Customer Reviews (85)

The best of its type...
I think this book tops what i would consider other contenders for this type of all-in-one cookbook (joy of cooking and fannie farmer) I love that this book has pictures...missing from the other two books I mentioned. It's a nice LARGE general, basic cook book.

A perfect gift for a person setting up an apartment for the first time, learning how to cook, going off to college (altho sometimes cooking options in college are limited).

I love the extra help sections...how to do things... techniques... examples etc. All around books tend to be at a disadvantage when they try to be all things to all people. While I dont think there is any substitute for regional and specific food type/cooking method/ ethnic cuisine cook books, I also think there is an important place in everyones home for a general all purpose cook book. ( For times when you want to know the *basics*...how long to cook something, for example.)

I have been dissapointed with the fannie farmer cookbook and the joy of cooking... this book would be my number 1 choice for a favorite general cook book for everyones kitchen

AN OLD-TIME FAVOURITE!
This book would make a perfect gift for someone who is not yet feeling quite "at home in the kitchen." It is a basic, straight-forward, simple to understand cookbook with lots of facts on planning menus and proper nutrition. We have often heard the saying of an inexperienced person in the kitchen, "He or she would not know how to boil water!" Well, this book will tell you how to do such simple things as boil an egg and have it come out the way you want it - softboiled or hardboiled. There is a section dealing with various cuts of meats that will help the reader to understand which ones make great stews and pot roasts, and which ones provide the more tender, lean oven roasts. If you have a sweet tooth, you will learn everything from how to make a pie crust (easier said than done the first time around) for that scrumptous apple pie, to how to make some of your favourite candies. This book comes highly recommended and is one you will likely keep in your kitchen even after you have gathered experience and progressed to more complex, detailed recipes.

Not as good as it gets
A good basic cookbook. Not a lot of involved marth-esqe recipes but specializes in many good old fashioned delights. Need to have a page holder as the book doesn't work well open on a counter. Desserts are especially well done and represented. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery   2. Cooking   3. Cooking / Wine   4. Courses & Dishes - General   5. Methods - General   6. Regional & Ethnic - American - General   

Customer Reviews (52)

Vintage Patterson
Sam's Letters to Jennifer is truly vintage James Patterson. This novel is an extremely fast (2 hour) read and grossly satisfying. I strongly recommend just creating a short block of time for this book and read it through as a short story. In typical Patterson form, the chapters are short, yet telling with plenty of surprises to keep you turning the pages.

The premise of the story surrounds heart-broken Jennifer and her grandmother Sam who starts the story in a coma. Jennifer rushes to see Sam (really her onlly family left) and stays in Lake Geneva at Sam's home visiting her every day at the hospital. Sam and Jennifer have always been very close and turns out Sam had left Jennifer a series of letters detailing her life and making relevent comparisons to much of the feelings Jennifer had recently experienced. This novel is about second chances, learning who you are, and who your loved ones have been. Expect another hit for Patterson.

Two entwined love stories
"What are we but our stories?" asks Jennifer, a widow and newspaper columnist who is summoned to a Lake Geneva Wisconsin hospital where her beloved grandmother Sam lies in a coma. Jennifer spends the rest of the summer at Sam's home on the lake, reliving her memories of time she spent at the lake as a child and waiting for Sam to awaken from her coma. She discovers a bundle of letters that her grandmother wrote to her which uncover secrets about Sam's unhappy marriage and a mysterious lover simply called "Doc." She renews the acquaintance of an old friend, Brendan, and falls in love with him.

Similar in tone to Patterson's "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas," this short novel tells two entwined stories: that of Sam through her letters to Jennifer and that of Jennifer herself as she deals with her grandmother's illness and lets love back into her life. This is a tale of love, loss, and making the most of the precious time we have on earth. Both sentimental and suspenseful, this is a quick and enjoyable read.

Eileen Rieback

Eh
James Patterson lost his touch in this book. The romance seemed too forced and the plot didn't flow as smoothly as you would expect it would from a Patterson novel. The fact the the reverend is shacking up with a married women is never discussed. Jennifer becomes romantically involved with a man she knew when she was too young to remember him and the apprehensions about becoming involved so recently after her first husband's death are only lightly discussed. The story seems too forced and Patterson should stick to mystery thrillers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - General   3. General   4. Love stories   5. Romance - Contemporary   6. Romance: Modern   7. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (25)

WONDERFUL BOOK
I BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR MY DAUGHTER WHEN SHE WAS 5 YEARS OLD. SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT HER BODY AND I HAVE ALWAYS EXPLAINED IT TO HER THROUGH A MEDICAL ASPECT. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I HAD NO INFORMATION WHATSOEVER ABOUT MY BODY AND WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. I FELT WHEN I HAD MY GIRL SHE SHLD BE PREPARED FOR THE CHANGES. THIS BOOK WITH IT'S WONDERFULLY INFOMATIVE AND PLAIN LANGUAGE WAS JUST WHAT WE NEEDED. NOW THAT SHE IS 11 AND ON THE VERGE OF STARTING HER PERIOD, SHE ISN'T IN THE DARK ABOUT IT AND SHE SEEMS MUCH MORE CONFIDENT WHEN WE DISCUSS IT.
I'M AM VERY GLAD THERE ARE BOOKS OF THIS TYPE ON THE MARKET FOR YOUNG GIRLS TODAY. I WOULD RATHER MY GIRL TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS SUBJECT THAN TO GO TO GIRLFRIENDS OF HER OWN AGE WHO DON'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OR INFORMATION.

Excellent, Wonderful However you want to put it.
Every young girl who is worried or just curious about her period should have this book. It explains what happens to your body during puberty, the what ifs and freaquently asked questions from many girls.Parents- if you are looking for a book on this type of thing, this is the book you are looking for. "It's A Girl Thing" by Mavis Jukes is great, too.

Great for teens and pre-teens
This book has definitely helped me understand and feel comfortable with having my period. I didn't find this book inappropriate at all. It tells you about normal stuff that should be happening. I, personally, would recommend it to all pre-teens and teens! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Diet   2. Children: Grades 4-6   3. Girls & Women   4. Health - Maturing   5. Juvenile Nonfiction   6. Juvenile literature   7. Menstruation   

Customer Reviews (8)

Let the Kids Cook!
I picked up this cookbook in the hopes that I could teach my 7-year-old some basics about cooking that would last him well into his life. (And that it would hopefully prepare him for cooking in his single life, and possibly even encourage him to cook for his wife when he gets married someday!) I loved the bright graphics and beautiful pictures of the recipes, and the easy-to-follow format was great for my son. There was a lot of helpful information included regarding cooking basics, planning a menu, setting a table, how to eat healthy, reading food labels, and great pictures of different types of equipment used for cooking.

Some of the recipes that we enjoyed making together included Eggceptional Breakfast Bake, Tom Thumb's Tacos, Tangled Twisters, Chicken Dippin' Sticks, and Chocolate Pudding Bottoms Up Cake. He was really proud to be able to make something for the family to eat, and I thought he learned good lessons about shopping, food preparation, and clean-up. This is a great book to share with your kids! Enjoy!

great for kids and teens
This book offers any age from 6 and up fun recipes. It offers nutrition tips and meal plans. I am using it in my cooking classes from children. They love it!

Great Beginner Book (for even NON-beginners)
I purchased this book for my son who had expressed an interest in cooking.

This is a great beginner book that lies flat on the table/counter ... you don't need 4 pair of hands to hold the book down (which ultimately might break the binding of the book).

The recipies are easy to read and sorted in a good manner.

We've even pulled a new 'favorite' recipe for Macaroni and Cheese from this book. Anytime we want homemade M&C, we dig out my this book!

My son .... we'll he's headed off to a Culinary Arts school.
Buy this book and you'll eat well. =-) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Cooking   2. Children: Grades 4-6   3. Cookery   4. Cooking   5. Juvenile literature   

Customer Reviews (4)

Romantic Times Review
Ring in the new year with CHARLIE ALL NIGHT (4.5)! A successful producer loses her prime time show, her star and her boyfriend-all in one afternoon-and then accepts the challenge of trying to turn a reluctant DJ into a midnight success. Ever the wonderful storyteller, Jennifer Crusie enchants us once again with a heartwarming tale of two lovers whose courtship is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet.

Classic Crusie
Plot Synopsis: Dumped by her boyfriend and dropped from WBBB's prime time, radio producer Allie McGuffey had nowhere to go but up. She planned to make temporary DJ Charlie Tenniel a household name -- despite his objections. Footloose Charlie shunned fame. He wanted to kick back, play good tunes, and make love to Allie -- despite her objections.

Throw in a little mystery, a lot of meddling townspeople, a little work sabotage ... and Allie and Charlie are hooked.

When you read older works by many authors, you can clearly see their development as authors -- their early works pale in comparison to their newer stuff. Crusie is an exception. Her older titles are delightful, full of sparkling wit and wonderful characters.

"Charlie All Night" contains all the great Crusie elements -- two sensational characters drawn together despite themselves, great witty banter, and marvelous and -original- sensual writing. Throw in some meddling secondary characters and a cute puppy who only drinks his milk to Billy Joel, and you have a hoot of a story.

Hot, Funny and Entertaining
Loved it! Allie's a radio producer, Charlie is her new DJ. She's determined to make him a star and he's determined to keep a low profile. It doesn't help anything that they are living together (as platonic roommates, which lasts for about 10 minutes) after the first chapter. The interaction between the two main characters is witty and funny; the subplots are not at all rote; and unlike many category romances, there is a large-ish supporting cast who adds to the mayhem. And kudos to Jennifer for including a gay character--the first in a category romance that I've seen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - Romance   3. Romance - Contemporary   4. Romance: Modern   5. Fiction / Romance / General   

Customer Reviews (2)

A Bible for amost all levels
Microsoft Office Access 2003 Bible by Cary Prague, Michael Irwin and Jennifer Reardon is targeted at reader levels beginner to advanced. I consider myself on the high end of that spectrum with 8 years experience in Access & VB development plus many more years of dBASE and FoxBase/FoxPro experience. For its 1300+ pages it's fairly complete as a single-volume treatment of Access.

Since Access 2000, the most comprehensive treatments of Access have been via 2-book sets (two of my favorites are Alison Balter and Getz/Litwin/Gilbert). Book 1 addresses "desktop" issues (single user and a small number of networked users); Book 2 addresses "enterprise" issues. As of this time there are no 2-book sets published for Access 2003. I selected the 2003 Bible believing it was as good a single volume reference as is available to describe what's new in the 2003 version and on the balance it's OK.

For true novice users who haven't done any database work and/or have very little experience using Access, I'd recommend an entry level book - Access 2003 for Dummies, Access 2003 in 24 Hours, etc. before trying to tackle this book. Those with some experience should do OK with the book.

The first 900 pages address the standard "bread & butter" issues of Access highlighting the few items that are new or different. I was a little disappointed in the very brief treatment of ADO - more complete books sometimes devote several chapters; it's part of 1 chapter here. The following few chapters cover what's really new & different - much more robust handling of Web interfaces including Data Access Pages, XML and InfoPath, but in very little detail (only 16 pages for InfoPath which is the one totally new technology). The book is continues with a discussion of security which fairly thorough as is the following section on creating help systems. The Advanced Access Database Chapter covers more advanced queries and improving performance but nothing one wouldn't expect in a book of this scope.

The CD included with the book is good - the full text of the actual book in PDF format as well as selected chapters from other Office 2003 Bible books covering Word, Excel, etc. - it's nice to have these as a reference on my laptop so I don't actually have to lug the book(s) to a client's office. All the chapter exercises are there too.. Also included are several dozen demo programs, about half from Database Creations, Prague's company.

The most comprehensive reference you can find...
Cary Prague always writes the best Access books. This one on Access 2003 is no different...it really is the most comprehensive reference you could possibly hope for. Covers XML, ODBC, OLE, all of the data formats supported by Access 2003. The Access 2003 Bible helps find the best ways to avoid and eliminate errors and gives examples on many interesting ways to analyze your info. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Data Base Management   2. Computer Books And Software   3. Computers   4. Database Management - General   5. Database Management - MSAccess   6. Database management   7. Microcomputer Database Management Software   8. Microsoft Access   9. Access   10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Jennifer Weiner, whose novels Good in Bed and In Her Shoes earned her a place among women's book club aficionados everywhere, proves she still has the touch with Little Earthquakes, a tale of love, heartbreak, redemption, and friendship. Weiner's novel centers around four new mothers, all of whom must learn to adjust their lives and their marriages to deal with the challenges of raising children.

Ayinde is a beautiful, biracial newscaster who moves to Philadelphia after her husband, a star player for the NBA, is traded to the 76ers. She meets Becky, an overweight chef who plays the "pregnant or just fat" game every time she passes a mirror, and Kelly, an overachieving event planner who has her whole life mapped out down to the most minute details, after going into labor at a prenatal yoga class. The three become fast friends, and come to rely on each other for everything from burping techniques to intense emotional support. The group grows to include Lia, a semi-famous Hollywood starlet who leaves her husband and returns to Philly after a sudden tragedy.

While Little Earthquakes may leave little to the imagination, and some of the characters are laughably stereotypical (the Mama's boy Jewish doctor and the cheating ball player, to name a few), it is Weiner's gift for creating compelling characters with whom her readers can identify that make her such a successful storyteller. --Gisele Toueg ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - General   3. General   4. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (1)

Helping the busy Witch keep track of his/her life
Each year Llewellyn provides the busy witch with a pocket sized book to keep all the important dates in his/her life as well as reminders of Sabats, Esbats, planting days and harvest days and so much more.

The Witches' Datebook has become a staple around here, sitting on our desktops with notes scribbled here and there to help us keep track of all sorts of events and deadlines.

The book itself, spiral bound so it lays flat, with a 'by the week' layout makes this the perfect desktop companion. Included information regarding moon signs, planetary retrogrades, and little tidbits (' Saturday February 12 - Gerald Gardner, founder of the Gardnerian tradition, dies of heart failure, 1964' or ' Thursday July 28 - Bake blackberry pies for Lughnasadh in honor of the dying God') make for interesting reading on a day to day basis.

Then there is the artwork. Each year Llewellyn highlights an artist and this year it is Jennifer Hewitson. The cover art is lovely and catches the eye while the block ink drawings on the calendar pages are well thought out to coincide with the season and included tidbits. Which brings me to the bits for reading inside the book.

From the opening article 'Autumn Enchantment' by Ellen Dugan to the recipes on the weekly pages provided by ShadowCat, poems by Elizabeth Barrette, holiday musings by Magenta Griffith and moon lore by Edain McCoy, each bit fills the mind with contemplation and in some cases, places a taste on the tongue for something special. There are more articles in the front of the book by Gerina Dunwich, Emely Flak, James Kambos and Julianna Yau.

The "Back of the Book' contains the usual 'About the Authors', the Appendix with tables of correspondences, moon signs, eclipses, full moons, planetary retrogrades and the Moon Void-of-Course data and finally the abbreviated name and address pages so handy as a quick reference.

A good tool to keep on your desk, to help you track those deadlines and special occasions in your life. boudica ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Calendar   2. Calendars - New Age   3. Non-Classifiable   4. Witchcraft & Wicca   

Customer Reviews (1)

Trite and repetitive
Don't waste your time on this book - there is very little material of any use here.
The book is divided into chapters which claim to discuss how to address concepts such as working in groups, comparison and contrast and homework. In each chapter the authors give a page-long short answer test in which the reader evaluates how she feels about her use and awareness of the chapter topic. This could be quite useful if there was any information presented between the tests. Also, the test is reprinted in each chapter, usually almost verbatim. This lacks imagination and and seems wasteful to me.
In each chapter, the authors give several one-paragraph-long passages that tell what you might do in that teaching/learning area. These are almost always unimaginative and unsupported; little is not intuitively obvious, and there is seldom any explanation or exploration of the technique. It is true that what is obvious to one is not alwas so to everyone else, and there are doubtless a couple ideas that you may not have thought about or have forgotten. Still, a five minute talk with another teacher would accomplish just as much if not more.
Again, don't waste your money on this book if you can help it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Administration - General   2. Education   3. Education / Teaching   4. Effective teaching   5. Handbooks, manuals, etc   6. Learning   7. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning   8. United States   

Customer Reviews (43)

Our Success with this Approach
I learned of Tranforming the Difficult Child in May of this year, and began implementing the recommendations (with resolve) with our 10 year old son immediately. Everyone who knows him saw an immediate, major improvement in his ability to listen, to get and stay on task, to control his actions, to have meaningful conversations. These gains began in the first couple of days, and have accelerated ever since.

Our son's official "diagnosis" if you will, is ADHD non-attentive type and Non verbal learning disorder. While fun and likeable (also smart) is still immature for his ten years. He had never once had a best friend in his class (his long-time best friend is in fourth grade). With the confidence and ability to control that he gained through our application of the nurtured heart techniques, he has made not one but fourfriends in the fifth grade class!!!! He's enthusiastic about school, was crushed not to have made "Responsibility Club" this week (homework snafu) - a problem of prosperity. His teachers have embraced the form I adapted from your book. It's come home everyday with feedback, and in fact the highest scores possible, each and every day (they love the form).

Like many parents, I have tried many, many angles to help our son. Nothing has worked in the past. Implementing the approaches in this book has changed our lives.

Excellent!
After reading Howard Glasser and Jennifer Easley's excellent book, "Transforming the Difficult Child," I felt a surge of hope for the more problematic children in our world. Finally, someone had discovered how to help parents manage difficult children in a positive, loving way and without medication!

Most of the children Glasser and Easley have worked with were taking medication when they arrived at the Nurtured Heart Approach center. These same children are no longer medicated into submission but living bright, successful lives. These children needed a little or a lot more attention than the average child but were being raised with traditional parenting skills that were rendered ineffective because of their ultra-sensitive natures. The parents of these children needed to learn to apply another set of rules to their kids to help them become the wonderful people they were destined to be.

The Nurtured Heart Approach is an easy, rational, beautiful and loving method of building on the successes of children while not giving energy to the negative aspects of their character. This is an approach that can be used on difficult or "normal" kids. I have begun applying these principles to my own methods of child rearing. They work quickly and magnificintly! It's brilliant in its simplicity and effectiveness.

If you have a difficult child or even if you would like to learn a new positive, ingenious parenting approach, I urge you to read Glasser and Easley's book.

A system that really works!
My child is RAD, ADHD, PTSD, CPD, BiPolar, and GAD. I've tried every child raising system I can find, and although some helped a bit, none worked long term, or showed continuous improvement. This approach, based on the concept of giving pizazz for the positive, and holding a child accountable (in a non-energy giving way) for misdeeds, really works for my son. It is a slow go, but worth the effort. Also see his website and discussion boards. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior disorders in children   2. Counseling of   3. Family / Parenting / Childbirth   4. Family/Marriage   5. Parenting   6. Parenting - Hyperactivity   7. Problem children   8. United States   9. ADHD   10. Attention-deficit hyperactivit   11. Attention-deficit disorder in   12. Classroom Management   13. Teaching   

Customer Reviews (132)

Good In Bed is much, much better
I really enjoyed the middle third of this book. The first half is kind of slow and all over the place. We have Maggie, who really is an underdog and in spite of her horrid ways we want to know why she ruins everything she touches. Rose is kind of an archtype for the plump, hard-working "everywoman" but falls flat in the identifiable area if you've not been exactly "in her shoes." Ella, the grandmother, is introduced early on. The author jumps around between these three women and makes none of them really intriguing, in my opinion.

The middle of the book sets all three women into action to take control of their lives and is really interesting. However, the book again falls flat in the last third as things very conveniently fit together. I was really caring about the characters and just felt unconnected and uninterested in the direction their actions lead them.

I had high hopes for this book after reading the author's first book, Good In Bed. Was disappointed. If you're looking for a good, fun, engaging and meaningful read pick up Good In Bed. Ms. Weiner is very talented and I would definitely give another book of hers a chance but this one just did not thrill me.

A Great Read -- not what I expected!
I expected a light-hearted book when I began reading In Her Shoes but that is not necessarily what I got. There are some humorous aspects to the novel but in general it's a dramatic novel that takes a second look at the lives of two sisters with opposite personalities. Weiner spins a tale of two sisters that could be friends or neighbors and the remarkable thing is she gets the details just right. Weiner's message is pretty clear throughout the entire book. Success cannot be achieved unless self-acceptance and love are acquired first. The two girls eventually have happy lives only before they take breaks from each other and figure out what each of them really wants in life first. In her Shoes is a great sophomore novel. A good purchase!
Also suggested: Good In Bed by Weiner, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez

Left me disappointed...
After reading "Good In Bed," I could NOT wait to get my hands on another book by Jennifer Weiner. Although I feel this novel was incomparable to her first (Good In Bed). At many points the book left me uninterested and the story plot itself becaming dragging. I stopped reading the book after I only had 112 pages left. I was extremely disappointed. Maybe if I read this book first and then Good In Bed, I may have had different views because I would not have had anything to compare it to. All in all I felt this book did not live up to my high expectations that I had for it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - General   3. General   4. Humorous   5. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (33)

Very Disappointing....
I'm very disappointed with many of the recipes..I dont know if there are misprints or if thats the way they make at the Greenwich village bakery. I made the Apple Crumb Pie which came out very boring...and the Iced Molasses Cookies were disgusting (they tasted like the ones you d find at the Winn-Dixie markets...and the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread ended up with the texture of "grass seeds", probably from the chopped peanuts. This is one very sad cook book...it appeared very delicious but the results were disasterous. And I consider myself a professional baker (working at the Disney World's bakeries for 5 years).

Good book
I had read about this book on another website and was immediately intrigued by one of the recipes listed. It was an orange vanilla chip cookie that was supposed to taste like those old fashioned orange creamsicles. The day I bought the book and brought it home, I baked those cookies and took them to a bake sale at work. They were a big hit. I made about 5 dozen and they were quickly gone.

When I was mixing the dough, I thought the authors had made a mistake. The dough was very dry and difficult to mix. I had thought about adding extra eggs. I decided to go ahead and bake the first batch. They baked up thick, soft, chewy, and delicious. They didn't spread and become thin. They were surprising light-tasting and made everyone want more.

The other recipes look just as wonderful and I look forward to trying them all. They are simple, with no complex ingredients and the instructions are very clear. Even a first-time baker would have no problem with these recipes. The only complaint I had was that there were too few pictures.

Lets you bring home the wonderful smells of Magnolia Bakery!
I never miss a trip to Magnolia Bakery in NYC's Greenwich Village whenever I am in town. It smells amazing and the cupcakes and icebox pies are to die for!!! You do have to crowd into this little shop for quite a while to wait your turn but it's worth it!

This book lets you make all of these wonderful, old-fashioned treats at home with simple ingredients and not a lot of effort. I don't even have a sweet tooth but some of the recipes are downright tempting! If you make nothing else, try the recipes for their famous cupcakes (I like the chocolate ones especially) - makes the book worth getting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baking   2. Cooking   3. Cooking / Wine   4. Courses & Dishes - Desserts   5. Desserts   6. Magnolia Bakery   7. Methods - Baking   8. Regional & Ethnic - American - General   9. Cooking / American / General   

Customer Reviews (523)

Droll, Intelligent and Poignant!
I had some reservations when I picked up this book. Like most people, I thought it was a Bridget Jones-esque novel written by a Helen Fielding wannabe. Was I wrong! This is one of the funniest books I have ever read! Before you ask, yes, it is a book about a single woman with a weight problem finding true love. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Having read Bridget Jones's Diary and Jemima J., I thought it'd be another copycat. Weiner does an excellent job describing her overweight heroine. It gives, in my opinion, a more realistic view of how it's like to be big. I was able to have a better understanding of how large women think and feel without the petty prejudice that it's placed upon them. Also, the Philadelphia-based Cannie is far wittier than Bridget Jones! Her dry and sarcastic humor made me laugh out lound on various occasions. Cannie sort of reminds me of two contemporary heroines I like: Anna Graham from Amanda Filipacchi's Vapor and Tash from Jane Green's Straight Talking. Thinking of getting a droll and moving novel? Do not hesitate! Read Good In Bed. You will laugh your socks off!

Everything a great novel should have...
This was a great book. I loved the heroine Cannie -- her realistic features and the absurdities in her daily life that are recognizable to so many of us: obnoxious co-workers, skinny nurses at fat clinics, [bad]men. I laughed, I cried, I ached and sometimes I hoped that Bruce would get beaten up. I mean, every girl that's been through college dated this guy, didn't they? The obligatory grad student ponytail, the smart-but-lazy pothead all around 'good guy'? Jennifer portrayed him perfectly, both the loveable parts and the parts we loathed.

Cannie's weight -- what can I say? I read the shortened excerpt in Mode Magazine -- so I obviously related to the 'body-image' aspect of Cannie's hang-ups. My favorite part of the book was when she stood up and did her tirade at the nurse in the fat clinic -- I absolutely cracked up and called a friend to read it aloud.

At the beginning of the second half of the book, I was slightly annoyed at the very unrealistic turn of events (meeting Maxie, selling a screenplay, hobnobbing with stars, the whole Dr. K thing doesn't actually happen to many of us and I related so much better to the first part of the book) but -- isn't that the point? I mean, the book was entertaining, funny, sweet, tender and yes, a fantasy. It wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if Cannie went on like she was, pining for Bruce as he humiliated her in public on a monthly basis, becoming something of an overaged college-girl-never-reaching-her-potential with a funny dog. She grew up, 'came of age', whatever you want call it and in the end, got the sweetest revenge of all -- happiness and success.

Thank you Jennifer, for writing this book, I will eagerly await your next novel. As one of the reviewers mentioned was possible, I did stay up 'til exactly 2 a.m. this morning to finish it. Now, tired with puffy eyes (I cried a lot at the end) I'd better get to work.

I hope you don't change when you become wildly famous and successful -- you're a fabulous writer and judging from your wonderful sense of humor, I bet a fun person to know.

Leslie

What a surprise!
I loved it! I DID NOT want to read this book, but a friend of mine insisted. I am so glad she did, because it was a really great book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - General   3. Humorous   4. Literary   5. Romance - General   6. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Beauty & Grooming - General   2. Beauty, Personal   3. Care and hygiene   4. Diet / Health / Fitness   5. Hair   6. Health & Fitness   7. Health/Fitness   8. Skin   9. Art / Fashion   

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Starter Book
I bought this book when I bred and raised my first baby. It's been really helpful and has given me a great place to start. I haven't been able to use all the techniques because my baby broke his leg right after he was weaned. Does John Lyons have an alternative for round penning? Can you gain the respect of your horse without one? E-mail me if you have any answers. I'm especially interested in a response from Mr. Lyons himself. ChevauxRanch@hotmail.com
Also, by the imprinting book by Miller. These two books together can help you raise any horse :-)

Great (as long as you buy it before you get the horse)
I bought this with my yearling in mind. Sad to say alot ofit is of no help to me anymore seeing as how he already knows how to lead , tie, bath and trailer. However, I wish I had it before I got him. I love the way the book is divided into weanling and yearling Chapters. Also, the book is thin and concise, which is really what you need when you want to just get a quick problem solver when you're at the barn. The progression on the lessons is perfect and also helps to check and make sure you're moving along fast enough. Even though my baby already completed alot of these life lessons I looked at the techniques anyway and found them to be very agreeable. None of them included anything rough or mean. This is not the typical horse breaking. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals / Pets   2. Horses   3. Horses - General   4. Horses - Riding   5. Human-animal communication   6. Pets   7. Training   

Customer Reviews (3)

Dummy No More
I got this book originally for the Acrobat chapters, but also knowing that I was ready to dive into Photoshop and Illustrator. This book has been a godsend! It has a permanent place on my desk for quick reference. Thanks Double Jens for taking the time to share your expertise with us "dummies"! Your book has made learning these tools very easy. I love your writing style and your ability to explain the differences of all the various settings and how to use the tools. Now I'm on my way to being a designer to compliment my developer side! Selecting Five Stars was an easy choice! Thanks!

Great overview
I love this book. It is practical and very imformative. I really liked the chapters on GoLive...and now I am switching from QuarkXPress to InDesign.

Pretty darn good for a "Dummies" publication!
I haven't always found the "For Dummies" books to be extremely helpful in the realm of software guides. This book, however, proved to surpass my expectations.

The language style was very beginner-friendly. The order of presentation of the programs and features in the CS suite made sense. The index was highly inclusive and helpful.

This book is geared toward someone totally new to the Adobe programs. It's a step-by-step approach to familiarizing the reader to the basics of the Suite's features and helping the reader recognize when the different programs can be used in conjunction with one-another for effective results. I would not recommend it for people who already have experience with Adobe Programs and wish to brush up on the new features in CS, but for beginners to Adobe it's a comfortable place to get your feet wet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Desktop Publishing   2. Computer Books: General   3. Computer Graphics - Design   4. Computer graphics   5. Computers   6. Design   7. Desktop Publishing   8. Desktop Publishing - General   9. Electronic Publishing   10. Internet - Web Site Design   11. Web sites   12. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design   13. Photoshop   

Customer Reviews (1)

The Visible Person!
Remember the great "Visible Man" and "Visible Woman" anatomical model kits by Revell? After several hours or days of careful painting, gluing and assembling, you had a human figure with clear plastic skin, through which were visible the skeleton and internal organs. Best of all, you could remove the chest plate and remove those insides to study how they all fitted together. It was one of the coolest model kits ever, and an invaluable anatomical reference for the budding surgeon or the medically curious. It was also a tempting target for little hands.
Well, Uncover the Human Body, written by Luann Colombo and illustrated by a host of artists, safely satisfies the curiosity of the owners of those little hands, and also delights their parents (or in this case, uncle) with its clever construction and wealth of useful and fascinating information. Each page is made of sturdy cardboard, and the entire center of the book is cut out in the shape of a human figure. Suspended within this cutout by support rods of clear plastic are parts of the skeleton and the various organ systems (minus the reproductive system) - eight layers in all, including the front cover. It's based on the same concept as those acetate pages in an encyclopedia that show human anatomy, but in this case the body parts are sculpted in the round from plastic, affording an even more coherent view of just how all those "guts" fit together inside your body. It even includes the musculature of the left arm and leg.
The text is well-researched and clearly-written with children in mind. It can be read aloud to younger children, and those who already read well can enjoy it on their own. The fact entries have humorous titles, such as "Gimme Some Skin!" and "Of All the Nerve!" Difficult words are italicized and followed by pronunciation guides. The scientific names for body functions are paired with the more commonly-used terms with which children may already be familiar. It contains fun little experiments children can do with little or no supervision, such as the de-calcification of a chicken bone in vinegar and a recipe for fake blood.
However, this is not strictly kid stuff. I've been an armchair anatomist for decades, and yet I learned things from the text that were never quite clear to me or that simply had not been addressed in my studies. (For example, the exact purpose of the small intestine; atlas and axis vertebrae; lobes of the lungs; that when you feel thirsty, you're already a little dehydrated, etc.)
A few words of caution: the book does contain small plastic parts that could be broken or ripped out, so keep it out of reach of children under three years or who tend to break their toys. Also, the model is not intended to be removed from the book, and would not fit together properly without the support of the pages anyway. These caveats aside, Uncover the Human Body makes a great gift for children who are endlessly fascinated by the body and how it works. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Science   2. Children: Grades 3-4   3. Juvenile Life Sciences   4. Juvenile Nonfiction   5. Science & Technology - Anatomy & Physiology   6. Science & Technology - How Things Work   

Customer Reviews (3)

A bit disappointing.
The book is tiny, with cheap binding and mediocre photos. It won't last long around a wet space like a bar. As for the recipes themselves, they are just the standards. Ho hum.

Maybe as a gift with a shaker?
I can only see this being a good book if given as part of a *martini-themed* gift basket... On the other hand the book *shaken not stirred* is much more fun, useful and informative...

The recipes here are good, but standard...nothing to warrent an entire book, really. It would look attractive, tho, as part of a gift set...so its kind of a mixed bag.

If your looking for a book for yourself... a first martini book with recipes, tips, sayings and martini lore, go with the other one i mentioned.

Spend a few extra dollars on a book that is worth it
I puchased this book at the same time as a martini shaker and thought it would be a good companion to my new shaker and glasses.

This books is very small, flimsy and posseses a lot less than than can be found at a basic drink website. ...the book is cheap BUT it is worth about $2, thats it. In looking through this book, I felt like I could have put together something better written, more informative, and thorough in about 2 hours sitting at the computer.

There are some good recipes in the book but most of them are variations of the same martini. I would recommend skipping this book and buying one of the other drink/martini books that cost a few $ more. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Bartending   2. Beverages - Wine & Spirits   3. Cooking   4. Cooking / Wine   5. Martinis   6. Reference   

Subjects:  1. Arts And Crafts (Young Adult)   2. Children's 12-Up - Crafts / Hobbies   3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)   4. Crafts & Hobbies - General   5. Juvenile Nonfiction   6. Knitting   7. Juvenile Nonfiction / Crafts & Hobbies   

It's 1906 and 16-year-old Mattie Gokey is at a crossroads in her life. She's escaped the overwhelming responsibilities of helping to run her father's brokedown farm in exchange for a paid summer job as a serving girl at a fancy hotel in the Adirondacks. She's saving as much of her salary as she can, but she's having trouble deciding how she's going to use the money at the end of the summer. Mattie's gift is for writing and she's been accepted to Barnard College in New York City, but she's held back by her sense of responsibility to her family--and by her budding romance with handsome-but-dull Royal Loomis. Royal awakens feelings in Mattie that she doesn't want to ignore, but she can't deny her passion for words and her desire to write.

At the hotel, Mattie gets caught up in the disappearance of a young couple who had gone out together in a rowboat. Mattie spoke with the young woman, Grace Brown, just before the fateful boating trip, when Grace gave her a packet of love letters and asked her to burn them. When Grace is found drowned, Mattie reads the letters and finds that she holds the key to unraveling the girl's death and her beau's mysterious disappearance. Grace Brown's story is a true one (it's the same story told in Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy and in the film adaptation, A Place in the Sun), and author Jennifer Donnelly masterfully interweaves the real-life story with Mattie's, making her seem even more real.

Mattie's frank voice reveals much about poverty, racism, and feminism at the turn of the twentieth century. She witnesses illness and death at a range far closer than most teens do today, and she's there when her best friend Minnie gives birth to twins. Mattie describes Minnie's harrowing labor with gut-wrenching clarity, and a visit with Minnie and the twins a few weeks later dispels any romance from the reality of young motherhood (and marriage). Overall, readers will get a taste of how bitter--and how sweet--ordinary life in the early 1900s could be. Despite the wide variety of troubles Mattie describes, the book never feels melodramatic, just heartbreakingly real. (14 and older) --Jennifer Lindsay ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

An Historical Fiction Masterpiece
This is one of those books where about a third of the way through, you anxiously thumb the remaining pages, knowing that despite your best efforts to savor it, the book will be over all too soon. When A NORTHERN LIGHT falls open, you,the reader, will fall in. Descriptions of this book by previous reviewers, while excellent and accurate, still do not prepare you for the sheer delight and pleasure of reading this story. While it has been classified as a Young Adult novel, as it does contain some language and situations, every word is absolutely true to the character who is speaking or being spoken of. I urge every teenage girl to read this, then pass it on to her mother, all of her girlfriends, aunts, a favorite teacher--in short, anyone who has a love of words, of learning, of mysteries, and a belief in the power of young women. A NORTHERN LIGHT is a most extraordinary book. Don't miss it!

NOT JUST FOR YOUNG ADULTS--FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES A GREAT READ
I finished A Northern Light in a weekend; what a pleasure! I don't fit the intended young adult demographic, but I've always had an interest in children's and young adult literature as a result of my many careers.

Ms. Donnelly brilliantly captures the boom era of the 1900s New York Adirondack Mountain region. The story of Mattie Gokey, a young woman coming of age and struggling with difficult life choices, is a familiar story to most female readers. Her determination to become a writer reminded me of my own career aspirations. I found myself holding my breath and sighing with relief when Maddie finally decided her fate.

A Northern Light will stir passion, and even raise ire, among the young women who are fortunate to discover this beautiful book. Many readers will recognize themselves in Mattie, her teacher, Miss Wilcox, or even Weaver, her friend and fellow wordsmith. Most importantly, A Northern Light can be appreciated by readers of all ages, not just young adults, who appreciate great writing. A truly enjoyable read; I hope there's a sequel on the way.

Also recommended: The Lightkeeper's Daughter, Witch Child

A great book! i couldn't put it down!
I found this book at the school library's new book shelf, i decided to read it and i was so glad that i did. This is about a girl living with her family and how she solves her problems and deals with the people she meets. After reading this book, I thought about life and people differently. I would recommend this book to people 12 years or older because it deals with some issues that may be....yea you get the idea. Overall, this is a great book. After reading this book, I also read other books by Jennifer Donnelly, they were also very good, but i felt this one was the best! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History   2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)   3. Education   4. Farm life   5. Fiction   6. Historical - United States - 20th Century   7. Hotels, motels, etc   8. Hotels, motels, etc.   9. Juvenile Fiction   10. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories   11. New York (State)   12. Social Situations - Adolescence   13. Juvenile Fiction / General