A quaint Pennsylvania town opens its historic houses for a charity tour, only to uncover hidden secrets it would rather keep hidden. Reporter Tori stumbles on many of these secrets, but earns the goodwill of the town through her personality. Death, Bones And Stately Homes is an intriguing and thoroughly entertaining mystery.

In the year that Tori Miracle has lived in the small town of Lickin Creek, Pennsylvania, she has tried her best to fit in but her detractors blame her for the death of their beloved congressman and the destruction of the historical house and courthouse buildings. She still has hopes of being part of the community so she volunteers to write up the brochure for the stately homes tour.

For the first time, the group has managed to get permission to put Morgan Manner on the tour but when Tori and her best friend Alice Ann examine one of the outbuildings, they discover old bones covered in a tuxedo. Tori learns it is probably the body of Rodney Meellot, a high school music teacher, who eloped with the art teacher Emily Rakestraw. A few days later the remains of Emily are found in Bride's House. Tori is sure the two murderers are connected so she starts asking questions of the townsfolk and that is when the attempts on her life begin.

It has been a long time since a Tori Miracle Pennsylvania Dutch mystery has been published but it has been well worth the wait. DEATH, BONES, AND STATELY HOMES is a charming cozy with many amusing and whimsical moments. Valerie S. Malmont also interweaves a social issue sub-plot into the main story line, which makes the tale even more realistic without taking away from the who-done-it. Ms Malmont is one author who never fails to deliver a fascinating story.

Harriet Klausner

I've read all of Valerie Malmont's books and liked each one, but this one is the best yet. I tore through it in a single day. I thought I'd had the entire case figured out, but, as always, there was a twist at the end I just never expected. The writing is clear, concise and instantly brings to life the characters of this small town. I figure any book is just great when I am laughing out loud at the funny parts (like the description of Tori's date and his "holy roller" truck) and eagerly flipping pages to find out who the killer really is.
Valerie Malmont's books are a good read, no matter what genre you favor.

This book provided everything I hoped it would: 1) A brief outline of the major events and major figures in Mughal history - 2)Some anecdotal material - 3)maps, pictures, diagrams, etc.

It also had some bonuses, like a suggested list for further reading, some translations of texts and letters from people from the time period. The Babur-nama undoubtedly provided the most entertaining texts.

This certainly isn't the be all end all of Mughal history, but that's not what this book is attempting to be. It provides a concise, brief picture of the dynasty and provides the perfect springboard to go deeper into the subject. I finished the book in one sitting in a few hours and that was with really looking at the paintings, diagrams and pictures. All in all, this is a brilliant little intro to a fascinating subject. It certainly has made me want to read further.

I love the Discoveries Series. An intelligent text is interwoven with beautiful illustrations and pictures. Each illustration comes with text that is pregnant with information. In fact, the text and the illustrations can be read as parallel texts.

This one on the Mughal empire is an absolute delight - even though the final days of the Mughals India are treated only very briefly. It's the sort of text that children and adults can learn a lot from. Beautiful and Magic.

I have read lots of background essays on the influence of the Mughals in India - but Ms. Berinstein's is the best as it links the influence of the Samarkand society on an attempt by later Mughal leaders to integrate into Indian society - if you want a good reader and on the way to India - this is a must read - it is a jumping off point to read more about the Mughals individually, the Sikhs, the Rajputs and the impact of British power on a declining culture. A quality paperback (small in size but packs a wallop) with excellent pictoral displays. Jay Pineda, Ph.D (History and Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara)

This is another book in the American Girls series about Josefina Montoya, a ten-year-old girl living in the New Mexico of 1824. In this book, Josefina and her sisters prepare for Christmas, a grand celebration in New Mexico, made all the more special by the towns use of the Christmas altar cloth made by Josefina's late mother. However, when the altar cloth is brought it, they find out that the flood (Josefina Learns a Lesson) damaged the cloth. The girls rally round to fix the cloth...and perhaps fix themselves at the same time.

The final chapter of this wonderful book is a highly informative look at Christmas in New Mexico in 1824. Jean-Paul Tibbles' excellent illustrations complement the story nicely, and add a great deal to the joy of reading this book.

This is a wonderful story, with some excellent lessons. I liked the way the family pulled together, and worked hard towards something beyond themselves. Also, I like how the family's religion is worked into the book in a warm and inspiring way. This is another excellent American Girls book, one that my daughter and I recommend to you.

In this book Josefina gets to be Maria in the Christmas play. She has a happy Christmas.

Josefina Montoya is a nine-year-old girl growing up on her family's rancho near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1824. Mama died last year, and since then, life for Josefina, her father, and her older sisters, Ana, Clara, and Francisca. Even though things have been better since Mama's sister, Tia Dolores, came to help out, the Montoyas still grieve. Josefina feels that celebrating the Christmas traditions will make her miss Mama more - but they bring her peace and happiness. And one special night gives Josefina courage and hope for the future, and brings Josefina an unexpected gift. This book was very good and I learned a lot about the traditions of Mexican families living on the Southwest frontier in the 1820s.

Ellen Horovitz presents a model for art therapists based upon a transformation process that basically states that the clinician must "Be Present, Be Open, and Invite Change." Authentic communication and embracing one's art as a vehicle of communication are viewed as the primary process gain that informs the therapist. This in turn generates a secondary gain for the patient/client, which is wellness. Horovitz postulates three key concepts that have proven to have far-reaching applications: (1)invoking a studio art therapy approach, (2) "elemental play," and (3)"soulution." Authenticity, self- disclosure, and acceptance are emphasized as key elements in the transformative process. Horovitz postulates "the inherent possibilities in using myself as a model for transformation when working with emotionally disturbed patients as well as within the framework of my own ministry."

The spiritual dimension is highlighted throughout this work through its focus on the issues of mourning and loss. Horovitz states, "Beginning with losses connects patients to their very origin of dis-ease and sets the stage for inclusion of the spiritual dimension." She cautions the therapist not to ignore these issues because they are viewed as the principal steps toward recovery. Horovitz explains, "Without this primacy, there may be change but not resolution, evolution, or soulution. Instead, the symptoms will reappear until those losses are aired, examined, and most importantly accepted. It is then and only then that the real work can begin."

In essence, the above quote highlights the premise of this book. Horovitz invites the reader to join her on an inspirational journey as she explores her personal issues of mourning and loss from childhood to adulthood. She airs, examines, and ultimately comes to accept these issues, which she feels have enabled her to live a more authentic life, her primary gain. She feels that her patients/clients benefit through secondary gain as they recover. In addition, she feels her students benefit through tertiary gain as they train to enter into the art therapy profession.

Horovitz begins her inspirational journey with an in-depth self-inquiry by exploring the relationship among "madness, creativity, and the continual quest for transformation via personal experiences as an artist/writer and human being." Her mourning and loss issues are centered on the mother/daughter relationship. The concept of "elemental play" is viewed as a state with intuiting spiritual inquiry at its highest level. "Soulution" embraces the concept of turning into another person's enegy.

Throughout this work, Horovitz has demonstrated that the ability to mourn has given her vitality. Self-empathy is the individual's ability to develop empathy for one's own experience - to see it and understand it more truthfully and compassionately. In this case, for Horovitz, a new self-empathy with personal experiences was born out of mourning. In Horovitz's attempt to define herself as an artist, writer, mother, therapist and above all, a human being, the prerequisite was for her to return to the studio. This call to art became for Horovitz, her personal "Leap of Faith."

In this book, Horovitz once again takes her reader into spaces that therapists never dare discuss nor reveal. Using her own psychosocial history as a vantage point, Horovitz reveals insights into her own artwork, fiction writing, and background. These revelations seed the groundwork for her theory of "soulution" which "evokes the concept of wedding a humanistic approach to one's work and operating from the heart". (pg.3)

In weaving this position, Horovitz shines through again and models authentic behavior at its best with stunning case studies embedded in fascinating and page-turning research.

A must for any therapist whether art therapist or not. This book, a genuine paradigm shift for Art Therapy, parallels what Freud did for the field of Psychology.

Since I'm not an art therapist myself, I can't respond to this book at the same kind of length as the previous reviewer. Still, I must say that Horovitz is doing significant work, making sure her colleagues in the field don't lose sight of core notions of spirituality & whole health, as they expand the methodology & the range of the therapeutic project. THE CALL TO ART is thoughtful in the best sense -- the sense that includes the heart & soul as well as mind.

This book is something EVERY girl, teen and adult woman should have growing up. If you missed out, don't let the same thing happen to the young girls and teens in your life now. What makes this book unique is that it is interactive...each exercise gets the girls thinking and teaches them to think more critically. This book empowers its readers by helping them understand that the images they are surrounded by -- those of emaciated models, hyper-sexed teens in movies and TV and others -- are NOT reality. What is real is what is inside, and there is no better way to grasp that than by looking in the mirror, and learning to see and appreciate what is REALLY there.

This workbook is an excellent tool for girls and young women. It allows them to develop an awareness of society's role in our perceptions of our bodies through a gradual and natural process. Creative exercises encourage girls to explore in an enjoyable way, thus awakening thoughts and feelings. Never "preachy", this guide empowers young women to have a choice in how they feel about the self they project to the world.

I found this book to be a wonderful resource for my work with young women. This resource can be used in a clinical and educational setting as well as a great tool for use in the home. A "must have" for any young woman/teen. It guides them to be insightful and to understand how their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors can be influenced both positively and negatively. A great holiday gift. This would be a popular selection as most teen girls love to doodle, think, and explore themselves :-).

I can only congradulate Dr. Valerie Malhotra and her co-author for this original work which brings back the role of the researcher as a theory builder rather then just a data collector. Most importantly, the reference includes other world-views which extends beyond the Western civilization. It may be another contribution if the book inludes other civilizations as well.

This book puts the "so what" back into research texts! It is a wonderful, thoughtful, realistic and provocative description of how research is not only a technique but an approach to life. I used many of the excellent suggestions to explore my own thoughts and to develop new insights into research methodologies and philosophies. I can't remember the last scholarly book I sat down and read for an entire weekend cover to cover!

Ph.D. candidate, Human Development, Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, March 18, 1999.

Mindful Inquiry in Social Research is a scholarly and poetic volume on how to bring mindfulness into one's work and life. Even though I have read other research texts, "I didn't know what I didn't know." However, with Valerie Bentz and Jeremy Shapiro's extraordinary and unique approach, I am for the first time, on my way to developing the research capability that I sought from my doctoral studies. Like reading a suspense novel where time seems to melt away, I lost my sense of time while immersed in the beauty and clarity of Mindful Inquiry. Bentz and Shapiro, literally come alive through their personal writing styles. The text is all at once philosophical, personal, and theoretical. It is not a minor accomplishment for a research text to read poetically. If you have scholarly interests that are directed at the discovery of the cause and the meaning of things, this book may well be the only guide (certainly a necessary one) you will need for your quest. And should you really want to kick start your own research, begin by reading the inspirational magic formulae in their concluding chapter.

This is a marvelous book. As I reread it and practice the simple, yet powerful, techniques, I'm amazed at how much substance the author was able to pack into one book. Every single action given could be explored deeply for a lifetime with much benefit. There is wealth of material to aid anyone in a quest for personal power. Very highly recommended!!

valerie wells has written another wonderful "how to" book that has greatly enhanced my life. The 200 exercises are fun, fast, invigorating, and powerful in positive energy. A read everyone must experience.

I commend Ms. Wells on addressing an issue that is sorely misunderstood in our society--power. Power is often thought of as the tool of governments, politicians, crime bosses, etc, and in general the male of the species, who too often use their power to control and manipulate others. In fact, personal power is vital to the health, happiness and well-being of us all. Too many Americans are unhappy, confused, and neurotic because they don't understand the importance of nurturing their personal power and using it to fulfill dreams, live a rich and happy life, and to build a better world. Ms. Wells has created a collection of practical, everyday exercises to raise the reader's consciousness of the importance of one's personal power and to reawaken the power within. It's a great "thought du jour" book, as each exercise is on a single page, making it easy to use in our too-busy world. A succinct, well-written, erudite book that's simple and fun to work with.

This book is about Kit, a girl growing up in the Great Depression. In this book, it's almost Kit's birthday! And when Aunt Millie, Kit's father's foster mother visits, Kit knows it will be fun. Aunt Millie is called that because they didn't know what to call her and Aunt Millie said,"Call me anything but late for dinner!"
But when Aunt Millie has an idea for a Penny Pinching party, Kit isn't too sure. Especially when her Aunt Millie comes to school to share the news of Kit's birthday party and embarasses Kit in front of her whole class. Now Kit's really mad and yells at Aunt Millie that she shouldn't have done that and that she didn't want a Penny-pinching party. But now Kit has caused her Aunt Millie's feelings to get hurt and also causes Aunt Millie to almost go back to her home.
Kit didn't mean to? In the mean time, Aunt Millie brings two chickens so Kit can deliver eggs and earn money. One day while she and Howard (a kid in the boarding house) go to deliver eggs door to door, they find a Basset Hound with a note on her collar reading: Can't Feed Her Anymore. So Kit brings her home and names her Grace. Will everything be alright for Kit's Birthday Party? Will Kit be able to convince Aunt Millie to stay? And will Kit have a Penny Pinching party and love it? Find out! Read this book!

Kit knows her birthday will not be like other years as the family is short on money and barely getting by. She wishes to have a grand birthday like the one in the newspaper but knows that won't be possible. However a surprise visit from her Aunt Millie brightens her hopes. As everybody in her family knows Aunt Millie is a person who knows what to do out of anything. Kit can't believe how many ideas Aunt Millie comes up with such as turning corn sacks in bloomers, planting gardens, buying cheap things from the grocery store, picking dandelions to make salads, and a bunch of other ideas. The ideas are so plentiful that Kit, Ruthie, and Stirling start an Alamac on all Aunt Millie's money saving ideas. However when Aunt Millie suddenly shows up at her school Kit feels embarrassed at how her aunts idea of a penny pincher birthday. Kit also feels embarrassed as the kids laugh at her Aunt's ideas. However surprises are in store for Kit on her birthday! Read this book to find out!

This was another great addition to the American Girls Collection! I have been reading them since I was 7 and even though I am much older and these books are much too easy for me I still enjoy them as if I were 7! I highly recommend all the books!

This is another in the American Girls Short Stories series about Kit Kittredge, a nine-year-old girl living in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is 1934, and Kit and her family are struggling to make ends meet as the Great Depression deepens. With her birthday approaching, Kit secretly dreams an impossible dream, that she could have a large, wonderful birthday party. Aunt Millie, Kit's father's adoptive mother, makes a surprise visit to the family turning their lives upside-down. With her country, make-do way, Aunt Millie seems to work miracles, but a large, wonderful party is out of the question, right?

As with the other Kit books, this one gives a frank look into life during the Great Depression, while also teaching a lesson. In this book, Kit learns about making do with what you have, and even having a good time while doing so. The final chapter is about life during the depression, and making do. This is another wonderful book, and my daughter and I recommend it to you.

I felt as though Mr. Kelly really understood me. It was as if he could look inside my soul and understand my deepest longings, cares and troubles. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

I found this book while rooting through the trash of a relative of the authors. And how appropriate because this book rooted through the trash of my SOUL. In these pages I found such dizzyingly accurate descriptions of boozing and womanizing that I walked around in a daze for weeks. I quit my job, got a divorce, and sold my possessions. In hindsight those were poor decisions but I had been blindsided by the genius of "One Last Dance". Mr. Kelly is the finest artist of this, or any, generation (with the possible exception of Family Circus writer/illustrator Bill Keane). I eagerly await his next collection of poetry "One Last Vodka-Tonic". Until then I shall wait in the woods, naked, staying warm and subsisting only on the brilliance of Mr. Kelly's poetry. Kudos Mr. Kelly, may your pen and your brandy snifter never run dry.

This is one of the most relatable collections of Poetry I have ever read. Andrew Kelly has a true gift.