K Books

This book appears to be written for young people, but gives a good picture of the life of a Maasai boy, as well as his family. It is a quick read, not political, and very enjoyable. Having recently visited in this area, I wondered if our view of life there was accurate. Facing the Lion reassured me that what we saw was real and so was the charm of the people.

I really liked this book. It is one of several that I purchased after coming back from Tanzania, and I have recommended it to others. The author is straight-forward about his situation, so I wouldn't recommend it to children under, say, 12, but it is quite moving as an adult book, though he wrote it for young people.

Facing the Lion is the amazing TRUE story of a Maasai boy growing up in Kenya. I first heard about this National Geographic book from my son's 8th grade world history teacher - it was on a summer reading list. B-O-R-I-N-G - right? Well think again. You will not be able to put this book down! The boy grows up tending his family's herd of extremely valuable cows - and that means standing guard at night when lions literally leap from the bush to decimate the livestock. The lessons that the boy learns from incredible adventure, adversity, and challenge in his African upbringing only serve to give him the drive, determination, and power to succeed at HARVARD. My husband read the book on a plane and now uses a number of examples in his consulting practice. A FUN read and a WONDERFUL book for ANYBODY - teens to adult.

Narrated in the voice of a child as he grows up in a Maasai village, this is a quick, easy-to-read book for learning a lot about the Maasai culture (ie; before traveling to Africa, or for general interest). It was recommended by my travel agent and, while very simple, I will agree it is very well worth the read!

This book was absolutely fascinating to adults as well as younger readers.

You know what ? This is a great book !
Being a french reader, I waited that I'd improved my english in order that I could really appreciate such good novels.
Ian Fleming is excellent at slowly revealing the psychology of his main character. And Fleming write with a skill and sureness of touch that go straight to the essential, without any "fioritures".
I do recommend this book to anyone who simply want to be appealed by good stories.

This is the best by Fleming. A real treat to read! Danger is what Bond gets into.

I've always ranked the first Bond book, "Casino Royale", as the best of the series. "On Her Majesty's..." is also one of the best -- perhaps because it has much in common with "Casino". Bond returns to the gambling tables of Royale; he enjoys various foods and drinks; he falls very hard for a girl, with potentially tragic results; and he comes across as very human, rather than the Superman of the movies (contrast the effortless skiing ending in a parachute jump or some other stunt in a typical Bond movie with Bond's desperate, exhausting downhill escape run that is a highlight of this book).

One of the best Bonds.

In Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond is chasing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the villain from Thunderball. Bond has to do a bit of role-playing in this classic Bond thriller, and he plays the part of a professional from the College of Arms (an organization dealing with genealogies and family trees) with panache. The novel begins with a terrific display of suspense, as Bond is in eminent danger. This feeling also lasts through most of the novel.

This novel is set mostly in the Swiss Alps at a sort of combination ski facility/ scientific lab. Bond is posing as a man from the College of Arms because Blofeld has expressed interest in his heritage. The novel continues as Bond attempts to find out all that he can about Blofeld's strange facility on this Alp.

The first part of the book was not quite as exciting as I had been expecting, but it provided enough humor for me to be satisfied until it got to the more action-filled sections. However, this book provided more than humor and action. The plot was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The skiing scenes were especially suspense-filled and exciting, Bond's romantic interests complemented the plot, and the characters were full and vibrant.

I decided to read a Bond novel after having watched several of the movies (you know how they all come on tv at once,) and I am glad I did. This novel was surprisingly good even though my expectations were high. This book is better than the movies because instead of mere sound-byte-intensive humor, it provides a real humor that I found to be much more affable than the movies. Also, Bond is portrayed somewhat differently than in the movies. I found that the action scenes were just as vivid as they are in the movies, something that is not often successfully managed by authors. I believe that any Bond fan should read the books, not just watch the movies. Trust me, they are at least equally enjoyable.

I think that this book is at least comparable to today's suspense novels, and my only complaint is that I was not around in the 60's to read it when it was a new and, I suspect, rather progressive novel.

One of the last of the original Bond Books, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also one of the best. Picking up a year after the end of Thunderball, this book finds James Bond again battling the nefarious schemes of Ernest Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE and, most importantly, falling in love with the beautiful, resourceful, and ultimately tragic Tracy. Though the usual intrigue is well-presented by Fleming, he also makes it clear that Blofeld's plan is hardly meant to be taken all that seriously. (Without ruining it for those who might never have read the book or seen the surprisingly faithful film adaption, it all comes down to Blofeld hidden away in Switzerland, pretending to be an allergist, and brainwashing English farm girls. No, it doesn't make a lot of sense but Fleming obviously had so much fun presenting it that most readers won't take offense.) The heart of this book -- and this Fleming treats with an admirable seriousness that should take his critics by surprise -- is the love story between Bond and Tracy. In Tracy, Fleming has created perhaps his most fully realized "Bond girl." Vulnerable yet resourseful and more than capable of taking care of herself (and, at times, perhaps even more so than Bond himself), its hard not to fall in love with this character and when Bond finally does decide to reject all others for her, its impossible to disagree with his logic. Its a compelling, rather touching love story and, even though most Bond films know how its going to end, the ending still packs a heavy impact.

As for Bond himself, after being a rather predictable presence in Thunderball, he's back in full form as a full realized, interesting character in this novel. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written after the release of Dr. No (Ursula Andress even makes a cameo appearance at the time) and one can sense that, with this book, Fleming is reestablishing his claim on the character. From the intentionally ludicrous evil scheme to the frequent excursions into Bond's head (revealing him hardly to be the ruthless, unflappable killer that filmgoers though him to be), Fleming comes across as a reenergized writer in this book -- determind to let all the new Bond fans out there know who is really in charge of their favorite secret agent's destiny. The result is one of the best of the original Bond books and one of the best spy thrillers I've read in a long time.

Should we "let go and let God", trusting Him to bring us victory in the battle for holiness? Jerry Bridges would answer this question with a firm "no." Instead, he would lead us to "grab hold and let God." In other words, Bridges charges us to take hold of the resources Christ offers us to kill sin's power and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. In Bridges' view, holiness is not a matter of victory or defeat, but of obedience or disobedience. He teaches that victory is the byproduct of obedience, not the aim of the pursuit of holiness. Holiness is still the work of God, but we must actively lay hold of the work of God in our lives to see the fullest possible work of the Holy Spirit in us. As I consider all of the personal commands to action in the Bible regarding holiness, I am convinced that Bridges is right. Commands like, "put off your old self, mortify the deeds of the flesh, put on the new self, pursue righteousness, think about whatever is good and pure, walk in the Spirit" and many more show me that my part in holiness is to throw off everything that hinders and fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. This excellent book is best in its final half, as Bridges deals with some of the details of this walk of faith and the specifics of how to fight sin and cultivate good in your life. Highly recommended.

When I started reading this book I had the "fear" that true "holiness" was something I could never achieve. Yet scripture calls us to be holy (1 Peter 1:13-25) so it must be possible. As I went through this book and examined my heart, I realized the obstacles that stood in the way of holiness and came away from the book with a whole new understanding and sense of hope and purpose. I now encourage other men to step up and TRULY pursue a life of holiness.

Don't read this book unless you are ready to be convicted and own up to your responsibility as a Christian! I have read this book twice and am reading it again (along with the Study Guide) with my church's women's Bible Study. It is a provocative book to study alone or with a group. It lends itself to wonderful group discussions. Jerry Bridge's book, very practically written, is an aid to Christians in our understanding of God's grace on one hand and our obligation to live a life worthy of His calling on the other.

I highly recommend this book and the study guide as essential to every serious christian's library. Jerry Bridges gave me an entirely new perspective on living life as a christian that has led to a lot of positive changes in my attitude and actions. I also recommend the companion to this book, "The Practice of Godliness".

Very good book for anyone who wants to become a more mature Christian. It really helped me understand the differense and interrelation between God's provision and my responsibility for addressing sin. Direct, practical, and "to the point".

This book hit home. One of my best friends gifted me with this book and it has been one of the best gifts ever. I work full time and have a 10 month old daughter. After reading just a chapter I felt relieved to know I am not the only one feeling stressed with all there is to do everyday while maintaining a home, work, relationships,etc. This book gives permission to slow down, and it says it's okay to stop and listen and not do the big birthday parties and attend all the holiday parties and events. Just being and listening and not doing anything together is time well spent.

As others have noted, this book is a series of reflections about motherhood and the importance of slowing down to savor daily life with loved ones.

This book energized me to make several changes in my own life. Part of my motivation for homeschooling this year was a desire to have a more conscious, contemplative, and purposeful life rather than a frantic-mad-dashing here and there life.

In fact, as the holidays approach, many of my friends are feeling "swamped", "overwhelmed", "stressed" - feelings I remember all too well from previous years. While I still have my moments, overall I am much less stressed than last year. The overall tenor of the holidays is much happier and calmer. I have done my best to pare the holidays down to the essentials, to keep things simple and personal, rather than grandly extravagant. Extravagance has its place, but when children are young, I think simplicity makes so much more sense.

I loved this book so much I chose it for my book club of busy suburban SAHMs. I was quite surprised to find only two (out of nine) loved it as I did! Three thought the book had "some good ideas", but they clearly didn't connect with the author.

The other four were quite negative about Mitten Strings. They felt it was too preachy and perfect and Pollyanna-ish, that "real" people couldn't live like the Kenisons without lots of money. But it's not a financial lifestyle she is talking about, it's an internal one, it is simply making a conscious effort to notice, appreciate, prioritize and streamline.

In trying to figure out the mixed response to this book in my book club, I came up with a couple of ideas. I think the crux of liking the book has to do with the following:

First, it depends on whether you are at a point in your life where you actually consider rushing madly to be a negative thing, rather than proof you are productive. Some people feel empowered and energized by rushing and being busy!

Second, it depends on how contemplative you are feeling when you read the book. The more contemplative you feel, the more likely you might enjoy the book.

Finally, it depends on whether you enjoy visual and poetic language. The author writes with a heartfelt, genuine sentimentality that, while I enjoyed it tremendously, can apparently be off-putting to people with more pragmatic sensibilities.

One reviewer said they would not give this book to a parent of an autistic child, or one with Down's Syndrome. I actually think this book has considerable merit for families with special needs children - the key is knowing WHEN to give the book. I have a child who was diagnosed with autism at 3, and when he was younger and we were rushing around madly from therapy to therapy, ransacking our home to make it an engaging learning environment, etc..., I would not have been in the frame of mind to appreciate it.

In fact, according to my three criteria above: the mad rushing was proof I was doing everything I could to help him; who has time to be contemplative when you are trying to save your child from autism; and poetic musings about the wonderful lives of families with typically developing children would have been quite upsetting.

NOW I see things differently. I think the ideas in the book have even MORE relevance for children with special needs, who often thrive in calm, centered environments. I think children with special needs deserve to have their progress, however slow or small, deeply savored and appreciated.

Well anyway. This is not a book that EVERYONE is necessarily going to love, in spite of the steady parade of 5 star reviews. Nevertheless, I join the parade and give this book 5 stars based on my own incredibly positive experience reading it.

I truly enjoyed this book. It is not a religious book (despite the title) nor a parenting guide; it is a deeply spiritual look at what it means to be a family.

Mitten Strings touched me in such a way that I felt like I was reading a letter from a good friend. There was a sense of peace reading it and imagining my family in her book. Her basic premise is to slow down, notice the details of your children's lives and be present with your family. But the book goes so much further than that. We all know to slow down...but to be reminded how magical it can be, with illustrations that are so tender is even better. I highly recommend this book and in fact purchased seven more to give to my friends as a special gift. I'd love to meet the author (Katrina) and sit over a cup of something on the front porch while our children run circles around the house!

It is rare to say but so true. It was given to me by an older woman and it truely changed the way I parent my two boys, see life and helped me create a summer that I will treasure. A must read for those who want to slow down and get off the "treadmill" of life.

I purchased this book based on its recommendations, and I'm not sorry I did. It's been 25+ years since I touched a sewing machine, and this book definitely helped take the fright away. Perfect for new seamstresses of all ages.

I have the Rip It! book and love it. I just got this book for my niece for christmas. She wants to learn how to sew and I know this is the best book out there for her. It's very easy to understand and comes with patterns for her to learn with. I'm also getting her a sewing machine from www.sewfastseweasy.com
I love giving! She is going to be so thrilled!

I bought this book for my daughter and she has taken to sewing extremely fast. She's so proud of what she makes. Her enthusiasm for sewing now is almost too much for me to keep up with. This book was was easy for her to understand and the illustrations were very clear. She's been playing around with reconstructing her clothes so I'm thinking of getting her the Rip It book as well. I'm happy to see her involved in a positive hobby that she truly enjoys and gets satisfaction from.

I just bought this book because I wanted to freshen up my sewing. I knew how to home sew from my mother but I didn't know much about sewing techniques or terms or sewing notions and how to use them. This book was very easy to understand and explains everything I need to know about sewing and using notions and patterns. It's now my sewing bible! If I get stuck on something I grab my sew fast sew easy book.

The book is great it even comes with patterns. The book is easy to understand and has lots of detail. I would definatly recommend it.

I can totally see why my yoga teacher trainer pick out this book to be required reading. It is very well assembled with great picture of well respected Yogi's. The form of the positions leave nothing to be desired. When reading other Yoga books it isn't uncommon for me to wish I could crawl into the page and correct the posture of the people in the photos. In this book I just wanted to be as talented and perfect and the people in the pictures. The descriptions of the positions and the subtleties of what the pose requires was well written. It isn't unusual for me to use the same phrasing as they do in the book because some cues can't be better said. Perhaps I'll out grow this book, but as a beginning teacher, I learned a lot from it. I love the amount of detail that the book gives because there is always more that you can accomplish in any Yoga pose, and you must work at the level of the students you're teaching and remind them of things that may be automatic for you.

A lovely formatted book that has clear photographs. It is useful for the student at home to develop a personal home practice aswell as the teacher for a 'flash card' inspiration for a class. I like the diamond guide that indicates the degree of difficulty of the pose. It is also wonderful to have the asana name in devanagari, sanskrit and english. This is a classic hatha book that is a 'must have'. Camella Nair - author of "Aqua Kriya Yoga".

I purchased this book for teacher training class and I am pleased to say that it is very helpful to me. It would also come in very handy for someone new to Yoga because it has history, philosophy, and examples of every move all in one book. Easy to read and understand.

This is an excellent book for home practice of yoga, provided you have moderate experience through classes and previous home study. The photos and explanations of asanas are very clear, though the practitioner may not possess the same degree of flexibility as the models. The asanas cover a reasonable range of difficulty: there's some challenge, but a diligent student would have hopes of learning all of them. The scattered "reflections" are extremely helpful. The textual explanation of underlying yoga principles, though good, could be expanded somewhat, but one can't expect everything in a book this size.
Comparing with Iyengar's "Light on Yoga", the present book is shorter, more user-friendly, has a more modern look, contains fewer asanas, and has less (but more easily readable) discussions of yoga principles. Serious students will likely purchase both in the long run, but the present book is a better first buy.

I've taken yoga classes for a few years but never remember the poses to repeat at home. This book lists most all the poses I've ever done, with pictures and what body parts they affect.

I have merely read random chapters /pages off the Manual and I am already totally convinced it is a wonderful buy that I have made. The style of presentation is easy-going even when it is dealing with serious subjects and that is good for a Manual one wants to read in a relaxed mode.

Lots of interestingly written information to help one stay or become healthy and live longer and better.

I found this book to be very informative (and commically written). I have the greatest respect for Dr.'s Rozen and Oz.

Who knew your body could be so entertaining?! I thought I'd get some helpful information, which I did, but so much more. The best aspect of this book is that I wanted to finish each chapter and could understand the points each Dr. wanted to get across to an apple head like me.

YOU By Dr. Oz (Hardcover) This book told me alot about the body I did not know this book is a great read. A must for everyone. I loved it!

This book is a must read for Boomers that lived in and through the '60s, and should be required reading for their children! Everything you'd want to know about a Boomer, from how he dresses, to how he talks and makes decisions is in this little known book.

Anyone aspiring to rule the world should be forced to read this book at the end of a "pointed stick".

It's also one the funniest books I have ever read. The first part of the book exploring world history through the lens that each great culture has had the absurd notion that they were (are) "the most chosen nation" is priceless.

I first read this book in the mid '90s. It's still funny and important. It's required reading for my teenage children.

SG

The amount of work that went into this brilliant piece boggles my mind. Long, drawn out, stunningly comedic, the passages are cleverly cross-referenced to other verses, something akin to a thousand page inside joke. I have read exactly one book that I consider funnier than this one, that being Christopher Moore's "Lamb: The Gospel of Biff, Christ's childhood friend".

The Boomer Bible begins with bad history: the kind of history that Boomers learned, but didn't pay attention to. It goes further into the invention of the Boomer culture: do what you want to, blame everyone else for what goes wrong. Finally, it ends with an invitation to surpass this most pathetic generation, knowing that while most of what they do is a mistake and misguided, they'll only blame someone else for it.

Read for enlightenment.

Laird has something to say about the human condition - and he says it with a striking amount of style and humor. Copying the format of an actual bible (books divided into chapters and verses, complete with cross-references) the Boomer Bible gives an irreverent and scorching account of every nation's history. The prose favors brevity and hilarity. Very quickly the reader gains the impression that we humans have botched it. From the very beginning we've been nothing but bad news, killing each other with pointed sticks and spending all our time inventing new ways of murdering one another. It's been the same all through the centuries; we're bad, bad, and worse. There's no reason to expect the future will be different, there's no point in changing, so why try? Or so says Harry, the Christ-like effigy that pops up in the "New Testament" portion. The Boomer Bible was poignant, touching, and so funny there were times I had to stop reading just to appreciate it. Praise is cheap, but this truly was an amazing book.

Why only 4 stars? The books meant to parallel the prophets of the Old Testament were just plain dry, and I suspect the author might have intended them to be skipped. I slogged my way through much of them hoping for something, but surrounded by the humor and significance of the rest of the book, they were a barren desert. I ended up skipping very many pages, though I hated doing so for fear of missing something.

I unconditionally recommend this book.

A quick read that will help the family of this fallen Marine heal their pain. Would be a good basis for a course or discussion or analyis of how wishful thinking and hope by well meaning people falls short when they lose sight of the realities of the situation and circumstances. None of which takes anything away from the valient heart of Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Jason Dunham, USMC.

This is an excellent book that tells the story of cpl. Dunham and Lima company in Iraq. It has a smooth introduction that breaks off into an ambush with intense second by second battle recounts and then takes a turn onto the more emotional path of Dunham's and his squads wounded tales and their path home through many hospitals. This book will emotionally drain you, but has lots of comedy relief to bring you back to life and has a ver spiritual ending. I am very glad I picked up this book at the library when I saw it sitting on a shelf where it did not belong. This book should be a bestseller and be placed on many book club reading lists. Why has this book went unnoticed? It is too good to be placed in the shadows.

This is also a non-fiction book about the trials of becoming a Marine, then a leader of men, and then a victim of the tribulations of that position. I have been reading the Wall Street Journal for over 50 years, and have been ever salutory of the reporters that have produced stories for that instituion----and this is NO exception! This reporter dug up the very varied backgrounds of these Marines, and brought them into focus of a VERY controversial time in the U.S.----and the M.D.'s and nurses that played their roles in the very lives of these fighting men and women----that are on the the frontline--------so that we do not have to be.

This was an incredible book about an incredible young man and his sacfrice for our freedom. As a USMC veteran of the first GUlf War I was interested in reading what these guys are dealing with in Iraq. As a father I was so caught up in what his family went through and how they dealt with the decisions they had to make. This book will be on the top of my list of favorite books.

I know it's only January but this book is fantastic - an extremely well-written account of a fascinating story of a true American hero. Strongly recommended.

The author describes in just the right amount of detail, what his residency in orthopedics was like at the prestigious Mayo Clinic. The struggle between the incredibly demanding hours of training and his responsibilities as a husband and dad are intense. Throw in some moonlighting on weekends in the ER and "you're good to go insane." A perfect summer read.

I really enjoyed this book. The author was very down to earth and had a great sense of humor. He included a number of wonderful stories about his experiences during his residency as a surgeon. I found it very hard to put this book down.

From the moment I started reading it, it was like the initial incision with the scalpel on my brain and I could not stop until I got to the end (close the incision--take the patient to the recovery)!! Dr Collins has done a great job in this fast paced easy to read manual of the 4 years of residency at the prestigious Mayo clinic revealing to us the incredibly long hours of residency while raising up a family, living from pay check to pay check(earned mostly by moonlighting), driving cheap cars(esp the Battleship, ha!),dealing with life and death decisions on a daily basis and eventually making it through it all. The doctor has a great sense of humor (I guess 'tis one of the survival tactics in the battle of life.) His scalpel sharp pen can touch the soul of the reader! You will laugh and weep through it all(as must have Patti(his wife) and the kids). It has given me a greater appreciation for doctors--they have a high endurance coefficient! A must read for all the doclings and doctors-to-be.

After making the decision to return to school after 7 years to become a cardio surgeon- I seriously doubted my own abilities. I read everything I could get my hands on concerning others and there first year experiences. Hot Lights, Cold Steel was amazing. I was able to relate with Dr. Collins and soon realize that I too may be ill prepared for like as a resident but along with anything, time, experience and studying will prove that I too can be just as amazing as he is. (Only difference- he has 12 children, whereas I only have 5). This book is a 5-star hands down.

I can tell when I am reading a book that I really enjoy, it keeps pestering me until I finish it. Read it in 2-3 days!!! Very enjoyable. I even like the binding on this hardcover, large inside margins, etc. Hey Doc, how about writing another book??????