House

Unfortunately, the life of a pet-care expert is never
so simple.It's bad enough when Princess Fluffy
gets loose and disappears inside a spooky,
boarded-up house. But when Oliver hears a
ghostly sound from inside the "empty" house, he
calls on his friends to help him find the missing
cat. And that's when the funny__and scary___adventures really begin!

I was also pleasantly surprised to read so much about the things her children learned through travel at different ages, as well as through the homeschooling done on the road. (Ms. Jeffries also provides very useful homeschooling references.) Our daughter is much too young for a lot of this, but I found it all inspirational. It's amazing how much more children can learn from travel, plus reading, rather than from reading alone.

I started reading just to find the basics of how to travel with a child (what to take, how to keep entertained, etc.), but ended knowing so much about how traveling with a child will actually be more beneficial to the whole family than I ever imagined.

While most books of this sort will list things to bring along, the author gives us real explanations for each of the things she brings--and she doesn't bring much--and tells us how to make do with less. Invaluable are her personal stories of medical needs, literary needs (her boys brought a few books and exchanged books with other travelers), laundry and social needs. There is even a terrific discussion of diapering while traveling!

Perhaps my favorite section, as a homeschooling mom, is her chapter on education while on the road. The author truly sees the educational value of travel. No doubt her boys were very well educated by their many adventures. They learned foreign languages and the differences between many cultures. Thinking of adventuring?Buy it, and you'll want to try it!

The title is very telling and I interpret as being a fulfillment of scripture even if Mr. Stone didn't intend it to be. Read Daniel Chapter 2, especially verses 40-45. Daniel is able to interpret a dream by Nebuchadnezzar which no one else could do. Read verse 43 especially. Many peoples would intermix through marriage. Marriage is a great medium through which one can prey upon their enemies. Yes, I wished Debs would have married Gloria, his childhood sweetheart.

I've read several of Irving Stone's books and loved every one of them. He, like Michener, will not only tell a good story but will educate you in the process. Both authors go to GREAT lengths to research their subjects. At times, their books can be tiresome, at least to me, because of so much information that is unfamiliar. But I am a slow reader who will not skim past the details.

The book is dear to my heart because both my paternal grandfather and greatgrandfather were railroad engineers. My grandfather was born in 1894 and given the name Charles Debs Lumm. Most railroaders absolutely loved Eugene V. Debs. He was a tireless worker, defender of worker's rights. He helped establish the 8 hour work day and managed to organize the railroad workers so that they would no longer be subject to the railroad companies' whims. Many engineers and firemen were disabled for life or tragically killed in train wrecks in the early days of rail. The cost, financially, for the families so affected, so many, many times, would utterly impoverish them. Debs laid the groundwork for unions and insurance practices from those circumstances. However, I'm not so sure he would approve of the current state of those businesses today.

Debs' socialism was probably not the same as the socialism of today. At the turn of the century, there were populist/socialist movements all over the world.

Railroad, for good or ill, transformed American society. This book is a good one to read about a significant man who lived during an interesting chapter of railroad history, who may have composed most of that small chapter himself.

I recommend it 100%. Well written,the story is a true one and so incredible that one just cannot put it aside.

You can contact me if you are looking for more old autobiographies from africa.

David

Being new to the hobby, I found this guide amazingly useful. It features seven main sections, beginning with the history of African Violets (very interesting) and continuing through the basic topics of plant care and propagation. It includes sections on basic care, pests and diseases, propagation by seed or leaf, and discussions on displaying African Violets.

Most useful, however, is the seventh section entitled "Your Questions Answered" which features a handy and easy-to-use reference of common questions and answers. These are separated by category headers (e.g. "Pots And Repotting", "Temperature, Humidity, And Water", etc) and contain a shortened, easily accessible version of the information found within the first six sections of the book.

The book also includes a "List of Popular Named Varieties" and a "Suppliers and Useful Addresses" list. Neither is overly informative (the suppliers list contains only six references, three for the United Kingdom and three for the United States), however both are nice touches.

As a new participant in the African Violet keeping hobby, I found this book to be an excellent source of information. For those more experienced in this hobby, "African Violets" is still a great reference, and an easy, informative read.

While the title implies research limited to post-presidency, this 164 page paperback is broad in its scope, giving the reader a rich historical context for each president. What did each Commander and Chief expect of office at the beginning of the journey? What political enemies, wrangles, civil wars or economic factors did each president have to work against while in the White House? During the exploration of each president's path from private life to public, and return to private again (if they were lucky), Feldman reveals both the humor and self-doubt rarely documented in other history books.

George Washington, for example, was chronically hesitant about his position as the ultimate purveyor of precedent, and desperately sought the life of a gentleman farmer after his two terms. Other presidents were less modest and more cantankerous. During his term following Washington, John Adams, self-described as "obnoxious, suspected and unpopular," was furtively referred to by his associates as "his rotundity." After the White House is peppered throughout with wonderful side notes like these, making the subject matter refreshing and readable.

This is an excellent book for both the novice and history buff, and would find a home equally comfortable in the classroom and on the living room bookshelf. Jim Feldman is an experienced researcher with an engaging voice. I look forward to reading his next endeavor.

Brent Goodman The Blue Moon Review