Reviews Books

I can't say enough good things about this book! I had read The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health and was impressed enough to rethink my eating. But I wondered how it would ever work.

Well, I bought this cookbook two weeks ago, and every meal has received either four or five stars from my kids! I never thought they would actually eat and ENJOY tofu, but they loved the Chili-Mac, Spinach Lasagna, and Stir-Fry recipes in this book. I have also made the potato salad, apple crisp, and peanut butter crispy squares. Yum! I like the make-ahead mixes and freezer ideas. That fits with my cooking style, and I thought I couldn't do it with vegetarian cooking. Yay! Thanks, Heather, for a great book!

The first thing you need to know about Heather Houck Reseck, the author of this book, is that she's a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church. Not that it matters what religion your cookbook author is, but I didn't know this when I started reading this guidebook and I was distracted by her talk about the Sabbath and going to church until I realized what church she was talking about.

She's also a registered dietician and health consultant dedicated to helping hurried families eat healthy meals. Her book is big on shortcuts, from mixes to slow cooking, marathon cooking sessions to buying in bulk.

The book includes more than 100 pages on meal planning, nutrition and quick cooking methods, while the rest of the book features recipes for mixes, breads, dishes with fruit, entrees, side dishes, bean dishes, salads and food gifts.

All of the recipes include many variations so you can get a lot of mileage out of this book just by trying the same recipe in a different way. For instance, the recipe for bean enchiladas is a delicious but pretty standard bean, cheese and sauce situation that initially calls for refried beans, but includes variations that add brown rice, meatless burger, green chilies, sautéed vegetables and extra spice or exchanging the refried beans for black beans (which is the way I tried it, and I would definitely do it again).

Many of the recipes also include variations on how to cook the meal, from using the microwave, oven or stovetop to plugging in the slow cooker. There are tons of hints, tips and techniques for cooking quick, healthy meals that your family will love. If you want to know how to use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker, freeze meals for your family or get in and out of the supermarket faster, you'll find something of use in this book.

This book provides a very solid education in planning and eating vegetarian meals. Reseck is a little obsessed with clever plays on words and acronyms, but mostly these puns just serve to highlight her enthusiasm in her topic.

Reseck says there are eight traits of great cooks: they plan proactively, prepare nutritious food, produce delicious food, preserve simplicity, prize beauty, pursue timesaving strategies, practice ingenuity and persevere at learning. With the help of this book, you will build up a bunch of these traits, becoming a better good and giving your family more nutritious food in a flash. --Sarah E. White

I have come across a real treasure of a cookbook this time. This is a vegetarian cookbook that not only vegetarians will love but omnivores will love it too. It is one of the few vegetarian books that doesn't try to convince the reader that vegetarianism is the only way to eat and live your life. This cookbook shows one how make-ahead cooking makes sense and how you can cook once a week for a week or month of meals. You can then stock your freezer and take out each day's meal and heat it up for quick, easy, stress-free weeknight meals. Heather has shared guidelines for multiplying recipes. Another chapter is devoted to setting up the kitchen, tracking the inventory, stocking your refrigerator, freezer and cabinets and bulk foods. She has a very interesting chapter on mixes. She starts with the advantages of them to the magic of mixes - which includes the efficiency to the timeliness of them. She gives tips for preparing mixes and guidelines for converting recipes. Other chapters include slow cookers. The fix-it-fast chapter includes a brief discussion of pressure cooking as one of the time-saving techniques. I think every chapter has many charts, tips, real life situations, conversion guides etc. The chapter I really enjoy is the slow cooker chapter. There are 15 tips, 11 hints for adapting a recipe to the slow cooker, a cooking time conversion chart and a slow cooker start times chart. (The last 2 charts are so incredibly helpful for me that they are book marked for quick lookup.) Other chapters are Eight Traits of Great Cooks, Sharing Delicious Dividends (hospitality), and Gifts From the Kitchen. All these chapters before you get to any recipes!!

The book is easy reading -- I got into bed and curled up under covers and enjoyed it as much or more then any book I have read. The recipes use easy to find ingredients, They are laid out in such a way that they are very easily read and followed. Each recipe has a Prep Time, Bake Time, and Yield in the area next to the list of ingredients. After the directions are completed there is the Nutritional Facts which includes Daily Values and Diabetic Exchanges. Following that are Serving Ideas and Variations. Quite a few of the recipes are made even faster by taking advantage of the previously prepared mixes that have been stored.

She has included a very conclusive Bibliography, an excellent Glossary, a Resources section, and an extremely handy U.S./ Metric Equivalence Information area with quite a few charts and finally the Index.

This book contains so much useful information, real life situations and charts that I have not seen in any other book. What a great help to people. There are so many unique items that make this book a one of a kind.

We prepared 2 of the recipes ... Breakfast Barley and Split Pea Soup. They were both very, very good!! Quick and easy, nutritional information for each recipe, and the layout of the pages is clear. There is so much about the book I enjoyed that I can't list everything here. If you buy the book I don't think that you will be disappointed.

This book is well worth purchasing. It is very logical and comprehensive. It provides a holistic framework for effective health care regardless of the health practitioners profession.

This text is actually required reading for most if not all osteopathic medical students. It is a 'textbook', however, and hence completely (sometimes exhaustively!) comprehensive. But it is easy to read so that anyone with an interest in OMT will get a methodic how-to for myriad techniques, also a thorough history of osteopathic medicine to boot! One of my OMT professors at the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine wrote or co-wrote a few of the chapters so of course, I think those are the best! If you are looking for an educational approach to learning manipulation and the reasons behind it, this is a valuable resouce.

This is the long awaited basic textbook for osteopathic medicine. It is surprisingly complete, covering philosophy, history, research, and manipulative techniques. The beginning osteopathic student may find it most useful for its practical discussion on the techniques--high velocity, myofascial release, etc. I believe it is also helpful in standardizing our terminology, which will make it easier when taking board exams or talking with colleagues from other osteopathic schools. It includes contributors well known within the osteopathic community, including Michael and William Kuchera, Melicien Tettambel, Eileen DiGiovanna, and many others. As a family practice resident I frequently turn to this textbook first when I want to know more about how to treat a patient or when preparing lectures for students and housestaff.

This book is a wonderful compilation of Preston Sturges' screenplays.
It's very good for all who love the great director.

This volume contains some of Sturges' best work, including the immortal comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, together with The Palm Beach Story and Unfaithfully Yours. Five stars for The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, perhaps the funniest, most subversive movie of the 1940's.

The biggest curiosity here, though, is Sturges' script for his odd dental-anesthesia biopic The Great Moment. This film was heavily altered by the studio prior to its release. Sturges' original script would probably have been a better picture, but it's hard to imagine this project succeeding in any case.

Contains the screenplay for "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (to my taste, the most hilarious film of all time). When I worked as a cataloger at Newport Public Library, I constantly told my co-workers that I thought Preston Sturges wrote better dialogue than Shakespeare. I could prune lines from "Hamlet," but I couldn't cut a single line from "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek."

I read this book years ago and have never forgotten it. This is a great book and anyone planning or even just wanting to travel should read it. I have traveled extensively, but I have never been to most of the places Fred writes about, like India or Africa. However, I still found the information in this book to be extremely useful in places like Mexico, Eastern Europe, Thailand, or really everywhere I have ever been. For years it has influenced my behavior and thinking about why I travel and intercultural exchanges in general. There is nothing in this book which is off the mark or inaccurate, even though it was written a while ago. If you have any wanderlust at all, read this book!

This is an amazing book. I first read it before I began my first world travel in the late 1980s, then passed my dog-eared copy on to a friend from England who was heading to Africa and India on her own. I read it so many times before giving it away that I've memorized portions of the book. In my recent trip to a developing nation, many of Fred's guiding words got me through some tough times with skill. Sound advice and highly recommended. Fred - if you're out there - sure wish you would do an updated version to this guide!

I consider myself to be a pretty seasoned traveller now. But it's this book that really started it all for me. I bought it from a local outdoor store in Alabama, just before I went to live in Egypt for a year. I read it on the way over, and at least 2 more times while living there. It's absolutly one of my favorite books, and has inspired me to go to some far off, out of the way places.

The advice he imparts is classic, from how to choose where to go, how to get there, what to do when you get there, and how to reintegrate yourself when you get back. He's got chapters on nearly every aspect of travel, from transportation, to troubles, to health on the road, and even how to deal with locals and the other travelers you may encounter along the way.

He intersperses his advice with small blocks of travelogue to highlight a particular piece. Many are his own experiences, but others are submitted by other travelers. My own favorite, is "Garbage Truck Overland."

If you've never traveled, you must read this book before you go. It will inspire you to get off your duff and head out there where there are no tourists. If you're a traveler, you'll find many anecdotes that will make you guffaw, and reminisce on your own trips.

Buy This Book!!

Five stars plus for this young mans insight, interpretation, and brilliant display of history. I like many other readers were turned off by the boring history books we read in school. Lambers captures the true spirit of history! Because of the excitement this book ignites; this book has the potential to change the course of how history is viewed and studied. This book is a MUST READ for everyone. This book would make a great gift not only for teachers and history buffs, but also the person who hungers for knowledge. (The study guide is an added bonus to treasure) BRAVO!

I read the book first, and it was interesting to realize that the peaceful relations with Britain that we now take for granted were nonexistent and took hard work to accomplish. And the Study Guide is very good, and is surprisingly loaded with historical facts and fun word searches. I wish I had studied with this kind of material instead of boring history books that made me "hate" history for many years. Now I love it!

This book is early American history in a "capsule," full of important events describing the conflicts between America and Britain, yet imagines the ordinary citizen's feelings about the wars in an interesting blend of fiction and history. Young people especially should read it.

An excellent book. It really worth its value.
very good images if not excellent, many technical and clinical tips which is really helpfull.
Cover anatomy, technique and pathalogoy in comperhensive way.
One of the best cased based books.

Great pictures.
Good selection of cases.
Good price.
I recommend this book just like all the others from this collection (Case Review).

This is definitely the best one out of the series. The pictures are excellent, often including labels to help the beginning resident get a grasp of viewing U/S anatomy. Each case is succintly presented with an excellent disccusion. The case selection is also fantastic, as it covers the important topics with the exclusion of OB/GYN (covered in it's own seperate series). All the info in this book is material residents should be expected to know.

One imagines John G. Morris as the sort of grandfather with a thousand amazing stories, whom everyone in the family has asked to write a book for years and who finally sets about the task.

As a sequence of compelling snapshots, Morris selects and arranges his tales into a layout that explores unresolved questions, ambivalences, regrets, hopes, thrills, and humor.

For anyone interested in photojournalism, as a profession, its personalities - the lives, loves, and losses of those standing on the other side of the camera while celebrities splash across the pages - this book is an excellent starting place. His 'editor's eye' view of the profession turns the camera back upon the photographers, telling tales behind pictures generally left untold. By disclosing the various photographic negatives, he discloses a positively fascinating image of the origins of modern imagemaking.

I just finished reading this novel and I must admitt it is one of the best novels I have read this year. It really is an exciting travel through the 20th century, through the eyes of a man who's carreer made him involved with major political and social events. I would say this is a must to anyone interested in photography and journalism, and a recommended for anyone with a heartbeat. I really loved this book.

This is a well-written rolicking ride through the last century and the history of photojournalism in the American media. It has an index that reads like the Who's Who of the century with anecdotes and insights galore on the movers and shakers of photojournalism and history. I enjoyed every word and I recommend it highly.

The Gist of Genetics

I've had Dr. Davis as a professor and he used this book as a reading for the course. It is very helpful and straight to the point, will help you see the big picture, as well as providing the important details.

In my sophomore genetics class we used two textbooks. One is a 600 pages textbook filled with colorful pictures, the other one is the this book. After I spent hours reading and comprehending a chapter in the 600-pages tiny-font textbook, I turned to the 200-pages large-font Gist of Gennetics. And there it is, truly the gist of genetics. I regretted that I didn't read this book first but instead wasted my valuable time reading useless [junk]. The only problem is that this book is entirely black and white, with little to no picture (only has genetic diagrams). But unless you are the type who fall asleep reading b/w textbooks, this is a great book for quick understanding of basic genetics.

Truely enjoyed it. Thank you.

These poems, from a professor at Emporia State University in Kansas, are from an astute observer of the Great Plains landscape. Using the landscape as a backdrop, Heldrich searches for meaning and revelation in our everyday lives. In his unforgettable poem "Momentum," while driving to Tulsa, he takes note of the cast off trash along the way and yet finds in such an everyday experience "...an unsung love to it, a love of the highway, a love of the country, a love of people and their wasteful bodies so deep the momentum drives me home." In poem after poem, forty-six in all, the reader is made aware of our surroundings and the sometimes taken-for-granted events in our everyday life and urged to celebrate life amidst all of it's uncertainities and limitations. For Heldrich, he shares some of his simple beliefs used to ward off the void in a wonderful poem "Good Friday:" ...the returning sun at breakfast, the beautiful coupling of our lake's geese, the rising green after prairie burnings, the silence of Sunday morning at home, or how my wife fills an empty room with light." For the reader looking for faith, hope, charity, and reconciliation without the usual touchy-feely verse, this is one of the best. An exceptional collection.

Good Friday contains some of the best poetry I have read since Carl Sandburg's Honey & Salt. Mr. Heldrich has drawn on his life experience to create both beautiful and moving images for the reader. My only regret is that the book wasn't long enough. More please!!!

Baxter, Kathleen A. and Marcia Agness Kochel. 1999. Gotcha! Nonfiction Booktalks to Get Kids Excited About Reading. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Kathleen A. Baxter states that she has a healthy streak of curiosity and an active interest in a lot of things which makes nonfiction books her choice for booktalks. She wants to tantalize, intrigue, and wet the appetite of children and adults and finds that Nonfiction has a wide range of reading levels available on an interesting subject. Ideas for over 350 booktalks are presented in seven chapters. Baxter always insists books in her library collection are well reviewed; books she mentions in the seven chapters have all received favorable reviews in major library reviewing publications. Booktalks\ programs include at least one book from every chapter. In her introduction, Baxter introduces herself and Marcia Agness Kochel, a public librarian and a school librarian as fanatics about quality books who hope to add some good ideas to your repertoire and fuel to fill up your bag of tricks.

Baxter states: "Booktalking to me means telling people who may not be readers some of the reasons why a particular book may appeal to them." Baxter's suggestions for beginning your booktalks give general guidelines and include specific ideas such as "Gary Paulson's book Nightjohn, a fiction book that describes a slave who teaches other slaves to read and the horrible punishment he must endure as a consequence. One of the greatest ways to keep people from getting power is to prevent them from reading. If you want power, read!"

High interest topics are discussed in depth in seven thematic chapters: (1) "Great Disasters," including shipwrecks and disasters at sea, fires, floods, diseases and other natural disasters; (2) "Fun Stuff--Jokes, Gross Books, and Books that Will Make You Laugh," including puzzles, jokes and fun facts, poetry, gross stuff, and just plain fun; (3) "Animals," including creatures of the air, creatures of the water, animals around the world, creepy-crawly creatures, pets, amazing animal facts, dinosaurs, and animals in danger; (4) "Unsolved Mysteries," including missing persons and disappearances, unexplained phenomena, and ghosts and urban legends; (5) "Science and Fun Experiments To Do," including experiments and activities, inventions and accidents, the world around us, dead bodies (archaeology and anthropology), and the human body; (6) "Fascinating People," including scientists/artists/musicians/writers, amazing women, athletes, historical figures, kids' favorite authors and illustrators, heroes and heroines, and fascinating kids; (7) "Our Wonderful, Terrible Past," including ancient history, customs and costumes throughout the ages, the American spirit, slavery and freedom, the continuing struggle for freedom, and the Holocaust and World War. Within each chapter are brief excerpts for reading aloud, pictures to lure kids to the books, and full bibliographies with reading levels for all the suggested titles. Each chapter offers plenty of starting points for creating attention-grabbing presentations.

Baxter and Kochel's book is loaded with information, suggestions, and tips to help encourage reading. It is a valuable resource for finding fascinating, thought provoking, and fun books to share with children and young adults. Baxter and Kochel successfully describe how booktalking can match up children with just the right book. Educators can learn important tips to "hook" even the most reluctant reader. Starting their book with nonfiction disaster books is equivalent to starting their booktalks with disasters, they "Gotcha". To thoroughly understand how to get children, young adults, and adults reading nonfiction books draw upon the examples in this book. This book is a valuable resource for educators committed to creating excitement for reading because it gives specific choices for booktalks that includes specific text and pictures. Baxter also explains why these titles lend themselves to great booktalks, featuring specific questions to ask and extensions to follow. The authors' wide experience with many audiences is the basis for the practical, straightforward advice given.

This book is a wonderful resource for parents, teachers, librarians, or anyone who gives books to kids, but who may need a bit of help in choosing appropriate books. Kathleen Baxter and Marcia Agness Kochel have focused on the wealth of nonfiction books which may appeal to kids, proving there's more to children's literature than Harry Potter. The book is organized according to topics: catastrophes/disasters;, jokes, riddles, silly and gross stuff; biographies; animals, history, etc., and is presented in the format of short, snappy "book talks" -- pitches given by librarians and teachers to kids to show them what books are out there and to consequently pique kids' interests and get them reading. The authors show great enthusiasm for the titles they showcase, and give wonderful tips on talking up the books; they "got" me a number of times, as I scribbled out titles and made a beeline to the library to check out a few books. Foolproof topics include dinosauers and mummies, the Titanic disaster, and baby animals. But this book presents lots of other nonfiction choices on a wide variety of topics--there's bound to be something of interest to the young people in your life. Each chapter ends with a bibliography of the titles mentioned, and I'll be sure to use this book when birthdays and holidays come around. And if the authors ever come to my library, I'll be sure to listen in on one of their book talks!

Most guides to Booktalks feature fiction but not this one. Ms. Baxter has gone where many fear to tread and tackled the favorite of many reluctant readers-Non Fiction. A Booktalk, for those who don't understand Teacherese or Library talk is brief description of a book and is designed to make every memember of the audience want to read the book RIGHT NOW.

GOTCHA! is divided into 7 sections, covering such kid popular topics as jokes, gross stuff, The Titanic,urban legends, interesting people, science, the past and animals. The style is bright and breezy and extensive bibliographies are provided.

Librarians will love it's "ready to use" format. The booktalks are designed to be used as is, or they can be used as a jumping off point and a librarian can modify them to suit their own collections. It will be very helpful to teachers looking for books to accompany science, language arts and social studies units. I can't think of a beter way to introduce a class to poety than with an enthusiastic booktalk featuring Jack Prelutsky. Homeschoolers will find it invalueable in planning units and finding quality literature for their children. In fact,kids will like it it too- it's a great resource for helping them find a book on a topic that interests them.

It's a must have for and Elementary schlool librarians & Teachers, Children's Librarians and anyone who enjoys reading a book about books.