This little book revealed the true personalities and capabilities of one of the most misunderstood mammals on earth. I used to think bats were cute, like mice with wings, until I read The Bat In My Pocket several years ago. The author helps people understand that bats are gentle, intelligent, long-lived and highly beneficial, by telling the tale of the injured bat she rescued and befriended one summer day. The little bat, Sunshine, captured Amanda Lollar's heart and will do the same to yours.

This book really makes a person realize that bats -- for all the bad publicity and myths around them -- are really wonderful creatures with distinct personalities and a lot to offer. Amanda writes a warm story with great detail about bat behavior and her own personal growth. I like that she doesn't sugarcoat the problems she had and that it is apparent keeping bats (and all wildlife, really) is not only unwise (and probably illegal) for the normal person but a difficult and challenging task. If everyone read this book, there would be a lot better understanding of the important role bats play in the environment and why they should be appreciated rather than feared.

I have met Amanda and now consider her a friend. After reading her book, it made me realize how wonderful Amanda is, and inspired me to begin learning even more about bats. In this endeavor, I have began working as a wildlife rescuer and am learning the joys and heartaches of the rehabilitation of these wonderful, gentle, benevolent creatures God has gifted us with. I recommend this book to every teacher, parent, wildlife enthusiast, scout leader, youth minister, or anyone else who has the ability to change the stereotypical image that bats have!!!!

this is it! This was recommended to me by a friend, and I have yet to be disappointed. The beauty to this book is in the fresh ingredients and the simplicity of the dishes. I have several favorites-the Pasta Putanesca, and the Rigatoni with Celery Meat Sauce. It's a great addition to your cooking library.

Every recipe is excellent. Beautifully written for every level of experience from neophyte to professional chef, there is no doubt that this cookbook will be among your personal favorites.

This is one of my favorite cook books. I bought her book after a trip to Italy and found that I was able to capture the essence of Trattoria cooking. I particularly like her Osso Bucco (Braised veal shanks) recipe and her recipe for crusty Italian bread.

Clear and concise. Well-written and very readable. A great book for anyone wanting to improve their assessment skills of the well neonate.

An excellent summary of well-newborn care provided in outline form for efficient reading. The information is comprehensive, but concise. An excellent starting point for nurses new to the care of newborns. Includes information on how to identify the sick newborn without going into much detail, which makes this book a good preface to AWHONN's Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing.

This is one of the best cookbooks I've ever used. I never realized before that you could cook gourmet food that was low in calories and actually tasted good. I can't believe this book is out of print. I have cooked nearly everything in it and was anxious to give it to some of my friends. I keep hoping there is a chance that they will have a new printing.

Eating Well Magazine was a one-of-a-kind: Full of delicious recipes and nutritional articles that were up-to-date and valuable. Now that the magazine is no longer in existence, the Eating Well cookbooks are essential volumes of the collected recipes. Having been a subscriber for seven years, I can honestly say that I have never cooked something from Eating Well that wasn't delicious and low-fat. The recipes vary in their ease (this is not a cooking made simple book) but not in their quality. This book presents dishes from all categories of cooking, from salads and soups to meat and poulty, pasta, sauces, desserts, etc. When I am looking for a new recipe, this book (and the New Eating Well book that is the companion volume) is the first off of the shelf and I often don't have to look further. I highly recommend it.

PW knows her stuff. I bought this after going to PAris several dozen times and found that most of what I liked she had recomended, as well as many many places that I didn't know.

The only problem was that every where I went, even to places I had never seen a tourist in, were now full of tourists with her book on the table, ordering the exact meal she had recomended.

a truly powerful pen

I found this book in Paris, translated into French, and so was very surprised after a few weeks of using it to finally notice that it was not written by a native Parisian. Ms. Wells makes very detailed comments about each restaurant's menu, service, as well as ambiance and history. The write-ups of the restaurants and other food places are interspersed with brief articles on French lifestyle, cheeses, wines, customs, and other foodie points of interest that I wouldn't have thought to look up but which I found extremely interesting. I had bought it simply as an aid to finding decent food but as it turns out, The Food Lover's Guide is also a wonderful mini-guide through French life and history.

This is a great book for toddlers to help them understand the true meaning of Christmas. It is easy reading with great pictures. A great Christmas gift.

This is a wonderful book to teach young children the true meaning of Christmas. It ties in the tradition of gift-giving very nicely. An excellent stocking stuffer for all the little ones on your list!

Making a wish is not something that should be undertaken lightly. Wishing can be very powerful and very effective. In Wishing Well: Empowering Your Hopes And Dreams, Patricia Telesco teaches readers how to make their wishes come true. She says that "while every wish may not be answered exactly as anticipated, positive efforts toward change will inevitably yield positive results."

Telesco first describes the folklore surrounding wishing. People have cast wishes in various forms since they first walked the earth. Only the customs have changed over the ages. She then explains that "wishing isn't a cure-all for the bumps and bruises of life." People need to have realistic expectations when they make a wish. She says they "must remain active participants in the process of change." For example, it's okay to wish for a new job, but along with the wishing, you need to prepare your resume and go on job interviews.

Effective wishing also requires setting a goal. If your wish is to be happy, first decide what it is that will make you happy and wish for that. Wishes that are very generalized can still come true, but often in ways completely unanticipated by the person doing the wishing.

Telesco then gets into the details of wishing, including the use of symbols and tokens, picking the best time, asking for divine guidance, using invocations and chants, and follow-up. She includes a section on "artistic wishing" where various forms of artwork are used to strengthen your wish.

The remainder of the book is an extensive listing of "wish symbols and traditions," which includes everything that can be used to help manifest particular wishes. For example, one may hold birdseed in one's hand while concentrating upon a wish, then sprinkle the birdseed clockwise on the ground. "Birds will grab the seed and take your wish to the gods." The listing includes objects, colors, crystals, animals, holidays, plants, and places that may be useful. Telesco also includes a list of the various deities that may be called upon for assistance.

Readers will find that Wishing Well provides all the details they need to "create, cast, and release [their] own wishes into the universe." Sandra I. Smith Reviewer

I was really pleased when I got this book -- its very approachable and touches the heart of human desires. The information is useful to many types of magic, and has a dictionary style that makes reference easy

Patricia has done a wonderful job of creating a book that will serve as a perfect introduction to French food and cooking. Her balance of recipes and anecdotes make this one of the few cookbooks out there that you could actually sit down and read cover to cover without actually preparing any of the food, and still come away feeling like you've gained something. Most of the recipes are very simple and easy to put together, as most Bistro food is, and yet quite delicious. Of special interest to the Francophile is the appendix listing many of Patricia's favorite Bistros throughout France.

My wife and I own many cookbooks, but none has come close to giving us the pleasure we have found in so many of the recipes in Bistro Cooking. We are both rank amateurs in the kitchen, but we have been able to handle virtually every recipe we've tried in this book (I did give up after three attempts at the potato pie from L'Ami Louis). The book includes Ms. Wells' favorite recipes from France's great bistros. Mind-blowing potato gratins, delicious fish recipes, hearty stews, unbelievable roast chicken, a strange but fantastic dish of poached eggs served with a simple red wine sauce, winning desserts, it really goes on and on. Ms. Wells is a great writer, very entertaining, and the book is full of wonderful tips. Even seven years or so after we bought our copy of Bistro Cooking, it's always a special day at our home when we make something from this cookbook.

I use this book regularly and have not been let down. Also, we recently returned from a trip to Paris and found Mrs. Well's "Food Lover's Guide to Paris" to be outstanding. I'm looking forward with enthusiasm to trying new recipes from this book.

I was so impressed with this cookbook. First, I adore Paris and love the art of French cooking. I learned French style cooking years ago and I love to watch how my French friends put together a seemingly simple meal that turns out so impressively. And the black-and-white photos of Paris that illustrate the book are great reminders of visits past.

The key to these seemingly simple recipes in "The Paris Cookbook" is good ingredients, a knack for combination, some fundamental traditional ideas, and a passion for excellence. For example, some of the most interesting recipes to me were for peasant cooking from Provence. There was a soup of spelt (a wheat-like grain with many healthful properties.) It was combined with barley and the green French de Puy lentils to make a Mediterranean-style meal-in-a-pot soup. The use of spelt is more common in Germany --however the Provencal use it as one would use rice, in risottos or as here, in a soup. There is also a recipe for a simple version of bouillabaise fish soup that I really want to try.

The other recipe that got me excited was for an ordinary gazpacho cold tomato soup but...with a savory mustard ice cream as a garnish. Now THERE'S an interesting idea. If you have ever had a blob of cream in a tomato-based soup, you know how nicely cream blends and smooths the flavor of the acid fruit. But to add the cream in the form of ice cream, but unsweetened and with a spicy mustard, now that is exciting! I will be making that for my next summer dinner party. I also got the idea to modify the recipe and make wasabi green tea ice cream (wasabi is the green Japanese mustard you get with sushi.) I can pair that with a cold cucumber-crab soup.

That's what I adore about this cookbook. Not only great recipes, but they are in essence, fundamental and can be adapted with your own creative ideas.

The author also includes information about each restaurant where she obtained the recipes--chef, address, notes. So if you go to Paris, you essentially have quite a good restaurant guide.

The only caveat about this cookbook is that to make any of these recipes, you must get top-quality ingredients, as they are the backbone of each dish. This means a trek to the farmer's market, to the specialty shop, the farm, your backyard garden, the dairy or mail-order as many grocery store items will just not measure up. I can tell you from experience that the quality of the ingredients is paramount to success, and grocery store cream and butter in most of the US just can't do the job. And don't get me started on the vegetables.

The recipes contained in this book are numerous and diverse. However, unless one is experienced in French cuisine, it may be difficult to achieve the exact same end result as one who has experience, such as the author. The recipes are certainly original and authentic.

As dedicated chefs will know, one cannot rush in the preparation of these recipes and the downside, for most of us who are career people, is finding the time and energy to prepare most of the recipes contained here. They are by no means ones you can whip up in thirty minutes or less. Some take the best part of the day to prepare so perhaps these recipes are best set aside for special occasions, week-ends or for some event where time is not a factor. "The Paris Cookbook" will make a great addition to any library. Most of the recipes tried to date are excellent such as the Bonaparte's Chicken Salad and the Zucchini and Curry Soup; however, you might want to pass by the White Bean Soup - it left a lot to be desired and had the same appeal as wallpaper paste! Oh, well, we cannot expect every recipe to be perfect.

Having just returned from Paris, and already missing the food, 'The Paris Cookbook' is just what I needed. Patricia Wells again combines wonderful recipes, lovely mood photos of Paris with stories of each recipe. What I love about Wells, is the lack of photos of completed dishes. Instead the written word is used to provoke your taste buds. A lovely addition to any Francophile or Cookbook Collection.

I found a ... paperback copy of the book and bought it primarily for the pictures of the many different shapes and types of bread in France. It is useful for that but has value for the many recipes included. I first tried the recipe for the Poilane boule. My effort was creditable, quite edible, and with a few hundred repetions may approach the original. There are many recipes for many breads from many regions of France. As a reference for the many possibilities it is excellent. While it is not the first book a novice to bread baking should acquire, it is an excellent one for someone whose interest in the subject has undergone at least the first fermentation.

Bought this book in 1979 and have made almost every recipe in it. Bernard Clayton is meticulous with his instructions and, if you follow them exactly, you will have amazingly delicious results. Every recipe is a treasure -- I have so many favorites. It is fascinating to learn about the dramatic differences in taste and texture that result from slight variations in ingredients (starter made with white vs. whole wheat, for example, or a tablespoon of honey or a splash of buttermilk), and modest variations in technique.

A few years ago, my family and I made a pilgrimage to the rue Cherche Midi to sample the bread in Poilane's bakery. I was amazed to find that the baguette tasted almost exactly like the one I had been making at home in my own oven for more than 20 years!

I own many bread books, but this is the one I love best because these are the recipes that give me the greatest pleasure to make.

When I picked up this book to browse, I couldn't put it back down so I had to get it. This is not just excellent recipes, but a bit of culture and tradition which will engross you and make you appreciate what you're baking that much more!

The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow. The writer puts you at ease with each page. Besides, who wouldn't want to make the Poil'ne renouned to be "... the best bread in the world"?