Thomas Books

This is a lovely book with simple, thoughtful passages for the days leading up to Christmas. The passages evoke feelings of centeredness, peace and calm similar to awakening to a beautiful, fresh snowfall.

Good reading from a variety of excellent, trusted writers...Nouwen, Bonhoeffer, Manning, etc. all offer reflections on the Advent/Christmas season that will make you go deeper...

Personally, I struggle with reading during this time of year due to busy schedule but I have found this daily digest a perfect way to enhance my Advent season of waiting...

This book features a wide array of Christmas messages--old and new. This book will inspire you and make you think about the true meaning of Christmas. This book also makes a GREAT gift.

Also recommended:
Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--heartbreaking yet inspiring
A Stranger for Christmas--a warm and cosy story for the holidays

Like a kid counting down the days until Christmas, I took a spiritual journey by reading the days until Christmas. My guide, Watch for the
light. Cheaper than a real journey...no stops for gas , no waiting in line. Pop open the book's cover and begin to read. Some funny stories, some poetry, some known authors and some not so well known, all leading the way to Christmas. When Christmas comes, you will be ready.

I love that this series, including "Bread and Wine:Readings for Lent and Easter," because it challeneges our complacent culture-dictated experience of Advent and Easter. This is not a feel-good book, it is a faith-building book. Be prepared to be shaken up and for God to meet you in a new way.

I bought copies for my friends and family. Everyone loved it!

The diversity of authors come together in surprising unity. This broadened my perspective and made me want to find books written by the individual authors. I also loved that the authors are from all points in history and geography. An experience like this is what all of us in the US need.

I am becoming so much more aware of my body in all of my life and also a much better piano teacher. It will help you to be a healthier and happier person if you take it to heart.

Very informative book. I have to read it again and consult with a physiotherapist. But as far as I understood, it is an extention of Alexander Technique and it further explains all what is used on piano technique. It further explain forearm rotation which is essential for proper piano technique. It also demystifies wrong picture about fingers, wrists, shoulders. In simple words it's a musthavebook.If there is a BODYMAPING course in area where i live, i would already be on that piano class.

Update, I have just finished the book. All pianists should have this book. I am anxious when they release DVD Video related to this book. There is a VHS version for purchase but i'll probably wait for digital one.

This book contains a great deal of useful information for all kinds of pianists so the name is actually quite apropiate : What every pianist needs to know about the body. And that's exactly what it is. Unfortunately I discovered this book late, but fortunately, not too late; I've just recovered from a injury that's kept me away for over half a year from playing my beloved instrument. Now I know what I did wrong, and also how to correct it. I'm not saying I'm already done, I will need some rereads of the book. Taking in the process some notes to apply to my daily playing. It won't be easy but it will surely be worth it. I reccomend this book to everyone interested in not just recovering from injury, but also to everyone interested in improving their technique.

I am a 17-year-old pianist from New Jersey. I am almost finished with reading this book, and I found this book very useful for mapping my body and applying it to my own playing. This book is not just for pianists, but every musicians. You will be satisfied, and this book will make your playing easier, freer, and more expressive. You will enjoy reading this book. This book will lead you to better playing and you will be aware of your body movements. This is a very well-written book that deserves not just 5 stars, but maybe 10 stars! A wonderful guide.

I'm seeking a way to return safely to piano after recovering from bi-lateral tendonitis. Several approaches stand out: Taubman Institute, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, and body mapping. I want an approach that is safe and effective, specific to piano, and economical (everything else being equal). Mark's book is my first purchase: the book is piano-specific, exceedingly cheap relative to the full $800.00 Taubman 10 DVD set, and sufficiently packed with accurate anatomy to impress my occupational therapist (hand specialist w/ Ph.D.). So far, so good . . .

Now for the fine print: the book is 90% anatomy, not piano playing. There are isolated pointers based on anatomical facts, but the emphasis is, "Musician, heal thyself." The methodology is for the musician to learn their body, listen to their body, trust their body, obey their body. I'm looking for a recipe book (it is safe and effective to play scales like this, arpeggios like this, reach with your thumb like this, . . .), not a book about how to grow my own ingredients.

This book has merit and value, and I'm glad I bought it, but it is not enough by itself to get me back in the saddle. Looks like I have some Taubman videos in my future.

It is an incredible book, and more people should know about it and purchase it! The colors in the book are so crisp and clear. It makes faith come alive! It shipped very quickly and came in perfect condition.

After I received my initial order and flipped the pages and read them, I realized that the contents were awesome and very easy to follow so I order 3 more copies as presents for my daughters. They are delighted with the book. I recomend this book for all followers of Jesus, as you graphically get to see and read about the places he must have been when he was with us on earth.

In reading the Bible, I find it hard to invision the various places mentioned. This book is wonderful and it is such an inspiration--it makes me feel like I am walking the footpaths as people in the bible. The photographs are absolutely beautiful. I can't find the appropriate
words to explain just how much this book means to me and how it has given me insight to where bible history took place. The words of the Bible now
have pictures.

The book - Where Jesus Walked - is very nice. The pictures, of course, are lovely. I kept the book even though it really wasn't what I thought I had ordered. I had mistaken this book for another larger one.

The book is brilliant - the photography superb and very sensitive. It is inspiring to see many of the places as Jesus would have seen them. I had seen the book before and searched online to get a copy for a friend and was very happy with the process and delivery via Amazon.

Love it, love it, love it. Despres does it again. She captures the south and sets the reader right down in Gentry, Louisiana to experience the story set in post WWI south firsthand.

Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny

I loved Loraine's first novel, "The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc", and this book did not disappoint. Set in the south, two generations prior to Sissy, Loraine's female characters present strength, perserverance, and mettle. Belle teaches us to follow our dreams and what we feel is right in our hearts. A entertaining book for both men and women.

I was assigned this book for my company's book club and I really enjoyed it. Not only does this book give us an entertaining read but it also gives us a lession of society during the 1920's. After reading about how the KKK terrorized people over a reason they had no control over, all I can imagine is how terrifying it must have been to live during that time and be of a non white non Christian "race". I also found myself truly engaged in the life of the characters, and the so called relationship between Belle and Brouee - at one point during the book I wanted to scream "kick him in the nuts!" during an altercation between those two. (I'm not a violent person - really!)
And don't think of this book as a chick book - I think men would also get a kick out of the humor of the story.

This is an excellent novel written by a cleaver woman who obviously grew up in New Orleans. I enjoyed it emensely and highly recommend it.

Stayed up late last night and finished Bad Behavior which I really liked. A very unconventional love story with the KKK, anti-semitism, Chicago race riots, Southern social history and a lot of Southern proper behavior thrown in. Rules for women that we didn't know existed. We have the cutting of the hair, the cutting of the ties to the 19th century and yet, the infinite human need for love and/or sex. Our heroine is badly behaved but in a way that one can't help liking. And the Jewish man she falls in love with, unlike the 20th century Jewish male model celebrated by Seinfeld, Woody Allen and Saul Bellow--whiny, desperately in need of a mother and good cooking, narcissistic and pathetic, is more like the second generation Jewish male one pictures in the early twentieth century--self reliant, hard working, intellectual and urbane. Altogether a great read. Bravo.

I live in New Orleans, La., and lost ALL my cookbooks (and everything else) as a result of Hurricane Katrina. I purchased Cajun Cuisine and I have tried several recipes - I am very pleased with it.

It's hard to learn to cook Cajun food from a cookbook; the food traditions of the Cajuns of Southwest Louisiana have been passed down orally for 400 years, and only in the "Cajun Cuisine" craze of the late '80s-early '90s did Cajun cookbooks really start to become popular.

These recipes are stripped down to the bare basics, because that's how Cajuns do it. Cajuns don't customarily use Emeril's Essence (remember, Emeril is from Boston) or carefully measured spices. It's a dash of this, a dash of that, until it tastes right. Don't make it too spicy; you can add your hot sauce later. You will never be able to make authentic-tasting Cajun food if you follow a recipe to a T.... that's not how it's done! You also need to learn how to modify recipes to suit your tastes... if you don't like file' powder, don't add it (many Cajun cooks don't add file' to anything, some put it on the table for you to sprinkle in yourself, some use it heavily). If you don't like okra, don't use it! Again, not all Cajun cooks do (although in response to the reviewer below, when Cajuns do use okra in gumbo, it is always sliced, and it is always slimy. Some people like it that way.)

This book provides excellent framework-style recipes for you to do what you want with. If you want to add tomatoes, go ahead! No one's stopping you! If you want to pour in a half gallon of Tabasco, feel free! If that's how you like it, that's how you like it. If you want to make your roux with butter (or oil or lard or bacon grease) do it that way! It won't change anything important, the recipe will still be fine. That's the beauty of Cajun food.

In response to the other reviewer who complained about a lack of pictures, the reality is that Cajun food is not as pretty as New Orleans food, and therefore doesn't make for terribly appealing photos. Gumbo looks like brownish-gray glop, but it tastes like heaven. That's just the way it is. If they'd included pictures, the sauces piquantes, the gumbos, the stews, the fricasees and the etouffees would've all looked the same, and how much would that have really helped? Plus, the drawings that are included in lieu of pictures are really adorable.

Get this book, and don't be scared to experiment with it! That's what it's all about!

`Cajun Cuisine', published by the very local Louisiana publishing house, Beau Bayou Publishing Company, and with no clearly discernible author, may be the publishing analogue to what in the culinary world is called `rustic' or in the pharmaceutical world, `generic'. Aside from a fairly nicely composed cover photograph of all sorts of raw and prepared Louisiana victuals, there are no frills and only one `pretension', in the form of a semi-scholarly introductory essay on `Arcadian (Cajun) Cuisine' by the retired Director, School of Home Economics, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Marie Louise Comeaux Manual. While this author's credentials are `academic', her essay is not terribly scholarly, as it is poorly written. It does, however, do a decent job of adding some material to our understanding of `Cajun' cooking.

Most foodies know that there is a `Cajun' and a `Creole' cuisine, which seem to coexist in and around Louisiana, centered in New Orleans. The problem is that I suspect few food enthusiasts who have not studied the matter can make a clear statement of the difference between the two. It seems as if the classic dishes of the area such as gumbo and jambalaya, as well as a foundation in French cooking techniques are claimed by both heritages.

According to the `Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink', the two cuisines are very similar, and the main distinctions that source can make between the two is that `Creole' is an urban cuisine originating with the earliest Spanish settlers from the 17th century and that `Cajun' (from Arcadian), is a rural cuisine deriving from the French émigrés from Nova Scotia in the late 18th century, after being kicked out by the English following the French and Indian Wars (That little opening act for the American Revolution). And, while both cuisines claim gumbo and jambalaya, etouffee and its principle ingredient, crawfish, seems to be distinctly `Cajun'. A second culinary difference is the greater extent of French influence from Arcadia, a purely French colony. This influence can be seen in the fact that Cajun cooking values balanced, but varied seasoning. It's `signature' cooking technique is braising, which is straight out of the French provincial cooking playbook. This is ironic because `Cajun' cuisine is often associated with very spicy foods; however, much of this `heat' was probably added a scant 25 years ago by the famous Paul Prudhomme of New Orleans, who, I believe, virtually invented the `blackened' cooking technique, most famous with `blackened catfish'.

But getting back to this book, my initially cool impression made by the somewhat pretentious introduction was redeemed when I started looking at the recipes. All the recipes are written in a very economical style, with crisp ingredients lists and matter of fact descriptions of procedure. The writing is not the minimalist sparse writing of Elizabeth David in `A Book of Mediterranean Food', but it has few if any `trucs', tips, hints, sidebars, or other accroutremonts of modern cookbook writing. And, it has none of the scholarly observations on origins or variations also found in Ms. David's works. For an experienced cook, this may be a very good thing. It means we have `just the facts, ma'm'. So, an experieced cook can be on their way to reproducing the dishes and fill in the extras where needed. One place a modern cook will especially wish to fill in is in replacing `oleo' with either real butter or a less saturated vegetable oil. In the mid-1980's, we had not heard all the dangers of trans-fats, commonly found in common margerine (oleomargerine).

One advantage of the sparse recipe writing style is that the slim 222 page book can contain a very healthy number of recipes, probably numbering close to 250, if you include the supplementary recipes for dressings, sauces, and condiments. And, this healthy number of recipes seems to cover the full range of `Cajun' specialities. The very best thing is that those classic dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffee are represented by several variations. From there, it goes all the way from fried oysters to boudon to beignets. I did find some famous preparations missing, such as coffee with chicory, `poor boy' sandwiches, and `mouffelata' (sic) sandwiches, but as none of these are `cooked' dishes, I'll not feel cheated.

One thing I like about a cookbook with a lot of recipes for dressings and sauces and condiments is that it adds a great source of information on which one can improvise (See Sally Schneider's new `the improvisational cook'). This book is the perfect source for making a few dishes, then striking out on your own in making `Cajun' style dishes without having to resort to Monsieur Prudhomme or Monsieur Lagasse.

The book was very nicely organized and will stand up to some serious stints in the kitchen. I was also very happy to see tables of contents with all recipes listed at the beginning of each chapter. This is something all cookbooks (other than the monster references) should have. The ony annoyance is that the recipes were not printed in the order they appeared in the table of contents. I have no clue why they were different.

But, for a very reasonable list price, we have here an excellent source of basic, authentic `Cajun' recipes with all the essentials and none of the frills.

This is a book about cajun cuisine. That is all you are getting. That may seem odd to say that since this is the name of the book but many know that cajun cookboks will often have numerous other recipes that may be creole, traditional southern, soul or classical french. Even italian. This is specificaly cajun and not southern louisiana. You get what you pay for.

Because the book operates from a narrower scope you may not have the recipes you want. No red beans and rice for example that is a creole dish. You may also notice the lack of tomatoes in many dishes that you normally think would have them. The crawfish etoufee for example has no tomatoes which is classical cajun. This etoufee is little more than butter and the trinity. You get a down to basics recipe for maque choux and i use it often. This book gives you everything you need to be a cajun cook but maybe not everthing you want.

There are many dishes here that you may have never heard of. Try the louisiana pear cake one time. A spice cake with fresh pears is all the rage now at my little restaurant here in tennessee and some of the recipes have allowed me to expand and my offerings to my customers who are not cajun. In fact cajun cake recipes are one of the real strong points of this book. There are about 10 of them compared to only 2 in prudomme's book. You get everything from that pear cake to wine cake and syrup cake. All are wonderful.

This book has helped me as a restaurant owner to become a self taught cajun chef. Everything from cajun ginger cake to vegetarian gumbo. You can't help but love this book.

Why the 4 stars? No dry spice measurements. The dry spice mix is the standard of paul prudomme's recipes but all this book gives you is is cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. How about telling me how much you normally use? Also unlike the prudomme book this book has no photos of the prepared food. Prudomme's book has many full color photos. No extras here just recipes. No colors or diagrams and even though the author is an expert on cajun cooking there is no significant background given about the dishes. No history, nothing to tell you where the dish comes from or how it has evolved. A book of recipes is great but we all can find dozens of recipes for almost anything online. I'm looking for more than that.

Note that almost none of these recipes makes use of justin wilson's standard flavorings. Wilson uses bitters in about 1/3 of all his savory dishes and worcestershire sauce is used in about 2/3 and all have hot sauce. These ingrediants are rare in this book. In fact i can't think of one recipe that uses bitters.

If you are looking for a solid collection of authentic cajun dishes this is it. They work. But if you want a more complete south louisiana work paul prudomme's book is superior for the same price.

Gelbart isn't a Cajun name, so please pay no attention to her review. Me (a Cajun with a Cajun name - LeJeune), my Cajun friends, my Cajun family, and Cajun and African American and Cajun cooks I have known in Louisiana have always cooked with cut okra, and the end product is not slimy or gooey. And just because Emeril and Paul Prudhomme are chefs doesn't mean that they know how to cook EVERYTHING. Not to mention that I have never met anyone in Cajun Country who made a roux with butter - lard maybe! - but not butter. Trust the creators of the recipes! The food speaks for them!

This book is awesome! McManus really inspires you to look at every second that goes by in life, and seize those divine moments because they can really impact someone's life, as well as your own. I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!

Chasing Daylight is the kick in the rear a lot of us need. Go after your passions with confidence and don't look back.

McManus is an inspiration and by telling the story of Jonathan he gives us an example of someone living boldly because they can not live any other way. That is the life I want to lead.

I loved this book. I would read it in the mornings while eating breakfast and it was a great start to the day. Erwin McManus is very passionate about his faith and he is very effective in trying to convey that passion. So many of his personal stories that he tells made just say "Wow." And then I realized how so many small things we do, the little leaps of faith that we take, can have such huge rewards and make so many differences in people's lives that do not know Christ. This book is definitely a call to action for the individual and also for the church as a whole. Let's be a generation that seeks to help the lost, the poor, the broken. Let's be a generation that puts other needs before our own. Great message!

I would agree with another reviewer that things get repeated a lot throughout, probably because the whole book was based around the story of Jonathan and the Philistines. Could have been shorter, but still, an excellent read and highly recommended.

A good read, motivational. It is a little rambling for my preference, the author seems to say the same thing many different ways ie take action, just do something for the kingdom of God etc. It gives overall good advice for believers in Jesus Christ but I wouldn't treat the book as a book on theology. The personal stories the author gives are excellent and are the most motivating part of the book.

McManus has an easy to read style that draws you in. Though carpe diem (seize the day) is the main theme this does not reflect a frantic pace but rather developing a discipline of making deliberate choices that give life to your dreams and what God has called you to do. Using a moment in Johnathan's life when he did seize the day by taking the initiative in the face of uncertainty. I will warn you that this is a battle story and was difficult for some church members to find value in studying. Jonathan used his influence inspite of the risks, to advance and leave a mark that served God's will. McMannus writes that all of Jonathan's choices required action and a willingness to awaken those who are in many ways just sleep walking through life. Our church bought the book for our small group leaders as well as the companion DVD and study guide. They were generally well received.

I acquired the leather bound edition of this book when it was published. It wasn't at all what I expected it to be. The book was better. It transformed the way I thought about devotion. I have kept my edition in excellent shape all these years despite using it. If you are thinking about buying the book, I highly recommend it. I don't know what the newer versions are - whether republished or rewritten.

This book has been a continual inspiration and source of God's voice to me. As I read and re-read the content, I find God speaking to me each and every time. I even had my own copy rebound, so that I can be assured to always have it. I have bought copies for others, and am sorry to see it out of print.

This book has really helped me in my daily walk. The book is divided into 52 topical sections like silence, meditation, fasting, distractions, etc. with scriptures to read for each day of the week. There are also hymns, meditations by Christian authors and prayers for each week that relate to the topic. It's something you can do in 10 minutes a day if you're just starting and need to develop the discpline or you could spend 20-30 minutes each day if you want more time in prayer or to meditate on the readings. I highly recommend it and am about to buy a second copy for a friend.

I first read this book on a professor's recommendation in 1985. Disciplines uses a weekly format, including a 2-part reading schedule (1 part for use, and 1 for reading through the Bible in a year), and writings from classic Christian writers through the centuries. Like others, I have started reading many authors after reading their words in Disciplines. The heart is grabbed, the brain is engaged, and God speaks to you every day. My only negative is that there is no sequel, although it is similar to a Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, an excellent book from the Upper Room.

There are so many choices confronting anyone looking for a half decent devotional guide today. This is the only one I have read that I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed with. I would recomend trying to get a hold of the leather bound edition from 1985 even though it will be a bit spendy. The reason that I recommend that edition is because it is quite a bit sturdier and it will take you through the whole bible in a year as well as the daily devotional readings. The Benson's have gain an incredible balance of focus on spiritual formation with practicle life application. They have avoided the error in many modern devotional guides of just giving a little two minute self help blurb to make you feel better about yourself for the day. They have also avoided the tendencies of certain older guides which seem to focus almost exclusively upon what wretched sinners we all are. If you make the effort to go carefully and patiently through the entire book in a year the Spirit will use it to transform you from the inside out. This devotional is both encouraging, challenging, and will serve you well for years to come. It is structured enough to give solid direction, but flexible enough to work for just about anyone. You also will have gained a great introduction to almost all of significant writers on Christian spirituality throughout history. I just can't for the life of me understand why it has been taken out of print, maybe because it will require more then a five minute commitment each day, but it is well worth it.

This book can revolutionize the way that we make a difference in this world. It's design, having all of us think of ways that we can help others in whatever capacity for whatever cause, opens up opportunities that traditional giving does not. It also calls for action on a weekly basis, not big overwhelming actions, just action. This is a great way to get people moving foward not just waiting for the right thing to come along. The suggested ways to help are also good because again it decreases the reasons for procrastinating.

EMM provides practical legs to a heart and body that says, "I want to make a positive difference in the lives of others." Inspired by this book, a group of my friends are committed this year to monthly efforts to improve the lives of others in simple, concrete ways. Thank you Matt and Kelly for increasing awareness of how to be compassionate and caring.

On the back cover of this Gen X/Y book is the question "Have you made today matter?" It's a great question because most of us do not even consider this in our daily lives. Then, at the end of the day, we are kept awake at night wondering how we can ever make a difference in a world where so much is wrong.

Well, fear not, because the creators and writers of www.everymondaymatters.com have put together a list of 52 activities you can do alone or with your friends and family that will be good for you, your community, and the world. Although some of the tasks require planning and cannot be completed in one day, that leaves no excuse for not beginning the process of a more time-consuming task (#45 Get involved with Foster Kids). Some are so simple they can be done right at your computer (#44 Use Online Bill Pay). Either way, there are enough activities to give anyone a year full of Mondays that matter. As a side issue, if you find, as I have, that there is an activity listed you have already completed, such as #21 Learn CPR, feel free to substitute your own ideas or visit their website for resources and other activities you can do.

Get ready to make a difference one Monday at a time. As a bonus, the book includes a CD-ROM with videos of people making a difference and special links to exclusive portions of their website. The book is even made with recycled materials.

I give this book 5 stars and urge every family to get a copy.

[...]

This is an original, thought-provoking, and action-inducing book. I have given it to friends and family in hopes that each will do a portion of the recommended ways to make each and every life matter.

What a phenominal book! Finally somebody decided that it wasn't good enough to simply write a book about what you SHOULD do, instead Every Monday Matters tells us what TO do in a helpful way, then challenges us to MAKE A DIFFERENCE by doing it. And it's presented in a way that not only makes sense as to the WHY, it also leads you by the hand to help you engage others along the way. I am using this as a way for our Christian Men's Group to take our outreach to the next level in our community, regardless of faith or religious perspective. A common sense way to make it happen! And making me actually look forward to my Mondays each week is a bonus! Thanks!

You might think this is a book exclusively for women, brides-to-be in particular. Wrong. Men will get more out of this entertaining and insightful book because we just don't know this stuff, and Claire Lewis has done us a big favor by revealing the inner emotional landscape of a bride. It's treacherous territory indeed, but Claire is a very able guide. EXPOSED is a must read for grooms-to-be and former grooms who want to figure out why they were so clueless on their wedding day(s).

If you are married, engaged, or solely curious about the madness that accompanies weddings, "Exposed" is a book that should not be overlooked. Whether you were the terrorized bridesmaid, the regretful bridezilla, or the overworked wedding planner...whether you were the graceful bride, the smitten groom, or the hungover groomsman, this book will tell your story. Claire Lewis takes you into the world of weddings and allows you to be a fly on the wall from the moment she meets each client to the moment they say "I do". She has an ability to transport you into each story where you vividly experience each wedding as it unfolds. This account of the business and the fairytale of weddings is refreshingly entertaining and highly recommended.

Exposed: Confessions of a Wedding Photographer: A Memoir

Claire is not only a wonderful photographer but her book is amazing. I loved reading this book. It is such a great book about the ups and downs that happen with weddings. This is a great gift for someone getting married.

This book really reflects those little idiosycrasies that we all have and we laugh about..I was sitting around the pool with a bunch of friends reading little paragraphs out loud and everyone started commenting about their own weddings and the many weddings we all have been to and participated in and it's really amazing that when you look back on your wedding day how you wonder what was my photographer thinking? I only hope that he had a few laughs of his own, because I am laughing just thinking about it. This book has some great quotes by Claire's mother and how she proceeded to live her live to the fullest and not to miss out on any one thing..I find myself laughing out loud at times reading this, and she paints a great picture without ever having been there..so bravo to you Claire..Great read!

How special to find and read a behind the scenes book about weddings and photography! Being a diehard people watcher I thoroughly enjoyed riding along with Claire and her assistant Sarah... They brought me to each wedding and each adventure making sure I didn't miss the laughs and the heart tugging relationship struggles. Very fun read, great picture painting for my mind...I laughed out loud, groaned in disappointment and had at least one sorrowful tear for sure! I was entertained, enlightened and encouraged. Being a photographer who loves to capture what I see to share with the world, I enjoyed hearing Claire's thoughts on her job and the world of cameras and film in our digital age.
This book is about photography, people and their quirky ways, weddings and much much more! Claire you are a delightful writer and I cannot wait to read your next book! More Claire Lewis is my cry!!

Finally a book that helps me to understand what a global company is supposed to look like!

As President of the International Division for H20 Plus, Inc., I have had the opportunity to thoroughly read John Caslione's book. I found the book to be extraordinarily practical and easy to read in all respects. It was very informative with useful information, in particular, relating to various sources of information, including websites that can be used as references for particular research. For anyone involved in international business, I highly recommend this book. Since I have read 'Global Manifest Destiny', I have gone back on several occasions to make reference to certain sections in it that are particularly relevant to our international business operations.

Global Manifest Destiny is one of those rare reads. It's practical, logical, and cuts to the heart of any business's concerns about competing in the global marketplace. It offers an almost self-diagnosis for small to medium-sized enterprizes who understand that global economic integration is inevitable - and not just for the big players any more. Each chapter provides expert guidance in developing a checklist of key business functions that must be addressed in order to succeed globally, and the succinct delivery is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!!

As a follow up to the first volume, Growing Your Business in Emerging Markets, this new book, Global Manifest Destiny, takes the reader to an even deeper understanding of the significance of globality and its inevitability for an healthy business environment.
The large and hands-on experience of the authors comes through every page and it makes for an unusually enjoyable read for its gender as well as a very profitable one.
We wish this book had been available few years ago. It would have helped us to avoid some pitfalls and a number of headaches.
If the world is your business theater, or you would like make it so, this book is for you!

What set this book apart for me was that it is written at a fast pace...quite unlike most business books I read. That means I picked it up one afternoon and read it cover to cover like a gripping novel. Usually, I dip in and out of business books or just read certain chapters. 'Global Manifest Destiny' is full of business-relevant facts, which in part support the main proposition that there is an inevitable coming together of the economies of the world - but which also stand alone as interesting and important statistics.

I have promised myself to re-read this book in one month's time just to make doubly sure I retain the key learning. This is essential in my role for JTI. Mine is a global role for a global player. This book helps.