AS

Marilyn Sewell's work on "Cries of the Spirit" was more than worth the price and I have wanted to thank her over and over. A death in the family and I grab her book to find the right words, a marriage and there she is again, providing a womans point of view from a variety of woman that I have found extremely useful. No matter the occassion, a new baby in the family for instance, and flip of the pages and Marilyn found one more woman who said what I want to say beautifully. Not to mention the times I sit alone, staring at the bay and use the poetry for inspiration for myself. "Cries of the Spirit" (and laughter I might add) is a worth while find!

I've had this book for about three years, and given it as a gift numerous times to my women friends, because it's the perfect companion in any mood and for any occasion. Marilyn Sewell has collected a broad spectrum of poetry from women, both famous poets and not-so-famous, and collected the entries into categories that make it simple to find a reading for just about any occasion or ceremony. There are wise words here, beautifully presented. Bring this book back into print! Buy it! Have it on hand as an instant resource, along with the collections by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon ("Earth Prayers," "Life Prayers," "Prayers for a Thousand Years") for all those occasions when you need the exact right perfect reading for an important moment.

This volume is shaped around intuitive explorations of women's spiritual journey: "Owning Self," "The Imperative of Intimacy, "Mothering," "Generations," "Sacredness in the Ordinary," "Images of the Divine." Though my 18-year-old daughter and I have come to perceive ourselves as women very differently, this is a volume we both have come to love. I wouldn't think of sending her off to college without her own copy!

This is a marvelous little book: both captivating narrative and very informative. I've been a great fan of hummingbirds since visiting the aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tuscon. The author has done a marvelous job of telling us what its like to have a hummingbird in the house on a daily basis. And how lucky Squeak was to find Ms. Heidcamp--some things just seem to happen for a reason.

Outside of the narative of day-to-day life and habits, the author offers tons of information on hummer physiology and behavior. What a fascinating world Heidcamp has opened up to me.

The photographs in the book are excellent, and there are plenty of them. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested in hummingbirds, or in birds more generally...especially to someone who has dreamed of having one in their own house.

If you like birds in the least bit, you should enjoy this cute story about the tiny but spunky Squeak, the young, male hummingbird whom the author rescues from the frost and keeps in her sun room all winter long. Ms. Heidcamp should be extremely proud that she was able to make such a positive difference in the life of a creature whose species she was already following with a notebook and a passion. Her knowledge of flowers that attract hummingbirds is amazing. So, too, is her ability to stock her sun room with healthy, flowering specimens, ensure the availability of nutritional supplements and patiently regulate both the light and the temperature in the room, all so that Squeak would have what he needed to thrive. Her color photos are beautiful and perfectly illustrate the narrative. I just hope that Ms. Heidcamp someday writes a sequel so we can learn about Squeak's fate upon leaving his winter home and doting host.

This was the most delighful & insightful book on hummingbirds that I have ever picked up - what made it so good was that my husband picked it up for me knowing how much I loved hummers & he could tell just by the jacket that a real thriller was enclosed within & he was right!!!

I read this book after I had worked through the steps, but I wish I had read it before. Miller does a great job breaking down each step and applying it to his own life. If you thought the steps were just for alcoholics, think again. This book will open your mind to behaviors that keep you stuck in the insanities of life. If your new to the steps or if you have lived them most of your life this book hits the spot.

Our church staff recently presented a seven-part message series based on Miller's book and it had a profound impact on our congregation (New Life Christian Church, Centreville, VA, see newlife4me.com). We made the book available for our folks at our information table and it was the best received book we have ever used -- running slightly ahead of Lee Strobel's Case For Christ. It was so popular and there was so much interest in it that the book and the message series led to starting a couple of Celebrate Recovery/Hunger For Healing groups for those working through their own "hurts, habits, and hang-ups," including some who had never acknowledged having a problem other than some vague recognition that there was "sin" in their lives. Miller's book has been a perfect companion for our recovery groups. I highly recommend it for anyone struggeling with control issues -- those willing to admit their own lack of self-sufficiency and ready to return God to his rightful place as Creator and Lord of the Universe.

A perfect book for you who is working the steps in any Twelve Step Program - AA, Al-Anon, NA, OA or other... The book goes through the steps in a very pedagogic way from a spiritual perspective covering problems related to all kinds of problems of addiction and sin. Problems you can have even after you recovered from your primary disease. In the end of every chapter and step Keith Miller gives you questions to work with. He also covers aspects of sponsorship and problems with drawing lines/boundaries towards others. In doing so he clearly talks from his own experiences as an recovered workaholic and sinner. Gorskis' "Understanding the Twelve Steps" and Joe's & Charlie's "the Big Book Study" gave me an basic understanding of the Twelve Step Program, but this is my favorite book when it comes to getting deeper understanding of lives basic problems and to the spiritual side of the program. I "must" for anyone wanting to grow spiritual, even if they haven't worked the steps before.

I own the hardback copy of this book...actually I have owned it for a few years now. It is one of those books that become a literary treasure in your bookcase. I was so hooked on this book when I first got it, I read it from cover to cover in one day...I just couldn't put it down!

Dr. McCormack in the US can be likened to James Herriott of England. His stories of animals that he treated and the start of his career in the 1960's makes the reader feel they are right along side him assisting in whatever procedure needs to be done to his animal patient.

I am a person of great compassion for animals and as a reader, I was truly appreciative that the love and compassion that Dr. McCormack has for his animal patients shines through to the reader's soul. I laughed with this book..I have cried with this book...I have pulled for the sick animal in this book...I have rooted Dr. McCormack through as he treated tough cases in this book.

There are books about animals and then there are the special books about animals because the respect, compassion from the writer is there and the animal patients become real as one reads along the journey in the book.

If you are a James Herriott fan or an animal lover who is a reader, I highly, and I stress highly, suggest getting this book and reading it!

My people are not from Choctaw County, but we're from "around there." This is not only a sympathetic and heartfelt account of a rural vet practice in the sixties; it's a very accurate look at the folks you were likely to meet then and there, both the good and the bad. I have met most of the folks he talks about, or at least their near relations. Dr. McCormack's extended meditation on the verbal mangling of his job description by his neighbors is alone worth the price of admission, although the account of his visit to the Governor's Mansion driving the "rounds vehicle" and a too-long-delayed boar cutting run it very close. Excellent book.

I really enjoyed this book. It had good detail, and you really felt like you were going on the rounds with Dr. McCormack. I have read it several times since I bought it, and it is hard to put down each time, even though I know the outcome!

I enjoyed reading how tough it was to convert some of the farmers to the methods of modern veterinary medicine, and it was interesting to read the different methods the farmers had preferred to treat the illnesses in their livestock and pets until their was more modern help available.

Sharon Salzberg's most stressed point within this work is the practice of meditation so that we can come to see life more clearly; acknowledging the interconnection of all sentient beings and practicing loving kindness towards one another. She reminds us all that compassion is not mere empathy, empathy is simply cognizant. True compassion requires action to "materialize."

The book is basically a compilation of various teachings she's received from various Buddhist traditions throughout the years, guides such as H. H. the Dalai Lama to name just one among many mentioned herein.

Sharon co-found the Insight Meditation Society, an organization devoted toward spreading the Buddha's teachings throughout the world. While at the center she has met countless teachers and taken in 84,000 teachings throughout the years, and lucky you and I can access these fine teachings here in this relatively short, yet very concise, read. Enjoy!

I read this about a year ago when I first started meditating seriously, and I picked it up again a little while ago -- it's as if the book changed since I last read it. So much more of it resonates with me now, and I'm glad I bought it rather than just checking out from a library. What's very nice about the book is that it's written in nice little essay form -- like little talks -- and one can read them in a few minutes before bed and then sleep nicely thinking -- or perhaps NOT thinking! -- about them.

Sharon Salzberg is such a capable, warm, and inspiring voice for Western Buddhism. This work beautifully weaves together Buddhist philosophy and practice, reality and practicality, compassion and joy. She fleshes out concepts of meditation and mindfulness using her own experiences, often amusing, without drawing attention to herself. Rather, she is a skilled teacher who guides the student on his/her own journey.

Whether Buddhist or not, beginner mind or monk, most readers will celebrate this work.

L.A. Johnson
Nebraska USA (11/26/2002) We read about deranged people in the newspapers, or watch such horror stories on TV, but most of us are lucky enough not to live such nightmares first hand. The author of this true story reveals in straightforward, conversational style her front row seat on a man's madness and perversions. Rosy Latur was a lonely widow, unworldly and open hearted. She enjoyed laughing and having fun, loved her family and friends, and did her best to walk a Christian walk. She lived well, in a lovely home, and had enough money set aside to live comfortably. Sympathy for a down and out Konn Rodent soon turned to love, on Rosy's part at least. Konn is aptly named. A more deranged con artist has seldom been described in my recollection. The reader wonders very early on why on God's green earth a woman with as much going for her as Rosy would stay with such a maniac. The answer she provides is simple. Rosy loved him with all her heart, and was totally devoted to the man. As her nightmare life unfolds, and her heart and spirit sicken, the reader hopes for a happy ending to her story. Alas, that doesn't happen. Konn drains her dry of everything. Physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially, Konn leaves her in his wake like a wild tornado run amuck. He strips her pride, her hope, and leaves her nothing. The only thing that means anything to Konn is pornography and self-indulgent sexual fantasies. As his horrid world reveals itself, Rosy is at first in denial, and then shock. The husband who has no romantic interest in her lavishes himself on prostitutes and strippers. Untold thousands of dollars are spent on his perversions, while Rosy stands by hopeless to prevent it. Heart of a Victim in Harm's Way is a daunting first hand account of how pornography can kill the addict's personality and spirit. It's a sad story, made even sadder because Konn Rodent doesn't have to pay the piper in the end. Rosy pays, as do the friends and family who love her, but Konn goes on his merry way to brutalize and ruin other unsuspecting women. Personally, I don't know where Ms. Latur found the courage to survive and tell her story. I wish she would have included pictures of Konn Rodent in her book. Or maybe even posted him on the front cover for all the world to see, along with a sign saying "WARNING! If you see this man, beware.".

deb
SOUTH DAKOTA (4/10/2003) THIS WAS AND EXCELLENT BOOK, I READ IT TWICE IN THREE DAYS. I WAS RIVERTED BY THE STORY.I THINK ALL WOMEN SHOULD READ THIS BOOK,YOU WILL LEARN A HUGE LESSON IN IT. AND IT IS TRUE LOVE IS BLINDING.

DEBB
Illinois (4/10/2003) This is an excellent book.Having dealt with a somewhat, though not quite extreme, situation, it really hits the heart! I know there are thousands of women out there that would understand everything Rosy endured, and thousands more who wish they had the courage to get out too. If they read this book, it might give them the little piece of encouragement they need!

This is the third book of the series and it is the most sensitive and powerful! Poems celebrating womanhood and femininity, stories full of strength and emotions...

I read this book before and I just finished it again.. so overwhelming with different experience in every page .. the boundless limits of a woman's endurance .. the feeling of satisfaction that gratifies a female giving her pride and strength..

This is a book that you can read over and over.. a poem one day ..a short story on another.. enjoy!

This book flows with wisdom about the stages of a woman's life. There is arm pumping joy, tears of compassion and sadness and the affirmation of the person within over the external skin.

"..if by wearing silk, my value mounts
what happens when I'm bare?"

There are pieces that apply to whatever stage of life a woman is passing through. There are pieces that bring the smiles of remembering past stages. There are pieces that point to possible routes for the journeys to come.

Read and enjoy this passage from "Combustion"
"When I have a hot flash....I watch, astounded, as an invisible hand tosses water on the stones of my body, and I ignite. How can flesh not melt? Then, of necessity, I give up the watch and close my eyes and float on the water, and then the fire expends itself, and I pick up my little fan and create a breeze something like the ones that frequsent northern lakes at night. Then I just sit in the quiet puddle of my flesh. If it is the middle of the night I sleep the good sleep of a person cleansed."

This book should have an entire galaxy of stars! The poetry, photographs, and stories are all by and of real women. Thank God there are no movie stars in this awesome, down-to-earth book. If you love becoming a wise, older woman, then you must have this book. It affirms our womanhood as no other book I've ever read.

I like this book because it had large type and I found it very easy to read. This would be a good book for readers who are not so advanced yet, because here you don't have to worry about difficult words. It's also funny and the pictures were a great addition to the book. It really stuck to the "My Life as a Writer" part of the title, because it just says how R.L. Stine has been writing all his life, from little comics to magazines and finally to books, and the rest of it, which wasn't all that much, was about his family. This is the perfect book I know about that will help fans learn about R.L. Stine, so I suggest you read it and see what you think.

This book is really fun & interesting. R.L. Stine tells about why he likes scary things. You get to see his early works he did as a child. You also get to find out what "R.L." stands for and when his birthday is. Very informative! If your child is an R.L. Stine fan, this is the book for them.

It Came From Ohio

This is a book about R.L. Stine's growth from an infant to an adult. This book is filled with pictures, humor, and more about his exciting life in Ohio. Did you know that R.L. Stine has written over 100 books in his career? One of the reasons I like this book is because you spend 85% of the time laughing your head off. Another reason I like this wonderful masterpiece is because he includes lots of interesting pictures of him and his family, which are very unique. I have no dislikes so I can not criticize this book. I highly recommend It Came From Ohio to readers from age 9 and up.

This book is an easy read and has step by step techniques that are easy to use. It focuses on understanding distinctions of why people say something and then tries to help put it in a catagory that you can handle with a leadership decision to motivate and coach. Many times I was able glean powerful tools off just one page. I am just finishing my first year as a successful sales manager. Thank you Kim

Don't let the first chapter discourage you from reading this amazing book. Although written with managers in mind anyone can benefit from its wise statements. Krisco delivers all he promises in his introduction. You will learn about listening filters, coaching others, couching your ideas so that people will listen. This book is full of insights and pithy sayings that will make you reflect upon your whole life not just your work life. You will learn to understand the "little voice" in your head and learn about listening filters. This book will make you a leader. A leader is described by Krisco as someone who consistently produces extraordiny results. I just completed reading this book and intend to revisit it many more times. I highly recommend this extraordinary work!

This book has ideas, concepts, and practical applications that should rank it up with THE SEVEN HABITS and THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE. But perhaps it is too small to be noticed by land-bound browsers, too casual for Kotter followers, and not avante guard enough for the Fast Company crowd.

You can't judge a book by its size, especially business books. So many authors take 600 pages to make the same point over and over with real world examples that suggest the author was "on the inside" as if we buy by the pound. Havard is the place to look for books grounded in theory and occasionally principal. And one out of twenty does influence business thinking. For the Fast Company crowd, a book offering scripts of what to say may sound too pedestrian. But for the seasoned leader looking to polish his skills, Krisco has just the buffer. And it is just the kind of book for beginners--not built on other theories, profound but not cumbersome. Like the Seven Habits, Leadership and the Art of Conversation rests on a few key ideas. One is a simple as you can't change the past. This is not a revelation but recognizing that is where most of us waste our primary tool for communication was an ah-ha for me. The straight-forward definition of leadership is free of concepts of power and more than hints at the core of leadership. Of course, to benefit from the book the reader will have to change deeper than a surface technique. Few are willing, as is usual when the rewards are great. Like Covey it puts the focus on the circle of influence by connecting today's conversation with what happens in the tomorrows. It's just a reminder that best sellers and best books are frequently two entirely different things. But hey, true leaders don't look for herds to follow. May this communication spark your interest in building a desireable future.

Although I was born in America and so have lived my life therein, I am English at heart and probably one of the greater Anglophiles in the Heartland. This book had a few extra words and expressions that I hadn't heard. The author and his opinions (he is obviously an elitist liberal who should look up the word "racism" and "bigot" before he applies it to people) should be disreguarded by any person with their own free will and ideas. But overall, the book is a brilliant guide to understanding what Englishmen are saying to you if you are adventurous enough to explore the "non-tourist" townships of England and get to know the better part of Her Majesty's people.

This book is great. It's tiny, easily hidden, extremely funny, and you can make British people laugh with it. Really! Even Brits find it fun to read... "Oh, so THAT'S what they mean on those American programs on the telly. I was wondering."

I read this little book before setting out to Scotland for a year. What a great thing to do! I was more prepared than many of the people I was traveling with to deal with the idiosyncracies of Brit-speak. I especially love the foreign language section in the back... you don't really need it, since everyone speaks English, but it's fun to whip out something in Gaelic and see how many people understand (answer: not many).

I highly recommend this book, if only for its entertainment value. You won't regret it! I'm even able to watch the BBC now!

Ok... I'm still trying to learn British English, so excuse the expression on the title, hehe Get this little book, lots of good phrases and very fun to read. Very helpful for traveling or just to learn the interesting Ryhming Slang, this is for you. Cheers ;)