If I had to choose only one self-improvement book to read for the rest of my life, this would be my choice. No doubt The Powermind System is the final word on self improvement and success. Do yourself a favor borrow it or buy it...you will not regret your decision. Kiefer has a magical way of explaining both clearly and interestingly the concepts presented. The Powermind System is not just another book telling you to think positively, it goes into fascinating detail and explanation as to why the presented concepts really do work. Not only will you find yourself practicing these concepts, but you will look forward to it.

This book is an amalgamation of everything I have read or listened to, from authors' such as Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill, Dennis Waitely etc etc etc. This book gives you a complete blue print on success. It guides you, like no other book I have read, through simple exercises, that foster the much needed creative AHAAA ideas, that will change your life.

I never realised how important affirmations were, or why they work. I do now. This book is also a great compliment to Physco Cybernetics 2000 by Bobbie Summer. Buy both books and you really will begin to take charge of your life with; focused "automatic" / habitual actions that are guaranteed to change your life.

Highly recomended

I found this book in a second-hand store for a dollar and just about left it there because paperback books were usually twenty-five cents. I sure am glad I bought it. It is a total compilation of all self help books, but the interesting thing is his age and excitement towards this material. he is totally exuberant. It represents the way I look at success. Mr. Kiefer explains how he got into his search for success and it completely parallels my own. I am a little envious however, because apparently his search has taken him somewhere, while I am still looking for my 'vehicle' to where I want to go. This book is about 420 pages, and I've only read the first 190 of them. If the rest of the book is anything like what I've already read, WOW, it's got to be the best. I hope that if your search for success is what brought you to this location that you spend the time and the money to peruse this wonderfull book, you'll be glad you did. Kudos to Michael Kiefer!

Good, fun read, but hardly the indispenisble tome that many people and critcs claim it to be. It goes on a little too long and drags in places and there are other examples of Hollywood exposed that are as good.

The story: Brian Michael Bendis writes a graphic novel (Goldfish - well worth reading!)(and before this, unless you don't mind elements of that story being revealed), it receives the attention of Hollywood, and then thw whole misadventure of hurry up and wait commences. Movies like the Kevin Bacon vehicle The Big Picture cover similar ground - but actually between the two, the latter works better for me - maybe because it is a movie about the movie biz (rather than a comic about a comic in the movie biz), and maybe because, as Bendis repeatedly points out - if the foray into Hollywood doesn't work out, he's still got comics (whereas Kevin Bacon and all the other wannabes in Hollywood only have their dreams and hopes of making it)(thus, the desperation meter is running that much higher).

Still, an excellent change of pace from Bendis' usual blood and guts style... it starts off with an excellent Bugs Bunny/Hollywood analogy, and as far as the artwork, as another reviewer commented, it's reminiscient of Fred Hembeck. Overall though, I'd try to borrow a copy - it's a very fast read (Bendis is among the best when it comes to dialogue), and as the author himself points out, the cover price IS criminally high.

Buying anything written by Brian Michael Bendis is well worth your time and money, whether it's for the incredible wit, realistic dialogue, or 180 degree plot twists. But "Fortune and Glory" not only entertains, it informs. It's the pull-no-punches true story of Bendis' attempt to turn his acclaimed books "Goldfish" and "Torso" into major motion pictures. Bendis' dealings with the God-and-creativity-forsaken drones of Hollywood read as equal parts comedy and tragedy (or course, the tragedy comes about so ridiculously that it, too, is comedy). Whether it's the suggestion that Pauly Shore plays the grifter Goldfish or that the "Untouchables" police captain Elliot Ness be 19-years old, you'll be laughing at Bendis' pain (laughing at other people's pain is always fun). In an industry where executives scan magazine articles and buy property rights for no other reason than so somebody else can't have them, it's a wonder any good movies ever get made.

"How many studio executives does it take to change a lightbulb? One...but does it HAVE to be a lightbulb?" - Bendis

If you have not read the work of Brian Michael Bendis ( Torso, Jinx, AKA Goldfish, Powers and Sam and Twitch) you are missing out on what the modern comic book can offer. You've probably read the Time/Newsweek articles on how comics are no longer for kids but ignore all that and instead center on your thirst for solid stories and great art ( and they're cheaper than movies, sometimes).

Fortune and Glory is a change from Bendis's usual crime fiction but he does not fail in delivering flawless storytelling and humor that will literally make you laugh out loud. As you read you feel as though the author/artist is actually talking to you and not in a cheesy Mr. Roper-breaks-the-4th-wall kind of way.

The story takes us through Brian's first taste of Hollywood and is sharp in its delivery. It is well worth its price and will soon find its way next to great graphic works like Maus and Understanding Comics. Buy it now before he becomes trendy and you can say you knew him when.

This is a great book to help build your belief in the network marketing industry. If that is the reason that you are buying it, this book does a great job. However, if you are buying this as a training manual, try somewhere else...

For anyone wanting to realize the power of the Networking industry. Millions of people are turning to Network Marketing now and into the future. Find out why you may consider being one of them. I don't normally enjoy reading a book straight through from beginning to end. Future Choice caught my interest and I couldn't put it down until I was done.

Future Choice was the first book I read on Network Marketing and it was so simple and easy to understand. It was one of those books that you just don't put down until your done. If you want a good overview with some good facts about Network Marketing then Future Choice is it........A Must Read!!

Ive always loved Conans humor. He is the king of couch humor. A classic comedian. In this book he showcases my favorite, and I think everyone elses too, jokes that he does. IF THEY MATED. Very funny book. Purchase this now.

Conan O'Brien is one of the funniest men alieve and this book proves that!This book evolved from a sketch on the show(one of the best, other than Pimpbot 5000). He and the Late Night Writers are amazing,they come up with so many diffrent sketches that its not even funny. If you have ever wondered what celebrities babies looked like this book is a must have.
HAIL CONAN!

heart,
ivy the barbarian

Conan O'Brien's brilliant writers, Andy and himself put together this original work a couple years ago and it makes me laugh every time I grace my eyes with its bible-like paper (although the pictures, which are in black in white, would look better if they had been left in their original colour glory).

The book is published by National Geographic, so it goes without saying that the quality of the photographs is superb. But to look at this collection of space-born images is to never see the earth in the same way again. All the contintents and oceans are covered and even the Aurora is documented. The astronauts who took these photographs are some of the luckiest men and women on (or off) the earth, and this book will show you why.

Despite all that man has done to harm the environment, many of the photographs give you an eerie sense of what it might've been like to look down on the earth thousands of years ago, seeing only a beautiful collection of shapes, colors and clouds. Some pictures of the African desert and its coastline will leave you breathless.

A wonderful collection that beats satellite imagery any day of the week.

Astronaut Jay Apt, with the help of geographer Justin Wilkinson and climatologist Michael Helfert, has assembled a book full of pictures of Earth taken from orbit. These photographs were chosen from over a 145,000 that are available from the NASA photographic library and focus on many different aspects of our planet's geology and climate. The large coffee table style format and the high quality of the reproductions allows this book bring out the stunning features of our home and is welcome addition to anyone who is interested in space photography, especially since most of the book is photographs and very little text.

The book is divided into sections covering each continent, the Pacific Ocean and the aurora. To show the range of Earth's geology and climate, each section highlights the major geological features found in each region and if appropriate mankind's influence. To further emphasis to geological diversity of the planet, occasional surface photographs that correspond to an orbital photograph are also included. For example, in the section on Africa, there are photos of the Nile, Nile cities, the Sahara desert, various coastline features and cloud formations. The only portions of the Earth not covered are the North and South Poles, since the shuttle does not fly over these regions. There is also one extremely interesting two page map spread which shows the location of each one of the 268,000 photographs taken by the astronauts.

This book is one of my favorite space photography books and I look at it often and each time that I do I always notice something different. This is a great book and well worth the price.

Truely a magnificent piece of work to wiew the wonder of God's creation leaves you in awe of the beauty of the Earth. I pick it up regularly, for maximum enjoyment choose times where you are not rushed so you can drink in the superb pictures. A book no household can afford to be without.

Here in the US, Philippine cuisine is most often summarized by the following: lumpiang shanghai, lechon (manok), pork barbeque, pancit, sinigang and adobo. If you can cook the above, consider yourself an experienced Pinoy chef; this book, fortunately, blows this notion out of the water.

The book reveals a cuisine that is the amalgamation of history and geography; it features a multipage discussion on how Filipino cuisine can be subdivided into regional specialties, each with its own historical influences; it provides a grouping of dishes by genre (how many Filipino cookbooks describe the various meat and seafood ginataan variations while smartly leaving the dessert ginataan for later?); it compares and contrasts dishes with similar ones from other parts of the Philippines. From reading the book, one gets a glimpse of just how diverse Filipino cooking really is, each major region in the archipelago of 7100 islands, large and small, developing a unique taste that warrants its own recipe book.

Accurate/appropriate English translations for many of the recipe names help make the recipes seem less exotic and unapproachable while the clear instructions guide the novice through even some of the more intricate dishes.

What a pleasure it was to have come across this gem of a book. No longer will I need to suffer the generalisation of Filipino cuisine to "lumpia" and "adobo." This volume brings the wonderful flavors and aromas of real Filipino cooking to the general public. Perhaps we will begin to see a revolution in the fickle American palate and celebrate the one of the world's first true fusion cuisines; where else can one taste the influences of India, China, Mexico, Spain, America, and Malaysia integrated seemlessly with indigenous flavors and ingredients. So, whether you simply wish to read the book and imagine the unctuous recipes already prepared or, if you prefer as I do, put into practice what Mr. Gelle has carefully layed out, none of the dishes will disappoint.

This book gives an excellent introduction to Filipino food and cooking. The author has collected and tested hundreds of traditional recipes. While I'm no expert on the authenticity of these recipes, I can say that they are tasty and not too difficult to try at home. Some of the special features are adobo (vinegar and garlic sauce), coconut recipes, purple yam recipes, and pickles. While pork is a central ingredient in many of these recipes, it is also easily possible to put together a completely vegetarian menu using this book. Gelle includes a brief overview of Filipino food history and regional specialties at the beginning of the book, as well as a glossary of ingredients and index at the end.

I happened to catch about 10 minutes of Mr. Redman on the Golf Channel. Every word he spoke rang true. After reading his book I rediscovered many of the swing feels I had accidentally discovered during my first three months playing but could never consistantly replicate. Three years and many lessons involving "modern" swing theory later, I have come home. This is the simplest and least physically demanding swing out there and Mr. Redman explains it in a way that any duffer can understand and quickly implement. I also appreciate the fact that he steered me towards Percy Boomer's book. The only drawback is that I can't find a golf pro locally who teaches this method. Right now I don't feel like I need a pro. This book is like having a teaching pro on my bookshelf. BUY THIS BOOK. It will take a few weeks to "unlearn" all the modern crap you've learned, but you'll end up with a more consistant, powerful, and easily repeatable swing. I'd give it six stars if they'd let me.

John Redman teaches the golf swing in its purest form. His method has been popularized by golf greats Bobby Jones, Percy Boomer and Tommy Armour. His swing is sometimes called the "older" or "drag back" method because it concentrates on the passive use of the hands and arms. According to Redman the power of the golf swing takes place with the lower body, mainly a natural single axis swing around the spine with all of the power being generated by a level hip and shoulder turn. (Remember Percy Boomer's famous axiom about "turning in a barrel?") In contradistinction to this method most modern tour players and teachers teach a two axis turn. This is often characterized by the Jimmy Ballard lateral move. Unfortunately, this is much harder to perfect and physically coordinate than Redmans method. Subsequently, according to Redman many amateurs come outside the line and "over the top." Slice... slice... slice! Redmans prize student is the famous golf pro and major tournament winner Paul Azinger. Many illustrations of Paul's swing are included in the book. If you are looking for an easier more relaxed way to create club head speed and a golf swing that you can use for a lifetime, then you should order this book before your next round.

IF I HAD RED THIS BOOK AND FOLLOWED IT 30 YEARS AGO,I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE HAD A LOT MORE ENJOYMENT PLAYING GOLF.THE BASIC TECHNIQUE THAT JOHN REDMAN TEACHES IS SO SIMPLE,THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS REMEMBER IT WHEN YOU SWING THE GOLF CLUB.I HAVE DROPPED 12 STROKES OFF MY SCORE!!!!

I'm at something of a loss as to what to say about this book. I couldn't decide if I should give it five stars or one, so I cut the difference and gave it three. This book is bizarre. If you can wade through the sections of repetitive, juvenile, slang-ridden, poorly written diatribe there is a lot of very helpful medical information which every endometriosis sufferer should know. I learned so many useful and helpful things about reproductive endocrinology, the immune system, the digestive system, and endometriosis itself. Yet the authors could easily have gotten the same amount of information into the book using half the words. Some parts of this book are clearly and concisely written and very helpful, while other sections of the book read as if the authors wanted to make the details understandable to a five-year old. I was definitely annoyed and somewhat insulted, as I think the authors ought to assume that the people reading it are going to be adults with functioning brains. However, I cannot help but recommend this book. The information in there is good, if you can put up with the useless junk and find information in the midst of verbosity.

I've been reading this book since before I had surgery last week and am going to give the diet a try. The explanations of unbalanced hormones and lack of certain vitamins/minerals causing my symptoms and horrific PMS make alot of sense. I dropped out of biology in college because it seemed to be over my head, but this book explained body chemistry and cell production in a way that I can relate. Through the nutritional advice in this book, I am hoping to get pregnant and not have to have surgery again.

After reading this book I gained such clarity of understanding of this awful and painful disease. Any woman or teenager that suffers from Endo must read this book! The book teaches you first how the immune, reproductive, and digestive systems, all work together and depend on eachother and then how endometriosis disrupts (to put it mildly) their special balance. The book then walks you through how nutrition (through supplements and food) plays such an important role in maintaining our system's balance and in healing. We can heal ourselves! And through testimonials in the book, you will see how women have changed their lives. Whatever your goal may be, to be pain-free or to achieve and maintain a pregnancy, this book will help you. Because of this book, two weeks ago I have begun to change my diet and already I have noticed a difference. The information provided in this book is invaluable.

Michael Seidman is my editor at Walker & Co. He's an opinionated, stubborn, argumentative person, and the book world needs more like him. If you want another book full of conventional wisdom and stuff you've read before, go buy something else. If you want one thoughtful, experienced person's honest appraisal of writing and publishing, buy this book. You may disagree with parts of it, but you'll never suspect you're being BS'd. This is the truth to the best of Seidman's knowledge, including his observations of both the creative and business aspects of the writing life. The book business will probably seem less arbitrary after you've read FICTION: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published.

FICTION was given to me by a somewhat biased writer, a writer that is on the AOL board that is monitored by Mr. Seidman. (Okay, my sister gave me a copy autographed by Mr. Seidman and I can be bribed but it takes more, but not much more, than $14.95 to buy or rent me!)

I read it on a recent trip by rail across the U.S. I found it very informative on the industry; he makes it clear that we might think of writing as an art but we are producing a product for an industy.

I enjoyed the exercises and found them good practice and a delightful way to pass the time of a long train trip.

I do not think that I have ever read a book that combined such practical information on writing with the information on the publishing industry. I find myself working on the exercises, rereading portions of the book almost everyday. For practical information and no small amount of inspiration I find this book invaluable. I highly recommend this book to everyone that is interested in writing, interested in publishing, interested in books, how they get from the writer's mind to the reader's hands.

Any writer of fiction who cares about good stories but wants to know the realities of publishing should own a copy of this book. FICTION is packed with insights into writing and suggestions for finding one's own path to creating work that is both saleable and satisfying. While I've enjoyed books by Lawrence Block and BIRD BY BIRD (and recommend them highly), I find that this is the sort of book that I'll come back to again and again for recharging my enthusiasm and sharpening my techniques. While the advice seems dead-on throughout, I particularly liked the sections on characterization and the hero's journey. As for the advice on description...I've never seen better. The writing exercises are valuable tools for developing the writing skills to create good work; then there's the information about the mechanics of publishing, once the good work has found a home. Additionally, Seidman's engaging, conversational writing style makes the book a pleasure to read. For me, the best thing about FICTION is that it not only answers the questions that writers have--it ultimately teaches the thought processes that'll help them find their own solutions and their own paths to creating their best work.

Book and Author: "Parisian Home Cooking: Conversations, Recipes, and Tips from the Cooks and Food Merchants of Paris," by Michael Roberts. Roberts pioneered California cuisine at his Los Angeles restaurant, Trumps, and is the author of "Secret Ingredients," "Make-Ahead Gourmet" and "What's for Dinner." Details: William Morrow, $25; 352 pages, 175 recipes, black-and-white photographs of Parisian markets and habitues throughout.

Description: Roberts starts off with advice on how to shop Parisian style in your hometown (frequent small markets; develop relationships with purveyors), then launches into recipes for every course, which are appended with kitchen tips and trenchant tales of marketing and cooking in Paris. Assessment: During this vogue for all things Italian, Roberts clearly wants to rescue French food from its current reputation as fussy and outdated. He absolutely succeeds with this well-written collection of vigorous, straightforward recipes. The book also paints a vivid picture of Roberts' Parisian crowd, urbane professionals who happen to whip up fabulous meals in their tiny kitchens. -Erica Marcus .

Michael Roberts, the author, writes in the introduction to his book as though he were speaking to you at a small, outdoor table at a local café' while dunking a biscotti into his espresso. His message is simple and insightful. His advice is worth hearing.

To begin with, you should know that Michael Roberts moved to Paris in 1975 and earned his professional certificate from the Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Jean-Ferrandi. He lived and worked in Paris before returning to the U.S. and opening his own restaurant Trumps in Los Angeles in 1980. He has since that time returned to Paris for several extended visits. He brought his experiences of everyday life in Paris to this book that reveals how the average, working person in Paris shops for food and prepares meals at home. In his introduction to the book, you instantly recognize yourself because he explains how people in the everyday Parisian culture share virtually the same food varieties, cooking equipment, busy schedules and lack of time that people in every other metropolitan area of the world also share.

The discovery that I made is based upon an admission by the author in the opening of his book when he speaks of his youth and says 'The realization that I had learned to cook but not to nourish, that I hadn't grasped the gastronomic world of the average Parisian, disheartened me.' So, he set upon a course to correct that oversight and wrote about his experiences that revolve around one simple philosophy from which we can all profit. 'You start with fine ingredients. You cook things in a way that coaxes out the flavors. No need to complicate a recipe with many ingredients, because they only end up fighting each other. ' Let the ingredients speak to you.' He goes on to say 'The charm of a French meal lies in their insistence on quality ingredients and balanced flavor, in respecting those ingredients by not overcomplicating the cooking.' I enjoyed and wholeheartedly agree with his comments that shopping for flavorful ingredients should be a delight, not a chore; that cooking delicious meals doesn't really take very long; that the resulting enjoyment breaks up the tension of the day from which we can all benefit; that the devotion to this splendid ritual of eating well should become part of the rhythm of life; and, finally, that families who share this pattern of living will pass on the gift of memories of yesterday so that familiar flavors or aromas will 'unlock the memory of childhood, ' what most Parisians do nearly every time they sit down at the table.'

The book's 175 recipes that reflect the author's philosophies are easy to prepare and suit a variety of tastes for various courses of a meal, including soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. My copy of the book has already shown wear on its edges and stains on its most used pages which, if you will pardon the expression, speaks volumes about what I think of this book.

...everything I make from this book is truly delicious and , may I add, nutritious. Parisian Home Cooking teaches us that the value of fresh and diverse ingredients, simply prepared is the core of true health; dishes that yearn to be enjoyed amoung friends and actually leave you energy to enjoy their company! I just love the woman who refuses to spend more than fifteen minutes at her stove yet serves up divine dinners; the butcher's timeless admonition that for the body to work it must have some fat - how avant; the tips that coax real flavor from simple foods - to "sweeten" the vinegar for the perfect vinaigrette by adding a splash of wine (just one tip of many). As the diet gurus duke it out for your dollars, look at the slim, healthy Parisians in the photographs, read what they eat at home, and you will toss out the crazed American diet fads with relief. This book will feed you. It's also a good read. Move over Dr. Ornish and Monsieur Pepin - the secret is out!