The Moomin books were read to me when I was a child, in the sixties, and were among the first books I loved so much that I had to pick them up and reread them on my own. I've never forgotten them, and I'm so pleased to find them in print. COMET IN MOOMINLAND and MOOMINLAND MIDWINTER had the strongest effect on me, but I adored them all. The Moomins are unique in children's literature.

My sister and I read the Moomin fantasy stories in the 1960s, when we were children. We STILL share jokes about plot lines today! When my son was 5, I bought them and we read them. We could hardly put them down, and he wanted to read the entire series through again the minute we finished. I hadn't realized how entertaining they were for adults. Maybe it's the wry humor of Finland coming through. While these are chapter books, they do have some absolutely charming illustrations. My son ... prefers them to Harry Potter (which he is hearing aloud again at school). It's best to read them kind of in order, as there is a time line to the books insofar as characters are introduced. Comet in Moominland is the first one, in my opinion, and Moominpappa's Memoirs is last. You can read the others in any order, in between. Moominsummer Madness was a little bit weak, I thought; but the others are just terrific, children's classics! Also great take home messages subtly presented, such as: even orphans can find a family; friends help friends out of jams; people go through moods, and it's OK; people who look scary and behave strangely, can maybe just be misunderstood. I credit these books as major contributors to his outstanding love for reading. The characters are beautifully drawn, diverse and imperfect; while there is a mother, a father, and a son, family structure is not stereotyped; the plot lines keep your attention; and the prose created by the translators is superb. They may be hard to find in libraries but they are WELL WORTH the search (or purchase).

I'm sad that not too many people my age have read these books but I highly recomend them. I wish Tove Jansson wrote more books because I like reading about the Moomin Family and friends' adventures. I like reading them over, and over, again, because I remember that they were good books. My favorite character is the Snork Maiden because I like how she can change colors. The characters weren't ordinary animals like cats and dogs, but characters that you've never heard of before and want to know more about where they live and what they look like. Sometimes I forget what the book is about and want to read it over again so I can picture the characters more clearly so as to read the next book. I hope more kids and adults will read the Moomin books so that they can get transported into Moominland. And also learn about the wonderful characters and world of the Moomin Family and friends.

Green Dolphin Street competes with the best of the modern classics. I read this book when I was a teenager and since have read it at least 3 more times. I often get lost in the beautiful scenery and highly imaginative descriptions. The main characters are wonderfully put to life by Ms. Goudge. The love, conflict and fate each one feels is fully alive throughout the reading. If you have ever wondered if fate passed you by and are in the mood for a long-lasting love story... this book is for you!

I really enjoyed this book. I had kept this book around with many others in my library for years and finally read it this year. It was enscribed as a gift to my aunt in 1945.

Elizabeth Goudge has captured my heart in her writings of Green Dolphin Street. She offers an interesting story of two sisters in love with the same man and the twist this takes in all three of their lives, as well as an ability to express life philosophies that mirror what I have felt and believed throughout my life. I was so surprised to find these insights into human nature so wonderfully written in a novel, that I found myself marking pages to read again.

This book flowed well and kept my interest. Ms. Goudge's descriptions allowed me to be able to picture and share in the lives of the characters. I would look forward to reading it each evening and not skip to the end as I have done in the past with some books. If you want to experience what I call an opportunity to read a book that offers a depth of talent and character that I don't see today, then I recommend this book for a pleasant experience.

I too, read this book when I was a child... it was a treasure I found on my Gandparents bookshelves. They gave their copy to me and I'm now reading it again, 25 yrs later. It is an intense story of two sisters; one who is ambitous, strong and stubborn, the other who is sweet, caring and easy going. Both of excellent character and intentions. It reflects an ageless story of childhood devotion blooming into infatuation or love. And the odd twists in life that send us down different roads. My oldest impression of this book was the way these roads led one of the sisters to meet her soul mate and the other to meet her soul's salvation. In all things destiny controls. This book has adventure, travel, love and colorful characters. All in all, a very good read.

I have been reading and re-reading this book for some 20 years now. Every time I read it I find it more mystical and enthralling. I look forward to reading it to my children and watching them get the same joy I experience every time I pick up this book. I would love to find a hardcover copy of this if anyone knows of one available as my paperback is becoming more and more used looking

The phrasing and descriptions may be from another era, but the charm remains forever! The idea that children and adults can work together with respect and politeness is, I fear, completely foreign to today's society. It has become an "us" vs. "them" proposition. Won't you do your children a favor and read this book, or another of Goudge's, aloud to them one night?

I have yet to find any "contemporary" books that can compare to the innocent spirit and adventure of this, and other, Elizabeth Goudge books. It is a tragedy that they are so difficult to find today--I had to do an inter-library loan to get a copy to read.

Delightful escape from the brutal reality of our lifestyle of today, do yourself a favor and try to track down a copy. It will lift your spirits and make your day brighter every time you read it.

My sister and I have loved this book since we we were children. Some 30 years ago. Now my daughter age 12 and I read it every summer. It is one of the best books written

During her "Scandalous Life" (1800's), Jane Digby was often written about in the press and provided foder for the tea room gossips for over 50 years. The stories seldom had more than a grain of truth but her ability to live her own life outside of the conventional standards of her day needed no embellishments. I have read other books and accounts of her life but Mary S Lovell has now set the standard that the other biographers will be judged. Her attention to details and access to the volumes of diaries and letters brought this biography its validity. She presents Jane's life without moralizing and judging her actions. Noone could make up a story with the twists and turns found in Jane's biography. After the episode with Isabel Burton(who tried to capitalize on Jane's story and her brief acquaintance with her when she thought Jane has died), must have left Jane Digby very cynical of biographers but I believe that she would have been very happy with Mary Lovell's. What greater compliment can an author garner from their subject? I will add my lament about the "out of print" status of this biography here in the states. I was thrilled to find a copy displayed casually in the biography section of a village bookstore in Ashburton,Devon, England while I was visiting the area with friends. The cover was bent and battered but it was their last copy. They told me it would take a few days until their next order arrived. The title was changed to "A Scandalous Life", The Biography of Jane Digby published by Fourth Estate,London. I bought the battered copy and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have also added Mary S.Lovell to my list of favorite biographers!.

I have read this book and the only thing Scandalous about is is that the publisher has not reprinted it! The herstory of the Middle East has many intriguing women who have done remarkable things. These women like Jane Digby, loved the desert no less than many of the "heroes" we all can still read about today. Yet their travels are scarcely cited. Jane Digby's romantic trysts may have stunned her peers, but today her story is fascinating. Visiting Damascus, travelling to Palmyra, each had such a different impact knowing I was seeing what she saw over a hundred years ago. In a region where the dominance of males, Islam and the harsh desert life is well documented, it is a shame more interested readers cannot learn why a western woman would chose it as her home in the 19th century. The author stays away from judgements about Jane Digby, and presents her as honestly as she was-a rebel of the heart.

I adore biography - especially those of the great characters of the second half of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries. I knew of Jane Digby el Mezrab from Irving Wallace's Nymphos and Other Maniacs which I read many years ago and also via several biographies of Sir Richard Burton. This is a well written, carefully and extensively researched book which benefited enormously from the author's good luck in uncovering much new, previously unseen and unpublished family material in Dorset and New Zealand. This, the author says in her acknowledgements, is more satisfying than the publication of the book itself. I agree, for this sort of discovery is palpably thrilling and the author's excitement shines through her narrative.

This biography reads like fiction and Jane Digby, firstly Lady Ellenborough, was one of those larger than life people who followed their own path, irrespective of the mores of their own time. Following Jane's life is a tour through the drawing rooms of Regency England, several European and Balkan courts to the deserts of Syria and Arabia. It is the story of a woman (thrice divorced) who eventually found happiness and fulfilment with a man of great nobility from an entirely different race, culture and religion. Jane's interest in the minutiae of life in Damascus in the mid 19th century makes fascinating reading and her wit and fondness for her adopted "tribe" in the desert is moving.

Highly recommended!

For health professionals and lay people alike, this book presents a clear and useful description of the digestive process and its fundamental importance in health. Many of us do not want to know about this vital system, or else we take it for granted. Lipski does a superb job of helping the reader learn, heal and prevent further problems regarding digestion. If you've ever had the common sense notion that poor digestion needs to be fixed before a healthy diet or supplements will do much good, this book is for you. If you've never had such a thought and you get totally bloated after meals, you might want to check it out as well. A thoughtful and easy read!

This book reads like a gripping novel. Logical explaination is followed by statistical proof, showing the hazards of our modern diet. Chapter 3's Voyage through the Digestive System is interesting, undertandable and a compulsive read. Problem identification and theraupic solutions are simple, and again very logical. I would recommend this book for anybody working in the health profession especially natural therapists. It is also very understandable for the layperson with little prior knowledge of how the digestive system works.

This book begins with a guided tour of the digestive system and emphasizes the importance of a wellness diet and lifestyle in maintaining proper nutrition and health. The bulk of the book is devoted to offering hundreds of nutritional and herbal self-care ideas for digestive illnesses - including ulcers, heartburn, common cankers, Celiac disease, diverticulosis, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and IBD (Crohn's disease & ulcerative colitis). I found this to be a well researched and thorough guide to alternative solutions for digestive health problems and wellness.

Newly revised, this book is an old friend of mine. One of the first midwifery books I read, it covers an enormous breadth of information, yet is understandable for the beginner. It is still one of the 2 or 3 books I refer to first when I need to look something up. Elizabeth Davis just revamped and revised this book in 1997, and it is better than ever, with new sections on herbs and homeopathy, working with apprentices, hepatitis and HIV, midwifery practices, and issues of legalization, NARM, and MANA.

The book is very well-organized, with lots of excellent illustrations that make concepts easy to understand. There are many boxed areas for quick reference on herbs, and issues for pregnant women reading the book. These include questions to ask a potential midwife, self-care in pregnancy, danger signs in pregnancy, and many more. I recommend this book to consumers as well as midwives, as I think educating yourself during your pregnancy is very important, and this book is a wonderful resource.

My only criticism with the book is that the information is not very well documented- Davis will mention that research has found such-and-such, but doesn't cite the researcher or where it was published.

Elizabeth Davis has produced a beautifully laid out and well-written book on the both the mystery of birth as well as the concrete practice of birthing. Covering all aspects of prenatal care, birth, and postnatal care, this is an excellent work for both professional and expectant parent. Expectant parents should be aware, however, that Davis responsibly addresses the many possible complications of birth from a professional standpoint - information that might inform one future parent while alarming another - so parents should use their self-knowledge to determine whether they wish to read those parts.

This work would also be invaluable for the professional midwife interested in mentoring students or for the future midwife wanting an overview of midwifery practice and information on entering the profession. Extensive resources and bibliographies are presented. Highly recommended.

This *textbook* is awesome. There is so much information in here, do not borrow this book from your library! Purchasing this wonderfully helpful book is the only way to go. You won't be sorry! There are so many pictures, drawings and exemplary descriptions to assist you in your lifetime learning of this 'calling' - midwifery care and assistance.

If you're a doula - you want this book. If you're a childbirth educator - you want this book. If you're an aspiring midwife of any kind - you want this book. If you're a mother, a grandmother, an expectant parent, or a natural childbirth advocate - you too, want this book!

Guiding you through prenatal care, problems during pregnancy, the birth process, complications during labor, postpartum care for mothers and babies - this guide will last many, many lifetimes over. Included also, is information about becoming a midwife, and even setting up your own practice - or finding the right careeer route for yourself.

This is a timeless piece of artwork! Enjoy!

Child of the wolves is about Granite, a siberean husky that runs away and gets lost in the woods. He befriends a wolf named Snowdrift, and she lets Granite join the pack. He tries to please the rest of the pack, especially Ebony,the dominant male.

Child of the wolves is a good book about a dog named Granite, that runs away and he is in the wild all by himself but a pack of wolves find him and Snowdrift a female wolf adopts him and he wants to please everybody.

Child of the Wolves is a touching, suspensful, and action filled book about a dog named Garnite who has run away in an attempt to not be sold, leaving his brothers and mother, Seppala, behind. Garnite, somewhat injured, is found by a wolf named Ebony in the tundra of Alaska. If not for Snowdrift, Ebony's mate, the poor husky would have been killed on the spot. Snowdrift had lost her pups to the wolf/hybrid market, and Ebony, the alpha male, allows her to keep the injured pup. Through constant tourment, Granite must learn the rules of the pack and earn his place in his newly found family. Through all Granite's attempts, he fails to earn the love and respect of Ebony. That is, until Granite saves the injured and blind Snowdrift from falling down a cliff. Not until then does Ebony finally accept the dog in the pack. Child of the Wolves is a heartfelt story that will keep the pages turning. It also tells about the feelings of wolves that were once regarded as "truly human". I haven't read such a great book since Animal Farm by George Orwell. Come read and watch how Granite earns his place in this new, challenging world.

Be sure you have some time because you won't want to put this original murder mystery down. This beautifully written Lillian Bird novel gathers momentum as it goes. Join Lillian in her pursuit for justice as she challenges Bucky with an X-Acto knife, meets Minerva for dinner at the Great Enchilada Place by the Bridge, and encounters danger from other quirky characters. Elizabeth Sims maintains suspense well with surprises for even the veteran mystery reader. Will Minerva survive for another book? Is Lou just a big puppy dog or a vicious stalker? What crime will Lillian Byrd solve next?

I'd never heard of Elizabeth Simms before finding "Holy Hell" reviewed along side my own book. The story sounded so interesting that I had to read it! Simms is a master at character development and weaves a plot with just enough twists and turns to keep the reader enthralled without getting overly complicated. Lillian Byrd is a fascinating character, and I hope we haven't seen the last of her. As long as Simms keeps writing, I'll keep reading.

i finished reading HOLY HELL a few minutes ago... i'm not sure what time i started reading it, but i've only had it since late last night! don't start reading it unless you have the time to finish it, because--trust me--you WON'T want to put it down! HOLY HELL is a gripping novel with enough twists and tension (of a few kinds) to make your head swim with delight! the characters are well-developed and even the ones who are only in the book briefly will make you fall in love with them... definitely an impressive first novel--can't wait to see lillian take on more crimes in the future! kudos to elizabeth sims!

I really enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a interesting, well written book that is not too complex, and easy to get through. Perfect summer reading.

This well-crafted story is the best book I've read so far this year. I savored each chapter-stretching out its 234 lyrical pages over many days. It cannot be called a "fast read." A gifted writer, Elizabeth Inness-Brown fills her paragraphs with stunning and flavorful detail as she tells the story of Marguerite, "Tante," and her adopted son, James Jack and their life on a remote, frozen island. It is both heartbreaking and liberating, and I highly recommend this book.

From the author of "I'm Living Your Dream Life," McKenna Publishing

Already a master of the short story, Elizabeth Inness-Brown now proves herself to be an exceptional novelist as well. BURNING MARGUERITE is one of those rare books that lives beyond its pages.

The novel begins simply: James finds his elderly "guardian" Marguerite dead in the morning snow. What follows, however, is anything but simple: we learn of the complex relationship between James Jack and his Tante Marguerite, of Marguerite's unconventional and tragic past, of what the future might hold for James. Every detail is related with vibrancy and relevance so the reader is constantly engaged in this touching novel of love and death. The world created here is as full and as real as one can find in 250 pages.

Inness-Brown has an astounding talent for narrative and language. She has a deceptively direct style; the words are ordinary but the images and emotions they convey are extraordinary. Her characters are so expertly drawn that they have a depth and humanity that few novelists achieve, let alone in their debuts.

I highly recommend this book. Although readers of literary fiction will be naturally drawn to this novel, readers of more commercial works should also find much to delight them. This accessible tale has a universality that should appeal to a wide range of readers.

What I wanted was a book of unfussy French recipes to be done in 15 minutes. What I got was a book with no list of ingredients, no photos, no color, and "a useful dish for those who have to get a dinner ready when they get home from the office" taking 3 hours to cook (Daube de Boeuf Provencale). Obviously, it seemed, I had made the wrong choice.

On further reading, however, what unfolded was something beyond a "cookbook," and ultimately more useful. This is a superb book. French Provincial Cooking should be approached and read as a series of short stories, as well written and evocative as the best literature. The voice is highly personal and opinionated, sometimes sharp and catty, but always true and ultimately sympathetic. It is always entertaining.

And the recipes, it turns out, are less intimidating than at first glance. Most importantly, they work if your aim is to produce the most excellent food imaginable. There is nothing slick here, no L.A. hype or N.Y. blah blah blah, and obviously, they have been tried and perfected; what initially seem to be annoying details (e.g., for omelettes, eggs "should not really be beaten at all, but stirred," whereas for scrambled eggs, they should be "very well beaten") are actually secrets not to be skipped, that elevate a good dish to a superb one. The lesson is that good food should be done simply, but it takes care, attention to detail, and frequently, time.

I find these recipes don't stint on the butter, cream, and wine, making them seem a little frumpy, but every one I've tried has been delicious. Ratatouille, salade Nicoise, terrinee de porc, piperade are all the best I've had. It doesn't get much better than this. Deserts are a model of simplicity and elegance; peaches with sugar and white wine; bananas with sugar, kirsch, and cream; pineapple with kirsch. These ARE easy, and thankfully, E. David had the self-confidence to actually put them down in a book.

French Provincial Cooking is superb in all ways. It's the real thing!

Elizabeth David went to France in the still dark days following WWII -- an English friend told me that meat was rationed in Britain until 1953 -- to earn a master's degree in romance languages and discovered that there was a way to prepare food undreamed of in still wartorn England. I bought the book nearly a quarter of a century ago in a tiny, independent bookstore, a white-painted, uninsulated building with flowers growing all around it, in a resort town in NH. I took it back to where I was staying and read it avidly: if you don't cook, it is a wonderful evocation of French life in a simpler time, before Robert Mondavi tried to buy vinyards in Langue d'Oc. I am still reading it, although the original book, stained and darkened with age, has been replaced. It may sound dramatic to say that it changed my life but I think it did. Elizabeth made me think of food and France in a different way. The next time I returned to that bookstore, I bought a novella by Colette. Later, I had a daughter who I swear was born speaking French. Oh, but that doesn't address the really important issue: YES, THE RECIPES ARE WONDERFUL. Get used to pouring a teacupful of wine into sauces. You'll love this book.

The truly remarkable thing about Elizabeth David was not so much that she could write enthralling and compelling cookbooks ("Mediterranean Food", "French Provincial Cooking", "Italian Cooking"), but that she transformed a glum, drab post-war England by the beauty of her prose and her ability to evoke the sunshine and brilliant colours of the mediterranean. And, further north, the simple beauty of cuisine bourgeoise, home cooking french style.

It was this book that got me started on a lifetime of home cooking. Like all great cookbooks, it can be read and savored without cooking at all. Her ability to evoke time and place is startling -- for example, her recipe for little courgette souffles is wrapped in the story of how she first enjoyed them. Of course, this was in a small country restaurant where the proprietor used his own recipe to make them for her.

She talks vividly about La Mere Poulard and her Mont St. Michel omelettes, for which she offers the original recipe. Roughly translated from the french, it reads: "Monsieur, I get some good eggs, I put them in a bowl and beat vigorously. Then I put them into a pan with good butter and stir constantly. I will be very happy if this recipe gives you pleasure".

I remember, over 30 years ago, the first time I made her recipe for pork chops "to taste like wild boar". They do indeed, and very good they are. Her recipes for classics like Cassoulet, and Bouillabaisse are vivid and provide the cultural context as well as precise directions. Her description of a bouillabaisse on the beach makes you want to catch the next plane there.

She explains the environment of her recipes, their milieu, and their progenitors so that you get right inside the whole theory and practice of french cooking. This is not haute cuisine, though it is not always simple to execute. But her sympathy for the process of cooking and her ability to describe it precisely prefigured writers like Richard Olney and Alice Waters, who owe her, as do we all, a great debt.

In any case, she is directly responsible for the appalling culinary assaults I have perpetrated on family and friends for longer than I care to remember. I still use the book, though most of its pages are now stored directly in my memory.