It's so nice to find books like this. You know, back when romance novels were actually romantic, and weren't given stupid titles like Irresistable and Scandalous. And they actually sometimes included silly little elements like (gasp)character development. I really enjoyed the story of eighteen year old Jessi who fell in love with her stepfather. Give it to any professional reviewer and I'm sure words like "Offputting" and "Ick factor" will run amuck, but I sure liked it. More than anything Iv'e read in a long time, in fact.

This book is great. Wonderful characters and great story line. I didn't want it to end.

Relax, recline, fix yourself a hot cup of coffee or tea, possibly accompanied by a delicious box of chocolates...and read Morning Song! I first discovered this book when I was just 19, and I finished it in one delightful afternoon. I am an avid reader of romance novels, and this is certainly among the top 5 that I have read in my life. The hero is completely dreamy, rugged, assertive and hopelessly passionate and his lady is a believable and lovable character. Morning Song is filled with very intense love scenes, a thick and winding plot, and a completely satisfying ending. Wholly recommended, ladies!

I'm not a big fan of La Leche League (the publisher), but breastfeeding my twins has been a wonderful experience for me and I couldn't have done it without this book. The number one thing I took from it was that I needed to be prepared and learn all I could BEFORE the babies got here. Because of this book, I contacted my local lactation counselor and rented a breast pump a week before my boys arrived. Within 12 hours of delivery (by c-section), I was pumping in-between feedings. Before we left the hospital, I had tried tandem nursing a few times. Now my boys are 10 months old and are nursing champs. The first three months were the hardest, but this book was such a valuable resource and encouraged me to keep at it. I'm SO glad I did.

I am in my third trimester with twins and with their impending arrival coming anytime, I thought I'd better brush up on breast-feeding techniques. And thankfully, someone from La Leche recommended this book to me! I even made my husband read it.

It is chock full of good suggestions and little things to keep one aware of what breast-feeding twins really consist of. It gives one an idea of the average time of breastfeeding ... how often, how to handle both of them at once, what to do when only feeding one of them at a time ... it just gives a good idea of what to expect. And it's extremely helpful for this first-time mother! It helps allay the panic that I've been feeling ever since the doctor said, well, they can come anytime, so be prepared!

I highly recommend this book to everyone ~~ even though my copy was dated from 1985 ~~ it is still sensible advice for new moms.

6-7-02

Great book, I highly recommend reading it BEFORE the babies arrive, since you will not have time after! I breastfed for 3 weeks before switching to mainly pumping with breastfeeding when I was able to, since it is SO time consuming with twins. Good luck to everyone with breastfeeding, it is quite the experience, and my twins are only 5 weeks old!

I found this book to be quite helpful.

Unresolved inner-conflicts can produce states of anxiety, depression, indecision, inertia, detachments, and so on. Essentially, every neurotic symptom points to an underlying inner-conflict.

Karen Horney describes in detail the many false and artificial attempts the person will employ to rid himself of his inner conflicts. Instead of resolving his conflicts, however, he will merely evade them. He will repress his conflicts and deny them in ways that will only intensify his anxiety and other neurotic symptoms.

Ultimately, she explains, that the neurosis will only be relieved when the person comes to understand his inner-conflicts and works to resolve them. Karen Horney is very thorough in her writings. Although this book was written for psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, it is accessible and helpful to anyone suffering from anxiety, depression, and inertia.

After reading this book, you will certainly come away with a better understanding of yourself as well as a better understanding of others.

You've read the above reviews, and I second them all, so I will not repeat them. Let me just add that you will want a pencil and highlighter, because you will be underlining, circling, and making notes to yourself in the margin. This is an irreplaceable tool if you're into self-cultivation. A giant step UP from the abundant new-age spiritual soul-candy out there. It is not a book on spirituality, but identifying and correcting our OWN inner conflicts is the cornerstone of spiritual practice; therefore I highly recommend it for seekers and cerebrals alike. Everyone has heard the saying "Know Thyself"; this book will help you do it.

...and traces, not just the "pathways" of inner conflict, but their intertwinings, demonstrating with case examples how problems in one area of one's life put roots into many areas.

My five-year-old is having a bit of difficulty with two children at his daycare. I have purchased several adult books on how to help a child deal with bullies/teasing, but hadn't been successful in finding a good children's book. Then I found "Simon's Hook". Through funny pictures and dialogue, the book has given my son five sensible practical approaches on how to deal with difficult peers. I highly recommend this book.

I have no children of my own, but I love children and am very close to my small nieces and nephews. How I wish this book had been available for me as a small, intimidated and shy child! I have purchased several copies for my relatives and constantly recommend it to my friends with small children and grandchildren. I keep a hardcopy for review from friends and they love it! Will there be more adventures for Simon!

Simon's Hook - A Story About Teases and Put-Downs is a great book for any child. BUT it is also a teaching tool with a highly original story and wonderful images. Children learn several ways to deal with teasing - from ignoring the teaser to changing the subject to avoiding situations, etc. (We don't want to give away the whole story). And the story is so good that children will pick it up again-and-again just to read - yet we know they are learning how to cope with teasing at the same time! Simon's Hook is a great addition to any family, school or library. From The Science Spiders Newsletter.

This book is a must read for students of medicine, psychology, counseling, social work, and health related fields! Dr. Chang provides insightful and educated information concerning helpful and harmful behaviors of helping professionals. Her description of her cancer treatment was detailed and realistic. I could not put the book down! Dr. Chang's emotions and behaviors during various stages of her treatment were very similar to my experience undergoing treatment for colon cancer. I think that this book will give the average population an awareness of what it is like to have cancer!

Dr. Chang's book A Survivor's Guide to Breast Cancer is a pehonmenal read. For the newly diagnosed, it can prepare and educate the patient and those who support her. for those in the midst of treatment, this book will help confirm and validate a patient's emotional and physiological experiences. The patient that has completed active treatment will be able to use Dr. Chang's book as an adjunct to therapy, to help process and bring to closure the ordeal she has been through. A patient's family members, friends, and even treatment team would benefit from this candid book. It is through Dr. Chang's selfless and uninhibited sharing that any one interested, will come to know "first hand" what it's like to have breat cancer. Dr. Chang leaves nothing out - from resources to practical suggestions, to coping strategies including the value of humor. It's a must read for breast cancer patients and anyone that works with them.

Dr. Alice Chang has written an incredibly moving account of her own bout with breast cancer. The book is truly an inspiration! The parts I like best include first, the conversational tone. Second, Alice models ideal patient behaviour. I'm taking this book with me next time I visit my physician. Third, she's very methodical in what she reports. I never doubted the accuracy of her word. Fourth, I really like the photographs. At first I thought the idea was kind of hokey, but once I looked at them, I quickly changed my mind. Last, there is a wonderful resource guide for anyone dealing with cancer, either personally or for a loved one. Alice, thank you so much for your more than wonderful work!

These emotional tales of ordinary people becoming heros bring fantasy to an all new level. Children learning to love after being treated horribly... Fear of death being faced with courage... Mental Instability and many other ordinary circumstances of life become the basis of salvation for many of the characters in this book. However, the depth of topic is not so harsh when told in this fantasy setting and actually encourage hope and faith in the reader.

Children and adults alike well revel in the amazing characters and loyalty the followers of the King inspire among each other. It's a true tale of what kind of kingdom love, loyalty and faith can build. Also, it weaves scriptural parables into eloquent fables that make wonderful bedtime stories for all ages. Emotionally, this book touches the depths of souls that few can. A truly magical experience, Tales of the Resistance makes a complimentary companion piece to its prequel Tales of the Kingdom.

After searching for years for a copy of this book, I finally found one in a local outlet bookstore. I was absolutely thrilled. I own the other two books in the Kingdom Tales Series, and couldn't leave the collection incomplete. These stories are wonderful for lovers of fairy tales and moral tales alike. While the basis for the series is Scriptural, the books themselves have an appeal that overreaches religious barriers. I would definitely reccommend this series to anyone with children or who loves fantasy. Particularly nice about Resistance are the stories of everyday people becoming extraordinary, and the art of Jack Stockton -- breathtaking.

The "fairy tales" in this set of books delineate specific spiritual principles, and thus work wonderfully in small group topical studies. The stories are therapeutic, bringing the reader to recognition of one's own spiritual state. It is especially helpful to read Tales of the Kingdom first.

This is the Best book ever, and I can't believe it's out of print! It's REALLY, REALLY, REALLY funny, and if you've read it once, you'll read it again. It's a twist of animal humor, a LITTLE, TEENSY, WEENSY bit of romance, and, if I didn't make it clear enough before, HILARIOUS humor. The book's about a dog named Huey, who's telling the story, and his friend, Taxi. Huey's just a good natured hound, but Taxi is a fun loving cat. They soon meet up with Boots, another cat, but Taxi and Boots have a TON of disagreements, so they get off with a bad start. Soon, Taxi finds himself actually LIKING Boots, but she still hates him, and they get into a cat fight, so to speak, but eventually they make up. I can't write enough words to say how great this book is, so I'll cut it down to only nine: You've GOT to read this book!!!!! It's REALLY great!!!!!

I read this book when I was beginning to read, and I oved it. It is a fun-filled book about three lovable animals who have crazy adventures together. It is not a difficult book to read, but it is great for children just beginning to read chapter books.

This is a "laugh-out-loud" book. I recommend it to the reluctant readers in our school library and they are hooked and will read it again and again. I hope someone reprints it.

When Karen Flickinger was searching for a French cookie baker (gallette iron,) she was led to my website where I have family stories posted. As a result of this encounter, I found and bought Two Journeys to the Father and Karen Flickinger found and bought her cookie iron. I read the book in less than one day and found it to be an easy and delightful read. The book so closely paralleled my own life, I couldn't put it down.
The Two Journeys to the Father is a tribute to her parents and grandparents as she remembers and relates their life stories even unto death. Since I feel such a debt of gratitude to my own ancestors, I could relate to these vividly revealed stories with exciting memories of my own.
As I compared my life stories to those of Flickinger's family, the similarities were uncanny. It was then that I realized this is a book for almost everyone, since most of us have memories of our lives and those of our families. If you are young and have not yet experienced these "slices of life," you can learn a lot. If you are older and have lived through many of these experiences yourself, you will enjoy vicariously feeling and enjoying many beautiful emotions once more.

My emotional response to "Two Journeys to the Father" and identification with the author's memories and thoughts pleasantly surprised me.

Karen Flickinger succeeds very well in her telling "this is the way it was" with terse, interesting description. She draws deft pictures with her unusual choices of words.

I was especially impressed with Karen's loving demonstration of respect for parents and elders. That is a much needed emphasis today. Honoring parents' wishes, with love, is a valuable societal quality, as well as a religious teaching with promise of reward.

I have passed a complimentary copy on to the administrator of the assisted living facility which now is my home. I think "Two Journeys to the Father" is entirely appropriate to add to our library as a resource book here, even though Karen's mother rejected the assisted living option.

I have seen how we here, at The Inn at Chappel Creek, have had to struggle with acceptance of relinquishing control, and with looking at our own end of life. In her book, the author has made the gospel clear and compelling in an appealing way. New life with The Father is our ultimate assurance and joy.

Karen's story describing her days and thoughts concerning caring for her parents is such an accurate description of the feelings I had caring for my mother. In my case, I know Karen and I grew up in the same area where she grew up. We attended the same church and my mother knew her family. Whether one grew up in the same town, or whether you have been through the caring for parents, this book is a must read. Everything the author writes about flooded my memory with the same feelings as she experienced. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has cared for elderly parents or who may be facing future care of parents.

Other than being tall, dark and handsome, Matt was not typical hero one would find in a romance book. He is handsome but limping and scarred, comfortable but not rich as his household had no servants and they all had to work in the fields, widowed and with 2 sons, not very chivalous or gentlemanly. Caroline was beautiful and brave, but she was also a cook, housekeeper and nurse to the household of 6 hostile and distrustful males, doing almost a maid would do and more. Matt was Caroline's brother-in-law and her sister, Elizabeth, had caused enough damage to the family for them to trust anyone related to her. Both had a past that hurt them and not entirely healed from it.

These were unusual background to develop a romantic story. It was refreshing from those rich and powerful hero, smart and brave but helpless heroine. This was no fairytale. But the author managed to weave a story with strong character development. It was more than a love story, more a family story.

Sometime I found the story a tart too slow but the unfolding events were necessary to develop the story and characters: Matt's injury and subsequent recovery under Caroline's care helped to dispell distrust, ignite passions and reveal secrets; Daniel's kiss awakened the feelings, Caroline's kidnap and rescue provided the much needed solitude and privacy for them; and the rescue of Caroline from the fire. Almost all characters emerged stronger and closer from these events.

You will want to read this one over and over again. Why has no one brought to light the wonderful characters in this book -- Are there follow-ups?

First we meet the brother Daniel [are these really Puritans?] and then through the entanglement of Millicent and Raleigh [cat and dog would you believe]and the threatening presence of Jacob [the bull] Ephraim "Matt" Mathiason, his two sons John and David and the nasty dominie. His brothers Thomas, Robert and James and his wife Mary and daughter Hope.

[Listen to this description of Matt] ** He was a tall man, taller even than Daniel, with broad shoulders and a wide chest that tapered down to narrow hips and long, powerful legs. ** He was hatless, and his hair was so black that it glinted blue in the bright sunlight. * * He limped, his left leg, apparently unable to bend at the knee, swung ackwardly as he moved. **
His features could have graced a classical statue; his jaw and cheekbones had been chiseled by a master hand.** His eyes were deep set beneath straight, thick black brows. The irises were a brilliant celestial blue, their lightness almost shocking against the sun-weathered swarthiness of his skin. The only note of disharmony was the scar, white and jagged, that sliced across his left cheek. ****
Caroline's description is just as tantalizing. Both have been scarred by life and must make a strong emotional journey to each other to complete their family.
Caroline being Matt's sister-in-law and Matt being soured on marriage cause many problems as Matt tries to control his growing lust for her. [His one besetting sin]

We fell in love with his family and his interaction with his sons, appreciating his deep love for his brothers and his healing brought about by the sass and impishness of Caroline.
And his handling of the villians of the community with tact? and strength of character.

Highly Recommended and rates a rare 5 plus for excellence and is definitely a keeper for our library.

favorite scene with caroline-
the burning of the witch. frightening.

favorite scene with matt-
the whole scene with hannah, the apple pie and the bed.

favorite scene with caroline and matt together-
the whole love cave scene. pretty hot. :)