B Books

This is a wonderful book and well worth the time to invest in reading it. I would urge you to buy this timely book.

Through forceful, powerful, blatant, bold Calvinistic and evangelistic sermons, Pastor Jones did a marathon preaching on one of, if not the most controversial and heavily debated Sermon on the Mount; shattering other man-centered, self-centered, legalistic, antinomian, perfectionist interpretations. I have to admit before I read these sermons, I had most of my interpretations wrong. Here are some observations from what I took in. First, the Sermon on the Mount is not a social gospel where all it cares about is the actions, ethics and morale of the story. Though important, they are neither the meat nor the center of it; Christ the Preacher is. Not only is this so, but as Pastor Jones remarked in the concluding sermon, that throughout the course of it, Christ declares, I would say, both implicitly and explicitly, that he is the true giver, interpreter and center of the law. Second, no one can rightly live out the principles taught in it unaided unless one is a believer relying on the grace and power of God who enables him to do so. Third, it is not something one has to do to become a Christian. Instead, it shows what Christians should become as a result of a new gracious ruling principle in their hearts. Fourth, in some cases like turning to the other cheek, going extra miles, giving away both the cloak and the coat, loaning to those in need, not committing adultery, it is the general bigger-picture principles behind the detailed examples that was to be conveyed, not the actions themselves that are the most important. I wouldn't write what they are here, but let the readers discover on their own. Fifth; on the other hand, it involves some details which Pastor Jones beautifully expounds within the general description or principles, for example, on what the Lord's prayer means and how it is to be prayed properly with the right heart and attitude, how to determine the characteristics and signs of false prophets and professors, what it means to enter through the straight gate and going through the narrow way, what building house on sands and rock by the foolish and wise man signify and how we know which one of these categories we fall into. These are stunningly soul-searching; something critical that those of us who confess to be Christians should test ourselves with. Here is one of his quotes worth musing on what it urges us to do in regard to entering the strait gate,

"You have to go out of your way to find this gate. You will have to analyze yourself and be very honest with yourself, and having refused to hold back, say, `I am going on with this until I discover exactly what I have to do'. Here are so many who do not find this way of life because they have never sought the gate and entered in.... [it involves] fasting, sweating and praying... we must give ourselves no rest or peace until we know for certain that we are on this way."

And lastly, without trying to be simplistic, the underlying principle of it all is that it is the spirit, not the letters that matters. It is the heart, the desire, the attitude, the character and the outlook on one's life, not the actions, that Christ is concerned the most and therefore focuses his sermons on to graciously rebuke, correct and encourage. Despite his sober and frightening warnings, we should not lose heart but continue to persevere to the end to follow him for he who has began a good work in us will never leave us nor forsake us and will carry it on to completion.

This book is exceptionally rich in spiritual understanding, easy to follow and written from the heart of the author. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones knows how to bring out the truth of God's scripture. The book is actually two volumes in one, comprised of 60 sermons from Matthew 5, 6 and 7. The sermons will challenge you to review your Christian walk in contrast to the Word of God. Every sermon presented in this book brings the reader back to the foot of the Cross of Christ for self examination. It is a very humbling book, written to the heart of those that love God and his Son, Jesus Christ. This book will spiritually enrich your walk and strengthen your relationship with Christ. If you are searching for an in-depth study of The Sermon on the Mount you will not find a better book than this one. This is not a book you will read only once.

This book on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is one of the best books ever produced by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. If you have never encountered Lloyd-Jones then you will be blessed as you read this book and discover a man with a passion for both the Word of God and the God of the Word.

Lloyd-Jones, according to John Piper, is one of the last true Calvinistic Methodist from the days of George Whitefield. Here was a man who not only embraced Reformed Calvinism but also embraced a passion for God from the likes of Whitefield and John Wesley. He not only wanted to study the Bible and teach it clearly but he wanted to give people a hunger for Jesus that would become evident in holiness in life and character.

In this book, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explores the implications of the Sermon on the Mount for the Christian. He works his way slowly through each passage giving not only the content of the passage but many points of application for your life. I would encourage you to have your Bible open to Matthew 5-7 as you read this book and even more to memorize the passage (Psalm 119:11). This is a solid book well worth the price and its also a book you will refer to again and again.

"Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings great insight into the fundamentals of Christianity thru an in-depth look at the Sermon on the Mount. Lloyd-Jones shows a stark contrast between our world's values and the way in which a believer is called to live. To get the most out of this book than one needs to be willing to examine their heart and actions.

I loved this book...it was if someone had written my life story! I loved it so much I bought my brother a copy as well!

I carry this book around with me in my purse because it feels like a good friend I've been searching for, for 50 years who finally understands. Very helpful, I am finally hopeful about living the rest of my life with joy in it.

I actually HAVE Borderline Personality Disorder and ran across this book in searching for others to help me learn more about the disorder. I have 2 young boys and am determined not to let my problems become a part of who they are and damage them but I couldn't find a book that dealt with how to be a good mother in spite of BPD so I read this book to see what children who were raised with a borderline parent had to go through so that I could avoid those pitfalls. Thankfully I was able to correct some behaviors I didn't even know I was doing, before I harmed my babies emotionally. Maybe the authors of this book would consider writing a book for those of us trying to do better while being a parent, maybe "How to Parent, when you have BPD" or something like that? Anyway also I wanted to add that my mother who has a mother with Bipolar also found this book VERY helpful.

This book, "Surviving a borderline parent" is rapidly speeding up the process that I started 12 years ago of normalizing myself. Now, at 31, I think I am only half way through the process. This book is highlighting aspects of my personality that I would eventually have figured out were caused by my parents. Each page will take a week or so to absorb and ponder, but that is still faster than I was figuring it out myself.

My parents both suffered from BPD. I had no idea they did (although it had been suggested to me by a friend who is a psychiatrist) until I read this book shortly after it was published. There it all was -- the hidden shame and torment of being the child-parent to angry, volatile, hateful, self-destructive, self-centered parents. I never understood what it meant to have my own opinions and wishes. I had lived forty plus years in survival mode until I sought therapy. Thank heavens for this book -- it may rescue another generation of children trapped in these families.

The Blue Djinn of Babylon is mouth-watering continuation of the Children of Lamp series. The twins learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of their djinn powers and discover some fascinating facts about their mom. Not to mention twins get separated by the Blue Djinn and have some wild hair-raising adventures trying to find each other. I'd tell you more, but its more fun to read the book! Let your imagination do the walking.

My daughter is a big fan of the series and really enjoyed this book and the first one as well.

this volume and the one after it kept us all involved till the end

The Blue Djinn of Babylon
By: P.B. KERR

The Blue Djinn of Babylon by P. B. Kerr is a story of magic and adventure that I would recommend to children who like fantasy books. The story begins with two unidentical twins John and Philippa Gaunt go practice there Djinn powers on one of the last warm days of the year. John and Philippa have just recently discovered there djinn powers when there Uncle Nimrod told them in a dream. Djinn also known as genies are made of fire so they can't use there powers to its fullest when it is cold. When Philippa enters a Djinnverso tournament (which is an ancient game only played by djinn) she is disqualified when someone takes over her body and says Philippa cheated. During the tournament the Blue Djinn assistant tells John and Uncle Nimrod that Solomon's Grimoire was stolen by himself accidentally! Now they have to arrange a meeting to get the book back. But little do they know it will put the twins in danger!

The Hanging Palace of Babylon is a enormous structure that the Blue Djinn lives and gets to design. The Blue Djinn is the ruler of all djinn good or evil so she must be beyond good or evil to so that it is fair for all djinn. Only women Djinn are allowed inside. The Blue Djinn has invisible maids to clean her house. The Hanging Palace of Babylon is underground in Baghdad. Outside the palace is guarded by terrible creatures. To get to it you must take a boat because it is a underground island. A Giant Bird guards the island and lets no one except the Blue Djinn past. A wish monster guards everything on the island including the Hanging Palace of Babylon.

You should read this book because this book you on the edge from beginning to the end.

Even though I am definitely not a young teen (unless 65 qualifies) I love the Children of the Lamp series. One of my granddaughters bought the first book at a school book fair; I had run out of my own reading material for relaxation; and, as they say, the rest is history.

After I finished The Akhenaten Adventure, I bought the Blue Djinn and Cobra King of Kathmandu. I am awaiting the next three books as much as my granddaughter.

IF YOU WERE THINKING OF BUYING THE BOOK "NAPPY HAIR", GET THIS ONE INSTEAD. ITS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.

This is an excellent book for building confidence in African-American girls about the natural beauty of their hair. The pictures are wonderfully done and contribute to the feeling of pride you get when reading this book. My daughter especially related to the part where the little girl makes music with the beads in her hair, and I try to remember to be as compassionate as the mom in the book when I comb her hair.

I purchased this book for my 3 year old daughter. She is only 1 of two black girls in her class of 16. This has been great for her. She asks me to read the book all the time. The book was also good for me too. It helped me to remind me to be proud of my hair and all of the wonderful styles and the great history of our hair. I just love it when my daughter says "I Love My Hair."

This book was like a breath of fresh air! Compared to the many children's books out there about 'nappy' (coiled/African) hair, this one is the most positive and affirming. While other books dwell on the 'N' word (i.e. the term 'nappy') and try to put a positive(?) spin on it, this book doesn't even use the term. Instead, it focuses on the reality of a young African-American child who is learning to love and accept herself by loving and accepting her unique hair texture. I love it!

My daughter is 10 years old and I have kept her hair naturally curly. She is mixed and gorgeous. She was at school and a little girl told her, " You need to tell your mommy to perm your hair, its a mess." She came home crying because this little girl, who is like her (the girl is african-american) said that to her. I talked to her about it but I don't think she believed me when I told her that her hair was beautiful and special. I came to good ole' Amazon and saw this book. I bought it for her and when it came we read it together. She smiled at the similarities between her and the little girl in the book. Like how she asked her mommy to stop doing her hair until the ouchies went away, the same as she does with me, or that fact that every hair style in the book has been done to her hair too. She LOVES her hair now. And she wants more books about little girls' hair. This is hard but I am looking right now for another one. This book is an inspiration to all little girls of color or mixed race. It truly has been for my daughter.

"If he desired to know about automobiles, he would, without question, study diligently about automobiles. If his wife desired to be a gourmet cook, she'd certainly study the art of cooking, perhaps even attending a cooking class. Yet, it never seems as obvious to him that if he wants to live in love, he must spend at least as much time as the auto mechanic or the gourmet in studying love." ~ Leo Buscaglia from "Love"

I smile as I type these words--just having Buscaglia's book, "Love," open in front of me is enough to make me happy. :)

Seriously. This is hands down one of my favorite books. I've purchased at least 250 copies of it. We used to give it away to all of our partners at my last business [...] and I used to bring a copy with me to nearly every business lunch I had. (I'm a little wacky like that. :)

I have no doubt you'll fall in Love with "Love" as well. By the end of reading it, you'll wish you could give Leo Buscaglia--a former Professor of Love at USC--a big ol' hug.

This is an amzing book to read for all time . Regardless of time ,place & seasons - it is amazing . Leo Buscaglia is one of the brilliant author of all time , an amazing poet of love & an instrument of LIVING & GROWING with LOVE . He is exactly right when he said : IF LOVE IS THE ANSWER WHAT IS THE QUESTION? From the beginning , I learned & read all his books , I cannot stop thinking about what the good & important phrases I ahve learned from him . He inspired me to live , to love & to grow with highest respect of LOVING everyone without any expectation in return . He is one of the KEY of my good & honest relationship to all . His book & all his writing are inspiration of my whole being . I will never forget the person who introduced me to read his books since 1987 , from then on She became the greatest inspiration of my life .
Leo B. is amazing . He can moved everyone to understand LOVE as the reason of our existence . I compared him to DALAI LLAMA of Love & Spiritual inspiration of all seasons . Thank you LEO B. for bringing your words & wisdom into my life .

With highest respect to you & your writings ,

Noel F. Cruz
University of Cambridge Teaching Hospital
Cambridge , England

This book is one that everyone who is in a relationship..or has children.. should read and pass on to their friends.

This book has been in my library for years. I have given copies for gifts many times, I wish I knew how many. The information in this book is so very important for everyone and written in such a way that it can be easily read and understood by everyone. Should be required reading in every high school and university.
I have read other Buscaglia books and found them all to be well written and filled with beneficial content.
Thanks for the opportunity to review a winner.

Everyone should read,no make that study Leo's books. This book opened my eyes and softened my heart. Anyone who reads it with an open mind will find themselves transformed. I am someone who grew up VERY ANGRY. My anger caused me problems upon problems and was a contributing factor in the breakup of my first marriage. When I hit rock bottom and knew things had to change, it was then that I came across a worn, slightly abuse copy of a book at a second hand store. The Title on it was simply "LOVE". Don't misunderstand me, I am far from free from my anger. Yet, those who know me will tell you how much I have changed. I feel Leo books, DVD's (I have several), and tapes have been a major factor in that change. I recommend ALL items by Leo Buscaglia.

Leo talks not only about loving others, but loving yourself. Love your face, even if your nose doesn't quite match the rest of your face. Love yourself for who you are, no matter who that may be. It's the funny and odd things about us that sometimes makes us the most loveable. So, buy this book and, if your paying attention to what is said in it, learn to laugh, hug, cry (yes, even grown men can cry), and fall in love with this rollercoster we call life.

A wonderful book to study and learn from. If you wish to improve your stick control, or challenge yourself in rudiment training, then get this book.

First off: initially this book just looks like a purge of random Right and Left hand patterns. If that were the case, Stone could have easily listed 250-65,000 examples. However, Stone chose the most practical patterns from this large number of possibilities. Awesome :)

I used this book to teach my hands to work with my LEFT foot doing the 2-3 rhuma clave rhythm. (naturally, just from practicing like that, i am able to do the other claves). before working with this book, i could BARELY do the clave and with any other hand rhythms. Now, not only can practically solo around the kit with the clave -- yay! :D -- but now I have come up with so many ways to practice the book, that I should have plenty of practice material for years to come.

AWESOME book. if you're going to practice it with ONLY the hand patterns, you might just get bored and discouraged. mix it up! make sure you have a steady pattern going on with the foot while you play the patterns with the hands. practice all of the exercises on the first 2-3 pages... then move the hand from the snare to other places on the drumset (if you're using this book for drumset). or try playing the right foot with the right hand..... this book is limitless.

I'm a beginner, unfortunately without hours a day to dedicate to practice. I do like to sit down with my pad and some sticks whenever I get a chance though. That being said, this book is very easy to understand, with no super-technical text or music notation. It's something anyone can pick up and start using right away.

Coupled with my Korg MA-30 metronome, this book has helped me improve so much that I decided to keep a log of metronome speeds over the last few weeks. Every time I sit down to practice, I write down the metronome speed for each exercise that I can play at with no mistakes. I have gone up 10 beats per minute (as high as 14 on some simpler ones) over a few weeks, in just a few minutes a day! Well, it's a lot for me :)

The funny thing is, I haven't even made it past the first page of exercises yet. For a beginner like me, they are difficult enough for now. When I get good enough at the first page, I'll move on to the second, and so forth. This further cements the book's value, there is enough material in here for a lifetime of learning, and if you're already a pro, enough material to keep you conditioned.

I'm still very slow but I can see benefit every day in both speed and timing. If you get this book and stay with it, I bet you will too. I recommend keeping a log so you can track your progress! Positive reinforcement will only make you want to practice more!

I was told that this was the best book for drums, by my drum teacher, a drumming student, and by a drummer friend. I read it, and I bought it, and I worked through it. I now think this is the best book I had ever seen on drums. Of course I can not say drumS, but Drum. It is specifically about the snare but it can really help you see beats, and stick control. If you do not know exactly how to read the music here then this is not the book for you. If you have a person who may be able to help you, or you have experience reading drum notation (which is not hard to begin with) then you are all set. Buy this book and learn how to control your drumming.

I had been playing about 15 years before I discovered this book and it's companion book "Accents and Rebounds". I had been gigging heavily, practicing hours and hours a day (mainly rock/fusion/funk), owned 20+ books, 15 or so videos, but somehow never owned a copy of these two books. These books are full of simple exercises I truly think anyone can do. After practicing just the few first pages of both books at different tempos and at different volume levels for a few weeks I noticed a drastic improvement in my playing skills. I mean it when I say drastic. I could play much faster than ever before, but more importantly I could play cleanly and effortlessly. By this I mean, that when I later improvised on the drum kit I could certainly play many things I couldn't just a month prior. This is after playing and practicing hard for 15 years! Studying these two books took me up a whole "notch" in just a month! Also things that gave me trouble before or were just played sloppily were now clean, tight, precise, with a much broader range of dynamics and accesnts and I could play them much faster if I wanted or needed to. While on paper these are basically exercises for just your hands, you can certainly do these patterns as written but with your feet. Or do the exercises as written with your hands but make up simple foot patterns to play at the same time (i.e. qtr note kicks with hat on 2 and 4, or play the hat on the "and's", etc. your imagination is the only limit). These two books are essential and I recommend them to any drummer at any level. They won't teach you how or what to play, but they will take your technique to higher and higher levels. It has allowed me to play what I hear in my mind on the spot, just the way I want it. This was roughly 5 years ago and I'm still incredibly thankful for Mr. Stone and these two books. Every drummer I meet I try to spread the word.

Best of luck, relax, and have fun!

Ted Lawson's first-person tale of America's first blow back at the Empire of Japan is a "must read" for anyone interested in military history. The first book published on the Doolittle Raid, Lawson's narrative describes the genesis, preparation, and execution of the raid, and should be followed with a reading of Doolittle's autobiography, in which Doolittle describes his mission as well as his despair after bailing out of his B-25. Little did either of them suspect that a raid intended to boost American morale would have strategic consequences, and that Japan would divert badly needed resources to home defense that otherwise would have gone to the front lines.

Well told story of the Doolittle raid told by one of the pilots on the raid. The story is about the pre-raid, the raid itself, and the aftermath, which tells about the injuries sustained by Capt. Lawson and his crew and the help they received from missionaires and the Chinese in escaping capture by the Japanese. He also relates the stories of some of the other crews on the raid.

This is a tense account of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in the spring of 1942. World War II pilot Ted Lawson describes the pre-raid preparation, taking off from the aircraft carrier Hornet, attacking Tokyo, and crash landing his B-25 bomber in Japanese-occupied China. As many know, the B-25's took off farther out to sea than planned after the Hornet was spotted while approaching Japan. With too little fuel to reach the safety of Chinese lines, the crews bailed out or crash land in Japanese-occupied China. The surviving airmen then tried to avoid Japanese army patrols and find help from friendly Chinese. Most flyers did so despite the language barrier and survived. But Lawson was injured in the crash-landing, and when infection set in his leg was amputated in a field hospital. Lawson survived, returned to the USA, and wrote this book in a matter of days in 1943. The story is often gripping but loses a bit of steam later on - thus just four stars.

I read this book as a youngster for its thrill value without fully realizing that war is mostly tragedy rather than adventure. The book became a 1944 film starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker and Robert Mitchum. As for Lawson, he returned with his wife to California where he eventually ran a machine shop and he lived until 1992.

It a first person account of the Doolittle raid over Tokyo in 1942, written by one of the B-25 pilots from the raid. It covers his story from flight school all the way through his eventual return to the United States. Its an amazing story, especially the crews crash in China and the 5 month ordeal of evading the Japanese. It is a great book for younger readers with its fast pace and informaly written style.

I first read this book so many years ago that I can't remember, but I think it was about when I was in the eighth grade, say about 1955. I remember the book, and I remember the Van Johnson movie. The scene where the Chinese peasant brings Van Johnson the pair of slippers only to see that he has lost one leg stays with me even now. ==This is a classic book. It was written by one of the pilots on the Doolittle raid over Japan. In fact it was the character played by Van Johnson, Lt. Ted W. Lawson, that wrote this book.

This book, these men as much as any other that I can think of illustrates exactly what Tom Brokaw had in mind when he referred to them as the 'greatest generation.' Especially so when you talk to one of them and they invariably tell you they were not a hero. Heros were the ones who didn't come back. Heros were the other guys. I was just doing my job. Heros they were all.

Read this book. Read it again if you read it years ago. Give a copy to that youngster in your family or church that you think will appreciate it.

I've been having back pain in the morning for the last few months after some furniture moving. I stopped at Borders for a coffee and picked this up to read (ok, I'm shameless). After about an hour with the book, I developed a game plan for dealing with the backache which I learned is of a very common garden type. It might be too early to declare victory but I woke this morning with almost no pain after sleeping in the prescribed position with a heating pad and taking a few NSAIDS before bed.

I have family members that opted for surgery years ago and it ruined their lives - possibly even led to a death of a cousin from OD of narcotics. I wish that they had had this book to read. A lot has changed in medicine and it seems like the author has much more modern thinking than most of the medical profession that still seems bent on drugs and surgery first.

This book is laying on the floor next to my bed. Why? I do the exercises every morning, and refer to the chapter to make sure I don't miss any. I do most of the exercises on the floor, so that's where the book lives. It is a part of my life now.

I've suffered from low-grade back pain for years, and learned a lot from this book. I especially like the integrated mind-body approach, the solid, realistic information about the mechanics of the spine, and the practical advice for care and recovery.

I've spoken with a chiropractor and an MD about my back problems, and the advice they gave me is identical to the advice in this book -- and the book was far less expensive.

Unless you were injured, your back took years to get into its current condition, and it will take a while to improve. This book is a first-rate map of the road to recovery.

This books covers a lot of territory but I did not find it particularly helpful. It feels like it has a lot of filler material to get it to "book length", without focusing in on the most useful information. Also, it completely ignores the neck, apparently assuming that all problems are lower-back problems.

Save your money on Back Pain Remedies for Dummies or just check it out of the library and skim it; in my opinion it is not worth the space it takes up on my book shelf.

Overall, a very informative book, as everyone else says. My only reservation - be careful doing the exercises in the book. The author also has a warning about this - he says "at no point during your back exercise program, should you feel that you are straining...to the point of significantly increasing your pain."

I tried doing a lot of the exercises in the book, and it did add to my pain, so I then got a referral to a physical therapist, who then worked with me, showing me the 9 exercises that were best for me - using the big exercise ball. Those exercises (and perhaps the glucosamine that I take) have gotten me back to where I can again play badminton once a week, and no longer have the serious back pain I had before. (The book does mention, of course, the possibility of getting help from a physical therapist.) I'd recommend the book - just don't increase your pain by overdoing the exercises - as the author warns, in that chapter.

i love this book! its so easy to understand, and it really put my mind at ease on alot of pain issues.it covers so many topics that you dont usually read about, such as: the pros and cons of back surgery, who to seek help from, exercises, getting back to work and the feelings associated with it,etc. a definite must read!

A great quick guide on drug information, perhaps, the best one. Full monographs of almost all of the drugs, including interactions. Much necessary to the pharmacists and other health professionals.

Excellent, concise, just the facts, ma'am, and easy to look up just what you need. Why wade through the Physicians Desk Reference when this handy gem has all that you really desire in drug information, presented efficiently by pharmacists. Boils it down to the facts. 2-3 pages per medication, in table form often. Once you buy this book, you'll ditch the PDR. Guaranteed.

this is a great resource. as a pharmacist, I use this quite often for basic questions.

The charts in the back are very comprehensive and useful; the drug monographs are very up-to-date and accurate.

While other people in my class waited for their DIHs to arrive, I had mine in no time! Thanks!

this book has about almost everything a girl could possibly need to survive life, tips, information, about everything and anything! it is awsomeness.

I had this book already. It is an absolute must have for every girl!!!! It talks about everything under the sun you could ever want to know about!!!Relationships, money, resumes, jobs, health issues,etc. The book is great. I am planning on getting it for every female member of my family and friends for Christmas. No girl/woman should be with out it! :)

I was a little skeptical when I first got this book. A "guide to absolutely everything" is a hard title to live up to but I'm thrilled to say that this book exceeded all my expectations. It has everything from landing a job interview to avoiding debt to getting the right bra size. Kirsch manages to give you everything you needed and wanted to know but were too shy to ask and she does it in a way that had me laughing out loud. Girl's Guide is a book I'm giving to all my friends.

I bought a copy of this as a gift for my cousin who just graduated from college, and she's found it tremendously useful. (I couldn't possibly figure out what her tastes are in terms of clothes or music, so this seemed like a good bet.) The Girl's Guide was right on the money: funny and practical and not at all treating young women like airheads--as the media sometimes does. I think my cousin even emailed the author a question or two and she responded! (About family, natch :))So if you know a young woman who is just starting out, definitely get her a copy of this book. The money advice in particular is great. I wish someone had given me this book in my twenties and then I might have a little more saved up :)

Melissa Kirsch's book is filled to the brim with helpful, practical information that a girl needs to know to survive in this modern world. It's probably most useful for someone in their 20's, but is a great read for women of all ages.

The book is organised into the following chapters:

Chapter 1: Health and Body Image (information on diet, exercise, stress, physical and mental health)

Chapter 2: Careers and Work (information on resumes, cover letters, job interviews, networking, office etiquette)

Chapter 3: Money and Finance (covers budgeting, credit cards, investing, renting vs buying)

Chapter 4: Etiquette (includes conversation dos and don'ts, table, wedding and phone etiquette and being a good hostess and guest)

Chapter 5: Friends (advice on living with roommates, being a good friend, balancing friendship with dating and de-friending)

Chapter 6: Dating, Sex and Romance (covers first dates, finding a date and a dateable guy, safe sex, break-ups, moving in and long-term relationships)

Chapter 7: Family (advice on how to get along with your parents and siblings)

Chapter 8: Spirituality (covers spirituality and ethics)

Chapter 9: Home Ec (advice on finding a place to live, keeping house, laundry, cooking and how to deal with difficult roommates)

Chapter 10: Fashion (advice on finding what looks best on you, accessorises, beauty treatments, getting a decent haircut and finding the right bra)

The book is very well-written and researched. The author provides references for a number of excellent books in each chapter if the reader would like further information on a particular topic.

All in all, a fantastic book that every girl should own. It makes a great gift too. Highly recommended!!!