France Books

Lord is a consummate garden photographer, and here we will find many of his best rose photos. For roses one would use in the landscape, this may be the best source of photos.

In this book he takes us through a kind of history of the way roses have been used in gardens. The nice thing about a history such as this is that we get introduced to a number of old design ideas which today may be out of favor. In some cases they are out of favor for very good reasons - as Lord explains: After WW1 the cost of labor went up significantly. One could no longer afford to have a gardener spend half a day training a long-caned rose onto an onion shaped frame. Yet even the oddest of the old ideas will frequently suggest some interesting or useful contemporary practice.

Of the gardening books I own - about 15 shelf feet of them - this may be the one I have spent most time with just reading through. This is high praise, indeed.

Any person who wishes to integrate roses into the design of a garden would do well to read this book. It has a lot to say on garden structure and how various roses occupy the diverse structural niches in a garden.
It even explains why Christopher Lloyd eschews the rose at his world famous gardens at Great Dixter. Now that is something that every person planning a rose garden must read and understand.

The garden: it's not just a bed or roses. Lord helps us understand this.

This is a wonderful book with gorgeous color photographs of rose gardens that will make you drool. Although most of the gardens are in England, any gardener can gets ideas from this book. It is basically a "coffee table" type book and is one that you can get lost in on a rainy day. I would highly recommend it!

I received an advance copy of Tony Lord's new book, "Designing with Roses". Besides being a wonderful rose feast for the eyes this 185 page book has some great ideas for various types of gardens and gardening techniques. This versatile offering has chapters lovingly decorated with lush photography of 'Roses for Structure', 'Roses as Punctuation', 'Roses in Mixed Borders' and 'Roses for Wild Gardens'. At the very end of the book is a wonderful listing of roses for special purposes that Mr. Lord describes as Pick of the Bunch. Here is a marvelous grouping of roses for ground covers, bush roses (short & tall), shrub roses, climbing, roses for arcades, pergolas, and catenaries, roses for autumn color, roses for bedding,roses for colored foliage, roses for conservatories, roses for cutting, roses for fences, roses for fragrance, roses for hedges, roses for pillars, roses for shade, roses for standards, and more. Thirteen pages of detailed information listing color, hardiness zone and class. Roses that have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as plants of excellence and easy culture are also indicated. In 185 pages I counted only about 10 pages that didn't have at least one picture on them. There are many double pages of photography that makes you feel as if your face was pressed against a window looking out into a wonderland of roses. Breathtaking close-up photography makes you think you can actually smell these beauties. The Pick of the Bunch alone makes this book a worthy addition to any roseaholic's library. If you are a Consulting Rosarian, these lists make it a lot easier to suggest roses for special purposes when you are asked by other rose growers.

This book has a lot of gorgeous 'rose porn' photographs, but the text is also very informative and gives good, specific suggestions for maximizing the beauty of roses in the landscape. I was able to get ideas on how to incorporate roses in beds of mixed perennials in a sophisticated way. I found the section on the history of the use of roses also very interesting.

I highly recommend this wonderful, beautifully presented cookbook, filled with amazing desserts and witty, insightful quotes. It would be a great gift-something different and thoughtful. My friends and guests are always flipping through its pages, looking at the photos and reading the quotes. They're shocked to find a cookbook so interesting!

It would also be great recipe source for both the novice (like myself) and experienced baker. The recipes are not overly elaborate, and the photos are helpful.

Can't recommend Desserts with Character highly enough, especially at the price.

Desserts with Character is more than desserts. I found that the book really represents a lifestyle based on comfort, style, warmth, family and friendships. Don't just think recipes - think of a beautiful book for yourself, or a gift to share with those you care for...or also a nice gift to give to friends or clients for that special occasion. I highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. The recipes are fantastic and unique
-- not like what you'd find in a traditional cookbook. This is
southern-style charm at its best. It's kind of like your own
grandmother wrote a book to pass on her recipes and wisdom.

I now plan on buying a few more to give to friends for
Christmas(maybe I can encourage my family to try some new
desserts for Xmas) since the book makes a nice coffee table-type
gift as well as a dessert book.

I have purchased this book as a gift item for 10 of my closest friends and relatives. Yes, it is a cookbook and we all have more than enough cookbooks. However, I doubt many people will ever even use it in the kitchen. This book is beautifully done, and I mean beautifully. The front cover is awesome and looks great sitting on my coffee table. I have another one sitting upright on a plate holder in my china hutch. I have more people notice the book than the [expensive] plates in the hutch. Each person I have given it to has loved it. The most frequent comment has been "I've never seen anything quite like it." It's an original. I highly recommend it as a gift, or for your own enjoyment.

Most of the suggestions from the book seem reasonable to me as a means to improve blood sugar. The main problem with the book is that is dated and in need of an update. For example the book says that Splenda would be very hard to find which is hardly the case anymore and does not mention newer products such a PGX for blood sugar control. Otherwise most of the suggestions are probably valid. I would have given 5 stars but for the out of date issue.

I was surprised by the simple straight forward approach to the problems that must be addressed to live well with diabetes. This book contains clear sound approaches to nutrition, life style and overall health issues related to the diabetic condition.

After hunting through many diabetic books for a gift for a friend of mine, I finally chose this one. My friend called me immediately and said it was the best gift she had ever received -she had read it backwards and forwards and had even highlighted it. She said it was extremely helpful (she is dealing with her diabetes naturally after experiencing prescription side effects) and is putting it's advice and recipes to use daily.

This book was a quick and easy but valuable read.
It addresses diabetes in understandable terms, explains the glycemic index, discusses nutrition (diet), excersise, and the useful addition of nutritional supplements in the diabetic diet.
It notes a group of what the author defines as 'Super Foods' which can have profound positive bearing on the diabetic status, and includes a small selection of recipes.
The book also contains a very useful section that address 25 different sweeteners; basic and comparative information I have sought after for some time - all nicely compiled in one place.

I feel the information provided in this book on nutritional supplements, sweeteners and 'Super Foods' make it a valuable resource for anyone with diabetes or anyone responsible for providing meals for diabetics.

This is one of the best books for the introduction in Computer (Literacy, MIS, CS, IT, etc) and my choice textbook.

Great if you know nothing about computers. Easy to read and understand.
Great as a refresher if you DO know something about computers, you may even learn something new

Not a lot of depth in any one subject but a great overview. I'm using it to teach an Introduction to IT class to undergrad students.

I have used and continue to use this textbook as the core text for a computer/info tech and society course I teach to community college students. The text is up-to-date (revised yearly), informative, well illustrated, and extremely well supported by the publisher through supplementary teaching, learning and testing materials and website support. My students are initially horified at the price but, as the semester continues, realize that it is actually a bargain and, by the end of the course, many have told me that they have found it to be a valuable addition to their personal library. I don't teach the textbook, I assign the chapters for weekly reading, test the students on the reading assignment at the beginning of class, then discuss the content and supplement it with other material which focuses on the history, development, use and consequences of information technologies. By assigning the chapters for reading and testing each week, I try to ensure that everyone is commonly prepared with the foundation knowledge required for further learning and discussion in class.

What a wonderful story! I was amazed that the author is a man. The character of Sheila Redden is so believable and your sympathy is with her even though she is about to leave her son. Ordinarily that would lose me as far as any compassion is concerned. I really enjoy Mr. Moore's style of writing and plan on reading all of his other books.

Wonderfully romantic reading, but not sappy or "unreal"......I loved this book from page one until the end.........a woman's awakening to her life. Highly recommend it.

Wow! What a book! I don't usually read romance novels, and I'm still unsure as to what compelled me to buy this one. But whatever the reason, I'm glad I did!

Had someone handed me this book to read, stripped of its cover thus leaving me no clue as to whom had written it, never in a million years would I have guessed the author to be a man!
Brian Moore should be commended for his impressive ability at bringing to life the totally believable female character portrayed in this book. Few male writers can successfully execute on paper such a vivid and candid depiction of a middle-aged woman in turmoil--the revealing of her innermost thoughts about herself and the world around her as she grapples with the sensitive issues of aging and sexuality.

Anticipating her husband's arrival in France to celebrate their second honeymoon, Sheila Redden dreams of rekindling the passions and excitement once present in their stale, sixteen-year marriage. However, disillusioned by his many excuses for not showing up to meet her, Sheila soon becomes painfully aware that her husband's busy schedule with tending patients takes precedence over her happiness. Lonely and deeply hurt, Sheila does what I guess many emotionally-neglected wives would do--she has an affair. I don't think that she intentionally went out looking to get laid--it was just something that happened quite naturally given the vulnerable state of mind she was in at the time. What starts out as a seemingly innocent enough chat with a handsome young American in a Paris diner, suddenly magnifies into something far more serious. Riddled with guilt, yet driven by the desire to walk away from her loveless marriage in favor of a more independent life, Sheila confesses to her husband (over the phone!) that she is in love with another man. What follows Sheila's confession is an unexpected train of events that will drastically change the lives of all of those she touches.

As I've said before--Wow! What a book! This is one of those
'once upon a time' fairy tale romances, but one in which no one at the end rides off into the sunset happily ever after.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to just kick back and enjoy a good ole' fashioned, brilliantly-written romance novel. But be forewarned--some of the lovemaking scenes are quite explicit.

TWO THUMBS UP FOR THIS THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE NOVEL!

Smart, quiet, shy, too tall, Sheila had never been on her own. She went from dependence on her parents to dependence on a husband. After 15 years of marriage, a long-planned 2nd honeymoon sets into motion the chain of events which leads her away from her safe, ordered, boring existence, and awakens a desire for autonomy.

Moore's cool, precise, detached prose steers the reader through an emotional storm. If anything, this coolness enhances the intensely erotic scenes in the story. As always with Brian Moore, the tale seems to be driven by its own internal workings, and the personalities of its characters. Yet the ending is neither staid nor predictable. You will not be able to put this book down easily, or to put it out of your mind until long after you have finished reading it.

What a great story - dogs from actual paintings in the National Gallery in London having one night a year, "special night out" to run around free in the Gallery.....and then get mixed up and go back in the wrong paintings. My kids LOVE this book - it sets their minds racing! And hey, next time you're in London, why not take your kids to check out the paintings? (And see if the dogs are back where they belong!) This is a fantastic book... everyone (not just dog-lovers and lovers of art)will enjoy it.

There are so few kids books that make both the parent and child feel the wink of knowing what is going on while characters in the story do not. This is one of those rare rare books that succeeds on so many levels - the story unfolds visually and in the text as you gather what is going on. You aren't told - the dogs jump out of the paintings. You infer it. You aren't told the dogs re-enter the wrong paintings. You see it as various museum patrons react to the strangeness of paintings they thought they knew. And how wonderful is it to introduce grand masterpieces to kids in a way that is so much fun! My daughter loved this book, insisted we go to the art museum afterward and find dogs in other paintings. She imagined what would happen if other animals jumped off paintings and secretly partied after hours in the museum. 'Cats night out' 'Horses Night Out', etc. Run and get this book. You will be delighted.

The dogs come out of the paintings in the museum one night a year for a party. One year the remnants of a human cocktail party lead them to eat too much food and wine, and when it is time to crawl back into their paintings for another year there is a grand mixup. The paintings are real ones from the National Gallery in London. Great book. We loved it!

With 7 grandchildren, I'm always on the look out for suitable reading matter for them. Today I found a really nice book for the age group 5 to 9yrs. Dogs' Night by Meredith Hooper, fits all the requirements.

The story is set in an art museum : One night of the year, all the dogs in the paintings, jump down and have a high old time, running riot in the museum, when the staff and the public have left. This time things were just a little different! The museum hosted an art lovers function and the dogs had to wait until it was over, before they could escape their paintings and have a good time doing the things dogs do. The humans hadn't cleared away the left overs, so the dogs ate, and drank *fizzy drinks*. When it was time for them to go back into their pictures, 4 of them ended up in the wrong ones! The dog from Jan van Eyck's Painting *The Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife, Giovnna Cenami* a cute hairy little beast, ends up in Gainsborough's *Mr & Mrs.Andrews. Their dog, a brown hunting dog with a white muzzle, goes to visit *Madame de Pompadour* by Francois-Hubert Drouais. Her cute little black dog with a wavy tail, finds itself down by the river in *Bathers at Asnieres* by Georges-Pierre Seurat! So...that leaves the red dog with the floppy ears from the Bathers, in the bedroom of the Arnolfini family!

Their mistake is discovered first by a little girl and then by the public. At first the Gallery staff think there is a theft, but realize that the paintings are the originals, with some very odd changes made. The media and the general public flock to the Gallery and it becomes the most popular one in the world.

A year later...it's Dogs' Night again. All the dogs in the Gallery paintings leave their pictures and run around madly doing dog things, but this time there is no *fizzy drink* to muddle them up. When it's time to climb back into the pictures, they all manage to end up in their original paintings. No one knows how it's happened...except the Dogs!

I thoroughly recommend this little book. The story is clever and well told in easy language. The illustrations are enchanting.Reproductions of the original art work have been used with permission from the National Gallery in London. It's a nice way to get kids interested in Art, even if it is looking to find the *dog* in the picture.

I'd give it a 5! Oh...and my *soon to be 5* granddaughter will have it under the tree waiting for her Christmas morning!

Vickie Bowman..Callahan's Saloon at Delphi.com.

Easy to use and carry with all of the pertinent information needed to Rx antibiotics. Well researched and up to date.

This is an amazingly useful and easy to use book! Unlike most other antibiotic guides this one gives you all the information you need when a patient with an infection is in front of you in the office. Not only the drug of choice, but useful alternative therapies, dosages (adults and children), common adverse effects and other helpful prescribing information. And it's so easy to find the infection you're looking for- since the book is arranged from anatomical top (HEENT)in the front to bottom (GU) in the back. There's a separate section for antimicrobials in addition to the one for the disease syndromes. The book fits perfectly into a lab coat (or shirt) pocket and is up to date and highly accurate. The best antibiotic guide I've seen.

A fellow medical student showed me this pocket book and I am glad I bought it. It is very easy to use and the print is readable. The best part of this book is the list of dosing for Peds. I don't have to look up the amount based on the kg of the child; its right there. Highly recommend for those of us who work or do clinical rotations in the out-patient setting.

This is an amazingly useful and easy to use book! Unlike most other antibiotic guides this one gives you all the information you need when a patient with an infection is in front of you in the office. Not only the drug of choice, but useful alternative therapies, dosages (adults and children), common adverse effects and other helpful prescribing information. And it's so easy to find the infection you're looking for- since the book is arranged from anatomical top (HEENT)in the front to bottom (GU) in the back. There's a separate section for antimicrobials in addition to the one for the disease syndromes. The book fits perfectly into a lab coat (or shirt) pocket and is up to date and highly accurate. The best antibiotic guide I've seen.

parents being dead catherine was only seen as politcal pawn to use by her family.she deal with the lose of people who truly care for her,become a strong smart woman.she married a french royal in love with another woman.but she become queen help rule with her sons.becoming most powerful woman in the rule.

Duchessina like most books by Carolyn Meyer was amazing. It talkes of a young girl woes family falls from power in Italy. she depratel put in a covent for her own protection. I loved this book and sugest it to most of my friends.

When I was finished with this book, I hated it. I thought that the author made Catherine seem like a heroine, when in reality (from what i have read) she was more of a "bad girl"! But after reviewing the book in my head after a few days, i realized how much i liked the book. It's a very fast read-things certainly don't turn out the way you would hope. so if you are a hopeless romantic reader...don't read it. but i learned a lot about that era in time. I liked it.

Catherine de'Medici, Duchessina, grows up in a palace in Florence where her family rules the city. When her family falls out of power, she must flee. She becomes imprisoned within the walls of convents for her protection against the angry mob that calls for her death. At the first convent, the nuns make their hatred of her family no secret.

The Duchessina lives in misery, enduring the pain as best she can under the circumstances. Finally, the tides change and her family once again controls not only Florence but the papacy as well. The Pope, her old guardian, calls for her to live in Rome until he can make arrangements for her future.

As one of the richest woman in Europe, the Pope intends to make an advantageous marriage. He marries the Duchessina off to the Dauphin of France. The Dauphin cares little for his new wife and Catherine's misery continues, but she creates advantages to help ease her pain and eventually finds contentment.

A wonderful outlook on the creation of Madame Serpent, remembered in history as the "girl who endured." Carolyn Meyer takes another historical princess and adds strong characters and rich details to spin a delightful tale.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

A beautiful, visual book. The story is short and sweet. The colors are vibrant and the rainbow intriguing. Our grandchildren ages 2, 3 and 4 enjoy the book and so do I. Our little one with visual impairment (age 4) can enjoy "Duckie's Rainbow" because of the large size of the book.

Both of my kids (almost-4 and almost-2) like this book, and have since we got it over a year ago. It's a very quick read, which leaves plenty of time to sit and look at the pictures and talk about colors.

This book was given to my 7 month old son by his grandparents and he already shows great interest in it! It has wonderful, bright colors and beautiful artwork. The duck is sweet and friendly looking and the bright colors and storyline will draw kids in. I think this is a wonderful book!!!

Duckie's rainbow is as delicious a visual treat for the adult as it is entertaining and fun for the child. The duck itself has such charm and charisma and my 15 month old takes true delight in identifying it on each page.It's really good for learning/teaching colors but in a totally fresh way and the surprise rainbow at the end of the book is a fantastic grand finale. Frances Barry is a real artist.

I've used this book on two trips to France (May and November of 2000) and I think the book is incredible!

I'm at the advanced level in French, however the menus at the restaurants in France still always confounded me until I bought this book. I would say that 80% to 90% of the food items on any menu are listed in the book. Other French guide books or dictionaries do not have anywhere near the number of entries that this book contains. I've used the book at a number of restaurants in France with great success. Also, the book is so small that you can easily fit it into a small bag (or purse), so it is very easy to carry it and use it in any restaurant. You don't have to be afraid to order the Andouillette any more!

I recently returned from Paris and this small pocket guide was a great help. I ate at a small restaurant in the Marais section of Paris listed in this book and had the best meal of my life. The menu reader part of this book was really helpful for someone with limited knowledge of French. The illustrations and comments are informative and very funny.

I purchased this for an upcoming visit to France and think it will be very useful, esp. for someone who has limited French and loves food. I tested it out using menu information from my French Michelin guide. It does not list everything, but it contains a lot of terms and descriptions.

I've used this book on two trips to France (May and November of 2000) and I think the book is incredible!

I'm at the advanced level in French, however the menus at the restaurants in France still always confounded me until I bought this book. I would say that 80% to 90% of the food items on any menu are listed in the book. Other French guide books or dictionaries do not have anywhere near the number of entries that this book contains. I've used the book at a number of restaurants in France with great success. Also, the book is so small that you can easily fit it into a small bag (or purse), so it is very easy to carry it and use it in any restaurant. You don't have to be afraid to order the Andouillette any more!