The feature of "Pediatrics in Review" has always been a fascinating read. By collecting and updating the top-100, the editors have done teachers (and students) in pediatrics a great service. A great bedside book, as well, this volume has case after case with relevant teaching points for all levels of practice.

Most books for women in business seem to be written by educators, journalists, and therapists. Janet Wylie is a successful business woman who shares many of her tried and true tips in a humorous and informative way. I gave a copy to each woman in my company.

Presents a model for change focusing on the alignment of social (people), technical (work) and business systems. This work is intended as a guide for change agents. Covers the process from diagnosis to implementation. Rich in guidelines, techniques, tools and case studies. Very well thought out, clear and useful.

This book is deceptively simple to read...but packs a real wallop. Written by a clinical psychologist and self-described "tough heart patient" this is about as direct as it gets. A healthy heart comes from an open, loving attitude of self-acceptance and resilience. If you want to live a longer, more satisfying life, read this book. It shows you how to shift thoughts and habits that constrain and embrace habits that open your world. This simple read may be all you need to discover, accept, and express the real you.

CHARLES E. BURCHFIELD AT KENNEDY GALLERIES brings together early drawings and watercolors, along with the later "House and Trees in the Snow." The artist liked to paint nature, particularly as a reflection of his own moods: the expressionist "Battleships," the dramatic "Landscape with Sunflowers," the Oriental "Snow Flakes" and the boisterous "Storm in Sunlight." But straight steel bands took over romantic landscapes in "Moonset over the Railroad" and "Railroad Track in Spring." He made one gloomy self-portrait, unusual because he silhouetted his anonymous, rare figures in landscapes of misery and toil: "Corner House," "Factory and Houses," and "Gray House" painted human lives at grim subsistence levels. He distorted the expressionist landscape further in "Coke Ovens at Twilight," "Stars and Fires," and "View near Salem, Ohio." He always mistrusted his creative ability in posters and wallpaper design: yet my favorites from his art include his B&W-inked Wallpaper Study and Wallpaper Designs 1-4, all working earlier poetically natural watercolors into decorative patterns, along with his "Forest of Wild Thyme" poster. I also like his less pessimistically penciled "House and Tree" and "Study of Three Trees" and his charcoaled "Tree Study." John IH Baur and Lawrence A Fleischman give such a clear idea of Burchfield's art that readers can find where the artist fit in with James E.B. Breslin's MARK ROTHKO, Hugh Davies and Sally Yard's FRANCIS BACON, Lawrence Gowing's MATISSE, Sarah Whitfield's FAUVISM, and Sylvia Yount's MAXFIELD PARRISH.

As a Christian education major in college, I was steeped in traditional programming--Sunday school, children's church.

Shortly after I graduated, I discovered Larry Richards. And I ended up throwing out about 90% of what I'd learned in college and replacing it with the much more exciting--and biblical--approach I found in Richards' books.

A THEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION was my introduction to Richards in the 70s. The first edition of this book came out in 1983, and I think I read it the first year it was out. I was director of a small inner city ministry at the time, and we had been struggling for two years with the question of "What do we do with the kids?"

This book framed an innocent-looking question: Where were the kids in the New Testament church? Were they in Sunday school? Were they in children's church? No, they were worshiping in living rooms with their parents in house church. They were learning how to live the Christian faith by watching--and participating with--adults who were living out Christian community with the kids in the thick middle of it.

This inspired our little group (about five families) to commit to making our house church intergenerational. All our children at that time were age 6 and under. The kids didn't stay with us the entire two hours, but they were fully integrated into community life. It was absolutely the best experience of church we had ever had. For my six-year-old son, house church became the highlight of his week that he looked forward to all week long. The down side of this is that this was such a positive experience of church that my oldest children are seriously spoiled: "church as usual" now leaves them feeling really empty.

Since reading this book, I have been a champion of the idea that children are best discipled in intergenerational community among adults who love them and who are modeling in their relationships with each other and with the children what Christian community looks like--the hurting and forgiving, the serving and sharing, the fun and the tears. Next to this, traditional age-graded Sunday school can't hold a candle. Not that Sunday school doesn't do some good things. It's just doesn't come close to intergenerational Christian community. Most churches, in working with the children's Christian education program, ask questions like, "How can we improve our Sunday school?" or "How can we get more kids to come?" This book asks a much more basic question: "How can we best disciple children?" If you want to discover and implement the answer, not to the first two questions, but to this last one, you're not going to find a better starting point than this book.

A few days before Christmas nine-year-old Marcel and his family are driving to their new house--an old farm deep in the snowy woods, then get lost. Luckily they find an old hotel which at first seemed to be closed. Marcel is fascinated by their quaint but kindly host, Pappy, who promises to provide them with directions to their destination the next day.

But the man mysteriously disappears, leaving them only an unsigned, unaddressed Christmas card, which has no words--just a curious sketch of the woods. Marcel gradually realizes that this card is a kind of map to their new home, yet it is much more than that. It is a Magic card, which changes to reflect conditions of the real world outside--of time, light and location.

Still Marcel experiences alternating fear and peace in the days preceding the Christian holiday, as a result of the card's shifting hints. The family of four is confused by the mysterious fire glowing in the old cabin; did they just stumble upon a meeting and inadvertantly drive the people away? Secular and sacred connotations combine to make a fascinating, enjoy-in-one-sitting read. Will Marcel ever see his beloved Pappy again--just who and what is he anyway? A literary chiaroscuro where the Light combats the Darkness and a young boy tries to choose the right path and make the best "trade."

In this wonderful children's book, the house on Exeter Street goes from crowded to overflowing as more guests, both expected and unexpected, arrive on Christmas Eve. Grandparents, uncles from South Africa, stranded travelers and the children from next door keep showing up until people, dogs and cats are sleeping in the attic, in the basement, in the cupboards, on window sills and even in the bathtub! Santa, when he arrives, has to take off his socks and count on his toes to be sure he's remembered everyone. The illustrations are detailed and charming, and the story telling is simple but moving. In my family, this book is a favorite and gets read daily during the Christmas season. The whimsy and warmth appeal to children and grown-ups alike. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, so if you find it, grab it!

This book is one of the most interesting non fiction books which I ever read; I regret that it is no longer in print.

Carl Lawrence provides the background and the history of the Chinese Church. He writes of the government sponsored church, the "Three Selves Movement"; he compares the spontaneous "house church" movement. Lawrence discusses where these movements began, and where they are going. He interrupts his narrative only to give testimonies -- amazing testimonies -- mirroring the first century church as described in the Book of Acts.

Lawrence's description of the "house church" movement shows his love for the Chinese people. As a result of reading this book, I have a great deal of respect for the writer, a better understanding of the Chinese church, and a greater heart for the persecuted church. I would encourage any Christian to read this book, and to pray for the persecuted Church.

One of my criteria for accepting this book was to find a section on Blackman's immittance relation, a powerful but often overlooked circuit analysis technique. Different sections are treated by different authors, providing insight from many different perspectives. With so many topics handled, I was surprised at the thoroughness of the book. Not for a beginner, but can be used by anyone interested in circuit theory.