Clubs Books

i found this book to be extremely helpful as an introduction to becoming a more knowledgeable wine drinker and conversationist...
most importantly, i found this book to be a great read! organized in an creative manner it answered all my questions i had - and more that i wouldn't have even considered prior to becoming the connoisseur i am today.
another great resource i've found in my search - a good first step to the wine life - check out:
http://www.halogenguides.com/living/guide/club-vino

I love this book. It makes wine easy to understand and the recipes look awesome. I haven't tried any yet but am looking forward to trying the pairings. Thanks for a fun, easy to understand book!

I bought this to share with a wine tasting group we started. We started one 7 years ago in another city and it was really successful. Trying to introduce wine to people in Texas in the dry counties is a challenge, however. I also bought a copy of this book as gift for someone. Very helpful.

The recipes are phenomenal and the wine suggestions really do teach you about the different wines. Our wine club has had so much fun with the month-by-month guide.

Start your own wine club for and with your friends and learn about wine with the help of THE WINE CLUB: A MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE TO LEARNING ABOUT WINE WITH FRIENDS. A seasonal arrangement offers monthly varietal focus in a title which includes recipes for complimentary dishes, tips on how to taste and learn, overviews of wines and glass styles, and much more.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

After having 3 children, I've read lots and lots of children's books, some over and over. This is by far, the best and my personal favorite. It is written as a poem, and has a funny surprise ending! You and your kids will love it.

All three of my boys (3, 7 & 9.5) really enjoyed this book. It magically appeared on our dining room table on Xmas Eve 2007. We read it together more than once and all gave it glowing reviews!

This is a marvelous story that tells of one Christmas tree that is far too much for just one person. The tree is trimmed, and shared, and trimmed, and shared, and trimmed, and shared until far more people than Mr. Willoby alone, along with many animal families, have a bit of the tree to add beauty to their Christmas festivities! The rhyming text makes it a fun story to read aloud to children!

I always buy a Christmas-themed picture book for my children to read to them on Christmas Eve before bedtime. I got this one for my eight-year-old who is reading on a sixth grade level. Turns out we are never too old or too advanced to enjoy a good picture book. She loved the predictability of the story, and so did my six-year-old.

This has always been my favorite Christmas Book (just edging out "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by a glowing-red nose!). I'm happy to say that I own an original first printing of both books, but it's "Willowby" that I continue to purchase, year after year, for my friends and their children.

The charm of this story lies in the "one person's discards are another person's treasures" category. The oversufficient tree that old man Willowby brings into his mansion is snipped on top to clear his cathedral ceiling, and every recipient into whose hands the pruned remnant falls must perform the same whittling fix to adapt the orphaned fir to his own, progressively more spartan, hovel. Passing from maidservant to gardener to a scavenging bear and other various critters, after smaller and smaller sprigs make the rounds throughout the countryside near Willowby's estate, the last one eventually ends up with a family of mice who just happen to live in Mr. Willowby's wall! Thus, one huge tree is inadvertently able to make everyone's Christmas a bit brighter! Joy to the world!

Robert Barry's verses are easily read, and are exquisitely enhanced by the accompanying artwork -- especially the portrayal of the Benjamin Rabbit family. Too cute! While "Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree" is no doubt a children's story, at Christmas aren't we really ALL children? And what better way to enjoy one's Yuletide holiday than with a delightful, uplifting tale where everyone wins?

This is a must read for all dog lovers. A heart grabbing tribute to all the wonderful "hero" rescue dogs who did their jobs in a gut wrenching time for us all.

Each story touches the heart of the reader. The true dedication between man and man best friends shines a bright light in the darkest day in US history.

I bought this book for my boyfriend to accompy his birthday gift and he loved it. The stories are heartwarming and really remind you of the other heroes of 9/11.

I purchased this book as a Christmas present for my Sister. She absolutely loves it. I visited the Ground Zero Museum in NYC in October 2007 and was first introducted to this book. I highly recommend it!

A beautiful book about some unknown hero's of Setpember 11.

A must read for all.

This was my first introduction to this writer. Though this book was a little rough...grammatically and style wise, the content was very good. And as I continue on reading her work, she gets better. Five stars for effort!

This was a great story. It's set up like a soap opera. Many twists and even more turns and surprises. If you like a great saga/soap opera you'll love this. And even if you don't, you just might get hooked. The character's reach they're lowest as well as they're highes in this story, they have relationships that interweave and tangle. It's a dance, a never ending dancing cycle. You start reading and you're in a whole other world that will shock, surprise, instill fear, and make you laugh and cry. It's grea and I loved it.
I hope all of you do as well. It's a story unlike any other, your not to meant to expect what they say you're supposed to. It' not like the fluffy harlequins or silhouettes, it's way more.
Enjoy!!!

I just knew the writer could do better. I read the original version of this story and it was good, but this is fantastic. So much richer and fuller. I'm hooked.

I'm so bad, I read the online version of this book while at work. During breaks and lunch, etc. It was great. It's written like a soap opera and I just loved it. You love the people, you hate the people. Jimmy, Eljen and all the rest are just so captivating. So many twists and turns I never wanted it to end. I cried and laughed. I really enjoyed the way the writer transitioned from the 50's up to the now. It was neat watching them grow as people. My friends and I talk about the characters like they are real. I can't wait to finish the new book. I think it's going to be a tear jerker, it's heading that way. Like I didn't cry enough reading Majestic Secret. But I got some good laughs too. Like I said, the whole ride. This book gave me the whole ride!

With a name like Majestic, what's a girl to do but to dream big dreams and have itchy feet? With a name like Majestic, how can you NOT want to be a star or want the world as your oyster? With a name like Majestic, how can you not love with your whole heart and soul? Majestic was those things and more. And she was only fourteen. How can a fourteen year old girl, fresh from the county, impact so many lives in so many ways? Well, I guess you'll have to read the book to find out. This book had so many plot twists and turns, it had you barely hanging on the edge of your seat. Like Betty Davis once said, "you better strap yourself in...it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

Majestic Secret is about a young lady, a child really, who wants to grow up too fast and learn too much too soon. When she runs away from home to follow a man she thought she was in love with, a white man at that, she soon finds that it is not him her heart has been searching for, but his son. From the minute they set eyes on each other, theirs lives are changed forever. However, Eljen has no idea how young Majectic really is, especially after she lies and claims to be older. With a beautiful face and bangin' body, he never stops to consider that her story has more holes in it than a piece of swiss cheese. However, in an effort to save Eljen from himself, she ends up telling the ultimate lie that tears them apart. Majestic may have been out of Eljen's life, but never his mind or his heart. They had been each other's destiny. He learns this to be true when Majestic's Secret is finally revealed.

Along the way there are colorful characters like Jimmy Smith, Majorie, Mary and Judith, all with secrets of their own.

Michell McGriff has written an outstanding novel with many well thought out, richly developed characters. This read will hold your attention from the first page to the end. I literally did not want it to end. There are some wonderful jaw-dropping surpises and zingers too!! Thankfully, there is a follow up to this book called "Rested Memories." I look forward to finding out what happens to all of the characters I came to love, hate, laugh and cry with! Michelle, you have one hell of a book here! Keep up the good work. This is a book I HIGHLY recommend to anyone to read, whether you like romance, mystery or just an all around GOOD book!

Very cute illustrations and simple text introduces color mixing. Yellow and blue make green, etc. I always read this story to my kindergarten children and then we experiment with finger paints. Great activity!

This is the best "color" book I've ever read. I love that it has an actual storyline, and a clever one at that! The text is perfectly concise, and the illustrations are simple but engaging. My 5-month-old daughter loves it!

Ellen Stoll Walsh teaches color mixing in this entertaining story about 3 white mice who find three jars of primary colored paint. I read this book to my kinders before they did their own color mixing art project and they just loved it!

The pictures, created with cut-paper, are just darling. This is worth having in any classroom or home library.

As a mom I love Mouse Paint! There is depth to the story. In addition, the innovative introduction of concepts with primary colors is just plain fun. Reading for reading is always good. But reading to teach information opens up new horizons for lifelong learning. The whole book has me smiling all the way through. It is short so when it becomes a beloved favorite -- and it will be a favorite guaranteed! -- you can easily get through it to the satisfaction of all. This is the type of book I tell my friends about.

This edition in hardback would be nice as a gift.

Mouse Paint is a great book for early childhood. I use this book for infant toddler storytime. The colorful pictures make easy eye contact for young children. The book was in excellent condition and delivery was expeditious! Thank you Amazon.

It is understandable why this book earned a Pulitzer for the author. Written in the early 1950's, it was the first time Civil War events were treated from a human versus fact-after-fact view. However, Shelby Foote later wrote a superior account that not only provides the human side, but also presents all the historical data.

It would be an almost impossible task for anyone to figure out just how many books have been written dealing with the American Civil War. It would also be difficult to determine which Civil War historians are most often cited by their peers but there is no doubt that Bruce Catton would be near or more likely at the top of any such list. The reason for this is quite simply that Catton was one of the great historical writers of all time. Very few people can take their readers into the heart of an army, both those of it's soldiers and leaders like Catton and even fewer convey their story in the very clear and easy to read style that this author has mastered. To read this book of pure history is in many ways like reading a historical novel and even the reader who already has a firm grasp on the historical facts of this story will sometimes find themselves wondering what happens next.

This is the story of the last campaign of the Army of the Potomac, that Ill-fated army that had so often been humiliated by Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. This campaign was to be different however because there was a new man calling the shots and having a man like U. S. Grant at the helm made all of the difference in the world. It took Grant a while though to convince this often badly led army that he was any different than his predecessors. Different he was however and once he locked horns with Lee he wasn't going to let up until one army or the other was destroyed. In other words Grant understood what had to be done and he was determined to do it.

Catton's main field of study was this man Grant but one of the author's most endearing qualities is that he makes no effort to whitewash or hide his subject's faults. Catton also does not attempt to build Grant up by tearing away at Lee like many of the more recent Grant biographers have done. He simply makes Grant's greatness apparent by telling the story the way it happened and it doesn't take long for the reader to figure out what an outstanding general Grant was.

The author has done a lot of searching through soldier's letters and memoirs as well as regimental histories and this leads to a very personal perspective of the last year of the war. The stories he has gleaned from these sources are poignant, somber, gleeful and funny. For example, one entire brigade falls out of the final advance upon Lee's army to chase down and cook some chickens that have been scattered by artillery fire. I think it was Napoleon who said something about an army traveling on it's stomach.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Civil War. The hard core Civil War reader will find new information here and the casual reader will find that this book is fun to read and no one should have a problem following the story. If Amazon allowed six stars this is one of the few books that would qualify.

Part 3 of Bruce Catton's fantastic trilogy of the civil war is an interesting look at how the Army of the Potomac ended the war. From a discussion of a daring plan to plant dynamite underneath confederate lines to the chasing down of Lee's Army by Grant a true sense of what happened during the civil war can be gathered form this trilogy. An essential collection to any civil war historical library.

A Stillness at Appomattox is the last in the trilogy of the Army of the Potomac and covers from the period from late 1863/early 1864 (before the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Campaign) to April 1865 (Appomattox).

While the book is certainly heavily weighted in its coverage of the Union side, Catton is fair in his assessment of the various Union leaders. Of course, there is also the unique writing style that Catton possessed - a free flowing and smooth narrative rich with details.

My only complaint is the lack of maps. However, one must also bear in mind that the first edition was written in 1953, a time when books did not have the number of detailed maps that you would find in more recent titles.

Complaint aside, I highly recommend the book and series as the best coverage of the Union Army of the Potomac during the Civil War.

Read and enjoy!

This superb narrative about the Union's Army of the Potomac in the war's final year captured the 1954 Pulitzer Prize. The book is one of several superbly readable volumes on the Civil War by author/historian Bruce Catton (1899-1978).

This narrative covers the Army of the Potomac from the start of the brutal 1864 wilderness campaign through the war's end a year later at Appomattox. The author shows that General Ulysses S. Grant was more capable than brilliant, and fiercely determined to keep the pressure on General Lee's rebel army until the Confederates had no choice but to quit. Given the Union's advantage in men and material, the strategy made sense. What was less sensible were costly errors by Union officers, frightful casualties, and a sickening Union failure to clinch victory on the first day at Petersburg (thus reducing carnage on both sides).

The author perused many soldier diaries and letters to show us the life of the average Union enlisted man. That soldier was well-paid ($16 a month), but forced to endure boredom, rough weather, marching, stress, and dangers from disease and a tough, determined enemy.

This moving look at the last year of conflict is probably the best of Catton's narratives on the Civil War.

Delicious recipes, humor, and insightful remembrances are just a few of the components that have made this book a top-seller for more than 5 years now! The "Hushpeoples" are terrific... "Hushpuppies so hot they hush peoples too." The "Fleur de Lis Chicken" & the "Pasta St. Pierre" are two more outstanding offerings in this celebrated and mouthwatering collection. I first discovered this title when it was featured in Cooking Light Magazine for a Crawfish Story, that included some of the Cajun Recipes from "Jambalaya," there was also a great review in the San Francisco Chronicle a few months back. And what a bargain too! At this price you can have all of the famous flavors and local color of South Louisiana without breaking the proverbial bank!

You get a lot in this little book. Dozens of great recipes that include the essentials you likely are looking for as well as some creative recipes you won't get anywhere like his pasta st, pierre. In addition we get nice commentary, a bit of wisdom and some great poetry.

What runs through this book most of all is passion. This guy is passionate about his culture and his food! He is not just sharing recipes but a piece of himself and always with good humor.

He provides a great dry spice recipe that beats emeril's and is used often here and his shrimp creole that proclaims to be the "best ever" probably is!

The title is correct for gumbo and jambalaya are the heart of this book but instead of the typical gumbo-jambalaya recipes you may already own there are some you definitely don't own. Try the beef gumbo cooked in red cabernet. Out of this world..

The Pasta St. Pierre on page 28 is worth the price of the book, by itself. And the author suggest you throw in some candlelight and a good bottle of wine. Another recipe that was outstanding is the Hushpeoples, on page 94 (hushpuppies so hot they hush people too)We also really enjoyed the Coonass Cornbread!

The White Bean Creole Soup is good and so is the Mud Bug Salad. Nice collection!

I laughed out loud at a lot of the commentary in this book. One really funny example is the recipe on page 110 "Hotter Than Hell Sabbath Dip" (From a drag queen in New Orleans who claims to be the original Creole Lady Marmalade) Very campy, very southern, other recipes make reference to Tennessee William's "A Streetcar Named Desire" and there are so many with that distinctly New Orleans flair. This book shows the city and its cuisine from a new, refreshing angle and not the same old boring "BAM!"

I liked the Singapore Grip, but the Siege of Krishnapur stunned me. It was wry, light and devastatingly apt at developing each character. He took no prisoners as the clueless denizens of the Raj came to realize, or not, the depth of their ignorance and folly. Loved it.

The Indian mutiny of 1857 sees the cantoment of Krishnapur besieged by sepoys. For three months Mr Hopkins (the collector) galvanises the British community in resisting the onslaught...
This book is superbly written and often reminds one of the style of George Elliot. It is both witty and profound and wonderfully researched and charactorized.Like the best of Elliot,Farrell uses his narrative to inform on other topics-the great cholera debate;the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace- and questions the basis of what culture actually lends to civilisation.
Books like this just don't get written these days.

Paul Scott wrote in his RAJ QUARTET that it was in India during the last days of the Raj that the British came to the end of themselves as they were. In this superb Booker Prize-winning novel written concurrently with the QUARTET (and which casts a similar cold eye towards the British imperial ambitions in India), J. G. Farrell shows how the Raj itself was formed and how it already carried within it in embryo the seeds of the destruction for the entire Empire. The novel takes place in a city in Northeastern India during 1857, the year of the Great Sepoy Rebellion: the British stationed in Krishnapur hear vague rumors of what they will call "The Mutiny" from faraway towns but are mostly unwilling to take them seriously. The ensuing siege they endure carries on for months as they wait for help to relieve them; though slowly forced to an absolute subsistence level--and then to even less--, they refuse to relinquish the habits of social conditioning that have made them already who they are. Social snobbery, physical modesty, gender segregation: all remain firmly ensconced even as their physical conditions start deteriorating so greatly they start dying in large numbers.

The novel's subject would seem to suggest that the novel would make for almost unbearable reading: oddly it does not, because the characters of the novel (who are almost entirely British) maintain such a droll and uncomprehending attitude towards their conditions, no matter how desperate things seem. Thus, since Farrell focalizes his narrative mostly through his thoughts, everything seems unreal throughout the entire siege and not quite so nightmarish as it might have been had he used a more distanced narrator. The work is in part a parody of old-fashioned "Mutiny novels," so you should know that the ending is very much in keeping with those kinds of novels (which proliferated throughout the Empire during the latter half of the nineteenth century); characteristically, however, Farrell puts his own intelligent spin on things, so even if the ending you had been expecting does occur it doesn't in the way you had expected. This is the second, and perhaps most famous, of the three superb works of Farrell's "Empire" trilogy which beautifully illustrates the conditions of Empire described in another nearly coeval work, Jan Morris's famous PAX BRITTANICA trilogy. It's exciting, amusing, intelligent, and greatly worth reading.

This is an excellent novel about the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857. The focus of the story is the siege of the British Civil Service enclave at Krishanpur (historically this was the siege of Lucknow). A group of Sepoy soldiers was given new rifle cartridges that were wrapped in greased paper, and the paper was removed by biting it off with one's teeth. The word spread was that this grease was animal grease, which was an insult to religion. The sepoys mutinied, killed their superior British officers, and started marauding across India.

Hearing about the mutiny the (tax) Collector in Krishnapur had ramparts built around the British buildings in Krishnapur. Shortly afterwards the Sepoys attacked in waver after wave for a period of several months. Surprisingly author Farrell describes the sufferings of those besieged with a good deal of humor, humor that pricks holes in the pompous beliefs and attitudes of 19th century British colonizers. We bring them progress, a superior civilization, yet they turn on us marvels the Collector. The condescension doesn't stop with the Indians. At one point the Collector speaks to the British women in the enclave, and silently thinks that in reality women are really useless creatures. It is the men of the world that shoulder the responsibility of getting things done. The padre runs around telling everyone that God is punishing them for their sinful behavior. A new school and an old school doctor constantly disagree over medical treatment. In perhaps the funniest scene of the book the old doctor contracts cholera, and instructs his aides to cover him with mustard plasters. The young doctor, who is aware that cholera victims die from dehydration, initiates a saline IV every time the old doc sinks into a coma. The IV brings him around, and he immediately pulls out the IV and insists on getting his mustard plasters, following which he soon sinks back into a coma. Back goes the IV and the doc becomes conscious again. This cycle goes on and on and becomes hysterically funny.

The British thought they were doing wonderful things for the Indians, but the harsh reality of it is they were creating harsh lives for their colonial subjects. The sepoys, for example, were paid near starvation wages. This is an important novel about the misguided philosophy behind imperialism. Perhaps there is a lesson here for us Americans. Should we really be focused on bringing our way of life to other countries?

"The Siege of Krishnapur', the second of J.G. Farrell's now classic works on the British Empire, (see also Troubles (New York Review Books Classics) and The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)) is a fictionalized account of the Siege of Lucknow during the Great Mutiny of 1857-1858 (aka the Sepoy Rebellion). The mutiny or rebellion, depending on one's point of view, was ultimately defeated by the British and led to the replacement of East India Company rule by direct British governance under the Raj.

Farrell masterfully recreates the insular British upper-class life in India - and the siege only intensifies this insularity. As the siege drags on and on, the inhabitants strive to maintain expected standards of behavior and decorum. Farrell populates his book with interesting characters who debate and dispute morality, religion, progress, and civilization.

Excellent introductions are a hallmark of the New York Review of Books Classics and the introduction to this volume by Pankaj Mishra places the book in historical and cultural context and adds significant value.

Highest Recommendation.

As a spiritual author myself-- it is rare that I hear something really new and interesting-- Vaishali is my soul sister for sure...I heard Vaishali on a radio show several months ago-- she was that rare combination of authenticity , irreverance and a wealth of knowledge. Her book has so much in every chapture-- get a nice cold beverage put your feet up and enjoy!

patrice karst www.patricekarst.com

Vaishali's You Are What You Love is absolutely fabulous. So many "esoteric" books lose the reader or speak in terms that are way over the heads of beginners on the path to self. She writes so directly and explains Swedenborg's theories in a delightful way. Vaishali isn't afraid to speak the truth and her humor adds spice to a subject that is often very dry.

Her book opens doors for both the seasoned seeker and the newcomer. There is nothing pretentious about her writing style. I have become aware of moments in my own life where I am acting from a head consciousness when really I should be following my heart consciousness. She covers all of the big arenas of self discovery and growth- surrender, self acceptance, forgiveness ~ and weave them consistently throughout each subject tying them all beautifully together. My awareness of what I give my attention to on a daily basis has been raised to a new level. Through reading her book, I have glimpsed true expansion and the possibilities of more peace in my daily life. Thank you for this insightful and funny book...a must read for anyone wanting to live a more authentic, heart centered life.

Vaishali has the ability to cut through all the extraneous stuff straight to the heart of the matter and make everything so clear!

GREAT READ!

As a personal friend and colleague of Vaishali's, I find her unique infusion of humor and willingness to address the darker aspects of human nature to be a refreshing alternative to most of the Pollyanna fortune cookie platitudes that tend to dominate this genre. "You Are What You Love" is actually a very forthright declaration that each of us must love whatever it is that most occupies our thoughts, even if we are complaining about it.

Vaishali's book asks a simple question to the reader, "What do you love?" Throughout the book the reader will continue to ask this question to themselves, and the book helps to guide the individual to find honest answers. If you know what you love, then you know who you are and what you are looking for. Without observation, life will pass you by and leave you with regrets later. Everyone should read this book to help spark their soul journey in the right direction.

I was born in 1965 and I remember my mom reading this story to me from the time I was 3 until I was 6. I ordered this book, and realized this is where some of my fears come from haha. His airplane blows up and the picture of him going head first into a haystack with a pitchfork in it would prob not pass today's standards lol.. This is old School at it's best:)

Very funny book. Your students will love reading it. Also, they love creating their own story during morning meeting! Take turns going around the circle with one student saying fortunately.....and they next student says unfortunately.....

My 6 yr old boys & 2 year old daughter love this book. I wish I'd gotten it sooner for the boys. I'll be giving this as a gift to every child between 3 & 5. It's very cute. Definitely a classic.

My teacher read us this book when I was in kindergarten. I recently bought it for my 5 year old son and he loves it because it is so funny. It is also short, so I don't mind reading it to him before bedtime.

My students loved this book. Not only were my students able to make predictions, but they were able to create funny predictions that were more elaborate than the story provided. They loved making their own cause/effect book. It was a great way to teach the concept, read fun literature that connected to their lives, and try a different type of writing. They loved sharing their books they created.