Joan and Marc wrote on an interesting subject in a different sort of style -- stories mixed with poetry. I'm married and I enjoyed reading this book! I shook my head at stories that could have been my own, as well as remember the joy of realizing love.

Inspirational, guiding and at times comforting. A bedside companion...a new found friend...a cat without the fur.

Among the plethora of self-help books on fixing a broken romance, Celebrating Single stands out as a relevant, brilliant, humorous, down-to-earth approach to improving one's self-esteem by finding the right mate, rather than settling for a dysfunctional relationship to avoid loneliness. It is a definite must-read for any adult. And it is highly readable. Joan and Marc's friendly, conversational styles--interspersed with testimonies from "real people" and poignant poetry--make this book an entertaining and riveting read. I look forward to seeing Celebrating Single on Oprah's Booklist some day.

Overall, I think that this is a great cookbook. It's in a great 3-ring plastic binder that will stay open while you're cookin', and you can wipe off just about any "grahdoo" that you splatter on it. There are tons of recipes in it, but they're just not what I had in mind. I'm from Texas, and I know that most of the folks who wrote these recipes are from Utah and thereabouts. I guess they eat differently than I. Most of these recipes are modern dishes that you'd find in the kitchen, adapted for dutch ovens. But I was lookin' for more backwoods, down-home, stick-to-yer-ribs type grub. I'd rather have 20 good recipes like that. Another thing is that there's not much in the book about cookin' over an open fire, which I prefer because it's more authentic. Anyway, to each his own. Coincidentally, I'm still lookin'.

This book has very good information on temperature control. After purchasing several books on Dutch Oven cooking this one gave the best descriptions on temperature control methods. While I have yet to put the actual recipes into practice the emphasis placed on ensuring the fledgling DO cook's first experiments aren't disasters are appreciated.

This book was purchased to learn how to cook in a dutch oven for a living history presentation at my child's school. I learned how to perfectly season my new oven (it came out great) and I made the Pioneer Journey Cake which is an authentic mid 1800's wagon train recipe. Cakes can have a mind of their own in a modern gas oven, so I had my doubts, but with Joan's tips on calculating oven temperature it came out perfect the first time. This book offers tips and recipes for everyone from the beginner to the sophisticated oven user.

I HAVE READ SEVERAL OF THE MAGOODY SERIES NOW AND I WAS NOT CRAZY ABOUT THIS ONE. THE OTHERS WERE FUNNY AND LIGHTHEARTED WHILE THIS ONE WAS TOO SERIOUS. HOWEVER I'LL KEEP ON READING MORE OF THE SERIES.

Joan Hess and Janet Evanovich are the two most enjoyable mystery writers in America. If humor in a mystery novel offends you, avoid them like the plague. But if you read for fun, if you read to escape for a few hours from the drudgery of a job or the drivel of television, read a Joan Hess mystery set in Maggody, Arkansas, or a Janet Evanovich mystery set in New Jersey. These two ladies have a way of putting words on paper that is simply and purely entertaining. In The Maggody Militia, a few paranoid members a rightwing militia decide to hold exercises in the woods near Maggody. As usual, Chief of Police Arly Hanks has to solve a murder while dealing with the strangest set of characters ever to appear in a mystery.

This is just what police chief, Arly Hanks, needs. A militia of homegrown super patriots have camped in Maggody, trying to recruit new members, and playing war games up on Cotter's Ridge. With deer hunting season about to begin, guaranteeing drunken, brazen good old boys shooting at any and everything that moves out there in the woods, she figures it's only a matter of time before somebody will end up getting hurt. And that's exactly what happens. Not only does militiaman, Dylan Gilbert, get shot and killed on the first day of maneuvers, but it seems that the bullet is not what did him in. Add to that the disappearance of the ever-creepy, Brother Verber, a very pregnant and missing Dahlia Buchanon, a rash of burglaries in and around Maggody, and a couple of wayward ostriches wreaking havoc, and you could say that Arly has her hands full in a very big way..... Joan Hess is back with another hilarious, manic romp through Maggody, and this is a series that just gets better with each new installment. The story line is entertaining, the writing, crisp, witty, and engaging, and the dialogue, irreverent and full of down-home colloquialisms and backwoods humor. But it's Ms Hess' unique cast of wacky and quirky characters that make this book stand out, and once you've gotten to know Arly and company, you'll be hooked for sure. With an ending that brings all the plot lines together, and ties up the loose ends into a nice, neat, satisfying package, The Maggody Militia is a delightful and humorous mystery that shouldn't be missed. For those new to Arly Hanks and Maggody, Arkansas, start at the beginning with Malice In Maggody, and read them all. For those of you who are already fans, Joan Hess definitely doesn't disappoint this time out.

My 3-year-old son really enjoys this book. The illustrations are bright, colourful and easy to understand, very well targeted to the audience. My son likes to 'try out' phrases and words in sign language, and does use them with me and his little brother. This is not a book to teach true sign language, but it is an excellent introduction for young children to the concept and basics of sign language. GREAT BOOK!

This book is great for me because I am a beginner- it shows the letter of the alphabet and 3 words for each letter that are useful to know. It's real easy to understand and recreate the hand signs. The illustrations are great. I feel like I can use this to teach my son a few signs.

We are signing with our 1 year old, hearing, baby. We have enjoyed "reading" this book together and learning the signs. The pictures are so clear and present situations that she understands (a baby in her crib, a dog drinking from a bowl, a girl kissing her mommy) so we can talk about them and learn the signs together.

So you want to bone up on knowledge and become a top-notch masseuse, eh? ...

Oh, don't get me wrong: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Massage is a great volume for people looking to learn massage... basics. It's definitely an "introductory" book, since it tries to hit all the bases of every massage technique before the back cover arrives. The result is that you feel more "educated" about what you're getting into than "enabled" to do massage.

Of course, the book has a lot of helpful techniques and teachings in it! You can certainly become a great amateur masseuse with this book's lessons and little natural skill. The muscle diagrams, in particular, are very helpful (you gotta know WHERE to massage, eh?), as well as the many warnings peppered around the book that explain why you should not paralyze your massage partner (they get upset with you) and the like. But in the end, I certainly felt like "That's it?" and will be buying a more detailed book soon.

Starting with this Guide, though, is a great idea. It eases you into massage smoothly and easily, and perfectly prepares you to start practicing on the nearest sore person or dive into more complex educational resources.

This is perhaps the consumate reference book for massage. Intelligent, thourough, and fun. All types of massage are addresed here. It's a must have for the serious (and not so serious)student.

This is an instructive and, dare I say it, entertaining map to the world of touch therapy. The authors take us through a wide range of massage topics, including techniques, history, philosophy and more, in easy to understand terms. The format of chapters, sidebars and summaries gives us the details while reminding us not to forget the essentials. Finally, in the text and graphics, the authors remember that a little levity makes the trip that much more enjoyable. I would recommend this book both to health care professionals and those just looking for a way to relax at the end of a day that has seemed like a week. Fine, fun work.

This is a lovely book, one to enjoy on a coffee table, especially during an infinite winter. Nearly every page has color photos; even small photos in this book are large because the format is so big.

And what variety: gates; fences; walls; edgings; trellises; arbors, pergolas, and arches; paths; hedges and espalier; potting sheds and greenhouses. Within each section, many examples are given along with (very) occasional drawings of a project. Some unfootnoted history and observations are included, as well. So the book offers extremely broad scope -- one might even call it "encyclopaedic". But be warned that you may not, for the most part, be able to divine (based on content) whether a structure will work for your garden.

The book catalogs topics pretty well; the photos assure this. But to be truly encyclopaedic, the book needs a much more comprehensive table of contents, especially because there is no index. And I would like to have seen footnoting (or at least a list of sources) for the bits of historical information included. Ultimately, though, the reason the book drives me nuts is that it is very hard to find my way back to ideas or photos that interest me.

That said, you will almost certainly see something new to you. And once you see something of interest, you'd better mark it well because the book will give you absolutely no help in finding it again.

A wonderfully photographed and neatly catalogued array of garden elements. Playful and diverse in the selection of mostly vernacular landscaping with some classically formed elements. The content consistently maintains a personal level of garden landscaping, and does not deal with urban landscape elements. Though, inspiration can be easily derived.

This is a gorgeously illustrated book with hundreds of ideas to inspire the gardener who wants to add architectural elements to their garden. Be aware, however, that this is mainly a collection of photographs and does not provide much in the way of how to actually go about constructing these projects yourself. The book is divided into sections covering fences, walks, hedges, structures, etc. Each section features an array of photographs which illustrate every conceivable aspect of the topic. The photos are beautiful and are the definate selling point of this book.

This is raw anti-Catholicism dolled up as prophetic utterance. If you want the inside story on the Creed, buy the universal catechism of the Catholic Church.

Once in awhile a book comes along which touches something deep inside your heart and soul. This book is a wonderful journey through the Apostles Creed breaking apart each phrase to study and examine. Prayers too often become automatic. In Search Of Belief breathes new life and modern day sensibility into the Creed of Christianity.

Altough I am a liberal United Methodist, this book by a Roman Catholic nun has validated and renewed my own beliefs, even as they are being assaulted by the rigid fundamentalist now in our local church's pulpit.

I found this book to be trite and poorly written. It did not allow for good character development. The "players" were stereotyped. The topography and general situation of the Big Bend were inaccurate and exaggerated. (I speak as one who lives here and has hiked the trail described.) But I do not usually read "romances". This may be pleasant reading for those who enjoy this type of literature.

I recently started rereading the books in this series, and found that even the second time around The Texan captured my heart. It's a little farfetched with the story primarily one of good guys chasing bads, the couple trapped in a desert location (Big Bend) and forced to depend on each other... But Johnston tells the story with warmth and heart. This is the second book in the series, The Cowboy was the first and The Loner is the third. Although it is helpful to have read the first before reading the third, it's not essential - you'll probably want to read it anyway after you finish this one!

This was my first time reading Joan Johnston book. Once I finished it I ran out and bought The Cowboy which I also recommend. Keep up the good work.

This science fiction novel, written by a biologist, gives us an unusually thorough description of an alternate biology. The flora and fauna of the imaginary world Prokaryon are intriguing, particularly when they begin to reveal a hidden intelligence. The visitors to Prokaryon are diverse, including different sorts of humans and intelligent machines, all communicating effortlessly with each other. Medical nanotechnology sends microscopic probes through bodies to remove unwanted organisms. Less inventive is the ubiquitous nanoplast, a substance that shapes and reshapes according to need but is never explained. Neutrinograms allow faster than light communication, another version of an old science fiction device. The densely written story, involving a large number of human and non-human characters, is laborious to read. Only dedicated science fiction fans will make it all the way through.

The Children Star is a far future tale about the ethical problems involved in extending human civilization. Like Slonczewski's earlier novels Still Forms on Foxfield, A Door into Ocean and Daughter of Elysium, she takes on such accepted science fictional tropes as terraforming and weather control, opting for adjusting human biology for the specific planet humans plan to settle. Unfortunately, this medical technology is still in its infancy and those best suited for the process are infants because their body chemistry adjusts most quickly to the conditioning. Thus, the arsenic-based planet Prokaryon has been settled by a small colony of refugee orphans established by an ancient Holy Order called the Spirit Callers. The orphans are cared for by Brother Rhodonite, once a professional soldier and two sentient robots, Reverend Mother Artemis, a nanoplastic nana with tentacles and multiple breasts and Brother Geode, a six limbed, multicolored tarantula-like farm and mining machine. The characterization is well developed and believable. The plot revolves around an attempt by a corporate conglomerate to uproot the colony and burn off the planet with a terraforming white hole. Fighting this project is a hardy band of environmentalists who want to protect the unique Prokaryon ecosystem which is based on prokaryotes, or Cheerio-shaped chromosomes. Will the researchers be able to prove their claims of planetary sentience before time runs out and the conglomerate is allowed to destroy the ecoysystem? The story is exciting and Slonczewski, a working microbiologist, has done an excellent job in developing the hard scientific basis for her worldbuilding. Highly recommended for science fiction readers and environmentalists.

The Children Star is an example of thoughtful, hard SF at its very best. Full of wonderful scientific ideas, particularly in the areas of genetics and bacteriology; well-developed, engaging characters; interesting events; and a serious concern for such important issues as environmental and personal responsibility, it is one of my favorite SF novels of the last few years. Slonczewski writes science fiction for grown ups.

It isn't often that a book inspires one to think for themselves. This book promotes critical thinking of teaching and learning from a unique perspective, that of the reader. It does not force upon or act to introduce you to a new philosophy of teaching, but asks you to revel in your own imagination and creativity for the answers to educational queries. Fantastic reading for those seeking guidance in their own thinking and not necessarily the answers.

This is a great book on critical pedagogy for anyone first starting to think/learn about critical pedagogy. The language is easy, conversational almost. (I must admit I started out with Pedagogy of the Oppressed and anything would be easier than that!!) She gives lots of examples and anecdotes which I like, because I can relate to them, understand the concepts better. She gives lots of advice on who else to read in the field. At the end of the book, she gives some concrete methods of how to do critical pedagogy, which I really like. So many times, authors just talk about theory and never give you any concrete practical ideas. She does both!! She is a true critical pedagogue!! I loved this book and couldn't hardly put it down!!

For many years I have felt frustrated with the injustice and bias in the educational system. Reading this book helped me see that I can be an agent of change and that it is possible to help young people find a sense of agency as well. Based on the theories and practices of Paulo Freire and other educators, Wink shows readers that teaching and learning are political acts, and she inspires readers to change and be changed by the process.

Wink combines great storytelling and clear examples to make the theories of critical pedagogy come alive. With chapters like "What in the World is It," and "How in the World Do You Do It" this book makes critical pedagogy understandable and accessible. A must read for all progressive educators.