Z Books

Ordered the book for my son's class project. It would have taken a week to get it from the local bookstore since they did not carry it. He loves the book and I will read it as soon as he is done.

Sixteen-year-old Ann Burden has been living on her own for a year, since the nuclear bombs turned everything surrounding her little valley into a wasteland, and her parents drove out to find other survivors... and never came back. Knowing she may be the only person left, Ann struggles with her loneliness and tends to the farm as best she can. But then a man comes over the hills in a protective suit and arrives in the valley. At first he provides Ann with welcome companionship, but as he recovers from a bout of radiation sickness, his actions become more sinister.

Z FOR ZACHARIAH is an intense, heart-pounding read. From the moment Ann first sees smoke rising from beyond the valley, each development wrenches her further and further from the life she's adjusted to--seemingly for good, and then with terrible consequences. The pacing is perfect, and with the story being told through Ann's journal entries, every event feels immediate. The personal details and unflinching descriptions of life after a nuclear war make the story even more gripping. As the tension escalates, readers will find it incredibly hard to put the book down before they discover Ann's ultimate fate. While the story leaves this somewhat open-ended, Ann's ultimate victory will make them cheer.

Ann is a likable narrator, with a natural voice and a well-developed personality. It's easy to sympathize with her based on her situation alone, but she is all the more admirable for refusing to give up even in the most desperate circumstances. She deals with her problems with intelligence and courage, but still has those moments of carelessness and fear that make her human. Readers will be on her side from the beginning, even as they struggle to imagine how they would feel in her place. Though her final triumph involves some loss, it's clear Ann will persevere and find a way to survive and be happy, which makes the ending satisfying.

Z FOR ZACHARIAH is a story that will haunt readers long after they've put down the book. It shows both the good and the bad that can emerge from human nature in the face of catastrophe, and gives hope that even in the worst situations, there are those who will remain strong.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

ann gadd does it again! ann's simple and insightful delivery of what makes us tick and how to handle ourselves to increase personal power and authenticity is an inspiring read. thank you for putting it all together so lightly ann.

Reading The A-Z Guide to Common Habits once again brought home the individual ways in which everyone deals with underlying stress and insecurities. The affirmations are an excellent way of introducing a positive thinking pattern. Once the positive thinking pattern is established the habit becomes unnecessary. The introducion is concise and provides a practical and hands-on approach to the forming of habits. An easy to read reference book.

David Parlett's The A-Z of Card Games, published in Oxford Paperback Reference series, is the best compilation of card game rules I've ever seen, at least in book format. The book is full of interesting games from all around the world - the book has some Finnish games, too! It's an intelligent book and takes card games seriously, unlike many other rule books that seem to be written on autopilot.

Parlett's book passes even the hardest test: it includes few games played with the Tarot pack. That's something fairly rare and always a sign of a good book. This book isn't perfect, though: there are some errors in the rules, but fortunately those are fairly rare. Parlett's style isn't probably the easiest, so I'd recommend this book to people who already know how to play card games and want to learn new, interesting games. This isn't the best first book for card game newbies.

If you like cards, this book is a great choice. It lists several hundred card games in alphabetical order. These include both popular and obscure games from all over the world. Each entry offers clear, easy-to-understand rules for the game.

This is the 2nd edition of the book entitled "A Dictionary of Card Games" written in the early 1990s by the same author. Since I have a copy of the older edition, I wondered whether buying this new edition would be worth it. I can report that it definitely was. This updated edition adds some new international games, from countries such as China and Vietnam, that have not before been published in English.

As a card hobbyist, I've bought a dozen or so books on card games. One of the few as good as this is from the same author, entitled "Penguin Encyclopedia of Card Games." That book organizes games by type, whereas this one lists them alphabetically.

You can't go wrong by buying either book (or just get both!). May all your deals be happy.

This is a good reference book if you are trying to find the names of some more common techniques. Since there are so many variations of throws in Judo and JuJitsu, I use this book refresh my memory before, during and after class.

But be warned, it does not take you step by step through each technique, but gives an overview of techniques from different schools of Judo.

If you are trying to learn step by step techniques for throws, I would recommend the Kodokan - Throwing techniques (Daigo) and the Kodokan Judo book by (Kano). If you trying to learn grappling(Katame Waza) then you can't beat most of the Gracie and Machado books. There are lots of good grappling books available now.

One of the most complete books on Judo throws, pins, chokes and joint locks. This is one of must have books on Judo. If you want to learn Judo this is very good place to start.

The book does not go into the competition techniques. If you want competition techniques, then you want the Judo Master Techniques Series.

You can also go to www.amazon.co.uk for more reviews on this book.

This is almost two books in one: the first half is a superb, thorough instructional manual of stumpwork embroidery techniques; the second half, a detailed collection of stumpwork projects from designers which have been featured in Inspirations magazine, arguably the most prestigious embroidery publication in the world. You really get the A to Z!

Despite the carefully photographed, step-by-step technique section, I would rate A-Z of Stumpwork as a book for the intermediate stumper. True, it is published in a spiral-bound format, which in my opinion is invaluable for a working reference guide of any kind. But even experienced stitchers do forget stitches from time to time. And let us not overlook the elegant, gorgeous designs that are laid out for us to duplicate, designs from the likes of Anna Scott, Jan Kerton, Wendy Innes and Janet Luce. Their elaborate embroideries are given complete materials' lists and instructions, but not illustrated step by step.

Everything in the A-Z series is so beautifully photographed, so carefully organized and detailed, and so charmingly illustrated with whimsical prints and retro-Victorian artwork, that of course I have to award A-Z of Stumpwork five stars. I recommend that a beginner get a copy of Kay Dennis' Beginner's Guide to Stumpwork to get started and this lovely A-Z reference to use and keep for a lifetime of usefulness and inspiration.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

In my humble opinion this is one of the best books on stumpwork on the market! But if you are familiar with the A-Z series of books this wont surprise you. Amazing detailed pictures of each step with crystal clear instructions and sumptous projects! The only drawback I found was its lack of any figures. It's flowers, berries, mushrooms and animals. If you are just starting out in stumpwork I would recommended this book with Kay Dennis' book "Beginner's Guide to Stumpwork". Plenty of wonderful projects to keep you busy for quite a while!

This small book out of Australia is a real gem. The front is full of embroidery stitches detailed in execution. The patterns follow. The key to many of these books is whether the book has nice, usable patterns that are adaptable, thorough in instruction & reproducible. I would say that this book fits all of these cases. While everything is geared to embroidery, crossing over to needlepoint (evenweave) would not be difficult though the book doesn't encourage it because there is another book aimed for that audience.

Typical patterns are: birds, a koala:-) and flowers. The use of colour is quite nice. The only downside, is unlike the Cross Stitch Bible by Jane Greenoff, this book does not help you in designing your own patterns. Still for the price you get allot of patterns and a good overall grounding in embroidery as it discusses the various wools and needles and transferring the patterns.

Good for beginners and those looking for some nice patterns with some atypical stitches.

This is an awesome book; showing basic stitches in a clear, concise manner that is easy to follow and providing instructions for some terrific projects. The photos, which are very clear, of the stitches are step by step and the spiral binding lays flat (very important when trying to follow along). Great to start you off and to keep as a future reference. And, once you get the basics down, check at countrybumpkin.com for the magazine Inspirations which gives further projects building on the info in this book.

This is the perfect sequel to the ABCDZ book! My kids love this book and it has really helped them with their number and color recognition! Enjoy!

mello yello tastes really good. you never see it in stores anymore. it's nice to see a book describing soda pops that aren't quite as well known as just coka-cola and pepsi. i'll never taste soda the same way after reading this book

I have had this book for several years.It is the most helpful that I have seen on fish and shellfish.It does not have a lot of recipes but the information on the different varieties of seafood and fish makes up for the number of recipes. As a Fisherperson, this book has been great to identify the different methods of cleaning and cooking my catch, whatever it is.I am happy to give it"Five Stars".

This book out of Hal Leonard's E-Z Play series is a wonderful book with music from the hit movie. It's super easy to use, with very large notes and the names of the notes written in. The keys are easy and the rhythm is too! The chord names are written in if you want to play chords with your left hand. I love this series!