The Full Cupboard of Life: More from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Book Description

Here is the fifth novel in the internationally bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency hit series. Once again we are transported to Gaborone, capital city of Botswana, and into the world of Mma Ramotswe and her friends.

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY.
FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES.
UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT.

Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are still engaged, but with no immediate plans to get married. Mma Ramotswe wonders when a wedding date will be named, but she is anxious to avoid putting pressure on her fiancé. For indeed he has other things on his mind -- particularly a frightening request (involving a parachute jump) made by Mma Potokwani, the persuasive matron of the orphan farm.

Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in her or just her money? This may be difficult to find out, but it’s just the kind of case Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi -- plucky assistant detective and deputy manager of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage -- is moving. Her entrepreneurial venture, the Kalahari Typing School for Men, is thriving and with this new income she has rented two rooms in a house. Her spare time is occupied with planning the move, the décor and her new life in a house with running water all to herself.

In the background of all this is Botswana, a country of empty spaces and echoing skies, a country so beautiful and entrancing that it breaks your heart. Mma Ramotswe has prepared the bush tea and is waiting for us to join her.

Download Description

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY.
FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES.
UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT.

Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are still engaged, but with no immediate plans to get married. Mma Ramotswe wonders when a wedding date will be named, but she is anxious to avoid putting pressure on her fiancé. For indeed he has other things on his mind—particularly a frightening request (involving a parachute jump) made by Mma Potokwani, the persuasive matron of the orphan farm.

Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in her or just her money? This may be difficult to find out, but it’s just the kind of case Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi—plucky assistant detective and deputy manager of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage—is moving. Her entrepreneurial venture, the Kalahari Typing School for Men, is thriving and with this new income she has rented two rooms in a house. Her spare time is occupied with planning the move, the décor and her new life in a house with running water all to herself.

In the background of all this is Botswana, a country of empty spaces and echoing skies, a country so beautiful and entrancing that it breaks your heart. Mma Ramotswe has prepared the bush tea and is waiting for us to join her.

Customer Reviews:

a pleasant journey with those who have now become old friends.......2007-08-26

When I read the previous book in the series (The Kalahari Typing School for Men), it was clearly the least mysterious of the books in this series to that point: it had the fewest detective cases, instead moving forward the personal lives of the major characters (especially Mma Kutsi). With this, the fifth installment, Smith lowers the mystery quotient even further. The book contains only one detective case (albeit a fun one: find out which of a rich woman's suitors will make the best husband!) and spends relatively little time even on it.

This time, the focus returns to Mma Ramotswe's and Mr JLB Matekoni's personal lives. Despite the lack of mystery, the book is a pleasant escape into one of Africa's best-governed and wealthiest countries, with characters you can enjoy and respect. And the book has a fine ending!

I made the mistake of reading this installment just a couple of months after the last one: it's better to leave a more time between books in this series, else Mma Ramotswe's musing on the marvels of Botswana (especially the OLD Botswana) can start to feel tired. But given a little rest, this is a relaxing ride back to Jaborone. I'll read the next book, just not right away.

If you're new to the series, don't start here: go back to The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This isn't Agatha Christie: the detective's history actually matters here. And I always listen to the audiobook version (published by Recorded Books), narrated by Lisette Lecat. She is a pleasure to listen to.

Another lovely story.......2007-08-10

I think the thing I like most about this series (other than the consistently good writing) is that there is no straining to put the detectives in dangerous situations, no effort to up the body count or indeed to have a body count in each book. This detective does the things that most detectives do--evaluates character, looks for lost things and most importantly lives her life. It's the views into her life that keep me coming back. I had wondered how long the engagement would go on before Precious Ramotswe would ask when she would cease to be an engaged lady and become a wife. That's one of the focuses of this book and I'm not going to tell you what happens. I'm looking forward to reading the sixth book.

Getting a bit slow, but still fun.........2007-03-20

This is the fifth No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency novel, and by now author Smith has gotten the formula down pat. He has a series of things which never seem to change from book to book: the main character, Precious Ramotswe, and her sidekick Mma Makutsi. Mma and Rra are apparently Mrs. and Mr. in Botswana. The author adopts the conceit that there's no need for him to explain things like this to you; you should already know. This is similar to the late Patrick O'Brian, who never explained any of the terms, nautical or just obsolete, that he used in his Aubrey/Maturin novels. Usually, in each of these books, there's a problem, perhaps two or three, and the author follows the characters around as they deal with them.

In the current story, as much as there's a detective story here it's that Mma Ramotswe has been hired to investigate a series of suitors for the hand of a local, wealthy businesswoman. In a separate story-thread, there's the question of whether Mma Ramotswe's fiance, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni (he's always referred to that way) should jump out of an airplane with parachute attached for the purpose of raising money for the local orphanage, where he does chores for the woman who runs the place, fixing machinery and so forth. And lastly there's the question of the impending marriage between Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, and when that will occur (if ever).

Smith is rather practiced at this now, and this is a worthwhile entry in the series. It's not the most exciting book in the series, and the series isn't the most exciting one in the book world by any stretch of the imagination, but the books are fun, including this one.

gentle and Clever, a book of mysteries, but not as you would expect.......2007-03-02

Precious Ramotswe and her number one Ladies Detective Agency are back in this wonderful observation on life. As one would expect of a Ladies Detective Agency, much of the mystery to be discovered is gentle, who is the apprentice in J L B Matekoni's Tlokweng Rd Speedy Motors seeing? A Rich married lady it seems, but what is happening at Mr J L B Matekoni's old house, and why is her car going there? Who has broken into Mma Ramotswe's home, and where did the large pumpkin come from. Just what happened to Mma Ramotswe's wonderful van, and why is there someone from her life come back again, and what does he want.

This is lovely observation of life, and on lives well-lived. Some of the mysteries in this book are suble, and the outcomes equally so. It is never tacitly explained who broke into Mma Ramotswe's home, but it is fairly clear by the end if you read between the lines. There is also a very philosophical bent to these novels which is touched on at the beginning when Mma Ramotswe sees a burglary in progress. Sometimes things aren't as they seem, and while the thief gets away, she herself stands accused - this situation happens later in the novel, and Precious is able to transfer that feeling to the accused and assist him. Good deeds bring good things, generally.

The thing I love most about these books is the gentle way things are resolved. Sometimes through doing almost nothing things become clear. There are no gun fights, no car chases (as such anyway) and generally no horrible suspense, yet there are mysteries to be sloved, and issues to be resolve, and they are done in the traditaionl African way.

Lovely gentle humour - a really fun and satisfaying read. I would highly recommned this series!

delightful read for a summer day.......2007-02-24

I don't read much fiction -- and mysteries, not at all-- so I had ignored earlier volumes in this series about Lady Detective Mme Ramotswe. Then I found "The Full Cupboard of Life" on a half-price sale & decided, since it was set in Africa, to give the author a try.

I'm so glad I did! What a delightful read for a hot summer day under a tree in the back yard. It also brought back happy memories of my travels in Africa. Since the focus is more on character & setting than on plot or mystery, it was especially enjoyable to me.

Now that I have made the acquaintance of Mme Ramotswe so late in the game, I am determined to get her life story straight by getting all the other books in the series and reading them in the correct order.
So much one hears of Africa is doom and gloom, hopelessness, poverty & war; it is a nice change to read about its people having what we westerners would consider a normal life.

The Full Cupboard of Life: More from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Unabridged)

Average customer rating:

The Full Cupboard of Life: More from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Unabridged)
Alexander McCall Smith
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B00029DHYK

Book Description

On a devilish sabbatical in Europe, Azzie discovers that morality plays are all the rage. He decides to strike back by producing an "immorality play", in which seven nondescript human pilgrims will be allowed by magic to attain their hearts' desires. But the forces of Good are determined to close the play before it opens. New characters suddenly start roaming the stage, such as a Grateful Dead-listening Cyclops, and Azzie's own protagonists begin changing their hearts' desires on the slightest whim. This is one theatrical production that could do without an angel - and there's even worse news waiting in the wings...

Customer Reviews:

This book is really a mess........2004-02-24

I barely managed to struggle my way through this book. Frankly, it's a mess. It is in desperate need of editing. It lurches unsteadily and introduces new themes and characters on a whim for no apparent purpose. The Mongol horde mentioned in one of the blurbs provided here at Amazon is a good example of this "kitchen sink" mentality. The way "the seven" end up sitting around waiting for a meaningless ceremony in the end also highlights the basically unorganized and ill-conceived nature of the story. There's really very little to recommend this book to anyone. Even farce and satire needs structure and a cohesive thread. I really don't understand how this book got published in this form.

There certainly could have been a decent story here (as there can be with any premise really) but it doesn't seem like there was any attempt made to tighten up the story and string it together properly. It read like a very early draft meant to demonstrate a couple of key points rather than assemble them into an entertaining story.

An awful piece of work........2003-11-07

I just finished 'A Farce to Be Reckoned With' by Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley. I've read a fair bit of Zelazny--the Amber novels and Lord Of Light and some others. This book looked more light hearted, but I figured I'd give it a try.

I was sorely disappointed. There's no plot. Or, rather, there is a plot, but it makes no sense. Plot turns are introduced (like the Greek gods getting free) and then dropped, willy nilly. There's a character called Peter Westfall who gets Pandora's Box at the beginning, but we never hear from him again. And at the end, we have a fight scene that is a total deus ex machina--the end of the book comes with no explanations.

Normally, you expect characters to have reasons for things they do. They can do weird things, but they should justify it to themselves, and have the actions be a natural outgrowth of their past. This is called characterization. Characters in this book have one sentence justifications for absurd actions. We have a nun who decides to deal with the devil, and an angel who is ordered to spy. There's a set of religious pilgrims headed toward Venice during the Middle Ages. A demon joins them, proves himself to be a demon, and they don't even run away from him.

The dialog is wretched. Everyone converses in a stilted manner. The description is campy; the authors apparently decided to focus on the clothing of women--there are attractive wimples and red low cut blouses galore.

It feels like this book has been subjected to random editing. Or perhaps worse than random, as I feel that there may have been malicious intent at confusing the reader. Characters pop up, disappear for a while, then pop up again with no explanation (an example is the young lady named Priscilla [or Puss]).

But you know what? All of the above flaws could have been forgiven if there had been any scene, any scene at all, that was funny. I wanted to forgive the flaws--I wanted to laugh--I read the entire book, didn't I? But I didn't even crack a smile the entire book. There were times I put it down and thought to myself, 'Why are you wasting your time?' I will admit, I finished the book (I think for the same reasons that folks slow down to look at a wreck on the highway).

Don't buy this book. If you want some funny fantasy, read 'A Night in the Lonesome October' (which is great!) or anything by Blaylock. Don't buy this book.

The best Zelanzny book you will ever read........1999-09-03

A Farce to Be Reckoned with is the best book that I have ever read. Even though the book starts out slow the fast chapter breaks make it a book that needs no bookmarks. I have read the complete Chronicles of Amber three times and the comedy that he displays in this book can only be compared to the duel with the sphinx. It's a book that will entertain and make you think at the same time. This is a must buy for any Zelazny fan!

Abso-bloody-lutely wonderful........1999-08-10

This series (Bring Me The Head of Prince Charming, A Farce to be Reckoned With, and If at Faust you Don't Succeed) are, along with A Night In the Lonesome October, the polished works of a master.

I believe that when he wrote these, Zelazny knew he was dying. The writing is sparse, the plotting tight, the works polished before pen went to paper - or that's how they read, anyway. Beautiful, beautiful work.

Put them back in print, dammit!

Just excellent book.......1999-04-22

I read this book in russian translation. And very disappointed that an original one is out of stock

Average customer rating:

A Farce To Be Reckoned With
Roger; Sheckley, Robert Zelazny
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S9OJEQ

Average customer rating:

A Farce To Be Reckoned With
Roger Zelazny
Manufacturer: Spectra Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7977W

Average customer rating:

A Farce to be Reckoned With

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HW6CJ4

Customer Reviews:

On the uses of torture.......2005-03-28

This story is one of the most vividly disturbing I have ever read. Many of the stories are like this, some are very compelling and all are wonderful intoduction to the mind of Piers Anthony.

Definately *not* "bad bad bad"..........2002-12-29

I absolutely LOVE this book! The stories are NOT amateurish... how could they be, coming from one of the world's most popular fantasy writers? :)

Wonderful book, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different than what is considered the 'norm' these days - very refreshing.

Bad bad bad..........1999-10-03

Piers makes the point in the intros for several of these stories that they were rejected over and over or never even accepted for publication. Well, they should have stayed that way. This is a collection of desperate amateurish stories that would have been better left alone.

A truly great and imaginative collection of stories.......1999-06-12

This really is one of the better collections of stories that I have read. However, I have probably read each story at least ten times. That just proves how captivating they are. I keep getting more after each reading. Of course, every story is not the greatest story ever, but all of the stories at the very least are good. And the great stories are truly amazing.

Excellent collection.......1999-02-26

A collection of Piers Anthony shorts that probably rival any other collection I've read. Sexy and funny (minnie's crew), horror, all in classic Anthony style. Just a bit too graphic, I think for people used to Anthony-lite (Xanth).

Average customer rating:

Anthonology
Piers Anthony
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTSBO4

Average customer rating:

Anthonology
Piers Anthony
Manufacturer: NY L Tor / Tom Doherty Associates (1985)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NWA3RA

Average customer rating:

The Most Important Attribute of a Cookbook

A must have for dessert

Best in Class among 'American Desserts'. Buy It.

A good fireside book

Finally! The recipe for my neighbor's famous "Spiced Pumpkin Cheescake with Orange-Gingersnap Crust!"

The All-American Dessert Book
Nancy Baggett
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Desserts | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | U.S. Regional | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The All-American Cookie Book

A Baker's Tour: Nick Malgieri's Favorite Baking Recipes from Around the World

The Cake Book

ChocolateChocolate

Baking: From My Home to Yours

ASIN: 0618240004

Book Description

America's favorite baker, Nancy Baggett, has been on a road trip around the country. Now she's back, with something for every dessert lover: the best pies, cakes, puddings, crisps, cookies, ice creams, and candies in the land. Many of her discoveries were locally famous family secretsuntil now. They include a memorably simple blueberry buckle from a Vermont bed-and-breakfast; a coconut chiffon cake from an island off the coast of Virginia that has become a "destination dessert"; a never-before-revealed recipe for chocolate-dipped caramel candies, the fund-raising specialty of the women of an Episcopal church in New Mexico; and a sublime peach cobbler from a cook in the Ozarks. Baggett has tested and retested every recipe in her home kitchen to ensure that all cooks get the same results. She has even included a chapter on easy gifts to make with children, from "bars in a jar" (a homemade brownie mix) to fancifully decorated graham-cracker holiday cottages. Every recipe in this lavishly photographed book comes with an intriguing bite of history, a witty anecdote, or a little-known fact. Together they tell the story of America.

Customer Reviews:

The Most Important Attribute of a Cookbook .......2006-01-29

Sure, the pictures are beautiful and the recipes sound delicious, but the true mark of a cookbook is how the final products taste.

Having made many of these recipes- some several times- I can vouch for the quality of the food. Chocolate chip cookies, blueberry buckle, apple pie. Simply put, everything I have made has been wonderful!

I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone who wants to delight a crowd. But you'd better double the recipe.

A must have for dessert.......2005-12-10

Now this is the good stuff. I love Italian cooking and have yet to pass up anything French but, for me, it all comes down to dessert. This is a truly excellent dessert book. As well as the stock and standard dessert items we all love there is a multitude of specialty recipes from across the nation. Included are recipes for pies, cakes, tarts, and even puddings and custards. My favorite is Maple syrup on snow.

Since many of us aren't very versed with dessert cooking Baggett spends time with each recipe going over any special technique needed. I found that I learned quite a bit just trying new recipes. I also enjoyed the historical asides that highlight many of the recipes.

This is really an excellent cookbook that deserves to be on every shelf.

Best in Class among 'American Desserts'. Buy It........2005-11-09

`The All-American Dessert Book' by the accomplished baking writer, Nancy Baggett is the fifth `American' dessert book I have reviewed in the last two years, not even counting her own, earlier `All American Cookie Book'. This seems to be an incredibly rich topic, as I see practically no `All American' books on other branches of cookery, except for the great `James Beard's American Cookery'.

The other `American Desserts' books are by Wayne Harley Brachman, Judith Fertig, Karen Barker, and Laura Brody (emphasis on chocolate). The great thing about this subject is that these books are uniformly superior cookbooks, but I will give two big nods to Ms. Baggett over the other books.

First, Ms. Baggett's two `All American' baking books form a larger body of recipes than any of the other four alone. While Nancy's second book does have a chapter on cookies and bars, there is no overlap of recipes with her earlier book, so the two are highly complementary, although the newer book does have a few which border topics in the cookie book, such as a new ginger cookie recipe.

Second, Ms. Baggett makes a point of giving us very detailed recipe instructions. The observation that very few of us got training at our mother's knee anymore is becoming more and more common in cookbooks, so many cookbooks, like Ms. Baggett, are giving us more detailed instructions. While I am very fond of Wayne Harley Brachman's book, especially for his many recipes for basic pastry doughs, I thing I would go to Ms. Baggett for her recipe for certain standards, if the two cover the same preparation.

The first thing I always go to in a baking book is the author's recipe for pie pastry. It is amazing to see the variety of additives one can find in this seemingly simple preparation. While many highly respected bakers will add vinegar or egg to the water in making the pastry, Ms. Baggett adds baking soda. Otherwise, her technique is the same you will see over and over again, with the new suggestion of using supermarket produce bags to sandwich the dough as you work it, due to their strength and food grade material.

Like Brachman's book, Baggett covers desserts which lie outside the world of baking such as puddings; custards; ice creams; sauces and sundaes; and candies and confections. The last subject is strong on fudges, taffies, caramels, and marshmallow.

Like all these books, this one is not by any stretch of the imagination a COMPLETE compendium of American desserts. I suspect that you could take all five books together and find a truly American sweet that is missing. I looked for my two favorite Pennsylvania Dutch sweets here, Apple Dumplings and Shoofly pie and found the former only as a variation to a peach dumpling recipe and found nothing on shoofly pie or molasses cake or anything else familiar to our Amish and Mennonite friends.

I am especially fond of the way Miss Nancy writes her recipes and whenever I need a cookie recipe, I always go to her book first, even before I go to bakery superstar, Nick Malgieri. And, I see the same attention to details in this volume. I am especially happy with her lecture on using the right sized pans and the techniques for assuring ourselves that our pans are comparable to what is called for in the recipe.

Very highly recommended book on American desserts of all kinds.

A good fireside book.......2005-10-21

I've been reading the All American Dessert Book to my husband. He's fascinated by the history behind some recipes, both the ingredients, people and places. Some people read poetry to each other, some read cookbooks - it's fun.

Finally! The recipe for my neighbor's famous "Spiced Pumpkin Cheescake with Orange-Gingersnap Crust!".......2005-10-05

I no longer need to beg my neighbor for her secret dessert recipe. Nancy Baggett has done the work for me in this delightful dessert book. Her recipes are researched, tested and perfected. The book is a treasure of marvelous and unique American desserts for everything from pies, tarts, and cheesecakes to trifles, cookies and candies. Instructions are comprehensive and easy for me to follow. A bonus: For the curious, each recipe is annotated with interesting or amusing background facts. Delicious!

Average customer rating:

Interesting

Missleading title used by publisher and author.

Reading Language of Your Dog while your's is being read

What a disappointment

Steel yourself before reading this book

The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs: A Practical Guide to the Physical and Behavioral Displays Owners and Dogs Exchange and How to Use Them to Create a Lasting Bond
Myrna M. Milani
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog

How to be the Leader of the Pack...And have Your Dog Love You For It. ("How to" booklets from Dog's Best Friend)

On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals

Dog Language: An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior

The Other End of the Leash

ASIN: 0688128416

Book Description

Why do dogs and their woners, both social animals, often have problems? As a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Milani found that many owners fail to understand the meaning of dogs' behavioral displays. By mistaking territoriality for spite, dominant behavior for love, and making other false interpretations, owners often respond inappropriately. Many owners also fail to grasp how their own emotions and body language affect their relationships with their pets. Here, based on fascinating case histories form her own practice, Dr. Milani offers a guide that goes beyond solving dog behavioral problems.

The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs also explores the powerful emotions aroused in those of us who seek satisfactory bonds with our pets. Understanding both the social nature of dogs and also that our own emotional responses enhance the physical, mental, and emotional health of both owner and pet. Dr. Milani uses fact, practical experience, and above all, sensitivity and tolerance to help owners build better relationships with their dogs.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting.......2005-12-04

As a dog trainer-in training, I've been systematically reading just about every title I can find about dogs. I do find this book taking a bit longer to read then many others, however I feel it contains helpful information on the various behaviors of dogs that humans often misread.

Anthromorphisizing our pets' behaviors, while often cute and funny, can lead to some serious relationship issues and Ms. Milani is attempting to combat that in this book. Rather then emphasizing "terminating the relationship" as many of the previous reviewers have focused on, the author is attempting to prevent such occurances. She does mention on occasion that in some situations rehoming the dog in a more suitable environment is best for all those concerned. I don't feel her intent is to condone euthanasia as a "cure-all" nor do I feel she encourages anyone to simply give up on the dog/human relationship without taking every reasonable measure to ensure sucess.

I feel she does a good job explaning common issues that arise in dog/human teams and the reasons behind these problems. Dog training is often more about the person then the dog and she does well illustrating how our behaviors shape those of our companion animals.

I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to understand the motivations of dogs, the behaviors they present, and the reasons we humans do what we do. Ms. Milani presents solutions to common problems in an easy to understand and implement manner.

Missleading title used by publisher and author........2003-04-06

More on people psychology than dog behaviors. Very Dissapointed! Reads like a story. Learned more about how humans missread dog behavior than did what actual dog behaviors are, which is what I am looking for. Very wordy. Recommend the Dog Language Encyclopedia by Roger Abrantes.

Reading Language of Your Dog while your's is being read.......2001-04-15

This is not written in the most entertaining or comfortable of styles, but nonetheless, it contains much valuable info on body language of dog and of dog owner.

We learn from our dogs and trainers and vets much about how to relate better to our dogs. Milani certainly has experience and credibility demonstrated by this work that she knows how to read dog's signs and react appropriately with behavior that gives them the feedback, message received.

If you're looking for more comfortable read, see "Latchkey Dogs." Both will give similar info. This one, slightly more of a heady version without all the story format.

What a disappointment.......2000-11-21

I regret to say that I agree with a previous reviewer who said that this book "turned my stomach." I bought the book because I wanted to learn about dog body language and our interpretations (or misinterpretations) of that language in an effort to improve my understanding of canine behavior.

Instead of the careful analysis I expected from a veterinarian, Dr. Milani uses anectotal examples of cruelty to dogs as her examples. She describes, over and over again, dogs who are beaten, tied outside and euthanized because their owners "misunderstand" them. Not only are the case studies anecdotal and, as such, not a useful statistical description of dog/human relations, but they are very upsetting to read. And, as a previous reviewer has stated, Dr. Milani fails to condemn the practices she describes in such great detail. In fact, she admits to euthanizing otherwise healthy dogs simply because their owners failed to change their attitudes toward their pets, take them for training or make attempts to re-home the dogs. I cannot imagine how a veterinarian could engage in such a practice.

In conclusion, my work with a breed rescue organization prevents me from recommending a book in which euthanizing dogs is called "termination of the relationship." It is a fact that sometimes dogs and owners are mismatched, but every effort must be made to re-home the dog before euthanasia is ever considered. In fact, there are several animal sanctuaries in the United States which provide permanent homes for "untrainable" or aggressive dogs.

Shame on you , Dr. Milani, for representing your book as a useful tool for improving our relationships with dogs.

Steel yourself before reading this book.......2000-02-15

If you love animals, steel yourself before reading this book. In most of the "case studies" Milani gives the dogs' owners are routinely beating their animals for their mistakes or infractions -- infractions which she then analyzes in terms of "normal" dog behavior. Example after example of dogs being beaten for peeing on the floor, not coming when called, etc. turned my stomach. The worst part is Milani doesn't condemn the beatings.

In fact it's a pretty useless book. It told me very little about dog behavior, more about nutty people behavior, and the constant cruelty made me really hate the whole thing. Don't buy it!

Book Description

Chinese calligraphy evokes a complex beauty by the simplest means—a single character, a stroke, or even a dot. It is an intriguing art form that at once reveals a calligrapher's talent and learning, reflects whole epochs of philosophy, religion, and culture, and embraces an artistic tradition thousands of years old. This volume offers a loving appreciation of the aesthetic values underlying Chinese calligraphy as well as an authoritative guide to its historical development as one of China's supreme artistic accomplishments.

Four Thousand Years of Chinese Calligraphy

Average customer rating:

Four Thousand Years of Chinese Calligraphy
Leon Long-Yien; Miller, Peter Chang
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOWNSO

Average customer rating:

Wonderful ideas in this book

only half of what you need...

As easy to follow as possible

Simply Amazing Quilted Photography
Tammie L. Bowser
Manufacturer: Bowser Publications/Mosaic Quilt Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

More Amazing Quilted Photography

Focus on Features: Life-Like Portrayals in Applique

A Bridge to Landscape Quilts

Diamond Quilts and Beyond: From the Basics to Dazzling Designs

ASIN: 1887467602

Book Description

In my book you will learn how to transform ordinary fabric scraps in to unbelievably beautiful photographic quilts! The quilts look intricate and difficult to make, but it's easy to do even if you are a beginning sewer. Each quilted photo takes only a few hours to make and you'll learn a simple sewing technique that will reduce your sewing time by 85%. Your friends will gasp in amazement when they realize your quilt is really a photograph! As seen on HGTV's "Simply Quilts"

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful ideas in this book.......2005-09-09

This book does have patterns in it and excellent detailed directions for the process to make many different projects. You don't have to have the software. The patterns are in the book. It is inspiring even if you don't have the software. I saw the author on Simply Quilting and want to make several of these. I definitely got my money's worth.

only half of what you need..........2004-02-21

This book has many basic quilting tips and a decent system for executing the photo quilts...but...if you want to convert one of your own photos into a quilt, you have to buy a computer program . The last chapter titled "How to Make Your Own Quilted Photo Patterns" consists of just three pages and ends with a sales pitch for the software. If you have any sort of background in art, as I do, you may find the book rather elementary, especially the last chapter. But in the end it's the "product" pushing I have a problem with because not only is there software for sale but many other things you could find for a more reasonable price elsewhere...like the "distance viewer"...it's just a front door peephole you can get at your local hardware store. Actually, if you have a decent knowledge of sewing and quilting, and have a little background in art, you could use a cross-stitch pattern maker program that converts photos into charts to come up with your own quilted photo pattern.

As easy to follow as possible.......2003-01-10

Simply Amazing Quilted Photography by fashion industry expert and quilting authority Tammie Bowser is a detailed and thoroughly "user friendly" instructional manual for transforming fabric into photographs, and creating wonders and satisfying projects that will bring joy and amazement. Grids, step-by-step instructions, illustrations both in black-and-white and in color, and the occasional quotable quote help make this informative "how-to" guide as easy to follow as possible and is especially recommended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in quilting and the do-it-yourself craft of making quilted photos.

Book Description

Challenged by the teaching of Vatican II about the "seeds of the Word" in non-Christian religions, this book investigates the sacred character of the Saddharmapundarika Sutra and its relation to the fundamental theological category of scriptural inspiration. In applying the methods of modern exegesis, the Sutra in its ingenious composition is disclosed as a religious drama about the inspirational experience of the Buddha. The draft of a theology of inspiration along the guide lines of the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum of Vatican II elaborates a 'christology of the Word' as its core, which allows an extension of inspiration in analogical manner to non-Biblical scriptures. The contrast of Christ, the "Word incarnate", and Buddha, the "Inspired One", offers a new contribution to an inter- religious dialogue.

Book Description

Artwork by Andy Warhol. Contributions by Corinna Thierolf, Carla Schulz-Hoffmann.

Andy Warhol, Priest: The Last Supper Comes in Small, Medium, and Large

Average customer rating:

Andy Warhol, Priest: The Last Supper Comes in Small, Medium, and Large
Peter Kattenberg , and Andy Warhol
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Religious | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9004119159

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books