Stone Books

This first book of stone soup is wonderful. I finally understand where the characters began and laughed all the way through. The drawings are less refined than the most recent comics, but I enjoy seeing the figures improve as the writing gets sharper.

How completely, utterly *refreshing* to read a comic strip where the female characters don't value themselves based on their waist measurements, their spendthrift shopping habits, or by how men see them. How wonderful and hilarious to see a comic-strip Mom who's got better things to do than become the family doormat -- Val's no-nonsense dealings with the kids is a refreshing change from the usual Mommy-clean-my-mess (from husband as well as kids) in most family comic strips. Of course STONE SOUP is feminist (Oh! I just said the "f" word!) -- it dares to presume that female characters can carry a comic strip all by themselves, and be funny and interesting in and of themselves, and that families come in all shapes and sizes. Naturally it's taken years for Eliot to come out with a *second* collection of these wonderful strips while the bulimia manual CATHY and the formulaic mommy-doormat FOXTROT are on their umpteenth releases -- some people are just so *threatened* by real women, aren't they?

I read a lot of comic strips and most make me smile, some invoke a chuckle. Stone Soup is the only one that makes me laugh out loud over and over. My refrigerator is covered in Stone Soup and so is the wall of my cubicle at work. BUY THIS BOOK AND THE SECOND COLLECTION, YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

There seems to be a lot of debate going on in the previous reviews over whether or not Stone Soup is feminist. My opinion: of course it is! And it's quite refreshing to see a comic strip that isn't afraid to be. Better yet, the strip is never preachy and, unlike Foxtrot (to which it gets compared frequently), it's almost always funny. I've also seen a lot of comparisons to For Better or for Worse (helped along perhaps by the fact that Lynn Johnston wrote the introduction to this collection) which I find closer to the truth. The big difference there is that unlike FBoFW, Stone Soup is almost never sentimental. Eliot always finds a way to squeeze a laugh out of good times and bad, without dwelling on her storylines or overdeveloping them. While her focus may be on single mothers, her humor is accessible to one and all. And of course, it helps that Val and the gang always manage to keep their sanity intact at the end of each story!

Someone below called this a feminist comic strip but I think that's misleading, especially given the current difficulties in just defining that word. Yes, it happens to have several female characters, and yes it's not a stereotypical mom-dad-dog-2.4-kids-wagon-picket-fence family, BUT: This strip is about all of us, everyone of every sex and age and family style, and it's enjoyable to (and enjoyed by) a wide range of people -- even ordinary traditional people and even (gasp) men! My husband loves it, my 60-something dad loves it, and so on. I think the publisher's blurb on the back of the second Stone Soup collection ("You Can't Say Boobs On Sunday") got it right: "Anyone who's ever had a family, been in a family, or known a family seems to love Stone Soup. ... Readers see themselves and their families in Stone Soup, and they love it." That goes for people who don't consider themselves family-oriented, and for people who do.

Everyone I've known who's read any Stone Soup has enjoyed it and wound up quoting or passing around some of the strips.

Recommended reading for everyone except total grumps, I say.

I recently finished reading the book, Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind and Body Harmony, by H. E. Davey. The book is excellent. I am novice (hardly even that, actually) when it comes to Shodo (having only recently begun studying Shodo), but your book provides a very smooth introduction, and does a great job of getting across the relationship between it and the other Japanese cultural arts (chado [tea ceremony], budo [martial Ways], kado [flower arrangement], etc).

It is written in a very positive way and contains many beautiful pieces of artwork. I very much enjoyed the "four experiments toward a positive mind," these are great examples of introspection. Though I am far from an expert in budo, I have spent many years training and researching this topic, yet several of the explanations, provided for terms such as fudoshin, hara, and ki shed new light on these concepts, beyond just their relationship to Shodo.

Chapters three and four provide a very gentle introduction to the physical techniques while also providing an overview of the relationship between good posture and the proper state of mind. The importance of the coordination of mind, body, and spirit is presented in a way that should be easy for someone that is new to the Japanese cultural arts to grasp and understand.

I am again impressed with Davey sensei's ability to communicate a complex subject in an interesting and informative way that maintains the readers interest, while still capturing the subtleties of the topic.

From a beginner's perspective, this is an excellent reference, and I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (4/07)

Once in a while I find it very helpful to venture outside of the realm of things that normally interest me and that I have some knowledge about. Learning about new things is a very stimulating experience and it seems to me that it keeps my brain in good working order. As far as the Japanese art forms are concerned, I am vaguely familiar with the flower arranging, but that is where my knowledge - and even real awareness - of such art forms end. Picking up H.E. Davey's "Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony" was a real eye-opener.

The author begins this book with explanation and history of shodo, continues with the complex connections of mind, body and brush, and finishes with simple step-by-step exercises for the basics of shodo. The illustrations and the photos would certainly be very helpful for anybody who intends to try their hand at this ancient art form.

Mr. Davey's writing is fluid and engaging. He does not get overly technical and is easy to understand. The book kept my attention and made me wish for more balance in my life. Let me give an example of Mr. Davey's writing here:

"The kanji, or written characters, used in both Japan and China have transcended their utilitarian function and collectively serve as a visually stirring piece of fine art. Shodo allows the dynamic movement of the artist's ki ("life energy" or "spirit") to become observable in the form of rich black ink. In great examples of shodo, you can sense both the rhythm of music as well as the smooth, elegant, and balanced construction of refined architecture. Many practitioners of this art feel that the visible rhythm of Japanese calligraphy ultimately embodies a "picture of the mind" - and accomplished calligraphers recognize that it actually discloses your spiritual state. This recognition is concisely summed up by the traditional Japanese saying: [...] If your mind is correct, the brush will be correct. "

Although Mr. Davey stresses several times that one needs to find an instructor to truly begin the exploration of shodo, I found "Brush Meditation" to be an interesting book for anybody who would like to learn at least the basics of shodo as well as anybody who just wishes to become more familiar with the traditional Japanese arts and way of living.

After reading several books on the technique (really a NO technique) of Zen brush work, this book really dealt wll with the emotions and feeling underlying this incredible art. A very good read.

I recently finished reading the book, Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind and Body Harmony, by H. E. Davey. The book is excellent. I am novice (hardly even that, actually) when it comes to Shodo (having only recently begun studying Shodo), but your book provides a very smooth introduction, and does a great job of getting across the relationship between it and the other Japanese cultural arts (chado [tea ceremony], budo [martial Ways], kado [flower arrangement], etc).

It is written in a very positive way and contains many beautiful pieces of artwork. I very much enjoyed the "four experiments toward a positive mind," these are great examples of introspection. Though I am far from an expert in budo, I have spent many years training and researching this topic, yet several of the explanations, provided for terms such as fudoshin, hara, and ki shed new light on these concepts, beyond just their relationship to Shodo.

Chapters three and four provide a very gentle introduction to the physical techniques while also providing an overview of the relationship between good posture and the proper state of mind. The importance of the coordination of mind, body, and spirit is presented in a way that should be easy for someone that is new to the Japanese cultural arts to grasp and understand.

I am again impressed with Davey sensei's ability to communicate a complex subject in an interesting and informative way that maintains the readers interest, while still capturing the subtleties of the topic.

From a beginner's perspective, this is an excellent reference, and I highly recommend it.

For any person that practices shodo (meaning `way of calligraphy' ), sumi-e or any form of art that requires full concentration, I highly recommend to read this book. I practice sumi-e and shodo and I have books that cover the techniques in detail, but none of them goes beyond and get to the heart and true reason of this art, which is to achieve a state of mind and body harmony that led us to a form of spiritual realization.

The book talks `briefly' about the history of calligraphy, the Japanese aesthetics and principles (wabi and sabi), it's relation to the Zen philosophy, and it includes a chapter on how to make the first moves with the brush by practicing `the enso' (a zen character).

However, the main theme of this book is the meditative aspects of shodo. How to get a perfect posture to practice, how to use the mind with full concentration, how to `educate' our body, all this to become one with the brush and transcend in a spiritual way.

I do not know if this is the best book that deals with this aspect of shodo (I haven't seen more), but is a very good one, I can assure that.

Discovering cancer, and her own mortality, Barbara Stone draws on wisdom, faith, and resolve to lead herself and us on a triumphant journey over fear and disease. Her story will deeply touch you. Truly, it is a "profile in courage." Whether well or ill, everyone should read this book.

Joseph Gustafson, Poet

A fascinating and deeply intimate account of one woman's survival of cancer and the journey she travelled to get there. Open and honest about the feelings and thoughts experienced when one is facing death, be it death of the physical self and/or death of the old life to the birth of a new life. Barbara wonderfully incorporates traditional medical therapies with alternative therapies. Her intelligence and wisdom are apparent as soon as you begin reading. A book you just cannot put down!

The Inner life, the Outer life, and the Transcendant steering of the interplay of emotions makes this a landmark contribution for all interested persons whether they be the cancer patient or family or friend. The writer intensively lives her feeliings and rides this roller coaster displaying the sheer beauty of her thought processes through dreams, journal work, and personal interactions. The use of Kirlian photography to portray her progress is an important feature of the work. She demonstrates the sidestepping of this number one opportunity for passive suicide! It is a great personal vote for engaging life.

Barbara Stone not only wrote an enlightening, creative book, she is an amazing person. My mother and Ms. Stone have been good friends since high school, and I met her earlier this year. I can assure you she practices all that she preaches.

Being from a relatively small, conservative area, I was not aware of much of the Eastern medicine Stone mentions in her book. I was eager to learn all I could, and Cancer as Initiation provided much insight for me into areas I had not previously explored. I was unaware how much basic mediatation would eventually help me.

As I examined the book closely, I found ideas not only about surviving cancer, but about keeping a healthy outlook on life as well. Stone's creativity and completely open mind certainly were well used in this book I recommend to anyone touched by cancer in even the smallest way. By moving away from what is commonly called the "death sentence" theory, Ms. Stone has painted a new picture of the cancer survivor. And painted it well.

My mother happens to be friends with Ms. Stone, the author of Cancer as Initiation. It was after I met her that I became compelled to read her book. My mother also battled breast cancer, and this book gave me a sense of what she might be experiencing. The author uses a unique blend of journal,expository, and personal writings, creating a book that is difficult to put down. I enjoyed learning about her use of both Eastern and Western medicine. Cancer as Initiation offers the family members of breast cancer victims and survivors hope and peace. Cancer is a blessing and a curse, but frightening to all. After reading Barbara's book, and doing some soul-searching of my own, I know that if I am ever diagnosed with breast cancer myself, the power to beat it lies within me, and my own unique combinations of Western and Eastern medicine.

I have read this book in Albanian and English, and it is excellent. Obviously through translation some is lost, but this book is truly a gem. It is well written, funny, and smart...I highly recomend it

When I found this book on my aunt's bedside table, I didn't know anything about it and the cover and inside cover gave no clues. I am only 13, so I immediately figured that the book would be a tough read. But I was amazed to find that it was fairly understandable and the way Kadare wove the child's thoughts, I was charmed and drawn in, reading the book in a record 2 hours. It was great to learn about how World War II affected this boy, and his slow growth into a man in his city was fascinating. I would love to visit this town, but for now I will have to make do with this book! I'd definately recommend it.

Gjirokaster, Albania. Not a spot that rings a lot of bells for most people. But if you read this brilliant novel, you will never forget the place, even if you never actually get there. Once, four years ago, I did go there. Square gray houses rise from the steepest, most outlandish spots, houses made in the Ottoman merchant style of the mid-19th century, half-fort, half-mansion. The narrow streets wound around the hillsides that looked out over a vast green valley, snow-capped peaks towering into the clear blue sky. Grape arbors and trees poked over walls, quiet passersby disappeared into crooked alleys. A small boy guided me to Kadare's house. I wished to see the cistern underneath, the one that trapped all the raindrops that "recalled with dreary sorrow the great spaces of sky they would never see again". But the house was closed. The descriptions of the house--fictional or actual--made me recall how I imagine the house of my own childhood. Higher up the hill, after twisting through more lanes of stone, I came to former supremo Enver Hoxha's house, recently turned into an "ethnographic museum". A scorpion skittered across the floor and I killed it. I visited the great vaults under the citadel where the citizens escaped the bombings. The whole town was alive for me because I had read CHRONICLE IN STONE. Other great writers bring Paris, London, Moscow, New York, or Tokyo to life. Kadare has put Gjirokaster on the list of immortal towns with this volume. It is a wonderful book of a town and its bad times-from 1939 to after the end of World War II-through the eyes of a boy. In his usual style, the author weaves many thoughts, dreams, scenes, tragedies, and historical events into a seamless whole. It's a tour de force. Read it.

Ismail Kadare's "Chronicle in Stone" is a window into the world of World War Two Albania. The trials and times of a small Illyrian town as it weathers yet another occupation by foreign soldiers and yet more war are put to paper in this magical recount of the author's own experiences as a child. The extraordinary feature is that the reader sees into this window through the eyes of a young boy, and the descriptions of this town of stone, Gjirokaster, are what make the book so prominent. Kadare gives this ancient city a life all its own both as a whole and among its elements in his tale. When the boy narrator coos into his house's water cistern, it isn't an echo that replies but the cistern itself, and he ponders the feelings of an old and lone(ly) anti-aircraft gun that guards over the city.

The author in this work has given the reader several themes in this one novel of a city and its boy. We see post-Ottoman, post-Great War and post-independence Albania as it sits under Italian occupation, which never figures much in the boy's or the other residents' minds much until the city becomes a battleground for Italians and Greek armies. We see the new modern generation taking shape, in the form of two youths--one of whom causes an uproar by donning glasses to correct his vision, glasses being an eternal metaphor for the educated intelligentsia--who speak Latin to each other as a secret code and a rebellious young aunt who runs off to join the partisans. We see the richness and complexity of the simple lives played out in this ancient city, despite the hardships caused by Allied bombing. Finally, we see the convulsion of a world gone mad as the city is emptied of its inhabitants and then overrun by "the men with yellow hair," the Teutons from the north. Throughout it all the boy relays this enormous world as he sees it through his young eyes.

"Chronicle in Stone" brings a deeply rich Albania to life.

Ismail Kadare's Chronicle in Stone is the tragic story of a city steeped in history and Old World traditions that is forced to change or be destroyed by the madness and brutality of twentieth-century warfare. The story is told through the eyes of a child, and just as the narrator's innocence and sense of wonder are lost forever as he comes to understand the violent nature of all that is happening around him, so it goes with the city as a whole, which also loses something irrevocable as it is wrenched from its sleepy, timeless existence into the chaotic modern world.

The choice to use a child narrator heightens the sense of immense change that the city is undergoing, for this child sees the city's buildings, streets, and bridges as living entities which shift and move and change their mood from day to day, one day seeming to offer firm comfort and shelter, and the next seeming menacing and hazardous, depending on the weather, the attitude of the people around him, the relative brutality of the occupying army, and the intensity and closeness of the bombing campaign. In the stone facades, steep winding streets, and rain-streaked rooftops of the city, the narrator personifies the desires and sufferings of his people, but he does so unselfconsciously, for he is merely reporting what he sees and feels, because for him the city really is alive.

As a child, he is also able to report what he sees with a peculiar mix of detachment and awe that would not be possible from an adult. When the city is bombed, the emotion he feels above any other is pride in the fact that his house, as one of the biggest and strongest in his neighborhood, is chosen as a bomb shelter. For him, the bombings, as well as the occupation of the city by the Italian army, are simply facts of life - just the way things are and always have been for him - and he doesn't always understand the anger and bitterness of the adults around him.

There are many things to admire in this novel, but what I admire most, I think, is the way Kadare unfolds the story and conveys the grand scale of the tragedy but manages to do so in a way that is very personal and easy to connect to. He conveys character very effectively and economically-- with a few sentences of dialog, he gives us a very clear picture of the family and neighbors of the narrator, their individual quirks of personality and beliefs, as well as what the narrator thinks of them. He also disperses throughout the narrative brief fragments of a chronicle of the city, as written by one of its eccentric residents, and this interwoven chronicle lends a greater sense of the historical context of the events as they unfold. As the chronicle gradually becomes less and less coherent, we become aware of the effects of the chaotic violence on the mind of the chronicler, and by extension, the minds and hearts of everyone in the city.

By the end of the narrative, the child has seen many horrific things, but has also known many small joys and wonders. This story reminds us of the incredible brutality that humans are capable of, as well as the openness and compassion to which we should aspire.

This book introduces the unique and powerful healing properties of crystals. Katrina's healing technique is to put a pattern of stomes, based on intuition, along the different chakras of the recipient. She also integrates many practical therapeutic skills on the crystal healing which enhance the healing effect. When I firstly received the crystal healing in Crystal Academy, I realized the crystal energy can bring me to a different dimension which I can't imagine before. The informationm of the 12 Master Crystals is also advanced material

This is Volume II (1987) in a series of 3 very well written and very useful books by Katrina. Volume I is "Crystal Enlightenment" (19xx)
Volume III is "The Crystalline Transmission" (1990)

Volume II demonstrates some crystal healing stone layouts (which stones to lay where on the body) to channel healing energy through the body to achieve certain outcomes. She also provides a lot of healing information within this volume, such as using crystals in meditation, releasing negative energy, time bridging (past-future), etc. She defines several additional types of crystals: Channeling Crystals, Transmitter Crystals, Window Crystals, Elestial (crystals), (crystal) Laser Wands and how to use them (often to direct the flow of energy through certain points of the body), Earthkeeper Crystals. She covers some miscellaneous tidbits, such as Herkimer Diamonds (from Herkimer, New York), the Tiger's Eye, Opal, and a few other gemstones.

If you are really interested in stones and crystals and their possible relationship to healing (yourself or others), knowledge and so much more, I suggest this series of all 3 books by Katrina. You probably want to read these volumes in order unless you already know some of this energy and crystal stuff. I also suggest "Love Is In The Earth" by Melody. Yes, that is her name, just like music. Once upon a time, I laughed at the thought of people believing crystals were more than just rocks. Now I have wisdom. (We all make mistakes.)

If you don't really understand what the heck I'm talking about, that's OK. But if you are somehow drawn to wearing jewelry made of natural stones, especially in the last several years, or collecting natural stone or crystals because they just feel somehow special to you, or just seem to be all of a sudden interested in stones or crystals, you might want to do some reading about them. Even the polished fine jewelry that many ladies wear are stones and often forms of crystals, such as topaz, peridot, amethyst, and diamonds.

If you can agree to suspend your disbelief briefly enough to read and absorb this material, you can open yourself up to a whole additional level of understanding far beyond what you ever thought possible. Know that no one book or series of books is going to make you a crystal healer or something similar. These books are part of a path of enlightenment for those who are called to receive this special knowledge.

God bless you on your quest for enlightenment. Namaste'

The information about crystals was authentic and acurate but some of the methods were not very safe. Such as when she was speaking of channeling crystals and suggested that you speak with entities you felt around you with out first telling you to place you self in protective light was a dangerous mistake. I only hope no one has hurt them self with this misleading onformation. Although she dose speak of protection she don't put the right kind of stress on it. I guesse she dons't come in contact with unfriedly forces but they are out there and looking for ingnorent victims. The methods of healing in this book is a great way to conduct your healings. I just wish she gave more information on how to heal your self with crystals.

If i can start with the reason i bought the book in the first place, then this is it, I saw this book on the shelf, picked it up and flicked through some pages, now in my mind at that particular moment while flicking the pages i was looking for a layout picture of where placement of crystal need to go on the body, normally i read the reviews on the back cover, but because i didn't find what i was looking for in that book i put it back on the shelf,on my left was the shop assistant and on the other side my mother, when i put this book back on the shelf behind all the other books it was behind when i picked it out, i walked away, and yes it happened, THE BOOK FELL OFF THE SHELF out of it's neat little place and from behind 3 other books that were placed at an angle on the shelf. The other books did not fall, only the one that i had picked up to look at, and it fell with the back cover facing up, and there on the back of the cover was the picture i was looking for, my mother mouthed the very words that this book was trying to tell me BUY ME! and so i did. Back then i was new to the world of crystals and am relatively still the a bit of a novice, but after reading this book i have this yearning to find out everything there is to know about crystals and gemstones. I have read this book twice from cover to cover and still get excited, the explanations are simple the pictures are colourful and the makeup of the crystals and what they can be used for a very detailed. I have not read the other book written by Katrina Rafaell, but will seek to purchase a copy of crytstal enlightment to read.

Katrina has been very sincere about working with crystals since prior to their inception as a trendy modality of helaing. A registered nurse by trade, Raphaell has combined crystal helaing with personal coaching to provide a method of more completely addressing the entire being during a crystal healing treatment. Although this book has been geared more towards working with others, any of the practises within Crystal Healing can be applied to personal growth.

The section concerning the Master Crystals is very important indeed. This is the first book to introduce the Earth Keeper crystals, and the mythology of each of the 6 crystal formations introduced is very rich, even if questionably channeled.

The healing process in this work extends into Laying-on-of-Stones, which is very intense, elabourate, and effective. This is one of the books that has left a big influence in our community, and it is very strongly reccomended to all students, especially those seeking an introduction to more advanced techniques.

Dorie, The Girl Nobody Loved is one of the best books for the abused and those who wish to get in touch with those you love, for an individual, or a group. If you are struggling to understand, please take the time to read this.

What an exceptional story, What an exceptional Lady, What an Awesome God. Why God let this happen is beyond me but how Dorie didn't end up with a victim mentality and a wasted life is only because of God. I love to read accounts of people who came through incredible difficulties with flying colors and best of all attributes their success to God. This is that book. And in reading the other reviews I learned there's even more in another book Dorie wrote. In my prison ministry this book will prayerfully be an inspiration to a young gal who has a similar horror story and needs to know it's possible to overcome. I also read this book in one sitting, about 4 hours, couldn't put it down.

Another benefit I hadn't expected, I'm always analysing what I say and do for my little girl and thinking I'm going to mess her up for life sometimes by not saying or doing the exact right thing all the time. Dorie showed me otherwise. Whereas my little girl in no way will experience anything close to what poor Dorie went through (Lord willing) I pray her walk with our Lord will be as strong and I know He can protect her from my inconsequential by comparison mistakes.

I was totally captivated by this book. I read it at one sitting. My heart went out to Dorie as a child and soared with her in her triumphs throughout the book. Although I order the book used, and it was a bit tattered, it did not detract from the content at all. I shall recommend it to many and share with my dear friends.

Dorie has been a very very good friend of mine for the past 15 years. The story of her early life is true and tragic, but the second book, No Place to Cry fills in the blanks in the first book. Dorie, The Girl Nobody Loved was published before anyone wrote autobiographically about sexual abuse. As Dorie has courageously opened these chapters of her life, so has the Lord opened her world wide ministry of speaking. She has been 12 times around the world telling of the sexual abuse, the damage of shame and the way the Lord has brought change in her life by facing the past. I often tell her that her book needs to be renamed, The Woman Everybody Loves. She is loved and is hugged by more people than could ever be counted. She is truly a picture of the grace of God and the fact that He delights in taking what others meant for evil and turning it into good.

Hi my name is Alex and i love this Book !! My health teacher read part of it in my Health class .I think this is such a good book it is when your 13 ..... I love this book I think it is soo sad but I love how she knew the lord was there ... It is soooo sad but it is a excellent book I want this soo much I love it @!!

This book was very easy to use. It was just like vocabulary books you had in middle school. You start off learning things like prefixes, root words, suffixes etc. Then they start putting words together. It will help you understand medical terms when you break them down. The flash cards also help.

This is a great way to learn medical terminology. It's easy to understand, interesting and presented in a way that makes it easier to learn than just straight memorization. I am planning on keeping this book and not reselling it, because I think it will be a great reference for future classes as well.

I paid extra to have them delivered in 24 hours and sure enough, they came. Awesome!

Classes started and its not a class you want to be behind on. I odered the book though my school, but it was on backoreder forever. Finally got mad, cancalled my order though school and I ordered book here, paid a little more because I wanted it over night! I guess I'm better off getting the book though amazon. Atleast I didn't get far behind!

In a different school, I took Medical Terminology their book is confusing, This book is GREAT, pic to show where stuff is, and explains. I understood this book a lot more then the old one!

My son finds this book very helpful in his prenursing course which is also entitled Medical Terminologies. It is thorough and comprehensive. The root words are very helpful and the pictures are descriptive.

My nine year old daughter loves fairy books about Tinkerbell and her friends. She absolutely devours them as soon as I get them. What a boost for her imagination!

We own all of this series! Started reading them when my daughter was 4 (she just turned 5 now), and they are age appropriate. Not too scary and always a happy ending. One book only takes us about 4-5 nights worth of reading together. The longer ones are good too "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" and "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand", but they are a little bit scarrier than the short books (more appropriate for ages 5-7 I would think).

Fira is outnumbered by her triplets and has to apologize to her townsfolk a lot. (Single mom + 3 bickering kids = go away now please.) But the day is saved when her kids disobey her instructions to stay home and follow her deep into a dangerous mine! Yay!

Actually, the story was pretty good. A fun read.

The CD version is read by the talented Debra Wiseman.

The book arrived and was practically brand new. My daughter loves it. It came in the mail very fast.

My 8 y.o. has fallen in love with these books. You typically can't fail with Disney products and these are no exception. The stories are interesting and unlike some series books for this age range, these books stand alone and are not "formula" books where only the names and places are changed, but the same event takes place. Each fairy has a talent and her talent solves the problem in her book. The illustrations are vivid and imaginative. Apparently there's a movie about Pixie Hollow that will be coming out soon and there are also toys starting to come out with the fairies.

Give yourself a treat and read Kelly Stone's novel. It's a tightly woven tapestry of self-realization. Stone gives her reader smoldering passion, a mystery, and, the universal pursuit of fulfillment, which, in the end, dwells within our own capacity to turn toward the light. You have to read this book!

Grave Secret WOW!! What an amazing novel. I am a very picky reader, and get bored easily, but Grave Secret grabbed my undivided attention, literally from the first sentence. I did not want to put it down. The author shows incredible talent, and surprisingly, this is her first novel. Amazing psychological depth to the characters and a plot that just kept getting better and better. You couldn't guess the ending if you tried!! Definitely a "Must Read" if you want a great one!! I just hope there is a sequel, or another novel by Ms. Stone on the way.

All you need is a lazy day, comfortable clothes and a cup of coffee to spend the day reading Grave Secret - you will not want to put it down until you're finished. This is a gripping story with many twists and turns - it really keeps you on your toes. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great story line, excitement and drama.

This book will grab you from the first sentence, and it will not let you go until you finish it. A really suspenseful masterpiece. The structure of the book itself is complicated, and the fact that the author pulled it off so amazingly when it is just her first novel is a tribute to her tremendous writing skills. The writing is very descriptive, drawing you into the scenes as if you are there. You will find much to relate to and reflect on in this story. I look forward to all of Kelly L. Stone's future books!!

I read this book within 2 days of picking it up. I didn't want to put it down. The characters drew me in -- I could feel Claire's love, confusion, hurt, and pain. The story line will keep you guessing until the end.

I recently returned from a vacation over in Ireland/Scotland/Wales where for 4 weeks I and 2 of my friends researched and visited stone circles throughout the Isles. Aubrey Burl definitely has written an essential resource you should pick up if you have the intentions of going to see them. He touches on a great number of "out of the way" stone circles not widely known in areas and gives precise directions on how to get to them. It is almost like a treasure hunt, you never knwo what is around the corner in Aubrey's book! A definite must get for the stone circle enthusiast. Don't even think about putting this book down. Get a map, get this book, and go hunting for these great spiritual centers.

My husband and I are very interested in ancient cultures and especially stone circles; this book told us where they were, what to expect to see, and how to get there (which wasn't always very easy!) We were able to pick an area of England with a heavy concentration of good quality circles based on his descriptions and pictures, and with book in hand, see many of the ones we chose. Mr. Burl is kind enough to mention when the going is tough, and he was always right. The only thing that could make this book any more invaluable as a field guide would be inclusion of Surveyor's Maps of the areas...but those can be purchased easily in the countries in question. (Color photos would've been nice, too!) Highly recommended for real trip-planning, or just for inspiration!

Just what it says on the box - an excellent reference, whether planning your trip or on the road. Complete with location maps and National Grid references.

I am not accustomed to purchasing so expensive and specialized a book, but in the early autumn of 1979, I had the privilege of working on a Scottish dig run by Dr. Burl, and I have long admired his scholarship and dedication---and this revision is, simply put, GREAT! The depth of information is astounding, and I found the the presentation engrossing, the subject fascinating, and the style quite readable---certainly NOT only for students or devotees of archaeology. I can't recommend this one highly enough---it may seem like something of an indulgence for your personal library, but it's worth every penny. Alas, the book is far to heavy to carry about in one's luggage, but I've already marked at least two dozen sites that I want to visit the next time I cross the Atlantic. In the meantime, settle back in a comfortable chair and get ready to cast your mind back a couple of millenia...

Aubrey Burl's previous works were showing a wee bit of dating. As carbon dating become more accurate, you are seeing these ancient rings grow older in age instead of younger as they anticipated. While Burl's previous works were amazing, this long awaited "update" of this information, as well as addition information on more recent excavations make this is must. Yes, it expensive. But it's worth every penny. There are new insight in the the purpose of the rings of stone, a new interpretation of Calanais (sorry, as a Scot I refuse to call it Callanish!) and Stonehenge

The beautiful book is loaded with hundreds of photos, explores the ancestry, methods of construction and why they were abandoned after thousands of years of use.

Marvelous work made even better by bringing the information up to date.