I'm not one of the sort of people who falls often for heart warming. I'm too bitter, too jaded... too educated to be able to gush openly about kindly regard for many things. This book, though, deserves that kind of praise.

As you could gather from the blurbs from magazines, this is a hundred year old book that seeks to illustrate the lives of typical, everyday (not to say uninteresting) Americans. The book is short; it's stories are realistic. Thus, it gives great insight into our collective 'ancestry': a voice to the long-dead.

I'm inclined to think that every time I mentally want to destroy America, in this book, again, could be found renewed hope and exploration. In this book one can find the stories of Lithuanians who set out to cross the ocean, of free black women finding for the first time life in a segregated south, of Greek pushcart workers who end up with $50,000 in the bank. More or less, these are the voices that give our community continuity.... and, well, I'm starting to ramble and make little sense....

Just read the book....

This book should be more widely available. I find it full of the kind of detail about peoples' lives (in this case, immigrants to the United States) that are cogent, relevant, and delivered with considerable charm and lack of artifice. Everyone to whom I have given a copy of this book has raved about it.

I have looked at a few "toddlers`" or "first" bibles, but this one best suits our present needs. At seven and five years of age, active, and bilingual at present, my boys enjoy read-aloud books: only if interesting, and in case of the youngest, only with pictures.

Twenty-five stories each from the new and old testaments are retold in a format which lends itself to reading aloud. These well-crafted versions entertain, yet stay true to their messages, the most prominent of which is that , "God is love." Veteran storyteller Bob Hartman uses simple language, (which early readers will appreciate,) but never talks down to his audience. Sweetly illustrated in color and across two pages, both tales and pictures are easy to share. This children`s bible is sure to be a family favorite for many years. Sunday school teachers will also find this a welcome addition to their repertoire.

I really enjoyed The Lion Storyteller Bible for the simple, fun and colourful way it portrays Christ and his teachings. Some children's bibles I've come across tends to be rather wordy and plods along. Not so The Lion. It is written in a quick, fun style that would appeal to children, firing immediately their imagination of the message God intends for us all. I strongly recommend it to those who are interested in teaching children God's messages.

I have just returned from a 5 day visit to the Somme (May 2003), and found his book an indispensible guide if you are doing it on your own.

You need to sit down and study the key to the accompanying map quite carefully. Once you have got the hang of it, and the references in the book, your journey will be much smoother.

There are so MANY memorials, graves and sites of remembrance in this area, that it would be virtually impossible to visit everything. Many people (like me) will have a personal reason for visiting - a relative who fought, maybe was killed there.

My advice is to do as much research as possible first, and you can do worse that start by reading the introduction to this book. Stroll through the book and become familiar with some of the places it describes. I had a particular interest in Australian-oriented memorials. In the latest edition these are paid quite close attention. However, you need to piece together your own "Australian tour" (the Franco-Australian museum in Villers-Brettoneux can help too).

Still, it was quite easy with this guide - one read through and I compiled my own list from it.

The more generalist visitor I would recommend starting with the Historial in Peronne, which is well described in the book...but not as a starting point. The book is oriented towards Britons with a car coming from across the channel, which is no doubt the promary audience, but the "approaches" section cannot be followed if one is arriving, for example from the direction od Paris.

Nevertheless, with a bit of flicking back and forth and some sticky-paper notes, this is an excellent resource from which to plan an independent tour.

Highly recommended.

This text has plenty of photos (b&w and color), nice maps, helpful hints for tourists, and insightful vingettes of the soldiers and incidents of all sides. There is also a section at the back of the book listing and giving brief histories on commemorative groups and war graves commissions of various nations. The United Kingdom and British Commonwealth are well represented.

I would strongly suggest this book for those going to the Somme, as it would be good for quick information on various monuments which a person might pass on the road.

I grew up in the city, I was very moved by the explanation and discription of the Appalachian mountains, life styles, and cultures. This was a very moving story about excepting and loving other persons and their differences.

"Miss Willie" is a delightful story about a school teacher who moves from a big city to a very small community in the hills of Kentucky. Easy to read, this book kept me spell bound until I finished it. A real treat for readers of all ages

Jolene Jasmine Johnson's father died when she was just a baby leaving her to be raised by her mother, Ruby, and Grandpa Foster. Now, she felt she was losing another parent, her mom. She wasn't losing her to death, but in marriage to the loudiest, sweatiest logger in town, Leroy Redfield! To avoid getting to know him, Jolene decided not to call him Mr. Redfield or Leroy as he suggested. Instead, she chose to simply call him . . . Mister. Despite all the attention, candy, and gifts he bestowed upon her, Jolene refuses to accept him. In fact, she takes a special gift intended for her and Ruby (given to her by Mister for safe-keeping) and destroys it. She soon realizes that in her attempt to hurt and reject Mister, she hurts the one person she loves most, her mom. Just as Jolene discovers a wonderful way to gain her mother's forgiveness, she also discovers that maybe having Mister in her life is not so bad after all. Kimberly Holt does an excellent job writing a story that centers around the frustrations and insecurities children sometimes feel when their parents contemplate remarriage. This is a great read for all ages!

Kimberly Willis Holt has crafted a heartwarming story of Jolene Jasmine Johnson who has to face some big changes. Used to life with only her mother and grandfather, Jolene is disturbed when Leroy Redfield begins to find a place in the family. The story turns on the age old childhood dilemma, where do you turn when you think you have done the unforgivable? As Jolene faces the anger and confusion caused by her momma developing a relationship with Leroy, she strikes out without thinking. The resolution of this act is a tender story of finding that the heart can stretch to hold room for more than one person and the power of forgiveness. A wonderful story for any age.

This second book is small but interesting like the first.

My two children song the chorus of " Sweet and sour berries"
again and again. My younger rename this storie because he was
so impressed by one of the characters. He said always this is
the black's man story.

I very found of "The man who bought a dream". It's sound interesting and it is.

Another storie with a strange title is "Deer and jaguar share a house". After i told this storie, one children was the deer
and the other the jaguar.

The "Little frog and centipede" is very good for the younger.

The others stories are like these.

Enjoy,
Myriam

I loved the original (Ready-to-Tell Tales) that was published several years ago. Friends who are school librarians or storytellers have also recommended it without reservation. This new book is even better. It has more stories and costs less, always a good equation, and this one has new indexes that list the stories by culture of origin and by audience target age level. Parents, teachers, librarians, and storytellers of all descriptions will love this. Great for high school speech competitions, too!

this is a fantastic novel. all the characters--from elizabeth to robert dudley to lettice knollys--seems so real. plaidy has a magic touch.

Written in the first person, the novel makes us feel as though we know what Elizabeth Tudor felt & thought. Her historical fame is not glorified; her substantial faults are not understated; but we see possible reasons for both. Above all, we are shown how her incredible scholarship and insecure youth combined, enabling her (and in a man's world) to bring England from bankruptcy & religious strife to its first age great enough to be named for one person: "Elizabethan."

Victoria Holt was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. A master storyteller, she would consistently weave a story that would have the reader turning the pages. This work of historical fiction is one of her best. Riveting from beginning to end, this fictional autobiographical account of the life of Marie Antoinette is superb. Written in the first person, with little dialogue, it is the rumination of a life that was to end tragically. Pampered, spoiled, and fun loving, the beautiful Maria Antonia of Austria metamorphosed into Marie Antoinette of France upon her marriage to the Dauphin, who would eventually become King of France, the ineffectual, but benign, Louis XVI.

This is her story, grounded in historical fact and set within the framework of history. This work of fiction about the life of Marie Antoinette, as seen through her own eyes, is fascinating, as it captures the flavor of those uncertain times and the events that led to the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy in France. It is a reflection on how Marie Antoinette's own behavior influenced the fate of France. Indulging in the excesses of the day, she initially gave little thought as to how her actions might affect the people of France or the monarchy. By the time she realized that her actions and excesses had wide spread political ramifications, it was too late, and the fate of her and her husband was sealed. No amount of personal regret could change it.

This book will be enjoyed by those who enjoy good, well written historical fiction. It is little wonder that this book spent two months on the New York Times Best Seller List. It is simply historical fiction at its best.

Keeping in mind that this is a work of fiction, it is still an excellent story about Marie Antoinette and the events that led up to the French Revolution. While the ill-fated queen is the protagonist of the tale, the author does not attempt to excuse but merely to explain the foolish and often callous behavior that placed her in history as one of the most hated women of all time. During earlier chapters we get a tantalizing glimpse into the decadent courts of Louis XIV and XV. Then we watch as Louis XVI ascends the throne, far too young and with no idea how to be a king, but determined to please everyone, including his pretty young wife. The ultimate collapse of the monarchy is mourned by the queen even as she admits her own part in it and recalls steps taken or not taken that might have averted it.

The author does not pretend that everything in the story is true; conversations that might have taken place, suspected rendezvous, and dramatic license regarding people about whom little is really known have been added for flavor. But the historical framework of the story is unfailingly accurate, with an excellent bibliography. I would not recommend this to be the first or only book you read about Marie Antoinette, but after studying some completely factual works, sit back and enjoy being drawn into the story with some vivid speculation as to how some things might have happened.

David got me started with my first training schedules as his book nursed me through my first 6 months of varied and interesting training. He then follows it up with all you'd ever need to know to become and expert runner at 5K to the marathon. e.g. three chapters on Interval training. Nice cartoons and injury advice was a bonus: no need to get a specialist injury avoidence and treatment book if you have Running Dialogue. Unlike most authors, he also includes nutrition advice. David backs up his advice with science and other experts. My favorite is the training heartrate calculated from your resting heartrate: Unique.

European 5,000 meter Gold medalist Bruce Tulloh calls Running Dialogue "a nice combination of good humor and sound advice". The advice is from a 31 minute 10k runner, plus contributions from: John Babbington, Roy Benson, Scott Douglas, Jack Daniels Ph.D., Frank Horwill, John Pagliano DPM, Gary Tuttle and Harry Wilson. Their athletes include Lynn Jennings and Steve Ovett. The first 66 pages are for the new runner, with special sections showing how to make time for exercise, and how to incorporate speedwork on low mileage. The next 100 pages take you through to VERY serious training in a humane and often humorous way. Cartoons illustrate key points and messages. Comprehensive injury prevention and treatment sections follow, nutrition and marathon training closes out the advice. The last 40 pages are a bonus: essays with a point to make, followed by pace charts showing speed to run at for anaerobic threshold and for VO2 max training. The book covers 5k to the marathon. It includes full 10k coverage, but "10k running and training" by David Holt will be available in November 1998.

Sheila Malory has her suspicions when her old friend Leonora dies suddenly from drinking contaminated water. Leonora's death benefits too many people at just the right time. Even Sheila benefits, if you can call it that, when she inherits all of Leonora's books and papers. Who has time for that when she has her own "big event" to prepare for? But Leonora's death seems too convenient and Sheila Malory can't help but investigate.

Sheila Malory's adventures are always fun to read. Death by Water has a few flaws--clues turn up when conveniently needed and the ending didn't satisfy me--but you can't help but like Mrs. Malory.

Also recommended--Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne Dams and the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton.

Once again, Holt does not let us down. She could write a book with no mystery at all, and still keep us interested!

Leonora Stavely was one of the first female journalist who became known by taking daring chances in all the hot spots of the world. Now, nearing eighty she has retired to a small cottage living the life of an eccentric recluse. She doesn't see very many people and is more than happy living with her animals for companionship. One of the few people who she stays in touch with her is Sheila Mallory who she has known since she was a child.

When Lenora dies, E. Coli is found in her bloodstream and the Environmental Agency said that there was something that got into the water supply. When Sheila looks closely at the stream that is allegedly the source of the contamination she sees no dead animals or vegetation. Knowing that her friend was getting ready to write her memoirs, Sheila strongly believes her friend was murdered. She just has to find a way to find out who and then try to prove it, no easy task since Leonora had plenty of enemies who would have benefited from her death.

Fans of British cozies will definitely want to read Mrs. Mallory AND DEATH BY WATER. The latest installment in this long running series is full of surprising twists and shocking turns. In trying to solve the who-done-it, Sheila gives the reader some fascinating insights into village life in England. Hazel Holt always has a fascinating story to tell and she does it very well.

Harriet Klausner