It has beautiful painted rocks in it and shows just how easy it is to paint rocks. I am not a real good painter but, I do plan to give it a try. Instructions and ideas in this book are great even for a beginner like me.

I couldn't help it, it sounded so fascinating when I was invited to a "rock party". A friend held it, and all of us got together at her place. She had a bunch of field rock, (though I've heard smooth river rock is good also) and she had cleaned them all up and they sat, waiting on her front step. We took turns choosing the rock that "spoke to us" and brought it into the house for some good old fashioned gossip and a fun project with friends. Oh, yes, we had doubts! Halfway through those rocks were UGLY, and we took a few chip and salsa breaks so we could look at them from a distance (they looked better that way- Laugh!). But- amazingly enough- when we finished the last step, perfectly outlined in the book- our rocks looked GREAT!! I actually DISPLAY mine in my little rock garden, and get so many comments on their "uniqueness". What a fun idea! And takes almost no $ to get started, if you're like me, you already have the simple materials lying around from previous projects!! Great book, simple instructions, great tips and pointers- even for the novice.

Painting Pets on Rocks is a fabulous step by step instructional book. My students (1st through 7th grade) created fabulous rock paintings following these easy-to-follow instructions.

The Pearls Of The Stone Man by Edward Mooney, Jr. is a riveting and complex novel of bridging the gaps between generations, and attempting to reconcile in the wake of impending mortality. Joseph and Anne Marion are very much in love even after 53 years of marriage, and find themselves confronting the inevitable reality of eventual one will lose the other in death and be left behind alone for months that could well stretch into years. Love, heartbreak, and adapting to the inevitable progress of time are central and familial themes to this poignant and highly recommended novel that dwells on what it means to be mortal and human.

This is a beautiful story of a man and relationships with his true love, a mountain, and some teenagers in desparate need of love. It's a powerful description of what Joseph goes through after losing the person who mattered so much in his life. It shows that you never stop loving, no matter what. Also, that everyone deserves love. I cried buckets and smiled lots. A well written novel, it's just so great! I want a sequel!!

Edward Mooney has written one of the best books I have read. Not only is he a great author, but I happen to know him personally, my old high school teacher. When reading the book, I didn't want to put it down. If your looking at reading this book or are interested in a great book, then go ahead and read it. This is one that you will not put down, it feels like you are actually in the book and you actually know the people. Mr. Mooney, thank you for being a great teacher and continue with your great work.

A fascinating and deeply intimate account of one woman's survival of cancer and the journey she travelled to get there. Open and honest about the feelings and thoughts experienced when one is facing death, be it death of the physical self and/or death of the old life to the birth of a new life. Barbara wonderfully incorporates traditional medical therapies with alternative therapies. Her intelligence and wisdom are apparent as soon as you begin reading. A book you just cannot put down!

Discovering cancer, and her own mortality, Barbara Stone draws on wisdom, faith, and resolve to lead herself and us on a triumphant journey over fear and disease. Her story will deeply touch you. Truly, it is a "profile in courage." Whether well or ill, everyone should read this book.

Joseph Gustafson, Poet

My mother happens to be friends with Ms. Stone, the author of Cancer as Initiation. It was after I met her that I became compelled to read her book. My mother also battled breast cancer, and this book gave me a sense of what she might be experiencing. The author uses a unique blend of journal,expository, and personal writings, creating a book that is difficult to put down. I enjoyed learning about her use of both Eastern and Western medicine. Cancer as Initiation offers the family members of breast cancer victims and survivors hope and peace. Cancer is a blessing and a curse, but frightening to all. After reading Barbara's book, and doing some soul-searching of my own, I know that if I am ever diagnosed with breast cancer myself, the power to beat it lies within me, and my own unique combinations of Western and Eastern medicine.

This book is a must-read for teenagers and for their parents and teachers! Teens' voices are heard as they are - unedited, uninterpreted. And what they have to say is more profound and more interesting than you would think! I also love the art and the poetry - it can speak louder than words. The author's information is real and down-to-earth and truly helpful. And the book is not just anecdotes and theory, but it also contains exercises so that it can be used as a workbook (also great for adults dealing with stress and anger!). Easy to read and very worth-it!

This is a totaly awesome book it has so many cool insights of so many different teens. This is a good book to read if you need advise or just to realize that your not alone in the world when it becomes different and unknown. I hope that all teenagers read this book, because everyone will get something out of it!

This book gives insight to the real teenager and thoughts they may not normally share in a verbal manner. It is honest and expressive in a way that kids can relate to. What a wonderful reading for both adults and kids.

Once You Read One Book by Gemmell ~ You Will Be Hooked!

I had read in several places about what a great author David Gemmell is. I had not read any of his books, and when read the descriptions on the back covers, I did not think any would interest me, so I put of buying any. Well, when I finally picked one up and read it, I could not put them down. I quickly read through the Riganti series, which I loved and wanted more. Ever since I have been a HUGE Gemmell fan. His characters are the most realistic, no matter waht the story brings them. They are flawed, real, human, and yet heroes and incredible fantasy images all in one. I love how Gemmell gets me to feel for the characters and what is going on with them.

The first two Sipstrassi Tales, Ghost King and The Last Sword of Power, are my favorites. Maybe because I have a tendency to read as much about King Arthur, and the other main characters surrounding him in myth. But they bring to you a new sense of Fantasy. Once you read a David Gemmell book, your standards will be higher, and you will be hooked on him!!

An excellent remaking of the Arthurian legend. It's complete as an action-adventure fantasy. The characters are feelable and real, the action is intense, the settings are exotic and the story fast-paced. It's a complete adventure you shouldn't miss!

This book chronicles the story of Cormac, lost son of Uther Pendragon, King of Britain. Cormac,along with Anduine a blind mystic, Galead the Knight and Culain lach Feragh, has to travel to Hell to save Uther from Wotan, the leader of the Goths who is attempting to open up the gates of Hell.

This is a great historical fantasy, one that you are sure to enjoy.

I really liked this book because it was about a kid named Gregory who moves to a new town with his mother and father. It is bad enough moving without having any friends, but not making any new ones is pretty bad too. Everyone was given some seeds to plant a garden. But at his new house he doesn't have much of a yard so he can't make a garden. Behind his house is a burned down chalk factory, so he draws a garden. If you want to find out if he makes any friends read this book.

If you want a book where you can slip into the person's shoes,and feel like you know the character, then this is the book for you. Gregory was staying with his Aunt Grace for his birthday, because his mother and father were moving to a new house.They hade to move because got fired and found another job on the other side of town, so they hade to move.
Then when Gregory's mother and father got to Anut Grace's house they hade to get back home.When they got there Gregory asked do I have my own room? He did and he was so happy he said "This is better then a party and cake this is the best Birthday ever!" The next day he started the first day of school, in his new school. That day when he came home from school he was walking around and found a gate to a burnt down building. He cleaned it up a bit and found a box of chalk. That at school Mr. Hiller, a friend of Miss.Perry, came in and taught Gregory and the rest of the kids all about plants. When Gregory when home that night he said to his mother,"We don't have any grass around here". So he started to draw plants in the building. His mother and father did nit want to see.They were too busy.Don,t worry the end gets gets better.
I could not put the book down because the book never ended,and you would most likely would want to stay up and read it.You will like the book but you have to read it to find out!!!

This book about Gregory tells how a child learns to express himself and win the admiration of his family, teachers and classmates. We have a copy for each of our second graders and use it as a reader. ....

This is a must read for anyone interested in non-conventional medicine.

Medicine has taken a lot of turns turns away from effective treatments (and this is why the medical profession had to admit in June of 2000 doctors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.) but there has never been any excuse for turning away from a safe, gentle treatment that even if it couldn't help some certainly couldn't hurt any. The stories in this book are amazing. It is a good, indeed wonderful thing are more and more doctors are turning toward "alternative" medicine (which actually is a bit of a misnomer--"modern" medicine is the alternative, mostly to good health). I guess many doctors consider it easier--and more profitable--to prescribe often dangerous drugs as bandaids rather than take the time and patience to learn treatments such as Fulford's. What a shame, and what a disgrace.

This book was written in the December year's of an accomplished osteopathic physician's life. It is his call for everyone to take responsibility for their life and their health. It starts out as an explanation of osteopathy and a retelling of his years as an osteopathic physician. Fulford had trained his hands to be such sensitive diagnostic and healing tools, that he could feel a single strand of hair hidden beneath 17 sheets of paper. He used this technique to train other osteopathic students to increase the sensitivity of their own hands.

This book is interwoven with touching stories of patients he's helped throughout his practice. As he aged, he found that he could only work with an increasingly younger population, as those patients fed his energy. Whereas adults seemed to be so entangled in their own web of stress and disease, that they seemed to zap his energy as he tried to treat them with his hands.

The book ends with a call to live healthier, more meaningful lives. I recommend this book for everyone, but particularly for osteopathic medical school applicants and their M.D. counterparts. It gives a good narrative explanation of the philosophical expectations of osteopathic medicine. But as a strong believer in osteopathic medicine, and as a future osteopathic medical student, I believe this book poignantly elicits the direction in which medical care should be heading.

I have suffered through three kidney stones myself, with the most recent by far the worst. My therapy since then has been simple but (so far) effective: whenever I feel the least bit thirsty, I fill up a jumbo plastic 32 ounce cup (acquired from a local fast-food restaurant) with water and down the entire contents over the next half-hour or so. I may spend the rest of the day in the bathroom, but I haven't gotten a kidney stone since.

For those who want more information about possible therapies (and causes) of kidney stones, there is this book, which provides an excellent overview of the numerous types of stones, what causes them, and what can be done about them. There is strong encouragement to confront one's doctor to make greater efforts to diagnose causes along with information on just what these efforts should be. One key chapter covers what one should or should not eat, which is again divided according to types of stone. My only quibble is that an occasional looseness in terminology causes confusion: generally a stone is referred by type, which can include calcium or oxalate. However, at a couple of points, there is a reference to a calcium oxalate type. I have no idea how that fits in with the other types.

But that's a very minor point. Overall this is an excellent book and absolute must reading for anyone with serious kidney stone problems (i.e., who has gotten more than me!).

this book is excellently written. It help my family get through a very difficult and painful time. since we read this book there are no more stones. there is no book out there like this plus i recommend their web site.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is co-authored by a kidney stone sufferer. Gail Savitz knows what she is writing about. The other author is a urologist that is able to put the kidney stone nightmare into laymans terms. This isn't a book that you struggle to read; it is easily understandable and is written in "real" English, rather than Doctor Speak. The book explains what a stone is, the 5 most common chemical risk factors, common questions/answers, and many other things. Most importantly, it tells you steps to take to prevent another stone. Anyone who has suffered through this horror will appreciate knowing how to keep it from happening again. It is also an excellent book for the friends and family of stone sufferers. These people must learn what you are going through. This book gave me the information that my own doctor failed to give me. I recommend it highly!

Let me say first that I have not read this particular book, but have a comment to make regarding destructive teasing.

My 11 year old was teased unmercifully last year by a group of kids after he stood up for a younger child that was the "class goat". (This book was not available; I would have used it if it had been). Suffice it to say that visits to the principal, the teachers, etc. yielded sympathy but no protection.

We finally got him a couple of books of insults and he practiced them at home. He got to be really good at the funny comeback, the creative snap.

It wasn't our favorite solution, but it did work. He's even popular this year because kids think it's funny. The teasing has lessened, though no one at this age is totally immune. At least he didn't slug anybody and he's getting some relief from the incessant comments.

So if the "turn the other cheek" approach isn't working, buy a few insult books and see if you can make the best defense a good offense.

This book is great. Kids need it! It gave my kids the actual lines they can say when they are being teased. One of the nice surprises is that it also gave me ways to help my kids deal with the whiny, exaggerated things they tell themselves. My kids use the phrases in the book and now they know what to say automatically.This has given them a lot of confidence. They feel much better in many different situations.

Scott Cooper's book, STICKS AND STONES, is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to improve interpersonal relations at home, in the classroom among children or even in a marriage or between countries. This small, completely accessible and easy-to-read book is organized into chapters that illustrate skills by linking them to the patterns of common birds. for example, for problems dealing with blaming (The Way of the Crow) skills such as the "Mighty Might" can be learned and utilized on the spot. Scripts enlarge the concepts and are written in kid-friendly language.

Although this book abounds with good psychological principles, the author comes across as a positive coach with a humorous and compassionate style. The material and strategies are easy to grasp and draw upon solid psychological research, but are not heavy with jargon. Scott Cooper's wisdom will help fill in gaps in your own experience as a child.

Every teacher and principal should have a copy near by. I have recommended this book to many adults in my social work practice. I wish it was around when I was raising a family.

For anyone interested in how the rapid changes in our society have affected traditional ideas about retirement, this book provides a wonderful resource that not only questions a variety of traditional notions regarding aging and retirement, but also provides a plethora of thought-provoking considerations that help us to reconsider both the fact of growing older and the idea of retirement as they are currently viewed in this culture. Of course, the fact that I have already retired from one profession and am rapidly approaching the same conclusion with a brief secondary teaching career may make me the perfect candidate for such a book.

Yet I must admit that while I do not fully agree with many of the particulars that authors Marika and Howard Stone so enthusiastically espouse, I do find their overall message regarding the exciting possibilities for individual achievement and continuing contribution that such a life situation offers the retirement-eligible individual or couple. They embark from the substantial philosophical position carved out by former academic Theodore Roszak ("The Making of a Counterculture") in his absorbing tome, "America The Wise, The Longevity Revolution and the Wealth of Nations"(see my review), pointing out the facts associated with the new and burgeoning potential of the so-called baby boomer generation which is rapidly approaching retirement age with an incredible reserve of both financial and human resources at its disposal. Both Roszak and the Stones both argue for unleashing the human potential in a wave of creative activity, which is socially useful, and personally enriching.

What this book represents, then, is an eminently useful and immensely practical resource for people hoping to restructure their expectations, values, and personal experiences about what the retirement years are going to mean for them. Given the realities that traditional ideas about retirement are undergoing a revolution, the Stones provide the reader with an easy way through the maze toward a better understanding of what all the options are, as well as how to evaluate and assess these options and opportunities for a better and more fulfilling experience in the later years of life. And while the Stones find the mantra of life to be closely connected to work and expression through one's livelihood, they are wise enough to recognize other options for others, and encourage the reader to explore whatever seems valuable and worthwhile. This is a wonderful book, a delicious treat for those of us anxiously peering over the fence into the retirement years and wondering what to make of it all. Enjoy!

The couple that worte "Too Young to Retire" tried out the idea of a Sunbelt retirement in Palm Springs and ended up realizing that this was not the life they'd had in mind. Is retirement meant to be living at 70% of your income, completely at leisure in a warm climate, or do you want something more challenging, such as a new career?

The Stones give alternatives to the leisure life, including ideas for new types of jobs such as doula (childbirth coach), Navy contract teacher, and housecleaner.

The only vague part of the book is that it doesn't give a complete picture about health insurance; this can be quite a burden financially and fraught with dangers until you can qualify for Medicare. Even COBRA's (carry-over insurance from your employer) are expensive for family coverage and can be a significant part of your (now-reduced) retirement income unless you get another job that has benefits.

But I certainly support the Stones' assertion that retirement can be a lot more than golfing and bingo, and if you are of the same suspicion about your own leanings, this book may give you some sharp ideas about life alternatives to that Florida condo.

"It is already clear the 21st Century will demand more of all of us, young or old. The gifts we are given - longevity, better health, education and financial resources - come with responsibility. After all, we have inherited and even helped create a world that needs our wisdom, experience, and compassion now."

I've always thought the idea of retiring to be a strange concept. Why would you just give up your entire life? Even if you gave up your job should there not be other interests you would pursue, perhaps even more aggressively than your previous job.

It has been said that a "hobby" is more the man than his "job." I jest not when I say reviewing can be quite a great job/hobby.

The authors explain how to awaken the inner activist or volunteer. Chapter 5 gives a list of 101 Opportunities you could pursue. I know for sure there is a need for professional people who can keep giving their talents to society. Some of the ideas include:

Relocation Specialist
Personal Coach
Home Tutor
Travel Writer
Yoga Teacher
Massage Therapist
Author
Executive chef
Cabaret Singer

You might be thinking, "Hey, those sound more fun than what I'm doing now!" I personally like the "author" and "massage therapist" idea.

The authors explain how life is uncharted territory. How we live in a culture preoccupied with wealth. Are we not living our lives to find our deepest purpose?

The Contents Include:

Money - The Prose of Life
It's Not Working
It Is Working - Volunteering Revisited
101 Opportunities for the Open-Minded
Toward Wellness
Radical Departures
Resources

After you read this book, you will wonder if retirement really represents the "good life."

Well if you take Chapter 7 into account and start traveling the world, this might be just the bliss your soul has been craving. I also "loved" the idea of becoming a care taker. Who would not want to go live in a beautiful location as a property manager?

This book is about living in the moment and seeing your new freedom as an excuse to do exactly what you love.

Creative and Wise!