A lovely book which I read after the birth of our first child. Beautifully presented with an eclectic mixture of thoughts and feelings, quotations and verses that encapsulate the wonder of a child. Perfect to turn to when doing the night-shift with Junior over your shoulder!

Treat yourself or treat a friend - it really is an excellent baby gift, but too good to miss out on for yourself.

Fanny and Sir Charles were ticked in to a marriage that neither wanted by their parents. Each believed the other was wealthy and when the truth came out it was in their best interest to pretend they were single and rich to gain a "better" partner.

Surprisingly the main charachters are not as childish as Chesney's other series. Sir Charles doesn't sulk as much as her other heros and Fanny is not a simpering watering pot who lost her head only to be rescued by her husband.

I wished Chesney does more work in this strain, it's more entertaining than her series and eventhough it's still predictable, it makes the journey reading through it, a little more enjoyable.

I've organized my comments by author rather than in order of presentation. The essays are all right, but aren't of particular interest to me; I've included them for completeness. The stories are a mix of styles and themes, ranging from creepy to hilarious. The poetry involves some in-jokes at the expense of some contributors to this anthology. :)

Barnes, Adrienne Martine "Wildwood" - Tale of a girl caught between the magic of the Wildwood and the ritual magic of her father's people. The world shown here has no depth (forest people good, logging/stripmining city folk bad), and the buildup to the ending is *very* rushed.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer "Greyhaven: Writers at Work" - Essay, discussing the Greyhaven circle (Bradley's immediate family and friends).

Bradley, Marion Zimmer "The Bardic Revel" - Essay, describing the local bardic revel (amateur night, you might call it).

Bradley, Marion Zimmer "The Incompetent Magician" - Also appears in the collection _Lythande_ (see my review). Very good story, as are all Lythande's adventures.

Cador, Caradoc A. "The Ring" - Fiachra is the only fisherman in the village who walks the beach for pleasure, so it is he who finds the dead man, washed ashore wearing a ring decorated with roses. His mother calls it bad luck, and won't let him give it to his sister for her handfasting. Soon he discovers one of its properties: it grants visions of the Uttermost West, where no man born of woman may come living. But it does not do to dwell in dreams too much, and forget to live.

Cook, Robert "The Woodcarver's Son" - The unicorns are hungry, so the wizard attempts to arrange matters so that a woodcarver's son, out of love, might provide them with the sustenance they need.

de Cles, Jon "Cantabile" - The Beast Who Wept was an experiment, the product of a mind in chains, an arrow shot into the air that came to rest in favorable conditions. So it is that the Baron's daughter finds a small stranger in her father's rooftop garden, a Beast who hasn't lived long enough to learn human speech. Told from the Beast's inarticulate perspective, this is the story of a lifetime measured in weeks, but a full life for all that. Very good story.

Elliot, James Ian "Wrong Number" - A 1-page story of a wrong number with dramatic results.

Garrett, Randall "Just Another Vampire Story" - The narrator has just picked up a young man in a bar who affects to be a vampire, giving logical reasons for most of the trappings of myth. How much of it is a pose, if any?

Hagen, Joel "They Come and Go" - A creepy 2-page story, told by a kid who helps the *things* that sometimes appear in his house.

Heydron, Vicki Ann "Cat Tale" - Kathy Christopher is spending the evening alone in her apartment, summoning the courage to confront her boss about updating the antiquated system *he* designed but *she* has to maintain. Her cat finally distracts her, harassing a small creature cornered near the balcony - a sprite-like creature with wings! She can barely believe in it, even after it speaks (something about 'gratitude' and 'lunar-solar juxtaposition'). Before she finally seeks sleep that night, she wishes she were more like her cat - strong and beautiful, able to cope with her problems. And in the morning, she wakes as a mountain lion, with a *REAL* problem - does this 'gratitude' only last until the next full moon, a year, or a full eclipse cycle?! One of the two or three best stories in here.

Judith, Anodea "Bedtime Story" - Johnny's mother is exasperated with his fears of monsters in the closet and under his bed. He quickly regrets saying to himself that he'll show her the monsters are real, when the words call one up. (The monster's not happy either; he was on his way to a hot date.)

Mathews, Patricia Shaw "Lariven" - When one of the Queens beyond the River sends a dream to Terran Survey, they come running (they need telepaths desperately for space communications).

Paxson, Diana L. "The Kindred of the Wind" - The kindred in question are were-eagles, born in human shape but able to take on bird form, if properly taught, and if they can conceal themselves from human persecution. Orik, born in a human community, was not so taught - and was cast out when an accidental shape change revealed his heritage, leaving him with a wing in place of one arm. If you like this one, try Paxson's "Sky Sister" in _Moonsinger's Friends_.

Paxson, Diana; Cook, Robert; Studebaker, Ian Michael; Zimmer, Fiona "From Various Bardic Revels" - some short poetry, some of it funny, e.g. "Morning Song", describing Paul Zimmer before his morning coffee, and "Serpent's Lullabye" (Robert Cook slept through both a fire and flood at Greyhaven).

Schwartz, Susan "Dagger Spring" - This story eventually grew into the novel _Queensblade_.

Waters, Elisabeth "Tell Me a Story" - The unnamed narrator, a writer, has been kidnapped by the 'time warp' on her desk, into which manuscripts have often vanished. It's impatient to find out what happened next...

Wayne, Phillip "The Tax Collector" - The local lord has been taxing his people outrageously to finance his wedding celebration. Gyllan knows a few things about him - for instance, that his ability to make impressive kills while hunting vanished abruptly when his chief huntsman quit. :) Since Gyllan (and his partner, a linkwolf) are just passing through, they decide to give the tenderfoot a taste of his own medicine: they kidnap him, haul him out into the woods, then 'tax' him in return for food and shelter.

Zimmer, Paul Edwin "The Hand of Tyr" - Odin called the warrior Farin from Valhalla to be reborn in the world of men for a certain task. But of course, after his rebirth, he forgot his mission, and who he was. One of best stories in the collection.

Matilda's cruel husband, romanced his mistress under her nose. He subsequently was killed and by all rights she should have been a merry widow. She turns to an Earl, who himself is trapped in a loveless marriage. However, her guilt plagues her and she can only dream of her longed for love and happiness. Until fate lends a hand and you'll discover a few surprises in store for both of them. Another winner !

This is another boonie dog book review by Wolfie and Kansas. "A History of Dogs in the Early Americas" is an anthropological survey by Marion Schwartz, a research assistant at Yale. Despite numerous illustrations, this book is written more for academics than for dog lovers. One chapter, entitled "The Edible Dog", is particularly frightening.

Other portions of this book, such as the sections noting the key roles played by dogs in creation myths, are inspirational. On the whole, though, the sections on dogs as cuisine and dogs as ritual sacrifices leave us with the perhaps politically incorrect impression that, puppy mills and leash laws notwithstanding, the Conquest did more good than harm for caninekind.

This is a really good costume book. It has detailed pictures, information on hair styles, shoes, clothes and accessories from Ancient Greece up through the 20th century. It also explains which styles came and went at which time during the era, and sometimes tells why. It also has a good description of the items it focuses on. But it focuses mainly on the 1200s-1800s, almost totally ignoring the romans, saxons, normans, and lacking in the greek, and the 20th century. Really in the 1900s it only goes up to the 1950s and disregards alot of cashual dress. It only covers civilizations in the Europian and US area, not including the American Indians or the US colonists. I would suggest this book for anyone that needs information on men's costume during the medieval ages or the 1800s in Europe.

The Human Odyssey:Life-Span Development is a form of psychology. The book is ok but, I wasn't too impressed by it.

This text is a great reference for anyone involved in the care of infants and toddlers. It is well organized and contains several useful tables and sample forms that can be utilized in an infant/toddler childcare setting.

The book explores developmental stages, beginning in infancy, and compares and contrasts the stages of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Included in these comparisons are program requirements to meet the needs in these stages and the role of the responsive teacher during these stages.

Topics included in this book are the role of the parent, responsive teaching, daily living activities, and infant/toddler care management and administration. Sample forms for planning, activities, and teacher performance checks are included.

The Daughters of Mannerling is a nice series. Easy and enjoyable reading. A glimpse in how life was like a couple hundred years ago.

Jackson, Tennessee (Madison County) is located ninty miles east of Memphis; a rail, distribution and agricultural center for Western Tennessee.

Settled in the late 1700's-early 1800's; this area produced Davey Crockett, many Civil War heroes, Casey Jones, and Carl Perkins.

A wonderful look at a fine quality-of-life area that has grown from "small town" to the fifth largest city in Tennessee.

Emma Inman Williams was not only a shepherd of the book but a layer of the city's foundation.

I knew her and loved her.