Book Description
1914. The overriding theme in Norris' fiction is the impact of industrialization on peaceful agricultural communities and the consequent chaos in the lives of people who lived in these communities. Written almost simultaneously with his great work, McTeague, Norris began writing Vandover and the Brute in Cambridge and completed it after his return to San Francisco. The influence of the great Frenchman, Emil Zola is apparent throughout the book. The novel begins: It was always a matter of wonder to Vandover that he was able to recall so little of his past life. With the exception of the most recent events he could remember nothing connectedly. What he at first imagined to be the story of his life, on closer inspection turned out to be but a few disconnected incidents that his memory had preserved with the greatest capriciousness, absolutely independent of their importance. One of these incidents might be a great sorrow, a tragedy, a death in his family; and another, recalled with the same vividness, the same accuracy of detail, might be a matter of the least moment. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
Customer Reviews:
An Old Story, Uniquely Rendered; Fascinating but Dreary.......2005-02-26
The story is an old one, one that I have read too many times. A promising young man becomes hooked on alcohol, sex, and gambling and gradually descends into his own living hell. Without knowing much about Frank Norris, I assume that at least some of the story is semi-autobiographical -- otherwise, why would one want to write a book like this?
No question, the book is gripping at times, but the lack of any admirable character or noble purpose makes it hard going. There appears to be no purpose to the novel except its morbid fascination with a character inexorably bent on a slow destruction. Is the novelist simply glorifying Vandover's lurid life while at the same time scorning it, in a typically repressed, confused turn-of-the-century way?
The plot and writing is full of a bleak, black humor and rich in irony; it seemed almost to hint of the future work of Kafka. To me, it is a novel by an extremely talented, young (25) writer who doesn't have much to tell us but a story of progressive degradation since he is simply talented, not wise.
Since I had just finished "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton before I read this novel -- also a novel of personal degradation and destruction, written at about the same time -- I couldn't help but compare and contrast the two works. To me, "Mirth" is far superior, a wonderful novel overall; Lily Bart is fatally flawed but her plight is so much more poignant and her demise sweeter in its essential innocence.
But the ever-so-pleasant, unexpected surprise in "Vandover" was the hint of possible change and even redemption that occurs at the very end of the novel, when the main character is so down on his luck that he can no longer indulge in his vices and must do filthy, drainingly physical, menial work for a traitorous friend.
An early example of American realism.......2002-12-09
Recalling Crane's "Maggie" in its sexual candor and several of Dreiser's novels in its brutal portrayal of the decline of its protagonist, "Vandover and the Brute" can be read as the American realist version of Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." (The lead character is, not coincidentally, reading Stevenson early in the novel.) Written in 1895, when Norris was 25, but not published until 1914, after Norris's death, it is an important if uneven precursor to the naturalist tradition in American literature.
Young Vandover, a Harvard-educated man-about-town whose chief traits are a lack of ambition and a sense of entitlement, is a San Francisco native who wastes every advantage his privileged life presents to him. Yielding to his inner "brute," Vandover gradually descends the rungs of civilized life, losing first his status in "proper" society and then all his wealth and what remains of his integrity. He suffers from the devastation of self-inflicted scandals, the trauma of a shipwreck during exile, and the ravages of syphilis. Yet Norris doesn't direct his barbs solely at indolent, amoral youth like Vandover; just as reprehensible is the ambitious, double-crossing Charles Geary, one of Vandover's friends, who aims "to make his pile in this town and make his way, too." (An interesting aside: unlike most realist fiction, the novel's last sentence ends with a glimmer of hope and a piece of bread--very much like McInerney's "Bright Lights, Big City.")
Although this novel is no longer available on its own in any edition, interested readers will find it included in The Library of America's omnibus collection of Frank Norris's works.
Book Description
Reading the Symptom is concerned with naturalism; it is also necessarily concerned with capitalism as the complex-structuring whole within which naturalism operates and from which it cannot be disengaged. Tightly connected with this polemic assertion is a methodological proposition: naturalism-and by extension capitalism-is characterized not only by its logic, but also by its asymmetrical dynamism. Focusing on Frank Norris's McTeague (and its companion piece Vandover and the Brute) and Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie, this study argues that naturalism puts into question the very system it exemplifies. Naturalism has a transgressive element at its core, the appreciation of which calls for a special attention to the role and consequence of the emergent, the aleatory, and the stochastic. To explore the interplay between the systematic and the asystematic is not only to come to the conclusion that naturalism is an open, creative system, but also to realize that uneven development is the basic law of social formations.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Studies in American Fiction, published by Northeastern University on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 4554 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Lacking brutish conviction: Vandover's tumble from the leisure class.(Critical Essay)
Author: Myles Weber
Publication:
Studies in American Fiction (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: Northeastern University
Volume: 31
Issue: 2
Page: 221(12)
Article Type: Critical Essay
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Gore Vidal meets Philip K. Dick: These stories present electric messiahs, identity constructs, the Beatles, and even nuclear Armageddon as comic foils for Lain's everyman characters. Here is an America where the packets of Sea Monkeys that arrive in the mail contain secret messages and the girl next door can breathe underwater. With Last Week's Apocalypse, Douglas Lain arrives with a punch line and a warning.
Customer Reviews:
Last Week's Migraine.......2006-02-06
Doug Lain's stories give me a serious headache, but in a relly good way. And damned if I don't learn something about living in our messed-up modern world every time I read a Doug Lain story. Good stuff. I'll be looking for more, soon as the Tylenol Extra Strength kicks in.
Absolutely Stunning.......2006-02-06
This book absolutely rocked my world. A stunning debut by an up-and-coming writer who's work should not be missed. Any fan of literary fantasy... Of smart Science Fiction... of slip stream...Fans of Kelly Link, Small Bear press, etc... This collection is for you!
Timeless and insightful social and political critiques, hidden beneath the framework of wonderfully entertaining stories.
Solid debut collection.......2006-01-06
To be completely honest, I didn't know all that much about Douglas Lain's work before diving head first into his debut collection. I originally came across him via his LiveJournal and found him to be witty and articulate, not given to the sort of logorrhea that plagues some other writers who keep online journals. This piqued my interest in his fiction and I downloaded "Music Lessons" off his website (he has since replaced the full text with an excerpt). It was on the strength of this remarkable piece of prose that I requested a review copy of Last Week's Apocalypse.
I must confess that I could not be called a fan of modern science-fiction. The kind I like went out of style in the 1950s, along with the demise of a little old-time radio program called X Minus One. (Coincidentally, Lain uses the body of an old radio to house a magic shredder is his hopefully apocalyptic "Shopping at the End of the World.") "These are stories of the future," Fred Collins announced weekly, "adventures where you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand maybe worlds." Really, though, they were stories written for a general audience: character- and conflict-based tales that just happened to include a fantastic element.
"Music Lessons" struck me in much the same way that those stories did (and still do): sure, there are aliens, but Lain's story mostly centers on a minimalist composer's struggle with his sanity. Lain's combination of interviews alongside first-person narrative shows us different sides, all of which are confusing and disconcerting and more than a little creepy. (When Mr. Rogers showed up, I just about lost it.) It's fiercely intellectual, but with bees and gorillas.
If there is a "Douglas Lain" type of story, it probably involves the protagonist's descent into madness in some form. But just as often it's the world that's gone mad -- merely causing Our Hero to think he is the only one. I haven't read one yet where the reader goes crazy, but "The Suburbs of the Citadel of Thought" probably comes closest. In it, characters go about doing the bidding of the author -- normal enough behavior, only this author (who bears a significant resemblance to Lain himself, even mentioning his story "Instant Labor") keeps breaking through to explain his motives and insert related thoughts. It's a combination of fiction and reality I was not prepared for.
(I wasn't aware of this before, but I guess I don't like my books to address me personally. I found it made me vaguely uncomfortable, and found myself wondering if the Douglas Lain ca. 1999 who wrote this could see me through the pages, if I had somehow dropped into a Douglas Lain story. By the time I reached the end of "Suburbs," I had a headache, but that could have been from the dry air of the commuter train. Whatever the cause, I had to put down Last Week's Apocalypse, and I didn't pick it up again for a week, choosing instead to read a couple of Westerns and watch a lot of Moonlighting, just to clear my head.)
It's obvious that Lain is a father from the tenderness with which he treats his child characters (his characters are often fathers and/or have high-profile jobs in advertising, cartooning, sales of Time-Life Books, etc.). Teaching Noah in "Subliminal Son" to speak properly is a wonderful construct upon which to hang a story about memory, primarily its loss. "Instant Labor" (the earliest story in Last Week's Apocalypse), suggests that Lain appeared on the fiction scene fully formed. He seems to have already found the voice and style that would serve him so well over the years. (It was even published in the legendary Amazing Stories; you can't beat that for an auspicious start.)
There is little that is common in Lain's fiction; surprises awaited me at nearly every turn of the page, whether from the plotline itself ("The Sea-Monkey Conspiracy" with its school for Manchurian Candidates combined with photography and John Philip Sousa) or from the way it was told ("On a Scale of One to Three" uses a clever style choice, a questionnaire as a method of reminiscence, and I loved his reference to Van Halen's "Jump" as a "suicidal anthem."). Throughout, he shows a sharp sense of humor and a memory for time and place as exhibited through pop culture references, all told with an accessible narrative style, familiar like a friend telling you about a dream they had. His protagonists, while they obviously have problems, seem like the kind of people you see everyday and would not hesitate to strike up a conversation with.
The only story not previously published elsewhere, "I Read the News Today" opens with a quote from the author of The God of Small Things, but then bits from "Hey Jude" and Help intertwine with this story of an author of a book not-quite-about the Beatles, his wife, his synesthetic girlfriend, and his doppelganger. (My description makes it sound like a Greenaway-esque love quadrilateral, but there's no boy tenor.) "'Identity is a Construct' (and Other Sentences)" closes out Last Week's Apocalypse with a story of self-realization and the problems that it can cause. Lain sets up a wonderful premise, using his narrative to present only part of the whole story, and I very much enjoyed filling in the rest myself. A less ambiguous ending (or one less open to interpretation) would have made it ideal, but it's entirely possible that I just didn't get it. (After all, all I know about Philip K. Dick, the author that has most famously influenced Lain, is what Richard Linklater spouted over a pinball machine at the end of Waking Life.) I am almost surely not the target audience for Douglas Lain's fiction, but I unabashedly admire his skill at what he does, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. These are stories I'm going to want to revisit again and again.
Customer Reviews:
thought-provoking solid science fiction collection.......2003-10-01
This collection consists of a novella and two short stories. All three tales entertain the reader with intriguing looks at society and how "abnormal" individuals try to fit or hide in plain sight. Thus Norman Spinrad does what he has done quite nicely since the 1960s, spin radical stories of odd relationships that cross horror and science fiction but all contain a reader looking at Alice looking in the Looking Glass with a ten foot tall twist to them.
The short stories focus on the bulimia vampire crowd fitting quite nicely with high society in a fancy restaurant or puking in a toilet ("The Fat Vampire"). Count Dracula provides a series of tiny vignettes on taking a bite out of the Big Apple after relocating to NYC because he knows the murders there are more sensational than any of his killings ("Vampire Junkies").
The title piece novella is Deus X. As the End Times seem to be upon humanity, the Pope must deal with a different "soul" than any he ever dealt with before in his Christian programming. This is a thought-provoking solid science fiction tale that ponders robotic dreams that are similar to Bradbury on Penguin Island.
Harriet Klausner
Amazon.com
Very rarely does going slow save time, but that's exactly what happens when slow cookers are involved. There's nothing easier than prepping the night before and then turning on the cooker in the morning, so that when you return home from work, dinner is hot and waiting to be enjoyed. That's why cooks in a hurry will welcome Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook, an updated guide to using this ultimate all-in-one-pot meal maker. The book opens with a quick refresher on how to best use a slow cooker and then offers tips on adapting other recipes to this alternative cooking method. The recipes provided include obvious candidates like long-simmered soups--a goulash or stew--and slow-roasted meats such as pot roast. These dishes are guaranteed to convert newcomers to the appliance, while the unexpected recipes will please more familiar hands. Amazingly enough, you can make ribs, casseroles, pot pies, fondues, and even cakes in a slow cooker--and Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook will tell you exactly how. --Sumi Hahn Almquist
Book Description
Here's a collection of tasty and attractive dishes that can easily be prepared with little to no attention and are ready when you want to eat. Succulent meats, tender poultry and even vegetarian dishes, hot and full of simmered-in flavor, are waiting for you when you want them. This book is full of more than 120 no-nonsense, delicious recipes that are easy for anyone to use-just dump in the ingredients, dial the heat, and dinner will be ready when you get home from work. All the preparation can be done the night before, so putting dinner on in the morning a breeze. Recipes include everything -- meat, chicken ,and meatless main dishes to side dishes, dips, drinks, and even desserts -- with more than 50 photos of these easy, delicious meals. Slow cookers are an all around economical choice -- from the price of appliance to the amount of time spent cooking and the ingredients you can use makes this subject appealing to a wide group of consumers. Slow cooking enhances the flavor and also tenderizes all varieties of meat, including the less expensive cuts, so it is an economical way to cook. Most recipes have cooking times of 8 to 10 hours, so they can be started at the beginning of the day and be ready for dinnertime. Slow cookers are not only for the work-a-day world; they're also very convenient for entertaining and when stove/oven are being used for other food preparations. It is perfect for making crowd-size hot beverages, such as hot chocolate or mulled cider, and it keeps dips and side dishes hot for several hours, making it perfect for hassle-free entertaining and meal making. With Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook, putting dinner on the table has never been easier.
Customer Reviews:
The search goes on..........2007-09-25
There were a few things that I did like about this cookbook - the photographs, the binding (hardcover with spiral binding inside), etc... Unfortunately what I didn't like was the most important part - the food.
I'll be up front, I've never liked the flavor and textures of vegetables made in a crock pot - everything just seems to get mushy. I only tried a handful of recipes and was disappointed with all of them. Even when the texture wasn't so much of an issue, the flavors were all wrong. I'm sure that there are some good recipes in here as I can see that quite a few people are happy with this cookbook - but this book is not for me.
This is the only cookbook (and I have well over 100 in my collection) that I've actually given away. The search for good crock pot recipes continues.
betty crockers slow cookers cook book.......2007-06-27
Receipes are out dated and there is not enough variety in the selection of dishes that are in this cook book. Would most likely cook 2 or 3 of the dishes in this book. Expected a lot more from some one like Betty crocker
Betty Crocker's Slow Cookbook.......2007-06-27
This was a replacement for one that got lost in a house move. I'd been missing it as now other slow cookbook comes close. Lovely clear recipes and easy to adapt to British measurements.
WONDERFUL.......2007-06-21
This is one of my most used slow cooker cookbooks. I like everything about it. It is great that it is spiral bound. I have used many of the recipes and every one of them has turned out delicious. The cooking times listed are just about right. Some of the recipes may have too much salt, so I use my judgment and just decrease it a bit. After all, it is easy to add salt at the table if necessary. However, sometimes the recipe will say to use either wine OR beef broth or something similar. That, of course, changes the amount of salt necessary, so I need to adjust accordingly. I love how the proper size of each slow cooker is mentioned for each recipe. So many cookbooks don't mention that, and you just have to figure it out based on the number of servings.
I love this cookbook and I think it is one of the best slow cooker cookbooks available.
Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook.......2007-02-13
Most of the recipes have numberous ingredients that increase the time of food preperation and negates the purpose of using a slow cooker to have simple meals.
Product Description
You'll find main dish recipes for soups, stews, roasts, chicken, turkey, and even vegetarian meals.
Book Description
New Better Homes and Gardens kitchen-tested recipes make losing weight a delicious experience
Handy ringbound format lies flat and pre-inserted tab dividers make finding recipes quick and easy
Vibrant full-color photography of every recipe entices dieters to prepare each dish
Food exchanges with every recipe offers flexibility in meal planning
The latest advice and tips help dieters lose weight, eat well, and feel great
Information especially designed to address the diet issues of children and adolescents helps adults understand, respond to, and manage weight issues that affect youth
Customer Reviews:
Great cookbook!.......2007-08-05
I love that this cookbook comes in a three-ringed binder and has a picture for every recipe.
Love, love, love it!.......2007-03-06
I am the queen of counting calories and this book is #1! I have tried several of the recipes (including desserts) and it is phenomenal how good the food tastes. Even when I reach my goal weight, I'll keep making most of the recipes I've tried so far because they are that good! I highly recommend the Sweet Onion Burgers (I use turkey), Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Tilapia with Chili Cream Sauce, and the Mocha Cake! Delicious!
Spiral binding makes the book hard to use.......2006-08-04
The book is spiral bound, and while it allows the book to lie flat on a countertop, the pages don't turn easily. I think the problem is that the spiral binder is too small for the book. The pages don't have much "breathing room" as you turn them so it makes browsing the book difficult. The binding isn't an issue if you will find the recipe you're looking for and turn to that page. Aside from the binding issue, the production is top quality. The entire book is color on glossy paper, and you'll find alluring photos of every recipe.
I have read dieter cookbooks that seem to be regular cookbooks with traditional recipes that have been modified. I wouldn't put this one into that category. It's organized just like a cookbook, as the chapters are based on the type of food used in the recipes. However, I would classify the recipes as new and innovative ideas. While there are some basic, traditional recipes, it's more common that you'll find new recipes that you've never seen before which pair healthy foods, for example, Cranberry Grilled Chicken, Veal with Orange Sauce, Pineapple Pork Roast, Gazpacho Sandwiches, Blood Orange Sherbet, Green Tea and Tangerine Sorbet, Peach-Coconut Mousse, and Orange-Blueberry Angel Food Cake.
One of the best parts of the book is its introduction, which tells you how to calculate your calorie needs, provides a sample menu plan with variations for different calorie amounts, reviews the components of a healthy diet, and emphasizes the importance of exercise.
In my collection of cookbooks, it won't be my go-to book. But when I am looking for new ideas, it will provide me with tons of them to help me add flair to the foods I prepare most often.
Not just for Dieters.......2006-07-13
I am very happy with this cookbook. The recipes are modern and the book's layout is fantastic! My family loves the new twists on old favorites.
Don't buy Spiral-bound Edition.......2006-05-21
First of all, I love this cookbook!! I own more than 10 diet/light/low-carb cookbooks, and this is the only one that all the recipes I've tried from haven't let me down. I love the layout as well; every recipe has a picture making it easy to choose a dish I'd like to try that day.
That being said, I regret that I bought a spiral-bound edition. I chose this one, because it was cheaper. And of course, it turned out that there's a reason for that; The book is quite thick while spirals are very tight, making it very hard to turn pages completely. So, some pages were torn off the comb as I flip though the pages very often to choose a recipe of a day.
This is a great cookbook. If I were you, I'd pay a few bucks more now and get a better quality version that would last longer. (like a ring bound or a paperback version? I don't know which one would be better since I haven't tried other editions. But at least I can tell you that spiral-bound is not very sturdy.)
Happy cooking! =)
Book Description
Tempting new recipes that will inspire you to eat well and lose weight
When you're working on losing weight, it's easy to get stuck eating the same foods over and over. These delicious new recipes from the Better Homes and Gardens
(r) Kitchen make it easy to try something new and stay on track with your eating plan. With more than 500 recipes, plus tempting color photos, you're sure to find some healthful new favorites. Up-to-date advice and tips will help you lose weight, eat well, and feel great.
Customer Reviews:
Great cookbook for the whole family.......2007-07-18
My husband had to loss a couple pounds for a new job he was trying to get hired for and I decided that I would join him, cause hey what girl doesn't want to shed a little extra weight. We have two young boys, 6 and 2 years, and were worried that if we statred dieting they would be effected. Long story short, rather then trying fad diets or premade meals, we decided it would be best to just change the way we eat to something healthier, which is what lead us to the Dieters Cookbook.
Its wounderful, so far between the two of us, we have lost 20 pounds in three weeks. Now its not all the cook book, we do have a cross trainer at home, a weight bench and two young ones that keep us moving. But the cookbook gives me a great place to find easy to make, healthy meals, that even taste good. (For the boys, we just give them an adult portionand let them eat as much as they like, this allows us not to worry about harming their growth.)The two week jump off menu is also a great tool, even if you don't follow it, it allows you an example of how to plan your meals. And planning has been our best friend, nolonger does it turn 7 o'clock at night and we end up running to pick something up cause, A) we didn't have anything ready to eat or b) there was nothing in the house to make something. I work often into the late afternoon, early night and have found several recipes that I can make ahead and leave just mini notes for my husband to finish up. For example, tonight we'll be having turkey burgers w/ cranberry dressing and oven baked french fries, everyhting is made up in the fridge, all hubbie has to do is put the fries in the oven and place the burgers on the grill, walla healthy easy and no McDonalds, Burgerking or Wendy's needed.
This cookbook, is not a mericale diet, it wont garentee you have the same success as my spouse and I, but it is a great tool, even if you just want a cookbook around with healthy low fat meals in it for when you feel the urge to cook something outside a box. But don't take my word for it, try it and see what you think.
It's hard to believe it's diet food.......2007-05-17
Every recipe I've tried so far has been delicious. I love that each recipe has a photo because that's usually how I choose "what's for dinner." I'm trying to loose the last 10 pounds and it's such a relief not to have to figure out the caloric value for every meal -- nutritional info is provided with each recipe. Portions are generous (not restaurant-size "generous" but generous for anything you'd consider to be diet food!) My husband, who is not dieting, has been impressed with the recipes I've tried too.
GREAT FOOD!.......2007-05-08
I've bought some diet cookbooks in the past and the recipies in them taste like diet food, however, the recipies in this cookbook are great! They taste like normal food and its helpful because it will tell you portion size and calories for those who want to Diet. I love this cookbook. My husband also likes it because there is a picture of every recipe. He'll pick out whatever looks good. Buy this book, and you wont be dissappointed!
Incorporates the latest weight-reducing suggestions and success stories along with recipe themes.......2007-04-11
The expanded new edition of their best-selling NEW DIETER'S COOKBOOK incorporates the latest weight-reducing suggestions and success stories along with recipe themes ranging from Kids favorites to Low-Calorie Holidays. Calorie amounts for everyday foods accompany nutrition facts and recipes that hold small color photos with each dish.
Average customer rating:
- Best cookbook ever!
- Excellent
- Better Homes & Gardens New Dieter's Cookbook
- THIS IS THE BEST "diet" COOKBOOK EVER!
- Eat Well, Feel Great, Gain Weight
|
New Dieter's Cookbook
Better Homes and Gardens Books
Manufacturer: Better Homes and Gardens
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Healthy
| Special Diet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Foods
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Low Fat
| Diets
| Diets & Weight Loss
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Weight Maintenance
| Diets
| Diets & Weight Loss
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Accessories:
-
Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
ASIN: 0696207141 |
Book Description
This cookbook makes eating a low-calorie diet easy and enjoyable with more than 400 delicious, every day recipes.
Full-color photographs, including one of every finished recipe.
Food exchanges (based on the American Diabetes Association's exchanges) listed with every recipe.
Introduction contains information on weight loss including ideal weight, types of ingredients to use in cooking, tips on cutting calories and fat, exer-cise recommendations, and learning to eat well and forget dieting forever.
Every recipe has been tested in the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen for accuracy and taste appeal.
Menu plans for an entire week.
Tips and blurbs offer additional low-fat cooking strategies, serving suggestions, and timesaving ideas.
Nutrition Facts with every recipe.
List of simple ingredients for adding flavor without adding a lot of calories and fat.
Special chapter lists the calories of commonly eaten foods.
Customer Reviews:
Best cookbook ever!.......2006-09-13
I bought this cookbook back in 1993 and have been using the recipes in it ever since. I get so many requests for the recipes I've made from it I have bought extra cookbooks to give out to people as gifts. The title is deceiving because it doesn't seem like those bland old diet cookbooks that you usually get. I lost the weight that I wanted to lose and have maintained my weight by keeping these recipes on hand. Also, I love that the cookbook has a picture for every recipe which is rare in most cookbooks. As stated earlier in someones comments about the serving size......It states how many servings the recipe makes they just figure you can divide equally.
Excellent.......2005-09-25
Very easy transaction -- price was great -- shipping to a friend's address went off without a hitch. Hightly recommend.
Better Homes & Gardens New Dieter's Cookbook.......2002-12-17
My husband and I lost a total of 100 pounds in 5 months by using the delicious recipes in this book. The food is tasty, easy to prepare, and satisfying. The variety of foods from the traditional to the more exotic or ethnic gives the range of choice often missing in "diet" books. I have purchased this book as a gift for several friends who have also found it enjoyable.
THIS IS THE BEST "diet" COOKBOOK EVER!.......2002-04-21
I loved the pictures! I own alot of cookbooks, and this one has fast become my favorite. I liked the Classics section as well as the easy-to-understand calorie needs/bmi explanation in the front of the book and the 14-day menu planner. It contains good old fashioned dinners as well as easy gourmet-type delights. My husband is excited about this too! My whole family will enjoy losing weight while eating great tasting food without feeling they are on a diet!
Eat Well, Feel Great, Gain Weight.......2002-02-05
I love the receipes in the book. The only thing I have a problem with is that the book states that "No more weighing", however it does not explain what an actual serving size is, it mentions briefly that you can weigh your food to get an idea of what a serving is, and then use your judgement from then on. Well, being someone that is over weight and has a problem with determining what an actual serving is poses a HUGE problem. That would mean, I WOULD have to weigh my food to figure out whether I am eating a serving or more. The title of the book is misleading, as well as the excerpts on the back and front cover.
Book Description
Combine Easy Home Computing with Low-Calorie Home Cooking.
Discover the secrets to healthy cooking with your home computer and this comprehensive NEW multimedia package. Create delicious low-fat meals your family will love. Here's what you get:
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS (R) NEW DIETER'S COOK BOOK -- This hardbound, best-selling book features more than 400 recipes, each fully tested so you know they'll come out perfect every time. This beautifully photographed reference will be a prized posession in every family chef's kitchen.
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS (tm) NEW DIETER'S COOK BOOK CD-ROM -- You get all the recipes from the book plus helpful how-to-videos, full-color photographs, and powerful planning tools -- all on one easy-to-use CD-ROM.
- Instantly find recipes for the ingredients you have on hand or that meet your nutritional requirements for fat, sodium, and calorie counts.
- Wtch narrated videos as test-kitchen experts show and tell you how to master dozens of cooking techniques.
- Plan you meals effortlessly, then print out a shopping list for the whole week. The program will even adjust your shopping list for 1 to 50 servings.
- Print out your recipes to use in the kitchen and you'll never have to worry about spilling in your book.
Customer Reviews:
Counting Calories? You Need This Book!!!!.......2000-09-22
This is the greatest cook book I have EVER seen!!! My aunt turned me on to this several months ago, when she found an old copy at a used book store. She has lost about 75 lbs. so far, and my parents have lost 20 lbs. each since they started using this cookbook. The recipes are easy, fun, tasty, and best of all..... you don't have to go to the store for a lot of extra stuff. These recipes call for everyday normal stuff you have in your pantry or fridge. The first night I got the book, I made "Twice Baked Potatoes" and one of the chicken meals. My husband said it was the best meal he had ever had! I thought that was pretty good for a low-cal, low-fat meal. Get this book!!! You'll start salivating the minute you open the book - the recipes are that good. Do yourself and your family a favor by buying this book & CD ROM (which is another story in itself) and get on a healty diet.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic Reference.......2003-11-23
This is probably the most frequently used carpet book I have. I'm not a dealer or serious collector - just wanted to buy nice rugs for the house but I wanted to know what I was buying. I first found this at the library and ended up buying it (along with 2 others that are bigger and different). I go to this book first every time I have a question. This book has great maps of the areas, history of the people in each of the areas, great drawings and explainations of the different symbols and motifs, discussions on the knots/weaves and what to look for in terms of quality, typical indications of what to look for in each type of carpet, and more. We recently returned from a trip to Turkey/Istanbul where we went to the Grand Bazaar and bought carpets for the house - it was lots of fun (great people)- and I feel that this book really helped me not only appreciate the rug making and understand some of the history but also make more informed decisions when shopping. Highly recommeded!
A good book for beginners.......2003-06-23
This book looks like a beginner level general rug book but it is actually very useful. Of all of my beginner books this is one I still go back to...
pretty basic primer.......2000-04-28
this is a pretty basic primer for those just beginning to collect oriental carpets. There are quite a few pictures/examples, although the book is less than comprehensive.
Average customer rating:
- Could have been better
- Storage solutions focus on built-ins
|
Perfect Order: Simple Storage Solutions
Elizabeth Hilliard
Manufacturer: Soma Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating
| How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Decorating
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1579590462 |
Book Description
Possessed by your possessions? Depressed by the detritus of decades precariously piled on yet another makeshift bookshelf? Looking for something that you know you have somewhere, but can't find when you want or need it? If the answer is yes, then it's time to get your home in perfect order. Our lives are so full of things - things we love or need, or think we might need one day - that our homes fill up with them until we are in danger of feeling overwhelmed by the chaos and jumble of too much clutter. In short, there is no avoiding the need for smart storage. This book presents a wealth of storage options, with clever ideas to create a tidy and organized home environment.
Customer Reviews:
Could have been better.......2001-03-20
I found that this book was not very helpful. The 'storage solutions' seemed extremely unorganized and un-attractive.
Storage solutions focus on built-ins.......2000-02-10
This is a beautiful book, but the solutions focus mostly on built-ins. Good for home owners, but not for renters. The built-ins seem to require advanced carpentry skills, or the money to hire a professional. The chapter that includes container storage is brief and ideas could have been more creative.
Average customer rating:
|
Macromedia Flash 5: Guia De Campo
Franciso Pascual , and
Jose Luis Oros
Manufacturer: M P Ediciones S.A.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Instruction
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Design
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Computación e internet
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Educación
| No-Ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
| Canada y México
| Colegio y Universidad
| Consejería
| Curricula
| Educación Especial
| Educación de Adultos y Educación Continua
| Escuela Primaria
| Escuela Secundaria
| Europa y Euroasia
| General
| Habilidades para el Estudio
| Lectura
| Método de Instrucción
| Participación de Los Padres
| Pedagogía
| Politica
| Referencia
| Teoría Educativa
| Transición y Jardin Infantil
ASIN: 9701507266 |
Book Description
This tutorial contains complete descriptions of the tools of Macromedia Flash version 5, the leader in Web animation. Suitable for new users and users already acquainted with the program, it contains more than 100 practice examples. Includes CD-ROM
Brinda una completa descripción de las distintas herramientas de Macromedia Flash versión 5, el programa líder para la creación de animaciones en la Web. Un libro idóneo tanto para el autoaprendizaje de los que se acercan por primera vez a Macromedia Flash, como para la consulta por parte de usuarios ya iniciados. Contiene más de 100 ejemplos y prácticas desarrolladas paso a paso.
Amazon.com
Theater director Peter Sheridan's bracing memoir is timelessly Irish in its lyrical, word-drunk portrait of a boisterous family touched by tragedy: his younger brother, Frankie, died, aged 10, from a brain tumor. The book is also very much a document of the 1960s. It opens on New Year's Eve as 10-year-old Peter and his Da struggle to install a roof antenna: "Half an hour into 1960 we all sat staring at the television." The television goes on to play a major role in the Sheridans' perceptions of life beyond 44 Seville Place, Dublin, particularly when the Troubles explode across the border in Northern Ireland, their mother's birthplace. Rock & roll provides the soundtrack of Peter's youth, though theater becomes the lifeblood for him and older brother Shea (better known now as film director Jim Sheridan--My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father). Ending with the decade's last New Year's Eve, as he prepares to enter Trinity College, Sheridan closes a complex but seamless circle of metaphors and themes. His father finds the part necessary to fix their ancient TV, and when the family hears Da singing "Frankie and Johnny" in the bath for the first time since their Frankie's death, they know they have survived. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
It is New Year's Eve in Dublin, 1959. On the rooftop of 44 Seville Place, ten-year-old Peter Sheridan clings to the steel rod of a television antenna. When his father urges him to turn the antenna toward England, the boy reaches up, and pictures from a foreign place beam into their living room. Life in the Sheridan family will never be the same again.
As the 1960s unfold, the Sheridans experience all the decade has to offer: sex, the Beatles, drugs, and The Troubles in Belfast. One of the best-known figures in Irish contemporary theater, Peter Sheridan recounts these hilarious, awkward, and heartbreaking years with exquisite timing and dramatic precision. Honest, sharp-witted, and compassionate, 44: Dublin Made Me draws us into this loving family as we explore the Dublin that shaped this young boy.
"Seldom has the blossoming of artistic passion been so effectively captured . . . it will get into your brain and your blood and stay there a long time."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Peter Sheridan writes at the crossroads where hilarity and heartbreak, tenderness and savagery meet. The people who live there are often cruel, often magnificent, and always, always human. He captures them perfectly."--Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and A Star Called Henry
"Sharp, jazzy, hilarious, and often painful . . . You'll rejoice in this wild song of a book."--Frank McCourt
44 was short-listed for The Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Nonfiction
Customer Reviews:
Dublin Made Me.......2007-09-03
Happiness is in the eye of the individual..to me this was a tragic family life...a mother overburdened with a houseful of children and a self centered husband. All the sader for me to review since I'd read 47 Roses first and knew the father to be less than honest with family.
Laugh and Cry.......2007-04-01
The story is about Peter growing up with his family in North Dublin and is set in the 1960's. The tightly knit family relations with his own family and those of his extended family of lodgers, which his parents took in to supplement his father's income, forms the backdrop to his story at 44 Seville Place.
The pace of the book has the rhythm of the sixties. The short sentences beat out the rhythm of the sixties and keeps the tempo up-beat throughout the whole of the book. For those who have experienced Dublin in the sixties this book will take you back to that place and that time.
The metaphorical pieces were very touching and masterfully executed. One example of this technique was when Peter tries to get to grips with his emotions concerning the possible loss of his brother Frankie before Frankie goes into surgery. A joy to read.
Da is the Sun and all the minor planets revolve around him. Peter takes to his role as Mercury the messenger with great relish. There is a strong bond between father and son.
I feel this story should not be compared to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. A one generation step into the future in Ireland can make a very big difference in how life is experienced.
It was a very enjoyable read whereby the need to laugh out loud in places could not be silenced. However there were places in the book where the need to cry out loud could also not be silenced.
Irish yarn unravels into beautiful story.......2004-06-16
As if drawn by a gravitational pull, Irish yarns seem to center on the relationship of children with their mothers. In a break from this natural order, Peter Sheridan's memoir, 44 Dublin Made Me turns to the bond of a boy with his father for its compelling tale.
Sheridan writes about his childhood with grace and ease. Readers are catapulted into his large Irish family in 1959 from the first sentence onward.
Peter Sheridan is a good Irish boy who enjoys school and loves the hectic life Dublin offers. His best friend, Andy, hates school but loves traipsing around the city in search of fortune.
The two boys influence each other in both good and bad ways - Andy gets involved with the church after a stint in reform school, and Peter learns to stand up for himself. In the end though, Andy remains the rogue and Peter the goody-two-shoes.
A steady presence throughout the book is Peter's Da. The man has his own outhouse in the garage, preaches to his family like they are his disciples and relies on his wins at the horse races as a major means of income.
Peter is his Da's helper and is ordered to do just about every imaginable task - from climbing up an ariel on the roof to fix the TV's reception to digging holes in the garage to fix water pressure.
When Peter's brother, Frankie, falls ill, their Da finds himself unable to cope. Peter tries to fill in for his father and be someone for his mother to rely on. After his father regains his strength, he and Peter find their friendship stronger.
Peter also runs errands all over the city and helps out with the tenants his parents have taken in.
One of these boarders, Mossie, plays a crucial role in Peter's life. Mossie robs Peter of his innocence, terrifies and scars him so deeply that Peter withdraws inwardly. Unable to find comfort, Peter then seeks solace at the hands of the church.
Illness and deaths make Peter grow up quickly and 44 Dublin Made Me documents his maturation. Andy gets a girl "in trouble" and quickly marries to take responsibility for the situation. As his world changes, Peter adapts.
Sheridan's strength is that he writes his story, which could be sad, as hopeful and happy. Rather than just have stories from his childhood strung together as some memoirs do, 44 Dublin Made Me creates a touching story.
A Rewarding Read.......2001-11-15
In the opening chapter of his memoirs, Peter Sheridan pedals off on his bike to run an errand for his father. Even at the age of 8, there's no way he could get lost in his own city. He "loves the statues and monuments. If Dublin were a woman, he'd marry her."
*** "44 Dublin Made Me" will invariably be compared to Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" on the sole count of being Irish. The Irish, however, are a diverse people, and life in Dublin is very different from life in Limmerick. McCourt's family faced scraping poverty, whereas Sheridan's family (by no means millionaires) have a steady home environment, food on the table, and the constant presence of both parents raising a large brood.
*** Peter Sheridan focuses on the decade of the 60s which begins with childhood innocence (getting a TV for the first time) and makes his way through adolescence and two defining events in the author's life -- a disturbing encounter on a train at age 13 and later the death of a family member.
*** Sheridan has a wonderful voice for storytelling. He stays true to his kid spirit and endears without being precious. And in fine Irish tradition, every laugh has a tragic edge and every sadness is survived by some beauty.
The Lines Are So Fine.......2001-02-02
When you read a McCourt memoir you read of bleak reality, a reality rarely tempered with happiness much less joy. There is humor, however of the sort that more often increases your respect for those who are able to find humor where few could even imagine it. At times the light moments are not so light, just bright in comparison to what you have read. At the other end there is Brendan O'Carroll and his trilogy of, "The Mammy", "The Chisellers", and "The Granny". This is fiction and it is outrageously funny, so much so that when there is a tragic event the pain you feel from laughing often tempers the darker moments. And then there is Peter Sheridan's work, "44 Dublin Made Me". And this work lies somewhere between the two others I have mentioned.
I enjoyed the book a great deal. At times it is almost a hybrid of the other three Authors I mention, for even though it is a memoir and does contain painful events, they are not as painfully presented as I think they need to be for readers. I am in no manner diminishing the pain of the Sheridan Family; I am expressing a writing issue, or perhaps a stylistic point.
There seem to be more of these Irish Memoirs as of late, and as they have been widely read, they by definition either create or reinforce notions people may have already brought to the book. The issue that I struggled with was the manner in which some material was presented, some was absolutely funny, and other issues were anything but humorous. I don't believe they ever can be humorous. And this is the part of the book that failed for me. The writing was a bit too neat and slick for want of a better word. The experiences of a young child read as an accomplished Author had written them rather than a talented writer bringing the thoughts of a young man across as a child may view them, but as an adult would read them.
The book is very good and it's one I would recommend. I felt it worth noting that the story of any country or the people that live there can become a commodity. I don't believe that to be the case with this book, but I feel the first steps on a slippery slope are waiting to be trod upon.
Books:
- Vast Emotions and Imperfect Thoughts
- What We Keep: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
- When Madeline Was Young: A Novel
- When the Finch Rises
- Who Left that Body in the Rain? (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries)
- Wizard of the Crow: A novel
- WOMEN AND APPLETREES
- Wooden Throne
- A Larger Sense of Harvey
- All I Could Get
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Crystal Reports XI Official Guide
- Blue Skies, Black Wings: African American Pioneers of Aviation
- A Guide to Organophosphorus Chemistry
- A Pale View of Hills
- Beyond Impressionism: The Naturalist Impulse
- Classical Swedish Architecture and Interiors: 1650-1830
- Art Deco Textiles: The French Designers
- The Armourer and His Craft: From the XIth to the XVIth Century
- 101 Things You Didn't Know About Da Vinci: The Secrets Of The World's Most Eccentric And Innovative
- You Can Draw Baby Animals
Blix
The Best Short Stories of Frank Norris (Ironweed American Classics)
The Magazine Novels of Pauline Hopkins: (Including Hagar's Daughter, Winona, and Of One Blood) (Shomburg Library of 19th Century Black Women Writers)
The Rise of Silas Lapham (Barnes & Noble Classics)
The Gold Standard and the Logic of Naturalism: American Literature at the Turn of the Century (The New Historicism : Studies in Cultural Poetics, 2)
