I loved this book because it was so encouraging and I could not believe that I was reading an interview by Steven Seagal, my hero. I am taking aikido and he pointed out that one should empty oneself like a cup and be humble in the dojo. That is what I tried to do.

I found A Beginner's Guide to Aikido to be most informative. It covers everything that a beginning aikido student needs to know. It is easy reading and has excellent information for future reference. I particularly enjoyed the comments by Aikido Masters Steven Seagal, Mitsunari Kanai and Mitsugi Saotome respectively. This text is recommended for my students study.

Reynosa Sensei has gathered the essentials and details of the day-to-day practice of Aikido, as well as in-depth interviews and articles with Aikido masters, and brought them into one comprehensive guide. Japanese dojo etiquete is complex and seemingly random to outsiders. This book provides the Aikido practitioners, beginner and experienced alike, with a manual to these nuances. Concise explanations to any number of practices can be found here, and the interview with Steven Seagal Sensei provides a rare view into the mind and motivations of the most famous and accomplished of Aikido masters since O-Sensei himself! Interviews with other masters of this gentle art round out the abstract portion of this presentation. If you're curious about the art, this book is for you. If you've recently signed up for Aikido and remain unsure of how to act or the meanings behind things, this is for you. If you've been studying Aikido for a number of years, you'll still find a number of revelations. No picture book, this is cover-to-cover information, including terminology, descriptions of basic techniques, etc. I heartily recommend it; Reynosa's book is required reading for my students.

Great plot. Enjoyed the mix of textbook material and the fictional story.

This was a very informative and enjoyable "educational" novel. Lots of info about accounting and business issues (e.g. ethics) mixed into a fun adventure story. The action moves from Atlanta to Europe to India. A great mix of textbook info and a mystery novel.

This is a great book that incorporates various accounting and business topics into an adventure story...

This is a well written and concise introduction to some basic principles of CNS anatomy, written with an eye to both historical and developmental perspectives. Swanson likes to use classic diagrams from celebrated old-timers like Cajal to illustrate basic principles, and also includes some relatively new information on the exciting progress in molecular determinants of brain embryological development. I'd strongly recommend this as a first quick read-through for those about to embark on a more detailed neuroanatomy course, or for the interested undergraduate or even precocious high school student with an interest in the subject. Speaking as an experienced clinical neurologist, I found the book a nice refresher, and even learned a new thing or two from it.

As in Larry Swanson's writing is usual, he wrote an amazing book, where you will find in 200s pages an overview of the neuroanatomical knowledge that it is available nowadays. Besides, he offers an outstanding revision of the neural systems that are present from unicellular organisms to vertebrates.
In summary, in my opinion this is a very recommendable book for anyone interested in neuroscience.

This was book was truly enlightening. Certainly the best book I've read on this subject and well-researched. A definite recommend!

This book was great. It had tons of action and it was a great ending to a series. Or was it? It has a majorly surprising ending (unless you pay really close attention to the book)and it also told a greatstory. The were only to things that I didn't like: 1.It made the Creature look like a God or something, and 2.The Bride of Frankenstein, like in the movie,was only in it in the end, and, also like the movie, she didn't do anything but hiss and shreik at the Creature. All in all,however,it was a great book that I would like to read over and over again. Oh yeah, and I really liked Dr. Pretorius,too. He was a true mad scientist. Larry Mike Garmon is a really talented author, and I wish he would write at least one more book:The Invisible Man. I think that it would be soooo cool if they had to fight something they couldn't see. Thanks for reading,and have a wonderful day.

Wow! This series started off great and it has ended up great! I wish it would go on for at least two more books and include The Invisble Man and the Phantom of the Opera. I liked the action and how Bob seemed to grow up in the series. Just when you thought it was safe to watch all those old monster movies again, here come Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Creature, the Mummy, and the Gill Man all at once to try to seek revenge against Nina, Bob, and Joe. I was happy to see that Trey was more involved as well. The battles were cool and the characters were real. I'm going to read the whole series from beginning to end again!

I know they say that all good things must come to an end, but I wish this series would go on. I was thrilled to see that all the monsters come back for one big battle with Nina, Joe, and Bob. The action is non stop. I felt like I was saying good bye to some old friends when I reached the end of the book. The reader will be surprised at what happens and how Nina, Joe, and Bob end up. All six books were great and kept me guessing about things. Too bad it's got to end.

An outstanding overview of the American Special Forces involved in an unpopular war. Totally realistic. Obviously written by someone on the ground, where the rubber meets the road. Being hated by a segment of american society at home and hated by many Vietnamese, the Green Beret soldiers never lost sight of their assigned mission(s). They continued to fight the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army at every opportunity. Continually "pushing" the VN Special Forces, their counter-parts, who displayed more cowardice than bravery. Known as the Luc Luong Dac Biet (LLDB), the VN LLDB were a detriment to the USSF personnel as they struggled to win the war for the south through american leadership. There were few LLDB that met the high standards of the USSF members. But those that did were duly noted. Larry Crile was a SF medic in VN and endured all the frustrations as an american advisor to the VN LLDB,that could possibly be encountered. Faced by an aggressive enemy outside the camp perimeter, one had to live with the knowledge that within the "wire", there were enemy personnel, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Larry Crile aptly points out the daily dangers faced by a USSF team, at Camp Bunard, in the III Corp Region of South VN. A highly decorated soldier, Larry writes from the heart and his own many experiences. Caught up in the savage fighting in the jungles of VN, Larry and his team struggle for survival, and completion of that long 12 month tour of duty to end. The enlisted men continue the fight, led on by Top, their obviously beloved Team Sergeant. And J.J., a young Lieutenant, fresh out of training at Ft. Bragg. Helped by the displays of bravery of their USSF trained Hmong and Montagnard CIDG forces, the USSF team members, maintain the dignity of the American fighting soldier, those men that wore the Green Beret.

Between being called a "warmonger" by a young coed at college, before joining the service; and being asked, "How many women and kids did you kill?", by a young female flower-child, at the airport, when he landed back in the states, is the very moving story of a young soldier's experiences in Veit Nam. It isn't about dope and irresponsibility; it's about character, friendship, compassion, and duty. It's about a soldier, who, helps set up a school for the Veitnamese children of the village. It's about trying to save a sick baby; and then finding it dead; killed and half eaten by rats because the Veitnamese people who were instructed to keep watch over it did not want to lose any sleep. It's about going into battle with the Civilian Irregular Defense Group, (Veitnamese civilians trained and paid by the U. S.) who deserted even their own wives and children when they had to face a battle. It's about friends like Top, Joe Joe, and Johnson, who were really all that one could depend on. It's about being attacked in the darkness of the latrine by a Viet Cong who was posing as one of the villagers and had free run of the camp. It's about being left for dead by the CIDG, who ran, rather than fight. Bunard is probably the most accurate depiction of the Viet Nam war that has been written. It is wonderfully warm. It should be made into a movie.

Don't miss the reference to this green beret's past experience of being hurt on the football field at a school event causing the game to be stopped as he's examined and taken care of - he remembers this when he's wounded on the battlefield and wonders why the "game" isn't called with a time out so he can be fixed up. Good good - stuff doesn't go out of date just because war's over.

Brimner's Cat on Wheels offers young readers and listeners lots of fun. A cat's sweet slumber is disrupted when "that Cooper boy rolls up, four wheels spinning." A child just beginning to test the laws of balance and gravity on a two-wheeler, the Cooper boy careens here and there, oblivious to the havoc he is injecting into the cat's life. The cat, in turn, imagines herself to be a skateboard daredevil and challenges the boy to a test of their skills. To the delight of cat-lovers everywhere, the cat triumphs in this David-vs.-Goliath fantasy. In fact, though, she simply seeks safety in the cozy lap of a more sedate friend while the Cooper boy meets the fate of anyone just learning to ride a bicycle. Brilliant, tropical, over-sized splashes of color illustrate this child-pleaser; kids will recognize themselves or friends in the Cooper boy and chuckle at the cat's imagined antics. Don't miss this one.

There's not a missed beat in Brimner's Cat On Wheels. From opening to closing, the text weaves a tale of a cat's frustration with that Cooper boy, who is learning how to ride a two-wheeler and without much success. (Children will relate!) The lyrical prose is pleasing to the ear, while the pastel illustrations, simple and oversized, are sure to please the younger set. That the cat triumphs in the end is sure to make this a winner among feline lovers. The book lends itself nicely to classroom discussions about personal space and responsible action.

In stunning language that is both rhythmic and poetic, Brimner sets a skateboard-riding feline against a youngster just learning to ride a bicycle with training wheels--four wheels against four wheels. This author WOWed us with Merry Christmas, Old Armadillo and If Dogs Had Wings, and his current offering is no less pleasing for imagery, language, and downright FUN. Kids will love it; my five-year-old reader certainly did.

In this book Dr. Richards defines the goals of Christian education. The primary goal, reasons Mr. Richards, is to produce faith as life. He bases this belief on John 10:10 when Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." Furthermore, another goal, believes Richards, is transformation. Thus, Christian education is not a medium that simply offers religious information, but to the contrary, it is to produce transformation. Transformation, then, becomes the fundamental nature of Christian education. After Mr. Richards establishes these two goals, he then offers other goals that CE is to achieve. Definitely a must read for pastors and laymen alike. A true CE classic!

In college, I majored in Christian education. Shortly after I graduated, I discovered Larry Richards and began relearning about 90% of what I'd learned in college.

My college Christian education classes consisted of how to run traditional Christian education programs--Sunday school and youth groups. Richards doesn't talk much about how to run programs; he focuses on how to make disciples.

The goal of discipleship is not to fill the learner's head with cognitive knowledge, but rather life transformation. "The disciple when he is fully trained," says Jesus, "will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40, NIV). It does not say the disciple will know what his/her teacher knows. It says the disciple will be like his/her teacher. This is the starting point for discipling, both in goal and in method. The goal is Christlikeness. The method is teaching by example in the context of an intimate, trusting relationship, in real life settings.

There is a world of difference between training Bible scholars and making disciples, and by the time you have digested this book, Richards will have helped you to think in terms of making disciples rather than pouring knowledge into the minds of Sunday school students.

Yes, this book is a classic. I first read it in the mid-70s (the first edition was published in 1975), and it began the process of redefining how I understood Christian education and the whole question of how the church makes disciples. Today, as a full-time church consultant, Richards' mentoring continues to shape the way I work with every church I consult with.

Richards' books on CHURCH LEADERSHIP and CHILDREN'S MINISTRY, which I read after this one, continued to remold my thinking about Christian education. If you have a passion for making disciples, and if you're not married to the way we've always done Christian education, you need to discover Larry Richards.

Five stars isn't enough for this book on Christian education! Richards' primary contention is that there is a huge need for informal, relationship-driven, experiental education in the church today. Instead of putting all of our energy into the formal curriculum, we need to spend more effort in charging the lay people to experience God and relationship. This book sparked a revolution in Chritian thought about education. This foundational treatise is a must-read of ALL Christian educators. It offers graphs, probes, and other useful tools for content attainment.

This was a great book! The pictures really where touching.In answer to the ? the bunny has a head wound not a flower ( I am a HUGE fan of that picture!) I also LOVE the Psychotic duck and Fuzzy black bear! May Larry Gianettino rest in peace with all his little creatures.

Much like Joost Elffers or Saxton Freymann (those guys who do the Play With Your Food books), Larry Gianettino gets a lot of emotion out of little things. The book is made up of extreme, extreme close-ups of animal toys - the miniture type that you'd buy for 10 cents in a seedy novelty shop, that were made in china and don't quite get the anatomy right.

The emotion range is wider than just scary, however. Each photo is a glipse into a disposible, plastic life. Does the piggy want to play or cause terror? Is the lamb timid, sad or sleepy? More interesting is the effects of mass production on expression - is that red spot on the bunny a flower or a head wound?

Fun, funny and thoughtful. Plus the printing quality is phenominal.

Gianettino perceives childhood toys in a way different than most people might do; with horror. True colors are revealed when the plastic is confronted a little too closely for their liking. Dogs' nuzzles turn into fangs and white rabbits suffer head wounds. A very worthwhile book; childhood nightmares surfaced.

I really like the way this book is organized. There are sections such as "Desserts" and "Canyons". When I went to Arizona the last time, I wanted to visit desserts, and I wanted to hike some Canyons, so I could simply read these sections and learn pretty much everything I wanted to know, rather than piece this information together as other travel books make you do (since they are usually organized by area). The organization also allows you to skip information such as "Art" and "History". Of course in the end I ended up being interested in these sections after all, so I read them in the care while I was there. And once again, I could focus on these sections rather than finding this information organized by area.

Long story short: I really like reading about an area by topic of interest, rather than by location. It makes travel planning much easier. Of course, your need may be different (you may be in a certain town and want to figure out what to do for instance...). In that case, this book still is useful (it DOES have short sections on individual locations), but there are other books I use for that type of research.

Overall, I can highly recommend this book. In fact, I will order some of the other books from this series for different states.

Compass Guides are the best series I have ever read. They are literate and beautifully illustrated, laid out well and very logical to use. Of the Compass Guides I've read, Cheek's Arizona is the best (followed closely by his Santa Fe Guide).

He writes with wit and style. He's not afraid to share his opinion, but never takes for granted that his is the only viewpoint. He also adds a human element that few other guides offer. Frequently you'll find sidebar articles that introduce you to a person whose story particularly illustrates the idea or place in question.

I lived in Arizona for 4 1/2 years. This is the guide that I used to learn the state. I would recommend it to anyone. When my wife and I married in Sedona, Arizona we sent copies of this book to our relatives to acquaint them with the wonderful place they'd be visiting. All who read it were delighted. You'll be, too.

This book is incredible. It gives all kinds of details ranging from local interest and lore to general information about the state. It reads like a novel and yet is very informative. Even if you have no intention of ever visiting Arizona, this is still a wonderful book to read and the photographs are breath-taking.