The books on this page are books I have read and loved. You can buy them directly from amazon.com by clicking on the titles that interest you.

THE SPARROW by Mary Doria Russell

After the first exquisite songs were intercepted by radio telescope, U.N. diplomats debated long and hard whether and why human resources should be expended in an attempt to reach the world that would become known as Rakhat. In the Rome offices of the Society of Jesus, the questions were not whether or why but how soon the mission could be attempted and whom to send. The Jesuit scientists went to Rakhat to learn, not to proselytize. They went so that they might come to know and love God's other children. They went for the reason Jesuits have always gone to the farthest frontiers of human eploration. They went for the greater glory of God. They meant no harm. (editor's note).

BELLWETHER by Connie Willis

Science Fiction and Fantasy Editor's Recommended Book, 07/01/97
Sandra Foster works for HiTek studying fads from hula-hoops to miniature golf. She's looking for a fad catalyst, that one person or thing behind the start of Something New, be it books on angels or new hairstyles. Trouble is, funding is in short supply at HiTek, and everyone is going after the Niebnitz Grant (when they're not too busy avoiding the "help" of office assistant Flip), a hefty, anonymous cash award that's given out to promising research. This is a truly hilarious, laugh-out-loud book by a master of both science fiction and humor, and it pokes fun at everything you ever thought needed poking-fun-at.

NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman

Richard Mayhew is an unassuming young businessman living in London, with a dull job and a pretty but demanding fiancee.Then one night he stumbles across a girl bleeding on the sidewalk. He stops to help her and the life he knows vanishes like smoke. Several hours later, the girl is gone too. And the following morning Richard Mayhew has been erased from his world. His bank cards no longer work, taxi drivers won't stop for him, his landlord rents his apartment out to strangers. He has become invisible, and inexplicably consigned to a London of shadows and darkness-to a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen trough the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere. For this is the home of Door, the mysterious girl whom Richard rescued in the London Above. A personage of great power and nobility in this murky, candlelit realm, she is on a mission to discover the cause of her family's slaughter, and in doing so preserve this strange underworld kingdom from the malevolence that means to destroy it. And with nowhere else to turn, Richard Mayhew must now join the Lady Door's entourage in their determined - and possibly fatal- quest. For the dread journey ever-downward-through bizarre anachronisms and dangerous incongruities, and into dusty corners of stalled time-is Richard's final hope, his last road back to a "real" world that is growing disturbingly less real by the minute.(editor's note)

DOOMSDAY BOOK by Connie Willis

For Kivrin, preparing for on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the deseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be retrieved. But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of supersition and fear, Kivrin - barely of age herself - finds she has become an unllikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours. (editor's note)

CARDS AND COLLAGES by Penny Black

Penny Black's name is synonymous with the art of pressed flowers. In Cards and Collages, she shows how to produce her works of art in miniature and make something which friends, family and acquaintances can share, with a wonderful collection of greeting cards and gift tags, notelets and writing papers... These unique cards and papers are not only delightful works of art in themselves. One of their joys is that they can be shared with family and friends and will surely be treasured by anyone fortunate enough to receive one. (editor's note)

THE SCENTED HOUSE by Penny Black

Drawing on the experience of perfumers of all ages and many parts of the world, the author presents her own medley of scented delights, both traditional and modern, to suit every room in the house...The Scented House is also a practical book, showing you in clear, step-by-step photographs how to make some of the more intricate accessories, such as sewing a fragrant cushion or building up a scented arrangement. In addition the author gives intructions for all the basic perfumery techniques, such as drying herbs and flowers, making pot pourri and scenting candles, and provides the recipes for all the scented accessories in the book, enabling you to recreate them to suit your own home. (editor's note)

PRACTICAL DECOUPAGE by Denise Thomas, Mary Fox, Debbie Ph. Patterson

Découpage is enjoying a huge revival in populariy as more and more people discover the pleasures and satisfactions of this fascinating craft. The tremendous scope, versatility and sheer decorative appeal of découpage is shown to amazing effect in this book, which is written by two of the leading exponents of the art, Denise Thomas and Mary Fox... With the help of clear diagrams and informative text, the book guides the reader through all the basic techniques, from cutting out the decorative images to varnishing and snading down the finished work. Easy-to-follow step-by-step full color photographs describe in practical detail how to create 30 fabulous projects, from the simple to more ambitious, followed by an inspiring selection of magnificent finished pieces that are also described and photographed in detail. All the projects are beautifully illustrated with over 100 color photographs by Debbie Patterson, making Practical Découpage a book to treasure for enthusiasts of all levels of expertise, whether they are embarking on this absorbing craft for the first time, or are accomplished hobbyists looking for new ideas. (editor's note)

MAKING YOUR OWN PAPER by Marianne Saddington

Making Your Own Paper is a comprehensive introduction to creative paper-making, paper crafts and paper art. Clear insturctions are given on how to make interesting and unsual papers with inexpensive equipment, and take the reader through a series of simple projects which will increase his or her experstise and confidence. Chapters cover topis such a preparing a writing surface, colouring and texturing, making paper from plants, and paper craft techniques. A final chapter takes paper-making a step further into the creative possibilities of paper art. (editor's note)

BOOKS, BOXES & WRAPS by Marilyn Webberley & Joan Forsyth

There is nothing quite like BOOKS, BOXES & WRAPS on the market. An outgrowth of a university course taught by Marilyn Webberley, the book includes projects suitable for everyone from the novice handicrafter to the seasoned artist. Designs range from the simply rustic to the elegantly complex, with over 800 illustrations that charm and inspire the eye. (editor's note)

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY by Valerie Ann Worwood

This encyclopedic book contains, in practical and easy-to-understand form, every conceivable use for essential oils and aromatherapy in everyday life. The author, a practicing aromatherapist for more than twenty years, unlocks the power of essential oil in over 600 original recipes, most needing only a few essential oils. Unlike over-the-coutner products, the recipes you make yourself contain no harmful preservatives. Most basic needs can be covered with just ten essential oils. (editor's note)

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