Marianne Richmonds book "The Gift of an Angel" is a touching book about God choosing an angel for every newborn child born unto this earth. It was the most sentimental heartfelt book I have ever read. I received it as a gift after my daughter Karlyn was born. It truly brings together the love, and emotion of the whole experience that encompasses childbirth. I've never cried so hard reading a book. This is an excellent gift to give to new parents. I will treasure this book forever!

I bought a couple copies of this book the first time I ever saw it--it is BY FAR the BEST book for parents of a new baby that I've seen. The illustrations are magnificent and the story makes me cry EVERY TIME I read it-- It's a great gift for someone close to you or for that occasional baby shower of a acquaintance--I even bought one to give to my son when he's older---

My mother gave this to my husband and me a month before our little girl was born. As I read it each consecutive page I couldn't believe the emotions I was feeling! This book tugs at your heart strings and helps sum up how blessed you feel as you prepare to welcome your little angel!

Starlight passage is one of those books that you start reading and find you can't put it down. Anita Richmond Bunkley keeps the story informative, interesting and thought provoking. It's a very difficult task for writers to incorporate historical and modern-day storylines while keeping it together: easy-to-read and enjoyable. Anita Richmond Bunkley does a spectacular job of doing just that

I wish there were more books like this. It contains my two favorite subjects: genealogy and runaway slaves. Combine that with excellent storytelling and I had a book I couldn't stop reading. I guess I just added a new author to my must read list.

I have had the pleasure of reading all of Anita 's books, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt, Starlight Passage is my favorite. Once again her flair to place you in the book is ever present. Kiana in search for the knowledge of her ancestors, I was her co-pilot. I never want her books to end. This is truly a must read.!!!

Ms. Richmond's attention to detail makes me feel I know these women personally. She shows such depth of understanding that I wonder if these characters are based on people she knows. I look forward to her next book and believe that she will have great success in her career.

This collection is a wonderful antidote to the mundane and thoroughly unimaginative work that plagues modern fiction. Ms. Richmond rises above the rest with her unique blend of characterization and skillful narrative, making her the first new writer worth your time since Alice Walker came upon the scene. Thanks to the publishers for getting this work to us.

Short stories woven with the common thread of relationships, this book boasts a new delivery. A neoteric realm which captures it's reader spellbound. Eccentric tales loop, twisting into an explainable reality. Thoughtful, humorous, morose, challenging, this read never lets go. The threads of it's beginning pattern complect a tapestry by end. I was mesmerized by each tale; completely given over to the surreal quality that melded into perfect rhyme. It is not an easy read, but is life an easy road? Isn't the trip the joy? It is in this transmigration of spirit and pulp.

A beautiful work of art; that books could be displayed in museums, this would hang in reverence.

This is a read. This is a masterpiece of prose. This should be your next choice.

This is not just another Holocaust book. Not just another narrative of tragic suffering and heroic survival. KONIN A Quest is a compelling historical research about a specific small town, Konin, located in western Poland. Konin is the town where the author, Theo Richmond's, family came from. Growing up in London, he heard and overheard stories his parents told about their home town. As a young person, wanting to fit in and be accepted by his peers, these stories barely interested if not embarrassed the young Richmond. As an adult he became curious about his parents' town and the result for us is this book.

We are told about the general history Konin and it's place in Polish history. Richmond gives us details about the Jewish settlement in the town; how in the year 1883 out of a total of 6500 residents 50 % were Jewish. Richmond's father, along with many others, left Konin in the early 1900's realizing what a bleak future awaited them in their native town.

Theo Richmond's quest is to recreate for his readers a feeling for what Konin was for it's Jewish citizens. He interviews almost every living person who once called Konin their home. (Only one Jewish woman returned to live in Konin after World War II.) He relates to us their most intimate memories regarding their families. He describes in detail the very well stocked Jewish lending library, occupations and professions of various individuals, the school system, the social structure etc. In each case the personalities of those involved are felt by the reader. When Richmond was lucky enough to meet the individuals who actually lived in Konin he conveys to us how the time spent there has influenced the rest of their lives. He relates to us the horrors experienced by many for the survivors of the holocaust and their dispair when returning to Konin at the end of World War II, to find that almost no one of their family or acquaintances had survived.

When I finished the book, and closed the back cover, I felt that I had been a part of this one town in Poland. I had met the actual people who had live there, known a part of their lives and felt their pain at having been uprooted and lost so much. The town of Konin has changed dramatically since the time when a large Jewish community was a part of its population but Theo Richmond has succeded in his quest to relay to the world what that town was like in a different era.

My wife Urszula and I had decided to take a day out in London, some sight seeing and shopping. We passed the many book shops on Charing Cross rd, but a book in one shop window caught my eye, 'Konin, a quest'. My wife is Polish, from the town of Konin. But what could this book be about, we wonder? There is nothing in Konin. How wrong we were! The book amazed us. I have read many publications on the holocaust, but nothing moved me quite like this book. The research and the feeling, the hardwork put into this account of a community so thoroughly wiped out that my wife hadn't even been aware that a Jewish community had ever existed and yet she grew up on its streets. In fact, the school she went to, the Gymnasium was built by the jewish people prior to the war. But nothing was or is taught about the jewish people within its walls, no reminders, nothing. Until now. Theo Richmond's work is a priceless reminder of want was lost and what should never be forgotten. We look forward greatly to the day the book is published in polish, when everyone there has a chance to understand just what was lost. We met Theo recently, his powerful charater came across so well in his book, as it is such an honest account, that it felt as though we had known him for years. Buy It! It is the best book you will ever read on the Jewish people.

Konin, subtitled A Quest, is indeed exactly that. It is Theo Richmond's quest across time, place, culture, and humanity. It is his quest to learn where he came from, to understand the place his older relatives spoke of so often in his youth, but which he started out knowing rather little about.

Konin is the small Polish town from which Richmond's (originally Ryczke) family emigrated well before the Jewish community was all but destroyed. From the start, Richmond seeks to learn all he can of the town's history and people, particularly the Jewish people and their section of the town. Some of the text is the town's history dating back into the nineteenth century, and there is some mention of even earlier times, but mostly it is the stories told in the words of the surviving people.

Though some did not respond to his requests, Richmond found dozens of old Koniners whose memories seem crystal clear. And from this, we the readers build up a crystal clear picture of their lives in the community. Almost everything is told in stories, long or short, happy or sad, of life. True, in some sections Richmond includes his own narrative, but even there the stories of the people are interwoven into the tapestry. We do not learn about Konin so much as experience it, with all its goods and bads and excitements and boredoms. And as Richmond is no detached observer, we follow him as he passes back through time into pre-war Poland. He tells us not only who the people are then and now, but how he comes to meet them and the impressions they make.

As might be expected, many of the surviving Koniners experienced the Holocaust, or Shoah, firsthand. With their life in Konin and since comes their life during that horrid time. This is Richmond's quest into and away from humanity. Although many of these pages only touch on Konin in that they relate to Koniners, they make up some of the most gripping reading between these two covers. They are included, of course, to complete today's picture of the Konin community.

One need not be Jewish or knowledgeable of Jewish history (I am neither) to appreciate Konin. One need only appreciate good writing, which Richmond provides, gripping drama, which life provides, and a willingness to see the fascinating slice-of-life of a largely ordinary community that is Konin.

This book and the other Practice-Makes-Perfect workbook by Dorothy Richmond ("Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions") are the best Spanish books I've ever used. I just got back from 2 years in the Peace Corps in Honduras and I studied these books every day. They REALLY helped me learn more Spanish! In addition to the concise, easy-to-understand instruction sections, there's tons of exercises to do (with the correct answers in the back of the book) and as I did the exercises, I picked up all kinds of things that I'd been wondering how to say. I also liked the verb workbook a lot because it went way beyond the present tense, all the way to the subjunctive uses of "haber" and other more advanced things I really wanted to know. (This book is especially great if you already know some Spanish because you need some vocabulary to do the exercises, unless you don't mind looking up lots of words in the dictionary.) I highly recommend this book!

I'm quite a bit older than most people trying to learn a new language, and I have found it much more daunting than it was when I was in high school. I am determined to learn to speak Spanish - not just to read it or even to write it. I have found most over-the-counter do-it-yourself books to be extremely lacking in one way or another. Some don't cover all the verb forms (hey, who needs "tú" anyway? You're never going to become friends with anyone who speaks Spanish, right? And of course, you'll never need "vosotros!"). Most don't even begin to cover the tenses except, maybe, the past perfect. Still others aren't much more than long lists of nouns. What was disturbing me was that after nearly a year of independent study I knew more than 700 words, but I couldn't begin to say things I wanted to say - things that are quite natural to me in English - to my Spanish-speaking friends.

I found this book about 2 months ago and I consider myself fortunate to have done so. It starts out quite simply and builds upward from there. It's like a dam has burst and suddenly I can see how to say what I want to say. I enjoy working with it so much, I literally spend hours on it every day. Once I've finished the written exercises I hand the book over to my "significant other," who then reads the English sentences to me so I can say them back in Spanish.

The astute learner will find that the book covers many aspects of the language such as word order and preposition use which are not annotated in the book, but will be absorbed through exposure. I would love to see an annotated version of this book - it would be even more valuable.

This book would be daunting for a rank beginner because it depends upon the reader to already have some established vocabulary, but for the early intermediate to advanced learner it is a GODSEND. And it's so incredibly inexpensive, I'm going to buy another one once I'm finished with it and go through it again! Thank you, Ms. Devney Richmond, for this book. I can't wait for more from you!

Though I spent 5 weeks at Tec de Monterrey in MX learning Spanish, I am now learning mostly on my own. I have several college-level textbooks, but this book, by far, is helping me understand verbs more than any other process, including living and using the language daily. Used with other resources (a dictionary, etc), a person can really get a solid sense of the different conjugations, regular and irregular. The authors are correct, the verb is the "engine" of a sentence. General vocabulary will get you only so far.

For basic conversation, you need the verbs, and you need to know multiple tenses. Even knowing the irregulars is not as important as being able, at the least, to switch from past to present to future to conditional. If you mess up an irregular, but use the right tense you want, a native speaker will understand you well enough. And, when you misunderstand their use of an irregular, you'll have enough knowledge to be able to ask about it and understand their explanation. And, that, ultimately is how you learn a language. Not though perfect speech, but rather through a process and tools that help you get through the rough and tricky spots. This book is that... a great tool!

I'm getting ready to head to Puerto Rico this summer and feel exceptionally confident my continued study of this book will influence my ability and confidence greatly when it comes to actually talking with native speakers. Also, I like this book so much that I'm purchasing Richmond and Devney's similar "Pronoun and Preposition" book. I only wish they had about 6 more of these kinds of workbooks.

This book and the other Practice-Makes-Perfect workbook by Dorothy Richmond ("Spanish Verb Tenses") are the best Spanish books I've ever used. I just got back from 2 years in the Peace Corps in Honduras and I studied these books every day. They REALLY helped me learn more Spanish! In addition to the concise, easy-to-understand instruction sections, there's tons of exercises to do (with the correct answers in the back of the book) and as I did the exercises, I picked up all kinds of things that I'd been wondering how to say. I also liked this workbook a lot because it covered all those difficult things I never understood before, like how to use "lo que..", direct and indirect object pronouns, the passive voice, the difference between "para" and "por", and many other things. (This book is especially great if you already know some Spanish because you need some vocabulary to do the exercises, unless you don't mind looking up lots of words in the dictionary.) I highly recommend this book!

This workbook masters two important grammatical concepts that present difficulty for Spanish students. Thanks to the clarity and thoroughness of the text-workbook, students and those looking to perfectionize specific weaknesses in their understanding of pronouns and prepositions will immediately recognize that this book is an excellent resource. It is well organized, first tackling pronouns of all categories then prepositions with a strong emphasis on "por" and "para". Each chapter offers a clear explanation of the topic at hand, followed by a wide variety of examples of its usage, ample practice exercises and a practical translation at the end of every chapter. Once having completed the exercises, there is an answer key at the back of the book which is extremely beneficial in that the student can readily identify his/her strengths and weaknesses. As a Spanish teacher, I found this text and the exercises to be a useful supplemenatary study aid that enables Spanish students at all levels to fortify their knowledge and understanding of the grammatical topics covered in the book. This workbook can also be an eternal reference. This is definitely a worthy purchase and very economical considering the wealth of information that is offered. A strong recommendation is given, this a great grammar resource.

The Practice Makes Perfect books are, by far, my favorite spanish study guides of all time! I highly recommend them!

The book is a true complete guide to anything that shoots, even the airgun section is great..

It also includes a wonderful web directory, index of every known maker's address etc..

The only problem is with listed prices, some of them are little above average (I assume these are the manufacturer's suggested retail prices), While other prices listed are True market prices, which may confuse you a little.

GUN DIGEST IS AN EXCELLENT PUBLICATION ABOUT GUN & AMMO THAT IS AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET TODAY. I HAVE BEEN BUYING THIS BOOK EVERY YEAR SINCE 1980. DUE TO MY PREOCCUPATION I MISSED 1988, 1999 & 2000 EDITIONS WHICH I SHALL ORDER VIA THE INTERNET THROUGH AMAZON.COM. THIS BOOK WAS HELPFUL IN MY CAREER AS IT EXPANDED YOUR KNOWLEDGE MORESO WHEN I AM SO FOND OF HUNTING & SHOOTING.

So what if it appears only yearly...Gun Digest is the best periodical firearms publication going and has always been. The monthy magazines don't support scholarly firearms writing...only Gun Digest.

Being a beginning belly dancer it was fun (and almost a relief) to read that someone shared the same obsessions that I have in regards to the dance. How it completely took over her thoughts, her time and her outlook ~ I was sure that she was writing about me. We share the same insecurities when it comes to dancing and we share the same joys and freedoms that it offers.
On top of that, this is a wonderful story that deals with so much more! Even if I didn't dance, I would have still enjoyed this book and still have given it 5 stars.
Thank you Anne for sharing your very funny, very honest and very entertaining story.

Even if you don't belly dance or haven't gone through heartache, you're sure to enjoy this book. I was laughing hysterically just reading the excerpts on the book's website! Soffee has the gift of wit and knows how to tell a good story. Plus there's a little bit of everything in this book - you'll definitely identify with it in one way or another.

As far as the belly dance info found here, what rings true with me is the community of fun women to be found in the dance. Oriental dance is for everyone - small, large, young, old - and is very therapeutic. And, of course, dressing up in the costumes is great . . .

Buy it - you'll like it!

I loved this book! Being a newcomer to the dance (only been dancing a year), I could completely relate to the "belly dance obession" that many of us have when we first start out. I wanted to offer her my shoulder through her heartbreak, found myself laughing out loud at some parts and nodding in agreement with others. It reads like I'm sitting at a table with Anne having a cup of joe. Even though this book is BY NO MEANS a how to, she does list several really good websites for information concerning belly dance and a list of words you may hear if you spend anytime around "veterns to the dance". A really good book for dancers and those who love them.

Unfortunately, the third time around for Carl Weber's latest novel was not what I expected. While I assumed it would be about babies, the momma and their drama, the writing of the story seemed somewhat simple. Having read Mr. Weber's first two novels, both of which were thoroughly enjoyable and extremely entertaining, Baby Momma Drama had a very very slow start, almost to the first 1/3 of the book. When it finally picked up, it just seemed too late to introduce the drama and after finishing the book, it was like....."is that it?" I'm inclined to think that this is the author's first story written, yet published third in line. One character in particular just seemed a little bit too....dumb for lack of better words and while I made the attempt to stretch my imagination as far as it could go considering the title and contents of the novel, the character just lacked even minimal common sense.

What I did find positive about the novel is that many readers may relate if they've ever known someone or personally experienced the particular baby momma drama syndrome expressed in the novel. In addition, the author's story kept your attention with the anticipation that the drama was on it's way. There are many times in the book that one will find themselves saying "oh my goodness" as there is plenty of drama going on (last 2/3rds of the book) with the inter-woven lives of the characters, however, for me, the story was just too predictable.

On a final positive note, I believe that Mr. Weber definately has a nack for telling drama filled stories, as he's proven that with all of his novels. As a reader I will continue to buy his work because he adds a different kind of flavor to the world of fiction writing and one "not so good" novel by an author doesn't set the pace for future stories to come.

This was an excellent fast pace read and I recommend it to other bookclubs.

Baby Momma Drama consists of several Main Characters. Jasmine who is dealing with her Drug Dealer Boyfriend Derrick and his Baby Momma Wendy. Jasmine finds herself falling in love with Dylan while Derrick is in jail but Dylan has drama of his own by dealing with trying to get over his ex-girlfriend Monica. Then there is Travis who is dating Jasmine's sister Stephanie who can't seem to stay away from her baby's daddy Malek. Stephanie risks her securee future with Travis by constantly getting tangled up in lies concerning her relationship with Malek.

Will anyone be happy in the end? Hmmm .... You'll just have to read this hard to put down book. There are so many twists and turns it will have you glued to each page.

Carl Weber has definitely done it again . I am looking forward to the sequel to Married Men in 2004 called Player Haters.

This book was GREAT!!! Mr. Weber has a talent for bringing modern day situations to life. All of his books are so detailed and vivid. I read the book in three days. Now I find myself looking over my girlfriend shoulder while she's reading it. The book is so real. If you can't relate directly then you'll be saying something like "oh my goodness so and so did the exact same thing" or "My friend wouldn't listen to me when I told them don't go there." Also, I'm glad "Player Hater" has the fellas in it. I can't wait to catch up with the guys from "Married Men". In short the man is an awesome writer. Please support his work so we can continue to be engrossed with his great writing. "Lookin For Luv, Married Men, Baby Momma Drama" Get them while you can. TRUST ME

I liked Furguson's book on Chancellorsville and decided to give this one a try. Good thing because this is simply the best book I have read on wartime Richmond. The book starts off in 1859 describing pre-war Richmond and the sentiment in the city. Furguson does a great job of using newspapers, diaries, and letters to convey how ordinary citizens felt during the war. The author does an excellent job portraying the economic, political, and military situation of wartime Richmond from lots of perspectives. This book is highly readable, fast-paced, and just a good read. Very interesting and informative.

I've read all three outstanding Civil War-era books by Ernest Furgurson, and "Ashes of Glory" is the finest of the them all. Where "Chancellorsville 1863" and "Not War, But Murder" focus on individual battles -- and do so superbly -- "Ashes of Glory" is as much social as military history. The book captures the emotions and experiences of the Richmond population throughout the war's five-year ordeal. Along the way, we meet an eclectic cast of characters: well known leaders like Lee and Jeff Davis; fire and brimstone editorial writers; Union loyalists; brothel madames; aristocrats-turned-hospital-care-givers, and just ordinary folk. One of the most interesting is Elizabeth Van Lew, a Unionist whose selfless (often brazen) acts of courage earn the eternal gratitude of Commanding General U.S. Grant.

Furgurson is an exceptional writer and storyteller. However, his true talent is in spicing his narrative with compelling anecdotes that bring his story to life. Especially poignant is his description of the defeated Lee's return to Richmond following Appomattox. The clandestine efforts to reclaim the body of a Union officer killed during a putative mission to assassinate Confederate leaders is another sparkling gem.

"Ashes of Glory" will make for engaging reading for anyone interested in U.S. history.

This book will enthrall the casual civil war reader and delight the enthusiast. Drawing on a wide range of first person accounts, the author does an excellent job of giving civil war era Richmond rhythm and life. As the fortunes of the Confederacy ebb and flow with each battle, so does the public mood in the capital of the rebellion. The author weaves this always interesting life of a city under seige and pregnant with the hope of a new history into a fascinating story. Not only are the thoughts and recollections of the history makers used (Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Govs. Lascher and Smith), but also the wartime experiences of junior officers, clerks, business people, spys, prostitutes and other everyday folk.

This book is an interesting tale of people coping with an impossible situation that progresses from overwhelming to calamitous over the course of the war. The experienced Civil War reader will enjoy learning about life in a City that is usually coverd as a military objective in most books of this genre

Recommended