Journals Books

If I had to make a choice of only one book that I could have in addition to my Bible "My Utmost for His Highest" would be it. Next to the Bible, this book has had the greatest impact on my understanging of what is means to walk with Jesus.

I have an old copy of this book and love it, but it was bulky to travel with. I love the paper back version of the book and the new updated language. A wonderful companion for my spiritual journey.

I have been studying this book for 6 years and sharing it with others. Oswald Chambers was an exceptional writer, bible scholar, and teacher. This book has given me great insight and direction to walk as a Christian daily.

I highly recommend this book for everyone! The lessons really hit home and are applicable to all lives at all stages.

My Utmost for His Highest is a wonderful classic christian devotional book. I have used it and bought a copy for each of my adult sons for Father's Day.

This is one of my favorite books of daily devotions.
I've been through it several times and never tire of it.

I had a paperback copy of this book, and it really helped me to grow closer to God. So, I bought the journal..one for myself and a couple as birthday gifts for my friends. If you are searching for a closer walk...this book will help you find it...

I have been reading God Calling ever since the early 1970's. This book has helped me to know God in a personal way. I have given many copies away as gifts and worn out 3 paperbacks. I just received the Devotinal Journal and will now write in it along with my meditations. Every person I have given God Calling to has found peace, joy and guidance in their spiritual life and thanked me for introducing this timely book to them.

I use this every morning along with another book by Joyce Meyers called "The Secret Of Speaking God's Word". It is amazing that no matter what day it is the message always seems to speak to something going on in my life during that time. It allows me to better identify certain area(s) I want to focus my prayer and meditation on. Joyce Meyers book give specific scriptures outlined by subject, "Fear, Anxeity, Depression, Hope, etc. . ."

I have purchased at least 6 copies of this book in the past three months because I have friends I knew would benefit and enjoy them as I do.

God Calling is the most precious book I own next to the very Word of God, the Bible! Those with the Spirit of God living in them will easily recognize that it IS truly Jesus talking to you! Every day is a profound message and worth going back several times per day to reread.

This particular edition - I have purchased several for gifts - is soft gold leather and has space for journaling and gives daily scripture too. It is extremely rich looking and makes a special intimate gift for a friend. I would be lost without this book to give me encouragement and peace!

What more can be said about this lovely collection of thoughts? Even as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is as fresh as the day it was penned. This book is a keeper if ever there was one, a volume to be read and re-read and handed down to one's children, which is what I intend to do with the most recent Gift from the Sea that I bought.

Listed as a 'summer read' in a local magazine list - I hadn't heard of this book. I picked it up and finished it from one afternoon into the next morning. And -- there was nothing surprising or new to be found here in the book - the pace at which its written and the uncomplicated natural way Lindbergh examines her life and her impressions of life's stages will have me passing this book on to many people in my life.

What timeless wisdom there is in this little book. Although it was written many decades ago, the challenges and issues faced by Anne Morrow Lindbergh are the same ones faced by women in today's crazy, bustling world. In fact, although women in Siberia, Cameroon, or Ceylon might not have her specific set of circumstances, they can still identify with Lindbergh's ponderings about a woman's life, her obligations, her relationships, and her needs. She lived in an upscale suburb of Connecticut and was the mother of five children, and yet there's something in her writing that can touch the souls of women everywhere whether in a grass hut or trailer beside a busy highway

The chapters in Gift from the Sea center on Lindbergh's musings during a two-week vacation at the shore. Leaving husband, children, and house behind, she lives in a bare beach cabin without heat, telephone, plumbing, hot water, rugs, or curtains. She finds simplicity beautiful and longs to take it home to Connecticut when her vacation ends.

Lindbergh takes a shell at a time and describes it in relation to other things in a woman's life. For instance, the moon shell reminds her that quiet time, solitude, contemplation, and "something of one's own" is needed. The double-sunrise represents the pure relationship found in early stages of friendship and marriage, and she reminds the reader that there is no permanent return to an old form of relationship since all are in the process of change. The oyster bed symbolizes the middle years of marriage and family, especially as the home itself grows and expands to accommodate the growing family.

I first read this book when I was a young mother and could readily understand Lindbergh's comment that saints were so rarely married woman because of the distractions inherent in raising children and running a house. "Human relationships with their myriad pulls--woman's normal occupations in general run counter to creative life, or contemplative life, or saintly life." Now in midlife, I can better understand her affinity for all the shells as reminders that each cycle of the wave, the tide, and the relationship is valid.

This book came very highly recommended by two friends who are avid book readers. However I hate to admit that the book did not move me as much as my friends claimed that it moved them. I was more interested about the background references to the author's personal life and how the book came into being. That I would have read voraciously. The book is short but I don't intend to read it again to see what I missed. I believe a book either moves you or it doesn't. This particular book despite other rave reviews did not move me despite my great affinity for the sea and women writers. I wonder if perhaps if the book would have touched me differently if I read it in the beach rather than on a plane which I did.

I have never been a big fan of books on CD. This changed with Gift from the Sea with the forward by Reeve Lindbergh and beautifully read by Claudette Colbert. This is a beautifully written and recorded book. I keep it in my car and play it quite often. I have orderered additional copies to share with friends. It is indeed as relevant today as it was fifty years ago and probably even more pertinent in today's fast paced world where we fail to slow down give ourselves alone time to comtemplate our lives. Reeve Lindbergh's forward about her mother was a lovely bonus. Although I have not read any of her children's books, I have read everything else she has written that I can find and encourage anyone who has not read her books to check her out on [...].

If you are a lover or collector of books, or a reader of good literature, this one is for you. An epistolary novel, it consists of letters mainly between Helene Hanff, a none-too-successful writer in Manhattan, and Frank Doel, a clerk in a bookstore at 84 Charing Cross Road in London. It has been a successful stage play and movie. The English were still suffering from the hardships of WWII and rationing was still going on when the letters commenced in 1949. Hanff sends her book requests for out-of-print books, and she gets them at amazingly reasonable prices.
A close friendship develops between the two, and she sends rationed items including eggs to the store staff and Doel's family. The book ends in 1969. Through this twenty-year correspondence the reader gets to know a great deal about the two letter writers as well as other people who are workers in the store, neighbors or friends. Hanff's love of books is the thread that keeps the story together. She grows more relaxed and outspoken as the book progresses.
Hanff becomes a TV writer, but she never hits it big. Throughout she wants to go to England to meet Frank, his family, and the store staff. Something always seems to interfere. She comes across as the consummate Manhattanite, and he is the somewhat reserved Brit. Her outspokenness, slangy humor, and generosity emerge in the epistles. Hanff playfully needles Frank about the slowness with which he delivers some of her book requests.
A novel told in letters can have severe limitations, but this one manages to present characters who grow and evolve, a sense of two cities, and a plot that can draw you into the narrative.
It's a gentle book, a soft, fluffy pillow of a book that doesn't have great pretensions. It's a little story that meanders along giving quiet, unassuming pleasure. First published in 1970 it seems old-fashioned and quaint, yet it is fun to read. Hanff's requests are mostly for non-fiction until she decides to acquire Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." She becomes a Janite, the perfect author for someone with her sensibilities.
The recent best seller "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" is also an epistolary novel, but it's a richer, more complex, and varied book than this one. But in its 97 pages this book will grab and hold you.
Nine Lives Too Many
The Daemon in Our Dreams
The Rice Queen Spy
Clawed Back from the Dead

This book is a charming little story post WWII consisting of letters between an American novelist and a London bookshop employee. Later, other staff members of the bookstore begin writing letters to the novelist as well, revealing little parts of their lives. All letters written wth humor and charm. This book reveals how the written word can serve to forge friendships more lasting than the many casual face-to-face contacts we now routinely substitute for true friendship and create a deeper understanding among people in very different life situations.

I just loved this book! It is a very quick read and so enjoyable from cover to cover. It's a poignant story with a tremendous amount of affection between the two correspondents, which is ultimately very touching. I was so sorry to get to the end. I wanted it to continue with more story evolving about the lives of the characters.

I read this book around '84. In 1988, my uncle Rich, a retired college dean and my fabulous Aunt Cecilia went off to London for a year, American College, I think. I went on a road trip to the UK...England, Scotland, Wales, spent a few days with them, brought my aunt a copy of 84 Charing Cross Road. My uncle didn't get the concept, economist that he was. Letters? Who wants to read someone else's letters? Lurch forward about a month. The end of my road trip, both had read and loved this book. I gave the vid to them when it came out, it's a wonderful movie. They came home, at any gathering my Aunt Cecilia always asked...what are you reading?

84, Charing Cross Road is a delightful collection of letters chronicling the 20-plus years' correspondence between screenwriter Helene Hanff and Frank Doel, bookseller of Marks & Co. It begins with a request in which Helene inquires after a series of books she wants to buy, saying that Barnes & Nobles's sells "marked up, grimy schoolboy" copies of the books she wants (my, how things have changed!), and continues through a friendship between Hanff and Doel in which the two never meet. As their lives grow and change, Hanff and Doel's friendship remains the one constant.

It's a special friendship, and Hanff is sharp-tongued and witty, making her a delightful narrator. I have a feeling that not all of the letters are preserved here in their entirety, but they're reprinted word-for-word, including Hanff's idiosyncratic punctuation--no doubt due to the fact that she typewrote all of her letters, but nonetheless, the letters show Hanff's personality and her rather abrupt way of corresponding.

It's a short book (just about 100 pages), but it's a special book, nonetheless, about a shared love of books. 84, Charing Cross Road is a must-read for any bibliophile. It's too bad that a woman on the subway accidentally tipped soda into my bag and all over my copy of this wonderful book...

I've ordered multiple copies of this book on three occasions, and will probably reorder more. This is a book with more than the typical daily devotion ... it has meat and it has substance. It is a great light to follow during your day and it contains plenty of 'food for thought'. I received my first copy of this devotional from one of my pastors and have shared 8 copies with other people in my life who need/want God's guidance in their lives. It's very easy to share; it's an excellent book. I keep mine at my office desk and read it every morning to start the work day.

Read this book if you have experienced the grief from losing a loved one physically as in my case or you are broken from a life circumstance. This book along with the word of God will uplift you and see you through those difficult days when again your tears seem to be the only medicine for your heart. I love that each day starts off with a scripture. I usually will read the scripture then look it up in my bible and do a small study on the scripture. I will then read the devotion for that day. This book and Oswald Chambers devotional book is what I read daily. I recommend it for anyone who has walked down the road of losing a child, parent or sibling. It also makes a great gift for someone facing cancer or for the single mom who is struggling to makes ends meet and feels hopeless. Whoever you are and wherever you are you will be blessed by the golden pages and by the sweet quiet whisper of Gods spirit revealed in the writing of this book.

This is a great book for anyone going thru a difficult time. I received my book after the death of my son. Took me four years to actually pick it up and I am so glad that I did. It gives me hope for each new day. I just purchased four more to give to friends that I know are struggling. I hope that it can help them as much as it has helped me.

This is one of the most hopeful devotional books I have ever found. If you are having difficulties or going through trials, this devotional will help light your way using God's word and uplifting thoughts, poems, and other writings. This book enriches my relationship with God and helps me trust and rely on Him more. Well worth the money.

Don't buy this and dont read it. If you put small amounts of poison in your food, over time it will kill you. This book has lies, scripture out of context and a God who is like an abusive father who beats children to teach them. This has to be the worst "Christian" labeled book I have encountered in 25 years. Heres a quote that shocked me from Sept 30 / page 369. "Our Almighty God is like a parent who delights in leading the tender children in His care to the very edge of a precipice and then shoving them off the cliff into nothing but air."
My Almighty God is not like that at all, and neither is my Jesus. There are many such statements and quotes throughout this work to render it with the label of "poisoned bread". It will destroy your faith or seriously distort it over time and bring ruin to your relationship with God. It even makes reference to Jesus being our Elder Brother! I was LDS at one time and that is a big lie. We are Gods creations and handiwork, Jesus was God the creator incarnate. We do not have his nature, and we are adopted. I am considering burning this to keep warm on a winter night instead of giving it to someone and spreading spiritual sickness. Best advise I can give is read the Bible. Try the Gospels, Psalms, Proverbs,or Pauls letters. Why settle for trash when you can have treasure. Test all things...Don't be decieved...If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God.

This book is deeply moving, inspiring and challenging. Thomas a Kempis lays out what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus, not just an adherent or a church-goer. The simulated conversations with Christ in the book are especially powerful. Aside from the Bible, no other book has touched and moved me like this. Highly recommended reading.

Why claim trinkets when you can read one of the best devotionals on the market. I use it to keep my daily life in check, to remember to have the right focus and to live what I believe. This is the top of the charts for a "Christian" work. Brother A'Kempis was a great instructor and a wise disciple. So much of todays mediocre fluff is twisted by society, self centeredness and lazy Christianity where the thinking is done for those who don't see the value in meditation and self examination. Next to the Bible, this is my favorite work.

This wonderful book was written by the priest Thomas a Kempis in the 1400's and is very reminecient of the Apostle Paul's writings by encouraging readers to live a simple spiritual life. It recommends that peace is found in the heart of the humble and that in overcoming the ego you overcome the world. Joy is found in a quiet conscience and you are only happy when you have done what is right. This may also be the original source of the advice to choose the less of two evils. It also warns that pleasure and desire carry the seeds of sorrow. This book is spiritual focusing on living the inner life and not getting entangled with the world. A must read for all Christians or anyone on a spiritual path.

This book was originally a handbook for monks, by a monk. It never was designed or written for the layman. Since it was written, it has served as a kind of guidebook for laypeople. But to take it as a guidebook for us is incorrect. It was by a monk, Thomas of Kempen (Germany) for monks. It should not be judged according to what we think it demands of US.

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...

C. S. Lewis is not only one of the 20th century's finest minds, he's also amazingly perceptive of human behavior. This well-written description explains so clearly the four kinds of love and with such accessible illustrations from real life. Most eye-opening for me was the chapter on "affection" where I began to understand for the first time why we moms think we are so misunderstood; in actuality, our "affection" (storge) for our family has gotten out of hand! You'll need to read in order to understand. I highly recommend this book.

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.

It 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

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.

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 the second Anniversary Memory Book I'm giving as a gift. Everybody that saw the first one just loved the whole idea of it. It's very nicely done and an item to be cherished.

My mother-in-law gave this book to us when we got married. I LOVE IT! The artwork is simply beautiful, each page different from the others -- with thoughtful quotes as well. But most of all, I just love the whole concept of having an anniversary book! I never even knew something like this existed. But, it has been so wonderful to add our memories to this book each year on our anniversary. I love looking through it -- reading the "Memorable Moments" from that year and seeing the picture we included. We'll be celebrating 10 years this month and I can't wait to open up our special book and review those 10 wonderful years in such a beatifully recorded way. I've given this book as a wedding gift to others because we've enjoyed it so much.

I received this as an engagement gift 3 years ago. I love this book. It's a simple way to keep a record of memories and anniversaries. It's like scrapbooking for people (like me) who don't have the time, patience or artistic ability to scrapbook. I love the paper quality, the photo holders and the straightforward way it allows you to reflect on the past year. Because of the simplicity, it isn't one of those things I put off until I have time and then feel guilty for not doing. With years one and two complete I look forward to a lifetime more.

This is an absolutely gorgeous book! I wish I had received one 34 years ago! I will now pass it on to three nephews and their brides who are marrying this summer as the simplicity of the entry pages makes this a simple but meaningful way to record the most important day of each year!
The quality of the heavy pages will help it last for a lifetime, just as marriages should!

I attended a bridal shower recently and this was a gift that was given to the bride. I thought it was such a cute idea that I decided to order one for my husband and me (ok..so it was more for me than my husband but he feigned excitement).

On the first page of this book is an Apache wedding prayer, which is followed by a space for you to include a wedding picture and details about your wedding. In the following pages, there is a space for you to include a picture (3x5 or 4x6) of the two of you for each year you are married. Opposite the space for the picture, is a place for you to write about where you are living and 'memorable' moments that may have occurred during each year of your marriage. Also included, is information about traditional and modern gifts for each anniversary. There is a space to document every anniversary for the first 15 years and then it jumps to your 20th, 25th, 30th, 40th and then your 50th anniversary.

The book is a little '80s' in terms of styling but I still love it. The pages are made of a fine quality, ivory card stock and every year has its own colorful, pretty design (all of which is in calligraphy).

This would make a great gift for a bridal or wedding shower or for a couple's first wedding anniversary.

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 had first purchased this pregnancy journal back when I was pregnant with my daughter. I really enjoyed using it then, but enjoy it even more with this pregnancy. They have updated the cover, and I believe that some of the inside is a bit different too. I really like the easy layout of the book, and enjoy filling in the pages as things progress along. Awesome book, easy to use, and well worth every penny spent on it. I give it a 5 stars.

I love this little journal. It has lots of questions to prompt you on what is going on in each stage. You can add photos too! I found it easier than freestyle writing in a journal. I would recommend this to anyone who is pregnant. It would be a great gift idea too!

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!

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.