Contests Books

My daughter had this in her summer reading list and she loved the title and wanted it first. It was long but she loved it. When she was finished she was sad because it was over. I haven't seen her get this excited about a book for a long time. She wants to read more that Andrea White writes. She said it would make a great movie. (I've read it, too, and I agree).

The book, Survivng Anarctica: Reality TV 2083, is about 5 kids, all with unique talents. They must make there way to the South Pole if they want to have a bright future. Everything they do is broadcasted, and the Secretary, head of EDUTV, has plans of making their trip really difficult.
Steve has just been choosen for the night crew at EDUTV. He has been watching the kids. He has also been talking to them through the voice. He has to leave them during a life and death situation for one of the kids. Wanting to talk to the kids to help, he develops aplan to get in. He made a fake pipe bomb to scare the workers to let him in. Does it work, you will have to read to find out.
You don't only have to read Surviving Anarctica: Reality TV 2083 to find out what happens with Steve, but it is an awesome book. If your going to die soon, make sure you read this book, because you do not want to miss out. Even if your not going to die read this book. This book has action, people getting bit by dogs, attempted break ins at EDUTV, one kid sneaking candy to Antarctica, and finally, a possible amputation. The suspense of this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. You'll always be wondering, will they make it? You have to read it to find out.

This is "can't-put-down" science fiction that is appropriate for upper elementary as well as teens. In addition to the perfectly imagined reality-TV centered American society of 2083, the book gets across, in a non-tendentious way, a huge amount of historically accurate information about the Scott expedition to Antarctica of 1912. It also manages to convey the message that even in a totalitarian society where the consequences of action against the state may be dire, it is still possible for an individual to have the moral courage to do the right thing.

Surviving Antartica (also known as No Child's Game) was a great book. I had to read it for school and thought it was going to suck. I ended up liking the book. It was very interesting, with a few flaws. Some of the "futuristic" things put in the book were... lets say out there. They were unecessary. Also, the ending was pushed a little bit. If you read the book then you'll know what I'm getting at. All in all I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for originality, well-put settings, and characters you'll fall in love with.

Reality TV is dominant in the world of 2083. Schooling is provided through EduTV until age 14 when institutional schooling costs $10,000 per year. This is a time of haves being havier and have-nots basically starving. For the poor a contest called "the Toss" determines which lucky person has a scholarship. Five of the main characters lose the toss.

"Anarctica Survivor" is created for five 14-year-olds to follow Robert F. Scott's exact path to the South Pole in Antarctica. Never mind that he was an adult and experienced professional. Each teenager to succeed wins the cost of one year of schooling. The Secretary of Entertainment has one goal only: to raise ratings at any cost.

Call it a suspenseful adventure, a dystopian story (society run amuck--viewership of this reality show reaches 99.6% when death is imminent) or speculative fiction or all of these--its coming-of-age of all the major characters is the thread that holds all the parts together. Not all who go on the quest survive, but those who do, come out changed for the better: stronger, wiser, and much more mature.

Another major character is Antarctica herself. A shape-shifter, this continent presents bizarre and hazardous obstacles from breaking ice floes to icy crevasses to white-out blizzards and obscenely low temperatures.

While I enjoyed this story very much, I am most annoyed at the artist who created the cover. Although it looks great to the unknowing eye, at no point in the story did the five rope together nor did they walk.

What they did re-enact was the use of ponies, dogs, and motor sleds that Scott and his men used in 1912. Excerpts from his diaries are also interspersed at appropriate points in the story for authenticity. The five ate the same provisions, used the same kind of equipment, and wore the same kind of clothes. Only the outcome differs. No one in Scott's party survived.

It's Christmas in Savannah and Weezie Foley is involved in a decorating contest at her shop. Her closest competitors have a shop around the corner and it seems that they will stop at nothing to win. She has to wonder if they are the ones responsible for the things that are missing or vandalized at her store. Added to this, her boyfriend Daniel is in a bad mood and just wants Christmas to be over. This is a holiday novella which is a quick and easy read and which bubbles over with Southern charm and humor.

This was my first Audio book by this author, I enjoyed the story,and will try another of Mary Kay Andrews audio books.
A very pleasant respite from the real world around us.

Enjoyable story with Weezie and her clan again. Mary Kay Andrews introduces us to new funny characters and keeps us laughing with the old ones. Enjoyed the story and definitely helped lighten the holiday spirit when we seem to get bogged down by being pulled different directions. Settle down for a few minutes to read this and it will definitely improve your mood! The story seemed to drag in the middle, but has you laughing out loud at the end. Bring on more Weezie and BeBe!

Book arrived in perfect conditon. I've already read it and enjoyed it for the holidays. Thank you for your quick response!

This is my first book by Andrews. I started out really enjoying the book, getting swept up in the charm, description of the antiques world, and the humor. However, as the book went on, it went flat.

I read lots of romances and cozy mysteries so I'm familiar with the formula. As a romance, it didn't meet my expectations. I never felt the chemistry between the hero and heroine. In fact, I thought Daniel was annoying and boring. As a mystery, it was just OK. I did like our main character a lot and her heart was in a good place helping out Apple Annie. In the second half of the book, the author's attempts at humor came off as way too over the top for my tastes. An example of this would be Daniel's family dinner.

I understand after reading other reviews that the 2 main female characters are in other books by this author. Since I have several more written by her in my stacks I will read them at some point. If I hadn't, I doubt I would have made much effort to seek them out.

Is the review for the book or Amazon as the procurer of the book? I received the book in a timely manner--blessedly quickly--I had lost my copy from the college bookstore; the good price was gratifying as I had already purchased a copy before. The book, No Contest, should be read by just about any literate American--I may disagree on a point or 2, but generally--99% of what he says is true (even if "inconveniently"--just like the other truths)--and someday he'll be saying "I told you so," because we probably won't listen--not enough of us soon enough anyway. So--there's a gloom and doom attitude for you. It created "cognizant dissonance," to put it in PC--pedagogically correct--terms, and I plan to try to manage any classroom that I may acquire, with the concepts he explained clearly in mind.

He is better in interviews than in print. It is more a compilation of others research he uses to back up his premise and as such becomes quite tedious as he gives too many examples to validate his relatively straight forward case.
I find little problem with the validity he demonstrates for his ideas, but was terribly dissapointed in his lack of ability to understand the true paradigm shift where people see their own possibilities dramatically expanded by others rather than limited by them, where the ultimate sadness of the destructive nature of competition is higlighted by the amazing things that can happen when people with different ideas get together. ( he mentions the notion that this can happen once as an afterthought in an sentence about cooperation ) The best he can do is champion cooperation, which is laudable, but simply doesn't have enough energy to it to generate much action for change.
Dana Johnson

Kohn presents an excellent argument that needs to be heard. This is an important issue and his good work here truly presents a compelling case.

NO CONTEST confirms for me the idea that competition is rapidly becoming an obsolete thought form. Although I came at it from the angle of potentially flawed neo-classical economic theory (i.e. its impossible to construct a Social Welfare function, a level playing field, or non-attenuated property rights which are pre-determinates of true competition or Pareto Optimality) where bounded rationality inhibits the effective functioning of markets (creating information asymmetry between consumers and producers) KOHN very eloquently sets about systematically destroying all the other justifications or merits of competition in other spheres of human relationship. That is, competition is not natural to our species, doesn't create the best skill set, does not solve scarcity of finite resources, and definitely is not "fun".

On some of the negative reviews - I am shocked at the blind approach towards protecting the venerated place of worship that competition seems to uphold within the American system of economic policy - in order to compete, both parties have to consent to follow a predefined set of rules, or in other words you first have to cooperate to compete. So which one is more powerful - which one relies on the other? If competition were a natural and superior system of organising human relationship it would not require enforcement, indoctrination, or spurious rules of engagement. Much of which governments and companies employ through lobbying and grossly manipulative takeover behaviour (sometimes overtly) executed whenever they are in danger of losing control of resources. Simply changing the rules to move the playing field more in your favour is not the survival of the fittest, but the survival of the most corrupt.

Good on you Mr KOHN for sticking your neck out and producing such a ground breaking synopsis of the research and benefits of cooperative learning relative to the ignorant ranting of competitive mumbo jumbo theorists. And done decades before the real damaging effects of climate change, global militarisation, and marginalisation of the majority of the world has come to light, and is now showing us how dinosaur some of our collective thinking in the competitive area really is.

However, as they say in aviation circles - "the flak is always thickest when you're right over the target". NO CONTEST definitely hits the mark - that alone is a useful indicator that this book is well worth the read, for open minds.

Having just finished No Contest: The Case Against Competition, fully twenty years after its first publication, I feel like someone coming late to a party, only to find few have arrived before me in what I expected to be a crowded gathering. Scanning the divergent and often passionate Amazon reviews offered on this provocative, original, and gentle but thoroughly radical critique of our society, I felt compelled to add my voice and ask, simply, did Adam Smith get it wrong?

However you might answer that question, now or after reading No Contest, you will agree that the implications of your own answer are considerable, for you and, perhaps, for us all. Your ideas about competition are fundamental to the way you will live your life each day, to the type of world you will work to create, and to how you will feel about and treat those of us who are around you.

Across twenty-five reviews of No Contest spanning a decade, the book garners a solid four out of five stars, but there is a divergence in these reviews that is telling and important. Amidst mostly five-star ratings and words of praise and encouragement for what is an excellent work, consistently about twenty percent of reviewers rank this book very low and offer commentary that is quite dismissive. These latter reviews seem, in some cases, to lack poignancy and clear expression, an infraction Kohn cannot be accused of, and some are quite hostile.

I bring up this persistent disparity of reactions to No Contest because it underscores a central hypothesis of Kohn's work: that competition and the competitive structures around us alters us. Kohn's assembled research suggests that competition makes us reactive, aggressive, closed to new ideas and inimical to alternatives, bound to the rules of the games we are made to play.

Competition, Kohn argues, makes us less sensitive, less productive, less creative, and perhaps less intelligent. Competition narrows our focus and makes us less able to see our frames of reference for what they are - frames. Ones that are in truth malleable and expandable, and as such, ultimately indefensible. Life in competitive structures, life in a competitive mindset, may even make us less engaged in life itself, as it almost certainly makes us less engaged in others and their lives.

I read No Contest on the recommendation of a friend, after a brief but lasting conversation on the practical virtues of cooperation. As a friend, even if we have not met, I will recommend this book to you too. I make this recommendation with the certainty that No Contest will at least give you an interesting perspective on modern life, that it might provoke and irritate you, and that it may, as other reviewers have noted, cause you to wake up and live differently each day. I certainly feel this third way, and think the book is worth reading, simply given its potential to affect you in this way.

As a book that compiles a diverse body of research, No Contest is technically impressive, especially given its seemingly uncharted subject. Even after twenty years, and even as it is disagreeable to some, I found the book extremely well planned, elegantly written, carefully reasoned, and finely passionate. For some, No Contest will be worth having for the bibliography alone, which is extensive. In fact, its assembled evidence and the startling conclusions they lead to is part of the potentially mind-altering nature of the book. No Contest was not what I expected, and likely will not be what you expect now, with divergent views and passionate reviews apt to continue for some time to come.

A few reviewers have criticized No Contest for not offering enough practical guidance, but I am content to be left to think, and think practically, about its many ideas and conclusions, on my own and with others. We all live in a practical world and so do need work at what we value, but we also need to wonder a bit: if cooperation is superior to competition in category after category of human affairs, why is there simply not more of it around us? Some might argue that cooperation is in fact there, but masked by the heavy and obvious icons of competitiveness that frame modern materialist society.

As I am affected and willing to consider this and the many other important questions the book engenders, perhaps you will be too. Game theory and computer modeling of the last two decades, coming after this book was published, may offer insights into the conditions under which competitive and cooperative structures win out, but as yet not a clear and recognizable path to the states of sustaining cooperation posed as possible and desirable by Kohn. (I would welcome being googled and corrected on this last point.)

One last thought: beginning in the 1970s, the organizational psychologists Chris Argyris and Donald Schon wrote about empirically far more common "model I" group dynamics and, also empirically, far more effective "model II" behaviors. I always was comfortable with these neat non-labels, and thought I understood what they entailed, tacitly attributing the difference to levels of individual and group stress. After reading No Contest, though, I am now far more inclined to think these human patterns should rightly be renamed for what they really are: "competitive" and "cooperative" group dynamics. I'll leave you to consider this idea, important for people working with others and suggestive of what you will encounter with No Contest.

To end somewhat near where I began, let me finish by saying that No Contest is an awakening for many people and an irritant and even an outrage for a few, probably to all who are disciples of Adam Smith, or deacons in the world his ideas have wrought. No Contest stirred in me both a child and an old man, each wiser in the way children and elders can be wise - in their propensity for innocence and in their indifference to headstrong heads - and I hope No Contest will be this for you and more.

"Cheating Lessons" by Nan Willard Cappo was one of the required books for my summer reading. Because summer reading books can be boring, I was expecting "Cheating Lessons" to be awful, but I was wrong! "Cheating Lessons" is a charming story about Bernadette Terrell, a not so popular member of the debate team, as she struggles with the "cheating lessons" in life.

(May Contain Spoilers.)

Bernadette Terrell is a member of the Wickam High debate team. This year, Wickham is up against the elite Pinehurst Acadmey who are the national champions. Everyone on her team, even her handsome, single, male teacher, Mr. Malory wants to win. With winning comes instant popularity in her small town and some raised eyebrows. How can a team who hasn't had a win in a very long time, beat the best team in town? Bernadette and her peers go on a journey of self discovery and learn some very important lessons in life.

Although "Cheating Lessons" starts off a bit slow, it picks up toward the middle and becomes a great read. It has everything a reader could want in a book, comedy, laughter, supense and some drama. When I started "Cheating Lessons", I never thought it would end the way it did! This book is highly reccommended!


Taylor Hodgkins, 8/4/08

I couldn't even get past the first few chapters! One of the worst books I've ever tried to read.
The plot, I suppose, has potential, but don't waste your time on this horrible disgrace to teen literature! The writing is just BAD and I've never read anything like it. How it got published is a mystery...
I'd recommend Larua Halse Anderson. She's an author who has crafted some amazing books for teens that won't leave such a bad taste in your mouth.

I think that the book CHEATING LESSONS by Nan Willard Cappo was not too bad of a book, Overall I liked it. The way it was written was pretty well. I liked it because it had a little bit of suspense in it but then again I didn't like that. I would recommend this book for more of a younger 12-13 crowd.

Nan Cappo does an inspiring job of writing the main character, Bernadette, or "BET" as her friends call her. In a story about what would you do to become the best at the expense of your greatest rival, BET and her Academic Bowl friends of Wickham HS have a seeming once in a lifetime chance to beat their crosstown rivals Pinehurst. While her friends and teammates celebrate, Bernadette cannot ignore the "strangeness" of coincidences that enables them to compete in a nationally televised competition against Pinehurst.

Nan Cappo strings out the clues through this fast reading novel. While some may guess the truth, Bernadette's solution is both unexpected and entertaining.
If you like teen fiction where the characters sound and act in realistic fashion, and the issues of trust, sacrifice, character, and moral values are treated with insight and humor, Cheating Lessons is a must read.

A true test of a story is how easy you can set it down to get things done. I could not put this book down. Neither will you.

Bernadette is not only an academic shining star, she is also her debating team's shining star. The 12th-grader is under a lot of pressure - financial reversals cause her to spend her secondary years in the public instead of the Catholic school she had previously attended and her college fund had been severely depleted to meet the family's financial needs. Undaunted, Bernadette has scholarships and is ruthlessly driven to remain in the top academic stratum of her school.

Her best friend, Nadine is also a high achiever, but lacks the ruthless self-discipline drive that Bernadette has. The girls become friends in 8th grade after Bernadette is snubbed by a girl from a clique.

The girls share a common romantic interest in their new English teacher, Mr. Frank Malory. Newly arrived from England, he lends a touch of the exotic to their Michigan high school; his love for classic literature and flair for expression ignite a spark of academic interest among his pupils.

His main interest is to see Wickham High School win the academic quiz. Each year, Michigan high schools vie to qualify for eligibility in the competition. Once he teaches at Wickham, the school's average jumps to an impressive 92%, thus qualifying them for the competition.

Or does it? Bernadette fears that foul play is afoot and is determined to get to the bottom of it. She applies deductive reasoning to conclude that only by some deceptive reporting could Wickham have even become eligible for the academic quiz. She, with some unlikely help works hard to unravel this possible mystery...and, at the end of it all, it is Bernadette who has earned that A+ honestly.

This is an excellent, tautly written novel that provides a hard, objective look at cliques; social dynamics; school politics; administrative politics and the unfortunate results of same. This is definitely an author to watch out for!

Long time readers might remember my previous demonstration of fondness for Alice, I Think by Susan Juby. By itself, the book was fantastically funny with some great plot points and characters. So imagine my happiness back in 2005 when I realized a sequel (set a bit after the first novel's events) had been published and was available from my place of employ.

Like many good stories, Miss Smithers starts with an offer that Alice can't refuse--especially if she wants to prove to everyone that she really is a special girl. Being previously homeschooled and a bit of a loner, Alice is surprised when the local Rod and Gun Club asks her to be their representative at the Miss Smithers Beauty Pageant. That is until she hears about the four hundred dollar allottment for clothing. At that point, much to her mother's horror, Alice is prepared to participate in anything.

Unlike higher profile pageants, Miss Smithers has enough events that are varied and vague enough that every participant has a chance of being good at something. Surely that must also include a moderately well-adjusted teen who used to think she was a hobbit, right?

After one botched newsletter distribution and the purchase of questionable attire for a beauty pageant, Alice begins to question her initial (over)confidence at winning Miss Smithers. Of course, it's only then that Alice really starts to learn and grow from her brief experience as a beauty queen.

Like Alice, I Think before it, Miss Smithers has received some negative reviews from people who argue they can't connect with Alice. For my part, I can't understand why as I love Alice who seems to be the embodiment of the simultaneously apathetic and overeager teen found inside everyone.

Other negatives included a review that railed against the discussion of underage sex and drinking found in this book. There are two sides to that issue. As a teen I read a lot of books with characters who had sex and drank. Most of my friends and family will agree these readings had no detriment on my moral code. There are also a lot of books out there that are far more explicit about both topics.

In relation to this novel: yes Alice does get drunk, and yes she does consider sex quite a bit. But she also decides to take a chastity vow and spends a good amount of time contemplating what Jesus really would do. All in the same novel. Like most sixteen-year-old girls, Alice changes her mind a lot. As such, Juby creates a realistic albeit sarcastic protagonist with a well-rounded variety of experiences in this story.

Like the first novel in this trilogy, Miss Smithers does follow a diary format. The "standards" of that genre are adhered to a bit more loosely here with dated entries reading more like the usual prose. Not to worry though, this novel features a different kind of gimmick instead of the diary entries. Interspersed between chapters, Alice includes a handy newsletter (handtyped) detailing pageant events as well as a spreadsheet tallying each entrant's points and progress toward the win. These newsletters are also a great way to look at Alice's increasing maturity throughout the story as she begins to take more pride in the competition and becomes more familiar with each of the contestants.

Equal parts humor and sarcasm make this book a great read for anyone who would never usually pay attention to beauty pageants in books or otherwise.

Alice does not typically go for beauty pageants and all that jazz - but when she discovers that entrants will get $400 for clothes, she's game. (She has her heart set on leather pants.) Sponsored by the Smithers Rod and Gun Club and surrounded by other eccentric participants, Alice quickly learns that she is not the only participant to have ulterior motives.

As with the previous novel (Alice, I Think), this story is told in extremely funny diary entries. She is constantly mortified by her New Age-y mom and slacker dad, and often finds her super-smart little brother to be wiser than her grown-up guidance counselor. Her time as Miss Smithers introduces her to karate, tests her vegetarianism, gives her material for her self-published zine, and teaches her the value of a dollar. Okay, maybe not that, but she does ultimately appreciate her true talents, and that's what makes her shine.

You have to hand it to Alice MacLeod -- a more clueless, obnoxious, graceless 16-year-old misfit would be hard to find. Susan Juby strikes again, this time with Alice as the Rod and Gun Club's contestant for the very non-prestigious Miss Smithers pageant. With this unifying theme, Juby totally hits her stride. Although the previous book, ~Alice, I Think~, wasn't as developed at this one, it's good to read them in order so you know the background for the running jokes.

Alice is convinced to enter the town talent pageant because of the $400 clothing allowance, writes what was supposed to be an anonymous zine about the progress of the pageant, then finds herself getting beaten up and ostracized yet again because everybody knows all the snarky things she's said about them. Honestly, if you can enjoy the humor of seeing an unlikable but funny narrator much more clearly than she sees herself, and perhaps even being able to relate it to one's own occasional cluelessness with the vague beginnings of self-awareness, Alice's antics and muddles will keep you reading and laughing far into the night.

This book was by far just as good as its prequel "Alice, I think". It dealt with pretty much the same concepts and issues. Alice is just beginning to actually fall into the realm of "normal" in this instalment and she is very pleased by her progress as is her therapist "Death Lord Bob". She is a candidate to become "Miss Smithers" and like in her other book, she provides a complete "what not to do" manual for all of us who are planning on being in a Beauty Pagent and just a hilarious read for those of us that, after reading about Alice's misadventures, choose to stay home...I think if you enjoyed Susan Jubys first novel "Alice I think" you will find yourself laughing even louder for this one...

This book is very original and quite funny. Alice is by far the best character in all the teen-girl books i have read.
I have now read this book four times this year and i still love it just as much.
I highly reccommend this book to anyone who loves a fun spirited read

I did not like the fact that I had no pictures, the printing was small, selections of cheesecakes were not that great.

I do a bit of catering, and needed some interesting cheesecake recipes for a luncheon. Ordering this little book, was the best idea! There are no photos, but it really was not an issue for me. The text was interesting, and I also learned some tips on how to slice and serve the cheesecake. Four cheesecakes later, folks are talking about the luncheon, mainly the cheesecakes! I think I will get the other books by this author, they surely will be great too!

i love that book! First of all, the recipes are great, i tried one of the recipes this weekend and result was wonderful. I got some requests from my friends for more cheesecakes in the future gatherings!
And also it is very practical in size, you can put it in your bag and go to the supermarket for shopping, or put it on the kitchen counter without reserving too much space.
And I saw there are a couple of egg-free recipes, which i have not tried yet (but i will soon). That gives some options for egg-allergics, or to the lacto-vegetarians..

Like all the other reviews say, there are no pictures in this book. It is a tiny little book. The recipes all look like they'd be ok, but I guess I am more into plain old cheesecake than with the exotic flavors of the recipes in this book. If you are looking for a lot of with cheescake recipes with LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of different flavors, this is book for you!

This is the first cheesecake cookbook I bought. I found it easy to substitute other ingredients to change the flavor of a given cheescake. My friends think I'm a cheesecake guru and beg me to bring a cheesecake to parties and get togethers. They even offer to purchase the ingredients. I love this book and can't imagine making a cheesecake without it! It easy to make a great cheesecake when the recipes are so easy to follow.

This book was a delight to read. I cook, but not as a compulsive, over-enthusiastic chef. Thus, I can relate to Mathews' studied (sometimes ironic) detachment and her enjoying the Bake-Off from a distance. Thank heavens the memoir was written by her, not a hyper-eager contest-head.

Perusing the reviews of her book, I glimpsed what might have been imposed on the reader. The bitterest reviewer at Amazon.com wrote, "Ms. Mathews just happened to be in the right place at the right time...This may sound like sour grapes -- and it is. Everyone at the Bake-Off was bursting at the chance to win that cool mil. How ironic this once-in-a-lifetime thrill was lost on the one person who DID win."

How ironic, indeed, and thank heavens for irony. Without it, there would be nothing worth watching on television.

Moreover, the "thrill" of this victory was not lost on Mathews. It just didn't consume her. It didn't define her. This book is not just for those who are curious what such a contest might be like, but it's also for those who lead interesting but unpretentious lives who might wonder if the occasional brass ring would fit their own finger. Turns out, it does.

While this book had a great promise to be an interesting insight into the world of the Pillsbury Bake-Off, the reader is left instead with an insight into the less than charming character of the author. Ms. Mathews manages to look down on absolutely everyone she encounters (with the exception of her husband, Carl, who can do no wrong!), including her fellow contestants and any celebrities and reporters that she encounters. Her book is full of little barbs aimed at others who happen to cook differently from her, and her view of what is acceptable cooking and eating is narrow indeed. Save your money - don't buy this book, go out to eat with your friends and enjoy their company instead. You'll have a lot more fun.

This memoir, "The Ungarnished Truth" was a delightful surprise. Ellie Mathews tells it like it is from her perspective. She's busy, she's intelligent(she does math in her head for fun for crying out loud),she travels, writes and takes life one flurry at a time. I loved how it just wasn't a good time to be selected to be in the Bake Off (if she were being honest about it) but life doesn't always come to us the way we have it airbrushed in our fantasies. She was brave and made the best of it and it turned out in the end. I truly enjoy hearing a person tell their story and Ellie does it with ease. I found her book to be entertaining, unexpected, personally revealing, and inspiring. Ellie didn't jump up and down and squeal with delight,....and that's perfectly okay! It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round and frankly I am tickled we aren't all predictable and same-same-same! This book is fun to read and it's not only about the Bake Off, it's about Ellie, her husband, her daughter, her grandchild, her Mother and how they all blend together to create family life. Ellie doesn't pretend to be perfect. It's her imperfections that endear her to us and make the journey more interesting. Forgot to garnish? No problem!

Delivery was fast, arrived in excellent condition. I have always been happy with Amazon. I can find whatever I am looking for, and find it fast. Never been disappointed!

I have rarely spent so much time with such an uncompromisingly dour individual, but that's the eccentric charm of Ellie Mathews' memoir. It's like spending a weekend with a bunch of Calvin Coolidges or those Maine backwoodsmen Stephen King writes about. You don't go to Mathews for charm, you go because she tells you what she thinks.

She shades the truth a bit I think by trying to elide all references to when exactly she won this prize. It wasn't a recent win, but you wouldn't know it, for she manages to leave out every date, and only when she wound up appearing on the Rosie O'Donnell show did I detect how old her stories are, for that show hasn't been on the air for years! So, she may be straighforward about some things, but don't let her fool you, this contest occurred in the last century.

Since reading it I have seen the bootleg footage of her win and I can see why she felt forced to write this book as an apologia. All over the world people watched her and saw a frozen, uninterested person who looked too prim and bored to get into the backslapping the award ordinarily provokes. She had a superior air about her which didn't sit well with the folks at home, but after reading her book I do believe her explanation, that some people are warm and some are cold and she's the latter. It's a fascinating confession from the sort of person who is perpetually under-represented in our society, the competitive wallflower. Why go on the Bake Off if you don't want fame and money? I still don't understand her motivations. Everywhere she goes people do the wrong thing all around her. On every show she begs the host, please don't ask me about the money, and yet they ignore her plea and harass her about what she did with the million dollars. She has a healthy distaste for the other people in the world, and except for Carl her husband, Karen her daughter, Loa her baby granddaughter, and a few other minor characters, the rest of the world come off as tacky, tasteless famongers who use too much butter and eggs.

Contestants depend too heavily on eye-catching garnishes, bemoans Mathews. "I'm also impatient with fussiness," she adds. She won for her recipe for Salsa Couscous Chicken, and it was a mighty victory for plain old fashioned cooking.

She also had a friend she met camping who lost her husband in a terrible fall, and she gets points from me for telling this poor widow's story in a touching way, and describes how her win and fifteen minutes of fame helped to reunite her with this woman (whom she had lost touch with). In addition, Ellie suffered through the suicide of a close family member and the loss of others. Her life hasn't been easy, and I think it's good she managed to write out her complaints, it has probably been therapeutic, however for the reader it has the effect of being trapped in a room with someone who goes into every little detail of a life. "For breakfast that morning I ordered oatmeal. That's what I have when I know it's time to slown down. Forget the high-fat griddle goodies, the ooey-gooey cinnamon pastries. I needed the stabilizing effect of boiled food.

Simply worded, short and concise, it's the perfect handbook for the "coming" out of a young girl, and a useful guideline for those just starting out in beauty pageants. If you're thinking about competing, I would definitely recommend reading this book from cover to cover at least once, if you are not, reading it will make a big difference in your life!

The book offers a young girl the information she will need to face the challenges of growing through her teen years to adulthood. She will be enabled to make choices that are right for her personally, and do so with confidence. My niece is going to use this book as a project for her Girl Scout Troop of twelve 13 year olds and follow it up with a "fashion show" for other Scout Troops and family. The book contains information young
girls can easily apply to their personal style and personality,
and be confident as they face whatever "Pageant" life puts before them to compete in....

This book has some good tips for people who are brand new to the pageant world. But, if you have already competed or at least have some knowledge about pageants, this book is not for you.

What a book! Guys like me -- a single dad raising two girls who fancy themselves beauty queens - aren't really equipped to tell our daughters about the finer points of being female, nevermind about being a contestant in a pageant. The girls read it and then told me I "had" to read it so I could "get it". Well, I read it, and I admit a lot of my fears about pageants were laid to rest, but more importantly even the girly stuff made sense to me. It's a good feeling to know I can help my girls along their way in pageanty without missing a beat - or missing out. I applaud this book for how helpful it is for any girl interested in creating a better self.

This book, only 81 pages long, could have mentioned a lot more to help a new contestant. A few of the examples are helpful, but Bordenkircher doesn't hint at any new or creative ideas towards winning a pageant. Most of the material is common sense and a lot of the important points are not elaborated on. It seems only unimportant things are gone into detail about. For example, the author tells a two page story on how a woman was too picky about her choosing gown. Who cares?! As a contestant, I can tell a lot of helpful hints were left out. Tips and secrets a "former judge" should be able to share; tips I would like to know, but no one seems to be telling! It almost angers me to know that people pay $12.95 for a thin book that has information one could obtain at a free pageant tip site! Next, while describing flattering necklines, waistlines and sleeves, the reader has no idea what these designs look like. It's like this book is an outline for a longer book! Why would I buy a book, only to find I must go online to find pictures of what was described in it? If it is an instructional piece, why can't all the instruction be contained in one spot?! It seems as if pageant officials and writers want to blur the truth about pageants. Why can't anyone simply share what practices win?! I recommend Becoming A Beauty Queen: The Complete Guide. It provides anecdotes, helpful tips on poise, winning and grooming tips any girl or lady would appreciate. Plus, it's much more detailed, well-written and visually appealing. How to Win Your Crown just isn't worth it.

My Angelica is a very descriptive and fun book of a young teenage love. Sage and George are the main characters, and they secretly love each other without knowing it! Through these hilarious chapters, everything seems to pull together perfectly. I highly recommend it to people who enjoy a mix of comedy and romance. It is so beautifully written, and who doesn't like a good laugh once in a while?

This is a book reviews of the book My Angelica By Carol Lynch. this is a novel with my angelica as the star and her one-eyed lover where ever she goes. sage is fifteen- year old girl who loving a alot about writing book. sometimes her work doesn't alway turn out right. sage is a good writer, and she won the writing contest with geroge, her beloved lover.

This is a great book if you like to writer and love romance novels and just love reading sage has made it not a hilarious novel because it's supposed to be about a woman who lost her husband.Sage has always had a big crush on geroge, never rellay admitted it to him,but you can tell she like him. I think when she gets older she will be a great writer someday just like her mother.Maybe not dress and do the weird things her mother does to get her writing the best.

Now she's doing it again, kissing george. she will likely go out with geroge. likely marry him. she will become a great writer.
since sage likees writing so much and Geroge will alway BE HER ONE-EYED lover and be by her side in the end.Doesn't catch a person to make them went to keep on reading thinking of what well happen next. sage has always had a big crush on george
never rellay admitted it to him, but you can tell she likes him.

At first when I saw this book, I didn't think I was going to like it, it seemed sappy. But it is cute with a sarcastic edge. I love reading Angelica's adventures which actually do sound like those stupid romance novels. And George seems so cute...

Imagine waking up to a mother who is a writer. You love writing. Wouldn't it be great if you love writing and your mother is a writer? Having your first real kiss. Writing a romance novel with Angelica as the star and her one-eyed lover where ever she goes. What a great life! This is a great book if you want to be a writer and love romance novels and you just love reading.
Sage is a fifteen-year old girl who loves writing a lot. Sometimes her work doesn't always turn out right. Doesn't catch a person to make them want to keep on reading thinking of what well happen next. Don't get me wrong. Sage is a good writer, and she won the writing contest with George, her beloved lover. It was supposed to be a romance novel, not a hilarious one and everyone thinks it is hilarious that's why she won. Sage has made it not a hilarious novel because it's supposed to be about a woman who lost her husband. Now likes a one-eyed man that she see everywhere she goes.
You can tell Sage really likes writing. Since Sage has wrote more than 15 chapters in her novel. I know it's not long to some people but it is to her she has actually wrote non stop. Her writing is good, but she needs to read it over, giving other people a chance to tell her what she has did wrong. Not always say you love it don't you. Is it boring, does she get them into it. All of things she should think about first.
Sage has always had a big crush on George, never really admitted it to him, but you can tell she likes him. She pulled him out of a tree and kissed him, when they were younger. When Sage was younger that was the girls favorite game to play. Now she's doing it again, kissing George. She will likely go out with George. Likely marry him.
Sage has had some problems in the past, and now she knows what she did wrong in her writing, in her love life. I think when she gets older she will be a great writer someday just like her mother. Maybe not dress and do the weird things her mother does to get her writing the best. Since she will figure out what she has done wrong by then. Since Sage likes writing so much and George will always be her one-eyed lover and be by her side in the end.
Sage is a good writer. She likes writing. She likes George. She will become a great writer. In all of this, this is a great book about romance and writing. This will be a great book for someone who loves romance, writing, reading, and even to get tips on love and dating. 1

The book was easy to read, captivating in a childish manner, and of course, in the end, the woman got her man. Basically, it is about a spacy writer who writes terrible romance stories. Her friend doesn't want to tell her because he's afraid her feelings would be hurt. Will she wake up to the real-life romance that's around her or keep her head in Angelica's story? It's up to you to read the book and find out.

It is a Intense Sports Cable Channel coast to Coast contest and the winner gets a 5 Million ot 5 Thousand Dollar Scholarship. There are 4 Teams. Team 1 is Jessica,Tom,Todd and lovebirds Pam Cox and Rob Baxter who have been together since junior high,now they are sophomores in college and Neil Team 2 is Elizabeth,Uli,Charlie[Charlotte],Ruby,and Sam Team 3 is Allison Quinn,I forgot who Else. Team 4 is Danny Wyatt and I forgot. Teh first mission is to collect Collection Cups from casinos. Team One Wins.Next,Is White River Rafting on snake River,Team One wins,because Elizabeth had to save Ruby,or Charlie[Who couldn't swim] So,Team Two was Disqualified.

A good introduction to the next 3-book mini series in the SVU saga. The attention grabber (the contest) makes for an interesting plot as well do the new cast of characters from both teams (1&2).

Following the twins' stories as well as the events and dramas of the teams shows for an interesting storyline. It was pleasing to read about the interactions between Elizabeth and Sam, and the sidestory combination involving the rival feud between Tom and Todd. The two stories together set a new turning point in Elizabeth's life. The character begins to move on, attempting to shed her former persona in order to become a newer and different person hoping to seek out newer challenges--with different people. Jessica's outburst to both Tom and Todd during one of their many arguements about how they were "...both history in Elizabeth's book..." (page 166: John) more than clarifies this new change. Although Elizabeth still portrays her natural concern and selflessness for others (which will never change) she is on her way onto leaving the past where it should remain.

Jessica's storyline threw in a different kind of twist from the usual "girl falls for guy and gets him" routine. This made for some interesting reading since the character of Jessica Wakefield is so self-assured when it comes to the opposite sex. With Neil's confession to her in chapter 15, Jessica is left doubting her "sixth sense" about men as well as her vanity. With the book ending with those two elements hanging on the character, along with the feeling of abandonment (in more ways than one), Jessica is left to find herself much like her sister is doing. Of course, when it comes to Jessica, anything can happen.

Above all, a good book with high points.

The typical kind of plot-Elizabeth falling for a guy who is the exact opposite and Jessica falling for someone she can't have. What's with the Wakefield twins and their taste in guys? I hope Stranded will be better.

This book is a great start to a mini-series which is the beginning of some changes for Sweet Valley University. Jessica and Elizabeth are off on a road trip challenge in teams, with the prize a scholarship. They get split into seperate teams. Jessica, as always, spots a boy she likes right away, and spends most of the book trying to make him like her. They become good friends, but he seems unusually shy.. While Elizabeth again falls for a guy who's all wrong for her. It had a good plot which was pretty funny, and I recommend it to all SVU fans. There was just one thing wrong with it. Sam, the guy Elizabeth likes, has a practically indentical character to Conner in Senior Year! Has anyone else noticed this? That got a bit boring after a while. But overall, a good read.

This book is a great start to a mini-series which is the beginning of some changes for Sweet Valley University. Jessica and Elizabeth are off on a road trip challenge in teams, with the prize a scholarship. They get split into seperate teams. Jessica, as always, spots a boy she likes right away, and spends most of the book trying to make him like her. They become good friends, but he seems unusually shy.. While Elizabeth again falls for a guy who's all wrong for her. It had a good plot which was pretty funny, and I recommend it to all SVU fans. There was just one thing wrong with it. Sam, the guy Elizabeth likes, has a practically indentical character to Conner in Senior Year! Has anyone else noticed this? That got a bit boring after a while. But overall, a good read.