Guides Books

I have purchased several of Mr. Garner's books and this one, like all the others, is a masterpiece. Mr. Garner's command and understanding of the English language, combined with his concise, crisp descriptions, make this work an essential addition to anyone's library. I applaud Mr. Garner for his extraordinary efforts and I thank him for sharing his genius with the rest of us.

Garner's Usage is likely the single most useful and entertaining book on the topic. Little else needs to be said about it.

Garner's Modern American Usage My daughter attends law school at SMU in Dallas where Garner is adjuct professor. She says he is a great teacher. We ordered two copies. Yes, it's indispensible as a reference, but it also makes great bedside reading for us wordsmiths.

I ordered this reference based on an essay I read by David Foster Wallace titled "Authority and American Usage." In it, Wallace dissects the ongoing debate between the Prescriptivists (those claiming to defend the King's English) and the Descriptivists (those who claim language rules should reflect current practice rather than old rules), and he does so in the context of, essentially, a long-winded review of Garner's Modern American Usage.
The big problem with Prescriptivism is one of authority, or "why" their rules are what they are. The problem with Descriptivism is one of, well, spinelessness in the sense that rules cannot be based simply on "what everybody else is doing."
Garner, however, deftly walks the line between these two perspectives. He acknowledges common, accepted usage, but still has the guts to make "rules" where necessary. And when he does so, he resolves the "authority" question by logically and fairly arguing his case, rather than simply "that's how it is done."
In my limited reading of Garner's reference so far, I've found it to be amazingly thorough in its examination of everything from common errors to idioms to punctuation, and surprisingly down to earth for a linguistic reference.
Personally, I think everybody should have books like this. But if you write for a living or simply have an interest in language and grammar, this book is essential to your collection.

Being a layman, and not a wordsmith as some of the review-writers here, this will not be an eloquently written review, however the results are the same. I often hear people use words in a way that I believe to be incorrect, for example 'irregardless', but I'm never quite sure. A regular dictionary doesn't usually provide the explanations I'm looking for, and my curiosity goes unanswered. This book is exactly what I need when I question the usage of almost any word. It gives definitions, explanations as to why words are often used incorrectly, as well as pronunciations that are correct or incorrect, and often in a humorous manner! This book would be a must for any writer, but is also sure to satisfy the simply curious!

I agree with all of the other raving reviews on this book. The book is well organized, the parrots are organized by continent (Africa, Austrailia, Asia, and S. America) and the author draws similarities between the types of birds from each area. As the title would suggest this book focuses on behavior and gives well defined characteristics of each type of bird, while emphasizing that they are generalizations and that each bird might be different. The author reiterates that the owner should not buy a bird with preconcieved ideas of what they will be like, but love each bird for thier individual personality. All over excellent information and the author is clearly an expert in the area.

This book is well written and extremely informative. A must have for any parrot owner. It is one of those books you can read and then re-read and learn something new each time. It's great as a reference book.

The techniques it suggests are simple and logical and can be applied to any species. It also would be a great book to read to help you choose which type of parrot would be best for your personal circumstances, especially if you are thinking about getting one of the larger parrots.

Together with the other parrot-thematic books from the same author it is the hardware of information I have used. I have an african grey for three years now and at the beginning I made a search for every available information about the topic.

So it happens that this books I liked most as they are easy to understand, easy to read and enjoyable illustrated.

African Grey is a parrot which needs time and you have to keep in mind that he may outlive you by years. So what you teach him now will be remembered in 60years when your children will keep him a company.
It is a responsibility but a nice one:)

Yes, I can recommend to you.

For the person interested in different species of pet birds,their care and personalities, this book offers a generic overview. As an experienced bird "person" I was looking for a more in-depth description of a specfic species. I almost put it down without finishing until I paged to the individual stories of the different parrots. I enjoyed reading the stories of the different birds, their experiences, histories and especially how the newer owners understood and created a more fulfilling environment (love,care and concern)for them. I learned new methods of dealing with birds and appreciate any new method for understanding bird behavior. I would recommend this book for the beginner/intermediate bird lover but for the very experienced bird lover, they would do better to find a publication that discribes just one species. However, they would miss the wonderful stories in this book!

This book really gives you a good introduction to the various kinds of parrots that are available. It describes their habits and tendencies so that it makes it easier to choose a new parrot or understand your current friend.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for their first parrot or for an addition to their family.

I relied on someone else's review when I decided to purchase this book, and I'm very glad I did. The authors don't sugarcoat the whole breakup experience, but they do offer realistic ideas on how to approach each day and mark progress. They don't demonize the other party, which is helpful, and similarly, they don't idealize what led to the split. I found myself looking forward to reading each day's blurb and contemplating the associated exercises. While I am still very sad about my breakup, I know there are better days ahead, and that having spent the time following the heartache constructively analyzing myself and the circumstances will prove beneficial down the road. If you are in a similar situation of feeling overwhelmed by a recent breakup, I highly recommend this book. And good luck to you.

My sister got me this book after my girlfriend of 4 years and I broke up. Thanks, sis! I found it to be a helpful way to occupy those newfound and oftentimes unwelcome free hours that accompany the loss of a loving relationship. The book discusses various emotions associated with the loss of a relationship and offers insight on how to deal with them. For each topic discussed, there are practical suggestions on generating the healthy perspective necessary to move on and become a happy person after a break-up. It's been a few months since I got the book, and I can definitely look back and know it helped me think about a lot of difficult things. After a few months, I feel a lot better and have a much better outlook on what a healthy relationship is and how that wasn't what I had.

I thought this would be an easy read. Boy, was I wrong. Well, it *was* easy to read because it is very clearly written, and very direct and focused. It took me longer than expected to read because the SUBSTANCE of the book is so compelling. The chapters and exercises really hit home and provoke a lot of contemplation and action. I have already ordered a copy for a friend and highly recommend this book to anyone who has either recently lost a love relationship, or who hasn't really recovered from the hurts of one or more past relationships, recent or not so recent. This book basically says, YOU are in charge. YOU do the work. YOU need to recognize where you are and what you CAN do about it. This book does not permit you to wallow unnecessarily in the stages of grief but instead encourages you to recognize what IS and what ISN'T and to CHOOSE to deal with your situation constructively and actively. Spot-on!

I read this book after my fiance broke up with me after our year-long engagement. I didn't have this book from Day 1, so I caught up by reading through it in one sitting and then referring back to the book when I was having a particularly rough day. Some of the information is pretty powerful stuff, but I had a hard time with some of it. This book assumes that the relationship you were in was unhealthy in some way. Not all relationships are unhealthy, and can end for other reasons. I realize that the point of this book is to make you look at the flaws in your ex-partner, and not put them on a pedestal. But for someone like me -- who felt loved and cherished straight through to the end -- it was hard to relate to some of the text. The overall message of the book, which is to value and love yourself, and to take care of yourself, resonates clearly, and I was therefore able to skip over the parts that didn't seem to apply to my relationship and still get some benefit from the other messages.

One of the more unique aspects of this book is how the author team has included helpful actions that you can take at the end of each chapter to further your recovery. I found that these helpful reminders, such as working out and eating right, felt as if they were being delivered by a concerned friend offering tips to make me feel better.

This book has truly become an important part in helping me in my life.

I read this book and marked it up a whole bunch and have been going back a lot, looking at specific chapters as they pertain to me. It really has been great to read and has given me a lot of new perspectives on what I have been going through.

I am recently out a relationship in which I fell head over heels in love with a girl. We started dating and to say I was on top of the world would be an understatement. We dated for a year (talked marriage and kids) and at about that point I started getting feelings that it just was not right for me. I broke up with my girlfriend and for a long time after we went back and forth with dating each other, each time me breaking up with her.

I thought I was going to be able to move forward and move on with my life and at one point we stopped talking. About a month later she informed me she was seeing someone else and my world pretty much crashed. I was in such a bad place as I went through all those feelings of "I gave up the best thing ever," to "what is wrong with me," to "I will never love again," to "how could she be with someone else," to "why could I not love her before, this pain is unbearable," etc.

To say the last few months have been hard would be an understatement. But this book has been a big part of my life and helped me get through those sleepless nights, those unending days, and I can see now that I am now on a road to recovery. It is a process and this book has helped me see how to make it through that process.

One's first true love has been so hard to get over, especially knowing I was the one who ended it every time. I could not understand why I was saying goodbye every time to the one person I loved. All I could do was try to figure out what was wrong with me, there had to be some defect within me. Then to add to the confusion even more, after all the times I said goodbye, when I found out she was with someone else, was when I really hit rock bottom. That was when I really started to question my decisions. That is when I picked up this book and started reading.

This book takes a look at things from both sides, whether you are the one breaking up or you are the one who was broken up with. I feel like in my situation I was on both sides! I have learned so much about myself and I really have started to take a turn for the better. I have setbacks, but I have to understand that I am going to have those days and the good thing is is that those days are a lot fewer and farther between than thirty days ago.

I lost my best friend, the one person that I truly opened up to and really shared my core with. It has been hard for me knowing she is out there and close to me, yet so far away in so many respects. It has been hard having the one person that I really want to talk to about all this, not there for me. It is not everyday that we lose our best friend. It is something that I have struggled with, but I have realized it is something I have to deal with. This book shows you how to work through that.

I know I have a ways to go, but I am progessing. This book has been an amazing help to me as I have truly had the hardest time of my life. I even emailed the authors and they got back to me right away, what a great feeling!

I would recommend this book highly to those who are working on mending their heart, no matter what the situation.

I purchased this guide in April. I was very pleased with the quality of info on the subject of selling used books on Amazon. The content was easy and fun to read. The book it self reminds me of a college term paper. I think the price is a little high for a book in this format, but the content makes up for it. I recommend this book for anyone starting out in the world of online bookselling.

Phil,
Reading Room Bookshop

I've been dabbling in the book business for awhile now. I've bought a few books on the subject of online selling, passing this one by, originally, because I'm not a stay-at-home mom. But let me tell you, this is the best book on the subject bar none. First of all, it is presented in a completely unique conversational style. I think this is why a few people said it was like going to a local café and talking the book business with her over a coffee jag. The other piece to that feeling of a one-on-one conversation is the way she seemed to answer the questions you were just about to ask (the way Oprah asks the questions that everyone watching is wondering about at the time). For example, I'd be wondering, how much money do you make and she'd say something like, 'you're probably wondering how much I make,' and answer it. Then I'd wonder how many books you need in your inventory to make that much money and she'd say something like 'you're probably wondering how many books you have to have to make that much money.' And so it went. Besides that, somehow, I can't believe she pulled it off, she fit in more information than you can imagine. She included every bit of information found in the other books, all the practical stuff about how to get started (in a more step-by-step style for those who don't want to jump in headfirst, or accelerated for those who do), how to list books, and find them, and know if you should buy them etc. But she didn't stop there. She went on to include profiles of other sellers she knows and what their business models are like; email addresses, so you can find out about scanners, and software; tons of ideas and information about finding books, including titles of books that are worth money, in all the different genres, so you can start learning how to find the "types" of books that tend to be valuable, before you go out hunting at a thrift store, or wherever. It's concise, methodical, packed with information, yet witty and fun at the same time. I'm a bit embarrassed to be writing this late on a Saturday night, but I feel like I unexpectedly found a Gem.

This booklet has been a Godsend. Full of essential advice and information and plenty of tips for the new online bookseller. I have used much of Christine's advice in the launching of my own online book store. Guidelines on customer service, what to look for when scouting for books and all the bits in between make this a reference book I will keep at hand for many months to come.

I thought this gave good information and was easy to read but I thought it was overpriced compared to other items I've read on this topic. The other items were actual hard back books and this was more unprofessional. I thought it was easy to understand but if I was looking at it in a bookstore I wouldn't buy it it because ot the cost and the relative quality of the product. I would expect to pay no more than $8.95 or so.

This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone wishing to make a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand. I loved the author's familiar writing style. At times I forgot that I was reading a manual! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and easy way to supplement their income. Thank you for this book! It's given me the ability to make some extra money and spend time with my kids.

I came across this book a few years after it was written so knew there was a chance the advice might be outdated. This was a risk I was willing to take because I've been so impressed with Kristie T's websites (voted one of the best by Dr. Phil!) and her support of work-at-home moms. What a great purchase!

This book is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to making money from home while keeping your eye on the real prize . . . your family and quality of life. This book is easy to read, entertaining, supportive and soooo informative. It includes a massive resource section for those who work from home.

As a mom of three who has run home businesses and coached others in this area, Kristie's book has a "walk the talk" feel. What mom can't relate to her touching and humorous stories of the realities of raising little ones (the trials and joys)! Yet, the book has substance, including many action lists, web and written resources and helpful templates.

In my opinion, the appeal of this book goes way beyond work-at-home moms. Any home office professional who wants to make their work environment more efficient, their time more productive, and their business more profitable needs to read this book. It is an excellent guide for any home business owner. Buy this book for your business reference library today!
Mollie Marti, PhD
Author: Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success

Hi! My name is Nicole. I am the illustrater! I took lots of time on them. I love my book because my mom and me did good! I hope you like my book! my mom hopes so too! have a good day every body!

Kriste's passion for helping work-at-home moms is evident in all that she does and this book is no exception.

She walks her talk in supporting work-at-home moms- she was kind enough to grant me an interview to put in my e-book "A Mother's Dream: Finding Fulfillment in Your Home Business".

Any mother interested in balancing working from home with motherhood should get this book.

I have read and ALSO promote this book for Kristie and I have to tell you that if you are really thinking about working from home and running an online business, you NEED to read this book. The information she has in this book can make or break anyone who wants to run a business from home. I would like to thank Kristie as well for giving me the opportunity to promote this book and for the book itself, I love it! There are many work at home books on the market today, but this book stands alone, read all the reviews, they can't all be wrong! Thanks Kristie for a wonderful work at home book.

I am not sure how this book got such great reviews. It really misleaded and dissapointed me. It is for a woman with significant resources to start with, who doesn't need all the dry tips listed, but not for stay-at-home Mom. And it is a business oriented, not life oriented. It is not 'A Mom's guide to working from home', but a business women's guide to get more organized and hire multiple services for the business developement. There is nothing absolutely about Mom's life and for Mom's life. It is a big text however and probably can be useful for someone, but mostly dry and a reference-like, big doesn't mean good. Gives an advise how to choose an office chair, a domain name, purchase a web-site design, organize a radio appearance, etc., and some tips that you know from a common sense. It is a self-promotional book leading to the author's web site to promote her coaching business. I returned it. May be it can work for someone else...

This is an excellent novel with a hugely important and significant historical validity. It's a bit slow to get going, but once into the story, you can't put the book down, and it has an amazing ending. I highly recommend it.

One of those rare occasions when my both my partner and I read this book one after the other - she is a PD James fan, Charles Dickens fan - whereas I tend to read those books less dependent on plot and more on philosophical meanderings, or rich in atmosphere, or completely character driven - Fateless or Old Masters say. In The Memory of the Forest has all the elements and so it appeals equally to us both. One of the great moral questions in the novel of course concerns the old dictum "evil thrives when good men do nothing". As such things as racism will always be latent wherever humans gather, it depends on the rule of law and the vigilance of citizens, to maintain civil life. And the life of a Polish village is at the centre of the story - if the village can survive, maybe humanity will too, but at what cost?
A very well written novel.

I love this book. Period. Fully realized characters, gripping plotline, historically significant and cathartic. Definitely a keeper for life.

The story of a young man coming of age, discovering love and lies, ambition and murder in a town that cannot admit its past or face its present. Set in Poland as communism collapses, the rupture of old foundations reveal the townspeople to be what they would forget.While one of the book's larger themes is what the Nazis, and by complicity, the Polish people, did to the Jewish population during the Second World War, it is not "a Holocaust book." Rather it is an absorbing murder and love story; a murder that begins the novel and whose investigation provides its framework, a love story that will leave the reader in tears, reminded what the world should be but is not. It is a rare book, one that impels its reader onward with a gripping narrative but repeatedly brings the reader to a halt to reflect on the beauty and lyricism of its prose.

Those who like to read books about Poland (there must be a few of us out there) will find that Charles Powers' "In the Memory of the Forest" is a pleasant surprise. This book is a real dark horse. It doesn't appear to be widely known (I found it for sale on the used-book cart at my local library) and it's the only novel that Powers ever wrote. But the lesser known works are sometimes the most satisfying reads.

"In the Memory of the Forest" is a murder-mystery set in the small farming village of Jadowia, somewhere to the northeast of Warsaw. The book is skillfully written, with an interesting plot, a few twists here and there, and an ending that's both disturbing and reassuring. Poland's role in the Holocaust is the dark and provocative background for the novel. What I liked most about the book is that Powers (a former journalist who lived in Warsaw for five years) captures the personality of Poland better than other authors who have attempted this same task, e.g., James Michener, Lily Brett. My only complaint is that many of the characters are too clearly cast as "good guys" or "bad guys," without a chance for them to surprise you with the other sides of their personalities. A Polish murder-mystery is a narrow genre, which most people wouldn't be inclined to read. But if you're daring enough to tackle those tricky Polish pronunciations, you'll probably be glad that you read this book.

I have enjoyed Vicki's style of speaking to her reader, as if she was right in the room with you. She coaches you and gets into your head and heart. She allows you to see the CEO in yourself. This book is not just for the nurses that have joined her company, but for every woman go wants to bring her own light to this dark needy world and make a difference. Even if it is one woman at a time.

Eavesdrop on any group of women lunching at the next table and you are likely to witness laughter, tears, support, commiseration and collaboration in action. Entrepreneur Vickie Milazzo identifies how women can best utilize these natural feminine capabilities to achieve life and career success and fulfillment. Milazzo dedicates an insightful, thorough chapter to each of the "10 Feminine Forces" she has identified. She uses personal stories and the experiences of successful women to coach you to new, unexplored heights. Sometimes her attempt to motivate through her personal saga crosses the line from inspiring to self-congratulatory. Yet, if you set aside this editorial flaw, you have a well-scripted formula for success. We recommend this book to all women who share a spark, a dream and the desire for a richer, fuller life.

I really like the book. It provides motivational examples and good analysis. It's about how women can be successfully in their lives. Make a wonderful gift to any woman you know.

Filled with thought-provoking gems of wisdom and the real-life examples to back them up, I found this book to be a wonderful source of motivation as I think about "what comes next" in my career.

I've never read a self-help type book before, and probably wouldn't have picked this book out on my own. I recieved a copy of this book through a marketing campaign, and figured that I'd give it a shot.

I usually fly through novels and non-fiction books, so I've had to take a completely diferrent approach to reading this book. I've been plowing through it, one chapter every week or so, and it's been having some impact on how I think about my professional life.

The book is filled with the author's anecdotes as well as stories of other women, and guides you throuh exercises that break down your goals and actions. I'm finding it helpful, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a book to help them understand how to reach their goals.

I love the authenticity of the stories in this book. To my knowledge, it is the first book with a healing theme that has been written with a therapist's voice giving support and explaining and breaking down issues throughout. It has universal appeal and, though it continues to be the best book on sex abuse for teenage girls, it is really appropriate to anyone healing from abuse. I am a psychotherapist and I give this book to my clients of all ages, who all heal through reading it.

Invisible girls is a great book. I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and even as an adult I found it very helpful. I am also the Founder&CEO of Safe Girls Strong Girls a 501 (c) 3 committed to Breaking the Silence on Childhood Sexual Abuse. I give this book to all girls that attend our programs. It is a great resource and allows teen girls to see that they are not alone. Terrific read and a great resource. I highly recommend it.

This book turned my life around. As a survivor of rape and abuse, I had developed many unhealthy habits such as denial and isolation. After reading this book, I felt connected to a larger community and was finally able to get some help! The stories of the girls in this book are so personal and so touching that it is easy to find strength in their struggle to heal.

But the real power of this book for me is that the individual accounts of abuse and survival are used as examples to support the chapters on each kind of abuse. These chapters are filled with information about the abuse, understanding of the typical response (did you count? detach? act out? It's all ok here.), and advise on how to work through the memories of the experience.

I would recommend this book not only to any girl who has suffered abuse, but also to anyone who knows someone who has suffered. It will help you understand the pain and bring a very hidden problem into the open where it can be fought.

I am a clinical social worker in Louisiana. This book has been helpful for several of my clients. The book includes several girls' stories, which have helped to normalize my clients' experiences. It also includes a question/answer section that seems to cover many topics that teenage girls may be afraid to ask themselves. I also found the "Resource Center" at the end of the book helpful. Dr. Patti has a website and is resposive to questions via that site.

I appreciate what Dr. Patti is trying to do here. I do. However, this book is laden with the myths and stereotypes survivors are fighting to overcome in their everyday life. I was extremely disappointed when I read this. The author practically says that "Date Rape" (also known as acquaintance rape, which is by far the more correct term--look up statistics if you're interested in what I mean) is often preventable. This again places the onus on potential victims/survivors to make sure they aren't assaulted. So often, those wo haven't survived a rape or assault are told they shouldn't have had that last drink, or worn a short skirt, or done ANYTHING that could have potentially put them at risk. No one ever mentions that it is a perp's decision to assault someone. She seemed to say that it wasn't the survivor's fault while simultaneously contending that rape can be prevented--and that if you put yourself in a certain position, you were in some way implicitly involved in your own assault.

She also "rates" abuse and assault. While this may seem innocent (Incest, for example, is "the deepest cut"--or wound--it's been awhile since I read it), it implies that other experiences are somehow less damaging. Isn't it more important to support all survivors than to somehow rank their experience and trauma? Who can do that, and why would we want to? Also, the ONLY example of child on child sexual interaction is in terms of "playing doctor." While it is important to differentiate normal exploration and abuse, Dr. Patti fails to include in her book an example of NONconsensual sexual interaction between children. This further promotes the idea that child on child sexual abuse cannot when occur when it can and does.

I could barely make it through this one. I wish her the best of luck, but this book really didn't do it for me. There are others out there that are much better.

Wonderful; very informative. Very useful!!!

This is a great book on breeds. Although, I believe that
the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs was much more helpful in
my research on the breeds. Even though Legacy of the Dog has
200 breeds, I believe the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs tells
you more of how the breed acts, and the amount of exercise the dog needs and energy they have, while the Legacy of Dogs seems to more tell you where the breed comes from and how they appear... It is a great book, but when compared.... It comes in second in my dog breed collection.

I bought this book because I had a gift certificate and had to use it up. Boy was I glad that I bought this!
This book has so many good pictures of so many different breeds, it is wonderful. There is the common breeds like the Golden Retriever and the Labrador and than there's the uncommon ones like the Neopolitan Mastiff and the Koohikerhondje. If you like dogs or want to do some resaerch, this book has alot of good info.

It is great!

Well, the cover did it for me, a beautiful example of the breed I own and love, the Irish Terrier. Great book, great photos, good listing of many non-AKC breeds such as the Cesky Terrier and Smoushound and many others.

Worth a buy!

This book contains fantastic photographs and brief write-ups of 200 breeds of dogs. I would have liked more information on each breed, especially info on temperament. The photos are top-notch, however, beautifully done. Definitely a good, though pricy, general guide to review when you are considering what kind of dog to buy.

But she liked it enough that when her original book got eaten by the dog, She had me get her another.

some articles were longer than need be. The book is big,heavy, and has waxy pages. I would have perferred a lighter smaller book. This is a high quality, keep in one place type book with many tips guys can use as well.

I bought these as gifts for all the girls in my office, They all loved the book and would talk about their favorite sections. This would be a grat hostess, gift, birthday, Christmas, etc. All around great book.

As a life coach I'm always looking for appropriate books to recommend to my clients--this is one of them. When this book first came out I bought several copies and gave them as gifts to friends. If you need inspiration, this book will help you make positive choices so you can live your best life. Pamela D. Blair, Author The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Mid-Life And Beyond

This book is a great compilation of Oprahs work. A nice addition to your table top books. I'm so pleased with this book and what a great price through Amazon! I bought several of these and gave as gifts for Christmas. Oprah and Amazon - a winning combination!