K Books

First of all let me tell you that this book is not an easy reading, it has to many characters and to many stories, to be exact it has six stories, at first all of them separately but in the middle of the book they will be as one big story. Of course the main story, the story of Lucky and Lennie is the must important, but you are really interested in all the stories at the same time. When you end a chapter of one story you want to skip the next chapter to see what happened in that specific story, but when you start to read about the other story you forget about the first one and you will want to know what happened to this one.
The end of the book is not so good, but the book still keep 5 stars

Yes, I should be reading something with more substance, but I love Lucky Santangelo's story! This is like watching your favorite soap opera, but with better characters, and a faster, tighter storyline. Very hard to put down once you start it! I especially loved how Lucky planned to make her studio more receptive to female stars and women's stories. If only there was a Hollywood studio like that for real!

I am not normally one to ready "trashy" novels. Ms. Collins has set up a great list of characters (Bridgett, Charlie Dollar, etc.) in the Lucky Santangelo series. This is perhaps the best of the bunch. Feisty Lucky Santangelo purchases a movie studio from one of the old time owners (kind of a Louis Mayer personna) and becomes the boss of the studio. This causes a lot of friction with her husband Lennie Golden, who feels cheated of his right to win roles on his own merit.

I read this one really fast!

Nothing comes remotely close to this series.

In LADY BOSS, Lucky has finally found the love of her life in comedian/actor Lennie Golden. Not only are the two different as night and day, but they are both as headstrong as ever causing them to sometimes bump heads, but the love that they have for each other surpasses all of that.
Who would've thought that Lucky would find love again after her beloved Marco? Three marriages later, and she has finally got it right this time around. So like any loving wife, Lucky tries to make her husband happy. When Lennie nags and complains about the goings on in his workplace -- Panther Studios, Lucky decided to eliminate his frustration by buying the studio so that the pair of them can have complete control. But nothing wanted in life comes easily. Before Lucky can take full control of the studio, she has to go undercover, and expose all employees who pretty much aren't "getting the job done". This is where the adventure begins.
Meanwhile Lennie is oblivious to this plan. Lucky has to cover up her whereabouts because she wants to surprise him with this after the plans flow accordingly. This situation brings on strain that the two were not prepared for. Will Lennie appreciate the gift Lucky is working on presenting him with? You'll have to read and find out!

I recently finished 'LADY BOSS' the third book in the Lucky Santangelo series and I absolutely loved it! Where 'LUCKY' was good 'LADY BOSS' was great. In this third installment Lucky goes to Hollywood in hopes of acquiring a major movie studio, however, just before she closes the deal she finds out that there is a catch. She has to work undercover at the studio for six weeks as a plain Jane secretary! At first Lucky is reluctant but soon the idea of surprising her husband movie star Lennie Golden with his own studio coupled with the sheer enjoyment of being able to spy on all of the studio executives is too much for Lucky to pass up. But as Lucky soon finds out Lennie is not too thrilled with her surprise, which puts their marriage in serious jeopardy.

There are so many enjoyable story lines in this book that it makes it hard to put down. An example of this is the story of Venus Maria and Martin Swanson the movie star and the billionaire. Swanson is a business tycoon who is married to Dena Swanson a woman who became famous by using the Swanson name and refuses to let anybody take that away from her including the Madonna like movie and recording star Venus Maria. But Venus is determined to have Martin all to herself that is until her brother Emilio shows up and stirs up trouble for the couple.

I found this book to be extremely entertaining and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Lucky is powerful, demanding and independent a true example of a strong woman. 5 Stars!

Moles abound.


The last book in this trilogy is probably not quite as good as the other two, you could call it a 3.75 if you like, but there is some entertaining commentary on what goes on in the spook office with the whole clueless management versus the footslogging hardworking spy in the field.

MI6 is still a bit worried about Benard because of his traitorous spouse, so when he finds out about what he thinks is yet another mole, he isn't looked on too favourably, particularly as it might just be one of the higher-ups.

People who like the others should still enjoy this.

This book can standalone as a good spy story, as can the others in this trilogy, but the storyline attains excellence when read in series - Berlin Game, Mexico Set, and London Match. The tension ebbs and flows throughout the trilogy, but it isn't until the climax of London Match that we see the full scope. I honestly think this is the best book of the three, but maybe that's just because all the threads finally come together. Highly recommended!

This is the third of the Bernard Samson trilogy set in London, Berlin, Mexico and East Germany. I think that Mr. Deighton possibly felt that the first of the series was meant as a solo effort. Perhaps not. Both Berlin Game and Mexico Set stand on their own and could have been solo efforts; London Match is possibly the weaker of the three, but leaves us with that gritty taste in our mouths that recalls the anti-Bond stories of Harry Palmer, Bernard and the others.

The office wit characterized by working with management types unfamiliar with the "field" is not uncommon to many of us who spent time in the military or big corporations. We toil for those who have never experienced what they ask us to do. Hence Dickie Cruyer and Bret Rennselear. Of course for most all of us the result of the inequity of working for management is several antacid tablets; Bernard is quick to point out for him it may be death.

Len Deighton writes wonderful stories about the Cold War a long time ago. Or was it? 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury

It's one of those hall-of-mirrors British spy stories in which the puzzle is to figure out who is working for whom, and who is double-crossing whom.
I was rereading my Len Deightons, partly to see how much impact they still have post-cold war, and I picked this one up out of order. After the first few pages I remembered that this was third in the Bernard Samson series, set in the 1970's and 80's, but it has close affinities to the Harry Palmer series of the 60's, especially Funeral in Berlin. (This has a 1985 publication date). If you're completely new to Len Deighton I'd start with those, and of course you should read Berlin Game and Mexico Set before this.
Some people think Deighton deteriorated in the later spy books. They contain fewer wisecracks and less descriptive scene- setting. In compensation there's a lot of subtle humor in the portrayal of the Dilbert-like atmosphere of office politics, and the plots are more sharply focussed and draw naturally to a climax. The earlier books tend to jump from episode to episode with a tidying up of plot in the last chapter.

The best of the game, set and match trilogy. Exciting, lean and suspenseful.

"Loving in Flow" is written in an easy to read, unpretentious and entertaining style. Dr.Susan Perry's credentials and experience are impressive and lend credibility to her message. Setting her apart from the authors of many self-help books about relationships is her refreshing viewpoint that these are not the things you MUST do to improve your relationship - rather, she gently delivers insights for your consideration - to be used if appropriate, and discarded if not. Reading her book opened my eyes to several areas for improvement in my own life. It also helped me understand and identify behaviors (both good and bad) in others. I guarantee that if you read Perry's book, you'll learn something useful about yourself that you didn't know before.

Susan K. Perry has written a wonderful book that can benefit everyone. It's written in a personable and understandable style. She draws from her own research interviewing couples with "fulfilled" and resilient relationships and from the relationship literature to inform us of practical and sensible guidance. One of the most endearing qualities of her book is how much she draws from her personal life and relationship with her husband Stephen. She conveys an intimate understanding of couple relationships that is easily recognized. Loving in Flow takes the reader from first meetings and courtship through the inevitable ups and downs that are experienced by all committed couples. Throughout the book, she conveys optimism that through our commitment to each other and hard work, we can achieve the flow that makes our relationship so meaningful. Dr. Perry doesn't leave us in the lurch but offers many solid suggestions and guidelines based on the literature, her interviews with real couples and her own experience. I believe that anyone who reads this book will find it satisfying and useful. This book should be on everyone's shelf.

Refreshingly honest with insight that teaches partners to be "count-on-able," to be happy together and much more. "Loving in Flow" is a delight to read!

I was more interested in Dr. Perry's book, "Writing in Flow" and I primarily read this book to see and experience her writing. I didn't think I'd become engrossed in it but I did. I've had a lot of experience leading couples workshops and doing clearings on various relationship issues. I was sure there would be nothing in this book for me, but I was wrong. I walked away with the realization that I was taking my husband's many kindnesses and on-going support of me for granted and neglecting to acknowledge him on a regular basis -- and was very surprised to make that discovery. My husband doesn't know I just read a fantastic book, but he definitely knows he is tops on my list and that I appreciate him. What an amazing gift to take from Dr. Perry's thoughtful, honest, and straight-forward book. I highly recommend it to everyone.

If there's anything worse than the constant, grinding pain of an intractable marital problem, it's the glib pseudo-analysis of bestselling advice experts -- often more annoying, less qualified and just plain stupider than any offending spouse, and they seem to wind up divorced, discredited and humiliated with even greater frequency. But LOVING IN FLOW is surprisingly, even powerfully, convincing on a wide variety of painful and frightening (and sometimes insoluble) relationship issues. And author Susan Perry isn't just a qualified psych PhD with (thank God) may years' experience researching and writing about long-term couples. She also has a literary gift (her well-scrutinized husband is a poet) and a meticulous, almost Proustian frankness about relationships that she's actually observed, advised, and been in herself. You might not want to know how much conscious work a successful long-term relationship actually needs, or how much pain and suffering and loser behavior it frequently has to accommodate ... but this book is uniquely credible on the subject, and one of the few I'd recommend to casual readers just for the information.

First Sentence: The whole affair began so quietly.

WWII war widow Charity Shelbourne whose holiday in France becomes life changing. It starts with a large dog and a young, clearly troubled, boy in Avignon and progresses with a suspicious step-mother, an Englishman who reads poetry and a way-too-handsome Frenchman via a thrilling car chase to a man who had been accused, but acquitted, of murder and is desperate to connect with his son in spite of others desperate attempts to prevent it.

I love Mary Stewart's pre-Merlin books. The story starts off placidly but you are told things are going to quickly change as all the players are in place. Stewart's writing is incredibly visual. Her sense of place is vivid to the point that you feel the heat and smell the flowers. Her use of analogy is wonderful. With only a few words, you know who these characters are. Her protagonist is strong, smart and very capable. Her friend, Louise, plays a minor role but is memorable in her own right. I don't always like the way children are portrayed but, again, Stewart has drawn a lovely character in the boy, David. Stewart creates and builds the suspense, but adds just a subtle, mostly off-scene, dash of romance to make a wholly satisfying read. Even the chapter headings add to the story. My only personal nit-pick is the use of portents, which is just a personal irritant for me, but so minor when compared with the rest of the story. This book was an absolute pleasure to read.

I first read this nearly 30 years ago (yikes), and it left such an indelible impression that when I recently started visiting this genre again, I had to have another taste of this story. There are a couple points where it's obvious this is an early work, but they are few and do not detract from the vivid descriptions and characterizations. By the end of the novel, I have been to Avignon and Marseilles, and I'm quite fond of Charity and her friends. Even Louise, a minor character, is well drawn and you feel you know her.

Time to revisit all of Mary Stewart's books, I think. I remember the Merlin series fondly as well. If you like this genre, you may also like the works of Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, and Phyllis Whitney. And if you liked the Merlin series, I highly recommend The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

As I have always wondered why the BBC has not produced any of Ms. Stewart's wonderful novels as mini-series for public television, I cannot help but imagine how media rich such a production would be. Case in point, Ms. Stewart's first work of suspense fiction: "Madam Will You Talk?" Her heroine, Charity Shelbourne is instantly likeable--a WW2 war widow who lovingly carries a framed photo of Johnny, her fallen RAF pilot in her suitcase,gladly expends time from her own holiday to entertain a lonely 14-year-old boy and honestly is confident enough about her own looks to admit when another woman is breathtakingly beautiful. True to her name and her noble instincts, Charity plunges unwittingly yet rather intelligently into a post war intrigue involving the estranged boy, his agressively tenacious father and the boy's lovely yet frightened stepmother using all the wit and willpower that made the British so heroically stoic through WW2. The characters play against the lush backdrop of the walled hilltop villages of Avignon and Nimes and eventually the cosmopolitan splendour/squallor of Marseilles which we see, smell and hear from the passenger side of Charity's car in a chase sequence more harrowingly memorable than that in the film "The French Connection". Ms . Stewart delivers not only a nicely summed up tale of greed and murder, but neatly fills Charity's emotional void and our own as she allows Charity to utilize Johnny's devil-may-care driving tips, rebel savvy and masculine assuredity through each twist of the plot on her way to finding her way in the world without him while opening her heart to someone else. She is a woman all women want to be: vulnerable yet indispensible. The essential ingredients are all there for a most wonderful episodic film about a wily 20th century woman--get those cameras rolling! Highly recommended, especially in the unabridged audio format.

Mary Stewart writes great romantic suspense. This novel has the beautiful settings, fast-paced mystery and charming protagonist of all her suspense novels, plus an edge-of-your-seat climatic car chase that will leave you wanting to rush out and get her other books.

Nobody does it better. Nobody ever will. Even in this, Stewart's first novel, her prose is so compelling that you overlook some of the new-author awkwardness. Some scenes go on too long, and her fascination with cars/driving/car chases (a staple in each of her books) can get a bit tiresome. But you only notice that on your third or fourth reread. It's a shame that romance novels aren't permitted to be intelligent nowadays; authors are expected to write at a junior-high school comprehension level. No such rules in Stewart's day, and that's why she'll never be bested.

This workbook is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning tarot or improving their reading skills. It is suitable for beginners, intermediates, and advanced alike. I have been studying and practicing tarot for about 15 years, and really wish this book had been available to me when I started out.

21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card teaches you how to look at the cards and really see what is there. It gives you a foundation in things such as deck structure, numerology, elemental correspondences, dignities, etc., and teaches you how to put it all together with your intuition. The book really helps you build confidence in your reading abilities, while teaching you at the same time. A true gift.

I approached the book by doing all 21 Ways at the Apprentice level, and then going back and doing all 21 Ways at the Adept level. Some steps come very naturally, others are more challenging, and some feel awkward, but the results of doing all 21 Steps are very rewarding.

What you learn in 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card will allow you to put down the "crutches" when you read, and let you enjoy the experience. This book is about breaking down barriers, pre-conceived notions, and "quick" interpretations. If you are new to tarot and do not have any of these habits, then it will help you develop into a strong reader without having to unlearn or break habits that create barriers to learning tarot. If you rely on "crutches" or have confidence issues it will help you overcome that. If you are already a strong confident reader, then it will give you some new ways to explore the cards and enhance what you are already doing.

This is a fab book for anyone who really wants to get to the nitty-gritty of not only the tarot, but of themselves. It takes the reader through the most interesting and painless of ways of getting to know a new deck, and the deeper realms of reader and sitter.
The first I was introduced to the writings of Mary K. Greer was through this book and it is a revelation. If the reader is willing to get to the heart of any matter, this book is a great guide to finding some solid answers to the whys, whats, hows, wheres of your question. It is a lesson in patience and rewarded in an enlightenment which endures. Enjoy this read, it's an eyeopener!

((This review was written by my wife Lisa Hunt. She does not have an Amazon account but has read this book. Lisa is a tarot author/artist so is well qualified to add her thoughts to these reviews.))

This book is a tarot treasure trove that has something for everyone regardless of one's level of expertise. Even if you aren't a tarot reader or are completely new to the art of divination, Greer's book contains a comprehensive overview of the many uses of tarot. Her presentation is well thought out and stands on a strong foundation of research that parallels Greer's own journey as a tarot reader and teacher. She successfully integrates the theories and terms postulated by 20th century psychoanalyst Carl Jung, adding dimension to this fascinating text.

Regardless of scholastic influences, she never strays from her earthy voice making this book interesting and informative without being offputting. Not only does she include interesting personal anecdotes and sample readings, but she offers excellent suggestions for enhancing one's own intuitive skills. The book is replete with effective exercises that are fun and helpful and can be practiced over and over again. Some of these ideas examine themes/motifs and others help the reader to become more acquainted with symbolism and others examine more subtle elements of tarot. Greer gives us examples of how to answer tricky questions and expand on a reading by utilizing the nuances of an image or allowing the intuitive spirit to flow more freely. She also gives us tips on how to rephrase the querent's question to help free up any potential stumbling blocks during a reading.

Even if you don't gravitate to a particular activity or agree with all of her methods, Greer provides simple yet potent tools that can serve to expand one's own rapport with the cards. It's a fun-packed volume filled with Greer's unique wisdom that is sure to please tarot enthusiasts everywhere. Also included is an excellent glossary that can be used as a quick reference guide.

This book is fantastic! I love the way the exercises walk you through all the individual detials of the cards. The authors teaching style makes it very easy to absorb AND RETAIN all that you have learned. I have several friends who have been reading tarot for years and they were amazed with how quickly I learned. I would absolutly recommend this to any beginnner or experienced reader looking to add a whole new level of depth to their readings.

Hello all

I am part of a study group going through this book. What an adventure I thought having tarot cards for years that there was no way there would be this many ways to " see" a card. But was I wrong , and gladly so.

We finished all the apprentice steps and are about to start on the adept part now and truly I am a much better reader then i though I ever could be.

One warning though it takes work and time to apply everything but the rewards are very much worth it.

Mr Berry is a writers writer. Eloquent without being pretentious. Brilliant without being inexcessable. He is Wes Jackson and Frederick Buechner at lunch over beans and Hoecake

Memories of a lifetime move into and out of the mind and soul of Jack Beechum, town patriarch and now-aged and retired Kentucky tobacco farmer who was born of, defined by and wedded to the richness and rewards of the toil and soil of his beloved farm. As in other Wendell Berry novels that I've read, Port William, KY is the setting for the same collage of personages who populate and flesh out these recollections of one man's successes and failures, joys and sorrows, hopes and regrets, with prose that embraces the poignant nuances of each reminiscence. Throughout, it's as if Old Jack's mind lights upon a loose, dangling thread of a past experience and, holding on and following it carefully, he wends his way back to the original whole-cloth of the event. Whether it is the poetry of the narrative, or the truth of universal insights, or the pervasiveness of gentleness and forbearance, this is literary soul food. There's nothing maudlin here, however, as these are remembrances of a pretty vigorous and rough-hewn guy, grown old but not soft. But, by gosh, this IS beautiful down-home style stuff.

For Berry readers, this will come as no surprise, but this is a phenomenal book. I love the simple elegance of the prose, and the import is incredible.

Beautiful, beautiful book.

This is a fine book, opening a window into a day in the 1950s in a Kentucky river town, and a life that led up to that day. Wendell Berry loves his characters, but portrays them honestly, and makes you feel like you have known them too. The Memory of Old Jack isn't about nostalgia, it's about how people live. It's about human nature and the human condition, and though the circumstances that produced that moment in time have changed, human nature hasn't, at least where I live, and that's what made this book enjoyable. I plan to read it again.

I've now read most of Berry's canon, and still feel this is his very best novel. I recommend it without qualification.

This is a helpful informative book, especially helpful for new teachers.
However, I would also recommend it for experienced teachers for some new ideas.

This book is simple and clear in focus and structure. It has great strategies and suggestions for implementation in classrooms of various grade levels. This is a great resource if you are looking to improve your classroom community and overall communication skills of your students.

Wonderful, applicable strategies to build community in every classroom! In every school building! Great resource full of ideas.

I am a 6th grade teacher moving to 2nd grade this year. This book was a HUGE help in preparing me to organize my morning meeting. It is an easy read and has lots of helpful tips. I can't wait to start school this year and start my morning meetings!
If you are an elementary teacher, buy this book! You won't regret it!The Morning Meeting Book (Strategies for Teachers, 1)

This resource is an excellent buy. After cutting morning meeting out of my classroom routines, I realized that it's not what I should have done. I wish that I had this book in the beginning of the year to help me with the morning meeting. There are so many wonderful ideas and activities in this book. If you get this book, I would also highly recommend Morning Meeting, Afternoon Wrap-up by Donna Whyte. That is also an excellent resource. The two together will give you what you need for your morning meeting.

This man is a genius, as much as for what he leaves you to imagine as for what he writes. Great entertainment.

I have always thought that Patrick McManus is the funniest writer on the planet. I read his stories when I need to laugh or relax. Sometimes I irritate my wife by reading it in bed. I try not to laugh out loud, but I only succeed in sounding like I am trying to muffle continuous sneezes.

However, not everyone gets it. I have been shocked by watching people read McManus without so much as a smile (though most start snorting like wild pigs on acid) . My only guess is that getting McManus requires a couple things. First, it requires some understanding of his experiences. He absolutely nails all of the stupid things 'outdoors men (outdoors people)' do and think, but don't want anybody to know about. Second, you have to see the self-deprecating aspect of his humor. Third, you can't look for great literature in integrated books. Patrick McManus is an excellent writer, if you see these as independent stories simply collected in a volume. They are meant for adults who want to laugh at themselves. So, If you are willing to or already meet the above three criteria, you will love this book.

By the way, I am a professor of clinical psychology and (other than worrying a little about McManus) I sometimes recommend this and other McManus books. I do this with people who have racing thoughts and anxiety at bedtime, and when I believe they have the necessary experiences to find it funny. It often works quite well. I think of his stories as little pieces of happiness. (Oh, that even makes me sick to hear. Sorry)

This is the second collection of stories by Patrick F. McManus that I have read, and while he is compared to many notable names on the jacket, and I compared him to other humorists I like the first time I read his work, he deserves to stand on his own. It is not an issue of his being as good, nearly as good, or better than another humorist. He is unique and very special, Mr. McManus is an original.

I think the title of this collection, "Never Sniff A Gift Fish", is unfortunate for no such activity takes place within the book. Not unlike the dozens of stories on hunting and fishing, all he generally brings back from an outing is new humor; he apparently catches and shoots virtually nothing. As I mentioned after reading his first book, his friends will stop by and ask that he not even think about whatever it is they are off to hunt or fish while they are off doing it. He has said he is so bad entire states have banned him, as he can single handedly destroy tourism for a state, and no one will lend him small motorized machines as he invariably causes them to cease to function.

This collection is much earlier than the first that I read, and the stories contain wonderful bits about his childhood, and also as a new husband and a father. These are great stories, many that include his young family and virtually everyone is G-rated, place them on film and they would probably be made by Disney. This is great reading, great fun and wonderful humor totally lacking in pretense or show. If this man records his stories on tape I might break a rule that has never been broken, that of listening to an author as opposed to reading his book. And I don't hunt or fish, neither activity is necessary to enjoy these tales as they are about human behavior, his humans are just generally outside.

NEVER SNIFF A GIFT FISH
By: Patrick F. McManus

Have you ever heard of a great outdoorsman? You know, the one whose fly-casting technique can be compared to an old lady fighting off a bee with a broom handle. Or maybe the one whose attempts to pitch the family tent terrorized entire campgrounds. Well, for those of you who haven't heard of him, this book, will give you a little insight into the life of the great outdoorsman. Never Sniff A Gift Fish, is a great source for those useful camping phrases. Here are some of them.

Corn Flakes: A common camp food. Often eaten dry with salt and pepper since no one thought to bring milk.

Camping manuals: Books filled with ingenious camping tips which are forgotten the instant the camper sets foot in the field. "I read about a way to cook a chicken with a camera lens and a wire clothes hanger, but I can't remember how," he says. "Better just fry it."

Downwind: Whichever side of the campfire you happen to be on.
And who could forget "When hell freezes over": An expression used by wives and mothers to indicate the next time you'll get them to go on another camping trip.

This book is a hilarious combination of philosophy and fishing, all rolled into one. I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend this book to any outdoorsman, great or not, that has a sense of humor and a sense of what the author is going through.

i first theses books when i was ten years old and i haven't stopped yet.. we only have four books but i intend to get more of the books.. they are funny.. i like the one where he goes hunting on his bicycle and gets the deer stuck on the pedals.

On Solid Ground is a comprehensive guide for teachers who would like to implement a reading workshop in their classrooms. I found this book to be a very valuable resource. The book also includes an appendix full of reproducible sheets that support instruction and organization.

I just "happened" upon this book a few years ago, and since I first opened the cover, I have been amazed at how it "talks" to the reader. I was drowning in the beginning of my Reading Recovery year, and this book helped me to put teaching reading into not only a global perspectative but into plain language. Since that time, I have re-read this book every summer before I head back into the "regular classroom" in hopes that I will be renewed and refreshed when beginning with my new students. I have referred many teachers to this book and would recommend it as a MUST have in the Professional library of every teacher. NO you dont need to borrow a copy from someone. You need to buy one(and I didnt get paid to say that!) LOL You need to be able to mark it up and refer back to it all year long. My copy is now tattered and torn but what a wealth of information Ms Taberski has given me.

I am a first year teacher working in an elementary urban education classroom. I found this book to be a happy marriage between theory and practice. It is clear you are reading a book by a veteran teacher, not simply someone who theorizes about education. There are so many aspects to this book that I found useful. Taberski's chapter on assessing student needs and organization of classroom space were most helpful. Read this book and if you have a chance check out Sharon taberski at one of her workshops - she is an inspiration to us all. Be sure to check out the appendices at the end of the book - great reproducibles there!

I am an elementary school teacher who has been out of the field for 12 years. I found this book invaluable in updating my knowlege and skills in the teaching of reading. Her approach makes so much sense and her techniques and ideas are appropriate and easy to use.

After teaching for 22 years as a special ed. teacher, I read Sharon's book. It changed how I teach forever. Using Sharon's ideas, I decreased the amount of talking I do, increased the amount of reading my students do and saw tremendous change in even my most disabled students. One 4th grade student made 4 years growth in the first six months after I began to use Sharon's strategies and returned to her regular class. All students made significant improvements. I highly recommend her book and her ideas to every teacher of young children. You won't be sorry.

I first met Betty McDonald when I read The Egg and I, back in high school in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1960s, and I was completely enthralled. First of all: she writes extremely well. Her sentences are terse and well-formed, and she has a knack for shaping quips of all kinds: the quick laugh, the sudden surprise laugh line, and the careful set-up gag. Most of all, though, I find myself laughing aloud (she's one of the few authors who makes me laugh aloud while reading) at the perfection of a sentence which is at the same time witty, perfectly balanced, completely appropriate, and completely unexpected.

You will find all this - in spades - in Onions in the Stew. It is a mellower book than the others, for many reasons; she was older when she wrote it - and, I think, happier in her second marriage; also, her already considerable skill at writing had grown. Her descriptions of Vashon Island in the 1940s are utterly perfect: beautiful, clever, and bittersweet all at once. Her descriptions of her husband and daughters - and others in her family - are full of warmth, and are at the same time completely clear-eyed and unsentimental.

Frankly, comparing Betty to Erma Bombeck is like comparing Julia Child to Rachael Ray. They can both cook - but, oh boy, I know whose house I'd like to visit for lunch . . .

I first read Onions in the Stew almost thirty years ago, in a Reader's Digest Condensed Books version, and I never forgot it. What a JOY to receive the complete version as a gift years later, along with The Plague and I, and Anybody Can Do Anything, when they were reissued by The Common Reader. I absolutely devoured them, passed them around among my friends & loved ones (keeping track of who had them, very uncharacteristic but they're the kind of books you never want to lose!!!!) and agree with every five-star reviewer here, especially "pony-express," that Betty is the best friend you never met. Also enjoyed the comment about how much fun heaven will be, to drink strong coffee & yak with Betty MacDonald. She is still as witty today as when she wrote her books, utterly classic and fresh, laugh-out-loud and tremendously endearing without EVER being cloying. Such a cut above. Her other books are equally wonderful, and I just wish more people were exposed to her; she's a tonic for stress, an antidote to depression. So glad there are others out there who love her as I do!

I've just finished the fourth Betty MacDonald memoir. Thank you Amazon for the access to all these out of print books!
I now know what's going to be fun in Heaven - chatting with Betty over strong cups of coffee.
These books were like discovering a new best friend. I've never been so entertained by reading. What a gal!

Having finished my previous book and waiting for Amazon's free shipping promo to buy more, I picked up this book collecting dust in my book closet. I was pleasantly surprised.

It is smart and funny and so down-to-earth that you have to instantly like Betty as your best friend. Althouhg I am not a big fan of women titles (those seems to dominate the New York Times bestsellers list these days), I laughed out loud on a plane from Washington DC to Houston on a business trip. Who knew that everyday domestic issues can be so light and funny?

Anyway, just try it. You will find it more enjoyable than you want to admit.

"The Egg and I." As I said in my review of the earlier book, although I found parts of "Egg" charming, the chapter on Indians made my part-Cherokee blood boil, and that other parts seemed rather mean-spirited as well.

There is none of the mean-spiritedness in "Onions", probably because, in spite of the various toils and tribulations of life on the island, Betty was basically happy there, as opposed to "Egg" where she was mostly miserable.

I loved the part about the small woman who loved to curl up on soft, comfy places like sofas, armchairs, and other women's husbands' laps. I wondered, though, why Betty didn't just ask her to step out into the garden and then drop-kick her across the straight to Seattle? I'm sure she could have gotten some of the other women in their circle of friends to help.

Many of the events she tells of show us that teenage girls have always been a handful, whatever they say. However, in spite of all the complaining and whining, the girls were willing to pich in; how many girls their age nowadays would have something like stuffed pork chops waiting when their parents came home from work?

While "Egg" left me wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to run a chicken farm in the middle of a howling wilderness, "Onions" made me wonder if living on an island might not be fun.