Journals Books

I love this book! I am only 28 and I can't remember for the life of me all my passwords, user names and id's, so this was perfect. I looked into other password books here on amazon and this one got the best reviews, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Definitely would buy for friends and family!

I like this organzer - it's sturdy, and looks just like a black spiral journal, so it doesn't scream it has all of your passwords inside. It serves it's purpose; if I didn't have this, I wouldn't use a regular journal or notebook for my passwords. But because it has the alphabetized tabs and specific spaces for website, user name and password information, it's easier to remember to put it all in one place. Good purchase, although I feel that at $19.95, it's much more expensive than it should be.

I cannot compare this to similar items of other brands, since this is the only one I have ever purchased. However, I can say that I am entirely happy with it and wish that I had purchased it much sooner. It takes all the hassle out of remembering passwords and user names to various websites - something that was the bane of my internet activities for a long time. It has a nice spiral binding and a hard cover and is perfectly suitable for my needs.

This was a very nice book but was too large so I returned it for a smaller one.

I purchased two of the Internet Password Organizers through Innovention Lab- one for myself and one for my husband. He really needed one because every month he forgets his user names and passwords for online bill paying. I needed one to replace my Journals Unlimited brand Write It Down series "Email & Websites: An Online Journal," which I had outgrown (it only has one page for user names and passwords). I was surprised by how fast Innovention Lab shipped out my purchase (purchased online on a Saturday afternoon and rec'd on Wednesday afternoon), and was happy that they give you a USPS Tracking Code to see where it is. I was happy with the minimum (eco-friendly) packaging- only a cardboard box with brown kraft paper used as padding. They also included a baggie with two pens, as well as a couple of business cards with a 10% off discount code to hand out to friends and family. I have begun to use mine and find that the tabs are sturdy and printed on both sides. My only complaint is more of a personal preference- I am not a fan of spiral bound books, and would have preferred a sleek binding similar to those seen on Moleskine notebooks. Either way, I look forward to using this notebook for a long time, and just hope my husband gets into the habit of using his! =)

If you like to read gardening books this one is a keeper. I wanted to pack my bags and move to Vermont so that I could have an adventure like the lady in the book and create gardens in different areas on my property with a stream and a pond and a forrest, and and and...

What delightful moments "The Invisible Garden" by Dorothy Sucher presents to the reader. It's a memoir of a garden, no less, presented through the perceptions of the gardener.

This is a book for both gardeners and non-gardeners. Ms. Sucher shares the joys and frustrations of tending people as well as plants. As she fights brambles and weeds in the land, she negotiates the intricacies of memory and a variety of human relationships. This is a series of essays, actually, so this is a book to be enjoyed a piece at a time or, if time permits, indulged in with abandon -- like gorging on a box of chocolates.

The treat here, though, is how she illuminates her own growth through sketches of individuals who come into her (and her garden's) life. Her explorations of herself and the world of her garden continuously touch tender buds of awareness in the reader. Her style is direct and honest as she explores her expectations, frustrations, and failures crowned by the occasional triumph. This book should become a classic -- it's bound to be loved by everyone who stops to smell the flowers on the way through life.

Dorothy Sucher is a therapist by trade, and a gardener by avocation. As I read her book, "The Invisible Garden" I had a sense that she would make a good friend. She seems to have an appreciation of human limitations and frailties, and probably lives up to the old axiom "A friend is someone who forgets your shortcomings." Well, maybe not where her husband is concerned, but what can a gardener do with a guy whose allergic to the great out-of-doors and can't tell a Dandelion from a lily.

Ms. Sucher's book is not so much about gardening as it's about coming to terms with a yourself. Sure, she cultivates the garden, But she also understands it's existence is as ephemeral as the life of it's author.

Each of us carries our own memories of past gardens. I will always be reminded of my parents garden in North Carolina when I see daffodils blooming in the spring. My folks grew thousands of daffodils. I don't think my father ever met a daffodil he didn't try to grow. And everytime I see a Brunnera I think of my mother, standing over the little blue flowers and saying, "What are these things? I can never remember their name!" We all laughed because it's colloquial name is "forget-me-not."

The invisible garden consists of the cumulative memories of gardens past that you carry in your heart.

My bookclub has just finished reading this wonderful book. We all loved it; one member compared it to "Gifts from the Sea" with its evocation of quietude and solace. This is a book for gardeners, who will delight in the delicious insights Dorothy has as she hacks her way through the brambles beside her stream, as well as nongardeners, who will finally gain some insight into why gardeners delight in working the earth and transforming the landscapes outside ourselves into things of beauty. I found reading the essays enjoyable, humorous, and deeply satisfying. Each essay is easily read on its own, but together the book becomes a gardener's journal, a transcription of what goes on in a gardener's mind as she designs and transforms the land around her.

This is an enchanting book, subtle in working on many levels to capture and to hold your attention. The theme, intertwining the impact on her life of some family and friends with various aspects of gardening life, works surprisingly well. The workmanship is fine, in many senses of that word; as in grading gems, or in the weave of a great tapestry. It is something that her grandfather, or her neighbor Tom--both craftsmen in their own right, and important in her life--would recognize and admire. The style is somewhere between early John McPhee in The New Yorker, and Bill Bryson's latest book of essays, "I'm A Stranger..", between straight autobiographical and first-person commentary. It comes off very well, and you put down the book with some insight into a complex person still exploring herself and the world around her. The insight reflects into our own life, giving pause for reflection and reevaluation of important things we might have slighted in passing. Her sketches of the individuals she chooses to illuminate aspects of her own growth are simultaneously detached and loving. The chapter on her physicist husband's encounter with flowers shows the tender exasperation that any non-scientist wife of a scientist would instantly recognize. The vividness of a flashback to her grandfather's youth, spanning more than a century, pays a debt to his memory while showing us the unbroken chain of generations. So, too, the balance in "The Pond" chapter on her mother; and the nostalgia in the chapter on "Little Houses" grips each of us and thrusts us back to our childhood, where "-all the polyurethane of life-" can not intrude. A wonderful book, well worth reading.

November 29, 1999

May Sarton is an author you must not miss. Not of you're a thinker (and do your own thinking).

This book was beautiful. I loved reading it. It felt delicate to me...the insights shared within the pages...but it was compelling. I picked it up and read a few pages whenever I had the chance. Loved it.

I've read most of Sarton's journals and this is by far the best. Her writing allows the reader to enter her mind. It's so honest, so raw. I've reread Journal of a Solitude a few times over the years; its one of those books to keep on your shelf, and read to get back in touch with the things that matter.

I read Journal of a Solitude shortly after giving birth to my first child. I was alone in a new neighborhood with few family and friends around me and felt completely estranged from my former life as a professional woman working in New York city. May Sarton's story - shared in such a real and heartfelt way - has always stayed with me. Where are the May Sarton's in today's world? She was an extraordinary woman who was able to connect with a broad audience of readers, through the authentic sharing of her thoughts, feelings and experiences. I miss her work but am thankful that she left behind a wonderful legacy.

If you're into reading memoirs, this is exceptional. Her clarity of thought and her ability to portray her feelings into words is unsurpassed, in my opinion. I enjoy her prose so very much. I can find myself relating to so many of her feelings and thoughts despite the difference of age and time. This is a great read.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the inner qualities of our nation's most well-known and respected figures and the lesser-known, who were the people who shaped our country. From the early settlers and our founding fathers to people of the present, this book offers a touching and rewarding look into the lives of people during war, hardships, family life, and many other aspects of life. Letter writing truly reveals the inner part of ourselves. A wonderful book!

Andrew Carrol writes an intresting novel compiled of historic letters in various stages of our Nations history. Whether they are from prominent, well known people, or lesser known, yet just as important members of our society, they keep us enthralled.

I'm 24 years old, young enough not to have lived through many of our Nations defining moments, but when I read these letters (and the helpful notes by the author!) it made me feel as though I knew exactly what was going on. Mr. Carrol did an excellent job, and I've let many others read this novel!

~Gina

This book is one of the best investments I've made over the past year (I typically buy 3-4 books a month). I teach - and am passionate about - American History at the high school level. I discovered this book on Amazon and purchased it out of curiosity and a desire to add to my stash of "primary sources." What a great find! The letters are grouped thematically, not chronologically, and offer a great mix of subjects, authors, and viewpoints. While my primary motivation for purchasing this book was its potential use as a classroom source/reference, it proved an interesting "read," as well. History really comes alive, as do the "players" and events, through reading correspondence. While these letters were not necessarily intended for public consumption, it allows for real insight into the past, and into the psyche of the people who have helped to shape our country. Each letter is "set up" for the reader with an introduction explaining the context in which the letter was written. There are also "postscripts" to let the reader know what took place after the letter (a "conclusion," so to speak). Thank you, Mr. Carroll - it's obvious that a lot of work (and editing!) was expended here for the benefit of your readers!

This book is easy to read and interesting. The editors notes in front of and behind almost every letter really make the book that little bit more. I found all of the letters interesting and many of them quite moving. Many of the letters illuminated subjects about which i was familiar but did not know that little part of the story. I recommend this book for any and every one. You do not have to be American (although much of the information is perhaps from an American perspective) to feel the things that are brought forth by the reading of these letters.

What a fantastic book. The letters I've read have brought voices to America's past. It's like reading a hundred stories in one book. For me, it's been an emotional read. The voices of people-slaves,soldiers, presidents and mothers that helped shaped our nation are still ringing in my ears. I'm recommending this to all my friends. A great trip though history.

Wonderfully edited collection of letters by the famous sisters. Fascinating to read, in that they all seem to have had considerable writing talent & lived through dramatic periods of the 20th century. Snap it up!

A fascinating collection but too long -- also I feel likely of limited interest unless one is British, and was alive and aware of this family at the time these letters were writtten, otherwise too many explanatory footnotes would be necessary. Nevertheless, a rare glimpse into a period that was unique, and likely a surprising portrait of a family who lived, considering their place in upper-class English society, "outside the box".

3/31/08 The page on nicknames,The index, The footnotes, The profiles of the sisters and The photos make this extra weighty book become the fascination that most books of so many pages often fail to do..;of help, thanks to the book's editorial genius is : the ability of readers to note what the sisters had in common vs where they disagreed and when and to whom they wrote lengthy and/ or more confidential letter ..., whom they implored for help (even to wanting a health care provider in the hospital to be threatened to be less spartan)..also " continuous scanning of index cross referencing due to footnotes or in specific letters plus being informed from "the profiles" who was the "nazi",or "fascist",or "communist",or " quiet /country girl' or "wit /writer" or "elitess/socialite" ...The surviving sister , the socialite ,who was "apolitical" ,has made their saving of their letters to share with others not in vain;: a glimpse into the world in which the privileged often choose to travel . Their "bios" will probably benefit the "privileged readers "the most, as this book reminds them via "one(s) of their own" that right decisions guarantee more than the values of family status,money and/or power.

Once several years ago, I cancelled plans to attend a New Year's Eve party because I was enthralled by an early edition of Mitford letters edited by Charlotte Moseley, "With Love From Nancy" which collected the letters of the eldest Mitford sister.
Now Ms Mosely has given us the letters written between all 6 sisters: Nancy, the author of a number of witty novels and biographies; Diana-who married Oswold Mosley, the head of the British Union of Fascists and spent time in prison during WWII; Unity who was enamored of Hitler and shot herself in the head when Britain went to war with Germany; Pam, the family farmer; Jessica, Communist and muckraker and Deborah, the Duchess of Devonshire Prepare to become addicted to reading these letters.
The Mitfords are interesting all on their own and the tensions and divisions created by their individual political views is worth a read. In addition they knew everyone and were not afraid to voice opinions.
For a special chill, read the letters written by Unity and Diana during WWII. "Poor, sweet Hitler" indeed!

I had never heard of the Mitfords until a few years ago an Englishman (now American citizen) hired me to write his memoirs of WWII. His sister visited from England and told me about how Unity Mitford went to her boarding school. When asked who Unity Mitford was, she said, "You don't know the Mitford girls?

Well, I do now! This collection of letters between the six Mitford girls is an outstanding record of their history spanning 80 years from 1925.

In 1935 Unity met and became enamored with Hitler. The letters never indicated any romance, but she went to many major events with him. On September 3, 1939 when Britain and France declare war on Germany, Unity tried to take her life. She failed, causing brain damage. She died in 1948 at age 33.

Nancy, the oldest, was born in 1904, Deborah the youngest in 1920. The book has photos, a short bio and family tree. The other sisters are Pamela, Unity and Jessica. Their brother Tom, who was sent to boarding school at age 8, died in WWII.

These six English women were from an aristocratic family-but some became Nazi sympathizers, one an avowed Communist, others a novelist, poultry farmer and duchess. You follow them through their naïve youth to their adult involvements-as daughters, wives, widows, mothers (happy and grieving) and aging women.

The letters (edited by Diane's daughter-in-law Charlotte) were printed using all the pet names and code words they used, but once you get reading it becomes easy. The many footnotes were invaluable and historical.

Diana (1910-2003) married Sir Oswald Mosley, with Hitler present at the reception at Goebbel's home. They had had a long affair, and kept this marriage secret, too. Mosley formed the British Union of Fascists. In 1941, the British imprisoned Mosley and Diana for their activities-holding them over three years. By this time, they had four sons (two from Diana's earlier marriage) who were taken care of by the other the Mitford sisters.

In 1941, Unity wrote Diana at prison that sums up the Mitfords: "When I first came back, I thought all this was a play, and I was looking on. Now I know I have a part to play, and I can't bear acting it."

Armchair Interviews says: A superb collection of letters that take you as an observer before, during and beyond WWII. You'll never ask: "Who are the Mitford girls?"

... I have met the author. It is certainly true that I have met Lee. Indeed I've known him for several years. The fact is though, I like Lee's writing style. I have read his newspaper columns. I own his earlier book on Vietnam too. Lee has the ability to bring a full range of emotions to the surface in the reader. From sadness to anger to a feeling of smallness in awe of the power of nature, I can't help but be involved with his writing. Moving among the lights and shadows of this book is entirely pleasant, amusing and fulfilling.

From earliest childhood Lee Basnar loved nature. Basnar was born in Vermont in 1938. Stories of Alaska created a fascination for Lee. He wanted to experience the last frontier.

Lee's father had plans for him to graduate from college. Instead Lee married his high school sweetheart, Joan. He worked for his father as an apprentice carpenter. It was seasonal work. Tired of menial jobs and unemployment checks during the winter months, Lee again disappointed his father. He joined the army in 1961.

Lee's service career took him to Germany and France. In 1968 he was transferred to Viet Nam where he served as advisor to the South Vietnamese infantry division and later as an infantry company commander.

In October of 1971 Lee was assigned duty at Fort Richardson. His dream of seeing Alaska had finally come true. However, in 1974 he was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia. Soon Lee was seeking reassignment to duty in Alaska. An opportunity opened and Basner became senior advisor to the 207th Infantry Group of the Alaska National Guard, near Anchorage, for the remainder of his Army career.

As time drew near for his army enlistment to end, Lee began to plan his retirement. Together, with Joan, he looked for a site that would accommodate a cabin home. They both were ready to take on the challenge of the Alaskan frontier by living in the bush.

Lee is a gifted story teller. His descriptions of animal life, nature trails, mountains, and rivers in the vast Alaska wilds are spectacular. In breathtaking word pictures Basner creates new vistas for the reader. "Snow sprinkled the mountains like powdered sugar on cupcakes, and each new snowfall frosted the slopes a little lower." Each chapter includes a photo which depicts something of its contents.

Narrow escapes and life threatening experiences mount up as one after another Basner chronicles his story. He tells of a smoke filled cockpit in his small Taylor Craft airplane. After an emergency landing and repairs he had to battle river rapids for a dangerous take off at 2:30 AM to return home. After landing, securing the plane in a blinding snowstorm, having had no sleep for 24 hours, Lee, the master of understatement put it this way, "For some reason I felt a little tired."

Adventure stories of trapping, hunting, fishing, and photographing moose, wolves, bears, and other wildlife fill the chapters of this rapid paced narrative. The unpredictability of grizzly bears, a midwinter chimney fire, and other narrow escapes will keep you turning the pages of this fascinating account of the Basner's life in the bush.

Lee related how after surviving his tour of duty in Viet Nam, he was plagued by survivor guilt. He hoped to exchange combat nightmares from Vietnam for a new sense of freedom peace and contentment by living in the bush. After some years of roughing it, Lee wrote: "Vietnam intruded less frequently as the years accumulated...the demands of bush living shoved Viet Nam aside, leaving room for healing. The nightmares, less frequent now, retreated to a hidden place, emerging rarely. Drifting and pondering gave me time to realize that I had truly survived and shouldn't feel guilty because of it".

This is a book for everyone who ever had a dream of adventure on the last frontier. It is a book for Veterans, who experienced the ravages of war. Every school library should have a copy. It is for the sportsman, the hunter, and the environmentalist.

This is an incredible read.

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (08/06)

Ever since I read Jack London's Call of the Wild when I was a child, I have been enamored of anything to do with Alaska. If a book is set in Alaska, I'll buy it, more for the background and how people live than for the storyline.

Lee Basner was born in Vermont and in his early childhood developed a fascination with the Alaska Territory. It took him thirty years, but he finally achieved his dream of living in the far North. Sick with guilt over the men under his command who never came home from the Vietnam War while he made it through, Lee retired from the U.S. Army as a major at the age of forty-two and he and his wife Joan built a log home 200 miles from Anchorage. They moved in during a March blizzard and lived there for the next sixteen years, pitting themselves against the worst Alaska could throw at them and surviving to tell the tale.

They had no indoor plumbing, self-generated power and no telephone for the first years. Clothes were washed in a wringer washer and hung outside to freeze, after which they were brought inside to thaw in front of the wood-burning stove, the only source of heat.

Balanced against these inconveniences was wildlife at the door, breathtaking scenery and the chance to really live their own lives as they wished, with no one to tell them what to do.

Filled with anecdotes of their daily life from the mundane, like digging a trail to the outhouse, to the poignant such as a herd of caribou caught in an avalanche, many of them killed and injured while Lee was unable to reach them to at least put them out of their misery, I was unable to put the book down. I even took it with me to read while I waited in line at the bank. I loved this book. It's a real keeper.

Wow! Captivating from the beginning digging your way out of the cabin. Excellent imagery. Made me want to go there before it is all gone, to breath the air, to see the landscape, to feel the rush of the wind, the chill of the frozen tundra, to taste food that is fresh and wild, free from man's processing. To hear the sounds that nature sings.
This descriptive account of life in Alaska is an eye opener of the fortitude it takes to make it in the Last Frontier. The extreme conditions and the extreme rewards.
This book opens your eyes to the hardships and the little things a tenderfoot wouldn't think of in your survival in the Alaskan wilds. Dotted with humor, sprinkled with love and support of a life mate, along with the daily challenges of self-sufficiency. Here you will find many helpful hints if your dream is to live in the wilds of Alaska. And if it has been your dream it will open your eye to the reality of such a challenge. A marvelous read and an excellent way to experience the wilds vicariously in the comfort and safety of your own armchair, from wildlife survival, to the Elmer's, natures Christening, the antics of the wilds, this books is fascinating, one to read and re-read.
I can only say thank you Lee for writing your experience out in such vivid details.

A great book. The descriptions of the wildlife and landscape are insightful and accurate - I was informed as well as entertained. The book captures the feel of wild Alaska and allowed me to experience life in the bush along with the author and his wife. I felt as if I was in the plane when he was lost during a snow storm. I stood beside him and felt the excitement and fear when wolf or grizzly was encountered at close range. The book gives us an environmental message as well. Wilderness is ours not only to experience, but also to protect. The author's insights into how to live with the land and appreciate its beauty and harshness make this a valuable read.

BEST guide book you could ever want to have in your possession before, during and after your cruise!!!!
These guys really have done their research and we are glad they did so we could have a wonderful, relaxing and informative cruise.
Thanks!!!!!

This book was an excellent resource in planning my second Disney cruise. I like to research as much as possible before taking a vacation and this guide gave me lots of information I needed. I especially used the reveiws and ratings of the shore excursions to help select which ones were best for my family. They also offer great budget and planning information and offer a behind-the-scenes look at what fun activites there are to do on the ship. I would never have thought to participate in the treasure hunt on Castaway Cay without them. The links to other websites to find more information was also a big help. Finally, they have a great website where you can get the most recent updates to whatever your edition is missing and color downloads of the ships deck plans. Overall, it's an excellent resource!

Once again, Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx have done an outstanding job with the new edition of the Passporter Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line! This volume is comprehensive, informative and easy-to-use. The authors are genuine Disneyphiles and their affection for all things Disney is evident in every page of this book. However, they are not blind to its (few) flaws and are careful to let readers know aspects of their trips did not meet their standards. This book is very carefully researched, right down to which meals and restaurants are the best, which cabins are quietest, which cabins have "secret" portholes and which on-shore excursions are best value for the money. Readers will really appreciate their insider tips on how to get the most from their Disney cruise. And the information in the book is regularly updated on the authors' website. I have been vacationing at Disney for decades and Passporter has been my vacation guide ever since they started publishing it. You're going to be spending thousands of dollars on your Disney cruise...spend a few dollars more and you'll be investing in a book that will really help you get the most out of your vacation. Passporter is outstanding and worth every cent!

Don't bother buying both. This one is much more useful and easy to use. I agree with the comments above. Start your cruise early by buying this guide and really get the most for your money! I feel like it is stretching the experience and giving me a head start by familiarizing me with what to expect.

Do consider ditching your nice luggage for nylon totes/something easily compactable or at least nesting - we are bringing the ones we use to pack our camping gear in when we travel because they are thin, strong and hold a lot, plus they collapse completely and will take up much less space in our cabin.

As first-time cruisers, we had much to learn. This guide explains everything, answered all of my questions and provided a wonderful overview of the cruise. This book is a must if you're taking the Disney cruise!

After reading one of the reviews on this site about cost and outdated calendars, I was a little hesitant in purchasing this travel planner. But I went ahead and bought it anyways, and I'm sure glad I did! I found this planner to be extremely useful to me and intend on using another for my next trip! I also found the price to be very fair and contained current calendars for this year and the next.

This is a complete and compact travel journal, loaded with travel tips, space for recording absolutely everything, great packing lists for all kinds of trips. What I didn't like was the out-dated calendars (1999 and 2000) on the inside front and back covers--some help that is. I purchased four journals at once, all different, to use as gifts. This was the most expensive, and I probably would have returned it except that our trip is less than 2 weeks away!

This year, I used a personalized travel organizer to attend my grandmother's 100th birthday, and it has become a keepsake! I kept notes on family history that I never had before, recorded contact information for family members I'd lost touch with, and the cover photo of my family not only turned out better than the original picture, it completes the memories of a special event in my life."

I haven't kept a travel journal before and I found it very useful in helping to remember things. Each day was so full of activity that they tended to blur into one great trip, so the book helps to tie down certain events to specific days and locations. It will be especially helpful to me when I finally get around to writing my article on the trip. I have two overseas speaking engagements this year to give a slide presentations and talks on the visit to aquarium societies, so the book will also be useful in compiling notes for the talks.

Not only did it help us to not forget anything, it cued us to bring things we hadn't thought of! The chore of making plans and putting checklists together before a trip is not something I enjoy. This organizer does most of that for you; you just have to fill in the pertinent information. Besides, having the custom picture of my Grandfather's dairy farm on the front put a smile on my face and warmed my heart throughout the entire planning process! I also loved being able to capture our trip in the journal; what a great idea! I'm ordering another one for our Walt Disney World trip in the Fall! I can't wait to see it!

This journal offers the guidance I was looking for because when I try to use a wordless journal I just don't know where to start. Write from Your Heart, A Healing Grief Journal, gently prompts the writer and offers suggestions to help a person begin the writing journey. It will help you develop your own personalized book that will be meaningful to you.

I was happy to see this is a journal with guided prompts, helpful tips and Bible verses.As I wrote in my journal I did find comfort as I worked through the pages at my own pace. This is a grief workbook journal that has helped me to sort my feelings and to write about my love and my loss.The daily prompts helped me to deal with some of the emotions that needed to be addressed so that I then could release them.
One prompt asked, Who has been there for you? Can you forgive those who let you down?
While at the time people said some insensitive remarks, "aren't you over it yet?" that hurt deeply. Other people came forward that I never expected would. Those special people were a great blessing. I recommend this journal especially if you like to write, or if you want to create a loving memory book, or if you just want to get your feelings on paper. It also had some helpful healing activities scattered amongst the prompts.
You will get out of this book what you put into it. Take the time to write. It is worth it.
My finished book is one I will keep to pass on to my daughter.

The 18 Key Points to Grief Survival was a helpful section to me. I can see that the author has come through the loss of her husband, parents, siblings, and other family members and friends and still has a strong faith and courage.
My life isn't over and I know I have a lot still to experience and to offer others. As is quoted in the book Helen Keller, said "Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it we can never do anything wise in the world."
I have my days when I feel down but the journal is helpful to me in many ways. Some days I feel like writing and other days I just want to read the verses and suggestions.
I am going to send a copy to my friend who just lost her husband. I know she will find comfort using it as I have.
I was anxious for my book to arrive because I wanted to find comfort. Grief is a process and I think this journal will help me through that process.

I was looking for a book that offered me the opportunity to write about my thoughts and memories and also gave me encouragement. Write from Your Heart is a grief workbook journal that truly helped me to sort my feelings and to write about my love and my loss.The stories, verses and healing activities encourage me.
I'm dealing with individuals who have hurt me with things they have said or done. Our family's loss feels so great to us. I feel as though I am unburdening myself without burdening other family members when I can sort things out in my book. I am stronger using this journal. Writing in and reading this journal is calming for me.
I would like to also recommend this journal for anyone who wants to create a keepsake of a loved one. This book is for anyone who wants to write about their lives, emotions and memories. You don't have to be a professional writer to use this book. It is written in an easy to use format. It also had some helpful healing activities that I am finding useful.
This is a book that requires you to do something which is write and that is what gets you through grief. You must do your "griefwork" if you ever want to begin to heal.
Go ahead and begin to heal with your own copy.
May you all find the healing power of God.

I am in a grief group at our church and we are using this journal as we work our way through the grief process. I have discovered that many of the others experiencing grief feel the same way I do and it is healing to discover this together. Our losses hurt us deeply and it isn't something that is going to magically disappear. We must do our grief work and eventually we will learn how to get the most out of our own lives. It helps to have others who are walking the same path as I am to talk to.
This is a guided journal that is faith based. The more I write the more I am gaining in wisdom and peace.

Jean Genet's absorbing work of literary autobiography traverses the boundaries of genre with stunning ingenuity and imagination. This work is in some ways similar to Capote's use of the so-called "non-fiction novel," in that it recalls apparently true events through the lens of fiction. This is the reflection of a petty thief, and vagabond. Genet is a young man wandering Europe and immersing himself in a world of crime and depravity. He fuses his homosexuality with nefarious hooliganism to play off of our civilization's utter contempt for effeminate males. Genet blurs the boundary of morality with Nietzschean fury as he revels in his self projected "evil." Perhaps what is most astonishing about 'The Thief's Journal' is the way in which Jean Genet comments on his own commentary with startling frankness and lucidity. In many ways this work established many of the literary mechanics of what is now referred to as "post-modern," though Genet achieves the same level of complexity without sacrificing clarity or beauty in the process.

Genet was, without a doubt, one of the master prose stylists of the twentieth century. This "autofiction" memoir, based on the events of his life, follows the author/character Genet on his vagabond trip through 1930's Europe. While all of Genet's narratives are interesting, most do not follow a chronological sequence or have standard narration. This one does, and as such, I think it is the best introduction to his work.

In this "journal," Genet does more than detail the events of his everyday life--he describes the process by which he becomes a poet. In singing the praises of all that society rejects, Genet creates beauty from the abject, and puts all events and experiences on equal ground as inspirations and subjects of art. One of the great meditations on the creative process, and one of the great works of the 20th c.

Both during and after my reading of Jean Genet's semi-autobiographical memoir of life as a criminal (later turned writer), I have been attempting to place its protagonist (aptly named "Jean") onto a psychoanalyst's couch. Here is a fascinating and often times sleezy character who has captured my imagination in a way that most central figures of a novel never have. Jean describes himself as having a very lonely boyhood; when he was not living in foster homes, he was out stealing from people, spending time in juvenile reformatories and prisons. Most of his friends have been individuals that he met while in jail or as collaborators in his crimes. These individuals were often pimps, drug dealers, thieves, and other such low lives.

I believe that the key to Jean's nature, a natural extention of his feelings of utter aloneness, is his desire for the love and approval by the most brutal and in his eyes, most masculine, of these malefactors. His robbing of unsuspecting, more well to do older "queers," as he calls them, who hire him for sex, gains Jean the respect and admiration of some of his friends. Interestingly, Jean is also a homosexual (probably self-hating). Although many of these men become his friends, only a few actually return his love. In Jean's unconventional society betrayal of those you most love is a common principle, and Jean desires to do just that.

_The Thief's Journal_ also has its moments of pathos, especially notable in the episode where Jean and a number of his acquaintances are homeless, in utter squalor, and middle-class tourists visiting their terrain comment on their "charm."

This book is not for every taste, but it is a very enthralling look at a world many of us may read about, but never see close up.

I've read the Japanese translation of this book several times some years ago. It is a well known fact that western languages are so very difficult to transltate into Japanese language, but this book did not seem to suffer as much as others.

It is intellectually very satisfying, the language is exceptionally beautiful, and more than anything else, it is very gentle.

It does not have many dialogs, and not a story, since it's a journal, but it's a very readable book and easy to follow even for someone like me who can only read books in a story-telling format.

If you feel like something gentle, this book is a good companion.

Genet's final novel is perhaps his most personal written document. All his desires are finely crafted here and his book is , as usual, crammed with idols and mystification. What prevents me from calling this his greatest novel is the influence of Sartre. By this point, as Genet's biographrer Edmund White has pointed out, Genet was conciously incorporating the use of Sartre's theories in his work (as Sartre at that time was Genet's friend - and sort of replacement for Jean Cocteau). The novel lacks the inovation of 'Our Lady' - but at the same time it has many more direct personal references to Genet himself.

What makes Genet, for me, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century is the way he embraces fate. He is always so clear in his novels about what is going to happen and the significance of what is going to happen. Thus, his writing always sounds so inevitable and profound - and his characters are like shrines of worship - he creates mythology. This is what makes Genet so refreshing to me - and he is, in my opinion, an equal to authors like Proust, Joyce, and Kafka - a gem of self-concious literature.

The Thiefs Journal is a good place to start with Genet. It is very clear and detailed and he pours the same great poetic prose into it - that he gave books like 'Our Lady' and 'Querelle'.