This book introduced me to St. Martin de Porres. The book describes in detail the exemplary life that St. Martin led in sixteenth-century Lima, along with the amazing things that happened to him as a result of his friendship with God. St. Martin's aim in life was to share all that he had with those who needed it - including both the destitute homeless and the theoretically-rich Spanish gentry who occasionally hid their own poverty behind a mask of pride. As an example of service to others, of true selflessness and love of God, one should look to St. Martin de Porres. Read this book as a good introduction to this extraordinary Saint.

Like I said before, love the "pictures". Bring on more of Br. Mickey's work!!!

I'm a middle school teacher who leads my classes through a study of Treasure Island every year. I use this program (25 discs of it) to let the scholars explore the life and conditions of sailing in the 18th century. The CD-ROM is an excellent adaptation of the book by the same title. The detail and depth of layering in the information is astounding. Each deck shows different aspects of life aboard ship, and each section (fore to aft) shows different conditions (in port, in battle, etc.) that the sailors could experience. There are terrific narrations and pronunciations, all in British dialect. Each role aboard ship from Admiral to Cook is outlined in journal style. The art is just as good as that in the book; if you know and like Biesty's work, you'll not be disappointed. The animation is amusing and pulls no punches about the brutality of shipboard experience, from the condition of the food to the rigors of combat. Be forewarned: naval battles see their share of severed limbs, splinter wounds and drowning men, all depicted (but not glorified) accurately. Embedded within this excellent learning tour is a cute little game in which the scholar searches the scenes for a little stowaway kid who gallavants and runs away when you find and click on him. He/she who finds him ten times thoughout the ship qualifies for a puzzle game that I still can't solve (you choose if that's good or bad, and let me know the answer if you figure it out). All in all, I'd recommend this title highly to anyone interested in a non-sugarcoated view of life "before the mast" in the 1700's.

I don't usually take the time to write reviews, but I had to for this BH&G gem, especially since one hasn't been written as of yet. SOMEone has to let cross stitch fanatics know what they're missing! :)

This book is chock full of gorgeous charts for a variety of topics such as nuptials, love, home, samplers, florals, and hearts, just to name a few. Each one is printed in color and accompanied by clear instructions, as well as a materials and supplies list. In addition, each project has been beautifully stitched and photographed for inspiration.

There's a particular project I consider just one my many favorites, as well as probably the most challenging, called "THE FLOWER SHOP," in which the design is worked on two pieces of fabric and utilizes a combination of several different stitches (besides those of cross stitch) to arrive at a pretty spectacular piece of work. I was both excited, and I must admit, a tad intimidated to try it. If a cross stitch book can arouse this type of reaction out of me, I consider it a definite "keeper" for my library.

"...STITCHING PRETTY..." also contains patterns with instructions for the use of metallic and silk threads, a variety of beads, ribbon, etc. Speaking for myself, I love it when cross stitch books include patterns which call for the use of these items as part of the design, for they only enhance what I am capable of creating with just thread alone.

I happen to adore books with projects dedicated to the different skill levels of counted cross-stitch, especially those geared toward the more experienced stitchers. Very rarely do I see cross stitch books containing patterns for intermediate/advanced stitchers and in my opinion, there should be a lot more of them.

If you're brand new to cross stitching and are just learning the basics, though it DOES include "how-to" illustrations for all of the stitches required to do each project, this book will still probably be a bit too advanced for you. However, if you plan on sticking with it, please purchase the book because I'm sure it will serve as nothing less than an inspiration for you to continue with the craft.

If you're already an intermediate to advanced stitcher, purchasing this book will result in smiles and excitement, as the most troublesome thought you might have is trying to figure out which design you'd like to stitch first!

P.S. Merely just a suggestion...with each chosen pattern, you may want to copy it on a photo copier prior to stitching. It's a very nice quality book and I'm sure you won't want to "age" it prematurely with constant handling. Happy Stitching!! :)

The book contains very good information on constructing stoles, on the history of stoles and on the symbolism of the patterns. There are 25 different designs, so you get a lot for the cost. The designs are quite simplistic but effective. I have not stitched any of them yet, but plan to do so soon. I did not like his encouragement to use burlap as the fabric choice, but his patterns are easily adaptable. Wish I had this book 25 years ago when I first started stitching clergy stoles.

This book is awesome. I spent my first winter in the Canadian Rockies, and this book really helped me exploring several summits and icefields. The tour descriptions are truly detailed, I only needed this book and a map and that was it. The only thing missing is the datum of the grid references given for GPS navigation. But that wasn't a major problem. Great book.

I really like this book because it's a Christian adventure.I like mysteries and adventures, but I could never find a good mystery or adventure book that was Christian. When I found this book, I knew that this was exactly what I was looking for. The main kids are Mark and Penny Daring and their friend David Curtis. These teenagers are being chased by the KGB and they don't know why. While trying to have a peaceful time birdwatching on the beach, they find themselves in the middle of a drug war. Separated and trapped between the KGB and two rival drug gangs, the teens don't know what to do. You will have to read this book to see what I mean and find out happens. This truly is a "daring" adventure.

My father served in WWII in India. I had never before read anything devoted to this angle of the war. Van Hogendorp's story is all the more special as it is written by a brave woman living in challenging circumstances. She was one a small number of women to take on this challenge, and she holds fast to her high spirited sense of humor throughout.

As we turn the page on this century, I would love to hear more voices like hers sharing such stories.

This book was originally banned in Ireland by the English. They thought the main character, The Tailor, was "sex-obsessed" and his wife, Anastasia, or Ansty, a "moron".

This is really funny to me because I caught no such traits whatsoever in these two characters! This book can easily be read in one sitting, it is so enjoyable!

Take Up My Cross is a small gift volume in the Treasures of the Vatican LIbrary Series. It consists of illuminations and illustrations related to the cross from books in the Vatican library. There is no explanatory or identifying text; the art is often accompanied by a short scriptural passage related to the art. The art is well chosen and reproduced. For those who are primarily visual, this is an excellent meditative boo.