This author, I'm sorry, writes like a 5th grader. She mixes character point of view, uses terse and corny dialogue, has poor use of scene description that fails to draw the reader into the setting, shows two-dimensional characters, and is overall too simplistic with her writing style. She used to write a bit better than this. Did becoming a big-time author change that? Sorry, couldn't concentrate on the story line, because the writer "tells" the story, rather than "show" it to the reader. Blahk!

I love the characters. I had no trouble concentrating on this book. It was wonderfully written.

When I read the story of Jason and Stormy my heart went out to them. There truely is something to falling in love with a sailor ,I ought to know I have one of my own. There separation and reuniting are depressing, funny, heart rending, sad, and joyous to say the least. Wanda Owen captured all of my emotions in this book. I only hope to see more of Jason and Stormy before long

I did not think this was an appropriate book for my 5 year old son. It talked in some detail about eating the liver and lung of Snow White. It ends with a description of the demise of the Queen, "But they had already put iron slippers over a fire of coals, and they brought them in with tongs and set them before her. Then she had to put on the red hot slippers and dance till she dropped down dead." Need I say more? This is not for small children! The pictures are beautiful giving the book a few stars, but there are only pictures on every other spread. My son continued to try to turn the page while I was reading the pages with only words while I am trying to anticipate what to skip over.

Parents - read these stories to your kids. No, the Brothers Grimm are not Disney. They are not a contrived fantasy world that teaches your children little fairies will come and save them from their troubles when something goes wrong. Disney is good for sing-a-longs. Parents, if you want to teach your children *life lessons* about growing up, about facing their fears, and about not being ashamed of who they are, read the Grimm tales to them. Then, after you're done, explain to them what these books entail. Teach your child about *life.* Allow their minds to function, because a nonfunctioning mind is clinically dead. .....stories of the unconscious.....

Jarrell translated this famous folk tale of the Grimm Brothers (Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm, 1785 1863, and Wilhelm Carl Grimm, 1786-1859) of the princess who is forced to hide from her evil stepmother. Jarrell retains the grim ending to the Grimm brothers tale. This issue was illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkett and it was a 1973 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a children's book. It is a book that should be on the shelves of all serious students of children literature.

In my opinion, this book is overpriced, and does not deliver anything near what I would consider to be a complete guide to the use of frankincense and myrrh in herbalism, and/or aromatherapy. Although there are some interesting recipes included in this work, there is little or no discussion regarding the teqniques of preparation, except for making a crude tincture (soaking the resin in a 95% grain alcohol solution)-there is really no discussion of the technique of doing even that; this is entirely unacceptible from the standpoint of an aromatherapist. There are many great historical references in this book, but there are some conflicts as to the actual timeline which they refer to time and again. This is especially true when dealing with ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, and Summerian civilizations. Perhapps this is due to poor research, edditing, or misprints; or even disagreements amoung Historians regarding ancient histories timetable (I do want to be fair, here). Irregardless of what caused such inaccuracies, it is frustrating to run accross them in the text in the middle of an interesting passage. The historical section of the book is only one of two sections in this book worth anything (again, this is purely my OPINION). The botany section of the book is also good, but falls short in that it fails to give such information as heat, and rainfall requirements, as well as, specific climatic conditions as seasonal temperature ranges, average rainfall, and specific soil (ie- nutrient) requirements. If this information is known, I gues we are left to look it up ourselves. This section could have been greatly expanded with the help of a botanist, and should have been. Another critique I have is that although the authors extol the healing abilities of both frankincense and myrrh, this is at times "watered down," -at some places to the piont of being almost appologetic. They also seem to discourage the use of essential oils of these resins, in favor of tinctures (alcohol based solutions in which the whole resin has been soaked for a period of at least two weeks), to which I somewhat disagree. Tinctures are great, but I do not believe that they can replace the essential oils of these gum/resins. I also understand the need to C.Y.A. in the face of a skeptical, and at times hostile medical community, but the authors let it get the better of them in this text, unfortunately. All in all, this is the only book published regarding frankincense and myrrh, so I have to give the authors credit for their efforts. Never the less, the shortcommings of the book cannot be overlooked. This book is worth reading, but not the price I paid for it. The authors also use it as a vehicle to sell only their products. That is fine to advertise as it is their work, but it is not why I purchased it. Coupled with the price, it detracts from my final rating. I would hope for a much needed and expanded next eddition.

A great refernce book for enthusiats of ancient cultures and those interested in the beginings of aromatherapy and the use of incense. This book charts out and goes into great depth about the ancient spice routes and how each culture(Egyptian and Mesopotamian) viewed and used Frankincense & Myrrh. The book also includes ancient and modern recipes for medicinal used of both resins.

Wanda always had whatever Wanda wanted. Well, almost. "The one thing Wanda didn't have was friends." That, and a magnificent kite a shopkeeper won't sell her. Until she throws one of her patented tantrums. He warns her of its mystical powers, but, oops, too late, it sweeps her into the sky and drops her off on a deserted island. There, she learns how to survive without clothes, toys, and television. Once she realizes she only yearns for mom and dad, she returns home for a group hug. As Wanda says, "There's more to life than things!" The illustrations are funky day-glo cartoons that will amuse young and old. Unfortunately, the sly text gives way to sudden sappiness as the story progresses, and the island scenes seem to be abrupt and unconvincing. Still, this book would be helpful in teaching children about materialism.

I like Whatever Wanda Wanted because it reminds me of when I have tantrums. I like when children in stories are bad sports because it's kind of funny. If you ask for everything and have tantrums, something bad might happen to you. You should buy this book because the illustrations are pretty, and the story makes a lot of sense.

This is the first time I'm feeling compelled to write a review for Amazon's readers and here's why: this book is based on a short first hand account written by a Bosnian Serb inmate in Jasenovac and it's quite interesting. I mean: the guy's no Primo Levi but the account looks honest and heartfelt enough to haunt a feeble-gutted reader. It doesn't add much to what was already known about Jasenovac; indeed I expected a much more gruesome tale, but the author asserts he reported only what he saw directly and that's fine with me. What's not fine with me at all is the editor's job, that trasformed a honest book in sheer propaganda of the worst kind. I don't know if she was duped into this, but she should really shoulder the blame of having manipulated for shameless purposes (i.e. finding a pretext and a justification for the massacres perpetrated by Serbs in the 92-95 war)a honest effort by somebody who saw hell with his own eyes. The notes intermingled with the text are at best misleading when they're not completely spurious(e.g. the horrific account of the king of cut-throats, quoted by some other reviewer above is taken from Avro Manhattan and NOT from the author of the book. Manhattan is a source no serious researches would quote with a ten foot pole). If anybody still has any doubt on what the purposes of the editor (Wanda Schindley, for the record) are, just check out the home page of the International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic you will find the book in object quoted under the caption "Why did Serbian people *not* want to be ruled by Croatia in 1991?". I can sympathize with some of the editor's points, particularly about the role of the Vatican in the 92-95 war and the process of beatification of Stepinac, but from that to manipulation there's a long winding road. Finally I'd like to say a word curiously absent from the editor's epilogue: Sebrenica.

I would like to say one thing. This book is excelent. it is a first hand account from the eyes of child who lived through WW2. If one looks at other reviews we see people talking about how horrible this book is and how it is all lies. Now lets look at thsoe peoples names, all Croats. Jasenovac did happen and people who deny it are lying. Even the Croatian government said that 700,000 did die there. Come on now 700,000 Serbs in 4 years. That means 500 people per day. ohh i am so sorry 500 people per day is not a massacre. please stop, read the book, read history books, read academic records and you will see Jasenovac is true and this is a innocent first view on the camp.

From the moment I purchased this book I could not put it down until I was finished it (a few hours later).

Ivanovic's personal account of his "1000 days" in hell is so devastatingly truthful, so shocking and is a perfect example of why his story "had to be told". So brutal are his accounts of events from 1942-1945, that I was nearly brought to tears on several occasions.

The sheer brutality of the Croatian Nazi masters (Ustashi) was unparralled in Europe during WWII. In fact, even Germans found the Ustashi methods of torture and liquidation beyond explanation. The methods of torture and murder at Jasenovac even exceeded the horrors of Auschwitz. While the main target of the murderous ISC were Serbs, they also liquidated tens of thousands of Jews, Gypsies and Partisan Croatians.

It is amazing that the realities of Jasenovac have remained largely a "hidden shame" for the Croat government of the ISC and even the current Neo-Fascist regime in Croatia presently.

The single most impressive part about this book pertains to points of factual or statistical reference (by way of footnotes). Most of the sources the editors used were either from Croat WWII sources or Catholic Church sources. Often the debate about Jasenovac has revolved around the false belief that Serbian historians falsified numbers, facts and statistics. By using sources from Croatia and the Vatican this book has legitimized the horrors that the sons and daughters of Serbia faced in WWII.

Additionally this book puts into context the current climate in fascist Croatia and Fundamentalist Bosnia. Only through survivor accounts (such as this) and greater investigation into Croatian attrocities at Jasenovac can the Balkan's move forward into the 21st century.

I highly recommend this book to all who seek the truth about a place called hell, a place called Jasenovac.

Let's not start with the spelling errors that are consistent enough that they can't be editorial mistakes. Let's not start with the subject matter, which wavers over the line of political polemic once too often. Let's not start with the scareligious procedure of putting lines above the poem that explain it. Instead, let's start with the definition of poetry itself and the basic idea, always there even if not stated, that one of the primary functions of poetry is to elevate the language in some way, that indefinable something that makes you realize a poem is a poem and not just random thoughts brokwn up into lines.

There are times, more times than can be coincidence, that Wanda Coleman's work strays over that line of language elevation. The woman obviously has a command of the language that she is capable of unfolding and wielding with scalpel-like precision when she wants to:

when god passed out the baby fat she was first in line she wasn't pretty [enough] to be a j.a.p. lost her virginity in the back seat of a cadillac her shrink diagnosed her as manic repressive

anorexia as goddess words so think you're hungry again an hour after you eat them

but unfortunately such moments are all too rare in this eighteen-year two-hundred-twenty page compendium of work. Most of it sounds more like it came from the freely-flowing pen of those too drunk, or too tired, to do anything but automatic writing. While there are some poets who worked at their best that way-- Desnos, Bukowski, and a handful of others come to mind-- the majority who try to do it fail miserably.

she walks walking walked all through life walks restless like her people waiting to see what happens knowing it will never happen until after she's dead

...and the walking shall continue until we can walk no more.

Now, I'm all too willing to kick a lot of swine out of the way to find a few pearls, but there are some things that will make it an annoying process, like an inability to spell "enough" and "come" correctly for two hundred twenty pages-- especially when your command and grasp of the English language is at least at the college level. By the time I got to the end of it, I was skimming pretty hard.

I respect Robert P. Beveridge's review, but I don't see the distinction he's making between Coleman's "scalpel" poems and her "automatic writing" poems. The "walking" quote he singled out for criticism comes from one of the more-effective pieces, in my opinion. This may come down to a matter of taste. I wonder if Wanda Coleman herself would agree that poetry is supposed to elevate the language. She doesn't seem to be trying to "elevate" anything. She seems to be groping at the limits of language to express the kind of pain that usually shocks people mute.

If you have never read any of Coleman's poetry before, dive on in. She is a gifted writer with one foot in the black oral tradition and the other firmly rooted in the American experience. A previous review of this book complained about Coleman's inability to spell certain words, such as come and enough, correctly. Obviously, this reviewer has his head buried in the Ivory Tower. It seems fairly remedial to have to point out that Coleman purposely misspells these and other words: she is trying to make a poetic point! I suggest reading the poem "Essay on Language" (a version of which also appears in her "Hand Dance" collection) for a further understanding of why she chooses to write in a style that reflects her life and her experience. Standard English is nothing but a dialect, you know.

If you are looking for gripping, emotional, passionate poetry that tells a woman's side of the story, pick up Heavy Daughter Blues. You won't be disappointed.

This book was about a girl named Reyna from Spain. Reyna is captured by pirates on her way to an arranged marriage in America. This book was kind of boring and I didn't like it too much.

This book was okay, but the romance really wasn't enough for my taste. I think that there are better "american dreams" books out there. But if you like spanish babes battling wars, then i guess you could live with this book.. :)

Unlike some of the books in The American Dreams series, this book focused more on the adventure than the romance. But I still loved it and I'm notorious as a hopeless romantic. It's probably a book that older teens would enjoy and understand better than younger ones would.

Anyway, the story is about a young mail-order bride that is captured by pirates on the way to her wedding. She is terrified at first and goes through many hardships, but finds that her new life with the pirates is much more exciting and more to her liking than life at a Spanish orphanage ever was or marriage to a wealthy older man ever could be. But Reyna's ideal life at the pirate's hide out is threatened by a coming war and a fiance that is unwilling to lose his investment, namely Reyna.
To further complicate Reyna's life is an unexpected love for an unsuitable man that Reyna can never have, but who she can't live without.

I have fallen in love with this book every time I've read it. Give it a chance! You just might love it too. And if you like this book, be sure to check out the rest of the American Dreams series, especially Sarah on her Own.

The best thing I can say about this book is that at least I checked it out from the library, rather than buying it.

The book is mostly personal anecdote (the authors' and stories of others whom they've met), which would be just fine if the authors weren't so self-absorbed that they couldn't draw conclusions, parallels, and sage advice from their experiences--as one would hope from authors who felt the need to communicate their wisdom to others. Consequently, the book reads more like a memoir without self-reflection. In one instance, the authors relate a several page biography about a doctor from Mississippi, then drop the story without even discussing what could be learned from him.

Maybe it is a good thing the authors offer no advice, since I also take issue with what they call "simplicity." I won't critique that here, since simplicity means different things to different folks, but I will say that one of the dominant tenets of simplicity is living one's life in accordance to internal, rather than external, values. There are several examples in the book which indicate that simplicity means no more to the authors than "doing what 'simple' farm-folk do on an orchard" and being self-congratulatory about it.

Moreover, I find their descriptive language loose and the prose uninviting in a way that is common of "professional" writers who use flowery language in an effort to seem erudite. Structurally, the book doesn't hang together very well and is often hard to follow.

Most readers would find books by Elaine St. James, and "Your Money or Your Life" and its sequel "Getting a Life" much more interesting as primers in this topic area. These books contain both the wisdom AND the personal anecdotes to be beneficial to everyone.

i don't know if i'm more thankful to wanda and frank for writing this book or to my friend kurt for passing it along to me. either way, it helped change my life.

the book tells the story of how wanda and frank transformed their LA lives. mixed in with their narrative are vignettes of other peoples' searches for simplicity in their lives. maybe the word "simplicity" has become overused and its definition washed out. for me, the book showed how different folks found peace of mind on a daily basis. how they realigned their goals and actions with their values. how they stopped competing and started living.

after i read it, i took a trip to Levering Orchard with my friend kurt. we wanted to meet the authors, to let them know that their book had touched us. so we took some time off from work, drove to virginia and found the orchard. when we arrived, frank was working at the pack house. we bought some apples and told him why we were there.

frank called wanda, who was up at the house, and told her that some "fans" had arrived at the pack house and wanted to meet her. and over time, kurt and i became friends with frank and wanda. we visited them on several occasions and kurt even helped them pick apples during the last week of the season that year.

i saw how they lived ten years after the move from california. i understood what they were writing about in Simple Living, and i began changing my own life. i wouldn't say that life has become "simple", but it sure is more peaceful than it used to be. my daily actions reflect my personal values and i have learned to live well with less stuff. i even moved from california to north carolina, in the blue ridge mountains, not too far from Levering Orchard.

so thanks, wanda and frank, for writing this book. and thanks, kurt, for letting me know about it.

This is undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read, and yes, I have read many. Having grown up in a small town, moved away to several metropolitan areas, and then returned, I am well aware of the challenges which face those of us who do so. Levering & Urbanska do a marvelous job of eruditely characterizing those challenges, as well as providing insight into the paradigm shifts required to resolve them. Their detailed, yet lively, description of small town and rural life is masterful, honest yet not critical. While their circumstances are unique to themselves, they are/will be reflected in the experiences of anyone making a similar choice. Additionally, the work is more than just one dimensional. It provides insight into both simple living as well as small town living. The writing style was eloquently simple, yet above a third-grade reading level. It was entertaining as well as enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in small town living, simple living, or both.

How excited was I?
Finally a vegetarian cookbook that was not all granola hippy-dippy food, styled for the 70's veggie.
Something cool, interesting, elegant, using new ingredients, new approaches, fusion style cuisine....
Alas, this book has absolutely not lived up to my expectations.
I am a pretty good cook; I generally don't fail in the kitchen, this was absolutely not the case with this cookbook.
The recipes sound great but don't turn out; the amounts of ingredients are weird, and don't match up (i.e. so much pasta, so little veggie, or so much dressing so little salad)
I am thoroughly disappointed, to the point where I will return the book and opt for yet another hippy dippy granola vegetarian cook book with recipes that actually work.

Not being a vegetarian I wondered how much I would enjoy a cookbook that included no meat recipes, I had no reason to worry. Although meat is not included, I have found that I can work it in whenever I want. Recipes have ideas for varying ingredients and helpful hints that really are helpful. The Bayou Chocolate Torte is one of the most amazing chocolate desserts I've ever had, and only 6 ingredients!

This book is filled with recipes drawn from the restaurant (of the same name) menu. They appear to have been extensively tested - not one has failed me - and I'm not the greatest cook. The more exotic ingredients can easily be found in major centres - often in my local supermarket. I have eaten at the restaurant many times - it's a very popular one in Victoria, BC. The book captures the atmosphere of the place - unique, funky, and friendly. I have a 2nd edition, and have not found any errors; those noted by others must have been fixed. I highly recommend this book for those wanting to make sophisticated, healthy food.

I found this book very disappointing. It is neither a travel book or a history book. Eric Newby's positive approach to life and adventure seems to be missing in this book and I found his attitude towards the people, the weather, the condition of B&B's, the roads and the food very condescending. His complaints about his bicycle sounded to me like a bad workman blaming his tools. Even if you have 21 gears you still need the skills to use them. Why oh why does he complain about the weather when he chooses to cycle around the westernmost outpost of Europe in Winter? Want a good cycling book? Then try Miles from Nowhere with a sympathetic author who gets into more serious scrapes and comes out of them with better grace and humor than the Newbys.

can't help but agree with another reviewer and concur that this book neither inspires nor stimulates, an unexpected experience with Eric Newby's writing. The occasional and unwelcome slide into condescension displayed might well be a reflection of the author's mood. I suspect this might have resulted from an almost unbelievably bad choice of travel timing for a book of this nature. Ireland, in winter, on a bicycle? As gloomy a metereological prospect as the literary result. Try Tony Hawkes' 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' for an infinitely more enjoyable read.

The author and his wife, sexagenarians both, took four tours of Ireland in one year in the 1980s, mainly by bicycle. The author has no inclination to conceal his rather acerbic personality, so you may find yourself rooting for the trucks early on. But keep reading, there's many a worthwhile nugget awaiting, and it's easy enough to discard the refuse. By page 291, when the author or his editors or the Lonely Planet reprinters get the spelling of "fuchsia" right on the fourth attempt, you will feel that anything is possible. So when the author cuts short his description of the final leg, decides not to undertake a planned trip to Northern Ireland, and leaves the book in its present rather untrim state, you're apt to feel a considerable sadness.

The maps provided by Lonely Planet add value to this edition.