Hello...I have read Sara Mitchell's book (3 times!), Night Music, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a very interesting story and was written very well. I found it very encouraging spiritually because it shows us how God works and how He is always faithful. Keep up the good work, Ms. Mitchell, and I look forward to reading more of your novels!

I was not sure what to expect when I picked up Night Music, but the back copy convinced me to try it out. I was impressed. Sara Mitchell has created a story that intertwines suspense, faith, and an inevitable romance that reaches the seeking reader. Caleb is a hero that most Christian women would like to know even as a friend. His faith is absolute, his street savvy reassuring, and his sense of humor is welcome. Rae as the heroine represents the struggling Christian woman. So many of us are in her place in one way or another and her growth in her faith in God and Man is well demonstrated as she learns to love Caleb Myers and come to a new trust in her Lord. The plot moves quickly. Though its a long story for this genre, it's easily finished. I had stopped reading inspirational romance until I read Night Music. This book proves to devout readers - who need content and meat in their literature - that God and romance do not necessarily make for a sappy tale. Thanks, Ms. Mitchell!

Okay, it's the middle of winter, Christmas is past, and now is the time to break out the gardening catalogs and begin plotting the new growing year. According to Henry Mitchell, we can enjoy the garden year-round if we plan strategically and the middle of winter is a good time to begin.

Mr. Mitchell wrote two weekly columns for the Washington Post for a number of years--one of them a garden column I never missed reading. His garden columns have been preserved in several books. ONE MAN'S GARDEN follows his first book THE ESSENTIAL EARTHMAN which spread his well-earned reputation as a garden guru far beyond the Post market area. These two books were published while he was alive so one must assume they were collections of his favorite essays. The essays are arranged by season and correspond to the months he wrote them.

Mitchell can be read by gardeners living anywhere. Although his essays contain information helpful to those working in Zone 7, the reader can glean sage advice applicable anywhere. He shares anecdotes about his experiences in his own backyard, and while that might seem far from novel as every other Tom, Dick, and Henrietta is writing a garden book these days, his essays are the best. His writing is funny, philosophical, useful, and a joy to read, especially on a cold winter day when you need to be reminded of irridescent dragonflies hovering over lily ponds (former horse troughs).

In his essay on dragonfiles (July) he informs us they require lily pads for landing, they can't just plop on the water like a pelican. This little item helped me understand I needed to do more to make my back yard friendly to butterflies, dragon flies, and their insect kin. I now have shallow spots in my birdbaths where they can dip their tiny feet.

Mr. Mitchell shares all sorts of interesting insights from his adventures with clinging vines--planting them where they will not grow, growing native variants such as the American Wisteria. The American Wisteria is often overlooked by those who grow the "Oriental" kind from China which Mitchell says if left untended can form a 20-foot clump in the middle of your yard. The Chinese Wisteria is very ornate, and the U.S. Park Service has planted it all over the National Gallery of Art on the Mall, but the American Wisteria is a pretty little thing better suited for the back yard. Mitchell says you can see this Wisteria in bloom at the Henry Botanical Foundation in Philadelphia.

Mitchell's essays range far and near, from Jefferson at Monticello to flower shows in faraway places. He writes in December of bananas, not a local plant in Zone 7 by any means, but one Mitchell considered a "great good plant" nevertheless and he grows one in his back yard in a pot. Although MItchell died several years ago, his essays are every bit as timely useful and funny as ever, and not to be missed.

This book is a delight and a pleasure to read aloud. The author has helped us focus on spring planting even though the wind chill factor has been -35 degrees most of the weekend. One Man's Garden helps "cure" the cabin fever that rages at this time of year in the northeast. Well worth the money it's a refreshing window into the love of gardening.

First of all I would just like to point out that I have only read the original Welsh version of this novel. Briefly this novel follows a madman and his memories as he wanders around his childhood home. The man finds it difficult to tell the difference between past and present and he presents a distorted picture of the village life, a village where suicide, transvestism and insanity are a constant presence. These scenes become more poignant since they are presented by the voice of a child.

The greatest strength of the novel is that it shows rather than tells. Thus we are presented by the insanity of a crowd after a football match, the insanity of a mother after a lifetime of poverty and hardship as a single mother, the fevour of organised passionate religion and the eccentricities of different characters within the novel. It is left to the reader to decide how much of these, and all the suffering and death the child witnesses throughout the novel affect his future state of mind.

In addition to insanity the novel deals with the empty hypocripsy of organised religion, the intolerance of a small community, poverty, the loss of innocence, guilt, the Oedipus complex, the psychology of a child.

The main character is particularly well drawn and the supporting cast are all interesting. Since the novel draws heavily on Caradog Prichard's own life the events themselves feel alive, especially the scene where the child's mother is sent to an assylum.

If you dislike ambiguous novels however this may not be the best novel for you. For example an ever present destructive earth pagan goddess seems to dominate the present of the main character. She may be an embodiment of the main character's guilt, a mother figure he yearns for or a lost love. It is difficult to be sure. Otherwise I would highly recomend that you read this book.

Well rounded characters. Very readable

One moonlit night is a first person narrative which follows a man through a north Wales village on a moonlit night having been away for many years. On passing through different memories come to his mind. So far so conventional.

The man is insane, he speaks with the voice of a child. Stuck in a never never land inside his head he finds it difficult to tell the difference between happier times as a youth and his current more troubled state. The narrative does not follow a conventional timeline but jumps to and fro between different times in his life as they come to mind ever leading towards the climatic downfall.
The village like the character and the novel itself is shrouded by a dark atmosphere. In the first chapter alone we are introduced to insanity, illness, suicide and sexual immorality made all the more poignant since they are seen through the eyes of a child.

The main theme of the novel is insanity. The novel deals with insanity in it's entirety whether the insanity of a crowd engulphed by football passion in a game or engulphed by intense religious passion; or an individual's insanity as he confronts death, sexual passion or following a lifetime of suffering. The mother in the novel breaks under the strain of illness, poverty and being single parent.

Other themes discussed are the loss of innocence of youth, the pressures of poverty on a rural community, suicide, religion and the empty hypocrisy of organised religion, the destructive power of sexual desire, the relationship between men and women, the Oedipus complex and guilt.

Caradog Prichaard used a great deal from his own life in writing this novel therefore the characters are rounded and interesting and there is a real sense of gritty realism to the events. However this novel is not for those who intensely dislike ambiguous novels. There is some ambiguity about what happened to the boys father for example. Otherwise buy this book.

This book was written by the mother of an autistic child, but I would bet that most young children would love the colorful imagery, the adorable animals and train parts, as well as the repeating story components. The "plot" allows children to take part in the story in a fun way. I look forward to reading it to my twin niece and nephew.

Autism Society Bookstore Review

Party Train is a delightful, large hardback children's book written by Lesli Mitchell, the mother of an autistic child and a professional writer. Using a behavioral context, this appealing story is about a lengthening train full of animals. The 32-page book is written in large print, and nearly every page has several bold words for your child to repeat. Once a page is turned, the events of the repeated words unfold before their eyes in vividly colored, three-dimensional illustrations. These pictures are quite captivating and increase the child's desire to repeat the highlighted words and participate in the story. If you are working on circletime behavior this book will be of help. I feel it is definitely worth the money, and would best interest early childhood educators, parents and their developmentally delayed children who are between the ages of 2 and 10. I have not seen another book similar to this one, and I enthusiastically give it a rating of 5 out of 5.

--Barbara R. Bucknam, M.D.

This is an excellent collection of gay short fiction, many from the pre-Stonewall period of obscurity. With the current explosion of GLTB literature, a sequel is in order:)

The anthology is an excellent book. The stories were not written exclusively by gay authors, and surprises are waiting for the readers (e.g. Noel Coward's beautiful story). The 39 stories are offered by well-known authors (e.g. Forster, Isherwood), known young authors (Leavitt, Kramer) and by those less known. In so introducing new and promising authors to the readers, Leavitt and Mitchell prove yet again that the distinguished house of Penguin made the right choice in selecting them as editors. RUN TO BUY!

This is a sine qua non treatise for anybody having to deal with the subject of pensions. Edited admirably by actuarial scholars Mitchell, representing academia, and Hustead, representing private industry, the book covers all aspects of pensions in the private, public and academic sectors. The editors also write several individual chapters on their areas of super - expertise. Actually the most useful and comprehensive chapter, the one on governmental and military pensions, is written by the team Mr. and Mrs. Hustead. Mrs. Hustead is an expert attached to the White Houses' office of the budget. The most interesting chapter, this by Mr. Hustead alone, is the one with his lucubration on the pensions system, sometimes debacle, of the District of Columbia, Washington DC, the capital city of the USA. Although it was not the obvious intention of the author, it shows in a very peculiar and amazing way the vicissitudes of such a political entity that fully justifies the usage of vehicular license plates with the proclamation of "Taxation Without Representation" kindly exemplified by firmer President Clinton in the First Limousine, and, of course, immediately rejected by the Bush's administration. Finally, the selection of the goddess Minerva for the cover, is a master, and artistic, stroke.

What can be done to help public sector pension plans perform more efficiently, and thereby enhance old-age security? In much of the world, public sector pensions are in deep trouble, undermining economic policy and threatening retiree well being. By and large, North American public pension systems have performed better, boasting tremendous assets and offering reasonable retiree benefits. Even here, however, military and civil service systems are not doing as well. This volume takes stock of public pensions in the US and Canada, offering lessons and highlighting challenges these financial institutions will face in the coming decades.

The first Pension Research Council study of public pensions in a quarter-century tackles these topics with an impressive group of international experts from the actuarial, legal, and economic fields. Contributors illustrate how reform options vary across uniformed employees, teachers, legislators and the judiciary, municipal and state employees, and military personnel. This study will be invaluable to taxpayers and their representatives, and those responsible for both public and private sector pensions.

Olivia S. Mitchell is the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, and Executive Director of the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School. Edwin Hustead is Senior Vice President in charge of governmental actuarial and benefits consulting at the HayHuggins Washington, D.C. office.

It's really about experiencing and analyzing the spacial environment. Well written & illustrated. I've used it as a supplemental text in a history of L.A. course, & students have found it really valuable. I've just plain enjoyed it.

Good examples of different aspects of the landscape. Explains different types of gardens well. It was an assigned book for a class, which made me not want to read it, but I'm glad that I did. Well written with good diagrams.

i never owned this book, but every week as a child i would go to the public library and my mother would allow me to check out about 3 or 4 books. Each time i went, i begged and pleaded to check out "Pop Corn and Ma Goodness" because despite the silly rhyming scheme, it was my favorite book. Even to this day when I go to the library, i walk upstairs to the kids section to make sure it's still there.

This is a wonderful children's book that teaches about life and its chances with wonderful rhymes, clever images, and fresh ideas.

As a Catholic scholar and college teacher of systematic theology I cannot stress adamantly enough the importance of "Postures of the Assembly during the Eucharistic Prayer." Without question it is the single most important book I have on my shelf. Every American Roman Catholic (including every priest and bishop) who desires to be "Traditional" in the TRUE sense of the word and who is interested in experiencing a deeper level of presence and communion should understand the history of the postures of the assembly as well as its implications on comtemporary practice, which to a large extent in the American Catholic Church does NOT currently conform either with the revised Roman Rite or with the eariest traditions of the Church. Although the authors claim that the reader is left to draw his or her own conclusion at the end of the book as to which posture -- standing or kneeling -- is more appropriate for the laity, following upon their research firmly ground in Tradition (see council of Nicea, for example), doctrine and historical practice up to and beyond the first millenium, it is clear that a drastic change in the American Catholic laity's posture and theological understanding of the Eucharist is LONG overdue!

Let me admit that even a slim volume on this topic doesn't excite everyone. But this volume has a fascinating discussion on the social dimensions of posture in a ritual meal. There is exploration of the history behind posture - begining with adoration as action ... and kneeling arising out of kissing ....

Throughout the book wears its scholarship easily - creating an easy read that forces you to reevaluate the use of posture in your own faith community.