While I am not a culinary student, I do love to cook and learn the science behind the food. This book is the most comprehensive, best photographed book I have seen. This is written for the student, or professional preparation in terms of quantities the recipes make. You can easily scale most of them to suit your personal needs. The book is divided into various sections there is a textbook feel as each area of food is explained thoroughly, then come the recipes. This book is nice as it offers many suggestions and ideas with each recipe. While this may not be the best choice for every cook at home, I think this is a good choice for people that want a little more out a cookbook.

From beginner to professional, Professional Cooking takes anyone who loves to cook on a wonderful journey. From the basic (making breakfast eggs and coffee) to the advanced (rich sauces and international cuisine), Gisslen shows how it should be done. Ever had question about cooking? This book has the answers. If you must have only one volume in your kitchen, Professional Cooking should be that one. It's a winner in all areas.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in the Culinary Arts. Beginning with a brief story of the origins of contemporary cooking with Escoffier, going through Hygiene and Sanitation, Kitchen Equipment and utensils, covering all the necessary techniques for the future Culinary Professional, clear, step-by-step illustrations and excellent pictures, this is the most complete cookbook I have found. It combines both the French techniques with the collaboration of Le Cordon Bleu Chefs and the American influence with the expertise of the author. As a Chef Instructor, I will use this Professional Cooking as reference for all my future classes.

If you are a true animal lover, you will love this book. It's a story about how the Best Friends Animal Santuary got started as well as stories of beloved animals they have rescued. If you believe in rescuing our furry friends, this book is for you!

I had heard about Best Friends several years ago and had joined as a member never realizing the enormity of this endeavor. I visited Best Friends in November, 2000 and could not believe what I saw. Best Friends is truly a magical and spiritual place. It is a safe haven for those abused and abandoned; a place where a second chance is given for safety and love. Samantha Glen has captured this magic and spirit of this sanctuary with her words. She has told the story as no other can. As you read each page you become one with each founder, understanding their excitement, their pain and feeling their losses. I cried tears of sadness for each individual as they realized what they had taken on was, at times, larger than they ever realized. And I cried tears of joy when others opened up their hearts to support their cause.

Having visited Best Friends I was able to remember some of the furry beings that were mentioned in the book, even having pictures of several. It made the story told all that more endearing to me.

Best Friends is truly magical, and Samantha Glen captured that magic in her writing. The only problem I found with the book is that it ended!!!! I would have read on forever!!! Please, anyone out there who reads this book, go one step further. Join Best Friends and help support one of the best sanctuaries in the world.

"Best Friends" will make you feel both joy and sadness. Joy for every animal saved and sadness for the reality that there are many people who treat animals as nothing more than disposable objects.

As for the writing, the author was able to bring out in me the full range of emotions that I experience as a pet owner. The day to day happiness they bring, the worry when they are ill and the sadness when it is time to say good bye.

I loved this book. It reminded me so much of my sisters. I want to share it with both my sisters who are in their 20's, but I really want to show it to my little niece. She will love the bright pictures and when its time for her to be a big sister she'll see how much fun it is.

Love the ryhmes, love the pictures, love the book. We got a copy as a gift when I was in the hospital with my second daughter. She wasn't keen on the idea of having another baby. I think the book really helped out. She's convinced one of the sisters in the book is her!...

This is a great book! I got one for my older daughter and my youngest was so enthralled I went back and got her her very own copy. They both love the real pictures of real girls. Does this author have other books? I'd like to see more.

I don't like cats. Never did. I'm a dog person, but reading this funny book (someone gave it to me), made me laugh out loud. I hope the authors come up with something as great for dog lovers! It was a perfect break from the ever so serious world of the net.

If you love cats, and you love the Web, this book is for you! Innovative, creative and funny! Take time to look over all the Web sites in the book -- there's lots of great material (and great cat photos too!).

This may become your favorite "coffee table" book, as it is not one to read once and put away. You'll find yourself coming back again and again to pore through this devilishly delightful spoof of web pages for cats. Just spend a few minutes absorbing "Deepcat Chowdown's 'The Seven Spiritual Laws of Laziness' " and if you aren't chuckling with delight, you have no sense of humor at all. Every page is designed to tickle and titillate, with outstanding success.

we highly recommend this book. Aside from the information you can get about unschooling at the www.unschooling.com website and message boards, this is the best information in print.

Our family has always unschooled, and it was John Holt that brought us there, along with listening to our hearts and respecting our children's point of view.

If you are interested in homeschooling, read John Holt's books ("Learning All the Time") and visit the message boards at www.unschooling.com. And add this wonderful book to your library, as you will use it over and over again...and you will lend it to friends over and over again!

I had heard of homeschooling before, but not of unschooling. Having read the book, and the comments in it from unschooling parents and children, the latter is definitely what I would choose for any children of mine. Tell you what, after reading it I wished I had been 'unschooled'! Unfortunately, I haven't, however, I reckon with my kids, whenever they come along, I can make up for a lot of what I've missed, by learning alongside them. I'm looking forward to that opportunity! The book is excellent in that it not only clearly explains the concept of unschooling, it also gives practical examples of how the children get an interest in learning to read, how mathematics and science are included in every day life, how history and the arts become wonderful day trips to museums, etc. On top of all that it has a chapter on 'coping with doubts and challenges', and each chapter has a long list of reference books where more info can be found. In short, a real gem. The whole world should return to unschooling I think. I highly recommend it.

As a homeschooling mom of two boys, we had heard about the unschooling method but were a little unsure of its effectiveness until we read this book. Mary Griffith does a wonderful job of explaing the concept of unschooling, and the numerous families quoted throughout the book make the concept seem so natural.

There are chapters on math, science, reading and writing, and how to use the world around your children to foster these skills without "doing school". Using the unschooling concept has made the boys' curiosity and wonder of the world around them just explode and has made learning exciting for them. The unschooling philosophy has made learning a 24/7 event at our house, thanks to this wonderful book.

Any family considering homeschooling, or "doing school" at home, or using a curriculum needs to read this unique and fabulous book.

A charming collection whose only problem is the title. The title implies that the authors are angry and loveless when in fact they demonstrate a depth of understanding the full gamut of emotions surrounding the commitments people make to one another. My 20-year-old daughter (who knows less about poetry than I do) handed me me this book with the off-putting caveat "You probably won't get it, but I loved this!" I loved it too -- for the breath of the collection of poems, the witty and incisive commentary before each chapter, and mostly its affirmation of the beauty and bounty of finding love at any age and at any cost. I highly recommend that mothers give this to their daughters, fathers to their sons for Valentine's Day, but tell them first that this nifty book is, despite the cautionary title, a wise and witty book about how careful they should be to find and keep someone to love.

I LOVE this book. It seriously helped me through a rough breakup. I guess I should be grateful that the breakup happened around Valentines Day because that is the only reason I found this book. It was on a table full of other mushy poetry books, but I was drawn to the 'little black book' with the candy hearts on the cover. It hooked me from the beginning.

The book is broken up into different sections (anger, moving on, false hope, and eventually real hope)... feelings you actually go through during a breakup. And they are perfect. The poems for the ANGER section were exactly what I needed when I was so mad at the world.... and my ex.

The sections at the end, the real healing chapters, truly helped me. To know that someone else (and great poets at that!) has felt what I was feeling and that there is hope even when it does not seem like it, comforted me.

I really believe this book helped me through one of the hardest times of my life. I have recommended it to many friends who have also enjoyed it. Buy this book if you or someone you know needs help through a breakup or divorce!

This book is hilarious, profound, accessible, and absolutely perfect. Esselman and Velez break down break-ups into all of the stages you've experienced but never had the guts (or the sanity, at any given moment) to name--stages like rage, self-hatred, relapse, and moving on. Their commentary for the poems in each section is as intelligent and down-to-earth as the poems they choose. Read this, if you've ever even THOUGHT about being in--or out of--love. You'll find yourself entranced by the good poetry and comforted by the fact that no matter how you are trying to deal with a love lost, you aren't alone, or crazy: William Shakespeare, John Donne, Lucilie Clifton, and Billy Collins have all been members of the same lonely hearts club at one time or another...and, it seems, they've all come out laughing on the other side.

You know you won't want to miss this book. Things begin to go wild for Jack and Annie when they have to become Master Librarians in order to help Morgan le Fay collect books for Camelot. There are 4 riddles they must solve to become Master Librarians. The Magic Tree House helps them out by taking them to the coral reef where the first answer lies. Waiting for the remaining books will be hard!! (This review was written by Ryan Lawson, age 8, based on the paperback version of the book.)

The magic treehouse takes them to an island and they get stuck on a sinking sub. Jack and Annie escape of course, so there can be more magic tree house books. If you like dolphins and underwater adventures,this will be your favorite too.

My name is Stephanie and I think that you should read this book. Here is why. Jack and Annie fly off in the magic tree house to an ocean. There they find a boat to go inside. Jack starts studying the boat while Annie plays on the computer. She accidentally presses a button that makes the boat drop down into the ocean and sail. Holly cow! It is a mini submarine! They run into a shark, but their new dolphin friends save the day. Join Jack and Annie in their search for the mystery item that will allow them to return home. Will they ever find it and return home? You'll have to read this book to find out. I think you'll love this book. I know that I did. Happy reading!

Mary Stewart is a genius; every time I read her books, I am filled with pleasure mixed with acute jealousy. Her descriptive and suspense-stringing talents have yet to be topped. This book is one of the best. If not as magical as This Rough Magic, it is much stronger on the romance and keeps suspense longer than any of her other books. I never knew, by the way, how many different settings there were in France until Mary Stewart came along--this one is quite Gothic in a 1960s-glamour way.

I first read this book years ago as a young girl. When I reread it, I was delightfully surprised and just as absorded as the first time that I traveled through the pages of the mind of this truly amazing writer! Mary Stewart has and will always be one of my favorite novelist. Do yourself a favor; enjoy the summer and take along the roadmap to exotic and unexpected travel (near & far);where excitment and suspense awaits; history unfolds, peppered with a just the right touch of romance. Let Mary Stewart be your guide on this adventure!

Like most of Mary Stewart's novels, this one also centers around a beautiful and brave heroine. However, each and every one of these novels are different in content as well as in plot, so that even though you think you know what the outcome is going to be, in reality you don't! I read most of Mary Stewart's novels when I was a teenager (when I used to borrow them), but 15 years down the road, I find myself rummaging through bookstores for them - to be able to reread them, but more because I want to own my own copies (so that I can reread them yet again in a few year's time)! (Hint: London bookstores carry many of them, esp. Dillon's and Books Etc..) 'Nine Coaches Waiting' is great in the sense that it transports the reader into the rustic countryside of France, which Mary Stewart describes, as always, with so much pleasurable detail. The sense of mystery is heightened as the heroine searches for the truth behind the troubled family for whom she works; and the romance is made more even more romantic with the notions of 'unrequited love' and 'forbidden love'. I think that with most Mary Stewart's novels, there is never a huge emphasis on romantic love in terms of action or words, but better still, she concentrates on the inner feelings of longing and sacrifice (esp. before the official 'start' of a relationship) which serve to enhance the romantic atmosphere of her books.

Wrinkles on the Heart is the first book that I have read that is written by the parent of a child with an eating disorder. This is an absolutely wonderful book for any person who has a family member with anorexia or bulimia. Mary Callaghan writes with honesty and courage. Though she stresses the uniqueness of each family's situation, she has a knack for knowing exactly how you feel. You will find yourself nodding in agreement, crying, and cheering as you share her joys and sorrows. Finally, a book which shares a true story and a wealth of information without placing blame!

My daughter has an eating disorder and I have done extensive research on the net in an effort to help her. I've read extensively about these disorders and, one day, I just happened to find "Wrinkles on the Heart" by Mary Callaghan. I ordered it since it was a journal written by a mother, which is very unusual.

This book is a treasure! When I received it, I could not put it down because I felt like I was living with her family and actually experiencing their harrowing ordeal. In all the research I've done, there was no help for parents' coping with these diseases, so Wrinkles was like a bonanza. Mary knew my feelings and didn't criticize me because of them. She was one of us. She tried to help with guidelines and common sense advice. I loved this journal so much that I ordered it for two friends of mine. It helped me learn to cope with the mixed feelings about my daughter and the terrible insecurity in not knowing how to deal with it.

I owe this author so much, because her book has changed my life and my daughter's. "Wrinkles on the Heart" really was a secret but, fortunately, I found it.

I am editor of a newsletter called Positive Voices dedicated to helping families cope when a loved one suffers from an eating disorder. Mary's book, Wrinkles on the Heart, was recommended to me by one of the previous reviewers. It is the ONLY book I have been able to locate written by and for families dealing with eating disorders. Mary's book has been an inspiration to my family with our daughter's illness. Mary, thank you for sharing your struggles with us, so we know we are not alone and to inspire us with your words to continue battling this illness together, as a family. Thank you for your Positive Voice! Megan Bryan

In this very "unusual" yet exciting style of writing, Mary Beth Miller draws her readers quickly into her book AIMEE. The techinique of flash backs and memories flooding through the main characters mind make for an all together wondeful plot. Readers will share some of the most intimate and personal thoughts of a teenager as she deals with friends, family, triumph, love, loss, heartbreak, and death.

I enjoyed this exteremly deep and meaningful plot. Although it was difficult at first to keep track of the story due to all the time changes, (presnt to past, constantly switching) it wasn't long before until I found myself yearing for more. Chard, Kyle, Kates, Jason, and Amiee soon enough become more like your own friends that strangers. They find a place inside your heart where I am sure they will stay for a time to come.

Overall a really well written book that is worth reading. I am looking forward to reading more books From Miller in the future.

To begin with, I cannot describe the excitement that suffused my body as I finished the first two pages of the book. I immediately knew the story was going to be a narrative that brilliantly told about the chronicles of a young, teenage girl who was struggling through adolescence because of the many misfortunate events that occurred in her life. This is a fictional story of friendship, loyalty, insanity, recovery and hope that can appeal to almost anyone who has ever lost someone or something special to them.
In the story, Mary Beth Miller tells a chilling account of a young girl named Zoe, who is charged with the murder and accused of assisting her best friend's suicide. Though proven innocent Zoe cannot let go of the thought of being tried for such an appalling crime. To get through the chaos Zoe was recommended to a psychiatrist, whom she does not enjoy sharing her thoughts and feelings with. Even though she does not like her psychiatrist, she is to recount in the journal what she went through with Aimee and her posse of friends before and after Aimee's death. One chilling fact that was brought to the surface was that Aimee admitted to Zoe and her friends that her stepmother was physically and mentally abusing her. By doing so little by little the events leading up the Aimee's suicide were revealed. This was only the beginning of Aimee's cry for help, but nobody heard her screams in time to help her. After writing her feelings and thoughts into her journal Zoe had come to terms with Aimee's death and was ready to start life over. Zoe changed her way of life and moved on from her past. She now is a scholar student and a state track champion.
I ended up finishing this book in less than two days because the book takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride that entices you into reading more and more until you read the book from front to back. I thought this book was excellent in every aspect. I was very impressed with Miller's uncanny ability to get into the character's head, while never even knowing the narrator's name, which was later found out at the very ending of the book. I believed the character's roles were very well developed and realistic. The only criticism that I had about the characters was about Zoe's parents. I felt as though they were not explained well enough and seemed to be one-dimensional at first, but later in the book, I got more insight as to their roles. Although fictional, I felt as though I was reading a true story from someone's journal by using the first person perspective to narrate the whole story. To add to this, the author was able to capture even the darkest emotions of the narrator that it made me feel as though the events were happening to me. Lastly, I think the best part about this book is that it brings up issues that plague teens today. Such as, depression, suicide, eating disorders, illegal drug and alcohol use, divorce, and love in a very realistic way.
Overall, I found the book to be an exceptionally good read for teenagers to young adults. For a fictional novel, it was terrific and profound, which made me enjoy it even more. It made me think about life more than usual and how similar events could one day occur in my life. I would highly recommend it for anyone, but I will prepare those who read it to have a box of tissues beside him or her. I say this because you will hear a girl recount her life after she lost her lifelong best friend.

I was given this book for Christmas. I didn't expect it to be any good, but I was wrong. From the very first page, questions rose from my mind. But the most prominant question was - WHY didn't I read it sooner?
This is the story about a group of friends torn apart by one tragic night of poor decisions and a life time of anyting but happy endings.
Aimee was the victim of sexual child abuse.
Zoe was the victim of a friendship that couldn't win.
While reading, you're bound to form questions in your mind. Write them down, as see just how quickly they're answered. I garuntee it'll be quickly.
MaryBeth Miller has a style of writing I've been yearning for in the mix of boring young adult dramas. Her unique voice touches, GRABS you and rips you in to the world of Zoe.
One thing is for sure.
You won't forget Zoe or Aimee after you read.