Now in a revised and expanded second edition, Grandloving: Making Memories With Your Grandchildren is more effective than ever as a compendium of tips, ideas and suggestions for grandparents to bond with their grandchildren. More than two hundred fun and easy activities drawn from 350 families are presented along with sound advice, helpful suggestions, and inexpensive do-together projects. Whether it something special for family holidays and celebrations, or just a rainy-day or weekend visit pastime, Grandloving will have everything you need to plan and implement a truly memory making event. Enthusiastically recommended for grandparents of any age or circumstance, Grandloving's engaging, "reader friendly" text is enhanced with reminders about child development, an extensive list of resources, helpful logos, and an easy-to-use index.

This book has great information for anyone who works with children ! Of course grandmothers are always looking for ideas and new things to do with grandchildren. Offering specific activities, as well as helpful information, this book is a MUST HAVE for any grandmother. It's also a PERFECT gift for any adult who has grandchildren.

This book covers the gamut when it comes to finding fun things to do with children. Because my new grandson is 800 miles away, I especially liked all of the long-distance grandparenting ideas. I would recommend it to anyone, mothers and fathers as well as grandparents.

Sue Frederick has written about natural products for years. When her daughter was born, she consulted experts about the best ways to keep her healthy. She shares all that's she learned in A Mother's Guide to Raising Healthy Children--Naturally. She focuses on preventing disease and emphasizes that, while antibiotics can sometimes be very useful, they are not the solution for most childhood ailments. Frederick says that "natural medicine does hold the answers we're looking for."

She begins with breast feeding and the benefits it offers to children's immune systems. She then moves to a discussion of nutrition in general, saying that "the food you feed your child creates the foundation for her future health." Frederick warns strongly against giving children fruit juice, citing the effect all the sugar in it has on juvenile immune systems.

She devotes a chapter to the issue of childhood immunizations, describing each one and emphasizing that parents have the right to choose whether or not to have their children immunized.

Frederick also discusses nurturing, saying that "if your child feels truly loved and knows that you'll always be there for her, that inner peace and sense of security will help strengthen her immunity and ability to fight off illnesses." She includes commentary from a variety of experts, explaining how they've helped their children develop spiritually.

One section of the book is devoted to specific natural remedies for common childhood illness, such as colds, fever, colic, earaches, etc. Frederick then includes a complete discussion of the use of herbs, homeopathy, flower essences, Chinese medicine, and nutritional supplements, all with age-appropriate dosages.

She finishes with a "Child's Materia Medica," which explains how to use various natural remedies, and suggestions for a home health care kit, enabling parents to have everything needed on hand.

Jay Gordon, M.D. writes in the foreword: "Sue Frederick's book has helped me--and would help every doctor, health-care practitioner, and parent--remember one crucial fact: A child's body will heal itself naturally if we stay out of the way and use gentle remedies, wisdom, and guidance." Readers will find that A Mother's Guide to Raising Healthy Children--Naturally provides all the information they need to keep their children healthy and happy.

I met the author at her booksigning. Although, I don't have children, I believed in her message and intended to give this book to my sister-in-law. It was so good, I kept it for myself. The sections on supplements, homeopathy, and flower essences are so informative and easy to read. Anybody could apply this information to improve their health. I will buy more books to give to friends who have children. This book should be in every parent's library.

This book offers so many insites into raising a healthy and happy child and specifics about what to do to keep your child healthy or get them healthy again if they've gotten sick - and without drugs and chemicals. Like most mothers I do not want to give my daughter unnecessary drugs, but I also hate to see her sick or uncomfortable. These natural remedies WORK and I feel good about using them. It is so great to have someone really help you when you have that horrible feeling of not knowing how to best help your child. This book is like having a trustworthy healer right in your home. Thanks Sue Frederick for your help.

Excellent skewering of a branch of academia that seems to set itself up for it. Crews put a lot of work into these essays, which are clever, intelligent, and extremely funny. He isn't nearly so vicious in his satire as many of his speakers (and their real-life counterparts) are in their literary-political maneuvering, but he exposes the void at the heart of much modern literary criticism where the work itself used to live. Pooh is as good as any other subject when the theory drives the criticism, which is why this book works so well.

...yet shockingly frightening. It took me a while to 'get' the meaning of the pieces in this book because at first I thought they were real! The pieces are excellent. For example, after reading the 'feminist' perspective on Milne, I could have sworn that he was a misogynist.

Yet it soon became apparent that these essays provide brilliant exposes of our postmodern intellectual traditions.

Just as Will Rogers and Dick Gregory would read straight from the newspapers without commentary and would be met with laughs at the absurdity of the pieces read, so too did I find myself doing the same with these pieces.

Not only do they present in clear fashion the 'truths' espoused in the various philosophies of our day but by reading these very philosophies into the Pooh stories, the hubris of humanity glares from between the lines. I walked away not only educated and humored but humbled.

It became apparent that we can read whatever we like not only into the Pooh stories but into pretty much anything we so desire.

Literary Criticism so long ago slipped over the edge into self parody that when I first found an old dog-eared copy of The Pooh Perplex at a book sale many years ago it took me more than a few pages to figure out whether it was meant to be serious or not. In a series of essays, various critics, of dubious but seemingly impressive pedigree, read the Pooh stories through the distorted lenses of their own literary/political/philosophical/psychological perspectives. It turned out of course that the book, published in 1964, had been the work of a young English professor at Berkeley (of all places) and was a parody, skewering several of the then current schools of criticism. Now, nearly forty years later, retired from academia, Professor Crews gives today's critics the satirical drubbing they so richly deserve in this manufactured set of lectures to the Modern Language Association convention. Happily, this second effort is just as funny as the first, though it is somewhat depressing to realize that his targets have become even easier to poke fun at because, one shudders at the thought, their theories are even more ridiculous than those of their predecessors.

I'll not pretend to understand all the nuances of what Professor Crews has written; heck, I don't even recognize all the schools of thought he's sending up, nor all the specific people he seems to have targeted. Everyone will discern Harold Bloom in the person of Orpheus Bruno, whose lecture is titled The Importance of Being Portly, and whose last three books are titled : My Vico, My Shakespeare, My God!; What You Don't Know Hurts Me; and Read These Books. And one assumes that Dudley Cravat III, whose contribution, Twilight of the Dogs, is one long bellow against the "sickness unto death" of the modern university, must incorporate at least a significant touch of William Bennett. Knowing who the victims are in these instances definitely adds to the enjoyment. Unfortunately (no, make that fortunately) most of the other models for these characters will be so obscure to anyone outside academia that the reader, at least this reader, won't know recognize them.

You can figure out, without too much trouble, that specific lectures are aimed at Deconstruction, Marxism, Feminism, Queer Theory, Postcolonialism, Evolutionary Psychology and so forth. Much of the enjoyment of the book lies in the way Crews can make the Pooh stories fit these absurd theories. He'll leave you half convinced that the Hundred Acre Wood is alternately a seething pit of repressed homosexual longings or pedophiliac torture; the oppressed colony of a brutal imperialist master; and a laboratory of Darwinism. The very capacity of these simple children's stories to bear the weight of each of these ideologies only serves to undermine them all. Such infinitely plastic criticisms must ultimately be about the theories themselves, not about the text that is supposedly under consideration.

One final feature of the book is particularly amusing, and especially frightening. Though the lectures are obviously made up, the footnotes appear to all refer to genuine sources, with titles like "The Foul and the Fragrant: Odor and the French Social Imagination" and "The Vestal and the Fasces: Hegel, Lacan, Property, and the Feminine". I suppose someone trying to complete a doctoral thesis will write just about anything, but, please God, tell me no one has actually ever read them.

It all makes for very funny reading, but with a serious subtext. This is the kind of garbage that kids are being taught, with a straight face, in our schools today. That scares the heck out of me. Hopefully Professor Crews will keep that skewer pointy. We need someone to puncture the pretensions of these self-important intellectual nitwits.

GRADE : A

This is great book for learning statistics. The best I've seen so far. Statistics is a subject I hate, but this book has given me hope. I know use it as a supplement for other textbooks. It was a book that was written with the student in mind. I am in a class with an awful stats book now, Statistical Methods for Psychology. But, the Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences text will be a permanent fixture on my shelf and I recommend it often. I will continue to look for textbooks written by these guys. Thanks, you made one of my semesters much better.

OK, here it is: I am a math phobic, have been all my life, as long as I can remember myself! So, when I started studying psychology as a second degree, I was kind of anxious about taking all kinds of statistics courses: it seems that statistics are a major part of any psychology degree, & so it was important for me to learn them well, from the beginning. Well, with this book (which I shopped around for, looking for the best introductory book on the subject) my math-phobia has not disappeared, but is slowly & surely getting smaller & smaller. This is a textbook that guides you, step by step, so you can understand all the basic concepts of statistics, without feeling you're making an effort. Lots of problem-solving & learning checks help, lots of revision at the end of each chapter...the book is organized in an excellent & thoughtful way, perfect for a student who will take the time sto study (it covers almost everything) but who wants to do it in an organized way.

I used an older copy of this book as an undergrad and was asked by a fellow doctoral student what I might recommend for use as a good stats book for the "stat phobic" ... Hands down, I say that THIS is the book to use. I've used thinner stats books that pretend to be cute. But if "cute" is not what you need, and you need to learn the stuff as well as reference the stuff. This is the book for you.

I suppose I ought to update my copy ;-) mine is dog eared!

Need stats? Buy this book to learn. Good stuff!

We are particularly fond of this book because it provides a comprehensive review of universities and colleges based on majors, size, and geographic region. Even if the college applicant has a particular focus with his or her college selection, this book is still likely to open your eyes to possibilities you may have otherwise overlooked. This guide is very useful for its thorough research and inclusion of smaller regional schools that excel in a particular field but do not get the same publicity as the more prestigious national schools.

This book has been a perennial leader in college reference books. And, this edition is no different. It gives you all the information about all the colleges. But, how do you make the right choice? Want the answer? As an education counsellor, I'll tell you what I have been telling many others. The answer is UNDERSTANDING, understanding the REAL purpose of college education --- what our founding fathers, especially education pioneer Thomas Jefferson, said was absolutely critical that college education accomplish for both you and our Nation. I recommend, before you do anything, that you first read the only book about understanding higher education --- "West Point", by Norman Thomas Remick. In it, Thomas Jefferson explains in simple language, through his founding of West Point (hence, the title), the reasons for having colleges in America. It's a heads up that will help you make the right decision and save you from making a big, life-altering mistake down the road by bringing everything into clear focus for you. Once you understand and have a clear perspective, then go on and pour over the college reference books, especially the five-star "Rugg's Recommendations On Colleges".

Most of us know (or think we know)the top schools around the U.S. But if your high school student already has a solid interest in a particular major, this guide will open your eyes to possibilities you never knew existed. Rugg's extensive research finds those smaller regional and private schools which excel in a particular field but do not get the same publicity as the big name universities.

If your child is leery of taking on a campus of 40,000 students or doesn't want to be 2,000 miles from home, this guide will help you find outstanding institutions of all sizes and in nearly every part of the country. Our son will be pursuing some area of computer science, and we found many highly-rated schools in this guide which were completely new to us. What is also interesting is to look at the listings for some majors and see what "name brand" schools are missing from the list. Don't assume that just because a particular college or university is of general high quality that it truly excels in the field your child wants to study!

Give your college-bound child a REAL choice and eliminate much of the guesswork by using Rugg's.

This celebration of the human spirit has a most unlikely hero: a stockbroker and flimflam artist. Throughout the novel, Barnaby Griswold wrestles with a self-loathing so complete that it defines him. The narrative presents Barnaby as he sees himself, so the reader has little hope for him. The strategy works well in the end, as the character slowly evolves from clown into human complexity.

I was surprised by the story's direction after the flippant tone of the opening narrative led me to expect a farce or romantic comedy. The story moves very slowly, not the pace of comedy at all. The tennis game that begins the story is literally in slow motion. The crisis is viewed in retrospect, so we are given Barnaby's wry perspective of it. I loved the author's use of the tiger motif to deflect Barnaby's own self-deprecation and remind us that even stockbrokers have human potential. What happens in the end remains appropriately open to chance, as is life.

You could almost see this as a contemporary rewrite of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," only without the sentimentality. After his quiet epiphany, Barnaby does not become a great philanthropist or spiritual leader; he simply fulfills some personal responsibilities. Nice.

The previous line says it all -- this is just a great book. Full of humanity and heart and so, so smart - but not so smart the author ever forgets about his main character, Barnaby. It's like the old joke: I laughed, I cried, it was better than CATS - but I did laugh and cry and this book will hold a special place on my shelf and in my heart for a long time to come.

Engrossing- a great 'before bed book'- Dillen is a beautiful writer- eloquent and joyous- the writing is so good, might have to read this one again.

Peter Simple is the tale of a young British midshipman seeking his fame and fortune on the high seas. Set during the Napoleonic wars, it offers comedy and adventure in an old-school style.

Originally released in serialized form, Peter Simple is a fun, straight-forward adventure novel. It was a best-seller in it's time (1833) and holds up beautifully. I think this will appeal to anyone who ever thrilled to the works of Rafael Sabatini, Bernard Cornwell, or Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel. It's an easy read and great fun !

Frederick Marryat was a sea captain who served under the famous Lord Cochrane. This book was an inspiration to such later writers as Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forster. It is a little like Tom Jones in that it episodic, even picaresque. It is very funny in parts, in a way that O'Brian is not--you get the sense that Marryatt is weaving in incidents and characters from his own naval career. It certainly helps to have read O'Brian for a deep understanding of the culture, but with Marryat you feel at times that you are in touch with the real thing.

Another good book in the Heart of Oak series. This novel was quite the opposite of the last one in the series I read, "The Black Ship". I think both novels give good pictures of how life was on the British sailing ships but in "Peter Simple" the crew seems to have a lot of fun and good times as well as taking their work very seriously. They are able to joke around a good bit and enjoy life. This seems much more realistic to me based on my own experiences at sea. "Peter Simple" is written by an actual man of war captain from the Napoleanic era and so probably portrays a much more accurate picture of life on a British man of war than any of the other similar novels. I really liked the novel. Although some of the coincidences and the ending especially are a little too much like a "ladies romance novel" I still think O'Brian fans would enjoy this novel too. The sea battles and ship maneuvers are every bit as good as O'Brian.

The mystery of our lives. The oddity of memory. The things that make us who we are. Frederick Buechner explores all of these topics in the first volume of his autobiographies, "The Sacred Journey."

Slowly--word by word and line by line, Buechner has won my respect as an author. How he unravels the story of his own life, how he makes the past breathe, gives it life...it has all combined to deepen my esteem for him. He is one of the greatest living authors.

Buechner's honest search for something universal in his story has captivated me. We all stand, in one way or another, in the shadows of our own lives. Alone, we cannot even comprehend the whole of our own journeys. The value of Buechner's excavation of his past is that when others view it, it may help them see the importance of their own journey.

In spite of the author's uncertainness about writing them, I have found Buechner's autobiographies to be of great value. I am thankful for the man's openness, courage and skill (they are fun to read).

I give "The Sacred Journey" my wholehearted recommendation.

Do not be misled -- this first of Buechner's four autobiographical works is slim, but there is much to be found here -- much that will make the reader connect with the author and reflect on his or her own life.

A feeling of quiet comes over one during the reading. This is intensely personal, intensely honest writing. I was prompted to examine my own life as directly and intently, wondering why I had never done so before. Truthfully, wondering if I could.

Highly recommended, as are the works that follow.

Perhaps the best thing about Rev. Buechner's book is that, in reading about his early journey toward finding Christ, it really will, as so many have noted, help you reflect on your journey. Buechner writes about how our lives are like novels, that they have a structure and a meaning, and indeed, they do, if we take the time to delve into them and try to process them. God, of course, is the Author of that meaning, and as Buechner finds meaning in his life, so too can we find meaning in ours. This is one I am sure I will read again and again. (Fair warning -- the cover photograph will come to haunt you as you read about what happens to Buechner's father!)

This is a very worthwhile little mystery read, very much like being in Britain in the company of political and government sorts without any special consideration being given to explain the asides to us silly colonials.

Anglophiles might enjoy this more than general mystery readers, and it helps a lot to be familiar with the history of the 50s and 60s in Britain. Even so, the characters are well-delineated and the situations speak for themselves, so fear not.

A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA is a very different sort of book, even for an author of Robert Barnard's excellent capabilities. Written in first person, it is narrated in a most engaging and chatty style by a former politician, Peter Proctor, who is (as are most retired politicians) working on his memoirs. But Peter Proctor was not just any politician, to be sure. He didn't rise very high, although he did achieve the status of senior cabinet minister, as well as being an MP for several terms. What sets him apart, however, is that, when his career began in the Foreign Office, in the early to middle 1950s, England was trying to get itself back on the right foot again, after struggling through the War, only to find itself engaged in the massive blunder that was the Suez crisis. Proctor had already resigned his post in the F.O., but was still shocked and unhappy by the brutal death of his friend, Timothy Wycliffe. The bigger mystery is why this death received so little press coverage. Tim's death also causes a monumental 'writer's block' in the mature Proctor, who decides to investigate the still-unsolved crime for himself. The book takes us back and forth in time, as Proctor exercises his memory as well as himself while digging for the facts.

Of course, it was Suez that occupied so much newspaper space, but still, one would have thought that such a shocking death, and one with such a propensity for scandal and gossip, would have rated more than the occasional one sentence it did achieve. For Tim was very open (for that time) about his homosexuality, and that was obviously the motive behind the murder. At that time, such behavior was very much against the law, and was an imprisonable offence. To be sure, Tim was the grandson of a marquess, but still--

Not at all impressed with himself, Proctor is by turns still naïve (cocooned, he calls it), prescient, dogged, and most of all, a man at ease with himself. A man who, thirty-five years earlier, could have a good friend who was homosexual, while still being very hetero himself.

It would appear that a young man, employed as an electrician by the BBC, Andrew Forbes, was labelled as the murderer, but everyone who will speak to Proctor, discounts that possibility. When Proctor travels to the US to, with any luck, confront Forbes, he finds himself believing the story he is told. Tim was alive, although battered, when Forbes left him.

With the help of his children, his researcher, old friends, and others, Proctor pulls away the layers of concealment to expose the perpetrator of the crime. By the time you've made the journey with Proctor, you'll definitely wish for more politicians in his mold, regardless of whether Whig or Tory, Labor or Conservative, Republican or Democrat. I promise you won't soon forget this book, especially the final few pages. Guaranteed to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck!

Robert P. Barnard has written a slew of books. To me, the only thing any one of them has in common with any other one, other than being a very enjoyable reading experience, is the marvelous writing accompanied by a very shart wit. The wit usually presents itself in different ways, depending on the plot and the characters, of course, but it is still ever-present. Hardly surprising, then, that he's won so many awards. They're all well-deserved.

As a 30 year old gay man the topic appealed to me. Which is the murder of a gay man in the 1950's. I was not disappointed. This is a well written mystery and the ending is without a doubt one of the best I have read in years. My hat goes off to Mr. Barnard on a superb job. I hope he continues to write mysteries as good as this one.