Away

The collection of 29 stories as a package is rather so-so, with many rather "ordinary" stories that fail to stir emotion or the heart. But there are a few outstanding efforts that are certainly worth reading. Probably the three best stories in the collection are Randy Alcorn's "Is This The Day?" which although weighed down by excessive informative detail, is a thrilling story about persecution in China with a suspenseful climactic twist; Athol Dickson's "Hannah's Home", a stunning tale of the love of an adoptive mother with a breath-taking twist; and Robin Jones Gunn's "Innocent as Doves", which makes you appreciate the riches of having your own copy of the Bible with a realistic tale about Bible smuggling in East Europe in the days of communism. Not quite on the same level, but also relatively good are Terri Blackstock's "So Shine", a fascinating and gripping conversion story which looks at a Christian from the point of view of an unbeliever; Robert Elmer's "Maren's Flag", a story about two women's misunderstanding of each other; Angela Hunt's "The Farthest Countries" which runs the danger of being trite, but describes heaven and hell in terms of real estate; and Karen Kingsbury's "A Reason To Live", a story of God's special providence involving a baby girl in a Russian orphanage.

The rest of the stories in this collection, however, were nothing more than ordinary at best. I also encountered various theological difficulties, on numerous points where the theology of the authors clearly differed from my own, and this naturally also detracted from my enjoyment. Examples include views on grace, ecumenism, revelation, universalism, forgiveness, lotteries and angels. Is it worth it? Perhaps for the few outstanding stories, but aside from these if you miss this collection you don't miss much. Volume 2 in this series is a much better buy. -GODLY GADFLY

Along the trail, they learn the ups and downs -literally-of the hot-air balloon and discover a link between their project and the magic puzzle. But then-zap! A storm brews with the foursome on board. Will they solve the puzzle and make it back to Westbridge before lighting strikes?

Give this book another star if you like really sad, unhappy stories. Yes, it turns out alright at the end, but the getting there was tough. I'm not giving the plot away when I tell you Joe's secret is he can't have children. You sort of figure that out by page 64. The rest of the book deals with all of the stuff that comes from people who want children and can't have them. Not a story I really enjoyed. If however, you like this type of plot, you just might like this book.

This book is pretty funny with the same sort of humour as the show. Malcolm writes like he does when he talks to the camera on the show. The book is a little bit dated as it is set a few years ago and a lot has changed on the brilliant TV show in that time. It is still a great read and a must for fans of the funniest show on TV at the moment. Not just for kids, readers of all ages will love this.

This book doesn't give much bang for the buck. Avoid it, and get a paperback copy of _Gila_ instead.

I have already sampled a few of the sites featured and found the recommendations pleasantly accurate. This is a great book to keep in the car for reference whether you have time for a whole day or only one short stop. Buy it as a good investment in your travel pleasure.

The book is divided in to geographical locations, with each area including one to seven day trips.

The directions are, for the most part, easy to follow, and the restaurant, shop and hotel listings are informative and as up-to-date as possible.

Anyone looking to explore the great state of Indiana, and beyond, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you - Marsha Dark Project Manager Clinton Main Street PO Box 173 Clinton, MO 64735