I liked these books a ton. I am a big fantasy person (harry Potter, Lord of the rings, tamora pierce, etc) and i thought they were really good. one of my best friend lent them to me and i had the whole series (and deltora shadowlands) finished within, like, a week. I am in 7th grade and a big reader (at least two hours a day) and these books are great (but not as great as tamora pierce).

Yes I do like this book. It is a great book for whoever likes adventure. It is confusing if you don't read them in order. It has 128 pages. This book is hard to put down. Once you start reading you can't stop.

As they travel to Dread Mountain, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine find a clear spring. But an ominous sign makes them unsure. They are thirsty, and out of water. They drink, and later discover the entire truth of Dreaming Spring. They also meet the Kin, a fabled creature thought to be extinct. The Kin take them to the mountain, but their only young follows. Can they care for her, and themselves, too? She proves to be helpful, and as they learn about what happened on the mountain, they are imprisoned by the Dread Gnomes, Gnomes that live on the Mountain, under the rule of a toad-like creature, Gellick. The fifth gem, the emerald, is inbedded in his brow.

I just reread this book as a teacher/adult. I read it as a child almost twenty years ago, I liked it back then too. Very sweet and humorous. It is a great picture of Americana with Grandpa's automobile, Sunday after-church picnics, and party-line telephones! And then the pigs with the rotton apples during Mama's elegant party. Terrific!! I can see the characters in my grandparents.

Great way to remind children to get outside and play or read instead of sitting in front of the television. How did we survive with out video games? The computer? Wonderful to read aloud for quality time.

Beverly Cleary was my favorite author as a child. Now as a teacher and parent, I get to share her books with a new generation.

Emily's Runaway Imagination by Bevery Cleary is a good story. Emily is a girl who lives on a farm. She had some wild ideas. She wanted her father's horse to turn into a snow-white steed so, she tried to bleach it with Clorox. One of her good ideas was to set up a library in her town. I liked this story because it made me laugh. It's fun to read about crazy things kids do. The author wrote a realistic fiction to show us how to have crazy ideas. She also wanted us to see that we should not always do the crazy things that pop into our head!

Emily Bartlett just wants a library. So, her mother writes in for one, and guess what! Pitchfork is going to have a library! While waiting for the books to arrive from Salem, Emily feeds the hogs a treat, bleeches a horse, and scares her cousin half to death. Mama doesn't really know how Emily can get into so much trouble, she just says "Emily, don't let your imagination run away with you!" Emily does try, but hey, if you live in the west, during a time when cars are new, airplanes are hardley ever seen, and no one has dreamed up the TV yet, what are you supposed to do?

Dorothy Gilman writes smoothly and plots excellently. I am certain that others have compared her to Agatha Christie. This story begins as Carstairs determines that a situation requires the presence of Mrs. Pollifax. He thinks that Emily Pollifax would be able to correct whatever lack of tact the CIA man, Max Janko, possessed. He feels that it would be dangerous for Mrs. Pollifax to know too much. The destination is Morocco. Some years ago Mrs. Pollifax volunteered to be spy. Before being called this time she ws beginning to fear that Carstairs felt she was too old to be of any further use. She agreed to go to Morocco the following day. She is successful in her mission to foil the attempts of someone making impersonations of persons promoting the interest of the Polisarios. In the course of her adventures she encounters a small boy, a holy man, the sufi or whirling dervish of the title, and a former superior of Carstairs. The holy man she encounters is someone who saved Carstairs from certain death when he was serving in the OSS during World War II.

Mrs. Pollifax travels to Morocco in the ninth book of this delightful series. She is asked to pose as the aunt of a crusty agent who needs a little smoothing around the edges. They are to travel around Morocco and ascertain that the seven members of an information chain are all legitimate and match the pictures which have been entrusted to Mrs. Pollifax. She does not enjoy traveling with her companion and soon discovers that he is not who he says he is. Political intrigue and murder rear their ugly heads and Mrs. Pollifax is soon running for her life, while trying to ascertain who she can trust and who is out to eliminate her. This book introduces the reader to some delightful new characters while developing those we've already met, particularly an elusive gentleman who is in the upper echelons of the CIA's administration. This is a delightful read!

After the disappointment of "Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle," Dorothy Gilman went back to the formula that works for the series with "Whirling Dervish." The story of Mrs. Pollifax traveling through a foreign land with a crusty agent makes for intrigue and comedy. A very enjoyable, exciting, quick read. Reminiscent in some ways of both "The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax" and "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax."

THE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON, INCLUDING VARIANT READINGS CRITICALLY COMPARED WITH ALL KNOWN MANUSCRIPTS. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson. 3 vols. Cambridge, Mass., and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, nd. [A single-volume reprint of the original 1955 3-vol. edition]. ISBN 0-674-67601-7 HBK.

Prior to the appearance of Johnson's great variorum edition of Emily Dickinson in 1955, an edition which was the first to offer readers accurate texts of her complete poems, it was not possible to arrive at a just estimation of her tremendous achievement, an achievement that places her at the forefront of the ranks of the world's greatest poets. Because of the highly idiosyncratic nature of her poems, all earlier editors had felt obliged, to some extent or other, and in order to make them more acceptable to the public, to normalize them by adding titles, smoothing her rhymes, changing words, regularizing punctuation, and relineating them; some editors even went so far as to remove entire stanzas. It becomes a tribute to the power of her poems that, despite this savage treament they somehow survived, and there are many readers, even today, who have grown to love these mutilated versions without ever realizing just how far removed they are from her originals.

Although Johnson himself wasn't entirely free of the slash-and-burn approach to ED's texts - since he apparently felt that readers weren't yet ready for the peculiar lineation that we find in Emily Dickinson's own handwritten versions of the poems - he should nevertheless be credited with having brought the worst of it to an end, and for having given us texts that are closer to the originals than ever before. He is also to be credited with having established an approximate chronological order for the 1775 poems in his edition, and for having provided us with a convenient way of referring to these untitled poems by giving each of them a number, the well-known 'Johnson numbers' which are still standard today. Each numbered poem has been transcribed exactly as it is found in the manuscripts, though with his editorial choice of variant and with lineation normalized. Below each poem comes a list of variants, information about the poem's manuscript source/s, and its publication history. The poems are preceded by 70 pages of Introductory material, which include 20 pages of very interesting photographic facsimiles in illustration of ED's varied writing styles, and the book is rounded out with an Appendix, a Subject Index, and an Index of First Lines.

The present version is an undated reprint, in one volume, of the original 1955 3-volume edition, and is a substantial book of over 1300 pages weighing in at a hefty 4lbs plus. Given the fantastic price of the book, I was amazed to discover that, although bound in full cloth, instead of the pages being sewn in signatures it has been given a glued spine which is nowhere near strong enough to hold the weight of all these pages. Although I'm pretty careful with books, the brand-new copy I examined split at the spine the first time I opened it. Anyone who is interested in the Johnson variorum would be well advised to search for a copy of the much better produced earlier and stitched 3-volume version. Although the present book deserves more than 5 stars for its content, it deserves far less for its poor physical makeup.

As a contribution to scholarship, Johnson's variorum was a magnificent achievement for its time, and helped greatly in establishing Emily Dickinson's reputation. But much has come to light since 1955, and R. W. Franklin's richer 1998 variorum (which unlike the Johnson provides details of the original lineation) may now be said to have superseded it. Details of the Franklin variorum are as follows:

THE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON : VARIORUM EDITION. Edited by R. W. Franklin. 3 vols. Cambridge, Mass., and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-674-67622X HBK.

This is an excellent book for anyone who LOVES Emily Dickinson. Although it does not contain all the different versions of her poems, it is comprehensively edited to have the version of each known poem that is believed to be Dickinson's most complete and revised. This edition also seem to have the most complete collection of poems--1,789-- compared to the other "complete poems". However, if you are looking for an edition for studious reasons, this edition does have different numbering for the poems than the ones usually used (the editor claims them to be in the most accurate chronological order possible).
The binding of this book is VERY nice and has its own ribbon for marking pages. Definitely a nice book.

THE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON : Reading Edition. Edited by R. W. Franklin. 692 pp. Cambridge, Massachusetts : The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-674-67624-6 (hbk.)

When it comes to choosing an edition of Emily Dickinson's poems, we need to be very careful. Selections of her poems have appeared in many editions, and the earlier ones - which are still being reprinted - often contain extensively edited and revised versions of her poems which do not give us what she actually wrote.

Her poems are so unusual, in terms of their diction, meters, grammar, and punctuation, that earlier editors felt obliged to replace her characteristic dash with more conventional punctuation, and to regularize and smooth out her texts to make them more acceptable to readers of the time.

In fact, it was only when Thomas H. Johnson's editions appeared that readers were finally given an accurate version of the original texts, with Emily Dickinson's diction and punctuation restored.

Johnson produced two different editions of the poems. The first, a 3-volume Variorum Edition (1955), includes all of her many variants, since Emily Dickinson often added alternate words to her drafts and in many cases seems never to have decided on a final reading. These variants, though extremely interesting to scholars, enthusiasts, and advanced students of ED, are not really necessary in an edition for the general reader.

What the general reader needs is an edition in which the editor, after closely examining the manuscripts and taking into account all relevant factors, gives what he feels is one sensible and acceptable reading, and this is what Johnson gave us in the second edition he prepared, his Reader's edition (details of which appear below).

R. W. Franklin has followed the same procedure as Johnson. In other words, readers can feel confident that in both the present edition and in the Johnson, they have been given (insofar as it's possible to get her idiosyncratic manuscript drafts over into typography) at least one accurate reading of ED's original draft.

Those who would like to look at the variants can always consult Johnson's Variorum (1955), or R. W. Franklin's more recent Variorum (1998). Better still, if they can, they might take a look at R. W. Franklin's sumptuous 2-volume 'The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson' (1981), which gives photographic facsimiles of many of her manuscripts.

Emily Dickinson is a very great poet. Personally I think that in some ways she is the greatest poet of all. In the present edition we have been given accurate texts of 1789 of her poems, arranged so far as was possible in chronological order of composition.

Franklin's is a scholarly edition, based on his Variorum, which should serve the general reader well enough for most ordinary purposes. Besides the poems it also contains a brief Introduction, two Appendices, and an Index of First Lines.

This beautifully produced and superbly printed Franklin (which contains 14 more poems than the earlier Johnson) will give you access to a body of poems that are so far above the ordinary run of poems that we really ought to have another word for them.

Just as a prism breaks up light into a band of colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet - and their infinite gradations, so do Emily Dickinson's poems become, as it were, a prism which captures the white light of reality, a reality which as it flows through the prism of her poem explodes into a multiplicity of meanings.

It is the rich suggestiveness of her poems, a suggestiveness which generates an incredible range of meanings, that prevents us from ever being able to say (to continue the metaphor) that a given poem is 'about red' or 'about blue,' because her poems, as US critic Robert Weisbuch has pointed out, are in fact about _everything_. This is what makes her so unique, and this is why she appeals to every kind of reader (or certainly to open-minded ones) and even to children.

Emily Dickinson's poetry is one of the wonders of the world. Whether you select the Franklin or the Johnson edition, it will become a book that you will cherish, a golden book and endless source of pleasure and inspiration that you will find yourself returning to again and again.

For those who may be interested, details of Johnson's Reader's edition are as follows:

THE COMPLETE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson. 784 pp. Boston : Little, Brown, 1960 and Reissued. ISBN: 0316184136 (pbk.)

I just recently discovered the Mrs. Pollifax books and I have been enjoying them immensely. This one is a great favorite of mine because not only are the many characters and the complex plot skillfully handled, but the characterization is wonderful. The author employs the great writer's rule of "Show, don't tell" to give the reader a more detailed picture of who Mrs. Pollifax is. Her character is drawn with more depth in this novel than in either of the two preceding. In addition, the story is exciting and told with a gentle humor that certainly kept me reading.

I go back a couple of books in the series now to this one, the third. Fortunately there are no significant references to prior books this time around.

Anyhow, this time Mrs. Pollifax finds her way to Bulgaria. Supposedly she is only taking passports to the underground there, but her boss Carstairs is strongarmed into having her taking other items, sewn into her coat, along with her without her knowing it. Complications, unsurprisingly, ensue. She falls in with a group of travelling college students (and one in particular), and leaps in to help when one of them is held by the secret police.

She leads both friends and foes on a merry chase as she travels around Bulgaria. It's got to be one of the more complex plots of any of the books I've read so far, and as a result one of the most gripping.

Rosenblat again does a superb job with the voices.

The 3rd book written by Dorothy Gilman is another book filled with intrigue and heroism. Mrs. Pollifax, a widow who enjoys teas and garden clubs, sets out on her third courier job for the CIA, a mission which starts in Bulgaria. Mrs. Pollifax is a CIA agent assigned to smuggle forged passports into the country, for the use of some agents that have found themselves in need of escape. However, as in her previous two cases, no simple courier job ends up that way, and she also works to assist a group of college kids that find themselves in trouble.

I was enthralled with the third assignment of Mrs. Pollifax, and enjoyed every moment spent with her on this adventure. Mrs. Pollifax is not a person that you would initially feel would make a good CIA agent. She is elderly, loves to wear outlandish hats, and finds a way to talk and get to know everyone around her. But it is just these qualities that make her so invisible in the world of spies, and even the most cynical of agents falls under her spell. I loved the fact that Mrs. Pollifax is learning karate (since she hates guns I worried about how she could plausibly protect herself) and that she was just as lovable yet determined as she was in the previous books. If you have not tried this series, pick up a copy of this book and the previous books, and join the millions of others who are charmed by this beloved character!

The first book in the series is "The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax". Enjoy!

A Cozy Mystery Lover

Ah, Emily! It is perhaps appropriate that Emily Hahn was friends with Chinese writer and Kuomintang spy Lin Yutang, who despite his dubious politics was a fantastic philosopher and writer. Among his best known works was "The Art of Living," and Emily Hahn could serve as the poster girl for the Western version of his ideals.

Her mythology is well known, although not as well as it deserves to be: she elbowed her way into a male-only university department, lived alone in New York, and drove cross-country with a girlfriend in a time when such things Just Weren't Done. Once she'd exhausted the adventurous possibilities of North America, she struck out for Africa and then China.

She was a bohemian in Shanghai, and her flat enjoyed visits from even a grubby, earnest young Mao Zedong and the ever-dapper Zhou Enlai. Unlike other China Hands, though, Hahn mainly shied from revolutionary company in favor of the decidedly bourgeois literati, led by handsome dandy poet Shao Xunmei. (Read "Shanghai Modern" for more on him.) Hahn became Shao's lover and later concubine, and together they launched the literary magazine Tianxia, "Under Heaven". Emily was also a fixture in the expatriate scene, writing for the New Yorker and known for showing up at Victor Sassoon's lavish parties with a pet baboon in tow, clad in diapers after a few unfortunate mishaps.

She moved with the war to Chongqing, and from there to Hong Kong, where she began an indiscret affair and had an illegitimate child with the head of British Secret Services. She sat out the Japanese occupation, returned to the States after the war ended, and then moved with her lover to England.

Emily Hahn was more a writer and professional character than a journalist. Her best works are autobiographical, and when she ventured into research the result was painfully propagandistic puff pieces.

But that is the problem with this biography: Emily Hahn's life had already been documented with both care and color in her own writings, so Cuthbertson's account mostly rehashes Emily's own words in more prosaic terms. The main advantage is to find out the historical characters behind the fictional names, and to have a clearer chronology than Hahn's writing provides.

The thing is, Emily Hahn didn't lead that interesting or colorful or significant a life, not compared to the many other young Americans lured to the East at the same time. Rather, she was so talented at describing people, places, events with a sharply bemused eye for the ironic idiosyncracy. That is what makes her intriguing.

While I don't necessarily agree that Emily Hahn has been forgotten (see, for instance, Prisoners in Paradise: American Women in the Wartime South Pacific) I do believe that a biography about her helps us to understand the complexities of women's lives in the 20th century. Ken Cuthbertson has done a competent job of outlining Hahn's life and his prose is just about as lively as her adventures. However, I think his historical analysis is weak, especially in the matter of feminism, which was so controversial during Hahn's lifetime. Putting her life in sharper perspective with the historical times would have made this a fuller biography. But for people who don't really care about that, they will certainly enjoy the retelling of Hahn's fast-paced life and may even be motivated to dig up some of Hahn's own books.

I knew nothing about Emily Hahn and I picked this book up being intrigued by a synopsis. It is a very well written book about an extraordinary life. Emily (Mickey) Hahn broke every convention of her time: a woman who studied mining engineering in collage, a lone white woman in Africa in the early 1930's, a single woman in China, an American "married" to a Chinese as his concubine and a journalist caught in the Japanese invasion of that country. Hopefully, I have said enough to tickle the interest of would-be readers since I don't want to give away any more.

This is a life story that reads like a novel. Why the Chinese portion of this book has not been made into a movie is a surprise to me. There is a cinematic quality of Ms. Hahn's life in China (which she wrote about herself) that cries out for filming. Ken Cuthbertson tells the story of this life without judgement calls does not clutter his book with useless facts. The book is illustrated with photographs spread throughout the chapters where they are needed. I could not recommend this book more highly.

(Based on the audiotape, no longer available (?) )
For once Carstairs sends Mrs. Pollifax into the thick of it, to a Swiss spa where some plutonium thieves are thought to lurk. Once again she meddles in side issues, in this case a child who seems strangely frightened, which turns out to be at the heart of the whole situation. This is also where she meets jewel thief Robin and helps turn him to the straight and narrow. Another entertaining outing, well-read by Rosenblat, as usual.

There is some plutonium missing and Mr. Carstairs of the CIA decides that Mrs. Pollifax is the one to find it. He dispatches her to an upscale clinic in Switzerland, where he suspects the
contraband has been hidden. She begins a careful investigation of the guests at the clinic and soon befriends a young man and woman, and a young boy and his grandmother. She soon discovers that very few of them are who they claim to be and she becomes involved in intrigue with men who plan to overthrow the government of a small country. She, of course, displays the courage and ingenuity which Mr. Carstairs has learned to depend on, and she leads her outnumbered friends into the adventure of their lives. This is a delightful series.

I LOVED this book. This was my first Mrs. Pollifax novel. I couldn't put the book down. Dorothy Gilman does a fabulous job creating the relationships. I especially enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax's unique relationships with both the boy Hafez and Robin, the cat burgler. The way Dorothy Gilman describes the settings of Lake Geneva, the clinic, the castle and the chalet all provide a balance of relaxation and adventure for the reader. I can't wait to read my next Mrs. P novel.... one problem.... which to read first?

Professionals who study and treat trichotillomania and those who suffer from this often devastating disorder have long awaited a book such as this one. The procedures presented are based on state-of-the-art theories and techniques developed by the authors and their colleagues, nationally known experts who have led the field in creating sound, scientifically based treatment programs for trichotillomania.

At long last, a self-help book for young trichotillomania sufferers - one that is written in plain common-sense language and that allows each user to tailor the program to his or her own needs. The information is highly accessible to children, and is based upon the latest understandings of this serious disorder. As a member of the Science Advisory Board of the Trichotillomania Learning Center (a national organization for sufferers and professionals), I recommend this valuable workbook without hesitation, not only to my younger patients, but to parents and therapists as well.

I am a young person recovering from having trich. The information and ideas in this book have made my recovery possible. This book also is very informative for parents or therapists who are trying to help their child or patient through this disorder. The book is easy to follow, fleshing out a simple, step-by-step approach to understand and help one get through trich. I would definitly recommend it to anyone who has, or has a loved one or patient who has trich.

The teenage daughter of movie star Jackson Stone runs off with a rock star, causing a scandal. To avoid the press, Jackson takes his daughter on a camping trip and meets Rachael, a ranch owner with a son of her own. Jackson talks Rachael into letting him and his daughter hide out at her ranch, and the humor begins. Jackson's antics as he learns how to work on a ranch are entertaining. Rachael's denial of her feelings for Jackson are classic romance, but not trite because she doesn't want to become a movie star groupie. The kids are likeable and funny, adding to the family atmosphere that develops as they skirmish with each other and unite against their parents. And what happens when people finally start recognizing Jackson?

Overall, this was an enjoyable and orginial story. My only complaint is that the ending was a bit abrupt and a tidy.

This book had mixed reviews, so I was a little hesitant...but it was wonderful. There was a lot of sexual tension, but in an innocent, powerful way. A hard one to put down because you get so involved with the characters.

I've read several of Emily Carmichael's books and my favorite has always been Jezebel's Sister. The Good, the Bad and the Sexy is even better. I can't remember when I have enjoyed a book so much. I have found myself reading and smiling and laughing. If you want a good, pick-me-up book - open The Good, the Bad and the Sexy. I don't know how Ms. Carmichael will top this one, but I know she will. Highly recommended and highly enjoyed.

Emily Luchetti's earlier cookbook, "Stars Desserts," was filled with desserts she had developed as pastry chef at the famed Stars Restaurant in San Francisco. "Four-Star Desserts" expands upon that repertoire and continues to support her reputation for deft yet simple taste combinations. That said, I have a couple of minor quibbles with her cookbook. How, for instance, can she possibly characterize her Warm Zabaglione with Strawberries as "a light dessert for those watching their waistlines" when one of the five ingredients is six egg yolks? How can she instruct her readers to indefinitely refrigerate her Chocolate Nut Bark, when doing so almost ensures that it will absorb odors from other refrigerated items? She also, in recipes employing the use of raw eggs, makes no mention of the dangers associated with eating them.

Fairly minor quibbles aside, though, "Four-Star Desserts" is a treat. For all her formidable talent, Luchetti has a magical touch at creating recipes that even inexperienced cooks will feel confident in trying. The recipes are nicely laid out with ingredients and required equipment on the left-hand half of the page, and instructions on the right. Each is preceded with her thoughts on what makes that particular dessert memorable, as well as tips on making it as successful as possible. Having Emily Luchetti at your elbow in the kitchen is a very good thing, as is this book.

These receipes are flawless and nearly fool-proof! Over a dozen of these sweets have become family favorites. Emily Luchetti's desserts are simply stunning in flavor and simple to prepare. She gives comprehensive instructions that are easy to follow, always resulting in a wonderful treat. Her receipes must be well tested for the home kitchen, because I have never had a problem producing the desired result. For a cook who is more at ease making savory dishes, Emily makes sweets enticing and approachable. When you consistently get great results, you are ever-encouraged to try another and another and another dessert until you can master many! By far, her two books on desserts are the best I have discovered for sweets. Look no further!

A photograph in Four Star Desserts of a blackberry roulade, unadorned and pure, was the reason I bought the book. I must have baked that cake six times over the next week. Everyone thought I was crazy. I used her technique (for almond ice cream) of steeping almonds in milk to make an almond-infused brioche bread pudding, and her chocolate "brulee" topped my coconut custard. This book has given me pleasure and has sparked ideas for my own inventions. I am a pastry chef, too, and I can't get enough of Emily Luchetti.