Journals Books

The title of the book says it all. If you want to be a good steward, if you want to manage your finances well, here's a better way.

Kathy Miller has streamlined the process for the rest of us. This is simple, and it's concise. She shows us just what to record and how to track our financial obligations. Credit cards, mortgages, car payments--that whole pile of monthly bills--here's an easy way to keep our hard-earned money under control.

As we follow her guidelines, we learn our net worth. We see at a glance our recurring income and expenses. We get to know how much we spend a month on each type of bill (and that helps us calculate our next year's budget). We're even shown how to make a pie chart of expenses, so we can easily see the big picture.

If paying bills and keeping financially organized has been a chore, if you've hoped for a more motivating method to keep on top of your money, or if you've wished for a better way to do what just has to be done in this area...then get this unique book. It's beautifully done, it's practical, it's great. I haven't come across anything better.

Kathy Miller has produced a well-designed system for organizing and maintaining personal finances. This is a user friendly, practical approach that will help the novice or the retiree to manage their spending and create an effective budget that will lead to financial freedom.

This comprehensive guide will help you identify your net worth, establish your financial goals and record in journal fashion your actual spending habits.

Forms are provided for a year's record of income, household expenses, credit card purchases, investments, and entertainment items. A summary of the journal at the end of the year is an invaluable tool for completing your annual tax reports.

The Good Steward's Journal is a budgeting resource that is workable. This system gives you easy-to-take steps that will help you create and maintain a budget. The inspirational Scriptures included remind the Christian of the importance of stewardship and good financial and life planning.

Following the practical suggestions offered will enable you to get your finances organized. The instructions are easy to understand, and will help you create and record your financial transactions.

This is an ideal planner for anyone serious about getting control of his or her finances. It is an excellent plan for the marriage counselor, the the church finance committee member, and personal financial couselors to recommend to their members and clients.

A GOOD STEWARD'S JOURNAL The Busy Christian's Guide to Better Money Mangement is a great gift for high school and college graduates. It's a very practical way to budget and track bill paying. It also describes how to figure the percentage of total expenses a certain category, like housing or entertainment, is costing you in a fiscal year and walks you through completing a pie chart to see the big picture of where your money is going. Best of all, it requres no computer skills. I rate it 5 stars for user-friendliness. The Scriptures cited are an added bonus!

I have used the book for a year, and so have a number of my kids. They are requesting them again this year as Christmas "stocking stuffers". It's so easy to help them (and myself) get organized and stay that way. No more late fees, and I can always look at the budget over the months to see how things are going.
My sister is now caring for my 88 year old mother, who loves to do her own bookkeeping. Never mind that she may take three days to write a check. Anyway, I told my sister about the journal and she wants one to give mom, as a simple, single source for all her monthly activities.
This book has made a real difference in my busy life and I recommend it highly.

I'm what most folks would call a "creative type"...my skills are not particularly strong the organizational arena and so, I've usually lived in a bit of chaos when it comes to managing my money (it comes in, it goes out...uh...where did it go?). I thought I was destined to always be struggling to make sense of the whole money thing.

And then a friend recommended A Good Steward's Money Management Journal.

This journal is a deceptively simple tool that has helped me gain clarity about what's going where, when it has to go there, and what I owe to whom. It's easy to use (and it doesn't take forever to learn or "set up" like online money management things that used to set my head spinning...).

I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who thinks that managing money has to be hard. I did. And now I don't. A Good Steward's Money Management Journal has given me a system I can LIVE WITH. (and a little more sanity around bill paying time!) (and can't we all use a little more of that!?)

I purchased this guest book for a weekend home. This particular book was purchased because the design is classic and timeless and won't go out of style. There is ample space on and in between lines unlike other books I looked at. You can't go wrong with this book regardless of the occassion or event.

This guest book is quite attractive--grey-beige roses work nicely with a gold binding. Pages are nicely lined with a pale lavender heading on each. Book conveniently lies flat with its spiral binding. A good choice for an occasion that may be more female- oriented, and not too large or formal as book is medium-sized. Still, has ample room for most needs and is not exclusively feminine.

The best part of this book is the room given for each line and how it lays flat when open so it is very easy to write in. I was surprised how hard it was to find a good guest book! The cover is lovely which counts only after the event as you don't see it while it's out. I would love to see a guest book that says "date" before the line or even "Sign in Please." This didn't have anything but blank pages, but as I said, it did its job well, especially for the price.

I was searching for the perfect gift to present a friend of mine who needed to have a Guest Book for her Sobriety birthday party. Looking at the book with ample space for names and addresses (and a few notes here and there) were what she needed in order to let everyone know how much she appreciated their presence. It's a beautiful book that will last a lifetime! Kudos!

This is exactly what I needed. It is the perfect little guest book: it's nicely designed, can be used for any and all occasions, it is attractive, lays flat when opened, and the price was very good. Great value!

This Harry potter Journal sounds very cool. It has a Neat cover,and over of 100 pages for your personal thoughts. But, it doesn't have a lock. If it had a lock on it, it would complete the magnificense of this terriffic journal. It also doesn't show you what the pages look like.

My son is not fond of writing and has a hard time doing his homework. This journal has inspired him to write more often and therefore improve his schoolwork. It's very helpful that the pages are lined.

Ok - maybe you will not agree that "some-kinda-note-book" has 5 stars. But for me it does...this journal will always bring me back memories of my best friend.
Let's make this a "best-friend-journal". Buy it for the person, who you consider as your best friend!

P.S. Never forget to smile!

I own this journal and it became mine and my boyfriends journal where we write back and forth to eachother when his brother decided he didnt want it anymore. I wish it had lines but it works just as well, with the swirling little wand with the stars at the bottom. i really love this journal! Hedwig makes a good front cover.

I think all harry potter items can be enjoyed no matter what they are but only if you have read all of the harry potter books so that you understand all them. i would even enjoy harry potter tissues that is what i say and this journal is the perfect item to my collection!

-Hermione granger #1 Harry potter fan!

I found this book incredibly insightful and admire the courage it took for Carol Hebald to open up her life and let us in. Her story is probably one of thousands if not millions who have been misdiagnosed by the mental health profession. By the end of the book it seemed perfectly clear to me that if Carol had not taken control of her own life and had not thrown the toxic pharmaceutical cocktails overboard once and for all, she would have been a lifelong victim of psychiatry. Carol's book can help countless people realize the label they have been given by the psychiatrist is just that, a label, with no actual meaning or strength to it, except that which the individual or society grants to it. I applaud her for writing a book that can and will change people's life for the better!

Dave Statter
Executive Producer of the film Prescription:suicide?

As a child, Ms. Hebald had no allies once her father died, but even he, on his deathbed, "abused" her when she was five. Others from her mom to her baby-sitter to her lovers to her doctors made her feel that life is miserable. For instance, as a teen a psychiatrist acclaimed she was a sure shot suicide. A series of hospitals and a bunch of losers with psychiatrist degree provided Ms. Hebald little solace, plenty of unhelpful advice and turned her stomach into a chemical processing plant. Finally at forty-four, she decided it was time to recycle her life starting with dumping her drug paraphernalia into the ocean.

Readers should understand this is not an easy memoir to follow as Carol Hebald goes deep inside her brain to her soul to explain four decades of mental illness highlighted by several suicide attempts. The author is all over the place with the influences in her life turning her autobio somewhat into a NYC rush hour train. Though it is difficult to follow her narrative, the audience will find it worth the time for anyone dealing with mental illness or a family member because overall this is a powerful condemnation warning for the buyer to beware.

Harriet Klausner

Carol Hebald's story of overcoming the assumed difficulties that she would have in life is an inspiration; not only to those who have dealt with mental illness, but also to those who have had real and/or perceived constraints put upon them by various medical facilities/personal. I enjoyed reading Carol's memoires and sharing in the tales that brought her to where she is now.

Anyone who is fortunate enough to have encountered Carol Hebald's poetry knows the wonder of being exposed to an extraordinary talent, one which some of today's most successful authors and novelists envy.

Now we know at what cost to her this skill was engendered.

I would like to see an annotated volume, in which her poetry can be read in the context of the story that unfolds in "The Heart Too Long Suppressed".

Intimate in its personal revelations, yet universal in scope, The Heart Too Long Suppressed is a powerful and gripping account of one woman's courageous struggle to come to terms with a difficult past. Toward the end of the book, Hebald speaks briefly about "pain as nourishment" for the artist. Herein lies her strength: She transforms tragedy into lyrical art. I was struck throughout by her dazzling shifts of tone. Her ability to balance between acute perception and precarious illness is nothing short of amazing. This book is a major accomplishment. I recommend it enthusiastically and without reservation.

Thank you Nadiye for your courageous and invaluable personal account that should be read by all involved in mental health,or affected by mental illness.Nadiye experiences a living hell caused by biochemical imbalances and her situation is exacerbated by harmful side effects from very powerful prescription drugs.The reader is alerted to the fact that we must take responsibility for our own health where orthodox medicine fails.This book retraces Nadiye's roller coaster journey over a seven year period from the initial onset and progression of manic depression,with its resulting destructive forces of despair,frustration with failed treatments,humiliations and the loss of friends and loved ones as they become alienated towards her.Despite all Nadiye and her loving family seek answers in an unrelented search, which finally brings a long awaited release from her dark journey.Thank you Nadiye for being so courageous.Many people will be helped by your book.

I take my hat off to Nadiye and other sufferers of this awful
disorder. Before reading this book I had no idea of the pain and torment sufferers must endure. Everyone should read it, in order to understand more those they come in contact with, and the daily struggle they go through. There must be many children in schools today, who could be helped so much earlier, if they had access to the advice this book offers. I sent a copy to a friend in New Zealand,a sufferer whose marriage broke up due to it, and who subsequently lost custody of his child. About 6 weeks later that friend arrived in Bali (where I live, and where I obtained the book) to visit, complete with all the minerals, vitamins etc Nadiye advocated, - he had been following it to the T with amazing improvement!! The book also helped me understand more a relation who suffers from the same problem, but unfortunately refuses to acknowledge it.Nadiye opens the door and sheds light on something that so many keep hidden in darkness. She and her wonderfully supportive family are to be congratulated, not only did they refuse to give up,and kept on searching for answers, but Nadiye was prepared to go through the hell of it all again, to relive it, no mean feat I am sure, in order to offer help to others. This book will bring hope and help to so many. God Bless You Nadiye.

Bravissimo! I apploud Nadiye's forthrightness, courage, and ability to share her journey of overcoming manic depression through nutritional healing and the hope that is desperately needed today.

High Tide-Low Tide is a very informative book regarding the world of manic depression. I have had some questions in my mind, with regards of manic depression, and after reading High Tide-Low Tide things made a lot of sense to me.

I found Nadiye to be open, sincere an thorough in her willingness to share her life experience. She presents her path, both trials and victories, to us in a way that we can start to understand what is happening within her. She thoughtfully recounts her experiences and the reactions of those around her. She tells us of the responses of both friends and professionals as she and they try to discover what is happening to her. Her well described experience helps us to understand others who have the same or similar difficulties. I would recommend the book to anyone who knows of someone suffering from psychological problems, no matter the cause

This is a good story of adolescence - the challenges, trials, and triumphs. The style is brisk; and the worthwhile "message" doesn't overpower the engrossing narrative. I heartily recommend this book; and I look forward eagerly to the next by this author.

My local library categorizes this as a young adult novel, but I'm beyond that age range and I found this a cleverly written novel that is poignant and powerful. It reminded me of all the things adolescents deal with--maybe we always deal with. The style started out simply and grew along with the narrator. There is an overall Christian worldview that comes through, but it never overpowered the narrative; rather, it seemed to grow out of the characters themselves. This would be a great gift for a young person you know, or for yourself.

Though it doesn't have the depth of characterization that Schreiber's other novels have, it does capture adolescence with stunning and moving simplicity. There is a bittersweet tone that few other novels are able to pull off so effectively.

I am the type of person who doesn't read very often, but I found myself trying to make time to finish this book. Being a senior male, I related to many of the situations that the senior in the book, Chad, wrote about. I have faced many of the same predicaments that he was in. I struggle with a lot of the things that Chad struggled with. Sometimes, while I was reading, I felt as if I was Chad.

I have never read a book that reached me on a personal level like this one did. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good book. I look forward to reading the second book in the "Ironwood Chronicles."

Excerpts from Mrs. Nowak's sophomore English class, Triton High School, Dodge Center, MN:

"Overall, your book was one of the best I have ever read. It deals with normal high school issues in a way that is easy for people of all ages to be interested in.''

"I wanted to laugh, cry, cringe or even rejoice at different stages in the book. . . . Since I have read this book I have learned many things. I have an even bigger assurance that it's ok to not give into peer pressure.'"

"Reading your novel Hillcrest Journal reminded me of how almost every high school is the same and how every teenager has ups and downs just like everybody else. I think your book really reminds us that we aren't the only ones with struggles. Many of the characters in the book reflected many of my own peers. . . . It told of every high and low and explained all the options, opportunities, and tough decisions that we face everyday.'"

"I loved your book. . . . It made me want to start laughing. Chad is so much like me it was scary.''

"Hillcrest Journal is more than honest about high school life, it's honest in general about what life is. . . "

Excellant book for parents. Serves as a reminder to us as to how difficult the teenage years were for ourselves and how they will most likely be for our own kids. An inspiration to all teenagers as it demonstrates to them that peer pressure is strong. It helps them to see that alot of the trials they are facing as a teenager are common and can be one of the many challenges of growing up. Also serves as a reminder that keeping your faith in God will keep you strong.

Very good collection of African American writting. I enjoyed it.

This book has been the "Hit" of several recent book parties in The San Francisco East Bay and South Bay Areas. Dr. Dance's book evokes memories of Black humor we rarely are exposed to anymore. These anthologies are the best I have read in years. We can still laugh at ourselves and love the humor in the antidotes.

This books is off the charts! Ive been reading for a long time, and this book just encompasses so much for the African American experience. My favorite parts of each chapter are the anecdotes and sayings found at the end of each respectively. Purchase this book and pass it on other everyone you know who needs a laugh!

This is by far the greatest anthology that I have ever laid eyes on. It was very well put together!

This is an enormously funny, if often slightly risque, anthology. I took it to the office, and my African American fellow workers can't put it down. Ever since I brought it in, periodically there are howls of laughter from around the building. And several of them have told me that they have heard some of these stories and sayings from their own relatives and friends. Highly recommended!

After the acute mourning phase fades, and it will (although it takes time), the time for remembering appears. This is a wonderful book for writing your memories, putting in photos, or doing whatever you want as a personal tribute to your loved one. I think it would be hard to work on this book shortly after losing someone, but a few years later, or whenever grief turns into the quiet background music of everyday life, it is time to write down all of the wonderful and precious memories.

This book would make a wonderful gift to anyone who has lost a loved one - even for yourself.

I found this journal/book to be very helpful in dealing with grief over the sudden loss of my mother. The introductory sections described exactly how I was feeling and the pages to journal give space to get feelings down on various subjects. Using the book helped to remember the good times. I would recommend it to anyone going through this process. I actually felt a bit better after working through it using the book.

When my young sister died suddenly, I was devastated. I wandered into a bookstore and somehow found this book. Although it is a journal, I didn't intend to write in the book when I bought it. I just wanted to read the quotes on life, loss and grieving on each page. They really captured my many complex and painful feelings. Now, several years later, I still remember "The presence of that absence is everywhere." The quotes were also short, which helped when grief prevented me from focusing on anything for long.

I did end up writing in the book, and drawing pictures, and inserting stickers and poems she would have liked. It has been my companion through this grief. And now it's a treasured momento with stories of her life and our relationship.

I hope it will be reprinted soon but, if not, it is worth special ordering.

When my young sister died suddenly, I was devastated. I wandered into a bookstore and somehow found this book. Although it is a journal, I didn't intend to write in the book when I bought it. I just wanted to read the quotes on life, loss and grieving on each page. They really captured my many complex and painful feelings. Now, several years later, I still remember "The presence of that absence is everywhere." The quotes were also short, which helped when grief prevented me from focusing on anything for long.

I did end up writing in the book, and drawing pictures, and inserting stickers and poems she would have liked. It has been my companion through this grief. And now it's a treasured momento with stories of her life and our relationship.

This is a wonderful grief journal. Almost too nice to write in! It has some wonderful poetry and sayings throughout the journal pages. The intro has tips on how to get the most from journaling - encouraging the expression of emotions.

I love the book, thank-you. It also got to my university in time for the beginning of the semester. I was the only person that had it with such a low cost. Thank-you Amazon. You will be seeing me again.!

I ordered this book sight-unseen for a new course I'm offering in the spring. I wasn't disappointed. The writing is varied, often challenging and always compelling. I recommend this to anyone who wonders what creative nonfiction is all about.

This book is one of best compilation titles I ever found.
Perfect if you want to read some of the best nonfiction pieces around.

The subjects multiply of these 25 great essays... from wolves and hunters... to a woman with deseases... to a man fascinated with people named like him... to a guy who remembers his uncle's strange apartment meetings... and so on...

All of those texts are written with a unique style and a rare passion who raised my interest everytime I took the book and started to read.

In fact, while some of the essays here didn't have a subjecto who'd speak to me on a personal level, the thing is... they are all so well written that I just kept on reading. And I did found more to this genre than I used to see.

I recomend this book to writers, readers and just anybody in for a great reading ride.

Mr. Gutkind did a marvelous job collecting theses texts. That must be said.

The introduction (notes for young writers) is also an awesome way to introduce the wonders of this genre.

Highly recomended.

For those unfamiliar with Lee Gutkind, she was instrumental in working on an creating one of my favorite literary publications, Creative Nonfiction. Each issue was devoted to a particular subject, from Family to Intimate Matters or Surviving Crisis.

Just last night, in fact, I read one of the pieces from one of those publications, an essay called "Shunning" which told of the loss of identity faced by a pregnant teen in the 60s, during a time when getting pregnant outside of marriage could cause everyone to turn their backs on a person.

Now I"m thrilled that Gutkind has compiled some of the best examples of Creative Nonfiction. Not only because I'm already a fan of her work but also because I love reading but am short on time. This book is perfect because it allows me to start and finish an entire piece in the book without having to set aside hours to do so. I don't HAVE to read it in a few days or one or two sittings.

I urge you to experience the joys of Creative Nonfiction, especially as compiled by someone as discerning as Gutkind.

It is great for those who have to read in fits and starts, perhaps while waiting to pick up a kid after school or while waiting in line at the drive-up window at the bank. In short, it is perfect for taking with you while on a trip, on the run or when you have a few minute in your day to sit down, have a cup or coffee (or snack) and let one of the many wonderful writers in this volume take you away from you usual routine.

I enjoyed this book SO much, I can't recommend it enough! Creative Nonfiction is a relatively new genre, or overlooked. But the genre has now come to the forefront, and it is DIVINE! Lee Gutkind assimilated some fantastic "creative nonfiction" authors, and the result is that of a creme brulee. (really, if you love books as much as I do, you'll understand what I mean. Some people simply assume that nonfiction books are dry, and boring. NOT. "In Fact: The Best Of Creative Nonfiction" surprised me, and basically kept me glued to the book. I finished it in one night, and for me, that is rare. But the writers that Mr. Gutkind chose for this undertaking are so perfect for this genre, and it was a highly interesting read. I can't recommend it enough! BUY IT NOW!

James Calvin Schaap, in the book "In His Feathers" has masterfully captured the love for life, a faith in God, an appreciation for nature, and the fresh sense of humor of Sharon Bomgaars. Schaap has selected and compiled this compilation of Sharon Bomgaars' journals and correspondence. The book covers the period October 18, 1999 through September 28, 2002.

October 18, 1999 Sharon Bomgaars received the news that her body had been invaded by ovarian cancer. Sharon was given a 50/50 chance living another five years. Devastated but not defeated Sharon offered thanks for her 24 years of marriage and that she had been allowed to see her four children grow into adulthood.

Sharon's journals reveal her to be an amazing lady, a unique individual, and a devout worshiper of the God of the universe, the God of creation. Her life bears evidence of knowing the author of a redemptive plan that provides forgiveness for man's sinfulness. Throughout her letters and journals she maintains an absolute acceptance of God's sovereignty.

"In His Feathers" tells of Sharon's journey through the nearly four years of treatments, the discomfort, and the pain of ovarian cancer. Her writing chronicles her emotional and spiritual highs and lows. She gives tribute to her family and friends for their faithfulness in upholding her in prayer, and for their emotional, and physical support which helped her maintain a steadfast faith in a wise and loving God.

This is must reading for every woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer and for their family. It is a story of an amazing lady with a vibrant faith.

This was one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. What faith, what courage, what grace was so amazingly evident in Bomgaars journey of her dealing with cancer. It was a book that was easy to read and not easy to put down. Wonderful!!! Dotty Dirksen

-- Written by Virginia Owens; Huntsville, Texas --

In His Feathers is a marvel of a book. Finally, a truthful book about
cancer and facing death as a Christian. What would any sufferer give to
have Sharon's spirit or her husband, Dennis. This is not a sentimental
or blind grasping for straws of faith on the edge of an abyss. Sharon is
smart, inquisitive, demanding, and endlessly inventive when it comes to
devising ways to spend her last months and days delighting in life. She
questions her doctors, makes her decisions firmly, and gets ready to go to
the final frontier - as we all should, whether well or terminally ill. She
grieves over the grandchildren she will never see (she's only 44 when her
ovarian cancer is diagnosed) and keeps up a steady stream of conversation
with God as they work out her future together. The end, when it comes, is
no less painful or grim, but neither Sharon or the faithful Dennis shrink
from the hard path they are called to. One can only hope to do as well at
the hour -- or last years -- of our death. My husband and I read this
together and I feel certain it has strengthened our devotion to one another
as we, two decades older than Sharon and Dennis, work on going with grace.

-- Virginia Owens

Sharon's journals and letters take the reader with her into places that move from the ordinary to special and beautiful. Her honesty about the changes to her body and how her cancer affected relationships and attitudes goes far beyond any medical journal. Sharon has managed to teach us all to live well and die with dignity and courage. James Schaap has taken a sensitive subject and allowed us to glimpse the true feelings of a Christian who neither embraced nor feared death, but accepted it as part of the process of life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Sharon did a fantastic job telling all about her struggles and trails she went through in her battle with ovarian cancer. It was a joy to read and wonderful to read about her fantastic attitude. She was ready for Heaven and made the reader feel at peace about her going there. Her battle was long and hard fought and you felt like you were in it with her. I loved all the details of her travels and her love of nature!