Language Arts Books

The book arrived well on time and in excellent condition. The price was the best I'd seen from any of the online retailers I viewed.

It is an amazing and helpful book. It really is a guide to using contemporary Russian. The best book I purchased in 2007. I use it often. It is one of the five important books for learning Russian. What do I list as the five book? Wade's A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, Wade's Using Russian Synonyms, Beyer's Pronounce it Perfectly in Russian, a dictionary and this book.

If you want to master Russian as a secound language, this book is a major help.

There's not a whole lot I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. I noticed, however, that most of the reviews were written before the second edition of this book was published. Rest assured that Mr. Offord has made a great book on Russian even greater.

Perhaps the most useful part of the new edition is the section on computer and Internet terminology in Russian, a lexicon that is conspicuously absent from most of my other Russian books. Thanks to the revision, this volume is now every bit the contemporary usage guide its subtitle indicates. And if you want an idea of just how authoritative the book is, the Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar (which has earned five stars practically across the board) lists "Using Russian" as its source for the entire chapter on Russian prepositions. And the prepositions section of "Using Russian" is only a tiny fraction of its rich repository.

The only drawback to this book is that it is a bit expensive, especially for a paperback, but it will reward you with a constant return on your investment. No serious Russian student's reference library should be without it.

I've always had my command of the Russian language complimented by native speakers. Not only do they praise the refineness of my speech, but also the varying degree of registers and different applications of style of my spoken Russian. My written Russian has gotten no less compliments; it has always been compared to that of an educated Russian - well-refined, very correct and very upscale, with a nice touch of colloquialism to spice up the writing. When chatting with Russians of my age (21), I will often resort to colloquial speech. As a result, what people compliment the most about my Russian is not only my command of the language (which does get its fair share of compliments), but also its 'flexibility.'

However, this is not a review on my fluency in Russian, but what has become of my Russian after reading and studying this book.

Not only does it take your command from advanced to proficient, it also covers different aspects, styles and registers of the Russian language; something which is often ignored in other conventional Russian textbooks. I have books of the same series focusing on different languages (i.e. Using German), and none of them was as in-depth as the Using Russian textbook. It even covers aspects of the Russkiy Mat - or Russian swear words, that other, more "politically correct" textbooks are often inclined to ignore. Russian swear words are an essential part of Russian colloquial speech, whether we like to admit it or not. This book, unlike other Russian textbooks, acknowledges this issue and dedicates a small, but detailed, section about the Russian swear words. That's only a small part of it.

While it does explain the grammar at some points, this book is primarily focused, as the book title suggests, on the APPLICATION of the language, and different circumstances that require different registers. It also gives the varying dialects and different words used across different styles (from colloquial to elevated) in order for the learner to add more flexibility to his command of the language.

In sum, I cannot say anything but agree with what every other review has said about this book. It is simply awesome and truly helpful to those learning Russian.

However, I would disagree with those who say that Using Russian substitues Wade's "A Comprehensive Russian Grammar" because both books are important and both books are invaluable to the Russian language learner. The only difference is that both books have two DIFFERENT FOCUSES, where one is more concerned with the grammar and fundamentals of the language, and the other is more concerned with the actual application of the language. Both books, in essence, compliment each other.

Mr. Offord has done an amazing thing by developing this book. I'm not exaggerating when I say it has clarified the language and helped me speak it more than did living for months in Russia -- or maybe the combination of the two was the trick. I can't wait to see what he's added for the 2nd edition.

The book -- and the others in the series (German, French, etc) -- will appeal especially to those who enjoy learning language using a formal approach, organizing topics into e.g. registers, augmentative suffixes, homographs, modal particles, etc. Don't be afraid! It all adds wonderful clarity. His English equivalents of words and phrases with subtle meanings are very well done.

After having studied it, I still enjoy picking it up and looking through a random section. Don't hesitate to get it if you enjoy Russian and are past the basics.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. One that you can;t put down. The Author has a real talent.Get ready for a mystery that keeps you quessing.

This is a very compelling novel! I was unable to put it down until reading every page! Really keeps the reader intrigued all the way to the end. The authoress has done a fine job in keeping the reader guessing the identity of the killer until the very final chapter of the book. It is spell binding and well written. I would highly recommend it for reading by all. Looking forward to many other novels by Anne Garber. I enjoy her style of writing.

Anne Garber's book, Voices, is phenominal! The pages kept turning. The characters seemed so real. I loved John, disliked Allen and was annoyed with Anthony. The women; I admired Carol's devotion to her children and have known women like Linda and Debbie. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This is no doubt one of the best books I've read!! I literally could not put the book down. It kept pulling me back to read more. I would compare Garber's writing with Patricia Cornwell. While reading the book, just as you think you have the murderer figured out, you begin doubting yourself. The book takes many turns and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's one of those books that you are sorry when it ends. You want more, and I for one can't wait for her next book. I highly recommend this book!!

Voices is about a serial killer & the lives he touches. It's also about the investigators trying to find him & the family & friends of the suspected killer. It is written from different angles & the author has created believable characters - likable & not so likable.

The book begins with the investigators at a crime scene & Garber holds nothing back in her descriptions of the scene. The killer's signature is an "X" carved over the victims mouths & eyes & a rope around their neck, held in place by an old style clothespin. Gruesome!

The tidbits about the killer's movement are strategically placed so it keeps you guessing. As soon as you think you have it figured out Garber throws another curve at you.

This is Garber's first book & I hope it isn't her last. This writer has talent!

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! Even better than the classics the teacher in my school tells me to read. I really liked reading this book, wish it were longer even though it's already 300 pages, but I wished it went on forever because it was really good. I haven't read a book in more than 3 months and this book got me back to reading. After I finished, I was kind of upset I finished the book, it's too good. I'm so glad I bought this book!

I read this book when I was young and read it again recently. It was even better. I have read many books and none have given me the feeling of this one. The review that calls it "slow building horror" is right on the mark. Completely engrossing and unsettling. Here is a VERY short description. Bryce moves to an isolated old boomtown. Ancient legends, town history, and an old indian woman who "sees" things all take part in unfolding the truth of a horror that Bryce sees is gaining power as events in town get stranger. Although the novel is aimed toward young adults, the plot and idea of this book would be interesting for anyone. Also, if you read this, is it just me or does it seem that Steve Zell makes a lot sexual references that are sort of creepy and off and definitely don't go with the book? When I read it I was trying to see what the relevance of some were and just couldn't see any even though they are blatant and numerous. That was the only thing about the book that I didn't like. Email me at scoulo1@lsu.edu if you agree because I really am curious to know if I wasn't the only one.

The story was suspensful and fun. The characters were well defined and the surroundings and events were very well described. I could taste the warm, Indian bread! I seriously could not put the book down. I truly enjoyed this book!

The story was suspensful and fun. The characters were well defined and the surroundings and events were very well described. I could taste the warm, Indian bread! I seriously could not put the book down. I truly enjoyed this book!

From the title "WiZrD", I assumed I would be reading a fantasy book. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a horror novel set in modern day Arizona, includes a cast of humans (alive, dead, and undead), and incorporates colorful, actual legends from both the Navaho and Anasazi cultures. The book gave me many of the positive impressions I had while reading "It" by Stephen King, e.g., teenagers battling supernatural forces, characters you care about, and some spine-tingling imagery. However, unlike "It", "WiZrD" builds, from the start, to a thoroughly fitting and imaginative ending. Zell has a real talent for creating a large cast of characters, each of whom are unique, each fitting like a puzzle piece into the overall story, and each contributing to the eerie climax. In general, I was very impressed with this book and highly recommend it. Zell shows great storytelling skills that I hope will only improve in his next work.

Anybody who's interested in how we write the world over would do well to pick up this book. It's awfully costly, it's true, but if you're patient and you poke around a little, you can find it used for a third or less of what it's listed for.
Serious linguists specializing in writing might read it through, but amateurs--like me--will just pick it up and leaf through it, stopping here and there, reading this chapter or that, or will use it to look up some specific thing they might want to know about, say, Bishop Wulfila's Gothic script's roots in the Greek alphabet or the origins of the Georgian or Armenian alphabets.
It tells about scripts found all over the world, big ones--Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and so on--and far less well known ones, like Berber, Cherokee, Ethiopian, Deseret and some found in Indonesia and islands in the Indian Ocean.
It tells the historic backgrounds and--for lack of a better word--genealogies of the scripts, then shows how they work.
One thing that irks me no end is a shortcoming not with the book itself, but rather with the publishing business as a whole: the font used in the book is inadequate. It is appalling that in a book about writing systems, there are characters that have to be set in other fonts from the main book forn--sometimes even within one word--and characters that show up as composite characters with diacritics off center from the letter they modify. It is a fairly simple thing to edit a font and add characters as needed. It is a shame that major publishing companies seem unwilling to make the small investment in typography that would let them set a book like this in one font, with all the characters needed, so that it reads smoothly, without distracting inconsistencies throughout.
Now, this is indeed a niggling compalint, and it in no way reflects on the beek itself, the writers or the editors. It is the fault of the publisher, and should in no way dissuade anyone interested in this admittedly esoteric subject from getting this book.

It seems that this book is not intended for a general reader, judging both by its price and by multitude of unexplained linguistic terms plentifully sown in the book. I bought this book becuse of many positive reviews and because it was drastically reduced to USD45. The book scans many dozens of wrining systems, as good as it's possible to squeese into ten-some page article, but unfortunately, many of the systems, especialy the ancient and the modern Oriental are too complicated and extended to be fully accounted in a limited space, so you can get acquanited with some 30 Sumer pictograms and never know the other 550, or you can see the 200 Chinese chanacters and just recall there several thousands more or look into Devanagari alphabet but then keep in mind there is a multitude of amalgams that are not easily recognized and so on.
It is also very helpful if one knows like what exactly sounds a linguolabial or a laminal or a voiced epiglottal fricative, otherwise he may be at lost..

The "World's Writing Systems" is a rare event for in one tome it covers all the ways of writing known to us at present. As a professional graphologist this is an absolute boon not only for what it is but because it is also on special offer. While there are other tomes of similar ilk and implication this work has no equal. Until now the study of written language has had no clearly defined reference work.

It has now. Thoroughly recommended.

Peter West

This a detailed survey of the systems that have been used for writing the world's languages, going far beyond the most familiar ones to encompass ones normally known only to specialists, ranging from the ancient Turkish runiform script to the Vai syllabary of Liberia, invented in modern times. Although it was written by experts for experts to read (and priced accordingly, but see the last paragraph below) most of it is well within the understanding of interested non-specialists. The authors assume a knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet, but it would have been almost impossible to avoid that, even if the book had been intended for the general reader. Even there it is perhaps an exaggeration to say that this is assumed, because the IPA is set out (albeit without much explanation) inside the front and back covers.

In a book of this kind the quality of the printing is a major consideration, as the samples of text need to be large enough and black enough for the individual characters to be read, and ideally should harmonize with the surrounding text in English. Before the age of computer-based typesetting it would have been impossible even to approach this ideal except at enormous price, but now it has become realistic. In general this book comes very close to the ideal, with a very high level of typography.

At more than 900 pages the book goes far beyond a mere listing of scripts with samples. It also includes a great deal of historical and cultural information, explaining how the different scripts evolved to their present state. In addition there is information about how the more successful scripts, not just Latin but also Arabic, Russian, Hebrew, Aramaic and so on, were adapted to languages different from those where they began.

At its published price the book is probably beyond the pockets of most general readers. It is worth mentioning, therefore, that on at least two occasions in recent years it has been available through Amazon with a very large discount, and one can probably expect this to happen again. I bought my copy at 40% of the published price, for example, and with that sort of discount it need not be restricted to libraries and specialists.

...it's missing many language script tables that I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, this book is amazing and filled useful information and language tables - just not all of them. I was hoping for some representation (optimally in an alphabet table format) of the usage of the Arabic-based script for Hausa, Swahili, the Central Asian languages, and some complete detail of which languages have (ever) incorporated an Arabic-based script, when they did, when it was withdrawn or changed (if applicable), comparative texts with the modern scripts, etc. In conclusion, a treasury of information (a lot of which might be quite difficult to track down on your own and would be very time-consuming), marred only by my high expectations. I definitely recommend this book to language lovers and for those who can appreciate the diversity of human expression.

Very useful book. I've been borrowing a copy from the library for the past ten weeks, and it's high time I bought my own copy. It has helped me greatly in constructing my pieces. I'm a journalist/blogger with three deadlines every week and 50 or 60 clips, and Hart's book has been useful in more ways than I can summarize. I'll just say that I almost never buy writing books, and I never write reviews on Amazon. I'm making an exception to both rules for this great book. It's aimed at beginners, but journalists with dozens or even hundreds of pieces behind them will find useful ideas too.

A Writer's Coach: The Complete Guide to Writing Strategies That Work is a practical and comprehensive writer's companion for beginners, professionals and anyone in between.

Whether you write non-fiction or fiction, Hart offers examples of strategies and techniques for eliminating procrastination, breaking through writer's block, establishing and narrowing focus, and developing a voice-all vital components in any writer's toolkit. Also included are sections on the rhythm of words, and the mechanics of writing.

Hart, a former professor at the University of Oregon, and editor at large at The Oregonian, explains his method in a clear and concise manner easy to comprehend. Mastering the art of language is a process achieved by understanding and utilizing key strategies to expand your skills as a writer.

After reading A Writer's Coach, I have a better grasp on how to assemble my thoughts into a cohesive and focused structure, and convey them for better reader clarity.

Armchair Interviews says: A must-have book for writers at any level!

I found Hart's book to be incredibly useful. As a professional editor and writer, it was refreshing to read a text on writing that was so well written. I also bought it for my father who is writing a book.

It reminds me of a good college text book, but with real-world examples and stories.

A key text for anyone considering writing a book, or for anyone who wants to improve their writing in general.

Books on writing often reiterate the same advice we learn over time, the reader sometimes lucks out in using a tidbit or two. Realistically, no one has time to study the advice and put it to practice. Thus, it's not a bad thing for a book on writing to cover the things we've read before. The more we read about it, the more it stinks in.

But you can't read A Writer's Coach in the same way you read any other writing book. This one goes deeper meaning a reader may absorb the information better by reading one chapter at a time to understand and practice the concepts. Coaching an athlete to improve at something doesn't happen overnight. Thus, this book targets the serious writer who needs to move beyond the basic books on writing in order to take writing to the next level.

I try to avoid writing general reviews that tell the reader nothing, but Hart is a master in explaining the concepts of method, process, structure, and everything else he covers. It's difficult to capture them into a little review when I try to avoid long reviews.

Business and life coaching grows more popular because they're effective in helping people change behavior and improve. In thinking about coaches, I reflected on my childhood years when I played sports. The best coaches point out the right way to swing a bat, serve a volleyball, or shoot a basket. They also help players review their weaker moves so they can fix their form rather than let them continue using bad form, which will hurt them in the end. "Coach" is a fitting word in the title because Hart takes the coaching approach in showing the writer the right form for taking an idea from start to finish.

The book speaks more to journalists and non-fiction writers. However, much advice works across all writing genres -- so those who thrive on telling stories can glean a few valuable lessons from Hart. Expect to find high quality content that you find in the best college textbooks -- except subtract the stiff and convoluted writing. Hart's writing style makes the reading easy. A Writer's Coach contains smart, clear and logical guidance that will take a writer's writing skills to the next level.

Of all the writing guides out there, this one stands out for its balance between passion, precision and technique. You'll find some real gems tucked nonchalantly into the most unassuming paragraphs. Most helpful are the check-lists at the end of every chapter.
As a novelist, I gleaned a lot of wisdom and encouragement from this book. If you want to build a library of master teaching, add to this Stephen King's On Writing, and Donald Maass' Writing the Break Out Novel. These three are spot on.

This book really is great for anyone just starting out in the playwriting field and if you've got experience writing plays behind you. I was in the midst of writing a new musical when I picked this book up for graduate school. Reading this book while writing helped to immediately put into practice what Hatcher was saying. It also helped me to answer a few questions I had about my own piece as well as keep me on course with my project.

This is the only book on the market that makes the process clear and exciting without long, dry chapters of lecturing. Hatcher gives you inspiring exercises along with a dose of terminology that balances perfectly. Buy this if you are teaching playwriting at the college level, or if you want to give it a try on your own.

Wonderful book. It's like taking a college course on playwriting, with a great teacher. It's very helpful.

I checked this book out from the library, but now I must buy my own copy to keep. I've been having problems developing second act story complications without completely deconstructing my original set up and concept. The suggested techniques in this book of asking questions --somewhat like a reporter or investigator would in uncovering a life mystery-- to find the story are unique. I actually found myself with pen and paper WANTING to participate in the questions and exercises. No other manual has inspired me this way.

Keep re-reading it over and over again. Don't ever let it leave your bedside table. Written with razor sharp simplicity, organised ingeniously and written with a scholarly expertise.

This is not a highly technical Oracle book but it does demonstrate how many of the Oracle features rely on intuition instead of science. It is not the kind of book that you will refer to later, but it is an excellent one time read

This book is a great place to start to learn about performance tuning for Oracle. The book covers the different type of performance tuning methods in a neutral and matter of fact manner. I like the candidness of the author and the fact that he does not push or suggest one method is better than any other. Use this book to start to understand the different methods then move on to more in depth books on a particular performance tuning method. Take a moment and look at the Table of Contents

Lawson gives the Oracle DBA many useful ideas on customising your Oracle database. He pretty much assumes you already possess a reasonable background in Oracle. There is no wasted space on elementary SQL or Oracle tasks.

Perhaps the key chapters are 7, "Oracle Pathologist" and 8, "Analysing SQL Bottlenecks". Later chapters add important refinements. But if you are in search of quick gains, chapters 7 and 8 could be the most fruitful. The ideas in those might not have to involve a major overhaul of your architecture.

Great book,nice and easy to follow approach,fine life examples.

Among other things the author very intelligently also reiterates

the importance of a good self image and the importance of a

good relationship to co-workers in a very casual,realistic and

non intrusive manner

The technical Oracle performance tuning section doesn't start until Chapter 5. The first 94 pages of the book is spent on topics such as "Maintain a Healthy Skepticism","Blame should be Avoided","The Cost of a Poor Working Relationship", and "The Universal Law of Reciprocity". Although the author's advice on these matters is sound, the first 94 pages clearly does not provide what the users are looking for.

The crown jewel of this book is its technical explaination of wait events. Its explaination of v$SQL, v$system_event, v$session_event, and V$Session_wait tables is well worth your money and your time. If you do not know of these tables, then do yourself and your Oracle users a great service and buy this book and master its contents. You will not regret it.

The weakspot of this book is in the resolution of Oracle's slow performance. Although the book provides strong hints that most Oracle issues can be resolved with better indexing and index hints, the book does not emphasize it as much as it should. It also doesn't provide a whole lot of suggestions on how to optimize the SGA.

This book is part of the curriculum for 3 year-old children at private Carden schools, along with Good Night Moon. Both are Classics and belong in every child's library. The pictures, although sketches, look like the real animals, which is a plus compared to many cartoons, and the premise Disney's more modern Baby Einstein is based on too. It introduces children to the Real World. It also teaches the quality of being giving and sharing what you have, and how a gift doesn't always have to be tangible, since a hug can be a great gift to give and receive too.

Ask Mr. Bear is a wonderful little classic. I like to read it but more important, my 3 littlest cherubs love to have it read to them. It has a good storyline and the older artwork adds variety. They love the ending -- a big bear hug for mom! It is a favorite at our house with the under 7 year old group.

Wonderful children's classic to add to your child's collection. Heartwarming story about a little boy wanting to buy his mom a birthday gift and along the way he asks all his animal friends. The end is sweet and endearing.

I loved this book as a child, now my children love it. It gets them thinking about gifts they can give, and understand that a hug and a kiss for Mom is one of the best presents they can give. I've gotten a lot more of them since reading this book to them.

I can recall reading this book to my much younger siblings and then to my own 4 children; now I am reading it
to my grandson. I especially like the way the animals help the little boy find a gift for his mother with the perfect
gift not being something material but just a lovely big hug. What a wonderful message to pass on to a child.

My only concern was if all the words are for real. And they are. Trust me. Join the world and buy at least one.

As popular as the "Blair witch project" is for the movies, "Bad Words Dictionary" is for the world of letters. Four thumbs up Sir Voy Sobon (the prince of great ideas and obscenity)GREAT ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

I have spoted this book on Amazon.com. It sounded very interesting, but the really kick began when I got this book in the front of my eyes. And it's not too easy to bring me to laughing. But I just could't stop it. Untill tears in my eyes. I swear...Ever since I bought ten copies of this one of kind source of entertainment for my closest friends. They all just love it. You can not resist it. What an idea for a book! Big KISS for Voy Sobon,whoever you are!

I found this book great. It is a lot of fun! It would only be better if we could sort the words and expressions not only by English, but also by the other idioms as well (probably possible only in a CD version). BUY IT AND HAVE FUN !

It is lot of fun for everyone who values alive languages of everyday use on the street. There is no F... way one will not laugh while reading those hilarious words aloud. Even my father was laughing, although it is not easy to bring him out of his serious mood. Great value for travelers. I am waiting for next volumes with additional languages.

I think the other 5-star reviews say it all, so I will just add another 5-star review here with the rest. Refreshingly, this book does not just focus on writing for business, but addresses fiction and other writing as well.

This book shares secrets of the profi. They are so simple that you can't believe first. When I read a quarter of the book my writing style revived. Thanks to Paula LaRocque that pointed the way to great writing.

If you need to learn to write well, this is the book to buy! It's not only easy to read, but understand as well. (School teachers never seemed to explain it as easily.)Everyone that knows me, said my writing got 50 percent better after studying this book! That says a lot since i wasn't half bad before then. (Please dont take the way i write this review as a representation of what this book teaches- it's late at night and I'm too tired to correct any grammar errors, etc.).

Paula LaRocque's writing seminars are legendary -- I've attended two -- and this book lives up to them. It's like a month-long writing seminar packed into one book. Clear, concise advice and inspiring examples.

The author of The Book on Writing really knows her "stuff." As an English and Composition teacher, this is the best book I've come across in a long time. Highly recommended for teachers of writing and those wanting to learn how to write. Paula LaRocque practices what she preaches.