Thirty years ago I left the plains of Western North Dakota for the woods of Central Minnesota. I lasted six mohths. Clay S. Jenkinson expresses the reasons why I came back and why I have stayed. It is almost impossible to express to someone not from here what the badlands and the prairie can mean, but the author uses imagery that evokes a strong sense of place and spiritual belonging, much as N. Scott Momaday does. The people are real and the places are too. It is good to have someone who can say what I can't. This book is delightfully humorous and at the same time profound.

Having grown up and lived my fifty-plus years in North Dakota, Jenkinson has captured my response to this place of the Plains at a very deep, thoughtful level. It is hard to explain to a "mountain", or "ocean" or "forest" person just what the prairie and badlands evoke, but this book is among the best I've read to describe it. The people portrayed in this book are people I know or very like people I know. But most especially, his challenge to those of us who live in this place to treasure it and to branch out of our great tendency toward provincialism confirmed and gave words to many of my own long-held feelings.

To journey though this book is like being on a train. You will come to the end finding you have traveled parallel tracks. . . One is the scholarly exploration of ideas and questions. The other, a man's life filled with colorful friends and experiences. Both a book of essays and a memoir. This duality is the magic that makes the book. Even the writing balances between direct and lyrical, functional and sublime.

But, what I liked most about Message on the Wind was the personality of the man telling the story. That he could make bold pronouncements and just as quickly point out his own foibles. As when he says, "Just how a man driving a tractor whose tire he could not change if his life depended upon it can feel marvelously independent is not clear, but that is the unmistakable mythology of the place. And I swallowed the whole hog."

Back to the train: Wallow in the sheer joy of being carried away on an adventure. Or, examine the tracks and ponder the method. Either course will result in many delightful hours of reading. Reading, perchance to think. :-)

Having shot clay targets for a few years.The ideas in the book were not out of the blue.The author just layed it out in a clear manner. I especially liked the way in which he list the different level of shooters.So you can get a better feel where you are and what you need to train on.....I would recomend this book to anyone who wants to inprove their score in any of the clay target sport...It is not written for a golfers eyes it is written in a shooters eyes. So the visualization process is easier to see the point ans the Targets turn to Dust.

My impression after the first time I read this book "WOW", my impression after the second time I read this book "WOW - WOW", etc..

After I finished the final chapter everything in the book just seemed like common sense. As a shooter, I have thought the same things that were written for years but could never made heads-or-tails out of the information. Mark (the author) is very smooth in his ability to convey seemingly complex topics and put all the pieces of the mental puzzle on the table.

My final comment is, tell me when the sequel is so I can be the first in line to buy it - at any price!

After reading this book I have one message to other shooters/readers: Buy this book, read it once, read it again, practice what it says than read the book again in 30 days.

The author does a great job of bringing difficult psychological concepts into simple understandings. While most other books, which only donate a single chapter to mental training, are written like a textbook - this author writes like he is talking directly to you. His straightforward writing style makes the book hard to put down once you start reading it.

I am currently a B-22-C trapshooter and after reading this book I feel like I have boosted my confidence such that I should be ready to move up the next class this season. I recommend this book highly.

PS. Don't loan it out to others... you will have a hard time getting it back - I know from experience.

This book is an excellent reference source for working in papier mache and paper clay. The photos and instructions are very detailed. I have recommended this book many times and bought it as a gift. Beautiful photos and lots of inspiration.

DOLLMAKING WITH PAPIER MACHE & PAPER CLAY HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED MY IDEA OF HOW TO BOOKS. THIS BOOK IS NOT ONLY HOW TO MAKE DOLL CRAFTS, BUT HAS OTHER BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS TO MAKE; SUCH AS A LARGE 26" RABBIT & AN ADORABLE GOAT.COMPLETE,EASY TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

This book is illustrated with many magnificent and easily followed directions. You can really make a doll that is more meaningful then all others because you have made it with your own hands. The authors step by step instructions are so simple to follow! Your finished product is your own masterpiece, thanks to Doris. Bravo, Doris.

This book has a LOT of information! When you do find what you are trying to research there is extensive information about the company. HOWEVER, the book is not indexed well. The index is down right skimpy. When trying to look-up certain words or wording found in a mark there is no reference to these things in the index. So a tedious process of looking through each page many times insues.

I also would like more dates associated with the marks. I realize this would mean more research on the author's part but that would make the book more valuable to me if I could verify dates more readily. The current way the marks are identified is in paragraph form associating the illustrated mark with a number. Locating these numbers within the paragraphs is difficult and time consuming. It make the research tedious. Thus, this is NOT my first choice reference to go to when trying to identify a new mark.

I would like to see this book updated and improved by doing three things (PUBLISHERS are you listening?)-1) A more comprehensive index, 2) more research on the individual marks (dates associated with each), and typographicly improve the association between marks and comment text about the marks.

Years ago I hunted high and low for a book on American ceramic wares, a genre who's time I saw closing fast. It was suggested once that I write one. I am glad I didn't take the challenge as my work would surly have paled severely in contrast to this marvelous, all inclusive work. Lois Lehner gives the subject the depth, scope and respect it deserves. This is 'the book' on American marks on pottery and porcelain its authority is never questioned.

Many books use the word 'encyclopedia' in their title, but few really deserve it. This one most certainly does. A titanic reference of pottery marks and company histories that virtually never fails to identify a piece of U.S. china. The variety of marks within each company, and the historical detail, make this both a valuable reference and an interesting book to page through.

This is a great read. I would highly recommend it to anyone anytime - a summer read, a gift...the perfect book to relax with. You lose yourself in a jungle of exotic characters and adventures. It's fantasy and reality interwoven as one. Again, a great read. Makes you think too.

VISUALLY STUNNING, RICH WITH ATMOSPHERE AND INTRIGUING CHARACTERS, INCREDIBLY UNPREDICTABLE EVENTS, FULL OF LOVE, MYSTERY, VIOLENCE, HUMOR AND FANTASY, EVEN GETS DEEPLY PHILOSOPHICAL, FEEL IT CAN BE TURNED INTO A VERY INTERESTING MOVIE

This book takes us to a magical and mystical place where people are unaffected by the outside world. Fascinating characters abound and discuss philosophy and life. One wishes she could enter the book and live in a slower time where ideas and feelings can be explored. Morgan should write more fiction.

Wow! I had no idea one may create dolls in so many various ways! Eloise Piper teaches fabric, modeling paste, and polymer clay doll-making with patterns included in her book. She includes plain Amish children, fancy dolls, wig creating, sculpting facial features, decorating and dressing the doll. She even includes patterns for their tiny clothing! She gives embellishment ideas as well. Furthermore, Eloise has a very delightful style of writing that brings her dolls to life! I greatly enjoy authors like Eloise who present their art in a down-to-earth and humorous fashion. Not only does one enjoy creating the dolls and their adorable wardrobes, but one may count on a chuckle or two from Eloise's light-hearted humor.

This book is a keeper for those who are looking for resources which address the multiple and various techniques of creating dolls.

Happy doll making!

Just received this book today and I can't put it down! The book is the most complete how-to book I have ever seen. Eloise has put the book together from beginner to advanced with a lot of thought for the inexperienced doll-maker. Every aspect of doll-making is completely covered and I would highly recommend this book to anyone !

I'm new to doll making. I am enjoying this book. I also recommend a doll book for fun reading, Dolls Aren't Just for Kids.

My friend was given this book as a gift for her daughters, aged 2 1/2. Since she's in constant motion with her twins, she asked me to post this review. One of the girls was rather uninterested, and unaffected, by the story, but the second one was nothing short of traumatized by the images depicted in this story, particularly of the Clay Boy devouring a horse, with its rider and cart. She has had nightmares ever since and constantly asks her mother "Is the Clay Boy outside our house?" and "Will the horse be OK?" The illustrations are wonderfully done, but they are a bit too lifelike for those too young to understand. I think this book is much more appropriate for children who are at least four or five.

Clayboy is a favorite of mine and the children in my early childhood special education classroom. Clay Boy comes to life saying "I'm here! I'm hungry!" The story concludes with the raveneous boy getting his "just desserts"! Mirra does a wonderful job of finding just the right word to go with the actions. Read with expression, this book is sure to please even those children who find books and stories "boring"!

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What is it about most traditional East European folk tales? They nearly always have a sinister, sometimes scary story line. "Clay Boy" is no exception.

The concept of a clay boy that comes to life is very reminiscent of Pinocchio. An elderly couple known as Grandpa and Grandma are lonely now that their children have grown up. The clay boy is to become their child substitute.

There is one big problem when he comes alive. He is insatiably hungry. He eats and eats, and he grows and grows until he ate all the food in the house. "More More" he cries.

Now things get a little macabre. He's seen gulping down whole live chickens, and then the geese, cat and dog are consumed. Then it's Grandma and Grandpa's turn to be on the menu.

By now, Clay Boy is of giant proportions. In one bite, he eats a man, a wagon, a horse and a load of hay. GULP!

He is still unsatisfied, after swallowing everybody in the village.

But then, he meets his match.

A very cunning goat (check out the face on this Billy) offers to jump straight into Clay Boy's mouth, but on one condition: Clay Boy has to close his eyes.

The goat took a great leap straight at the big fat belly. Clay Boy broke into a hundred pieces and all the people and animals that he had swallowed tumbled out. The goat was the hero of the village and had his horns painted gold. Such rejoicing!

No explicit moral is given in this story. But what does this folk tale tell us? Will insatiable greed and endless consumption lead only to annihilation?

There is also a modern message here. Now that most of us live far removed from our parent's homes, perhaps we should spend more time with our folks so they don't get lonely. And for Grandma and Grandpa, they should accept that their children have grown up, and should not try to find substitutes for this loss.

The last page brings this home. The role of Grandparents is to instil and pass on their wisdom to their grandchildren. The best way to do this is to be a story- teller for the young ones and ideally, pass on the stories that you heard from your parents and grandparents.

Very nicely layed out. Great photography. There could be a little more detail on technique but overall it is a very nice book

The book is excellent - encourages creativity.

On page 5 in the Baking section, second column, it stops in mid sentence. We wondered how long to bake our creation, but couldn't find a clue.

I wanted to mention a little omething about the reader wndering about page 5 in this book. The writing does stop in mid - sentence but if you want to know how long to bake, just read the individual instructions for each craft and you will find the exact baking time for your project.

I would strongly suggest anyone who would like to work with polymer clay to buy this book! There are plenty of wonderful projects to keep anyone busy for a long time. If you run out of clay, most local craft stores will carry more - either Sculpey III or other sculpey brands like Presto which is just about the same. Buy this book and enjoy!

A divorced friend from New Smyrna Beach insisted that I read this book. As an Evanovich devotee, I was skeptical but complied to keep the peace.

The DAFFODILS are not exactly Stephanie and Lula, but Southern close. (You may have noticed from the headline, I'm Southern.)

Bottom line, this was a quick, funny, thoroughly enjoyable read. The pacing is like Evanovich -- quick, my style. My friend says a sequel is on the way, where these wacko women do Bike Week. That should be a double hoot!

Picked this little gem of a mystery up and couldn't put it down until the last page was turned. Great thing was that I was lying on the beach soaking up the rays and had a capitivating beach book to read to boot. The Turtle Mound Murder kept my attention with its fast moving story, humorous dialogue, and extravagantly hilarious southern belle characters. The Daffodils are gloriously wacky, their moniker stands for Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful,Insensitive, Licentious Scum aka ex-husbands. Reminds me of how some of my sorority sisters might have turned out! Hmmm shouldn't dwell on that.
Pick this mystery up and prepare for a fun, fast and fabulously nutty read. You'll laugh out loud. Don't wait until you get to the beach to check it out!

Mary Clay is a pen name for Linda Tuck-Jenkins. Her first novel, Starpeople: The Sirian Redemption was voted First Runner-Up for Best Visionary Fiction of 2001.

Move over, Steel Magnolias; move over, First Wives Club. "The Daffodils" have arrived. Named for "Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful, Insensitive, Licentious Scum," the Daffodils are comprised of Penny Sue Park, Ruthie Nichols, and most recently, Rebecca Leigh Stratton, who is newly divorced from her assets stealing; two-timing lawyer husband Zack. The Daffodils decide to take a trip to their college retreat, off New Smyrna Beach, but Leigh discovers a body on the beach within twenty-four hours of their arrival:

"Then, my finger touched something cold and hard. I leaned forward and grabbed... a cold, stiff foot! It was like a bad dream-the one where someone is chasing you, and you try to scream but can't. You open your mouth, straining, yet no sound comes out."

Women are women and men are men in this twist of gender stereotypes. The men are never around when you need them; keep turning up as corpses; and the women have to pick up the pieces, all the while muttering about their connections with the DAFFODILS.

THE TURTLE MOUND MURDER is an entertaining book with strongly defined characters who romp around New Smyrna Beach reliving their college days; tripping over dead bodies; and in general creating havoc and fun. Penned in the best Southern Belle with tongue firmly in cheek, Clay's characters are seen through straight woman Leigh's eyes. Her two pals are flirty and flaky, but she loves them and sees the trio through a string of mishaps that would bowl over a lesser person who was not going through a devastating divorce.

Witty and hilarious, The Turtle Mound Murder engages the reader from the very first page. Mary Clay writes with a sure hand, and Penny Sue, Ruthie and Leigh are all personalities most women have grown up with and can relate to. The jokes are insiders that all women relate to, making this a Shelley choice for a great read.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Midwest Book Review

I spent 14 years in education. I witnessed whole language (a strange program which was terribly implemented). The current educational fad is pure phonics (yes, a fad). Research shows that 80% of children will learn to read in spite of the method they are taught. Reading Recovery was designed as a one-on-one program for the remaining 20%. Reading Recovery depends on very strict implementation and very strict adherence to the methods presented in this book. "Reader" from NY states this is "whole language by another name". Far from it. Reading Recovery uses many proven methodologies (some phonics included); but its main emphasis is on teaching students to derive meaning from text and to build a reading system that is "self-extending"--they learn to check for meaning, word structure, etc. My wife is a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader--I watch the growth of her students and see the amazement on their teachers' faces. The book alone is a fantastic resource; however, to be truly effective a teacher should receive Reading Recovery training. As I said earlier, effective implementation of the program depends on strict adherence to Reading Recovery methodologies. Proper teacher training is critical to the success of this program.

I bought this book to familiarize myself with the Reading Recovery program. It opened my eyes to several things I have been doing when helping my child read which actually hinder a child's ability to decode words by themselves. Too much focus on the mechanics of reading and the letters in a word can contribute to problems when the child moves beyond the most basic reading skills.

Marie's book offers many excellent suggestions for working with a child. Her suggestions help a child grow in their reading without getting in their way. The lists of activities and skills to be acquired are helpful. We have seen tremendous progress in our child's ability to read independently since implementing the reading recovery program.

I think every parent who has a child struggling with reading could learn something from this book. I also think it would make excellent reading for any educator interested in helping their students read better.

The work of Marie Clay, as described in this book, and then the implementation of the concepts and methodology with those young students who are confused and befuddled as they begin the literacy process, has changed the lives of many of today's students and their families. One only has to look into the eyes of a Reading Recovery student who is on her way to becoming an independent reader to understand the power behind the program. Wonders of wonders as a young child holds a book in her hands and confidently reads! All of education needs more researchers like Marie Clay who look at what children can do and then design programs to help those children become highly proficient readers and writers.

I also must compliment those educators, both internationally and nationally who have taken Marie Clay's work forward in the Reading Recovery Institutes around the world and then right into our classrooms.

If you have doubts about this program contact a school district near you where Reading Recovery has been implemented. Ask to speak to students, teachers and parents.

Bravo!