Anyone wanting to have a structured prayer life I highly recommend Book of Common Prayer. It is a beautiful book and praying the psalms helps deepen one^s spiritual life. The Lectionary gives you the daily readings of the church. It is an ecumenical book with many beautiful and inspiring prayers. This is a book that will give you much thought for meditation. I highly recommend it. The book is for morning and evening prayer.

We Presbyterians needed a book which conveys our tradition and guides us in prayer. This book is wonderful! I can see the hand of providence (how Presbyterian of me!). Its major sources are The Book of Common Prayer, The Book of Common Order, Ecumenical Prayer Books, and "New" material. The book has given order to my prayer life and infused my devotions with meaning.

I have committed myself to the spiritual discipline of writing meaningful letters to friends; yet, I just could not give up the daily practice of intentional, guided, prayer. In the past five or six months I read a devotional reflection, scripture, and prayers, both written and private. I then used these prayers and scripture as a type of mantra to reflect on a theme for the day. After this has concluded I would clear my mind and wait for God to speak. There is a specific small leather covered book I have used to recite guided prayers and Scriptures. The Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer has been an invaluable tool in my discipline of daily prayer. The Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer has a number of beneficial tools for a daily prayer practice. The book has provided an outline for Morning and Evening Prayer time, with alternative texts for special seasons and festivals within the church year. The book even provides a section for prayers at mealtime. The book breaks down the Psalms into those shared at Corporate Worship and then ones that can be used in private reflection. Prayer Litanies are provided on a number of subjects of need. The Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer concludes with a helpful listing of the daily lectionary for the church year. I have enjoyed the process of learning the Psalms in an ongoing spiritual process. I have explained on numerous occasions the difference between reading Scripture, and using Scripture as a communal discipline of prayer. Reading a psalm and then saying the same verse over and over until I know it by heart allows me to internalize the message. Then I allow the passage float between my conscious and unconscious mind in silence. Once in a while a spark of divine recognition takes place in the directed silent communion with God through prayer. This book is a stepping off place in your daily prayer life. I recommend this book for the holidays because of it's a gift of prayer. The leather cover, with gold trim, is elegant while remaining affordable. How many Christmas gifts have the potential to change lives. If you decide you want the Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer for yourself or someone else, give the church office a call and Jane can give you the number for Cokesbury publishing, so you can order in time for Christmas or find it on the web at www.amazon.com. Let me know how this resource influences your daily prayer life. Rev. Scott Paczkowski, First Presbyterian Church, Merrillville, IN

Canada's Michael V. Smith, Ireland's Colm Toibin, Russia's Chekhov. It's hard to imagine the three of them conversing over toast at breakfast. But the books of these writers would cozy up quite comfortable on your shelf.
Ideally, "Cumberland" would have a cover of flannel. It wraps its characters in care as it gently opens their hearts to our view. And like any open heart surgery, there is the hope of a better life after, and the constant forboding of terrible consequences.
A darn good read.

I bought the novel after hearing Michael Smith read at a Toronto event. What an incredible reader - he was honest, spontaneous, and moving. It was interesting how all segments of the audience (all kinds of people) were engaged. Smith breaks down a lot of social divisions - warmly and effortlessly. Cumberland is much the same. An honest portrayal of lives you often don't hear about, in a smallish town. Eye-opening, and very *caring*. You can't help but enjoy reading this, and up feeling very close to some people you might not normally meet in your daily life.

I found myself laughing while reading this book, and crying, at times, too. Jean has a style of writing that makes the reader feel like he/she's there. The people come to life, and you find yourself living with them in the Kentucky Cumberlands. I don't think I've ever even been there, and this book made me homesick.

Of course, if you're looking for crime and action, this isn't the book for you. This book is about 'down home' living when chores were really chores and food was home grown. In ways, it was a simpler kind of life, but in other ways, it was a lot harder.

You won't find this information in a history book. History books always put a tint on the past, leaving out peoples' mistakes and their imperfections. This is a real family story told by a real family person. It's evident that the two most important things in the writer's life were her family and their musical life together.

On a different level, I can't tell you, as an amateur genealogist, how valuable this book is to me. Every page has stories about the people who grew up in the time and place of my kin, many of them even mentioned by name. The next time I read it, I will be gleaning information for my tree! And this is one of the few books that I will read again and again.

Good job, Jean Ritchie. Thank you for bringing the Cumberlands of Kentucky to life for your readers.

The book is absolutely beautiful. It makes Jean Ritchie's songs more relevant, to read the words and the stories she associates with them. The mention of mining in the last chapter saddens me because I know what happened to all such communitites when the coal ran out. The book is beautiful.

I bought this book for a Theology class I took during college, but have used it since as a guide for daily devotions. Its prayers take on a natural rhythm throughout the year, and I feel connected to a larger tradition knowing that others use this same book to guide their own daily worship. For professional worship wonks and lay persons alike, this volume should have a prized position in any library.

This book provides a delightful insight into the Appalachian way of life. A truley crafted collection of short stories.

It took me under 24 hours to read the whole thing, and I'm half-way through it AGAIN! I simply could NOT put it down! The author doesn't plug up the book with clever dialogue and overly slick writing, but instead concentrates on telling one HECK of a story. The ending blew me away. These are characters you really care for...I know I did. It's easy to read and you'll forget about everything else while you're reading. What more can you ask from a book? It goes HIGHLY recommended by me and my husband. He'll be reading it next. Just thought I'd put my two-cents in! :)

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. This is an amazing wealth of history and information about one of my most favorite places on the planet. For anyone who loves Cumberland Island, as anyone who has ever visited there does, this is a must read.
This book reads well and has all of the "insider" information and juicy tidbits that you could possibly want. Buy it, read it.........you won't be sorry!

My children loved this book! It's one of those "seek and find" books but not as "annoying" as the I Spy books! This book actually has a story behind it and as the children go to the store, you can find the things they are looking for. Also good for a counting exercise!

Ghosts Along the Cumberland was an excellent book.It was very informative about many old traditions and folklore in Kentucky.I am from Kentucky and some of these practices and beleifs are still used today,mainly by the older people.I first read this book when i was very young and it has some really great ghost stories not to mention the history and the culture of people from this area.This is a great book for anyone who just likes a good scary ghost story or someone who has an interest in the history and culture of the people of Southern and Eastern Kentucky.I whole-heartedly recommend this book for just a campfire ghost story to someone doing research on these regions of Kentucky.

This book uses first-hand interviews and anecdotes to paint a picture of the superstitious and imaginative nature of rural America, particularly that part of America which has not been touched or moved to any great degree by the hand of progress or industrialization. This is excellent bedtime reading, full of bizarre and strangely disturbing images, like scenes from a half-remembered dream, premonitions and warnings from beyond this world. A well-organized text makes this a fun and informative read, perfect for anyone with a love of American folklore and a good ghost story. Highly recommended