Form-3 Books

"Holly Bloom felt as grouchy as the thorns on a rosebush.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make her flowers grow."

Holly wants to create her own garden but doesn't know all the secrets of gardening. Her mother, Iris, has a green thumb and her father gives her creative advice. Everyone in the family seems to be participating in the gardening activities. The pictures are filled with bright colors and comforting gardening situations. Her father paints pictures of the flowers while family members cut roses or plant new flowers.

"What I really need, thought Holly, is a green thumb."

So, Holly puts green paint on her thumb. This book has a real sense of humor. Well, when that doesn't work, Holly tries using fertilizer and then a variety of tools. Finally she soaks the flowers with too much water. (Why does this sound like my gardening at times?)

Finally, Holly goes to bed and when everyone thinks she is asleep, she sneaks into her dad's art studio and makes all sorts of paper flowers that fill up the entire room.

Children will enjoy the surprise of Holly finding a way to "grow" her own flowers. The art by Lori Mitchell is healing and calming. She uses just the right colors to set a mood for each page. The illustrations were created using black Prismacolor pencil and acrylic paint on Arches hotpress watercolor paper. The result is vibrant art with a realistic feel.

~The Rebecca Review

This is a beautiful book for children of all ages. I have three nieces ranging in age from 4 to 13 and each enjoyed it at a different level. Wonderful illustrations support a fun and inspiring story. I highly recommend this book!

This is a wonderful story about finding ways to be q part of something even though you don't "appear" to have the talent. Holly finds a wonderful way to express her ability to "grow" flowers. The drawings in this book are absolutely beautiful and the attention to detail is amazing. Anyone who loves flowers or gardening, both young and old, will love this book! A great gift.

What a wonderful story about finding your own personnel way to express yourself when you can't do what everyone else can. A great story for children and adults to remind us to look at things from a different perspective. The book is filled with beautiful, colorful and detailed drawings. Gorgeous drawings of every kind of flower. Makes me want a garden like that. Great book for young and old flower lovers, gardeners and the gardening challenged!!!

I've shared this book a dozen times with my 6-year-old son. He gets greatly discouraged when things don't bloom after he's planted seeds, so "Holly Bloom's Garden" gave him the idea of making his own flowers. The book's illustrations are warm and charming and Ashman and Parent tell a good story that should appeal to both boys and girls.

I am a third of the way through this book with my 8 year old and it is magical! I read The Silver Curlew by the same author with him earlier in the year. It is an extended version of 'Tom Tit Tot' and brings charm, darkness, love and daft characters to warm your heart.

If I ever have children, I would make sure that Eleanor Farjeon's "The Little Bookroom" will be part of their library and their childhood. Happy days could end with a story of a "Young Kate" who sang and danced and planted flowers, then a good night kiss and then a tuck into bed. Difficult days could be made better with the story of the Little Dressmaker and her dresses , a tight hug and a warm glass of milk.

Eleanor's stories are not just tales to be read then forgotten, they are springboards of the imagination and of lively discussion. In the tale of the "Seventh Princess," would you rather be one of the six princesses or the seventh? Do you love a toy as much as Célestine was loved in the story of "San Fairy Ann?" If you were one of the Princes in "Leaving Paradise," would you?

Some stories are funny, like "Westwoods," and some are heartbreaking, like "the Lovebirds," but all of them magically transport the reader to another world. I have no doubt this book will be read until it was tattered, torn, dog-eared and stained with sticky candy.

The King and the Corn - Simple Willie tells the story of a boy (or is he the boy?) who values his father's cornfield above all the riches of Egypt's Pharaoh.

The King's Daughter Cries for the Moon - The Disappearance of the Princess results in a comedy of errors where even night and day are turned upside-down.

Young Kate - Kate finds the freedom and time to sing, dance and plant flowers, for which she is rewarded 50 times over.

The Flower Without a Name - Adam forgot to name one of God's flowers.

The Goldfish - For some, happiness comes from a world more suited to their size.

The Clumber Pup - A young, kind-hearted woodcutter finds love with the help of a dog, a cat and an old woodcutter. Best love letter ever: "My Love! I love you because you are lovely like my Pup."

The Miracle of the Poor Island - A girl's sacrifice is repaid in kind by a miracle that saves the people of the island.

The Girl who Kissed the Peach-Tree - A girl's love of her peach-tree saves a village from a volcano's wrath.

Westwoods - A young Prince woos Princesses with funny rhymes. He finds his true love in the dream country of Westwoods.

The Barrel-Organ - A barrel-organ in an unlikely place lifts up a Traveller's spirit and helps him find his way.

The Giant and the Mite - When a giant with great strength is paired with a mite of great mind, catastrophe occurs.

The Little Dressmaker - What sounds like a traditional fairy tale love story twists into something more delightful. A queen giving her nephew pencil-cases makes me chuckle.

The Lady's Room - A lady keeps changing her mind about her room's decoration. Is this a fable about the dangers of discontent or a cautionary tale against fairies as interior decorators?

The Seventh Princess - Would you pass on to your child a beautiful park and castle or freedom in the wide world?

The Little Lady's Roses - Friendship is kindled with roses.

In Those Days - A soldier guards a barren spot. A fable about following orders when the reason is long gone.

The Connemara Donkey - Danny believes in his heart the tales of Finnigan O' Flannagan, his white donkey in Connemara.

The Tims - In times of distress, the villagers turn to the Tims for advice.

Pennyworth - How much fun can be had for a penny?

And I Dance Mine Own Child - This sweet story of how a book keeps a child and her grandma together is my favorite of the bunch.

The Lovebirds - A poor child's happiest moment is given her by a lovebird.

San Fairy Ann - A well-loved doll introduces a sad child to a foster mom.

The Glass Peacock - Kind Annar-Mariar shares her christmas tree ornaments with the children of the neighborhood. I love Annar-Mariar's love for her baby brother Willyum.

The Kind Farmer - A recognition of kindness transforms a hard, tightfisted farmer into the village philanthropist.

Old Surly and the Boy - A winter's miracle unites an old shepherd and a potential apprentice.

Pannychis - A story inspired by Andre Chenier's Pannychis. Don't hold a beloved too tightly.

I was given this book in 1955 and still have my well-read copy. I loved the stories and read and re-read them when I was around eight years old. I especially loved Westwood and the descriptions of the wonderful ball gowns that were made - each one more marvellous that the last. I also loved the story of San FairyAnn. I am going to get a copy for my granddaughter who loves to read and I hope she will be as enthralled with the stories as I was at her age. The stories are magical and transport the reader to a different world and I still remember them to this day.

The child who gets the chance to read this book is lucky indeed, because they will be touched by magic. The story about the goldfish who fell in love with the moon was in one of my elementary school readers in the '60s, but I did not learn where it came from until I was about 12, when I discovered an original copy of this book from the '50s in my school library. I especially loved the stories of the Clumber Pup (I have learned there really is such a dog breed)and the boy who planted a kernel of corn from the pyramid. I got goosebumps when I first read "San Fairy Ann", and every time I re-read it the goosebumps come back. Eleanor Farjeon is the only author who has really captured for me the magic of time passing, and generations passing. I love to think that children are still changed for life by reading this book. I know I was.

I read The Little Bookroom when I was about 10 or so. I have never forgotten some of the stories, and I am thrilled to have found it available for sale still. All the stories are wonderful and teach good lessons. Perhaps the one that has stuck with me the most is the one about the lady who kept changing her mind about what color she wanted her room to be. I loved (soaked up!) the detailed metaphoric descriptions of each room and to this day, I remember the ending, "The trouble with you, lady, is you don't know WHAT you want!" That said, the little fairy kicks her feet back and forth briskly and the room disintegrates and the picky lady is left standing in the night, with no. . . .room . . .at . . .all. . . Heh! Now, is that a life lesson or what? Buy this book and read these stories to your children or grandchildren. They don't write 'em like this anymore!

Tim Steed's Vow of Silence is a very funny read, and a great take on the life he's trying to lead. His essays and words of wisdom are not only funny, but really make you think about God's impact on the world around you, and how your actions inpact the world as well. And some things that are just for fun. It may make you want a pet rock too, but you'll have to read his book to understand that! If you read from cover to cover, or just a piece of it here and there, it will make you laugh out loud. I've shared my copy with many people, and they always come back thanking me and telling me how much they loved the book. My only disappointment was it had to end. I can't wait for the next great book from Tim Steed!

I would like to say "thank you" to everyone for the reviews of my book. I hope you found both laughs and encouragement while you were reading. That was my intention. I hope to write another book soon. It's kind of tough, really!
Thanks once again for your kind reviews.

I've just read the first half of My Vow of Silence in a single sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it! I think Steed has done a great job in using relatable topics, culturally relevant subjects, in a good length for our "instant" society while maintaining an undercurrent of openness, honesty and genuineness.

Tim Steed's new book, "My Vow of Silence: the roughest 3 minutes of my life" is a must read for every Christian -- young and old. I started reading Tim's book on my commuter train in Seattle, and almost missed my stop because it was so laugh-out-loud hilarious I didn't want to put it down. More than that, the book will challenge you to grow in your Christian walk. Relevant for today's church body, I highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking to laugh, grow, and better serve their church.

Tim Sneed's VOW is actually a series of essays, one per chapter and thirty-eight chapters per book. My suggestion to him would be to add two more in the second edition. Then the unique selling proposition (USP) could be "Forty Days to a Closer Walk With God." On second thought the word "Days" would be inappropriate because it is impossible for a reader to wait and read only one of these a day.

I found myself reading it while I waited at the airport, the post office, the grocery store, in the Wal-Mart check-out line, and the red light. (I was not officially driving -- merely navigating.) Mostly I read it in bed before going to sleep and at the computer while I was waiting for the little row of green bars to be manifested.

Tim's book is a very funny one, and he is a very funny man. It's the good ole Southern humor that is always slightly naughty while it makes the readers think about what is good and pure and Godly. MY VOW OF SILENCE reminds me of Shellie Tomlinson's Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On!: What Southern Mamas Tell Their Daughters that the Rest of Y'all Should Know Too.

There is no such book that I totally agree with. If I did, there would be no reason to read it because there would be no mind expansion. At times, Tim is irreverent to make his points about our ungrateful attitude toward God. Usually by the end of the essay I get the point. Tim does not hesitate to speak his mind even though he makes all of us, including Tim, feel ashamed of our flippant attitude toward our Maker. He doesn't stop with preaching; he starts meddling. (That's a Southern way of saying that the preacher has gone and stepped on our toes, but Tim is not a preacher. He is an entertainer, and I'd love to hear him.)

Tim is a popular speaker, and it is easy to see him speaking through this book. It is obvious that popularity has not stolen his humanity and individuality. He jumps out of the pages. I hope he never keeps his vow of silence. Let me give you a sample of the wacky wisdom in Tim's book:

--"Greater love has no one than this; that a person lay down her Moon Pies for her friends."
--"It's in the clearing of the mind that we come to sort out life's complex issues: `Should I have ice cream for dinner or just tater tots?' "
--"Renewed thinking says we're blessed when people push our hot buttons or give us verbal grief."
--"People won't bother you any more when you baffle them with absurd statements."

My Vow of Silence: the roughest 3 minutes of my life is both entertaining and compelling. I recommend you order one of these books for yourself and a few extras to give your friends.

I am using this book as a text in school and I am quite impressed. I bought this book (hardcover) for half the price of the paper back version sold at my school. The text in interesting, not dry. The images are good reproductions. The only thing that I don't admire about the book is that some of the images are printed in black and white.

Just buy it. You won't be sorry. Great images and lots of informative discussion of imagery.

I think that I am like many people in that my knowledge of the Renaissance Art of Northern Europe comes from a few lectures in a college art history survey course. A few iconic images from the likes of Bosch, Holbein,Durer and Breugel are all that come to mind. I knew the era was important but the details were sketchy.

"Northern Renaissace Art" is everything you could want to deepen your knowledge of this important period of history. The book is 750 pages long and has over 680 illustration of which 250 are in beautifully reproduced color. James Snyder does an excellent job of explaining why those iconic paintings that everyone knows are great and deserve to be remembered 500 years after they were painted. More importantly, Snyder takes those second tier masters out of obscurity and elevates them to their proper place in history. Before reading this book, I had never heard of such masters as Jan Gossaert, Jean Fouquet and Petrus Christus. It was a exciting to get know their work. By no means is "Northern Rensaissace Art" a reasonably priced book. But it is the type of book that will give you great pleasure for many years.

I am using this book as a text in school and I am quite impressed. I bought this book (hardcover) for half the price of the paper back version sold at my school. The text in interesting, not dry. The images are good reproductions. The only thing that I don't admire about the book is that some of the images are printed in black and white.

Books on the Renaissance can be quite confusing to non-specialists. For example, Shakespeare classes in English schools discuss him as a Renaissance writer. Yet art teachers describe his near contemporary, Rubens, as the quintessential Baroque artist!
So exactly what does Northern Renaissance Art cover? Is it an age that can be separated, marked out and surveyed by political or religious activities? And by northern what is meant? Is Switzerland the home of northern art? Can it be made in Italy? And what makes it significant and different from the universally recognized world of Italian Renaissance Art, where the term 'art' is always capitalized?
Well, the truth lies pretty much with all of the above. As Snyder shows, several distinct cultures fall into this very large historical category. If you're buying this book as a student for a class, I can only hope you have more than one semester to give to the material. Northern Renaissance Art covers an enormous time period and many countries. It approaches in diversity the far better known works and ideas of the Italian Renaissance. No one seriously discusses the Italian Renaissance in a single semester - the material is taught in a series of classes. The same limitations and requirements should apply to teaching the Northern Renaissance. Art history today no longer focuses on aesthetic questions of style; as a result a student faces a lifetime's study of a period's culture and history.
However, there are some basics. If one word could define what separates the two worlds of the Italian and Northern Renaissance - that word would have to be naturalism. Northern European artists revel in achievements of realism that far surpass the Italians, who, while perfectly capable of such stylistic work, prefer a more intellectually formalized approach. Indeed, Michelangelo dismissed northern artist's attention to nature and care for photographic details as incidental, and excessively ephemeral, when contrasted to his Italian art which used images for projecting deeper spiritual values. The public, however, was delighted with the landscapes, and their non-abstract openness. Many artists from the north specialized in landscape, and it became a manner so associated with them that it was not uncommon for Italian painters to hire Northern artists to fill in the 'less important' landscape backgrounds of their larger canvases.
The Italian Renaissance differed also in that it was singularly connected to the revival and reappreciation of ancient 'pagan' works of art. These antiquities provided a challenge, as well as a reawakening, for the artists and thinkers of Italy. In the north artists did not have at hand magnificent works of ancient architecture or sculpture: as a result intellectual challenges were quite different; though initially tied to the Italian thinking, the northern artists more and more shifted focus onto their own immediate world. As the fifteenth century closed they became attuned to newer discoveries from the exploration of new (not ancient)worlds by sea, and the individuals emancipation brought about through the beginnings of Protestant thought. For moderns this means that the Northern Renaissance often appears closer to us and our own post photographic record of the world. The artist's sense of intimacy with nature seems little different than what most of us know as landscape art. Their religious works also convey a striking ease with space less contrived than our eyes find the representation of space in most Italian painting of the same era. All made the more attractive for being so accessible. Some of this difference marks profound religious and philosophical differences - northern art has about it some of the fervor of emancipation - there is here a reflection of the Armana naturalism revolting against the old art of a more dogmatic less individualistic Egypt. Eventually Italian artists would adapt to this new naturalism, especially in the north of Italy in Venice, in the works of Bellini, Giorgione, and Titian.
This book introduces the reader to the early Flemish master painters, such as Van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, the later great German artists, such as Durer and Holbein and Grunewald, and the strange inner universe of Bosch. Topping off the age are the works of one of the grandest of all humanists, Pieter Bruegel the elder. And these are just some of the great painters! There remains a wealth of sculpture and architecture, drawing and craft work. Moreover, the Northern Renaissance is also an artistic universe filled with fresh new theories and a milieu profoundly effected by the great religious upheaval of the Reformation.
Snyder gives as good an overview of so much material as one could hope for - his work replete with an enormous number of images, many of which have for nearly half a millenium been accepted as iconic. The text treats the material with a practised consideration, born of many years study. However; the impetus of the book is to direct the reader further afield, and this is indisputably the author's greatest achievement and the point of such a survey work. The real jewels for readers will be enlarging these discoveries by travel and on site awareness, these efforts made more satisfying through study of specific texts directed at the new artists whose work transforms your view of what the Renaissance was.

This was a gift for my boss but I just couldn't stop looking through it. What a beautiful book. Very inspiring! I got rave comments... and a raise! Definitely a amazing present.

This was my first book encounter with Andy Goldsworthy and wow- his art ideas are great. I love how he uses nature in his art- and even more so, how the changes in nature are art themselves.

In "Stone," as in his other books, Andy Goldsworthy takes the natural play of a child--fooling around with sticks, leaves, water, stones, mud, and more--and elevates it to something above and beyond its natural status. He uses his adult design skills to create great manmade beauty from existing natural beauty. He never falls over the line into obvious, coy, or precious art--he simply lets nature be what it is with a tiny little bit of rearranging on his part.

The results are never short of astonishing. Witness the sharp-edged rocks against which Goldsworthy has "glued" (with plain water) the leaves of brilliantly red Japanese maples, thereby making the edges look almost bloodied (p. 76). Witness the delicate, calligraphic tracery Goldsworthy stitched up by pinning together rush after rush after rush with thorns and then hanging these on a gallery wall so that it appears that either Calder or Matisse have wandered in and scribbled elegantly on the walls (p. 83). Witness the balanced oval boulders Goldsworthy lays in a curvaceous line from beach to the sea, and see how they roll and disappear from view as the tide comes crashing in (p. 101). These are but three of the many visual astonishments Goldsworthy shares in this book. The book is a never-ending source of delight and admiration for the feverish workings of one of 20th-century art's most creative minds.

Stone, like many of Andy Goldsworthy books, sends the observer to a land that exists only for a brief time. Using the medium of photography, Mr. Goldsworthy captures these moments, in the world he creates, that appear to me as more of a heaven than an earth. If you as a child or if you have watched your child play endlessly with nature, creating masterpieces that may end up being washed away, blown away, or covered in snow, you will appreciate this book for capturing them for all eternity.

A truly beautiful book, with rich photographs and nice summaries. Inspiring to the last page - and particularly useful for igniting one's creative juices. A small note to the Amazon reviewer: Andy Goldsworthy was born in England in 1956. He lives in Penpont, Scotland, but is English - not Scottish.

In this anthology about "women and fatness," fat women eat, exercise, laugh, cry, love, give birth, and are abused and exploited. In fact, they experience the joys and tribulations of women everywhere, but what defines them, or sets them apart, is their body size.

The American interest in fitness seems to have begun in the late 1800s, when urban sophisticate May Welland of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence was compared to the hunt goddess Diana and noted for her slimness and athleticism. By the 1920s, thinness was firmly established as the fashion, with characters such as F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jordan Baker (The Great Gatsby) representing the slender, athletic, almost boyish ideal. In Koppelman's collection, Octavia Thanet's "The Stout Miss Hopkins's Bicycle" (1897) is an early example of how women suffered socially for their weight and how they began trying to manage it through exercise--an unthinkable notion for ladies of previous generations. One hundred years later, 1997's "The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe" (Hollis Seamon) also pairs two woman who to the world appear to have eating disorders--Suzanne Brown, who prefers the fullness of flesh, and Theresa, a teenager with apparent anorexia.

Some stories, like "Fat" (Grace Sartwell Mason) play purposely to the popular stereotype. Mrs. Payton Tierney substitutes a constant supply of rich foods for the love that no longer exists between her and her husband. Food is the problem and the solution as "The prison of her flesh received her" and the story ends in a surprisingly predictable way.

Stories like "Good-Bye, Old Laura" (Lucile Vaughan Payne) and "Skanks" (Rennie Sparks) capture the respective times and experiences of their teenage protagonists. Laura and Janine are complex characters whose peers influence their feelings about themselves and their bodies, with disturbing results for both. "The Hershey Bar Queen" (Elena Diaz Bjorkquist) is a teenage revenge fantasy, although the protagonist's food obsession and child-like simplicity and gullibility make the supernatural ending disappointingly ineffective.

If Mrs. Tierney, with her bonbons and distaste for exertion, is the stereotypical fat woman, the husbands in "The Feeder" (Maria Bruno) are alpha males whose wives fight back by taking control of their food, their bodies, and their weights--the thin wife consciously, the fat one less so. This story stands out for the disturbing image of a trapped, dying bird, wings broken, that is not worth saving to the insensitive husband.

"Perfectly Normal" (Lesléa Newman) is about the fat hatred and other prejudices of an anorexic wife. After making her promise not to get fat like her active, happy, lesbian sister, her husband sends her to a sanitarium before she wastes away even more. The combination of the wife's first-person perspective and the extremities of her opinions ("The least she [sister] could do was rip out the labels [of her clothing] so she would not have to be embarrassed" [about her size]) puts this story at the border of two-dimensional for the sake of making a point.

That is part of the problem with any focused collection like this; the focus on food, fat, and fat attitudes casts a blinding glare on the issues rather than truly illuminating them. It's interesting to see attitudes over the past 100 or so years, but questions arise, such as: How do those attitudes compare to those toward fat men, or to those who are different physically in other ways? If, as is claimed, only 10 percent prefer a fat partner to a normal-sized one, can the bias against fat be so definitively said to be social and cultural? Are those influences that widespread and strong? If the claim is true, are fat women really powerful erotic symbols to any but a few? It's mentioned that Lillian Russell, at more than 200 pounds, was a sex symbol of her time--but is that because she was fat or despite the fact she became fat with age?

In her defensiveness about fat, Koppelman writes, "There is nothing in women's fiction to affirm the calamitous claims of health risks made by the bariatricians, the exercise gurus, and the weight reduction mavens." Koppelman cannot be so single-minded as to confuse what appears in fiction with what happens in reality. Obesity, like other extremes, not only comes with serious health risks (for example, diabetes and all its complications), but also can limit the fat person's activities in ways that have nothing to do with societal bias (for example, I am too heavy for horseback riding, which I would love to be able to do). Koppelman's logic seems to be that, until a woman writes fiction about obesity-induced illnesses, they are not an issue for women.

The big question here is, "What does fat mean?" To the 5'7" patient in "Perfectly Normal," it means weighing more than 100-115 pounds. "The Hershey Bar Queen" weighs more than 400 pounds, as must the sideshow attractions in "Noblesse" (Mary E. Wilkins Freeman) and "Even as You and I" (Fannie Hurst). Suzanne LaFleshe weighs a little over 200. It's an important question because an active, confident, 200-pound woman, while fat by medical and social standards, may fall within the realm of normal deviation, while a girl like "The Hershey Bar Queen," enormous and obsessed with food, is a clear case of pathology. People fear pathology, whether it's morbid obesity, autism, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe {and Other Stories of Women and Fatness} is hampered by the restrictions and biases of its focus. A few stories stand out, but many are slices of life that lack depth, context, and subtlety. Another issue is that the book copy was not proofread; there are numerous typographical errors throughout, sometimes several on a page, so that the trustworthiness of the texts is in doubt--an unfortunate problem in a work produced by an academic professional like Koppelman. Still, it's worth reading for the handful of gems.

There were a few stories in this book that I didn't like. Many of the stories presented the heroines as not just *feeling* badly about themselves, but also as somehow *objectively* bad. In one, "The Hershey Bar Queen," I still remember that in the main character's worst, most rock-bottom moment, the description we get of her eating her candy bars is of shoving them into her "cavernous" mouth. Ugh. I would have preferred to see more stories in which we understand the struggles and difficulties one faces as a large person in the world, but one which didn't present those of us who are as being objectively revolting.

With that said, context is everything, and many of these stories require a little more history around them to properly understand just how subversive they really are. Susan Koppelman provides this context in the Afterward, which changed the way I saw several of the stories by providing the cultural context for the times in which several of them were written. "Juanita," for example, which was written in the late 19th century, struck me at first as being a story that simply reinforces the notion that fat women are drab and dowdy, and can only get the sorts of men that no one else would want. After reading the portion of the Afterward dedicated to providing context for "Juanita," however, I see it now as a deeply feminist story dedicated to the ideas of choice and freedom and independence.

There are also several stories in this collection which made me laugh out loud, such as "A Mammoth Undertaking," which is filled with moments of delicate and delightful humor, and relieve the often deadly seriousness of the subject of weight. "This Was Meant To Be," was hands-down my favorite story, in which the reader is witness to the fickle and capricious nature of society's aesthetic values. Our heroine need do nothing but be herself to be a smashing success, and all the world changes around her. I wanted to cheer when I finished it.

In stark contrast is "Goodbye, Old Laura," which is by far the most compelling piece in the collection. The writing is brilliant, and immediately I was drawn into the world and the achy inner landscape of Laura, the 200 pound teenage protagonist. Just how far I was drawn in made the ending that much more horrible. (I won't say why, to avoid spoiling it.) The worst part is that I can't tell whether the author approves of what her characters do at the end or not. Is she endorsing the gruesome ending or condemning it? I just don't know, and that is much of where the power in the story lies. I read it almost a week ago, and I am still thinking about it, and the choices we make as fat women to please those around us, and am still left wondering how many of those choices really make us happy.

There are still some stories that I don't think do justice to the fat woman's experience, and could have done without reading. However, those are more than outweighed by the rest. The very fact that so many women's voices were reclaimed from obscurity makes this book worth reading. Susan Koppelman is a brilliant author in her own right, and I strongly recommend reading the Introduction and Afterward (which I often skip). All in all, this is a book filled with excruciating pain, incredible wit, fantastic writing, and a depth and breadth of women's experiences that is both heartbreaking and wonderful.

I suppose we all have days when it seems hopeless--days when the so-called "War on Obesity" is so overwhelming, so pervasive, and so apparently effective that it seems impossible that we will ever get our point of view across. I was having one of those days when Susan Koppelman's book of short stories arrived.

I am not exaggerating when I say that this book lifted my spirits and gave me hope again. Koppelman asks in her introduction "What could women accomplish, how powerful might we become, if all the energy we turn toward our own bodies were released onto the world?" The introduction is a reaffirmation of the truth that the personal is the political, and a concise statement of the connection between feminism and fat liberation.

The book itself is arranged chronologically. "Juanita" and "The Stout Miss Hopkins's Bicycle" are both wonderful nineteenth-century stories. These women's voices from the past gave me historical perspective and made me feel a part of an inexorable tide, rather than a drop in the bucket. I especially enjoyed Lesla Newman's "Perfectly Normal," and the story by Hollis Seamon that gives the anthology its name, partly because they create memorable characters, but also because both of these stories deal with the strong connection between fat oppression, the dieting mentality, and eating disorders.

This is not Koppelman's first anthology of women's stories, each of which is grouped by theme. The scholar in me appreciated the extensive backmatter, explaining how each story fits into the history of weight obsession and women's self-empowerment. The activist in me loved the classic size acceptance quotes that accompany each story--many from books I have read, but not for a long time. We all need to hear those pithy statements over and over.

This book reminded me that the fight against fat oppression is part of the fight for women's liberation and self-empowerment. Of course the powers that be are arrayed against us. Of course it seems like an impossible battle at times. One of our most powerful weapons is surrounding ourselves with words that outrage, inspire, and uplift us--expressions of our beauty and worthiness. The stories in this anthology serve exactly that purpose.

This book of short stories is in the best tradition of the feminist movement. It raises consciousness. Few women manage to grow up in our culture oblivious to issues of weight. Most have struggled one way or another with it, some all their lives. Susan Koppelman's collection honors all these women and tells them they are okay. They are not lacking in willpower, or morally corrupt, or selfish, or greedy, or any of the other negative judgments society has visited upon them. They just are who they are and what they are. The net effect of the range of stories is to raise our awareness of the presence in our lives of women who are too often absent in our art and culture. But The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe isn't simply a political statement and it certainly isn't just for fat women! It's a wonderful collection that spans decades, giving us a cultural history cooked up in many different literary flavors to savor. And it stays with you. When you read it, you are both satisfied and hungry again -- for more anthologies edited by Susan Koppelman.

Great choice of stories, never before gathered in one place. I used this for a women's lit class I teach, and it was the most popular book. Students related to it as a fascinating group of stories, not just as a textbook. I'll share just one of many student comments: from one who starts med school in August, "I know I'll be a better doctor because I read this book."

The friends that I sent this book to are both artists. They LOVED it.

As a sculptor myself I can truely admire what effort goes into each of Andy's environmental works. In some he works with nature and others against but always with respect of the materials used. Truely inspiring and a wonderful narative style of writing which makes you feel like you were there when the works were created!

What a work of creative and artistic genius!

What to say about such an amazing work? For the first few times I
mainly absorbed the photos of his works, with only reading the
little captions and it wiped me off my feet. After a few rounds
of these I decided to read all of the writing in the book that
accompany the works he made and it totally blew me away. This
book has definitely altered something deep inside about the way
Ilook at nature, change, the seasons and time in general.

Time, as the title of the book suggests is the main topic of the
book and Andy Goldsworthy's art in general or at least his
approach and intention towards it. The body of work presented in
numerous photos and with corresponding writing in the form of a
journal covers the whole range Goldsworthy's work. For example
works made from stone, wood, leaves, snow, ice,...

As a result it gives an excellent overview and introduction of
his work and via the numerous writings a very deep, personal and
detailed insight into how he approaches different places, how he
reacts to change and works with the weather. The writing is on
par with his work. Very clear, direct, honest and poetic.

His insight into the concepts of time and change and seasons and
nature is truly breath taking. The introduction he wrote for the
book is a wonderful example illustrating this. Part of it can be
read by using the "Look inside the book" feature of Amazon.

Spending time with this book really cracks ones mind wide open
about time, change, nature and seasons and how to look at it and
perceive it.

And honestly I don't know what's more amazing. These amazing
and unbelievable pieces of art. Or the incredibly crisp and poetic
writing, deepening so much ones understanding of the works and
give insight into Goldsworthys view and approach and thoughts. Or
simply that out there somewhere a human being is walking this
earth with such an amazing understanding of time and nature and
able to transform this into amazing art an writing.

If the idea of Goldsworthys work is for him to work with time and
change and nature and to further his awareness of these concepts
and make sense of them in the most beautiful way then that is
exactly what this book excells marvelously at for the reader.

I had viewed the DVD "Rivers and Tides" which is a tour of Andy Goldsworthy's artistic endeavors. It is very compelling and left a lasting impression. I wanted more and discovered, to my delight, that a large number of Andy's creations shown in the DVD were documented in the book "Time". There had to be photographs of Andy's work since most of them are not permanent in either time or space. In the DVD, we see the creation process as it occurs and then it may dissolve or move. In the book, it is "frozen" in time and space and can be appreciated as a work of art. I recommend seeing the DVD first so the book's contents can be appreciated even more.

Andy Goldsworthy's work inspires me to look at nature in a very deep way.
His use of the environment and natural materials provokes me to look at how I can
incorporate more natural materials into my own work. I am in awe everytime I open up the book and look at the images. I especially like red clay and the way it went through it's own process through time.
a gem, a timeless exploration of our natural world!

I love reading Garfield and decided to buy this 3-pack. My autistic son picked the book up one day and started reading it. He fell in love with it. Now I buy all of the Garfield 3-pack comic books for him. He laughs and read the strips out loud. It encourages him to read. He is now officially an advid Garfield reader. I'm so glad I bought them!

Somewhat reminiscent of Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow, this massive tome puzzled me for years until Davis' macabre vision of one's relation to oneself finally struck me; that with each abuse of Odie, Garfield moves closer and closer to the pro-active diad that is John and Odie. Eventually the suicide-prone, self-loathing cat which we as a society find quite the jester winds his way through the high road to alienation, much like a Puccini character. The subtle irony of Garfield's monumental epiphany finally places Garfield at the pinnacle of the newly formed triumvirate, and finally, societal acceptance. In this way, Garfield becomes so cynical that he adopts an anti-cynical work ethic in order to preach his intellectual treatise to the masses, thus eventually compromising his own moral barometer in the worst way. Like Icarus, Garfield flies too close to the brilliant heat of personal ulra-rationalism, and winds up destroying himself via his self-enforced taboo of social acceptance. Brilliant.

I think Jim Davis out did himself this time! Outragously funny!
I even gat a detention durring reading class from laughing so hard!!!!

This is one of the funniest garfield books that I have read. Lots of comics with John trying to hook himself up with a date. I think there needs to be more comics of garfield beating up on nermal.

I am too old for comic books but I simply love Garfield. He always manages to bring a smile on my face. Although repetetive at times, Jim Davis does a terrific job each time in presenting Garfield in all his lazy and mischevious glory. This Fat Cat 3-pack is a great value as it has 3 books combined into 1. I think that the paper quality is different from the actual books but who cares!!! I enjoy the books anyways.

I bought this for my wife and kids to enjoy. They LOVE it, as evidenced by all the art and fun that's clinging to almost every window in the house.

Their one complaint is what they call "stringers." The bottles have a tendency to "gum up" in the nozzle, and you end up having to remove a long, sticky "stringer" of the paint/liquid before it will dispense. This is both messy, and wasteful. Other than that- no complaints at all. They really do enjoy creating with this kit (and the refills), plus they make great gifts for grandparents.

As I write this, my wife just told me the pinks and magentas fade after six months or so. Not completely; just become lighter.

We love this book. I love this better than the new brown cover with the sun on it. I have 2 boys, and there are more dinosaurs, cars and trucks in this book than the new one. Also love the Christams one. A must Have.

This book is really amazing. It comes with paint, so you can get started the minute you get it. It also has a whole bunch of patterns for you to trace. The only bad thing is the waiting--when you have done the outline, you have to wait an hour for it to dry, and then when you have filled in the colors, you have to wait 24 whole hours before you can peel your design off!!!!! ( a note: be sure to wait 24 hours. If you peel it off when you think it is dry, it might not be dry underneith, and then your work will be ruined.) The book also shows that you can decorate glasses and cars with Window Art, although I do not suggest the car idea. At my house, we now have a window that is soon going to be filled with Window Art.

I bought this book to help my 6-year-old fill in his time when my wife was away on a business trip. My son has since been completely enthralled by it. It is the first thing he would pick up in the morning, since it takes the border several hours to dry, and the last thing he would do at nite before bedtime to make sure that he would have a new piece to work on the next morning.
Our windows have not been the same ever since the purchase.
I highly recommend it for kids at any age.
There is also a refill set of 18 available through Klutz. I would love to have that as well.

My two girls (ages 9 and 10) absolutely love this! One got the book for her birthday, and I ended up buying another one for my other daughter! I also bought the refill set. I just wish that the refills were easier to find--right now the wait is 3 to 5 weeks for the refill set to ship. Not only is this fun for the girls, the things they make are really pretty! Luckily, we have lots of windows! I highly recommend this product!

The classy look of the hardback cover is just perfect for the treasures inside the book. Thanks!

would put Pushkin in category with Turgenov and Chekov for a good read with a hot cup of tea in front of a roaring fire. Everyman's Library edition offers a decent look at historical Russian window through stories.

If you want to sincerely have a happy, fulfilling marriage to a Russian lady then you better not be complacent either.  Study the Pimsleur language lessons, read all the books you can, study Russian history and culture, read their literature.  The works of Pushkin alone are rewarding for any scholar with or without the motive of a beautiful Russian bride!

Readers seeking an entrée into Russian literature are prime candidates for this prose collection. Pushkin's stories are well-paced--not a word is wasted--and those who look beneath the surface of the writer's refreshingly lucid, taut and unembellished style will find a world that bristles with energy and life.

Among my favorite short stories in this collection were: The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin, The Captain's Daughter and The Queen of Spades. The epistolatory introduction to Tales of Belkin consists of a wry letter from the publisher, which kicks off a hilarious and sweeping commentary on Russian society. Filled with such characters as an arrogant fop, a wistful maiden and a heartbroken father, these poetic stories were beautifully crafted by a bon vivant who, without a doubt, appreciated the art of entertainment. The only selection I didn't care for was The Undertaker, as it struck me as silly, but the rest of Belkin's tales were page-turners. The Captain's Daughter was a heartwarming and often amusing tale of love, persistence and respect, as well as a not-so-oblique commentary on Tsarist aggression: the subject nearly landed young Pushkin in scalding-hot water, too. The protagonist Petr Andreich, who remains callow and a victim of circumstance throughout much of the story, incidentally, reminded me of Pip from Dickens's Great Expectations (Penguin Classics). Finally, Queen of Spades is a poignantly dark and cynical exploration of greed and treachery.

The images this artist pours into his short stories, as well as the plethora of superb scenes and economy of writing he employs, are reminiscent of modern screenwriting, and I suspect even harried readers who are accustomed to a steady diet of film and television will find themselves welcomed here. To wit, several stories struck me as prime candidates for a short film; I'd especially like to see an adaptation of The Shot, one of the five Tales of Belkin. Too bad this Everyman's Library edition isn't available in paperback, although it's probably small and light enough to fit into a travel bag.

Regardless, it's a fine read.

My Titles
Shadow Fields
Snooker Glen

This book contains the major prose works of Aleksandr Pushkin, which include "The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", "Dubrovskii", "The Queen of Spades", "The Captain's Daughter", and "A History of Pugachev". Also included in the book are many unfinished stories and fragments, which provide some glimpse into what Pushkin was thinking in between the years that he wrote his masterpieces.

Pushkin's stories range from melancholy to humorous to psychological and yet they are all written in a clear, and crisp style that is easy to grasp. Unlike Pushkin's poetry, little is lost in the translation of his prose works from Russian to English and thus we can fully appreciate his genius.

Although all of Pushkin's prose works are excellent, but one that continues to remain in my memory for some reason is "Egyptian Nights". Here the two main characters are Charskii, the nobleman who upholds the aesthetic and personal nature of poetry writing, and the greedy Italian improvisator, who lives by giving public shows and is able to deliver a poem (and quite astonishing at that) on any topic at a moment's notice - but for a fee. Is it possible that Charskii and the Italian both represent different facets of Pushkin's own personality? Anyway, I thought the story ending was erotic and exotic...

Even if you are not interested in Russian literature or in Russian culture in general, I would daresay that you would find it hard to put this collection of stories down after you started reading them.

The only problem that I had was with the publisher. I wish that they had provided a bookcover, because the paint on the outside of the hardcover kept coming off onto my hands!