Being somewhat new to the art of scent blending, I found this to be particularly useful. There are some really lovely scent blends included with an in-depth aromatherapy guide to each of the 18 essential oils used for the various recipes. Being not so new to handmade skin care I still found this book useful since the author presents typical things like bath salts in not-so-typical ways. The photography is gorgeous and inspiring. When I have absolutley no buyers remorse I give a book 5 stars - this gets 5!

Quiet Strength, by Rosa Parks is an amazing display of one woman's journey to understanding why. Why she and her people needed to justify themselves. Why she had to sit a certain place on a bus. Why she was so tired. Rosa Parks is grounded in her source of Quiet Strength through her relationship with her Creator - God. This relationship has been reinforced by her family and culture. "Love, not fear must be our guide," Rosa states - I would recommend this book to every human being who has a heart and soul.

I've read this book and it is wonderful! It's well written and I couldn't put it down. It's so easy to care about David, Meghan and Erin. They're truly heroes, beautiful and compassionate. As a resident of Santa Catalina Island, I really like how the author portrayed my island; romantic and exotic. B. R. Montgomery's attention to detail made the story stand up and stand out, very real. The anticipation of Meghan and David getting together was fun and worth the wait. If there's only one book to read this fall, this is it.
I do miss seeing the book cover on the Amazon page, though. It's lovely and tells a lot about the story inside. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Where to begin? Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote one of my favorite books, "Anne of Green Gables". A book that inspired many lovely childhood dreams. The dreams became a reality when I went to Prince Edward Island in 1998 - Searching for Anne, Green Gables and all the magic of LM Montgomery!

While on the Island I bought a number of books and visited many Anne related sites. All of this made me want more! The other books I read were well written and informative; but, this book about Maud by Alexandra Heilbron grabbed my attention from the very first page. I enjoyed her question and answer approach. This way we got the actual thoughts and feeling of the people she interviews. We did not get the authors (AH) thoughts and feelings on LMM. Once I started reading it was very hard to put down.

I like the fact that Alexandra Heilbron actually went to the Island to do her interviews ; it provided such authenticity to her writing. To actually show pictures of the people she interviewed was something new. And, there were new LMM pictures , a delight to see; when so many other publications use the same photos over and over again.

Towards the back of the book there are examples of some of Maud's ( she preferred being called "Maud") poetry. Charming. There are reviews of Maud's work written at the time of her books publication. There is even a published review that Maud did herself about writing and other authors! As I said, I found it hard to put this book down.

It is obvious from the way the book was written that the author (AH) is well acquainted with her material, many small details add to the charm of the book. I like the physical size of it, too. Large, soft covered and easy to hold when reading.

On a scale of 1 to 10; I give it a 9 1/2. Why not a 10? Because if I give it the highest mark, Ms. Heilbron might not write another LMM book. I sincerely hope she does, this one was a delight!

This text is a specialist work treating the specific issue of the rights of Christians to present the gospel to non-Christians in countries where anti-proselytising legislation exists. It will be of use to students of international law who are examining cases dealing with religious liberty. Christians interested in the political and juridical issues of religious freedom (and here I might add those interested in legal cases concerning cults) ought to profit from reading the book.

Montgomery is a Christian lawyer who has a special interest in human rights law - he previously composed Human Rights & Human Dignity a book devoted to a Christian approach to human rights law generally.

In this new book Montgomery deals with certain cases involving Protestants who have been prosecuted in Greece for evangelism. In Greece there is an anti-proselytising law that ostensibly protects the interests of the Greek Orthodox Church. Montgomery represented three evangelists in a case in Athens in 1985 and again in a different case that went all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.

Montgomery lays down the groundwork by discussing the issue of evangelism and human rights generally. He then devotes a chapter to the 1985 case which he successfully won in the Athens Court of Appeal. Then the central focus of the book comes with the case that went to the European Court of Human Rights. He includes summaries of his legal briefs submitted to the courts. Finally Montgomery discusses the question of whether a state approved church must necessarily translate into prejudice against other minority churches. The book concludes with the legal documents containing the decisions reached by the judges at the European Court.

Montgomery indicates that the Greek anti-proseltying law is in tension with the European Convention on Human Rights which guarantees religious freedom. Greece as a full member of the European Union has ratified this Convention and is supposed to ensure that its constitutional law reflects the laws of the Convention.

Montgomery points out that there is a vagueness in the Greek legislation that makes it nigh on impossible for prospective evangelists to "know" whether they are obeying or violating the law. Montgomery shows that a state established church in itself is not the real problem, but rather the way the state church in Greece views its own reason-of-being.

The book is lucid and readable, and for those who are interested in the issues the text repays careful studying.

With the enormous influence that Flannery O'Connor's works have had on students, scholars and other writers, this volume is a welcome addition to O'Connor scholarship. The teaching role of Edmondson's discussions of O'Connor's perspectives on good and evil and of her views of the intervention of God's grace in the affairs of humankind, are especially insightful. His views on the pervasiveness of humankind's descent into nihilism are very thought-provoking. Readers of this book--just like readers of Flannery O'Connor's works--may find themselves affected by the content far more than they might imagine.

Recently I reread Julia Walsh's book, and found it even more exciting than the first time. Her ability to focus on what is important in life, and to overcome whatever falls her way is something for all of us to emulate. Her energy, competence and desire to share her knowledge with others shows through on every page.

Julia entered the brokerage business at a time when it was closed to women. She focused on her goals and was accepted for her knowledge and expertise. She did not try to become one of the "men."

In the last chapter Julia offers advice and encouragement to any woman desiring a successful career combined with a strong family life.

The River Ran Red tells the story of the Homestead Strike of 1892 using firsthand sources (for example exerpts from Carnegie's speeches, local and national papers and even memos from H.C. Frick). This book comes alive more than any other book on the strike because it is told by firsthand sources, not a stuffy historian's view.

As indicated by the title of Boice's four volumes on Romans, this is an expositional commentary. Not only does Boice give the reader a sufficient depth of understanding in the text, but especially helpful to those who are teaching through Romans are his illustrations and the organization of his material into a "preachable" style. And though the average Bible student will need other more technical commentaries to flush out his/her understanding of Romans, we find ourselves turning to Boice more and more.

My wife picked up a paperback edition at a yard sale some time ago. When I began reading it, I believed, like most people, that Sacco and Vanzetti were railroaded by a bigoted, nativist judicial system. I have since obtained an autographed hard bound copy. Read this book and form your own opinions.

R. H. Montgomery was a lawyer practicing in Massachusetts at the time of the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti trial. He has a very different view of the events than that championed by the chattering classes, then and now. He makes a compelling case that Sacco was a member of the murder party and Vanzetti was at least an accessory after the fact. The most damning fact is the ballistic evidence not used at the trial because the comparator microscope had not yet been invented. (The appeals process in this case was one of the first uses of the this invention. The account of the ballistics evidence alone is worth the price of the book.) Sacco's lawyers never disputed his possession of the murder gun until after it was incontrovertibly proven that it was the murder weapon, during his *very* public appeals. At trial he admitted to owning the weapon and having it in his possession at the time of his arrest. (The evidence offered at trial by the defense's ballistic "expert" is amusing.)

This and other evidence, not offered at trial, only bolsters the case for the defendants' guilt. (Some evidence has become available after the trial, some was not admissible though strongly incriminating. One eye witness identified Sacco's cap to police but refused to testify at trial because he didn't want "a bomb up my [redacted]".) Montgomery believes that the evidence offered at trial was more than sufficient for the jury to reach the conclusion it did. Sacco's and Vanzetti's defenders generally approach the case with their minds firmly closed to evidence, - distorting, selecting, fabricating to suit their needs. Evidence subjected to the scrutiny of judicial review does not serve their purpose. The preposterous claims thrown up by the defense were rejected by the jury, the judge, the appellate judges, the Governor and a blue ribbon committee, which was chaired by President Lowell of Harvard and included the president of MIT and other prominent citizens.

Montgomery also includes interviews with the surviving jurors made in the 1950's. Much is made of prejudice on the part of the jurors, but in the interviews they display none that is evident. Ordinary peoply are rarely artful enough to hide their opinions and prejudices.

For the record, the issue of anarchy and political affiliation was introduced by the defense, on the 15th day of the trial to explain lies told to police at the time of their arrest. [Lies told to police at the time of arrest are admissible as evidence of consciousness of guilt.] They would rather be suspected of anarchy then murder.

The defense, at the end, was taken over by radicals who seemed more intent on making martyrs of their clients than offering a sound defense or hope of mitigation. If true, than to the extent that they were victims of politics, it was the politics of their purported supporters.

For more excellent historical background read also Francis Russell's "Sacco & Vanzetti: The Case Resolved" ASIN 0060155248.