My first book read by Charlotte Maclay and I dearly loved it. Ella and Bryant belonged together from the beginning. I liked the humor in the story also, it made me want to be in Ella's shoes and close to Bryant. I recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and good humor.

This is a charming story of how a marriage about to be on the rock was saved.

Francesca had been married to Oliver Ransom for 10 years. They started out as a poor but happy couple, passionately in love. But as years went by and Oliver became more and more successful, they began drifting apart. Oliver spent most of his time in London while Francesca was tucked away in a beautiful house in the country. Now that their only son was sent away to boarding school despite her protest, she felt her life was lonely, empty and purposeless. It was the last straw when Oliver could not make it home for their 10th wedding anniversary. She was fed up with their phoney marriage. She would no longer be taken for granted. She decided on an impulse to leave her husband

This is a fascinating story because of its all too familiar real life situations with which women, especially non-working wives, will empathise. We have a marriage going stale and a husband in danger of straying. What will the wife do? Francesca, although shy, gentle and reserved, was no fool. She knew the problem lay with their seeing so little of each other and this had to be rectified. A much more serious one was Oliver's glamorous and ambitious secretary who made no bones that she fancied and wanted to ensnare him. Francesca kept her cool. She gave her husband surprise after surprise. She was no longer the self-effacing pushover wife, but a woman with looks, brains and business sense who could hold her own. Before she took him back, he had to recognize their marriage as an equal partnership.

The floundering marriage plot can be a let down for being cliched with a less skilful writer. But Charlotte Lamb is wonderful and I was swept into the flow of the story and totally captivated. we get to look at the marriage problem not only from the wife's angle but that of the husband. We glimpsed his inner world. Even a successful man can be vulnerable; he has his fears and insecurities and needs reassurance from his wife in the form of attention and passion . But he would not tell his wife. The lack of commuication and understanding nearly killed their marriage. Luckily it had a happy everafter ending which is most satisfying.

Charlotte Salisbury regularly accompanied her writer husband Harrison ("The 900 Days -- The Siege of Leningrad") to the former USSR. An accomplished author in her own right, she had a number of Russian friends, and it was for them that she published her candid impressions. "Russian Diary" comes from the perspective of a post-War American tourist who dearly loved Russia and her people, but was critical of the bureaucracy and xenophobia of the Soviet system. In those days, visitors' accomodations and activities were closely regulated by the frustratingly oppressive Intourist. Their comings and goings were monitored, not so clandestinely, by the KGB. And Soviet citizens who associated with Westerners did so at risk to themselves. Mrs. Salizar's independently-minded friends occasionally found themselves summoned and questioned about their conversations and correspondence. But the author's interest was more in everyday life rather than the workings of the government. Her diary describes family relationships, housing, shopping, fashion, dining, transportation, education, and careers, with particular regard to the Soviet concept of Women's Equality. "Russian Diary" provides an interesting contrast to modern conditions for citizens and visitors alike. Russia is one of a few countries which still requires an entry visa, but after perfunctory registration with bored OVIR officials, foreign visitors may reside and travel where they wish. Russians are free to host and escort their American friends anywhere, and to exchange correspondence with them. This book is out-of-print, but worth acquiring from Amazon's affiliates.

This is a very simple but beautiful and poetic little story. Agell understands rhythm, and here it sounds like lapping waves that is perfect for bedtime reading.

Your kid won't tire of hearing this one, and you will be happy to read it over and over. Pity it is currently out of print.

Another one of those excellent Fiell/Taschen overviews on design. This time, a huge 704 page, beautifully designed and printed pictorial collection of the essence of Scandinavian creativity. Although it covers the obvious furniture, metalware, glass, textiles and ceramics it also considers commercial products from companies like Fiskars, Hasselblad, IKEA, Lego, Saab, Volvo and nicely, even a company like Kompan, a producer of childrens playground equipment that is sold worldwide. I think this one reason for the commercial and creative success of Scandinavian products, they believe that good, simple design should be applied to everything and be available to all, the introduction calls these products democratic objects.

The book is a joy to look at. Each designer (or company logo) starts on a spread with a small head shot of the person, some text and the rest of the space, sometimes over several pages, devoted to photos. Interestingly with so many photos (more than 1600) many of which came from various sources, the color values are very similar and they all blend together throughout the book. I think Taschen are to be congratulated on producing (yet again) a stunning looking book that covers the subject so well and anyone involved with craft creativity and design will be pleased to have a copy.

In this beautifully illustrated volume of only 208 pages, Klonk attains her goal of showing how changes in the way people perceived nature were mediated by a "precarious balance" between the personal receptivity of the observer and the desire for some kind of "objective ordering principle" framed by the scientific observation. Her study ranges from aestheticism, philosophy, and physiology and the rise of phenomenalism, to botanical representation, picturesque travel and scientific observation to phenomenalism and the "retreat from social conflict." In a thoroughly exquisite work of scholarship, Klonk manages to show her readers how visual representation of nature was spurred by the crises brought on by emergent technologies, affecting the worldview of people during a time period that, in Khunian terms, was responding to a major paradigm shift.

In many ways, Klonk helps readers understand how we, meaning the Western world, perceive ourselves in relation to nature by training her focus through an ecocritical lens. Representation of nature during eighteenth century Britain transformed the public's attitudes toward nature, paving the way for environmental awareness that pitted raw nature against cultivated control. Artists and art historians, lovers of natural history, natural sciences, and literary critics alike will find much here to stimulate their discussions on what it means to "see."

Charlotte Zolotow graces the pages of this gentle book of poetry with imagery and magic as she details the changing seasons from a child's point of view. From Winter Bits "There is a special kind of quiet/every household knows/we hear it in our sleep/the first night it snows." and Spring Things "There is a wind/light as a feather/against your skin/a soft wind/gentle as a dove." to Summer Thoughts "One night I saw/flying low/a little flash of fire/like a star/fallen from the sky./"Look," my mother said./"a firefly!" and finally The Feel of Fall "There is a strong fresh wind/like an eagle flying by./It snatches someone's kite/and keeps it flying high.", Ms Zolotow's simple, easy to read verses are clever and joyous, sometimes playful and witty, often quiet and dreamy, but always captivating and engaging as they celebrate special moments in each passing season. Erik Blegvad's evocative pen and ink illustrations complement each poem with insight and wonder, and help bring it to life on the page. Perfect for emerging readers, or as a cozy read aloud for younger children, Seasons is a warm and inviting collection to share with friends and family now, and future generations in the years to come

Charlotte Walker, a professor of English at the State University of New York at Oneonta, has assembled the first anthology of critical essays on the naturalist, literary critic, poet, and philosopher John Burroughs (1837-1921). This is an extraordinary collection. Walker includes a wide array of voices, many of them (including my own) from outside academia. All have important things to say about Burroughs, who once towered above the American literary landscape but whose reputation has been eroded by time. A renewal of interest in the work of the Catskill-born Burroughs is underway, and this book is both a product of that movement and a light to lead the way. As the author of a concise biography and appreciation of John Burroughs ("The World of John Burroughs," published by Sierra Club Books), I congratulate Walker on a job brilliantly done.

Shell of wonder opened new doors for me. It was exciting and beautifully written. It was very imaginative and and was illsutrated quite well.

A very nice book on a very beautiful subject for golf purists. Ausgusta National is ruled by a bunch of stiff ole grey men in green jackets. But the course and the annual tournament are stuff of legends.