Games Books

Seriously this book is great! It was wonderful ideas for the garden, crafts, the seasons, herbal stuff. It is just fun, cool, great!

Heather mama of 5

I purchased this book for my 7yo son because we do use a lot of herbs at home. He likes the book very much but my 4yo dd LOVES it! She loves making the recipes, learning about the plants and how they work, and hearing the stories. It has become her favorite book. I love the recipes as well since they are wonderful to give to children. I can't recommend this book enough.

Reviewed by Juanita Watson for Reader Views (4/07)

Lesley Tierra's book is just as the subtitle suggests, "for children of all ages." This fantastic herbal showcases 16 commonly used medicinal plants that could realistically form the core of a home herbal pharmacy. It is truly a great introduction to the world of herbs.

I adore Tierra's original stories for each herb which will stretch children's imaginations while connecting them deeper to the spirit of each plant. Lesley pays special attention to warnings where indicated, explains specific doses for children, and includes a convenient quick guide to treating illnesses (matching symptoms with herbal remedy).

Beautiful drawings adorn nearly every page of this book bringing each and every page to life. As an adult I appreciate the visual aspect, so I can only imagine that children will fall for them too - maybe even color in some of the bigger pictures adding an artistic element to the book itself.

Tierra's includes sing-along songs for each herb (with accompanying sheet music), as well as a vast array of crafts, projects, activities and herbal recipes. This author hasn't left anything out, and it doesn't surprise me knowing her background and the 15 years spent researching this book. Tierra is a nationally renowned practicing herbalist with family and friends in the herb world, many of whom somehow contributed to this book.

The thing that really stood out for me about "A Kid's Herb Book" is the way the author attempts to connect the reader (parents, children, and ultimately, that inner child within all of us) with the amazing life force found in herbs. This book is a timely bridge that serves to unite the heart of each reader with the natural world in fun, useful, creative and joy-filled ways. I feel that this is what makes "A Kid's Herb Book" unique in comparison to many other herb books on the shelves today.

This is a good book and my son and I both enjoyed the fairy tale-like stories in each chapter about how the herbs came to be known for their healing qualities. There are a lot of recipes and activities for each herb but it's not what I personally was looking for. I was hoping there would be more different kinds of herbs listed and what they are used for.

I found this from an EarthWalk class that I sometimes volunteer for. A 4th grader showed this book to her teacher who in turn showed it to us. I wrote down the name and bought it a few days later. Why? Because it is really informative and done really really well. I'm new to the whole outdoor, edible herb thing so I feel like I could use a kid's book to help teach me (it even has sections for me to color!) :-)

If you like Sudoku but find it a little boring try the killer puzzles. Math additions make this an exciting book. I have done this book twice already, and it was just as enjoyable the second time as the first.

I encountered Killer Sudoku in a Will Shortz sudoku variants book and became hooked on it, and this is a great book of it. It allows you to move between a variety of solving techniques taken from both regular Sudoku and Kakuro. The puzzles here come in a good variety of solving difficulty, with enough easy ones for you to practice your techniques on, and enough challenging ones that you won't get bored.

I ran into Killer Sudoku accidentally, and became hooked ever since. The (simple addition and subtraction) math involved adds a new dimension to the puzzle. Unlike the standard Sudoku, Killer Sudoku puzzles have more twists and surprises waiting to be explored. The more difficult puzzles in this book are very satisfactory in harboring many pleasant and exciting ones.

The books contain 110 puzzles of 5 levels. When you advance to the last two level, your skill and fun are elevated as well. I guess after you mastered the game, you may want to get books with only difficult ones (and they should be so published). One nice thing about this book is that the puzzles seem to have been tested, and there is a 'par' time for each one of them. For easy one the pars are ten to 20 minutes, and the hardest ones up to 90 minutes. These par times are pretty good in that I tended to exceed them in the beginning, but after I have advanced to high levels and came back to do some easier ones that I skipped I often beat the par. The time competition factor also is a way to enjoy the easy ones.

Highly recommended for going through the levels and mastering the game. If you are looking only for tough Killer Sudoku books, this one contains about 20 very good ones.

If your bored of Sudoku and not finding the standard puzzles challenging you need to try these out. The page layout of this book is good there is ample room to write your number combinations and there are suggested times for each puzzle. The paper used in the book is softer but stands up fine to an eraser.

I do enjoy regular Sudoku. But there are a couple of problems with it. First, while it uses numbers, it in no way uses the properties of numbers. Second, the level of effort to solve such puzzles is generally uneven; you may get a few numbers early, but then it gets very tough, and soon after that it is easy again. When it is tough, you may have to write down possible values in a square or guess, and that's unsatisfying compared to being able to simply write down correct numbers in blank squares.

With Killer Sudoku, one does get to use the additive properties of numbers, so there really is a difference between the symbols! And the level of effort is more nearly even. In addition, even hard puzzles generally can be solved without writing anything down but the answers. It is my favorite Sudoku variant ("Greater than Killer Sudoku" is my second favorite).

This book is about at the right level. Do not be scared by the "deadly" puzzles at the end, as I found them to be easier than some of the earlier ones.

I recommend this book to all those who enjoy a challenge and have some time on their hands.

Being in a go club that sees many beginners I feel fairly qualified when I say this book will not help you improve rank until you are 15kyu (AGA/KGS) and really waiting until you are in the single-digit kyu range will give you the best rank improvement per time spent reading... I first read at 13kyu and was stretching. I re-read at 5kyu and got much more out of it. If I had to pick a perfect rank to read it at I'd say 8kyu.

All that said, the writing style is superior to every other go book I've seen and there may be merit in reading this without the goal of rank improvement. I suggest playing games between chapters - I've seen players overdo the styles and corrections the book discusses after reading half or all of it in one sitting. With other intermediate go books (such as Tesuji or Life & Death) it is not damaging to read it all in one sitting.

This book is well known in the GO community and I strongly recommend it.

This book is an endless source of information. As you get better at go, you get more and more out of it. When I first started playing, I learned little from the book but I did learn valueble basic tactics such as the net and the ladder and so forth. Later, I learned useful tesujis and opening strategies. After putting the book down for about 3 months, and as my skill increased, I went over it again and found more useful info including a generaly good attitude towards go.

I suggest this book to anyone who wants to keep playing go. It may not be useful at the time you get it, but keep skimming through and I gaurantee you will find useful information along the way.

I personally find this book very useful (at least for myself, but I believe as well for many of you guys). It is especially true if you read it the second and the third time. When I review my own game, I can find out a lot of mistakes which Kageyama has mentioned in the book. (Like forget to struggle to go ahead) There is a Go competition during summer, and I have just finished this book the third time. Some of the tesuji in the book is very useful.

I guess it will be good to learn the basic rule of the Go game and then play for a while. (may be a hundred game), then start reading this book. Then you can get the most out of it. (I believe Kageyama himself has suggested us to play for many games to get the feeling first. He mentioned player usually meet barrier at around 11-13kyu, 5-6kyu and 1-2kyu. So I guess if one train up to around 15kyu and then start reading this book, it will be very useful. And then review the book once a while. Get the fundamental idea in your mindset. And you will find Go even more interesting

Kageyama packs the book full of useful instruction, given in a chatty style with the occasional self-deprecating humour. While not a book for the absolute beginner, he surprises many readers by starting with ladders. But he shows that they are excellent training for reading (calculating) ability which also builds self-confidence during a game.

The book also covers strategic principles, typical endgame play (and a common mistake by handicap takers), josekis (corner openings).

Of course, in such a game full of complex possibilities, books can't solve everything. For example, I presume it requires experience way beyond his book to know whether a move is "proper" or "slack".

With his no-nonsense style, and quick wit, Toshiro Kageyama takes you thorugh 'the basics' of Good Go. Go, like mathematics, is a language (one of its many names is literally translated as 'handtalk'). Here, Kageyama is teaching us how to spell.

We are provided with easy-to-follow instruction and guided problems in chapters on Life and Death, Ladders (including spiral ladders); Territory and Spheres of Influence; How to study Joseki; Good Shape and Bad; Endgame Pointers; and my favorite, Tesuji (snap-backs and the like).

Kageyama also gives us a general feel for how the stones 'move' on the board, and the direction of play. These Lessons, and his writing style, combine with anecdotes from his professional career and television appearances to make this a wholly enjoyable book.

More on his style: The effect of Kageyama's writing is as if he's right there with you; very conversational. He will encourage and support, but he will also slap your hand if you are not paying attention. Make no mistake, his sole intention is that you express yourself, get better, and have fun along the way.

Beginners around 20 kyu and below:
You may want to concentrate on learning the alphabet, so to speak. But you should know that this book has some very simple 'words'. As soon as you feel comfortable playing on a 19x19 board, then find this book.

This book was really helpfull and i think worth every cent. When you hold the book you know its not cheap. This was my first time playing any Metal gear solid game, so i had to get this.

It's really awesome guide; although I've just played once MSG2 it makes me feel that I've played the entire series. It's a comprehensive game guide for who wants to play and master MGS4.

Very detailed layout of maps & sectors. Walk-throughs percise & to the point. Does not play the game for you,but lets the player use their own imagination.

This game guide is very helpful as like the other MGS series. This guide will help you successfully beat the game in your way or the other way. The guide will show you where all the good stuff is at, but be warned, the end of the book may ruin your fun.

First of all, if you're not interested in the additional features of the Collector's Edition (MGS4: Limited Edition Collector's Guide), then save yourself the money and get this standard edition. It's significantly cheaper, and is exactly the same with the following exceptions:

- The Collector's Edition is hardcover.
- Collector's Edition includes an additional chapter detailing some of the great Metal Gear artwork.
- Collector's Edition includes a numbered lithograph by Yoji Shinkawa.

Either product will be worth the money to anyone that wants to get the most out of the game. I purchased this guide after I had completed the game once already, and I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the guide. Don't use the guide on your first time through, or it may inadvertently ruin some of the surprises and fun bits that pop up throughout.

The thought that the maps are too hard to read, as mentioned in another review, seems ridiculous to me. The maps have been of great help when determining shortest routes, or finding items that you may need. Granted, it may sometimes take a minute of staring at the map to determine your current position, but I don't think they could have done much better than they did.

You will get a TON of advice every step of the way. It will tell you the best way to get through the each map normally, as well as how that strategy must change if you're trying a no-kill playthrough. It will also give you adjustments that you may need to make based on the difficulty setting that you're playing on.

The guide includes a listing of every weapon in the game, along with a description, how to attain it, and its characteristics. There is a similar listing for items available in the game. There's a full listing of available Face Camo and how to attain them, and another for iPod tunes.

There's a full listing of available emblems that you can earn upon completion of the game. There are also strategies on how to get as many of these emblems as possible in the shortest number of playthroughs.

And of course, one of my favorite parts of the guide, is the summary of the entire MGS story, from beginning to end.

Overall, the guide is fantastic. If you don't care about the 3 differences stated above, then I'd recommend the standard edition guide. Either way, you're getting a LOT of guide for your money, and you're getting a LOT of extra value out of your game purchase as well. For example, I doubt that I would have played through this game more than 2 or 3 times without the guide. But with all the information presented in the guide, I'm currently finishing up my 6th run, and I already have plans for my 7th.

Mus is one of my favorite books, so I thought I'd share it with a teacher at my school; little did I know it would take a lot of effort to find a new copy of my own. This book is one of the best examples of fantasy I can think of, and I just adore it. It's on my top 5, and that's saying a lot. Let's get it back into print! It deserves it a lot more that most books out there now.

I have already left a message here, but I feel that something else is necessary. After I left a review here, the author was kind enough the email me and thank me. I was too shy to email back and thank him. But I would just like to say that I love this book and that I hope it returns to print. It should,it really should. Even after a couple of years, It is stil my favorite book, and I have read many books. The other people here have reiterated their wonder in the quality of this novel so I will not be redundent. But, let me say that I find the book a sort of sanctuary where I can return to after I grow weary or depressed. Not that I am obsessed or anything. I only read it about 6 times :0)

I have read this book many times, but to me, it never gets old. It is my favorite book of all time, and that is a large statement. I think it is well written, action packed, sweet, and very comical. I would reccomend this book to anyone in search of a good novel. There is never a dull moment, but it has enough depth to make it great.

When I first saw the cover, I thought it was Reepicheep from the Dawn Treader, the talking mouse of Narnia. It had a feather on its head, a needle of a sword and it stood on its hindlegs. This book deserved better attention, unlike blood and gore and cynical world weariness which seemed to pervade most fantasy books today.

Mus of Kerbridge is almost like one of Grimm's or Han Christian Anderson's fairy tales - of knights and castles, ladies and love, magic abound and courage renowned.

In a magical world which was not named, centaurs, humans, satyrs and harpies dwelt together within the same kingdoms. A political intrigue led to an accident which created another sentient race - the mouse of which Mus was the first. Mus was forced to infiltrate the chamber of Miriam, a centaur lady. Turning against his tormentor, and swore to protect his lady.

As war threatened the kingdom, Mus became the source of inspiration to battle-weary soldiers to rally against the invaders.

This book is very much written to relate to children, but cynical adults could learn a lot from it, if only to open themselves to the possibility of beauty and kindness.
Paul Kidd managed to re-create the fantasy feeling of childhood days in an expanded puss-in-boots fantasy.

From the website of original publisher TSR regarding Paul Kidd: "Up and coming novel releases may include... Mus of Kerbridge (2nd release by Streamline)..."

Those of us who have taken immense pleasure from reading and re-reading "Mus of Kerbridge" will be glad to see a second printing hit the shelves. Notice the quote says "may include" - it would be helpful if Mus fans wrote to Mr. Kidd via TSR and to Streamline to help facilitate this reprinting!

Perhaps it was the cute and rather silly picture on the cover, but "Mus of Kerbridge" didn't sell nearly as well as the story inside the cutesy cover deserved. I bought it when it first came out, in spite of the cover... and loved it! The story is as enjoyable for adults as it is for children; it has been a well-received and well-read gift many times. It has certainly kept my attention throughout the years and I still enjoy it quite as much as I did the first time!

The dialogue is occasionally a bit overdone in my opinion, but can not detract from the overall charm of this well-told tale. The plot is well-woven and the characters have substantial personalities and emotions. They are admirable people, even the enemy queen, showing strength of spirit and courage and a great lesson in appreciation for life.

My kids love game-boy, my kids love pokemon, if you have kids who love pokemon, they will love this book, it is hard-cover and had great info and illustrations about all the pokemon, KIDS WHO LOVE POKEMON WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!

My son is in absolute heaven with this book. He can read it over and over, each time discovering something new. Thanks!

This is a terrific source of information for anyone interested in Pokemon.

This is pretty useful for checking out movelists for the various Pokémon. However, the information they give on stats is shaky, and sometimes actually incorrect when you do careful comparison between base stats for each creature. In general, the information is still in the ballpark, but the system they use can sometimes make it difficult to get an accurate comparison between two creatures without actually going in the game and leveling them up.

Also, the book really needs a list of the various Natures and their effects.

Overall, it's a nice purchase, though, and the hardcover is a great plus.

I bought this book for my 8 year old nephew who loves Pokemon. He reads this book religiously and often carries it around with him wherever he goes. He has memorized an incredible amount of information that he has learned from this book. At the very minimum, it is highly entertaining. At its best, it is good exercise for his mind.

Great''''. I think Sue Heaser writes great books. Good tips and easy to follow directions.

Have not had time to do any projects yet, but I like the book and would purchase it again.

The book was exactly what I hoped for. It came quickly and even though I had said I would take a used book I received a new one for the same price.

Este libro es una excelente guía para quienes desean iniciar su práctica y conocimiento sobre esta técnica artesanal.
Felicitaciones a la autora Syndee Holt.

syndee holt has written an instruction manual with the first time polymer clay user in mind, and she's done a superb job! This book is well-written, structured for ease-of-use, and contains photographs of the processes she discusses, as well as of finished products. Not only is jewelry making discussed, but other crafted items--light-switch covers, picture frames, covered pens, drawer pulls, napkin rings--get ample coverage as well.

"Polymer Clay for the first time" begins with explanations of the basics: types of polymer clay available, tools needed to begin working with clay, and some of the various ways in which this clay can be used. The next sections--which make up the bulk of the book--are instructional, beginning with the simple and becoming more complex as the reader acquires skills and knowledge. There is, finally, a Gallery section of finished works (some quite astonishing in their minute detail!), a Metric Equivalency Chart, and a very useful Index.

"Polymer Clay for the first time" is a wonderful book that will give the beginning polymer clay user the basic techniques in order to start crafting immediately, as well as a strong foundation for expansion and growth, should the artist desire to further explore this flexible, colorful medium.

I have found most "self improvement" golf books to be difficult to grasp without great photographic portrayal of the techniques being taught. Video would make them all that much better. This book, however, deals with easy to grasp concepts and exercises that are practical and efficient. What a great thought process the super fluid concept is! This is just the book needed for those who need to take a break from the physical grind of improving their golf game and get into the mental end of the spectrum.

A PGA master professional told me that my greatest problem was rhythm and tempo. He introduced me to a few aspects of "quantum golf" and I suddenly hit my 3-iron longer than I previously hit my driver.

Back in Europe I still focused on my rhythm and tempo but after several months the length of my shots decreased and I went back to classical golf.

Only after reading the book "quantum golf" I saw that I was missing one essential part of quantum golf - the Q-position. I went back to quantum golf and my results are amazing: my length and precision off the tee improved a lot.

A fascinating novella, where a Mr. Smith learns about himself as he explores golf with a mystical teacher in the middle of Iowa. Great reading for tennis players or golfers who want to learn a "superfluid" swing, but also for the golf/tennis metaphors that apply to life. Delightful

I'd heard of transcendental meditation since the mid-70's and always found it fascinating. I never paid the exorbitant fee they wanted to learn it, but understood enough of the fundamentals that I could apply it to some things in my life.

This was the first book about golf that actually used those principles. I had been in the Navy for quite a while and had the opportunity to play golf at many fine courses around the world.

I bought this book one early summer while my handicap was hovering around 17 and went on leave. I read the book, practiced the way the teacher asked in the book, and went back to my duties after my thirty day leave. Within a month, I had my handicap down to 12 (quite an accomplishment for a self-taught duffer like myself.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that aspires to achieve "Zen" in their golf game.

I'm a pretty good golfer, and I knew that my game was plateauing. I was stuck at about 79-83, and I knew that spending time beating balls at the driving range was getting me no where. I bought this book based on the reviews I saw here, and I have to admit I am SHOCKED. The book is that good. It's a story, that reveals the secrets of golf within it, primarily teaching you better rhythm, and how to "dance with the club", I feel the difference already, and I have owned the book for only 3 days. Its a great read, and very helpful, I would recommend to all level of players.

I really think they are stretching to come up with more "Essential" books for Star Wars, but nonetheless, this is still a good book full of all the information you knew, know, wanted and didn't want to know about the lovable robotic droids of the Star Wars movies and books. Star Wars fans won't be disappointed, however there is not much here for the non-Star Wars fan, as they probably won't even know what their reading about (or if they did, they wouldn't care). I recommend this to all Star Wars fans.

I have all of the Essential Guides and have been pleased with all of them to one degree or another. The Essential Guide to Droids, however, is one of the better ones. The author and artists have done their homework in researching the novels, but for all their work-there are some really silly designs in here, usually written into novels or whatever, because the author thought it would be cute, but only comes across as annoying or dumb (the C2-R4 comes to mind). Other designs have not been well thought out-the M38 Explorer droid is too tall, it seems logical that if you want an automated robot for planetary surveys, then something with a lower center of gravity would be a much better design. I would recommend that everyone ignore the fact that Anakin made C-3PO and keep his manufacturer as Cybot Galactica, since that is a little more believable. As always The Essential Guide to Droids would make an ideal addition to the Star Wars role playing table as well, and it has a good spread of robots from domestic, industrial to combat and medical droids. A solid effort with great art work and well written.

In the immortal words of Darth Vader..."Impressive. Most impressive." I found this book to be not only an excellent resource but also a great read. It touches on every major detail of the droids that it mentions...which is quite a bit. You can read about anything from C-3P0's internal computer to the technical details of the medical droid. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to scratch the surface of Star Wars and dig a little deeper.

This is where I go to get information on Droids. You never seem to get really good description of the droids so this is where reccomend that you go and if you can't find out what you need to know the I would reccomend th Star Wars Encyclopedia.

The Essential Guide to Droids is better than the rest of the EG series thus far. It has good pictures and relatively informative schematic drawings of each of the droids, with better art than has been seen yet in a Guide. It also has the obligatory listing and brief description of all the major droid manufacturors in known. Another helpful feature is that it lists the droids according to their function, rather than in the standard alphabetical order, a la EG to Weapons. But the author goes beyond simply describing each droid and its function. He created background lore about the droids, and their developers. He doesn't make each droid individual, but rather trases entire product lines, for example, he goes from the R1 to the end of the R- series, creating the whole product line development, etc... What he doesn't do is spend the entire allotted text space for each droid simply relating the adventures it has had. This is a very helpful, informative, and readable SW book, and I'm glad I bought it.

The premise for this book is articulated beautifully via words borrowed from Isaac Newton: 'If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.' Finally, there is a resource for the business community that will help us all to see ourselves, and our real business dilemmas/solutions more clearly. Jim Dickie and Barry Trailer have done a masterful job, distilling information and presenting the golden nuggets of wisdom gained through our collective experience. A immediate must-read and resource to have on hand!

If your industry is haunted by excess capacity, slack demand, and disruptive technological advances, this book is a must read.

Dickie and Trailer's ability to find, extract, and assemble entrepreneurial innovation in sales and marketing helped me identify why some players, both big and small, have achieved sales growth in a difficult environment.

A great book to take on the road.

This book contains refreshing, real-life experiences from some top industry pros. The subjective, first-person testimonials are ultra-effective at driving some of the theory around sales management and CRM home for both the novice and experienced reader. Jim Dickie and Barry Trailer highlight these experiences without being heavy-handed. A must for your sales and marketing library!

This book is "simply" a collection of 39 interviews of executives with an introduction by the authors (they are also interviewees #38 and #39). There is little in the way of analysis or even commentary. But the firsthand perspectives from these accomplished executives make it a fascinating read.

I was disappointed by the light coverage of marketing-specific topics--most of the content deals with sales and CRM. Also, the authors did not provide an index which is annoying--particularly given the nature of the content.

Here is a partial list of the 39 executives interviewed:
Jeffery Schaper, GE
Jerry Ungerman, Check Point Systems
Robert Savage, Savage & Assoc.
John Williams, StorageTek
Sam Reese, Miller Heiman
Benson Shapiro, Harvard
Tanya Candia, Sigaba
Bernie Goldberg, Direct Marketing Publishers
Ralph Young, Microsoft
Alan Warms, Participate Systems
Gary Lutz, Wells Fargo
Joseph Batista, HP
Rick Cobb, Intraspect Software
Keith Raffel, Upshot
David Grove, Corporate Express
...

I keep dipping into this book - it's a brilliant, eclectic collection of the thoughts and ideas of a bunch of sales and marketing people who are at the cutting edge of selling today - doing it now,wrestling with the problems of selling in a downturn. The format's unusual - direct reporting of what these people think is important - in no particular topic order. The authors don't claim to present "universal truth" but everyone should find some good ideas thatthey can use and if you are looking for a an answer to a specific problem you can browse the index for a synopsis of each contribution. The authors want us to come away with a dozen ideas to explore in our business. Jim Dickie's and Barry Trailer's own contributions are packed with insight; these two pieces alone are worth the price of the book.