Birthflowers of the Landscape, by Linton McKnight, is a refreshing contribution to the spirituality of flower gardening and landscaping. His insight and practical suggestions provide a good grounding for the creative gifts instilled in all of us by our Creator.

This book shows you how to take these beautiful flowers and create a garden that will give you beautiful color all year. It also shows you that you have a Birthflowers of the Landscape flower which will magically bloom on your birthday every year. This author has been interviewed for the A&E Open Book Show and it is gaining national recognition in major publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, BottomLine, etc. A must for all gardners and for those who love flowers.

I have read your wonderful book. Not only will it be very helpful, especially for new gardners, this will be a wonderful addition to my horticulture library. Thank you for sharing it with me.

In her book "Whirling Round the Sun" Suzanne Noguere concludes her poem "The Recitation" with the line: "I saw the seconds of my life made visible." This line captures the essence of her poetry: her poems restore the magic to being alive. The poems are divided into five sections. (The descriptions are mine; although the poet has created the sections, she has not given them subtitles). Each is introduced by a collage that resonates around the themes. David Wander is the artist. Part I is about writing and being an artist. "Ear Training for Poets" should be memorized by every young person with aspirations to be an artist. Part II. This section is devoted to memories of women in her family, including her own childhood. The poem, "Extremities" about her beloved aunt's slow death is chilling and brings tears in its recognition of our mortality. Part III. These are about the miracle of our bodies and the mysterious forces within us. The title poem of the volume is found here "Sometimes it seems almost beyond belief to be here whirling round the sun." The poem dramatizes that miracle for us. Part IV. These are about love and lovers, but not particularly romantic. Like the poems in the other sections, they embrace reality by employing metaphors from nature. "The stars stared back at me one country night as if to say, 'We are the world's memory made visible. These rays left us light-years ago.' So past was present in my eyes." Part V. In this final section, the terror and the sublime are brought together in poems about beasts, birds, fish, and trees. Once again the poet forces us to hold our breath as we whirl round the sun.

Suzanne Noguere concludes her poem "The Recitation" with the line "I saw the seconds of my life made visible." This line captures the essence of many of her poems, which make the seconds of our lives visible. This is what art and poetry used to be and should be about

Suzanne Noguere orchestrates a variety of sounds, colors, textures of artistic experience, transforming words into a literary symphony of visual intensity.The clarity of meaning is crafted through an intricate weave of lines delicate and strong as silk thread, stringing beads of words selective as precious gems. Those who have not heard Suzanne read her poetry have missed the full experience of the notes put to music by the instrument of origin. Ms.Noguere's reading of her poetry gives one the senseof being in the presense of composer, musician. poet and muse.

I found this book to be beautifully done and informative!

I read a positive review of this book in a business column in my local paper and ordered it. I enjoyed reading the book and especially like the metaphor the author used. Who doesn't know about King Arthur and the Round Table? And what a great metaphor to use in relaying the concept of good communication in the business world. There are good tips throughout the book on how to bring your company together and how to make it work. I recommend this book and Good to Great for every manager or director.

It's difficult to find a management book that is as well-written as this one. An intriguing read about collaboration and how to use collaboration effectively. Great for nonprofit orgs and corporations. If you need to know how to get a project done with the help of other people, read this book.

David Perkins is brilliant. This book is collaboration for smarties. It aims high and delivers the Holy Grail for real seekers. Wise, clever and rich in truths, it is a new theory based upon lots of research and practice. I found it very helpful and stimulating - a treasure trove of insights, principles and things you can do to create better conversations and help teams & organizations act more intelligently. Perkins lays out an elegant set of principles on the practice of intelligent action and how the most intelligent solutions emerge from people in constructive dialogue together. He shows what makes for progressive and regressive action. He hits a home run by illustrating how both people smarts and process smarts are essential for success.If you are a leader, coach, consultant or educator and really want to find new ideas on how to build a collaborative culture, buy this book, read it carefully and you will find the Holy Grail! It's a real gem!

Relaxing and inspiring ideas are contained in this lovely little book. It was very refreshing to see such simple ways to treat yourself or sooth your soul. I am definitely stocking up to give as bridal shower gifts, etc.

The cover could be a metaphor for the book: the soothing comfort of sitting in a sunny country garden enjoying flowers or the meanderings of a stream. This book is a collection of experiences, recipes, ideas, and quotes on savoring life's simple pleasures: warm socks, homemade vanilla ice cream, beading, etc.. Separated into seasons, this is a wonderful book to browse around through when you need to take a mini-vacation from the hectic schedules and stress.

Within the four Seasonal sections (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter), there are four categories: Home... Garden & the Great Outdoors... Body & Soul... Family & Friends. These are further broken down into sub sections sprinkled throughout the categories:

- Things To Do, for example, has recipes, crafts, and suggestions for taking advantage of the season. These are easy to follow, even offering suggestions for upkeeping the house and getting the family involved.
- Stories of simple pleasures are very short, almost like thoughts, but are presented in the form of advice or wisdom.
- The quotes remind us to take things slow and enjoy life.

Easy to read, and wonderful to poke around through. I recommend it to anyone whose ever had one of those "nothing is going right" days. You don't have to read it every day, or even every month, but even a chancing glance after a hard day made this a worthwhile purchase for me.

I love the soft illustration on the cover. The image of the wicker chair and wide open front porch invites the reader to come sit for a while. This book is perfect for the women in your life who needs to learn how to 'live in the moment'. Most of us are too busy being busy that we forget what's important in life, what will truly matter in the long run. The authors offer suggestions on how to slow down the world in their recipes, tips and the stories they've selected for the book.

As a musician who has played a great deal of chamber music at the professional level, I found Mr. Rounds' writing a bit amateurish and pompous at times. In the introduction I felt like I was reading a high school creative writing project! But it does get better. He is obviously not a musician and the book is not aimed at musicians. That being said, I thought the interviews with the quartet were very interesting and realistic, and he does present a lot of interesting information about the business of chamber music. I would read "Indivisible by Four" by Steinhardt first.

A fascinating introduction to the String Quartet as a musical form. Rounds starts from an introduction to the lives of the four women of the British Columbia based Lafayette String Quartet. From their life histories and rehearsals for a recording of the Borodin Quartet Number 2 he adventures into an exposition of the history of the string quartet form, the working lives and career stresses of string quartet players, vignettes of the personalities of former quartets such as the Budapest and the Guarneri etc. The book has musical examples. It ends with personal recommendations for quartets from Haydn to Shostakovitch and contemporary composers such as Terry Riley. A very rewarding, well-written, informative read.

Whether you've never heard a string quartet in your life, or whether you're a lifelong aficionado, The Four & the One will rivet your attention from the first page. This unique book traverses a wide range of topics, from the technical aspects of music making to the status of western classical music at the millenium. The author's knowledge is encyclopedic, yet his writing is deft and his love for the music shines through every page. Strongly recommended!

As a San Francisco resident planning to take a similar trip in five years, I was especially interested in David Cohen's story.

The book is extremely enjoyable, funny, and frustrating at the same time. The simplistic e-mail style of writing works well for a light read, but I often hoped the author would add deeper meaning or insight to an experience. At least he didn't pepper the text with LOLs and smilies, I suppose.

Traveling primarily by plane and car, instead of by trains and buses, the family has little chance to become immersed in the local culture; in some places, they seem to barricade themselves from the locals instead of trying to sort out just how fearful they need to be. And where are all the stories of the kids becoming friends with the local children?

So, although I thought the book was fun, and I will read it to my three, it was frustrating in its documentation of missed chances to really learn.

One Year Off is a wonderful read -- a hilarious romp around the world with the author and his family. What parent wouldn't relate to the picky eater, the drama princess, the baby smearing ketchup on a stranger's linen suit in France? I enjoyed this book much MORE than if I had taken my own family, since, like one of the author's friends, this venture -- at least with my four children -- would be my idea of hell. The writing is conversational yet succinct. The places and events Cohen describes are at various times amusing, terrifying, poignant. I am planning to give this book to friends for Channukah, Christmas, Kwaanza, etc. READ IT! p.s. Those reviewers who have complained that the book is "self-serving" should know from the subtitle, cover and intro that it is ABOUT a trip with family, by a man approaching a mid-life awakening. GET REAL!

I don't know when I have enjoyed a book so much!! David Cohen and his lovely wife have my admiration for all the planning and effort that it took to put this project into effect and see it though. Taking three small children on a journey around the world would be a feat in inself, but for an entire year is something else. This book made a big hit with my entire family. My mother plans to review it for her book club next month and I was elated when my busy executive brother from Houston had a good time reading it during a recent visit. My congratulations to David Cohen for the humorous way in which he expresses himself and for sharing this fascinating journey with all of us.

This is book is great if you want to keep your children entertained and happy. Donna has a special way of reaching the children. Great if you have Children.

The book lists some very good tax saving strategies, however a little bit more details on each one of them would have made the book better.