I picked up this book at a used book sale because the cover looked intriguing and I like to read all sorts of different books. The first chapter confused me slightly and I wasn't sure I'd like the book. The second story helped me understand why the first chapter was confusing and I came to the conclusion that Merilyn Simonds is a master storyteller. This book is through the eyes of on woman from childhood through adulthood. Just as your earliest childhood memories are confusing, so are hers. I realized when I was a child I took solace and comfort in certain perceptions and beliefs, that were not real. I have VIVID memories and emotional pulls to things, places and people that no longer intrigue me or anyone else. In short, this book is incredible. Her writing is precise, clear and thought provoking. Almost psycholoically stimulating in ways you never thought a book could be. This book quickly became a top ten favorite for me.

Merilyn Simonds brings hope to those of us who have been instructed by our teachers and mentors to write about what we know best. In a series of personal vignettes, Simonds carefully recreates moments and situations from her past, turning them into art. A real page turner, this book has to be begun from the beginning every time it is picked up (I'm making it last!). The writer lets readers into the most private corners of her being ... and we recognize something of ourselves there.

I'm so glad I purchased this book. I've been looking at it for hours at a time since I got it. There's sure to be a game that everyone in your family will enjoy. Outdoor, dice, card (many variations, including solitaire games), stones, beans, shells, pen & paper, domino, board (some requiring special pieces, like Chess and Monopoly), parlor, travel, really old, and somewhat new games! Buy it if for no other reason than to settle family arguments about rules!

Got a big yard or park nearby and lots of friends? Play Capture the Flag, Touch or Flag Football, Prisoner's Base, Red Rover, Dodge Ball or tons of other outdoor games requiring little or no equipment.

Like word games? There's a section for those, too!

Got a little one who's lonely and bored? Teach 'em how to play various forms of Hopscotch, Jacks, Jump Rope, or Marbles.

Want a global, multi-cultural gaming persprective? Try the Mancala games, dreidels, or French Tarot games (these all require special equipment).

I bought it for the information about horseshoes, croquet, and bocce (lawn bowling). It gives dimensions for the playing area, rules, even a little strategy! I am not kidding you, this book is great if you have kids to entertain, or just really love a good game.

I plan to teach my fiancee how to play chess this weekend using the very comprehensive instructions this book provides.

This is a great book. The card games alone make it a terrific resource but then add homemade board games, dice games, guessing games, outdoor games for all ages children to adult, and you have hours and hours of fun in a book. The directions are straightforward and easy to follow. The games index lets you choose a game by number of players, complexity, time, and age level with notations for variations, equipment needed and a distinction between quiet and active games. Our family has learned many new games we had never even dreamed about - we even learned to play bocce ball with croquet balls! Buy it if you like to play games.

I ordered this book on a whim, from a recommendation in another book on gardening - it is one of the best books on salad gardening and cooking - if not the best. The photographs alone are worth the price of the book; they are beautiful - and inspirational. There is a wealth of detailed information on almost any ingredient you would ever think of tossing in the salad bowl (as well as some you hadn't thought of until reading this book). Even though this book is based on a garden in Canada, it is still very relevant to anyone who is interested in growing for salads. There are many mouth-watering recipes, as well as excellent resources and suggested varieties of seeds. I followed some of the book's recommendations and was extremely pleased with the varieties I grew; they were declicious. I can't recommend this book too highly; you will definitely get your money's worth!

This is a truly unique book. In 1987, a cache of letters, albums and clippings was discovered in the attic of a house in Kingston, Ontario, the bits and pieces of an unknown woman's life. Among the overflowing boxes and stuffed sugar sacks was a collection of letters from the months immediately after the First World War, a one-way correspondence written in pencil on flimsy paper. From this careless jumble of papers, there emerged unforgettable characters and an extraordinary story: a convict, a village girl, a penitentiary, and the town that lived in its shadow. The Convict Lover is a dazzling blend of historical detective work and imaginative recreation. You'll be spellbound by the relationship that unfolds through the very secretive, unconventional contacts made between one Joseph Cleroux and his link to the outside world, Phyllis Halliday. Excellent read. This book is an extraordinary stroke of literary good fortune. A wonderful read.

This story combines all the finest elements of a good read - it is a true story of the incongruous love between a young girl and a convict in the nearby Kingston Penitentiary based on letters found in the author's attic. Merilyn has researched meticulously so that the story combines in a realistic fashion the daily life of both the young girl - who is a romantic schoolgirl, often home ill and living in a strictly religious family - and the convict - who is an American imprisoned in Canada and determined not to let his sentence interfere with the quality of his life.

Through their letters, a picture emerges of the young man and the daily ritual that is his life in one of the newest penal institutions. The young girl uses her imagination to find ways to supply him with ordinary things that have extraordinary meaning inside prison walls. She buys him tobacco, mails his sister letters and sends him presents on holidays. Their relationship serves to increase her self confidence as she is shy, private and somewhat poor in health.

This book is a powerful story touching upon prison life, life as a young girl and the strange ways fate can bring two disparate people together.