Publications Books

I'm new to soapmaking and decided to take the plunge as soon as I received my book. I decided to make Anne's Shea Butter Supreme (page 35) - Oh my! It turned out and it's lovely to use. I can't believe I can make my very own soap. This book is very informative and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book for beginners.
Anne, you are a genius - thank you! : )

This is a great book for anyone with little soap making knowledge. The details and instructions are great, nice recipies too.

I've purchased other books on soapmaking. This is the best I've read. It gives you the basics and encourages you to go for it. I was apprehensive to purchase this book because it was so small; but it just proves the saying that "good things come in small packages." Start with this one first!

I enjoyed Anne's laid back, but very informative writing style. I had no experience making soap, and my first batch turned out really nice -thanks to the clear directions and explanations about how to work with lye,etc.

I was inspired to make soap when my daughter shared some shea butter soap with me that she had bought at a farmer's market and because I was concerned about the chemicals in the products we were using.

I read a great deal about making cold process soap during the 2 years I was making melt and pour soap and gathering equipment. It seemed scary and complicated. Everyone said something different and there was lots about "rebatching" soap batches that didn't turn out well.

When I finally had all of my equipment and the only thing stopping me was clear directions and a bit of fear, I read reviews of soap making books on Amazon. This was the book that I was most impressed with from reading the reviews so I ordered it. I shall be eternally grateful that I did.

I have made 2 batches of soap from Anne's shea butter recipe, one of them a bug repellent soap, and they have both turned out perfect. Now I've created 2 of my own recipes using her information and instructions, to use up some extra oils I have, and feel completely confident that they will turn out well. Before reading her book I couldn't imagine creating my own recipes at all, much less this soon.

And like she says, you should never have to "rebatch" a batch of soap. I, too, have read the book several times and continue to reference the excellent information regarding creating your own recipes. I can't say enough good about this book, for either an aspiring or an experienced soap maker. I no longer fear making soap, but find it a totally awesome experience now and feel fantastic every day as I use the soap I've made.

If you're the least bit interested in making soap I would strongly suggest that this be the first book you purchase for your soap making library.

I am yet another reader who wore out the library's copy of this book, with its purple and yellow cover, reading it over and over and over again in junior high. I particularly remember the story about the little girl on Venus who was so homesick for the sun, which came out there only every seven years -- and the other kids in the class locked her in the closet, so that she missed it. I looked it up here tonight because my son was asking me if I'd ever read any Robert Heinlein. But of course! This collection got me started on his work as well as that of many others. What a pleasant surprise it was to read these reviews and discover that I am not the only one who's still haunted by the imaginative scope and the sense of wonder in the stories in this anthology.

I just recommended this collection to a friend and came here to look for it-- about 30 years since I first checked it out from my grade school library. It was, in fact, one of two quasi-adult SF titles in our little library and as such is one of the books that introduced me to the genre. Just reading the reviews here has made me deeply nostalgic, not only for Tomorrow' Children but for many of Asimov's other books-- things like Foundation that I discovered after reading this edited collection.

I just checked and Ebay has a paperback copy-- in Australia. It's only $9US with BuyItNow but shipping is twice that and it doesn't look to be in such good condition. I'll keep an eye open there, and meanwhile I'm going to ILL this tonight. If you have access to a library do the same. You won't regret it.

I came across this book after watching the Twilight Zone Movie. I had only seen the very end of the third part where Anthony uses his powers to make a car. Out of curiosity, I looked up the movie and found that that part was a remake of the episode It's A Good Life. It wasn't until after I saw that episode that I learned that that episode was based off of the story from this very book. The rarity of this book is just amazing, so I knew it must be good. When I finally got it through interlibrary loan, it exceeded my already very-high expectations. If anything, It's A Good Life might have been my least favorite story. My favorites are Star Bright, Gilead, The Father-Thing, and The Little Terror.

Star Bright (by Mark Clifton) - Star is a very smart three-year-old girl. What her father doesn't realize, yet, is that she not only can read advanced textbooks and encyclopedias, but she also knows how to read minds and time-travel! This is a must-read. The ending will amaze you.

Gilead (by Zenna Henderson) - A boy who's known how to fly ever since he can remember must learn that he is different and find those who are like him.

The Father-Thing (by Phillip K. Dick) - Charles notices that his father has been replaced by some other creature that looks just like him. Don't forget your kerosine!

The Little Terror (by Will F. Jenkins) - After her grandfather lies to her about a magic trick, a girl is convinced she can make things disappear. She becomes so convinced, that she actually develops that power! Lots of Bishop Berkeley references (to be is to be perceived).

UPDATE: 18 Jan 2006 - I just won an ebay auction for this book for $26.22 including shipping. It's described as: hardcover - ex-library book with usual library markings. first blank page missing. book is worn. binding is not as tight as it could be, but pages holding in fine. still a good read.



I also checked this book out at a public library many, many times during my childhood, and some of the stories haunt me to this day. I would love to find a copy of this book.

Another author I read during this period, and stumbled on again recently, is Madeleine L'Engle. She has a trilogy of time travel which begins with "A Wrinkle in Time". If the names of Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, Mrs Which or Charles Wallace sound familiar, this is where you will find them, and they are available.

Am I ready to shell out over $30 for this book? There's already a cart full of Orson Scott Card, Diane Duane & Ursula K. LeGuin to pay for! But even if it has to be wish listed, I'm delighted to know that Tomorrow's Children is available.

I first read this book over 30 years ago. When I was about 11 my family moved from a city with a large library to a small town with a one-roomer adjoining the fire station. I hunted through the ubiquitous pop lit that lined the shelves, desperately seeking something readable. Finally I found a small section with about 5-6 shelves packed with 50's & 60's SF.

Having never read SF before, I sampled a couple of books and then dug in & read shelf by shelf. Heinlein, Asimov, LeGuin, and others transformed my small town library blues into pure gold. Tomorrow's Children was on shelf #4. As those who've read it can attest, the stories are outstanding, contributed by some of the best SF writers of the period.

I searched for it tonight because I was thinking of Asimov's story about the nurse and the Neanderthal boy (Asimov claimed he always cried when he read that one - me too). For contrast, there's a story (by Bradbury?) about a couple of kids who sic a virtual lion pride on Mom & Dad - kind of 50's Freudian but effectively chilling - and technologically, still fresh. I would love to read those stories again! So I'll have to decide whether to ramp up for an ebay quest - or pay the amazon price, and be grateful for the opportunity!

Meanwhile, it's thrilling to read these reviews, and to feel kinship with all who remember this book with affection and respect. We are among a fortunate minority. . . early in life, we encountered a powerful, challenging vision of what our future could be. May all children be so lucky!

The story of three very good friends who must check their baggage in order to maintain healthy and meaningful relationships. They all start out in not so good places and come full circle. Good book.

Baggage Check is the story of 3 male friends who grow up and outgrow their womanizing ways. The tale is well told and thought provoking. You will recognize some of the men who have pushed up on you in the past. If you're blessed, you are one of the women who these men finally recognized they needed. Read it - with a quickness!

Can't say much except Curtis Bunn is a future star. I can't believe Baggage Check is ihs FIRST novel, but I do see why it was No. 1 on the Essence best-seller list. I'm mad at myself that I just discovered this book.
Without giving away the story, it's a lot of life lessons and insight and humor and passion and emotion and fun in this book. Each character had a different voice and a different set of baggage, and the way Bunn crafted each person's growth was extremely smooth and realistic and moving for me. This is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it ot anyone who loves great writing, great characters (and some strong women characters, too), great stories and learn something in the process, you should read this book.
Lana Rickett, New York, NY

I loved this book so much. When my book club chose this book, I wasn't looking forward to reading it because I don't like relationship books. But, this book isn't just about male/female relationships. It explores the bond between male friends. By the end of the book, I grew to like all the male characters, especially the bond shared among the three male characters. It was great that the author exposed this to the rest of the world. Also, the author came to my book club's meeting and we found him to be a great guy. You won't be disappointed with this book. It's a great read.

Julian, Greg and Larry have been best friends since their childhood in Washington D.C. All three have different career paths and place value on different things, however they all have two things in common, their love for each other, and their inability to maintain a monogamous relationship.

Julian, the professor, says he loves his girlfriend Joanne but ends up in the sack with her sister and soon after said tryst finds out that Joanne is pregnant. He plans on taking care of his child, but his commitment to Joanne is lukewarm. Greg, the penny pinching bookstore owner, made the "mistake" of telling his long time love that he plans to marry her. Now her constant haranguing about when the marriage will take place is getting to him. Finally there's Larry, the aspiring actor and "playa". He spreads himself around and sticks with no one long enough for the words commitment or relationship to pop up. No woman has been able to hold his attention in that way. In today's climate these three are really quite ordinary in terms of their behavior and value systems. What makes Julian, Greg and Larry special is that they all learn by means of one fairly extraordinary event that they all have "baggage", which needs to be checked. (read the book for explanation). Once their baggage has been checked they all learn to love more freely.

As a female reader I was skeptical about how a story about men, written by a man would speak to me and speak about women. However, Baggage Check was a pleasant surprise. All the elements of a good story are there, believable characters, a startling beginning, a middle that held the reader's interest and a happy ending. Parts of this story in fact were uproariously funny as well as touching. How women are portrayed really became background for the real story of personal growth that happened for each of the characters. Yes the women were there and aided in the growth but the men had to do the hard work on their own. Bunn enabled this reader to drop her skepticism by simply writing a good story.

I have had this tiny little book for 20 years. I treasure it as one of the greatest books filled with a cutting wisdom that reminds me of the simple and profound truths of God's Wisdom. Not written in religious tones, but carrying such deep spiritual healing wisdoms. Big Truths are simple, and we humans do seem to have an addiction to complicating life, and creating chaos when quiet reflection would reveal the simple nature of truths so well revealed in "The Book of Qualities". It has a centering quality about it, making one go, "Ah yes, that's the truth of it".....after reading a one page passage on anything from "COURAGE" to
"GREED", to "AMBIVILENCE", to "GUILT", to "POWER" and too many more to list here. Give yourself one of the greatest books you will ever own. I expect that you will put it in a special place,easily accessible, and always quitely waiting for that moment when you might need to remember what "truly matters" about being human in this life we create. As soon as I post this review I am heading straight to Amazon again, and purchasing 2 more copies to keep tucked away as I have worn the pages of this wonderful little book over 20 years of re-reading it.

I was given this book several years ago by a dear friend. As is always the case when someone gives me something, it sat untouched for almost a year.

When I finally picked it up... I devoured it. I plotted the relationships within the "community" and also used it to journal, hanging out with the characters in the book for a day or so and seeing how they lived in my life. Ultimately it made my understand just how life and time can affect us all. It's helped me be more tolerant of others... and myself.

This year I was the person who gave it away... It's funny the look on some people face... "Oh... GREAT... Yeah, thanks!..." When they actually open the BoQ and spend some time with the characters, they'll understand.

It took me longer than it should have, but it was there waiting for me when I was ready. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I wish I'd written it.

I owned this book for many years often quoting from it to friends. I either lent it or lost it in a move. I missed it. An old friend returned.

I absolutely love this book, and everyone I show it to falls in love with it too. Gendler had the idea to take qualities such as anger, complacency, joy, and contentment and write about them as if they were people. In so doing, she has captured their essence in a poetic and powerful way. Once in awhile you encounter a writer who reveals things that were right in front of you but went unnoticed for years, and in so doing enriches your vision and your world. Gendler is one of those writers. Every time I read it I experience the same sense of wonder and discovery. If I were stranded on a desert island, I'd want this book with me. I don't usually seek autographs but I am honored to have an autographed copy. Gendler is also a visual artist and has illustrated her own work.

April is National Poetry Month. Yeah, I know: there's a national month, or special week, or weird celebratory day, for every topic and group in the universe now. There's even a book up at WNBT that lists, by month, everything from "National Dental Health Care Week" to "International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day". (Although those two topics might not be so unrelated as they first appear, har har.)

But I actually look forward to National Poetry Month. I love poetry. Poetry challenges me, feeds me, shocks me, makes me giggle, soothes me in songs, comes to me from sacred texts and coffeeshops and in emails from friends. And, unlike many genres of literature, I believe there is a poetry book for everyone. There may not be a story from the thriller group that you'd like, or a biography, or a book on investing. But I'm fairly certain if we looked, and probably not even for that long, we could find a poem or two that you would love.

I told Kevin I was prepared to write two or three columns for National Poetry Month, or even do the entire month of reviews. He gave me a look. He thought one column would be enough. "People just don't like poetry all that much," he told me, gently but firmly - although he writes fine poetry himself.

So how do I choose one book to focus on? Actually, it was a clear and easy choice. There is one poetry book that fits all of us.

When I had to be in the hospital for a while during my college years, a friend brought me this special book - J. Ruth Gendler's "The Book of Qualities". Since then, I have turned around and given copies of this book to all different people in my life. I've shared this beautiful little book as a gift for graduations, wedding showers, birthdays, major illnesses, surgeries, and as a thank-you note. I've read selections from it at open mike nights, support groups, and memorial services.

In "The Book of Qualities", poet and artist Ruth Gendler dedicates one page to each of almost one hundred human characteristics and feelings. These are the Qualities. With playful and insightful words, she describes each Quality as though he or she were a person you know. Change becomes your unwelcome houseguest; Honor could be your grandfather; Courage may be the woman who befriended you as you faced your divorce. Each of the Qualities has a favorite color, or a hobby. They have faces and hair and cars and clothes and jobs. And in those characteristics, in each Quality, you will recognize yourself and those you know - often in delightful and startling new ways. This little book is truly a classic: one of those books that you will find yourself revisiting time and again, once it has become a part of your life. Every time you re-read it, you'll find something new.

Editor,"Of A Predatory Heart"

when i first picked up this book i assumed it would be living on my bedside table for several weeks as i read a chapter here and there. i was surprised to find that once i began reading i just couldn't put it down. the book captivated me on three levels: the array of characters about whom dr. helfant writes are fascinating and run the gamut from a mafia kingpin to a tortured catholic priest; helfant also explains in some detail the various symptoms of cardiac disease as well as the limitations faced by the practioner and finally, and perhaps most important as indicated by the title, the transformative impact that life threatening illness has had on the seven patients about whom he has so eloquently written. each vignette offered a real-life drama which helfant has conveyed with a style one would expect from a first rate novelist rather than someone who has spent his life in the medical profession. this book was a wonderful surprise package.

Wow. Dr. Helfant's book is absolutely amazing. He is those rarest of doctors; one who cares deeply about his patients.

His stories of his patients' suffering, recovery, and life-changes were so heartfelt and touching. I'll remember those people for years to come. Don't miss this book. It's a must-read.

Dr. Helfant's accounts of courageous patients surviving near fatal illness and going on to change their lives for the better is truly inspirational. I was moved by each story, and for a different reason. This is a distinctly powerful book, and is sure to be a bestseller.

What is remarkable about "Courageous Confrontations" is the philosophy of hope offered by this dedicated and highly skilled physician. He explains in language easily understood by a layman the medical factors relating to diseases of the heart, and then demonstrates how one's fate is not solely limited to medical factors, how one's will and character can affect the medical outcome of the most serious condition. He vividly descibes his cases so that each person seems universally human and yet unique. The description and dialogue make this book as enjoyable as a novel to read, yet the fact that this is a work of non fiction makes the ideas expressed much more meaningful. I read this book on the recommendation of a friend and have recommended it to every one I know. It is amazing that a skilled physician like Dr. Helfant is also gifted with ability to write a book in which each case fascinates the reader while teaching the importance of the human spirit in the outcome of any disease.

As an Internist and Gastroenterologist with 36 years of practice experience, I have to confess that Dr. Helfant has written the book that I always wanted to write. Every physician, with any length of experience, has patient interactions that leave him amazed, astonished and enlightened. I can't tell you how often I've told friends and family, "I should write a book". Well, I never have, but Dick Helfant has, and it is a fabulous read. He is clearly, not only an excellent Cardiologist, but a marvelous story-teller. I heartily recommend his book to medical students, young physicians, and anyone else who just enjoys a good read.

Hal Kaplan, MD

If you like to curl up with volume of beautiful, rambling prose, then this is the book for you.

If you grow impatient with an author who takes 9 pages to discuss an idea that could comfortably fit into 2 - 3 paragraphs, then you should look for a different book. The writing style reminded me of Charles Dickens, who reportedly was paid by the word.

Yes, the book is beautifully written, but I simply lost patience with it. I also found it to be a bit preachy, as if the author believes herself to be the only one who knows the joy of simply being in a garden, observing all of its wonders, and must teach it to the rest of us morons. (I'm a bit sensitive to preachiness, however, and the average reader might disagree!)
It all depends on your personality.

I just finished reading this lovely book over a two day period while sitting in my garden. Joyce McGreevy's advice about living in the moment and appreciating even the smallest living thing should become words to live by for all of us hurtling through the beginning of this new century. She encourages her readers to establish and maintain contact with nature, even if it is just being aware of the new sprouts on our pepperomia. She offers receipes, practical advice and unique ideas about how to engage even a recalcitrant child or a grumpy crumudgeon in the wonders of the natural world.
This is a MUST read for all gardeners no matter what your experience!

This book is a jewel, a profound pleasure to read. From the first page, one enters a world of flowers and tendriled plants, Earth with its seasons and cycles, touching memories, wisdom, and wit. The book uses this material to present a rich philosophy for living life.

The author not only recounts delightful anecdotes, but also offers abstract ideas with precision clarity, utilizing graceful and wonderfully chosen vocabulary. Her metaphors and similes sometimes make you gasp, they are so fresh and original. They are also beautifully couched within the overall garden theme.

This book puts the reader in touch with the richness, depth, and beauty of life. It is true writing by a gifted writer.

Dear Sister,
We have a new best friend.

Joy! Today is Book Club day, and Joyce McGreevy, the author of "Gardening by Heart" is coming to talk to/with our group. We just finished her book and I loved it. It isn't a novel. It is not a self-help book. It isn't a gardening book. It isn't a poetry book. It is a poetic story about nurturing our hearts, our gardens. Hmm, is it a story? No, actually. There is no story-story, just a string of anecdotes and remembrances involving the author's mother and siblings and friends and jobs.

Her writing is the thing.

She writes like a poet, but it isn't poetry per se. Well, I'll go upstairs and get the book and excerpt it for you...hold on...

Without looking, I just opened the book to this page:

Strawberries at Dawn

"The first pale amber rays of sun have backlit the somber mountains. A coastal live oak rustles. The birds are stirring. In my garden, the poppies are rolled up tightly like saffron scrolls. I'm on my knees, coffee within easy reach, as I set a blue salvia into the ground the way a parent might ease a sleepy child back into bed."

Dawn is the best time of day to do almost anything. The phone holds its tongue and there are no appointments. One's mind is fertile with dreams whose meanings flower best in a hushed world."

[Isn't that wonderful?] more...

"In the garden, time itself seems to expand. Later in the day I may fret about getting to this appointment or achieving that task "on time", but early in the morning I seem to have all the time in the world. The killing frost of anxiety is held at bay, letting ideas and insights establish strong roots."

She starts each chapter with a quote from another author or poet.

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."--May Sarton, Journals

She advocates keeping a nature journal...at the office.

"...it consisted of a burgeoning collection of index cards, each of which bore a hastily penciled sentence or two about something I had observed, whether on the way to work, from my window, or during a lunch break....The French say of good gardeners not that they have a green thumb but that they have un main vert, a green hand. With every entry I penciled in I was keeping my hand green and subsequently nurturing the heart, even in the midst of computers, stark white partitions, and fluorescent lighting."

Don't you just love her? I can't wait to meet our new best friend.

Love,
Your sister

I'm free, free, at last! Emancipated from a gardener's work ethic--weeding, deadheading, fertilizing etc. Joyce McGreevy goes literally to the heart of gardening and nourishes the soul with her grace and wit and exquisite writing. McGreevy's descriptions of her mother's gardens as a place for relating to people, for celebrating the spirit of the day or season, help the gardener to not only grow the roses, but wake up and smell them and share all that with others. Just BE in the garden. Of course, there won't be a garden without some routine work, but this inspirational little book shows us how to use our gardens or other people's gardens to renew our connection to the earth, to all creation, and to heal from modern day busy sickness. I hope to hear more from this talented writer.

Reading this made my son and me want to build, build, build. At the same time, the book achieves something else: the way people make their homes shows something very intimate and moving. This collection of photographs, drawings and stories shows how closely related the art of building, the art of art and the art of living are. This is one of the rare occasions where I would like to thank the authors.

followed by several days flipping through again and again, searching for my favorites...beautiful pictures. I could have done with more "on the road" pics and less (what I would refer to as) "normal" houses...I can see those kinds when I look out the window...but that's just a personal preference....I wish he'd take all the extra stuff he said he had and put it on a website or publish another book. I'd buy it!

this book is even better then the other books by Lloyd Kahn, and i didnt think that was possible. The photographs are outstanding, the text interesting, informative, and captures thoughts, people, homes and places of times past, present and some that look futuristic! This book is for anyone who has a passion for architecture, and culture. a great coffee table book.

MUST HAVE FOR ALL couchpotatoe MALES, and anyone who has dreams! This is such a fantastic book: inspiring and creative and so marvelous to see so many passionate people out their DOING THEIR THING! Get up from your desktops, ladies and gentlemen, stop the online dating circus and do something satisfying: BUILD YOUR OWN SHELTER. Lord knows I want to after pouring through every inch of every page and these great photos and life stories. Thanks, Mr. Lloyd!

This book is absolutely stunning. I spent hours poring over the pictures. It's mostly pictures of creative, unique houses people have built, with a few stories about builders' experiences and techniques.
It will put into perspective the amount to which we have limited ourselves when it comes to traditional housing. It shows how a house is not just shelter, but art, expression, and passion as well.
This will inspire you!

This book like little dogs, Happy, Fun, and full of good humored ATTITUDE.I like to give this as a 'new puppy' or 'newly rescued' gift, especially to big dog people getting their 1st experience w/ the smaller cousins. Ms. Woods book has lots of great ideas for care, training and even game playing w/ the little guys. I love this book...you'll read it w/ a smile!!

I thought this book was an excellent training manual for my 2 yorkies. Gives you insight into the dogs' perceptions of the world, and offers great advice on training your little dogs. When I trained my first yorkie, I tabbed certain "tricks" and wrote an index in the back to give me a quick reference point.... Came in very handy when training my second yorkie. I liked this book so much I purchased 1 for my mom, who has chihuahuas.

My toy poodle is my first dog (although I had dogs growing up, they were never *my* responsibility, heh.) This book has been an invaluable training tool. It even had a solution for his incessant barking. He was worse than a car alarm. Anytime there was a noise, he'd go off. But the book gave multiple suggestions on stopping this. It took less than 2 weeks to train the alarm-barking out of him. I'm shocked. And all of the techniques are so gentle. I am able to use my soft-speaking voice and he listens. No yelling. No yanking on his leash. No forceful grabbing that could injure his tiny body. One thing, I did put him through a puppy training class, mostly for me to learn training techniques. It made this book easier to follow.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's informative in a fun way. I especially like the quips and pull-out stories throughout the book that provide real-life examples and stories about training. Although it's still a few more weeks until my fur-baby comes home to live with me, reading this book has made me excited and confident about my ability to train her, which I'm sure we'll both appreciate in the long-run.

I was very surprised that there are training differences and ways to think about dogs and training not addressed in other books. I thought I knew it all. I was wrong. She makes you think about size and how a small dog learns etc. I thought I could guess them, I was wrong. These are things I have never thought of before. I have always had larger dogs. This is a must get book for dogs under 20 lbs or 12". It is the best dog book I have ever purchased. I do not say this lightly. A must have book.

I could not survive without this excellent diary! Has all the information about moon phases and sabbats that any Witch could need. Great format - lots of writing space for busy teachers! Highly recommend this to everyone in the Craft - every year! Raven moon, HPS Coven of Corvus Moon

This is the first year I have ordered this planner, after wanting it for the last several. It appears decent and well researched. The one thing I didn't like is the birthdays and deathdays of 'notable witches' up to and including Allyson Hannigan from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Very pointless and arbitrary.

This is my new must buy gift for myself and some of my witchy friend's for Winter Solstice.

I love the articles and the oodles of information and recipes sprinkled throughout.

This is the second year I've gotten this planner and I couldn't see myself without it now! I was a little dissappointed in the thinner pages this year. I hope they don't cheap-out on 2009.

I buy this datebook for some years now and I find it very convenient. Its size is perfect for carrying it around and using it every day. It has everything someone with an interest in Pagan spirituality needs. Harvest and planting days for herbs, moon's phases are clearly displayed, along with planet retrogrades and moon void-of-course. Beautiful art work and a few articles of pagan focus. A few poems and recipes add some ideas about what to do for celebrating the eight pagan festivals. It is very discreet and with an eclectic flavor so pagans of every tradition can use it.
Its only drawback is that it is printed in black and white only. I understand that it is necessary to keep its price low but perhaps it would be a good idea to try a colored version too. I don't think though that this really affects the quality of this wonderful product. I will keep buying it as long as it is printed as I find it the best datebook in the market. And if you don't believe my opinion just give it a try you will be amazed!!

In Not Between Brother author David Marion Wilkinson relates the epic story of Texas spanning the years from 1816 to 1861. Wilkinson uses the life story of his primary protagonist, Remy Fuqua, to tell the Anglo, Tejano, and to some extent the Mexican parts of the tale. On the other side, Wilkinson puts the reader into a virtual alternate universe by following the life a Comanche warrior named Kills White Bear. The lives of Remy and Kills White Bear become inextricably bound together through a series of unfortunate incidents that are mostly fueled by their mutual desire for vengeance. Indeed, the book closes with one final tragic encounter between them.

On the larger stage of history, Wilkinson's book tells the story of Texas (or Tejas) from its days as part of the Spanish colonial empire, through its Mexican statehood, its days as an independent republic, and its annexation to the United States. The book closes as secession fever strikes and the state legislature withdraws Texas from the Union over the objections of its governor, Sam Houston.

Fuqua wants to ranch and by hard work and fortuitous marriage achieves an extraordinary level of success. All the more bitter, then is his struggle against the Mexican government, The Texas Republic, and Confederate Texas to keep what he has built. The eternal struggle, however, is between the Comanche, especially the Penatekas led by Kills White Bear, and the Anglos and Tejanos. The Comanche fiercely defended their hunting grounds and with some degree of success on the sparsely settled Texas plains. Both sides fought viciously - it injury to the truth to romanticize it. In addition to their sheer numbers and technological advantages, the whites brought diseases that no amount of courage or tenacity could resist. On the whole, the Comanche chose to resist, seemingly beyond all reason, rather than submit.

Wilkinson sprinkles his tale with historical characters such as Sam Houston, Buffalo Hump, Santa Anna, Juan Seguin, Indian agent Robert Neighbors, and Captain Jack Hay of the Texas Rangers. Wilkinson also puts the reader in the midst of historic events such as the Alamo (necessarily told second-hand to Remy), the Battle of San Jacinto where Houston won his fame and Texas its independence, and the Council House Fight, where the army's ham-handed handling of treaty negotiations led to a massacre of Penateka chiefs and warriors, which in turn led to the slaughter of captive whites and touched off a major round of Comanche raids.

The one negative review of this book asserted that the author is no McMurtry or' Mitchner' (sic - presumably the reviewer meant James Michener) - a range of literary skills nearly as large as the Texas plains, in the eyes of this reader. Wilkinson does not reach the heights that McMurtry can, but exceeds Michener in developing real characters in an historical setting (as opposed to the rather simplistic characterizations in Michener's `Texas'.

Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and the American West. The insights into the Comanche and Tejano side of the story set Wilkinson's book apart.

This is one of the very best western epics I've had the pleasure to read.
Laced with historical characters and important moments in Texan history, this book will keep you reading until your eyes droop. I am now a huge fan of this author and have moved on to other of his books. I don't know if it's possible someone would want to make a film of Not Between Brothers but I surely wish they would. This book is a cracker.

Having received this book as a gift several years ago, I am now sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it. I assure you that once you start reading Not Between Brothers, you will find it hard to put down.
Others have rehashed the story in their reviews to some degree or another, so I'll try not to do that here. Author Wilkinson does an excellent job developing both the characters and his story. There's a surprise at nearly every turn, although the reader somehow knows that chief protagonist Remy Fuqua is going to survive.
This is not just a story of a titanic clash of cultures, it is a story of hard men and women in a harsh land, where nearly every day brings an often life-threatening challenge. It is written in an heroic fashion that reminds me sometimes of Michener and sometimes of Fraser (of the Flashman series), but nearly always in a way that keeps the reader wondering what's coming next. Wilkinson writes a balanced story with a great understanding of the points of view of all the cultures that once claimed Texas as theirs.
Those who know the parts of Texas where this story takes place will almost literally be able to visualize it, to taste it and to smell it. Those who don't know Texas will come away with a pretty good picture of its geography and climate. And everyone will come away with a greater knowledge of the forces that shaped Texas and made it what it is today.
This is said to be Wilkinson's first novel and he's done a heck of a job researching and writing it. His command of the language is impressive as is his attention to detail. I found only one major factual error about a third of the way through probably missed in the proofreading( see if you can find it too). There are also a couple of times where I was able to guess why a particular incident occurs ahead of it being explained, but most of the time the reader is left in breathless anticipation of what's to come.
Despite a few missteps and a weak final chapter after the dramatic and surprising climax, my overall impression of Not Between Brothers is that I have just read an epic blockbuster. A blurb on the cover claims that it was a finalist for the Spur Award for best novel of the West in 1996. Well, if some other book beat this one, I'll have to read it and see why, because Not Between Brothers is one of the finest books about Texas or the West I have read in years!

Being a native Texan and a former history I found this to be an
interesting book.The book tells of Remy Fuqua moving to Texas to
start his life.Once in Texas he marries Beatrice the daughter of
wealthy Mexican parents.Together they have three children.His
wife and two of his sons are seized by a feirce Comanche chief by
the name of Kills White Bear.Remy rescues his wife and one of his sons.Once home Beatrice has a child that has been fathered by Kills White Bear.Remy rides with Sam Houston and does battle
with Mexican bandits and the Comanche Indians.He later has a
confrontation with Kills White Bear.A very well written fiction
book that sounds like actual history.Read this book.You will have
a better grasp of the early days of Texas.

Texas is a huge state with a rich multicultural heritage. It takes a real tour de force, such as David Marion Wilkinson's "Not Between Brothers" to do it justice. In this epic view of Texas history, Wilkinson uses fictional characters Remy Fuqua and Comanche Indian Kills White Bear to tell the story of life on the frontier between the years 1816 and 1861. Remy is a Scotch-Irish orphan who grows up in Louisiana and is permanently scarred by his unhappy childhood. He carries a "never-say-die" attitude and a quick temper throughout his life. Kills White Bear is a Comanche warrior who nurtures a hatred for the white people whose diseases rob him of many of his loved ones. Remy and his cousin move to Texas where they negotiate a piece of land from Stephen F. Austin. Remy meets and falls in love with a beautiful, wealthy Mexican woman, and this causes problems for both of them throughout the rest of their lives. Remy and Kills Bear's lives weave their separate paths until at last they intersect, with predictable dire consequences for both of them. Wilkinson's wonderful prose and unforgettable characters make for an excellent read. He weaves in a lot of history and the reader is treated to up-close looks at Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, and others who are painted in wonderful shades of gray and who are not made to look like saints. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who has an interest in Texas, this is highly recommended reading.