This book will help you see where your current lifestyle is leading you...to a well-rounded life or to an early grave. It gives wonderful insights about life that may just give you the spark you need to move you towards a wonderful life

I read this book because it's set in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where I once lived. Ms. Collins not only nailed the setting, she also wrote one compelling story! Lots of steam, fun characters...keep on truckin', Ms. Collins!

Although it's been some years since I read this book, I often reflect on it. Robert Collins wrote a wonderful story called "Butter Down the Well". It's a tale of growing up in a small town in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada. He followed it up with "The Long, The Short, and the Tall", about his growing up and going to war. If you enjoy true life stories about "everyman", give this book a second look. It's worth it!

This is an above average unit plan. The writer of this unit provides excellant ideas for teaching this novel. Mary B. Collins is obviously a teacher

I love this book! I first read it, no, utterly devoured it, when it was published a decade ago. I was 17 at the time and was supposed to be studying another novel for English class (a novel, it is fair to say, of a different, more classical caliber) - decidedly an element which made me feel I was being just a little bit wicked for reading it. Not that Love & Desire & Hate needs any added spice. Mainly set in the post-World War II Hollywood and British film industry - Collins has dealt with the setting in a highly convincing manner - it had everything I wanted in a juicy read: a lusty leading man reminiscent of Ronald Colman (but with more than a touch of Errol Flynn), a French beauty with a tumultuous past in occupied France, a young starlet-nymphomanic, and an emotionally scarred woman with haunting, tragic memories, bent on vengence and desire. And those are only some of the scandalous and evil characters you will meet in this dishy "potboiler". A long-standing fan of Joan's sister, Jackie , I defintely say - without a doubt - that Love & Desire & Hate equals anything she wrote, perhaps surpassing it, the tone being more "romantic soap opera" than "hard-core Hollywood". It has a delightfully colorful cast, foreboding atmosphere, and thrilling suspense. Once you have read it, you won't soon forget it.

Known as the "Dragon Lady" of Harriman Enterprises, Liney Reed has nonetheless worked hard to earn her recent promotion to Vice President of the company. However, she is beginning to rethink the honor as she faces her first assignment in a seniority position. She is given the challenge of putting together a new and different look for the "Cooking Fantasies" magazine, complete with a gorgeous hunk to grace the cover. Little did she realize that the perfect male model she sought would be someone right under her nose.

All Raven Doyle wanted is to earn enough money to open his own bike/book shop. So when he's asked to be the cover model for a whimsical little cooking magazine, he figures it will be an easy way to earn the needed cash and have a little fun. However, during the course of the shoot, Raven finds himself becoming more and more protective of the pretty lady boss, Liney, especially when he discovers how her employees treat her. But he isn't too thrilled with the way she treats him as if he was the latest sex symbol. Liney is desperate to prove she can be the successful businesswoman, but she just can't seem to keep a straight thought anytime she goes anywhere near Raven Doyle! As these two try to sort out their feelings, the hilarity that seems to surrounds them provides for lots of laughs.

In "Rough and Rugged," (her fourth romantic comedy for Harlequin duets) Colleen Collins brings her readers a hilarious and romantic tale, filled with merriment on every page. Collins is truly living up to her reputation as romance's new funny lady with the wacky yet enchanting cast of characters found in this delightful novella. If you need a guaranteed pick-me-up, look for any book with Collin's name. It's a sure-fire winner.

- Sharon Galligar Chance

Although this text was written fairly recently, it is fast becoming a classic work on love, one which those who wrestle with theologies of love must take seriously. Vacek is a Roman Catholic, but his hypotheses and conclusions are not characteristic of most Catholic thought. The author is well-read and the topics covered are vast. "The central idea of this book is quite simple: (1) God loves us; (2) we love God; (3) we and God form a community; (4) we and God cooperate" (xv).

Vacek's main contention is that the love of God must be the center of Christian life and theology. To offer such a theology of love, Vacek undertakes a phenomenological orientation, which pays close attention to human experience. In particular, the author admits that Christian experience is privileged.

Vacek argues that Christians are mistaken to claim that agape is the Christian love. Rather, contends the author, philia represents the most complete Christian love; philia "holds pride of place among Christian loves" (xvi). In fact, Vacek claims that "the central thesis of [my] book . . . is that communion or philia is the foundation and goal of Christian life" (280).

Chapter one argues that a love relation with God implies a distinctively Christian moral life. This moral life entails certain emotions and values or what Vacek calls "orthokardia": "The ordered affections that unite us with God, ourselves, other people, and the world" (5). It is the Christian's relation with God that makes the Christian life distinctive.

The second chapter addresses the nature of love, and he notes that "most philosophical and theological writing, when it speaks of 'love,' does not analyze what love is, but rather assumes it has an evident meaning" (34). Avoiding this mistake, Vacek defines love as "an affective, affirming participation in the goodness of a being (or Being). Woven into this description are two strands. Any theory of love has to account for our experience of wanting to be with or have those we love, and delighting when we do so. Love unites. A theory of love also must account for our experiences of wanting for the beloved" (34 [italics in the original]). He further defines love as an emotional, affirming participation in the dynamic tendency of an object to realize its fullness.

The doctrine of God that Vacek envisions includes a God who is truly related to creation. The author describes the God-world relation as "love-as-participation" (95). This means that while God is free to create; God is also bound to that which is created.

God's identity is united, but not wholly so, with history. Humans have autonomy vis-à-vis God, but their freedom depends upon deity. Vacek suggests that creaturely cooperation with the activity of God is required for the full expression of love in the world.

When addressing the extent and duration of love that should be expressed by lovers, Vacek argues that "love tries to enhance the well-being of the beloved, and it does so not only in the short term and for this or that person but in the long run for as many persons" (182). However, "because God loves not only us but others and also all of creation, we cannot . . . conclude that what God is doing in the world will always be entirely for our good. Some loss to our own well-being will be necessary" (188).

In chapters five through nine, Vacek addresses issues typically subsumed under an exploration of three kinds of love: agape, eros, and philia. He claims that we may love the beloved for the sake of the beloved, for our own sake, or for the sake of the relationship we have with the beloved. He calls these love relations "agape, eros, and philia," which means that he distinguishes each by his phrase "for the sake of." In his chapter, "Agape," Vacek gives insightful critiques of the work of both Anders Nygren and Gene Outka. He argues that agape "is centered on the beloved's value and is directed toward the enhancement of that value. It is a faithful love that is spontaneous, generous, and willing to sacrifice" (191). In later chapters, Vacek also argues for a positive theological case for self-love.

In the final two chapters, Vacek addresses issues related to friendship love. Although his approach to Christian love is a pluralist one in that he affirms the value of both eros and agape, Vacek notes in these chapters his central thesis that "communion or philia is the foundation and goal of the Christian life" (280). By philia, he "means affectively affirming members of a community for the sake of the communally shared life" (287-88). It is this friendship love that constitutes a mutual relationship with God. "Philia creates, expresses, and enhances a mutual relationship. philia fulfills us, but that fulfillment is not its primary consideration" (311). Vacek argues that theological focus on agape or eros without philia tends to promote individualism.

While duties to strangers are important for the Christian, they are not the paradigm for Christian living. Instead, Christians begin with the special relationships that they have with those who are near and dear, especially with God. "This book arises the convictions that God relates to us in special relationships, that human selfhood begins in such relations, particularly in the family, and that the fullness of human personhood is possible only through deep philia relationships" (312).

I gave this to my daughter who loves unicorns for her 6th birthday. the pictures are beautiful. She really loves the glitter and hologram effects on each page. this is an enchanting book.

This book has changed my life. It's a quick read, but can also be read in differnt sessions. The stories are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes disturbing, but always teach you something new about yourself and those around you.

I have been searching for a couple years for such a book. This Collins Field Guide is the most complete and accurate guide to the mammals of this area. For example I discovered in this book that there is a species of wallaby the was introduced to Scotland. There are many beautifully illustrated plates in the guide. This is a must for any one interesed in the wildlife of Europe.