I have suffered three miscarriages/stillbirths. I have been given lots of things to read, etc. But this book helped me like no other (besides the Bible) to work through my grief and recover. I am so surprised and saddened that this book is out of print. I give this book to anyone I come across who has experienced miscarriage or stillbirth.

I work with grieving parents who lose children via miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, or early infant loss. I am constantly on the lookout for information that is practical, easy to understand, and compassionate. Silent Cradle is the best of the best, and I frequently recommend it as a "must have." The journaling exercises are invaluable to those navigating their way through the turbulent waters of grief.

I lost my precious little boy exactly a month ago today. Silent Cradle was sent to me by a friend, and it has been such a great help. It is written by someone who's been there, and it was such a relief to know that everything that I have felt, and am still feeling, is normal and has been felt by others. This book has given me such comfort, just to know that I am not alone in my grief, and that there is hope even in the face of such devastating heartbreak.

The Stokes have put out several books on birds, and definitely know their stuff. It shows in this book, which has just about everything you could ask for.

One section goes over the different types of feeders, and the various seeds that birds enjoy. Hummingbirds get their own special mention, as do squirrel baffle techniques. There's even a section on bird behavior - what to watch for, what certain things mean.

Then the book goes into the common birds found at backyard feeders. There are lovely photos of each bird, a map showing where they tend to live, how to tell them from other similar birds, how they act, what they eat, and much more.

This book is perfect for anyone who is thinking about putting up a bird feeder or another bird feeder like myself. The first section in this book deals with the different kinds of feeders, how to attract the bird, and troubleshooting problems. Following that section is a part on bird behavior. Finally, their is a long section of birds. For each bird, the Stokes identify what they eat and like. In the back of the book there is a list of resources for bird feeders and supplies. Finally, the last few pages show how to keep a bird feeder journal. I very well rounded informative book. I would recommend it to anyone who's feeding feathered friends.

I HAVE A BIRD FEEDER OUTSIDE MY OFFICE WINDOW-THIS BOOK IS EASY AND ADDS TO THE NATURAL INTEREST OF THE ACTIVITY OUT THERE- IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY SERIOUS FOR THE BIRDS__LIFE AND DEATH_AND THEY HAVE A SOCIAL ORDER__BUT IT ALL SEEMS TO WORK AND THIS BOOK HELPS TO DEEPEN THE OBSERVATION

Mr. Phillips demystifys the acting process in this book. He clearly outlines tools that help the actor, if properly used, to master the craft. A must-read!

This is an interesting and useful book. What attracted my attention when I first saw the book was the cover photo of Mr. Phillips. His energy, humor and directness leap off the cover, inviting the reader into a very informative "conversation" about the acting tools he has developed and used over a long career. I don't know why, but Mr. Phillips' bio does not appear in the book, though it became apparent as I read that he taught a number of fine actors including Bruce Dern, Sandy Dennis and Judd Hirsch, acted in a wide array of plays, films and television, and taught at both the Actor's Studio with Lee Strasberg and the H. B. Studio with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof. These are impressive credentials.

The tone of the book is practical and personal, like Mr. Phillips' collection of tools, which he calls The Process. He describes the 17 tools of The Process and gives exercises for each that can be done alone, with a partner or in a group. He also describes how to use these tools in a role. He illustrates how The Process works using examples from productions and humorous and touching anecdotes based on his own experiences with fellow teachers and actors and his own students. One thing I particularly like is that, after describing a tool in a narrative form, he also gives step-by-step instructions for easy reference. There are also two wonderful little chapters, one on 9 types of actors and what you can learn from them about what to avoid, and the other is on what to look for--and what to avoid--in an acting teacher. Very useful. At the heart of Mr. Phillips' Process is a kind of Zen approach to acting, which stresses neutralizing first yourself, aiming for what in Zen is called Beginner1s Mind, and then the script, the other actors and the acting space. These particular tools are invaluable for cancelling out ingrained and inhibiting bad habits in acting.

I have made good use of the tools that make up Mr. Phillips' Process, both in my own personal work and in the interactive interpersonal dynamics workshops I lead.

All in all, I can call this a good read and an invaluable collection of tools. All we have to do is put them to use.

Incidentally, the caption on one chapter in the book is "A good actor is a bad actor who never gave up." I really love the optimism and encouragement. It fits perfectly with what I see in Mr. Phillips in the cover photo.

Have you ever looked for a book that would demystify the personal approach to acting, often called "The Method" (Philip's calls it "The Process")and used by actors all over the world from Marlon Brando to Meryl Streep to Robert DeNiro to Anthony Hopkins to Danny Glover? Gordon Phillips's book, "Take it Personally" is THE book.

Phillips's book takes up where Stanislavsky, Strasberg, Hagen and others leave off: he lays out in very simple, workman like terms, the steps to becoming the kind of personal actor that is so admired and even worshipped in television, film and theatre today. He starts off by listing the qualities of successful actors and letting you know what chapters in his book can help you to develop those same qualities, and takes you step by step through those chapters with a view to making you an exciting,charismatic,moving, and, most important, believable professional actor.

Phillips has worked with some of the finest actors of the 20th century (Bruce Dern, Sandy Dennis, Judd Hirsch, to name but a few), and has spent years refining a process of acting that will give every actor the opportunity to create real, living, breathing, three dimensional characters that will move and delight audiences, critics, and even the director! The key is being personal. Hence the title, "Take it Personally."

This book is for beginners and professionals alike. It follows workbook step by step processes, and chapters can be read and reread as the actor practices acquiring the tools necessary for working as an actor in all media. The book is also an entertaining read for the person interested in how the actor works. It is full of anecdotes from Phillips's long career in theatre, television and film. I highly recommend this book!

For those of you who want to stitch up these wonderful designs, you should be aware that the yarn used is from a UK company called Paterna. They also sell tapestry wool in the US under the name Paternayan. All of the numbers that do not start with a D are accurate, however the numbers that start with a D are only available from the UK version of the company. You will need to either substitute for them or order the yarn directly from the UK.

By the way, if you have any problems, Jill Gordon is wonderful about answering e-mails. She seems to be a very nice woman...

Jill Gordon has clearly surpassed her first book with this one... And in contrast to the first book, she has included charts for all designs- hooray!!! Another gripe people had about her first book was that she did not include amounts of yarn, however she does in this book. Another improvement over the first book is that the charts are in color and larger, which makes them much easier to follow.

Needlepoint at the level takes concentration (no bland backgrounds here that are filled in with a single color), a wide range of yarn colors, and a goodly bit of time. In my experience, however it is well worth it. The comments that I get from friends who see the completed needlepoint are all overwhelmingly positive.

There is wide range of nature inspired designs in this book. Some are tropical, others are from the savana, others are from formal gardens, all are beautiful. If I only had the time, I would do about 80% of them for my house, and I would do the others for people I love.

Great mix of colours and designs to brighten any living room or to make the perfect unique gift for a friend or loved one.

Gordon has a great talent and passes her wonderful charts on for all readers to share!

Model research work (61 reference pages) on the ploys of Stalin's master spy Richard Sorge.
Sorge penetrated the highest power circle in Japan and had excellent connections with the Nazi-party through the German Embassy in Tokyo.
Prange proves that Sorge informed Stalin about the German attack against the Soviet-Union (operation Barbarossa) and that Stalin didn't believe him. That Sorge pinpointed the Pearl Harbor attack is for the author a myth.
Sorge got caught by the Japanese when his spy work became careless. He hoped that Moscow would save him through an exchange of prisoners, but his friends let him fall as a burnt spy. He was hanged. Only twenty years later Moscow admitted that he was an agent of the Comintern.
Excellent portrait of Sorge: a desperate soldier of WWI, who saw in communism the salvation of humanity, but also a hard drinker and a compulsive womanizer. The definitie book on Sorge. I agree with one of the rewiewers that this work is essential historical reading about WWII.

This is an excellent account of the Sorge spy ring that operated in Tokyo prior to and during WW II. Richard Sorge was an NKVD agent (predecessor to the KGB) who was sent to find out if Japan was going to attack the USSR.

His mission was a first rate success. He was able to tell Stalin that the Japanese militarists were going to attack to the south, against the East Indies, Philippines, and Australia. They would not attack Russia unless three things happened: the Germans captured Moscow, civil order broke down inside the USSR, and the Japanese Army had a significant force superiority along the Mongolian boder.

As a result of that information, Stalin pulled army divisions out of Siberia, and was able to use them for the counterattack outside Moscow in the Winter of 1941-2. That one piece of information could well have been the key to Hitler's defeat because if Moscow had fallen, the Germans probably would also have taken Stalingrad, and then captured the oil of the Middle East. Remember, the Luftwaffe didn't run out of airplanes; they ran out of fuel.

This book is an essential item for any historian of WW II.

Richard Sorge was a spy--pure and simple. I'm not denying that. He worked for Stalin. In the 1930s, Stalin sent him to Tokyo where he became a mole in the German Embassy in Tokyo. The Japanese were onto him from the beginning. It wasn't until he got sloppy that the Tokko, the Japanese secret police arrested him. He was executed in 1944. Near the end, Sorge's spy ring warned Stalin about Hitler's plan to invade the Soviet Union but Stalin refused to listen.

I have been a paddler since 1973 when my husband and I bought a used aluminum canoe. Back then there were almost no comprehensive, well-written texts on the subject. How I wish a book like Mr. Grant's had been available to me.

In 1982 I became a certified canoeing instructor and have regularly taught canoe classes since that time. We supplement our canoeing instruction with numerous handouts. One handout is a list of recommended books and videos to help the students advance their knowledge of the sport.

I never envisioned that we would replace Bill Mason's Path of the Paddle at the top of the list but we have done so with Canoeing, A Trailside Guide. We now recommend it as the very FIRST book the students should acquire.

The manner in which the information is presented is so similar to the way we teach, we tell our students they will actually hear our voices coming from the pages. On our recommendation, the principal canoe retailer in the area keeps this book in stock and we have encouraged the local book stores to also carry it. The illustrations are quite well done, much better than most canoeing instruction texts.

I am delighted to have a book I can so enthusiastically recommend and that can be of significant value to new and to experienced paddlers also. Reading and practicing the instructions in this book will do more to assure you a safe and satisfying canoeing experience than any other text I have encountered. Happy paddling.

Memories of hours upon hours spent with my father, canoeing the ozark's rivers and lakes in the "Green Hornet", has stayed within my very soul. December 7th, my husband gave me a 16' "green" canoe with all the accessoriees for our 35th wedding anniversary. After 40 years-I can't wait to make my first trip! I immediately went to the book store and after reviewing every book on the shelf, I chose, "Canoeing-A Trialside Guide". The simplistic explanations and clear illustrtions grabbed my attention immediately. Christmas eve found me immersed in study, reviewing and learning from this easy to understand publication. Gordon Grant's writing technique has me anxioux to feel the tug of the waters - at my paddle and at my soul.

Armed with no more knowledge than provided by this book, my twelve year old son and I purchased our first canoe, practiced its use and successfully ran 12 miles of Class III river last summer. Several experienced kayakers that we met at the river (and paddled with for safety) were impressed with the skills we had achieved - this was a section of river not generally navigated by canoeists. We only flipped once and confidently avoided any dangerous situations. This was a good kick start to a lifestyle that I think we both will enjoy for many years to come. The book is straightforward but very thorough. Mr. Grant's writing style makes what could have been a dry technical treatise an enjoyable read. The appendices at the end with gear manufacturers and additional sources of information are concise and very useful.

Regardless of who you are - a casual user of today's technology, old, young, or in between, a corporate citizen or a manager - it is easy to become enthralled by today's "toys", which turn into "tools" and unless handled carefully, change into "weapons" that threaten to control us.

At one point in time or another, we've each fallen victim to the seductiveness of "always on" technology. Believing the myth of "I'll only check e-mail for 5 minutes" or "I'll check my voice mail - it will probably only take a second" has lead many of us to the almost unconscious, unnoticeable state of "always on duty". How did it happen? How can we revert back?

"Turn It Off" helps - a great deal! It is practical, the approach is definitely instructive, and the reader is given much to think about when analyzing their personal and professional circumstances. Approaching our time off with as much care as we devote to our business reminds us to cherish it as the valued and valuable commodity it is.

The author has done an admirable job of positioning the trends that we all must respond to as managers, employees and most importantly, people. We live and work in tumultuous times... "Turn It Off" captures our dilemma - and our opportunity to regain control - most effectively.

This is an excellent, thoughtful and well-written book. Even more important, the author is absolutely right about the impact of high technology on our lives. The approach he proposes for simplifying your life is, unlike those proposed by others, reasonable, practical and achievable. I highly recommend the book --- as well as the less practical but far more humorous look at high technology and society as provided in the paperback, GONE AWRY: A virtual tour through high tech hell.

We used to be able to disconnect from the office. Our home lives and our work lives were separate. We had a life, as today's expression goes. In a world of e-mail, voicemail, pagers, cell phones, and personal digital assistants, it's increasingly hard to have a life. At least a life outside of work.

All these technological marvels are wonderful, except that they keep us so tethered to our work. We can no longer easily separate the workplace from the rest of our lives. With these connections, every place is the workplace. Result: burnout, severely reduced family and personal time, and shallow relationships with friends and family. We've been trapped in a world that expects instant response 24 hours a day, 7 days a week . . . if we allow it. And most of us do. But we don't have to!

Gil Gordon, an expert in telecommuting and virtual offices, shows us how to regain our freedom, privacy, space . . . to get a life. The book is organized into nine chapters, starting with How Did We Become So Attached to Our Offices. Get ready-in chapter 2, you'll learn How to Find Out if You've Gone over the Line. The balance of the book is page after page of techniques, based on Gordon's three zones of life management. Chapter 6 is critical: How to Approach, Inform, and Get Support from Your Boss, Clients, or Co-Workers. I bet you'll take notes on this chapter! Don't think you can do it all? Chapter 9 covers What to Do if You Just Can't "Turn It Off."

An important point: Gordon doesn't tell you exactly what to do. He just shows you the path. It's up to the reader to determine how far to go, when, and why. Turn It Off gives you the blueprint, the skeleton design, the concept. It's up to you to use it in the way that will be best for you and your life. No, you can't borrow my copy-I've marked it up-lots of fill-in worksheets. And I want to keep this book.

Turn It Off came at a perfect time in my life. I had reached that point where I really wanted to break free of the bonds of total connection. While my desire was there, I needed just a little bit of moral support and perhaps something to call my feeling. Turn it off! Yes! I read the book. I paid attention. I followed Gordon's suggestions to re-think my life. I made some major changes that feel wonderful already! Now I have to discipline myself to stick with it. I think I'll put Turn It Off in my tickler file for three months from now as a reminder to check my progress. Thanks, Gil Gordon--I now have a life again!

This is a great book, but if you need it right away and don't want to pay a special handling fee order it directly from Vault.com. The eBook version is also available there as well as the new 2003 edition that is not available yet in bookstores.

i don't normally write reviews as i'm too busy slaving away as a lawyer...but i must add my $.02 this vault guidebook is astonishingly good. my fellow lawyers and i can't get enough of "The Buzz" which tells what lawyers are saying about various firms. this is the ONLY resource that tells it like it is in the arduous, sometimes rewarding, sometimes nauseating world of BIGLAW

The folks at Vault have really outdone themselves. This new edition is huge and very much expanded from previous editions. The material inside is all new as well. The have increased the detail and have done an incredible job providing the scoop on the top law firms in the country (including many that didn't make the top 50). They have included information on the quality of life rankings and their methodology. The book is invaluable for any law student as well as any lawyer considering a lateral move. I have a copy on my desk at a prominent law school and find people constantly borrowing it. Highly recommended.

The best Bruno and Boots book- Gordon Korman really fleshes out the situations at both Miss Scrimage's and Macdonald Hall as he does in no other book. The antics are not just those of Bruno and Boots, but also of Cathy and Diane, their friends from the girls' school. While part of the plot forces one to suspend one's disbelief, this is an extremely funny book.

I don't even remember what the book was about, I just remember laughing out loud and annoying all my family members. I strongly recommend all the Bruno and Boots stories, as well as many other of Gordon Korman's books.

When a computer nerd is called in to take control of the school, Bruno and Boots, along with their friends, decide that Wizzle has to go! With imaginative pranks, some of which backfire, they try their best to take back their beloved school. Lots of laughs, as usual.

I loved reading these fascinating stories. I learned so much about famous couples in love and how they met. This book certainly makes a great gift! I keep it on my coffee table and friends love looking through it.

Reading this book is like eating peanuts - once you start, it's hard to stop! It's filled with lots of romantic, funny and sometimes so touching stories about famous couples and their marriages. I like the way Gordon set up the book - it's organized like a calendar, with a story for every day of the year. The words are printed in deep purple ink - very pretty! I'm giving this book to my aunt and uncle for their 25th anniversary, and I'll write something special on their wedding day page. They love the Beatles, and will love to learn that they were married on the same day as John Lennon & Yoko Ono.

If you're getting married, or know someone who is, this book is a lot of fun to read and give! It's filled with lots of great facts like what Elvis sang to Priscilla on their wedding day, and why Napoleon and Josephine shared their wedding night with her nasty pug dog. Wedding Days is set up chronologically, with a story for every day of the year, so you can find out who else was married on "your" day. Last spring, I had to make a speech at a wedding and Wedding Days gave me wonderful material - my friends got married on April 18 - the same day as Princess Grace and Prince Rainier! Her father did something really outrageous during the ceremony - you'll have to read the book to find out what... By the way, Elvis & Priscilla were married on May 1 (1967); Napoleon & Josephine were married on March 9 (1796.)