I first read Talking to the Moon when living in Oklahoma's Osage County, only a few miles from where it was written. John Joseph Mathews, the author, was a native of that beautiful, rugged, still sparsely populated country. The scion of a locally prominent part-Osage family, he attended the University of Oklahoma and Oxford University, fought in WWI, and then came home to live alone for 10 years in a house he had built on his father's ranch. This book is the fruit of that time; it recounts his experiences and observations of the people, wildlife, and flora of that unique place. I found most of his observations to be accurate and pertinent 45 years later, except that if anything there are fewer people and better environmental conditions than there were in the 1930s and 40s, when Oklahoma's oil fever was still in full swing, and the Osage country was a hotbed of petroleum exploration and exploitation.

The book's structure is based on the Osage's concept of the moon's cycles as the basis of their year. The opening sentence of the third chapter, "Just-Doing-That Moon", says: "The Osage say that the moon is a woman and that she makes her appearance twelve times a year." Each of the moon's appearances has a name and, in the book, a corresponding chapter.

Mathews was deeply involved in Osage tribal politics, attempting to safeguard their lands and mineral rights from encroachment by state and federal government, and also attempting to preserve tribal history. He founded the Osage Tribal Museum in Pawhuska, and one chapter of the book is mostly devoted to his successful effort to have portraits painted for the museum of the leading elders of the tribe. This was in the summer of 1936, which still stands as the hottest on record in this area. His tales of dealing with the proud, recalcitrant elders and the somewhat clueless portraitist are both humorous and moving.

Mathews was a sophisticated, cosmopolitan intellectual, but he loved his people and his land, was always concerned with their welfare, and in writing this book, gave us an affectionate and clear-eyed account of the beauties and terrors to be found among the blackjacks and canyons of the land that Woody Guthrie called "the great Osage."

A collection of stories inspired by that staple of New Age life, the Tarot Deck. An interesting method of generating story ideas, and the quality of the stories as a whole is fairly high. Of course, as in any collection, some stories outshine others... If you like the Tarot, or are just looking for a collection of Fantasy tales, this book is for you

Tell Me Another, is a great picture book for children andparents alike. Mathew Price has taken several wonderful childrenstories and combined them into a charming book for parents andgrandparents ( as well as babysitters) to read before bedtime or on a rainy day. The Illustrations by Atsuko Morozumi are warm, colorful and inviting. This is indeed a book to cuddle up with a child and share precious moments together . Parents will fall in love with the stories all over again, and the children will delight in the interactive stories where they can make up the words and create their own story.

"Under the Mistletoe" is a must read if you are a fan of the First Love from Silouette series. Mathews is a wonderful author who pulls you in to her story. Once I begin reading, I must finish it even though I have read this book a number of times over the years. I titled this review The Good Ole Days because this series is from the eighties, when I was a teenager. I love re-reading these books to reminise. "Under the Mistletoe" is a story of a young girl whose big sister is marrying the man of both of their dreams. Except no one knows that she is secretly in love with her brother in law. At the wedding the girl meets cousin, Chris. Who, is quite noticeable taken by her. The two begin to date, but something always goes wrong. Was their relationship doomed from the beginning?

This book is a good "companion" book for someone who wants to stop drinking. It has chapters detailing the nature of cravings, practical solutions for resisting temptation, and what happens beyond sobriety. You can pick it up and put it down, after the first read through, and always find something useful if you need a little boost. The author's credentials and amount of research are exemplary.

Mathews has delivered a powerful recipe of mystery, intrigue, suspense, and dramatic thriller content compacted into one extremely well written novel. Cheryl Dolan is surely a woman in search of herself and she's beginning to find out just the wrong things. When it seems all things are going downhill for her, they pick up and she gets better only to see a never ending downward spiral, twisted and riddled with dramatic plot twists and startling occurrences. Her world will never be the same, but she needs to find out a way out of it before it ultimately destroys her. All the horror in a lifetime only seems to take place deep in the catacombs of her own mind and she is battling her own paranoia and insanity. Vacancy is a masterfully written book worthy of any praise. This one should get the attention of reviewers and audiences around the country. Mathews is certainly at his literary best in "Vacancy."

Why Public Schools? Whose Public Schools?: What Early Communities Have To Tell Us by David Mathews (former President of the University of Alabama, former Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and current Trustee and President of the Kettering Foundation) is a close and analytical look at how frontier communities such as those in Alabama came together to build their schools, extracting lessons from history that can be applicable to the present and the future conditions of education. From scrutinizing past attitudes, to the profound impact of the Free Public School Act of 1854, to unintended consequences of the state system of public schools, and more, Why Public Schools? Whose Public Schools? is a thoughtful, highly recommended historical survey of the groundwork from which our current system originated -- with all its flaws and achievements.

This book is a real gem, a must for labor attorneys or labor relations professionals. I was in a lengthy NLRB trial in Region 20, and the book was an invaluable asset. By the end of the trial I'm sure the NLRB's "trial specialist" was wishing she had her own copy!

I actually picked this book up in a thrift store and wasn't sure how it would be so I was really surprised by how good it was! You could actually lead a Bible study from this book. It's in depth and you learn things about these women that you never knew before. People who I've told about this book want to get a copy and I plan to buy a few for Christmas presents.

This book is enchanting - good story, and wonderful use of the language. Spanish was quite basic and easy to understand even for a beginner. Beautiful illustrations.