In this work, Jill Mellick takes us into the foreign culture of dreams, using as a guide map the exploratory power of the arts. In her introduction, Mellick compares exploring the world of dreams to exploring a culture different from our own. We proceed, she cautions, with a combination of respect, honor, curiosity, and many tools to guide us into the new territory.

These tools are the expressive arts and the variety of approaches that Mellick offers. With over sixty 5- to 15-minute exploration exercises, Mellick suggests ways to work with dreams, dream fragments, nightmares, dream figures and animals, and to explore dreams in groups. She organizes the book by ways of approaching dreams, with section titles such as "capture essence and hunches," "become the dream image," or "make a poem out of a challenging dream." She includes margin markers for the different types of expressive arts used, for easy access to specific techniques. The material is much the same as in her previous work, The Natural Artistry of Dreams (Mellick, 1996), but is presented in a more condensed and accessible form.

In The Art of Dreaming, Mellick offers a variety of ways to explore dreams using all of the expressive media: visual arts, movement, music, mime, drama, writing, collage, mask-making, clay, and more. Mellick makes the media amenable by using simple explanations of the techniques, and making sure that each technique can be applied in 5 to 15 minutes. Brevity makes these approaches invaluable both in the therapy office, for clinicians to use, as well as for the typically busy lay person. At the same time, there is nothing "simple" about the creative suggestions that Mellick gives. Both the novice and the experienced art therapist will find new ideas and techniques in this work. For instance, each new dream example and each new method introduces nuances that were not present in other examples.

By making her writing simple and directly addressing the reader in the second person, Mellick makes this complex material easy to understand and to use. She uses lists to present ideas, gives concrete suggestions, gives specific examples, and uses accessible language. On the other hand, she does not reduce the material, but allows the complexity to come through, both in the spaciousness and subtlety of her sentences, and the variety of ways in which she approaches the material.

Mellick offers, as she says, not techniques for dream interpretation, but ways to ask questions of the dreams. Her goal, in this book, is to help us open up our ways of working with our dreams, to free ourselves of our traditional ways of looking at them. As Mellick writes:
We need to let our dreams paint themselves, dance themselves, sculpt themselves, begin at the end and end at the beginning, spiral in on themselves, meander without climax or major turning point. Perhaps, then, when we can treat content and structure as indivisible, we can truly begin to appreciate the elegant sagacity of the dream. (p. 14).
Mellick uses this approach, too, to the expressive arts themselves: we are given a plethora of methods, but no prescriptions. The result is nothing less than creativity itself.

The nature of a creative or artistic process is of the same nature as our dreams; they are essentially non-linear and organic. When our dreams give inspiration and form to artistic expression then the dream is no longer limited to an existence within the boundaries of our sleeping life or mental processes. Mellick offers ways to record one's dreams that go beyond simply writing them down or verbally processing them. What is so wonderful about her suggestions is that within them I have a wide range of methods that I may use to creatively relate to my dreams. Not only does she demystify the process of dream work and analysis, but also perhaps more importantly she provides ways to bring one's dream life into waking life, through modes of creative expression such as drawing, painting, writing, movement etc. For example, I have really appreciated learning about energy drawings, something that I can do in just a minute or two in the morning. In just that brief time I can not only record a dream, but give it a form through which it can continue to inform me.

This book has opened up to me a whole new way of relating to my dreams. It outlines and describes very simple yet deeply effective methods of using creative practices to awaken a more dynamic and tangible relationship with my dream life. The processes and methods described in Mellick's book are diverse and functional to a degree that I can recommend this book to anyone, regardless of his or her personal sense of artistic ability. In other words, you don't have to consider yourself an "artist" in order to find this book accessible and insightful.

Psychologist and author Jill Mellick offers much more than a dream interpretation book in The Art of Dreaming: Tools for Creative Dreamwork. Conventional interpretation relies on words to describe dream imagery, and often the words are terribly inadequate. Dr. Mellick says "we can express dreams in the art form the best suits them, in the art form whose structure is most akin to their innate structure."

She then fully describes more than 50 ways to explore dreams, including painting, dance, sculpture, drawing, poetry, music, or any combination of these. She explains several techniques for letting go of expectations and allowing the dream to guide the dreamer to the best form of expression.

Dr. Mellick also recognizes that many people don't have lots of time for working on their dreams. For those with little time for reflection, she provides a chapter titled "Expressive Dream Work in Five Minutes." A companion chapter offers techniques for those who have as much as ten minutes a day for dream work.

Not all dreams are pleasant. She offers help also to those haunted by nightmares, including how to make a healing mandala. She also discusses dreams in which a particular action or image is repeated.

Although most of us prefer to work alone with our dreams, some people find it beneficial to form a dream work group. Dr. Mellick provides guidelines for establishing a group and ensuring that it's beneficial to all participants.

One fascinating exercise asks people to imagine life events as a dream. The events can be ordinary activities. She says that doing this offers a new perspective that can be helpful in understanding our lives.

"The Art of Dreaming is an excellent resource and practical manual that inspires and amplifies self-discovery and understanding of the rich spiritual treasure and guidance that dreams provide."

The name Fannie Farmer is synonymous with good old-fashioned cooking and, in my opinion, "The Fannie Farmer Baking Book" is THE best baking cookbook available. I love to cook and tend to read cookbooks like novels, picking up tips and figuring out exactly which of the new recipes I'd like to try. When thumbing through "The Fannie Farmer Baking Book" I kept finding recipe after recipe that looked wonderful and learning all sorts of little hints that makes baking easier.

A lot of the recipes in this book are Fannie Farmer originals and have been appearing in various editions since the late 1800s. The reason these tried and true standards have stuck around so long is because they are truly wonderful.

"The Fannie Farmer Baking Book" is not only filled with great, old-fashioned cookie, cake and pie recipes it also features plenty of high-end desserts, all accompanied by step-by-step instructions on exactly how to make each and every item. It's easily the most complete and informative book on baking out there. Novice cooks and experienced bakers alike will gain a lot from this well-researched and informative tome!

If you are looking for a great book in preparing baked goods, and desserts, look no further. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. It is an excellent recipe book in that is has a great deal of recipes. All of the recipes that I have tried come out well. The book is clearly written, and you will have no problems in following the recipes. You will find this book helpful, and easy to use.

This book was recommended by a good friend who is a pastry chef as the book she uses most often (as the saying goes, if it's good enough for her...").

Needless to say, this baking guide is priceless. There is a General Information chapter which is basically a reference and "how-to" section containing detailed information on basic ingredients, how and why you should use substitutions, how to beat eggs, how baking powder works, etc. It works much like a baking primer, but reads as if an experienced friend is working alongside you. There follows detailed chapters on Pies and Tarts, Cookies, Cakes, Yeast breads, Quick Breads and Crackers. Each section has it's own little "primer" and is loaded with tips, different variations and step-by-step recipes.

Every recipe that I have tried (and I am a beginner-baker) has turned out terrific. I am still amazed at how easy it is to understand, considering there are no photographs, just basic illustrations. I found myself referring back to the book often and continue to be encouraged to try something new. After purchasing so many cookbooks and having them end up in the back of my pantry, this was a pleasant, welcome surprise.

I do not garden but this cookbook, a gift from my mother, is my standard resource for cooking vegetables. I always find a recipe for the vegetable in hand that is appropriate to the occasion for which I am cooking - myself, family, guests or a festive dinner.

The book includes a first person introduction to the use of the vegetable, its growing conditions, etc. The intent is to get the feel of a private conversation with the author regarding the vegetable. There are general instructions for preparation for those who prefer to wing it rather than follow recipes. There are a variety of recipes for the vegetable which generally include at least one for each of the basic preparations. Then there are nice tables of yields, storage, use for leftovers, hints for use, even microwave instructions. The book has color photos of the various vegetables, including photos of preparation of the vegetable.

The vegetables included, some of which are families of vegetables not a single vegetable are: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, fennel, greens, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, okra, onion, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, salad greens, salsify, spinach, summer squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips & rutabagas.

This is the only vegetable cookbook you'll ever need.

I just read all the other reviews of this book and want to add my two cents' worth. This book is truly wonderful. Anyone who loves to cook should own it as should anyone who wants to eat more vegetables. You can buy whatever produce looks great at your market and know you will find a simply delicious way to prepare it in this book. I have NEVER had a failure from this book and have eaten so many pureed parsnips and turnips since I got it that I'm afraid I'm going to turn into one of these vegetables. Order this book for yourself, one for your mother, and one for your best friend. Everyone will enjoy the results.

This is my all-time favorite cookbook. It isn't just veggies; there are plenty of main courses and appetizers, too. It isn't just gardening; I don't have a vegetable garden, but reading the gardening parts of the book makes me wish I did. You can see Ms. Morash's background in French cuisine, but she wears it lightly. She is so down to earth that her knowledge never becomes overbearing, and she includes plenty of basics about how to prepare fresh food and how to cook it simply. The book doesn't have recipes with essential but arcane ingredients that you couldn't possibly find outside Manhattan or LA, and it doesn't have recipes with junky ingredients or weird combinations. Best of all, everything is explained well and thoroughly tested, so you can cook it right the first time, even if (like me) you're not a terrific cook. It's an outstanding book for just about anybody.

This book is a great special interest book. If you are looking for an extensive encyclopedia of recipes and techniques, this book is not for you. However, if you would like to explore the culinary specialities of the various regions of the Spain, this is a great book. Besides covering the mainline Spanish culture, it also deals with the Basques and Moorish influenced foods as well.

Visually, the book is very impressive. The surrounding pictures and text describe the region and the culture, putting the recipies in context. It is this extra material that makes trying out these recipies so much fun.

The recipies themselves vary in the level of difficulty, preparation and practicality. Again, pick your experiment and get started as you have time. One frustration is that some of the ingredients are hard to find if you are outside of Spain - obviously not the book's fault.

This book was well worth the investment and is an interesting read.

A perfect book for one either wanting to learn more about Spain or its cooking. The recipes are often simple, always marvelous and take into account the true spirit of the country. If you want to understand Spain and Spanish cooking in all its glory then here it is- there is no better.

I discovered this book (the Spanish version called Un paseo gastronomico por Espana) in Madrid last summer, and I found it to be absolutely amazing! As a Spanish teacher, I was delighted to find a book that covers virtually every culinary aspect of Spain (including holidays, Jewish, American, Moorish, Roman, and Celtic influences.) This incredibly researched work covers the history of the peninsula from the point of view of food and drink. There are absolutely beautiful photos of the Iberian landscape and people as well as detailed coverage of all aspects of food, drink, ingredients...including animals, fish, vegetables, spices, restaurants, etc. There is a section showing how to slice jamon serrano and a fold out showing the wide variety of mouth-watering tapas found in Spanish bars. They even review brands of beer and bottled water. I have two copies of this book-one is at school where I use it extensively with my high school Spanish classes; the other sits proudly on my coffee table at home.

This was my first taste of Bradley's "Darkover" series, and you can bet I'll be back for more! This book tells the tale of rebellious young Regis Hastur, young heir to a legacy he doesn't feel prepared to deal with; also troubled by having to deal with his wakening "laran" (telepathy) power. It also concerns the older boy Lew Alton, who soon discovers the power and destructive force of "laran" if not controlled. The use of telepathy is no mere gimmick. Through "laran", Bradley shows the danger pent-up emotions can cause with regard to real people. I found it impossible to put this book down. Highly recommended!

From: Marjorie Scott The Heritage of Hastur is on of my all time favorites! It's about betrayal to the Comyn, hate,war, power, and love. The Terran Empire is trying to take over Darkover and make it a Terran Colony. But the seven Domains and the Comyn don't want that. So they send Lew Alton to Aldaran to find out what the sneaky Aldarans are up to. He finds out more than he ever wanted to know. Danilo Syrtis gets captured by some people from Aldaran because of his telepathic abilities. Danilo was captured so he could run a very powerful matrix, rarely used since the Age of Chaos. Danilo is Regis Hastur's sworn paxman and when he hears of Danilo;s mysterious disapearence he goes to seek the truth. When he finds that Lew is involved he is greatly disturbed. Now the rest is for you to read and find out if they can survive the strain of the matrix and also of the evil Aldarans!

Everyone goes through an identity crisis as an adolescent or young adult. Compound that with political intrigue, emerging psychic powers, sexual confusion, love, hate, parental power struggles . . . . and even this is a fairly limited description of this wonderful book. I have rarely seen the internal turmoil of a character treated with such compassion - and that applies to both Regis Hastur and Lew Alton. I could not help crying at various key points in the book. This was a magnificent story, well-told and sensitively written.

Can you imagine being torn from all you know in just one moment? well that is exactly what happened to Marion Blumethal and her family, which included her father, Walter, her mother named Ruth, and her brother Albert. This story of loses and triumph is told by Marion herself. She explains what she and all of the millions of jews in Europe had to go through each and everyday. Marion and her family lived in a nice comfortable town in Germany called Hoya. Her father had a small shop where he sold shoes and men's and boy's clothing and her mother was a secretary and did bookkeeping. The Blumethal's were happy and very content with their lives until a man entered their lives that would change then forever. He would not only affect them but but millions of families across the world. He was known as Hitler. He started to become more noticed in the 1930's when he became known as the leader of the National Socialist German Workers' party, also known as the Nazi. They were against Jews, Communists, Gypsies, Slavic peoples, and deformed or crippled people. This hatred led to the death of millions of people and the Blumethal's were there for it all After Ruth and Walter found out about Hitler's plan, they decided to move to Holland and try to get papers to the U.S. But unfortunatly they did not get them in time and were taken away by the Nazi. For the next six and a half years, the Blumenthal's would go through a lot. When they were first taken away, they were taken to Westerbork which was in Holland, and then were taken to Bergen-Belsen which was in Germany. But through all their hardships, the Blumethal's survived. Finally in 1945, they were released. They were taken to eastern Germany and let free. But one thing would change, Walter, their father would no longer be with them anymore. He got a bad case of typhus just after the liberation and wasn't strong enough to survive. Now that mother, Marion, and Albert were free, they still wanted to go to the United States for a new life. It took three years until they got the necessary papers to get into the U.S. It was a very tough and tragic road but they had survived, and that was the most important thing.

FOUR PERFECT PEBBLES is a story of a family that amazingly stays together through the most desperate of times. During the rise of Hitler their lives, like all other Jewish families, were shifted into remote dispare. But behind the hatred and riticule, the strength and courage that the Bumenthal family possesed kept them together as a family. Told through the eyes of a child, Marion Bumenthal, this novel is painful, but easy to read because of the comforting spirit of survival through out the storyline.

Brief summary and Review:

Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story is a wonderful book of how a family stays together through thick and thin. The story is about one Jewish family's struggle for survival during the Nazi occupation of Europe. The family includes Ruth Blumenthal, the mother, Walter Blumenthal, the father, Marion Blumenthal, the daughter, and Albert Blumenthal, the son. The Blumenthals lived in concentration camps for six years which included Westerbork in Holland and the notorious concentration camp of Bergen-Belson in Germany. Conditions in these camps were so terrible that nearly half the camps population died of disease, starvation, exposure, exhaustion, or brutal beatings. The book received its name from young Marion's search to find four perfect pebbles of almost the same size. If Marion could manage to find these four pebbles, she felt that it meant her family would remain whole and be strong enough to survive the Nazi reign. This game kept young Marion's mind on things other than dead bodies lying around, the rumbles of her starving tummy, and the want for her family and life to go back to normal. This is a great story about the importance of family and diversity. I would encourage everyone to take this book home with them today and experience the true account of one family's struggle through the Holocaust.

A thoroughly charming read. Was sold on this one by Marcia Brown's "Strings Attached" story on the sneak preview. She must have a colorful family indeed! Also enjoyed the Mandela piece. Great fun, even if you're not a gardener!

Thanks to Cliff Hunter for his great review of "Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul". Please note, however, that the story "A Son's Harvest" was written by Lee May, not Henry Boye, as Cliff states. (It's a wonderful story, no matter who wrote it, but Lee should get the credit!) Thanks--Carol Sturgulewski, coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul

A truly good book evokes cozy images and sensations from the past. And this is a very good book, one that teaches us to stop and consider how wisely we spend on this earth.

Among my personal favorites was Nona's Garden by Paul Silici. I could almost smell the delectably heavy garlic, beef and tomatoes slowly steaming in my grandmother's kitchen, and felt a tug on my heartstrings when she shared the story of her grandmother's lessions in life. Planting Day filled me with hope for the younger generation when I saw that sixteen-year-old Beth Pollack had written such an insightful essay. It was good to learn in Pat Stone's A Bedside Story that I'm not the only person who talks to their plants.

There's something for everyone in CS for the Gardener's Soul.

This is Nietzsche's first, and in some ways the best, philosophy book. Prior to Human All-Too Human, he penned The Birth of Tragedy and Untimely Meditations. But it is only in this book that Nietzsche comes into his own as a philosopher. The book was written soon after his retirement from teaching, due to ill health, and Nietzsche suffered a lot from physical pain, while writing the book, having to take hashish to relieve it. The book contains opinions on almost everything under the Sun. Although it is clearly broken down into distinct chapters, the thoughts within chapters are not arranged systematically. This is intentional and represents Nietzsche mistrust of grand theorizing and excessively systematic thinking. He retained this aphoristic writing style till the last days of his productive life. Thus in his approach, Nietzsche anticipates both existentialism and post-modernism. He views life personally, passionately, and with distrust to grand system(narrative) building. Thoughts slither through the labyrinth of human life, revealing strartling insights and forcing us to reconsider received opinions and conventional wisdoms.

By Nietzsche's standards, the perspectives presented in the book are fairly measured, and the author's voice is not nearly as shrill as it would become ten years later, in his last books. Because Nietzsche settles at a high level of generalization, some opinions do sound narrow-minded and prejudiced. In this, Nietzsche was also a victim of his time and culture: his comments on women and "the youthful Jew of the stock exchange" are not intellectuals gems, to put it very mildly. Some of his other opinions, on marriage, for example, also strike me as strange. Overall, this is a book by an all-too-human philosopher, yet it is a path-breaking work, a precursor to existentialism and post-modernism, written in a style that can appeal to the reader sheerly as good literature.

In order to give form to his Overman, Nietzsche had to call to account many human failings and weaknesses, and then reveal their baseness to the world. Nietzsche identified so much that had to be rejected in human life and affairs, (and so much that constituted greatness), which is the reason for the sheer scope of "Human, All Too Human". In 638 short aphorisms it covers politics, warfare, ascetics, morals, art, poetry, marriage, crime & punishment, the soul, and the gamut of human feeling, emotion, motive, instinct, will to power, habit and need.

In Human, All Too Human", Nietzsche outlines the basis of his later, more focused works. It is distinguished from these by its lack of arrogance, lack of aggression and its lack of real direction. Chapters are harnessed together by titles such as "A Look At The State", "Man Alone With Himself", "Signs Of Higher And Lower Culture", Man In Society", and "Woman And Child".

The book was written just after Nietzsche gave up his professors chair at Basel in Switzerland, and around the time of his break from his erstwhile father-figure, Richard Wagner. Nietzsche had now lost the shackles of youth and employment and was at his most free-spirited and this book is testimony to that fact: "Human, All Too Human" is dedicated to deliciously-malicious free-spirits everywhere.

Less intense than some of his later work, this book evokes a walk in the mountains enjoying pleasant conversation with one of the most penetrating and enlightened minds in history. Less intense perhaps, but no less compelling or unsettling.

Nietzsche is often said to have entered a new period with the publication of Human All Too Human and the book is considerably more positivistic than his earlier writings. It aims at debunking unwarranted assumptions more than at defending a grand interpretation of its own, and it marks the high point of Nietzsche's interest in, and applause for, natural science.

Nietzsche describes what he means by "free spirits" in the preface to the second edition of Human All Too Human. Free spirits contrast with the typical human being of his era, who was, as the title suggests, all too human. Free spirits in contrast, are ideal companions that do not yet exist but may appear in the future. They are those who have freed themselves from the chains of the dominant culture, even from the bonds of reverence for those things they once found most praiseworthy. The dangerous period of the free spirit is introduced by the desire to flee whatever has been one's previous spiritual world, a desire that leads to a reconsideration of matters that previously had been taken for granted. The ultimate aim of this liberation is independent self-mastery and supreme health in a life of continual experimentation and adventure.

Human All Too Human is the first published work in which Nietzsche defends his famed perspectivism, the view that truths are one and all interpretations are thus formulated from particular perspectives. This perspectivism figures importantly in his debunking critique of morality which is first presented in Human All Too Human. Nietzsche denies that morality is anything but perspectival. Contrary to the claims of moralists, morality is not inherent in or determined by reality. It is, in fact, the invention of human beings. Moreover, morality has not been the same in every culture and at every time. Nietzsche explicitly contrasts Christian and Greek moral thought, typically claiming that Greek thought had been vastly superior.

Nietzsche, himself, considered the book a breakthrough because it openly articulated his unconventional conclusions for the first time. It also sealed the break with Richard Wagner, who received the book in silence. Nietzsche also considered himself to have moved far beyond Schopenhauerian metaphysics at this point in his life.

Human All Too Human was also the first of Nietzsche's published aphoristic works, where prior publications had been in the form of essays or similarly structured works.

A friend lent me a copy of "The Catch Trap" and the prospect of reading a book about the circus in the 40s and 50s seemed like pure torture. Still, for some strange reason I picked it up and started reading (about a month after it was lent to me). Over the course of the next week, I found it increasingly difficult to put the book down. I stayed up literally all night one night because I just couldn't put it down. Though I'm usually not a big fan of long novels full of lots of detail, this book is riveting. The characters are full, rich, complicated people with complex, endlessly fascinating relationships. When I finished the book, I was genuinely sad to leave these people I had grown to love. The Santelli family had become real to me, almost as if I belonged to them in some way, and Tommy and Mario were my friends. And I felt like I knew so intimately what the life of traveling circus performers had been like. In addition to great characters and a great story, Bradley does a superior job of

I was given this book several years ago and was extremely skeptical. I don't usually like love stories and I'm not a big science fiction fan so when I saw that it was a love story by a science fiction writer I was sure I would hate it. I didn't. In fact I started reading it one Saturday afternoon and didn't put it down until I finished it that evening. The relationship between these two men (Tommy Zane and Matt "Mario" Santelli) was so moving and so real. All of the characters in this book are so multi-dimensional that you think you know each of them intimately and you start to feel like one of the family. Set in the circus world of the 40's, this book takes you on a fantastic ride through the lives of two young men who risk everything to be together. I've probably read this book over two dozen times and I love it just as much each time. In fact, my copy is so worn out that I had to order a new one. Read it! You won't be sorry.

I would have given the book a 10 and perhaps should have but I am a petty person and the typos in it were very numerous and distracting. Other than that this book is by far the best I have ever read. I have not read any of her other books and seeing as I don't like fantasy books there is a good chance I never will read anything else by her. But because of this book alone she is my favourite author. I fell completely in love with the characters and the entire circus theme. The love story was well done and reasonably real. I would love to read a novel exploring the lives of the older members of the family (ie, Lucia and Joe, or even the older Mario). I loved this novel and all the characters. I could not put it down while I was reading it and as soon as I finished (in the middle of the night) I began reading it from the beginning again. This is a wonderful novel. Read it.