Such a nice book. And so refreshing and pleasing to read. As a primary care hospitalist doc, it help shepard me through the subacute rehab unit.

Will there be a second edition?

THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN IN SIMPLE AND CONCISE LANGUAGE IS A FAVORITE OF ALL MY FELLOW OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. IT IS DIFFICULT TO PUT DOWN AND HAS BECOME A WELL WORN REFERENCE IN MY LIBRARY. --ANNE

This book is an excellent example of scholarship and excellent workmanship. From cover to cover, it is informative, entertaining and authoratative. KUDOS!!

First of all, the book is gorgeous. Better yet, the recipes are divine. They go from simply luxurious to positively decadent. The day I got the book I made Steak with Butter and Ginger Sauce. It was soooo easy and soooo good, and it was also different from any other steak I had ever made. The fabulous combination of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman came up with the idea of taking a simple recipe and then building on that recipe to create a series of more sophisticated variations, and the idea really works. Mark Bittman's recipes are always clearly written, and Mr. Vongerichten is truly an alchemist in the kitchen. Whatever he starts with ends up being so much more than the sum of its parts, it's remarkable. Most cookbooks seem to have basically the same recipes distinguished by slightly different methods of arriving at a similar result. Not true of Jean-Georges Vongerichten. His recipes are very unique and usually uncomplicated. The difference is he combines ingredients that go very well together but that no one else has thought of. I have both his other cookbooks, and each recipe I have tried is easy to execute for the home cook. I would recommend both of them also. In fact, all three together would make a great gift set. An even better idea is to get them all for yourself and enjoy the results. Happy cooking and eating.

My father is the cook in the family -- I only follow in his humble footsteps. This book, however, is unbelievable for both the professional and amateur cook. My father and I both have copies, and while he can make the more exotic dishes, my less adventurous versions are just as good.

In "Simple to Spectacular", Vongerichten and Bittman have constructed a genius concept: take a single recipe, and show it at various levels of complexity. So, you get egg recipes that start with "the Best Scrambled Eggs" and going up to "Scrambled Eggs with Caviar and Creme Fraiche." This idea is marvelous, because it allows amateur cooks, like myself, to see how you can use a basic concept and build on it to create something sophisticated and different.

This is a perfect book for a young cook who is interested in really learning how to make good and great food. In spite of the sumptuous egg dish on the cover, this would work great for college students, or recent grads as they struggle to move beyond macaroni and cheese and pizza as staples of their diet.

This cookbook is great, especially for beginners. It starts out with really easy, basic and yummy recipes. Then, it builds upon the first one so that you can create more sophisticated and even yummier dishes. It's very easy to read and understand, and even the most inexperienced chef can learn to create masterpieces. There are a lot of great cookbooks out there and it can be overwhelming especially for us beginners; But, I would highly reccommend this book to everyone--from the recent college graduate to the experienced chef who's been cooking for years. I've cooked a few of them--my favorites so far are the scrambled eggs with tomato and basil and I'm starting to learn to make some MEAN mashed potatoes (almost as good as Mom's =). It's also a very beautiful book, with lots of great pictures and would be a great gift!

This book is the best I have read on the topic of mormonism. Mr. Cares has a loving but truthful approach that is refreshing to see in an area that typically reeks of negativity and emotionalism. His book is evidence of a thorough and extensive research which is rare for someone who has never been a mormon.

Mr. Cares does a great job of pointing out the stresses in mormonism. I was born and raised in a strong LDS family and spent 30 years striving to be "worthy enough". Cares assessment that the "goal" of mormonism is to live in eternity AS Gods, is correct. As a child I was taught in Primary this saying: "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become." That continual striving towards perfection causes a lot of stress to the LDS people that honestly look at the sin in their own lives.

I love the authors approach of witnessing to LDS. The idea of using the power of God's Word through the positives of Christianity rather than the negatives of mormonism rings true in my personal experience. While I was LDS I never listened to my Christian friends when they talked bad about the church. I came to faith when a neighbor came to me, in love, and led me to the wonderful news of God's forgiveness as shown in the Bible. Mr. Cares assessment of Spencer Kimball's book, "The Miracle of Forgiveness" is very accurate. This book portrays the stark differences between mormonism and Christianity.

The New Testament warns us that false teachers will come as wolves in sheep's clothing. Mr. Cares does a great job of shearing these sheep and openly exposing the false teachings in LDS doctrine. It is sometimes difficult even for LDS people to get past the wool and see the fangs of mormonism. Many mormons would disagree with some of the statements of Mr. Cares book. But in my experience and knowledge of mormonism, he very correctly states LDS doctrine. I agree with him that "for many mormons, family has taken the place of God". One example that the family is placed above Christ in the LDS church can be seen by LDS church attendance on Christmas. If Christmas happens to fall on Sunday, LDS leaders cancel church so that it's members can stay at home with their families. In the Christian church that I attend, it does not matter what day of the week Christmas falls on, we will be holding a Christmas service in worship of the One and Only center of our lives.

This book has helped me immensely in my witnessing efforts with my family and friends. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to witness the TRUE gospel of Christ to the LDS people.

Pastor Cares did an admirable job of not only outlining the Mormon faith, but also giving practical strategies for witnessing to them. "Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons" is written in a very Gospel-orientated tone (something that is many times lacking in Christian books on the LDS church).

If you have a Mormon friend or neighbor, and are in need of a starting point to talk to them about Christianity, this very affordable book will not disappoint you.

Many Mormons and Protestants do not know why they appear to be talking past one another. The key is different definitions for the same English word. The Utah/Mormon culture was separate from that of the rest of the United States for seventy plus years. Some religious terms developed unique (to the rest of the U.S.) meaning. Many of the words in the "Mormoneese" language can not be found with the LDS meaning in any standard American dictionary.

Mark Cares reviewed official Mormon teaching material for men, women, and children in the l990s. He built a 40 page glossary of such unique words. Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians should be most thankful. Mormons, "Saints," should be glad also -- helping them understand why the blank looks from their "traditional-Christian" friends. Like a lot of problems in life, it is the words we use.

Mark Cares' chapter on "Understand Their Culture" is the best coverage on the subject that I have ever seen. SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE should be in any major public or collegiate library--- easy to read, kind and gracious in style. It is on the cutting edge of understanding a major intermountain unique American culture.

Obviously, by the title, prison inmate Eduard Delacroix is electrocuted in this book. Unfortunately, it's at the hand of Percy Wetmore, the prison guard who's been bullying Eduard from the beginning. He's the one who sabotages the execution, giving Eduard a painfully long-drawn-out death. This scene is rather gruesome and will remind readers that this is still Stephen King writing, even though The Green Mile isn't King's usual horror fare.

While Eduard dies, though, Mr. Jingles is "resurrected" by John Coffey, after Percy had stepped on him in the previous book, "Coffey's Hands." Like the sudden endings in most of these books, this one has another good cliffhanger, in regards to Coffey's innocence. These sudden endings can be aggravating, but they were a very good marketing technique at the time of publishing--to keep the loyal reader addicted for the next installment, especially for the following two: "Night Journey" (#5) and "Coffey on the Mile" (#6). However, since the complete serial novel has since been published, I'd recommend getting that one instead.

As the series keep floating along, as does the tension in the room where I read these books. This time Percy, the wicked guard, goes a little too far. Probably even farther than he ever thought he could get away with. John Coffey still remains in the prison, and his guilt is beginning to be questioned by the guards. Could someone so gentle kill so easily

If Sean Penn read this book before walking his last "mile" in Dead Man Walking, he wouldn't have been so brave! Of course, Stephen King ain't exactly Susan Sarandon, either!!
The reader not only is walking with Eduard Delacroix as he approaches his fate, he IS Delacroix. The smells are pungent, the sight is vivid, and the end is horrific.
More questions arise, however. What about the mysterious powers of John Coffey? Or the secret plan of the guards? Well, it just so happens...DARN! Have to wait for the next installment to come out for those answers

Even in these days of video and DVD, I think there's nothing better under my bed than a good filthy book because the words bring up my favorite images in my head.

Video is good but those video bears are the bears I see.

On the other paw, reading like "Tales of Bear Cult" conjures up the bears of my imagination. So reading hardens my more personal bearish fantasies.

It's like the argument about music videos or the movie Harry Potter. If you hear a song without MTV visuals, or read the text of Harry Potter, the images in your head are yours, but if you watch a music video or the movie Harry Potter then you always see the images someone else gave you on the screen.

That's something I think about, although I do very much enjoy the photographs in both Bear Cult books by editor Hemry (37 photos) and photographer Nelson (55 photos). They help my hairy puttering hand, but don't intrude on my personal imagination.

All these Bear Cult authors with their hot tails deserve erotic praise for their work in Bear magazines and books: Bob Condron, Jack Fritscher, Ron Suresha, Simon Shepherd, John Coriolan, Jay Neal, to name a few.

I"m a buyer (and reviewer) for a book outlet, so I pay attention to what sells and what wins awards--especially in Manhattan.

Authors in this book won 2nd Place Best Erotic Fiction in U. S. from the prestigious ForeWord Awards at the national Book Expo America, in New York, May 3, 2002. The ForeWord Awards are straight mainstream awards that honor lesbigay writing annually. This acknowledgment of gay writing in the bear genre brings honor to us bears everywhere.

Many of the authors in this book are also much published in other books and magazines, Simon Sheppard, Ron Suresha, Bob Condron, Jack Fritscher, and Shaun Levin. I enjoyed the book, and was happy to see all the writers win collectively. I also think the cover and the use of photos inside, to make the book as appealing visually as a magazine, was a good idea that probably helped it win.

I'm a Bear Buster! I like words. I like pictures. "Bear Cult" gave me both. The stories are very into being "bear" in terms of truckers, loggers, bikers, etc. The photos are worth the price of admission. The stories are sexy in detail, even juicy, with excellent writing by Bob Vickery who tells tales of frontier bears, and Furr who writes about adventures in the woods. Charlie Eldredge writes about bear-sex in ancient Rome in a way that reminds me of the gladiator novels of Aaron Travis. There's even a nasty story by Shaun Levin about what goes on in the basement boiler room of an apartment building. And a sci-fi story of a futuristic musclebear athlete in bondage named "Earthbear." You can see why several bear magazine editors picked these stories for their erotic bear content. The color cover is worth framing. Actually, the back cover, also in full color, shows half a dozen sexy bears from Palm Drive Video as well as from the covers of "Bear" magazine. Also in the bear photos shot by Jack Fritscher, there's nasty cigars, especially Redneck Cowboy and Butch: Tattooed Aryan Biker. Woof, woof, woof. Recommended reading for LazyBear Weekend.

I bought this book, expecting the best. He uses ingredients that are hard to find in a major metropolitan area (Boston). Oh, but once you find the ingredients, the recipes produce wonderful results. I tried the Rice Paper shrimp and herb rolls, with 5 minute dipping sauce. It was a case of a dish being more than a sum of its parts. The man is a culinary genius. It was one of very few recipes where I couldn't picture the taste before I bit into it. I can't wait to try more of these recipes.

Jean-Georges has quite an accomplishment with this work--conveying his talent at achieving complex flavors in recipes with a minimum of ingredients and clear instruction. Of the many chef-authored cookbooks I own, this one stands out as one from a talented chef who understands cooking and ingredients. Though works from Gotham City Grill or Jeremiah Tower yield great food, they don't allow you to cook it on a weeknight after work. Jean-George is different. Cornish Game hen with herb-bread stuffing is such a recipe as is the outstanding fresh pea pancake. Both require a minimum of ingredients and preparation and give an abundance of flavor and sophistication. Halibut with sherry sauce sounds pedestrian but, despite its paucity of ingredients, has a sophisticated taste beyond compare. All of the ingredients are readily found in a reasonable supermarket and will not send you to a food encyclopedia. A great book.

Jean-Georges has done it again! This and "Simple Cuisine" are the two most-used cookbooks in my large collection. Everyone is always so impressed by the flavor combinations, and refuses to believe that I haven't slaved for days in the kitchen! I can't stop eating the Sticky Rice Wrapped in Banana Leaves (which is great w/o the banana leaves, too, by the way). And the Soup of Red Fruits is a delicious way to end a meal. The crab salad bound in tomate a la francaise is a winner....Come to think of it, every recipe I've ever tried from one of Vongerichten's cookbooks has turned out perfectly. Sure, my plating might not be up to the standards of the color photos, but the flavors are the same as in Vongerichten's restaurants. This book is worth the price just for the recipe for the curry spice blend. Even if you don't think you have the skills for "gourmet cooking" you can use the recipes in this book.

GET A TICKET LATELY?? Then ORDER this book right now!! This book and "Beating the Radar Rap" are THE ultimate sources for handling your day in court. Who better to write a book than a TRAFFIC COURT LAWYER???!!! This book has 60+ pages of questions already written out for you to ask the officer in court. All of the following are covered in this book: speeding tickets, radar, laser, VASCAR, failure to yield right of way, following too close, illegal lane change, RED-LIGHT tickets, sign tickets--stop, no left turn, no u-turn, yield, right lane must turn right, left turn only, no right on red, etc. The book is written for the average day person that doesn't know JACK about traffic court. NEVER ADMIT GUILT when you are asked questions by the officer when he pulls you over! When the police officer asks you, "Do you know why I stopped you?" DO NOT SAY, "Yeah I was probably speeding," or, "Yeah I just ran that red-light." YOU H! AVE JUST SAID I'M GUILTY and basically ruined any chance you have of winning your case in court. Officers are trained to get you to admit guilt when they pull you over. They do NOT have to read you your rights for a traffic stop--"The right to remain silent." THIS BOOK tells you what to say and what not to say when you are stopped so that you can WIN IN TRAFFIC COURT. Don't just pay your tickets like the other 95% of the population. Go to court and FIGHT your ticket. You CAN WIN, if you have this book!!

If you have been issued a ticket then get this book. It will help you prepare and win in court. If you haven't got a ticket yet, definitly get this book; then you will know what to say and do before you get pulled over. This will make winning in court much easlier. I have read four other books on this subject and this one is the best hands down. This book has saved me from getting a ticket by knowing what to say: ie "I was following the flow of traffic". The cop wasn't happy with me, but since I was following him, he didn't write me. If I haven't read this book, I would probably admitted to speeding and tried to talk my way out of it. That wouldn't(and hasn't) worked. But knowing what to say caused the officer not to write me; Not because he didn't want too, he just know I would win in court. I wasn't admitting anything. PS: I like cops. I have had friends who were cops, but I don't like that they are forced into writing unneeded tickets by local governments who just want to raise money! If they don't write enough tickets, they lose federal highway funds and state funds. The police are told to write x number of tickets are their budget will be cut.

After receiving a ticket for a moving violation, I bought this book because I felt that with a good, well-planned defense, I could get out of this ticket. And did I ever! My day in court was a day that will be engraved in my mind forever. I went in there and cross-examined that cop using the tactics from the book and impressed everyone in the courtroom. That night, the cop who gave me the ticket even came by my house to congratulate me on a job well done. He said they do not see many people do what I did. So buy this book if you do not need or want another ticket on your driving record. I highly recommend it!

I am a beginning investor and I think this book will go a long way toward keeping me from getting scammed. I am not a big reader, but I finished this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I learned a lot about what NOT to do. My only concern is that I only learned a little bit about what TO do...but this was not the focus of this book. I hope there is a follow-up book that gives advice about where Mark feels we should take our money. This book does exactly what it says and it does it a very fun to read way. Congratulations to Mark. Kevin Grold (grold@aol.com)

Before you invest one dime of your hard earned money - by all means read this book! If you are a student interested in personal finance - read the book. The author speaks in plain language about Wall Street. He explains why commissioned brokers and their sales people are total slime. He shows that brokers and financial planners are not the least bit interested in giving good investment advice. All they want is a percentage of your money. They could care less about you. Do yourself a great big favor - read the book two or three times. Don't ever listen to a broker's advice about individual stocks. And do what this author explains - buy no-load, no fee mutual funds with the best long-term track records - yourself - directly from the fund companies. At last, someone has exposed Wall St. for what it really and truly is - nothing but hype and hucksterism.

I must have saved 10,000 dollars by reading this book. I have read it twice now and I am a better investor for it. The amount of money I saved in fees alone makes the book a real winner. GOOD STUFF!!!!

One of the funniest, if not THE funniest books I've ever read. I picked it up on a lark (the title intrigued me) and began reading it shortly after the death of my sister-in-law. If you need a book to snap you out of a depression-this it it! The jokes and puns are wickedly apt (Kurt Loder as a face of Satan?), and some are just plain groaners. All in all, I thorougly enjoyed it!

I grew up reading the Samurai Cat series and cannot recommend the books eneough. I've read each book number of times, and every time I reread them I get jokes that I had previously missed or hadn't gotten. The only books that I have ever read that made me laugh out loud.

Rogers is a master and his work is incredibly unique and refreshing. Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to write some truly wonderful satire.

I'm sorry to see him go, but thankful for knowing him.

Saionara Tomokato.

Mark Rogers is hilarious and erudite! SCGTH is absolutely full of the most vividly bizzare imagery and clever wordplay. Plus, this guy knows more about Chinese history than any Gwailo I've ever read! Anyone who likes dinosaurs, Dante, decapitations, or, (to break the d-pattern,) the films of Ching Siu Tung should check out this book..and the other Samurai Cat books too!