I purchased this complete with a copy of "Chant" by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos.

The beauty and stillness of this is enchanting and refreshing to the mind. We truly enter the world of sacred monastary in this way.

Just beautiful! Pax Domini!

While walking the reader through the daily life of a monk's spiritual journey, this author also inspires the lay person to listen to the "Music of Silence".

Every chapter deserves contemplation. The book gives everyone a direction to follow, as the hours of the day flow.

I found it even more inspirational to listen to Gregorian Chant while reading. I especially like "CHANT" by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos.

If you truly need a break from the hectic pace of today's life then this book is a must read.

It has become a permanent part of my library and look forward to reading more from this author.

The author discusses how time can be a deeply sacred part of the hours of our lives, and why an appreciation of time has been developed by the experts of the monastic orders. Nothing is as ordinary, or as sacred, as time. Far from being an infinitesimally small unit of measurement or a means of separating one event from another, time provides the means by which the still, small, silent voice of God may be heard. This is a book to take on a sabbatical journey.

Seeking God is an elegant, insightful, and extremely valuable treatment of the spirituality inherent in St. Benedict's Rule. The further into the book I read, the better I realized it was. Again and again I was impressed with the wisdom and psychological astuteness of the Rule as deWaal explained it. Benedict's way of moderation, humility, and balance, as interpreted by deWaal, seems one of the wisest and healthiest examples of Christian thinking that I have encountered. It is an excellent antidote to the regrettable tendency of some to want to separate body from soul and the material world from the spiritual world; Benedictine spirituality instead balances and integrates them!

"Seeking God" helped bring "The Rule of St. Benedict" into focus for me, enabling me to see clearly the wisdom of Benedict's vision for our day. For two other books that explore Benedictine wisdom for parents, look for "The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home" and "The Christian Family Toolbox: 52 Benedictine Activities for the Home", both by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad,2000 and 2001). Benedict still speaks relevantly and prophetically in our day!

The author was recommended to me both by my spiritual director and by a monastic. I see why. It is written simply and directly. It does not drip religiousity nor is it so esoteric that one becomes stalled in frustration. Instead, de Waal relates the Rule of St. Benedict to life in the world today. She does not compromise the Rule nor interpose her own "doctrine"- she draws from a great knowledge of writers of the Benedictine tradition from the past to the present, couples that with her experience as a wife and mother, presenting a straight forward discussion of the Rule, how it is of help to the Christian of today, and how it may be applied in the life of the individual who is seeking a rule for his or her own life. Her tradition is Anglican but one does not sense an intrusiveness- rather a calm, rational, feet on the floor contemplative guide which opens the door to further spiritual growth.

Absolutely tremendous. It is my favorite book of color Colorado photographs.

Photographers are a dime a dozen. Kathleen Norris Cook with Western Relfections Publishing shows that there are a few good photographers. Get the book!

How then does light return to our world in the San Juan Mountains after the setting of the sun? Miraculously. Boldly. In broad stripes. It hangs like a glass cage. It is a hoop that seemingly cannot be captured.

Next moment a flash of a camera. Then an image is recorded as if earth were breathing in and out, once, twice, as if for the first time. In this camera sharp place where the only electricity is in such thunderous lightning, there are no sounds in an afternoon save the hum of a rainbow. It is so spectacular, so luminous, so fresh, that we intruders feel also quiet, intense and strangely tiptoe, as if in anticipation.

The mountains throb purple and green, and gradually the valleys below drink in red, brown and gold. Suddenly a mountain stream snatches a blue light. The earth absorbs color like a sponge, slowly drinking the mountain sun. It puts on weight; rounds itself; hangs pendent; settles and sways beneath our feet through the lens of Kathleen Norris Cook. There's no telling what a collection of such beauty, power and insight might inspire.

This is a really excellent collection of 77 photos taken 1985-1995 across the high plains states from Montana to Texas. All are in richly captured color, and all manage to bring the panorama of this wide open country within the viewfinder of the still camera. Brown's achievement is to show the suggestive and telling details that transform these "empty" landscapes into spaces that are filled with drama and atmosphere.

A shot of winter prairie, south of Edgerton, Wyoming, reveals the contoured undulations of grasslands thick with frost, the banks of a shallow wash weaving into the distance, the horizon blending into the brightly overcast sky. The entire image seems sepia-tinted in the winter light. An early summer shot of ground water standing dark and rippled in a Nebraska Sandhills pond shows tufted grasses in the foreground leaning with the wind. A single slender fence post is echoed in the distance by a single tree in full leaf and just visible beyond it a windmill. The grass extends to the gently rolling horizon where a white thundercloud begins to pile upward into the vivid blue of a brightly sunlit sky.

Light, shadow, clouds, all seem still but are in movement, and many of the photographs heighten a sense of time's gradual passing -- the hour, the day, the season, the years. A roadside directory, indicating the distances to ranches has been weathered and sun-bleached. An old shingle-roofed elevator stands empty and overgrown with trees. There's a disused one-room school, white paint worn by wind and rain down to the bare boards. Tall weeds grow in the playground, and the setting sun casts the shadow of a swing set against a side wall.

And there are many signs of life, as well -- a general store with gas pumps and pop machines in front, a TV antenna overhead, and a gravel lot for parking; a barber shop with curving glass brick and shiny red tile facade, with an American flag on a pole at the curb; a last-picture-show cinema, the Rialto, with nothing on the marquee, but above it a wonderful mural of cowboys around the campfire and a chuckwagon with "Welcome to Brownville" on its canvas covering.

There are photographs of small town life -- a young man and little girl stand by the front door of a tiny house, the white siding bright in the late afternoon sun and a darkening sky behind them; a sign painter sits on the back of his truck under a hand-lettered sign, "Advertise Dammit Advertise Before We Both Go Under"; a floor-to-ceiling chalkboard is filled with for-sale notices for hay hauling, an early American sofa and matching swivel/rocker, a 3/4 ton Chev. 4x4, toy poodles, chow puppies, and a bird dog that "will point."

And this really only scratches the surface. The photographs reveal themselves slowly, and with a patient and inquisitive eye, there is much to see in all of them. If you have lived in or traveled through this region, as I have, you will see much that you recognize, recall its quieter pace of life, and marvel again at the great diversity of landscape, seasons, and weather.

Kathleen Norris has written an appreciative introduction to the book, and Brown has an essay at the end, describing a lifetime of fascination with this part of the world. The book includes a listing of all its photographs, noting the location of each and the year in which it was taken. For anyone who grew up on the Plains and now lives elsewhere, this book is like a return home. As a companion volume, I'd recommend Ian Frazier's book "Great Plains," which covers this same territory in words and with much the same attitude. Kathleen Norris' "Dakota" is another good one.

Photographer Peter Brown wanted this book to reflect the many jouneys he made across the Plains in his youth...''from open country to a small town, through this town, on to a larger one, and then out again into open space and sky'', he says in his Afterword. This great book of photos does just that.

Years ago I read Walter Prescott Webb's definitive study 'The Great plains' and I became fascinated by this amazing part of America (still haven't managed to get there yet) and he descibes how some of the early settlers stopped when the came up against the Plains, being used to the European countryside they just could not take the flatness, no trees, no hills and if it it was not the quietness it was the wind, blowing for days on end. These fine photos capture the flavor of what they must have seen.

The small town photos show buildings with a weather-beaten look, the Allensville, Kansas, city hall is no bigger than a simple house, the lovely aerial shot of Marfa, Texas shows a town you could drive through in a minute and after the photo of Marathon, Texas it is back to the flat landscape until the end of the book.

If you want to capture the feel of the Plains this book will do it for you...an excellent keepsake. Maybe I'll visit next year!

I found this book in the giftshop at the Sioux Falls airport in South Dakota. As a woman who grew up On the Plains, I found that Brown's photographs captured the true essence of the beauty one finds there. It's not simply a collection of "postcard" photographs of abandoned windmills, lonely pastures, and fragile pasque flowers. The photos depict the "real" plains, complete with its people and its architecture. Norris' introduction is, as I had anticipated, an enjoyable complement to the photos. This is a lovely book to share with people who appreciate the beauty of the Great Plains.

This is an important book for all who wish to experience a spiritual jouney taken with and open mind, open heart and a down to earth real life perspective.

For all who have read Norris' other books this is a must. It was my first and I continue to search for others wishing there were more.

This is the story of non Catholic woman who becomes an "Oblate" with Benedictine monastaries and convents. This spiritual jouney includes spending extended periods of time as a resident in these unique communities.

The day to day workings of these communities, their use of scipture, how this effects her personal life and the warmth with which she tells her and their story should not be missed.

I have to buy more copies because I keep on giving what I have away.

Twin brother and sister Benedict and Scholastica were rambunctious youngsters who lived many years ago in Nursia, a small mountain town in northern Italy. They climbed trees, raced each other up and down the hills, and befriended stray cats. They were not only twins but constant playmates and best friends.

When the twins grew older, as was the custom of their day, Benedict was sent to Rome to study while Scholastica went to a nearby monastery to learn to read and write. While Scholastica easily adapted to her new live, enjoying the women she met and the prayers that were said, Benedict was troubled by the poverty and cruelty to slaves that he encountered in Rome. Although he knew that the great city opened many avenues for him and that he was expected to remain there to study, Benedict chose to go to a small village where he joined a small number who spent their days in prayer and labor.

Later, Benedict felt God was calling him to live alone so he found a cave for shelter. It was there that shepherds found him and deemed him to be a holy hermit. As Benedict's reputation spread other clerics became envious and even tried to do away with him.

Eventually the solitary believer went to the peak of Monte Cassino where he founded a monastery, which became a refuge for many.

Scholastica, along with a group of other nuns, would come to the monastery to visit her brother once a year and became a great source of support for him and his work.

Tomie de Paola's delightful, boldly colored acrylic illustrations enliven this inspiring story of faith and devotion.

- Gail Cooke

Had a collection of Kathleen Norris's poetry come out a few years ago, I would have bought it, and never had the pleasure of searching for and finding her earlier, out-of-print books. For those less motivated to hunt for Falling Off, The Middle of the World, The Year of Common Things, and Astronomy of Love, this is perfect buy as it includes most of the poems in those collections as well as poems from her more recent book of poems, Little Girls in Church.

The cover art isn't especially beautiful (surprising since it is a University of Pitt Press book) and the title is a bit weak, but let neither of these things discourage you from purchasing the book. If you're a fan of any of KN's work (non-fiction or poetry), you'll want this collection. If you're a ardent reader of contemporary poetry, you'll want this collection. If you'd never read poetry beyond high school, you'll want to open this book, as it will surely make you hungry for more poetry.

Like her instructions to angels in her poem "Excerpts from the Angel Handbook," she is always asking us to be open and wary, skeptical and believing, and dreaming and restless. Her poems implore us to be better than we are, to listen more closely to the music in our head, and to watch out for and care for the lonely traveler, the needy neighbor, the lost among us, and the loving.

I am a new gardener in the process of relandscaping my front yard. I want a large variety of plants for this shady area, so I bought this book. I found the Plant Selection Guide section very helpful in finding plants for specific areas or conditions, like shade. The Encyclopedia section is good for identifying plants & lists many varieties for each.

Some drawbacks are that it doesn't always give specifics on care & pruning, or the hardiness of the plants, important in areas with frost. It also gives just a drawing of the plants, not always helpful for plants I know nothing about. I have found Sunset's "Gardening with Shade" a good supplement to this book.

However, the "Western Garden Book" has been an invaluable resource for this first-timer.

Very good short descriptions with genus and species listed. Thorough and informative. It is helpful for the novice and experienced gardener alike. Plant pictures are not photographs, but are realistic graphic depictions. Textural descriptions are very good in identification. I recommend this to all gardeners in my retail setting.

I purchased this book after browsing around in a local store, and it turned out to be a great purchase. I'm a beginning gardener, and I wanted something that would not only explain the basics to me, but help me out with more advanced decisions.

The beginning is a breakdown of Sunset's climate zones, with wonderful maps showing just where you stand when it comes to the growing season. Then there is a section that helps you find a plant by certain categories such as fragrant blooms, decorative ivy, blossoms by season, and even such obscure classes as arid, windy, and humid climates.

The meat of the book consists of an encyclopedia of sorts, with hundreds of entries for different plants that grow in the west, complete with scientific names, growing habits, and helpful hints.

The last portion of the book is a quick reference for everything from watering styles to proper composting techniques.

I recommend this book to anyone, beginner to advanced.

I am part of an eleven-member book group. Our selections in the past 18 months have mostly been from Oprah's list, and so I thought I would step out of the familiar and choose something a little bit challenging. Tomorrow night is our discussion--and all eleven members are saying they are going to come (unheard of attendance! :). Now I'm not so sure about the risk I took. Please pray for us. To the reviewer who noted that this book would be good for a book group discussion, you are the one who convinced me to use it. My other idea was to have us read something by Anne LaMott. Anyone ever read anything by her?

Anyway, on the my reaction to "Quotidian Mysteries" Did anyone else have a hard time knowing anything about all the names of the saints and authors Norris refers to? I guess I'm 'out-of'it'! I found her use of quotes confusing and not always helpful. But the intrinsic ideas are going to help us as we struggle to find meaning in this alienating and full of 'acedia' world. I'll let you know how the discussion goes!

Life is not glorious all the time. You still have to brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, take your shower. Does this have a spiritual value? Kathleen Norris has a way, the way only a poet can, of zeroing into the basic heart of the matter. As she has done in her previous works, I believe she is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit to communicate to us that there can be a heavenly value to all the mundane things we have to do in this mortal life, which applied with love, can lead us to be the person we'd like to be so eternity will be our reward. I would love to have her insight. This book has to read, again and again. We shall be so much better for doing so. The "best we can do" is only a destination. We should really "strive to be better." Thank you, Kathleen, for your inspiration.

This book is changing the way I look at my daily life. It is slowing me down, refreshing me, and teaching me to appreciate the daily chores and routines which usually bog me down. Norris' wisdom and honesty amazes me.

The book is an excellent purchase, but don't even think of purchasing it here because it probably won't be in stock. At least this is my experience.

This gently written, beautifully profound book really touches one's heart. The Blessed Mother is made readily accessible in the minds, hearts and souls of all persons who read this treasure. It is a very enlightening and interesting book and I sincerely hope it makes a positive difference in the lives of all who read it. I really loved it.

My husband gave me this book for Christmas and it has become very special to me. As someone who also grew up in the Presbyterian tradition, I had always felt the absence of Mary in the church. When, as an adult, I turned to a more "catholic" religion, I was finally able to embrace Mary. This book, with it's beautiful illustrations and wonderful essays is a spiritually rewarding path to Mary.