Beauty Books

The author has emerged on the other side after 14 years of struggling with Bipolar disorder and has turned his knowledge into a "gift" for all those who suffer with mental illness and for those who treat them. His own case history of Kindling is told, then followed by very practical suggestions for survival in the chapter called "How to Break Even with Bipolar Illness". Extensive research has been done to provide us with a readable history of mental illness, and with a short description of the roles of Clinical Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology. Also included is a bibliography which would make a doctoral candidate wide-eyed. The book is a "gift" because the writer has not only seen the underview, but has taken control, studied the disease, and with great intelligence and skill has shared it with us. If you have, or think you may have a mental disorder, or if you work in the field of Mental Health, I urge you to read this book?

An Underview of Mental Illness By: Michael Crawford

Mr. Crawford has skillfully interwoven his 19 years of personal experience with Bipolar Disorder with information explaining the illness...in particular the kindling model as presented by Dr. R. M. Post. Kindling is explained...how it happens, and how it erupts, both technically and chronologically in Mr. Crawford's life. This theory is shown clearly in his example of failure at adolescent love projected to the same failure as an adult. Mr. Crawford's personal story, while similar to those of others with this illness, is also unique.

Also included is an excellent chapter "How to Breakeven with Bipolar Disorder" which presents timely and sage advice for anyone with this disorder.

This book is eminently readable...an excellent story and source of information that I would recommend for anyone with Bipolar Disorder and for their families and friends who hope to gain an understanding of what this illness is, how it feels, and how it can be treated,

My congratulations to Mr. Crawford.

Bipolar World

I was first shown Studdert-Kennedy's WWI poems in 1960, and bought my first copy that year. I have since owned several and given them away - a bit like Kennedy's own life, in which his wife would come home to the parsonage to discover that Studdert had given their bed to some poor family.
G A Studdert-Kennedy's poems (like his fiercely written devotional and exhortatory books) overflow with love and tenderness, passion and anger against injustice, hypocrisy and cant. He demolishes the sub-christian theology of triumphalism, and writes, "...and I hate the God of power on his hellish heavenly throne, looking down on rape and murder, hearing little children moan ... [a bit later:] God, the God I love and worship, reigns in sorrow on the tree; broken, bleeding, but unconquered, very God of God to me..." (from "High and Lifted Up".
The poems, "Rough Rhymes of a Padre" was his own title for the first edition, reflect the man. He is no polished poet, but a passionate Christian minister who got his Woodbine Willie nickname (also the title of his biography by William Purcell) because instead of staying in the officers' mess with the other chaplains, he was down in the trenches handing out Woodbine cigarettes. After the war he became a pacifist, and fought that battle just as fiercely as all others, until his untimely death in (I think) 1929.
I'm buying two copies of the book now, one to keep forever - it will be, as were others before it, one of my most treasured possessions - the other for the inevitable gift to someone who needs to hear the authentic voice of the God who suffers with us.

There is something for everyone here from the much-loved Woodbine puffing chaplain - something for poetry lovers, war or military historians and/or Christians - they will find all something of interest in these pages. I found his haunting 'lyrics' unforgetable.

A lesser know war poet, but well recommended, who understood too well his men's feeling of God having deserted them to their trench hell. Faith finds it hard to adjust to horrors of war like this, but the feeling of being abandoned and crying out to God from the mire is honestly explored in this hauntingly beautiful poetry.

Another war poet I liked is -
The Ghosts of No Man's Land - The Rhymes of a Red Cross Man

This book gives a wonderful overview of have women see themselves and how they can be seen.

Like an inspired mosaic (originally a Muslim art form) author and editor Jennifer Heath has assembled a stunning array of twenty-one essays by women on all aspects of veiling across the ages and a variety of cultures including the controversial concerns of our day. This collection raises many questions and provides a diversity of answers from women of all faiths and political persuasions.

A must-have basic reference for women's fashions of the era. Lots of full color photos with detail shots, and all clothes are shown on real people. Good collecting and care tips, too

Clear, concise protrayl of beautiful and not-so-beautiful fashions of the 20s-40s. The pricing guide is helpful when buying or selling vintage clothing.

Virtual You! will take teen girls on a journey that will change them from the inside out. Within the pages is an inner "makeover" that will have outward results. Girls are encouraged to step out and trust God with every area of their lives. This fun, interactive book dicusses love, purity, relationships, personal make-up - everything girls need to grow into Godly women. Jimmie Davis' friendly and conversational tone gives girls the feel of receiving guidance from a long-time, trusted friend. The contemporary format and language makes it especially appealing to teens. This book is a must for teenage girls and would be a great small group study.

As a teacher and leader of teen girls, I'm excited to see an interactive study like Jimmie Davis'Virtual You! Often it is difficult to find a book that challenges teen girls to think on a deeper level without being so tedious that they lose interest. Virtual You! provides a great balance. The computer theme used in the book is perfect for today's youth, who spend untold hours online. This book does a wonderful job of encouraging girls to think beyond the immediate regarding matters of dating, sex, and marriage, among other things. Virtual You! is a great choice for a small group study for girls.

Information correction. The 20 cards are not only from Fendi, they also contain Dior, Chanel, GUCCI, Prada...etc. You will like it very much.

I started collecting visionaire two years ago, I think #33, Touch, is the best issue throughout these two years. (It is even better than LV #30). The brushed golden metal box is shiny and grand. There are 20 Fendi 2000/2001 fashion desigen collection image cards, every card is produced by different printing techniques, for instance, foil-stamping, sculpt-embossing, 3D...etc, It is creative and beautiful. A wearable pony skin scarf is used for packing the 20 cards in order to put them inside the golden metal box. This scarf is definitely the image of Fendi fashion style. Both scarf, golden box and image card are very match in colour and style. It is a perfect art design except it is a little bit expensive. (Actually, I really hope to cancel half star of the 5 I rated above because of the higher price) However, I still don't know how to wear the scarf. Anyway, if you like collecting beautiful creative design product and you can afford, buy it. I think you will like it because it is a full marks-5 star product.

The book is organized into two parts: by decade, and by designer. In the decades section, 6-8 pages of text and picture describe the main trends of the time, naming some popular designers, showing great examples of fashion photography, illustration, and art. Things discussed: historical influences, textiles, hemlines, changes from the previous decade, colors, trends, etc.

The section in alphabetical order, by designer, features a wealth of designers from the turn of the century to the late 90's and has pictures from some of the more famous ones. It briefly describes their careers, which house they worked for, when applicable, the gist of their style, any innovations or contributions they made to the world of fashion, and more. This is a good reference book to have if your passion is design or fashion, and the colorful, clear layout makes it fun to browse through.

"Vogue Fashion" is a survey of pictures seen on the pages of Vogue magazine from the early 1900s to 2000. The first part of the book is fashion divided by decade. It is fascinating to see the 20th century fashion evolution through the decades. The last part of the book is divided by designer, with a brief text detailing their design contribution to fashion. The book is richly illustrated and fascinating as well as fun to flip through.

To obtain the full transltaion one has to order both the volumes.
ISBN 0-913546-86-0 paperback volume 1
ISBN 0-913546-87-9 paperback volume 2
The translation has been made from French into English and then checked with the orignal in Tibetan and Sanskrit.

This is based on the Lalitavistara Sutra, which is a traditional telliing of the Buddha Shakyamuni's lifestory written around 2,000 years ago. It starts with his two previous lifetimes, and ends at the time he delivers his first teachings after attaining enlightenment.

The translation is beautifully done, with some very lyrical passages. Those of you who have read other original Buddhist sutras and scriptures may be surprised to find how 'flowery' this is, but it's a delightful change of pace from some of the more repetitive traditional scriptures.

The book also has some gorgeous full-page full-color images (with tissue paper covers to protect them) between some sections that make it worth the unusually high price.

One caveat: if you don't know anything about Buddhism, you might find the more accessible style of Thich Nhat Hahn's "Old Path White Clouds" a little more comprehensible, but if you already have a basic idea of what Buddhism's all about, then the Lalitavistara would be a great addition to your library.

We received Don't Wake the Baby when my daughter was 2 and we immediately bought Wake Up Sleeping Beauty as well. My daughter still loves these books -- she is now 5 -- and my now 2 year old daughter asks to read them over and over again. The books are so charming, that my husband and I don't mind!

This is a book with tabs on each page which causes the characters to move and accompanying sounds to occur. The storylines are funny, the movements are imaginative, and the sounds are terrific. The only problem is that it's easy for little fingers to tear the tabs and pages with their enthusiasm or, in our case, sheer repetition, even though the pages are heavy stock.

I have a nursery school with children ages 18 months to 5 years. "Wake Up Sleeping Beauty" catches the attention of all of them and they listen motionless as each teacher tells her version of the story.

This is a wonderful collection of exquisite scenes and unique places in our country. Every state is featured. The scripture selections added to my appreciation and the photographer's notes are the frosting on the cake. Highly recommended. I ordered one copy for a gift and after looking through it, I am ordering one for myself, and 4 for some very special Christmas gifts. You won't regret it.

I would highly recommend this book!! The photography is absolutely stunning and shows what an amazingly beautiful country America is!
What is even more wonderful are the quotes of scripture and from former presidents and notable people scattered throughout the pages that remind us that this country was founded by people who not only acknowledged God but who loved God and wanted America to be a "beacon of light" for the rest of the world.....you will not be disappointed, I promise!!