About four years ago I bought four kits that came from this designer but missed out on buying the other two from the collection. Well imagine my surprise and delight when I bought this book and found all of them in it. These designs are excellent, easy to follow and beautiful when completed. THey also transfer over easily to needle point when using an 18 ct mono and floss instead of wool. This is a great edition to anyone's collection

These designs are absolutely stunning! Every design is beautifully finished and photographed. The charts are large and very easy to read. The charting is done with both symbols and colored squares so you can easily determine which thread to use for each stitch. And as an added bonus there is a paragraph or two about the history and symbolism of each design.

I love cross stitch and needlepoint and I also love oriental designs. This book fits both criteria and then some! You will find wonderful designs, some very small and quite a few large ones. Two things are really appreciated...very few colors are used (which is amazing given the depth of the designs) and very few fractional stitches are used, which again makes the stitching that much more enjoyable. Three large designs of geisha's are included and several designs focus on oriental plants and calligraphy. I would definitely rate this as one of the best cross stitch books I have ever purchased.

This is a great tape, what can I say? It works!!

This tape is extremely good. I can't wait to take a risk.
The tape teaches you to take charge of your life!!!

Henry Ford would have loved "Instant Guts!" He said, "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." What a positive and empowering audio. I received "Instant Guts" as a gift, and highly recommend it for friends you know need a little encouragement to grow. Joan Gail Frank obviously understands the frustrations and obstacles--the little things that keep us from doing what we long to accomplish. She also recognizes how the decisions we make to do a thing...or not to...help define who we will become and how we feel about ourselves in this life. Clever, fast-paced, and insightful, "Instant Guts" is absolutely inspiring and whether one is considering a change of jobs...or of hemispheres...there is a universal message in this book: "Go for it!"

We have all had that one relationship where we knew it was bad but refused to see it because it felt so good to be in love.

Joan Lewis allows us to revisit this experience with nostalgia and humor. We want to scream at Jane to get out before she gets hurt but know she wouldn't listen anyway - just as we wouldn't listen when we were told. At the same time, Joan's presentation of Billy Joe makes it easy to understand the tantalizing charm of the bad boy.

Readers will enjoy this one!

In His Corner
Will the Real Billy Joe Please Stand
By Joan Moore Lewis

This is a magnificent story about a very lovable young lady, Jane Moss, barely out of high school with innocence dripping from her every word and gesture as she ventures into real life. She is only a babe in the woods.

Jane grew up in Overton, a small southern town in central Georgia, in a very loving and caring family and community with many friends and a very caring but very strict father. Being the oldest child, this created a greater than normal desire for Jane to want to gain her freedom and independence to do it her way. She wanted to start her own life in the bright lights of Atlanta during the post World War II boom years of the mid 1960's. In Jane's case, this even turned into a "Damn it, stop me if you can attitude." Her confidence and drive is almost unbelievable for a young lady of her age in that day. This hurts Jane's father but he finally becomes reconciled, in his own way, to the fact Jane is a grown woman and there is nothing he can do to stop her.

Once in Atlanta, Jane very soon bumps into a slight acquaintance but older man, Billy Joe Billingsley, whom she had a small crush on in junior high school back in her hometown. This was just after Billy Joe returned from prison. Was this for a minor crime, or only a schoolboy prank that Billy Joe was sent up for? Jane doesn't really know or care to know, but she immediately falls blindly in love with this very cool, handsome, polished, very kind and tender man, in Jane's eyes. But, inside isn't he simply a mentally disturbed released convict, now a polished full blown con man, thief and mobster with a very strong need for Jane's affection? Is this need for affection only his desire to be forgiven by someone from his hometown? Does he really want Jane as his lover and some day for his wife? Or is his need only for her to act as a younger sister accepting and trusting him only because she is from his hometown? Jane is very intelligent, but is she so blinded by her love for Billy Joe that she only thinks that he is in love with her? He never shows his affection in this manner. In addition to his affection needs, is he actually using her as a cover for many of his wrong doings and can't admit this even to himself?

Here is where the brilliance of the talented author Joan Moore Lewis grabs her readers by their own conscience immediately with a direct challenge to the very inner core of their own morals by making them have to choose between right and wrong in forming an opinion about this strange friend of Jane's. She then holds their attention throughout the book, making them wonder if their opinion about Billy Joe was the one they really should have made. Some may even change their opinion several times during the read but they won't lose interest. They are hooked until the last word is read. In her clever way, the author lets Jane fulfill her desire for excitement and fine clothes by tagging along and flying to her dear Billy Joe on weekends at his every beck and call all over the southeast, eating in choice restaurants, staying in the best hotels, gambling at the strips in Biloxi and Las Vegas and meeting friends of Billy Joe's from prostitutes, pimps and mobsters to rich politicians and elected state officials. Billy Joe knows his way around. He knows his job and has been groomed and taught good taste and manners on high style living, which he gladly teaches Jane. Jane hangs on his every word. How will this all end?

This is a great read for everyone. The author presents the book in such a vivid manner that one can't help from wonder if this isn't a true story lived by the author instead of a novel. Then again, Joan Lewis's hometown of Fayetteville, Georgia was home for another great storyteller, Dr. Ferrol Sams. Might it be something in the water or was it transmitted through high school English teaches? If you remember, Dr. Sams wrote, "When all the World was Young," "Run with the Horsemen," "Whisper of the River" and others. No, it's not something in the water. Truth or fiction, it is simply the shining talent of this fine author Joan Moore Lewis breaking through the clouds to be seen again many times in the future.

This book is a must read for every parent and grandparent of a daughter or granddaughter and I suggest they get a copy for these young ladies to read before their graduations. It might save heartaches down the road.

In His Corner: Will the Real Billy Joe Please Stand
By Joan Moore Lewis

This is a wonderful story of two people, Billy Joe Billingsley and Jane Moss, who met by accident. Jane, young and innocent, immediately lost her heart to Billy Joe, an ex-con.

Joan Moore Lewis has weaved a well written story around the life of Billy Joe and Jane with all kinds of unsavory characters coming in and out of their lives. The people around Billy Joe refuse to forget the wrong he did when he was a teenager. Jane was the only exception. Solid as a rock in her belief in him, she proves love is blind when she chooses not to see the bad in Billy Joe.

The suspense builds as you wonder if Billy Joe will stay in the wrong crowd, namely the Dixie Mafia, or will his gentle side win out and take him down a straight path so he and Jane can finally allow themselves to fall in love.

The setting for this book is in and around the Atlanta area. As a former resident of Georgia, I saw many names and places pop out at me that I had long forgotten about. It is obvious that Ms. Lewis knows her way around Atlanta and the State of Georgia. Real names and real landmarks give realism to this story.

This gentle and intriguing romance/suspense story is one that romance lovers will savor. The sensitive romantics will find more than once that they will be shedding a tear over the concern Billy Joe and Jane Moss have for each other. You will find yourself pulling for them on every page.

I am a born romantic, and I loved it!

Reviewed by Bobby Ruble, the award winning author of Have No Mercy.

What I particularly like about this book is the variety of approaches to self discovery it offers. Readers are invited to construct a puzzle from their dreams, daydreams and personal visions to discover the larger messages coming from their unconscious. Joan Mazza always gives the power to her readers, not offering advice as much as inviting them to find their own path. If you're in the mood for a mini vision quest, this is the perfect book to get you started.

In Dream Back Your Life, Joan follows her Dreaming Your Real Self with yet another journey to our disovery of the restorative processes and the understanding our dreams have for us. Easy to read and comfortable as a close friend, Joan moves us through steps, ideas, and methods for us to take charge of our dreams and learn from their messages.

I totally enjoyed this book! I tend to skim self-help books rather than read them completely, but Joan Mazza's style really drew me in. I found many practical examples of how to utilize each concept presented, which for me is very helpful. What really drew me though, was her overall approach. "This book is about making friends with your mind" says the author, and that is just the type of approach I find so valuable in letting go of some of the denial/defensiveness we have been raised with that makes it hard to truly look at ourselves. And the nice thing about exploring your dreams is it is totally personal, you re not making yourself vulnerable to others, it is a fascinating journey of self discovery. I recommend this book to anyone who wants more tools for effective self exploration.

While most Mexico guides devote a section to eating, authors Joan and David Peterson see food as an integral part of the journey, the very basis of travel, and their new guide "Eat Smart in Mexico" (1998, Ginkgo Press, $12.95) reflects that sensibility. One of a series that includes Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey, Eat Smart gives a historical survey of Mexican cuisine followed by an overview of each Mexican region, describing its most representative foods, from the North to the Yucatán. We learn, for example, that Michoacan residents eat churipo, a stew made with potatoes and corn and flavored with the sour cactus fruit xoconostle.

A recipe section presents essentials like birria, mole poblano and chiles rellenos, as well as more exotic offerings like cheese-stuffed squash blossoms and mezcal sea bass with black bean sauce. The recipes have been provided by a number of restaurant owners, cookbook authors and culinary experts.

The most useful section of Eat Smart is its extensive glossary, which is broken down into a menu guide and an ingredients guide. The definitions, written with the gusto of those who are passionate about what they eat, should help readers decipher menus just about anywhere in Mexico. It includes obscure items like codillo enchilmole-pig's knuckles in a black spice paste made of burned chiles, roasted onion and garlic, and juice from the bitter Seville orange, and ayocotes en coloradito-large broad beans in a rich, red, complex sauce of ancho and guajillo chiles, spices, nuts, seeds, raisins and chocolate. Browsing this glossary is certain to whet your appetite to seek out these dishes in the places where they're prepared. -Daniel C. Schecter, Business Mexico

In spite of our having traveled in Mexico many years, and having prepared its cuisine at home as well, we find much to learn from this book. And the authors strike us as folks we would like to meet, and even travel with. Carla and Herb Felsted, co-editors, Mexican Meanderings, A Newsletter of Explorations in an Enchanted Land

Besides containing a brief culinary history of ancient and contemporary Mexico, this very intelligent guide has two sections that are of incredible use to the traveller. "Menu guide" is an encyclopedic translation of hundreds of dishes one will encounter in the menus of Mexican cuisine annotated with phrases such as Regional Classic, National Favorite, etc. "Food and Flavors guide" goes from A la Albanil to Zempasuchil. Take this book with you and you will never be lost in the marketplace or restaurant.

Ron Cooper, President, Del Maguey, Ltd. Co., maker of Single Village Mezcal.

Hi, I am a senior in high school and I read this book years ago. I remember how well it was written and I know now that the girls have served their time and are out of prison. I was wondering if anyone could give me any info on where they are now and what they are up to or even a web site to go to. thanks so much. email me.

Having been incarcerated in the same juvenile facility with both Shirley and Cindy, I found the book to be marvelously enlightening. It answered questions regarding the crime that neither of the girls would address in person. Last I heard, Cin paroled in '92 to Fresno and Shirley was transferred out into a women's prison in Fontana,CA. It was rumored that she injured a guard during an escape attempt. I really would like to see some sort of "whatever happened to?" to let us know how both ladies are doing, of course maintaining the anonymity of their new identities.

I read this book a few years ago, and it was one of the best true crime novels ever written. It is very obviously written with much consideration and care, for both the perpetrators and the victim. Ever since reading this book, I've thought about those two girls, and how their lives were totally ruined by abuse and neglect, and wonder whatever happened to them. The author goes into much detail about the horror they suffered, which will leave you sleepless. Joan Merriam did a great job at showing the killers in a sympathetic light without taking the dignity away from the victim of this horrible crime. My heart aches still for Shirley, Cindy, and Anna Brackett. This book should not be out of print! It is an excellent example of what child abuse does to children, and the innocent victims who pay the price.

I'm extremely impressed by this book. All patient education should strive to be this clear, readable, respectful, and comprehensive. It is written with understanding of and sympathy for the experience of coping with a potentially life-changing condition -- and by that I don't mean simply that the tone is warm and encouraging (although it is), but that the book is full of practical information that answers the kinds of questions that patients are likely to ask.

This book gives a broad overview of this extremely common and debilitating eye disease. The co-authors, a leading ophthalmologist and a patient with macular degeneration, present the information from both the technical point of view and the laymen's point of view. The book covers many aspects of macular degeneration, including its definition, types, diagnosis, treatments, and coping methods. The treatments section includes a comparison of alternative therapies as well as standard medical treatments. There are also chapters on possible causes of macular degeneration and potential ways to lower the risk of developing the disease. The book includes a glossary and a list of resources for further information or help. If you or someone you know is diagnosed with macular degeneration, this book will be invaluable.

A few years ago my wife had a blood vessel in her retina burst causing permanent partial vision loss in one eye. (She complained of "wavy vision" the day before she was to go to Europe on vacation - she cancelled the trip.) Since then we have had an Amsler grid on our refrigerator door, and she has learned to cope with the 'missing spot' in her field of vision.... Two weeks ago she noticed - while watching the Bloomberg channel - that she could not read a good bit of what was on the screen. This time the doctor found another leakage into the retina (not involving red blood cells); her vision returned to what it was before in a few days. The doctor 'put dye into her' to 'check her eyes out.' - BUT this time the doctor told her that she has early dry ARMD. ----- I realized that we didn't understand very much of what we were being told ... so I bought this book and spent the last two days reading it cover to cover... This is really an EXCELLENT summary. I wish we had had it before my wife's latest problem, because I would have been able to ask more intelligent questions. We will on the next checkup! This deceptively small book holds more information than I thought could be packed into a 170-page volume in large type. Dr. Robert D'Amato's explanations are not only complete, but also clear. (I finished reading it before I noticed that the Macular Degeneration Foundation has endorsed it!). I have a bent for details and proofs, for the exact pro's and con's of different 'treatments.' I learned that my wife's emotional reaction to her diagnosis (she was initially convinced that she 'was going blind') was only partially justified. Dr. D'Amato shows that this outcome is highly improbable; most people show a gradual loss, if any at all, over a period of years. I learned, however, that it is essential to keep an eye on (unintended humor there) dry ARMD so that progression into wet ARMD can be detected, and then treated. He details both current and prospective treatments for wet ARMD. ---- "Macular Degeneration" contains a very helpful glossary, and the book is filled with specific sources - so one can pursue additional research on this affliction! ----- I was NOT particularly impressed by Joan Snyder's contribution to this volume, despite the fact that she is obviously sincere. 'Alternative medicine' seems to be all the rage now, but I think it lacks the rigor of true science. Mrs. Snyder's very complete listing of alternative approaches seemed to me merely a catalog of 'ways to kid yourself.' [I was waiting for her to suggest prayer, pilgrimages, or divine healing -- which she never did, thank goodness!] Dr. D'Amato's kind words about his co-author did not hide his skepticism about her sympathy for 'alternative medicine'. He is a more patient man than I am! Since the 'alternative medicine' section occupied a relatively small part of the volume (the preface and Chapter 8) I don't feel that Mrs. Synder's contribution significantly detracted from the book's worth -in fact, for those like me who are hard-headed empiricists, the descriptions of 'alternative approaches' told me: don't waste time on this approach! ---- Hats off to the publisher: Note that the typeface is quite large which opens this valuable work to those who need it the most -- ARMD sufferers with significant vision loss! I strongly feel everyone recently diagnosed with ARMD should read this book.

You'll be charmed by the North Star memories these 2 ladies evoke of their lives in Minnesota in the '50's. How I had forgotten the polio epidemic, the love-affair with Elvis most of us had, the local swimming holes, and the scrap books I kept but now can't find. I laughed, I cried, and I sent in my own submission to their upcoming Vol. II because I too was introduced to my first theatrical performance at the high school gym when basketball nets served to hold spot lights and the velvet curtain was strung between them. Their writing even captures the speech patterns I wanted to lose, but my Minnesota accent still gives me away. Their guest writers capture memories that my family holds dear--the local church pageant, the one-room schoolhouse that educated most of my family, and the centennial parade with its primite floats and antique cars that stole our hearts and made us yearn for those by-gone years of the simple life, valued time with family, and Christian values that are never appreciated till later in life. This is a fun read, one that all Midwesterners can identify with and appreciate.

One story, "Toyota City", is worth the price of all of the "Minnesota Memories" books. Joan and her fellow writers take us back to our childhood and memories of friends and relatives. Even though I am from North Dakota, these collections of stories ring true to the stories we were told when visiting the "Home Place" in Minnesota. Never been to Minnesota? Read the books and find people as they really are. People like you and me or like we wish we were. Fill your wagon with real stories of real people as you join Joan and friends in a journey to the real Minnesota. We were privileged to have Joan visit our home. She is as delightful as her books and her time with us is now one of our very own "Minnesota Memories."

Readers of this book write and say, "Send me another; I want to give it for Christmas to my relatives who already have every refrigerator magnet and walleye shot glass from Mall of America." Tell newcomers or those who have retired from Minnesota winters and relocated in Florida that this is one book they should share with anyone who still holds the North Star State dear to their hearts. It's a gem!

For a general introduction to landscaping with native plants in Florida, this is a good book. It includes some introductory chapters with landscape plans for various types of gardens, such as water gardens and wildlife gardens. The main part of the book has a page on each native plant grouped in chapters on palms, shrubs, small trees, large trees, vines, wildflowers, and water plants.

The book includes plants for all of Florida, which means there are a quite a few temperate zone plants that grow in the north and central part of the state and not in zone 10 (farthest south), but there are also plenty that grow throughout the state or only in the south.

Overall, good photography, plant descriptions and advice make this a good general book for Florida landscaping.

This is a great reference book for anyone living in Florida, who wants to identify and learn about native Florida plants. The book includes a photo of each plant with the common and botanical names. It provides zone numbers and descriptions of each plant's average height & light requirements. Also, bloom information, fruit, leaves, trunk, habitat, propagation and appearance descriptions. Chapters are divided by basic plant type - large trees, small trees, palm trees, wildflowers, etc.

I can't think of a way to improve this book. It's been invaluable to me. The pictures are excellent, as are the descriptions of the various plants' growth habits, needs, and wildlife attracting properties, etc.

The receipes are functional, even if you are not a gourmet chef. But the stories behind them are just fun to read! A taste--for the mind and tongue--of what life was like for some of our ancestors. I recommend the story of the orange, and the recipe for cranberry applesauce!

What I love most about this cookbook is how international it is. I've never seen another cookbook with so many great recipes from so many different countries. It makes sense really, if you consider that Jews have come to the U.S. not only from Eastern Europe, but also from Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Cuba, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, etc. Consequently, many of the recipes, such as ceviche and chicken adobo, were a welcome surprise in addition to Jewish favorites such as knishes, hamantashen, and matzoh ball soup. Introducing most of the recipes are fascinating personal stories of the people who've brought their wonderful culinary traditions to America. Any food lover/cook will appreciate the heartfelt style of this excellent cookbook.

This book contains user-friendly recipes, and most of the ingredients called for are easily obtainable. The majority of the recipes appear to be for dishes that are actually eaten by Jews rather than for ones that are definitely not part of Jewish cuisine although they have been passed off as such by some authors. Ms. Nathan is passionate about the food she describes and provides a generous amount of information on the history, lore, and cultural and religious traditions of the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews who settled in America. She also includes menus, a helpful glossary of Jewish terms, and many interesting illustrations.

I would also like to recommend "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan," by Sonia Uvezian. This definitive volume offers superb recipes and fascinating text, including information on the region's minorities (particularly Jews and Armenians) that is not found in previous cookbooks.