Average customer rating:
- Excellent Life Management Book
- A Lifetime Guide
- What's important in your life?
- great getting it together tool
- Good Book
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First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy
Stephen R. Covey ,
A. Roger Merrill , and
Rebecca R. Merrill
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Time Management | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Personal Transformation | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Self-Esteem | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Covey, Stephen R. | Authors, A-Z | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Covey, Stephen R. | Authors, A-Z | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:
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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
-
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
ASIN: 0684802031 |
Amazon.com
What are the most important things in your life? Do they get as much care, emphasis, and time as you'd like to give them? Far from the traditional "be-more-efficient" time-management book with shortcut techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time totally differently. Using this book will help you create balance between your personal and professional responsibilities by putting first things first and acting on them. Covey teaches an organizing process that helps you categorize tasks so you focus on what is important, not merely what is urgent. First you divide tasks into these quadrants:
- Important and Urgent (crises, deadline-driven projects)
- Important, Not Urgent (preparation, prevention, planning, relationships)
- Urgent, Not Important (interruptions, many pressing matters)
- Not Urgent, Not Important (trivia, time wasters)
Most people spend most of their time in quadrants 1 and 3, while quadrant 2 is where quality happens. "Doing more things faster is no substitute for doing the right things," says Covey. He points you toward the real human needs--"to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy"--and how to balance your time to achieve a meaningful life, not just get things done. --Joan Price
Book Description
I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?
Does this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why so often our first things aren't first. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Life Management Book.......2007-06-22
I read the 7 habits of Highly Effective people a few years ago and was very inspired at that time to take more control of my life and try and implement the habits into my daily life. In particular, i really found the third habit on time management useful and could see the benefit. However, at that time i did not put the habits into effect in any real way.
Then recently, i discovered this book again which mainly deals with the third habit and some of the second habit and found that i was now ready to not only read about it but to actually start doing it by using the tools and techinques outlined to take control of my life and focus on the things that really mattered.
It may seem simple but starting with a vision of my life and then writing out my goals for incorporation into my monthly, weekly and daily planning has alreaady had a tremendous effect on my life and i find that i am scheduling important things in my life such as meditation and exercise and doing these which is giving me a more balanced work life balance. I also find it very effective for my job in which i am now scheduling important activites into my calender and doing them rather than just reacting to the urgent day to day requests at the expense of these more important long term activities.
A Lifetime Guide.......2007-02-05
I have bought this book for four years, read over it for many times.
If I can only take one book with me to another world, I will take this one. It is a good guide to how to live for a lifetime.
It begins with the foundamental principles, then gradually teachs you how to live a better life based on those principles. Every sentence is a sentence of truth. Everytime I have setback, I go back to this book; and everytime, I find that I have violated a principle.
Over four years, I become a different person.
What's important in your life?.......2007-01-23
What's important in your life? What do you really want to accomplish? What do you want to see completed at the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of the month, at the end of the year, and, ultimately, what do you want to have accomplished by the end of your life?
Getting things in line in your life, learning to set priorities, not just for money, purchases, and trivial things, but for more important things. How about family, relationships, and career?
great getting it together tool.......2007-01-18
I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for someone special who told me since reading the book he has been able to adapt a positive change in his busy and hetic life in a very positive way. He has been able to put in priority and balance the pressures, responsibilities, expetations of both his personal and business life,
Good Book.......2006-12-06
I bought this book because I needed some guidance to start putting things back in order in my life. Eventhough it focus on business and work, it provides some helpful hints to apply on you personal life.
Average customer rating:
- Whatever happened to Lois M B?
- Cheated, in a sense...
- A Great Book - and There's More to Come!
- good, not great
- This is a middle book, not a series end book!
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Legacy (The Sharing Knife #2)
Lois McMaster Bujold
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Bujold, Lois McMaster | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Hardcover | Bujold, Lois McMaster | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 006113905X
Release Date: 2007-06-26 |
Book Description
Fawn Bluefield, the clever young farmer girl, and Dag Redwing Hickory, the seasoned Lakewalker soldier-sorcerer, have been married all of two hours when they depart her family's farm for Dag's home at Hickory Lake Camp. Having gained a hesitant acceptance from Fawn's family for their unlikely marriage, the couple hopes to find a similar reception among Dag's Lakewalker kin. But their arrival is met with prejudice and suspicion, setting many in the camp against them, including Dag's own mother and brother. A faction of Hickory Lake Camp, denying the literal bond between Dag and Fawn, woven in blood in the Lakewalker magical way, even goes so far as to threaten permanent exile for Dag.
Before their fate as a couple is decided, however, Dag is called away by an unexpected—and viciously magical—malice attack on a neighboring hinterland threatening Lakewalkers and farmers both. What his patrol discovers there will not only change Dag and his new bride, but will call into question the uneasy relationship between their peoples—and may even offer a glimmer of hope for a less divided future.
Filled with heroic deeds, wondrous magic, and rich, all-too-human characters, The Sharing Knife: Legacy is at once a gripping adventure and a poignant romance from one of the most imaginative and thoughtful writers in fantasy today.
Customer Reviews:
Whatever happened to Lois M B?.......2007-10-05
If I hadn't read every single one of the Vorkosigan series, I would chalk it up to yet another campy fantasy-writing author. Another reviewer is kindly willing to consider differences in plot as an explanation. Here are my theories:
Lois McM.Bujold has been abducted, and a lesser writer is using her name.
LMB got caught on a deadline she couldn't meet, and brought out her early teen-years first novels, and is passing them off as new stuff.
LMB has some hefty college tuitions to pay, and is churning out as much mass-appeal, romance-fantasy as she can, quality be damned.
We know she can do extraordinary things with characters, socio-political intrigue, and even romance and weave them all around fast-paced action and adventure, regardless of "resolution" of a crisis or not!
So what's with this? The disappointment is such that just about everything becomes annoying, including Fawn's stupid "knee-dip" greetings (which no one else at the Lake camp seems to do, and she wants to fit in? Hmmm...). And the writing? Well. Just about every thoughtful, manly man, or woman trying to be manly man, starts a spoken thought with, "Well." That's how we know, ten thousand times over, that they are thoughtful and manly. Yes, the book is trite enough in the quality of the writing, (not the plot, which is ok), that one becomes distracted by these trite, petty details.
Someone please rescue the real LMB.
Cheated, in a sense..........2007-09-25
(I won't go too much into the storyline as the other reviewers have done a great job of that already.)
With Lois McMaster Bujold's stories, when you first begin, you never know exactly what the world you're entering is going to be or who the cast of characters truly are; however, there's always the certainty that that world and the characters will be well drawn, beautifully written, and warmly entertaining. I read Beguilement (The Sharing Knife, Book 1) in one sitting. However...
This book should not have been split where it was.
I can see why the publishers may have done so, to divide the books as a way to separate the farmer and Lakewalker worlds (I'm trying not to be cynical and think it's a way to get more money, instead), but it left me hanging, and not in a good way. I think Beguilement and Legacy (The Sharing Knife #2) (although I've not yet read the latter), would have done better as 1 book, perhaps delineated as Part I and Part II, or somesuch because, after the initial excitement and adventures, what is left is essentially the mundane world that Fawn left behind in the first place. We do learn more of Dag and Fawn themselves, and it is true that no matter what horrible things are happening on a grand scale, life does go on (look at the world today). I imagine this is what the author wanted to show.
Unfortunately, while I might have been able to accept this within the context of the larger story, the larger story wasn't there. It vanished just when I was ready to leap to the next level, which would have been more of the grounding, blight bogles/malices, mud-men, etc. The pacing of the book slows dramatically, without something to pick up the intensity or the raison d'etre (the sharing legacy) that began the tale.
Fawn's family was disappointing (and from what I've read of reviews for Legacy, it looks like so will Dag's family be). There was no clear understanding of why the Bluefields so undervalue Fawn, with the exception of the aunt, and why the brothers are such boors to their sister. Not every family is loving, naturally, but the extent to which the brothers, particularly the twins, react, it's almost deliberate and malicious, rather than unthinking. As for Stupid Sunny, ugh. I don't think he was properly punished; what would prevent him from seducing some other unsuspecting girl and then vilifying her? Indeed, why shouldn't the family know that Stupid Sunny is telling people she's a slut? At least four of his cronies already knows that he calls her such, and I find it difficult to believe that they wouldn't share this information. Fawn and Dag are clearly bound; what does it matter what Sunny says or thinks?
No doubt at some point down the road, the entire series will be bound into an anthology/omnibus, thus creating the whole of the story rather than a snippet of the tale that trails off unsatisfactorily.
A Great Book - and There's More to Come!.......2007-09-20
This is a very satisfactory continuation of the tale started in "TSK#1: Beguilement", but itself has unresolved issues. The Publication Date of "The Sharing Knife #3: Passage" has just (14th September 2007) been announced as the 22nd April 2008, and the manuscript of "The Sharing Knife #4: (Title still to be decided)", which will complete the story arc, has gone to the publishers with an approximate publication date of Spring 2009. But don't wait - read this one now. It's complete in itself even if it has leads to the rest of the series, and it's far to good to wait another year for.
good, not great.......2007-09-16
while i am an avid bujold reader and while i miss miles, i have enjoyed these other forays into the fantastic. The first novel in the sharing knife kept me enthralled with its new world and characters, but this second novel did not have much in the way of exploring the characters to any new depths. The lack of movement in character or in plot was a bit disappointing. It seemed more of a setup for the third novel than anything else. While everything in life does not need a point per se, i really didn't see the point in spending all this time watching Fawn fight with her in-laws. It was entertaining and well written as is all of LMB's work, but i felt it was lacking after turning the last page.
This is a middle book, not a series end book!.......2007-08-27
The original book, The Sharing Knife left me with the expectation that this would be a multipart story. Nothing in Legacy changed my expectation;I will be both surprised and disappointed if Legacy is the end, as I fully expect to find out what happens to the couple now that they have left his home. I expect after 1-3 more books, we will learn that they somehow manage to change the long standing suspicion and seperatism between their two peoples. Meantime, this book was very intertaining, and of the high quality I expect of this author.
Book Description
LOVE COMES SOFTLY, the first series from the pen of Janette Oke, follows the lives of one family through three generations-beginning with a hated""marriage of convenience,""through hardships common to life on the prairie in an earlier time, leading at last to an abiding love. These eight stories reflect the enduring hope of Christian love and faith despite adversity and hardship. More than 6.5 million copies of the books in the series have been sold. Books 5-8 are in this box set.
Customer Reviews:
Love Comes Softly review.......2007-09-30
This series is awesome. They are so easy to read that you just flow. The only complaint is skipping in the years but you could not begin to read all of the years i guess. Very hard to put down once you start reading.
Love Comes Softly Pack.......2007-07-25
I enjoyed reading these books for content and because they were very easy to read. They were written in a comprehensive language that allowed the reader to flow quickly through its content.
Love Comes Softly Books 1-4.......2007-05-07
Good strong moral values are taught in this series. Easy reading gives you an idea of what it was like to live in the 1800's including travel, homelife, and strong work ethics. It takes you back to a slower pace of life. These books are worth reading.
Refreshing!!!.......2007-05-07
I bought all the movies and all the books for my Mom (83) and she absolutly loves them, she read all 8 books in about a week, said she "just couldnt put them down"!! Highly reccomended!!
Heartwarming and soulful!.......2007-05-06
The Love Comes Sotfly books are wonderful! The characters jump out at you and come alive. They are much better than the Hallmark movies, and it was fun to read the differences and follow the lives of Clark, Marty and their children through the pages. Read the Prairie Legacy also by Janette Oak, they continue the story of Clark and Marty. What a wonderful set of books, I really reccommend them, especially if you like sequels and want to know the rest of the story.
Book Description
Marty was overjoyed to be home again could anything disturb her joy?
Marty Davis had thoroughly enjoyed her visit with daughter Missie, even though a tragic accident had extended it far longer than originally planned. But now she and Clark are home again, and there are changes to make. The family begins to adjust to Clark's crutch, and Clark and Marty recognize their children's new maturity and independence.
But Nandry seems unable to come to terms with Clark's handicap; is she blaming God for the accident? The "baby of the family" is going to be a doctor. Ellie has blossomed into a lovely young woman, but is there any fellow around special enough to ask for her hand? Clare and Kate eagerly anticipate their new baby, but has life prepared them for what lies ahead?
And Then There's Marty's Secret!
Customer Reviews:
Love's Unending Legacy.......2007-04-11
In this 5th istalment of the "Love Comes Softly" series Janette Oke continues to take her characters to new levels. Each having their own strengths, weeknesses, and trials. As always a great read and hard to put down. I just want to read from start to finish and start the next book.
ANOTHER GREAT BOOK IN THE SERIES.......2005-12-16
This book was focused on the other children of Marty and Clark.
Very little was mentioned of Missie and Willie, and I didn't know if I would be interested in it. I was!!! I love Ellie and Lane. There were heartbreaking moments, also. Overall, must read again.
GREAT READ.......2005-10-21
I love this series but this is one of my favorite books only because it is so full of fun and surprises. I think that love that Ellie finds is sweet and true. I also love the biggest suprise of all.
Ellie, Clare and Arnie share the Davis Legacy........2003-08-01
Marty and Clark are home from Missy's, and the re-adjustment takes time. Luke has finally left home, studying to become a doctor. Arnie and Anne have married. Nandry is withdrawn and refuses to be a part of the family anymore and Marty is unable to find out why. Clare and Kate are super-anxiously awaiting the birth of their first baby. Are they prepared if things go wrong? Will their faith survive? The LaHayes have decided to visit Willie and Missy in the West, and much to everyone's surprise, they love it! In their absence, we again meet Lane, the humble, trustworthy, handsome young cowboy who works at the Hanging W. Missy and Willy now have three children and Clae and her preacher husband are in the east.
This particular book focuses on Ellie, her strong points and her dreams. She has adequately assumed the role of homemaker and caregiver in spite of the fact she is probably the prettiest, most eligible young woman in the area. Her heart is pure, her motives are right and she is a real blessing to her parents. Will this continue? Or change when she is faced with a life-altering decision? This book makes the reader hurt with Ellie, dream with her, and finally, well, you need to read the book.
There is one major bombshell in this book, but that would spoil it for future readers. Way to go Janette Oke, and keep the books coming in, they are a wonderful escape to a simpler, quieter time. This book ends with the Davis family in awe of passing on UNENDING LEGACIES....not just material, but spiritual as well.
Well written, with a multitude of unexpected twists........1999-09-03
This fifth book of Janette Oke's "Love Comes Softly" series continues the story of main characters Clark and Marty Davis. In her dealings with the issues surrounding the family's acceptance of Clark's new handicap and the occurance of other difficult events, Janette Oke gently teaches lessons of faith readers can apply to their own life. Whether describing the emotions of a mother sending her grown children off to fulfill their dreams, or tackling the agonizing question of why God would permit tragedy in the lives of those who serve him, Janette Oke's writing draws the reader into the story and plays those emotions directly upon the strings of the reader's heart. Unlike many lukewarm prarie-era stories, this book does not shy away from unpleasant subjects. Instead it tackles them head on, forcing the reader to grow in his/her own assurance as s/he identifies with the characters in the book, and with their tragedies and triumphs. A must read for anyone who has ever asked the question, "Why, God?"
Book Description
What began as a passion in the heart of a father of seven has led to a new men's movement. Many fathers are asking "How do I leave something of lasting value to my children and grandchildren?" This book helps dads leave treasured words of love and blessing to their children.
Customer Reviews:
Read it then LIVE IT - great book for all men!.......2007-05-03
Men, if you're looking for something practical that you can do to bless your family - this is a great book for you! Vaughn readily admits that he wasn't going to win any "father-of-the-year" awards any time soon, but he felt that the Lord was leading him to bless his family and leave a tangible legacy for his own children that his father never left for him. The idea of writing letters to this children was planted and a ministry and this book are the fruits of his labor. In fact, there is now a web site that has all the resources and materials that you'll need to do exactly what Greg Vaughn did - leave a legacy for his children and grandchildren. [...].
The book was a great read - very encouraging, challenging and uplifting. As Vaughn set out on this journey to bless his family, he surrounded himself with fourteen other men and they began the first Legacy Group that went through the process of writing and giving a letter of blessing first to their wife, then to their children, next to their parents and finally a letter to those they would leave behind after they passed away. These four letters are the backbone of this book - how to write them, how to give them to their recipients and the shared stories of the men that went on this journey to bless their families with Vaughn. One great aspect of this book is that Vaughn includes the real life stories of these other men - some who were divorced and others who were estranged from their children for years - and while not all of the stories were filled with tears of joy, Vaughn and his fellow warriors were on a quest to bless their families regardless of the response from the members of their family.
The book is an easy read for men - it's a very short 240 pages with short chapters and plenty of white space and pictures throughout. The book is great for men wanting to connect with their wives and children and who want to lead their families spiritually as well as leave a legacy for generations to come as the Lord commanded in Psalm 78. I highly recommend this book to all husbands and fathers - it is worth the investment of time and money to buy and read - a real life-changing book!
Digestible Wisdom.......2007-01-16
Greg Vaughn has written this terrific work in such a way as to allow the reader to read the book according to their time table. The short chapters allow the reader to keep up the momentum in the face of a demanding schedule. The content is excellent. It delivers awareness, inspiration and practicle, applicable action steps. This is a great second generation companion to The Blessing, by Smalley & Trent.
Something all Fathers should consider.......2005-11-29
Not really having much information about my father, and being a father that wants to pass on something of significance to my children, I found this to be a very enriching book.
There are a couple of chapters toward the end that drag a little regarding how Vaughn went from leading a lunch group to championing a ministry.
It is a very quick read, and is packed full of encouragement, I would highly recommend it.
An essential guide to leaving a legacy of love, blessing, and affirmation to your children.......2005-08-05
Greg Vaughn had never been close with his dad. So after his dad died and Vaughn was cleaning out the garage, he was surprised at the depth of his grief. "The only thing I had left from my dad was an old tackle box and silence." He continues, "I remember crying out to God, 'This is it? This is all I get? I don't even have my father's signature!' "
That garage moment set in motion Vaughn's growing nationwide movement to encourage men to write periodic letters to their children --- and wives and parents --- leaving a legacy of blessing, affirmation, and love.
The book essentially explains how to set about writing letters, complete with sample letters, a table of contents listing topics that letters might address over time, and writing tips from a college professor. Vaughn suggests that letters include three elements: praise, hope and vision for the future, and assurance of loving commitment.
But it also has an unfolding plot with multiple characters, explaining how Vaughn gathered a dozen men to join him in his initial, tentative venture. They met monthly for four months, agreeing to write and then read to the group letters they'd written --- first to wives, then to children, then to parents, living or dead, and finally a letter on the order of a final testament: "If our friends who've passed away had been able to speak at their own funerals, I wonder what they would've said. Have you ever thought about that? What would you say if you could speak at your own funeral?"
You see the men interested in the letter-writing concept but clueless as to what to say or how to start. You see the reactions of wives and children when they receive their first letters, presented, according to Vaughn's schema, in wooden boxes with engraved nameplates. You see glimpses into Vaughn's own blended family. You see the birth of a church-based course called "Letters from Dad."
On one level the book is a promotional piece for Vaughn's ministry, but it should not be discounted on that count. It is an inspiring and encouraging tool in its own right. Its breezy tone, airy design, and short (four-page) chapters make the venture accessible even to reluctant participants. It would make a great gift for any father but especially those looking for some tangible way to connect with their children and those who are facing their own mortality and need to feel that they will be remembered after their passing.
As for leaving markable legacies, every chapter of LETTERS FROM DAD begins with a page of feel-good, multigenerational family photos that create nostalgia and interest. But the people are never identified. It seems most --- but not all --- are Vaughn's own family. It makes one wonder: Who are those guys?
--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence
Great Concept.......2005-07-29
It's not just a book, it's a movement. The author wants fathers to write legacy letters to loved ones giving them a tangible expression of love showing the appreciation a father feels for the children and spouse. Wouldn't we all love to have something like that from our own parent.
I read in the Orlando paper about a church adopting this concept, planning to teach it using Vaughn's curriculum. I don't think you need a group or to attach it to religion and it doesn't have to be just for fathers. I need to do this for my parents, my bothers and sisters, and my friends.
Here's the question that moves this book: "If you died today, what would your children hold in their hands tomorrow that would let them know that they're the treasures of your life?" Let this book help you provide that special letter to your loved ones.
Book Description
Forbidden. Hidden. Denied. Can art be powerful enough to endure?
Ragni Clauson’s work, relationships, and body all seem to be falling apart. And she isn’t convinced that spending her vacation fixing up her great-grandmother’s cabin and supervising her rebellious teenage niece, Erika, will offer any much-needed rejuvenation.
As Ragni and Erika clean, they begin to uncover the secret paintings and life of Nilda, Ragni’s ancestor who lived in the cabin in the early 1900s. Ragni doesn’t know how much she has in common with her great-grandmother, but it becomes clear Nilda faced her own struggles. Taking care of home and menfolk, fighting off locusts, raising her daughter, and finding time to paint in the midst of it all were not easy tasks. Will Nilda’s passion for enduring art re-ignite Ragni’s artistic soul a century later?
Weaving together the stories of three generations of women, The Brushstroke Legacy stirs us to believe that no matter the circumstances, we are called to use our gifts–never knowing when they might bring a stranger to a new place of hope.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read!.......2007-01-05
What a great story! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lauraine did a terrific job of catching my interest right from the start. My life is busy so I read only in the evenings, but I couldn't wait to get into my PJ's and curl up with the people in this story. Lauraine created memorable, likeable characters that are also "real" people.
I especially enjoyed the way she used two points of view from different eras. She did a great job of intertwining the characters' lives and making me care about what happened to them. As far as I'm concerned, a story isn't worth reading if I don't care about the people in it. These folks have stayed with me.
Take time out to introduce yourself to Ragni, her niece Erika, and great-grandmother Nilda. You'll be glad you did.
Good job, Lauraine. Thank you for providing me with superb evening entertainment.
Outstanding characterization.......2006-12-20
Lauraine Snelling, how did you manage to capture all of my traits--good and bad--into one character? I thought you had planted a bug in my house and in my thoughts. The Brushstroke Legacy is an unforgettable story that delves deep into the souls of three women. This is Lauraine's finest yet.
Paintbrush Connection.......2006-12-19
Ragni is fed up with her advertising job in Chicago. She's also frustrated that her dad has Alzheimer's making life for her mother extremely difficult. She also has to put up with her older sister complaining about her teenage niece going through a rebellious period. When her spa vacation is cut short due her mother wanting her to look at some old family property in North Dakota, Ragni and her niece Erika set out on a road trip. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start due their differences as they grew apart. When they get to the house, it's in shambles and they have to work together to try to fix out. Out of their normal elements, the two soon find remnants of their ancestor Nilda who left her artistic touch around the house and in both of them. The story flips between Ragni's story and Nilda's, who was a housekeeper who came with her daughter to work for a man out west.
This was good compelling story. I love all of Lauraine Snelling books and this one disappoint. Ragni is your everday career woman who needs to take a break from work. Erika is the rebellious teenager who wants everyone to leave her alone. The two are forced to get along and it is interesting to see how their relationship changes throughout the story. I liked the going back and forth between Ragni's and Nilda's stories. Nilda's story reminded me Janette Oke's Love Come Softly. Very sweet and frontier-like. The only thing I wondered was it didn't seem like Ragni knew about Nilda's story. I didn't see her reading a diary or hearing old stories from her mother. So I dont' know if Ragni and Erika knew the whole story about why she lived in the house. The two though are reconnected with each other and their own selves after seeing their ancestor's paintings. It was cool to read about Ragni's inspirations and urges to want to paint. I really enjoyed this book. Who knew North Dakota could be such a scenic and adventurous place?
warm character study .......2006-09-24
In Chicago, Ragni Clausen feels her life is a lie as she has failed at everything important. At her job at Advantage Advertising Inc, she feels like screaming AAI as someone modified her dog biscuit ad campaign.. Her love life just ended unceremoniously. Her dad suffers form dementia. Now her mom has a note from a Paul Heidelberg claiming the family cabin on the Little Missouri is in need of repair after two harsh winters. Her sister Susan and their mom want Ragni to go the Badlands to fix the cabin while on vacation, but Susan demands she also take her niece Erika with her by calling in a sisterly favor.
Not only is Erika irate over having to tag along, she detests the need for a baby sitter as she is a teen though her mom explained she will be busy much of the summer. In the Dakotas, the two females find the cabin devastated and consider persuading mom to sell to Heidelberg. However, they find several paintings by Ragni's great-grandmother Nilda that inspire the two women to make a go at restoring the family cabin and Paul as a surprisingly young neighbor willing to help.
THE BRUSHSTROKE LEGACY is a warm character study that enables readers to compare life between 2002 and 1906 Badlands. The strong realistic evolving relationship between the aunt and her niece is delightfully portrayed though the same cannot be said of the seemingly rushed love between Paul and Ragni. Still the thrust of this fine moving story is the three generations of women finding their respective niche.
Harriet Klausner
Warm, encouraging.......2006-09-24
Lauraine has offered us another warm novel about women overcoming odds--this time a stigmatized pioneer woman and a modern corporate woman, who both found thier outlet in art. Especially if you're from North Dakota, enjoy the setting for this novel, inspired when Lauraine noticed an old cabin on the banks of the little Missouri River. The book ends with a fictional "extreme makeover" of the cabin, but that parallels the "makeover" experienced by her two main characters and a sub character, a sullen teen into the black Goth look. If you know someone desiring a "second virginity" after moral failure, or who feels a drawing away from material success, or who (like the fictional teen) is expressing rejection in inappropriate ways, consider sharing this book with them.
Book Description
If you've given up hope that anyone would ever understand the depth of your love for animals, or your profound grief when you lose them, take heart. The support you've been yearning for may be right here.
With extraordinary empathy and love, The Legacies of Love audiobook brings all animal lovers a compelling message of hope and renewal during their time of loss. The author's healing and gentle voice leads the listener through a journey of understanding, grief and how animal loss is different.
Listeners learn not only how to survive and cope through loss, but to navigate their way to truly heal and find meaningful growth. They are guided through a magical meditation with an original score of soothing music.
For anyone who deeply loves and grieves animals, Legacies of Love will be a nurturing and powerful part of their healing journey.
This audiobook provides comfort and healing for the hearts of all people who love animals, including those for whom animals are not merely pets, but full family members, equal spiritual partners in life.
Customer Reviews:
Great source of comfort.......2003-02-27
For those who have ever loved and lost a beloved, this guide is a great source of comfort. Sensitive and heartwarming, a wonderful gift when words just are not appropriate. The unconditional love of a pet is such a source of joy, but when we lose them, the heartache can be unbearable. Having been there, I understand how paralyzing grief can be. Arlene Millman...
For Those Deeply Grieving, You Have Found Help.......2002-03-30
Purchasing "Legacies of Love" was perhaps one of the best things I could have done to help me through my grief after losing my precious dog on 3/7/02. It has only been a few weeks, and I listen to Teresa's soothing voice and comforting words every day to get through this "coping" period. Her validation that deep grieving over pet loss is undervalued by many on-lookers and "supporters", but completely normal to those of us grieving, brought a sense of peace during a time when there are so many emotions. Those who have lost their companion(s) and don't know how they will go on, will find Teresa's tapes a tremendous source of comfort and graceful inspiration. In honor of my beloved Pupster, I have purchased two additional sets of "Legacies of Love" to donate to my veterinarian's office in the hope that someone facing deep grief after losing their animal will find as much comfort in her words and wisdom as I have.
Soothing.......2001-11-27
Very soothing voice, tone and message. She really helps the hurt and I am glad I made this purchase. I will share it with others and recommend it. I only wish there was a bit more insight into the religious side of loss - something that I could know was of God. Still - excellent.
Deeply caring message and a practical support tool.......2000-10-07
This tape provides important comfort and guidance during one of life's
most difficult experiences. Don't miss it.
Meaningful, and deaply healing.......2000-07-12
Haveing lost my beloved mare in a tragic, unexpected accedent, I have been lost and confused. It can be difficult to find someone who understands just how painful it can be to loose a close friend that happens to have four legs.
Teresa understands. She knows what it is like, and her voice is like a soothing guide to recovery. The tapes are filled with information and guidence, as well as personal experiences. I found them to be profoundly healing as I began to accept her death, and learn to get past coping. If you have experienced the death of your animal friend, you won't be sorry you bought this.
This would also be a welcome gift for those who have lost their animal friends.
Book Description
With their unbridled romance, unforgettable characters, and lush sensuality, Bertrice Small's bestsellers have captivated readers again and again. Now she concludes her thrilling Skye's Legacy series with the story of three cousins, all great-great granddaughters of the fabled Skye O'Malley. Spirited beauties whose pride, passions, and scandalous choices brand them...
Vixens
Fancy
Surrounded by mystery and scandal, the widowed Fancy Devers, Fortune and Kieran's last child, arrives in England only to catch the roving eye of King Charles II--who makes the raven-haired, turquoise-eyed beauty one of his many lovers. But when their fiery romance settles into a comfortable friendship, the king is determined to find his glamorous mistress a husband--no matter her strenuous objections...
Siren
The lovely Lady Diana Leslie, Patrick and Flanna's daughter, has been nicknamed "Siren" by the gentlemen of the court. Her exquisite beauty, her generous nature, her charming manners, make it difficult for even her rivals to speak ill of her. But when Diana's heart is engaged by identical twin brothers, she finds herself torn. Choosing is impossible--yet choose she must...
Cyn
Lady Cynara Stuart is the not-so-royal Stuart's youngest daughter. Despite her family's insistence that she settle down, Cyn wants no man unless he can be her plaything. Then she meets the earl of Summersfield, a dangerous man every bit as adept at the game of love as she is. Only one can win at this game. And neither Cyn nor Harry Summers is a good loser...
Naughty. Notorious. Compelling. These three heroines prove that bad girls not only finish first, they lead the way to undeniable desire...
Customer Reviews:
Betrice Small.......2007-08-04
She does it again - thankfully!!! Love everything she writes - and have every book she's ever written!!!!
Sad ending to a much-beloved series.......2007-05-22
Like many readers, I loved "Skye O'Malley" and Ms. Small's earlier books. I don't know what happened in the author's later books, but much of the passion, adventure, and nearly all of the formerly gripping plots seemed to vanish. It's almost like they are dashed off by another writer now, a ghost hack who has no interest or heart in it.
"Vixens" revolves around three of Skye's descendants, three predictably stunningly beautiful women, and includes endless repeating descriptions of their eye colors. (Not to mention I wanted to scream at the umpteenth description of the matching 'Mughal moles' that two of the cousins have.) The females are not well-developed in character, and all seem to be simple, self-absorbed twits in comparison with their magnificent ancestor, Skye.
Ditto for the male love interests of the cousins, who seem to be cardboard characters and mostly prattle and coo about the women's eye colors to the point of absurdity. That is, when the women aren't discussing the men's eye colors, in turn. OK, there are lots of blue and green eyes here, let's get on with it ...
There are tons of clothing changes and characters simpering about the English court, but no deep or complex sub-plots of any substance to hold the reader. I remember all these years later how gripping "Skye O'Malley" was and honestly there is not even a wisp of resemblance in this final closing clunker.
I can only surmise Ms. Small must be weary of the O'Malley saga and unwieldly family tree, and unfortunately, I was too by the time I was done with "Vixens." If you want to read it just to say you've finished the too-long saga, it's a goal, I suppose. But unless you truly enjoy reading repeat descriptions of people's eye colors and moles, and pedigree lists rivaling the Old Testament for length, your time and energy may be better spent on Ms. Small's original works. Those were true gems.
This is a good ending to the Skye O'Malley series........2006-06-02
I really liked this book. Three Cousins who are all beautiful look-a-likes find love in different ways. Cynara was more firey and passionate than Diana and Fancy. She went for the man who her family disapproved of and won him! Thank you Mrs. Small for Vixens. A good ending for the Skye's Legacy.
A fittting ending.......2004-11-12
This book pretty much wraps up the Skye books. This last one involves three cousins, each descended from Skye O Malley and bearing a striking resemblence to her.
First, there is Fancy,who is Fortune's daughter and a grand daughter of Jasmine.Fancy is a colonial who's husband has recently died under mysterious circumstances.The family has sent Fancy to her grandmother. Did Fancy have a hand in his death? Read and find out.
Next, there is Diana. She is a descendant of Skye through the Scottish part of the family, namely Jasmine's son Patrick and his wife(whose story is told in Just Beyond Tomorrow). Diana is the good cousin, a sweet girl, who sends her suitors away, with little damage done. She can not seem to pick which man she wants to marry, and pressure from her family(her father in particular) doesn't help matters much. It's a fun story.
Finally, there is Cynara, or Cyn. her father, Charles Stuart, jasmine's son by Prince Henry, wants her married, and soon, before she gets herself in trouble. Cyn already has her husband picked out, but he is reluntant to marry, so, she attempts to convince him that they are a perfect match for each other. Which could lead to diffculties if her family finds out.
All in all, a good book. not as detailed as Ms.Small's previous work, but then, that doesn't matter. This group of cousins are a delightful finish to a series that has fans everywhere.
Fancy's story makes book worth reading.......2004-07-05
Fancy's story alone made Vixens worth reading.
Having survived a short (as in a few hours) tragic marriage, Fancy is sent to live with her grandmother. She attends court and immediately catches the attention of the king. This story is the most erotic of the three, and the interaction between the king's three mistresses is amusing. I only wish her story would have continued.
Siren's story (as well as her character) was a little weak and and Cyn's was fine but both of these could have been secondary characters in Fancy's story.
As a Skye fan, I'm glad I bought this book despite the bad reviews.
Book Description
Experts report that the divorce rate among children of divorced parents is fifty-seven percent, as opposed to only eleven percent for children of married parents. Your parents' relationship greatly influences your core beliefs about marriage as an institution. With this guide, learn that the effects of divorce are neither permanent nor defining. Evaluate the level of dysfunction in your parents' divorce and find ways to avoid the long-term conflicts that led to the breakdown of their marriage. Master healthy boundary-setting skills and communication techniques. Let go of guilt, pain, and anger; find out how to forgive your parents. Discover new ways to enrich your own relationships. Divorce experts and psychologists Jeffrey Zimmerman, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Thayer, Ph.D., provide the first ever step-by-step approach for adult children of divorce to undo the effects of their parents' divorce and create faith in strong relationships. Readers are shown how to evaluate the level of dysfunction and animosity involved in their parents' divorce, begin to piece together how the parents' interaction created their own long-lasting core beliefs, and learn that there are alternative realities available.
Book Description
How do you care for ageing parents without destroying the family emotionally or financially? Author Dan Taylor has answered that question in The Parent Care SolutionT. Dan helps you to initiate the Six Conversations you must have with your parents to plan for their care. Using a unique Conversation Strategy he strips away the reluctance and the awkwardness that often surrounds this topic. Once the Six Conversations are completed he provides effective tools for organizing finances, making gifts, selling the family home, evaluating a care facility and selecting someone for the role of a The Parent Care SpecialistT. Dan has taken all the complexity around this subject and reduced it to a simple confidence producing set of conversations and actions.
Customer Reviews:
The Parent Care Solution creates the ultimate intra-family transformation........2007-07-17
With Dan's unique concepts and practices, I've assisted numerous clients by guiding their respective families thru often very difficult emotional and financial decisions with clarity and confidence in their future.
Whether your client is living on valuable land owned by the family for over 50 Years or "living on borrowed time," use The Parent Care Conversation to lead you and your clients to a bigger, better and more certain future.
Scott Korbin
Books:
- Flawless Execution: Use the Techniques and Systems of America's Fighter Pilots to Perform at Your Peak and Win the Battles of the Business World
- Free Fall (Revenge of the Sisterhood (Hardcover))
- Good Night, Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep , Stay Asleep, And Wake Up Happy
- Hannibal Rising
- Happy Accidents: Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs
- His Princess: Love Letters from Your King (His Princess)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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