My Favorite Books: In Order of Popularity
I buy most of my books via the Internet. It's convenient and less expensive. I don't have to leave the house, fight traffic, or stand in line. The item is delivered to my doorstep 3 to 7 days after purchase. Although you don't pay tax, you do pay shipping and handling. However, since the purchase price is less expensive via the Internet, you still end up saving a few dollars, even with shipping and handling. If you're buying something for someone else, you can have it GIFT WRAPPED and shipped to them DIRECTLY.
Make-A-Note Home
PageTo learn more about a book or CD, just click on the underlined title.
Semi-Homemade
Cooking: Quick, Marvelous Meals and Nothing Is Made from Scratch
Review by Amazon.com: "Sandra Lee has been making everyday lives a little bit
easier for over ten years with her Semi-Homemade techniques. Now, she brings her
inspiring, practical ideas into the kitchen in her very first cookbook, with
recipes that are quick, easy, and most of all delicious.
Semi-Homemade Cooking combines fresh ingredients with carefully chosen
prepackaged foods -- everything from ready-made pastry to premade soups -- to
create a worry-free, timesaving new approach to home cooking.
Nothing is made from scratch -- but everything tastes completely homemade.
Semi-Homemade Cooking is packed with over one hundred inspiring recipes -- from
classic dishes like Southwestern Turkey Chili and Corn Bread, Six-Cheese
Tortellini, and French Apple Raisin Sandwiches, to more sophisticated fare, such
as Spicy Crab Salad and Roasted Pepper Soup to mouth-watering desserts like
Cream Cheese Flan, and Raspberry Trifle with Rum Cream Sauce.
It's all here: appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, desserts, snacks, even
treats for your pet -- beautifully presented, artfully selected, and most can be
prepared in less than 30 minutes.
Sandra also includes recommendations for her favorite product brands, grocery
store shopping lists, helpful leftover hints, storage suggestions, and music and
wine suggestions to accompany the meals.
Semi-Homemade Cooking is perfect for anyone who wants homemade meals without
spending hours in the kitchen."
Review by Amazon.com: "Everything we say to each other echoes with meanings left over from our past experience--both our history talking to the person before us at this moment and our history talking to others," says Deborah Tannen, one of the world's most famous linguists. We react not only to the message, but to the "metamessage": our interpretation of the unstated meaning, based on tone, relationship, and our past associations. Add in the connections and control issues among family members, and it's no wonder families have so much trouble understanding each other!
Review by Amazon.com: Why do grown women feel constantly criticized by their mothers, while mothers feel that around their grown daughters they can't open their mouths? Why do we feel like kids again when we visit our parents, and leave family reunions feeling left out or subtly put down? Whether it's teens or full-grown children, older adult parents, sisters and brothers, or in-laws, talking to family members can yield both comfort and pain. In this eye-opening new book, bestselling author Deborah Tannen turns her attention to how talk in families works--or fails--to create, complicate, and improve our most intimate relationships.
Stepping Heavenward : One Woman's Journey to Godliness (Inspirational Library Series)
Reviewer from Philadelphia, PA: My best friend and an incredible Christian gave me this book and I've already begun saving to buy copies for many of my Christian friends. This is a book which, if you let it, will change your walk with Christ, and I just thank God that He dropped it in my lap just at the moment when I needed to be reminded of His closeness and greatness. I can give it no higher praise than this: I would break off in the middle of fast-paced chapters because I couldn't go another moment without praying or reading the Bible. Definitely DEFINITELY *DEFINITELY* something to buy for yourself or a friend. Ideally, buy it, read it, and then loan it to the friend. There is no Christian whom this book wouldn't help.
Review by Amazon.com: This is the awesome tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton's abortive 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole. His ship, Endurance, was trapped and then crushed by sea ice, leaving Shackleton and 27 men adrift on ice floes. The story of how Shackleton saved all of them and reached South Georgia Island is one of the epics in the history of survival.
Clutter's Last Stand : It's Time to De-Junk Your Life!
A reader from Las Vegas, Nevada: This book was a lifesaver for me! After reading it I did a thorough cleansing of all my junk. Life is light and enjoyable now with a lot more free time for myself. Moving a family of 4 is a breeze because all you have is what you use! I will never own a storage unit now because I have nothing to store! Give yourself the gift of freedom and read this book. I agree with Don that having to save things is a symptom of other issues you haven't dealt with. Starting to de-junk is a good step on the road to recovery. I have dealt with weight issues myself. Starting to de-junk is starting to take responsibility for your life. Read this book and start to live again!
Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Bill Phillips had been publishing bodybuilding magazines and marketing nutritional supplements for years when he had a weird revelation at a trade show: many of the most loyal and enthusiastic readers he had were totally out of shape. From that uncomfortable realization came his popular Physique Transformation Contest (top prize that first year: Phillips's own Lamborghini), now world famous, and this book. The three-times-a-week weightlifting program in Body for Life is deceptively simple. If you've spent any time in the gym, you've already done all the exercises. But Phillips includes a couple of high-intensity sets at the end of each exercise that should compound the training effect on each muscle group. Same goes for the cardiovascular exercise he recommends: just 20 minutes, three times a week. But those 20 minutes are spent jacking the intensity up and down, accomplishing more in less time.
Phillips arranges all this into a 12-week program, along with nutritional and motivational tips. Be warned that the nutritional advice gets a little spacey. For example, he puts "carbohydrates" and "vegetables" into separate categories, and recommends three daily doses of a nutritional supplement called Myoplex, which his company manufactures. (Fortunately, he gives tips on how to make each dose taste different, such as by adding drops of peppermint extract.) Despite this strangeness, Body for Life still motivates because so many others have achieved astounding results in similar 12-week windows, and the pictures and testimonials are here as evidence.
Golden Rules : The Ten Ethical Values Parents Need to Teach Their Children
Review by Amazon.com: Timely and timeless, this essential handbook offers thoughtful, much-needed advice to both new and experienced parents who want to raise decent, ethical children in today's complicated world. With warmth and gentleness, Wayne Dosick identifies the standards of ethical behavior that define right from wrong: respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility, compassion, gratitude, friendship, peace, maturity, faith.
Home Comforts : The Art and Science of Keeping House
Review by Amazon.com: Virtually everyone enjoys a crisply ironed dress shirt, clean sheets on a well-made bed, and a savory home-cooked meal. Yet housekeeping today stands as a somewhat neglected, if not maligned, job. But as author Cheryl Mendelson points out in Home Comforts, keeping house well can be a rewarding position--it allows you to provide for the physical and emotional comfort of loved ones. It's also not an easy job--there's much to be learned about properly managing a home, and Mendelson has set out to provide a guide to doing just that.
The Surrendered Wife: A Practical Guide to Finding Intimacy, Passion, and Peace with Your Man
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: This controversial approach to marriage has transformed thousands of relationships, bringing women romance, harmony, and the intimacy they crave.
Food : Your Miracle Medicine : How Food Can Prevent and Cure over 100 Symptoms and Problems
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Did you know that fish oil and collard greens block breast cancer? Brazil nuts can improve your mood? That contrary to popular belief, sugar actually mellows out most people? Carper's collection of culinary medicine is astounding. Based on research culled from prestigious scientific institutes around the world, Carper reports on what you ought and oughtn't to eat for ailments ranging from heart disease to cancer, strokes to depression and anxiety. It's pleasant to think of health as taking place in your kitchen instead of the doctor's office or hospital.
Not Just Beans: 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: How can you cut your grocery budget without depriving your family? This is the subject of author Tawra Kellam's new cookbook, Not Just Beans. Not Just Beans is a collection of frugal recipes and tips from the cooking expertise of three generations of Tawra Kellam's family. Using these tips and suggestions, Mrs. Kellam shows how anyone can tighten his or her food budget. In the book, Tawra shares the secrets of how she spends an average of $125 per month feeding her family of four.
Not Just Beans is designed for the beginner as well as the more experienced cook. It contains over 540 recipes and 400 tips explaining how to eat well while slashing your grocery bill. The recipes are easy to cook with ingredients readily found at your local grocery store. With hard-to-find frugal recipes like buttermilk, enchilada sauce and Zwieback, classic favorites like slow cooked roast, hush puppies and rock candy and old-fashioned comfort foods like watermelon pickles, rice pudding and fried green tomatoes, Not Just Beans has it all.
Some topics covered in the book are: -Changing the way you think about your food budget without feeling deprived -Freezer tips to maximize your freezer use and get the most out of your money -How to save at the grocery store -400 frugal household tips, time savers and hints -Creative uses of leftovers -Lunch and snack ideas -Chapters dedicated to breakfasts, kids recipes and jar mixes.
The Medical Bill Survival Guide : What You Need to Know Before You Pay a Dime
Editorial Review from the author, Pat Palmer: This book only touches the surface of the Medical Bill Maze This book is serving it's purpose. It is intended to wake the public up to the MAJOR problem we are having in the Medical Billing World. If we do not stand up and make providers and facilities stand accountable for the money they are charging us, it won't be long until no one will be able to afford health care. Good health care does not do us any good if we can't get it. This book only touches the surface of what is happening. Individuals, self-insured corporations are being taken to the cleaners. Providers, Facilities and Insurance Companies have developed such a maze for medical billing it is overwhelming to most people to try and navigate through. At the end of this book it list Consumer Advocates around the country that will help you if you can't do it alone.
Reviewer from Kennesaw, GA: Wow! what a refreshing book. This subject has been penned into print by many authors; but Trumbull's technique is one of using Biblical virtues and focusing on the very best child training information. This technique results in simple, easy to understand chapters and a very clear understanding of what our little ones face in everyday life. I read the book once, then twice, there is no finality in finding helpful hints in this book. Who better to write on the subject, as Trumbull himself raised eight children, during a time when virtue and character were elevated to high status. Subjects such as: courtesy, dealing with children's fears, scolding, adding value to a child's Christmas, were all written with compassion. All parents should read the chapter "Never punish a child when angry."
A reader from Wisconsin: Much like her journalism style, Carper has written a clear-cut text on the variety of ways we can create Miracles for ourselves. I purchased this book earlier last summer and have found it to be a wealth of information as well as advice I can depend on. She has shown the link between herbal/vitamin/natural remedies and science despite the constant "warnings" from the pharmaceutical corporations we all hear and read. I have long been a proponent of healing myself and taking supplements that enhance my body's ability to keep the effects of aging at bay. Several years ago I found a site, iHerbLtd. that has such a tremendous job at supplying me with the herbs and supplements I need. Between iHerb and Carper's book, I'm in good hands--my own!
The Food Pharmacy : Dramatic New Evidence That Food Is Your Best Medicine
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Carper offers dramatic new evidence to support the concept of food as medicine. Features a pharmacopeia of more than 50 foods and their therapeutic uses, nutritional benefits, and adverse affects.
Editorial Review from Nashville Banner: "A fascinating volume worth keeping close at hand....Carper provided scientific evidence, safety factors, descriptions of how each natural remedy, herb, or vitamin works, and plenty of other pertinent information to enable readers to draw their own conclusions."
New York Times Book Review: "Gift from the Sea is like a shell itself in its small and perfect form . . . It tells of light and life and love and the security that lies at the heart.".
Simple Scrapbooks : 25 Fun and Meaningful Memory Books You Can Make in a Weekend
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Stacy presents the ideas and projects that can help scrapbookers get started. Starting and keeping up a traditional chronological album can be daunting, and even then the most important aspects of life can be overlooked. Stacy believes it’s much more fun (and meaningful and EASY!) to focus on the memories you really want to preserve. Her book has ideas for everyone, from teens to moms to empty nesters. From beginners to advanced scrapbookers. The results for everyone are the same: within just a few hours, you can have a lasting keepsakes to be enjoyed for years.
Reviewer from USA: This book and this woman have completely changed my life and my devotion to the Lord. Elizabeth Prentiss is such a figure of godliness and piety to me, and God has used her letters and journals to mold and try my heart in blessed and glorious ways. Read Read Read.
The Gift of Fear (Survival Signals that Protect Us from Violence)
Review by Amazon.com: The book teaches how to identify the warning signals of a potential attacker and recommends strategies for dealing with the problem before it becomes life threatening. The case studies are gripping and suspenseful, and include tactics for dealing with similar situations.
Make Your House Do the Housework
A reader from Portland, Oregon: I just read this book, and I can't say enough good things about it! I love a clean home, but hate housework, so every time I do housework now I think how much easier it would be, using Don and Laura's guidelines. My husband and I are currently designing a new home and we're implementing dozens of the suggestions outlined in the book... they just all make so much sense! If we were planning on staying in our current home I'd insist on changing many of its features to be lower maintenance. I can't wait for the day in our new home when I think, gee, housework is almost fun now!
Frozen Assets : How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Frozen Assets is small in stature, but jam-packed with meal-planning advice. It contains recipe ideas, plus detailed instructions on how to get the maximum value from your food dollar, while also slashing meal preparation times. Deborah Taylor-Hough, mother of four, is as organized as a soldier. She shops one morning in less than an hour, chops and prepares ingredients the next night after dinner, and then spends one long day cooking. Making double and triple batches of 10 recipes, she ends up putting 30 meals for two adults and two children into the freezer, ready to heat and eat. Taylor-Hough's plan uses simple, familiar recipes. Her family eats meat loaf, baked ziti, and chicken and broccoli casserole made with canned soup. Each dish is repeated several times a month. To keep her grocery bill under $200 a month, she uses store brands and buys ground meat in bulk, and only when it's on special. As much a manual for a way of life as a cookbook, Frozen Assets tells how to create your own meal plans, cope with a small, "in refrigerator" freezer, and how to use this bulk-cooking method even if you are single. If you are into efficiency and want a guide to reorganizing your culinary life, this book is a must-have. It even offers advice on how to recover from a whole day of cooking. Taylor-Hough's recommendation: go out to dinner that night!
Better Homes and Gardens New Garden Book
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: With more than 400 full-color photographs, this beautiful portfolio contains how-to illustrations and detailed descriptions of plant life in fourteen beautiful chapters.
A reader from Texas: As a family of 6 that has recently entered the ministry, we were unable to buy adequate groceries with the low income we have. So when the money ran out, we went to the food pantry for help once a month. Then I read Shop, Save, and Share. I realized that there was another way to feed our family on a limited budget. After just 2 months of doing things Ellie's way, our trips to the grocery store cost us 40% less, AND we have a very large surplus of food and toiletries. We are now able to give things away! Ellie adds her brand of humor to her book, which I enjoyed. But if her stories aren't your thing, just go to the meat of the book: her tried and true techniques on saving money and acquiring an abundance of (free) items to share. There's plenty of excellent information there to digest. Follow her techniques and you will spend less at the store and get twice as much stuff. It's definitely working for us!
Review by Amazon.com: All parents must deal with the facts in order to protect their children properly. De Becker's aim is to create awareness of potential dangers and provide parents with the knowledge necessary for prevention and control.
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Hibbard issues a creative call for Christian families to celebrate Easter that includes devotions and activities which center on Christ's resurrection. Features Easter/Lent countdown calendar, patterns, recipes, and more.
The Work-At-Home Sourcebook (Work-At-Home Sourcebook, 7th Ed)
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: AT&T, JC Penney, and more than 1,000 other companies routinely hire home workers. The author provides job descriptions, contact information, pay and benefits listings, and tons of helpful tips for finding and getting freelance work. This revised and updated edition includes a new section on finding at-home work via the Internet. This "comprehensive classic" ("Home Office Computing") provides job descriptions, contact information, pay and benefits listings, and tips for finding and getting freelance work at home and over the Internet. 13 photos.
A reader from Seattle, WA: Sugar-free desserts (no refined sugars, honey, molasses, or artificial sugar substitutes)---sweetened with fruit and fruit juices. Cakes, cookies, pies, custards and much more! If you've been desiring a way to ease your "sugar-addicted" family into a healthier eating pattern, Karen Barkie's book could be just what you've been looking for!
The Big Book of Home Learning (Set)
Reviewer from Alberta Canada: This is the best resource for finding all the information you need to start homeschooling, or to supplement a public school student's learning (afterschooling). If you don't know how to go about it, or even if you are an expert homeschooler looking for the latest in curriculum and methods... this is an excellent resource. I have been buying this series of books each time it comes out, and every time there is something new that I learn, and that I add to our learning regime. It truly is the most authoritive, and up-to-date homeschooling (or after-schooling) information available out there. If you are just starting... this is the one to get! It will help you locate just what you need, and whittle down the vast choices to those that suit you and your needs quickly. Highly recommended. :)
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Dogs for Dummies should be required reading for anyone considering purchasing or adopting a dog. In this comprehensive, yet concise and entertaining book, author Gina Spadafori, pet care columnist for Universal Press Syndicate and host of AOL's "Gina Spadafori's Pet Connection," makes a strong case for researching breeds and considering how certain types of dogs will or won't fit an owner's lifestyle. She doesn't pull any punches in describing the fate of dogs who have been wrongly chosen by well-intentioned owners, then given up for possible adoption, but probable euthanasia, because they are too active, too aggressive, poorly trained, or, appallingly, because they don't fit in with the owner's décor. For readers considering a purebred dog, Spadafori provides extensive information on selecting a breed that will fit an owner's lifestyle, including sources of possible breeders such as magazines, Internet sites, and AKC breed clubs, and tips for screening breeders to weed out the unscrupulous or the ignorant. She strongly encourages adoption of shelter animals, though, pointing out that many of the dogs who wind up in shelters are healthy, young, and lovable animals who would make excellent pets for the right people. She recommends proceeding with caution when shopping pet stores for puppies due to the high percentage of pet store puppies that come from puppy mills where animals are bred indiscriminately and often kept in horrifying conditions. Likewise, she discourages purchasing puppies from "backyard breeders" believing that this only encourages irresponsible pet ownership by giving owners a reason to keep breeding their pets rather than altering them.
Once a breed or type of dog has been selected, Dogs for Dummies moves on to the practical aspects of ownership, including bringing home a puppy or adult dog, feeding and grooming, veterinary care from puppyhood to old age, training and dealing with behavioral problems, and traveling with pets. One of the most interesting chapters of the book debunks common myths about dogs--that a barking dog won't bite, for instance. Spadafori even includes a chapter on silly tricks to teach your dog and another on "must-see" dog sites on the World Wide Web.
Merck Manual Diagnosis & Therapy (Includes Facsimile of 1st ed. of the Merck Manual)
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: This is serious stuff. The most widely used medical text in the world and the hypochondriac's bible, the Merck has the lowdown on the vast expanse of human diseases, disorders and injuries, as well as their symptoms and recommended therapy. It's intended for physicians and medical students, but though the type is tiny and the language technical, the Merck's a valuable volume for anyone with more than a passing interest in bodily ills.
Modern Taekwondo : The Official Training Manual
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: 1,218 black/white illustrations! Over 1,200 photographs show every step, from the first forms you'll master to the intricate techniques that display the ultimate in the art of Taekwondo--which will be an official Olympic sport for the first time, in the 2000 Sydney games. Plus, it's endorsed by the World Taekwondo Federation (Taekwondo's only recognized international governing body), and co-authored by the head coach of the U.S. Taekwondo team. Here are background notes on Taekwondo's history, philosophy, and symbols, as well as coverage on breaking, sparring, and competition--including officiating guidelines, contestant qualifications, and more. It's sure to be THE major book on Taekwondo! Trim size: 8 x 10.
A reader from Fairfield, Pennsylvania: If you have been on every diet under the sun, do yourself a favor and purchase this book. You won't just read it once, you'll keep it close by for constant reference and inspiration. I also purchased the audio and find it well worth the money.
This man's message is clear and concise and totally makes sense. There is no way you can follow this program and not lose weight and feel great.
Proceeds from this book go to "Make a Wish", I was impressed with that. I also donated $5.00 a pound for weight I lost on this program.
Reviewer from Miami, Florida United States: "The Big Book of Home Learning" is the best book out there on getting started in homeschooling. [It] covers; how to get started, how to homeschool successfully, learning styles, homeschool methods, what to do in special situations, recordkeeping, and much more! Mary Pride also provides reviews (some reviews are written by other people) for all of the complete curriculums from many of the popular companies. All of the reviews are in alphabetical order and are easy to find. They are also well written and really help you to decide what curriculums will work best for your family. I recommend this book to all new homeschoolers!
The Big Book of Home Learning Volume 2: Preschool and Elementary
Reviewer from Miami, Florida United States: As a homeschool parent, I do not begin a new school year without consulting this book. Mary Pride has done all of the hard work for you. She starts with Preschoolers in this book and takes you all the way to fifth grade. She lists every major subject and gives you a review of the many different curriculums avalible. She even lists the reviews alphabetically for you! I conduct an orientation program for new homeschoolers and I recommend all three volumes of "The Big Book of Home Learning" to every new homeschool parent that I talk to! Let's just hope that Mary Pride keeps producing these great resources.
The Big Book of Home Learning Volume 3: Junior High Through College
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Karen Barkie follows her enormously popular and successful cookbook, Sweet and Sugarfree with a new batch of recipes, even sweeter than before. The whole family can enjoy these elegant and nutritious dishes--perfect for dinner parties or any occasion. For those with dietary restrictions such as sugar sensitivity, limited cholesterol intake, or food allergies, an appendix is provided which allows recipes to be adapted to special needs.
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Good music comes from the heart, and Mark Schultz's debut album has plenty of that. His original attempts to jump-start a musical career by moving to Nashville were to no avail, so instead he took a position as youth pastor in a local church. Inspired by his newfound ministry, he began writing songs about experiences he had with his youth group. A cloud of eager fans soon surrounded him. Only then did he receive the industry attention he had once sought out. Drawing on the producing talent of Monroe Jones, Schultz's musical journey has embarked on a new path. This self-titled project combines energized showmanship and heart-wrenching ballads. His voice is like the white-water crest of a wave. Its unique intensity is the force that leads the music onward. As well, his buoyant piano style brings a welcome flavor to the straight-up pop sound of this album. Drum loops, layered vocals, and soaring guitars add to the intrigue. His first single, "I Am the Way," was written as a theme song to kick off a new year of youth meetings. No doubt that year opened with a bang.
The Five Love Languages : How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
A reader from Roanoke, Virginia: It is so simple and easy to understand. After I read it, I couldn't understand why I hadn't realized these concepts before. I wish I could give a copy of this book to every man, woman, and child. What a wonderful world we would have if we all understood the "Five Love Languages" and spoke them to all we meet everyday!! The family is a great place to start. My family and I regularly ask each other "How full is the 'love tank?'". When things are tough at school, work or life in general, we now ask each other freely "What can I do to make your love tank full?" Sometimes only the passing of time will cure a family problem (example: problems at work), but our family's commitment to express to each other the variety of dialects between quality time, words of affirmation, and physical touch (which seem to be the most needed of the 5 languages in our particular household when outside problems occur) can make the hardest of times go by so much easier and faster. How I wish everyone would read this book!!!
A reader from Los Angeles, California: Jean Carper has a wonderful writing style. She is able to take complex topics that may otherwise be boring and turn them into a fascinating read. In this book she strongly emphasizes the importance of food in brain health, particularly oils found in fish. I agree with her that many people in this country may not be getting adequate amounts of omega-3 or fish oils. Clinically I have found that fish oils do help improve mood and vision. I highly recommend this book, you will learn a lot. I first heard about Jean a decade ago from my mom who had her book Food: Your Miracle Medicine. You may also consider reading my book Mind Boosters. It compliments Jean's book and provides additional points of view, suggestions, and information about dozens of different supplements. There's a lot of information about new mind boosters such as vinpocetine, huperzine, methyl donors, etc. and more of a practical/medical approach on side effects, dosages, and how to combine various nutrients to improve mood, memory, vision, sex drive, and mental performance.
Tae-Bo Workout: Instructional and Basic
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: Billed as the "future of fitness" and hawked by numerous celebrities, Billy Blanks's Tae-Bo actually deserves much of the hype it's receiving. A mixture of boxing punches and martial arts kicks, Tae-Bo is fun and easy. One of the best elements of this two-tape set is that the first tape (which is 40 minutes long), Tae-Bo: Instructional, lays out the movements you need to successfully complete a workout. Once you've mastered the steps, you won't have to fast-forward through half the tape to get to the workout, nor will your workout be slowed down by the repeated lessons. After you feel comfortable with the movements (and they're really quite easy to follow; nothing too complicated to trip you up), you're ready to move on to Tae-Bo: Basics, a 27-minute workout (5 minutes of warm-up, 18 minutes of Tae-Bo, and 4 minutes of cool-down) that will have your heart pounding and your body sweating. The only downside to this tape is the less-than-exciting music. Blanks, a seven-time World Martial Arts champion, is a superb instructor, providing encouragement and careful instruction (if you don't know by the end of the tape to hold in your stomach, that's no one's fault but your own). Not only is Tae-Bo great exercise for all levels, but the punches and kicks are wonderful for working out stress and aggression. This is the aerobics exercise video for people who are bored by aerobics.
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: You want a tough, advanced workout? Boxing aerobic workouts are hot for athletic cross-training, aerobic conditioning, and both upper- and lower-body strengthening. Boxing offers a good cross-training alternative to step and aerobic dance, which are all leg work. Michael Olajide Jr., 12-year boxing veteran and former World Middleweight contender, is the real instructor in this workout, assisted by Kathy Smith. Olajide first demonstrates the correct form of basic boxing moves such as jab, power punch, hook, and upper cut, which involve the whole upper body and the abs, not just the arms. Then he leads a killer-paced aerobic routine requiring stamina, strength, agility, speed, and coordination. The fast upper-body moves turn into whole-body boxing moves, both stationary and moving, that also work the legs, thighs, and buttocks. The cardiovascular workout is intense, fast, and relentless, designed for the experienced aerobic exerciser. Periodic jump-rope segments (which get progressively more difficult) add more legwork, aerobic intensity, and coordination. The cool-down slows things down somewhat but still contributes to a high-powered workout. Only during the stretch segment at the end do you get a chance to catch your breath. A knockout of a workout! (Warm-up: 9 minutes; boxing with jump-rope intervals: 30 minutes; cool-down: 11 minutes.)
The Coming Plague : Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance
Editorial Review from Book News, Inc.: Based on international field research and extensive interviews with experts in virology, molecular biology, disease ecology and medicine, Garrett (health and science writer and former science correspondent for National Public Radio) investigates newly identified viruses such as HIV, HIV-II and the mysterious Ebola; old viruses in new locations, such as hantavirus and dengue; and mutant strains of old diseases<-;- >and examines the relationship between the spread of disease, sociology, politics and science.
Tae-Bo Workout: Advanced and Tae-Bo Live! Sneak Preview
Editorial Review from Amazon.com: When Billy Blanks called this workout Advanced, he wasn't fooling around. This 57-minute workout will have your heart racing, your pulse pounding, and your sweat glands working overtime. The familiar moves from Tae-Bo Instructional and Basic are here, but Blanks has put a little razzmatazz on them, adding slightly more complicated combinations that should be fairly easy to master if you've completed the first two tapes. The new moves--which combine Tae-Bo's patented mix of boxing punches and martial arts kicks--make this video much more exciting, but they also considerably raise the bar on the difficulty factor. In addition to the short warm-up, the cool down, and the 30 minutes of Tae-Bo, Advanced Tae-Bo also includes 18 minutes of muscle-crunching floor work. You know you're in trouble when even the guys in the tape have trouble keeping up. As Blanks says, your "butt should be on fire," and if you need to, "go ahead and scream a little." But, as always, Blanks is a supportive coach, reminding you to go at your own pace (stop for water if necessary), yet encouraging you to push yourself as much as you can. The music is still cheesy, and some of the camera work somewhat confusing (the overhead angle makes the body positioning in the floor work hard to follow). However, this is a terrific workout when you're ready to take Tae-Bo to the next level; just make sure you have truly mastered the first two tapes before attempting Advanced. A 20-minute sneak preview of Tae-Bo Live is included with this video.
Signing : How to Speak With Your Hands
A reader from East Bend, North Carolina: I use this book to teach Sign Language classes and think it is great. Dr. Costello has a thorough introduction to the language in the beginning of the book. The chapters are broken into "families" of signs, with clear illustrations. At the beginning of each chapter are three "basics" of ASL useage, which introduce the student to not only the vocabulary in the book, but also the way in which the language is used. It's a great book, and her background gives her every right to write a book like this.
Focus On The Family Radio Theatre CDs and Cassettes:
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (Focus On The Family Radio Theatre)Other Focus On The Family Radio Theatre CDs and Cassettes:
Review by Amazon.com: Addresses all the important aspects of pregnancy and childbirth, covering such topics as pre-pregnancy health care; the latest tests, technologies, and procedures; selecting a doctor; and birthing methods.
A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy & Childbirth
From Book News, Inc.: Synthesizes into a single handy volume the conclusions reached by larger publications for use by anyone involved in the care of childbearing women. The first edition was published in 1989; the 1995 second won the British Medical Association's Medical Book Competition for primary care.
Real Age-Are You As Young As You Can Be
Review by Make-A-Note Editor: Dr. Michael Roizen has written a wonderful book, "Real Age-Are You As Young As You Can Be?". We all notice how even though some people are the same age, some look very youthful, while others looked considerably older than the rest. What he has done is taken all those studies we have seen reported on individually that this or that will either prolong or shorten your life, and he has factored it into a Real Age Calculator. How is Real Age different from your chronological age? Your Real Age is the indicator of how good a condition your body is in, and often how young or old you look.
Review by Amazon.com: A father's first-person account of his young son's difficulties in learning to talk, his surprising disoveries about other late talkers, and some intriguing speculation about the causes of this problem.
The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late
Review by Amazon.com: The Einstein Syndrome is a follow-up to Late-Talking Children, which established Thomas Sowell as a leading spokesman on the subject of late-talking children. While many children who talk late suffer from developmental disorders or autism, there is a certain well-defined group who are developmentally normal or even quite bright, yet who may go past their fourth birthday before beginning to talk. These children are often misdiagnosed as autistic or retarded, a mistake that is doubly hard on parents who must first worry about their apparently handicapped children and then see them lumped into special classes and therapy groups where all the other children are clearly very different.
Find your own Amazon. com Product:
 | Use the Search: pull down menu to select a Product category |
| Type in a Keyword (e.g., title, author's name, etc.) |
| And Click the Go Button |
|
||||||
