Companies Books

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.

Terry Pluto has written an excellent book and as an Indians fan for 70 years I can easily relate to his personal story and to the history given of the Cleveland Indians. It is an excellent history for the most part, written as only a sports writer can, though he contradicts a couple other writers a few times. I espeically like the emphasis on the heroes of my childhood, Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Larry Doby and others on the famous 1948 team. I disagree with his contention that the l948 championship team was not one of the greatest championship teams ever and this is disproved in the detailed book An Epic Season by David Kaiser. Also for a really complete history of the Indians before and leading to 1948, Franklin Lewis wrote a book titled Clevland Indians published in 1949. Sadly, I don't know if that one can still be found or not, even through Amazon. It is more a history. Nonetheless, Our Tribe: A Baseball Memoir is a very good read and brings back the agony of the countless opportunities that former owners of the Indians let get by them. And the new owners may be doing that again today. :( As a personal story it is superb.

Absolutely wonderful weaving of an at times diffcult father-son relationship (congrats for telling it like it was!) and the history of the Cleveland Indians. Never gets bogged down in year-to-year stats and his way of comparing Shoeless Joe and Manny Ramirez's careers was brilliant. The stories about Manny are priceless.

Like all his other sports books, Terry Pluto is easily the best sportswriter on the planet.

This is a superb book because it goes beyond being a great sports book. Terry Pluto's weaving of his relationship with his father into his lifetime love of the Cleveland Indians makes it a book that readers will think about long after they've finished reading it. It's not necessary to be a Tribe fan to enjoy this book. I'd even go as far to say that a reader need not be a baseball fan to feel empathy and self-reflection on his or her parent-child relationship, regardless of whether the person is the parent or the child. I've also read the author's "Loose Balls", a wonderful look back at the American Basketball Association, and recommend that to those who remember the ABA (go Oakland Oaks!) and to those who weren't around to enjoy those years.

This is a fantastic book for any Indians fan who grew up watching games at the old Stadium. It's for all of us who grew up rooting for a sad team who had never won anything before and was never likely to do so in the future. It helps us to remember those days when the important thing wasn't how good the team was or if they had a chance at the Series, but rather spending time with our fathers watching the game. Maybe, just maybe, this book will help us to remember what is really important once again.

This book is as much a story about a son and his relationship with his father as it is about baseball, and tells each of those stories wonderfully. For basball fans it is an entertaining history of the Cleveland Indians and is full of colorful players, managers, and even owners. From the perspective of this one baseball team, the reader has a ring side seat on how much our country, society, and professional sports have changed and grown over the last 75 plus years. Just from the standpoint of the baseball Terry Puto is as good as Ken Burns or George Will.

But the story within the story is really about the author and his father. That relationship is one that is full of joy and sadness, wonderful memories and yet regrets. The author comes to better understand and appreciate his father after a stroke makes it impossible to talk to his father. In a cruel irony, when the time came that the author was ready and wanted to share stories and talk to his father, he was not able to.
All fathers and sons should read this book.

A final comment on Terry Pluto's writing style. I have read three of Mr Pluto's books and appreciate the way he writes in a clean, no non-sense style and yet fills his books with so much detail and color.

The Part-Time Real Estate Investor: How to Generate Huge Profits While Keeping Your Day Job, by Dan W. Blacharski, is a wonderful and inspiring book that is presented with humor, information and insight for the average American that is struggling, but that dreams of something better for their life. Blacharski begins the work by focusing on his own credit-worthy shortcomings in an entertaining method that millions of people can relate to and that serves to lay a foundation for the belief that anyone with the commitment to changing their life can do so through knowledge. That knowledge, in Blacharski's book, relates to the real estate market and how the acquisition of property can progressively provide a source of income for people that will lead to financial security and stability. This is not a guide that suggests that the reader will be rich overnight, but instead a guide that uses facts to support all of the information that is provided and that offers a step-by-step manner of approaching the topic. The writing is not only filled with the first hand knowledge of the author, it is engaging and inspiring. In a world in which most people are told that they have to accept whatever socioeconomic barriers that confront them, Blacharski is capable of opening his reader's eyes to the possibility that there is another path that can be taken and that, with a little determination and knowledge, anyone can do it.

You gotta love a guy who opens a book about part-time real estate investing with the information that he hasn't "had a real job in 15 years." Dan W. Blacharski then proceeds to explain in exhaustive detail how you, in 15 years (perhaps less), can write the same sentence.

Among the many things you'll learn from reading The Part-Time Real Estate Investor: How to Generate Huge Profits While Keeping Your Day Job is the fact that while the shortest distance between the two points (idea and success) isn't really all that long, the actual path can be long and winding and you should, first and foremost, prepare yourself for a less than instantaneous journey.

"There may well come a point when you will be working only a few hours a day and taking in millions," he writes, "but that point is not today. It will take a lot of hard work to get there."

You will also learn that in many ways, bankers and real estate agents are not going to be your best friends in this investment endeavor of yours. In fact, Blacharski will explain, they will often be at odds with your goals. Real estate agents earn commissions from the sale of a home and are likely, therefore, to view alternative methods of purchasing real estate with considerable skepticism. Banks are in business to make money. They are not in the business of making you money, so like the real estate agents, they will tend to view any creative financing ideas with the same sort of skepticism. Alternative methods of purchasing real estate and creative financing ideas are the backbone of the method(s) that Blacharski details in the book.

He walks you through it all, clearly and concisely, detailing all of the alternatives and creative financing arrangements that are available and desirable to the potential, part-time real estate investor. What seems clear is that many of the people who've trod this path (i.e., those who've made initial investments and parlayed the profits into millions) did so by using some combination of the techniques outlined in this book.

What is not so clear is whether you, dear reader, will be able to do the same thing, especially if the plan actually entails maintaining a full-time `day job' while you explore the possibilities inherent in real estate investment. To his credit, Blacharski makes no claim, offers no guarantee and doesn't climb on a media soapbox claiming that you're going to be a success through the simple application of the principles he outlines. He tells you upfront that it's going to be hard work and in many cases, will involve failure. He recommends that you absorb such failure and soldier on, using each instance of failure as a lesson learned, not to be repeated.

If there's a concern about how this information is laid out for you, it's that it has a tendency to come at you like a comfortable shower, which is all well and good, as long as you don't have to pay strict attention to and retain a specific memory for each drop of water that lands on you. It's just a lot to absorb in a single setting, or two even, or even the amount of time it would normally take you to read a book. Without a photogenic memory, you're going to have to go back and re-visit the concepts and specific details of each situation in order to effectively utilize the strategies and tactics that Blacharski has outlined in this book. Some of it, of course, will come with experience, but even initial experiences with this investment route will need to be supported by a strong knowledge base that can't realistically be learned simply by reading the book.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. The devil, as we all know, is in the details, which, no matter how clearly Blacharski outlines them (and he does do that), will still be your responsibility to execute. Bearing this in mind and being aware that this book is a blueprint, not the finished `building' of wealth that you, as a potential part-time real estate investor, are seeking, the 290 pages of clearly articulated and well-written information are well worth your time.

I've read and reviewed a number of "how to make millions investing in real estate" type of books, and I didn't think I'd ever need to read another one, since they are mostly the same (in varying degrees of quality). However, I was attracted to the Part-Time Real Estate Investor precisely because of the humility of its title -- it seeks to help real people achieve real income from real estate while keeping their feet planted solidly on the ground. Since I know the realities of the current real-estate market precludes the possibility of doing it full time (at least from my starting position), I decided to take a gamble on this book, and I wasn't disappointed.

As with any "how-to" real-estate investment book, the Part-Time Real Estate Investor covers a lot of ground, and thus is skimpy on the details in some areas. Fortunately though, this book focuses on some areas that are ignored by the pie-in-the-sky type of investment books. For example, it spends ample time on subjects like "Buying Your First Home," buying a home with bad credit, "Land Contract and Lease Purchases," etc. The bad credit chapter was particularly informative, I thought, as it examines whether or not you should buy a home with below-average credit, given the higher interest rates you'll incur. Most books are simply rah-rah for homebuying (and selling), but this one is more sensitive to individual's situations.

There is no ONE book that will tell you everything you need to know about being a real-estate investor, but this one is a good place to start, particularly for people with realistic and modest goals. Others, like those from the Rich Dad series or by author William Bronchick, are also helpful, especially from a psychological perspective. But this book contains some of the best pure information of any I've read. I would advise others in my shoes to grab this book as well as two others I recently reviewed, Inspect Before You Buy (by Charlie Rose) and Your Real Estate Closing Explained Simply (by Michelle Blain), which go into those two areas in greater depth than this book is able to. No ONE book will teach you all you need to know, but these three books as a set come pretty close!

It is always easy to write a review on a book that appeals to you right from the beginning. And these words are heartfelt. Of course, to see whether this book is good or bad, in any sense, we have to read it. So pluck up your spirits and open it! Once you have done it, it is almost impossible to put the book down.
To better understand how the money world works you do not have to spend years of research and live your life in secret labs. Simply go out for it. Money world is around you, maybe even in your neighborhood. That is what Dan W. Blacharski, the author of the book, tries to explain. But do not get discouraged thinking that the author is going to give a lecture -- one of the many on `How to Get Rich in a Fortnight' we can attend any time in any city of the country. That is quite another story.

Holding in mind that there are still lots of things to learn, we are free to choose between seminars, real estate programs and the books on the corresponding topic. I am not sure of whether these seminars are useful, but I am pretty certain of the fact that Part-Time Real Estate Investor really inspires. I am not a real estate guru in terms of buying and selling, but I devoured this book within a single day. Moreover, next morning my first purchase was a newspaper with lots of real estate related materials. Am I going to be an investor? I am sure I am going to try.

The majority of people out there think starting their own business is a risk and even a waste of time. Let them think so. I am sure we are not this kind of men. Yes, there are some obstacles on your way to good money and even wealth. But they are nothing comparing with what you will get. Dan W. Blacharski gives compact and precise information on how the whole business works. Unlike the lecturers and tutors in a college, the author opens you the doors to the core of real estate business and quite clearly states that `there really are no secrets in real estate wealth building'.

The book is perfectly designed. The chapters consist of subtitles, which give you direct information on how this or that method/trick works or does not work. Then there are lots of myths of the trade that help you escape the reefs of the business. PART-TIME REAL ESTATE INVESTOR TIP is a common insertion where the author either summarizes the ideas of the chapter or provides examples of real estate routine work. Such notions as creative financing, REIT, tax deduction, promotion of homeownership are not just labels -- they are thoroughly explored and clearly explained by the author. A friend of mine, who is a teacher, said when she finished the book, "Well, this book sounds like Zero Conditional!" I could not have expressed myself better.

You know, after the first reading of Part-Time Real Estate Investor I was not satisfied. I realized I need a second reading. I was so much overwhelmed by the book having finished the last chapter that I was thinking of it the whole night. The whole business turns out to be quite a nice deal to try and there are no limitations! Real estate investors get to be rich by learning from their mistakes, and by not giving up after the first failure. Paraphrasing Margaret Thatcher's famous words, I want to say that you have to sell/buy a house more than one to get rich. And frankly, that seems not a very hard work to do...

Not only was this an enjoyable read, but also intriguing. I have always wondered how it would be to dabble in real estate. The Part-Time Real Estate Investor lets you see into this world, and actually see yourself in it. Mr. Blacharski gives all the detail a reader needs to jump in and invest in that first property. He outlines how to proceed slowly at first and become knowledgeable about your properties. Then take it to the next level to build a real estate portfolio. The information in this book will give you the confidence to delve into investing for yourself.

This book not only gives you solid advice and strategy, but also discusses and dispels many of the get rich quick schemes that have been so popular of late. You can not get something for nothing and the author explains exactly how the "no money down" schemes work. There are lots of easy to follow financial examples that demonstrate how to figure profits, expenses, closing costs and the like. When he talks about doing things that are risky, because nothing in this world is secure, it really hit's the mark with me. This book goes into detail about the confusing real estate world. It's really a no nonsense guide to real estate investing.


I would recommend this book to anyone - really! This may very well change your life.

This book is the most intriguing book I have read in outlining a truly strategic system for running a business. You can call it wisdom or experience, but I assure you most business people will enjoy the read and relate to many of the topics. Illustrations are concise and creative and are designed to help visualize the concepts.

A definite winner and must read!

This book takes a very practical approach at describing the impact of market conditions on corporate strategies and provides a framework for how to deal with what you can't control - your market conditions.
The examples are crisp and clear and the methodology is practical and proven out over years of consulting practice.

The authors have picked one of the key aspects of a company's strategy toolkit. Strategic or market planning should give a company the ability to respond to changes in the market (e.g. customers, competition and technology). But my actual experience in strategy consulting and then marketing strategy for a large corporation has been somewhat different. Several times companies' response to analyzing market changes starts by looking out but quickly turns more and more internal. The result is usually "more of the same" strategy with some incremental refinements - of course all this is backed by impressive financial and other quantitative analysis. 2 things become a casualty in such a process - the willingness to strain outside of comfort zones and "see" what is happening. And the ability to tap your own employees (and customers and other stakeholders) who are the closest to the change and may have a good feel for what's coming! In my view marketing/product/strategy functions should develop a joint mechanism to see, evaluate and act upon the key developments in their expanse of the market.

That is exactly what this book provides. The book is easy to read and structured well, essentially taking the reader through a clear 7 step process on how to anticipate and respond to changes. The Appendix at the end that details the "Strategic Eye Exam" serves as a useful starting questionnaire.

The book will be a very good read for those who believe that the world around them changes quickly and want to develop a BU or company wide process to learn, evaluate and act on those changes, including the ability to discard the red herrings.

Highly recommended!

Day and Schoemaker have written a fascinating book on how to increase one's vigilance, all wrapped up in a larger tale of Darwinian ophthalmology. It's a book of the times. Read repeatedly, learn, and inwardly digest. You will be amply rewarded.

A decent book, I found the information to be useful and beneficial especially since I work at a firm that has little, if any "peripheral vision".

A fast and easy read that can actually significantly help both growing and mature organizations.

All Evelyn Cameron wanted was to be able to say she had lived a worthy life. By the end of her life, she thought she had not achieved that goal, but this book proves otherwise.

I was fascinated by Evelyn's life, especially the hardships she endured, trying to make a living off the dry summer land and the bitter winter cold in eastern Montana, with a husband who barely lifted a finger to help her work the ranch.

It was Evelyn, a woman brought up to live a leisure life in England, who milked cows, churned butter, did laundry by hand, plowed fields, tended a huge garden, dug coal, patched openings between slats in the house, painted walls, butchered livestock, broke horses, autopsied her own animals trying to discover what caused their deaths, and even stitched her own wound when she accidentally cut herself with an ax. She went on Fall hunting trips to provide meat to last through Montana's extreme winters. While her husband hunted, it was left to Evelyn to skin and dress the meat. She accompanied her husband while he researched Montana's birds, often waiting for hours for the perfect photographic shot from dangerously high rocky outgrowths.

She rode horses for miles to sell her vegetables and to photograph other farmers, cowboys, and sheep herders far afield. Her neighbors counted on her when they wanted a photo to send to family, but Evelyn was also the person everyone called on when they were in need. She was a no-nonsense woman who learned to eke out a living in the worst of conditions. (After a month of such hard work, I would have been on the train back east.)

Yet Evelyn not only worked like a horse all day, she found time to read and keep a detailed diary every day. She listed chores she had completed, how long it took to churn and how much butter resulted, every penny earned and spent, copied every letter she sent ---creating an invaluable record of her life. Some of her details were also invaluable to her ---figuring exactly how much coal was used one year so that she could estimate how much to dig for the next winter. When she became interested in photography, her detailed records of lighting conditions and exposure times helped improve her craft.

Her photographs create a comprehensive record of her life and the times in which she lived. Considering she had to carry heavy camera equipment and fragile glass plates in unbearable heat (or cold) on horseback, deal with dust on the plates and guess at exposure times, her photos are remarkable.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in photography, women, or frontier life. (You could give this book to your teenager the next time s/he complains about doing a few chores around the house.)

(I learned about Photographing Montana by reading Bad Land by Jonathan Raban. Raban found photographing Montana extremely difficult, thus he admired Cameron's photographs that much more for his own failures.)

The main feature of this book is its 150 photographs taken by photographer Evelyn Cameron in eastern Montana during the years of its earliest settlement, first by ranchers in the late 19th century and then by streams of homesteaders in the early decades of the 20th century. In the latter regard, it is an excellent companion to Jonathan Raban's "Bad Land." Most amazing is the vast range of photographs, including family portraits, group shots of cowboys, threshers, and sheep shearers, ranch buildings, open prairie, wild life, store fronts, wild horses, herds of sheep and cattle, badlands, social gatherings, and farm equipment.

We get glimpses into the lives of the wealthy and the dirt poor. None of the photographs were shot in a studio, and taken together they represent a broad sweep of frontier life across a handful of decades. The text provides a detailed life of the photographer herself, a remarkably spirited and self-sufficient English woman who has left us this marvelous and revealing record of a time long passed.

This work is a treasure. Evelyn Cameron and her husband, born into English society, established a ranch in eastern Montana early in the development of that part of the west. A need for additional income and a love of photography lead Evelyn to produce a large number of high quality photographs. Those photographs represent a historical archive of enormous value. The photos show the people of the time, how they made a living, and the tools that they used. My personal favorite is a photo Evelyn took of herself in her kitchen; she sent it to relatives in England to show them her life on the Montana frontier. It was a life of hardship, but also of achievement. The quality of Cameron's work is the equal of other great western photographers of the era, such as Jackson or Huffman, and it records a side of life not represented by anyone else. There is a balance in this book between text and reproduced photographs. It is a biography of Evelyn Cameron, including excerpts from her journals, as well as an exhibition of her photographs. A museum and gallery in Terry, Montana, is a repository of Evelyn Cameron's work and the total number of photographs is several times what this book is able to present. One hopes that other volumes of Cameron's photos will be published in the near future.

I live in the area of the photographer's subjects, and totally enjoyed the book and its' subject. The photographs, along with Evelyn Cameron's diary accounts of daily happenings, gave a captivating decription of what many of our homesteading ancestors endured. This is very enjoyable reading for anyone.

This book, by Time-Life books editor Donna Lucey, has some very interesting photographs of Montana, taken about halfway between the Lewis and Clark expedition of two hundred years ago and today. Yes, the early 1900s were right in the middle of Evelyn Cameron's career.

Cameron, nee Flower, was one tough and talented lady. She moved to Montana with her husband Ewen, going there initially in 1889, on a hunting trip for their honeymoon. I found the stories and pictures of life in Montana fascinating. Much of the book deals with the growth of Terry, a town in the eastern part of the state, on the Yellowstone river.

At the time, the Kodak camera was the instrument of choice for most American photographers, however Cameron did much of her work with a 5x7 Graflex. There are dozens of her photos in this book.

Although Cameron died in 1928, Lucey was lucky enough to obtain many of Cameron's photos from one of Cameron's friends, Janet Williams, who was 95 years old by the time Lucey met her in August of 1979.

In 2002, PBS began shooting a documentary about Cameron, and it was released last year. It includes over 200 of Cameron's photos (over 100 of which are not in this book), and it won four regional Emmy awards. It was the first high-definition documentary for Montana PBS.

I recommend this book.

I'm not a student, but I've found this book to be the best reference available for a comprehensive introduction/reference to photography. I obtained my copy at half price books (1st ed.) for [...] $, and were it not for that store i would have never known this excellent resource as I'm neither a "student" nor rich. The only other book that I've seen that approaches this one is René Bouillot's "La photographie argentique", which approaches that of Mr. Warren's in content and exposition but lacks the excellent paper/pictures and may be a little pretentious for néophytes as myself. Bruce Warren's Photography is by all accounts the best photography book i've encountered.

This book goes through the very basics of photography and is great for the student photography major or for someone wishing to further their knowledge in photography. Warren does not specialize in one specific area, but gives an over all to photography, it's special effects and bits of darkroom information

As everyone knows, college books are quite expensive and often hard to find. It's good to turn to Amazon.com and quickly find the textbook, for less than retail, and shipped in time for class!

This book should be on every new photographers buy list. In fact I think I'll put together a photo list and add it!

It's a largish textbook that is both well designed and clear. A rare find in textbooks, it actually teaches! I've found it very useful, very comprehensive and it's taught me quite a bit.

It's stylish, color, and will replace a lot of other books simply because it covers so much ground (not just technical aspects, but stylistic and subject matter). Amazon has it for a good price. I found this while shopping at Fry's and Amazon had it much cheaper.

I actually attended classes taught Mr. Warren and was around when he
was developing his first edition. He loved what he did and it showed in his
teaching and this is what is in his book. A love and practical understanding
and teaching to bring out the "best photographer" in you.

This book is great! Easy to understand instructions and inspiring ideas to boot! I've made several mini quilts using the concepts presented. It's one of my favorite books in my quilting collection!

In Points of View, Valerie outdoes her first book, Beyond the Horizon. She includes many more techniques and hints, along with gorgeous pictures of her work and that of others. It's a book to get lost in. Easy to translate the written word into real life works and be pleased with the results!

If you love making quilted landscapes or are interested in learning how to make them, this is a great book. You learn easy as well as a little more advanced ways to make them. You learn how to look at fabric and see possiblilites in it that you had never seen before. Follow the patterns and techniques to make your own piece of art and then check out the gallery in the back of the book. Amazing! I had made landscapes before getting this book, but I have learned so much more from it.
Kay S.

This is an excellent book for a beginner to practice landscape quilting.
The simple techniques that you can try will encourage you to then design and make your own landscape quilt.

Points of View is a wonderful book, rich in detail and information, and gorgeous photos of Valerie Hearder's quilts. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to do landscape quilting. Valerie's "viewfinder" idea for finding your correct section of fabric is great, the instructions are clear and easy to follow to make your version of each type of quilt.

This is not a review on pragmatics of human communication, it is a review on a book. This might be an imperative read when you're working with human beings and/or when you're a pragmatist, but you'd probably already knew everything in it. This is no book for the communication specialist: it will be too disturbing. There is no 'sender', 'no channel' and 'no reciever' in the bbok. It also has no 'message'. It is also not recommended for people who do not want to change. Finally, it is not for lay people, because it is better to live in ignorance than know that a conversation in basically about nothing.

That human relationships are something mysterious and intriguing is hardly a question. But whether an account of them that is limited by scientific standards can do justice to their complexity and nature is quite another. However, I'm convinced that in this case the subject not only survives the operation - the methodology and presentation don't kill their subject or explain it away - but benefits from it to a rather surprising extent. That is, it achieves the difficult task of being both accurate and rigourous on the one hand and sheading light on the parts of us that have to do with us being human on the other - the thoughts and feelings in our behaviour. This is not only in stark contrast to the behaviorist paradigm dominant at the time this work was written, but marks an equally important departure from the intrapsychic focus of psychoanalysis. Thus the introduction of models based on cybernetic principles, systems theory, game theory, mathematics etc allowed for a completely new dimension in human relations to appear.

The new approaches that made it possible and which found so excellent synthesis in "Pragmatics.." are to a considerable extent traceable back to the works of Gregory Bateson. Indeed, it wasn't untill reading his "Steps to the Ecology of Mind" that I came to realize this. However, the relative lack of originality is compensated by the degree of integration and condensation achieved in "Pragmatics" - perhaps higher than any other single writing in "the Palo Alto framework" before or after has (intended) - which naturally exceeds that of "Steps..." - which is a collection of Bateson's articles dating from 1930s to 1970s. So above anything else, the two make an excellent complementary reading.

The last chapter of this book, which I read over 30 years ago, and still remember to this day, is a true stunner, especially the last sentence. The truth therein is timeless. When I finished it, I remained seated and awestruck for a long time, contemplating a cosmic truth which has never left me to this very day. The specific memory is carved in stone, so to speak.

Ever heard of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig? Well, POHC goes even further - towards a mathematical truth about our very existence. This book is far more than its title suggests. Quite simply it is the second most important book I've EVER read... and Pirsig's is not the first, either.

If you have the intelligence to absorb it, this book will probably change the very foundation of what you call "me"... it will fundamentally challenge your mind. Read it if you have confidence in your OWN intellect.

BTW - for a reference point, I was the only student in my class at Western Michigan University who apparently understood the implications of this book. It was a 400 level Communications course with 28 students, and the course was "built" around the book.

A very intresting book. After I have got this book, I acquired all the other books by the author and found that this book is probably his best one. A must read for those who are interested in knowing the interactions between communication and paradoxical psychotherapy.

I bought the book wanting to know something more about the world of communication and was delighted to find references to my youth interests: logics and mathematic and to my more recent one: spirituality. What was of a particular interest, even if it might be considered a bit partial, was the importance the authors put on paradoxes both as the root for patology and cure. In this latter respect references are given to zen sayings and their relationships to actual therapeuthical episodes.
A problem stemming for the emphasis put on the interrelated cause of neurosis is that individuals tend to be quite neglected: so giving the feeling that people having no stable relationships with other people must be either totally healty or... incurable.
Already bought two other books from the same author.

Product Strategy for High technology Companies by Robert Cooper. I purchased the book with the intention of getting my professional certification in product management. The is extremely helpful in the area of product planning and development. It links the technology strategy of a company to its product platform development strategy down to its product line planning strategy. I like the way the book is structured, building up from vision to techniques. His case studies / examples (though not in depth)are very good in illustrating what he was trying to say.

the Core Strategic Vision approach for determining strategy is interesting, and is a good framework to develop a realistic vision.
The boundaries test to determine whether your vision will deliver what you expect (it forces you to expect something!) is something companies can't forget.
And the vision of a set of product's as not only one offering, but as one containing a platform and its pre-planned offerings, with pricing strategy, is essential to get profits for a long time.
It is full with examples, specially from the software arena. Recommended.

This book offers a study of the strategic options for high tech firms. The coverage is wide and detailed. This is a great book.

A big number of business examples, and good explanation of concepts. A deeper vision could be found in another books about this subject, so in my oppinion this book could be a good starting point, not recomended for advanced IT product managers.

I love this book: the concept of a "vector" for product
development is a terrific way to think about competition.
IMHO, this book is a must-read for all product managers,
product marketers and people involved in strategic decisions,
i.e. all senior executives.

That said, speaking as a five-time startup engineer, the advice
and examples in this book seem geared towards the core product
lines in larger companies, where you can credibly talk about
"two years from now" as opposed to wondering if you'll even be
in business, which is also the problem for new product lines at
large companies. The experience for the book comes from the
PRTM consulting firm, which was made famous for their work with
parallel product development at Intel. We hired them in the
early days at Inktomi, and found mixed success with their
process because we were terrified of immediate failure, and
they wanted to talk about version 3. Obviously, there's a
successful middle ground because Inktomi was a huge success in
the short term, but ultimately lost its strategic direction.

A great resource on an important topic. Most investors don't realize that Self Directed IRA is the real key to generating the highest return for your retirement. Kudos to the author, I haven't seen much written on this topic. If anyone is looking to open a self directed IRA, I suggest visiting www.celerityplan.com. The author should include this as a resource in the next book. Wonderful results and very "snazzy" model!

From the moment you start reading Nora Peterson's book, Retire Rich With Your Self-Directed IRA: What Your Broker & Banker Don't Want You to Know About Managing Your Own Retirement Investments, you cannot help but feel at ease. It is clearly arranged in a very orderly fashion and very easy to follow. The use of her fictional character Jo, made it easy for you to follow along as if you too were walking along with Jo in her journey to financial stability after retirement. This book offers great insight into a world that many are afraid to even venture near, myself included. The step-by-step approach with the aid of the IRA Primer would help even the most common person with no prior knowledge or understanding of finance. It forces one to think about their goals in a long-term sense. The discussion around estate planning is one that is seldom addressed when planning for the future. It is necessary for a person to understand the tax codes and laws governing IRA's and other forms of retirement investment, especially when trying to avoid penalties and other losses to future income. The non-traditional forms of investing using the self-directed IRA were also very clearly explained and encourage the reader to think for him or herself. We are the arbiters of our own destiny! I would highly recommend this book for anyone who has questions or have not previously thought about preparing for their financial future.

I purchased this book because I felt nervous having all of my retirement money tied up in the stock market. I knew that other options were available. This book explores those options and alerts you to the pitfalls that await you if you are not careful planning and implementing your strategy.

Written simply, easy to understand, after 3 other books, this is the one! Just do it! You can buy and sell real estate, etc and put the profit back in and not pay taxes - follow the rules!
You can do it!

One of the main goals of author Nora Peterson, in the publishing of this book, was to share information in an easily understood format to increase the awareness of the multiple options available to retirees and future retirees when considering how to invest and protect hard-earned money accumulated over a lifetime.

The book addresses a wide range of critical aspects to be considered when planning for a long-term retirement. It touches upon subjects we have heard about, some that we haven't, and yet others that should be considered when planning for our future and those of our heirs.

Taking control of our financial future
* Movement of retirement funds into a self-directed IRA
* Understanding the roles and responsibilities of an IRA custodian, trustee, and administrator
* Creating a team of professionals to maximize income-producing opportunities while effectively managing risks - especially as it pertains to unnecessary tax penalties which can and should be avoided

Non-Traditional IRA investment options
* Real Estate
* Purchase and sale of mortgage notes
* Owning a business within an IRA or participating in a business partnership
* Buying precious metals

Managing distributions from our IRA
* Circumstances permitting withdrawals prior to age 59½ without paying a 10% tax penalty for early withdrawal
* Withdrawals to pay for health insurance when unemployed, without incurring a tax penalty
* Withdraw $10,00 to purchase a first home for a child, grandchild, or parent without penalty

Asset Protection and Stretching Your IRA
* Designation of a single beneficiary; and
* Designation of multiple beneficiaries to minimize tax risks

Getting to the "point" according to Nora Peterson:

"The point is getting through this life with the maximum comfort and security you can arrange and ending up with at least a little left over when you're finished."

That is our intended goal, isn't it?