I've looked through word origin books that were dry and hard to read, but Dog Days and Dandelions is a delight. There are stories to be told about where words come from; this author knows how to choose them and how to tell them.

I visited amazon to find more of her books, but they are out of print. I hope either some of you readers will sell your used ones, or that more will be written or printed soon!

I had no idea there were blackbirds in my merlot nor horses in all my jaded, hackneyed, tacky everyday observations. What a treat of a book! Of course, not that I was surprised...all Barnette's prior offerings-- the charming Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies and A Garden of Words--are a must-have for writers and readers alike. Anyone who loves words will adore this treasure of a book. I've already learned more than I did in college! And I've just ordered it for three of my friends. Highly recommended.

Martha Barnette is the best. Few others can enliven dry and obsure facts and information like she can - all her books about words should be required reading for anyone with any aspiration of becoming a writer. And she serves up way more than fodder for cocktail chatter. After reading her, you'll find yourself thinking differently about all the words around you.Check out her website... for a preview.

My boys love to read and this is their current favorite. We can't read it enough and I enjoy it with them. Great for beginning to learn, colors and even some simple nouns like dog, bee and ball. I just bought it as a gift for several friends.

My almost 2 year old daughter has us read this book as often as possible, and she 'reads' it to herself. A great way to reinforce colors and numbers (through 10).
And a fun book to read over... and over... and over again.

This is the most fun, interactive book I have seen that teaches both colors and counting at the same time. My 2 1/2 year old son loves to tell me how the spot got on the dog and finds his mishaps to be quite hilarious. Because it is so funny, he wants to read it again and again, which makes him practice counting on each page every time he reads the book. I highly recommend it for any child at the beginning stages of learning color and number concepts.

Riveting, thought provoking, just flat-out entertaining. I read this book in four sittings, I just couldn't quit turning pages. Buy it for yourself, buy it for your family, buy it for your friends -- they will not be dissapointed!

Dust makes you think about the collision of traditional religious beliefs, a strong centralized government, and our own security concerns and technologies role in managing what is happening to society when these forces crash. Dust will make you wonder about how far society should go in using technology to manage ever increasing aspects of your lives. The author has made a great start on his writing career. I'm looking forward to reading more from him.

Dust is a constant ride of questions and "potential" answers. I found myself in a paradox to continue the ride or put the book down to ponder the ongoing barage of issues. It is fast paced, exciting and above all, thought provoking novel that kept me asking myself questions that I could not answer.

Judson's book, like Tracy Kidder's "The Soul of a New
Machine", stands out for getting it: the passion, the
politics, and the personalities behind scientific
and technological progress, as well as its pitfalls and
cul de sacs. Judson's book, like no other I've read,
captures molecular biology as it is practiced.

I received this book as a gift in 1980 when I was a
college freshman hoping to major in biochemistry.
Today, much as I like to see the biomedical research I
do as a rational, deductive, "hypothesis-driven"
affair, there is unescapably the human element. Think
ego, and all of the other human qualities, respectable
or scorned. Have you seen genome sequencer J. Craig
Venter on the cover of Time (or was it Newsweek?). What
do you think put him there?

Science as a human endeavor was put forth theoretically
in 1962 by historian Thomas Kuhn in his "The Structure
of Scientific Revolutions". Complementing Kuhn, Judson
illustrates it in deliciously readable human terms. For
this reason this book is unmatched and is worth six,
not five, stars.

Max Perutz appears significantly in Judson's story. In
1990, as a beginning graduate student, I had the
priviledge of meeting and conversing with Perutz. He
was just as Judson portrayed him: modest, plodding,
dedicated, pursuing what he might learn from the
structure and properties of hemoglobin. Reading Judson
a decade earlier prepared me for this most important
meeting for me.

Though dated (the story stops about 1975), I heartily
recommend this book to anyone considering a career in
biomedical research. Judson successfully conveys the
human reality of that honorable profession. Some times
it hurts -- crystallographer Rosalind Franklin never
got her due -- but that's the state of the profession.

I loved this book. Before reading it, I had the rather naive view that Crick and Watson discovered the structure of DNA and suddenly "all was light". I hadn't realised the huge effort required over the next twenty years to attain an understanding of the linkages between that structure and the biological processes it codes for. Judson's book tells that story, in detail, and is written at a level that I could follow (as a layperson with a keen interest in science).

Judson talked to the researchers responsible for all the major developments in molecular biology, and quotes extensively from his interviews, so the reader gets a feel for the human side of the great adventure, the sense of community and the rivalries, the frustrations and dead ends as well as the victories.

Be warned that it is not a light or short read. It demands the reader's close attention. Fortunately, though, it is a pageturner that (with only minor exceptions) keeps the reader gripped.

It should also be noted that the first edition of the book was written in the early seventies and, while no doubt Freedland has updated it, the main narrative ends in about 1972. There is a final chapter on developments since then, but it is of necessity quite brief and touches on a limited number of highlights.

Wonderful, it is simply the best book on the subject. An account that carefully balances scientific contents and personal issues of the scientists from the early times of molecular biology and conveys the the thrill of professional research.

I highly recommend this daily devotional for every Christian, new or old in the faith. I have bought this every year for the past 4 years. It is a wonderful way to keep a diary and helpful for looking back on to see your growth in our Lord. Each day you start with a passage from the Scriptures and a commentay about it. I do not always agree with the commentaries, but they do make me think about what the Lord is telling me through His Word. I can, also, look back and see how the Lord has helped me through bad times and also, more importantly, see how he has blessed me through them and also through my good times. I have found this a very helpful tool in my Christian growth.

I am very impressed with this combination of Devotional and Journal. Not many devotional journals have brought me to a point where i immediately see what God is teaching me for the time I'm digging deeper. A wonderful combination of daily insight backed by scripture. A must read book if you are searching for a stronger commitment to God, daily. Very blunt or frank. The author's get right to the heart. The journal portion is made available by wide margins for your thoughts to be written down.

Excellent to use as a daily devotional guide. Can start anytime during year. Has "user-friendly" indexes in back that are subject and text indexed.

We all need food for physical life and spiritual food for a vigorous spritual life. A daily portion of "Experencing God Day-By-Day" will help feed that soul-life as few devotional books can. The Blackaby father-and-son team know the scriptures well and give great insight and illumination of them to those who delve into this volume. The applications for life made on each page will compel you to ponder the truths from the Bible. I have been blessed in reading it, I pray you will be, too.

Truely God-inspired writings. The book begins each day with a quote from the Bible, explains the quote, then shows how each of us can apply this to our everyday lives. The practical material is most touching and insightful.

My church family read My Utmost for His Hightest corporately for 1999. I decided for 2000 to buy everyone another devotional that we could read corporately. I chose Experiencing God Day-by-Day. It was a major blessing. Personally and corporately we are experiencing God day-by-day. As I journal I write love letters to God. I feel I have drawn a little closer to God before I close that book. This devotional causes you to look within and come clean with God.

I enjoyed this book so much, I created focusyourday.com and focusyourday.org to pay tribute to the book. You can see the current day's message there to get a sample of the book. I highly encourage you to get a copy for daily reading. This book made me a happier person and I have to read it again. It reduces the stress of living life!

This book has changed my life for the better! I highly recommend it. I have purchased several copies. I buy a new copy whenever I have worn out the previous copy or given it to someone in need. I have been reading this daily devotional for at least three years. I will continue to read this book over and over again because it is that good!

My husband and I have prayed together for the 40 years we've been married. This daily spiritual reader has given our prayers a new dimension and depth. We're giving a copy to each of our eight children for Christmas, hoping they will each enjoy it even though each will "hear" it from a different perspective.

We have previously expressed our enjoyment of the prior dozen escapades of ex-nun Christine Bennett, an amateur sleuth, wife of a brand new (ex-cop) NYPD lawyer, and mother of young toddler Eddie. This springtime story occurs shortly after Father's Day, which witnessed the murder of one of the "Morris Avenue Boys", who had been friends since boyhood for some 40 years and regularly met for reunions all this time. Our leading lady was asked to investigate the murder of one of the nine (by one of the granddaughters), all of whom, except one out-of-towner who did not attend, nor one who had previously died, were obvious suspects and being investigated (more or less, we don't get the details...) by the police.

Despite many days of questioning the principals, the widow, the wives and anybody else who might have a shard of knowledge about the group, Chris has almost as many questions as she does answers. Yet her persistence has turned up a few leads that the police have as yet to discover. Thus a pretty good premise leads us through the life and times of the men, especially the murder victim, Arthur Wien, a famous novelist, to a fairly surprising conclusion. Wien's celebrity life, his women chasing, money borrowing, and messy divorce, fueled much of the grounds for motive, still difficult to find among the great chums. We picked up a clue mid-book that gave us an inkling of the outcome, an "eureka" not common to reading the stories in this series. Even with that precognition, we were held in suspense until nearly the final chapter when all becomes clear and Chris once again is the lever that elicits a confession from the apparently guilty party. Interestingly, whether it was really that party or not is somewhat left to the speculation of the reader.

We enjoy the very predictability of Lee Harris' stories of which we suppose some might tire. We have often characterized the leading lady and her family as wholesome and caring, creating dependably pleasant tales that don't need violence and gore, nor foul language or explicit sex, to capture and sustain our interest. Isn't that what a good mystery is all about ?!?!

This book as with all of the Lee Harris books has a good plot, great character development and a wonderful twist.

This series are so well written! I am at a loss without another Chris Bennett story to follow up with. Like all the other "holiday" murders this is also a great book that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last. I finished this one in one day, I could not put it down. Keep them coming Lee!!

As a collector of Italian cookbooks, I now count this one as one of my favorites. Michele Scicolone shares 250 wonderful recipes with very easy instructions, and adds a little extra note to each recipe. I hosted an Italian Buffet last year for 50 people, and used this book as my primary reference. The recipe for Frico (cheese wafers) and roasted Olives with Fennel and Lemon are so tasty, I serve them now with drinks everytime I entertain! This book offers a combination of both traditional Italian recipes, and those more contemporary with sometimes surprising ingredients. As the Italian Cooking Host @ Bella Online, and someone with over 150 Italian cookbooks in my collection, I would say this is definately a book to buy! My only regret is that there weren't more pictures as the ones included are so inspiring, it makes you want to run into the kitchen and start cooking.

Someone gave me a few cookbooks -- (never do this to an experienced cook!) Every time I reached for this book to bring to a recycle center some new recipe caught my eye. It's deceptive. The sidebars tell the stories you need to hear about the recipes. A tuna pesto? Sounds dull, no? It is a superb dish. A spaghetti sauce with only beets? (The cover photo tells it all.) A lentil and clam stew? Lentils with CLAMS ??? It works. It works brilliantly. This is not a basic book. But it is a wonderful addition to any Italian food library.

A Fresh Taste of Italy is a marvelous resource foran array of recipes; terminology; history; and sources of ingredients. The author paints a glamourous picture of the great diversity that exists in Italian cuisine. If you purchase only one Italian cookbook...this is the one to get.

I don't generally enjoy "feel good books", but this book really makes you want to be a better person. She is definitely a role model. This book provided an abundance of self-reflection, particularly as a parent. I strongly recommend this book to those who would like a glimpse into the attitudes of a great woman.

A borrowed book originally, I am getting this one to keep! I can read any page and find something that encourages me to be a better mother, church-member, and Christian. Sister Hinkley is a model of practicality, faith in Christ, and a loving and supportive mother, companion, and grandmother. When you need a boost-- look at this remarkable women's example and you will be inspired to "carry on," as you are reminded of the most important things in life. This book is also a great example of a record of one's personal history.

What a wonderful book. When I heard that it was coming out I knew that I had to get a copy. I am not at all disapointed! What a wonderful woman she is. She is such a great example. She makes me want to be a better mother, wife and friend! She makes you feel good about yourself, even though you have never met. What a wonderful couple she and Pres. Hinckely make!!