This book was given to me as a gift from a friend. It was a fitting means of delivery. It truly was a "gift". Thich Nhat Hanh has a wonderfully clear talent for writing and communicating his thoughts and ideas clearly and simply. Having read many books about mindfulness and meditation, I found this to be among the best. As a Christian, I found many of his methods for practicing mindfulness daily very practical and useful in deepening my own spiritual connection with God and the many people I interact with daily. It's a beautiful book. He is an eloquent champion of living with compassion, conviction, and humility.

Peace is Every Step is my favorite book on living in the present. It is simple and easy to read. Just a few minutes ago, I felt anger building over something someone had done to me in the past. I decided to just breathe (which can be done anytime while sitting, eating, walking, driving, etc.) as Nhat Hanh recommends. Within seconds, my thoughts were on my "in" breath and my "out" breath and I was back to the present instead of focusing on the past. The angry feeling passed and I am back to enjoying the beauty of the day. I hope the ideas in this book bring you as much peace as it has brought me.

I love this book. It's short, easy and delightful to read, and full of practical wisdom. More so than any other Zen Master whose writings I have encountered, Thich Nhat Hanh knows how to teach Westerners in a way that is straightforward, practical for everyday problems, and fun to read (rather than an intellectual puzzle). I cannot recommend this book more highly. A wealth of wisdom presented in a unique and immensely practical way. Thich Nhat Hanh's writing embodies peace and mindfulness at their highest - one could almost learn all he has to teach simply by reading his writings for their style and attitude, without hardly paying attention to the message or content per se.

Please do yourself a favor: buy this book, read it at your leisure, reread it if you feel so compelled, keep it on a shelf or pass it on as a gift. I almost never review books on Amazon.com, but when I finished this one I knew I had to recommend it, and I do so with no reservation whatsoever.

Having heard so much about this saga-type novel I sought it eagerly & finally broke down & bought it via amazon uk (after a long & fruitless hunt stateside). Rather expensive for this paperback w/lots of typos & editing problems, I thought. But the book, I judge, was worth it in the end. The tale of Orm Tostesson & "friends", this book follows the adventures of this typical late tenth century viking through nearly all the high-points of vikingdom in the period. From raids & servitude on the coasts of Moorish Spain, to visits with Irish monks and dinner with the Danish King, Harald Bluetooth, and his assorted guests, including no less a worthy than Styrbiorn Olafsson, the Jomsviking and claimant to the Swedish throne about whom E. R. Eddison wrote so brilliantly in his own viking novel, STYRBIORN THE STRONG, this book takes us through all the paces. Orm ends up with a very noble wife living in a backwater part of Scandinavia (the borderlands between Sweden and medieval Denmark) but even there he gets no peace since his enemies and adventures pursue him. And in his maturity another and final adventure comes his way when he is summoned to the eastern reaches of far Gaardarike (the country that was to become Russia) to claim an "inheritance" of great value. Along the way, Orm makes some good friends, some bad enemies, participates in some (but by no means all) of the great events of viking history in that period, and finally mellows to become a better man who embraces the new way of thinking while yet feeling at home in the old.

I did think the book a bit too episodic though this is no indictment of it since the sagas themselves are nearly always such and the "voice" smacks very much of the sagaman's art. However, a close reading makes this very clearly a modern novel for the humor is quite bracing and alone marks this tale out as one of ours and not one from an earlier time. I especially appreciated Orm's hypochondria, despite his courage in the face of battle, a very human and humorous touch! And the fighting is all very realistic, no great superhuman feats of derring do (except occasionally as we find in the real sagas). Some of the literary technniques used, besides the marvelous sense of tongue -in-cheek humor, are also quite contemporary. I did think the tale a bit slow in places, especially at the beginning, and rather more predictable than not.

And, more, it is not, in my opinion the best of the viking or saga novels despite what others have said here. For tautness and action, none have yet done it better, in my opinion, than H. Rider Haggard with ERIC BRIGHTEYES. For the pure poetry of style, Eddison's STYRBIORN THE STRONG still has my vote. And for the resounding greatness of the tale and the power to move, no modern author has ever penned a better saga novel than Hope Muntz did with THE GOLDEN WARRIOR. But Bengtsson did a very nice job and deserves five stars for it. I take my hat off to him and to those here whose reviews obliged me to obtain and read this fine viking tale.

(For those with an interest in the saga as novel, a few other good ones I'd recommend include Cecelia Holland's very modern and psychological TWO RAVENS, a glimpse into the hot-house environment of an Icelandic farm, and Jane Smiley's THE GREENLANDERS which tells of the final days of the the Norse settlement in Greenland as the cold and the Eskimos closed in around the settlers. And if you still have any patience and want more, perhaps you'd want to try my own small effort, THE KING OF VINLAND'S SAGA, which I wrote to be the saga I'd always wished had been written and preserved about the Norse excursions to this part of the world. All, I believe, are available in some form or another on-line. Mine I know is.) -- Stuart W. Mirsky

Having heard so much about this saga-type novel I sought it eagerly & finally broke down & bought it via amazon uk (after a long & fruitless hunt stateside). Rather expensive for this paperback w/lots of typos & editing problems, I thought. But the book, I judge, was worth it in the end. The tale of Orm Tostesson & "friends", this book follows the adventures of this typical late tenth century viking through nearly all the high-points of vikingdom in the period. From raids & servitude on the coasts of Moorish Spain, to visits with Irish monks and dinner with the Danish King, Harald Bluetooth, and his assorted guests, including no less a worthy than Styrbiorn Olafsson, the Jomsviking and claimant to the Swedish throne about whom E. R. Eddison wrote so brilliantly in his own viking novel, STYRBIORN THE STRONG, this book takes us through all the paces. Orm ends up with a very noble wife living in a backwater part of Scandinavia (the borderlands between Sweden and medieval Denmark) but even there he gets no peace since his enemies and adventures pursue him. And in his maturity another and final adventure comes his way when he is summoned to the eastern reaches of far Gaardarike (the country that was to become Russia) to claim an inheritance of great value. Along the way, Orm makes some good friends, some bad enemies, participates in some (but by no means all) of the great events of viking history in that period, and finally mellows to become a better man who embraces the new way of thinking while yet feeling at home in the old. I did think the book a bit too episodic though this is no indictment of it since the sagas themselves are nearly always such and the "voice" smacks very much of the sagaman's art. However, a close reading makes this very clearly a modern novel for the humor is quite bracing and alone marks this tale out as one of ours and not one from an earlier time. I especially appreciated Orm's hypochondria, despite his courage in the face of battle, a very human and humorous touch! And the fighting is all very realistic, no great superhuman feats of derring do (except occasionally as we find in the real sagas.) Some of the literary technniques used, besides the marvelous sense of tongue-in-cheek humor, are also quite contemporary. I did think the tale a bit slow in places, especially at the beginning, and rather more predictable than not. And, more, it is not, in my opinion the best of the viking or saga novels despite what others have said here. For tautness and action, none have yet done it better, in my opinion, than H. Rider Haggard with ERIC BRIGHTEYES. For the pure poetry of style, Eddison's STYRBIORN THE STRONG still has my vote. And for the pure greatness of the tale and the power to move, no modern author has ever penned a better saga novel than Hope Muntz did with THE GOLDEN WARRIOR. But Bengtsson did a very nice job and deserves five stars for it. I take my hat off to him and to all those here whose reviews obliged me to obtain and read this fine viking tale.

(For those with an interest in the saga as novel, a few other good ones I'd recommend include Cecelia Holland's very modern and psychological TWO RAVENS, a glimpse into the hot-house environment of an Icelandic farm, and Jane Smiley's THE GREENLANDERS which tells of the final days of the the Norse settlement in Greenland as the cold and the Eskimos closed in around them. And if you still have any patience and want more, perhaps you'd want to try my own small effort, THE KING OF VINLAND'S SAGA, which I wrote to be the saga I'd always wished had been written and preserved about the Norse excursions to this part of the world. All, I believe, are available in some form or another on-line. Mine I know is.

I was fortunate to be given a copy of a British paperback edition by a Swedish friend, re-awakening the joy I experienced reading this book thirty years ago. When I received this gift, it looked like a fairly ordinary paperback with a ludicrous cover illustration. The worlds within are amazing. It's exuberant and beautiful, indeed.

My friend gave me Jenny Crawford's book - Through the Eyes of spirit, after the loss of my Grandson.

With effort and travel I managed to get a private reading with Jenny, who bought my Grandson through immediately. My beloved Grandson took his own life, and it has been a difficult pathway for his parents and our family to move forward in life. Jenny was able to bring forth so much peace and healing during our session.

I highly recommend her book "Through the Eyes of Spirit" to those seeking comfort and proof of life after-death.

God Bless you in your work and thankyou for sharing your wonderful gift with me. You will never know how grateful my family is to you.

I FOUND JENNY CRAWFORD'S BOOK - THROUGH THE EYES OF SPIRIT - HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. I NEVER CONSIDERED THAT THERE WAS A LIFE AFTER-DEATH UNTIL I WAS GIVEN JENNY'S BOOK TO READ. I AM FIFTY YEARS OF AGE AND THANK YOU JENNY FOR AWAKENING ME TO ANOTHER WORLD. JENNY'S BOOK GOT MY TASTE BUDS GOING AND I HAVE SINCE READ JAMES VAN PRAAGH'S BOOK - TALKING TO HEAVEN - I FOUND JAMES AND JENNY'S BOOKS VERY HELPFUL. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH IN YOUR WORK. GARY

After reading JENNY CRAWFORD'S book "THROUGH THE EYES OF SPIRIT" I feel that I can smile again. After the loss of my mother four years ago, I fell into a deep hole of depression. JENNY'S book has changed the way I feel about death, and for the first time in four years I am able to smile again. I do believe that my mother is now in heaven, or the spirit world as Jenny describes so well in her book. Thank you Jenny for bringing back the love and laughter into my life. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you but feel I know you through reading your book. My friends have told me that your mediumship compares to JAMES VAN PRAAGH & JOHN EDWARD. I will be highly recommending your book to family and friends. Thank you again for helping me to find peace and laughter in my life.

I first read this book as a teenager in one of my mother's Reader's Digest Condensed Books. It was the catalyst for my interest in Napoleon and the French Empire. I now have a library full of titles regarding those two topics. The book is very well written, Ms. Selinko is able to have Desiree grow from adolescence to middle age without losing the intrinsic parts of her character. There is a lot of fictional license here, but it is still an entertaining, well written, well researched account of life at the French court. It makes historical figures come alive and you can sympathize with their personal struggles. All in all, a old fashioned good time.

Desiree is a historical novel. The author wonderfully combined history, romance and fiction. All the elements worked very well together. Desiree's personality is descibed vividly in a subtle way. Although she's a historical figure, I can still associate her with modern women today. That's part of the reason this book is very fun to read. It is also a classic, and it is worth reading over and over. I first read it in Chinese because this book in English was out of print. The story was so good that I invested a good amount of time to track and bought the edition published in 1953. (It's worth it!!)

I'm 42 years old. I'm originally from Caracas, Venezuela. I read this book when I was 14 years. It is a Spanish version that belonged to my grandmother. It was printed in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1954. I have read it maybe 20 more times. It's my favorite book, and Desiree has been my favorite character ever. Recently I went to Paris and thought that maybe there it would be easier to find a copy, but nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. That's is why I'm hoping that Amazon can get a copy for me, I want to give it to my sister. It can be in Spanish, English or French. I have read all the reviews and I think everybody feels the same about this wonderful book.The copy I have is one of my most beloved treasures.

I remember when I was 20 years old and discovered The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time. Now, 23 years later, I can look back at hours and hours of great fun. First reading the books myself, then reading them over and over for my four kids. A little later I discovered The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, but for about 20 years those were to only fantasy books I had read.

Then, three years ago the Harry Potter era started in our family. And now we live in a Harry Potter world here. But, in spite of all the pages a Harry Potter book doesn't last forever. It was with great pleasure that we some time ago opened my daughter's birthday gift and found the series The Worlds of Chrestomanci. They are perfect while waiting for the next Harry Potter to come, and perfect when you want something to read :-)

The first book in the series is Charmed life. It tells the story of Eric Chant, known as Cat, and his older sister Gwendolen. Cat and Gwendolen's parents dies in a boat accident, and all Cat have is his older sister. She is a witch, and Cat adores her. They first live with an old woman in the town, but it soon shows that Gwendolen has a very special talent for witchcraft, and to their joy they are asked for to come and live with the great Chrestomanci in his castle. Their life in his castle is not like the two kids expected, and Gwendolen, the witch, takes the easy way out and runs off to another world, Cat has to stay and fight his way through the days.

The novel is filled with fantasy and unexpected events. And it never let you get bored. The book is meant for young readers, and any booklover between 9-12 will love it. I even think any book lover between 9 and 99 will. Try the book, and you will be so charmed by it you just need the others in the series as well.
Is it magic? Who knows......

Britt Arnhild Lindland

Charmed Life is one of Diana Wynne Jone's best books. It's funny, exciting, intriguing and filled with those characters that are so easy to fall in love with. This was the first Diana Wynne Jones book that I ever read at the age of 12 and at 25 I'm re-reading them all and finding them as refreshingly imaginative as the first read. I recently read the Harry Potter books and while they are good it just made me want more from Diana Wynne Jones.

In my opinion, Diana Wynne Jones is simply one of the best YA fantasy writers out there. She ranks right up there with Lloyd Alexander and Philip Pullman. The intelligence and creativity of her work is consistently remarkable, and Charmed Life is a wonderful example of the scope of her imagination and plots.

Charmed Life, an entry in the Chrestomanci series (which can be read in any order without any knowledge of the others--others include Witch Week, The Lives of Christopher Chant, The Magicians of Caprona), is a charming British YA fantasy that far predates the Harry Potter mania. Fans of Harry Potter might like this; it has a similar enough plot--young orphaned boy with awful relatives is taken to a place where his talents can begin to expand. Young Eric, familiarly known as Cat, even slides around on magic mirrors (as opposed to magic broomsticks). However, Charmed Life is in every way superior to the Harry Potter books. For instance, the world's concept is much more profound and interesting. The world Cat inhabits is one in which magic abounds and technology is a bit backward-- not this world as we have known it at any point in time. Rather, it's a version of our world had key events been changed. (For example, a possible alternate world would be if Napoleon had succeeded in his campaigns. We would probably live in a world with a primary language of French.) Secondly, again unlike the HP books, there are no completely evil characters. Diana Wynne Jones has a talent for creating idiosyncratic, realistic people, and even those who are...less than wonderful, have their moments of niceness. And even the 'nice' people have their faults. Good doesn't always automatically win, and Cat is hardly a faultless protagonist.

Diana Wynne Jones takes common themes and imbues them with so much life and color and humor that the result-- Charmed Life (among many others) is compulsively likable. Who else could successfully mix enchanters, shrieking furniture, violin-turned-cats, maid-turned-frogs, silverware, family mysteries, alternate worlds, adventure and wit save a master magician such as Diana Wynne Jones? If you haven't read anything by her but like your fantasies good and British with dizzyingly intricate plots, do try her work. I particularly recommend Howl's Moving Castle, Hexwood, and, of course, Charmed Life. These are books that deserve to be read...and reread...and reread...

Ailanna

I love alll of the Anne of Green Gables series. They are so vividly written you find yourself wishing that you were born as Anne a hundered years ago on PE Island. I would have happily endured all her hardships for all the wonderful moments in her life, and the fact she married Gilbert Blythe! It's so well written that you actually feel that you know Gilbert and I actually found my self falling in love with him! I've read the series 2 times. The first time I couldn't stop thinking about Anne. I read Anne, I tried to live like Anne and I dreamt Anne. Anyway, although I love all 8 books almost equally Anne of the Island is just a little better. And although it's romantic it's definitely not just a romance. Anne of the island includes wit and humour that makes it an all-round perfect book. If you're an Anne fan you havvvvvve to read this. I could not describe how wonderful it is in 1000 words. Anne of the Island is truly a book you CANNOT put down. After reading this I recommend you read all the rest of the Anne of Green Gables series (there are 5 more book,) although you'll probably be rushing to buy them anyway.

Anne Of The Island is a great book. It is about a girl with dark strawberry-blonde hair. She goes off to college with her friends: Charlie, Gilbert, and Diana. She makes some new friends and one of them, Priscila which is Pris for short, they meet in the graveyard across from the college. She meets many men she thinks she is in love with, including Gilbert, but when the propose to her she finds out she really doesn't love them that much. She even turns down the man of her dreams. So, it is partially a love story. She was adopted when she was young by Marilla. Now they have taken in twins when their mother died and their only relative can't take care of them. The younger one is Davy, who is always asking questions and getting in to mischief. He especially likes to bother his twin sister, Dora. She is always quiet and quite lady-like. They all live on Prince Edward Island in Canada. If you want to know the rest, you can read the book for yourself. Happy reading!

If you like the Anne of Green Gables series this is the best one in the whole thing! Anne of the Island has something for everyone! Anne Shirley leaves the small town of Avonlea to attend Redmond collage.. There the novel introduces you to a character who is extremely funny named Pricella! (Hope I spelled her name right). In this novel Anne falls in love with a fellow school mate, while her long time friend Gilbert Blythe finds a love interest as well! Do they end up together at last? Read the book and find out! This book is definatly for people who liked the movie "Anne of Avonlea". They are without a doubt slightly similar, but the book is definatly better!

For those interested in a mature, sophisticated and suspenseful read...tinged with romance, you definitely need to pick up Evelyn Palfrey's novel, "The Price of Passion."

Vivian has been married to Walter -- a political big wig -- for nearly twenty years. Her love for him has gone sour over the years due to his fall into the political world and his many "late night affairs" he had to intend to. Vivian seemed almost unfazed by his outside activities, that is until one night he comes home with an unwanted visitor...a baby by a former lover. He drops the baby off to her and precedes to have not even a passing thought about the child. This infuriates Vivian to no end and she makes plans to leave Walter forever, but her unexpected love for the child, Passion...as well as her long since vanished hope of having a child, creates dilemmas and obstacles for Vivian to hurdle over. Complicating matters are the whereabouts and identity of Passion's

mother...and Vivian's growing feelings for Marc, a professor who finds himself falling hard for Vivian.

The Price of Passion is a thick read at 383 pages, but Palfrey has so many nice elements in the novel that you don't feel daunted by it. This novel is as much a romance as it is a suspenseful mystery. Palfrey mingles several plotlines and characters into one seamless novel.

Furthermore, what's also interesting about the novel is that Palfrey has a reader survey in the back of the novel that mentions how she doesn't go into description with her characters in order to allow the reader to be more interactive with the story. At first I thought that would turn me off, because I like having concrete visions of the characters that authors usually supply, but I found it a great treat to create the character with their personalities given to me...definitely made for a more interactive and interesting read for me.

Reviewed by Shonie

This book was so good that I started reading it at 6:30, after cooking dinner, and didn't put it down until I read the last line. The 10 pm news was coming on when I finished. I didn't even notice that the main characters hadn't been described. I know so many people like all of the characters, in the book. I was able to place a face with each character. As my husband was driving us through the 5:00 pm traffic, I read the Seduction chapter. Five minutes later, I just had to re-read the chapter aloud to him. We had to laugh because our home town, Little Rock, has the same functions, with all the same characters. The owner of the Hearne's Fine Art Gallery told me, as she recommended the book, that it was a page turner. Palfrey's characters were very realistic. I felt Vivian's pain when Walter brought the baby home. I felt her growing love for Marc. I felt like I was at the festival with them. When Denise LaSalle started singing, I felt Vivian's release. I could see her releasing herself and letting her hair down. The one and only time I felt sorry for Walter was when he had to turn and look at Bobby, after watching the video. I felt that it was the only time that he forgot about all that was at stake and felt sorry for what he had done to Porsche. Even at the hospital, he felt ashamed, not for what he had done to Vivian and everyone else, but how he had allowed everything to get out of control. This is certainly a book worth reading again. Just a note to the author, Vivian is too smart of a woman to, even for a moment, be BS'd by Walter's flowers. Cora's statement about the BS should never had to be spoken. Vivian had resigned herslf long before, to see right through him. Good Job!!!

The Price of Passion is a true page-turner in every sense of the word. I found myself reading at all hours of the night and telling all of my friends to read this book! I loved the way the plot unfolded and the characters are well-developed. I gave POP to my mother to read and she couldn't put it down either.

What I like best about POP is how this precious baby takes a hold of the lead character's heart and doesn't let go. POP is a true testament to the power of love. The story keeps you guessing what is going to happen next and trying to figure out the mystery as you go along.

I have to admit, when I first saw the other cover I was thinking the story was strictly political. It isn't but there are alot of political elements that come into play. What I also love about The Price of Passion is how it takes place right here in Austin, TX. I could truly visualize the scenes because I know all the places Evelyn wrote about. That made POP an extra treat. Most stories take place in towns you know nothing about. Austinites have a treat in store with this one. I also enjoyed the RV traveling with some "down home blues" thrown in too! :o)

Evelyn, you are a wonderful writer. Congratulations on your success and thanks for always being so positive & helpful when it comes to my writing quest. Clarissa.

The Eagle and The Rose takes us on one woman's adventures into her experiences with the "spirit" world. Whatever one's thoughts are in regards to life after death, this book will certainly get your mind pondering about the realm of possibilities that each of us will one day encounter.

Rosemary simply tells us what SHE has seen throughout her life. This book is not meant to sway one into believing that they too will be visited by a "ghost" or "lost soul". The purpose of this book, I believe, is to get in touch with one's own spirituality.

The Eagle and The Rose is an enlightening adventure for all of us to read. There are no right or wrong answers, but as individuals we have the power to change our lives and start on a new path towards spiritual healing. Read with an open mind and truely enjoy the journey that Rosemary shares with her readers.

What a wonderful way to confirm my belief in life after death. I now am a believer that modern-day miracles are indeed real. Anyone who had any doubts must read this book. Rosemary has given the world proof that our loved ones who have passed away are safe and happy. I am confident that one day, with the help of a sincere medium, I will be able to contact my beloved son who died at the age of 19. Rosemary, thank you for sharing your gift with the world and giving us peace. Please contact me if possible.

As the title says, this is one of the best books I Have ever read. A Clarevoyant told me I had the psychic ability and it needed developing, he said I should read every book on mediumship I could get my hands on and this was the first book I read, it truely inspired my and answered many question. Rosemary is a wonderful gifted person and you feel as if you know her personally by the end of the book, she really opens her heart up to you. A must read for everyone, my husband and children would enjoy me reciting some of the storys from this book and it even got my 8 year old son interested in the spirit world

Whenever I go to a bookstore with a new friend, I check out the Daniel Pinkwater section. The ones who turn out to be the best friends inevitably remember _some_ Pinkwater book from their childhood--Lizard Music or Fat Men From Space or The Magic Moscow--but the best and most resonant are Alan Mendelsohn, The Boy From Mars and The Snarkout Boys And The Avocado Of Death, and they're both included here. The former is about the best teenage-friendship book ever written, the latter drives a stake through the heart of the teenage-detective genre, and this anthology also includes the ridiculously brilliant Young Adult Novel. I want my kids to have this book. More to the point, I want my kids to think they're not supposed to be reading this book, but to read it anyway.

When i picked this book up I was about nine I started reading it. it is really somthing you have to read, alen mendelsohn the Boy from mars is my favorite story you can't explain how good it is you have to read it. if you liked harry potter you will love it if you didn't you'll still love it.daniel pinkwater is a genius when it comes to writing .i just don't know how he does it but he really is good at it and he's got to keep up the good work if he is going to keep us going it should be a sin not to read this EXCELLENT book. i wish i could explain how good it is but you'll have to read it to find out don't hesitate just do it it is the longest book i ever read it is the best book i ever read as well.

The price would be a bargain just for one of the books it contains. Some of these books (and a lot of Pinkwater's others) start out with ordinary kids or teenagers who have adventures and slowly find things getting weirder and weirder. Others just start out weird and never let up. _Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars_ is probably the best of these five. It makes surviving high school sound almost fun; Alan Mendelsohn brightens up a dull day by tripping people, telling his history class about Ben Franklin's sex life, and telling the whole school he's a Martian. He's my new role model. _The Snarkout Boys and the Avacado of Death_ is similar in that it's about high school boys who make their lives more interesting -- by sneaking out at night to the Snark Theater and making friends with avacado-obsessed movie-lovers. _Young Adult Novel_ is delightfully clever, absurd, and ironic, and _The Last Guru_ is pretty good as well. (I haven't finished _Slaves of Spiegel_ yet.) If you like Pinkwater at all, it's hard to go wrong with the funny, fascinating books in this collection.

I have purchased several copies of this book over the past few years, but every time I loan it to someone because I want them to read a certain part, amazingly they never return it. Then I have to buy another copy!

Linda Goodman has an amazing talent for explaining astrology in a humorous way in which we can all relate and understand. I refer to this book a lot when I'm trying to "figure someone out". I personally have a library of Astrology books, but this is the one I most often refer to, followed in a close second by Linda Goodman's "Love Signs", and a puple book entitled "The only astrology book you'll ever need".

For anyone who is interested in astrology, even if they don't know a lot about it, this is a good book to start with!

Very often the people who believe in astrology know little about it and the people who are critical of astrology know even less about it! that was a quote by grant lewi,another great astrologer.The aim of Linda s book Sun Signs is to enlighten both believers and non believers about astrology. In a witty , entertaining and shockingly accurate way, she describes all 12 sun signs & has included 5 main classifications under each sign (man ,woman ,child, employer,employee,) so you could learn how to deal with anyone from your Aquarian boss to a Leo child.Although "Sun Signs"is an excellent base for anyone , you must remember that it is not wholly accurate as it can't take into account the various other aspects of a person ;for eg: a Piscean with a Leo moon is more aggressive than a Piscean with a
cancerian moon.therefore you might not feel that the description of your sign fits you completely.Still, this book remains one of the all time astro classics as it can convince even the sceptic about the accuracy and usefulness of astrology when it comes to understanding others.

This may sound terrible, but I've always believed that the reason this book has always been such a great introduction to astrology for those who know nothing about it, is that it gives them an answer to the question, "What's in it for me?"

"Linda Goodman's Sun Signs" is primarily about the usefulness of knowing the twelve Sun signs. A man interested in a Taurus woman can read about the best ways to woo her. A woman being courted by a Pisces man can read a pretty accurate description of what kind of husband he will be. Parents expecting a Libra baby or raising a Sagittarian teenager can read about the different parenting styles each child needs. Someone about to work for an Aquarian boss can read about the kind of shocks to prepare for. A manager at a loss over a Gemini employee can become enlightened about the nature of the Twins.

In her humorous, witty style, Linda Goodman gives the Sun sign information to readers and leaves the application of this new knowledge up to them. If they like, readers can stick to making simple decisions, like selecting Christmas presents (the Scorpio child who likes to probe the mysteries of science gets the chemistry set; the Cancerian man who likes to remember happy moments gets the camera; the Leo woman who adores being pampered gets the gift certificate for a facial at the most expensive spa you can find).

Yet the main reason for being familiar with the twelve Sun signs is still so that we can become more compassionate with others and more enlightened when it comes to ourselves. Of course, one's Sun sign is not the only determinant of one's personality and actions, as Goodman explains in her Introduction, but it is accurate 80 to 90% of the time. Still, the greatest determinant of all remains one's Higher Self, which is above any natal chart. To those with free will, the stars never compel; they can only incline.

So to those who ask, "What's in it for me?" this book's enduring reply is, "That's up to you."

For all its good points, "Linda Goodman's Sun Signs" is not half as illuminating as "Linda Goodman's Love Signs", which brilliantly discusses the broad-spectrum karma of each individual Sun sign and each Sun sign combination. I highly recommend both books.