House

I have my original copy given to me when I was child in Sunday School on a military base in Germany. This little book was my precious treasure that made the presence of Christ meaningful and gave me courage to reach out and do the things that needed to be done to help others. What good pictures and what a message of hope for us all at all ages !Marilyn Hunt

I always imagined myself what it would be like if Jesus did come to my house. What were some of the things I'd do, how would I act and what would I say? Then this little book came along. The little boy in this book imagines what it would be like if Jesus spent a day with him. If Jesus were a little boy like him he thought, he would share with him the best toys he had. By lending them to the poorest boys and girls. Even though Jesus maybe not have visited, the little boy hoped that He would bless his house for all the kindness and goodness he gave to those less fortunate. It teaches young children the Christian Golden Rule of sharing with one another. And, caring for your fellow friends that brings joy to everyone's heart. The gentle message tells children how to treat others with the love of giving. This should be a classic of children's books. It teaches a valuable lesson.

This was my very first book. I was about five when my mom got it for me and read it to me. I was so impressed with how this little boy went to all the trouble to see that the little boy Jesus had the best of everything when He came for a visit. It was a great lesson in reminding children how important it is to not only share when other kids come for a visit, but to treat them as if Jesus Himself had come to visit. It teaches children how to treat others with respect, courtesy, kindness and love. It's a wonderful little book and I wholeheartedly recommend that it find a home in every child's library. It's theme has stayed with me all of my life and it is the single most influential book, aside from the Bible, that I have ever read!

I met Maida and her friends as an adult, but know I would have loved her as a child. I am also looking for more of the books. I have Little Shop, Little House, Little Island, and Treasure Hunt, and love them all. Both the boys and girls are REAL people, with good and bad moods, actions, etc.

I was given the first 13 books of this series when I was 8. My brother and I both loved them and reread them constantly. I am trying to recollect them. I have 2 extra copies of Maida's Little School and one extra of Maida's Little House. I am looking for Houseparty, Theatre, Treehouse, Farm, Hospital and treasurre hunt. I recently got Maida's Little Shop on E-bay

I read these books 50 years ago and have carried the wonderful memory of them through the years. This is a set definitely worth reprinting. In the last year, I have been able to find several of them in online auctions, but what a joy it would be to have a complete set. Children today, need books of this type very much.

"Raintree County" by Ross Lockridge, jr., which I first read when I was 14, is the best book I have ever encountered. No other book has ever impacted me in such sweeping, all-encompassing fashion. Lockridge's masterpiece novel is epic in scope and feeling, utterly magnificent. Midwesterners in particularly will be struck by its magic and eloquence. There is not a prosy sentence in all of its 1,000 plus pages. Since I found "Raintree County", all discussions/debates about "The Great American Novel" have been irrelevant. This is it. Lockridge sits next to Shakespeare on my bookshelf and in my heart.

When averring that Raintree County is such a "Good" book, I find myself searching for words to accurately convey my meaning. The lyrical gift of Mr. Lockridge is "good," though not great as is the case with the brilliant Thomas Wolfe, the American novelist his writing most resembles. The story, complete with flashbacks, is engaging through all its over 1,000 pages. The philosophical sections are good as well, and the "Perfesser" Stiles is one of the most comically and wittily astute Menckenesque characters in all of American fiction.

One thing that I certainly do NOT mean by "good" is that the book is some sort of sentimental whitewash of American history and archetypal American characters. They are presented here in all their selfishness, avarice and mean-spiritedness. Yet, the novel ultimately has such a Whitmanesque all-embracing quality that these human traits dissolve into the rich tapestry of the story, which I found a page-turner despite its length.

Ultimately, the novel of which this book most reminds me is not an American, or even English, one at all. It is Tolstoy's War And Peace. These books both narrate the human capacity for evil and good, for love and hate, the chaos caused by the greatest war either of the two countries had fought at the time, the enduring value of friendship, all spread out over a vast panorama of intricate relations. In short, Raintree County is America's most epic novel: Not the greatest perhaps, but the most epic.

But there's something more: At one point in the book (p. 934 in my edition) Shawnessy reflects that, "A human life had a dimension that wasn't perfectly understood." Through reading this book, one somehow comes away with the feeling that one has at least brushed against the boundaries of this mysterious dimension.---No small feat, this.

You may have once wandered through an art gallery and
while walking between images both beautiful and banal
happened upon a painting unlike few you have ever seen before.
It was found placed in a more remote part of the exhibit
and poorly lit thus causing you to give it a brief glimpse.
At first glance, the quaint simplicity caused you to smile yet upon
a second look you noticed the unmistakable quality, the rich
shadings, the subtleties, the emotion upon the faces of the characters,
and within a short time you realized that the artist had captured the
very essence of humanity. Shades of life both light and dark and all
the hues in between, this is what Ross Lockridge has placed upon his canvass for
posterity. This is Raintree County.

Raintree County; a mythical place, a gentle and beautiful tale of an
age and culture that has long since been harrowed under and paved over.
A verdant and pastoral county whose heart is found at the crossroads of
two dirt roads, whose inhabitants are poised at the intersection between a young
and thriving republic and greatest wrong every allowed to fester within
its expanding frontiers. The sunny days of community existence intertwined
with the political complexities surrounding the greatest rift ever to divide a
nation. A portrait of the land and its people in the midst of life and the
trials and tribulations of life's inescapable vicissitudes.

Within the covers of this book are found the joys of love upon the banks of
a river, the excitement and pride of a community during the celebration of
Independence day, the pungent smells and prolific yet depraved lifestyle during
the last days of antebellum New Orleans, and the songs of the slaves in their
agony, joy, and uncertainty. An epic, a day in the life of a ordinary man and
how he came full circle-if that is indeed possible. A reminder of the nation and
her people who were deeply shattered by the violence of a Civil War.

Within the prose are whispers of Plato, Poe, and Shakespeare. Characters
of well developed intellect and humor coexist amid the turgid and the
unlearned. At its core is love, insanity, birth, death, family, war,
and a river that courses through the county to both nourish the smiles and
drain the bitterness. Indeed perhaps the "Great American Classic," and a
sadly overlooked book. Lockridge is of the same ilk as Wolfe, Faulkner,
and Emerson. It has been said that each of us contains a book. To have this
as your only book is a majestic feat. Raintree County can be analyzed at many
philosophical levels and I am sure subsequent readings will reveal a multitude
of lessons. To me, my first time just staying at the surface brought me
the great joy that a masterfully written novel must impart.

As a child I would read this wonderful book and let my imagination carry me away. I loved the ideas of not living in a house and filling my bags with treasures. "We Were Tired of Living in a House" inspired most of my backyard adventures, especially the ones in my treehouse. This book delights me still and I am thrilled to find it back in print. I have looked for it for years, hoping that someday my own children would read this book and feel its magic. My old copy's spine broke and the pages fell out because I read it so much as a child. It spent the past 10 years in storage because of its delicate condition but I missed its simple and beautiful message. When I moved recently, I decided that no matter what shape it was in, it was meant to be savored. I love it so much that I read it to my husband twice last week! I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for the reprint of such a treasure.

When we were nine, my twin sister and I had a thing for rhymes, tongue twisters and the like. Together we would read and recite lots of silly sayings until our mouths were dry, or until my mother couldn't take anymore. One of our all time favorite books was "We Were Tired of Living in a House", which to my delight has recently been brought back to life. This book holds alot of memories for us, even more precious since our copy disappeared long ago. Now at the ripe old age of thirty-two, we find ourselves browsing through stacks of children's books, searching for some title that might bring to our kids the same magic; the magic that makes a nine year old kid carry that book with them wherever they go.

The story begins with a group of kids who decide home is no longer a satisfactory place to be. They pack up some key belongings and begin on a journey that finds them setting up camp in various unusual places, including a tree, a cave, and the beach. At each stop they discover that their new home has unique features as well as unexpected drawbacks, and they acquire souvenirs to add to their list of key belongings before moving on. As the list approaches the limits of syllables-per-breath for a child, they come to the conclusion that home is the only suitable place to live, and return with all of the souvenirs in tow.

The story has rhyme and rhythm, plenty of whimsy, a happy ending and even an age-appropriate moral. The illustrations are also memorable. Buy two - and keep a spare for when they get older.

We just sold our home last week, and we're still searching for a new house to purchase. I guess that is why the words to this book (that I haven't read since childhood) popped into my mind. I loved this book, and hope to find one of the earlier versions to read to my own children. They will probably suggest that we forget the whole house thing and live in a tree!

Wasn't this a weekly reader book?

Unfortunately for Dole, Richard Ben Cramer tells the story of Dole's rise from small-town poverty to near-fatal war injury better than the Dole campaign did last year. The author paints a portrait of the 1988 presidential candidates that is vivid and human, making them more than the caricatures that we see in our television screens and newspapers. I worked for a Democratic candidate during the 1988 campaign. Cramer's storyline and energetic, somewhat frantic writing style both mirrors and reveals the hectic, seize-the-day atmosphere of a presidential campaign. His greatest contribution, however, is the tremendous insight he gives us of the men who wanted to become the best known and most powerful person in the world and believed they could do it within a matter of years by traveling to small towns and big cities as they meet with ordinary citizens the wealthiest Americans. They are both crazy and courageous and Cramer tells us how they became so as he digs through their personal histories from grade school to the present. Dole may no longer be a player on the American political scene. But Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, Jesse Jackson, Pat Robertson, and Jack Kemp still are. Thus, this book is still relevant. Above all, it's a good read. For those who want to know what it's really like inside a presidential campaign or the head of a presidential candidate, this is the best book and most unique book written since The Making of the President 1960 by the legendary T.H. White.

Think about the best dessert you've ever eaten. Remember how delicious it was? How it melted in your mouth and how you never wanted the experience of eating it to end? Remember that experience when you pick up Richard Ben Cramer's 'What It Takes". This is the literary desert that feels like it melts in your mouth as your read: a beautiful, lyrical tale about the lives of six candidates for President in 1988.

It is hard to describe Cramer's writing style. He seems to have an uncanny knack for getting into his subject's mind and giving you a vision of the world from their perspective. He seems to find what makes his subject unique and showcase it to the world. His Sports Illustrated piece on Cal Ripken, Jr.'s consecutive games streak in September of 1995 remains the finest article I have ever read in SI since I began subscribing back in 1989. Cramer's style of writing is a joy to read. You simply never want him to stop writing, even if it is about something as mundane as observing Bush traveling to a speech.

Needless to say Bob Dole emerges as the hero of Cramer's work. (During the '96 campaign Cramer later released a separate book with just the Dole chapters.) The wounded veteran comes across as a man of stunning drive, courage and loneliness. You can't help but think of the horrific pain and suffering he endured during those years rehabilitating himself and attending law school. The Dole of Cramer's book is easy to admire and quite likeable, despite his gruff demeanor and occasionally cold treatment of people around him.

Gary Hart, in contrast, comes across poorly. (Surprise, surprise.) So much of his portion of the book is devoted to attacking the media and refuting his public persona as either an odd loner or a serial adulterer. Hart's hardscrabble life in rural Oklahoma and journey to Yale divinity school gets pushed aside. There seems to be a huge gap between Hart leaving divinity school for politics in 1960 and his role as George McGovern's campaign manager in 1972 that Cramer doesn't explain.

George Bush takes it on the chin too. Our 41st President and the winner of the 1988 contest was probably the least qualified of the six to run. Bush comes across as a likeable guy (and a hero during World War II), but no leader. While Dole is tested on the campaign trail and works hard to master the machinery of the U.S. Senate, while Dukakis is weathering fierce political storms patching together Massachusetts runaway budget, while Biden loses his wife in a car accident and nearly dies of a brain aneurysm, Bush seems to sail through adversity by relying on his resume to get plum jobs (CIA director, chairman of the RNC, ambassador to the UN and to China). Bush's charmed life and patrician view of the world hurt his reelection campaign four years later when he didn't appreciate the suffering his citizens were enduring during the recession the way a Bob Dole would have. Dole seems to have learned, through his experiences, that life is hard and people need a helping hand. Bush, in contrast, seems to have learned from his life that a smile, a handshake, a spiffy resume and knowing the CEO of a Fortune 500 company will get you far.

What of Biden, Dukakis and Gephardt? Joe Biden, the Senator from Delaware, comes across as a real leader. Elected in an upset at the age of 29, the Senator suffered terrible heartache losing his wife in a car accident after the election. You cannot help but sympathize and feel for him as he struggled to put his family together again and to take responsibility for the poor choices he made as a law student at Syracuse University in the 1960s. After Dole, I found Biden's story to be the most compelling.

Dukakis? Gephardt? I think both men come across the same, as smart, driven, intelligent guys. The theme of Gephardt's chapters is that he has been and always will be an Eagle Scout: smart, popular with his peers and elders, a success in everything. In other words, Gephardt was the guy from from school your parents wanted you to be like in middle school. Dukakis comes across as even more flawless, more driven and more sure of himself. Dukakis, in other words, was the guy from high school that graduated with a 3.9 and still thought he could do better. Both men had to tough out difficult obstacles in their lives, however.

In the final analysis, this is a book you simply do not want to end. Cramer plays no favorites and gives all six men resolutely fair treatment. This is easily one of the three greatest books I have read in my life. (Along with "Thank You For Smoking" by Christopher Buckley and "Truman" by David McCullough). This book is the literary equivalent of desert.

No study of modern American politics is complete without reading this book. At the center of the political universe is the presidency. What kind of people seek this office, and all of the attendant scrutiny and hardship that even the most fortunate candidates endure? What personal attributes set one candidate above the rest?

Essentially, one of these men will be the most powerful man in the world, and have a chance at shaping history. This book answers the questions "why" and "how."

Cramer understands his subjects, and the profiles of each candidate would be excellent stand-alone biographies. Extremely readable and well written, without sacrificing substance.

A truly unique and indespensible work. To find out what it takes, read this book.

This is a very good help especially for those going through any kind of recovery. The 12 Step Devotionals are all linked to the Biblical truth they came from, and are explained for application right now today. It is awesome and lifechanging to discover that Jesus Christ is our "higher power", and that by His death He paid for our sins, and by His resurrection from the dead He gives us new life. In Him we can be forgiven, delivered from addictions, and harmful habits, and healed from longstanding life pains. The Life Recovery Bible is a great compliment to the Celebrate Recovery Program put out by Saddleback Church in California. My only criticism is that the New Living Translation is not always as accurate to the original languages as I would prefer, but it is very well done, and extremely easy to read and understand.

I started reading bibles in depth 3 years ago, and I have purchased just about every translation and study bible in print. I was looking for God, for healing, for insights into what it really means to be a Christian, how to find release from the bondage of addictions and idolatry of any sort, and how to grow spiritually.

I purchased this bible in August 2002. Since then, I have found answers in it that no amount of personal or group bible study using other bibles, Christian radio, professional counseling by therapists or pastors, church attendance, or prayer have given me.

Almost every page has foot-notes, devotionals, in-depth comments, which teach about addictions and how to gain freedom, details about the road to recovery, all within a Christ-centered framework using the 12 Alcoholics Anonymous steps.

You can look up just about any life-experience topic in the excellently organized index/concordance in the back of the Bible, to focus on passages which help you understand who you are, what you do, why you do it, and ways to gain release from whatever plagues you, and get closer to God in order to gain peace and restoration.

I have abandoned all my other bibles in favor of this one. I would urge anyone who needs help in self-control, discipline, overcoming compulsive/obsessive behaviors, to dig into the Life Recovery Bible. You will be blessed abundantly.

If you simply want to grow spiritually, and you have no addictions, this bible is also for you.

Every day I can look forward to new insights and teachings in this bible, which I can apply immediately to my life.

The text is easy to read for such a large Bible, the NLT translation is easy to understand, and the footnotes and other devotionals do not interfere with my enjoyment of every page.

There is another Life Recovery Bible in the NIV (New International Version), which in my opinion is not nearly as good as this one.

I have been involved in a Christian 12 Step Recovery group for over a year. When I finally purchased this bible and began reading the additional information that is included, I was surprised the way the characters and stories are revealed in a truly different light (they weren't perfect!). Many believe we must be perfect for God to love us, this is so far from the truth. This book shows how God made us to love us. It reveals the flaws of people in both the old and new testaments. They have gone through the same things we are still going through today (because afterall, there is nothing new under the sun). God is never surprised by what happens, he knows our days from the first to the last (even every hair on our head). Upon reading this bible, I see how other people dealt with issues, how they responded to God, what pleased God and what didn't. This has really helped me chose which direction to go, even when I make the wrong choice, I know that God will love me anyway. If I continue to follow these steps, seek God when I am weak, praise him daily and truly have a heart for Him, he will say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!" Oh I wait for the day!

The format of this One Year Bible is great - an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, a Psalm, and a Proverb. It makes for a diverse daily encounter with God and the New Living Translation is a wonderful translation for gaining the same impact the original readers had when they first encountered the text. Being framed in everyday English, the translation is easy to understand and for me, God speaks to me through this great translation. I would recommend this Bible to anyone who wants to read the Bible in a year.

Simply arranged. Enjoyable to read. Written in language I understand! This Bible is organized for daily reading from 1. Old Testament, 2. New Testament, 3. Psalms, & 4. Proverbs.

Forget the NIV translation with its clunky English. This is the one to get. The NLT version reads as easily and SMOOTHLY as a magazine article and is 100% accurate. You WILL understand this version. You may find yourself reading much more daily than you had planned to! Before I found this, I was using a 12 page (!) Bible reading plan chart, bookmarks, and index tabs to do my daily Bible reading. Now, all I do is flip open to today's date and there is a selection from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and a verse or two from Proverbs. You get a complete spiritual reading meal all on 4-5 pages. I bought two: one hardcover for home and one paperback version for my office in case I am stuck there late (I do my study after dinner). Get this.

Although I've read all of Georgia Bockoven's books, "the Beach house" was her best yet, ITs a very well written book and you fall in love with the characters.

A wonderful Summer read centred in Santa Cruz California.

Every page is alive with the people in this story. The Beach House is shared by three families every year, but now since the sudden death of Julia's husband, she ponders putting the house up for sale....flushing away the memories she once held dear.

But how can she actually do that? Wouldn't she be putting out her regular guests this summer?

With Georgia Bockoven's brilliant characterizations, you 'll meet Eric the doctor cum writer spending summer at the house next door to Julia; Margaret and her teenage son Chris who has fallen head over heels in love with one of the other summer girls; Maggie and Joe the elderly couple who has time for everyone and Peter the single guy who keeps his eyes peeled looking for Ms. Right to hurry up and come right along.

Enjoy this lovely summer read which has lots to offer...especially if you are a romantic at heart. It's worth your time.

Heather Marshall (nettle-girl)

I really enjoyed The Beach House. So many novels dwell on the younger relationships. Sometimes we fail to reaze relationships can last through thick and thin just like Joe and Maggie. I thought that was wonderful how they tied the three families together. I heard a song "Grow Old With Me" not long ago, and that came to mind when I came to the month of July and Joe and Maggie. This is the first book I have read by Georgia Bockoven, but I plan to read more.

When I get the chance, I love to read, I find it very relaxing. I enjoyed this book very much. The way Lori writes makes you feel like you are standing in the room with these people and I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters. It was a very enjoyable book. One I am sure I will read again, and I will make sure I find the time to do it! It has a lot of Christian based principles, love and devotion and suspense, I like suspense!!. I would like to read more books like this. TV has gotten so bad, it's nice to read something entertaining and uplifting without all the gore and violence.

I first read this book when I was about 13 years old, from the first chapter I was totally hooked. This was a very heartwarming story full of love, romance, family, humor, and suspense. I've read many books, but A Place Called Home is by far the very best I have ever read. It really touched me. It's the kind of book you just can't put down and when your finished you can read again and again. This book will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks Lori Wick.

This book was a refreshing look at a situation which helped me strengthen my faith. It is nice to read a book that is so morally sound.

When writing a memoir, authors are advised to write the first draft as if everyone is dead - and then to prune the damaging parts in subsequent rewrites. Perhaps Mason pruned a bit too much. This otherwise lovely and affectionate memoir of how it was to grow up in a small, working-class town in Kentucky in the 40s and 50s is a bit long on respect and caution - and a bit short on grit.
Otherwise, I loved it. I grew up in Kansas in the 50s and can relate to the pace, small-town values, and lack of danger (except from the "evil Communists" and "the bomb") that Mason portrays as such inherent parts of her roots. Her language, esp in the first part of the book focusing on her own childhood memories, is rich and multi-layered and pulls readers into every scene right along with her. In the rest of the book, she uses the techniques of creative nonfiction to weave a background narrative that spans the lives of three generations of women within the community.
A worthwhile read; it won't change your life, but it might make you think, and it's certainly a pleasant trip to take with this accomplished author.

I really enjoyed this book a lot! I didn't just read it; I pored over it and savored every word. "Clear Springs" is the family history of Bobbie Ann Mason, a woman born and raised in Kentucky. It explores not only her own memories of growing up in rural Kentucky, but also those of her mother and grandmother--three generations of women. The details are wonderful. Reading this book makes you feel as if these women are people you know - maybe your neighbors or relatives in your own family. This book takes you back to a time when life was simpler in some ways, but more complicated in other ways. I especially enjoyed the photos of Bobbie's family members in the middle of the book. I would be reading the story and then go flip back to the pictures to envision these people in my mind as I thought about their lives. It really brought the characters to life in a more vivid way. What a valuable way of preserving her memories of a people, a place, and a way of life gone by in the words of this book! With all of the millions of people in the United States, one might think their own life is fairly insignificant; however, when you read this book, one realizes that everyone has a story to tell, their own personal history from their special era in which they lived. This book is like a little slice of America. I recommend it to all! Happy Reading!

Indispensible to serious readers of Mason's fiction, this memoir is true to family and community life in Western Kentucky (despite what other reviewers might say).