I first met Margaret and Herb Dimock over 20 years ago in Portland, Oregon. To the world, they were the beloved parents of my friend, Zoe. To me, they represented the kind of parents I always wished I'd had. In their presence, I felt valued and respected for who I was rather than for any of my worldly accomplishments. More importantly, I felt loved and understood. After reading this sweet book about their trial and error process of creating their own loving life together, I can see that the gift of love they shared with me was a gift they've freely given all along to anyone lucky enough to cross their path. I'm grateful I was one of the lucky ones. And, I believe you will be too, when you read this book.

In this fast-paced world of seemingly disposable relationships, Margaret and Herb's story of one couples' decades of committment to each other gently reminds us that there are no shortcuts in manifesting a fulfilling and lasting union. They show us that one of the key factors standing the test of time in creating a successful, intimate relationship is that of both partners putting their own spiritual growth first. Now in this "new age" when so many are finally embracing spiritual growth above all else, it would seem Margaret and Herb's approach to a spiritual partnership has been at least 50 years ahead of their time! Hats off to this sweet story of inspiration, hope and honest love!

Margaret and Herb (the authors) are dear friends, but I was dubious that a book on marriage could be anything but boring. I opened the book and was sucked into the story from the very first page, as they dared to let me see them in all their innocence and with all their hunger for something noble and purposeful for themselves and humankind.

As has been their way through all these years, they invited me to share in their journey, page by page, as human beings, as lovers, and as spiritual pilgrims. Their vision and practice of marriage have changed my view of a couple's love. They dared to believe that their union had a sacred purpose, which was only partially expressed through the delight of sexuality. Their shared efforts to understand this sacred purpose, to understand each other, and to better understand themselves, reveals a richer dimension to marriage than many of us dare imagine: to be significant, to be co-creative, to be imperfect, to mature together. Too many of us have settled for one-dimensional marriages or relationships. Their story tells us their is more.

What an amazing set of stories - I thoroughly enjoy each of the segments and felt like I was brought into each of these people's lives. The first hand accounts along with the pictures made it a very captivating read. Enjoy this book!!

This poignant and entertaining collection of oral histories was among one of the most satisfying reads I've had in a long time. These first person narratives really highlighted the beauty, majesty, and diversity of life in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I got ahold of a copy of this book of fairy tales when I was in elementary school and loved it. I have read it and reread it many times since just for fun. It draws me into another world of princes, fairys, sultans, and noble quests. The stories are rich with adventure, enchantment, and humor. The hero, be he the bold but kind-hearted commoner or a "youngest prince" in disguise, always wins. I am now an elementary school teacher, and my students like the book so much they are asking me where they can buy it!

I read this book as a child, and now, many years later, I still remember this as my very favorite book of fairy tales. These stories are all entertaining, and very vividly described. If you read these stories to your kids in bed at night, they will still be very awake when you finish! I cannot recommend this book more highly to those who love the classic fairy tale

I would like to take a moment to correct a very common misconception about E.T.A. Hoffmann...in all fairness to him, Hoffmann should not be known for writing The Nutcracker on which the ballet is based. The ballet is based on the version of the story written by Alexandre Dumas NOT Hoffmann! Hoffmann's version (the original, and the version Tchaikovsky thought he was writing the music for, until Petipa, the choreographer, decided it was too dark and strange to be made into a ballet and went with the sweet and fluffy Dumas version), is far superior and definiately worth reading even though it is one of his lighter tales. It's more fantasically strange and wonderful than dark and scary. It's also not as thought-provoking as some of his other works. If you're planning to read it I recommend the copy with Maurice Sendak's illustrations, as they set off the tone and mood of the story perfectly.

In regards to this particular book (The Golden Pot and others), I have found that everything Herr Hoffmann wrote is worth reading...it's just unfortunate that there aren't more collections of his works available. I've had a devil of a time trying to find a good hardbound copy myself!

E.T.A. Hoffmann is, in my opinion, one of the best and, sadly, unknown authors ever. I came across his name in a study of German Romanticism and even now whenever I want to escape this mundane reality I turn to his tales. Although known for the Nutcracker, his other tales are far more beautiful, moving and fantastic. The Golden Pot is perhaps the best story I have ever read. For anyone wishing so submerge him/herself in another world for a little while, a world of magic, beauty and horror, this is the best book one could choose. Each of his tales is unique, fantastic and exquisite.

This book is well written with tons on helful information. I especially liked the section on first aid and health care. It's well edited and has lots of wonderful pictures of this magnificent breed.

This book does work for all golden Retreivers.Check if your dog has a black mouth and black nose if he does. He is a very smart dog.Put an egg in his mouth. If he has a black mouth and nose he will carry around the egg without cracking it or breaking it.

I believe that this story really shows what Christmas is all about. you know, the helping of people and tis better to give than receive. i am 15 years old and i have had the pleasure of meeting Mr.Snyder. anyways, this book shows how a family can change near a holiday. christmas is a special time of the year; spend it with your family, the people you care about and the ones who care about you. my advice to you is read it and then give it as a present. even men would like this touching story and make sure you have tissues handy.

I love Christmas stories and this one has become one of my favorites. It's a story set in 1918 but the family values of love and giving are still important in this day and time. I was happy to be reading a story of family life back a couple of generations and how events that happened then can still touch us now. We follow the Beal family thru their preparations for Christmas. You will love this family especially the character whom the story revolves around 9 year old Anna who is the owner of "The Golden Ring". It's an interesting story with lots of twists and turns. I read it in my spare time in 3 days because I wanted to hear the whole story. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

From the Jacket: Business is booming at the Everleigh Sister's club in Chicago - until a newly reelected mayor tries to shut them down. When he sends the gorgeous Karen Grant to investigate, she finds a lot more under the Club's gilded roof - including love...and murder.

The story is a THRILLE

For any 'seeker' who has decreed that he/she is ready to start the work that it takes to find true peace and develop a loving attitude towards everyone, this book is for you. Packed full of useful tools and guidelines for developing your inner being, you will find answers to issues that have plagued you all your life. It's not called a workbook for nothing, though. Unlike the 'airy fairy' approach to self-improvement, this book shows you how to reach down in your self and root out all the blocks which have kept you from your 'normal' state of bliss. I have worked with the lessons in this book for many months now and can attest to the positive changes which have taken place in my life as a direct result. So I can whole-heartedly recommend it to all who are ready to roll up their sleeves and tackle the hard stuff. There are affirmations to help guide you into developing more positive relationships in your life. And there are ground rules for learning to communicate freely and without anger with everyone you encounter. Please read this book and feel the love and care that the authors have for each and every one of us. It is an experience that could change your life, and the lives of those around you.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in seeing the world become a nice place where people treat each other well and are happy. If you have read the Lost Teachings of Atlantis and were interested in the application of the ancient philosophies Jon Peniel learned at the monastery, you will love the book. It's a really useful and inspiring book if you want to be the kind of person who belongs in a better world. I wish everyone would read this and use it- what a wonderful world we would have!

I have always enjoyed Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu books - I have them all - but I had never read his other books before. The old-fashioned style in The Golden Scorpion can be a bit offputting until you get used to it, and the racial stereotyping is certainly jarring to modern sensibilities (and would probably be offensive for some). But if you view it as a product of the time and accept that such views were typical then, it is a very exciting story. No one writes like this anymore -- exciting, with clear-cut good and evil, fast-paced, with characters who are larger than life. Good stuff!

"... a needle-like ray of blue light shot across the lawn from beyond the hedge and-- but for that nervous start-- must have struck fully upon the back of Stuart's skull. Instead, it shone past his head, which it missed only by inches, and he experienced a sensation as though some one had buffeted him upon the cheek furiously. He pitched out of his chair and on to the carpet. The first object which the ray touched was the telephone; and next, beyond it, a medical dictionary; beyond that again, the grate, in which a fire was laid... An intense crackling sound deafened him, and the air of the room seemed to have become hot as that of an oven. There came a series of dull reports-- an uncanny wailing... and the needle-ray vanished. A monstrous shadow, moon-cast,, which had lain across the carpet of the lawn-- the shadow of a cowled man-- vanished also. ...There was smoke in the room, a smell of burning and of fused metal. He glared at the table madly. The mouthpiece of the telephone had vanished!" A pretty impressive weapon and near assassination! Especially since the scene was first published in 1920 in Sax Rohmer's thriller, The Golden Scorpion. Sadly, book store shelves today (even the shelves of rare and used book stores) are nearly devoid of works by Sax Rohmer (given name: Arthur S. Ward). The few titles by Rohmer which come and go in and out of print are those having to do with his most famous character-- the insidious Doctor Fu Manchu (portrayed variously in films by Boris Karloff in the 1930's and Christopher Lee in the 1960's) and his nemesis, the London detective, Nayland Smith, bearing a striking resemblance to Conan Doyle's famous Sherlock Holmes. Much is the pity that more of Rohmer's work isn't readily available to readers today. For the literary worlds of Sax Rohmer are filled with intrigue, fast-paced action and suspense, and, alas, a good deal of what would be termed political incorrectness today. For many of Rohmer's greatest villains, like Dr. Fu Manchu, are Chinese masterminds, ready to claim possession of the world during a time when Europeans and Americans, alike, worried about the rising influence of China and the "Yellow Peril." In The Golden Scorpion Europe's top scientists are suddenly falling dead of no apparent cause and French detective Gaston Max, master of disguise, languages, and intellect (surely a close cousin to Mr. Holmes as well as Poe's A. Dupin) believes the deaths are actually murder-- murder which he traces to "The Scorpion" a Chinese genius whose identity has always remained concealed behind a cloud of fear. Dr. Keppel Stuart becomes a target of "The Scorpion" due to his knowledge of exotic poisons and falls under the charm of the beautiful Asian woman variously known as Mlle. Dorian, Zara el-Khala, and Miska, whose "smile was the taunting smile of the East, which is at once a caress and an invitation." But as Gaston Max closes in, we learn that Miska's is a dreadful life-- for she is an unwilling agent of "The Scorpion" who, Miska confesses, "is the most dangerous being in the known world. He has invented horrible things-- poisons and instruments, which I cannot describe because I have never seen them; but I have seen... some of their effects." Nor has she seen "The Feast of a Thousand Ants," another one of The Scorpion's playful devices which "is performed with the aid of African driver ants, a pair of surgical scissors and a pot honey" which can strip the flesh off of a living man in sixty-nine minutes! And who is "The Scorpion ? "The new-comer wore a cowled garment of some dark blue material which enveloped him from head to feet. It possessed oval eye-holes, and through these apertures gleamed two eyes which looked scarcely like the eyes of a human being. They were of that brilliant yellow colour sometimes seen in the eyes of tigers, and their most marked and awful peculiarity was their unblinking regard. They seemed always to be open to their fullest extent, and Stuart realized with anger that it was impossible to sustain for long the piercing unmoved gaze... for he knew he was in the presence of 'The Scorpion' The Golden Scorpion stands among Rohmer's finest suspense tales outside of the Fu Manchu series. The story drives frantically to the awesome climax and will transport readers back in time to a simpler era where the greatest threat to the world is a mad Chinese mastermind whose weapons are death rays and poisons, whose eyes have the power to mesmerize (like Chandu the Magician-- a famous pulp-fiction character and later a movie serial which Rohmer gives a tip of the hat to in The Golden Scorpion), and who, like many a mortal, is flawed when it comes to beauty and love. Those were the days.

Emily Ratcliffe's ill-fated affair with the charming jerk Paul Steerman ends with her frightening, unexpected rape by him, and subsequent pregnancy and delivery of twins. Loyal friend and would-be lover Dr. Steve Montane marries her and lovingly raises the boy and girl as his own.

But of course the past comes back to haunt Emily and her loyal lady's maid, Alice. The character of Alice is fascinating: at first she's the humble, grateful young maid to Emily, but as her loyalty to her mistress grows, she changes to the point where her thoughts are not her own; she literally lives for her mistress. When the older Emily's past misdeeds more or less catch up to her, Alice becomes angry with anyone who dares oppose or accuse her mistress, citing "You don't know what she's been through!" as excuse for Emily's actions or unreasonable behavior.

Predictably Emily's daughter meets and falls in love with her half-brother, and must overcome obstacles of time and scandal to realize her heart's dream, while Emily herself becomes the antagonist in her own novel, along with stubborn, faithful Alice.

A tale about courage, fidelity, and mostly, fate.

The Golden Straw is a thick meaty saga which has it all. From love to rape to hardship and secrets; it really is vintage Catherine Cookson. The novel features Emily who having worked for milliner Mabel Arkwright decides to take a holiday in the South Of France, recommended by Mabel herself. There she meets a charming yet married man, Paul and soon she embarks on a torrid affair. However, when Emily decides to stop the affair, Paul gets drunk and he rapes her. And the effects of that night effect both her children and grand-children. In true Cookson tradition, you'll be spellbound and you're bound to keep turning the pages. There are many romance writers, but there is only one Catherine Cookson.