Journals Books

This is a very touching book and it brings up many feelings that I needed to get in touch with. I would highly recommend it.

Eventhough this book was written almost sixty years ago, it speaks to women today. Anne Morrow Lindburgh writes as though she is visiting with the reader. It is so easy to hear the sea, see the sea shell she is describing and feel as though you truly know this author. This is a book I will read again and again, as well as give as a gift.

This is a must read for anyone & especially for women (of all ages). I
re-read it every few years just to be rejuvinated again. I've been giving
it ,for yrs., as gifts to special friends. The last time I gave it to my
friend ( a Presby. lay pastor)who took it with her from the WV mts. to
her family home in Fla....she read it while on the beach & upon returning used it as the basis for her sermon for Women's Sunday.Each time I find
something "new/eye-opening & worthy" in the examination of the shells to
our individual lives.

Everyone should read "A Gift From the Sea". This is a book filled with wisdom. Unfortunately I read it later in my life. I wish I would have had this book in my twenties. Anne Morrow Lindbergh was a woman who understood life.

There are a gazillion books out there on how to find yourself, follow your bliss, and cope with midlife crisis, but none more succinct or more profound than this slim and elegant volume. Each chapter is lovingly structured according to a particular species of shell, and the result is a beautifully observed prose poem about the evolution of the female psyche. With its compact size and attractive cover art, it makes a particularly charming gift.

This is in my opinion C.S. Lewis's best nonfiction work. The premise has been done before, but rarely with the sort of insight given here. His overviews of Affection and Friendship are much too often overlooked and glossed over as unimportant, but here they're given a status they really deserve.

The section on friendship, and the idea that people are bonded through mutual passions, and his grim statement that people who are just looking for a friend will never find one, was spot on. Friendships are formed as an extension of a passion for something bigger than the individual. A mutual cause drives people, whether they be sports fanatics, a tribe pining for survival, or art critics.

The pitfalls he explains for the loves such as lust, bigotry, elitism, etc. are self explanatory, but it's also practical. Friendships are exclusive by their very nature, and there's nothing intrinsically wrong with such a thing. Eros is most certainly exclusive. He emphasizes that we can't be friends with everyone, love everyone with Eros, but we can love everyone with Charity, the final section of the book.

One could write a book three times longer and not come close to the depth portrayed in this little book. Strongly recommended.

CS Lewis does a wonderful job defining the four Greek words for Love. I would recommend this book most highly to the man (women are less likely to make this error) who thinks he needs no friends. Lewis shows the importance of friendship to a good life.

This Is One of those books that should be sitting on a coffee table. It defines the various types of pure love: agape, venus, and storge to name some. It truly defines where the 'heart' is and perhaps defining the brotherly love, the parental love, or the true love...



Susan Saige

I think most of the people who purchase Lewis' non-fiction do so because they are interested in his take on Christianity. One of the odd things about this book is that Lewis doesn't make it clear how he decided on these four Greek words. It turns out that the New Testament doesn't use the word eros or storge. This means that the New Testament usage is actually closer to colloquial English usage that you might guess from this book. I assume he chose these words because classical Greek philosophers classified love in this four-fold way.

When Lewis discusses friendship in this book, he gives it a rather odd definition that no longer seems appropriate in today's world, and probably even in his time almost no one except a university professor have. Lewis' concept is that a friend is someone with whom you share an arcane interest. It is an interest so rare that when you meet someone with a similar interest, your reaction is "What? You too?" Now that most people live in large cities and many have access to the internet, finding someone with an interest in say Wagnerian Opera isn't nearly so hard as it might have been for Lewis, who hated London and large cities. I think for most urban dwellers today, the people whom we consider friends are not so much those with whom we share a rare hobby, but people whose company we like and whose lives we are interested in hearing about.

If you are a hard core Lewis fan, you will probably enjoy this book, but if you are new to Lewis, you might have more fun reading something else like Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, or The Great Divorce.

Within this work, Mr. Lewis is quick to point out the inherent difficulty with regard to the concept of love facing individuals whose native tongue is English. That is, it is easily recognized that there exists an extreme deficit when one applies the same word to describe the sentiment shared with one's spouse, as well as their favorite food. In such extreme cases of difference in terms of the word's application, clarification is hardly needed and might be written off as an embellishment about that which one feels about, say, strawberries or chocolate. However, other instances are more difficult to write off as a poor choice of words; such as, love for friends, family, a spouse, and God. One must surely agree that the sentiment in each of these instances of love can exist and be experienced in significantly different ways. While love is the umbrella under which all of these sentiments rest, they are, as far as most people can tell, very different things. That being said, it is lucky for the reader that Mr. Lewis, almost immediately, circumvents the language barrier and begins to illustrate the foundational understanding which must be apparent for further exploration of the concepts of love to proceed. For those who have struggled with this, even the simplest concept of love's significance, as this reviewer has, the first chapter alone is worth the price of this work's purchase.

Building upon a necessary base of knowledge, Lewis begins to explore the nature of love beginning with that love which might be the gray area between the words love and like, or either of the two, as spoken in the English language. Lewis continues his endeavor by tackling what people often consider the more significant forms of love such as friendship, erotic love, and the love of and for God. While no attempt will be made here to convey the significance of the final chapter regarding actual Love in fear of diluting a brilliant message, each of the chapters leading up to that point share common threads. That is, Mr. Lewis illustrates the difficulty which can be had with love in any form if left to our own devices. This illustration is achieved in the author's typical fashion of profound analogies and appeals to common experiences. One can be certain that while this recognition of the volatility of human love is of extreme importance, it is the overriding concept that only by surrendering these loves to Love that one can achieve happiness, solace, and purity in Love which makes this work unquestionably valuable to those that are fortunate enough to read it.

This is a wonderful devotional. I give them to anyone going through hard times. They have always thanked me for such an inspirational gift. Each day in this book seems to address a need you may have at the present time of reading. I highly recommend.

This journal is beautiful. It's elegant but very simple and easy to use. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an uplifting and thought-provoking daily devotional. I really like the slim design and leather binding. I would give more stars, but I have only had it for a short time and have not fully experienced it yet. However, from what I have seen so far, it is a great devotional.

My niece gave me my first used edition of this wonderful devotional, and I've given copies to many others since then. For each day of the year, it contains a Bible passage, an essay on that passage by someone who loved Him, and often a poem on the same subject. It's not only water for a thirsty soul; it taught me a great deal about applying the teachings of the Bible to everyday life.

I purchased two of these items as gifts. The color was the only thing that threw me off. It was almost a golden green color. The leather cover was nice and looked really expensive. I wish the color of the binder had been black, a more neutral color.

I have been purchasing this daily devotional book for my husband every year at Christmas for 10 years. He starts over every year on Jan. 1.

I like the way they have changed the cover it is a soft suede leather instead of hard leather. I will continue to buy this book the best thing is that the verses are from the King James which is very important to my husband and myself. I absolutely recommend this daily devotional to new and seasoned Christians.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's a slow read, but not difficult - there's so much packed into these 280 pages that you'll have to take your time to get it all.

It came as advertised. It came rapidly. The only complaint I have is that I ordered a hardcover and received a paperback.

I love this book. This is a great book to read daily. I do a chapter or two a day and then look up the verses that are referenced. It is really humbling and puts things into perspective. Focus on eternity and not the here and now.

it's like having a mentor talking/converse with you about different important issues in a christian life, heart etc. . get the book!

This is not a review of the book per se (just got it, have not read it yet), but thought I needed to share this. Book arrived with another book (a textbook) in the usual Amazon box, each laying side by side. It was left out in the rain for most of the day by the local carrier until I brought it inside. The entire box was soaked and ruined, tape fallen off and box literally gaping open, all of the paperwork inside was falling apart in pieces and soaked, my textbook was completely ruined (soaked through, wavy wet pages etc - got returned), yet this book was absolutely dry - not a trace of even a microdrop of water - perfect condition. Take away whatever message you want...

This book was a wedding present 8 years ago from my Mom. Every year we drag it out, pick our favorite horizontal photo and think about all of the fun things we did all year. It is a fun way to celebrate or Anniversary and look back at everything we have done. Until it showed up on Amazon, I had a hard time finding it, but now I buy it for all of my friends who are getting married. It is one of my favorite gifts and one that was really appreciated. We even bought a special gold pen so it all matches year to year.

I got this book as a wedding gift almost 8 years ago and I love it so much that I buy it for every couple that has gooten married since! It's a great shower or wedding gift.

I love this book. It is a great wedding gift! It is a simple, fun way to celebrate your married life together.

I bought this book 9 years ago for my husband on our first anniversary and it's become an enjoyable ritual to take it out every anniversary, insert a current photo and recall the events of the past year. The artwork is beautiful. I've been giving this as an engagement gift ever since!

The book is beautiful. Can't believe the price...would have paid a lot more for the quality. My husband loved it too! We just celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. It's a perfect gift for any newlywed or engaged couple.

Rory Stewart (British equivalent of a US FSO) went to Iraq as the war was kicking of and supported the CPA in the province of Basra. Rory does a great job of telling his own accounts of how he attempted to support the local government in the area he was responsible for and the difficulties that he had. A book that may have only occurred during a certain timeframe his lessons and experiences are valuable throughout Iraq and in other countries where a government is trying to vie for control.

This book is an honest, intelligent insight to the messes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the efforts by many - albeit should be all - to do bring those countries to stability. Everyone should read this - politicians (or so called politicians); servicemen/women; leaders and thinkers alike. This is my second title read of Rory Stewart and I hope to read more of his works.

Rory Stewart, educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, joined the British Foreign Service after a stint in the British Army. At the age of 30, and with at best limited Arabic, he was chosen to govern an Iraqi province - Meysan and then Nasiriyah - during the time of transition when the Coalition Provisional Authority ruled Iraq before handing power over to the elected Iraqi government. This is Stewart's account of his time in office.

Suffice it to say mistakes were made, and though Stewart spares us any tiresome analyses of what he - as a participant hardly impartial - felt should have been done better, it's clear that there was room for improvement, particularly in the lack of understanding of different cultures, and the expectation that a country that had never known democracy would eagerly - or even willingly - adopt it after the deposal of its tyrannt.

Perhaps the most eye-opening detail in the book is when Stewart, chosen for his many travels through Muslim lands, his knowledge of Farsi and Islamic cultures, and more, repeatedly describes seeings Arabs with their "Rosaries." Praying the Rosary is a devotion limited to Catholics and some Anglo-Catholics; what he saw were "Misbaha", the "prayer beads" on which Muslims count the 99 names of Allah as a devotion of their own. Neither Muslims, who deny the divinity of Christ, nor Catholics, whose list of prophets doesn't coincide with the Muslim one, would be too thrilled by this confusion. Compare this to the anecdote about Sir Anthony Eden, who studied Farsi and Persian literature at Oxford, who, when he sat down for negotiations with the Iranian leadership about their intent to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, found that his Farsi and knowledge of Persian literature was better than that of at least some of his counterparts, to the point that he reportedly needed to simplify his speech. O tempora! O mores! O imperia!

Those seeking a sardonic and insightful book into Operation Iraqi Freedom and its aftermath need go no further. Iraqis - and the Anglo-American tax-payer - deserved better.

Shgould be required reading for every member of Congress, the administration and all media pundits. A first hand on the ground account of why there are no simple solutions.

Lance Reynolds
Alameda CA

If you feel it is important to understand what is happening in Iraq today, this book needs to be added to your reading list. The author's perspective, that of largely unempowered administrator of a province in Iraq, is both valuable and unique. Rather than the purely political or military viewpoint, you are given a look into the reality of the daily challenges being faced by those charged with trying to make things work on the ground... the implementers, not the policy makers or military men. The view is not a very pleasant or hopeful one.

The style of writing is sometimes dry and some may find it rather boring to read often repetitive accounts of setting up and administering programs, and dealing with constant political infighting among the factions. It can also be frustrating and tedious to read about hard working, well-intentioned people trying to accomplish things against great odds, only to see everything go for naught (again and again and again). But for me at least, it was the information and insights that were buried within the mundane details of Mr. Stewart's day to day accounts, and the reasons for the many failures that were the most revealing and added most to my understanding of what we are up against in Iraq.

My conclusion after reading the book was that the quote from Milton, "It is better to rule in hell than serve in Heaven," seems to perfectly sum up the attitude of the leaders of the various factions there. Until that attitude changes, the hope for a functioning democracy in Iraq appears to be mostly wishful thinking at best.

This book is absolutely amazing. My mother got this book for me when I was about 17 and just really starting to bud out and become an artist. Dan's work was absolutely mesmerizing and inspiring. His colorful life and tragic death spark something in you to go out and change the world.

This is a dense, rich book of images and words left by Dan Eldon, one of those brilliant, outsized people who burn through life like a flare and are gone. He surrounded himself with beauty and horror and tried to both record and to make some sense of his experiences and the constant, jarring disparity between the extremes of life.
If you love photography and art or are just drawn to precocious brilliance and the intense energy of people who are present in every moment of their lives, you should own this book.

After seeing this book in a Borders store, I decided to buy it. I couldn't put it down, page after page offers so much of the author, yet offered so much to the reader. It makes your own imagination soar again, and as a fellow photographer, it gave me a kick in the butt I needed to start shooting again. The vision of Dan Eldon was not only through a lens, but through his heart as well. He accomplished a great deal in a short life, and definitely contributed to the bettering of our world. His photographs of Africa, combined with the scrapbook like additions of text and objects could be considered a new form of documentary photography. I strongly urge anyone who is interested in travel or photojournalism to get this book and have it transform your outlook on life.

Eldon's story of the war-torn Somolia is as much an artwork as it is an engaging story. This "book" is a reproduction of photojournalist Dan Eldon's journal from his travels in the most impoverished regions of Africa. Part insightful reading, part artistic work, this book should be on anyone's reading list who wants to know more about the world we don't see everyday, and it truly makes one think about all we have, and all Eldon lost...5 out of 5 starts easily!

I bought this book upon it's release in 1997. I can remember allowing the contents of this memoir to captivate me for hours on end. I lent my copy to a friend shortly thereafter and subsequently forgot about it. I recently ordered a replacement and I must say, this book is even more compelling than I ever remembered. Dan Eldon was a profound visionary, an articulate statesman and a devoted caretaker. As a Reuters photo-journalist, he traveled the world and served as a dipomatic embassador to many, yet his life was taken prematurely in a stoning riot in Somalia. He experienced more in his brief 21 years than most of us will over an entire lifetime. A MUST HAVE.

I bought three of these for my niece for Christmas. She is a Lit Major and is an amazing writer. She loved them. I think that the money that you pay for them is incredible for the quality of these journals. No they are not real leather but they are beautiful despite the fact. I will but her more soon.

I can't imagine a more perfect looking journal for writing down important notes. Make no mistake, this is not really leather -- but it is an awesomely beautiful book with a museum-quality look.

No need to resist, this is worth the money -- just for how wonderful it makes you feel. What a great gift for yourself or a friend!

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my wife. She enjoys writing poetry and I wanted to give her something like a journal to copy them over to. I was lucky enough to come across this product which is just beautiful and very well made. She loves it. It is a great gift for anyone who writes poetry, keeps journals, or even short stories.

What a great buy. It was well worth the money. The magnetic closure is very nice.

I just received this journal as a birthday present, and I can't believe I even wrote in journals before that weren't by Paperblanks. The picture shown does not even begin to do it justice. The gold foil embellishment adds a beautiful touch to this journal. Inside, there are two pages that cover the front and back of the lined pages that are a dark, shiny, golden color. Unlike the previous reviewer, my journal did not have a space to put who "this journal belongs to." It has a beautiful bright satin ribbon marker and a momento pouch inside the back cover. The pages are cream colored and unbelievably smooth. If this look doesn't suit you, Paperblanks has many others to chose from. Just do a search. I can promise you once you get one from this company, you'll never be satisfied with anything else! I will DEFINITELY be getting more in the future when I fill this up! :)

I gave this to my best friend, who is pregnant with her first baby. I had been looking at other journals and this one looked more on the fun and cute side opposed to all serious. When I got it it was so nice, bright colors and the pages were high quality. The book has alot of fun questions in it and even some for the dad to be! Also has a format that would help someone still to it, sometimes journals can be hard to continue. Where there are questions and then space for the answers...and not questions that would involve pages and pages of answerws. Some of the questions may seem silly to fill in now, maybe a bit on the corny side, but these answers to these questions are going to be exactly what you are going to reread and remember for years to come!

I loved this! So many fill in the blanks so that you can remeber after you forget! I should have just jotted more down, but i still am glad i used it!

This journal asks the questions you'd love to see your responses to when your children are much older. I really like this journal. Someone gave me one when I had my first child. And I ended up buying one for my second pregnancy. If you enjoy guided journals (where they ask tons of questions throughout the entire 9 months), you'll be pleased with this one.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

I wanted a "pregnancy" journal to document key events during my pregnancy and found exactly what I was looking for in Butterflies & Hiccups. Initially, I considered a "daily" journal but in reviewing some of the pregnancy journals online, I was impressed with Butterflies & Hiccups. It is a "monthly" journal, which really turned out to be perfect... daily would have been overkill, especially since there are many days that pass where there's really nothing to document. This journal has excellent preprinted questions as well a blank page for each month for documenting additional information, perhaps not covered by the preprinted questions. Each month, the journal covers topics such as changes/symptoms, doctor visits, and has a page for placing a photo to track pregnancy progress (and more). It goes up to nine months then continues on to the "Birth" with a checklist of what to pack in the hospital bag, preprinted birth questions, a photo page for picture with baby, a page for baby info (name, date/time of birth, height/length, etc). It also contains a section to document the Baby Shower. The journal contains a 'Baby Keepsake' pocket, perfect for holding ultrasound pictures. There's also an attached ribbon bookmarker so that you can go straight to the page where you left without having to flip through the journal... and it's spiral bound. Highly recommended PREGNANCY journal... this is NOT a BABY journal.

This book was excellent in giving us advice for which rides to ride, which rides to skip, which places to eat at, and which places to skip (because of the cost, haha). It even has fold out maps so we didn't have to get them separately and tote them all around, and they were very helpful--we used them every day. It also tells you the costs of all the hotels, if you're looking for that, as well. We especially enjoyed Port Orleans French Quarter. This book even has a special place for character autographs for your children so you don't have to buy one for $10! Buy this book and enjoy your trip even more!

I received my copy today of the Passporter 2005. This will be our first trip to WDW and now we are even more excited after reading through this book!!! I love that it is so compact, yet FULL of helpful information. Also, I like that the book can be closed so nothing will fall out. It is perfect to take into the Parks. It is like the Walt Disney World "Bible". A must for first time travelers to WDW!!!!

This is a wonderful book. It is cleverly written and organized with lots of ample room for the reader to journal, take notes and store paper momentos. I can hardly wait to take this with me on our Walt Disney World Vacation in a few short weeks. The authors have provided AWESOME information to make sure that my family has a great vacation. If you are looking for the perfect tour guide to WDW this is it!

I LOVE this book!!! I live in FL but hadn't been to Disney in years, so I decided to buy a planning book before our big trip. Well, I sure got more than I bargained for with this book. It has useful information about every resort, restaurant and ride...and more! The passporter pockets make it convenient to store your hotel confirmations, priority seating confirmations and tickets prior to your trip. The fold-out maps are great too!

In addition to the wealth of information provided in the book, Jennifer and Dave have a wonderful website that I highly recommend for more information about Disney, including updates to the book. If you are planning a Disney trip OR if you just love WDW, GET THIS BOOK. I can't say enough about it.

If you have read any of the other reviews you already know this series inspires strong praise and I agree with all of it. I'd like to add one more reason to appreciate this book- there is NO approximation of the WDW LOGO! you may be wondering why that would be a good thing so I'll tell you. We have a 4year old who can not read yet but has the brand recognition skills of a savant- I have had this book for a few days and not a shread of curiosity about it yet. Which translates into PEACEFUL planning. We won't be tackling the mouse till Dec. and I don't think I can stand almost 3 months of "IS IT TIME YET?????"