E Books

Effortlessly The Golden Age of Advertising--The 50's combines a crash course in visual arts, history, sociology and business, and does it without you even knowing it's happening! Like the other titles in the series, volumes which cover the history of advertising in the 1970's and 1960's, this book throws out so many glorious advertisements it's like time traveling. See full color ads for cigarettes (Doctors recommend Camels for calm nerves!), alcohol, clothing, foods, appliances, cars, and more. See how fashion, hairstyles, the very thought patterns of we Americans, ourselves, have evolved from where we were at mid-century last. You can stare at the pages of this virtually word-less book for hours and still see things you missed the fist time. It's a real treat!

Massive, beautifully produced, and very insightful in it's appraisal of 1950's American consumerism, this tome is perhaps the best collection of 1950's advertising ever assembled. Tons of beautiful illustrations and (in some cases) graphic design that are now relics of the past. In my opinion, this book should only have been published in harcover, due to its weight and number of pages. Sadly the hardcover is impossible or nearly impossible to find, unless you go for the abridged version issued as "The Golden Age of Advertising- the 1950s." This whole series of books which now span most of the 20th century are a great reference, and an important documentation of American history in visual form.

We were recent house guests of a couple who have decorated some areas of their beautiful home with a 50's theme. We gave them this book as a thank you for hosting our family. It was a unique gift, and one they will enjoy for years.

Probably the best ad book I've ever seen! Worth every penny it costs and believe me, it doesn't cost THAT much - not for a book like this! I was born in the 50s (in Russia) and Russians wouldn't even dream (or didn't even hear!) of products which are in this book - advertised in the US in the 50s. I'm now waiting for my All-American Ads of the 60s to arrive from Amazon - I spent my childhood in the US in the 60s and I can't wait to meet my "good old friends" - the American products - as advertised in the 60s. I'm hoping to collect the whole series of these fabulous books. Thank you very much, Jim Heimann and Benedikt Taschen -the guys who made this wonderfull series possible. Alexander Romanov, Moscow, Russia.

I loved this book! As a child born in the mid-50's, many of these ads fortunately carried over to the 60's when I was both better able to comprehend as well as recall them. It was also nice showing the book to our children, as it gave them a glimpse into some of what our own childhood's were like. If anyone reading this wants to take a trip back to a simpler, safer, saner era, this book is your "Time Machine". All for around $25 bucks too!

while the lessons inside are easier said than done many times, they are lessons nonetheless. i knew i wasn't a good listener and i knew i wanted to change it, and this was a great way to start the process. the best part is identifying the non-listening behavior so you can root it out! definately recommended, but just know that listening may require more than you may be willing to offer!

Relationships often flounder because of poor communication. In Are You Really Listening?, the authors make a strong case for the importance of listening attentively to improve communication. This book offers case studies, concrete examples, and clear descriptions to help the reader become a better listener. By carefully listening, people can depend their understanding and talk intimately with each other. I highly recommend this book.

"Are You Really Listening? Keys to Successful Communication" is a self-help guide to relationships, and the value of listening - a skill desperately needed in a world prone to misunderstandings and worse. "Are You Really Listening?" isolates the factors that tend to keep people from listening, and how to identify one's own tendencies to tune out what others are saying - from the "Me Too" syndrome that tends to tune out the speaker and refocus the conversation on the self, to learning how to be heard, to how counterproductive defensiveness can be (defending oneself signals that the time of listening to the speaker's concerns have ended). "Are You Really Listening?" has the absolute highest recommendation for anyone striving to improve their communication skills and professional or personal relationships.

What a marvelous book! It so clearly makes the case that listening is the essential element in any good relationship. Friendships, businesses, and famiilies all benefit from genuine understanding. Are You Really Listening? not only demonstrates the value of listening, it teaches in a clear step-by-step manner how to listen. I loved it and I am giving it as gifts to friends and family.

I feel like I've been waiting forever to find a book that would neatly describe how to listen better. There are so many "self-help" books out there, but nearly all of them are ineffectual. Are You Really Listening, however, is extremely useful. I have found it so helpful in my life, because the authors wrote it using an honest and clear voice that is shared between them.
Moreover, I found the brief case illustrations to illuminate wonderfully the messages and lessons that these two experts prescribe.

Buy this book.

The Ascent of Rum Doodle is a "laugh out loud" book. It is a cult classic among climbers as it parodies climbing books from the 50's. The dry, understated British humor is a perfect fit for a story of a clueless, ill-fated climbing venture in the Himalayas. The foreword by Bill Bryson sets up the book very well.

This deliciously absurd, very short book can be enjoyed in a few hours. But the real pleasure is in reading it again to pick up the jokes missed first time. The story of an incompetent group of British amateurs and their attempt to climb the world's tallest mountain (the forty thousand and a half foot Rum Doodle), it is told in the first-person by the hapless expedition leader, Binder. Much of the humour comes from the contrast between Binder's stoical optimism and the disasters which he describes. Rum Doodle has been a classic word-of-mouth hit in the UK. Written in the 50s by an unassuming railway engineer who led a quiet, unassuming life, this flash of genius could easily have remained unread had it not been discovered and championed by Bill Bryson, the US author and Anglophile (who has written the foreward to this edition). If you like Monty Python or the UK version of The Office, you will love Rum Doodle.

If you're a serious student of mountaineering history and/or literature this is a must read. Rum Doodle will help you to put your passion into proper perspective.

If you don't give a damn about climbing but enjoy understated humor this is a fun read.

However, if you don't "get" nice and dry British humor don't bother. It's just not the book for you.

This is without a doubt the greatest spoof of the British mountaineering expedition accounts ever conceived. Every word of the book will ring true to readers that are familiar with the genre. I've read it three times and still find myself laughing out loud. But then again, I'm a climber so what do I know?

This book is one of my all-time favorite books! I was first introduced to "Rum Doodle" by my dad, Dee Molenaar, who himself had been a member of several mountaineering expeditions in the 50's and 60's. The Ascent of Rum Doodle brims with humor and a unique take on the world of high altitude climbing. I don't know if Bowman himself was a mountain-climber or not, but he certainly seems to understand the dynamics and personalities that sometimes are part of a mountain-climbing expeditiion.

There was a period of time a few years back during which I ate up the literature of British exploration like candy - the tragic story of Robert Scott in the Antarctic, the thrilling survival adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton, and the like. These yarns had in common their Britishness - a bizarre combination of courage and, frankly, foolishness (Scott thought he could get to the South Pole on PONIES and died in pursuit of that belief, accompanied by some people who had never even been south before, while the Norwegian Amundsen sensibly took dogs and experienced skiers and beat him to the destination).

Fortunately the British have a world-class capacity to poke fun at their own foibles, and that is what "Ascent of Rum Doodle" is all about. It parodies a (fictional) expedition to ascend Rum Doodle, a 40,000-foot (!) mountain somewhere near Everest

Expedition Leader Binder narrates his own story. In the spirit of the literature he parodies, our hero Binder never once falters in his belief of the superiority of his crew and the indomitability of the British Spirit. This, despite his crew consisting of a geographer (who is unable to negotiate the London bus system), a doctor (who is always sick), a climber (too overcome by "lassitude" to get out of his sleeping bag), a native cook (so disastrous that the team attempts to leave him behind on the mountain), and a photographer (who does not capture a single shot during the entire expedition.

This hapless crew are babysat by thousands of native porters, who at one point must condescend to actually carry the British crew (fortified by the many crates of medicinal champagne they have burdened the porters with) on their backs.

Did I mention they accidentally climb the wrong mountain??

It's apparently a kind of cult classic among people who actually do this kind of adventuring (not just armchair folk like me), but it's a quick and funny funny read, so even if "frostbite" has not been a factor in your reading choices up to now, you should have a go at this one. A humor classic that should be better known in the U.S.

DeMuth's book is a refreshing look at the parenting book. Her insight into raising children in this day's culture is a must for anybody who wants to face parenting head on instead of simply sheltering children from what they will eventually encounter anyway.

Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (1/08)

Raising a child, or children, in the 21st century is not going to be an easy task. What an awesome responsibility parents have! Just as the generations before us, those of us who have been blessed with children have the opportunity and challenge to "train a child in the way they should go." Our main goals are the same as they have been in the previous generations. We need to love our children with a sacrificial love and be positive role models for our children to follow.

All homes are imperfect. You will never find or achieve the perfect home and life. Just as all people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, having a perfect home is not possible. We need to understand just what postmodernity is and how to deal with it. There is help for us parents in the 21st century. Mary DeMuth has written and published a book which will help you to understand our very important roles as parents in this world of constant change. Postmodernity affects Christianity and the church itself. With many stories of Biblical people and many other people and their life experiences added, Mary DeMuth brings out her ideas and accomplishes her goal in bringing out what she feels is most important in parenting in such a time as this.

When you were younger, you probably heard that "children should be seen and not heard." Not anymore is that the way children should be raised. If we want children to someday be leaders and witness their faith to others, we as parents need to listen to our children and teach them how to share their ideas. Children will learn more from their parents by observing their modeling Christian behavior than by anything else.

Mary DeMuth uses easy-to-understand language. "Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture" is a valuable guidebook to help their children develop into the unique persons who God has created them to be. The consistent use of scripture verses adds to the spiritual walk through the pages of this book. This is an excellent book for Christian parents to learn more about themselves, what God commands, and their relationships. Parents will see how God will walk alongside them every step of the pathway to positive parenting.

My title for this review could be a good alternate title for Mary DeMuth's latest book. This book is not about teaching our kids to be postmoderns, it is about parenting in a way that is really "real" in an age where culture actively battles us. As Christians we are called to be a peculiar people, and we need to hold to our identity in Christ. However, this doesn't mean we don't use different tools in different times.

Mary's writing style is very easy to read. She writes with lots of personal experience, stories on "how not to do it", and feedback/insight from others. It doesn't take long to read, but it takes more time to digest and put into practice what she is sharing.

This is not a book of simple "how to" with easy lists to follow. It speaks more into wider issues of the heart of the parent and the child, although there are practical points of application that are encouraged through the stories. She is not out to fix certain discipline problems or give us 7 steps to the perfect child. She brings us into a conversation on how to be Jesus to our children.

For anyone confused over the idea of "what is postmodern?", she does lead in with an introduction of what that is and why it matters as a Christian parent. I would have liked a little more detail in this area, but that may be due to me being strongly interested in philosophy and worldview issues. This is not a criticism, as it is probably plenty for the average reader.

I haven't worried about reading a lot of parenting books lately, but I am really glad I had the opportunity to read this book. It has affected my parenting (3 boys, thank you very much) already. I highly recommend it.

I recently finished reading Mary DeMuth's "Authentic Parenting in a
Postmodern Culture". I found it to be a heartfelt, well written, relevant
book with great wisdom for parents. As a mom of a teen, a tween and a
kindergartner, I was encouraged to raise my children in such a way that they will be prepared to face the culture in which we live.

I have already used several of Mary's ideas in dealing with my three. This week I had a conflict with my oldest regarding the way she treated another person. I later realized that her behavior was not too different from my own in many cases, and approached her with an apology and a goal for both of us to do better. "Authentic Parenting" reminded me to be real with my children and to avoid trying to give them the impression that I am perfect. Instead, we share the joy of seeking to be more like Christ every day.

Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture by Mary DeMuth tackles the tough issue of how to parent in our changing world. How do we teach our children about truth and God in this pluralistic world? DeMuth gives lots of wonderful advice on how to bring our family back home where it belongs and support each other. She discusses different ways to worship and show your children not only to find God on their own but also to encourage others in their path. Postmodernism is such a difficult subject to define, but she handles it with grace and intelligence. She encourages parents to become more active in their children's lives and to bring thought to how we interact with them, God, and the world. DeMuth and her husband moved their three children to France, and she shares their struggles to fit in an atheistic society. She shows their efforts, warts and all, to illustrate how we and our children can thrive in this new world. It's a great, solid parenting resource.

All of Michael Kahn's books have been favorites of mine, but his newest, Bearing Witness is outstanding. Anyone looking for a thrilling mystery should definately check out this book!

Just finished reading this Rachel Gold mystery. This is my fourth one and I have enjoyed them all. However, in this one, Michael Kahn kicks it up a few notches. In this book he tells the tale of Ruth Alpert. Her case evolves from an age discrimination suit to a qui tam case. Michael Kahn does a good job of explaining what a qui tam case is. He also re-educates us on Kristallnacht, die spinne and April 20, 1898 which are events none of us should forget. I live in the area of St. Louis and I loved the descriptions of Union Station (the Arch of Whispers)and the restaurants he names in the book. I can picture everything. Keep on writing.

a legal thriller worthy of the name. an age discrimination case evolves into a multi-million dollar whistle-blowing expose. narrative flow is steady if occasionally ponderous. nice balance of trial prep,personal travails and courtroom squirmishes- all fueled by an inescapable desire to root for the good guys.

Michael Kahn's books seem to just keep getting better and better. This is an absorbing and sobering adventure with Rachel, Benny and the rest of the crew. Rachel's relationship is progressing nicely with the "Wolf Man" and I hope it continues in future books. Keep writing PLEASE -- when you are sitting at your computer late into the night, be assured your fans are eagerly awaiting your next Rachel Gold adventure!

I discovered Rachel Gold through a short story in EQMM - thank heaven, as I don't think I would have found them otherwise; for anyone who is looking for a terrific mystery, interesting characters and courtroom drama - run don't walk to buy one of Michael Kahn's Rachel Gold books.

This is, by far, the best of the lot; full of history (Nazi treasure), present day issues(age discrimination and excellent sleuthing. The plotting and the characters are so well drawn that I find I have re-read this book several times even though I know "who dun it" and enjoyed it all over again.

This book is a must read story for any horse lover. I was lucky enough to meet Blackjack in person and he is a beautiful horse. Reading this book will take you on a wonderful horse adventure! Thank you Ellen Feld for writing such an amazing book.

This book is a must have for all who love horses! It is entertaining, heartwarming, and inspiring. No teenage girl should be without it!!

AWSOME!! I can't wait to read the other ones!!!

Its the best horse book I have ever read. Any horse lover or owner like me will fall in love with the horses and the characters. I laughed and even came near to tears in this heart filled story. I highly recommend it.

I love Ellen Feld's Morgan Horse books. I love them because they don't ask the reader to believe that teenaged girls can solve crimes, stop the destruction of rural America, or take a half-starved rescue horse on Monday and win the KY Derby on him the following weekend. OK; I'm exaggerating. It usually takes them at least 6 months before they win the Derby.
Ms. Feld's books are realistic in their portrayal of the human and equine characters, and accurate in their descriptions of tack, veterinary care, etc.
As a once-upon-a-time horse-crazy teenager grown into a horse-crazy middle aged person, and both a bookseller and tack store owner in years past, I appreciate the fact that Ms. Feld's books aren't filled with inaccuracy and improbable fantasy. It has always seemed to me that many YA stories that are, presuppose that the readers are not very knowledgeable about horses.
Five stars and a bag of carrots to Ellen Feld's books.

If are bodies are not fed we will die. In the same manner, if the spirituality of our being is not fed, it too will wither and fade. This book offers food for our spiritual journey in a way that makes one look forward to the meal and after partaking makes one fulfilled by the experience.

A book of daily meditations needs to give you something to think about, chew on, and ponder, throughout the rest of your day. Nouwen does this. His meditations are brief, and to the point. They cover many aspects of our daily journey to become more fully the children of God, emotional and physical, as well as spiritual. He invites you to think about who Jesus really said was your neighbor, for example. I began in June, and have not yet gone through the whole year, but I already know it is a book I will be able to use for years to come.

INTRODUCTION:
From the St. Matthew Gospel (4,4): "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

These were the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus quoting Holy Scripture in Deuteronomy 8:3 showing the importance of spiritual nourishment. "Bread for the Journey" is a great daily devotional/meditational book with contemplative tid-bits for thought on our daily journey as Christians. If you are not on a spiritual journey with God this book will help you form an appetite for God's Word and God's thoughts. If God as Creator is the Chef, then Henri Nouwen thru this daily meditational book is His assistant cook.

AUTHOR:
Wikipedia describes Nouwen as "a Dutch Catholic priest and writer who authored 40 books on the spiritual life." In recent years, Nouwen's meditative writings are popular with many Protestants (especially those from the emergent/emerging Church movement). Nouwen was also a pastoral psychology, and theology professor at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard universities, and spent the latter part of his life working exclusively with the developmentally disabled.

CONTENT:
The book is organized by months, and the only pattern that I could find is that some number of consecutive days are focused on a larger theme (e.g. about "Being ____", or "Jesus is _____," empowered and Holy Spirit, the church, eternal life, joy, sorrow, and others). Many of the daily meditations seem to fit the Christian calendar and major holidays.

CONCLUSION:
Henri Nouwen's 365 daily thoughts are deep, insighful, and spiritually rich. The short daily half-pager meditations include ample quotes and verses from the Bible and are so effective that it makes one "see" a seemingly simple topic in a deeply spiritual and yet practical way.

Now I feel that, really, no Christian (Protestant, Orthodox, Roman-Catholic) will leave this banquet starving or unmotivated to be more Christ-like.

INTRODUCTION:
From the St. Matthew Gospel (4,4): "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

These were the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus quoting Holy Scripture in Deuteronomy 8:3 showing the importance of spiritual nourishment. "Bread for the Journey" is a great daily devotional/meditational book with contemplative tid-bits for thought on our daily journey as Christians. If you are not on a spiritual journey with God this book will help you form an appetite for God's Word and God's thoughts. If God as Creator is the Chef, then Henri Nouwen thru this daily meditational book is His assistant cook.

AUTHOR:
Wikipedia describes Nouwen as "a Dutch Catholic priest and writer who authored 40 books on the spiritual life." In recent years, Nouwen's meditative writings are popular with many Protestants (especially those from the emergent/emerging Church movement). Nouwen was also a pastoral psychology, and theology professor at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard universities, and spent the latter part of his life working exclusively with the developmentally disabled.

CONTENT:
The book is organized by months, and the only pattern that I could find is that some number of consecutive days are focused on a larger theme (e.g. about "Being ____", or "Jesus is _____," empowered and Holy Spirit, the church, eternal life, joy, sorrow, and others). Many of the daily meditations seem to fit the Christian calendar and major holidays.

CONCLUSION:
Henri Nouwen's 365 daily thoughts are deep, insighful, and spiritually rich. The short daily half-pager meditations include ample quotes and verses from the Bible and are so effective that it makes one "see" a seemingly simple topic in a deeply spiritual and yet practical way.

Now I feel that, really, no Christian (Protestant, Orthodox, Roman-Catholic) will leave this banquet starving or unmotivated to be more Christ-like.

I was given "Bread For The Journey" at a particularly low point in my life and will personally attest to its restorative power. Henri Nouwen was the rare soul who wrote from a soul molded by the living heart of scripture and informed by compassionate hands-on caregiving.

BFTJ is a daily meditation guide that delves into the pith of religious experience from the Christian point of view. Nouwen's deep insights into the Eucharist are sometimes startling and far deeper than the warmed-over tripe often doled out by those of lesser spiritual prowess. But his gentle words always point with love toward healing the brokenness that is part and parcel of the human experience.

So fascinating are Nouwen's thoughts that one is tempted to wolf them down. But taken in small mouthfuls, chewed well and digested thoroughly, they can be healing to the mind and soul. They can also prepare the reader for properly receiving the Eucharist, not as a mere matter of habit, but as a healing ritual that connects to (and overcomes) one's own sinfulness, nourishing the spirit.

Where the K&R book is terrible for learning C, this book makes it a snap.
It provides an organized and complete tutorial for the novice C programmer as well as a useful reference for the more experienced C user.

As some one who took an unguided path into C programming, I can really appreciate how much of a difference this book would have made if I came across it earlier.

This book elegantly lays down the structure and parts of the C language. It presents the reasons behind various features of the language.

This is the book that will teach you to think about programming in an intuitive way.

I have read the second edition and recently bought this third edition that has ANSI standard C in the main body of the work, rather than K&R C. I am using it to brush up on C that I have not used in a while. It is still a great book.

I have read the other reviews from December 1997 through February 2004. I do not have much to add to what has already been said, other than what the others write is true. I wish all technical books were this well written.

The perfect balance of complete, useful information on ANSI C. All technical information (data types, operators, declarations, pointers, arrays) is there. It it all explained in sufficient, readable but not wordy detail. It is remarkable in its efficiency.

It's all in there - the preprocessor, railroad diagrams showing the syntax of each statement, code snippets where they useful. Data structures, starting with the bit datatype, then defining and explaining more advanced concepts of unions, structures, and the user-defined types using _typedef_. Then full examples tieing it together with linked lists, then doubly linked lists.

A brief section on software engineering concepts showing the importance of design and test, and finally a complete working C interpreter.

What really sets it apart though is its complete reference of the most-used standard library functions - formatted and file I/O, string and memory manipulation functions. Effective use of the proven library functions is one of the marks of the software professional, and the outer framework of most useful real-life programs is getting data in and out.

The book begins with a very high-level overview of programs to establish its context, but this is NOT a how-to-program book. If you already understand the fundamental concepts (arithmetic and logical operations, looping) and you need a comprehensive book on how to use C, this is the one. There are lots of books in the "this is a reference, not a tutorial" class (e.g. K&R) and lots of wordy tutorials that never get to the difficult parts (like 'how do I pass a pointer to a multidimensional array.'). This is one book that is sufficiently organized to be a reference, with enough clear explanation that you'll learn how and why things work.

I've had my 2nd edition of this book since it was new in 1991 and recently purchased a copy of the reviewed edition for a friend. It's still excellent, with improved coverage of new features and extensions, and removal of the obsolete adjective "new" when referencing the ANSI standard that's been ratified for a good long while now.

There is no mention of C++ - this is a C book. Good ol' ANSI C is still the language of choice for many if not most embedded projects, even new design. I believe a solid foundation in C will serve any C++ programmer well - under the 'object' layer of C++ lie member functions that actually do the work, and those functions look a lot like C...

Like most good technical books, this one's not cheap, but it's a quality Springer-Verlag binding on acid-free paper that will last a career if not a lifetime. And considering the depth, breadth, and clarity of the content, it is a bargain.

A must-have.

15 years ago I came across this book accidentally in a second hand shop primarily selling Springer books.
I already had K&R because it was best known, but was not really satisfied with it as a transitioner from Fortran.
This book had all I needed, especially on pointers (see all other reviews).
I always enjoyed reading it. It's not about becoming a C obsfucation contest winner,
but about C as a tool for software engineers.
Combined with Harbison & Steele's "A C Reference Manual" and Hanson's "C Interfaces and Implementations",
which are my other most referenced C books, you will have a solid basic library to rely on as a C programmer.

Carbonel took me away when I was a child,I loved every well written detail,and could imagine every event as it took place-the only problem was,when I got older (alot older!!)I had forgotten the title and despaired of ever finding the book again-Imagine my joy when I found a used copy in a thrift store-it looked familiar,could it be....? Hooray!It was!Carbonel!I bought it immediately and read it asap and will never ever let it out of my hands again!This is a fabulous book for children of all ages,and if my opinion counts for anything,I would advise to get a copy of your own right now!Truly a wonderful,wonderful book.

...It was my FAVOURITE when I was a kid - ...Why is this fantastic book out of print??

When I first read this book, I was 10-years-old. I grew up and never forgot the joy that I received from its pages. I kept looking for it when I got older and now have my own copies of all the Carbonel books. I am now in possession of an amazing child's book that deserves to be shared throughout centuries to come. Wonderful book - deserving to be named a favorite classic.

This book captured my imagination as a child and was a pleasure to read again after 17 years. I feared I might ruin a childhood memory by tracking it down and reading it again but it was well worth the effort. I hope it's magic will still reach young readers even though it is now out of print.

My mom gave me this book when I was 8 years old. Hesitantly, I started reading it, and was immediately hooked. It is the first chapter book I remember reading, and I owe my love of literature to Barbara Sleigh and Carbonel. Before the advent of the Internet, I spent many years trying to track down copies of all the Carbonel books, with limited success. Then one day, I discovered that they had had been reissued in the United Kingdom. I was in law school at the time, and my wife told me we couldn't afford them. Imagine my surprise, that Christmas, when I found them under the tree! My wife had called a bookstore in London, and had them shipped to the US just in time for the holidays. I'm now 39 years old, and still reread those books about once a year. I have read them to both my children, and they have read them by themselves. I think we can all look back on our lives, and find one or two events that shape aspects of our future. For me, a British book about a little girl, a witch and a magical, royal cat set me on a road where books became some of my most cherished possessions, and reading my most enjoyable pasttime. Read the books; feel the magic.

This series focusses on three Wiccan girls trying to make it through normal life while all the while using and running into magic. This series was particularly special to me as I am a young Wiccan myself and to see a book like this that shows Wicca in such a lighthearted and acceptable manner is simply wonderful.

I was glad to see an extra-large book to tie up the loose ends in this series in a great finale. It lessened the blow of this possibly being the end of the series.

The whole series is well written, character driven, mostly realistic, and well worth reading.

'"And so it ends."'

Now, I'm not usually one to waste my time soaking up the end of a series, but "Initiation" by Isobel Bird was one exception. I have to admit, this was one dramatic and overall astounding conclusion to "Circle of Three," and I would reccomend it to anyone. Whilst Cooper and Jane are busy with their 'Bitter Pills' plans, Kate and Annie are undergoing thier final initiation as witches. Cooper, who didn't make the initiation class, seems to be wasting away her sorrow in her hard-rock guitar; but Kate and Annie are more interested in which coven they will join and what the right choice is. Little does the circle of three know, their choices will soon merge into one as the conclusion of the fifteen-book series comes to an end. And as it draws near, Annie fears that the circle of three she, Kate and Cooper had formed is really going to break up after all. But the end is full of surprises, like Cooper's decision to become initiated and the forming of a brand new coven. Like I say, this is truly the beginning of the end. I hope to see more books by Ms. Bird, but if not, I'm glad I read the Circle of Three. This is truly excellent for all young Wiccans who need a good read, a good laugh, and time to enjoy themselves.

1st of all i would just like to say i am NOT 1, i am 14, there was just a problem with the regular review form. Lol. But anyway, this last book was a great finale for The Circle Of Three series. I can't believe it's over. It may not be, but there's usually a title for the upcoming book and even a passage, but it was not there. Basically, Kate, Annie, and Cooper have to deal with their Initiation...Kate will have to decide between her life in wicca, or being in Wicca for an old flame...Annie must choose the right coven also, but the upcoming wedding and her new sisters will show her what's the real path, one which will let her find her way....Cooper was not offered initiation in The Challenge Box, but finds renewed faith, but it may be broken once more... Each witch-to-be will together face a shocking revelation, including facing rejection...but the question is for all of you who haven't read the book yet, will they find the light to their destined paths? This may be confusing, but once you read Initiation, you'll understand. This was a great read, which i recommend to all who have read the others in the series. Buy it soon!

I must say, this entire series has been surprisingly informative and interesting (there are even a couple of ideas that I'm interested in adapting for public rituals). I'm a 29 years old practitioner or Wicca (I've been studying for 12 years), and although these books are aimed at teenagers, I've read them all, and so have many of my friends (ages 22 to 35).

As the series evolves, we see the personal growth and studies of three teenage friends as they struggle with adolescence and with their increasing interest in the pagan religion which is Wicca. This series presents their experiences as members of a study group organised by an eclectic coven (a year and a day of studies, possibly leading to initiation) and as members of their own "circle of 3", how their friendships and personal goals develop with time, how they become stronger, more mature individuals, how their families and friends react to their interest in this path, etc. The books are informative in the ways of eclectic Wicca, if I had children I'd feel completely comfortable in letting them read them, there is no gratuitous sex or violence or any such thing. Very well done, highly recommended!