"Best Friends" will make you feel both joy and sadness. Joy for every animal saved and sadness for the reality that there are many people who treat animals as nothing more than disposable objects.

As for the writing, the author was able to bring out in me the full range of emotions that I experience as a pet owner. The day to day happiness they bring, the worry when they are ill and the sadness when it is time to say good bye.

If you are a true animal lover, you will love this book. It's a story about how the Best Friends Animal Santuary got started as well as stories of beloved animals they have rescued. If you believe in rescuing our furry friends, this book is for you!

Through their magazine, I have been acquainted with the people, animals and developments at Best Friends over the last few years. With the reading of this book, I now feel I know them so much better - the struggles, the personalities, the whole feel of such a caring sanctuary. There is not a word for the dedication, self-sacrifice, and determination that brought this organization to where it is now. I will continue supporting them and only wish I had been there in the beginning. I have thought it would be wonderful to visit Best Friends - now, I really want to! As I got in to the book, I only allowed myself to read a chapter a day, so I could prolong the joy of these new friendships and to put off finishing it! A wonderful saga of people with a cause and animals whom others did not want. You won't be disappointed.

Do wish that things could always remain the same? Have you found that they don't? Are you afraid that you lack the strength and ability to cope with on-going change in your life? Ms. Moore offers the concept that changes are gifts from a loving God, and invites us to consider the benefits, the inherent blessings contained in these gifts. She shares her own personal experiences in surviving cancer, and bankruptcy, just to mention a few. She also includes refreshing, insightful exercises to help one surpass the "helpless victim consciousness", and re-gain mastery over any situation. The book is further enhanced by true experiences of many of Ms. Moore's friends. Each recognized their need to change, for personal and spiritual growth. I especially liked the "Daily Problem Solver" passage, and the "Asking God a Question" exercise on pages 117-118. They are among the many tips presented in this remarkable book to help anyone handle life's difficult moments.

I keep referring to this book because life is made of constant change. The author gives practical advice for going through change gracefully, gaining power as we go. She also gives examples from her own life to illustrate and inspire.

Through the honesty and courage expressed in this book, Mary Carroll Moore helped me facilitate change in my life! The exercises are simple, practical, and life-changing. It has become a handbook for me--every time I find myself facing a new level of change, I pull it out. Invariable, I put my hands on exactly what I need!

The subtitle of this book is "Awakening from the Dream" and thats what this book is about. This is a book about experiencing God and is packed with exercises toward that end. This book also has a very comprehensive description of "conscious creation". We must first be conscious before we can create consciously otherwise we create unconsciously. Bartholomew speaks of the importance of using our conscious focus for creating things that last beyond this lifetime (awareness not a cadillac).

"Many of you have not yet reached that "now-or-never" moment. You are still hoping that the next love affair or the next job or the next something is going to bring you happiness. My friends, be careful. When you keep looking for the next ego gratification, you are also saying, "Next lifetime."

Like "I Come As A Brother" this book is very much in line with Advaita Vedanta teachings like those of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj.

We live an dream. That dream is so real, we perceive it mostly as the only thing that matters. But even dreams have to come from a dreamer and the circumstances which create the possibilities for such realistic reveries.

Bartholomew offers insights into the workings of that reality in simple and accessible terms.

'Life is but a dream' has never been truer, especially when you find out how you can direct and influence that dream, your life.

Highly recommendable for anyone who is willing to shed old notions and prepared to think beyond certain confines.

As a frequent Amazon shopper I enjoy reading reviews. Those before mine inspired me to take another chance and buy this book. I seem to be a metaphysical book junky. But, this book was the greatest book I've bought in years. It contains so much wisdom that one, two or three readings will not be enough. I was finally at a stage where I could "accept" the messages it contains and it has transformed my long held attitudes and beliefs. For that I am very grateful to the author! Thank you for sharing such wisdom via Bartholomew! Wonderful!

This is an awesome book. If you read this book, and apply what you learn in it, your life it will improve dramatically! This is a fact. Do you realize that there are many people living, right now, on this planet who live what some would call a magical and miraculous life? I do, I know many others who do, and so can you! It is about learning life-skills that work. This book will teach you those life-skills.

This book has IT. Bartholomew doesn't want to show you how to rearrange your mental furniture but to show you that you misidentify yourself with that furniture.

A couple of quotes:

"Every moment of the day, for as much as you can, remember who you are."

"You need to quiet your mind. And that is all you need to do! The best way to quiet the mind is to be in the moment. Your mind cannot be agitated if you are present in the moment. If you are alive to this moment, alive to everything going on in it, you can't be ruminating over the past. "

This book fits well with the teaching of Maharshi, Nisargadatta, Robert Adams, Advaita Vedanta, etc.

What strikes me about Bartholomew is the simplicity with which he patiently and with great compassion explodes our myths about the nature of reality.

If you have read Jane Roberts' Seth books but still need a little help in grasping some of the material - I can recommend Bartholomew in this and any of his other books. However, these books stand in their own right as signposts on the spiritual road each of us has to take, sooner or later.

Whatever your convictions and beliefs about god and the universe, here is a book that can let you have thoughts on wavelength you may not have dared to access before.

Keep in mind that such concepts as god, good and evil, etc. have been layered with thousands of personal values. Those values often stand in the way of more erudite percption of the nature of reality and truth that could be had, were we not bogged down by our, sometimes insistingly, dogmatic views of how things must or should be.

In someone else's reality they are rarely exactly as any of us personally perceives. Bartholomew's eye-openers lead you to realise that compassion is a foremost 'must' in understanding. After all compassion makes us care. When you care you create reality.

Again I recommend this book in addition to anything you might have read so far. A real treasure.

I love Bartholomew Books, I have been reading and following them for years, I have spoken in inspirational sermons about Bartholomew, I am continually working with "His" energy field and vibration. Bartholomew books will blow your mind, change your rate of vibration, change your paradigm if you deeply think about this material. Bartholomew books that I pass on to friends and recommend highly, people that read the books later come to me, thank me, I've even had friends kiss the book. This is my favorite of the Bartholomew series, level 33 is amazing, so is the exercise on expansion. Bartholomew books if it's the first time you come into this field of truth, knowledge and channeled insight, it might take some time to digest. It is virtually not possible to read a whole Bartholomew book from cover to cover, and sometimes when you open the book, you will be guided to the exact page that will illuminate you, make you laugh, and be gently guided and loved for the amazing Beings that we are on Your Path. I love Bartholomew, his teachings and clarity, wisdom, and truths have transformed my life and energy, and I have yet to read anything even close to the deep love, and wisdom. I've had friends with near-death experiences traveling through the tunnel of light, after a friend of mine was electrocuted, she died briefly, and saw Bartholomew, apparently he is pictured as an old male with a white beard, with a heart aglowing of love, wisdom, as a brother that he is. My friend is back and still on this side of the veil, and trust that these books definitely have a unique power, beauty, clarity, truth and wisdom in it. I don't think they are for everyone, yet the true spiritual finder as opposed to seeker, will delight in these teachings. Planetary Brother, is more of an introduction to the series and is quite proufound, it contains a lot of psychology of the mind, thinking and being responsible for what you choose to create, mentally, and in your own reality. Reflections of An Elder Brother, is more philosophical, very refletive, and has a lot of deep insights, a great book to read on a rainy day. All the Bartholomew books are proufound and there is so much material to be digested. I highly recommend this series and as Bartholomew would say, "it is worth it." It is not light reading, the exercises are great, and the energy you pick up if you are sensitive while reading the books is expansive and transformational. Thank you, take my word, you'll love it! I do.

In fifteen years or more of reading various books that reflect our true nature I've never read any that give more helpful sugestions that clearly work in one's day to day living. All of the Bartholomew books are simply outstanding.

This marriage of poetry and illustrations is like no other. As an educator I enjoy the layout of the book. The poems are divided into categories such as poems about weather, spooky poems, and animal poems. The illustrations are by Caldecott Medal artists - the best of the best! I have purchased countless copies of Sing a Song of Popcorn as it is a perfect gift to give to families to celebrate the arrival of a new baby. It is a book that all members of the family can enjoy - the young ones will enjoy the rhyming patterns of some of the poems and the silliness of others. The adults will treasure the inclusion of such classic poems as Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and Jack Prelutsky's entertaining "The Spaghetti Nut".

You don't have to be a certain age to enjoy this book, full of wonderful poems from various well known poets. There is a poem for every walk of life in this book. This book is sure to be on your shelf for many years to come!

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of poetry and the beautiful illustrations which accompany. As a kindergarten teacher, I found the anthology to be an invaluable resource for introducing young children (or any children) to the world of poetry. :

Laura Curtin lived and worked among the curanderas and Native Americans of Northern New Mexico during the early part of the twentieth century. She fell in love with the plants and their lore, and later, at the prompting of a friend, decided to record them. Healing Herbs was first published in 1947, at a time when interest in traditional healing in Northern New Mexico was in decline. It helped preserve traditional information for a new generation -- when editor Michael Moore arrived in Santa Fe in the 1960s he found copies of Curtin's book as a prized possession in many traditional households. The book is unique in the literature of ethnobotany in that it was written essentially by an insider in the tradition, rather than by an observer doing interviews.

Living in the Southwestern Chihuahuan desert, I am always on the search for sources of information regarding local flora and particularly ethnobotanical uses of plants. This is an excellent guide originally published in 1947 and edited by Michael Moore who I consider to be an expert on herbal uses of native southwestern plants. For anyone interested in this subject, a fabulous resource to have in your library!

My daughter absolutely loves Henry the adventerous cat. I believe that we have most all of Mary Calhoun's childrens books. The Henry the cat books are illustrated and written wonderfully. We can't wait until Henry the x-mas cat book comes out!

Kids will love the Henry books! Henry is a very talented Siamese cat who learns to balance on his hind legs. He puts his talent to good use when he rescues the newcomer to the family. Kids will love this book because it successfully blends suspense with the themes of sibling rivalry and working hard to overcome obstacles. And, of course, it has a happy ending! On another level, parents and teachers can use this engaging story as a way to tie in to discussions about the scientific concepts of balance (center of gravity) and motion. Suitable for pre-K to grade 3.

In preparing our list of Christmas books to share with others, we had to search far and wide on amazon to find this particular book, a paperback edition of the classic Night Before Christmas.

This is the book I've used for years when reading this story to my own children, passing on Tasha Tudor and other illustrators. Why?

Although we can find the same poem and pay a lot more, with award winning illustrators, the illustrations provided by Douglas Gorsline are surely the best. They are quite colorful, and offer details little children love looking into...cats lie sleepily on the window sill, we see an overview of the town, the presents spilling from the open sack are intriguing and plentiful, and Jolly St. Nick is -- well, quite Jolly (as you can see by looking at the cover!)

The story is an "abridged version" - I'm not sure about other parents, but we read this on Christmas Eve, and we only have so much time and energy. Everything we remember from the classic poem by Clement Clarke Moore is in this version.

(From "'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" to "He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!" In between we have everything, from the names of the eight tiny reindeer, to a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly, including dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky".

In other words, don't be scared off by 'abridged'!)

Perhaps a hardcover edition might be more appropriate if you're giving a gift (unless you're giving to more than one child), but this book is one of the best offers we've found!

A classic done simply and inexpensively!

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

We have an inexpensive paperback version (see our reviews) of this classic poem, and we said that's enough for us. That was before we looked through this beautifully illustrated (by Bruce Whatley) edition of The Night Before Christmas.

The lyrics are the same, from book to book, but the fanciful illustrations in this one are enough to engage adults and children as they read this book together.

The perfect gift for any family whose Christmas tradition includes reading this classic!

I received this book last week and started using it with the readings immediately. The style of writing is clear and precise. Although the book describes the reversed meanings of cards, each card is first described with its upright original meaning. The book is illustrated with Rider Waite deck pictures which might annoy some people but for beginners and those in love with all things medieval this is a plus.

The upright descriptions are really useful but the book will help you in using reversals even if you used them before buying this book, like myself.

I do not agree with some psychological interpretations of the author which is the only reason this book gets 4 stars. Otherwise if you are looking to explore Tarot in depth, besides the usual quick interpretations, get it!

Mary Greer's Tarot for Yourself has always been a favorite of mine; I've only had this one on reversals for a few days but already it's another favorite. She discusses both upright and reversed meanings/connotations of the cards in a clear, thoughtful fashion. Every time I read Greer I make new discoveries and connections. Her spreads are also worth trying. A must for beginners or seasoned Tarot readers!

Mary Greer pioneered the psychological, experiential methods of reading tarot that have now become the norm. Her earlier books, especially Tarot for Your Self, are full of exercises to help beginning readers develop a personal relationship with their cards. I thus expected Tarot Reversals to follow this same pattern...a sort of workbook for getting comfortable interpreting reversed cards.

Although there are some very valuable exercises in this book, nearly 70% of it is devoted to card-by-card interpretation, typically a page or so describing the upright meanings of the card, then a somewhat lengthier description of the reversed meanings. These descriptions are an incredible resource for any tarot reader, especially if you use reversals in your readings. There is nothing even remotely comparable anywhere else. (Other tarot books explain the meaning of the upright card, but limit reversed meanings to a few keywords.) Besides the welcome in-depth look at reversed meanings, these card interpretations are just plain good, reflecting Greer's decades of experience as a tarot reader and teacher. A welcome inclusion is shamanic/magical meanings for each card, and healing/disease implications as well. This section of the book holds its own against any of the card-by-card interpretation guides on the market today. Although this book is part of Llewellyn's series on "advanced topics in tarot", a complete beginner could learn how to interpret cards very well by using this book.

The remainder of the book consists of general advice on using and interpreting reversals. Greer goes far beyond "reversals as opposites", describing twelve different senses a reversed card can have. The book includes a lengthy listing of words that can be used to modify the upright meanings of the cards. This is very useful, especially if your own deck is a little too far removed from conventional meanings to make use of the card-by-card descriptions.

There are a number of excursions into various tarot topics, such as elemental dignities, and some really interesting spreads. I could hardly read a page in this book without coming on something new I wanted to try out.

Although this book is not intended to be a substitute for a basic tarot book, it could probably be used as such without much difficulty. And as a resource for working with reversed cards, it is unique and indispensible.