"I, the creator of Crepes Suzette for the man who would become Edward VII, will now give you the recipe for Henri Charpentier."

And so he begins his sweetly swaggering and sentimental autobiography spanning his humble beginnings in 19th century France, to his auspicious apprenticeships in the world's top hotels and restaurants, his poverty while working in London, and his struggles to create a career as a restauranteur in America, only to be shut down by Prohibition. The story is told with a littering of the favorite recipes of the famous people he served. I could not put this book down! Full of anecdotal stories of princes and empresses, and his own enterprising yet generous heart comes through. Wish I weren't born too late to taste these meals ... At the end is a short cookbook of simple but elegant recipes, and excellent advice for choosing market produce. ... Merci, Henri!

Before there was Emeril or Wolfgang Puck, there was Henri. Out of print for nearly six decades, LIFE A LA HENRI recounts the culinary adventures of Henri Charpentier, the very first celebrity chef and inventor of Crepes Suzettes. Introduction by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame.

Hello . My name is Robert Charpentier . I am please that may of you have taken the time to not only search , but purchase the " Henri Charpentier Cookbook " . At first printing , there were only 100 in circulation , most of them to close personal friends and family . Later , the world began to catch on , and additional books were printed .

I am proud to be a close relative of Henri . I met him when I was a child growing up in Westport , Connecticut where I lived with my parents until we moved to the south in 1968 where I still reside . My parents are also living . My dad is a proud man , and holds close to his heart the fact that Henri was his fathers brother , and I , am the nephew .

Perhaps i'll write additional words later , but for now , I will continue to honor Henri's work , as it is part of who I am and my heritage .

Thank you for reveiwing this letter . Please feel free to E-mail me at home anytime , I will return the honor .

I found the book to be a good summary of life's journey expreesed in poetry. Being part of Ruth's journey has made it more meaningful.

Ruth feels her words, not just in her mind, but, also, with her fingers. She touches them, to gently draw them free and liberate the emotions she felt, that they echo and reflect within the reader. It is a book of Honesty and a book of Healing. Take the Journey and set yourself, free...

I found this book to be a spiritual gem. It takes us through the passages of life, the journeys we take along the road to wisdom, love, understanding, acceptance. Not only are the illustrations quite beautiful, the poetry touches the heart and mind in a universal sense. Give this book to someone you love, someone who is grieving, someone who is in need of spiritual belief and carry it with you. It's a real treasure.

In 1970 (yes, I'm somewhat of an old fart) I suffered from an acute case of lower back pain. Luckily, Maggie's Back Book was then widely available. It didn't hurt that at that time Maggie also had her PBS show "Maggie and the Beautiful Machine", and thus was well known (certainly, here in Cambridge). I read it while in bed, on my back, and in pain. I decided to resist the doctor's recommendation for a spinal fusion operation. The injury healed over time, with the help of Maggie's good advice.

Nowadays, I have learned to feel and control my lower back's posture (as well as the rest of my spine). I've added basic Pilates to Maggie's recommended exercises. I'm extremely healthy, with strong and supple posture. I count my blessings when I shudderingly consider where I'd be today had I given in the the orthopedic surgeon's recommendation.

If you are having back problems, read this book. I read an earlier edition a long time ago and have followed the recommended exercises ever since. The result: very few episodes of serious back pain in 16 years. Maggie was one of the first people to publicize the importance of exercise for dealing with and preventing back pain.

This is an amazingly comprehensive series of vignettes on living with and overcoming the spoiler that a bad back becomes.
Some of its beauty is in its simplicity which the drawings make very clear.
Every move one makes that causes back pain can be altered to reduce or remove the pain.It covers standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, sex and even constipation.

Now how thorough is that!

Malu's Wolf is an exiting story about a girl who with the help of a fellow companion (her wolf) fulfills a her wish of being a warrior. I recommend this book to people who like adventures, and love animals, because that's what this story is mostly about. This is one of my favorite books in the whole world. Read it to find out the rest!

Malu's Wolf is about a girl who is basically a tom boy because she wants to hunt with spears!! Unfortunately, she's a girl and is only allowed to kill birds and rodents.One day she finds a wolf, Kono. When Kono hurts someone, Malu is banished from the clan!!!! Read to find out about Malu's and Kono's adventure. Catherine Hinchliff

I loved this tale of Malu and her cliff dwelling clan. It combines an accurate picture of the life of Cro Magnon man and the compelling story of a young girl growing up during this primitive time. I was especially impressed with Malu's desires to hunt and train her beloved wolf puppy, Kono. This story will bring the Stone Age to life. It is a good companion to Maroo of the Winter Caves by Turnbull and Wolf Woman by Sherryl Jordan.

As a teacher, I am often creating worksheets, homework, and notes to parents on the computer. With this book, I am now able to mail merge, create labels, and make more attractive and professional documents using my computer. I am now adding graphics with ease and my work looks more like the way that I want it to look without all of the extra trouble.

This book is extremely organized. The pictures and step-by-step instructions are easy to follow.

I highly recomment this book to anyone who is not a computer wizard. It will make you look like one.

As a teacher I am always word processing worksheets, homework, and notes for parents. This book was extremely helpful in teaching me how to mail merge and to create labels. Even things like adding graphics and changing text styles were easily learned through this book. I can now make more attractive, more professional documents with ease. The step-by-step directions and pictures were easy to follow and the book was well organized. I highly recommend this if you are not a computer wizard. It'll help you look like one.

I'm quite impressed and satisfied with this book and with the entire Simplified series. This book presents an excellent introduction to and overview of Microsoft Word 2000. It is very accessible to beginners and provides useful information for more experienced users. For visual learners (like myself), the illustrations are a great help.

It's challenging to take a complex subject and express it simply, clearly, concisely, and comprehensively. This book meets the challenge.

Other books in the Simplified series are listed on Amazon.com under the author name Ruth Maran. A similar series (which I also enjoy very much) by the same author is the Teach Yourself Visually series.

For further study, I recommend Course Technology: the Shelly Cashman Series; the New Perspectives Series; and the Illustrated Series (I particularly like the Shelly Cashman Series). And, of course, there is Microsoft Press: I like the Step by Step Series and the Running Series.

These books are all available on Amazon.com.

I think this book is the best of the three Quantock Hill stories I've read so far. The scenes in hospitals in France during the war are so real, you feel you are there. As with the other stories, you see some of the same events, but from a different point of view. ... it's a sad story in many ways, and very moving. Definitely read the other books in the series too!

I remember when these books were first on display at Borders, thinking I wanted to read this one, because of the romance, and how pretty the cover was... "Julia's Story" was another interesting installment in the lives of the Purcells. It starts after Sara & Frances' stories, and lasts a little longer. It tyes up what you were left wondering at the end of Frances' Story. My favorite part of all the novels is how they all give a sisters persepective on that walk they took over the Quantocks. My favorite part of the story would probably be the few days Julia and Geoffrey manage to steal away, to spend time together in Paris. Their romance is a lot more complex than you were led to believe. It just makes the inevitable all the sadder...if you've read the other books, you know what I'm talking about. "Julia's Story" is definitly not a let down. It's just so sad...but so is life. Definitly read these books - all together they are a great story.

...I got excited, sad, then actually cried. I've never cried while reading a book before. I tried to persuade Julia to say something although I knew it wouldn't matter. This is an extremely sad and compelling book. The sisters have such a strong bond with each other. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND reading this book!!!

Life is a journey. Ruth Silnes' journey is both literal and metaphoric as she honeymoons on a yacht with her husband Torger in KEEPING AHEAD OF WINTER -4100 NAUTICAL MILES INSIDE AMERICA. Using the trip's logs and her memory, Silnes recreates the adventure and romance of her honeymoon in 1965.

The trip tested and strengthened her love for Torger. Clearly she remembers her husband and their growth together fondly.

The memoir describes the events factually. Author and illustrator Ruth Silnes recreates the story as it happened rather than reflecting it or reshaping it. Her descriptive phrases bring settings and struggles to life.

KEEPING AHEAD OF WINTER would be of particular interest to yachtsmen, wannabe boaters, and vicarious travelers. In addition it should appeal to anyone interested in life's journey as seen through the eyes of an adventurer starting the second half of her life.

The book is the story of woman in midlife who begins an exciting new adventure with her new husband. Together they live out a dream of sailing the inland passage in their new boat. The character and relationship development while under the intense pressure of piloting a boat are fascinating, as are their hair raising adventures. I couldn't put the book down!

This book is far more than an exciting account of the author's sailboat journey from Chicago to Florida's Gulf coast. Its second theme, the inner journey she takes while adjusting to life with her new husband (and learning how to be "first mate" on a 38-foot sailing yacht!), is such a perfect match for the more obvious one that I would hesitate to designate one as primary and the other as secondary. Along the way Ruth and Torger Silnes learn many things about their country, but Ruth learns just as many about herself.

This is a well-told story of a woman's transition from her life's first half to its second, rich in detail and emotion. It deserves to be read. Do give it a try!

Going to Lincoln Park for the first time (in the early 70's) was one of the best family outtings we ever had. We were there as part of a special Polaroid day, and the special "Polaroid passes" we had tied to our wrists allowed us kids to ride on everything in the park for only 50 cents!

Unlike the modern theme parks, we were allowed to bring in our own food. Dad set up a home base in the picnic area where he cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on a portable grill. The folks spent all day chatting with the other Polaroid employees while us kids went nuts all around the park (I was still young enough to enjoy the colorful rides in Kiddie Land, yet old enough for most of the adult rides (except the big Coaster...!)). That day started a yearly tradition (either going with the Polaroid group or on my birthday in July). But, 30 years later the park is gone (and Polaroid pretty much is too!)....

This book really brings back a lot of memories! You'll re-discover attractions you may have forgotten about, and you'll learn quite a bit about the park. It has a lot of pictures and you'll go through this book very quickly!

Overall, the book is a treat, but you'll find yourself wishing it was longer. It leaves you hungering for a bit more. I would have liked it to include pictures of *all* the attractions, and maybe an overhead plan/map of the park. (It was kind of hard trying to picture where everything used to be located.) But, this is the only aspect of the book that I found was lacking.

I'm really glad I bought this book, and if you have a Lincoln Park story to tell, you'll be glad you did too! You'll then be compelled to write about what the park meant to you! (We should turn these review pages into "Lincoln Park Remembered - Part 2"!)

I have missed Lincoln Park so much since it's demise. I was so afraid this wonderful place would be lost forever. To see it come to life again in this book brought back so many happy memories. My grandfather used to take my brother and I every Wednesday during the summer. The pictures and stories stirred memories,smells,sounds, and smiles long forgotten. If you ever had the privilege of going you would also enjoy locating the video "Lincoln Park Remembered", with photographs and film clips. How nice to be able to step through the gates again!

Lincoln Park Remembered is one of those special books that from the moment you receive it you just know you will never part with it. The publisher was able to obtain hundreds of remarkable photographs from members of the community who wanted very much to see that very special place honored and remembered. I remember long Summer days spent there as a child with my parents and grand parents and how everyone was able to find things to do that suited them to a T. This book is like a personal photo album and I look forward to introducing and sharing Lincoln Park with my daughter, who will just have to trust me when I tell her the place was holy.

The host for the bookclub I'm in, choose this book as our 'read' for last month. We all enjoyed it, but for different reasons. I enjoyed reading about the information about his mother that Mr. Lovett was presented with & were it came from. My friend Pat has been inspired to search out information about her birth mother. Not to only find out what her birth mother was like, but to get health records & etc. We all were impressed that this very touching book was written by a man. How wonderful to read something this sensitive that is written by the gender whom usually prides themselves to be 'tough as nails'. We all agree that sensitive men are the best! We all live in a small town (Kernersville) that is located about 10 miles from Winston-Salem. We are planning to go see if we can find the house that he grew up in next time we are in W-S. Authors can have 'groupies' too!

This book deserves to be a real "sleeper" hit -- it's a remarkable read, both for its content and its honest presentation. The story of the author's quest to "know" the mother he never really knew starts off as a modern, suburban detective story of sorts, and along the way becomes something much more profound. The author's direct, no-nonsense narrative makes you feel like you're at his side for each new revelation. Some discoveries made me smile and nod with recognition of similarities to my own family, and some left me much more deeply moved; I think anyone who reads this book will have the same experience. This book would probably be a great gift for someone in your own family.

An engrossing account of a young man's quest to know the mother he lost to cancer at the age of two. He searchs for his mother through stories of friends and relatives, through official documents and medical records, through mementos and snippets of information gleaned from old correspondence. Charles Lovett's story of this journey will touch a place in all of us. It is a story of profound loss and the courage to face that loss and come out on the other side, whole and with a peaceful heart.

I'm always wary of stories that drag out the Big Misunderstanding premise. I mean, honey, if one can't talk over lil' matters even before the honeymoon, what will happen when the brats pop out along with the bills?

Hence, I'm very delighted to say that "Midnight Mistress" is one jolly fun read with plenty of exciting adventures and yes, the romance's great too! The two main characters are perfect for each other despite her tendency to see every woman as his mistress and his tendency to pull an "I'm Not Worthy" act - indeed they have great chemistry and wonderful passion.

Great plot, great characters, and a wonderful read all through the night. Now, if only the silly Big Misunderstanding is cleared earlier...

Rarely does a romance combine all the necessary elements for a satisfying read as successfully as MIDNIGHT MISTRESS does. Our capable heroine, Juliana Dare, drives the story, evolving from the pampered toast of the ton to savvy business woman. Her intelligence and determination urges the reader to follow her on one adventure after another. Some are emotional, some professional and some, physically hazardous. Connor Reed, a complex mix of danger, mystery and tenderness challenges Juliana to face their past and ponder their present. From page to page, the reader's opinion of him shifts: is he a traitor or a hero?

Author Ruth Owen paints a rich tapestry of Regency England, with the sea merchanting business and the war with Napoleon as set pieces. To the fore, however, is the romance between Juliana and Connor. Their love for each other is never in doubt by the reader, but the journey they make finding their way back to each other is a real pleasure to watch. The sex is loving and warm.

Unlike many romances, which begin with a premise, end with a climax, and are filled in the middle with non-events, each chapter in MIDNIGHT MISTRESS brings exciting twists. Never has the hook at the end of each chapter been used to such great effect. All loose ends are tied up very nicely and logically, with unexpected happy endings for even secondary characters.

A highly recommended read, MIDNIGHT MISTRESS will not disappoint.

Everything a reader could ask for in an historical romance--page-turning adventure, a to-die-for hero, and a smart, independent heroine. Ruth Owen is a terrific writer.