Publications Books

We are just beginning to create an organic produce garden. The information in this book is a great help. The personal stories of how others managed this kind of project - give me hope that we too can create such a business.

Not only is this book a great guide to gardening using organic methods, it goes to great lengths to show you how to market you extra production or even to start a full time endeavor. Very good coverage of modern methods in irrigation, crop rotation, pest controls, and marketing. I highly reccomend this to your library!

I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint, is that I wish the author had gone into the growing aspect a bit more. The book turned out to be more of a marketing book. Great book for a niche that needed to be addressed in a bit more detail, but not the book I thought I was getting. My two favorite books thus far on the subject of mini farming have been Mini Farming for Self Sufficiency and The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book).

This is a good book to have if you decided to get back to nature, downsize your life, get with it or just make ends meet when food prices are going up, up, up. Just know that it takes a lot of work, especially if you are into organic. That said, this is a good start on making money with gardening when you don't have a acres of land. My lot is 1/3 of an acre and it is quite productive. This book helps you make the best of what you have. I recommend it. I didn't give it five stars because it doesn't have all that much that's new to me, but then again I read a lot.

This is a tremendous resource for anyone who believes that you don't have to 'go big' to make money. This is something you must own.

My husband wanted this book for his birthday as he has enjoyed this author's version from other states. It is a great guide to understanding the birds around you and easy to use.

This is my favorite field guide. I started purchasing different field guides to help me identify different birds, animals, and fish while I am kayaking and camping. By far this is the best laid out field guide I own and I would highly recomend it to anyone who wants to identify birds in Texas.

I don't know much about birds other than they fly and I like to look at them in the backyard. I have often wondered what kind of birds I have been watching... Enter this book.

To look up a bird in the book, you flip through the top corner looking for the predominant color of the bird, then scan through a dozen or so pictures and very easily identify what you are looking at. I have not seen a bird in my yard that has not been very easy to find in the book.

Also, the description of the birds are quite informative, and the information is very easy to understand.

I recommend this book.

This is a great book for everyday use to identify birds, I have several bird book including an Audabon book and prefer this to the rest.

This book covers every bird I've ever seen in the Great State (over 40 years worth). I guess if you are trying to dot the final i, you might look for a more complete reference, but for 99.4% of us, this book cannot be beat.

A friend of mine gave me this book, because she DID NOT like it. After finishing it just yesterday, I told my friend she was insane lol. I love loved LOVED this book. I can't even begin to count all the books I have read in my 13 years on the path of a Witch. I can tell you that none of them touched me like this book did. Never did I feel like "Wow, this person wrote this book for ME!"

I can't tell you how many times this book had me in tears, mostly from laughter, ( there were many times my husband asked me had I finally lost my mind and did I need him to call the men with the white coats and butterfly nets LOL! ) but also from emotion, from feeling like someone finally understood the trials I faced as someone who weighs a lot more than 100 pounds soaking wet. I am a big girl, and this book addressed so many of my fears and mental issues I have surrounding my outward appearance.

The way she approaches her relationship with Deity was amazing. I myself have had "connection issues" with my Deity's. She gave me a new way of looking at it, and something to aspire to, and how to get to that point, instead of just touching on the subject briefly and then moving on to a 4 page ritual that makes your eyeballs fall out of your head like a lot of Pagan Author's do.

I have been going crazy trying to find all I can out about Ms. Sylvan, hunting pictures ( she is beautiful ) and trying to find The Circle Within locally, and just trying to find out more about her. She comes across as one of those people you would adore to be friends with in real life. One of the no nonsense people we all need in our lives.

Do yourself a favor...read this book! I bet you will never look at yourself the same way after you read it.

This book was exactly what I was hoping for. Diane Sylvan has an irreverant, ("my God is a snarky God" being my favorite) yet focused approach to women's issues with their bodies. It really opened my eyes, and it felt like she was writing to me specifically. Her different sections address aspects of the Goddess (Healer, Mother, Dancer, Lover, and Crone) and links them to our bodies, and how we see them. The spells, rituals, and meditations in the book are useful, and directly relate to what it is she's talking about. If you don't have this book and you see it somewhere, get it. I know no women who do not have body issues, and this book helped me break out of the pattern I was in. There were times I cried because she managed to articulate exactly how I was feeling. She comes at this from a slightly feminist perspective, but she is by no means a man hater, and strongly discourages that women take that path even if we think men are to blame. This book inspired me to start change, and brought me closer to my spiritual side. It is an excellent addition, and I believe that you should absolutely read it.

Blessed Be.

Even though I read hundreds of books a year, I have never taken the time to write a review before. Which just shows how strongly I feel about this book. I picked up this book at my local library and boy was I glad I did. This book has changed my life and the way I view myself, my body, and my emotions. Even though it is written by a Wiccan author, I can see any woman, Wiccan or not taking away something positive from this book and using it in their own lives. If you have ever had any body issues, please, please read this book. It does not matter what that issue is, if you think you are too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall... this book is for you!!

Ms Sylvan has just joined the ranks as one of my favorite authors of all time, and if you read this book, I'm sure you will feel the same way. Her down-to-earth style makes you feel as if she's right there with you, like you're having a chat with your best friend. She isn't afraid to tell it like it is, and to empower women in a world where we're still looked down upon for *being* women. I can almost guarantee that if you need to revitalize the Goddess within, you will find her again after reading this book.

The Body Sacred is an amazing book
which should be on every Wiccan's/Pagan's
bookshelf.

This is a book in which so many readers
can relate. I thought, "OMGoddess, she's
writing MY story, MY thoughts, answering
all MY questions, and she is doing it with
a wonderful sense of humor!"

I recommend this book to everyone.

I bought this book for my mother in law just before her trip to Italy and she loved it. She said she used it as a resource there and it was very interesting. I gave it 4 stars because it wasn't something I would buy for myself but my mother in law adored it to pieces! Great gift for any Italian or someone planning to visit Italy.

I'm glad this guide book exists. I have found it helpful and informative. I am currently living in Germany, and I find pilgrimages to be a far more meaningful way of exploring Western Europe than more traditional tours. With this in mind, I would like to respectfully suggest some revisions for future editions. First, I would really appreciate more and better maps. A simple blank map of each country with dots representing the pilgrimage locations would have been extremely helpful--- as would better directions and ideas of distances between major sites. More pictures would also be helpful. I plan on eventually visiting most of these sites, but the book on its own is not enough.

A very good book full of information. The only thing i didnt like is that they talk about certain images of The Blessed Virgin , but dont show her. Only the builing... I think more pictures of the statues at the shrine and less of the outside of them would be better. But i gave it five stars for the information. It great for that reason only.

I spent two semesters in Europe and this book was immensely helpful in deciding which pilgrimage sights to go to and then finding them! I love the little maps that are shown for the various shrines. At Franciscan University's campus in Austria, this book in particular is very popular, because it tells about the history of the place and how to find it. If you know a Catholic who is going to Europe and wants to visit shrines, then I highly recommend this book.

My brother and I both lived in Europe (in different places) and we both used this book extensively. The book unabled us to visit shrines that otherwise we would not have known existed. The book was easy to use and included the history of each shrine, directions on how to get there, where to stay and how to contact the shrine. There is also a picture of each shrine, with made it easy to choose which shrines we wanted to see. Our stay in Europe was greatly enriched by the use of this book.

This book makes sense to me. I always thought I needed to do more cardio, but everyone was telling me to lift weights. I've been following the program, doing more cardio and now I read every label. I've lost 11 lbs.

In the beginning, this book debunks myths about Personal trainers. After spending years in my local gym and seeing exactly what Ashley Marriott portrayed about such trainers, I knew the book was going to be good.
Unlike a self-help book I recently reviewed where the author was not technically capable of writing for the book, in this case, both authors are, with Ashley Marriott being a certified trainer and Mark L. Paulsen, M.D., sharing sound medical advice. You feel your in good hands from the start. The author's brutal honesty on everything from diets that won't work to the retouching of photos that slim down celebrities for marketing purposes is appreciated, especially from a reviewer who struggles to keep in shape.
The cartoons add a little wit to a typically stiff presentation of black and white photos, fitness programs, and diet plans. With what appears to have been written on a modest budget, the author did the best she could.
I enjoyed the book and look forward to following the diet plan. We'll see how it goes.

I had first planned on trying the "Dump Your Trainer" program back in January after making yet another New Year's resolution. Unfortunately some family issues arose soon afterward and I had to put the program on hold for a while. I've tried so many of the popular diet programs and never really stayed with them - either too unrealistic or they always left me hungry. What a surprise this one was. I think the main difference is the emphasis on integrating a realistic diet and exercise program as an essential part of daily life. With previous programs I've always had to fight the urge to eat rather than exercise - with the eating inevitably winning out in the end. Instead, with the "Dump Your Trainer" program I make sure to get my exercise in long before my hunger pains kick in and the after burn and structured eating plan keep me free of hunger. I'd also really like to thank Ashley for her wonderful aphorisms which were truly inspirational during a time in which I might have been more prone to depression than to development. I've been on the program just under 3 months now and have dropped 24 pounds. My confidence has skyrocketed and my social life blossomed. It's absolutely fascinating how one can lose the temptation toward excessive eating when your life is full of new activities. I love Dump Your Trainer!

I've struggled with my weight for most of my adult life and have tried South Beach, The You diet, and a slew of others without success. I even tried following the Biggest Loser boot camp approach but was quickly derailed by swollen knees and a painful back. I then figured that the best approach might be to get the individual attention of a Personal Trainer. Boy was I in for a letdown! Suffice it to say that 3 months (and big bucks!) into the program I'd actually gained weight instead of losing it. The trainer hit me with a variety of lines like "muscle weighs more than fat," but it was pretty obvious to me that the lard around my waist wasn't shrinking - it was expanding. So much for personal training.

Perhaps as a result of my misfortune with the trainer I nearly choked when I came across Dump Your Trainer. What an eye opener! All the rhetoric, distortions and misinformation are spelled out clearly. In addition the book was totally inspiring in that Dr. Paulsen provides such great insight into his own struggles and successes with his own weight problem. After a hilarious exposition of the PT craze it goes straight into self-assessment and the formulation of a plan depending upon which group you fall into. Wow! After just over 4 months I'm down 36 pounds and have accelerated two levels. The exercise plans are laid out step-by-step, easy to follow and fit into my tight schedule. The diet is completely reasonable, leaves me satisfied and doesn't cause me to double my portions, as I ended up doing with so many other diets.

I totally recommend the Dump Your Trainer program and encourage everyone to look into it. Besides getting you in great shape, it will also save you a fortune on expensive food plans and useless personal training.

Constantly badgering myself about losing weight and getting in shape, well, better shape, I was seriously considering joining a gym and hiring a personal trainer. Speaking with a friend, he recommended Dump Your Trainer. Wow, what an eye opener. The racket of personal training, especially the thought that trainers don't really want you to achieve your goals because then they will lose a client made so much sense.

This book is interesting, entertaining, fun, sensible and best of all, doable. The "fitness test" was easy and provided me with some valuable information. I was very strong in my legs but very weak in my stomach. I won't tell you that how many sit ups I couldn't do, but I have my work cut out for me, big time. I am excited to be joining this program because it seems like something that is possible to do. I am not a big fan of gyms so I was really glad the excercises were also things I can do at home, much more convenient for me. The recipes sound really good and not too hard.

If I could look 1/64th as good as the author, Ashley Marriott, I will be thrilled. Thanks for the encouragement and the great ideas. This book is absolutely worth the price.

I have read this devotional for over 12 years now and every time I think to start my day by reading the message for the day - it is ALWAYS the right thing that I need to hear that day! It is truly a word from God for whoever will listen. Read it today - check it out online with the Kenneth Copeland website where it is also posted everyday.

Every morning I read it along with my Bible, then I speak in tongues and am set to go Spirit filled with fire in my bones, ready to preach the Gospel to anyone... This is really a good devotional especially for those who want to acquire and strenthen your faith. The Copelands came and preached at my Church and they really are great teachers of the Bible and NOT religion or traditions of man. Great book!

What an excellent devotional! The best of many I have read because it is scripturally sound, based on truth, dares you to challenge and increase your faith and it's brief enough to easily handle daily.

I cannot recommend this more strongly. I read this Devotional everyday and it is the most uplifting thing you can do first thing in the morning.

It starts out with a scripture. Then Gloria or Kenneth expand on that scripture with faith, power and authority. It then gives you further bible reading for the day.

The Copeland's are real Faith preachers! It is all WORD, WORD, WORD!

If you are hungry for some spiritual meat, you can get it right here!

I love the Copeland's. God bless them!!

this book has been a tool that helped guide me thru life with my daily struggles and decisions. it is a good mental reference for me because everything in this book is so positive and on point. it gave me knowledge and wisdom that i could understand and incorperate into my daily life because its seems so real and todate. i read this book years ago and bought it for a friend, just like someone did me, and the person always tells me that they see a bit of me in every page of the book. its amazing how a daily reading tool could not only stick with you but rub off on to others. i offer this book to anyone who is searching for all the good things that influential words can bring. i promise you it wont be a waste.

The instructions are clear and to the point. The exercises are easy to do and produce results in a short time. All of this from the comfort of your own bed.

After two arthroscopic knee surgeries I was ordered NOT to use the treadmill, only low/no impact exercises. My husband made fun of me when I bought this book based on the title. Well let me tell you, he's not laughing at me any more. I found the book simple to follow and definitely felt the exercises in my muscles. NO impact on me knees and my husband said I have actually changed my shape. The best money I've spent in a very long time! :)

Learn how to achieve fitness, improve sleep and gain exercise with a workout you can do from your own bed. Here are some forty exercises that use yoga, Pilates, karate and stretches as their foundation and which are grouped into sections - those to be done lying on your back, sides, and stomach. Step-by-step photos accompany easy instructions in a book highly recommended for both general lending collections and the home libraries of those confined to bed.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book was great, exercises are simple to follow and isolate the muscle groups for immediate results. You are shown how you can modify most movements to suit your physical needs and photos are helpful. It is nice to see an exercise program that almost anyone could use and enjoy with positive outcome and it is wonderful to see exercises that all of us can continue doing as we age. This book arrived quickly in good condition. It would also make a nice gift.

I was surprised at how easy these exercises are and how quickly the results are felt. I'm sleeping better and feel I have better balance since starting the program. At 81, I cannot do a regular exercise program but this is one program I can do and can stick with it.
It's about time someone thought of the older population and our need to remain safe in our homes.

este libro es muy bueno, como todos los de la serie, por supuesto. se lo recomiendo a los padres que quieren tener a sus hijos leyendo libros en lugar de estar pegados al nintendo wii!

English is my first language and as an adult I love reading the Harry Potter books. Because I'm learning Spanish, who better to practice on than Harry?! I purchased all 5 in the series available. The book arrived in excellent condition and very quickly. Quite pleased with my purchase experience.

I just LOVE this book, and all the harry potter books. I wanted to say to Eric J Justice, who wrote a review above, that your review was incorrect. It DIDNT have a mistake; saying QUE TE TENGO DICHO es right. In fact, im pretty sure what you said was right too. But anyway, anyone who hasn't read this should, but read the SORCERER'S STONE first, because it's really best to read them in order.

I'm a high school student taking Spanish as my foreign language. I decided one day to buy Harry Pooter y la Cámara Secreta to help with my Spanish. Though some of the words aren't what I'm use to I still understood it and it helped my Spanish greatly. Many of the higher level Spanish classes are reading this also. For students taking Spanish this is a great way to help with your Spanish. It puts your knowledge to use and it helps you to remember things better. They're just as great as the English version!

Aconsejo no prestar demasiada atención a las críticas que se quejan del vocabulario castizo en contraposición al vocabulario americano. No hay prácticamente nada que un lector castellanohablante educado no pueda entender, y el castellano utilizado en el libro es adecuado para la trama.
La traducción en sí, exceptuando algún resbalón con el subjuntivo, es gramaticalmente correcta. No conozco el original en inglés.

El argumento abunda en lo descriptivo, con un ritmo de la acción lento durante casi toda la obra, concentrando la mayor parte del desenlace en los últimos 3 o 4 capítulos. La sensación de desasosiego que algunas críticas mencionan en este sentido es leg?tima.

En general, la obra es medianamente entretenida y contribuye a adquirir vocabulario.

Mrs Osteen does a wonderful job showing the reader how to keep your chin up even in the worst of times. Giving us views and glimpses into her own heart of steel, Dodi Osteen shows the reader the true power of applying God's word to not only your health, but your daily life as well. A Must read!

I purchased this book after I was diagnosed with cancer. I found it to be very uplifting and inspiring. My husband and mother also read it and found it to be a blessing for them as ones who are dealing with a family member going through such an ordeal. I then passed it on the a friend who was diagnosed with cancer and then order another one for myself. The point being, purchase several of these as you'll want to keep one and pass on to others as inspiration.

I bought this book for a friend with lung cancer. I see Dodie Osteen every Sunday sitting in her son's congregation on nationwide TV nearly 25 years after being told that she had weeks to live in 1981. I have since come back and bought more copies of the book for my aunt with Parkinson's, my mother with rhuematoid arthritis, for my sister and her husband who have had breast/prostate cancer. An inspirational book whether you are ill or not that everyone should read, especially if you or someone you love is ill.

Don't let the title of this review fool you into thinking I'm skeptical of Dodie Osteen's story; not at all! This gorgeous booklet, chock full of Scripture as well as Dodie's remarkable story, is only further proof to me of God's miraculous ways. God has used Dodie in many ways as a tool to spread His glory, and her disease was just another way He came through for her. Dodie is now living fulfillment of His promise to work all things for His good.

The only qualm I had with the book was not the story itself, but some of Dodie Osteen's occassionally extreme and presumptious remarks. Shortly after she and her husband found out she had life-threatening cancer, they went home to pray. At this point, Dodie turned to her husband and said "Darling, you are the head of this house. You are going to have to take authority over this cancer in my body".

Now, I've heard of men being told that they're the head of things they really have no authority over, but this is a new one: cancer? I rather think that only God has authority over disease, not man or woman. Talk about placing a load in your husband's hands!

Dodie then said that her husband "anointed her with oil as they got down on the bedroom floor, face down before God, and he took authority over any disease and any cancerous cells in her body".

This just gave me a bad taste: her husband "taking authority" over her disease and anointing her with oil? He's her husband, not a priest or an intermediary between herself and God. This display of theirs seemed overly done and rather misdirected. Just goes to show how men ruled the roost back then. (And I don't just say this because of her husband's actions; this poor woman had to go to a gynecologist who was not only male, but a friend from church! Can you imagine being a pastor or pastor's wife and having someone from your own flock inspect you in such a personal way? Blecch! The very thought makes me sick)

There was only one other comment in this book that I found offensive, but it did rather throw me. Dodie, when relating her prayers to God, said, "I reminded the Lord that my husband needed me, my children needed me, my flock needed me, and HE needed me".

I actually read this line over to make sure I'd understood it. She actually told God that He NEEDED her? I was so gobsmacked, I almost laughed. Dodie honey, God doesn't "need" anyone. Or, if He does, it's only because He chooses to. He made you, knowing perfectly well what He would do with you. The Word tells us, in fact, that before we existed, God wrote in His book everything we would do. We are needed in the world by others, yes, but only because God made it so, not because He was at a loss without us. What threw me was not only Dodie's thought that God needed her, but the fact that she "reminded" Him of this. As though God Almighty needs reminding of anything! Good heavens; I'm no stodgy conservative, but that line of thinking is laughable at best and blasphemous at worst. God knows how He plans to fit you into His works, Dodie; He doesn't need any help or reminding, and if He did, you'd be in big trouble having to entrust your disease to such a God!

Inspite of these faults of logic, this book is, altogether, a beautiful recounting of an event that could only be described as miraculous. If nothing else, I recommend you read it for the more than forty Scripture quotes in it; those alone should prove healing to the most deeply wounded soul. Rest assured, Dodie Osteen is a woman of gump, but she gives all the credit to God as the Healer of all.

My wife has been diagnosed with Cancer. This book has helped us to remind us of God's promises. He is faithful. Dodie's testimony is so amazing and encouraging. She offers a chapter with 40 healing scriptures that have been uplifting for us. I saw her the other day on TV and she does not look like a 90th years old lady. God is good, get the book if you need to be remind of His grace and healing power.

Review of Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones, by Vila SpiderHawk

I received this book on a Thursday, started reading it on Friday, finished it the following Friday. I don't even know where to begin. It's a series of stories about women's journeys into the next levels in their lives from youth through to maturity and even death. It deals with the happy times, the challenges we must face and move beyond, and even the dull moments. Vila's stories feel so in tune with each of the characters, they come to life before your very eyes! It was such a pleasure reading each of the stories... even the ones that made me want to cry. Each story takes you on the journey with the characters and you can feel and see and hear the story in your mind and in your soul. I sit here in awe of the beauty and strength in each of the individual stories. They each speak of different paths, different stages of life, each one so very real, so very easy to relate to.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone, especially any woman. No matter what your beliefs, what your path, I do believe there is something in there for everyone. Each story holds something for everyone to take away from it and grow on. Please check if out if this has caught your interest, if you have even made it to the end of this review. It's worth the time and money and is even reasonably priced. It hooked me from the very beginning, and I'm looking forward to getting her second book, Forest Song: Finding Home. Thank you for taking the time to read this. May each day be blessed for you and yours.

Forest Song: Finding Home is a true masterpiece. I just loved Judy and her mother and Matka Lasu and the other characters. Vila SpiderHawk's words took me far away from where I was and put me into the story so that I couldn't put the book down. I found myself re-reading a few of the chapters just because they were such a joy to read. I just loved this book and didn't want it to end! If you liked Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones. You'll love Forest Song: Finding Home. It really is an amazingly beautiful book!


-- Danielle Crawford

Eight short stories filled with magick and wonder! Share the secrets of the Crone, passed down for generations!!! You Will not be able to put this book down. Again Vila Spiderhawks style of writing will fill your head with the senses of being right there!!! I recommend This Book!!!

Vila SpiderHawk's prose vibrates with poetic resonance as her stories dealing with change, loss and awareness gently, but firmly, guide the reader on different journeys from varied perspectives. Some of the stories may sing to your soul as they seem warmly familiar, perhaps similar to your own life path in the past (or in the future), yet told from a unique perspective. Other tales may be less comforting, but they are great tools for growth and awareness. For example, "Heraulta" may challenge the reader to face parts heretofore unaddressed of one's own intense being while "Mima Po" comforts with the path to enlightenment shown that many switched on souls have perhaps experienced in similar ways. To say that this book is well-written is an understatement; Vila SpiderHawk will always have a reader in me.

^V^
G.L. Giles, Author of V3: The Vampire Vignettes ReVamped

This book opened a new door for me, one that touched me deep inside my soul and opened my eyes to experiences and lessons I might have otherwise missed. As a practising pagan for over 18 years and a hugely avid reader, I have never come across such a wonderfully written book and so different from any other I have ever read. Vila has a forever fan here.
Once I started reading HIDDEN PASSAGES I absolutely could not put it down! I read in the car, my kids' athletics, dances, ANYWHERE!!! I am currently rereading it ;-) Thanks Vila!!!! I can't wait for your next book!!!! Please tell me there will be one! You are a positive addition to the pagan community and fill the empty hole in the pagan literary world that has been open far too long!