Companies Books

I was given this book to read by a friend at my church, and I reluctantly took it because I am not a huge reader. After the first chapter, I was hooked and couldn't put it down! There is a lot of good instruction, and the part I like most is Jim Cymbala backs up the instruction with real-life experiences and results. Granted, not all results will be similar to his, but he shows the foundation on which to build your life. I highly recommend this book (I bought one for my father, brother, and father-in-law).

You can't not believe this man. It is not the most impressive thing that he built up a huge Church starting with about 10 people in a dangerous area of New York.
It is not the most impressive thing that his wife, who has no training in music, helped to write, guide and direct, songs for one of the world's most loved groups, i.e. The Brooklyn Tablernacle Choir. What is a most impressive to me is that they have stayed right where they started about 25 years ago, continuing to be instrumental in thousands of changed lives of former drug addicts and pushers, prostitutes and pimps, gangs and gangsters, gays and lesbians in what is - except by the grace of the Holy Spirit - still in a dangerous area and with quite a few potentially very dangerous parishioners. People feel embraced by YHWH's welcoming Love in Cymbala's Church. And I believe it is His Love that protects them and moves them all.

With that background I knew I wanted to hear what this man has to say.
I wasn't disappointed. The message is simple as he would say himself:
Prayer, and lots of it, first. Everything else later.

Someone said, "Prayer is not preparation for the work. Prayer IS the work." Cymbala agrees.

One of the more inspiring books I've ever read. It makes you want to meet with Christ and see the power of what He can do. Read if you want to be humbled and empowered.

A few years ago, I wasn't just asked, I was TOLD to read a book called "Breakthrough Prayer," by Jim Cymbala. It didn't look like a brilliant title. But "Breakthrough Prayer" was simply amazing! Since then I've read "Fresh Power," and this book has simply been waiting on my shelf for me to pick it up. I finally did, and it is pretty awesome as well. Jim Cymbala is the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and through the power of prayer, some awesome things have happened.

It had to start with a leap of faith. Asked by his father-in-law (and won't we do ANYTHING for the in-laws!?) was a question. Would Jim preach four Sunday nights at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, where things had hit an all-time low? Hmm! What would you do? Jim took a leap of faith. And there were times where he felt like quitting. But through it all, and still today, he is the witness of modern day miracles on the meanest streets.

Now, "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" is considered a classic by some people. And not because it talks all about Jim, his wife, Carol, and what He did. This is about an awesome God who broke through, just like He did in the days of Moses, Elijah, David, the days we seem to think are over. He tells stories of people like Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, men without a college education, who stormed the gates for Jesus Christ!

Stepping out in faith, and trusting is all God asks us to do. Jim Cymbala did just that. He illustrates the power of prayer. And time after time, you don't see Superman tales. You see ordinary people in the service of an extraordinary God. That's what makes this special. God writes the story, and we live it out! That's awesome!!!

Cymbala's book more than anything is a call to prayer and earnest seeking of God. As a young man in the early 1970s he began pastoring the fledgling Brooklyn Tabernacle having had no formal training. Through his own brokenness and seeking God, he came to understand that God would bless the ministry and continue to bring people for them to minister to and introduce to Jesus if they would truly seek Him and not rely on their own devices or abilities.

As a result, the Tabernacle saw a great deal of growth and tremendous Christian ministry opportunities were opened to reach out to the people of Brooklyn and New York City as a whole. From the very beginning they made the cornerstone of their church the Tuesday evening prayer service during which they called to God and sought Him. Many extraordinary events occurred as a result and continue to happen today.

People who were once very closed towards Jesus come to true repentance and a real relationship with Him through this ministry. The Tuesday evening prayer ministry is so important that Cymbala will not accept speaking engagements if they keep him away from the prayer meeting more than one prayer meeting at in a row.
As a result of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and direct them through seeking Him in prayer, they see lots of really cool stuff that could in no way be scripted.

Prayer is also an integral part of their Grammy award winning choir ministry with the weekly rehearsal incorporating at least 30 minutes of prayer to the practice.

Far from being a feel good type of book, Cymbala challenges the reader and today's churches to truly come before God and passionately seek Him in prayer and study of the Bible. He mentions various trends and how some churches try to cater to popular culture and make things cool and hip and while those things aren't bad in and of themselves, he emphasizes that it is a mistake to promote these flashy programs and neglect the ministry of prayer. Contrastingly, he points to the early church "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer..." Acts 1:14 When believers and the church is in constant communion with God, He tends to work more actively and mightily.

I highly recommend this book as a reminder on the importance of prayer as well as a good high level overview of the history of the Brooklyn Tabernacle.

Both our sons loved this book . I bought this for our grandson, who, I am sure, will have as much fun looking for Goldbug as his dad did some 30 years ago.

I purchased this for a grandson's 2nd birthday and he just loves it. He has it virtually memorized by now but it is still his first choice at bedtime.

I bought this book with Scarry's A Day at the Airport book to help entertain my 23 month old during a cross country flight. My son wasn't as absorbed in Cars and Trucks as I'd hoped he be during the flight but in the weeks since he has been asking for the "Trucks" book every day. We narrate some of the pictures but he also spends some time looking at book every day on his own, paging through the book and absorbed in the illustrations (and commenting on the pictures occasionally, or at least as much as a near 2 year old can). We have other books with photos of vehicles which also interest him but this book so far seems to have more lasting appeal. I think it's the combination of the sheer volume and variety of the vehicles, interesting animals driving them, and just lots going on on each page.

Our 19 month old grandson loves Cars, Trucks and Things That Go, so this book is perfect for him. It is not too old for him. He looks and looks at the pictures on the pages and says the name of the object over and over.
He has learned many new words from having this book.

I recall reading this book to my younger sister many years ago.
I recently purchased this for a 6 year old. He squealed with delight.
It is his favorite R S book.

Richard Scarry books are classics - great for young & old.
Delightful pictures & so fun to look at!

Very poorly organized and edited book (self published?). The author thanks his brother in law, a "great fisherman", for editing it. LOL, enough said. It is very opinionated and uses very simple strategies such as moving averages, for trading mutual funds. Even this revised edition from 2003 doesn't cover ETFs. It is a good, basic, introduction to momentum trading. Unfortunately, you will probably get whipsawed out of most positions, lose a little money, and generate a lot of commission expenses. The authors claim to fame, indeed the only records supplied in the book, is a profit of 40% in 1998. As I remember, anyone who just sat their money in a good growth, aggressive growth or small growth company fund in 1998 would have made 40% anyway without trading at all.
The only reason I am not rating this book one or two stars is that you can get a free e mail subscription to the authors newsletter. It too is very disorganized, but at least it shows you real time, real prices, what positions the author is taking. That's more than most pay services offer.
I think Mr. Thomas means well. I suspect he is a nice man. But his strategies don't seem to work too well anymore. Anything can work when back tested, that means nothing in the future except that it probably won't work anymore.
From the newsletter, I can see that Mr. Thomas is right about 40% of the time, and loses small amounts of money the other 60%. He is hoping that the profits from the 40% exceed the loses from the 60%. Sometimes they do, but add commissions and they probably won't.
One thing that really opened my eyes is that Mr. Thomas is in fact, Mr. Market. He can be very bullish Monday, somewhat bullish Tuesday, neutral Wed., slightly bearish Thursday, and a growling bear Friday. The next week he might start out bearish and end up bullish!
At least half the book is Mr. Thomas raving on and on about brokers. Half the newsletter is him raving about Barrack Obama. He is a crank, but an entertaining one.
Worth a read, but be careful and better papertrade what he says! Buyer beware!

A well written book covering investing in no load mutual funds and a list of DONT"S visa vi investing. The author has a method for getting out of the stock market at the right time. Emphasis on taking profits and limiting one's losses. Easy to read.

This book is a gem! Have a paper and pencil ready to take notes to start your own investment portfolio. Keep in mind the Author has been on both sides of the fence as he will tell you, and thereby offers some very insightful and extremely informative ways to help you in the markets. His absolute best advise given in the book is 'cut your losses!'
An outstanding book!

THANK YOU Albert Thomas! I found this book by accident while searching the internet for info on on trend-following for mutual funds, something I was sort-of doing on my own, but without a plan or the great advice Al relays in this book. I'm 13 months into investing using this book's simple method. I started Oct 1, 2006, and to date, my return after all commissions is 37% - the S&P 500 has gone up 14.8% in the same time period.

Al tells you in the book that you can get this kind of return in a bull market, and easily beat the market. From my experience, he's not putting you on. It's such a simple plan, and doesn't require any big amount of time. It's a fun, easy read, it makes sense, and it works. He's a no BS guy and knows what he's talking about.

I was one of the many who were duped into the "buy and hold" mentality over the years - until I lost big 2000-2002. I vowed to never let that happen again. This book really woke me up to how protecting your capital is SO important. This simple tip (and how to do it) combined with Al's showing you how to be in the best ETFs or funds - and WHEN - is fantastic advice. Do get the service he recommends for picking the ETFs/funds, it is WELL worth the small expense. Note that Al is NOT selling a thing, as I've heard other authors do in their books. He's just giving you a fantastic money-making plan.

Do not wait, get this book! Easily the best $20 I've ever spent.

I've spent a number of years researching and developing my own trading systems that produced average results. Like most people, I don't want to spend most of my time in front of a computer screen watching the price of a stock tick up and down. I was also tired of having to watch for news that might affect my investments. I wanted a method that would allow me to make money and free up my time. Al came through with a simple, but very effective method.
Living in the information age, we forget that simple is often the best. Al helps the investor to know when to be in the market or on the sidelines just watching. Sometimes the hardest action is no action and being on the sidelines with your account in cash can be the best place during a down market.
I enjoyed reading Al's book and I highly recommend it.

I bought this for someone at a time when they were seriously contemplating suicide. This person had basically shut down. It was like nothing was getting through anymore. The Blue Day Book made him genuinely smile. That meant everything in the world to me. I knew he was still in there somewhere. It is now several years later and he is doing well (in case you're wondering). And maybe the book didn't save his life, I mean I can only attribute that to God. But the book is the first thing that was able to shine a light into his endless darkness. I guess it goes without saying that I HIGHLY recommend this wonderful little book.

The Blue Day Book is the ultimate coffee table book. It always lightens my days when I'm feeling down. The pictures are well matched to the sayings.

One has a picture that is a little racy. And the Hallmark version has that picture substituted. The pictures are funny and worth a laugh, but this is definitely for adults. There is a children's version that is equally funny.The Blue Day Book for Kids: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up

Bradley captures every emotion and feeling and soothes the reader. The photos help us along as well. After purchasing this book and "A Teaspoon of Courage" I read them and sent copies to my sister.

If you've got photographer friends, this book will be an inspiration for them. But the black and white photos also provide a great pick-me-up for anyone you know who's down in the dumps.

The volume describes myriad ways in which we all may feel under the weather sometimes--all of them illustrated with fetching postures and facial expressions of a large group from the animal kingdom--polar bears, pigs, lambs, monkeys, mice, dogs, kittens, lions, hippos, camels, sea lions, penguins, pelicans, even an anteater--and so on.

But the bottom line is that life goes on--and that people are "only young once...and never old twice." In other words, pick yourself up and enjoy life to its fullest, despite your blues, while you can.

Fabulous.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

...this comprehensive book is amazing! It has provided me with an excellent source for review as well as information/concepts that I did not pick up along the way during nursing school. One must be committed to get through this very detailed book, but the end result is well worth it (as if you didn't already know that).

The questions at the end of each chapter and in the CD-ROM, in my experience, are similar to that of those found in nursing school exams. They strive to be in an NCLEX style, but are more geared toward testing your understanding of the content found within the chapter. This is helpful for content review purposes, but they are not as solid of examples of NCLEX questions as compared to the Kaplan book (another book I recommend). However, the rationales Saunders provide make up for that issue nicely.

If you are dedicated and really want to pass the first time, you won't regret this purchase!

If you studied and graduated from a non US nursing program you must prepare for the NCLEX thoroughly, I graduated 9 years ago in the UK and thought I had a good general knowledge base, however once I started using this book I realized how much my UK education had not prepared me for the US system and the NCLEX.

Allow yourself a few months studying hard from this book (it is 'no-frills', almost written in note form, but it is the closest thing to experiencing a proper review course you can get outside the states)

At first I found the rationales in the included chapter exams very difficult to agree with in terms of prioritization, coming from the real world critical care environment, but the more questions and rationales you do the more prepared you will be. I would also recommend a question and answer book - I used the incredibly easy NCLEX RN question and answer book and the Mosby one.

As much as I recommend this book I also found it very useful to answer questions from several different publishers as I found they would all be somewhat different but it is a very accessible way of learning and getting questions wrong really helps for the right answer to 'stick'.

Overall a 5 star recommendation, there are no other publications I am aware of that offer this sort of package. Buy it and work hard!

I found out this morning that I passed! in 75 questions!

Good luck, good luck, good luck!

This book is wonderful. I study it for my tests, including my online exit exams for my specialty classes. This book covers everything and eliminates all the "fluff". I bought this and the Question and Answer book and they are GREAT learning tools. I would recommend this book to any nursing student to use throughout school and for boards!

The review is excellent! There are a lot of graphics and test questions that help you really understand the material. The rationales for the review questions are also a plus. The outlines are very helpful, concise, and comprehensive. I recommend this book for every nursing student!

This book is easy to read and the CD is so helpful. This book is reccomended by all of the instructors in our NCLEX review courses. I feel better prepared for the NCLEX.

This is one of those classic novels that you could read again and again. I hadn't read it since high school twenty years ago and just re-read Christy last week. I like it even better now than I did then (and I loved it then, too). I would have loved to have had Catherine Marshall's version of a sequel (hopefully it would have consisted of a continuation of Neil & Christy's romance), but I guess we get to imagine the "happily ever after" instead. It's a great read!

Sorry, but the glut of coincidences and melodramatic writing was just too much. I'm going back to my nonfiction now.

I just read this book and what can I say except that it was amazing. I actually prefer Neil to David. David was never very consistent in his faith he was good talker but he had no understanding. I recomend this book to anyone who already has faith or is struggling to find theirs. Read this book! You won't be sorry!

I really enjoyed this book. I also enjoyed the fact that many of the events in the book are in the series released on DVD. I would have preferred if certain subjects had not been discussed in this book so that it would be more appropriate for younger ages. Other than that it was a really enjoyable read.

This is one of my very favorite books! I've read it over so many times and never get tired of it. It's just so interesting, captivating and touching.

I have an old copy of this book and love it, but it was bulky to travel with. I love the paper back version of the book and the new updated language. A wonderful companion for my spiritual journey.

I have been studying this book for 6 years and sharing it with others. Oswald Chambers was an exceptional writer, bible scholar, and teacher. This book has given me great insight and direction to walk as a Christian daily.

I highly recommend this book for everyone! The lessons really hit home and are applicable to all lives at all stages.

My Utmost for His Highest is a wonderful classic christian devotional book. I have used it and bought a copy for each of my adult sons for Father's Day.

This is a great daily devotional that points you to scripture and then life application. While I LOVED my older edition of Oswald Chambers, reading it in contemporary language makes my quiet time flow easier because I don't get hung up on Oswald's old english.

nicholas and alexandra should never had become czar and crazina of russia.nicholas was just to weak spirit and alexandra to strong without know the real russia people.she saw russian as childern who needed to be told how to run their lives by the papa czar.she hide her son illness and brought in a sexual twisted man of god into her family,ruin the romanov's relationship with it's people.stopping changes that would give citzen russian say in their country.in the end the people turn on the romanov's every thing end tragical.

I read this book many years ago and have never forgotten it, and I just recently purchased a copy of my own. Robert Massie is an excellent writer who makes this book memorable for the fun and loving family that the Romanovs were and their terrible, tragic end. I'm now collecting more books on the Romanov dynasty and the individual people who made up this fascinating family. For anyone with an interest, this is the place to start.

Far and away one of the best biographies I have ever read. Massie masterfully gives life to the doomed, tragic last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. I was absolutely rivetted from page one by this outstanding work. The book gives a sympathetic portrait of Tsar Nicholas, his wife Empress Alexandra, and their ongoing struggle to cope with their haemophiliac son, Alexei, heir to the Russian throne. Alexei's illness indirectly leads to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty and the family's murder. An astonishingly good read, and one I highly recommend to all who are interested in this era of history.

Robert Massie's "Nicholas and Alexandra" is a biographical study centered on the lives of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. Massie's portrayal of the last ruling Romanavs is like many other works on the subject in that it is poignant, dramatic, and vibrant; but never dull. However, Massie's work stands out above other works on the subject for its thorough account of the lives of the imperial couple and most of all, its sympathetic portrayal of them.

Nearly all works of the period agree that Tsar Nicholas II was not the blood-drenched despot the Bolshevik revolutionaries claimed him to be, and although he may not have been as benevolent as his contemporary Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, he at least lacked the bellicose nature of his German counterpart (and early advisor), Wilhelm II. Massie's account demonstrates how Nicholas II was ill-prepared to ascend the throne in after Alexander III, but unlike the contention of other historians, Massie makes a reasonable case in defending the intelligence of the fallen autocrat.

Massie's account of Nicholas and Alexandra does not absolve the couple from their failure to prevent the collapse of the reign and ultimately their country, but it does partially excuse their inflexibility and fatalism on the serious of misfortunes that continued to plague Nicholas from the very day of his coronation; when hundred of Russian peasants were stampeded to death in a overzealous crowd on Khodynka Meadow. Yet, no Romanov apologist can ignore the detrimental influences on Nicholas's reign, including his wife Alexandra, a German Kaiser, and especially a corrupt starets. That such an array of persons from various strata of society could at times impose their will on a man raised to be an autocrat was a tarnish on Nicholas' character.

Despite his habit of being easily swayed at times, Nicholas is not one-dimensional in Massie's account. It is noted how Nicholas ignored the advice of able ministers and most of all; remained unyielding to grant the masses of his subjects the representation and constitution they desired--until it was too late. Even Massie can be counted among the historians who muse whether the Romanov dynasty might have survived had the Tsar been more accommadating to the popular demands of his people--or if war had not erupted in the manner it did in 1914.

Although Massie's work is very thorough, it only briefly touches the clandestine operations of the Tsarist police state in rooting out revolutionaries and assassins from its masses prior to 1917. Indeed, other works (e.g. Edmond Taylor's "The Fall of the Dynasties") are careful to point out that Tsarist police included a host of known double agents whose loyalties were perpetually in doubt. While Massie makes note of that insecurity in his account of Prime Minister Peter Stolypin's assassination in 1911 by a Tsarist agent, he fails to explain how widespread the problem actually was. Indeed, Taylor describes as monarchy's slide to collapse as a "suicide", not because they were unable to stop that slide, but rather because they were unwilling.

Just as it is difficult to excuse the corrupt system of Tsarist counter-revolutionary activity, historians are also unable to justify the Russia's policy in WWI of placing the needs of France above that of her own. The disaster at Tannenburg early in the war is described in detail by Massie, and is correctly portrayed as a premature offensive launched by Russia (with the support of Nicholas) to rescue its beleagured ally from the German onslaught through northern France. Indeed, even after his abdication and arrest, Massie notes how Nicholas pleaded with Kerensky to continue to support the Russia's allies in the war effort--a mission with which the Provisional Government leader would complete in the summer of 1917 with disastrous consequences. Although Massie's "Nicholas and Alexandra" does not outright label the monarchy as a principle agent of its own destruction, his book nevertheless provides a strong case to the conclusion that the last rulers (and their ministers) of the Romanov dynasty practiced an inexplicable policy of self-immolation.

It is perhaps this mystery--or lunacy--of the Romanovs that continues to fascinate so many readers 90 years after their unglorious deaths in their Siberian imprisonment. Undoubtedly, the story of the last Romanovs will continue to perplex students of history for decades to come, and Robert Massie's work will will remain the foremost account of the twilight of Imperial Russia.

Massie has written a masterpiece.
Graceful, informative ,never boring.
One of the best introductions into the insanity
of the Red Revolution and the rise of communism.

This was such a great book when I read it many years ago. I've recently gotten ahold of a copy and have to say that it's still a great read, especially when we are surounded by object in our daily lives that seem capable of their own thoughts and motives. It's also nice to see young people painted in such a way where they're not just miniature adults but actual kids reacting well to tough situations. I always wanted to learn more about what happened to Ellen and Otto and imagined they both continued to be self-sufficient individuals who went on to do quite well for themselves.

The Silver Crown by Robert C. O'Brien is a wonderful fantasy about a girl named Ellen Carroll. Ellen wakes up one day and finds a silver crown on her bedside table. Shortly after, her house burns down with her family inside. Not knowing what else to do, Ellen decides to hitchhike to her Aunt's house. But then she finds the person who burnt down her house is stalking her because he wants to kidnap her and take her silver crown.

The book begins with Ellen receiving a silver crown in the mail on her birthday. The next thing she knows, her house has burned down, her family is missing and people are willing to engage in mayhem and murder to find her. Ellen decides she needs to visit an aunt and sets out on foot to find her. She eventually meets up with a somewhat mysterious young boy and they attempt to solve the mystery of the crown and get Ellen to safety. This book was written in 1969 and at times it really shows. For example, that Ellen wears pants briefly and gets messy is considered striking within the book. However, in the end the book is driven by Ellen's determination and will.

I first bought this book when I was 12 years old at a book fair at school. I absolutely adored it and read it repeatedly for the next year. I gave it away to someone and never got it back. Only recently have I thought about it again and decided that Amazon was the first place to look for it. When I had read it again I couldn't believe how much of it I remembered from many moons ago. It was the first book to capture my interest in fantasy writing and I have never looked back since.

I first this book when I was about 12, and it remains on my shelf to this day (I'm now 35.) I highly recommend it for kids who enjoy fantasy books. Yes, it's dark and has genuinely creepy moments in it--but I see no reason that should discourage young readers or their parents, as it's an extremely engaging tale of a little girl battling the forces of evil. Resourceful girl characters are in short supply in children's fantasy literature, so this shouldn't be passed over.

The issues raised in another review here (regarding the unhelpfulness of adult authority figures in the book, and Ellen's bad descision to accept a ride from a stranger) would be points well taken if this were a book for 5 year olds. However, any child old enough to read and appreciate this book should be well past the point of learning that policemen are generally good and that hitchhiking is unwise. Give kids some credit! And give them good books, like this one.

Probably one of the best sports related books I have ever read. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to build strength.

Hi

I teach Crossfit [...] and this book is quite simply Brilliant. It is also a great companion for crossfitters to help with technique. If you want to really learn the lifts, if you want to get stronger this is the place to go. Be warned this is not a hone and tone body building book but a great work dedicated to compound lifts and the development of strength.

Just buy it !

This is the best book on weight training I've read, and I've read a lot of them.

I wish I had had it 15 years ago. If you know a young person getting into strength training, buy them this book.

Also get Practical Programming for Strength Training, by the same authors. Consider getting Science and Practice of Strength Training by Zatsiorsky and Kraemer if you want the footnotes. Though frankly, all these books could use better footnotes.

One tiny quibble is that the book is strongly focused on strength training, as it says in the title. This isn't the same thing as fitness or aesthetics, which are probably more common motivators for weight training. As far as I know there are no really good books on weight training for non-strength goals. Yes, I've read Stuart McRobert.

Coach Rip applies a perfect amount of dry whit to his rock solid understanding of weight training and delivers a tutorial that is as readable as it is helpful. Starting Strength gives an insight to both form and function of barbell training that your everyday coach/trainer does not have and cannot provide.

Highly recommended for anyone that wants to improve their strength, and especially recommended for anyone that is in the position to be instructing others in weight training.

Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength" is, without question, one of the finest books of its kind. I have been going to gyms all my life, listening to people and reading many books on all aspects of weight training. Mr. Rippetoe, via his book, is the best teacher I have encountered. Whether you're a novice or an experienced lifter, "Starting Strength" will improve your performance and your outlook in the gym. It is a complete reference for the technique, and the purpose, of all the important barbell movements. It is well written, clear, and thorough. Highly recommended.