This is a great little book for someone who is new to the world of old roses. I am responsible for a historic site (Historic Brattonsville) that is in the middle of restoring its 19th century pleasure garden. Roses were a foundation of such gardens and this book, along with many others, is helping me to restore them. While serious folk would probably find it lacking the depth they are looking for, there are still some juicy info tidbits that they would surely appreciate. The illustrations a beautiful. Of course that's a given in most all rose books! The thing I like best about this book is that it is perfect for gifting. Its small, concise, and inspiring. What more would someone want?

Not only are the author's descriptions of shells up to museum-catalog quality (he is apparently an experienced shell collector), but Nicholls' illustrations are among the best I have ever seen in a natural history book. They are absolutely stunning in both their accuracy and their artfulness. This is reason alone to buy the book. My only complaint is that I wish there had been more descriptions of the species and their characteristics, instead of focusing on the shells alone.

This book is very educational. It is all about Earth Science. It starts from the most simplest things and advances to even harder material. The writer is just simply superb! It gives you so many details and good descriptions you can picture it in your mind very easily. It comes with a variety of good pictures too. Volcano eruptions, crystals, diagrams and many more of our present day events. The diagrams are well drawn too, they give you a very clear shot at what they are trying to get at. This book also gives the simplest explanations whenever possible so you won't become confused that often. I believe this book should be one of the text books your children should be using at school!

I am a student who has read this book and found that it tought me many things throughout the school year. It has some experments in it also. It covers many sections that are worth learning about. However, it dose not go into that much detial and it could give more examples. Overall, I found that it helped me in the understanding of science.

I wish I could rate this book more, because I'd like to consider THIS book the last of the series, and forget that AWAKENING ever existed. The story now focuses on India Blackstone, Edward Blackstone's daughter, as she tries to become an artist. The setting, Taos, is exotic, and Henry Blake's travails in the Phillipines also give this book an exotic feel. Unfortunately, Henry's story is rather brief and India is too new a character for us to really care about, if you are a regular of the series.

Still, this book is not bad. If you want a feel for the Old West from the Indian prospective, buy it.

I read this book when I was in my last year of high school and it helped me to keep a healthy perspective vis a vis education. I ended up being a healthy sceptic of all "authoritative knowledge" "taught" me by my teachers. It also encouraged me to "learn" on my own even after I was done with formal schooling. Must read for people who feel unduly constrained by the educational system.

This book is based upon a true story that occurred in nineteenth century England that went on to become one of its most notorious scandals. It is a gripping account of the events that impacted upon a young woman's life and her resolution of the seemingly insoluble.

This engrossing, historical fiction details the life of an exquisitely beautiful, young girl, Melisande St. Martin, who is brought up in a French convent, not knowing who her parents are. One day, when she is a young teenager, an Englishman whom she has seen in town from time to time, Sir Charles Trevenning, goes to the convent. Claiming to be her guardian, though he is, in fact, her father, he takes Melisande to England with him, his wife having died, so that she can be a companion to his legitimate daughter, Caroline.

So begins Melisande's bizarre odyssey in life. After the grimness of life in the French convent, Melisande is thrilled by the promise of a new, more secular, life in a grand manor house in Cornwall. All, however, is not what it seems. As soon as Melisande arrives, she captures the unwanted attentions of Fermor, Caroline's devastatingly handsome fiance, incurring Caroline's bitter jealousy. Melisande tries to escape his attentions by developing a relationship with a French expatriate, Leon de la Roche, only to find that he, too, has issues.

Ultimately, through the gossip of the servants, Melisande discovers that the kindly gentleman, whom she thought was her guardian, is, in fact, her father. He, wishing to preserve his reputation and avoid scandal, sends the still innocent Melisande to London, placing her in the care of Fennella, a wealthy and kindly woman of dubious reputation. There, things do not go according to plan, and Melisande leaves Fennella's home, finding a position as lady's maid to a Mrs. Lavender. It is in the Lavender's home that she makes the acquaintance of a yet another man who is to disappoint her. Their relationship would culminate in an event that would find eighteen year old Melisande standing trial for murder.

This title was on my list of books to read for a long time before I ever got around to reading it. However, now that I have read it, I am sorry that I waited so long! Don't let the title keep you from reading this book.

The residents of a retirement community (not a nursing home!) have a murderer in their midst. No one really liked "Sweetie" but everyone agrees that there was no reason to kill her! Friends Caledonia and Angela mastermind the search to find the killer, and get themselves into a few precarious situations as a result. This book shows that retirement does not mean "out to pasture" and shows how valuable the elderly are (to those that, unfortunately, need a reminder!).

This was a delightful look at a feisty group of retirement residents that work together to help the police solve a murder. The characters grow with each book in the series and this book was a great introduction to them. Great for all ages! Enjoy!

This book, about a little girl named Marie from an impoverished family, is a book that will warm the hearts of every reader. As Marie learns the power of love through the burning testimony she receives of Jesus Christ, she gains a great love for everyone around her, even her tormenters. Her desire to share the knowledge she has received with a lady who befriended her grows until she finds a way to share her love and her knowledge.

This book is an easy-reader that you will not be able to put down!

This book is the third in Plaidy's Tudor series. It is painful to read of Queen Katharine's heartbreak over her inability to produce a son and heir for the increasingly tyrannical Henry. Plaidy's simple writing style is necessary to help readers follow the complex "tangled web" of court intrigues. Read Antonia Fraser's _The Wives of Henry VIII_ for the straight history, then Plaidy's novels for the fictional "inside scoop!"