I read this wonderful book 10 years ago while planning to become an innkeeper. Now that I am a successful innkeeper, I refer to it constantly and am incredibly grateful to the authors. I credit the information learned in this book as a reason for our success. It helped us ask the right questions, particularly about whether or not we had the personalities to make it in this diffficult business. Also, it was invaluable in creating our business plan. Don't open a B & B before reading this.

Submitted by the author of: "I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner."

You betcha!!! My middle name is Innes (no joke!!!!!) but it might as well be "inns"(!!!!!), that's how much I wanted to be an innkeeper, and Mary Davies' book is "inn" (!!!!!!) the right place "inn" (!!!) my bookshelf. No, but seriously, with my sense of humour and my wife Marjorie's overly solicitous manner and ability to project her prurient judgmentalism and dissaproval wordlessly, we had a headstart in that we were the perfect couple to run a Bed-and-Breakfast. Even the best need a hand though, and this book is a must-read for those who don't want to make a dog's dinner of this rewarding career.

As an accountant, I really appreciated the financial planning section of the book. It has helped us to realistically assess different properties in making our investment decision. This book is a must for anyone seriously considering a bed and breakfast or a small inn. Being able to estimate costs and revenues up front is imperative for success.

This is THE MOST AMAZING book on Mary Magdalen. Susan Haskins goes through the image/personna of the magdalen from the Biblical roots to our pop-culture. The primary references are excellent, it is well put together, it is PERFECT!

Haskins does an excellent job in bringing us virtually every relevant piece of useful information about Mary Magdalene. It's all discussed here -- Mary Magdalene in Scripture, non-canonical Christian literature, artwork, history, myths, and legends. An important work about an important historical and spiritual figure.

This is truly a brilliant dedication and devotion from Susan Haskins to the modern surfacing of Mary Magdalene. I believe that she has made an inspirational and scholarly entry into a field which is conspicously absent of female theologians. With this book as reference, the interested reader can find numerous starting points into the dark and tangled woods which, for two thousand years, have been blocking the paths leading to Mary Magdalene and a balanced spirituality.

"On what began as a fine day, a bear named Rembrandt lost his hat. He had stopped in the park to watch a clown juggle eggs, and while he was watching, a gust of wind snagged the tip of his hat and carried it away, just like that..." A good day turned suddenly bad, and even with the help of a well-meaning bird, cat, and rabbit, poor Rembrandt can't find the right replacement for his much loved and prized possession..... Susan Blackaby and Mary Newell DePalma have authored a simple, little magical tale, full of endearing characters and hats of every shape, size, and color. Ms Blackaby's gentle text, with its humorous dialogue, poses the problem. But it's Ms DePalma's vibrant and engaging illustrations that really tell the story and steal the show, and little ones will enjoy all the marvelous, expressive details found in each picture. With its satisfying, happily-ever-after ending, Rembrandt's Hat is perfect for youngsters 4-8, and a sweet lesson in patience and perseverance that shouldn't be missed

I bought 2 copies of this book and took one to my grandchildren in Virginia. 6 yr. old Charlotte listened to me read it and on each page asked me which hat I liked best. Two weeks later SHE read it to ME, needing help with only a few words.....again we chose which had we liked best on each page. Suzie is a very talented writer with a wonderful sense of humor! Children (and grandmothers) will live this!
Charleen

My younger daughter is now 11 years old, so the nightly bedtime stories that I read to her for years are mostly a thing of the past, but not completely. Sometimes I'll stumble upon a children's book that is especially noteworthy, both for the story content and the illustrations, and "Rembrandt's Hat" is definitely one of those. Rembrandt himself is a sweet and unassuming bear, with gentle eyes. Losing his hat, and struggling find the right replacement, is a simple predicament that we can all relate to. His quirky animal friends all offer sincere and humorously inadequte suggestions, until Rembrandt himself solves the dilemma. Blackaby's dialogue is smart, and DePalma's illustrations will have you chuckling. We especially got a kick out of the way DePalma included little fragments of words, maps and even Chinese kanji characters on every page, with no obvious rhyme or reason behind them. "Rembrandt's Hat" is a delightful read for kids and parents alike. We give it an enthusiastic two thumbs up.

This is a a delightful book to read while you're pregnant. It follows Danielle Steele and six of her friends during their pregnancies -- it's like seven separate stories compiled in one book. The moms were invited by Danielle Steele (the novelist) to participate in a prenatal exercise class -- the moms include Averil (a young, wildish New Yorker married to a doctor), Mary (owner of a skin care salon), Katherine (a bubbly, active, happy psychologist) Susan (a lawyer), Jan (a TV newswoman) and Diana (a practical mom married to an opthamologist). Some are first time moms; some are not. Some work outside the home; some do not. Some are nervous ninnies; others are not. Some had morning sickness and excessive weight gain and other problems; others breezed through the nine months. Each of the twenty-nine chapters in the book covers one aspect of pregnancy or childbearing (finding out, amniocentisis, sex, going home, postpartum depression, etc.) and has entries from each of the seven women about their experiences with respect to that topic. Reading this book is like talking with seven of your friends about their experiences during all aspects of pregnancy. It's not a scary book -- some of the women drank, smoked, didn't follow the prescribed prenatal diet regime -- and all of the babies turned out just fine, the moms were happy, and every single one of the seven was reassuring about how you WILL lose the baby weight (it seemed to come off a little too easily for some of the women). The best part -- the eight pages of pictures of the moms, their babies & their husbands.

This is a wonderful book for the first time mother. I found that I was referring to this book every time something new happend in my own pregnacy. It is a comfort as well as a joy to read. Its also great because there are things in this book that all your friends who have had babies fail to tell you. Its not the "pregnacy is scary" book. I really enjoyed the different writing styles as this is window into the life style of different womens pregnacy as well as creative ways to handle the stress of pregnacy.

This is a terrific book! The stories of these 7 women having their many babies gives the reader an idea of some of the different possibilities for pregnancies and how each birth is different - as well as that each baby is unique.
Great for every woman who is pregnant to show how there is a wide range of how it all can happen. I really enjoyed the writing style and all the stories. really worth reading

Unlike most professional chefs, Milliken and Feniger make all their recipes user friendly. None of the ingredients are exceptionally exotic, nor do they require special equipment. The eclectic mix of Thai, Indian and American recipes all sound delicious.

I have owned City Cuisine since it was published back in 1989. I have made many of the reciepies in this book and each one is superb, I'm getting a reputation for being an excellent cook. The baby back ribs are to die for. Last night I made cold soba noodles, chopped tofu with parsley and Gateau Benoit. It's tough to cook something special for those vegetarians-these people will be back-well they are family after all. Try the hostess style cupcakes. Yum yum yum

For those who need it, this book can help to improve basic writing skills. It is very useful for ESL students or anyone struggling with the writing portion of the CBEST test. It has a mix of practical grammar and practice exercises, with answers.

I teach a GED course and I find all the books in this series to be a valuable resource to anyone trying to obtain their GED. All of these books have excellent lessons and sample tests. These books are highly recommended.

If you are interested in wood carving and the tradition of the wood carvers in New Mexico this is a must have book. The secular and non-secular images displayed are excellent and inspiring works of art. The book is easy to read and entertains in a quasi-sholarly way. The glimpses into the various artists featured are interesting as they share insights into the way of life of these Santeros. The various profiled artists are unique, diverse, deceased or living and extremely talented. The section on Patrocino Barela and his family is fascinating and worth the cost of the book alone as it features some of his works which are extremely rare. This is a book that you will enjoy reading but more than that you will love looking at the works of art. Add this book to your art or religious section of your personal library. Be warned, you may not shelve the book as you will want to look at it over and over.

This study of contemporary santeros working in northern New Mexico is illustrated throughout with color photographs. Kalb examines the role and meaning of tradition in the work of a number of artists, both living and deceased. For each of these artists, the meaning of tradition varies, and the issues of self-representation, cultural expression, preservation, innovation, and market demands are all complex, powerful, and delicate. It is both troublesome and rewarding to be able to support a family on the sales of religious images to Anglo buyers. The mainstream fine art world, tourism, religion, and ethnic politics all play roles in the creation of traditional works in a contemporary world. For all the santeros, the tangle of religious, commercial, political, and aesthetic forces requires complicated choices far beyond the basic relationships between themselves and their saints. Laurie Beth Kalb tells a fascinating and revealing story about a unique art form and its significance

Psychologist Mary Lou Randour, Ph.D. gave up her private practice to devote herself fulltime to animal advocacy. Animal Grace: Entering A Spiritual Relationship With Our Fellow Creatures is her third book.

Dr. Randour says that "I learned that as we gain access to our hearts and minds, by acknowledging the ways in which we affect the lives of animals, this knowledge benefits us as much as it does the animals." She believes that humans have much to learn from non-human beings and points out that people have had animal companions since the beginning of time.

One of the most important things about animal wisdom is that it's always available to us. All we need to is become aware, which is "about deciding, learning, and acting." Once aware, we then develop compassion. Dr. Randour has found that learning about the intelligence and emotions of non-humans enables us to "overcome other distinctions, such as race, gender, nationality, and religion."

Her underlying philosophy is "ahimsa--harmlessness to all living things."

Dr. Randour includes interviews with world religious and spiritual leaders regarding their beliefs about the ways animals should be treated. She also includes numerous anecdotes describing how animals help humans with love, healing, spiritual growth, and death experiences.

"My work on behalf of animals infused me with a sense of purpose and prepared me to accept my own spiritual energy," Dr. Randour says. Animal Grace will help all readers understand how they too can enter into "reciprocal spiritual relationships" with their fellow non-humans.

I wasn't sure what this book was about when I bought it, even after reading the description and reviews. It kept coming up in my search for books on Animal Communication, so I thought I would check it out.It is definitely NOT about communicating with animals. For books like that, see Penelope Smith, Ted Andrews, etc.

This book was a wonderful read on how to increase our spiritual attunement/connection to animals. Animals have so much to teach us, especially by their examples. It was thought provoking and gently written.

ANIMAL GRACE is a potentially life changing book. Ms. Randour approaches the topics of spirituality and the state of grace animals possess and that which can be achieved between humans and animals by not only delving deeply into the subject(s), but by addressing them from an unexpected standpoint. The standard approach is (of course) the emotional, but Ms. Randour instead makes MORE than just an emotional case, she makes an intellectual one. As a result, her arguments and points will not only touch your heart, they will (more importantly in many instances) touch your MIND. Why? Because they're LOGICAL and challenge any thinking person to stop and reconsider many things normally taken for granted. It is one thing to tug at someone's heart, but quite another to challenge someone intellectually to question their own thought process. And that is the beauty of this book, it touches the reader on so many levels: emotionally, intellectually, and finally, spiritually. Simply put: This is an amazing book, and I only wish everyone could read it. If ANIMAL GRACE does not speak to you, then I don't know if anything ever will. I was already a lover of animals and nature and believed in the spirituality of all living things before I read this book, but by the time I had finished it (less than a day after I'd started it), I had begun to question my own feelings and beliefs and have since gone from dabbling in vegetarianism, to becoming a vegetarian. Obviously, this book spoke to me very deeply, but the most amazing thing about this wonderfully written and surprisingly touching book is that it manages something few books of this kind ever do--it absolutely crushes apathy. And it manages to do so without preaching or pushing any views on the reader. Do yourself, the animals of the world, and the world itself a favor...PLEASE read this book.

The concept rocks: write stories inspired by TV and movie heroes, but don't do it directly.

Much of the writing is equally good: obviously all these authors are excellent writers.

Some of the stories were compelling, some were mildly entertaining. None were awful.

However, this book is uneven. I have a hard time imagining that any one person would love all these stories. Some of the stories suffer from being so short, and others are just not that interesting.

I loved Moon Over Miranda and Mary Jo Putney's reworking of the King Arthur tale.

Five stars for concept and two of the stories. The other stories were all 3-star and 4-star in quality, so I'm averaging it all out to be four stars.

Get a copy of this anthology while you still can. You will NOT be a bit disappointed. Ten novellas from talented authors whose stories are inspired by TV and Movie heroes. What a kick! Regency, Western, Contemporary, Futuristic... They're all very well represented here. Stories and characters that will make you smile for days to come. Don't be put off by the mix of genres. This confirms that when written well, romance stories are timeless.

"In Our Dreams" is a unique collection of stories. While the authors use television/movie heroes as inspiration, they have managed to build on those images and make them uniquely their own. From Mary Jo Putney's twist on Arthurian legend to Courtney Henkes tongue-in-cheek take on mythic fantasy, I found myself eagerly turning the pages. This was a wonderful read with something to feed the romantic cravings of any reader. Whether your tastes run toward rugged Old West types or the cool elegance of the English Regency, there is something here for you.

Subtitled "High fashion techniqus for creating great-looking clothes" the illustrations and instructions are thorough. There are two drawbacks: a substantial amount of decorative stitching described is not available on the average serger. In fact, one of the more attractive decorative stitches in the book was for a Bernina serger that wasn't yet on the market at the time of publication. There are a lot of creative suggestions anyone can use, but you may feel "left-out" because much is geared to coverlockers that also do chainstitching and a lot of the decorative work is chainstitch-based. After reading it, I felt like I needed a new serger and the one I have is less than a year old! Second, the "Garment Gallery" is too long, my opinion. The seamstresses are rightly proud of their work, but it was more than I wanted to see. That said, if you are well acquainted with your serger's basic stitching, and want to explore its creative potential, this is a great book full of tips and ideas.

Truly excellent, I refer to it all the time for creative ideas. Just like other books on sewing, some ideas are a little cheesy for my taste. Having said that, I still think this is the best creative serging guide out there. I love the serged toggle buttons, flatlocked zipper, chain stiched details, serged French seam and the keyhole back placket serging guide. My clothes have never looked better! As for the machine, they have suggestions on how to adapt sergers with fewer stitches. I bought my machine used & factory serviced--it was a much better buy than paying the same money for a new machine with fewer options.

Serger Secrets has been one of the best books on this issue that I have ever read. I loved the full color illistrations on the different stitches the serger can do. It helps the mind to use it's imagination and create anything it wants. I found so many helpful ideas throughout the book . It was just one great book.