W Books

Both of my kids love this book, it is very colorful and there are lots of neat things hiding behind all the flaps!

We got this for my daughter for Christmas when she was 18 months old. She loved lift-the-flap books, and this (and the other Fisher-Price lift-the-flaps) are the most durable lift-the-flap book(s) I have ever seen: it's a great quality. The pictures are fun, too, and although there's no narrative story, each two-page spread nicely features something farm-related, with lots of colorful and fun pictures: morning in the barn counting animals, chores around the farmyard identifying colors, selling produce at the farmstand identifying shapes, and nighttime on the farm with animal sounds. My toddler really loves participating in identifying everything, and lifting the flaps; we've also taken it on car trips, because it's something that's interactive enough to hold her attention for a long time. If you have a little lift-the-flap lover, this is the book to get them.

My boys love the Little People books! We received one as a gift for their first birthday, and have since had to buy the rest. They love to lift the flaps and see whats under them. They have learned animal sounds, colors, shapes, and are learning opposites and other lessons from this book.

We have the Little People farm set, and its amazing to watch them play with the animals and people like they see in the book.

This is one of my son's favorite books and has been for a LONG time. If your kids love animals, they will LOVE this book!

A good sturdy book for a young child and one that will hold up.

While I agree with those who contend that even in large doses vitamin C undoubtedly doesn't cure cancer, neither do the deadly poisons of chemotherapy and radiation. Unlike the horrible side effects and life shortening poisons of chemotherpy and radiation, even in large doses vitamin C won't poison your system and shorten your life. Having said that, I convinced that you can take to much of even an excellent vitamin such as C.

The mildest form of chemotherapy, mustard gas was used in WWI. It was so difiguring that it's use was outlawed at that time. The form most often used in present day cancer treatment is the most toxic form available. As it burns the tissues, radiation is no safer than chemotherapy.

In the 1970's Nixon declared a war on cnacer, which meant he was declaring war on our bodies. I'm not war with my body, but rather desire to do all in my power to treat as the fearfully and wonderful made creation of God that it is.

While not a cure for cancer either, a truly healthy diet, optimal doses of all vitamins and minerals, fresh air, moderate sun exposure, plenty of rest, dealing with emotional issures, etc, can prolong people's lifes, give them a better quality of life with less pain and in less advanced cases even reverse the disease. Way to often we are looking for a magic bullet supplement or treatment for disease. There are no magice bullets, but rather we all need to take "responsibility" and care for our bodies the way they were designed to be cared for. Prevention of disease not cure should be our emphasis.

User "L. POWER lp542": while Linus Pauling is a great mind and his vitamin regimine is a wonderful way to maintain a healthy immune system, his mega-doses of Vitamin C are ABSOLUTELY NOT a primary treatment for cancer, as you suggested. It is irresponsible of you to suggest that taking large doses of vitamin C can push one's cancer into remission. The only effective prescriptions for cancer are those offered by leading oncologists, like surgery, if possible; chemotherapy; radiation treatment; radiofrequency ablation; monoclonal antibodies; etc. It is irresponsible and morally abhorrent to suggest that vitamins can be an effective primary treatment for cancer when leading oncologists have never supported this hogwash. You are presenting a supplementary treatment as a primary treatment. And, since cancer is a fatal disease, your advice can actually shorten the lives of patients who would otherwise be receiving treatments that actually work and have been proven to do so in double-blind randomized placebo trials. Do you really believe that a random book (written by a Nobel laureate or not) contains secret cancer fighting tools that leading researchers and oncologists are not aware of? If vitamin C loading was so groundbreaking in the treatment of cancer, don't you think there would be articles about it in major medical journals and presentations on it at the annual ASCO (American Society of Clinincal Oncology) convention? There is a reason that mega-doses of vitamins are not used as primary treatment at cancer hospitals. That reason is that vitamin C loading is NOT a proven primary treatment for any type of cancer. There are NO studies proving that vitamins can push any type of cancer into remission. Those cancer patients you mentioned who are alive today are not living because of their vitamin loading. They're alive because of the primary treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, radiation, monoclonal antibodies, etc.) they received.

I have not read this book, but I somehow doubt that Linus Pauling would suggest in it that vitamins are a good primary treatment for cancer. In fact, I'm sure he didn't. Something this riculous could only come from a crackpot poster on Amazon...

My grandmother was taking about 26 different meds for all sorts of conditions, COPD, arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol, fibromylagia, etc. etc. I figured most of her symptoms were a result of over medication and side effects. I first got the book "Best pills, Worst Pills" to review her meds. I highly recommend it. Then I started getting books on nutrition and vitamin supplementation. This book by Pauling is the best I have read. After you read it, it will give you a better understanding of how to look at you health from a big picture point of view. The other book I highly recommend is a book by Hoffer called "Putting it all together: The New Orthomolecular Medicine". He writes more about his clinical experiences. If you read the Hoffer book first, you would probably be a little more skeptical, but if you read the Linus book first, it will give you a better foundation for accepting Hoffer's propositions. GET THE BOOKS!!

Linus Carl Pauling is regarded by many as the premier chemist of the twentieth century. Pauling received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for his campaign against above-ground nuclear testing, and is the only person to win two Nobel prizes that were not shared with another recipient. The other people who have received two Nobel prizes are Marie Curie (physics and chemistry), John Bardeen (both in physics) and Frederick Sanger (both in chemistry). Later in life, he became an advocate for greatly increased consumption of vitamin C and other nutrients. He generalized his ideas to define orthomolecular medicine, which is still regarded as unorthodox by conventional medicine. He popularized his concepts, analyses, research and insights in several successful but controversial books centered around vitamin C and orthomolecular medicine

Linus Pauling, best known as an advocate of the health value of mega doses of Vitamin C, and a two time Nobel Prize winner.

In a major cancer hospital in 1976, they carried out a study of terminal patients for whom conventional treatment was stopped. The control group of 1,000 who had no Vitamin C therapy all died by August 10, 1976. The test group of 100 patients who were treated with Ascorbate (Vitamin C) had eighteen people surviving by this date. The average survival time of those getting Vitamin C therapy was 4.2 times longer than the control group, on average living over 300 days longer. Some of this group continued to live indefinitely. You can probably imagine that people in a less dire state would show even better results.

Another study indicated that people with cancer tend to have lower amounts of Vitamin C. It is possible that the Vitamin C is depleted because it is being used by the body to fight disease, and therefore it might be reasonable concluded, according to Dr Pauling, that an ill person would need more of this supplement.

Dr Pauling himself took about 18g a day.

There are anecdotal stories in the book. One in particular of a man who took 10-12g a day for a 52mm liver cancer lesion. The cancer was stopped from progressing, and eventually much to the surprise of medical experts shrunk 32%. Dr Pauling recommended he up the dose to 25g daily, and he eventually on his own initiative went to 36 g. At the time he wrote to Dr Pauling he had survived two years.

One of the key issues we face as we grow older is disease of our connective tissue, and inflammation. This is manifested through conditions such as arthritis. I remember reading somewhere that about 80% of people age 60 have some form of arthritis. Vitamin C is an excellent anti inflammatory, and also great for allergies and colds.

If you are interested in learning more about health and longevity, I recommend reading this book.

If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.

This is the book if you are new to RF radio frequency design. I lost my original copy so I had to get a new one. The printing is perfect.

I ordered this book to assist in refreshing my memory about RF Circuit Design and associated equations. I found it to be a great source of advice on the "how to's", as well as a wonderful reference source for the basic equations involved, which I haven't used actively in some time. Since my old reference/school books are in storage, I needed a concise, compact and easy to understand presentation of the application of the math to real world design considerations. I highly recommend it for self-tutoring, for general reference, and especially for those "breaking away from theory and into the real world" of design.

I have owned two copies of this book for as long as I can recall; one for me to keep on-hand, and one that is constantly on loan to colleagues that ask to learn about impedance matching, Smith charts, filter design, transmission lines, small signal amplifier design, etc. Nearly everyone that borrows my copy ends up buying their own shortly thereafter. The text is readable by anyone with a good knowledge of electronics, and the depth of subject is an excellent "just right" balance of practice and theory. Finally, it's very refreshing that this excellent book is available at such a reasonable price - I would venture to say that Bowick's book is likely the best value on my bookshelf in terms of "usefulness per dollar spent"!

Easy to read, understand. Good reference book for basic buliding blocks in RF circuit design. The book only has solved example problems and is not very helpful for practise.

We have used Chris's book for training and refreshing engineers for years. We have literally worn the cover off and I can't begin to tell you how many pages have been dog eared for future reference. The previous comments regarding "outdated" are, in my opinion, misguided since the focus of this book is more on the fundamentals and foundation of RF circuit design which HAS NOT changed since the first edition of the book was written. The information in this book is diverse and condensed very well. We haven't purchased the 2nd edition yet, but likely will in the new year to replace our reference copy.

If Chris's book sounds too technical, you may want to start with Jon Hagen's "Radio Frequency Electronics" or if you are more into the magnetics side of it try Jerry Sevick's "Transmission Line Transformers". Lastly, if you need some general testing guidance, Joseph Carr's book "Practical Radio Frequency Test & Measurement" will likely be of some benefit.

Having worked with the industry leaders in this field, I can honestly say that Chris and his colleagues are among the best in the industry and Chris's experience shows in the content of this very fine work.

Bad

A. The narrative pace is just awful. I don't know what it is about this book I almost didn't make it past the first 40 pages because the begining moves so slowly.
B. The idiotic "conspiracy theory" idea regarding the Texas Revolution. Someday right minded people everywhere will be able to laugh conspiracy nuts right off the street.
Good

The book has a great deal of information regarding the beginnings of an organized abolitionist movement in this country. Garrison was the focal point for this when the movement started to move beyond isolated groups of idealists and Quakers and started to be taken seriously as a genuine force for social change.

Overall-Once you get into the book it is amazing, but you have to be in the right mood to do so.

This is the last and probably the best book completed by the late Henry Mayer.

Mayer admired Garrison, the most important leader of the abolitionist movement. In this book, he succeeds in renovating the reputation of a great reformer and activist who has often been neglected or written off as a crank.

Garrison and the abolitionists were originally hardly more popular in the North than in the South. They were seen as disrupting the Union and were regarded with suspicion for their pro-black beliefs - public opinion in the North was only marginally less racist than in Dixie. Garrison's courage and consistent refusal to trim his convictions for popular acceptance led to a career with an outsized share of controversy, oppobrium, and in several cases physical danger.

Some reviewers have felt the book is too long, and it is hefty. But the length is necessary for Mayer to give a full portrait, which shows not only the man, but also the era he lived in. In particular, Mayer writes extensively about abolitionism as a movement. Abolitionists, and Garrison himself, struggled with many problems - whether to compromise by supporting politicians whose platforms called for less than full abolition, evolving from a paternalist movement of mostly privileged whites to a movement in which free blacks and escaped slaves could play a meaningful role, and reconciling the pacifist leanings of many to their role in a war against slaveholders - that will be of interest to contemporary political activists. Mayer also shows how, after abolition was accomplished, former abolitionists seeking new causes worked for other advances, including the first stirrings of the women's suffrage movement.

Now a book that shows two sides of slavery that all white people were not all for slavery .Like Dr.martin luther king was saying that slavery was not about black against white ,but justice againt injustice.Because if all men and women are not free then we are all in chains.Books like this one has giving us a balance look at one of america darkest sides. But men like Garrison showed us that their were men and women that were a light of hope that all men are created equal . And being a black man I must say thank you to all the blackmen and women and white men and women of the past for fighting a fight that many of us still fight for today .And that is for an opportunity to live as we were when God created us in the beginnig as, a human being thank you.

Let's just get the obvious criticisms out of they way. First, the author pretty much flat out states that The Civil War was fought only because of slavery--and in the preface! Yawn. Will I ever be able to find a Northerner who can write a book that examines both sides of the conflict? I mean southern writers do it all the time. The second problem is the assertion that the Texas Revolution was some kind of government conspiracy--from Pres. Jackson on down to Sam Houston--to perpetuate slavery and continue manifest destiny. While I'm sure some men fought for those reasons, this moronic conspiracy theory about secret government shenanigans has no basis whatsoever. In fact, I would recommend the wonderful biography, Sam Houston, by James Haley. It expertly destroys that awful line of thinking that has somehow survived all these years.

But, being from Texas, I tend to be sensitive to such things. For most people it won't matter.

I still highley recommend All On Fire, though. It is very well written and researched. But most of all, it is the only real biography on Garrison worth reading. And say what you want about the author's biases, he can't muddle the fact that Garrison was one of this country's great patriots, willing to stand up to anyone to free his fellow man. He dedicated his entire life to this noble cause--and except for a few references in some Civil War books--is largely forgotten. What a shame.

William Lloyd Garrison was a man ahead of his time. Not by years or even decades, but centuries. In the 1830s he was an outspoken proponent of not just the abolition of slavery (many advocated various ways to deal with the South's "peculiar institution"), but called for the immediate abolition of slavery with complete and full civil rights for African-Americans. He dreamed of a time when a black woman might succeed a black man as Secretary of State a decade before the Supreme Court ruled that blacks were something less than human in the infamous Dredd Scott decision. He was also an early advocate of women's rights, labor reform, temperance and civil disobedience, as well as an outspoken critic of organized religion (Garrison was what we might today call a fundamentalist "born again Christian" who recognized no formal church other than Christ's teachings).

Given Garrison's role as founding father of the abolitionist movement, his passion for the cause, longevity in leadership and terminal impact on the greatest political issue of the nineteenth century it is puzzling that he has left such an obscure historical legacy. As author Herbert Mayer notes, Martin Luther King Jr. cited Gandhi, Thoreau and the Gospel as his inspiration and motivation in the Civil Rights movement with no reference to the man whose peaceful agitation did more to eradicate bondage than any other -- and who in turn may very well have been Thoreau's inspiration in writing "Civil Disobedience."

So why the obscurity? Mayer's biography does little to address this paradox. In fact, his book makes Garrison's general absence from the mainstream of American history all the more tenebrous. The man that emerges from the pages of "All on Fire" is a moral giant, a crusader in the purest and best sense of the word, who risked -- indeed, welcomed -- verbal and physical abuse, a life of indigence and scorn, all in pursuit of a truly noble cause. Garrison grew up in New England and never traveled further south than Baltimore until after the Civil War, yet he dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery with an intensity and zeal that surpassed dissident southern whites (such as the Grimke sisters) and even some blacks that had escaped from bondage themselves. Because of his central role in establishing and leading the cause, "All on Fire" is, as the full title suggests, as much a history of the entire abolitionist movement as it is a biography of its leading agitator.

However, a close reading of "All on Fire" also reveals a hidden side of William Lloyd Garrison that Mayer, unfortunately, never fully explores: a man of extreme ambition, vanity, and conceit. Garrison fought tenaciously to keep himself at the front-and-center of the moral movement he came to regard as his own. One senses that the fame and notoriety he gained by his agitation came to mean quite a lot to him. In this sense, Garrison reminds one of a contemporary political gadfly increasingly enamored of his high-profile image: Michael Moore. Perhaps Garrison's attraction to celebrity never fully outweighed his commitment to the ultimate prize of freeing three million humans from bondage, but it certainly meant more than the pious Christian in him would have liked to admit -- and certainly more than biographer Mayer is willing to concede. Again and again throughout the narrative Garrison experiences a painful and personal falling out with some of his closest friends and coadjutors: Frederick Douglas, Wendell Phillips, the Tappan brothers, etc. And time after time Mayer attributes the rift to simple misunderstandings or the result of the stress and pressure of the times. That Garrison might have been something less than the Galahad on ante-bellum America is left unexplored.

Nevertheless, for anyone with a desire to know more about America and especially to learn about a man that was once one of the most controversial and well-known figures of his century, only to sink to near anonymity, this National Book Award finalist can be highly recommended.

I remember the Berenstain bears fondly from my childhood. The books are entertaining with nice illustrations, bright colors and the always interesting...talking bears. They introduce life lessons without being overly preachy about. Our two year-old remembers the lessons and we use them regularly to remind him when he slips up. He is just figuring out how to lie ("mommy didn't give me vitamin yet"). He understands when we compare what he says to the book he knows so well. We've got a bunch of these books and we plan to get all of them!

This and all the Berenstain Bears books are excellent teaching tools for preschoolers. My four year old granddaughter asks for them to be read over and over.

The Berenstainbears has long been one of my favorite books to read to my children because they love it, and because it teaches them lessons about things they will actually deal with in real life. Also, very cute and lovable, the Berenstainbears is a great series for your child to read.

This was a great book. Sometimes you can tell your children something many times, and a book or children's show can suddenly make it click for them. Lots of good lessons here-- always tell the truth, lying breaks the trust between people, and lying makes things complicated and leads to more lies, i.e. When Brother & Sister are asked what happened for the second time, they can't exactly remember how the story went the first time they told it! Stan Berenstain had a wonderful talent for making a life lesson entertaining.

"It was a lazy sort of day in Bear Country. The air was sto still that the leaves on the big tree house where the Bear family lived were hardly rustling. Except in the beehive, where the bees were always busy, nothing much seemed to be happening. It was the sort of day that sometimes leads to mischief." -- From the book

Papa Bear was in his shop working on some furniture while Mama Bear was out shopping. Bored, Brother and Sister Bear debated what to do next. Should they go pick blackberries? Or maybe twist each other up on the swing to see who gets the dizziest?

Brother Bear clutched his soccer ball, and doesn't seem to want to do anything--and Sister Bear becomes irritated and impatient. "My goodness!...I think you must be in love with that soccer ball!"

Brother issues a challenge to Sister "I bet I can dribble this ball past you!" Then the siblings began to violate one of the house rules: don't play ball in the house!

Well, Mama's favorite vase gets broken--and she arrives shortly afterwards. Instead of owning up to the deed, Brother and Sister cook up a whopper of a lie. When the go to re-tell it to Papa, they didn't have their story straight, either.

Mama expresses her sadness...not so much that her favorite lamp is broken (although this is true, too), but because her cubs may not be telling the truth. The siblings quickly tell her the truth--and are surprised to her tell Gran on the phone that everything was fine in the tree house.

Confused, the cubs ask Mama about what appears to be a lie. Mama replies that "We've got two fine cubs who have just learned a very important lesson about telling the truth. And what could be finer than that?"

The Berenstain Bears and The Truth is one of the best books by authors Jand and Jan Berenstain. Absent of moralizing and harsh scolding (which sometimes crops up in the Berenstain Bear books), this wonderful tale shows children that there is consequences to lying--the most important being broken trust. This book also teaches forgiveness (if rather indirectly), as well as thinking about consequences BEFORE acting.

In short, an EXCELLENT book for teaching children the importance of telling the truth!

Emmett Hines' book has been very helpful to me. I am a former college runner who had to switch to swimming after my legs went bad, so I was a complete novice, but one with mild competitive ambitions. After doing his drills, I am able to swim faster with less effort, allowing me to go further and faster. I can really notice the difference between the way I used to plow through the water versus the way I glide through it now.

When you first try these drills, they may seem awkward and frustrating, because they are different from your normal (and probably bad) swimming motions. Don't give up - after several workouts (maybe even several weeks' worth) I promise that eventually the light bulb will go on over your head and you'll say "Oh, now I get it!" This has happened to me numerous times doing Hines' drills. Your body will, seemingly magically, figure out what he's trying to show you.

We have a 1-mile swimming race every August here in Austin called the Deep Eddy Mile. My first year (2006) I completed the swim in 36 minutes, 13 seconds. After a year of using Hines' lessons, I knocked my time down to 34:20, and I can already tell that I'll probably knock off another minute or two this year.

Obviously, the best way to improve your swim technique is with a personal coach, but if (like me) you do not have the time or money for personal lessons, this book is an excellent alternative.

After years of non-swimming, I took a stroke technique class at my local pool last fall. When I began the class, I could not complete one length of a 25 yard pool. I never was a good swimmer even after lessons as a child. The class got me started, but I had a long way to go. When the class ended, I went looking for a book to help me continue. I found this book on Amazon, and the many positive reviews convinced me to give it a try. Three months and two practices a week later, I had a lesson with the teacher of my class from the fall. When I finished two lengths of the pool to show him my stroke, his response was, "Did you get a new body? Are you the same person who swam in my class last fall? I am amazed!" Except for a couple of minor suggestions, he felt my stroke was perfect. I knew I had made progress, but this confirmed it for me. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The drills really do make a huge difference. The workouts are fun and varied. I never get bored. If you are like me and just getting back into swimming after many years away from it or someone who wants to improve their stroke, don't spend your money or time on any other book. This is all you need. You will be amazed by the results you get and you will have fun in the process.

Very instructional book. More suitable for competitive swimmer, I think. Contains sets of practise drills for beginner (green zone) to competition (red zone). I only followed up until green zone and have not progressed further. You need to copy down the drill sets on a slate and record your heart beat, time and stroke count. I did that until some misunderstood kid took my instruction slate on the pool edge, thinking somebody left it. I got it back with scribbles all over and I just gave up after that. A bit troublesome, definitely not for leisure swimming.

I learned quite a bit, but I think it's too focused on workouts rather than teaching. Not bad though, just not the greatest.

These drills will make you a faster, more efficient swimmer. The tips will especially help you improve your freestyle.

When I found out about this book, I was yet again trying to recover from another failed relationship attempt. The question I kept asking myself was "why do I keep repeating similar relationships that end in similar fashion". Fortunately, it was also at this time that I met Russell Friedman, who encouraged me to read this book and do the work. Here I am, a little over one year later, happier and possessing a greater understanding of what was standing in the way of the relationship that I desired. Best yet, after several successful and fun dating relationships, I have MOVED ON and MOVED IN with the right guy for me. Thanks John and Russell for giving me the tools to build "it" right this time. Sara

I first learned about the Grief Institute through a raido program. I was intriqued and bought this book. WOW. Many concepts I needed to learn since, as the book points out, many of us learn myths about grieving. I too learned to be "strong" where people see us happy and able to deal...when that is only a cover up of our feelings and not dealing. I also like the STERBs concept. Short-term energy releasing behaviors. I was doing many things I thought were helping with grieving, but they were only short lived. This lead me thinking "Time would heal my wounds" which we now know isn't the case.

This book helped me in many ways and I recommend it and even buy it for friends. This is a must book for everyone. No...it isn't the complete all book as nothing in life is complete, but certainly a fantastic book in the journey of life and giving you some tools to help along the way.

This was a great book. I listen to the author on a radio talk show Audrey Chapman and had to purchase this book. The execrise along with the reading really helped me get with my most recent relationship. I have finished reading the book; however, I still review certain chapters weekly. I strongly recommend this book for anyone getting over a bad relationship and want to love to forgive.

Pennye James

Great book...better than great. I had several epiphanies about myself that made a real difference. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to grow and be free of past mistakes.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone going through a break up of their relationship or if they simply want to know more about relationships in general.

I read this book several months ago. Well, I read all but the last 2 pages. It had me on edge nearly the entire time, and this sounds silly, as I'm a grown mother of two, but I was too scared to read the last two pages!

Great job, R.W.!

We killed the retarded boy. He took his own life, but we killed him just the same.

Thus begins The Takers, the first book in R.W. Ridley's YA Horror series The Oz Chronicles. This debut novel (published in 2005) is well paced, with a great quest/adventure and and several likable characters, including the main protagonist, Osmond (Oz) Griffin. The second in the series, Delon City, is now published and is definitely on my reading list.

Thirteen-year old Oz awakens from a fever induced slumber to find his world dramatically changed, his parents and most of the other people on his block "taken" and seemingly eaten by nightmarish monsters who appear and attack when their name is spoken. His quest begins when he is given responsibility for a baby named Nate, whose mother is taken, so he piles up his wagon, takes a sword from Nate's father's study, and proceeds to the big city. Here, the mystery of the Takers (who are they, where did they come from) begins to unfold, as Oz and his growing army of misfit survivors (including a sign-language speaking gorilla named Ajax who understands more about what is happening with the Takers than he can say) do battle with several of the monsters. A comic book written by the afore mentioned "retarded boy" holds the key to the mysteries and the quest involving Oz, baby Nate and the Takers.

I read The Takers straight through as the action and the quest continue unabated through the book. The ending comes quickly, but sets up the second in the series nicely, leaving some questions to be answered but solving many of the puzzles.

Horror and YA (with the notable exceptions of Potter and Eragon) are usually not my genres of choice, but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to fans of both genres.

I didn't read this book, but my 14 year old son loved it! That's saying sooo much, since he has never read ( and finished ) a book on his own before. He does not enjoying reading, as I do. He started this book one evening, after I made him, and he couldnt put it down. For the first time ever, I had to tell him to put a book down and go to bed! We have already ordered book 2, and he cant want for it to get here. Hopefully, this will start a joy of reading with him!

What its about:
13 year old Oz awakes from a fever in his parent's closet only to find that everyone is gone. He also is startled to discover that the reason people are missing is due to these strange creatures call the Takers. He knows that he has something to do with the Takers taking people b/c of a comic book a kid down the street wrote. He starts traveling to find an uncle and along the way he gathers some friends to help him battle the Takers. He learns that he has a mission to protect a baby who is a "storyteller." Oz and his gang struggle to save the baby and battle the Takers.

What is good about it:
This is a great story. It is pretty original and has some scary, funny and actions parts. Oz is a great hero. He isn't perfect but he is smart and brave. He has this charisma that attracts others and they follow him. B/c he is a child he is more willing to accept that there are these weird creatures out there, that a kid wrote about this in a comic book and that he should take advice from a gorilla (believe me it makes more sense in the book). It isn't a long book and is very easy to read in one sitting. In fact you might not be able to put it down.

What is bad about it:
Oz is a 13 year old and sometimes some of the things he does or says aren't very realistic of what a 13 year old might say. The ending also sort of surprises you but then you feel better about it knowing there is another book coming along.

Conclusion:
This is a very original book that I think adults and young adults will enjoy. I am looking forward to reading the next one. Enjoy!

I picked up The Takers upon the recommendation of a friend, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It is definitely targeted at a young-adult audience, and the term 'young' hasn't applied to me for a few decades, so I sometimes felt the story was rushed. On more than one occasion I felt myself wanting more. That said, I couldn't put the book down. It is a horror story, but is not overly scary or gory (again, good for YA) but it satisfies the horror fan with an extra helping of creepy.

The Takers is a gigantic toothy maw of literary fun that is sure to swallow the reader whole. It is full of action, likable characters, intrigue, and (of course) monsters. The plot jumps into high gear from the first page, and doesn't slow until the very end. As the first book of a series, it tells a good story that can stand on its own while at the same time luring the reader into book two (which I now have on order).

My complete review:

Characters: 5 stars. In a fast-paced adventure like this, it is easy to lose character development. Ridley manages to create a cast of interesting characters despite this challenge, including a Silverback Gorilla that speaks with sign language (a mechanism that I was skeptical of when first introduced, but it works).

Plot: 5 stars. The plot evolves well, with sufficient twists to keep the reader's interest peaked. The plot is more complex than many YA horror stories. For example, I found the plot of EPOCH to be relatively flat in comparison.

Pacing: 4 stars. I'm holding back one star here because I would have liked to see more of just about everything along the way: more detail in descriptions, more character interaction, etc. However, as mentioned above I am older than the intended audience by a fair bit. Also, the trade-off results in an exciting roller-coaster ride of a story, and that's not a bad thing.

Genre: 5 stars. While not overly gory or scary, The Takers is creepy, with many classic elements of horror: post-apocalyptic survival; mysterious disappearances; taboos; and lots of monsters. The monsters are described perfectly: just enough detail to inspire the reader's imagination to invent more. There is also a god diversity of monster-types to keep things interesting (and, again, creepy).

First Impression: The opening line "We killed the retarded boy" is brilliant.
Last Impression: This would make a great video game.

Overall Score: 5 stars.


Finally, The Takers is an independently published book, and as a self-published author myself (Cluck: Murder Most Fowl), I'm glad to see another independent author who takes writing seriously: the book is well structured, well written, and free of the typos and grammatical errors that sometimes appear in independent works.

This was such a unique book. It wasn't close to what I expected. Two boys, who live with their father in Alabama, are pretty much raised by their housekeeper, Ella Rain. Their father is very abusive and it impacts the boys life in drastic ways. Tucker, a photographer, is running from himself and the person he does not want to become. Mutt is in a mental hospital dealing with his demons and the voices inside his head. When Mutt escapes from the hospital and Katie, an old girlfriend, appears with her son and a black eye, Tucker is forced to return home and face his tragic past. This books brings faith and hope together with great character development and a very unique story line. One of those I whipped through and did not want to put down.

I don't too often rave about a book I've read but this is one of those you just have to rave about and share with others. I am an avid reader and read probably 2-4 books a week. I read secular and inspirational and I have to say this author moved to the top of my list as must reads. The book is loaded with humor and wit, sadness, love; no, this isn't a romance though there is a little romance going on but mostly it's several people who have been damaged by life and how the love and prayers of a black house keeper and nanny affected the lives of 2 boys. This is about forgiveness and how God worked to bring these lives together and heal them. It's not a preachy book though there is one chapter of a Catholic priest who says more profound words in a few minutes than many preachers I've heard who preach an hour. The characters are all so delightful to read about and I wanted to read more of them when it ended.

Jase, the little boy in the story is so adorable and I loved his relationship with Tucker. Then there is poor "Mutt" damaged so much by the past. Yet he is a delightful character. Of course probably the most important character was Miss Ella who loved these boys and prayed them through life and took beatings from the abusive father but still wouldn't leave the boys.

Towards the end of the book, Tucker is talking to God and says it all. "WE had 33 years of misery, bitterness, and hell, but you were right. Whipped, battered and beaten, love broke through the rocks. I don't know how, but it did. I guess that's the mystery of it all." It will be worth your time to read the book to find how all of this took place.

I got this book from the library but loved it so much, I ordered it to have my own copy because I know I will read it again and lend it to friends. I have pre-ordered Mr Martin's next book, "Where the River Ends" due out in July. This is one author really worth your time to read.

This book is extraordinary. A Wonderful testament to God and to human resiliency. One of the best books I have read in a long time. Have since ordered all of his other books and so far feel the same about each of them.

Wrapped in Rain beautifully illustrates the saying, "No pit is so deep that God's love is not deeper still." Wonderful book. I don't have enough adjectives to do it justice. Charles Martin's stories embody all the best in Southern fiction: lyrical prose, quirky characters, a sense of child-like wonder. I pray the Lord allows him to continue writing for years to come.

Found the story line to be a little far fetched, especially a person being sent home from a mental hospital with 2 injectable shots of Thorazine and a bottle of so called pills.

The very explicate descriptions of a situation or a view I found to be long, they could have been more to the point.

I had a hard time in reading the story and I had to force myself to finish.

This book is a simple, inspiring parenting book. I give it to anyone I know who has children. And if you read it more than once, you will get more out of it every time. It's about raising kids, it's about living a full life.

I was given this book as a gift when my son was a baby. I was instantly drawn to the message. Mr. Vannoy's advice is from the heart and carries a loving and respectful message. I have read and re-read the book at least a half dozen times and once in a while, I'll pick it up and open to any chapter, just to give myself a parenting boost. It really lifts the spirits and reinforces that we can have deep and meaningful relationships with our children based on love and respect for each other. Over the years, there have been many times where I given thanks that this book came into my life at just the right time. I'm proud to say, it's played an important role in the Mom that I am, which my kids will tell you, is the best!

I've ordered plenty of copies of this book to give out to new parents, including it with their baby shower gifts. And I gave a copy to my cousin, when she married a man, who came with 2 teenage sons.

A big thank you to Stephen Vannoy for writing this important book. A must read for every adult that influences the lives of children.

I first read this book five years ago and just came back to it as I was confronted with some parenting challenges. What is most clear to me about author Steven Vannoy is that he's not a therapist or "expert." He's just a very observant parent and great teacher. Other reviewers said it perfectly: it's simply the best book on parenting ever.

Steven Vannoy and Catherine Schneider have encapsulated everything that we need to know to parent effectively from the get-go! I am recommending them to all my friends who are becomming new parents. Thanks!

It's a great book not only on parenting, but also on human relationship and communication. I enjoyed reading this book coz it gives real life examples and the changes made after applying the five tools that can work miracles. The most inspiring tool for me is "forward focus" which keeps us on the positive side of things -- this is essential for bringing up kids with positive perspective that gets them moving ahead in face of the challenges of the world. Regarding the ten gifts that we can give to our kids, I can't agree more. It's truly a book written "from the heart".