Jones's memoir-cookbook takes the reader on a personal journey to Russia, the land of Jones's ancestors. It's full of interesting stories about the people she encountered there, with a focus on culinary topics. Each chapter deals with a single theme: springtime in Russia, tea and birthday parties, home-canning, mushroom hunting, weddings, Christmas and New Year's celebrations--all from the personal perspective of the author and her experiences in Russia. The 40 recipes she includes are accurate and can be easily reproduced in American home kitchens. A "must-buy" book for anyone interested in Russian cuisine.

Catherine not only captures the essence of the food, but also gives us a most intimate glance into the country, it's culture, and it's people. Living there for a time and having a Russian mother (and grandmother) on hand has given her an edge that almost no one else can duplicate! Her descriptions are interesting, the recipes are clear and easy to follow, and the insights and traditions on the food are priceless, making it an absolute "must" for the serious "foodie."

I found this book very calming and reasuring in these troubled times. The book is a soothing escape from the exterior modern world to that of our culture, our food and our entertaining--no matter what our heritage. A great glimpse into the lives of everyday Russians through their food. The recipes are simply written with readily available ingredients. Steep a cup of tea, put your feet up and enjoy!

I thought I knew how to pray until I read this book. It gave me so much peace and it helped me realise that if ever I have a problem and it worries me then I just have to turn the problem over to God. He can deal with it. I now appreciate people better and praying for other people is so easy and fulfilling. I now have a light spirit and I bless the lady who gave me the book to read.

This is one of the most helpful books on prayer I have ever read. Catherine Marshall demonstrates the magnificent simplicity of prayer and shares with her readers the truth in how to engage in several types of prayer including The prayer of Helplessness, The Waiting Prayer, and The Prayer That Helps Your Dreams Come True. Don't let the outdated cover deter you. It's as relevant as ever!

All of my Christian walk I've known about prayer; been a part of prayer-chains, prayed when I didn't know what else to do, and have even experienced answers to prayer. Deep in my heart I've always felt that there was something more. At times, I'd wonder, why pray if God is going to carry out His will anyway? How does prayer work or change anything? This book by Catherine Marshall was an answer to those cries of my heart. She has a gift in making things easy to read. Bringing our lofty ideas back to the simplicity of asking our Father for help. To be able to lay my heart, my desires, and even fears or frustrations out before Him and to know I'm not going to be turned away. That is what this book has done for me. In times past, when struggling, I may have even scorned the simplicity or prayer, but now because of Catherine's insight, it's that very humble simplicity I can see that I've needed all along. Does your son or daughter share with you their hopes, dreams and fears? Do they come to you when their struggling, and today they can't seem to keep their shoes tied? Are they older, do they ask for your opinion on which job they should take, or what kind of insurance should they get? Would you try to lead them astray or give them bad advice? Of course not! And that is part of the beauty of what Catherine Marshall has written here. She shows us how we being imperfect still desire to give our children our very best, how much more so, does our God, our creator, our Father want to give us that which is good for us and will bring Him glory. Her book, Adventures in Prayer, has helped me to see the cynical place my heart had come to concerning prayer. This book has rekindled a passion in me to draw near to my Lord again. And to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that each time I come to Him in prayer, it's because I know He was pursuing me, wooing me, calling me to have communion with Him. How simple! How wonderful! That is why I've come to Amazon to order this book for several friends. When I shared with them some parts of this book, they immediately wanted to get the book. We have searched many book stores and Amazon is one of the only places I can find it available anymore. Thank you~

What a wonderful, adorable, charming book! Great for the young and young at heart. The illustrations are beautiful, the ANT wording clever, the humour refined. Don't hesitate...get your copy today!

This is an extremely witty, brillantly illustrated book. We've had our copy for several years - and I've also given out many as gifts. Just today my 5 yr old took it to pre-school for show and tell - we needed a good "Q" - and I remembered this book - in it "Q" is represented by "quarANTine" - ants in hospital beds - so funny and cute. The copy is just hilarious - and the art work is just as funny. Also good for vocabulary words!!

I would recommend this book for kids of all ages it's the most unique alphabet book around. The illustrations are hillarious. Each page has a word that includes the word "ant." The best is unplesANT with a forlorn looking little boy ant sitting in front of a huge plate of peas.

Very simply, a good read. In the military, I travel a lot. I need something not too dense to relieve the discomfort of long international flights. This book is perfect -- it pulls you into a new world, removes you from the one you're sitting in and engages you for hours.

This historical novel was so powerful, I wouldn't put it down. It kept me on the edge of my seat with vivid description and real-life tension. Excellent work.

One of the best books I have read in a VERY long time. The storyline was wonderful. The research was fascinating. The characters are intertaining and believable. I couldn't put it down once I started it. Absolutely a must read!

Catherine Daly-Weir has done an excellent job of presenting a general and yet fairly complete introduction to Heraldry. The illustrations are beautiful and attractive. Obviusly written for the younger reader, adults will enjoy just as well. If you are working on a club/class project and need to creat a Coat of Arms, this book and Rosemary Chorzempa's "Design Your Own Coat of Arms" are all you need! You will have no trouble creating your own Coat of Arms expecially with the plastic stencil which is included in the book. A must have!

This book is written for a younger audience than, say Rosemary Chorzempa's Design Your Own Coat of Arms. While there might not be as much information included, what is included is presented very well. There are full-color drawings that will appeal to kids (and adults, for that matter!) and the explanations are clear and understandable. But truly the best thing about the book is the stencil. It includes many of the common images found on historical Coat of Arms. More importantly, the stencil is made from plastic, so it will withstand many tracings. Many times a stencil included with a book is made of heavy-duty paper or cardstock, but those just don't hold up to repeated use. This stencil is made of see-through green-tinted plastic, so it is easy to see exactly where to place the image you are tracing.

This is a wonderful educational book, where the child can actually create his/her own coat of arms using the stencils in the back. The illustrations are also vibrant and beautiful!

Tangerine Orange. Shocking Pink. Azure Blue. These are just a few of the colors offered in Color Healing Home. For those of you who love modern interior design but would like something other than beige and variations on white, then this is THE book for you. The book is divided by color and each color is showcased in beautiful modern rooms. Worth its weight in gold!! A+++++++++

I really like this book. The photos are beautiful. The author discusses what effect different colors have on your mood, i.e. paint your bedroom deep blue for restful sleep, red can cause exhaustion if it's not used sparingly, magenta-pink encourages introspection, etc. This book gives you lots of interesting ideas for adding color to your home, beyond just slapping paint on a wall.

This is one of my all-time favorite books ... and I have a HUGE collection of books on color and decorating. Whenever I look through these pages, I want to do my rooms in every color I see, loving each page more than the next. If you ask me which was my favorite color, I will say, "All of them!" But then, my passion for color is the reason I bought this book in the first place. As soon as I opened it, I had to have it.

The book is broken down according to the colors of the spectrum and the color therapy use of each color (i.e., there are sections for "energizing," "uplifting," "balancing," "refreshing," "calming," "meditative," "romantic," and "grounded"). Each individual color has two or three photos. But this book doesn't just separate the colors as simply as red, orange, yellow, etc. It elaborates by breaking each color down into numerous shades and tones of that color. For the violet part of the spectrum alone -- which is classified as "meditative" in terms of color therapy purposes -- there are pages for the shades "very violet," "deep purple," "mood indigo," "fresh lavender," "lilac time," and "purple haze." Each has several photos.

Throughout the book, there are pages (and photos) for such luscious colors as "sunflower," "aquamarine," "fruit pastels," "sugar candy" ... and there are natural/neutral colors represented as well.

Just looking through this book cheers me up and inspires me. It is intelligently written as well. I highly recommend Color Healing Home to anyone who would like to bring more color and joy into their life.

Comanche Moon, was the first book I started reading, and because of this book, this woman, I am now an avid reader of historical romances. Catherine didn't have a problem making the scenes and creators as true to life as possible. You are made to feel like you are right there as the events are unfolding. I now want to read all of her books, and have gone on to read other historical romance authors' work. Thank you Mrs. Anderson.

This book is WONDERFUL anyone who reads it will definitly fall inlove with each and every character. It has a tale of strength, heartache, courage, and love. What I would love to know is, "When will C.A. write a book about her Character Amy, who plays the heroines sister?".

The fierce Commanche warrior Hunter Wolf is chosen by his people to cross the western wilderness in search of the elusive maiden who would fulfill thier sacred prophecy. He finds and captures Loretta Simpson, a proud golden-haired beauty who swears to defy her captor. What she doesn't realize is that she and Hunter are bound by destiny. When she is finally convinced of her love for Hunter she is given a wedding present by her lover's jealous enemy. It is a comb that belonged to her mother. Realizing that Hunter's tribe was responsible for killing her mother, she runs away. She can never stay with those that killed her family. Hunter goes after her.

In sensitively drawn black and white photos of mothers and daughters, coupled with touching anecdotes from her subjects about the memories that made their relationship special, Koemptgen has captured the essence of the mother-daughter bond. Paging through these beautiful portraits, readers can laugh, cry, and remember their own relationships. A timeless book, perfect for Mother's Day, or any day to celebrate mothers and daughters.

This book probes the complex bond that knits mothers and daughters together. Filled with wonderful anecdotes and artifacts from the lives of each mother-daughter pair, Catherine Koemptgen's photos are luminous. They capture the essence of shared history, mother-daughter relationships, and love. Perfect for Mother's Day, birthdays, holidays, or any other special occasion. If you've ever been a mother or a daughter, or both, this book will trigger all your own memories. Judith Josephson

Koemptgen has an eye for capturing the true relationship between a mother and a daughter. This book is beautifully photographed, and the accompanying text is delightful. This is a must for everyone who is a daughter, a mother, or both.

Uh, I don't mean to sound rude but someone reviewed the wrong romance novel, Consolation Prize is NOT a historical romance novel, it is a contemporary romance by Catherine George that was published by Harlequin. The characters in this novel are Hilary and Rhodri NOT Abigail and Nate, perhaps she read another romance novel with the same title but a different author. Anyway Catherine George's Consolation Prize with Hilary and Rhodri is good even though Rhodri could be unlikeable at times. Read this book if you can, it's good!

Agree with above. Adding info not here from backcover:
"When Abigail Mcleod landed the listing for the Irving House, she throught her luck had changes. Between the demands of her job as a real estate agent and her active four-year-old daughter, her life resembled a juggling act." If she could just sell a
turn-of-the-century mansion, smooth sailing would coming in for
her agency and finances. The only major problem was a crafty
tenant wrecking the prospective sales...until, Nate and Abigail
met face-to-face.

Consolation Prize was written by Catherine George and is one of the best Harlequin Romance books that I have ever read and is a definite keeper, it is about a guy named Rhodri Lloyd-Ellis and a lady named Hilary Mason and the plot's locations include England and Wales. I definitely recommend this wonderful book!

ALT ED was a book I read in one sitting. The characters were well drawn, distinct, and each developed through their combined experiences and interactions gleaned from the mandatory "last chance" class.

Yes, the book is reminiscent of THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Yes, the ending was on the melodramatic side (the bumper stickers made me want to gag). Things came together a little too cheesily and easily. But it's a good book for any kid who feels alienated. He/she can just sit in on the discussions and observe the struggles as each member of the group fumbles around trying to deal with his/her misconceptions and ways of relating to others and self. The book has an appropriate "feel good" ending, because that's just what the reader wants for these kids.

The author also took pains to make each character complex. Amber is tough and sleeps around way too much, but she also def has a caring, softer side. Brendan is gay; he's not "out and proud," though, but agonizes over it. Tracee is a committed Christian and, though popular, she really does try in her own insular way to be kind to others. The other characters disparage her for being a shallow "Miss Perfect," but I didn't come away with that impression. Her motives were mostly good, and she stuck to her convictions even under fire. Randy, the thinking jock, is a great character -- he's pitifully weak at times and amazingly strong at others. He grows the most, in my opinion, throughout the story. And he's such a NICE guy. Kale, the bullying red neck is cruel, but you ache for him while you hate him -- you get the feeling that he's just so mixed up the only thing he knows how to do is strike. Susan, the main character, is grossly overweight and is harassed incessantly because of it. She hates herself, but eventually comes to terms with her size, even as she starts taking care of herself -- eating right and exercising. The reader knows that she'll never be a slim and sleek Tracee; she'll always be chunky, but that's okay. Classmates describe her as sweet (something she doesn't appreciate exactly because it's so vanila), and she is, but her soft voice is juxapositioned with her sharp inner dialogue.

Atkins makes her characters real, like us. Some parts good, other parts flawed. Lugging lots of baggage everywhere we go. Atkins thankfully doesn't rely on overdone sterotypes: dumb jock, bigoted "holier than thou" Christian, etc. Many YA authors out there ought to take note and snag a page from her play book.

Atkins does a pretty good job of making her point without the heavy hand.

The fat girl, gay guy, cheerleader, jock-all in a class that is the alternative to expulsion from high school...think of this book as a modern day Breakfast Club, because it's all about people who think they have nothing in common discovering that (some of them, at least) can actually be friends, and really talk to each other. Susan Callaway, the self-described fat girl, is an engaging and interesting narrator who is struggling with her mother's death and her alienation at school, and trying to mend her relationships with her father and brother. If you liked The Misfits by James Howe, and pretty much anything by Chris Crutcher, then check this book out.

Six high school kids. Six problems. None of them like each other. And for twelve Wednesday afternoons they have to sit and talk. Or get expelled. Cathy Atkins holds our attention with great characters and keeps us guessing about what brought these kids into this room in the first place. And will they leave with anything useful?

I taught for twenty years. These kids are real. Their problems are real and Ms. Atkins has them nailed. ALT ED is a wonderful read. In one of these kids, you'll find a shadow of yourself and the shadow of the person that makes your high school days miserable. And maybe a glimpse of hope.

And you'll meet Amber.