Viewers, I know Betty Crocker Cookbook has been around for a very long time; long before I knew how to say Betty Crocker, but when I first discovered MaryAnn's Cookbook, I was living in Cali, and I had to order the Cookbook thru a major Bookstore. Upon reciept of the Cookbook, I started with the Meatloaf by the Professor...It is the best I've ever had; now don't get me wrong I do enjoy making meatloaf the ole fashion way, but that recipe will leave you coming back for more. So I relocated to the South, and left my Cookbook with a relative to use, unfortunately, I never got it back, so I contacted every Bookstore in this town, and everyone is sold out, or can't order the Cookbook. So, I saw on the Amazon.com that I could order the Cookbook, and I've always been reluctant about putting my CC number online, so I sent a MO in to the address listed on Amazon, and to no avail, my MO was lost in the shuffle, I went belistic, so I am now forced to put my CC online in order to get the Maryann Cookbook, and I will tell each and everyone out there, if you've tried the rest, then you MUST try Maryann Cookbook, it is the BEST. It's worth losing the money from the MO and having to go another route to get my Maryann Cookbook. God only knows, I wish I could have ordered the Cookbook from Maryann herself, then I know I would have long recieved my Cookbook by now. Again its worth it!!

Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook is the coolest. Haven't you just always wanted a slice of her Cocunut Cream Pie? WELL NOW YOU CAN! The book has over 350 great recipes from Gilligan's Island (all in which are extremely superb). Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook isn't just you're average boring cookbook it's more than that. It includes anecdotes, regular and rare pictures from the TV series and a whole bunch more. Not to mention that the author is Dawn Wells (the original Mary Ann's Summers on Gilligan's Island!). So maybe it's not Gilligan, it's everyones favorite Mary Ann! Unfortunately, Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook is OUT OF PRINT but it may be found in some used bookstores. FIND IT TODAY!

Not only does this book have some great recipes, but Dawn has done a masterful job of both blending and separating the fictional characters of Mary Ann and the real- life Dawn Wells through the various anecdotes that are sprinkled throughout the book. A must have for every Dawn Wells fan.

The Mythic Meaning of Christmas is a unique retelling of the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus. The book itself is simple and spare, leaving room for every reader to bring themselves to it. All through the book, the reader is invited to meditate on their personal meaning of Christmas. It offers suggestions for making changes to strengthen your satisfaction with your own life and those around you. It would be an ideal Christmas activity to be done with parents and children together. Many children today don't understand the concept of reflection and how important a process it is for maturing into a sensitive adult. What better way to learn than in a family situation. I think it should be part of everyone's Christmas celebration.

This book takes us on a journey. We travel through each event in the Christmas story and look at its meaning in our own lives.

This experience does just what you would expect - It makes the birth of Christ feel real to us. How would you feel if an angel told you you would become pregnant, but not with a man? You would probably talk to a trusted friend, as Mary did when she went to visit her cousin Elisabeth. How would you feel if you were pregnant and bouncing on a donkey across miles and miles of desert? Haven't you walked your own tiring journeys in obedience to your parents, your teachers, your country? How would you feel to hear about events so significant you would be compelled to travel far to be part of them? Think of the people who travel to distant places to experience an eclipse of the sun. The grandparents who travel to see their new grandchildren.

Feel the excitement, the body fatigue, the joy and hope of the Christmas story as you live it in your own life.

This has always been the purpose of myth, to understand greater truths. By applying the mythical elements of a story to events in our own lives, we rebirth in ourselves the joys and hopes and travails of human life.

Do not believe that viewing Christ's life as myth lessens its message. On the contrary, this exercise helped me feel the joy of Christmas I hadn't felt since I was a child.

And do not pass this by because you are not Christian. It is for everyone. When you pick up a storybook to read the myths of another culture, you do so to understand that culture, to learn the way it understands truth. As you will see, the Christmas myth can apply to any life.

In this time of world chaos, the Christmas message of peace and love is extremely important. Experience it, share it with your family, your friends, your spiritual group. It really is for everyone. At anytime.

The Mythic Meaning of Christmas is a book I could not put down until I finished reading it. Then I felt compelled to read it again more slowly and let every word be absorbed into my being. The book asks that we connect with our true selves and to give birth to a new quality in our lives. It leads us through steps to attain this goal. It is truly a magnificent journey. The more you read the Mythic Meaning of Christmas the more you will appreciate and love it. It is the perfect gift for all on your Christmas list- young and old.

First of all the book has eye appeal. The title and cover catch your eye and invite a closer inspection. Then the story catches your attention and you are drawn into the world of Jennifer and her friends who embark on a venture to try and save Kissy, the little monkey she had loved all its life. Kissy was to be used in a dangerous army experiment, and Jennifer was determined to save her at all costs. The rescue efforts involve the girls in some risky adventures and creates some humorous predicaments. The characters are well-drawn; the conversations flow smoothly; the action is exciting; the outcome is very satisfying. There is also a warm relationship between Jennifer and her father that is also very satisfying. The situations are those that young people could well imagine themselves to be involved. I would unhesitatingly recommend "Operation Monkeymail" to librarians, parents, and students. A good read.

Hi, I just read a fantastic book, called Operation Monkeymail. I should know how to judge a book if I have a bundle of Acelerated Reader points shouldn't I? Well this book (along with the many others) is, well... WONDERFUL! They (the authors)should make a movie since the book seems so real it would be perfect! Usually people like the book better than the movie. But the movie would exactly the same as the book... only on screen!!When or if the movie comes out I would LUV to see it before the theaters snatch it up!!!!!

I just finished reading "Operation Monkeymail". I want to commend the authors. It is delightfully funny, fast reading with adventure. I hope to see the sequel to it soon.

New Book Teaches A Novice How To Master Graphics Software

Reviewed by Michael Pastore, Epublishers Weekly

Before studying Ulrich's new book, every time I sat down in front of the Adobe Photoshop desktop, I would take a deep breath, mumble a prayer to the Greek god of electronic images, and then swallow a long gulp of strong green tea. With its hundreds of tools, palettes, options, and possibilities, I felt like I was sitting in the pilot's seat of a jet airplane. To be completely honest, I was so frustrated at my Photoshop ineptness, for a while I considered switching from Photoshop to the 99-dollar competitor, knowing that the competitor had fewer features, and hoping that it would be easier to use.

But no, I couldn't give up on Photoshop: it was the industry standard -- for web documents, for graphics of all kinds, and for print. The only good solution to my problem was to stick with it, and to invest the time in learning how to use the software well. In this quest, I tried a number of name-brand books, all without success. Whether they failed me or I failed them is impossible to tell. Some of these learn-Photoshop books were so easy that they didn't teach anything significant; other books left me drowning in mental dust as they assumed that I was graphic-arts professional who worked with the Photoshop software sixteen hours every day.

Photoshop 7: The Complete Reference proved to be exactly the book I had been looking for. Everything that I wanted to learn about the Photoshop software is covered in the book's four parts: Getting to Know Photoshop; Editing and Retouching Images; Building Original Artwork; and Photoshop on The Web. My three special interests -- creating and optimizing graphics for the web; creating book covers for print; and managing artwork for electronic files -- all were explained in depth, with explanations that were simple to understand. Ulrich's book is comprehensive, featuring coverage of dozens of topics not included in the User Guide that comes with the software.

Illustrations and screenshots on almost every page add to the clarity of the explanations. And the book is filled with hundreds of "Tips" and "Notes" that offer shortcuts and professional advice. Ulrich's work especially shines whenever she explains the things that Photoshop dabblers like me had never before bothered to learn about: What can all the tools and palettes do? How do the colors work? What does Photoshop do best, and when should you not use Photoshop? How can you master the key facets of Photoshop, including layers, actions, filters, and masks?

All the brand new features of Photoshop version 7 are taught expertly, including the Web Photo Gallery; something called presets -- the ability to save your settings; the healing brush that makes old photos look new; and -- at long last! -- a spell checker for text.

As I worked with this superb book and gained skills, a remarkable thing happened: I began to enjoy using the software. Before it was always a question of "Can I do this?", and "How many hours will it take to figure it out?" ... But after reading the book, the questions has changed to: "What interesting effect will I discover or create today?" ... Yesterday -- using Photoshop 7 software with Ulrich's open book beside me -- in sixty minutes I designed and made an attractive cover for a paperback book.

Photoshop 7: The Complete Reference will teach you how to use Photoshop with skill and confidence, and then work as the book you flip open again and again to create, to tweak, or to enhance all varieties of your electronic art.

- Michael Pastore, Editorial Director
Epublishers Weekly

I've read quite a few books by Ms. Ulrich. I've found them all to be easy to understand and well organized so I can easily locate a specific piece of information. This book is no exception. It has it all regarding Photoshop. If you use Photoshop on a regular basis, this book is a must have!

I've read a number of Photoshop books. This one is by far the best! It's clearly written, easy to follow, and not only tells all there is to know about Photoshop, but also includes some practical tips. The author obviously knows her stuff and has a unique way of presenting the facts, unlike other similar books which are so cut and dry, boring, and difficult to follow. Whether you are a novice or well versed with Photoshop, I highly recommend that you read this book. It's the best available on Photoshop!

Before my first spay, I watched the demonstration video a few times, read over my spay manual a few times....but reading the procedure over in Fossum upped my confidence in remembering each step.

I've used this book to clarify certain procedures mentioned in my classes, and it has helped me so much conceptually. The illustrations are great and provide a great model to accompany the instructions.

It's a standard for any vet student!

The best surgery book out there. Detailed, full-color drawings give me confidence that I can actually do the procedure. I did my first GDV last week with this book!

A must have for any practitioner. The first edition was great, replacing my 2 volume Slatter's, the second edition is even better! Other authors should learn from this reference, provide the information needed and include terrific pictures and drawings!

...The kids aren't always good.if you've ever read #59 you would know that.The girls do get bad hair days. The only reason the BSC is always thirteen is because people won't read the books if they were twenty or something.I have about 100 BSC books and I say they rule!

In Mary Anne and too many babies it shows the real life responsibility of being a parent just like Mary Anne and Logan and all the other babysitters had to do. It also shows that sometimes it is not possible to do everything at once, especially when you are looking after babies and small children at once. I think that the way all the babysitters handle the situation is something others should think about when in this position.

This is a good book. Not the best book out of The Babysitters Club Series but good. Ann M Martain is a brilliant autor. Her book are very entertaining for children aged 9 - 13 they ar e a must read

This was interesting coming from Ann Martin, Queen of All Happiness. I used to read the BSC religiously, but now looking back on the books, I think this one was one of the better. I mean, most have absolutely no plot, and are totally unrealistic, but this one is a pretty good example of a breakup. I don't think it's quite completely what a breakup is, but coming from Ann, this is a better one.

Looking back on my youth and teenage years, I used to read BSC religiously. I have all the books that were made from the time I was in 5th grade, up until I graduated high school a few years ago. When I first read Mary-ann vs. Logan, I was shocked because I really didn't think that they'd really do it. I was heartbroken, and happy at the same time. I found this book the other day in a box while I was moving, and in the front flap of the book I marked off each time I read it, and I had marked it a total of 15 times, so that's how good the book was! I recommend it to any BSC fan.

You know, people are always saying that Anne's books are too unrealistic. I say that those people are just the "party poopers" as the eight-year olds would say. But look, she's a very positive person, in my opinion. Who wants to be writing about sex and drugs when you could imagine being happy on an almost-daily basis?I mean, come on! Which would be more interesting? I rest my case. I guess I'd better write my summary. This was a good book. It should that Mary Anne stood up for herself, and she knew that was she was doing was right; giving she and Logan some time to cool off. I think that that is what books are about; finding your problem, and your solution, even if your answer isn't the one you want to hear. Two thumbs up, Anne!

In the course of this book, one learns the value placed on shelters as well as on battered women--which unfortunately is about nil. With violence increasing in society generally and domestic violence cases being reported more often, this book is a necessary supplement to those in criminology, domestic violence fields (e.g., counselor, social worker, etc.), and the sociology fields. Ann Jones writes prolifically in this book, and she should be commended for bringing out the sad reality of domestic violence and the supposed assistance they are really supposed to receive.

Battering and how to stop it is an excellent source for anyone who desires to better understand the psychological trauma of the victim and the difficult situations that arise in trying to leave. The reader will understand the victim more thoroughly in some critically analyzed situations. Including The Steinberg Murder Case. This book is well-researched and thoroughly explained. Some sources: The American Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, New York Times, Washington Post, National Center on Women and Family Law, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.

Ann Jones is passionate about her views on domestic violence. If there is any issue that needs passionate advocates it's this one. I found this book very informative, full of case examples and important information on how our justice system doesn't currently work very well to protect battered women or prosecute violent men. Concerned Americans need the information provided in this book so that we can work together to make the changes necessary in our society to put a stop to this horrendous epidemic. However, a word of caution to potential readers; this book contains so many horror stories, it is difficult to cope with. This can cause perfectly logical people to feel overwhelmed, and even be overtaken by denial, simply because it can be to much for the heart to bear. Well researched and well written, a great resource for anyone working in the law enforcement, medical, or human services fields. -Sharice Lee, Author: The Survivor's Guide-

After about 3 minutes of hearing Hulbert talk about the history of parenting advice this century on NPR, I knew I needed this book. I am in a peculiar position as a Parent Coach/Instructor and as a skeptic. Among other things I teach a very specific approach to parenting based on Love and Logic (See my review of Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood). Yet while I teach a specific approach to helping parents make their lives a bit easier, I am also a skeptic at heart and therefore strive to examine all approaches to parenting with a critical eye, allowing the evidence to point where it may.

With painstaking detail and with considerable wit, Hulbert takes us through the century and helps us to see that parents have been anxious about how their kids would turn out for decades. She also shows that they frequently turn to the experts for guidance; experts who have an annoying habit of contradicting one another. Throughout the centry there has always been a "hard" approach to parenting advocated as well as a "soft" approach advocated usually by two separate experts. Many experts have, and continue to make exaggerated claims about the results of taking their advice. James Watson the famous behaviorist was the paragon of this sort of wild claim, deciding based on a few experiments with white furry things and a scared infant that he knew the secrets to take any sort of child and raise them for a career of his selection and with the character of his choice.

A century later, much is the same though there are some important differences. We continue to have an array of voices with a good deal of overlap as well as with a number of contradictions. The difference now perhaps is that there are approaches all along the continuum from soft to hard, rather than one or two at either end. Hulbert implies that all the contradicitons make it unlikely that anyone has a corner on the "correct" approach. Her NPR interview got at the practical and important point for parents at the how to bookshelf. Parents are wise to pick from among techniques offered by approaches that resonate with their core values. My take on the situation, since I am a therapist by trade, is that parenting experts are much like psychotherapy approaches. The research is clear that no one approach is heads and shoulders above others concerning measurable outcomes for therapy. However, it is clear that for people suffering from anxiety and depression, for example, therapy is certainly better than no treatment. My guess is that the results are the same with parenting. I suspect that most people taking a well organized parenting class do better than people with the same intitial skill level taking no class. I further would recommend that people pick a style that teaches mutual respect. Another key is an approach that is practical enough to teach parents how to set, healthy, reasonable limits in a way that is loving. Most people soon tire of being in the company of a child who runs the house and who is very tuned in to their own feelings and needs, but who lack the balance of knowing how to be respectful of others.

Hulbert makes superb work of bringing big parenting experts of the past century to life and letting us in on some of the details that they might have preferred not be shared openly. I found it particularly helpful to read up on Spock, as we frequently hear his name as a common cultural reference, but I like most people wasn't familiar with the fascinating and sweeping trajectory that his advice and his career took. Hulbert knows her stuff. It would be wonderful to have a conversation with her about this history of parenting experts and how they measure up to the research, including the significant blows that Judith Harris dealt developmental psycholgy by being the first to make a widely publicized stink about the lack of controls for the role genetics, and the and the failure to account for kids having effects on adults' parenting in The Nurture Assumption (another must read for those serious about understanding what we know about parenting styles). I suspect I won't get a chance at the conversation with Hulbert, but this book was a superb second best.

We have all been told how to feed a baby (on demand -- or by rigid schedule); how to ensure that an infant sleeps (let 'em cry it out -- or let the the baby sleep in your bed); how to discipline toddlers (distract them -- or put them in time out); and how to talk with and listen to our children. If you've ever asked "Where are these `experts' coming from?" read Ann Hulbert's Raising America.
Hulbert provides interesting biographical anecedotes about the prominent child-rearing theorists of this century and places them in the social and political climate of their time. Her pen is wise, graceful and truly humorous.
While I hesitate to give advice -- in this century inundated with it -- I recommend that you put aside for a while Spock, Brazelton, Leach and Greenspan. Instead, settle down with Raising America -- a thoroughly information-packed, thought-provoking read.

As parents, we have all been told how to feed an infant; how to ensure he or she sleeps; how to discipline a toddler; and how to talk with and listen to our children. If you've ever wondered: "Where are these `experts' coming from?" read Hulbert's information-packed and insightful Raising America.

Hulbert provides biographical anecdotes about the prominent child-rearing theorists of the 20th century and places them each in the social and political climate of their day. She writes with a wise, graceful and truly humorous pen -- a pleasure to read.

At the risk of offering one more bit of "advice" -- after a century inundated with it -- I recommend that you put aside for a while Spock, Brazelton, Leach, and Greenspan and settle down with Raising America for a thought-provoking, rich and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Ann Anderson has done her homework. Finding information about early medicine shows is about as easy as finding a fossilized T-Rex's tooth. Anderson has done a superb job with this work and I recommend it very highly to anyone interested in the "beginning entertainment" of the United States.

Arkansas Red-Ozark Troubadour
Eureka Springs, Arkansas

This terrific book is as fun as it is informative. Anderson's exhaustive research is evident on every page, and her writing style is perfect: spare enough to let the color of the topic shine through, but never dry. As she relates the history of the medicine show, she shows how modern medicine, advertising and entertainment evolved together; her skill at illuminating these linkages gives the book even more weight and depth. It's an outstanding work of scholarship...and a damned good read!

A thoroughly entertaining and informative book with a subject matter I never thought would interest me. Having an advertising background, I was intrigued and facinated by the history of the medicine show and the impact it has had on our culture from a media standpoint. Well written, incredibly reasearched, and fun to read. Read it!