OH MY..You know how sometimes you find a rare book and it just hits you that it is going to be amazing?? Well.."Bed of Spices" is one of those rare gems..I am telling you this story had me wild. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Solomon and Rica. When I found out what the conflict in this book was..I have to admit I was a bit worried...I just couldnt see how it was going to work out..infact, at one point I was so wildly frustrated and worried that Rica and Solomon wouldnt be together , that I flipped ahead to the ending just to make sure..this is something that I have NEVER done before, but in this case I just couldnt take it and had to reassure myself. "Bed of Spices" is without a doubt a definite keeper. It may be a little hard to come by, but believe me it is sooo worth the search. PLEASE DO NOT PASS UP THE CHANCE TO READ THIS UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL AND EMOTIONAL LOVE STORY!

This is going to be a very short review, because I won't really be able to do this book justice. The story is set in Strassburg 1348 (the time when the Black Death has just arrived in Europe). The protagonists are Solomon, a trainee physician, who is the son of a prosperous Jewish merchant; and Rica (Frederica), the daughter of a "new" nobleman. Both face familial constraints, but they are also divided by their religions, their class, and the expectations each family has of them. Rica is expected by her father to marry a rather religious German nobleman who cannot tell her apart from her mentally and emotionally disturbed twin sister Etta. Solomon is expected to become a physician, and then to marry a suitable Jewish girl. Add to all this, the fact that Rica and Solomon meet each other secretly at the cottage of her father's mistress (the local wisewoman). Add to this, the fact that mobs are beginning to massacre Jews all over Europe, believing them responsible for the Black Death. Don't worry, our hero and heroine survive - although their sanity is often tested, along with their commitment to each other.

This is one romance I am keeping. It is well worth several re-reads, for the complex social interactions as well as the sheer beauty of the relationship. To learn more about the book, buy a book (used, I'm afraid!), or check out the review at All About Romance which clued me into this wonderful book.

I bought this used from Amazon and am so happy that I had the opportunity to read and savor it. It is well worth hunting for. The story is rich with great characters. And the trevails of the lovers kept me on the edge of my seat. I have purchased every book, used or new, by Ms. Samuel/Wind that I have been able to find. Thanks to Amazon for offering used books when a book is out of print. This is a beautiful story told by a stunningly fine author.

The true value in this book is the dynamic ideas and "action items" I was able to incorporate to manage and motivate my long term employees . . . who I thought had reach their plateau. This book worked for me.

Mark has been able to capture a part of the business that many of us struggle with. Mark has been able to address the issues of accountability that starts within each of us as individuals. The book is very powerful as it dives directly to the motives of individuals whether they are in the best interest of a collective environment or in the best interest of a specific individuals. A must read for anyone struggling with indivividual accountability in their organization.Mark expresses his insights in a manner that most of us would avoid.

This book is very readable and is filled with practical strategies and tools to create a more accountable work environment. The personal and work examples bring the concepts to life. Mark's definition of accountability is right on target... "accountablity means that people can count on one another to keep performance commitments and communication agreements." I have used many of Mark's ideas with my clients with great success. Great book with timely ideas. Thanks!

I read this book with the same excitement that I would a... thriller. It is exciting to find out so much about a manwhose music is among America's best! Barbara Heyman has captured thespirit of Samuel Barber's life and compiled it into a readableorganized format. Be sure to read all of the footnotes/endnotes.They contain some of the most wonderful tidbits of information.Authoritative writing!

As a lifelong student of Barber and his music, I was thrilled at the depth and scope of this work. It contains many musical examples and, most tellingly, reveals what music Barber loved and was studying when he composed various works. And it doesn't pull any punches in its treatment of Barber's tendencies toward depression and alcoholism. I spoke to Barbara Heyman a few years ago and she said she was working on a companion volume but had no firm idea when it might be published. We can only hope it will be soon!

This is the authoritative biography of Barber. Heyman is a first rate scholar and has published an incredibly comprehensive work. It covers every detail of his life. It also corrects several inaccuracies of the previous coveted Nathan Broder publication. (Completion dates of several works that have been researched through his letters.)

I was lucky enough to find a 'new' copy of this book. It is wonderfully and appropriately illustrated, though not necessarily for children. I recommend this to fans of Coleridge, and to fans of eclectic books in general.

All right, you may not be terribly fond of Coleridge. Or you may think he was a poet-god. In either case, I recommend this pop-up version of the "drugged-out classic" (as a prof. of mine once called it) to everyone over the age of, say, 17. Bantock's imaginative use of the familiar pop-up genre, as well as his distinctive art style, accentuate the poetry perfectly. I'm still kicking myself for not buying that beaten-up copy I found in New York. This is definitely worth the search.

This beautiful man so tortured, lost,and lonely is on a path of self-destruction. Denying all that is in his genius. heart, and soul. He could hear music in raindrops, the rustle of leaves and in so many different emotions. He could make a stone weep with and for his pain. What a magnificent story, with so much sensitivity written into the words. I am so happy I won the bid for this book at auction. I hope more will be able to find and read this very special story. I can only say it kept me up until 4:00 a.m. to finish it and I still can't get it out of my mind. Naturally I highly recommend this hard to find book. I know this will sound too dramatical but I must start another one to find what they call "closure". Please, read this book.

You will fall in love with Lucien if you like your heroes dark and tormented. Ms. Samuels use of music in this book is hauntingly beautiful. Not to be missed.

In some senses I like this better than No Place Like Home, because it was not quite so cluttered with so many characters, and the narrative was in the third person. Both were excellent. In this novel we don't quite have the narrator's quirky sense of humour to cope with the terrible times in life, but in a lot of respects it is more upbeat. I love Luna and Thomas; they are a terrific couple, really HOT and Taos New Mexico is really brought to life. Her daughter is a wonderful character too and also the secondary characters Tiny and Maggie.

It is not a perfect book, but it is really excellent. I read it in one sitting, just like her first. This one will not make you cry gallons, though. It is much more upbeat. The use of Maggie the teen's diary is I think the only weak part in the book, since I really wanted more of a smoochy scene with Luna and Thomas at the end of the novel. But then I am an avid romance reader. One other minor flaw is the start of the book really lurched a bit and could have benefitted from a much better editor who could pick up the niggling little errors like what time the daughter's flight landed.

This book is an excellent cross over thought for women who like good fiction, and anyone looking for a book which affirms the healing power of love and the fact that god really does work in mysterious ways. All I can say is, I can't wait for her next one!

Luna McGraw lost custody of her daughter when her husband took her to court with proof that she was an unfit mother because of her drinking. After four years of out of control alcoholic bingeing, she hit rock bottom and finally entered rehab. Now she is four years sober and her ex-husband has transferred custody of their daughter Joy to her. Luna looks on this as a second chance to be the mother that her daughter needs but she is scared that she will fail her.

Thomas Coyote is a two-time loser in the divorce wars. His second wife cheated on him with his brother after they learned Thomas is sterile; now she is pregnant and married to his sibling. The last thing he wants to do is fall in love for the third time but when he meets Luna, the attraction is electrifying. Luna feels the same way but she is fighting it because she fears rejection from her daughter as much as from Thomas.

A PIECE OF HEAVEN is a beautiful love story starring two scarred individuals who still have issues from previous relationships they have to resolve before they can think of coming together. The likable characters are realistically drawn, especially Joy who is wise beyond her years. Barbara Samuel has written a relationship drama that will appeal to fans of Kristin Hannah and Barbara Delinsky.

Harriet Klausner

Aloha Dolores continues the very funny adventures of a young girl and her cat, Duncan. Dolores is an extremely spirited girl whose exuberance often dismays Duncan as she includes him in her daily adventures. In this book Dolores sets out to win a trip to Hawaii by entering a contest sponsored by "Kitty Krunchies." Dolores' wise older sister, Faye, reminds her that thousands of people will enter the contest, but Dolores has no doubt that she and Duncan will win. The expressions on the cat's face are priceless and the vivid illustrations add to the storyline. My two daughters can't wait to add this book to their shelf right next to their very worn copy of Duncan and Dolores!

This is the first book I've read in longer than I can remember that made tears just stream down my cheeks. But mixed with the sadness was so much joy. Barbara Samuels writes about family, food, love, motherhood, and the joys and sorrows of balancing all the roles that come with being a woman with wit, tenderness, and shattering honesty. The genuineness of the writing and the universal truths that this book explores lift it far above your average "women's fiction" novel. I never once felt like my emotions were being manipulated. It's only March, but I'm already placing NO PLACE LIKE HOME at the top of my Favorite Books of the Year list.

Barbara Samuel has a way with words that makes me just wallow in her work. She also has warmth and wisdom, and a delight in humanity in all its diversity and difficulty. She writes with compassion and clarity, kindness and shrewdess. NO PLACE LIKE HOME is a wonderful book.

After reading The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner, I really needed to read a book that was well-written, but soft on emotions. Out of my Amazon pile, I selected No Place Like Home, because of its simple title and a cover that looked like it belonged on a feminine hygiene product. Not surprising, the book is very well-written and believeable, as all Barbara Samuel aka Ruth Wind books are, but it is also very moving and real...and not soft on emotions. This beautiful book tells a story about life, loss and living; it is well-written and filled with characters overflowing in depth and color. This book is not only worth purchasing, but worth finding a nice permanent spot on your shelf.

You never know what to expect from a Louis Sachar book. The one thing you can always be sure of however is quality literature for young people that also appeals to adults. I have always been amazed at how this lawyer from California is able to weave elements of his stories together and not ignore the details. Little mysteries from the beginning of the story will make sense in the end.

Angeline is too smart for her own good and is not well like at school, until she meets a young boy who is sort of an outcast himself. The two of them befriend a teacher who befriends Angeline's father. The story was cute and I was able to relate Angeline and really felt for her. I did have 2 problems however.

First, Sachar routinely talks about the things Angeline knew before she was born because she was connected to the world, but he does not explore this topic as much as I would have liked, or expected. Also, I felt the suggested future romantic relationship between Angeline and Gary to be a little much considering she is only 8 years old. These are both small issues, but they did prevent the book from getting a five star rating.

Why 4 stars?:
With the exception of two flaws: 1 dealing with a concept not being explored fully, the other with content, this book was very enjoyable. It is not the most open for discussion of Sachar's works, but there is still plenty to talk about. I would recommend this book for intermediate students and their classrooms - it is already a part of mine.

I loved how Louis Sacher described Angeline's personality and life. I thought it was sweet that she could be anything from a layer to president, but she wanted to be a gar bage person like her father. I have read Wayside school books, but this was THE funniest of them all! I felt sorry for Angeline because she was laughed at for doing things that came natural to 8 year olds. Like, for example, sucking her thumb and being very emotional about every thing. I agree with Miss Turbone (a.k.a. Mr.Bone) when she said that if she had Mrs. Hardlick as a teacher, she'd go to the aquarium too. I rejoyced when Mellisa Turbone fell in love with Abel. Angeline deserved a mother. In my heart I know that they got married. I got worried when Angeline fell in the ocean and almost drowned. But, it WAS funny when she awoke in the hospital room to a joke. If I was Goon (Gary) I would have probably fainted when she said "What?". I loved this book with all of my heart. It is my third favorite book ever!! My first favorite is The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe. Look for my review on it! READ SOMEDAY ANGELINE!!!!!!

The book that ties in with Louis Sachar's Dogs don't tell jokes. Angeline is a witty, smart, but ridiculed kid. She can't understand why everybody makes fun of her, even if she's the class einstein. Her widowed father meets Miss Turbone who she calls Mr.Bone, and Angeline meets Gary Boone(aka Goon) who is the class clown. Gary has the same problems as Angeline, everybody thinks he just tells jokes and is the class clown. This is one of Louis Sachar's finest books and is extremely sad if you get everything.

when you're in the mood for some short whistful escapist romantic stories in a celtic setting, pick up this one. good for a rainy sunday afternoon.

Wonderful stories of magic, romance, and irish lore. If you like to curl up at night with a short story, this is a great book for you. I was delighted with this book and with Irish Magic II.

This book will not appeal to everyone and is reviewed in the context of the intended audience. It is a collection of four novelettes by master storytellers. The first story, "Galway Bay" by Morgan Llywelan, is a change of pace for readers familiar with her full length historical novels. It is set in modern times, and concerns a part-Irish woman on vacation in Galway, Ireland, who encounters the underlying realities of Irish folklore and discovers romance in an unexpected place. The second story, "The Harpers's Daughter" by Barbara Samuel, is set in ancient Ireland and concerns Deirdre, destined to be the bride of a king, but she loves another. Expressed in Deirdre's thoughts (about other women in the king's court), "One of them, one day, would have the warrior who'd snared her heart, while she would lie with the fat, old king. It wasn't fair." Deirdre is cursed with extraordinary beauty that creates uncontrolled lust in the minds of any men who see her. Can she find a refuge with the man she loves, and will magic protect them? The third and fourth stories deal with connections to the spirit world in an ancient Irish setting. The third, "The Trysting Hour" by Susan Wiggs, is about a spirit that can assume a mortal man's shape, and who desires a woman meant to be a king's wife. Can he win her hand while he prevents the king from consumating the marriage? And is she really an ordinary mortal woman? The fourth, "Rarer than a White Crow" by Roberta Gellis, has a man placed under a spell by a shape-changing witch with her own agenda (which can only be guessed at). People are at an interface between the spirit world and the mortal world. Angus must win the hand of Caer and love her til the end of her days in order to be free from the spell, but that is easier said than done. Can they thwart the real agenda of the witch? The book contains explicit sex and violence. It is an excellent set of stories for those interested in this type of fantasy romance.