Titles Books

Teresa Bateman's Ring Of Truth is simply wonderful! I enjoyed reading this wild tale of "true" blarney. Delightful and entertaining---A great read.

Rich, complex and gorgeous illustrations provide the perfect compliment to the story of the braggart Patrick who is tricked by the Leprechaun King and must now tell only the truth. Obviously, this will be a decided disadvantage in the Blarney contest in which he is entered. Or will it? A thoroughly enjoyable tale which has the familiar feel of a truly great fairytale for the ages.

"Patrick O'Kelly was a peddler of scarves and trinkets, with a habit of telling magnificent lies." So begins "The Ring of Truth". "Magnificent" may even be an understatement for him. He is supposed to have kissed the Blarney Stone once, that fabled and mystical rock that gives one the gift of gab, and by the way he carries on, it's believed that he managed to get a bit of that rock stuck in his teeth! He is such a fine artist of Blarney, that he easily boasts that he could out-fib the very king of the Leprechauns himself!!

Well, as any good Irish legend will tell you, be careful about what you say about the Fair Folk, for they have great ears for hearing and egos to boot!! It's hardly long before Patrick O'Kelly is swept off to the very land of the Faeries to meet the king of the leprechauns himself!

Like any fine Celtic tale, the book is full of twists and turns and play on words, of which the title of the book is just one (I'll not give away the ending for fear of spoiling the fun for readers!). The ending is a fun surprise for readers, as well as for our brave hero, Patrick O'K. Himself! What will stick to readers' ribs most, however, are the illustrations.

Illustrated by Omar Rayyan, the book resembles now an illuminated manuscript, now a surrealistic painting. Faeries and other Fair Folk are mischievous creatures, to say the least, and to step into their world, however briefly, is to take a roller coaster ride into the ethereal and strange. Winged sprites flit too and fro, and the King has always about him a smile that is first playful and fun, and upon closer inspection, hinting at some darker purpose. Once Patrick has gone to their fair land, they are all about him, hiding here and there, yet the reader knows that they are invisible to everyone-another example of that mischievous, almost sinister magic they weave.

All in all, a tremendous book and perhaps too overlooked in the children's section. Though Irish in nature, it is not about St. Patrick's day, so there is no need to keep it mothballed until then! Bring out this treasure of a story and illustration and read it often!!

"Rock Dreams" perfectly captures the synapses between fantasy and reality that give R&R its emotional appeal. It is a tribute to the overwhelming power of the music that two non-Americans have so perfectly, obsessively captured the quintessence of R&R and its pull on American and British hearts and minds. Peelaert brilliantly juxtaposes American and British images--for example, putting Gene Vincent in a "teddy boy" bar. In other parts, he uncannily captures American iconography--the teenager's bedroom that accompanies the image of Fabian is absolutely, perfectly 1959. These are just a few examples; the book abounds in others, using contemporary images and photos in creative, dream/reality settings, often with stunning details. Nik Cohn's text is just the right accompaniment, an admixture of fact, supposition and poetry. Unforgettable.

This is wonderful. The illustrations and the captions complement each other so well. I loved the depiction of Dylan. Best of all is the description of the brilliant Del Shannon: 'Del Shannon may have looked and sounded like a lumberjack but he cracked like a sodajerk. He was incessantly on thr run, broke and alone and his trueloves all betrayed him. In the naked city there was an eternal thunderstorm and his teardrops mingled with the rain.' Wonderful!

I found this book in my father's collection back in the 70's before I was even a teenager. Each Icon of rock, soul, pop, country from the 50s to the early 70s is painted perfectly by Guy Peellaert inhabiting their own imaginary world. Such as The Beach Boys on the beach, the Drifters under the boardwalk, Otis, sitting at the dock of the bay, The Beatles being chased down Liverpool backstreets. Nik Cohn adds succint passages that captures the essence of our early rock heroes. Pouring over this book as a kid, kick started a life long love of rock 'n' roll. From Elvis to Oasis it all makes sense now, having attended the Peellaert and Cohn college of rock dreams. Highly recommended for all music and art lovers.

My 3-year-old always selects this book as one of the 5 books we read each night before bedtime. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful and the story is well-written without being too long and drawn out.

My son loves books, but has a short attention span (as 3-year-olds do) and has, in the past, preferred books with only a sentence or two on each page. The Rooftop Rocket Party is so engaging that he pays close attention to the story, even though there are several small paragraphs on some pages, and asks a lot of questions about what's going on. There are enough fun characters and memorable lines that we act out parts when we read it together. We borrowed this from the library but he loves it so much I will have to buy it for him!

My two-year old son asks for this book all the time. He likes the pictures and the story and has now started noticing "rooftop rockets" on buildings. An exceptional, imaginative, intelligent book.

Beautiful, whimsical pictures, a strong, sympathetic hero and a charming, inventive tale about science and imagination make this a wondeful book for children, and a lot of fun for adults! The Man in the Moon playing his pale violin will become an icon for those who read this as children - this has the makings of a classic.

I love the book, simply yet lovely. The art work is so glorious, in all of its color, and really fits the folklore them, makes me feel I am in that particular country. It is a great tale to read to children, short yet sweet.

A great humorus book. All children would understand the logic behind the events that occur. To hear all of the characters say "No I won't. Why should I", Gave the book a good sense of childish humor. Makes a great sequencing activity for students.

As a teacher I love folk tales. This one if one of my favorites. The story is about a rooster who is on his way to his uncle's wedding. He is dresses in his finest until he gets his beak dirty. Children will love the event series as one event leads into another. The pictures are very beautiful and colorful. This is a story that children of all ages will want to read again and again

The Rough Guide to Climate change was a surprising masterpiece. It presents complex scientific concepts in a highly readable manner. It is extremely informative, with more perspectives on the climate change debate than other sources I have checked out. And it makes sense of the diversity of opinions in the scientific community about the ways in which global warming is and will be effecting the world. In this sense, it is a very balanced sourcebook. Most of all, it is incredibly interesting. Not only does the formatting make for constantly intriguing reading, but the content itself is very interesting. Is it too much to say that on top of it all, Henson is a great writer. Making a book like this a Rough Guide really downplays what a gem this book is. Even if you already know a lot about climate change, this book will have a great deal to teach you.

I am using the Rough Guide to Climate change in a college course that I am currently taking about global warming and climate change. The second edition wasn't out when I started the class, so I started with the first edition and then switched when this edition did come out.

The book is a perfect example of how to write a science book for nonscientists. I have a degree in environmental science, but climate science involves so many disciplines that it is hard for even a trained professional to keep up and digest the information from all the various fields. Henson has done a remarkable job of taking the science and laying it out in an easy to understand way and in a very logical sequence.

The book is broken into parts in a flow that works well. The first section is about the basics of climate change, the second is about the symptoms we are or will be seeing as a result of climate change, the third is about the actual science behind climate change and the fourth presents a nicely balanced set of solutions and some of the detractors from those solutions. There is also a very comprehensive further exploration section at the rear.

The book is up to date and is, by far, the best source of scientific information available to the general reader about global warming. Buy it now...it might change your mind!

What a remarkable book this is - disguised as a simple guide to climate change, but actually a very sophisticated, balanced, thoughtful analysis of the many aspects of climate change: the physical causes of climate change, the symptoms of a warming planet, what the average person can do, and the politics surrounding the entire issue.

Loaded with great information and highly readable, although it never talks down to the intended audience, which is aimed at everybody (may be too difficult for people under the age of 12). Lots of photographs and charts to help explain what climate change is, what causes it, and what the symptoms are.

The only weakness of the book, which is ironically one of its strengths, is that it is refreshingly free of a certain preachy tone that can creep into some books on the environment - however, because the book is studiously non-political, only half a page is dedicated to "lobbying for change" in the chapter titled "What You Can Do - Reducing Your Carbon Footprint and Lobbying For Action". Most of that chapter is dedicated towards small things everybody can do (adjust thermostat properly, drive hybrid cars, walk or bike, etc.). However, real change will probably only happen when entire countries set policies and laws into place that mandate fewer greenhouse gas emissions. (This is a scholarly bureaucrat writing this, after all.)

Having pointed out a minor weakness, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anybody wishing to learn more about climate change and global warming. The book doesn't actually let "big business" or current government leadership around the world completely off the hook - the book duly notes that conducting business as usual has gotten us into this mess, and that most businesses, and most governments have no real reason to change business as usual - after all, if they are still in business, or still in power, the status quo must be working well for them.

This book is for Sinatra fans. It has a wealth of information on the singers friends, life, and has everything the man has done in this entertainment world. The only problem I have is with the reviews about his music. The writer gives too much criticism about the cds and I dont think there is more then a few that the author like as a complete album. I enjoy Sinatra and have mostly everything the guy has recorded (Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Colombia, Captial, Reprise) and I know he has a few crappy songs out there. This guy just disects everything and it gets annoying to read after a few albums.

As I read on, I have a problem with Chris Ingham. His book is probably the ultimate Sinatra book with all this information. It seems though that after the 60's, Ingham has nothing good to say about Sinatra. I got mad reading the book because I can not find any good words about Sinatra after the 60's

I certainly agree with the reviewer, C. Hanlon "frankie-machine." I've
followed Mr. Sinatra's stellar career since 1949 and this little book
gives the reader tremendous insight into the greatest singer/entertainer
of the twentieth century! The music section will provide the collector
with a checklist of 99% of Sinatra's commercially released studio
recordings. The author, Chris Ingham, has done a very good job of
providing us a glimpse of 'Ol Blue Eyes and his tremendous body of work!
The songs, the films, the style! It's all here! Buy this little gem!

The Rough Guide to Frank Sinatra is a small book that manages to be over 400 pages long, and is packed with loads of information on Frank Sinatra. Each album and film is reviewed, and from a fresh and interesting perspective, by British writer, Chris Ingham. And that's not even a third of the book! There are also all sorts of great pictures, interesting chapters, tidbits of info, and I highly recommend this book to both novice and expert Sinatra lovers!! It is a fun, informative read, small enough to take with you everywhere you go, yet bursting with info!

Actually, I have just finished all of Coomer's works and have been a rabid fan since day One. However, Sailing in a Spoonful of Water touched my heart and soul. I too am bitten by the restoration of a boat and mine is currently in Damariscotta, Maine. When he touches our hearts with stories of his grandfather and father, it makes me relive the lives of both of mine who have passed, but how I wish they could be a part of my boat project. As he writes, you can smell the oil and diesel grime on your fingers. You can smell the salt air and even the smell of the fog as it rolls over the ocean. You can feel the swells from miles of crossing the Atlantic and even feel the sun on your face as you read each page! Mr. Coomer writes in his OWN style...a style that makes me tell people that I even enjoy the sentence structure with which he writes. He is one of the best writers of our times and I wish I could tell more people to enjoy their hallucination as well as I have enjoyed mine! Thank you as always Joe Coomer.

Although this book is humorous, as its title suggests, it also is a story of the passing on of a heritage of boating from generation to generation.The author artfully combines an account of his adventures aboard a less-than-bristol, fifty-year-old wooden motorsailer, with memories about boating from his childhood. In the end, the boat has become so intertwined with his family life that he cannot abandon it even when it requires repairs that cannot be justified by its market value. The book is sentimental, funny, wise and very well written.

I found Joe Coomer's story of the acquisition of an old wooden boat, and the things he learns about it, and his life, and his family members, to be a very endearing tale. Maybe it is because I am a frustrated landlubber who has yet to have the courage, or moment of irrationality, to buy my own similar boat. By reading his account, I feel I have experienced many of things I might have expected. From that early uncertainty of the boat's seaworthiness and doubt about his own seamanship skills, to a point four seasons later when he is leaving the dock, "and we caught the outgoing current as if we were swinging onto a moving bus". Coomer is at times factual and analytical in recounting the specifics of his encounter with his motorsailer Yonder. At others, he captures in a phrase or two the beauty and wonder of a special moment at sea. After an unexpected rendesvouz with some gray whales in the fog, "my wife and I silently scanned the ocean, like children looking across the backyard one last time before letting Easter go". I highly recommend this book for anyone wishing to vicariously live the adventure of owning their own old wooden boat.

This cute story about Davy Crockett's wife gives a new perspective on tall tales and American pioneer women. Steven Kellogg's illustrations are a joy as always.

This was a great book especially for young girls. It tells the story of a female hero and all her adventures. Even after marrying Davy Crockett, one of the most famous folk hero's, Sally Ann remains independent and the greatest hero in the book. I highly recomend it to anyone, especially those interested in folk tales.

Steven Kellogg is wonderful telling the story of Sally Ann from her birth, her running, and the bear battle, to meeting and marrying Davey Crockett. Very strong woman. This folklore tale has excellent color illustrations. I would highly recommend this one for reading to and by the K through the 8th grade, along with a recommendation for teachers and parents, also.

This Bible is so beautifully made! I do enjoy the fact that it lays open easily anywhere you are reading. It would be a bit heavy to carry to church, but is a lovely, exquisitely made Bible for study at home! And such information!! Maps pertaining to the subject are scattered throughout the scriptures with larger, more detailed color maps in the back. Maps are so helpful. I have a fondness for the KJV translation and appreciate the foot notes along the side of the text. I'm very happy with my purchase!! I highly recommend this Study Bible!!!

This is an incredibly beautiful bible. The Leather is rich, smooth and soft to the touch. The gold gilded edges make this bible stand out. The new notes added are an asset to this addition. I would highly recommend it. It is a nice sized bible too....Brenda in California

This is a good place to start a study the Bible, beyond reading the english translation. It has a good concordance, interesting annotations, and a reasonable cross reference. By no means is this a comprehensive concordance, annotation, or cross reference, but it is an excellent place to start. This will help you get the tools you need to do a more advanced selection of study materials.

A look behind the myths and legends, Lee's groundbreaking book relied on extensive interviews with the women who sought and obtained abortions -- legal, illegal, quasi-legal, and self-induced -- in the days before legalization. Lee examines the factors that led women to choose abortion, the means by which they found an abortionist, and their attitudes toward their experiences. This book is a must read for prochoice and prolife alike.

Nancy Lee Howell's book is an excellent case study on information transmitted through social networks. In this sense, the book foreshadows Ronald Burt, Mark Granovetter, and others.

A look behind the myths and legends, Lee's groundbreaking book relied on extensive interviews with the women who sought and obtained abortions -- legal, illegal, quasi-legal, and self-induced -- in the days before legalization. Lee examines the factors that led women to choose abortion, the means by which they found an abortionist, and their attitudes toward their experiences. This book is a must read for prochoice and prolife alike.