This book has touched me deeply and inspired me to keep trying, even when times are so very challenging. Like the Guadalupe, quite miraculously, this one book was brought to me by my toddler son as he reached to pull "Being With Rachel" from a shelf of well over a thousand different books!

My son (the one who handed me this book) was born with brain injuries we are not even certain about at this time due to his teenage birthmom's irresponsibility. We have been through all of the physiatrists, child psychologists, physical, speech, and occupational therapists and social workers over the past two years in assisting him to walk and talk and use his hands.

There have been many times that I have felt just like Karen Brennan has expressed so beautifully in this book. Her emotions and frustrations that people in these situations often can't even identify, much less tell someone about, are described in ways that allowed me to find words for my own feelings and to accept more of those moments when the answers are not forthcoming.

Like Karen, we also lost a parent this year and oddly found new hope and help and inspiration out of the despair. Karen and Rachel Brennan have made me feel that someone else was not only coping but triumphing with tiny steps, and making their way to the light.

The beauty of this story is that the writing is excellent and the writer's ability to open her heart and share her deepest thoughts has not only helped her daughter and herself heal but countless others who may be facing similar challenges in their own lives.

Give this book to someone who needs encouragement, knowing that they will find empathy, sincerity, and a friend with real experience and undying love.

Atop all the courageous acts in this story, the final and most lasting one is Karen Brennan's commitment of her story to print. In her turmoil's depths, she attests to uncomfortable truths and confesses her impassioned dismay that love is sometimes mixed with guilt, that hope is a hairsbreadth from dread, that the cruelest and most unjust penalty is in another light a largesse with unending rewards. Most impressive is the revelatory presentation of an active mind (or perhaps two minds) learning, reformulating, performing. In her new role as caregiver researching her daughter's brain injury, Brennan confronts anew terms she had understood as fiction instructor and critical theorist: reading this, you'll come to know that what you appreciate in your favorite author or in your best friend's letters is your own innate complicity in a good act of perserveration or confabulation or dissociation. The gradual reunderstanding of memory and narrative is a thrill to experience.

Notwithstanding her publisher's marketing strategy, this is far more than a story of survival; and though she may share with Mark Doty or John Bayley a life marked by caregiving and loss, Brennan authors a far finer literary memoir, imaginatively and unsympathetically crafted, with a style more akin to the radical sincerity of J.R. Ackerley or Annie Ernaux or Herve Guibert.

These are your best friend's letters. Karen Brennan is your favorite author.

Karen Brennan's Being With Rachel ... tells of a family's changes when a 25-year-old daughter is gravely injured in a motorcycle accident. Her mother's account of her daughter's slow recovery, determination to walk again, and lasting brain injuries makes for a moving story of rebirth and courage.

Karen Fox has made unexplainable explainable. She has taken a very tough subject and made it accessible to the lay reader. I highly recommend this book. I also had the good fortune to see her discuss her book at a local independent book store. She was great. If her book tour comes to your city, don't miss it.

Karen Fox has the freshest of writing styles and a complete grasp of her subject. Her voice is, at once, playful and intimate. Readers will follow her anywhere. With a winning, light touch, she presents just the right details to give such characters as Plato, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton memorable personalities, and places their accomplishments in the context of a greater story. Inspiring work. An irresistible read.

Karen Fox has a unique ability to explain difficult scientific concepts to lay people, and has done so brilliantly in her new book explaining current theories of the origin of the universe. She is to be highly commended for putting these theories in perspective, telling us what appears to be supported by compelling evidence, yet letting us know how much uncertainty still exists. We can only hope that Ms. Fox will continue to expand our scientific horizons in language that one does not have to be a PHD to understand.

I lost my 24 yr old son 6 weeks ago and a very good friend sent me this book. I have been given several books, but this one was so special. I could read it in 10 minutes..it made sense..it knew what I was feeling and it was ok. I cried again, but when I finished the book my heart was uplifted and my pain eased. Now, I respect the grief I am going through and know it is OK to feel what I feel.

A dear friend gave me a copy, (by copy I mean photo copy) of this book five years ago when my father passed away. When another friend's father recently passed away, I looked up this copy wishing I knew the title, author or even what the cover looked like. It was so comforting and helped me out so much I wanted to pass it on. After searching on Amazon for quite a while, I finally found it! I can't believe it. This is such a great gift when your own words seem to fail. I bought five!

I was given this book when my sister died recently. It has been extremely uplifing and helpful. A thought to carry with you the whole day is more powerful than chapters of advise and counsel. I love it and now am planning to buy several to pass on to others. Its a perfect gift to give someone who is grieving.

I love to read in the same way that some people love eating chocolates. Just as they disregard warnings as to caloric intake in making their selections and opt for the largest, darkest,or prettiest piece in the box, so, too, I disregard the admonition not to judge a book by its cover and often select a book by its size, heft, and cover. Guilty Pleasures meets all of my superficial criteria: it has a pleasing fit to the hand, a weight perfect for horizontally-inclined literati such as I, and an eye-catching cover filled with colorful shoes such that one's eye is drawn to the authorship on the suspicion (unfounded) that this is Immelda Marcos' work. Of course, as my chocoholic friends might say, "the proof is in the pudding" and the quality of a book is in the reading. Just as a square of fudge delights as it melts and clings to the palate, Guilty Pleasures delights the mind. Eight women writers unrepentantly share the joys they find in ordinary and not so ordinary pleasures running a quixotic gamut from taking antidepressants to applying toenail polish, from crossword fanaticism to extorting money from one's parents. The writing is refreshingly witty, wicked, and wise. Although these small gems of essays are assembled of necessity in an order, I recommend reading them haphazardly. After all, what chocolate lover would adhere to the map on the candy box, eating all the creams first before proceeding to the nuts? There are enough strictures in life! Just open the book and enjoy at random. And, yes, the next time you need to tote a small gift somewhere, you might forego the candy and bring along a copy of Guilty Pleasures. Think of it as a book lover's fudge!

These authors have tapped into a huge vein (keg?) of human experience. Each essay details a different furtive joy, and I could feel their pleasure even in the ones I couldn't identify with myself.
There are no morals given; no helpfull hints; just honest enjoyment of many things that may not fit our public personas or enhance our professional images. Before I even finished the book, I found myself mentally starting to examine my own guilty pleasures. It's so nice to know that I'm not alone in admitting that I do get a thrill out of a few somewhat dubious activities.
My daughter keeps dipping into this book, too. Obviously, it's appeal is multi-generational.

All the confessions in this book are deliciously guilty and are expressed in the picturesque language of poets and the best of literary writers.

I was intrigued by the title of Karen Mueller Bryson's book, and who wouldn't be? The English speaking world has been mightily affected by the metaphor of Oz. "Hey Dorothy You're Not in Kansas Anymore" does not disappoint.

A young woman loses her father in a freak accident. She is one of a family with enough peccadilloes among them to keep any reader fascinated. She decides she will sleep her pain away, her mother decides she will run away with a cult, and brother decides to bury himself in his achievements and try to ignore the whole mess. The pain in this family is palpable but so is their zest for living. Those who loved "Bridget Jones's Diary" may like this book even better. It has the snap of the new genre called chick lit to which "Diary" is a prominent member; like "Diary" it explores the pain that twenty-somethings often experience in a society that isn't keen on letting them grow up.

What makes this novel better is that Our Dear Dorothy is just more likeable than Bridget. She is not quite so needy, quite so miserable, is just less of a cookie-cutter character all around.

What makes this novel move along so quickly is the authors background as a playwright. The dialogue is quick and convincing. The grounding is much like a theater production. The settings are sufficiently presented but do not dominate.

Mostly the humor is so natural. I laughed out loud three times in the first two chapters and chuckled even more often. All in all, it's a good lesson that the absurd may be found in the most agonizing of situations and that it works ever so well as a healer.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered.")

HEY DOROTHY, YOU'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE
By Karen Mueller-Bryson

This book is a humorous account of grieving (or lack of) by one family as told by the daughter Dorothy. Unable to grieve over her father's recent death, Dorothy tells the story about her life with her brother (Jude) and her mother (Mrs. Robinson), and how they all cope with the father's death in their own different ways. It is a 'tongue in cheek' satire mixed in with shades of the movie classic Wizard of Oz.

In the adventures of Hey Dorothy, You're Not In Kansas Anymore, you can't help yourself laugh at the humorous overtones as the family disposes of their father's remains; and, how the mother tries to destroy a well-known coffee shop (called Buckstars) that she thinks is evil and trying to take over the world.

Karen Mueller Bryson has written a delightful story. If you want to read a refreshing, light comedy, you will want to add this book to your personal library.

Reviewed by Bobby Ruble

A magical delight of a book. Funny and satirical. Impressive for a first novel. Filled with memorable characters like Mervyn O'Roy and Dorothy's mother, Mrs. Robinson. Dorothy's misadventures tickle the funny bone as well as answer that age old question: What happens to Dorothy when she grows up? This satirical look at the modern adventures of a grown up Dorothy, give us hope that life can be a romantic romp for those who are willing to suspend their disbelief. She calls herself ordinary. But Dorothy Gale Robinson proves she is anything but ordinary in this tour de force. Her caring and concern shines through her modern sense of cynicism with laughable consequences. A satirical look at the Wizard of Oz, gives us the joy of following this Dorothy on her equally riotous adventures. Settle down in a comfy chair, pick up this book and read to your heart's content.

There is no plot to this book. The words are simple (usually no longer than five letters) and the illustrations are full of color and vitality. Basically, children from all different cultures express what they like in the world by saying, "I love you, ___ (fill in the blank). For example, "I love you, fish"; "I love you, sun". The book, though as infantile as it is, has a subtle message about caring for others and the environment. Infants and young toddlers seem to enjoy this book, but I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone over the age of two.

my son is now 9 months, we have been reading this book for the past two months. He loves it! We read it before bed and when he wakes up. He can hear it over and over again!!!

A simple book all about loving everything around you. What could be easier to share with alittle one. My daughter loved this book from 2 months! The illustrations are fantastic, a favorite of ours!

I borrowed this book from the library and renewed it so many times, they finally told me I had reached my limit and had to return it. I've been trying to check it out again and it is NEVER there. I miss it, a lot, especially since I am working on my first kaleidoscope quilt (which is also my first quilt ever -- although not my first sewing project, by a long shot) so decided its time to buy my own copy. Would I recommend this to anyone else? ABSOLUTELY. Great concept backed up by clear directions, good photos and good writing -- I like the "Snowflakes" book, too, but am not going to try that until I have done a few Kaleidoscopes.

I own alot of traditional quilting books but wasn't really satisfied making traditional quilts. When I first saw Paula Nadelstern's quilts I was awestruck. When I saw the book I knew I had to have it and I have not been disapointed. Nadelstern writes clearly and with just the right touch of humor. Her instructions give you exactly the information that you need to know (but assumes that you have made a quilt or two so she doesn't dwell on the basics). The section on choosing fabrics is very thorough although I have found that I've had to alter the way I look at fabrics now since symmetrical fabric motifs are key to the success of kaleidescopes. Naturally, I was also forced (smile) into buying alot of new fabric for my kaleidescopes. By the way, Nadelstern has designed a line of fabric for Bernartex called Symmetry that is perfect for these quilts--
These are not simple quilts - the biggest change is that you let the fabrics choose the shape of the template - but boy is it a rewarding experience. I also own her book Snowflakes & Quilts which takes the kaleidescope a bit further and turns it into a snowflake. I recommend both books very highly.

Ever think that you'd like depart from traditional patchwork and make an art quilt that will make people gasp? Open this book. The quilts photographed in this book are amazing. And the idea seems so simple, once it's broken down for you in painstaking detail. You'll learn about selecting a collection of fabrics for kaleidoscope quilts, and how to look at them and create patterns for your own kaleidoscopes. No two need ever be alike.

Phil Wylie was a marvelous fisherman and he delighted in sharing the sport with his readers. Wylie never received the recognition he deserved as an author and it is hoped that more of his titles will be reprinted for a new generation. His humanity shines throught on every page he ever wrote.

I don't fish. But the short stories told in this book are great. If you enjoy great writing and stories with good overtones, then you'll enjoy this book. First read it when I was about 15. I still pick it up and read it at least once every year. I'm mid-40s now.

Set in the 30s and 40s, these short stories chronicle the working lives of two charter boat sport fishermen and their customers who sail out of a Miami, Florida fishing dock.

A great perspective on life in those times and better days in this country. A feel good book even for someone who isn't a feel good kinda guy. I'd loan you my copy, but I don't want to part with it. A book I'd want my kids and their kids to read.

Filled with many personalities and twists, but always with a good ending.

I love this book! Each short story holds your absolute attention, not only for the great fishing, but also the entertaining life lessons each new character brings. You don't have to be interested in fishing to like Crunch & Des, but if you are, you'll appreciate it all the more. I highly recommend this book. I'm buying copies for friends.

Talented author Karen Stolz has successfully repeated a formula which catapulted her debut novel, "World of Pies" to national prominence. Stolz knows how to develop characters and confidently permits her readers to embrace her insights as their own. She is absolutely unpretentious. "Fanny and Sue," a gentle, sweet and generous examination of identical twins coming of age during the Great Depression in St. Louis, reminds us of our capacity for family connection and allows a sheer wonder at the ties which bind.

These ties, which Fanny and Sue intuitively cherish, do not suffocate. Indeed, one of the triumphs of this novel is its relaxed, but informed, technique of encouraging each character to emerge as a distinct person. With voices that capture not only the innocence of relatively sheltered adolescent girls but of the time in our national past when common people extracted uncommon strength to face economic and medical traumas, "Fanny and Sue" is at once a social history and a delightful character study.

Headstrong, assertive and unafraid of take risks, Fanny drives the narrative. Her impatience results in a scar on her arm which not only serves to distinguish her physically from her sister, but emotionally as well. Reseved, introspective and intellectual, Sue grasps the complexity of her relationship with her dynamic and often overwhelming sister. At once independent and symbiotic, the bond between the two is elastic enough to encouage individual epiphanies but profound enough to permit the two to live within the other's skin. For instance, always uncertain as to her own appearance and lacking the effortless self-confidence of Fanny, Sue realizes that she was the "prettier one, not because my looks were improved" by Fanny's accident, but that her sister had been "altered" by her mild disfigurement.

Grandually accepting the fact that they will perceive the world differently, both Fanny and Sue convert divergence into an asset. Fanny's love of performance and dreams of Hollywood may contrast from Sue's thirst for knowledge and her recognition of her passion for teaching, but both respect and encourage the development of ambition. Their unsure, tentative but delighted forays into sexual expression remind us of a time when modesty and curiosity were genuinely expereinced by teen-aged girls on the cusp of adulthood.

Ms. Stolz has so fully integrated the nuances of Depression living that readers may forget how hard she has labored to created authentic ambiance. Film titles, product tag-lines, meals designed for four stretched to feed eight, soda-jerking, husbands and wives selling wedding bands and marathon roller skating contests -- all these details give "Fanny and Sue" a true down-home feel.

This short, quiet and gentle novel serves to remind us that an author's love of her characters and respect for the beautifully complicated texture of everyday life are essential components of engaging modern literature.

Fanny and Sue is a bright, wholesome book that leaves you anxious for a sequel to find out what antics the twins might become involved in during their travels to California, not to mention just enough loose ends to keep you wondering what could happen with any of the characters.Who will continue to be a part of their lives? Will anyone return? Who might make a surprize re-entrance into the life of a twin?

You are reminded that during a time of hardship, family and friends count on each others time, effort and creativity. The closeness, loyalty and love shared within the pages are quite refreshing as Fanny and Sue familiarize others to the wonderful world thier hearts have created for themselves to be surrounded by.

I see my mother and her sister in Fanny and Sue and I almost felt like I was ready thier lives in black and white!

A must read for anyone who needs a look at a more simple time, even though the book begins during the depression.There was no money to speak of and they did without many items that we now take for granted on a daily basis. One thing the family was never low on is one thing I hope to always have stock piled in my home. You will know what I am talking about at the end of the book....Have a wonderful read!

As she did in World of Pies, Karen Stolz is back with another charming, wholesome and insightful story that takes you back to
another time and place, this time in the depression era in St. Louis.

Telling the story of twin girls, Fanny & Sue, Stolz paints a picture of two very different girls-the wilder, more adventurous Fanny, and the bookish, more sensitive Sue. Though opposites in many ways, the girls share a strong bond and cling to one another as we share in the monumental moments of their lives. Though the story is fiction, Stolz weaves in interesting facts about twins and their bonds and blends in fun momentos of the decades, like going to see Cary Grant at the "talkies."

Fanny & Sue has many laugh out loud moments as well as sadness and triumph. I can't wait to read more from this talented author~

Like so many people in these unsettled times I long for a sense of stability and certainty. What is solid and unchanging if not our love of life and nature and the inspired word. That is why I recommend 'Journeying through the days 2002' with beautiful photography by David Hay Jones. The book is a rock upon which to rest our weary and battered souls.

At last, a diary and calendar that's spiral bound so it lies flat when you write! The photographs from around the world are great; some can even be looked at and studied for as long as it takes to fill a page with text. What's good, too, is that the quotes and so-called inspiring texts are not from Oscar Wilde and other masters of the ironic one-liner but words that go deeper than that. OK, some of the photo and text combinations are obvious. It shouldn't always be necessary to match so literally. But of the hundreds, indeed thousands, of calendars on the market, this is in the Top Three.

Journal-writing is a liberating exercise in so many ways. We are freed from the notion that other people's "truths" will save us, freed from the dogma of accepting 10-point programs to salvation. Although 'Journeying' is published by a Christian outfit it resists the temptation to point a fundamentalist finger at us. Instead, we are encouraged to listen to our inner voice, reflect on the beauty of our surroundings and use the thoughts of others, such as Martin Luther King, to enlighten our minds. Thankfully, too, the pitfalls of New Age "anything goes" are avoided. At last, Christianity has understood the meaning and content of humility! The photographs by up-and-coming European photographer David Hay Jones are sufficiently subtle and atmospheric to match this sensitive approach to spirituality. They are rarely obvious, certainly not commercial. Rather, they encourage us to look at the world and find our own truths, whether they be Christian, Muslim, Hindu, New Age or agnostic.