Book Description
AFGHANISTAN- the name conjures images of rugged mountains, ancient cities, hardened Mujaheddin, a country rife with regional rivalries, and the eternal struggle between Tajik and Pashtun. Afghanistan comes to life in this epic adventure of love, betrayal, and war. Young Tajik Ahmed Jan'ss heroic journey begins in the Northern Alliance stronghold near Taloqan just a month prior to 9/11. He is swept away by the chaos that soon engulfs the country before a chance discovery propels him to the forefront of the clash between civilizations. Pursued by both the CIA and al-Qaida, he struggles to save his people from obliteration and find the true meaning of life in a land where all seems lost.
Customer Reviews:
Couldn't put this one down!.......2007-09-15
One of the Best . . . from someone who travelled Afghanistan in the 70s.
This book of fiction is filled with suspense, current events of war/terrorism, courage and romance all rolled into a superbly crafted story that was next to impossible to put down. The descriptions of Afghanistan were much as I remembered where, on highways, men would just get out of a vehicle and start walking towards the far mountains into what-appeared-to-be nowhere. The Taliban throughout the Khyber Pass were just as treacherous then as now, though most Afghanis were wonderfully hospitable to Americans. The game of Buzkashi was referred to and is something so unique to Afghanistan as I remember in Kabul. Can't wait to read Dr. Wilson's most recent: Ascent from Darkness.
Very believable Afghanistan thriller.......2007-04-17
This is both a believable international thriller and a scary novel about the ethnic and religious hatreds that plague Afghanistan and the world. I do not know how an eye doctor from California and Minnesota has done it, but the characters and locales it describes seem very authentic. It is a very good read. I leave it to other readers to decide whether the ending is hopeful or pessimistic about easing those ethnic hatreds.
Great Read!!.......2006-10-24
I REALLY enjoyed this novel and would rate it up there with some of my favorite all-time entertaining books like The Day of the Jackal and The Firm. I'm a former business major, but I found the scientific part about the new type of virus weapon understandable and chilling. I hated to see the book end, but the finale was powerful...just like the rest of the story. I highly recommend Winter in Kandahar!
Superb book!!! You will love it!.......2006-08-04
Winter in Kandahar is a wonderful book about a young Afghani man set during the time just prior to September 11th. I am an avid reader and I absolutely could not put this book down!! It had a bit of everything in it... mystery, suspense, romance. If you are looking for a fabulous read, look no more!! You will LOVE this book!!
Enthralling, thought provoking, enjoyable!.......2006-07-24
I absolutely loved this novel! The timeliness of the reality-based plot in the framework of an epic that spans the globe made for a lot of reading enjoyment. I usually don't get an opportunity to read until we put the kids to sleep and by then I'm usually too tired. I got a copy of this book just before a two week vacation and had a hard time putting it down long enough to enjoy my trip. I found myself eager with anticipation for the chance to crawl beneath the covers each night and return to the captivating Winter in Kandahar story.
The novel begins a short time prior to September 11, 2001 in the northeast corner of Afghanistan where the Northern Alliance remains precariously in control of territory that includes the Panjshir Valley where the Alliance Mujaheddin are making what appears to be their last stand against the combined forces of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The main character of the novel, young ill-fated fighter Ahmed Jan, is on the front lines of the see-saw battles that have seen his entire family wiped out. As shaky as the Northern Alliance situation is, it's made all the worse by the assassination of revered Northern Alliance leader Commander Ahmed Massoud at the hands of al- Qaeda in chapter 2. Ironically, in this their darkest hour, the Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington D.C. turn out to be salvation for the Tajik, Uzbek and other groups of the Northern Alliance who are resisting the cruel Taliban domination. Within weeks, U.S. Special Forces, Air Force, Navy, and other military units sweep the Taliban out of Kabul, Taloqan, Kandahar, and other major cities of Afghanistan and put them on the run, along with their al-Qaeda guests, into the Pakistani tribal territories along the Afghan border. Ahmed Jan finds a mysterious communiqué in the coat of an al-Qaeda messenger and, along with ruthless Mujaheddin fighter Mustafa and old, rigid holy man Mohammajon, gets swept into an adventure that spans the globe from Islamabad to Amsterdam to Venice to Seattle to Vancouver to Karachi and back to Kandahar. This engrossing epic story includes CIA operatives and Special Forces soldiers interwoven with three love stories with very different endings. The adventure concludes with a movingly heartrending, surprise finale. I must be a romantic at heart too, because I enjoyed the romances. It's hard to believe the previous reviewer was writing about the romance between the Tajik fighter Mustafa and the nurse Fatima in the Pakistani Hospital because it's so central to the plot. I guess she was referring to the pubescent romance between the young American scientist and his student. I guess the author could have omitted it, but I enjoyed it, and it helped to break up what otherwise could have been too heavy.
I highly recommend this book for both women and men who are fans of international thrillers.
Book Description
When ex-nun Christine Bennett can't get into her friend Mr. Herskovitz's apartment to accompany him to Yom Kippur services, she discovers that he's been murdered. The police arrest someone almost immediately, but Chris isn't ready to end her own investigation . . .
Customer Reviews:
A Pleasant Surprise!.......2004-07-17
While wandering through a used bookstore the other day, I ran across this book, and based purely on title alone, I had to pick it up. Turns out that it is part of a series of mysteries, each originating on a holiday. (The Good Friday Murder, The St. Patrick's Day Murder, etc)
The detective of each story is Christine Bennett, a recent ex-nun, and that is where I had the most problems with this story. The mystery was fairly well done; however, I felt that the character of Christine just didn't feel right for an ex-nun. Here's a woman who was a NUN for 15 years, and now just a few months later, she's drinking, dating (and ultimately sleeping with) men, and just in general, acting a little too...well...normal. I would think that we should see more of an internal conflict than we do.
But like I said, the mystery was good. And there were a few themes that ran through the book that I enjoyed, such as the young befriending the elderly, and cross-cultural relationships, which can be unusual in a mystery.
Chris Bennett finds murder once again.......2002-09-20
Our housewife sleuth, former nun Christine Bennett is working with a trio of elderly rent control tenants who are barely hanging onto their homes while being harassed by the owners of their building to drive them out so the apartment house can be gutted and turned into high priced condos for a tidy profit to the landlords.
On Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, Mr. Herskovitz is found dead, viciously beaten. Christine isn't convinced that the motive was a scare tactic that got out of hand, as the police believe. She begins to dig into the past and comes up with several other suspects. Will her own life be in danger until this mystery is solved? You bet, but in the mean time, the reader is treated to another cleverly crafted, multi-layered story. Proving that even old men sometimes have secrets that they want to hide. And also proving that it is mighty hard to keep anything hidden from our hero Chris, once she starts hunting for answers.
SUPER MYSTERY SERIES.......2000-08-14
In this, the second Christine Bennett (ex-nun) mystery, Christine investigates the beating death of her friend, elderly Mr. Herskovitz, one of a few tenants who refused to leave his condemned apartment building........ Clues from finding out about his past life in Nazi Germany, to a rare book, helps Christine finally get to the murderer......... You won't be disappointed in any books from this series....Christine and her boyfriend, Jack Brooks, work well together, and their relationship just blossoms so realistically! Very likeable and intelligent leading characters, and books that keep us guessing right up to the end! Hooray for Lee Harris!
Fresh and interesting.......2000-03-18
Harris's ex-nun sleuth defies cutesy stereotypes and makes a convincing, thought-provoking, and likable heroine. Christine Bennett delves into the mystery surrounding the Yom Kippur beating death of her Jewish friend, Mr. Herskovitz. Suspecting there is more to the case than an unscrupulous slumlord trying to get rid of a holdout tenant, Christine traces Mr. Herskovitz's life back to his days as a newcomer to America. What she discovers is a well-educated, controversial man whose passions ran deep -- and inspired in others emotions that spanned the decades and might have gotten him killed.
This could have degenerated into a gimmicky throwaway mystery, but Harris made it a solid novel with good characters. I do, however, take issue with that magic phone number Christine's travel agent friend called to find an important clue. As a former travel agent, I can assure you that there is no such thing. Before she could even *ask* for that information, she'd need to know the airline, the IATA number of the agency issuing the tickets, and most likely the PNR for the itinerary...in which case she'd have the information she was asking for, which would certainly arouse the suspicions of any airline agent she consulted.
A good story, and a mystery that held my interest........2000-01-29
Lee Harris has done a decent job of creating a character that is not only an amateur sleuth, but an ex-nun. Christine Bennett comes across as a balanced person who has decided to make a major change in her life, and takes the time to try to slowly learn a new way to live. And she just happens to get caught up in murders and mysteries along the way. And this story involves everything from people who escaped Nazi Germany to rare books that are worth large sums of money. The only part of the story that I didn't care quite so much for was how easily the ex-nun seemed to decide it was time to fall into bed with someone she liked. Especially after she had earlier said something about how she didn't want this sort of thing to be tied up with the reasons why she left the convent. She had other reasons. I felt that this situation was rushed, and it did feel like the character simply "fell" into it. Almost as if the whole thing was just expected, and would happen anyway, so why not now? Didn't sit well with me.
Average customer rating:
- A Greek Tragedy of an American Jewish Family!
- "UNBELIEVABLE.....BUT TRUE!!!!!"
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Family Blood: The True Story of Yom Kippur Murders : One Family's Greed, Love, and Rage
Marvin J. Wolf , and
Larry Attebery
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books | AIDS | Abuse | Adults | Aging | Children | Class | Communities | Culture | Death | General | History | Leisure | Marriage & Family | Medicine | Men | Occupational | Race Relations | Religion | Research & Measurement | Rural | Social Groups | Social Situations | Social Theory | Suburban | Urban | Women
Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Yom Kippur | Holidays | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0060165693 |
Customer Reviews:
A Greek Tragedy of an American Jewish Family!.......2006-08-06
I read a lot of real crime books that gets gory but I think this book got to me. I remember watching the mini-series with Mimi Rogers as Melody Woodman, Elliot Gould as Stewart Woodman, Sam WAnamaker as Gerald Woodman and Kim Hunter as Vera WOodman. Reading this book answered a lot of questions that the mini-series never fully explained but just skimmed the surface. It's a Greek style tragedy with nobody winning. The Woodmans had a lot more than most of us. They had wealth, servants, and lived a lifestyle where only we can imagine. Sadly, they weren't happy. Gerald Woodman didn't deserve his tragic fate but he was not at all blameless. Poor Vera Woodman suffered a marriage that produced 5 children and knew her husband had affairs and produced a daughter. I don't believe for a moment that Stewart and Neil were convicted because of anti-Semitism. They were convicted because they were guilty of planning a horrendous murder on the end of the holiest day of the Jewish year. Like I wrote, I read a lot of gory true crime books but I think because Neil and Stewart could be the guys next door, family men, husbands, and fathers, made it more frightful. They were broke and in debt but spent money wildly. They help bankrupt their parents. Of course, it was no surprise they were murdered and the police asked who could have done something so horrible and they just Neil and Stewart which goes to show that this could happen to any family. I recommend the mini-series highly. Just because you have money, wealth, and live well doesn't mean that you're happy. My heart goes to the Woodman family wherever they are and to the people of Manchester Plastic Products.
"UNBELIEVABLE.....BUT TRUE!!!!!".......2005-11-02
AS THE "VICE PRESIDENT" OF MANCHESTER PRODUCTS COMPANY, AND VERY
CLOSE TO "STEWART WOODMAN".....MORE LIKE A BROTHER TO HIM..THAN
THE BOOK WILL REVEAL "HE EVER HAD!".....
IT SEEMS THAT TIME HAS PASSED, SINCE THE HORRIFIC FACTS THAT MADE THIS BOOK A "REALITY".....BUT THE SHOCK AND HORROR AND MEMORIES STILL LINGER...AS TO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN 1985!!!
EVERYTHING CHANGED.....FOR ME, MY FAMILY AND EVERYONE AROUND US..
NOW IN 2005....ALTHOUGH THE DETAILS OF THIS BOOK SOMEWHAT HAVE PASSED IN TIME..THE PAIN AND SUFFERING STILL REMAINS AS TO REMEMBERING "WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED IN THIS "OUTWARDLY EXOTIC WEALTHY CHARASMATIC FAMILY".....HOW IT HAPPENED AND OF COURSE EVERYONE SINCE 1985 ASKED ME: W H Y ?????
STEWART AND NEIL HAVE BEEN IN PRISON SINCE 1986...AND ALTHOUGH MANY YEARS HAVE PASSED....THE PUNISHMENT WILL NEVER FIT THE CRIME OF WHAT THEY DID TO THEIR PARENTS ON THEIR RELIGIOUS HOLY DAY...AND LITERALLY CHANGED ALL OF LIVES SO "DRASTICALLY" THAT
WORDS COULD NEVER EXPLAIN THE FEELINGS THAT COME OVER ALL OF US WHOM WERE THE "SILENT VICTIMS" WHO ARE MENTIONED IN THIS BOOK....
YET NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT....AFTER THE MANY YEARS OF TRIALS AND
MEDIA COVERAGE WHICH ENSUED AFTER SEPTEMBER 12, 1985.
LIFE GOES ON...HOWEVER...WHEN READING THIS BOOK....TRY TO IMAGINE ACTUALLY "LIVING THE LIFE OF HIGH STYLE" WHICH I DID...
ONLY TO BE LEFT WITH "EMPTY FEELINGS OF GUILT" DUE TO THE FACT THAT ONE ONLY CAN HAVE HOPED....."WHY DIDN'T I SEE THIS COMING?"
AND/OR "WHY COULDN'T I HAVE STOPPED THE BROTHERS IN THEIR FINAL
HORRIBLE DECISIONS THAT CHANGED EVERYONES LIFE?"
STEWART AND NEIL WERE RIDING A WAVE OF ARROGANCE, AND GREED THAT
ONLY CAN BE WRITTEN ABOUT NOW.....NOTHING COULD STOP THEM AND NOTHING "THEY FELT" COULD REACH THEM IN THEIR "ULTRA POSITION" WHICH THEY WRONGLY THOUGHT THERE WERE IN.
THEY RESPECTED "NO ONE"......NOT EVEN THEIR OWN PARENTS!
THEY CARED FOR "NO ONE"......NOT EVEN THEIR OWN FAMILIES!
IF THEY HAD ANY FEELINGS AND/OR LOVING MOMENTS...IT WAS ONLY WITH THEIR OWN SELFISH THOUGHTS OF REVENGE AND HATE.....
IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 2 BROTHERS COULD HAVE TURNED OUT THE
WAY THIS BOOK PROTRAYS.....ESPECIALLY STEWART, WHOM WAS VERY CLOSE TO ME......AS WE WORKED SO HARD TO BUILD THAT WONDERFUL
PLASTICS BUSINESS AND "FOR WHAT?"....."D I S A S T E R !"
AS THEIR FAMILYS WERE TORN APART...SO WAS MINE.....
AS THEY LOST EVERY DOLLAR OF WEALTH THEY HAD BUILT..SO DID I..
READ THIS BOOK AND LEARN FROM IT.....EVERYTHING "NOT TO DO" OR
LEARN FROM THE WOODMAN FAMILY...."HOW NOT TO ACT OR RE-ACT!"...
THIS BOOK LEAVES HORRIBLE MEMORIES AND PAIN FROM THE FACTS SHOWN
IN GREAT DETAIL.....BUT MAYBE SOMEDAY....SOMETHING POSITIVE CAN
BE LEARNED FROM THIS FAMILY TRAGEDY THAT "NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED!" RICK WILSON (PAGE 69)
Average customer rating:
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A Murder on Yom Kippur: From Koloin to Jerusalem
Hana Greenfield
Manufacturer: Gefen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Holocaust | Jewish | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Yom Kippur | Holidays | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
History | Hebrew | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
Religion & Spirituality | Hebrew | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
All Hebrew Books | Hebrew | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 9652292508 |
Product Description
multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
Customer Reviews:
The Piers Plowman Tradition.......2002-01-22
This is an excellent edition of these four poems, with a full introduction justifying their being grouped together as a single "tradition." The critical notes are very full, offering the reader a wealth of information concerning the historical and literary contexts of these works. In particular, the notes provide exhaustive information related to the manuscript manifestations of these works, making this a truly full critical edition. My only complaint is that Barr, in her notes, perhaps uses Alford too much to argue for legal connotations to a wide range of words. But that hardly overshadows this collection, which might easily replace the individual critical editions of these poems. And, by the way-- the poems are great, among the best of the Alliterative Revival.
Average customer rating:
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Ploughman King
Kurt, R.A. Giambastiani
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1411642546 |
Book Description
Bretagne, 884 AD Alain was once only the bastard son of the Delphine of Dead Ox Wood, but fate and prophecy intervened. Now, he has deposed his blood-father and taken his place as Count Vannes, but he is also the fabled Fair One, foretold for centuries by Fair Folk and Men alike. The Fair Folk see Alain as their salvation, the man who will bring them back from the Summerland to rule the Lands of Men, but to the mages of Bretagne, he is the Undoer, destroyer of the world. But Alain cares nothing for this. What he wants is to unite Bretagne and forge a nation, for the true danger lies not from Fair Folk or mages, but from the Frankish Empire to the east. Or so he believes... This is the concluding volume of the Ploughman Chronicles, the story begun in Ploughman's Son. In it, Kurt R.A. Giambastiani, author of the Fallen Cloud Saga and the modern fantasy Dreams of the Desert Wind, has created an exciting alternate world that blends magic and politics, myth and history.
Average customer rating:
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Ploughman's wisdom
Norman King Carew
Manufacturer: faber and faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0007IXQMO |
Book Description
"Six-pack" abdominal muscles have long been viewed as the sign of ultimate physical fitness. Although many people strive for this level of fitness, lasting success evades them. Bodybuilders, advertising models, and professional athletes make achieving a "washboard" stomach look easy. So why do so many people have trouble getting lean abs and lowering their body fat? Can you get six-pack abs and maintain this level of fitness permanently? Sure you can. When you realize that there's no "magical" solution for losing excess weight and that quick fixes and short-term diets just won't work on a long-term basis, you'll be ready for "The Six-Pack Diet Plan." The plan described in this book is a long-term weight-loss solution that specifically targets problem areas such as the abdominal region. It uses your body's natural components, such as hormones, to help you win the battle of the bulge and create a fat-loss-friendly environment in your body. "The Six-Pack Diet Plan" offers researched-based concepts to optimize each facet of the fat-loss puzzle. And like any puzzle, it takes all the pieces to make it complete: proper nutrition, quality training, optimum supplementation, and perseverance to create a fat-loss program that you can live with.
Customer Reviews:
Solid information that works for men and women.......2006-02-10
I have read this fitness gem several times and it is concise, detailed, research based, easy to read, and it works!
Some very interesting and new concepts are mentioned in the book including hormone modification, detailed info on sleep, supplement strategies, and the thermic effect of food, as well as many others. The research supporting the practice of intense, short training sessions mentioned in the book was very useful. This book is a must have for anyone looking to get leaner and healthier permanently. And what I really love about the book is that it is not some fad or quick fix diet, but a real and long term fat loss solution!
Challenged by layout and lack of information geared toward female readers.......2005-12-25
The book had some tangible information but nothing that you couldn't find for free on a site like muscleandfitness.com, realsolutions.com or muscleandfitnesshers.com. When it came to supplements, there was no specific data with intake per pound of body weight consideration or with reference to females specifically. So everyone was given the same a scattering of information (I indicate scattering because a chart or localized set of data wasn't provided - the data was just shared throughout the book and then a generic description of each supplement was indicated and when to take them - not quantity per gender or pound, which in all other supplement guides tends to be pretty standard information. The book could have been condensed to about 6 pages of usable info if you removed all the over-the-top medical research data supporting the studies of the supplements he recommends. A more useful, grounded book is 5-factor Fitness. I'm giving 6 Pack Diet Plan two stars because I did find a couple supplements indicated in this book I hadn't found in prior research I've come across.
Excellent detailed information........2005-10-02
Although the book has very specific technical information, I have benifitted from it a lot. I am following the diet as best as I can and following the excercise plan. I have experienced results just after about 2 weeks. I consider this book a treasure.
Six pack should get six stars.......2005-10-01
this is book is the most comprehsive book on nutrion, supplements, diet and exercise. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who want to get in shape.
Finally, A No Nonsense Book About How To Get Lean.........2005-07-15
I've read every diet fad program out there - Body For Life, Body Rx, South Beach Diet, Atkins, etc, and The Six Pack Diet Plan is by far the most understandable and believable. The author gives all the information to get going on a lifelong nutrition plan - What it takes supplement wise, training wise, AND nutrition wise.
Average customer rating:
- A vapid offering, good for table decoration only
- Looks good
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Cooking in Clay: Full Flavor the Subtle Way (Quick & Easy (Silverback))
Erika Casparek-Turkkan
Manufacturer: Silverback Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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Similar Items:
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The Best of Clay Pot Cooking
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Cooking in Clay (Nitty Gritty Cookbooks)
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The Clay Pot Cookbook
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Reco International Romertopf Clay Baker
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Romertopf 6-1/2 Quart Clay Baker
Accessories:
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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
ASIN: 1930603371 |
Book Description
The Quick & Easy series features small, compact cookbooks, emphasizing everyday--quick and practical--cooking. Readily available ingredients are used to produce mouthwatering and visually appealing dishes for daily meals. The books feature contemporary content. Well-designed layouts, and beautiful color photography throughout. A useful table leads each book, doubling as both a table of contents and recipe description. Information such as number of calories, recipes with big portions, take-along food, fast recipes, and ultra-simple recipes, are highlighted. Helpful hints and cooking tips punctuate the text offering sensible strategies for everyday eating. Cooking in Clay introduces a variety of distinctive dishes. The clay pots used as cooking vessels impart unique flavors and textures whether you are baking breads, roasting meats, or making a Ratatouille Nioise. Cooking in Clay provides techniques, recipes, and tips critical to getting the most out of this healthy style of cooking.
Customer Reviews:
A vapid offering, good for table decoration only.......2007-08-19
[Review written Jan 2006]
My wife grabbed this book for me from a $1 discount rack someplace. It appears to be part of a series of chap-book sized books called "Quick & Easy Books".
Let me get straight to the point ...
Strengths:
PHOTOS: There are lots of pretty photos for those who enjoy such things - and that's about the only positive thing I can say. Unfortunately, the photos are one of my complaints, so that's not really saying much.
Weaknesses: In no particular order.
LENGTH: I'm sorry, but an undersize (7.5"x 6.5") soft cover chap book of only 65 pages (yes, you read that correctly ... only sixty five pages), half of them photos, hardly qualifies for a cover price of $8.95.
UNSUPPORTED STATEMENTS: The absurdly terse and inane introduction makes some overly brief and unsupported medical claims - such as (paraphrase) "all you need to do to lose weight is to eliminate dietary fat". Sorry, no dice. Life isn't that simple. It wouldn't surprise me to see angry torch-wielding mobs of registered dieticians, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists appearing for all quarters, to take exception with that sort of trite and vapid assertion.
HEADNOTES: There aren't any. None of the recipes are introduced or explained in any meaningful way. They appear to have been just unceremoniously dumped into the book, and roughly sorted by type.
PHOTOS: The photos themselves aren't too shabby - you can see what the finished dish is supposed to look like. However, there aren't any procedural photos, and I don't care for photos that are inconsistent with the recipes they're supposed to document ... such as the photo of rabbit in wine sauce on p.43 - the photo shows a quarter of rabbit, but the recipe calls for cutting the rabbit into 6 pieces. There's also a garnish of blanched brussel spout leaves, which appears nowhere in the recipe. There's also 5 whole braised shallots in the photo, when the recipe only calls for 2 halved shallots for the entire dish. The sauce in the photo (which appears to be a bi-color pool of olive and some colorless oil) also bears no resemblance to the sauce in the recipe (which is a w.wine sauce with parsley finished with corn starch and yogurt - and which should therefore appear cloudy, have bits of green in it, and be milky and somewhat thickened). The dish is also garnished with a fresh bay leaf - despite the fact that the dish called for the bay leaves to be added at the start of braising. In short, the photo bears only a passing resemblance to the recipe - and this appeared to be typical of many of the recipes throughout the book. Need another example ? Here's one at random - Fennel Nicoise (p.12) calls for sliced fennel and diced skinned tomatoes to be braised 45 mins - yet the photo clearly shows the fennel was merely blanched, and the tomato is simply scattered on top, like a garnish.
USELESS INFORMATION: The book barely scratches the surface on the subject of selecting, cooking with, and caring for ceramic cookware - and in their discussion about sizes they're talking as if they had a particular product line in mind ... but they forget to mention what it is. Also, selecting ceramic cookware is not nearly as simple as they naively portray. For instance, there are ceramic pots that can be used on the stovetop - not mentioned at all. There are certain types of ceramics that should be avoided because they're not food safe or intended for cooking - no mention of that either. In fact, their introductory blurb is more of a study in that they neglect to cover in meaningful detail rather than what they actually do say.
GUESSED COOKING TIMES: Most cooking times appears to be guesses, at best (most of them start with putting unheated ceramic into unheated ovens, and then turning the oven on) and combined with a lack of safe target internal temperatures for fish, poultry and meat, it's basically Russian roulette regarding whether or not your food will be under or overdone.
IMPROPER TECHNIQUE: The author robotically uses ceramic baking containers for everything, whether it's appropriate to do so or not. For instance - what ninny is going to fire up their oven, and dirty a ceramic pot, making tomato rice soup ? That's a stove-top dish. There's also a recipe for basmati rice that over simplistically calls for the rice to just be dumped into a baking dish with water, covered, and then placed in a cold oven (along with whatever ceramic-esconsed entrée you've planning to heat alongside it) and baking it for an hour. The photo shows the rice all nice and fluffy in a pristine clear Pyrex container. Well guess what - if you do it that way, you're going to wind up with a stuck-together mass - and possibly scorched too, depending on the type of oven you have, the shape of the dish (not to mention whether it's opaque or not, and how full you fill it) and where you put it. In other words, the rice in the photo was cooked by other means, then fluffed and cooled, and then put neatly into a clear Pyrex photo for a composed photo shot. I know at least a half dozen different ways to make basmati rice, and that's one of the most inane and unhelpful I've seen.
MISSING DESCRIPTIONS: There's a recipe for olive-crusted lamb loin on p.33 - a premium cut that costs a small fortune, yet the author omits doneness temperature (Russian roulette cooking times) and neglects to explain how to carve it to people who've never used that cut before. I know how (courtesy of Jacques Pepin's "Complete Techniques")... but probably 95% of most home cooks (and 75% of most professional cooks) don't. Don't even get me started on how anemic the recipe is too (no sautéed mirepoix, no seared meat for fond development, water and wine instead of broth, etc.) - talk about making a sow's ear out of fine silk !
Bottom line ? Save your money. This vapid offering is only good for decorating coffee tables, and not much else. In my opinion, it's not even worth buying at a substantial discount, as a used book. I was wholly dissatisfied with it, from cover to cover. Deeply disappointing & far below average.
Looks good.......2007-05-12
I haven't actually used any of the recipes in this book yet but OH they look awesome and fairly easy. I can't wait.
Book Description
Focusing not only on the traditional racing collectibles, largely including NASCAR items, the book takes a look at some of the souvenir merchandise. Almost 700 full color photos are included. Racing knives, card sets, metal and promo cards, plastic model kits, posters, track programs and commemorative tickets, autographs, medallions, helmets, driver and crew uniforms, clocks, magazines, and many, many more items are featured. There are also Winston Cup Series, Busch Grand National Series, and Craftsman Truck Series postcards. A detailed history of racing collectibles and collector information on each type of collectible are included. 2001 values. AUTHORBIO: Diane McClure, along with the editors of Racing Collector's Price Guide, wrote and compiled Racing Collectibles in 2001. Their staff has provided the longest continuous coverage of the racing collectibles industry, dating back more than a decade. REVIEW: This book is perfect for any collector of racing memorabilia. It identifies, describes, and provides an estimated fair market value for more than two dozen different categories of racing's most coveted collectibles.
Customer Reviews:
TERRIBLE~!.......2006-02-22
First of all, I HATE the BIG UGLY picture of American Car Racer...do not know his name, on the cover of the book. Second, I hate NASCAR and Cheap political HOT WHEEL junk I do not even care for looking at. The book should focus on HIGH QUALITY COLLECTIBLE BRANDS ONLY. What a waste of paper~!!!
Brand New Year 2001 Guidebook To Car Racing Collectibles.......2001-11-01
Great new 224 page book featuring nearly 700 full color, sharp, photos of every type of racing collectible. Enthusiasts will really appreciate the great variety of items covered, ranging from autographs, bean bag racers, cards and cereal boxes to magazines, medallions, model kits, and statues, steins, tickets and uniforms. There's plenty of text provided and thousands of item listings. If you collect car racing items, this is a must for your library.
Book Description
More than 48 creative crafts projects for kids ages 7-14.
200 full-color photographs include step-by-step photographs to guide children to successful completion of each project.
Projects include wearables, gifts, dolls and puppets, painting projects, and paper projects.
Tips, techniques, and fun, yet educational, trivia information about each project are included.
Each project is fun to make and has been kid-tested.
Materials for each project are easy-to-find and inexpensive.
Special tips provided for each project. Copy highlighted in red if adult help is required.
More than 40 colorful and easy-to-use patterns.
Amazon.com
Using everyday objects and craft materials, kids 8-12 will enjoy making the many imaginative projects in this charming and colorful book. The extremely clear step-by-step instructions and photos offer nearly 50 ideas for painting, paper, and sculpting fun (including T-shirts, ornaments, masks, jewelry, and bedroom accessories), as well as clever variations on puppets and simple dolls.
Customer Reviews:
Definitely Worth Buying!.......2000-05-13
A fabulous book to have in your collection...easy step-by-step instructions, all made with easy to find supplies...plenty of holiday ideas as well...one of our favorite family spend time-together books!
Book Description
Transform your dining space into the family's favorite gathering place. Whether you're serving a quick supper, hosting a casual party on the deck, or planning a sit-down celebration for twenty, Pottery Barn Dining Spaces offers ideas and inspiration for creating, decorating, and enjoying entertaining areas—from sun porches to great rooms—throughout your home. This comprehensive guide offers hundreds of clever and easy ideas for filling your space with a beautiful, comfortable style that's uniquely your own.
Key Features:
- Detailed room tours show you how to create attractive indoor and outdoor dining areas of all kinds
- Expert advice helps you decorate with confidence, using a wealth of styling ideas
- Real-life designs offer creative tips for decorating the table, seating a large crowd, organizing tableware, arranging centerpieces, and more
Customer Reviews:
BROKEN COVER.......2007-08-14
The book peper cover came broken. hope to get help from your team to replace it.
best regsrds
Wider variety of ideas needed.......2007-06-04
I loved the Pottery Barn book called "HOME", and thought this one would be as good. Unfortunately, this book lacked a variety of ideas, (when it comes to setting a table for parties and such).
Lovely Pottery Barn Dining Spaces.......2005-12-31
Five stars for the combination of usefulness and presentation of content and the Amazon.com price. I had been wanting the Pottery Barn decorating books but the publisher price ($29.95) was a bit steep considering the number of books in the series. I only started collecting them when I saw a few in a close-out store (a steal at $7.99). I was only able to find a few in the series in the store so I turned to Amazon for the rest of the series. I have scores of decorating books and typically just leaf through them like one would a magazine. I have been pouring over PB Dining Spaces for days now. Folks who entertain frequently will enjoy this book. Room layout, accessories, lighting, furniture and various other aspects are given detailed treatment with regards to how they impact the dining and hosting experience. The language of the text is practical and accessible. The book is filled with richly detailed pictures. If you're uncertain about buying and have a Pottery Barn near you, stop by and leaf through the book. Then, order on amazon for the price.
very disappointing.......2005-03-09
Not a great book for the average person who loves the pottery barn look and wants ideas. This book has few worthwhile ideas. I felt like it was geared to someone who has large amounts of time decorating for every season and every dinner with no budget in mind. If you're interested in typing out menus for a dinner party, making a dockside dining area, or have days on end to kill getting ready for every season than this is the book for you. I got a lot more out of the living rooms book and I now believe if you have one of the books you certainly don't need any others as a lot of the information that is useful is the same.
Book Description
Turn the pages of An Introduction to Mixed Media -- and discover an exciting art course that teaches you how to combine a variety of versatile and expressive media. an Introduction to Mixed Media is a practical guide to a range of artistic techniques. More than 300 photographs guide the beginner through a series of exercises designed to teach all the essentials of working in mixed media. Revealing projects focus on professional works of art, all shown in the making so novices can follow the creative process step-by-step. Unique gallery pages display works of masters -- pictures that will instruct and inspire every student of art. Packed with specially commissioned artworks, clear instruction, and easy-to-follow exercises, The DK Art School offers idea courses for "armchair" art students. The DK Art School series is a new way to learn, improve, or master drawing and painting skills. Carefully constructed courses ensure that you gain both the confidence and the know-how to create imaginative, beautiful pictures. With individual volumes on subjects like still life, portraiture, or landscape, in specific media such as oil, watercolor, or acrylic, The DK Art school series offers something for everyone, and builds into a unique collection of practical art books.
Customer Reviews:
Good general overview.......2000-06-03
This book is designed to open the reader's eyes to the various types of mixed media art and how the techniques are used by different artists to achieve a wide range of effects. The photographs, especially those of the tools and supplies used in the techniques, as well as the photographs of artwork are especially informative, and useful for a beginner. However, if you're looking for specific technique instructions, or tips on how to combine the various mixed media techniques into your own artwork, you may be disappointed. This book left me wanting more, but it is still a valuable addition to a beginning artist's library.
Average customer rating:
- Worthy of Being Written At This Time? See Page 230...
- Terry:
- A POOR BIOGRAPHY
- Terry's life thru her novels !
- She got her groove on then some
|
Terry McMillan: The Unauthorized Biography
Diane Patrick
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Disappearing Acts
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The Interruption of Everything
ASIN: 0312200323 |
Book Description
Novelist Terry McMillan is widely considered to be the preeminent voice of young professional African-American women today. Her novels Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back have become instant classics, touchstones for a culture that has often been dismissed or ignored by mainstream media in the past.
But the story of her life is as compelling and inspirational as any one of her novels. Born in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1951, McMillan was raised by her mother; her father died when she was sixteen. Although staying in her small-town milieu would have been the easiest path, McMillan gambled on a brighter future: With only a dream and meager savings, she moved to California and began writing poetry and short fiction. Several years later, she left for New York City, where she struggled for a time as a single mother and office clerk before she finally found acceptance of her work. When her first novel, Mama (1987), received minimal support from her publisher, she promoted it on her own. She found millions of fans, both black and white, and in the process changed the way the book industry looks at black America.
Customer Reviews:
Worthy of Being Written At This Time? See Page 230..........2005-01-24
I was suprised to see this 231 page bio on Terry McMillan. It did not matter whether it was "authorized" or not. So I had to read it because I LOVE & RESPECT Terry McMillan's books and have read all of them.
The author of this book vents her frustrations of, in her opinion, having been dissed by T. McMillan. Ms. McMillan did not assist her in the research, or support this book at all. She quotes McMillan as saying, "I don't know why you people don't wait until I'm dead". This takes me back to my initial suprise of seeing that a bio had been written. I know what Terry McMillan's books and success has done for the African American readers and writers. She made history and opened the door for a lot of writers to follow her. YET...a bio already?
The early years were boring. I'm sure it could have been more interesting if Diane Patrick would have had actual input from Terry McMillan. Instead she relied on historical facts of the time and place; also input from outsiders that had crossed paths with T. McMillan.
The years after Terry left her hometown were more interesting. Her college education, employment history and skills are chronicled. Her time spent at the writer's colonies were discussed as well. Diane Patrick is a great researcher. She includes a wealth of history on other writers that she was able to link in with McMillan by any means necessary to make the book longer. She states that there are many black writers now and that there is room for all!
Page 230 contains her reason why this bio was worthy of being written.
Terry:.......2002-11-28
A well-deserved tribute to the lady that has indeed opened doors for many African American aspiring writers. Too bad she doesn't see the impact she's made. As another reader has said, the biography would have been much more fun had Terry been involved in its making.
A POOR BIOGRAPHY.......2002-01-12
Terry McMillan's name is immediately recognized in popular literature. Many fans and readers are curious about the life of this woman who created a new genre (urban romance) and opened the eyes of publishing companies that Black people do read books.
Unfortunately this "Unauthorized Biography" of the author falls very short in telling us about Ms McMillan's life and what developed her as an author.
What you get is a compilation of stories regarding Terry McMillan but nothing substantial about her life and art. In fact the vast majority of the book talks about the publishing industry, other Black authors, the latest gossip and other trite subjects that have nothing to do what so ever in dealing with the life of Terry McMillan. What is shared is information that has already been known. This biography doesn't tell us anything new. If only it would talk about Terry then it would hold your attention.
Most of Patrick's biographical information is from the books (Mamma, How Stella Got Her Grove Back,etc.) that she finds are autobiographical in nature to McMillan's life. Novels are not facts and Ms Patrick should have taken the time to do some full scale research. Her excuses about McMillan being uncooperative doesn't hold water if you are truly dedicated and serious about doing justice to a major author.
If you are looking for a definitive biography of McMillan leave this book on the shelf. If you want to be slightly entertained and not interested in the facts and development of this great writer by all means this is the book for you.
Terry's life thru her novels !.......2001-02-24
The Unauthorized Biography was an interesting and entertaining book. I did however feel, it left out a lot to be said for Tery's life !
The story Dianne Patrick told was Terry's life thru her novels ! While she did get some co- operation from others and what other people have said in the past thru articles . It is clear from the begining Terry was not interested in her doing her biography !
Which is the case in most unauthorized biographies ! I will applaud Dianne Patrick in her telling of the biography . She enlightened us on a lot of the things in the industry of writing ! She gave us more than a biography . I will admit if you are interested in Terry's life as it relates to her novels you might want to buy this book in the paperback version . As stated above I enjoyed the read, it just wasn't as much of a biography as I had thought ! I wished Terry had co-operated with Dianne. I think Dianne could have done a better (great) job with the facts ! Dianne did showed us how a phenomenal author came to be thru the eyes of her novels !
She got her groove on then some.......2000-11-23
Terry is a very inspirational aurthor. She paved the way for many african american writers. I like her style because it is set a part from the rest of the other authors. I learned a lot about the history of black aurthors. She talks about when she was little she thought that only white people wrote books untill she came across a book with a black aurthor and she was amazed. She simply thought that there were no black people wrote books. She said that she came from a towm where it was boring and the people there had dead end jobs. She is from a very small town and she really wanted to get out of it so when she graduated she moved to California and didn't stop untill she met her solemate who she met in Jamacia. She wrote a book about it and it called How Stella got her groove back but she changed it up alittle. She wrote two books that they changed into a movie they did really well. She said in the book that she wasen't going to make any more movies no matter how much rhey offerd her. I really enjoyed reading this book because it helped me to realize some imformation that I didn't know and also was in the dark about
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