I adore this deck! The personality of it is so gentle and warm, not foreboding like some decks. The story-pictures make it so easy to relate to the cards and very enjoyable to read. If a deck can be friendly, this one is. While this deck is not serious, I've come to trust it at least as much as any other deck I own. It's honest and so fun to look at!

This deck is very different from most of the other decks, specially when it comes to the imaginery which comes with it.

I own many tarot decks, and sometimes I get a bit uncomfortable with the images on some of the cards, specially "The Tower", "The Devil" and "The Death"; why to these cards always have to show people dying or even being chopped to pieces?. However, when I met this deck, I just found it to be wonderful.

Who wouldn't remember the stories that we've heard and read so many times? (even now as adults). This cute deck helped me to get tuned with it immediately, the readings just pop into my mind because the messages that the stories enclose in every card are simple to understand, but at the same time they give you an image to focus into and lot of wise thoughts.

Remember that we learn about life (its dangers and rewards) when we were children because of these stories.

I'm not a professional by any stretch of the imagination nor do I ever plan to do readings for a living. In fact, I was just introduced to Tarot cards three months ago and am still struggling with the main meanings of each card much less the underlying meanings.

This deck makes it very easy on me! All the pictures have little stories behind them that make their meanings easy to recall. Especially the suit cards! My other tarot deck just has pictures of two swords or three cups and whatnot. It had nothing on them to help the beginner guess at what they meant.

The benefits of this deck are that it helps you remember the significance of each card, the pictures are colorfully and wonderfully drawn with much detail. It is an all around beautiful deck and the images are very light and happy.

The down sides to this deck are that it is almost TOO optimistic at times. The three little pigs having their house blown down just doesn't quite capture the essence of The Tower to me. Also, the cards have a thin width and long height which kind of makes for uncomfortable shuffling if you've got small hands.

This deck is wonderful for me though. I like it's optimistic outlook and it's innocence.

Impressionism is my favorite style of painting so I was really enchanted with this biography. Written by Renoir's middle son, Jean, Renoir, My Father not only gives us an intimate look at the life of Auguste Renoir, it gives us an intimate look at the Paris of Renoir's day as well.

As we get to know Renoir we get to know his contemporaries, too. Jean Renoir writes about Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Sisley and many other great artists. We learn many "little known" facts, such as Monet's penchant for lace and his "artful" way with the ladies.

Paris really comes alive in this book. Many of the places Renoir writes about still exist and can be visited today. This book makes any art lover's trip to Paris more meaningful whether he's a Renoir fan or not.

When reading this book, one must remember that this is not a "run of the mill" biography. This is a son writing about the father he adored. The portrait we are given is very intimate, detailed and loving. It's obvious that Jean Renoir adored his father, just as Auguste Renoir adored his family.

Ultimately, this book is a beautiful tribute from a loving son to a father who was one of history's consummate artists. If you have any interest at all in art, this is one book you simply must not pass up. The last page alone will break your heart.

Renoir was far more than one of the world's greatest artists. He was an adventurer, a family man, a man who held interesting views on just about every subject under the sun, and finally, in his later years, a martyr to life. Although this book was written by Renoir's middle son, Jean, it is as vibrant and alive as if Renoir, himself, had just written the words in his own hand. Through this book we learn how the Renoir family left its roots in Limoges and moved to Paris. We read of Renoir's early years as a painter of porcelain and how and why he became an artist, more specifically, an Impressionist. We learn of Renoir's marriage to Aline Charigot of Essoyes, the birth of his three sons and his move to the south of France. Some of the most interesting sections of the book deal with Renoir's feelings about the effect of light on a painting and why he needed to paint in a "natural" setting. Also, most interesting are the chapters on the birth of Impressionism and Renoir's relationships with the other artists of the time, such as Monet, Manet, Sisley and Cezanne, just to name a few. Lovingly and charmingly written, this book truly brings Renoir to life and makes him accessible to all. Absolutely a must for anyone with even a passing interest in art or artists!

Not only is this a book about Renoir, whose tableaux peer out of every other art store on every mall in North America (what a curious fate!), it is also a book about Paris. Born in 1841, Renoir was older than most of the other Impressionists with whom he grew friendly later. He also had the chance to see Paris as it was before the Commune and the war of 1870. He lived a good part of his life on the Butte in Montmartre and it is hard now to recapture the atmosphere up there among the hordes of tourists. Yet early on Sunday mornings with a light rain playing on the umbrellas of the artist's stands in the Place du Tertre, you can wander freely among the memories of the rue Lepic and elsewhere, and catch glimpses of Renoir (and others) as you pass through the old streets. Reading this book first will help.

Jean Renoir is a very famous artist in his own right, having made numerous films and become one of the most acclaimed directors in French cinema history. Here he has taken great pains to paint a fine portrait of his renowned father, this time with a pen. He has succeeded admirably.

Roberts, a Rutgers law professor, examines the sociopolitical reproductive history of black women--concluding this group did and still faces disparate treatment in public policy. The combined impact of race/ethnicity, sex and ecconomic status govern black women's relation to their own bodies--and treatment from policymakers and medical personnel.

While this premise has been previously examined by other scholars, Robert's contribution differs in legal analysis of the state/women relationship specifically as it applies to black women. She also faults fellow feminists for their ignorance, silence, and apathy towards black women's unique reproductive rights.

Begining with a critique of the predominantley white pro-choice movement for preoccupation with white middle class women and the assumption reproductive access means the same thing for all groups, Roberts holds black women's fertility is only valued if a predominantley white society can find ways to benefit from it.

She also notes that illegal abortion took the highest tolls on low-income black women who were unlikely to have the financial and political clout of rich white women to convince doctors to perform theraputic abortions in secret. At the same time, abortion should not be the sole issue of a truly progressive reproductive rights movement because coercive sterilization and contraceptive programs are also painful incidents in black women's reproductive history.

The pro-choice movement should oppose reccent 'welfare reform victories' because of the destruction such punitative measures have on black communities. Although most recipients were and continue to be white, policy debates were flooded with inferred images of the black "welfare queen" to foster and exacerbate racial and class tensions within the most conservative industrialized nation in the world.

Because anything else repeats the very conditions she is seeking to eliminate, a truly progressive reproductive policy supports the rights of all women to control their own bodies. Not enough to perform "multicultural" outreach, all feminist reproductive rights groups must fully intergrate a multi-pronged, class concious approach into their mission statement and policy objectives.

This book is an indispensible text for a social science course on reproductive rights, law, and/or social policy, but should be read by all who are concerned about securing freedom for all.

We all know about the plight of black men in society, the mainstream white society doesn't know about the plight of black women and their role in demonizing us by controlling our reproductive capacities and by destroying black families. Black women have long been stereotyped as breeders of unwanted children, matriarchs, and amoral jezebels. It's time for society to stop seeing blacks as problems and to start finding solutions to the growing poverty, lack of insurance, and family breakdown among blacks by assisting them economically, not by punishing black women's reproduction.

I want to thank Ms. Roberts for having the guts to say what was on her mind in her book.

I am fortunate to have picked up this book at a local feminist bookstore. This book taught me an abundant amount of information regarding the complex connections between reproduction, gender, and race in the United States. Starting with slavery, the author takes the reader all the way through to the present. Unfortunetly not much has changed since then. Society continues to control the reproduction of black women in order to keep the status quo of white male power structures alive and well. The most difficult chapter for me concerned the eugenics movement and forced sterilization. I knew this occurred but was not aware of how systematic it was. Who knows if doctors really stopped sterilizing black women without their consent in the 1970's as the author stated? I wouldn't be surprized if this practice continues. I had to have a couple drinks to process that chapter.

No longer can I hide behind ignorance of these events.

The correct opening line of "My Romance" should be "My romance doesn't HAVE to have a moon in the sky" instead of "NEED to have a moon in the sky" as I incorrectly stated in my review here.

Also, in "Lady is a Tramp" I used the third person instead of the original first person usage to demonstrate the lyrics. The original "Lady is a Tramp" is written as "I get too hungry for dinner at eight. I like the theater but never come late....etc." I used the third person because it is the more familiar version.

AND AS A TESTAMENT to the timelessness of Rodgers and Hart's songs, listen to the current Ralph Lauren "Romance" perfume commercial. It features James Taylor and Carly Simon singing the opening and closing lines of "My Romance". It's a beautiful, heartfelt song nicely rendered by Taylor and Simon.

Lorenz Hart is one of the finest lyricists in the history of American musical theater. He is largely responsible for elevating the process of writing lyrics into an art form. Before Hart, lyrics were usually trite and predictable with simplistic rhymes such as "I am blue, and so are you."

Hart wrote lyrics that are cerebral and sophisticated. His compositions are infused with wit and wisdom. He used complex rhymes. An example from "My Funny Valentine": "Your looks are laughable, unphotographable. Yet you're my favorite work of art. Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth a little weak? When you open it to speak, are you smart?"

Another example from "Bewitched": "I'm wild again, beguiled again, a whimpering simpering child again...." And yet another example from "Lady is a Tramp": "She gets too hungry for dinner at eight. She likes the theater but never comes late. She never bothers with people she hates. That's why the lady is a tramp."

Hart could be wistful and romantic as in "My Romance": "My romance doesn't need to have a moon in the sky. My romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by. No month of May. No twinkling star. No hideaway. No soft guitar."

Hart's lyrics are consistently observant and very often ingenious. They are the perfect match for the variety and intricacy of Richard Rodgers' superb music.

When you read through this collection of Hart's compositions, you will realize why this diminutive, gifted and endearing artist is a true giant of the musical theater.

Very few collections of lyrics are worth reading as literature. First there was W.S. Gilbert, who showed the way that intelligent lyrics need not be anathema to a light-hearted musical; and whose lyrics can stand as independent poems. Afterwards we had P.G. Wodehouse, Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Ira Gershwin--and the best of 'em all, Lorenz Hart.

Not only is what he says witty but how he says it is even wittier. There is no room here to give examples of his incredible rhymes. But turn to the single example of "To Keep My Love Alive" which might be the very last set of lyrics he wrote before a lifetime of alcohol finally took its toll; and then compare it with any Gilbert's "list" songs to see the genius of this artist.

On an other level, any student of psychology will pounce upon the self-lacerating images conjured up in his "love" songs. Because of his own physical problems, we have "My Funny Valentine" in which the love object is "less than Greek" with a chin that's a little weak. And being in love is little more than "broken dates" and "flying plates."

His out and out parodies rival Cole Porter's, as witness "Way Out West on West End Avenue" with its kitchen range and so on. And all this is helped by his "signature" trick of breaking up words in the middle to get rhymes like "Summer journeys to Niagra/ And to other places aggra-/ Vate, all our cares."

On the level of Broadway musical history, the value of this collection speaks for itself, especially with the fine photographs and annotations about every show and then every song within the show. A scholarly masterpiece.

So how come you don't have a copy?

Dorothy Day's life and writings challenge Christians to remember and serve the least among us. This selection of writings highlights a broad range of social, political and religious topics. In her time, Ms. Day's activism brought about much criticism and opposition. Today many remember her as America's Mother Teresa. Her purpose was to keep the Gospel alive through the challenge of service. Her voice continues to shine in the pages of this excellent collection. If you are interested in a call to social justice Dorothy Day's writings will be a source of continued inspiration.

This was the first book by Dorothy Day that I ever read and now I have just finished it for the second time. It's fabulous! Informative and inspirational. I found my faith strengthened by reading this book. I highly recommend it for all.

A collection of Day's writing, it's a fascinating read, and one would hope a call to conversion for those who fail to see Christ in all around them, especially in the poor. Remember, we are told not to judge and to give freely to all who ask. Think about that the next time you're approached by a panhandler.

First of all, my rating is biased--I'm the son and colleague of the authors. But the purpose of this "review" isn't to promote the book. It is to let you know that the publisher, AMACOM, has published a newer, more accessible edition of this book entitled "People Styles at Work." That book was originally planned to replace "Social Style/Management Style," but both remain in print. My personal opinion is the the newer work is more user-friendly: it was streamlined to help readers better relate with colleagues of other styles. That said, "Social Style/Management Style" has been well received for nearly 20 years and has been translated into many languages. Either one is useful, but if you buy both books, you'll find a lot of redundancy.

Assigning someone to one of the four social style quadrants does not provide a complete picture of an individual, as the authors would be the first to admit, but social styles do provide a convenient and useful starting point for understanding your own and others behavior. The book also contains much practical advice for improving relationships and your own effectiveness within the context of the social style theory. Social Style/Management Style is a great little book. However, Bolton and Bolton's later book on styles, People Styles at Work, contains much of the same material and more.

This is an excellent tool to use in any business that will enable anyone to communicate better with colleagues. It gives you information and cues that will help to better deal with many different types of people in the business sector. I use this book, and actually came across it in a Masters (Human Resources) Course, many years ago, and its contents are still very valuable to me. I keep referring back to its theories. But, its use isn't for the work place only, as it is helpful for communicating in intimate relationships, as well. Happy reading!

My four year old grandson has this deck. He picks out a card and brings it to me to tell him the story. After he hears the story, we talk about the life lessons the story holds. What a wonderful way to spend "quality time" with my grandson!! I highly recommend this deck to anyone with children or grandchildren!! This deck is wonderful for all ages. It brings back memories of the fairy tales and nursery rhymes we loved as children, and brings the stories into new light. The story or nursery rhyme that goes with each card fits in excellently with the meaning of the card. For instance, the Lovers card is Beauty and the Beast. How perfect!!

To create a divination tool useable by adults and children alike is no small feat and Dorothy Morrison has accomplished it incredibly well. Children will find all the images easily recognizable and something to which they can relate. Adults will be pleased with the reader-friendly imagery and the pragmatic, light hearted writing Ms. Morrison is so well known for. I cannot say BRAVA loudly enough since I have sought a deck that I felt comfortable with for over 10 years.

Patricia Telesco, Author: How to be a Wicked Witch & Other Books

Tarot cards allow the user to access their subconscious / intuition through the use of archetypal imagery. Most Tarot cards use medeival imagery, which actually makes the cards less accessible for people in this modern age. We deal with very different issues than the people of 400 years ago. The same ideas are presented to us visually in very different ways via television, movies, etc.

What better way to re-connect the user with the cards, than using imagery we became familiar with in our childhood? The author of this book and the accompanying cards takes the unusual approach of replacing the medieval imagery with characters from fairy tales (including Grimm's and Mother Goose). The choice of characters for each card is very appropriate, making the deck very easy to use (for those of us who remember the fairy tales of our youth, at least!). ^_^

I don't read Tarot often enough to have the meanings of each card memorized, so I usually have to consult the accompanying books, etc., when doing a card-casting. However, after reading through the Whimsical Tarot book, I found that the meaning of every card was clear from the imagery-- and stayed clear over time. I believe that the issues represented in more traditional decks (such as Rider-Waite) are parallel to the issues respresented in fairy tales and nursery rhymes. However, fairy tales have been presented to us with characters, a plot, and (often) a lesson to be learned, whereas the traditional Tarot images are just that-- images. The use of storybook characters really brings the Tarot to life!

As an added bonus, the "Advice" explanations of each card are so well-written that they can be taken individually as topics of meditation or daily "points to ponder". Many Tarot books provide the briefest of descriptions for the related cards, leaving the reader confused as to how to interpret the card. The Whimsical Tarot book provides not only the storybook explanation, but also a couple of paragraphs of advice for each card.

Overall, this card and deck combo (note: Deck sold separately!) is one of the best I have come across. For those who find the Rider-Waite decks a bit too abstract, this deck is perfect! If you'd rather try something a bit more "adult", then check out the Rohrig Tarot deck-- but beware, there's no book for the Rohrig deck.

My father wrote this story for me when I was 12. He didn't publish it
until recently, and I never actually read it until recently. I might
be somewhat biased in reviewing it, but I feel it's an important book
because of the moral/ethical lessons woven into the story. It is not
your average Oz story. It certainly captures the whimsical style of
L. Frank Baum and faithfully retains his main characters, however,
while many new characters are introduced, the story contains a most
interesting but perhaps controversial philosophy. We feel that Baum
might have said some of these things in his time had he dared. (After
all,he was a theosophist), but because of the times he lived in he had
to bring his beliefs through in a very subtle way. Having said that, I
do think that the spiritual lessons given, although much more obvious
in their intent, could be very helpful to a young person just
beginning to formulate his or her values. In fact, I venture to say
that if children everywhere were to adopt just a few these principles,
they would find themselves, as adults, in a vastly improved world, one
that would be relatively free of violence (both in the media, and in
reality), and perhaps more importantly, free of intolerance. A world
where a new sense of honesty would exist -- not only in individual
citizens, but in corporate America, and in politics.(An Oz-like
reality on earth?) The story itself takes place prior to Dorothy's
moving to Oz permanently. Still back in Kansas our heroine is
reminiscing on Oz when she begins to feel faint. She is caught up in a
terrible vortex not unlike the original twister that first transported
her to Oz when she suddenly finds back once more in that magical
kingdom. Upon being reunited with her charming old friends the
Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, Dorothy soon learns
of yet another Wicked Witch, the Wicked Witch of the Deep South, who
spends a good deal of her time in a fascinating place called
Negativethoughtland where cruel or evil thoughts take on tangible
physical form. The Fabulous Four embark on a quest to stop the evil
Witch from filling Oz with these repugnant forms and to bring back the
beauty and happiness that we all associate with Baum's delightful
fairyland. Along the way, we are treated to encounters with various
new residents of Oz such as the Fuzzy Yellow Woggle Bugs, not to
mention several strange creatures with names like Ticklemonsters,
Girrephalumps, and Octapong.... During the journey there is a
beautiful sojourn with a community of American Indians, as well as a
meeting of the minds with members of a unique club consisting entirely
of United States presidents. (Topics covered range from George
Washington's economic system to the importance of education, and of
treating one another with respect and dignity.) During the good
natured bantering between themselves some of the presidents provide
interesting historical information on their lives. Another chapter is
devoted to an important meeting with UFO people who represent an
extremely advanced civilization. They make some remarkable revelations
and speak with great wisdom, but since the dialogue is extensive,
younger children could safely skip most of this without losing any of
the story.) Following is a brief quotation from this segment to give
you some idea of its content: "...You see, beloved friends, it is
much easier for you to doubt your abilities, your powers, than it is
to try to realize the potentials that lie within you. Accept your
challenges of today. Cope with them and be not concerned for the
future ... Each of you has tasks before you that you will perform and,
if you will allow yourself to flow with the tide, you shall find that
these things will come to you in proper sequence. There is a constant
flow of energy around your planet. The entire cosmos is energy. We,
too, are energy. Swim in it! Feel yourself as a pulsating, living part
of the universal energy; feel yourself to be in tune with this energy
- to be flowing along with it, in harmony with it. If you become
disturbed or distressed, you have stepped out of the flow. If you go
against your conscience, you will go against the flow and be pushed
out of it. Keep your thought harmonious. Do not allow little things to
upset you. Check yourself several times a day to insure that you are
still within the flow - you will know by the feeling of inner peace
and tranquillity. Eventually you will not need to check; being in the
flow will be the most natural thing in the world for you. As each one
on earth learns these things, the forces of darkness will perish; they
must be banished from your planet for all time. And out of this must
come a new age of love, harmony, and understanding, an age where each
shall live to benefit his brother and not himself - wherein all
problems, the answer sought shall not be 'What is best for me?' but
rather 'What is best for all concerned?" There is a host of other
fascinating characters, including Gayelette, who was first introduced
in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This time, however, the emphasis on
very open-minded conversations (as mentioned above) that make for
fascinating reading. There are even a couple of delightful songs that
would put the Patchwork Girl to shame. A warning to adults who might
accidentally read this book: Towards the end of the story a mysterious
stranger is introduced to Dorothy: He doesn't give his name but his
identity is clear. He tells us that we didn't quite get the story of
his life and mission quite right. This could be a shock to some, but a
for others a revelation....

As I said before, this is not your
average Oz book.

This story is very original. There is no Nome takeover of Oz attempt. There is no long-lost sibling of one of the recurring Oz characters suddenly recovered from a wicked enchantment. Instead, this book focuses on stimulating converstaion between Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman, and the Scarecrow. I do not always agree with the statements made in these conversations, but they certainly give me much to think about. Please read this with an open mind. I'm not saying that there is no Wicked Witch --don't think for a moment that there is no conflict. But this Witch is more interested in creating negative thoughts than in taking anyone for a slave. She is more comic relief than threat to Dorothy and friends. As they go in search of the Witch, they come in contact with several unique characters along th way. Space aliens, Pinheads, and even some very famous historical figures. All of these are captured brilliantly in Dennis Anfuso's charming illustrations. The cover is a water-color painting by Dore Meers (illustrator of THE FOREST MONSTER OF OZ) which is a fitting tribute to the Oz legacy. It features Dorothy with the famous trio on the Yellow Brick Road. For anyone who loves the famous Oz books by L. Frank Baum and his many successors, this is a nostalgic item that should bring a good deal of happiness.

This book contains the highlights and experiences of Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. It is a very enjoyable book. The philosophy and beliefs are brought out in a series of experiences, many of them humorous, about the unique characters, role models and lessons learned in trying to adopt an early Christian communal attitude to charity and bring it to the streets of New York City. Dorothy Day lived her beliefs intently. Over the decades it resulted in running many urban soup kitchens, Hospitality houses, a farm or two, along with publishing the Catholic Worker Newspaper and authoring this very inspiring book.. This book will make you think,

At a time when the "mainstream" media insists on appointing the Christian Coalition and other groups of their ilk as voices of the Gospel in todays world, we are reminded of how much the life, words, and witness of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker are needed. Back in print in the handsome edition, "Loaves and Fishes" tells the history of the movement founded by Day and Peter Maurin. In an era when far too many associate Christianity with indifference to Christ's poor, and the embracement of intolerant and spiteful political agendas, the voice of prophets like Day are sorely needed.

This entire series is powerful. The first historical fiction series I have read and I am HOOKED!

In this sequel, we see our hero, Claes or Nicholas, thrown into the complex situation in the middle east. Will the Sultan take over Trebizond where he has been sent as consul for Florence? If anyone can find succes in such a venture, Nicholas is the person, and he does. He succeeds not only in his trading, he saves his people from the Turks and also his step-daughter, Catherine.

Once again, the author has written a masterpiece. We are thrown from Florence to the middle east with all its complexities, but all the time we are rooting for our hero and he makes us proud!

And to think I still have more books to enjoy! I can't wait...

Reading this book is like taking a magic carpet to a mystical place. Ms. Dunnett has the knack of taking her readers to whatever era and place in the world she chooses. In this book our Niccolo has matured somewhat but he still has some hard lessons to learn about how lonely it is to be a leader. He also has to learn that a true leader leads without his employees or friends knowing that that is what he's doing. In fact, these books of Niccolo could be used for demonstrating leadership. I'm surprised that no corporate videos have been made from them. This is a good book even though Niccolo fails to fascinate as much as Lymond does, but I don't think there ever can be another Lymond. I don't find the characters as likeable in this series for one, and Catherine is certainly no Philippa (at least not yet), but there is high adventure, intrigue and enough court gossip to keep anyone interested in the politics of the 15 century.