I searched for ages for a cookbook that had quick, tasty recipes that wasn't a how-to-cook tome or chock full of dishes made with expensive ingredients, and The Working Stiff Cookbook was the answer to my prayers!

This book is probably best for someone who:
a) likes to cook and already knows the basics, but is lazy (*ahem*) or busy or both!
b) has a hodgepodge of kitchen gadgets bought on a whim that never get used (all the chopping in this book has reacquainted me with the finer points of using a mandoline)
c) wants to prepare tasty, elegant meals with the minimum of effort.

I will admit that the lack of pictures didn't even occur to me until I started reading these reviews. The dishes are so simple and easy to visualize, I didn't need or miss them.

The real winner has to be the Deluxe Chicken recipe. I have a feeling this one's gonna save me from stressing too much over last-minute dinner parties. The One Pot dishes are all divine for someone living in a small apartment with limited counter space.

I bought this book for my brother who doesn't cook, is a total working stiff, and is sick and tired of take-out. However, when I leafed through it I knew I had to keep it for myself. I'm married and we have two small children and the quick but scrumptious-sounding recipes really appealed to me. So I kept it and gave my brother something else for Christmas last year. On New Year's Eve I prepared a meal from this book for our family: Jumbo Shrimp, Chicken Breasts with Artichokes & Mushrooms, Herb-Roasted Potatoes, a green salad, and Chocolate Pecan Pie for dessert. What a meal!! Since then, I've cooked from this book many times especially when I'm in need of something quick. The recipes are classy and just plain wonderful. I love this cookbook and yes, I did get one for my brother too. Guess what? He's actually begun to cook! Thank-you Bob Sloan for such a wonderful little cookbook!

This book was given to me by a girlfriend who saw me as a potential husband. One of my flaws, according to her, was that I did not know how to cook so she gave me the Working Stiff Cookbook as a birthday gift. We were never joined in matrimony but at least now I know how to cook, and what a joy it is!

Since then I've purchased quite a few cookbooks but time and time again I'll pull out this one. The salmon recipes are killer, especially the pan-fried salmon. You'll love the quick chicken recipes as well. So buy the book already! You'll thank me and your stomach will thank you.

I PURCHASED THIS BOOK JUST DAYS AFTER MY FOUR YEAR OLD SON LOST HIS FATHER IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT. IT WAS VERY HARD TO FIND AGE APPROPRIATE MATERIAL CONCERNING THE DEATH OF A FATHER BECAUSE MOST BOOKS ON DEATH AND DYING PERTAIN TO PETS AND GRANDPARENTS OR WENT INTO THE FUNERAL AND CEMETARY ASPECTS TOO MUCH. THE CONCEPT OF "HIS BODY STOPPED WORKING" WAS A GOOD WAY TO EXPLAIN HIS PASSING. IT RE-AFFIRMED OUR BELIEFS THAT HIS FATHER WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF HIS LIFE AND HE CAN DREAM OF HIS DAD OFTEN. THE PICTURES ARE A LITTLE LACKING BUT THE STORY IS WORTH READING. IF YOU NEED HELP EXPLAINING DEATH TO A CHILD OR WANT THEM TO KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO YOU.

My husband died of cancer, leaving behind 5 children between the ages of 1 and 10. This book was very helpful to all of them, not just the boys. Addresses feelings they may have had during the parent's illness and death, helps to resolve issues that may have been left undone or unsaid between parent and child, and gives the child permission to continue on and live a happy life. A very hopeful, constructive, positive book that has been read over and over in our home.

After reading this book, one can not help but see that is a biased view of discipline. It only gives the author's point of view without giving attention to the other side of the issue. He is strongly against corporal punishment and gives false accusations about using corporal punishment as a disciplinarian method. After further investigation of this author Hyman, it is plain to see that his main agenda is to abolish parents' and teachers' rights to discipline children as they deem necessary. Further, the norms he uses in the Teacher Variance Survey, should not accurately be the norms. Because he does not use enough respondents(only 608) to accurately represent the vast number of educators that work with children in the nation.

As a person who values options in discipline, this book is terrrifc because the author aligns major theoretical perspectives with reasons for a child's behavior or misbehavior. Dr. I. Hyman, a reputable child psychologist/researcher, describes useful methods which can help both parents and teachers identify their own patterns of discipline, which may or may not include techniques such as punishment. I like the book for what it is; a no non-sense approach to understanding how and why, we as teachers or parents, respond the way we do to a child's behavior. Hyman provides some terrific scenarios demonstrating these approaches. Also, folks who highly support the right to hit their children may not like what the author has to say since he provides other options for discipline, including reinforcement, investigation of the environmental setting, and understanding WHY a child behaves a certain way. This info is useful since professionals in the medical and psychological professions agree (as is seen in their organizational position statements) that there is little place for corporal punishment in our schools. It's worth it to take a look at other options which have proven to be more effective, and this book provides a curious, open-minded reader with an opportunity to do so.

I must agree with the two most recent review writers, David Haven, and the writer from USA who titled his review "Goofy and scary".

I consider myself to be a very spiritual person, so I am not deriding new age or "new spiritualism" material per se. But there is so much material out in print now, claiming to be channeled messages, claiming to bear the Truth, and so on. It is quite difficult to be discerning, and to know what is real versus what is just commercialized [stuff], written by authors who would cash in on the movement, or worse, who are completely deluded and actually believe their own nonsense. Some of these people just make up terms as they go along, mixing and matching whatever sounds exotic; e.g., "crystal-angel", "clair-sentient", and many more such examples.

The abovementioned reviewer correctly states that there is no command structure in the Higher Realm. There are deeper/higher states of enlightenment and, perhaps a good word would be, sponsorship, but referring to a spiritual being as a "Commander" only betrays the author's complete lack of knowledge as well as attributing all-too-human qualities to that which cannot be defined by our limited physically based habituations involving control, command hierarchies, domination, etc.

Our spirit guides, helpers, angels, however one wishes to refer to them, are among us to assist and inspire, to gently lead through private revelation. One cannot become enlightened, cannot attain the higher states of being, by submitting to anyone claiming to be a higher authority or by becoming a sycophant to a channeler. This is particularly true (and a sad spectacle) with expensive weekend seminars given by the self-proclaimed voices of higher energy beings. True spirituality, and Truth itself, is not for sale, nor should one ever be induced to pay dearly for it through false claims of wisdom.

Choose wisely, Travelers. Your path is your own, and only you can find it. Do not be beguiled by words that purport to be more than you are. We are all One, vessels of God's essense, moving continually towards reintegration with Him. It is the divine inner journey that matters.

After hearing great things about The Crystal Stair and The Inner Door, both wrote by Eric Kline, I decided to order five of each for gifts to friends. Upon receiving The Crystal Stair, I opened it and began to read it.

Within the first six pages, I found it is just another "money maker" from one who does not Know. Eric Kline is writing of things that he does not know. As he states; "Jesus who is Sananda is the Ashtar Commander of the extraterrestrial masters." The Other Side does not contain chain of command, for All is equal. He also states; "We are in the third-dimensional reality, and will leap into the fifth-dimensional or higher level." The Other Side it the ulimate, there is no higher. He writing indicates teaching from higher beings, but they do not teach they Inspire.

Two foolish books wrote by a foolish man. Do not buy!

Let me first say that I appreciate *GOOD* Ashtar material, of which there is VERY little in print. This book is not good Ashtar, and not very good channeled material at all, to be honest. Each of the entities in this book sounds like the others. In short, this book is more Eric Klein than Ashtar, Sananda, etc.

Many years ago, Eric Klein's "The Crystal Stair" was THE channeled book to buy, and lots of people did buy it, including me. Personally, I could never get through it, as I found the contents kinda pointless. Now, with a new edition, I thought I'd take a look again and see if it came off any better, nearly a decade later. Frankly, I was horrified! It talks of disasters and cataclysms and all kinds of alarmist fear junk, pretty much missing the point of any meaningful spiritual, metaphysical or channeled text, which is to help people grow more peaceful!

Channeled books which rattle on and on about earth changes and mass ascensions and liftoffs into space miss the mark and do more harm than good, crippling people and breeding dependency. What's more, most of these books believe there's a hidden agenda behind society and government and events in the news and create a kind of paranoid bunker mentality. Do we need this nonsense?

Friends, the earth changes and ascension are spiritual states; inner experiences. Get over the outer and seek the inner! That is what is important, and is where the Truth of your being dwells, not out in the ethers!