Sparkle Island is a wonderfully crafted, winsome revery of summer. The stories evoke summers from my childhood and gave a West Coast gal a taste of mid-west wonders. This read aloud book had me alternately howling (Bats, And a boat is....) and touched by the sweetness of shared family treasures. Our first read of this wonderful book of essays was on a boat. We joined Ellen Rosewall's family as we drifted through our own Sparkle Islands. Read this book aloud to everyone!

Sparkle Island is a fantastic book which reminds us that in todays world of constantly shifting workplaces,homes, relationships or whatever, that the most important things cannot be bought for any price. Family life is the one true thing that needs to be cherished and I feel honored to be an observer into this author's family.

Not only are readers allowed a glimpse into an obviously warm and loving family, we are allowed to experience cottage life, with all of its charms. The sense of closeness they share and experience at the cottage almost convinces the reader Ja-Ma-Ca has magical qualities, which indeed it may have!

I have traveled around somewhat and still have many places I yearn to visit but now Walloon Lake is on my list. I long to collect a Petoskey stone, to eat planked whitefish, to go for a boat ride on the lake, and most of all to play petanque! Read this book and share it with others. You won't be disappointed, especially if you have a cottage or have summered at one.

For a died in the wool Buckeye, it was hard to imagine that a book about a place in that State up North that we all love to hate could be so warm and wonderful. Ellen Rosewall's special spirit and keen insights, however, clearly illuminate the joys of love, life and Wallon Lake. Being invited to share her obviously close, loving and spiritual family in such an intimate way, made Sparkle Island a truely heart warming experience!

The Blue Yonder Inn by Helen Campbell is a thoroughly "reader engaging" novel about a mother's struggle to keep her ill-tempered teenage niece out of trouble. Their gradual coming to terms with one another, amid the backdrop of the family business - a pay-by-the-hour roadside motel that depends upon airmen, prostitutes, and visitors to the state penitentiary for its clientele - evolves through the turbulence of an extended voyage of discovery and more, in this sometimes sardonic, sometimes heartwarming look at the effort it takes to forge true family ties. The Blue Yonder Inn is a deftly written and highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library contemporary fiction collections.

This book is highly entertaining and a very quick read. For a great view of life in West Texas in a different time in history, check this out!

Tired of the same old character cliches? Sick of the same old plots? Well, drive yourself over to the Blue Yonder Inn where you'll meet a memorable assortment of oddballs whose resumes aren't exactly worth a second call. Bonnie Blue, the down-and-out protagonist, leaves Blackie, her baby, in a wheelbarrow outside the Blue Yonder Inn and heads out on her own hero's journey. On the run from her good-for-nothing husband Gil, Bonnie meets up with more curious folk - some unsavory, some endearing. This story is sharp, fast paced, and has well drawn characters. Helen Campbell's biting wit makes even the most tragic of circumstances humorous. You'll find yourself laughing and sympathizing with people you might otherwise avoid completely.

I started listening to the audio tape some time ago in the car, and was initially somewhat ambivalent about the program. However, within fifteen minutes, I was thoroughly engaged, and fifteen minutes after that, wiping held-back tears from the corners of my eyes, wondering if "Nathaniel" (as in Hale) would be a good name for my future son.

Our forefathers, with courage and genius, created the most immitated society the world has ever known. How proud and fortunate this audio book makes one feel. I'm committed to listening to it with my teenage nieces and nephews on a "captive" drive sometime. It'll be a great topic for discussion.

This book was a gift from my uncle, and one that I was thrilled to receive. I have a passion for learning about the Founders and the War that defined the way we live today. The author brings out the best quotes, poems, and letters from the most influential men in American history. Their level of devotion is unparalleled throughout the world. I find it most admirable that these men relied on God for their wisdom and through prayer and faith they pledged their "sacred honor" to the cause. I am only a high school student, but I understand that these values apply to everyone in every class. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for God or guidance.

Our form of government has been the most lasting, widespread innovation in modern history. As wonderful as that is, in many ways it is even more wonderful to return to the frame of mind and the values that engendered this invention.

Although (as Bill Bennett rightly points out) our founding Fathers (and Mothers) often fell far short of their own ideals and were profoundly skeptical about the potential of people to do the right thing, they also aspired to a kind of virtue on Earth that combined true nobility of spirit and deed with good relations towards others.

Bennett has put these ideals into the following categories: patriotism and courage; love and courtship; civility and friendship; education of the head and heart; industry and frugality; justice; and piety. You can dip your inquisitive toe into any of these, whenever you want. .... I suggest that in addition to buying a copy for yourself, that you plan to give this book as a gift to your children and grandchildren as they reach the age when they will begin to make important moral choices for themselves. .... In most cases, I felt like the material here was stating timeless principles that do apply today ....

Bennett does a nice job as editor in explaining the context of each passage. His love of these people, these ideals, and these words is obvious. It will move you. And hopefully inspire you to follow the good advice in those words.

Nicely done, Bill Bennett! This is a good use of history . . . to help us learn not to repeat the mistakes of the past needlessly.

I absolutely loved these books!!! They are so interesting! I couldnt ever put them down! She is such a great writer! I cant wait to read the other books in the series and the other horse series that she has wrote!

I love the series. I only have books 1 and 2 but I just got number three. The series has ALOT of books plus some other series in it like THOROUGHBRED Super Editions and ASHLEIGH'S Thoroughbred Collection but the doesn't matter because I love to read. The series is outstanding and Joanna Campbell makes it feel like you are right there with Ashleigh and Wonder at Townsend Acres. I am going to buy the whole series because Thoroughbred horses are my personal favorite breed of horse and I love the books. If you're a horse lover then you should too!

The begining of this series is the best out of all of them. i have read this series since the sixth grade and now am in the twelveth. the supence of these books do the best to show the talent of Joanna Campbell. dealing with Brad Townsend and all the other doubtful staff memebers, Ashleigh shows that with a little love and tender care, anything is possible. i highly recomend these books to anyone who loves horses and anything about them.

I have two other sisters one younger, one older and we all have at least two children. My mother bought three copies of this book and sent one to each of us at the same time. By some grace I happened to have recieved my copy at a time when I was having horrible problems with my 3 year old son. At three he was on the verge of being expelled from the Christian Daycare he was attending. My husband I were at our wits end so when I got this book I immediately picked it up and read it.(I found out later that of us 3 girls I was the only one who did).I read the whole book in 3 days going over sections several times. My husband and I began putting Dr. Campbell's suggestions into practice right away and within one week it was like living with a completely different child. Once we understood the whole "Emotional Gas Tank" theory we began to recognize quite easily when our son was getting low. What a difference. We sat down and talked with the director of the school whom also helped us to identify some personalized areas that we were not setting limits for our son thus compounding the discipline problem. The frist week was very tough but it was so worth it. It has been over a year now and we continue to practice the things we have learned in this book. I have recommended it to many friends and encouraged my sisters to read it as they continue to have problems with thier children. It is written from a Christian Standpoint which I personally find a big plus. This book is worth its weight in gold.

This book tells, in a straight forward manner, how to "read" your teenager; what they are trying to say through their body language and small "clues" they give to try and signal their needs, fears, and desires. You can tell that the author is not merely a father - but a dad. I have recomended it to numerous people and all of them have found it invaluable. I have read and re-read it over and over. It is THE book to get if you are trying to "figure out" where your teenager is coming from, and how you can span the large gulf that separates parents and teens.

This book is very well written, easy to read and the most "on target" parenting book ever! Thank you most of all for the inspiring section in Ch. 10, The First Requirement, pages 132-133 of the paperback edition. I have re-read those paragraphs so many times. It's what every child and every adult thirsts for.

Aladdin's Treasure is a racehorse that was raised at Edgardale. He is going to run in the Kentucky Derby! Two weeks before the Derby, Aladdin is spooked and his jockey is thrown. She becomes afraid of him and the colt doesn't act the same. His jockey thinks he should be scratched from the Derby. Will Aladdin still get to run? This book was great! Definitely read it!

I loved this book, and I really enjoyed it, but on the cover, where's Aladdin's shadow roll? I think the cover artist shouldn't have forgotten it, it's too importiant!

This book is filled with excitment! I'll tell you a little about it Aladdin's Treasure is a black colt and his owners are thinking about running him in the Kentucky Derby. But before the race Aladdin is badly spooked and throws his rider and it's up to Ashleigh to convince his owners not to scratch him from the Derby. Derby Day is really interesting and I recommend it to any horse lover!

In this wonderful book, the first volume of Campbell's monumental Masks of God series, we are given a look at the earliest myths and beliefs of man, from the cave dwellers to surviving indigenous tribes of today, and how these myths changed and developed over time, influencing later myths. While I might disagree somewhat with the title (since "primitive" is a fairly relative term anyway), I cannot deny that this is a superb and well-researched book and is amongst the greatest of Joseph Campbell's work. Early on, the work goes into the development of animistic world views, followed by some information on the religion of the Neolithic agriculture socieites. From this, we are given insight into both the "sacred kings" and the ritual of love-death, both central to agriculture people to this very day. The beliefs of the Polynesians, Native Americans, peoples of the ancient Near East and many other societies were given to show the relationships of these myths. Following this was another section on hunting societies, which explained the role of the shaman in great detail. Again, this ties directly to modern day cultures and peoples, as many cultures both in Siberia and further afield still rely upon Shamanism. From that, we go on to animal masters (a central concept in shamanism), the buffalo dance, bear worship (this can still be seen today amongst the Ainu, Siberians and other Arctic people) and cave paintings. The next section of the book "The Archaeology of Myth" was also particularly interesting, showing various stages of both Paleolithic and Neolithic mythology. Ultimately Campbell closed out the book talking about the functioning of myth and such. Over all, this is a wonderful book and I simply cannot repeat that enough. It shows the development of myth and religion in our earliest ancestors and ultimately how universal the legacy that they left us is. The beliefs of ancient people, both agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers, are still with us today. Shamanism, bear worship, animism, the great serpent, death-rebirth myths. All of these things are universal phenomena, showing up amongst cultures as far afield as the Saami, Arunta, Kikuyu, Karen, Cree and Yanomami. Just think about how the serpent shows up in mythology, from the rainbow serpent of the Koori to Damballah in Voudon to the Aztec's Quetzalcoatl. Or about how the Saami and Ainu have similar bear worship ceremonies. This book shows the common origins of mythology, and I strongly recommend it. I found the chapters of shamanism and the early hunter-gatherers to be particularly interesting, but the whole book is just a great read. And Joseph Campbell is (or rather was) a superb writer, as well as being an expert on comparative mythology, so this book is enjoyable to flip through. If you have an interest in mythology, religion, anthropology, history and/or archaeology, this book is a must. In fact, if you enjoy this book I recommend the remaining books in the "Masks of God" series.

The master of Comparative Mythology delves into the themes, that underlie the art, beliefs and literature of the Western Soul. The third volume explains why the Western culture is so much different from the Eastern Way.

It enables the reader to step back and review his/her own culture from a more objective point of view. In the West, it is about the monotheistic belief, about God and Man as a seperate being. Therefore occidental myths establishes a means of relationship between God to Man and vice versa. He also shows up, why Christianism, Judaism and Islam are so similar and the fight over the "true God" is so ridiculous.

If you haven't read the first two volumes "Primitive Mythology" and "Oriental Mythology", go for them first!

Primitive Mythology is the first book in Campbell's great and sweeping study of myth in the world, starting from his neo-romantic viewpoint of myth as a necessary (and currently missing) factor in life. He embarks on a globally comparative and ultimately reconciliatory survey of kinds of myth and their relative societal roles. Please note that there is a fair amount of debate as to both the accuracy and ethics of trying to mine the universal from global myth in this fashion, but however you come down in that particular debate, The Masks of God is, on its own terms, a monumental achievement.

The Sorcerers Crusade is a fine book, which contains everything you need to get a Renaissance game going. The Traditions and the Order of Reason are both given equal treatment. It is interesting to see the Order of Reason before they got reorganized into the Technocratic Union. This was a time when their paradigm was not as accepted as miracles and traditional D&D-style spell craft.

This book is more thorough than the second edition of Mage the Ascension. Not only does it provide a lot of examples and explanations for spells, and rituals, it also cleared up a lot of the limitations and potentials for the various spheres.

Even though there are already party lines, the rules make it possible to have both Traditional and Technocratic magi working together. It is a time of reorganization and both parties are trying to find their destinies. In fact, the reader will follow the experiences of a Celestial Chorus member and a member of the Hippocratic Circle throughout the book. The idea of same goals through different methods was stressed.

The time period seemed to be the ideal setting for Mage. Not only are their so many possibilities in terms of new ideas and beliefs, the age of exploration in the high seas, the skies, the unknown continents, as well as the Void are all available for curious magi and their associates.

This book is a must for anyone who is interested in Mage. It is a very complete work and has vital information for storytellers and players who want to use the Renaissance setting. Whether you have an interest in high artisans, explorers, knights, shamans, witches, alchemists, there is something here for you.

So as you might expect this book includes extensive research as far as magi and cabala's are concerned. The artwork is amazing, the setting is perfect and the ascension war has begun. I you want my opinion, buy it, it is surely useful in completing your storyteller skills and knowledges and will prove your wisdom to your players. Really, this book is worth it.

Mage: The Ascension is, without a doubt, my favorite RPG. It's concept about Awakened beings who *know* they can change reality because they are convinced in their paradigms is the best concept I've ever seen.

In the Mage timeline, though, there was a crucial event which splitted history in two: Renaissance. It was then that the whole world started believing in science and it's apparent limitless capacities. It was then when people started removing some attributes which made the world turn from God, and it was then when the church started the most brutal prosecution against "pagans": Inquisition.

This is a book about the clash between 3 forces: Faith, Science and Magick. And as the Mage storyline goes, it's the perfect moment to play a Mage.

This is from Chris, the sometimes sous chef/helper/foil for Regina on her TV series. This cookbook isn't just for vegetarians (I'm not one). It's for anyone who likes good food. If you are an omnivore, this is the perfect book to provide great meals many times every week. You won't miss a thing. If you're a vegan, just substitute non-dairy alternatives. It can move you into new cuisines with ease, fill you up, keep you light, provide wide variety, and most are fun to prepare. I ate it while we taped it. I use the book constantly at home. This book takes vegetarian eating out of bland or boring and into great tasting, filling and fun.

This is from Chris, the sometimes sous chef/helper/foil for Regina on her TV series. This is the softcover version of Regina's first book, with all the same great recipes. This cookbook isn't just for vegetarians (I'm not one). It's for anyone who likes good food. If you are an omnivore, this is the perfect book to provide great meals many times every week. You won't miss a thing. If you're a vegan, just substitute non-dairy alternatives. It can move you into new cuisines with ease, fill you up, keep you light, provide wide variety, and most are fun to prepare. I ate it while we taped it. I use the book constantly at home. This book takes vegetarian eating out of bland or boring and into great tasting, filling and fun.

I highly recommend this cookbook. The recipes are quite simple to make and soooooo delicious. My two favorite things about this book is the recipes do not call for exotic ingredients, so I'm constantly referring to this for my daily cooking. And, I love the wine suggestions following each entree. I can hardly wait for her next book to come out. I own too many cookbooks, but this is the one I am constantly using on a daily basis. I can't live without it.

If you are a time-travel fan, then this is the book for you. It is not so far-fetched that after awhile you almost believe it could really happen. Josh (the hunky, biker/construction worker hero) rescues our 50's era heroine who has mysteriously appeared in front of him on a steel beam in the middle of a construction project 50 stories up! He takes her home with him to his run-down tenement apartment, where things heat up from there. Suffice it to say, that because of their changing history, Josh's life goes from poor orphan to a wealthy family who adores him. Beverly, who has discovered a lump that her doctor says is nothing finds 20th century medicine saves her life. And because she has seen the future, Beverly has an inkling of what will be valuable and can "invest" wisely in their future.

I loved this book! I normally don't read time travel books, but I have to say that this book changed my mind. I had a good laugh and have read it at least 3 times!

I thought the book was very good. Not very many time travel books go to the present. There was sexual tension but it wasn't the main focuse. One thing I would change is at the end, exploring there new relationship a little more becuse the book ended after there first kiss.