Works Books

This is one of the most complete and entertaining astrology books. It's filled with useful information whether you're learning about your own astrological chart or analysing someone else's.

As a psychic who uses astrology, I've read dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of astrology books.

This is the only one I recommend for every level, beginner through advanced, and this book is always on my desk or next to it, for frequent reference.

The writing style is witty and light. Chapter titles include, "Fire Signs, Air Signs, Jell-o and Dirt Signs," and "Venus - Sleazy Sex and Eternal Love."

However, the information in this book is accurate and easy to understand, no matter what your background.

In addition, the author has put together one of the most valuable chapters, ever, "How to Read a Chart in Less than Five Minutes." That's an innovative approach... and it works!

With over 500 fascinating pages of facts, charts, and insights, this is one astrology book you'll read from cover to cover, and refer to often.

This is the best astrology book I've ever read. I can read it like a story book and it holds my interest from cover to cover. Debbi, you rock and you need to write more. You're hilarious, and just plain brilliant.

If you're interested in astrology but want something more personal than the guides for everyone in your birth sign, this is the book to read.

The author provides light, humorous descriptions of different signs and houses, and the influence of planets in them.

In addition, the chapter explaining a five-minute chart analysis is invaluable. Seriously, it's the best I've seen in years of analyzing charts for others.

The red-light, green-light day-by-day guide is also innovative and useful for anyone who wants to use every possibly planetary influence to his or her benefit.

I love this book, and recommend it for anyone with an interest in astrology. It's not too technical, but also not a one-size-fits-all guide.

This book is awesome!!! First and foremost, I must say that I am ashamed. I own this book and have not kept it in the cherished condition I should have. This book is indescribable. So exact in the rythm of life this script is. Each person that would appreciate its knowledge, is truly blessed. You will come to an understanding of life and yourselves. Buy this book. Feel it. Love it.

I've been a fan of Debbi Kempton Smith since the column she wrote for Seventeen magazine back in the 1980s, and this book does not disappoint. I really owe everything I know about astrology to her. I first bought this book in 1991, and then I had to buy this reprint when the first one fell apart.

If you're interested in learning the real basics of astrology, past the basics about sun signs, this is the book to pick up. The book includes ephemerical data so that you can look up the signs the moon and other planets were in when you were born, as well as what that means. But the best thing about the book is Smith's writing--it's fun and practical without even a hint of newageyness.

Now I'm convinced.

After reading this book, my main concern was "can I do this". After reading, I'm not only excited, but truly convinced that almost anyone with a brain can do what the book reveals.

Thank you Amazon and thank you Ray West.

JC

I just finished reading the book and I'm beyond stunned! It's undoubtedly the most actionable, simple, surefire program I have ever seen. You could not pay me 10 times to give it back!

I read so many books on breaking into the adult film business...I even spent $1,297 on this course from www.adultfilmmaking.com, the "only" online adult film school, which was a total rip off. This book by Ray West and one other one that I downloaded off the internet for $80 have been the ONLY two books I've read that actually give legitimate, usable information on how make money in this business. I don't understand the negative reviews on this book. Yes, the book has grammical and spelling errors but if readers aren't able to overlook that for the information it offers then they probably should stick to their 9 to 5 job anyway. If you're interested in getting into the adult business profitably and successfully, you need all the resources you can get. This book is one valuable resource to get you started. If you're a bible-thumper looking for ways to condemn this industry then you're probably the ones who are degrading the content of this book. Why waste your time? Get this book if you want to make money in this business.

The book was great to read and very informative. the speed of Delivery was also a plus. It was at my door with in a week. can't complain about that. GOOD JOB!

This book was a blast to read. I heard about Ray West from a forum as being a guru to adult film making. After reading, I know why! Eventhough his book is 2001, I am going after his new stuff. I just can't imagine as a film maker how much fun this book has brought to my life. Ray West, you are a true genius.

A lighthearted fantasy about an inventive young man whose creations get too big for his house, so he builds a small village with the other children in his community. Any young boy who loves to build things and take things apart will love this story. The illustrations are wonderfully detailed.

This was one of my favorite children's books ever, and we had a lot of them. My sons now feel the same, apparently, because the one we bought on an auction site has been completely worn out by their repeated reading of it. So now I need to get a new one so we can wear IT out, too!

Often, boys fantasize about cool things they could build, and Andrew Henry does that in spades. The beautiful ink drawings show the kinds of a details a child or adult would want to see in order to trigger the imagination but not replace it. Wonderful book.

I happened uponthis book while on vacation near the author's home. I found it delightful with an engaging story and pictures that can be examined over and over again. My son shared this book with his first grade class and the teacher called me to ask if she could keep it for a while to read to the other first grade sections. She raved about the book saying, "It is perfect for first graders". My only quibble about the book might be some mild sterotyping about what boys do vrs what girls do (boys build and fish, girls watch birds and play music)

My mother saved this book from my childhood. It was a favorite of mine. I liked to imagine a town where kids each got to be themselves. A place where they could really enjoy who they were without interference from adults or disapproving children. I would recommend this book for ages 8-11 years.

I have been looking for this book off and on for the last 15 years or so. This book was so much a part of my childhood. I remember it being in my church library and I would read it during Sunday School when I should have been paying attention to all of the God stuff. I spent hours imagining what my own hideway would look like.
When I was older, all I could remember was that it had Meadow in the title and it was about a bunch of kids who ran away to build creative forts.
I can't wait to get my copy and share it with my family and students.

Review by Sherry North, Author, Because You Are My Baby

Bold artwork and simple text combine to offer an outstanding introduction to trains for young children. There are only a few words on each page, making it a quick read-aloud that will hold the attention of even very young toddlers. The text describes the different types of cars in a freight train, then follows the train through tunnels, past cities, in daylight and darkness. Satisfying and highly recommended.

My 3 yr old grandson loves this book. The "story" is so simple but allows the reader many way of expanding the story through sound effects, color recognition, parts of the locomotive, parts of the track bed, speeding train sounds, it's going,... going,... gone.

Freight Train/Tren de cargaSimple words with simple images. You can hear the "click clack" of the train coming down the track, the chugging sound of the steam engine, and the sound of the horn as it approaches and then moves away. My daughter loved this book before she could even say the words.

My oldest son loved this book. It was his favorite when he was little. It builds on vocabulary; you can count the cars, name the colors, and look at different scenarios. I learned a lot about trains by reading this book to them. I am raising my children bilingual and when I found it in English and Spanish I knew I had to get it for them. It also helped me remember the words in Spanish, which I had forgotten. I must have for any child that likes trains. Donald Crews again has delighted us with a masterpiece.

My 2 year old son is obsessed with trains - he loves this book. It is very short and the pictures are well drawn. This books shows the difference between a hopper car and a box car, etc so now when we see a real train he can tell me what kind of cars they are.

This is a really nice book! i love the diagrams which I feel are very clear in showing the step-by-step process of how the stitches are done. Having no one around me who crochets or knits, I am a self-taught crocheter cum knitter who learnt my crochet through a tiny 15 page pamphlet from Coats & Clarks ( That I would recommend as well!).

Kooler's book is my only crochet book (till now at least) and I really like it. Lots and lots of tips and new stitches to try out and also lots of nice projects from giant ones to little ones to try out.
She also includes 2 sets of diagrams, one for left-handers and one for right-handers. Very nicely done. The stitches in the diagrams are also very clear. A nice glossary to refer to and the book helped to train me to learn to read patterns and "adjust my brain" to learning to read symbols and abbreviations at a glance. If you are a beginning or intermediate crocheter, I would recommend this book!

The book is truly wonderful! It gives you more than you can imagine and it would work quite nicely for the "do it yourself" folks. I highly recommend this book for beginners as well as seasoned crafters.

I bought this to replace a copy I owned that was destroyed in this year's flooding. It's a great reference book, with clear instructions and pictures.

This book is a must have resource for the crochet enthusiast! Patterns are always nice to have but what I like the most are the detailed how-to's and the stitch encyclopedia in the back. Donna Kooler provides all of the information you need to create your own design with the stitches, beginning counts, repeats, et cetera. I would recommend this to anyone interested in expanding or even just entering the world of crochet.

I've made two of the philosopher's coats in different color palettes, and it was challenging and fun and great! Note to advanced crocheters: the directions are somewhat limited. I guess she figures that if you get to this stage, you don't need everything spelled out. I've had a ton of compliments on both coats. The other patterns are fine, but this was the reason I bought the book. Don't be intimidated! You'll love the challenge of it, and when you're done, you know you've created something very special.

Real life wisdom for living life in balance and with heart.
Rachel tells her stories openly, with compassion and great warmth.
I have given this book to friends and family and carry its lessons in my own life. A lovely read, not at all preachy. Each chapter is worth savoring.

The author shares some inspirational stories of the lessons her grandfather, a Rabbi taught her as a child that served as building blocks for the rest of her life, as a Dr. and then a counselor. Whether you read this from cover to cover, because it is delightful and insightful, or take it story at a time over a period of time, it is a wonderful book. There are important life lessons for us all. Some will make you laugh, others cry, and others to say, "Oh wow!"

This is one of the best inspirational books I've read in a long time. I love it so much I'm buying it for friends! It is so full of wisdom...rich, rich, rich.

I happened upon this book by chance, and it is quite possibly the best book I've ever read. If you are looking for a book to inspire you and give you a positive outlook on life, this is it. It is incredibly refreshing and easy to read. Rather than one long story, it is a bunch of short stories, which makes it great for reading a little bit at a time. It has really helped me remember what is important in life. After reading this book, I can't wait to read other books by this author.

What a wonderful thing it would be if we all had a grandfather like Rachel Naomi Remen had. Since we don't, the next best thing might be to learn the lessons and experience the blessings by having her share her stories about him with us. She does so in a beautiful, almost under stated way that is never intrusive and leaves us with a feeling of deep appreciation. These are very human and moving parable like stories that enrich our connection to each other in almost imperceptible ways. Although this is definitely not a how to book, the stories may effect how we live our lives. Thank you to Dr. Remen.

The story is touching and is suitable for grandmas as for children. The illustrations are marvelous by a famous artist.

I am a Christian who knows Christ as her savior and strives to follow biblical principals. I just have to say that I don't recommend this book to anyone. I found the book to be very confusing for children around my daughter's age (3). I agree with the other reviewers that the "He/She" references just don't make any sense to children and could be wrong altogether. I have to pose the question, Is the author trying to convey that God is whoever we want " him/her" to be? Because if that's the case, that simply isn't true. Perhaps, the author is trying to explain God's omnipotence, omnipresence, etc. That is true. He is all-knowing and everywhere all at the same time. I just don't think this book is the proper avenue to teach that to a child. They will learn that better through their interaction with the world around them. (i.e. taking them outside, feeling the wind, explaining that God is like the wind in that you can't see Him, but there is evidence all around us that He is there just like the way you see the trees move when the wind blows). Bible stories and how you apply them to a child's life will teach them all about who God is and the life lessons He wants us to learn. Not this book.
From what I could find about the author on his own website, he is referred to as one connected with nature. Yet while he acknowledges God in his books, I haven't seen anything that refers to any kind of biblical background in his own personal life. To me that is a red flag. If someone is going to explain God to my daughter, I want that person to know the Lord and have a close personal walk with Him. If this author does, I would like to know more about that concerning him.

this was a nice book on diversity. i think one of the things people get the most worked up over is spirituality. it's one of those things that can touch a person more deep than anything else, and everyone's perspective will differ, even if only minutely. wars have been started over the issue, and all because we're too pig headed and focused on our own validity. this book starts off with animals and rocks and trees each saying that what they think god is is indeed the true god, and that god seems to resemble the speaker. then the old turtle stops them and tell them of the coming of a new group, humans, and how they are supposed to be a message from god the the earth and a prayer from the earth to god. then people come and after while start to do not so nice things and nature says to stop. then the beings that said god was like themselves at the beginning of the book said they saw god in that which was opposite themselves. i guess the moral being have an open mind about that which is different from yourself, because it really isn't so alien to what you believe.

This book begins with the beings of nature having an argument as to who God is, an age old question. The old turtle speaks up and tells everyone to stop! And tells of a new being that will come and be in the likeness of god out of his love, humans. Then the humans start to argue and fight and destroy the earth. Till again the turtle said stop, and the people began to listen and realize the beauty they were destroying, the earth. The story is not specifically religious but more of a lesson of not to destoy what we have been blessed with. The illustrations are chinese watercolors and they are imaculate! Definately a must to add to your collection.

I am so torn here. I love this book - my mother would love this book. So what's the problem? It's a feel good book that seems like it would better reach a new parent, a teen, or someone going through hard times better than a child.

The story clearly has a moral tale to convey. I tend to like that, and I love the message on diversity. Unfortunately, as far as plot/story, it falls short. It fails to go beyond just a morality lesson. And for this, it failed to captivate either of my children.

If the target audience are children: For lessons on friendship with story intact, try pumpkin soup. For a story about diversity and acceptance, try The Woman Who Outshone the Sun. For general moral tales - Zen Shorts.

Take my love, take my land, but don't take this book. Here is the perfect companion to the movie. Full of large colorful photos and loads of insights, you'll love reading interviews with Joss and seeing the development behind one of the best Sci-fi movies of the generation.

I've been wanting this for a while, but in Australia it's double the price for some crazy unfair reason... but I was buying some other stuff on Amazon so took the opportunity to save on postage and got this too - can't wait to spend some time with - I've only had a chance to flip through and read Joss' intro so far but it's good enough that I wanted to come back and comment. If you enjoyed Serenity and/or Firefly - you'll love this, in addition to the script you get a bunch of nice behind the scenes stuff.

If you really liked Serenity, you'll love this companion. It has a lot of movie information and is worth getting.

Great book!
I can't get enough FIREFLY stuff. Very well done book covering everything you might have missed the ten times you watched SERENITY, the movie! God, how I miss watching new FIREFLY episodes! Sure wish someone would come to their senses and realize that FIREFLY was - and still is - WAY ahead of MOST new series that keep popping up on TV. BEST TV I have ever watched. BRING THEM BACK!

And

Don't take the sky from me!

js

As a big fan of Firefly and Serenity this book made the sting of not having anymore new episodes to watch a bit less.
Beautiful drawings, photos, and plenty of behind the scenes information on the characters and settings made this a treasure.
Every Browncoat needs one!

As the author ends his tale from this introductory look into the world of parasites, "If we want to succeed as parasites, we need to learn from the masters." Yes, from one ecological point of view, the two-legged race acts as if it is a parasite. If true, then we can indeed learn a lot from these microscopic fellows that have a few hundred million years head start, up or down, the evolutionary path :)

Besides just the introduction of, let us say, the gross aspects of parasites, there are also quite a few benefits to many types parasites in the animal kingdom. As such and from my perspective, the highlight of this fine effort was in the last 1/3 of the book with Chapters 6 (Evolution From Within), Chapters 7 (The Two-Legged Host), and Chapters 8 (How To Live In A Parasitic World). Here we learn about some of those parasitic benefits. While reading, I wished that the chapters went on further and gave me more anecdotes. Nevertheless, it would appear that the right balance of either the small or large ecosystem can benefit with less pesticides if we indeed learn from the parasites.

I read the 2001 paperback of the 2000 book. It is very well written, which can't be said about all books on the topic. It is clear, at times funny, macabre, eye-opening, repulsive due to topic, fascinating and thought provoking.

Parasites outnumber other forms of life 4:1, are much more ubiquitous than commonly thought, have been essential for evolution and have directly influenced human DNA. (Not even considering mitochondria getting integrated in most forms of life.) Parasites make it necessary to revise the tree of life into a bush of many merging branches. Human cells within the average human are outnumbered by a factor of ten by non-human cells. Getting knowledgable about parasites is much more important a topic than the obvious peculiar yuk effect. Though I promise you that this book will fulfill the latter to the fullest as well.

I thought I knew a bit about parasites. For example those wasps which lay eggs in other invertebrates. To begin with, I didn't know that there were some 200,000 parasitic wasp species out there. I had also no idea, how EXACTLY some of them work. Like the species, whose two eggs, one female, one male, subdivide in the host, to produce ever more eggs, with the females developing into different classes of maggots, such as the soldier maggots whose only job it is to kill other parasitic wasps' maggots in the host - and all but one of the male siblings. Or that the social parasite, the cuckoo baby is able to mimic the sound of a CHOIR of eight singing host bird babies and the sign stimulus of as many youngsters in the nest to the parents' eyes. (Though the book doesn't mention that some birds cannot be fooled anyway and depose of the cuckoo (egg) and also doesn't mention that the near-by cuckoo parents may retaliate by killing all the hosts' surviving kids...) Or that there is something like plant bacteria, not as in bacteria of plants, but as in green bacteria. Being an essential part (originally parasite) of the parasite named "bad-air" aka malaria.

The book answers even the nagging question, wether there are homosexual parasites. (I wondered that ever since I read Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity (Stonewall Inn Editions) about mammals and birds.) The flukes mentioned here are the first parasites I encountered (as in READING about them), which act homosexual in a benign way. To each other that is. (Other parasites - not mentioned in this book - may act homosexual in very twisted ways to procreate to the detriment of same-sex competitors.) Thinking about it: Shouldn't homosexual parasites of the former kind be our favorite parasites, if there is such a thing, because presumably they do NOT procreate, as in: in us? The book sure doesn't answer the question wether there are homosexual solidarity activists like there are for maltreated homosexual zoo animals.

Talking about questions I never knew existed: The book is full of them. Sticking with the homosexual topic, there's a fungus, which TURNS flies into necrophiliac homosexuals. As much as another parasite doesn't only fool crabs into believing that their attached parasite babies are crab babies to care for, but fooling male crabs to believe they themselves are females all of the sudden in order to (be able to) do that to begin with. If you ever sought a flabbergasting book, this will be it. Some animals have a bodyguard class against parasites (ants), others employ blind snakes as maids to free the nest of parasites (owls). And how much DNA itself can get parasitic in various ways sure wasn't on my radar of existing topics.

The book talks about allergies caused by the modern lack of parasites, complete fusions of life, the parasitic origin of sexuality, and that humans may be considered as parasites in the gaia concept. As stupid parasites that is, which are those defined who kill their host. Some readers may be a little lost with this spirituality capping ending of the book. As a Rasta, personally, I am not. As such, I was surprised to find welcome information on the spread of parasites through colonialism. Not only via the conquerors' imported bugs and slavery's transmission, but via relocating cattle within Africa. And via forcing the indiginous populations to live and work in areas unsuited for humans and/or their cattle. All of that having caused most severe and lethal epidemics. The Western apologetic lore has it that their colonial doctors brought healing power to their conquered new lands. (The book doesn't mention that some vaccines were necessary, because the diseases had been imported in the first place and that some FORCED cattle vaccinations occasionally caused more deaths in livestock than the diseases themselves, sometimes intended, sometimes not.) In today's shifted colonial world, the book warns (indirectly) against huge dams, which dramatically expand standing water, which in turn dramatically expands the habitat of dangerous to human parasite carrying snails. In case you are wondering how dams are colonial, please read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. I find it also interesting to read that Konrad Lorenz didn't change his views of parasitism in the Nazi sort of way at all - even not a few days before his death in 1989. As celebrated as he gets in Western school books, it is usually not known (and not elaborated in this book) that he fully embraced the Nazi party and became an eager member immediately after Hitler marched into Austria. On a more enlightening subject around parasites, I didn't consider before I read this book that human (pre-)history can be reconstructed via tapeworms.

I have a little bit of criticism. Some things are sketchily mentioned only. There is a parasite which eats the flesh of the human face. Ok, horrid. But if I think about it after the initial impulse to turn the page immediately: How exactly do I have to imagine that? What consequences does this have? How is that livable? No answers in this book. The captions of the FEW black and white pictures on 16 pages in the middle of the book are sometimes not that precise. With that parasite, which replaces a fish's tongue, the caption is all we will ever read in this book about that parasite. How does it eat the tongue, i.e. getting into the mouth? How does the parasite help the fish grabbing food? How does the parasite mate? Does it cause infected fish to french kiss or what? If I want to research that, I would have appreciated the parasite's name. Or the name of the host. The caption only says a crustacean in a fish. Wow, that's precise! I don't even know, where on this planet I should look into a fish's mouth before eating it. Well, I was able to find some answers elsewhere nevertheless: The parasite is called Cymothoa exigua, lives in California and only in the mouths of Lutjanus guttatus aka spotted rose snapper. The parasite crawls under the tongue and severes its blood supply in a vampiric manner, causing the tongue to wither away to be replaced by the growing tongue with eyes. I still don't know how it procreates, so anybody who does know, please leave a comment with source. Five years after the book had been written, the first fish with second tongue was found in EU waters (in the UK). The book may not be that incredibly up to date, with some issues still pending when written. For example on the eradication of some parasites. As of 2008 some more countries could be added to the list of eradicated guinea worms, but with other countries still lacking behind.

The Hamilton-Zuk theory got its own book by Marlene Zuk herself: Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are, itself a great book about parasites, with little overlap. And if, it goes more in-depth, like with the fungus which attacks insects. If you like a coffee table book of the nasty treat, in which you can also read, which (utterly unexpected!) places in your household are the most yukky ones, "enjoy" the Canadian Human Wildlife: The Life That Lives on Us. If you are interested in more symbiotic body roomies, largely restricted to bacteria and in a systematic text book presentation, read the rather dry Microbial Inhabitants of Humans: Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease. Much more grippingly written is Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World by a science journalist. Which is also about the history if antibiotic treatments and their failure due to mounting resistance. About former parasites, today our energy source and DNA family tree provider, mitochondria, read Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. A more general biological approach of symbiosis is Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos--How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution. A theoretic re-thinking, including reconstructing taxonomy and theories about gaia, read Symbiotic Planet: A New Look At Evolution.

"Parasite Rex" is great science writing. For readers familiar with evolutionary and ecological theories, they will meet these theories in a new guise. For readers not familiar, Zimmer has a talent for explaining complex ideas in a very simple fashion. In only one case did I detect a minor oversimplification: there is more to generating novel antibodies than shuffling genes. My only complaint about style is that Zimmer sometimes tries to make the reader horrified at what parasite does to prey, and when the prey is a lower order animal like a caterpillar, I am doubtful that having its insides eaten is as horrible as it sounds. I say this as a person who only eats free range meat. As regards content, fewer case histories of individual parasites would suffice to illustrate the ideas, and for me at least, make for an even more interesting book.

I was very surprised to learn of the strong environmental component to such autoimmune diseases as Crohn's: while once thought to be characteristic of a few ethnic groups, e.g. Jewish, it has become much more common in other groups as sanitation has improved, and the immune system has fewer parasites to fight off. Zimmer suggests parasites play a critical role in ecological balance, and points to some compelling case histories. Parasites are often able to control behavior of their hosts, and thus are a potentially important source of new behavioral drugs.

I bought this book quite a long time ago and forgot to review it until now...I am a parasitologist and this is one of my favorites. Zimmer is funny and engaging and scientifically accurate--I HAVE GOT TO READ THIS AGAIN SOON.

Another excellently-written work from Carl Zimmer. This book will give you a bad case of the creepy-crawlies in parts. It will also completely change your outlook on the nature of life, because you will learn that parasites are not really the gross, "devolved" hangers-on that most think of them as, but rather a vibrant, important part of the web of life...

... that is sometimes really disgusting.

Still, an outstanding book, one that give parasitology a much-improved face. Written in Zimmer's usual clear, very readable style.

This is so much more than just a book with art in it. This book gives you inspiration and help and encouragement in your journey with whatever art form you work with. Kelly's art is beautiful and so inspiring and the fact that she included some other artists in the book as well was such a bonus. The interviews and techniques of these artists are awesome and eye opening. The way Kelly used their techniques with her own just gives to the overall feel of the book. Learning to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. I am glad to have been opened up to their art as well and learn something from them. Every project in this book is awesome and I cannot wait to try them all. You really get into Kelly's heart and see how she started out and what she has overcome in her own journey. It is almost like a little dose of therapy in there as well. I just got inspiration overload from it all. The book is great, you will not regret having it in your home library. I have always been in and out of a rut with my art and this has been the push I need to give my creative spirit wings and soar. The only thing I regret about the book is that it's not signed by the wonderful artist Kelly Rae Roberts, that would be the final touch!
Note: And to note, I just couldn't resist saying something about the 1 negative comment about the book so far, basically is to ignore it and not even waste the time reading it cause it made absolutely no sense at all and I just have to wonder what this person is on. A monkey could follow the step by step instructions given, they are easy to follow and understand. Okay, off my soap box now!

I was so excited to receive this book...and it certainly exceeded my expectations!! The projects are wonderful, the directions easy to follow and I am up to number 3 reproduction of Kelly's amazing art..Buy this book, you will not regret it!!!

just as the title indicates, this book has proven to give me wings and set my creative juices into motion. i have thoroughly enjoyed learning and being inspired by kelly and the techniques presented. in fact, i started a project (finally) one evening. when i awoke the following morning, it felt like christmas and i diverted from my usual routine and went straight to the art table*** thank you kelly!

I agree with the other reviewers in that this really is a gorgeous book. But it is more than just a pretty picture. The passion that Kelly Rae Roberts has for her art seeps into every corner of this book. I am not a mixed media artist (yet) but I do make one-of-a-kind jewelry that has a mixed-media appeal. All I know is that I am truly inspired by her book to take my art to the next level. I have never been good at keeping a journal but the workbook pages in this book are really quite helpful. I am using this as a getaway from my life...when I need to be inspired and uplifted and righted on my path to creativity. When I am done I will go back and read through my answers to see where this book has taken me on the wings of Ms Robert's fancy. Ms Robert's artwork is a stunning backdrop to a rich collection of essays and quotes meant to treat your senses to an inspiration smorgasbord. Perfect book for anyone who wants to follow their dreams or just put a bit more creativity into their lives.

I bought this book because I really liked the front cover and also because the critics were so wonderful that I thought that I really was going to LEARN something but I found that she didn't even know what "gesso" was,an artist! I found a book made only for women who needed to be encouraged about their art abilites,needed of hearing that they could do it, that they are sacred, and blah blah blah....It is a self-help book not a real art technique one.Much better any of Claudine Hellmuth for exemple,I have much more, or any of the thousands of journaling blogs in internet made by famous mix media artists.
For me it was a really waste of money because I couldn't read more than ten pages.If I give it 2 stars is because some step by step are O.K.
I already know I am an artist and I can do anything if I work hard and I find the right information
This opinion is just to help other people looking for other kind of help.