Seasons Books

This book is a must-have baking book. The recipes in it are so great, I wish I could make them all at once! They're easy to follow and always come out great. And it's Gooseberry, so there are some nice sayings and cute illustrations.

Country Baking is one of the best Gooseberry Patch cookbooks on the market- especially if you love to bake. I particularly love the recipe for pumpkin biscuits and ginger molasses biscuits. The Farmhouse buttermilk bread is also excellent.

For those who aren't familiar with Gooseberry Patch, each book is filled with great recipes and cute pencil illustrations. Add this one to your collection!

This book has great ideas for crafts to make with children. The directions are clear the supplies are easy to find and the illustrations are very helpful. I think the projects would be appropriate for children k-5, and because they are arranged by season they are great for gifts and holidays. I bought one for a student teacher gift but I'm ordering one for myself because I know I'll really use this book... through all the seasons.

I only recommend books I love and this is the best craft book I've ever seen. The crafts are simple, they use thing you have at home, and the illustrations are great. My kids can thumb through the book and easily see what the craft will look like when completed. Even if you're not crafty, you can follow the directions in this book.

This is one of our favorite books. The drawings are warm and clever. The writing is easy to understand but not condescending to children, and I love that they enjoy learning about nature. We read it over and over.

I especially like this one because it goes through all four seasons of the year. He includes puzzles, hidden pictures, quizzes and activities. His illustrations are beautiful!

I also like his "Guide to Knowing..." series.

And "Drawing from Nature" and "Drawing Life in Motion" (I think that's the title).

Then there is "All about Deer", "Rabbits & Raindrops", etc.. Just click on his name and check out all of his titles (some unfornately have gone out of print). Check your library for those or try to find them used.

Just chalk me up as being a HUGE fan of Mr. Arnosky. Bet you couldn't tell! : )

I am looking forward to using Daily Prayer 2002 which I received as a gift. Just by browing through it, I can see the effort and creative thinking that went into this well-written guide for your prayerful walk with God.

Daily Prayer 2002 contains an order of prayer for each day of the Catholic liturgical year, from the First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2001, to November 30, 2002. Each day includes a psalm, scripture reading, reflection and prayers. Each page is dated and includes the particular day's observance (weekdays, Sundays, feasts of saints, and so forth). It is inspired by the Roman Catholic tradition of daily prayer, including the liturgy of the hours and the monastic practice of "lectio divina," or holy reading, and tries to make those traditions accessible today.

I own the entire set of Days of the Lord which covers the Sunday readings of Years A,B,and C, Advent, Lent and Easter, and I finally got this volume which is a commentary on the Solemnities and Feasts of the liturgical year. In all of the volumes is a wealth of insight regarding the readings for any particular Sunday or holy day. It is not casual reading but simple enough for the laity to understand. I agree that this is a great resource for ministers and would creat sparks to start a homily with. But I also believe that for anyone who seriously wants to prepare and understand the Liturgy of the Word, this is an excellent tool. It puts you in the right disposition for Mass. As a Lector, it also helps me put more expression in my reading because I understand what it is all about. I highly recommend this and all the other volumes of this set.

Since the revision of the Roman Lectionary, scriptural based preaching has become the ideal and the norm. Unfortunately, many preachers find it difficult to make connections with all the readings for a given Sunday or Feast Day. The Days of the Lord series is not an exegetical commentary, but rather a guide for insights into what the Church desires to be preached from its selection of readings. The text is clear and easy to read. It provides some exegesis to ground the readings in the thought of the biblical world. But it also includes enough poetry and symbolic language to allow a good homilist to use these readings to speak to the people of today. These books are a great help in constructing a lectionary-based homily or sermon, thereby achieving the goals set forth by the bishops in their pastoral instruction on preaching.

While on a recent trip to Anza Borrego Desert State Park, I saw The Desert Cries: A season of Flash Floods in a Dry Land on the shelf in the visitor center. Since I knew a thing or two about flash floods, I flipped through a few pages. Yikes. I was in it, and it wasn't an entirely flattering depiction. But of course, I had to buy the book. That night, while camped in a desert wash, I read The Desert Cries by flashlight. "This is good!" I said to my husband who was waiting for me to stop reading so I would turn off the headlamp and he could get some sleep. The book was too suspenseful to put down.

In this harrowing tale of nature's beauty and wrath, Craig Childs vividly depicts the fates of people whose lives have been changed forever by five flash floods. Unfortunately, not all of them make it out alive. The illustrator, Regan Choi, provides grim and shadowy views that supplement the stories well. Even if you've never seen a flash flood, you will have "felt" one by the time you finish this book. The author's fine balance between detail and drama builds a cinematic tension that both satisfies and horrifies. Set in the stunning landscapes of the Southwest, these stories are outdoor adventure narrative at its best. And they are all true.

This is a superbly written page turner, and not just for those who are attracted to the power of the southwest. The book is thrilling without being sensationalist. Childs is a lyrical writer who immerses the reader in his environs. I bought this book after thoroughly enjoying The Secret Knowledge of Water, and was not disappointed.

This is such a great book for young children. My son loved the story and was so excited to turn the page to see what was going to happen next. He now wants to go search for his own "diamond" next time it snows!

When Mole emerges from his hole one day, the woodland is covered in snow. Even more marvelous is the magical "diamond" that appears at the base of a tree. It is beautiful and shiny, and it changes shape in his paws. He can't wait to show it to his friends!

Jonathon Emmett's gentle story is sure to delight young children, especially during the winter months when (if!) there is snow on the ground. Adults will be charmed by the simple fascination with one of nature's special gifts. Sweet woodland illustrations by Vanessa Cabban will further endear this book to children and "designated readers."

DIAMOND IN THE SNOW is a darling picture book that should find a cherished spot on family bookshelves everywhere.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
12/07/2006

Ian Browne, who so ably chronicles the Red Sox for mlb.com, has provided us with a wonderful inside look at one of the most compelling stories from the team's 2007 season. In describing the acquisition and first season of Japanese pitching star Daisuke Matsuzaka, he gives us a clear picture of the business decision making process that brought Dice-K to the team and then thoughtfully interweaves vignettes focusing on cultural diversity, team-building, and the road to a World Series championship. The book is far more than an expanded internet column. Even for those of us who follow the Red Sox all season, this book is a nail-biter. It should provide reading pleasure to both baseball lovers and others interested in the interfaces among business, sports, and intercultural challenges.

There are some players who produce seasons that transcend mere success or failure, and Daisuke Matsuzaka was one of them in 2007. Fortunately, Ian Browne was able to expertly chronicle what became a rivoting story within a story. The book is thorough, insightful and entertaining, more than doing justice to a year-long drama no baseball fan will soon forget.

I've read this book several times. Beverly Hills is one of my favorite places and I been to several of the houses described in this book. The maps are accurate and the stories about the stars are fabulous. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed seeing Hollywood and Beverly Hills after reading this book It brought the history alive. It was excellently written and I would like to se more.

I followed the Mets faithfully that entire dream season and this book went over it faithfully. It was a joy to read all about it, especially the play offs and Game 6 in particular!

I read this book every few years to go back to a time when I first discovered America's past-time. There has never been a more magical team than the New York Mets in 1986. It was more than the play everyone remembers--the ball Mookie Wilson's hit that rolled between Bill Buckner's legs when he "peeked" at Mookie hustling down the line. That play was symballic of the entire Mets playoff run. As you read this book, you sit beside Gary Carter during each game of the Mets/Astros NL Series and the Mets/Red Sox World Series. You get a true behind-the-scenes picture of what happens in the dugout, on the field, and in the clubhouse. Any baseball fan, whether or not you love the mets, will love this book.