Chellie Campbell is a wonderful storyteller and her daily affirmations are a pleasure to read. Like so many of us, my life is full to the brim and I have many demands on my time. I love the fact that her book is designed so that I can easily incorporate it into my life. All I have to do is just read one page to get a kickstart to my day! Now that I CAN do! Every day I find that I am entertained by a good story, I learn a lesson and affirm a positive statement that establishes my outlook for the whole day. It all so simple. That's the marvelous thing about THE WEALTHY SPIRIT. Chellie's book is deceptively simple but each daily segment is packed with so much depth. If you read this book and absorb its lessons through your daily practice, you will literally discover the truth of the maxim "change your thinking, change your life." I'm on day 40 and I already see the shift taking place in my life as I send out my ships, count my money and survive the storms. THE WEALTHY SPIRIT is helping me become a wealthy woman!

I love reading this book! It transcends the typical advice on finances. What makes "The Wealthy Spirit" so powerful is that it's about creating wealth and abundance in every area of your life. There is so much good stuff in this book - important information, great stories, a sense of humor, and the idea of creating habits to be more confident and successful financially and to enjoy life more. The daily affirmations are so great; they are causing me to shift my mindset about money; no matter how many really stupid things (or truly brilliant, for that matter)I have done with money, I feel that Chellie can relate to what it's like. In other words, I don't feel like I am going through this alone. And, in fact, I am gaining more confidence and comfort with money every day!

The book is really easy to read (very important to me); it's intended to be a daily guide, so you can pick it up and jump from section to section whenever you want, depending on your mood or on what information you are seeking.

Chellie's "operating instructions" make the six principles easy to understand and practice, and the daily messages and affirmations will help to make these principles a life-long habit!

Overall, this is a spiritual and practical book that's inspiring, thought-provoking and most of all, empowering. By sharing her real-life examples with us, Chellie makes it easy to see that with the right guidance, anyone can have it all. This book is that guidance! Happy reading!

P.S. If you like the book and are ever in the L.A. area, look into Chellie's Financial Stress Reduction Workshop - it's well worth it!!!

This book was recommended to me by a friend in California at a time when I was starting my own small business out of my home. I've never been good with money, making it or saving it. I didn't know much about running a business but this was a career I loved and felt strongly about. This is where "The Wealthy Spirit" comes in. It helped me to change my attitude about money and my ability to make it (I still haven't mastered how to save it!).

It is broken down into daily stories with an affirmation at the end, which is easy for me. The thought of sitting down to read an entire book on finance makes me sleepy and irritable. Each page contains practical advice and is presented in a way that makes sense.

You may find it a little hokey at first but keep an open mind and you will get a lot from this book.

In this book, Ashleigh and Mona come across an abused horse when following some dear trails. At first they are afarid to notify their parents about the mare because when her owner discovers them trying to help her, he fires a shotgun at them and threatens the plice. Finally, after Ashleigh witnesses the man beating the mare, w o by then has been named Lightning, she tells her parents. The police come and arrest the man. I thought this book was wonderful. Though it didn't answer any questions about the generation gap of books 23-24, it was great! I can't wait for the rest!

This book was the best!! I couldn't put it down. It only took me a couple of hours to read it. I'm dying for the rest of them come out. I thought it was really sad how Ashleigh and Mona found the horse. I read about number 31 A Home For Melanie in the back of the book and it sounds better than all the other ones from #24 and up have been. I can't wait to read it and I can't wait to read the other books in the Ashleigh series!!

This book was the best, I've read it over and over and I never got tired of it. I thoght that Joanna really tried hard on this book, because she knew she wasn't doing well on the other books. She really focused on the charachter she used (Ashleigh). Her other books 24-31 were pretty good and it is'nt easy to write a book. I love jumping but those books were pitiful. Now back to the book, I really hope Ashleigh gets to keep Lightning. I bet she'll turn out really beautiful. E-Mail me if you love horses.

I thought this book was the best in the thoroughbred series!!! Brad and Lavinia are such jerks! I can't believe Charlie died at Ashleigh and Mike's wedding!!! That was sooo sad. I cry every time I read it(I've read it about 53 times)! I am so glad Pride recovered and still beat Lord Ainsley! I guess that showed Brad and Lavinia.

I loved this book! I Loved how Pride showed Brad and Lavina up! OHH i hate them! Why did Charlie have to die?! He was my fave character! And i miss him SOOOOOOOOOOOO much! All the horses have heart especially Pride and Wonder. You've gotta read this! It made me cry! I miss Charlie! I really do!
I never have gotten this attached to a character before and it's weird! PLEAE READ THIS I LOVED IT!!!

I don't think 5 stars is enough for this book. It needs at least eight. I loved it. I HATE Brad and Lavinia. What a bunch of jerks! Pooor Pride, he tries so hard, and all they do is pick on him. They could have killed him in #7. Brad & L. need to move to Australia or something. Sorry all you folks from Australia. This book was great. Next to Samantha's Journey it is one of the best. I HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE Brad and Lavinia. And why did Charley have to die? He's the only other person, besides maybe Jilly and Linda, that believed in Wonder. I cry every time I read this book. I LOVE IT... I LOVE HORSES!!! HORSES RULE!!!

A great book! I was impressed that this book begins EXACTLY where 'Pride's Challenge' ends. After Pride's win in the Whitney, and with Ashleigh protesting about Brad's instructions and the way Alvero nearly ruined Pride. The book would have great suspense in the beginning for anyone who doesn't read the back of the book. They shouldn't say, on the back, that Pride wins his race in the Breeders Cup and is named Horse of the Year. The whole first half of the book is about "will Pride win the classic?" "will he make Horse of the Year?" "will he beat Lord Ainsley?" (and show Brad and Lavinia Townsend?!) I also have to warn anybody who would like to be spared "mushy stuff". I mean...Tor gave her "a big, smacking kiss on the lips"? I started reading at the wrond end of the series, with 'Star's Chance', and I noticed that 'Fallen Star' has almost the exact same plot as this book. "At the height of his racing career... he suddenly develops a deadly illness... he may never race again--he may not even live..." But aside from those things I recommend this book to anyone who's willing to cry a little bit.

This is an awesome book!! It is very sad and very good at the same time. I cried when Pride almost died. The best part of the book is when he got named Horse of the Year and beat Brad's and Lavinia's horse, Lord Ainsley, to get it. But after the Breeder's cup and heading into his five-year-ols season, Pride comes down with a deadly disease. Only with Samatha's and Ashleigh's love for Pride did he recover and moved back to Whitebrook from the clinic. That was the ultimate best part in the whole book. It was realy cool how he recovered in the night with Samantha's love and care. Then did Pride noticed that he had to get better to be with the people he loved and he improved in just 12 hours!!!

This book is GREAT! I loved, loved, loved it. I was terrified that Pride was going to die. I am so glad he didn't. And Sammy is my favorite character. I think she needs a series of her own. I have only one problem with it though. On the cover, if Ashleigh is saddling Pride, she's on the wrong side. Otherwise, great book. One of my absolute favorites. KEEP IT UP!

Ashleigh is so exicted Wonder is training well then strange is happening Wonder starts acting up. Ashleigh and to old trainer Charlie don`t know what is making Wonder so upset untill Jilly Wonder`s jockey is hurt.Wonder won`t let anyone but Jilly and Ashleigh on her back.Mr.Townsend is looking for a new jockey for Wonder they try Jilly`s boy friend but no luck they alos try his friend but no luck.Charlie talks to Mr.Townsend and says that Ashliegh would be the only one who could ride Wonder. Ashleigh passed her test and lost,she was riding for Mr.Maddock,Next is the Breeders Cup.Can Ashleigh and Wonder win this race?

I think this has to be my favorite book of the Thoroughbred Series. Other books that come in tightly behind are A HORSE CALLED WONDER, WONDER'S PROMISE, WONDER'S FIRST RACE, ASHLEIGH'S DIARY, and ASHLEIGH'S HOPE. One reader from Australia said that the first four books were the best and the others were really flaky. I TOTALLY agree!! They still are pretty good books though. Ashleigh is by far the best character in the series. I wish they would keep writing about her. As long as I'm here, I also think Joanna Campbell should keep writing the series.

I began reading the Thoroughbred series at the age of 12. I'm now 21 and stopped reading them when they started to make the transition from Cindy being the main character to Christina. The books simply became too formulaic and unrealistic (and I never did like Cindy anyway - sorry). But to this day, when I think of the Thoroughbred series this is the book I think of. Ashleigh and Wonder were the core and the heart of everything (to say nothing of the fact that they were the reason the series exists today) and this book was the culmination of their hard work and struggle. When I turned the last page and finished, I couldn't help but feel that if the series were to end there, I could let it go feeling satisfied that all was right with the world. So if you only read 4 books in the Thoroughbred series, make it the first 4 and laugh and cry along with Ashleigh, Charlie, Wonder, and family.

Vera Brittain is not always easy to like. She's frequently disagreeable, usually opinionated, always challenging. But she also has more courage, strength and vision than most people you will ever encounter. As part of the first generation of women to achieve a university education in England, she put her studies aside to volunteer as a nurse on the front lines of World War I. This seminal event in world history profoundly altered her philosophy as she suffered the heartbreak of losing the two men she loved most in the world. Her triumph over tragedy should be inspiring to anyone who has ever lost a loved one, as she turned her grief and anger at the war into a lifelong committment to the cause of pacifism. Brittain is a beautiful writer with a sharp wit and an incisive mind. Her portrayal of the brutality of war and the tragic consequences of "God and country before all" makes for perhaps the most powerful anti-war book ever created. This is not only a testament to youth, but also to the courage and resiliancy of the human spirit.

This is the only book that upon finishing, I turned back to the
first page and started reading again. I am currently reading it
for the fifth time. It is a unique story by one who suffered a
most unbelievable tragedy. It is also a picture ot the world just
prior to the cataclysm of 1914, duirng and after. It is actually
a book in three parts. Part 1 deals with the role and status of
English women prior to 1914. Part 2 details the 1st World War
tragedy from a woman's perspective. Vera Brittain lost her fiancee,
brother and the only two other male friends she had. Part 3
details how she regained a life after the war and how she
became involved in English political and social issues. She was
a most remarkable woman and in my opinion not given the credit
she truly deserves. "Testament of Youth" is the most incredible,
unique masterpiece imaginable.

As I have set myself the topic "War in English literature" for my final examination you can imagine that I have to read quite a lot of books dealing with warfare. So far, this is undeniably the best. Brittain's book really is a testament to future generations about the "Great War". The content is far too diverse to summarize in a few sentences; let us just say that Brittain managed to capture the spirit of a whole generation.

I might add that I think that World War One is the perfect showcase of a futile conflict. Those dealing with world war literature would do well not just to read the literature of one side. For the American reader I can recommend Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" or (less known) Kraus' "The last days of mankind."

In fact, many of these authors (and also many of the war poets) voice the sentiment that the real enemy wasn't the soldier in the opposite trench - it was one's own general staff.

Let me start this review by confessing that I am biased. One of my letters from Vietnam is included in the book. I therefore view the book differently from the average reader.

I also got an advance copy of the book a week before the official release date, and have been able to read it.

Andrew Carroll produced this book by reading through almost 50,000 letters and selected roughly 200 that best show what everyday life in the military - and in war - are like from the viewpoint of the average soldier, sailor, marine, and airman.

Andy was able to get these letters by persuading Dear Abby to publish an appeal in her column on Veteran's Day in 1998. The column urged readers to contribute these letters so that the sacrifices of the writers would not be forgotten. The result was a flood of 50,000 letters - some faded, some muddy, some blood-stained, and one pierced by a bullet. One letter was written on Hitler's personal stationary by an American sergeant who worked in Hitler's personal quarters in Germany just after WW II. What could be a better symbol of justice?

The letter writers' views are very different than the views you will get by reading the memoirs of a general or an admiral. When I was in the Army, there was a wonderful comment that explained life in the Infantry:

"The general gets the glory, The family gets the body, and We get another mission."

Your view of the military - and of war - changes depending on your position in this food chain.

Overcoming an enemy machine gun is an interesting technical problem when you are circling a firefight in a helicopter at 1,000 feet. You take a very different view of the problem when you are so close to the machine gun that your body pulses from the shock wave of the muzzle blast.

These letters were written by soldiers while they were in the military. They are describing events that happened that day, the pervious day, or the previous week. Their memories are very fresh. Their views also are very different from the views that someone might have when writing his memoirs thirty years later. In thirty years the everyday pains, problems, and terrors could very well be forgotten or become humorous.

The book groups these letters by war or police action. There are sections for letters from the Civil War, WW I (the war to end wars), WW II, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and Somolia/Bosnia/Kosovo.

Some things never change. The Civil War letter writers grumble about poor food, tiresome marches, mindless sergeants and incompetent officers. The Vietnam letter writers (myself included) grumbled about the same things.

One anguished letter was from an officer in Vietnam who was torn by his need to hide his opposition to the war for fear of demoralizing his men. At the end of the letter is a brief comment explaining that the officer stepped on a mine and died shortly after writing this letter.

Welcome to life in the military. Welcome to war.

You should read this book if you want to see what life was like and is like in the military and in war.

Let me start this review by confessing that I am biased. One of my letters from Vietnam is included in the book. I therefore view the book differently from the average reader.

I also got an advance copy of the book a week before the official release date, and have been able to read it.

Andrew Carroll produced this book by reading through almost 50,000 letters and selected roughly 200 that best show what everyday life in the military - and in war - are like from the viewpoint of the average soldier, sailor, marine, and airman.

Andy was able to get these letters by persuading Dear Abby to publish an appeal in her column on Veteran's Day in 1998. The column urged readers to contribute these letters so that the sacrifices of the writers would not be forgotten. The result was a flood of 50,000 letters - some faded, some muddy, some blood-stained, and one pierced by a bullet. One letter was written on Hitler's personal stationary by an American sergeant who worked in Hitler's personal quarters in Germany just after WW II. What could be a better symbol of justice?

The letter writers' views are very different than the views you will get by reading the memoirs of a general or an admiral. When I was in the Army, there was a wonderful comment that explained life in the Infantry:

"The general gets the glory, The family gets the body, and We get another mission."

Your view of the military - and of war - changes depending on your position in this food chain.

Overcoming an enemy machine gun is an interesting technical problem when you are circling a firefight in a helicopter at 1,000 feet. You take a very different view of the problem when you are so close to the machine gun that your body pulses from the shock wave of the muzzle blast.

These letters were written by soldiers while they were in the military. They are describing events that happened that day, the pervious day, or the previous week. Their memories are very fresh. Their views also are very different from the views that someone might have when writing his memoirs thirty years later. In thirty years the everyday pains, problems, and terrors could very well be forgotten or become humorous.

The book groups these letters by war or police action. There are sections for letters from the Civil War, WW I (the war to end wars), WW II, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and Somolia/Bosnia/Kosovo.

Some things never change. The Civil War letter writers grumble about poor food, tiresome marches, mindless sergeants and incompetent officers. The Vietnam letter writers (myself included) grumbled about the same things.

One anguished letter was from an officer in Vietnam who was torn by his need to hide his opposition to the war for fear of demoralizing his men. At the end of the letter is a brief comment explaining that the officer stepped on a mine and died shortly after writing this letter.

Welcome to life in the military. Welcome to war.

You should read this book if you want to see what life was like and is like in the military and in war.

This book, War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars, by Andrew Carroll (Editor) is a touching book. With the recent release of the movie Pearl Harbor, the questions that my generation wants to ask the veterans of war are rising out of the ashes once again. Carroll did an excellent job of putting together a collage of soldier's letters which portrays the true emotions of our freedom fighters. Recently having studied many of the wars included in this book, War Letters pulled everything into one book; from the Civil War all the way through Bosnia/Kosovo. The letters in WWI and WWII seemed more hopeful, and 'the great generation' seemed more patriotic. While the soldiers fighting Vietnam had more of a sense of urgency, kind of 'get this over with already' attitude. A common theme with all the letters was they were writing to loved ones, and would claim they would see them soon. Unfortunately, many of these letters were the 'last letters' to the families, some even written on backs of photographs, on scratch paper, or on Hitler's personal stationary. Also, these letters are written a few hours, days, or weeks after the events happened. The soldier has no opportunity to hear what the media said, or how the nation reacted to such a horrific event. They write with their souls, spilling their guts to their families, and shedding their blood for their nation. Granted, having just completed one year of US History helps me understand these events just that much more, but all in all, this book was everything from terrifying to heart warming.

I absolutely loved "I Hope You Have a Good Life." It was one of those special books that I couldn't wait to get to after I'd put my girls down at night. I'd reach the end of a chapter, look at the clock and know I should get to sleep, but then make the "mistake" of reading the first sentence of the next chapter and be hooked. And now I'm sad it's over.

Campbell Armstrong tells this amazing story with honesty, humility, and love. I was deeply touched by the short but richly fulfilling reunion between the two dying women--his ex-wife and her long-lost daughter.

Tears were pouring down my cheeks last night as I turned the last page. I got up to wash my face, and then I went in to my little girls' rooms to watch them in sleep for a minute and give them one more kiss. Then I got into bed and let my mind drift thru so many memories I have of my own mom. "I Hope You Have A Good Life" definitely reminds you to cherish it ALL.

What a story! I know Campbell Armstrong is a very good fiction writer but "I Hope You Have A Good Life" is something very special. I was so moved by this book that after I had read it I was deep in thought for a long time, and then I started to read it again! "I Hope You have A Good Life" is a heartbreaking story about separation and reunion of mother and daughter. Incredible description of family love and a life-and-death struggle. It is a great story about life altogether. I recommend this book to everyone.

** Campbell Armstrong's stock-in-trade is the international thriller. His villains are intriguinly evil. His protagonists exude a world-weary sadness, which is equally fascinating. Sometimes I feel like yanking one of them out of the novel and asking him how his life has come to this. (The reader knows it's been an interesting life. If only there weren't those bad guys to catch.) There's a lot of action in Armstrong's novels, but the most interesting arenas are inside the characters' heads. That's probably why Armstrong is considered a writer's writer. He breathes tropes. He has the keenest eye. And he understands sadness. He's always been good at what he does. Even so, I've often wondered what his huge talent might produce when set loose in another genre. Now I know. I Hope You Have A Good Life is part memoir, part biography. It tells the story of Eileen and Barbara, a mother and daughter separated, by a forced adoption, for 42 years. It is a story the two women wanted to tell, themselves. But fate was not obliging. When Barbara found her mother, after decades of relentless searching, Eileen was dying of cancer. And so was Barbara. But Eileen found a way. She asked her friend and ex-husband, the father of her three sons, to write the improbable but heart- breakingly true story of her reunion with Barbara. I Hope You Have A Good Life is that book. To tell their story was to tell his story too, and Armstrong has done this. In his capable hands we discover how the stuff of real life is often stranger than fiction. The truest heros are sometimes the people we love and live with, or sadly, learn we can't. The real lives of Campbell and Eileen and Barbara and their children turn out to be every bit as compelling as any fictional characters. If there's a heart in your chest, you won't get through this book without a few good cries. You'll not be untouched and you'll be the better for it. Campbell Armstrong not only has the skill to keep Eileen and Barbara forever alive in the pages of this beautiful book, but the honesty to tell his own, often unflattering story. I don't know another book quite like this one. It deserves a wide circle of friends. I hope you'll become one.

This book is one of the best of the TB series I've ever read. Maybe Wonder wouldn't have been so hard to train if Ashleigh hadn't made her a one-person horse. Charlie is a good trainer and it's good that they have made Wonder get over her fears. Brad was such a jerk! He was so mean to Caroline by breaking up with her and just in front of the grooms! The first time they mentioned Brad in "A Horse Called Wonder", I knew that he was someone that Ashleigh had to watch out for. It's good that Caroline got another boyfriend. At least he's not mean.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT! I RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL YOU HORSE LOVERS OUT THERE!

This is one of the best books in the series. I loved it and it was a really hard book to put down. You will love it! When Ashleigh's favorite horse Wonder is put into training Ashleigh is really excited. But Wonder dislikes the sting of the crop and is being very disobedient. Ashleigh knows he could be sold if he dosen't do well. Ashleigh is allowed to exercise ride Wonder with Charlie's help but she becomes afraid of her own horse when he bucks her off one day. Ashleigh still rides him though and they start secretly training Wonder at a racing speed. Finally when it becomes they're chance to prove Woder is a great horse in the race against some other two year olds Jocko, the cruel trainer rides him. Ashleigh watches him very closely and he dosen't use the whip until the very end and Wonder loses. Is all of Ashleigh's hard work ruined? Then they give Ashleigh the chance to ride Wonder after Jocko. Can Ashleigh pull Wonder back together to win the race?

Wonder's Promise by Joanna Campbell is a wonderful, exiting book that I would recommend to any horse lover. The main character is a brave girl named Ashleigh Griffen. She and her friends Charlie, who is a retired horse trainer, and Linda, her best friend, had saved a filly from dying in the first year of her life, and now that filly is being trained to race. The problem is Wonder, the filly, doesn't like her trainer or the way she is being handled. She doesn't like the sting of the crop and soon she starts to disobey all of her trainers commands. Soon Wonder is put out of training for the season and Ashleigh is determined to prove to everyone that Wonder is not a failure. Ashleigh starts to train Wonder with the help of Linda and Charlie. Then one night, one of the stable hands see them breezing Wonder, and he tells the trainer of the yearlings. The trainer demands to see Wonder gallop and Ashleigh is worried sick. If Wonder does bad on the track, she would be auctioned. (spoiler)

Together, Ashleigh and Wonder are a perfect team.I loved this book and Wonder's offspring are also some of my favorites. But departing from book #4, Wonder is less and less talked about.(I have 1-25)I wish in one book all the horses:Glory, Wonder's Pride, etc and all the people:Cindy, Mandy, Samantha, etc would be all be together in one big story.

This is my second favorite book in the series.{my first is number 1.} Wonder is ready to race, and shows it by winning her first race. Even though an injury puts her out of comission for a while, she wind up at the Derby. All the while she has to deal with snobby Brad.

This is one of the best TB books ever. I think it's great how Wonder wins her first race. Ashleigh and Charlie did such a good job turning the weak little filly with no chance of survival into amazing strong racehorse. I recommend this book to any TB lover. I also think it's a probably a good idea to read #1 and #2 first. then you might get a better idea of how hard Ashleigh and Charlie worked. I was so disgusted with brad when he hurt Wonder. I mean how low can he get. Then he breaks up with Caroline. Then he shows up with his new girlfriend and Caro gets so mad she drives off and gets into an accident. Boy I don't blame Ashleigh or anybody else for hating that scum. READ the book you'll love it.