I Books

This book is an excellent introduction to the world of classical physics for NON-PHYSICISTS. While some physicists will no doubt find it accessible, there is considerable reduction of physical concepts in order to get to the heart of the ideas underlying the formalism. Also, the material goes beyond what most physicists (non-theoreticians) will find practical.

He focuses largely on a geometric presentation, in the language of differential geometry, symplectic geometry, differential forms, Riemannian manifolds and includes a large amount of algebraic necessities. This is not a cookbook for learning how to solve classical mechanics, nor is it a math book per se, but it is a wonderful collection of introductions to a vast amount of useful mathematical formalism that permeates the physical literature. I would strongly recommend it to someone needing a thorough supplementary mechanics text, one that relies on very little physical insight and focuses on the geometric and algebraic structures underlying them.

The chapters are very well self-contained for the most part so you can skip to topics you find more appealing without feeling lost. Also, his presentation style is very clever, in case you're a fan of quick thinking and novel presentations (who isn't?).

The prerequisites are familiarity with somewhat advanced calculus and "mathematical maturity". Basic knowledge of group theory would also make it an easier read.

Extremely stimulating, uses Galileo to motivate Newton's laws instead of postulating them. Treatment of Bertrand's theorem is beautiful, but contains one error (took me 2 years before I realized where..). However, I know of only one physicist who successully worked out all the missing steps and taught from this book. I know mathematicians who have cursed it. I used/use it for inspiration. The treatment of Liouville's integrability theorem, I found too abstract, found the old version in Whittaker's Analytical Dynamics to be clearer (Arnol'd might laugh sarcastically at this claim!)--for an interesting variation, but more from the standpoint of continuous groups, see the treatment in ch. 16 of my Classical Mechanics (Cambridge, 1997). In my text I do not restrict the discussion of integrability/nonintegrability to Hamiltonian systems but include driven dissipative systems as well. Another strength of Arnol'd: his discussion of caustics, useful for the study of galaxy formation (as I later learned while doing work in cosmology). Also, I learned from Arnol'd that Poisson brackets are not restricted to canonical systems (see also my ch. 15). I guess that every researcher in nonlinear dynamics should study Arnol'd's books, he's the 'alte Hasse' in the field.

The book is full of little enjoyable details (jewels). Arnold is one of the few mathematicians which approaches problems with a very geometric point of view. In his interview with S.H. Lui he mentions how algebraic picture has dominated the research in mathematics and how he has tried to counter that. One can see the trace of his ingenuity all over this book. What some may call as handwaving in math circles is indeed called as physical (or geometric) intuition in physics community and is being actively encouraged.

The chapters on oscillations (chap. 5) and perturbation theory (chap. 10) are very instructive. For example, parametric resonance is discussed concisely in chapter 5 which you won't be able to find it anywhere else. where can you learn about "Arnold's tongues" better than in Arnold's book?

There are so many appendices at the end of the book. They are often very specialized and I don't recommend you to read them on your first read.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to any physics graduate student. In fact, I hope one day it will be used as a text book for courses in classical mechanics.

I have to admit that I haven't thoroughly read through this text. But judging from the first 10 pages, there is a lot of mathematical handwaving. In contrast, foundations of mechanics (hereafter FOM) is far superior in that it provides all the necessary background beyond calculus and linear algebra to the reader, and is logically consistent so far in my reading. I want to mention that there are certainly complete and excellent texts out there on functional analysis, differential geometry, and topology, but many texts include way more stuff than you would want to know. In particular, it is my humble opinion that once you get to a certain point of knowledgeability of a subject like algebraic topology, you have enough of a taste for it that to learn more of the subject would only help if you were to go into research. Therefore a book like FOM provides a concise and practical treatment of those various advanced mathematics topics.

Best book on CM (based most on symplectic formulation). Extremely clear if one has enough patience to follow exactly the author's way and to work out the proposed stimulating problems. Contains an original way of introducing differential forms, integration of differential forms and homology/De Rahm's thm.: you fully get in the subject in few pages ! The first part does not make use of symplectic formalism but is also quite original and stimulating. The level is last yr. undergr. 1st yr. graduate. Very useful if used with E. ott (Chaos in Dynamical Systems) for studying nonlinear dynamics.

I like how Mr. Braun stuck up for Jake when he tricked Barry Dunn and his friends. Jake's friend's Josh and Andy got in there and were as loyal as friends get to the very end. I think this book is excellent! At first I thought it was a true story! You did a great job Todd Strasser! ...

It's the bomb! I like this book because the gym teacher is always sticking up for Jake and tells Jake to stick up for Billy Dunn. The book is funny in how they switch bodies. I like the explosion; it was how they switched bodies. It is really neat. Justin Kelley, Grade 4.

Mr. Braun, the new gym teacher, has the biggest muscles anyone has ever seen. After another freak accident with the DITS, Jake Sherman switches bodies with Mr. Braun. Jake has switched with his geeky science teacher before, but this time he actually likes who he switched bodies with. Jake really wants to stay Mr. Braun forever. But there's a problem. Those huge muscles are causing him to be a real idiot.

This is one of the best HELP! I'm Trapped books, but not the best. There were more funny parts than not funny parts. What was strange about this book was that Jake used his gym teacher powers to be really mean--especially to his friends. I guess Jake thought that he would be Mr. Braun forever and could do whatever he wanted. Anyway, this is a great book if you're looking for a short and funny read. I read it an hour.

I love reading children's books. I love the most to read books with original plots that are unthinkable, yet innocent.

This book qualifies. The story line is so outrageoous, there is no way you will be able to guess what will happen next. And Todd Strasser is VERY FUNNY.

You won't regret reading this book!!

--George Stancliffe

Very Good! Very funny! I think the way Todd Strasser made it so reasonable for kids is great. He made it so funny and easy to understand, that it is reasonable for anyone. I think this book is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. This book is about a 12 year old boy, Jake, who has 2 best friends, Josh and Andy, who like to fool around and get in trouble. But when Jake switches bodies with his new big muscular gym teacher, it can get worse and it can get funny. The best part was when the gym teacher's girlfriend went out with Jake instead of Bruno(the gym teacher)! I really enjoyed this book and so will you.

This is the second-to-last book in the "Henry Huggins" series (if you count "Ribsy," the solo story of his dog, and set aside the Ramona and Beezus books...)

In this volume, once again Henry shows his determination and pluck as he sets a goal and works hard, very hard, to attain it. Actually, he pursues two goals: to save enough money from his new paper route so that he can buy a sleeping bag, and to build a clubhouse with his friends Robert and Murph. Henry learns to balance work and play, and wins the respect of the adults in his world. He also has to contend with the ever-annoying Ramona, as well as her sister Beezus (whose feelings he hurts when he agrees to make the clubhouse a "no girls allowed" zone).

Once again, Beverly Cleary gives a glimpse into the world of children that is both entertaining and emotionally honest. The innocent, white-picket fence world of the Kennedy-era early '60s may be a far cry from what life is like now, but these stories are still fun to read and pleasantly free of a lot of the violence and other baggage that define more modern kid's fiction. Wholesome and all-American, also funny and human, these are timeless stories that can help open the world of literature to inquiring young minds. (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

Looking for books that will challenge an 8 year old boy that is a good reader but doesn't like fiction. The Henry Huggins series is just the ticket. Although the stories are somewhat dated, nevertheless they are well written. The stories have humor in them and they contain object lessons for their readers. I can say that a boy for sure will find them interesting.

I think Beverly Cleary did a good job writing Henry and the Club House. Henry and the Club House is part of a series of books. This book is about a 11 year old boy who has a paper route. But, some times he forgets his paper route. One day he forgets his route and his mother has to do it. He has lots of problems but his biggest problem his Ramona. Ramona is a four year old girl. Every day Ramona is upto something. Henry has to get an idea to get rid of Ramona. In Henry and the Club House Henry has to deal with Ramona and a clubhouse that he is working on with his two friends Robert and Murph. I think every one from 7-11 should read this book.

Another fine Henry Huggins book...and sadly we only have two left about Henry before we have exhausted this series. We simply love these books, my daughter is anxiously waiting until we get to the library tomorrow to pick up Henry and the Paper Route and we'll top off the series with Ribsy. Like other Henry Huggins books, this one is divided into chapters (7 to be exact) and each chapter is practically a short story in and of itself...the chapters build up to an overall theme/goal for Henry. In this particular book, it's building a clubhouse and buying a sleeping bag so he and his friends can sleep in the clubhouse.

The chapters start out with Henry forgetting about his paper route and winding up riding through town in a bathtub, then Henry and Ribsy making the acquaintance of the new neighborhood dog, we follow them on Halloween night, on a day of collection for his newspaper route, through his building of the clubhouse (with a strict No Girls policy) and his run in with Beezus and Ramona as a result (hilarious), Henry's clever "solution" to Ramona's pestering, and how he wound up with a little shadow! Overall the stories are clever and humorous in a way that I think kids genuinely appreciate and relate to!

Where does he find materials for his clubhouse? How does it turn out? What's up with that huge stuffed owl? What's it like to ride through town in a bathtub? How hard is a paper route? Will Henry ever get that sleeping bag? If you want to know you simply must read Henry and the Clubhouse, you won't be disappointed! These stories were written in the 1950's and 60's, so money matters are a bit off, but the rest is charming and the overall themes, humor, and childhood joys, frustrations and embarrassments have held up so wonderfully over the years...these books are great for girls and boys! I give this one an A+, another fine Henry Huggins adventure!

I just finished reading Henry and the Clubhouse to my little boy, who will turn six next month. He loves the Henry books (we've read 5 or 6 now), but I think I love them even more. My mother read these to me when I was 6 or 7, about 28 years ago, and I hadn't picked them up since. Now, as I read them to my son, every scene comes back to me with all of the humor and warmth that pervade each of Beverly Cleary's books for children. The author has remarkable insight into how the minds of young people work. Reading these books is an absolute delight.

A lot of the approbation or criticism of a book like this has to do with the accuracy of the translation, which is something I'm not an expert in. What I can say about it is that this translation reads like a novel. It leaves you with the impression that Herodotus is telling you a story, rather than the impression that you are reading a bit of ancient Greek literature translated by some stodgy classicist.

The story itself is excellent. Basically, it's the story of the rise of the Persian Empire, culminating in the war with the Greeks. It covers things like the battles Marathon, and Thermopylae. But it's much more than that. Herodotus surveys the geography and cultures of the people who existed during that time. Much of what he recounts is hearsay and mythology, which I imagine can be frustrating for the historian but is actually very entertaining and fascinating for the general reader. There are also numerous short stories interspersed with the larger narrative, especially in the earlier chapters.

This is a fantastic book, which I think even people who normally wouldn't read classics would enjoy. In fact, I think this books is most comparable to a book like "The Lord of the Rings". If you enjoyed that, and you like history too, then you'll probably like this book.

Having had a couple years of Greek in college (just enough to be dangerous) I have to say Grene's translation looks to me the most literal and readable at the same time. The old Rawlinson translation is stylish but not as close to the Greek as Grene. de Selincourt's Penguin classics effort loses style points compared to Rawlinson, and yet manages to perhaps be even a bit further from the Greek. Waterfield's Oxford classics just reads as flat and featureless as the Wall Street Journal's finance pages, and yet isn't very close to the Greek either! Grene alone seems to open a contemporary English speaker's ears to hear how Herodotus would sound if you were actually a Greek speaker of the 5th century BC (and isn't that exactly what we want our translators to do for us?). I like his point that with the Homeric overtones, Herodotus should sound just a bit "odd" a little archaic, yet lively. I think Grene hit the mark right on the head, and of course Herodotus himself is a gas. Totally entertaining, and highly recommended.

On a side note, does anyone know how to pronounce Mr. Grene's name? I realize he's Irish, but it's an unusal name and I've never heard it pronounced...

I have always thought of Herodotus as boring, full of digressions and hot air. He is, however, the First Historian, and therefore needs to be digested by any educated person. I first tried the Rawlinson translation,The Histories (Everyman's Library (Paper)) managed to struggle through it, but found it turgid and indeed boring. I then looked at Walter Blanco's translation in the Norton Critical Edition.Herodotus: The Histories : New Translation, Selections, Backgrounds, Commentaries (Norton Critical Editions) Blanco's version is easier to read than Rawlinson's, but is full of modern American casualisms which seemed incongruous. Blanco's version is also incomplete, and if I were going to read Herodotus, I wanted to read his entire story, just not selections. Some of Blanco's omissions are significant, including most of Book IX, which contains most of the incidents that link the history of Herodotus to that of Thucydides.The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War

I then read David Grene's translation. I still found the early sections on the history of Egypt and Persia and all the digressions about the Scythians and Libyans tedious, but Grene's language is easy to follow and appropriate to the subject, and as I continued reading the narrative began to flow and became quite enjoyable. (I haven't read the MacaulayThe Histories (Barnes & Noble Classics) or SelincourtThe Histories (Penguin Classics) translations.)

R.G. Collingwood in "The Idea of History" The Idea of History: With Lectures 1926-1928rates Herodotus, with all his faults, as superior to Thucydides. This surprised me, as I had always heard Thucydides held up as the paradigm of what a true historian should be. But Collingwood has a point. With all his digressions, myths, and tall tales, Herodotus does his best to evaluate his sources and then tries to tell us as best he can what actually happened, without taking sides and without pointing morals. Thucydides wants to teach and has a definite moral point of view, which no doubt influenced his selection and presentation of the facts.

Herodotus should be read and digested by every educated person, and David Grene's translation makes that easier to do.

David Grene's translation of Herodotus' "The History" is a good version of the Greek historian's magnum opus.

The Introduction provides context for the translation to come. It is useful and functional, although Knox' introductions to The Iliad and The Odyssey (Fagles' translations) strike me as better at putting the work in its place. Nonetheless, the Introduction is serviceable. Grene notes of Herodotus' work that" "There are two worlds of meaning that are constantly in Herodotus' head. The one is that of human calculation, reason, cleverness, passion, happiness. There, one knows what is happening and, more or less, who is the agent of cause. The other is the will of Gods, or fate, or the intervention of daimons."

In the History itself, Herodotus ranges widely geographically, and considers many different countries. With these, he discusses in detail such varied matters as hygiene, sex, culture, animals, religion, geographical features, and so on. He appears to have tried to ascertain as best as he could what the actuality was and what hearsay or rumor was. One of the more interesting examples of this is his effort to understand the role of Helen in the Trojan War (2, 120). Here, he doubts the veracity of Homer's rendering of the causes of the war. He believes that Helen never did go to Troy, because Priam would not have been willing to risk his empire over one woman. At other places, he clearly states the different versions of some incident and then renders his own best judgment as to what he thought the reality was. In short, he did not simply retell tales that he heard. When he is not sure what actually happened, he says so (e.g., 1, 49; 1, 75).

In the end, Herodotus has done a great service for many generations, by putting down, as best he could, his understanding of the history of the various actors of his time and before. The reader will find it difficult to keep all the people and countries straight. The volume features a useful set of maps, providing a sense of the different countries mentioned, as well as the travels of armies on conquests.

The book moves ahead in a majestic trajectory to ultimately describe the Persian-Greek War, with Xerxes leading his great force into Greece. Herodotus provides detail on many aspects of this conflict, which the Greeks eventually won, after battles at Thermopylae, Salamis, and Platea.

For an early effort at history, Herodotus' work is important to be aware of. And Grene's translation makes the work accessible to readers today.

The translation, as I see it, makes this classic contemporary but also brings one--perhaps--into ancient minds that are like ours but also unlike ours. Nothing will ever be perfect here until educated people in this culture become scholars of Greek again, like that'll ever happen.

Kudos to Sally from Florida down below who is reading such Classics to fill in the gaps in her education. Sally, you are scarcely alone and I can cite endless examples of recent conscientious graduates from decent-to-great schools who feel the same way. Curiously, while we have been emphasizing education in the cultures of other "peoples," we've simultaneously been ignoring or actively dismantling the history and traditions of this culture. I'm stunned that anyone can complain about Euro-centrism and related bug-a-boos when few college graduates know anything at all about Euro-American history or culture!

I really enjoyed this children's book. The art work was excellent. All children make mistakes. I thought the way the book handled Howie's mistakes was an excellent teaching tool for young minds. Children who read at this level are so impressionable. This book gets my highest approval!

As a first grade teacher, I see this as a enjoyable book for my beginning readers. The children will love reading about all the trouble Howie gets into. It may remind them of the trouble they themselves cause. It is good for children to see love and forgiveness in action. I can't wait for the new school year to start so that I can share this series with them and see their delight.

The Howie books are a delightful series for young readers. Howie brings a charming message of God's love and brings humor and adventure as well.

I just graduated from college with an elementary education degree. I read -Howie's Tea Party- and was found the entire Howie series charming and am enthusiastic about adding it to my classroom library for young readers.

My 10-year old daughter enjoyed the character of Howie and the repetition used in the book.

The Hunting of the Snark is a whacky piece of poetical silliness by Lewis Caroll. Complete nonsense, no-one knows what a Snark is, or why Snark hunters hunt it, or why anyone would want to become a Snark hunter to start with. Anyway, the poem is definitely amusing at times with some of the humour he slips in.

The Hunting of the Snark seems to be a very, very short imitation of The Canterbury Tales. The first chapter (titled a fit) introduces all of the occupations of all the different people going on a journey. However, instead of going on a general pilgrimage and telling tales along the way, their trip is very specific to hunting.

The Baker actually attempts to tell a story, but the Bellman (who leads the group) says there's no time for storytelling. They have to catch the Snark before nightfall.

Along with the Bellman and Baker, a Banker, a Bonnet-maker, a Butcher, a Boots, a Billiard-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, and a Beaver tag along to hunt for the Snark. The Beaver is afraid of getting cut by the Butcher, so he puts on a dagger-proof coat and talks to the Banker about buying an insurance policy.

The Beaver is involved in a hilarious scene with the Butcher later, when the two attempt to compute sums. But perhaps the funniest scene of the entire book is in the Barrister's dream when the Snark declares sentence on a pig, only to find out the pig has been dead long before the trial even began.

I'd highly recommend this short poem for Carroll fans, even though it's not big enough to contain but a small portion of what's to be found in the Alice books.

I have read a great deal of nonsense in the past, but this was by far the best nonsense that I have ever read. There is no point, no meaning, no sense, and no boringness. It is a delightful poem (which is well written and very fun to read aloud) about a crew on a ship hunting a snark. The crew includes a captain who only rings a bell, a beaver, a cook who only cooks beavers (the beaver and the cook did not get along well), a man afraid that the snark would turn into a boojum and make him disappear, etc. As you can tell, this makes for an insanely silly poem. The subtitle is rather fitting, as my sides were definitely hurting from laughter when I was done. Well done Mr. Carroll.

Overall grade: A+

Nonsense poems can easily miss the mark
Yet, this masterpiece has that spark.

"How do you kill a _____?", you ask
To find the answer was the hunters' task.

"What was their fate?", you wonder
Did they ever catch their elusive plunder?

A paragon of haunting Carollian lore
Be in no doubt that you'll finish wanting more.

This poem is just great!

First, this one of the most delightful pieces of writing that ever appeared in (more or less) English. It succeeds as a sustained exercise in illogic. I am sure that only a mathematical logician like Dodgson could possibly have pulled it off - only someone with such deep understanding of reason could master unreason so completely.

Second, Martin Gardner's commentary adds depth and background to the reading. Gardner explains terms that are now obsolete, but also adds his own analysis and a rich history of the Snark phenomenon. It should be no surprise that Gardner is still best known as the long-time editor of Scientific American's column on Mathematical Games, a mathematician himself.

I can't add much to the scholarship or praise that already surrounds this incredible poem. I would like to point out, however, that most non-native English speakers are unfamiliar with this poem. Many of them have only ever seen the serious side of the English language, and have never seen English at play. I consider this short work to be the ideal introduction to the very best of English-language nonsense.

//wiredweird

When life give you lemons - make lemonade. Now how many times have you heard that cliche when your way looks rough? But, even when you add plenty of sugar, it can still zing your taste buds, and make your lips pucker. Well, have you ever seen a purple sweet potato? They are from the same family as the orange shaded variety, except the flesh is a lavender hue. Sounds kinda exotic, doesn't it? And, the purple tuber is sweeter than the regular one. So now when your way looks rough, say to yourself - When life gives you an ordinary sweet potato, add a little food coloring and make purple sweet potato pie.

"I Almost Missed...My Life" begins with what I'm going to call an ordinary beginning. You see, the author experienced some trials in her life, which are really no different from what a lot of women in the 21st century have had to face. At the age of thirty-one, she had two children, who had different fathers, and she wanted to divorce her third husband. What did she do in this familiar scenario? She took the knowledge that she had (an orange sweet potato), and combined it with the teachings of Anthony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the Dalai Lama and more (the food coloring), to result in a life filled with fun, excitement, passion, love and success (the exotic purple sweet potato pie).

Debra Russell jots down her recipe with 52 ingredients, which can be added to your dish of life. After stirring, there's a "Give It A Go" assignment, to help bring out the flavor. She also encourages the reader to start journaling for increased success, and to start your own recipe. I recommend "I Almost Missed...My Life: How to Breakthrough To the Life You Really Want" to those who want to color the ordinariness of their lives into something new - well maybe not exotic, but definitely in a different pigment.

"I Almost Missed My Life" contains 52 short (2 page) chapters that can best be described as instructional, self-help guidance on things you can do to change your life into the E Ticket life you would like to have. The E Ticket reference is used in the book and accurately represents the author's purpose with the book. Several years ago if you went to Disney World you would purchase a packet of tickets that contained A, B, C, D, and E tickets. The most popular, most exciting rides were E Ticket rides. My memories as a child include a trip to Disney World where we purchased one of these books of tickets. One thing I recall is that the A and B ticket rides were ones that I was not interested in and only rode them because I had a ticket that was no good for anything else. Many people seem to live their lives that way - life has dealt them a book of A and B tickets and so that is the limit of what they can ride. The purpose of the book is to change your life from an A or B Ticket ride to an E Ticket journey.

Each week you can take one of the chapters and focus on it for that week. Chapters include encouragement and direction on such things as "Practice Outcome Thinking", "Trust and Follow your Knowing", "Treasure and Nurture Your Friends", "Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously", "Listen", "Let Go of Regrets", "Be the Change You Want To See", and "Be Grateful". This is an excellent and recommended book for people seeking an organized plan for changing their life.

Problems in reaching success in your professional or personal life? Would you like to see what was wrong in your life and see all clearly in perspective? So, read this book and find your answers. To reach our objectives, we need first to identify, and then break our self-imposed internal barriers. The author makes the reader to explore common attitudes and wrong assumptions that continuously prevent people in reaching their goals. Russell opens doors, and in a simple way, empowers the reader. This book is a beautiful trip breaking barriers, that goes from procrastination and struggle to a successful life in all aspects. Highly recommended, and a good gift for a friend.
Jorge O. Corti MD, MPH

This woman is a living example of going from zero to a hundred on the success scale.

I liked how she is succinct and humorous - Russell specifically lays out what anyone can do to accomplish more and get more satisfaction out of life.

If some habitual thinking holds you back, you will be well-served to enjoy I Almost Missed My Life.

Debra Russell shares her life story, tips, and motivations on how to live a better life in her self-help book, I ALMOST MISSED MY LIFE, DON'T MISS YOURS: 52 SECRETS TO MORE SUCCESS, FUN & FULFILLMENT. Russell shares how she went from being a three timed divorced single mom and welfare recipient to a happy, successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker.

Russell shares 52 of her secrets, one for every week in a year, with the reader. Many of the suggestions are common sense knowledge, but it is reiterated in a way that makes it seem fresh and new. Some of the suggestions that I found most helpful were, keeping a journal, being optimistic, and surrounding yourself with positive people.

I ALMOST MISSED MY LIFE, DON'T MISS YOURS: 52 SECRETS TO MORE SUCCESS, FUN & FULFILLMENT is an inspirational story of one woman's determination to find happiness and to share her findings with others. The "secrets" offered are generic enough to work for everyone, but the author adds a special "Give It A Go" section at the end of each tip to help the reader make it their own. In addition to Russell's suggestions, the book is enhanced with several motivational quotes and statements. This book is a wonderful self-help for people who know that they need a change in their lives, but just need a little extra guidance.

Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I thought I would take a moment to compliment Charlotte Hayes on her book. This book is well written, organized, easy to read and easy to comprehend. More importantly, this book refocused my attention on my well-being. Sticking to a regimen has made me feel better both physically and emotionally. Having more energy makes life brighter.

Thanks to Charlotte for selflessly taking the time to write the book for my betterment. I will definitely recommend this book to my local Diabetes Society.

I have really enjoyed following the advice given in this very common-sense and well written book. The author's down to earth approach encouraged me to follow her guidance, and I have now adopted many of her suggestions into my daily life. I feel my circulation is improving each week! Thank you Ms. Hayes, you have really motivated me !!

This book was laying on the reading table at my Dr.'s office waiting room. After scanning it, I ordered my own copy. The book points out so many really simple ways to increase the amount of excercise I can get on a daily basis-----in the course of routine activities. And I notice the difference in my overall feeling of wellbeing, and increased stability in my blood test numbers.

Robert Parker Atlanta, GA

Charlotte Hayes presents the virtues and importance of exercise in a very thorough yet simplified format. The primary theme she emphasizes is to "stay active". Forget the quick fix solution and make a commitment to a long term lifestyle change. Lifestyle changes are paramount to staying fit, not strenuous exertion. She offers practical suggestions for incorporating exercise into day to day activities. Set achievable goals and build on them. The basic principals of exercise are the solution to most health problems. An extremely well written book.

As both a physician and a diabetic, I found this book offers reminders of basic nutrition principles(often forgotten...even by doctors) and many clever ways to incorporate more valuable exercise into my daily life. It's a "neat" little book.

John J. Bodine, M.D. Hampton Bay, NY

I have been struggling with digestive issues for about six years now. I've been to a number of different doctors as well as tried many different treatments. I believe that this book has an excellent analysis of IBS, using a much broader spectrum to encompass many different digestive disorders. It is written very well, sticking to the facts and making medical jargon understandable. I think that anyone trying to deal with digestive issues would benefit from reading this book. It gave me a whole new way to look at my problems and lots of new avenues to pursue with regard to maintaining a healthy, happy stomach.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with IBS. Its Q & A format along with all of the visual tables and flow charts make it very easy for patients, and those closest to them, to understand this very irritating illness.

This is the book that patients need to comprehend this complex disease. Put in a question & answer format will really make it much easier to break down all entanglements of physical, emotional, neurological, and psychological aspects of this relatively hard to treat disease. It is like a stream of valuable info flowing in the brain without turbulence. Thank you Dr. Farhadi for such a great contribution.

The format of this book is really what makes it amazing. The Q&A format informs readers of the hot topics of IBS while furthering each individual reader's medical knowledge about this widely suffered ailment. For those interested in getting a crash course on IBS this book definitely provides that with informative diagrams, explanatory definitions and easy to understand questions with corresponding answers. And all of this information is packed into a short read of 96 pages.

Dr Farhadi's guide is great! All of the information was so helpful. I learned how to manage my illness instead of it managing me. I feel like I have gotten my life back.

This comics compiliation is witty, & gives us a deeper understanding of our place in the universe. Whilst nekkid.

It explains the popularity of the "Lord of the Rings" films. Whilst nekkid.

It makes with the clever riffs on Star Wars. Whilst nekkid.

And...there's PIE! Pie is our friend! We all want Pie!

If this sounds like your idea of fun, go for it!


I like it fine!

I Love This Guy is the 4th collection of the popular webcomic created by Ryan Sohmer and Lars DeSouza, Least I Could Do. For the uninitiated, Least I Could Do follows the escapades, sexual or otherwise, of Rayne Summers, an overgrown frat boy who in this latest edition shows newfound maturity in addition to his usual lovable-jerk persona.

Least I Could Do is at its heart a wish-fulfillment fantasy. Rayne scores dozens of girls, gets a highly-paid executive position without any relevant experience, and drives expensive custom cars. Even the name, Rayne Summers, is a thinly-veiled reworking of creator Ryan Sohmer. In any other comic, having such a Mary Sue as the protagonist would be a kiss of death, but Sohmer and DeSouza make it work.

Least I Could Do is always amusing and frequently hilarious. When push comes to shove, a comic needs to be funny, and very few comics today produce a daily strip that is this consistent. The comic is still most effective during the sexual jokes, and during its homages to geek culture, which Sohmer clearly has a broad knowledge of. Weaker moments come when the comic tries to justify Rayne's behavior, such as during spoof of A Christmas Carol where a ghost shows Rayne his own future coming up roses. It would be a great disservice not to mention the artwork of DeSouza, who must rank on any shortlist of comic artists today. Especially effective are his use of unique shot compositions that add vitality to otherwise ordinary scenes.

In the end, those interested in this book will have read the webcomic and liked it, and are wondering if the print version is worth it. To that query I can answer an emphatic YES. The book is jam-packed with author notes and artist sketches. If you liked the comic, you will love the book.

The book Least I could do "I love this guy" will make you laugh no matter what your mood and its in full color!

I'd like to cover the technical issues first with this book. To say this is a high quality product wouldn't be doing it justice. Not only is the cover thick and glossy, but every page inside is as well. This is a solid, well put together book. The print quality is great as well.

But really, none of that matters if the content isn't gold right? Well fear not, this comic is PLATINUM. For those of you not familiar with ghetto ranking systems, I'm pretty much saying that this is some damn funny stuff. I've only collected one other comic strip collection before and that was Calvin & Hobbes. So me paying money for this (and the other 3 previous books) when I could read them all for free should tell you something about how awesome Least I Could Do really is.

Why not read it for free you say? Other than being an nonsupportive jerk, you'll be missing out on so much! Damn near every strip has commentary from the creators, not to mention random sketches thrown around all over the book as well. Do yourself a favor and check out the strip for free at http://www.leasticoulddo.com/ and if you like it, shell out a few bucks and buy this book! It's worth it, promise!

I Love This Guy is a gorgeous memory for all die-hard Least I Could Do fans, and a knee-slapping-roll-me-over-and-poke-me-I-might-be-dead-I've-been-laughing-so-hard for absolutely anyone who reads it. With the extra commentary bubbles and random artwork between strips, it's a definate must-have. I am THRILLED that I have my own copy!