star in quality, so I'm averaging it all out to be four stars.

Get a copy of this anthology while you still can. You will NOT be a bit disappointed. Ten novellas from talented authors whose stories are inspired by TV and Movie heroes. What a kick! Regency, Western, Contemporary, Futuristic... They're all very well represented here. Stories and characters that will make you smile for days to come. Don't be put off by the mix of genres. This confirms that when written well, romance stories are timeless.

"In Our Dreams" is a unique collection of stories. While the authors use television/movie heroes as inspiration, they have managed to build on those images and make them uniquely their own. From Mary Jo Putney's twist on Arthurian legend to Courtney Henkes tongue-in-cheek take on mythic fantasy, I found myself eagerly turning the pages. This was a wonderful read with something to feed the romantic cravings of any reader. Whether your tastes run toward rugged Old West types or the cool elegance of the English Regency, there is something here for you.

The story starts in the City of Turmoil where Peter,Anna and Patience lived. It is a great noisy,dirty places where all the people are cruel,greedy and selfish.Sometime later, they see a stranger.They are fascinated because they have never meet someone so beautiful kind who has the smiling face and eyes. So,begins the journey of a small companions who must face all the danger along the way.Along the journey they meet very nice people as well as very nasty ones.And the nice ones more than make up for the nasty ones.Eventually the reach the Land of Far Beyond, only to discover they can't enter the City of Happiness because no-one wearing a burden may enter.For anyone carrying a load of badness can't be truly happy,and so has no place in the city.They're saved by meeting a stranger who has the kindest nad wisest face that they had ever seen. The Stranger is Prince of Peace who carries the burdens of the whole world.The Prince is pity and understanding enough.....,enough faith and love to save the whole world.

The Land of Far-Beyond is a great book!!If you are looking for a good Christian book, this is for you!!Parents, this is a great gift!!

P.S. Really!!!!

My earliest childhood memories are of reading every Enid Blyton book I could get hold of. Secret 7 and Mallory Towers were prime favourites. I think I was about 7 or 8 when I stumbled upon "The land of Far Beyond" and initially thought it a very strange departure from the usual adventure stuff. The story is about some children who meet a stranger and then depart on a long journey, on route having to contend with certain challenges,some seemingly insurmountable. However as I read I got more absorbed into this fairly dark tale of a long ardous journey involving some lovable and some not-so loveable characters.The end I shouldn't reveal but will promise to please all. I would like to say that this story so amazingly written moves the reader either young or old between incredible depths of despair, hope and joy and at the same time giving valuable insight into our attempts to achieve moral character as we grow older. EB is a true genius - she makes the reader feel every single human emotion created,the only fault being that the book has an end.Anybody with a ounce of curiousity regarding the why and how of good vs evil should have a go at this. Enough said.

Bedtime reading was so much more intelligent a few decades ago! Mary Stewart's heroines inevitably speak second or third languages, quote the classics, and behave gracefully in social situations (no Bridget Jones idiocy for these ladies). This book, Stewart's first, is one of my favorites, due to a couple of sharply written car chases where the heroine thoroughly trounces her assailant. Charity Selbourne fits the 1950s female stereotype in a lot of ways: a former French teacher at an all-girls school, she was married to an RAF pilot killed in the War, is now a comfortably-off widow, and is by her own admission used to "dictatorial" men. But she also drives like a bat out of hell, and with a combination of logic and intuition she pieces together the plot's central mystery, which had previously eluded the male leads. Stewart has a gift for creating smart, sympathetic female characters who are suprisingly effective within the strictures of their era. No one can beat Stewart in the atmosphere department, either; here, she draws an evocative, moody backdrop for the tightly knit plot, moving her characters through the Roman ruins and medieval villages of Southern France. This book is a welcome antidote to much of popular fiction today, and a great introduction to an author who should not be forgotten.

As I have always wondered why the BBC has not produced any of Ms. Stewart's wonderful novels as mini-series for public television, I cannot help but imagine how media rich such a production would be. Case in point, Ms. Stewart's first work of suspense fiction: "Madam Will You Talk?" Her heroine, Charity Shelbourne is instantly likeable--a WW2 war widow who lovingly carries a framed photo of Johnny, her fallen RAF pilot in her suitcase,gladly expends time from her own holiday to entertain a lonely 14-year-old boy and honestly is confident enough about her own looks to admit when another woman is breathtakingly beautiful. True to her name and her noble instincts, Charity plunges unwittingly yet rather intelligently into a post war intrigue involving the estranged boy, his agressively tenacious father and the boy's lovely yet frightened stepmother using all the wit and willpower that made the British so heroically stoic through WW2. The characters play against the lush backdrop of the walled hilltop villages of Avignon and Nimes and eventually the cosmopolitan splendour/squallor of Marseilles which we see, smell and hear from the passenger side of Charity's car in a chase sequence more harrowingly memorable than that in the film "The French Connection". Ms . Stewart delivers not only a nicely summed up tale of greed and murder, but neatly fills Charity's emotional void and our own as she allows Charity to utilize Johnny's devil-may-care driving tips, rebel savvy and masculine assuredity through each twist of the plot on her way to finding her way in the world without him while opening her heart to someone else. She is a woman all women want to be: vulnerable yet indispensible. The essential ingredients are all there for a most wonderful episodic film about a wily 20th century woman--get those cameras rolling! Highly recommended, especially in the unabridged audio format.

I first read Mary Stewart as a teenager with her Merlin series, and it left such an impression on me that when I recently saw at a library book sale that she had other books I immediately picked them all up. Stewart is a master writer (and I didn't know she published in the 50's) who informs you as she writes, with eloquent references to geography, literature, and art. The story is about an attractive heroine who is thrown into close quarters with a man who may or may not be a murderer, who wants her to divulge the location of his young son. Like a play with a cast of characters, she is staying at a hotel that has a variety of people for whom you do not know what their real motives are. If you want a suspenseful romantic novel, you could not do better than Mary Stewart.

I've learned a lot from this book, and am interested in learning more. But I agree with the reviewer who couldn't find jeweler's lacquer. I've tried a couple of different finishes and have yet to find one that holds up really well.

I am new to making wire jewelry, I have a home-based jewelry business. I love this book and want to make many of the items,
but I cannot find all of the supplies listed. The one thing I haven't found and no-ones even heard of is Jewelers Lacquer. Does it exist, if so where?

This is a great book! It's very thorough about materials, equipment (maybe even a little too comprehensive) and technique. You can use it as a self-paced text, since it progresses from very simple to complicated.

I'm still on project #1 (no time!) but I've looked through it again and again and plan to work my way through it.

Mindwalks gets you out on your path with mindful approaches to walking that help keep you motivated.

I picked this up on a whim because the price was right, and boy, have I been glad I did! It goes so far beyond just reinforcing the mind/body connection as it relates to walking. It's beautifully written; I like to read one or two sections every day to get me inspired in the morning. It's helped me use my walks more creatively, and look at the world in a new way.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

A lot of books on relaxation and stress-reduction are complicated and time consuming. Mindwalks is so simple. The concepts are easy to understand and they are not easily lost when you begin your journey. Start off slow with the book because it is so easy to read the whole thing through. Read a couple of different mindwalks and actually attempt them on a walk. It makes the book so much more enjoyable. Two thumbs up to Mary Frakes for an excellent, simple, and inspirational book.

I found it very gross that Balogh would not have the heroine state with certainty that she was raped, and indeed almost blurred over, the horrendous way that Anna loses her virginity...It most certainly was rape. Otherwise this was a fairly routine romance novel. Ms. Balogh's writing skills are above-average but I never get "gripped" by her work...this novel was no exception.

Lucas Kendrick reluctantly comes back to England after ten years of exile in France; now Duke of Harndon since his brother's death, he recoils at the idea of becoming reacquainted with a family that rejected him, and marrying is simply out of the question, even though bringing back his Duchess to Bowden Abbey is part of his duty. Bitter and cynical, he has stopped believing in love since his older brother destroyed his happiness, and yet his wedding to Anna Marlowe, barely one week after their first encounter, could easily turn into a love-match.

Anna Marlowe thought she would remain a spinster for the rest of her life. Years of self-sacrifice to take care of her family brought her to the age of twenty-five without the chance to find a husband; besides, it becomes quickly clear that a man of her past made sure in a most dreadful way that she could never marry. But her attraction to the handsome Duke of Harndon leads her to marriage before she could weigh the consequences.

On their wedding night, Luke discovers that his new wife, for whom he was afraid of feeling more than a simple attraction, isn't a virgin. A feeling of intense betrayal pushes him to confront her about it the next morning, and the cold conversation leads them to deny any feeling they might harbour for each other: their marriage is one of duty, and eventually meaningless pleasure. Love never entered the equation. But can their true feelings be hidden forever?

I'm so glad I didn't let myself be put off by the beginning of the book! At first, Luke appeared like such a heartless hero that I wasn't sure I could ever come to like him. I even wondered why he immediately jumped to conclusions when he discovered that Anna wasn't a virgin on their wedding night: given his past history, he could have considered other options than a past lover. But his cynicism explains his reaction, I believe.

But I shouldn't have underestimated Mary Balogh's talent. Her character development is extremely well-done: Luke isn't the heartless man he appears to be, but the face he shows to the world is the only thing that reaches through to the reader at first. This technique allows us to understand why Anna can't and won't confide in him about what terrifies her, but the downside is that it takes some time to see things from Luke's point of view and realise that he's not as cold-hearted as he seems.

As the novel progresses indeed, we discover a man who's hiding under the tough carapace of a rough exterior, who wants to let everyone (and himself) believe that he turned his back on love ten years before, that love is an emotion that only brings deceit and pain. He hardens himself whenever he feels in danger of showing weaknesses or vulnerability. But the influence of his new wife and the demons haunting her too much to confide in him pushes him to open his heart and progressively reveal his true self.

All the characters are masterfully drawn so as to give to the reader the very same feeling as the heroes experiencing the situation. For example, the man terrorising Anna is wrapped in mystery, making his involvement in the story even more frightening. The tension of a relationship that yet appears very easy-going between Anna and Luke is palpable. And last but not least, the secondary characters are very attaching, particularly Anna's deaf-mute sister Emily, whose story I'm looking forward to reading in Silent Melody.

Heartless is an unpredictable story, full of suspense and emotion, and with a steady evolution of the heroes. Yet another fabulous book by Mary Balogh!

This novel is a must read. I finished it in 2 days and could'nt put it down. I think that I'm in love with the hero and the heroine.