This book has much to recommend it - readable yet with somewhat of a quantitative approach to finding better ways to deliver value to customers.

Its' real worth is that it takes a view that requires the inclusion of the needs of the customer in the process of strategy development.

Too many books describe a process to improve the product or the supply chain without asking the most critical question - will anyone actually pay us for making these changes ?

If it has a (slight) shortfall, the book does not apply the same detail to integrating the needs of the customer to the decision making process. However, this is overcome by the sound way in which Gale seeks to assist us in finding ways to drive value for the customer.

Worth the investment - it does require some effort to read, but most worthwhile books are like that.

Dr. Bradley Gale is one of the world's leading authorities on the process of Value Mapping. Value Mapping is the technique of turning customer feedback from customers into powerful management tools that point the way to improve profits. Value Mapping is an excellent approach for industrial marketers to include in their arsenal of analytical tools. This book is filled with examples and framework templates that show you how to do it. The key for those of us in industrial marketing is getting the customer data. It's usually more difficult in industry, and there is often low or no funding available for market research. Once your company decides to stop "flying blind" this book can be exceedingly valuable as a handbook that covers to do with the information.

Prentis Hall
President
The Industrial Marketing Practice Association...

This is not your typical detective story. The characters are believable and funny, and the use of dialect is subtle and accessible. I loved the story line, and the ending caught me flat-footed. I usually figure these things out. I'll be looking for the next "Gumshoe Girls" novel. A talented new writer with a bright future.

This book was fun to read from start to finish....it's about an assortment of feisty women of all ages, shapes and sizes who are best friends and formed a group called the Gumshoe girls.....they do private detective work. They're so spunky that it makes you wish you either knew them or were lucky enough and brave enough to be one of them. The characters are funny, believable and some are a little naughty........interesting read....can't wait for the next installment.

In Snow Ghost John Stranger finds out that in this town there is a guy who is killing people when it snows and he has to track the man down and bring him to justice without him getting killed.

I think this book should be an award book. It has some good characters in the story . My favorite character is Craford because of his curage. I think you would like this book to.

I first got this book when I bought my first llamas a few years ago. It was the one recommended to me by the breeder. Since then, it is the book I recommend to all those just starting out with llamas. It is also the book I recommend to those who just think they might want llamas. The book has information on everything, from basic conformation to packing and showing. What it lacks in depth of information, it more than makes up for in references. I still run to this book when I have questions, and have read it through several times. If you are thinking about getting a couple of llamas or a whole herd, read this book first!

Gale Birutta has put together a well thought out book, that covers all aspects to owning llamas for a novice.

Chapters cover selection, care, feeding, training, etc., each in enough detail to cover the topic, without becoming boring or overbearing. Quirks of the animals were covered ( they are head shy as a breed trait), that alone kept us from making mistakes when visiting llama farms.

The information in this book was invaluable to us when we began visiting llama farms. We actually knew what we were looking at and could ask intelligent questions of the owners !!

Well done, write another !!

It's a good book to get started on this very technical subject.

Even if the book is easy to read it doesn't mean it is plain. It is interesting and it has a good structur. Some books like this end up as dry catalogues; this one does not. It gave me ideas. It sent out to the bookshelf to check up details. ("Is that really so. Never thought about it.") And if you don't need it, but have interests in the topical neighbourhood; just buy it. It's nice to read in when you are tired of equations or algorithms in chemistry. Or if you end in a good chair with a cold and wants to do something useful in chemistry, which is not too strenuous.

Dr. Christianson's "Writing Lives is the Devil" is a quality choice for readers who want to learn the inside dealings of how a biography is written. The style Christianson uses to write the articles flows and shapes into a simple story the reader can easily follow. His articles on the back-door operations of a biographer at work clearly illustrate how complex the profession of historian can be. With several references to his previous works, the reader becomes enthralled in the lives of many of his subjects and may very well want to dive into the other biographies. "Writing Lives is the Devil" is a great choice for would-be biographers to learn the tricks of the trade, and for a easy-reading for current biographers as well.

I stumbled across this book without any prior exposure to Christianson or his other works but found it hard to put down. The topic is self-evident from the title, but this is no dry how-to treatise on biography. His essays are wonderfully crafted and paint a rich picture of the biographer's struggles and joys. Stories of the hassles and hardships of research, writer's block, publishers, editors and reviewers are nicely balanced with humerous anecdotes and richly textured stories from his biographical works on Isaac Newton and Loren Eiseley.

I particularly enjoyed his extensive use of quotations from other historians and literary luminaries. My favorite: "The vision of the historian as a sort of intellectual private eye swashbuckling through a succession of unremittingly fascinating adventures of the mind can survive only among those who do not destroy it by engaging in historical research (J.H. Hexter)."

Christianson's other works have now found their way on to my (admittedly lengthy) "to-read" list. I suppose this is the ultimate measure of my enjoyment of this 5-star effort.

I recommend this book to women I know who are going back to work and want to continue breastfeeding. It makes a seeming daunting experience seem a bit less impossible. When I read it, I wasn't sure if I could believe some of what Ms Pryor wrote (for instance, I was none too sure about the reassurance that if your baby didn't drink much expressed breast milk from a bottle during the day, he/she would make up for it by nursing more at night--yeah right, that was going to be just great if I were working all day. But, in fact, it has turned out absolutely fine and I love the time my son and I have together). I would sum up by saying that nursing and working is at times difficult, but it is well worth trying to pull it off. I only wish that the author had addressed a wider range of workplace experiences, because I think that if women who read this book recognized their own situations, they would be less likely to doubt what the author says. Because I assure you that all the advice she writes is absolutely do-able, accurate, true and IT WORKS!

Read this book if you think working and breastfeeding are not compatible. Pryor gives excellent advice on childcare arrangements and breastfeeding. But don't rely on her information alone. You can't successfully work and breastfeed unless breastfeeding is going well before you return to work. One complaint - the author implies that breastfeeding makes up for the time you are away from your child. However, she does mention that taking time off work until your baby is older is another option to consider. Overall, I found this book accurate and helpful. With the information in this book, you can return to work and continue to give your baby the best nutrition available - your own milk.

i wish i'd read this book when i had my first baby, then maybe i wouldn't have had to supplement w/ formula! what i like the best is when the author says that continuing to breastfeed is one of the best things a working mother can do for her child, because it sustains the mother-infant bond despite times spent apart. the book is so reassuring and encouraging that i feel less guilty about having to work outside the home. this book has all the details you need to know to successfully breastfeed even while working. having read this book, i feel motivated to advocate breastfeeding to every mother i know. the author goes beyond giving tips for breastfeeding while working to write about the importance of bonding w/ your baby, being well-rested, and other aspects of being a mother.

Even without the complexity of emotions as in her last effort All Shook Up, Susan Andersen dishes her romance with zippy humour and solid characters in the form of Veronica Davis and Cooper Blackstone. When Ronnie returns to Fossil, Washington upon receiving the devastating news of her sister Crystal murdered by her husband Eddie, she hurries back to her niece Lizzy and plans to sell the bar that Crystal has inherited. Her original intentions gets impeded by the deliciously roguish Cooper who is the bartender of Honky Tonk. He compels her to take over the vacated position of the waitress - and her sister's house is leased to him. Staying under the same roof will hurtle both of them to catastrophe with their hostility. However passion heats up with their sizzling chemistry hanging - and what with Cooper hiding the true agenda - investigating Eddie's (his half brother) case - things will no doubt get a little bit complicated.

Susan Andersen compensates the lack of complexed characters with fluid narration that strums with laughter and joy. It engages the readers to fall head over heels with the flawed characters and their insecurities towards marriage with their scarred childhood. Ronnie desires security and Cooper yearns for her trust; it is a tussle of emotions and conflicts. The honesty of the emotions may be muted by the comedic pitch of the book, but it is fast and passionate enough to elicit a riot.

I completely agree with the reviewer from Huntsville. The worst book SA wrote was OBSESSED. I had a hard time finishing that one. It is not at all the same with Head Over Heels. This book is fun and entertaining. I really liked the hero. Yes, he does keep some secrets about himself from the heroine, but please it was not like he was an ax murderer or something. He is also extremely sweet when he tries to redeem himself. The sexual tension between the two main characters was exciting. I felt it was a big plus that the secondary characters were also interesting. I would highly recommend this book.

Judith, Judith, Judith. . .HEAD OVER HEELS is not the worst book SA has written. OBSESSED is the worst book she's ever written. HEAD OVER HEELS is great. You have our hero - who granted is a little different from her former heroes - but not nearly as bad as Judith's review indicates. Of course we have to have him resisting his attraction to our heroine (and she got in her verbal licks, too!), that's what makes the sexual tension heat up. This is a smart, sexy story. A good mystery which is not in your face obvious, and best of all - no psycho/rapist/serial killer!!! Let's face it! There are a lot of books out there with that plot and authors who keep reusing it. At least SA varies her plots and the characteristics and personalities of her main characters. If you want the same old thing time after time, read Jayne Ann Krentz (no, that's not a compliment). For another GREAT, SEXY read - try LONE RIDER by LAUREN BACH. I recommend this book in just about all my reviews, but it's a KEEPER and you'll thank me for the recommendation. HEAD OVER HEELS is a keeper, too. Can't wait for SA's next book.

I have to say the ideas in this book are so ADORABLE and fun, several made me laugh out loud and hope I have girl children one day. I made one recipe (Lemon Cream Daisies) w/no problems & to great acclaim. But today I tried Lemon Angel Food Cakes w/Lemon Confit, & found a possible typo - ? - or just a mistake: The cake batter recipe is supposed to make 24 mini-muffins. For me it made 24 mini, plus 24 regular muffins! (I can only guess they're supposed to be all regular size?) At least they do taste good. Anyway, add this to the caution from another person who noted wrong amount of butter in the blueberry shortbread recipe... Questionable editing, I guess, but I still think the author is a sugar genius.

This book is fun to read and really makes you want to bake. However, when I made a recipe this weekend, I did find an error. The blueberry shortbread recipe calls for one stick of butter but needs two. I made the recipe using one stick and the dough didn't come together at all. Something was obviously wrong. So I checked a similar recipe that Gale Gand contributed to Baking with Julia and it called for twice the amount of butter. I added another stick and the cookies turned out great.

All in all, though, this cookbook is worth getting just for all the great ideas. But if you make the blueberry shortbread, double the butter.

Sometimes the prices of cookbooks are enough to make a person question if its worth it. You think will I use it enough? Gale Gand has put together a wonderful cookbook featuring little desserts that pack a big punch. They are wonderfully organized into catergories such as: cheese bites, fruit bites, chocolate bites, candy bites and so forth. It makes it incredibly easy to find a recipe, just based on what you're craving! Not only is this cookbook good for the home baker and professional alike, you can whip up something to serve after a dinner for four or ten.

It's true, there are not pictures for each recipe, and while this usually bothers me, Gale Gand puts everything into simple to understand language that pictures aren't necessary, or missed. In addition, you can turn on the television at any time to her show "sweet dreams" on the food network and see her make any of her desserts from any of her three cookbooks. This book is wonderful, I look forward to making every last thing in it.

Is Kay Hooper really an expert on what makes a psychic and how approaching the paranormal works. There is a lot of detailed explanation in Whisper of Evil that takes away from the action of the book and keeps it from being an intense page turner. HOWEVER, the characters are interesting, the book is well written, and the suspense is intriguing; I will go on the the third book in the series.

Nell Gallagher, had a intense newly budding relationship with Max Turner when she was seventeen and already plagued by blackouts and psychic visions. Some terrible event took place that she witnessed on the night of her prom, and she ran away leaving Max to hope for her return for twelve (12) years. That's a long time for a guy as strong as Max is, but it's fiction.

Nell returns to her hometown of Silence as an undercover FBI agent who is part of the Special Crimes Unit that is made up of psychics and other paranormal "experts." Several men have been murdered; a serial killer is successfully removing upright community citizens who are exposed to have had some terrible secrets. Nell's family and the "Gallagher" curse play an integral part in the suspense and the story gets better as it goes along.

Of course I never read anything in order and in all fairness to myself this book was given to me to read this summer by a good friend who thought is was good. I must admit that it was a entertaining book.

Someone is killing people in Silence and know one knows who the killer is. Nell returns home to settle her fathers estate. It is the first time she has been home in a long while and she does not know what to expect. Max is not thrilled to see her. In fact he would be thrilled to see the backside of her as she heads out of silence. Somehow they both get caught up in the hunt for the killer stalking the people of Silence.

This is a paranormal thriller and romance does take a back seat in the storyline. That is not to say that it is lacking either. A good story that has many twists and turns. You won't know who the killer is until the last moment (unless you cheat).

Kay Hooper's Whisper of EVIL is the second book in the series involving the FBI Special Crimes Unit consisting of agents with psychic abilities. This story revolves around Nell Gallagher, a woman who has had "visions" of things that happened or will happen ever since she was a child. She had run away from the town the night of her high school prom, and now has returned 12 years later under a cover to settle her father's estate - right at the time when several town-people have been murdered, and their sick dark past comes to light during the murder investigations. She teams up with Max Tanner, her high school sweetheart to whom she has some kind of "mind link" even though he has no psychic abilities, and the sexual tension between them builds as the mystery unfolds. What is the link between these deaths, and who is seeking revenge? Hooper keeps you guessing right to the end. I loved the book - it's better than "Touching Evil". Can't wait for the next in the series "Sense of Evil".