Companies Books

The Italian sugar cookies are neutral tasting and more shortbread in texture than crisp. I wouldn't want to make these again.

I do not pretend to know much about Italian desserts, but I have baked enough cheesecakes to know a good one when I bake one. I am basing my evaluation of this cookbook on one recipe alone, the outrageously good crustless Sicilian Ricotta Cheesecake on pages 220-221. You can stir up this light concoction in minutes. You don't need to beat this one, unlike American cheesecakes. It is the easiest cheesecake I've ever made and qualifies for the "quick and easy" category of cooking. The cake is light and airy, almost like a souffle, and probably has fewer calories than the usual ones heavy laden with cream cheese. Your guests can eat this delicious cheesecake without guilt.

There are literally dozens of dessert recipes here in chapters on yeast-risen pastries, fried pastries, puff pastry, cream puff pastry, plain cakes, cakes with fruit, layer cakes, biscotti, ices and frozen desserts, etc.

I have tried many of Mr. Malgieri's dessert recipes from his other cookbooks and have never found one that didn't work. I would therefore try any of these with confidence.

Nick Malgieri is, without a doubt, one of the best dessert chef-teachers in America today. In "Great Italian Desserts" Maligieri adds ethnic passion and the energy of fond memories to his enormous skill, resulting in a magnificient work. Nowhere else have I found such an array of Italian desserts presented with such simplicity. This book is a "must have" for any cook who would like to create an authentic cannoli or discover an array of Italian desserts. The methods presented are straight-forward and presented with a simplicity typical of Malgieri.

Italian desserts are both delicious and artistic. This great contribution would have been even more significant were it better illustrated. With the exception of the book jacket, the work totally lacks color illustrations of these marvelous creations. Though the book is populated with crude preparation sketches, those not familiar with the look of the final products may feel a bit frustrated in bringing these wonderful desserts to life.

I think Malgieri is by far the best book on Italian desserts. Probably its main strength is that it explains carefully which ingredients have to be used. I had gone through many failures preparing Italian recipes here in the States, usually because the American products are different (for instance, ricotta cheese or marzipan). Most books do not adjust for that, and simply translate the Italian recipe, or, even worse, they Americanize it (use of vegetable shortening, or cream cheese instead of ricotta, and other horrors). Malgieri, instead, explains carefully what to use. In addition, the book contains almost all the famous recipes, in their true Italian form.

Enjoyed the desserts when Nick was at World Trade Center, NY. The cookbook helps us recapture the quality without the airfare!!! This is a clear, step-by-step format and produces what it promises. Baking takes more time than does making soup. This book helps make the the use of our time most efficient.

I have played for a few years now but I consider myself a noob and never thought in a million years I would be able to play Pantera. Thanks to this book I am able to play Revolution is my name, walk, and a few others. Not the solos of course. Pantera is my favorite band and I shed a tear the day Dime was taken from us. This book helped me play the music I love and I am very grateful to those who made this possible. Anyone who is a fan should buy this book.

Though it may not provide much in the way of theory, scales, or fundamentals, this book is a great insight into the style of one of rock music's greatest guitarists. Not only did it offer written and recorded examples of great riffs, intriguing solos, and useful exercises, it offered great practical tips for any serious guitarist. I poured through the book in under a week and it made me totally re-think several aspects of my playing. Riffer Madness reminds us of the importance of forgetting the rules and just playing great music.

This is a must buy for a Dimebag Darrell fan. This guy knew what he was talking about when it came to guitars.

Everything is transcribed perfectly.

My only beef with this book is that Darrell doesn't play on the CD.

I found the content to be pretty good. I am a big Dime fan so to just have his entire column in one book was great. I did notice that there is some bad tab but it's enough to get you going in the right places. Additionally I expected Dime to be playing on the CD instead of the author.

I first met "Diamond" Darrell in 1984 when he was only 17, and giving guitar lessons at Mansfield Music. I'd finally decided I really wanted to PLAY guitar, and not just bang on it. They tried several teachers, classical, and a country teacher. It just didn't work out, so the owner told me he had one more teacher, a kid with his own band. In walked a skinny kid with the biggest electric frizz hairdo I'd ever seen, Darrell. Each week, he'd take my list of 10 songs I wanted to learn, and if he knew them, would show me how to play them. If he didn't know them, he'd take the list home, and next week, he'd have all of them down pat. I learned more in that 18 months than in the previous 35 yrs! Ten yrs later, I went to a guitar show in Dallas, and was waiting outside the Dean showcase when I heard a voice call, "Hey, Everett! How're you doin'!". It was Darrell, there to put on a demo for Dean. Needless to say, there were some wide eyes around me after that! Darrell dropped everything to talk to me for about 10 minutes. That's the kind of guy he was. We lost a goodern, that's for sure. R.I.P. Darrell...

I have purchased 6 books and 2 cd sets to get started in hand binding. This book by far will get you going with simple, straight forward instruction.

Less "flashy" than some titles out there but extremely substantive. A comprehensive guide that explains and explores its subject matter from every angle.

Even for a 50+ year old, third generation publisher and printer, this publication enlightened even myself on the lost art of handmaking and restoring books. Very helpful for the novice, or for the collector of fine books - to be learned and unes as a reference.

This book doesn't have flashy pictures, but it teaches you how to bind your own books. The instructions are detailed, the process is well explained and it worked great for me.

I have also bought another book on bookbinding (or so I thought) - Book Arts: Beautiful Bindings for Handmade Books by Mary Kaye Seckler. This one is the exact opposite of the previous - flashy pictures, but absolutely useless.

After reading this book I was able to complete my first ever sewn multiple signature hardbound book with little to no problems. Watson's numbered and illustrated instructions were simple and easy to follow and his techniques - especially on proper folding, measuring, squaring, mitering the corners and attaching bookcloth - proved very helpful. He even provides a section in the end of the book on how to make your own bindery tools, which is great because equipment such as sewing frames and press tubs can be quite expensive these days.

Watson assumes that you have already collated the signatures for your text block. This is important because there are some things you'll have to consider when assembling the text block in the first place (such as squaring off the fore edge for a finished look) But overall, this is a useful reference for serious home bookbinders.

I highly recommend it!

I bought this book a couple of months ago because I needed a pep-talk and figured this was a fluffy rah-rah type book that would give me one.

Well, the author IS very warm and authoritative, and the book DID give me the pep-talk I needed, but it was also full of very useful information -- not fluff at all!! I found the chapters on organization, record keeping, homeschooling with baby, the good and bad aspects of homeschooling, building lesson plans and turning lesson plans into units, to be VERY helpful.

Well worth the money for any new homeschooler.

PS: In case the author ever updates her outstanding book: The one thing she left out of her chapter about the "bad" aspects of homeschooling (things like, messy house, sometimes your kids won't want to homeschool, etc...) is that, as a new homeschooling parent, YOU might feel a little isolated. It takes time to build comfortable and strong relationships with others, and sometimes homeschooling groups are not open to having new members, especially if they are large. You will have to work harder to maintain friendships with friends from your pre-homeschooling days.

I planned my family's homeschooling journey for an entire year, but I focused my efforts almost entirely on CURRICULUM. It never occurred to me that I SHOULD have also been scouting out homeschooling groups and support groups, etc...

After three months, I have found several groups that I enjoy very much, but I still wish I had been cultivating relationships with other homeschooling families LAST year.

I bought this book when I found that I was faced with the choice of either sending my Montessori schooled 5 year old to public school or taking on the overwhelming task of homeschooling him next year. I found the title amusing, and just what I was looking for. As I read the book, I found that it gave realistic advice (not just statistics on why homeschooling is "good"). It also made me consider the ways in which I wanted to interact with my son in general, and as a result, I have started to have a better relationship with him already while afterschooling, not just in 6 months when I plan to really begin my homeschooling adventure. And the chapters on how to start, and how to convince family members that homeschooling is ok made me laugh.

I've read several intro to homeschooling books, and this is by far the best one. The tone is very down-to-earth and reassuring unlike some other authors who can make homeschooling seem very intimidating. Mrs. Bittner also discusses situations that are common but not often talked about in how-to-HS books such as what to do if your spouse is dubious about the idea of HS and also how to HS only one child without causing jealousy in the traditionally schooled siblings. I also really appreciate how the book treats religion/spirituality as important but doesn't promote any particular faith (unlike other books I've read that are either completely atheistic or written from one particular viewpoint). If you're going to read just one intro to HS book, this is it!

I love Terrie's tone in this book and her helpful information. I am planning on homeschooling (and have been since my first was in utero) so I already knew a lot of the information presented here (from John Holt), yet I was beginning to doubt myself as my daughter became older. Would I REALLY have the guts to keep her home and not enroll in kindergarten? Terrie reminded me of all the reasons that I want to homeschool: 1) the education will be better--lighting a fire rather than pouring information into a bucket, 2) it will strengthen our family, 3) we will be freed from the schedule and politics of the school system.

I have read many resources and none were quite as honest as this one. Not that Terrie is divulging all these deep dark homeschool secrets, but she is honest about the challenges you face in choosing to homeschool.

I especially enjoyed her resource lists. No one book will tell you all that you need to know--she has helped me assemble a library of information that our particular family needs.

The book's tone is great and it is an enjoyable read. I've been taking it into the bathtub to review certain chapters since I keep finding new gems each time I read it.

I have been reading in preparation for homeschooling for two years. I discovered this book about a month before I started. It is just the best! Terrie Bittner gives such detailed information on all that we homeschoolers need to know and do. She offers us great suggestions for record keeping, organizing our materials and teaching our children. This is absolutely the most helpful of all the books I have read.

While most of the stories in Ms. Arielle Ford's book were touching it was not exactly what I expected I always thought soul mate is somebody who is really your other half, someone who fills that void within your heart, that very special person who makes you more whole than you already and with whom you have ties to from past lives and future lives. You share that unbreakable cosmic bond. When you see them there is just divine a spark between you that literally lights up both your worlds and the world becomes a heavenly place. Or then maybe I am just a hopeless romantic.
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This book is truly one of my all time favorites! I've read it about 4 times now and I still get a lot out of it. I stumbled upon this book about a year ago, when I was going through a really difficult break up. I (like a lot of people) hit that moment where I swore there was "no real love affairs, no unconditional love and no such things as soul mates!" (For a hopeless romantic who never gives up on love, that's pretty bad.)

I was really, really hurt, but when out of my pain I decided to read this book I was amazed, touched, and healed. I felt hope coming back into my soul again. I felt renewed, I realized that there are such things as unconditional love, and soul mates. I regained lost hope for my romantic future.

This book is great, Arielle Ford did a wonderful job compiling all these stories and I commend her for not being judgemental of alternative relationships and including them in this book. I sincerely hope she does another book like this with more wonderful stories for hopeless romantics like me.

Gemini :):):)

Beyond the woo-woo New Age feel of this... I do believe that sometimes God is trying to tell you something when coincidences happen too often to be random. Whether you believe in the new physics of love from Dr. Henry Grayson, or in allowing The Circle by Laura Day to lead you to love, or perhaps feel that Attracting love in is the name of the game (there is a book on this too) .... maybe some people ARE meant to be. Squire Rusnell documents this in his "God winks" books too. Since I am writing this on the birthday of my own lost love (see my review of Laura Day's Practical Intuition in Love, Happy Birthday Giovanni, I still love you my favorite Pisces/Aries) ... I'm all for this book for those who are meant to be. So savor and cherish a memory. Don't forget the hot chocolate to warm your heart.

I found a copy of this book at a thrift shop a few years ago.I am open to new age and spiritual philosophies but not a big freak on it.I really liked this book,very uplifting.I held on to my copy,torn between keeping it to myself and sharing with friends.It is a great gift for someone still searching for true love or for that matter someone getting over a broken heart.

This book will remind you how magical and sacred love can be. Whether you're married (or single and looking) this little gem will give you a renewed sense of hope and refresh your perspective on romance. How wonderful to realize that love is more than an ecstasy; but also a unique opportunity to develop oneself spiritually. After reading these stories, it seems the universe has a plan that we all have a special place in. An absolute delight, I'd give it six stars if I could...

If you are contemplating on starting an eBay business or are looking at expanding an existing one, this book is for you. After reading this book, you will never have to wonder where to find things to sell on eBay. You will still need to do your homework, but this book points you in the right direction.

The authors cover almost all possible areas in which to locate merchandise to sell, from local to international. (I say almost, because they don't mention about shopping local clearance sales, off-price stores, or merchandise outlets, which is where a lot of eBay sellers I know get their items). I thought I had heard it all, but even I learned a lot about product sourcing. Who knew about the Chatujak Market in Bangkok, Thailand, where you can find the most unusual items you can think of for real cheap?

Not only do the authors reveal where to purchase merchandise, but just as importantly, they give you the strategies on how to get the most out of your product sources. Another great thing is that they help put your eBay business in the proper perspective, by emphasizing how you can compete, even with the big box merchandisers, like WalMart, with great customer service and/or by finding your niche and specializing in it. Every seller, no matter how small, can find a place in the marketplace. It just takes a little more creativity.

My only quibble with this book is the authors' suggestion to save on shipping costs by forgoing purchasing delivery confirmation when shipping via the US postal service. As an eBay seller myself, I know how important it is to keep your costs down, but not shipping with any type of tracking is actually against eBay rules, and some buyers will insist on getting a tracking number of some sort. The only bad advice in an otherwise fantastic, informative book.

I bought several books when I was first starting my ebay store, but this one proved the most helpful. It is just packed with actual websites, actual seller testamonials, actual examples of everything. It covers everything I could have asked for, and then alot more!

If you are starting an eBay store and don't know what to sell or how to do it, this book is a must. It is well-written and gives you many helpful hints. Your mind will race with possibilities as you read each chapter. With all the sellers on eBay, this gives you realistic information on how to compete in the huge marketplace.

I bought this book for my boyfriend who is an avid ebayer. He seemed to like it.

This book leaves no stone unturned. If you are truly thinking about having an eBay business, or you already have one that needs spicing up with fresh ideas, you need this book. "How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on eBay" by Michael P. Lujanac and Dan W. Blacharski is much more than just a few tips on locating merchandise. This book offers creative advice on what kind of merchandise works and when, how to maximize your profits on eBay, and pitfalls and traps to avoid. The ideas for finding merchandise are quite extensive and a directory of contacts is even thrown in. All this information is not just from someone who has done a little research. It is evident that this is insider information from people who have been there. The book is riddled with tips and tricks from eBay Power Sellers and is organized very well. In summary, get this book.

This textbook perfectly outlines each chapter. The author states the important points before going into depth. If you find yourself reading a textbook for class and having to re-read over and over again because you keep zoning out, this book really helps. I found it to be very interesting and a helpful study tool.

Presents material in an interesting, concise, and easy-to-read format - excellent choice for biological/physical anthropology students!

The book's authors cover some difficult material with excellent exapmles to help clarify main points. As far as a textbook goes, this was decent reading.

This is a textbook that I actually enjoyed reading from cover to cover. It is an excellent introduction to evolution, primatology, and anthropology. Highly recommended for either the undergrad or the layman.

This is a terrific introduction (a textbook) to human evolution. It is written in a very accessible fashion--not just students but those in the larger public interested in the mechanism and products of human evolution will find this a useful volume.

The first part, of course, focuses on the evolutionary process, with a nice introduction to adaptation by natural selection and to genetics. Other introductory chapters introduce readers to the nature of species, phylogeny, and the synthetic theory of evolution. The discussion is well written and understandable. There are many examples to illustrate key points.

The next section explores primate evolution and behavior, to provide context for understanding human evolution and behavior. The chapter on the evolution of primate social behavior is especially helpful. Next, the authors take a look at the evolutionary lineage of humans, from primates to early hominids, to the genus Homo, to Homo sapiens. The text goes on to examine how language evolved, as well as evolution in modern humans (e.g., genetic diversity, the human life cycle, human behavior, and mate choice and parenting).

All in all, a nice introduction to the study of human evolution. Well worth taking a look at. . . .

How to be a Pirate


How to be a Pirate is one book you have to read sometime in your life! This book from Cressida Cowell is about pirates dragons and thieves! I recommend this book to people the like adventure and dangerous books. A boy named Hiccup his dad is the chief of the Harry Hooligans Hiccup must become the heir. He must go to the island of the scullions and get the treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly. But there are a few problems they come acrossed a guy named Alvin the Treacherous. He wants in on the treasure so he says he is "Alvin the poor but honest farmer". They sail to the island of the skullions on the Lucky 13. Alvin stays in the boat Snout Lout finds the fake treasure but Grimbeard booby-trapped it. They almost get killed. Will Hiccup find the treasure first and become the heir? Find out in the book How to be a Pirate.

How to be a Pirate
By Cressida Cowel

Have you ever been with Vikings? Now you can. This book is very funny and imaginative, recommended for all ages.

The book's point of view is from Hiccup, the main character. The action begins on a pirate ship named the Lucky Thirteen where Hiccup and the Hairy Hooligans are practicing to be pirates. Each boy has a dragon for a pet. They find a coffin floating in the water. They open it and out pops a character named Alvin, the poor but honest farmer. This is an example of this wild, wonderful, heartwarming fiction. Toothless is the name of Hiccups dragon. Although Toothless is very lazy he is also very funny. An example of a funny quote is "He leapt forward and bit that wobbling rear end as hard as he could".

I liked this book because its funny and adventurous. The characters have hilarious names, like Dogs Breath the Duh Brain, Snotlout, Baggy Bum. Hiccup and his best friend, Fish legs are both wimps. This book will show that even wimps can save the day. Don't read this book without reading How to Train Your Dragon, the first book in the series of three. You will find yourself going on an adventure and laughing hysterically.

My 9 year old read all three of these books within a few days and giggled his whole way through. Highly recommend!

My Name is Jack and I'm 8 years old and I love to read. I read this book in three days because I just couldn't stop reading. I loved it because it was funny, surprising, and one of the best books I've read. My favorite part was when the boat sinks and Hiccup ends up in an underwater cave and finds the treasure of Grimbeard the Gastly. It's all about Pirates, Vikings and Dragons which I love. Now I am gong to find the other books in the series too!

I read this book and "How to Train Your Dragon" to my fifth grade class. When I finished they begged me to go on Amazon and look up the next book - which we discovered will be published in May. I ordered it right then and they have circled the anticipated delivery date. The characters are amusing, the writing is fresh, the vocabulary (especially the character's names) is right up an adolescent's alley - and they loved having a grown up having to pronounce names like Snotlout and Baggybum. Practically every one of the kids (average to above average readers) have read both of the books on their own, also.

I have so enjoyed reading this book - and Ms. Levine is right on target! It's a MUST READ for parents - and a wonderful gift for anyone celebrating happy occasions as well as for someone going through difficult times You can read it in snippets - or all at once - and it helps to put your world in perspective! A+ (I plan to give this as teacher gifts this year!!)

This wise, warm-hearted and witty primer is a great mood-booster and moral-supporter for anyone whose outlook on life could use a little freshening. I recommend it for both a few quick takes in the morning and longer doses of beach-reading.

As a consummate good girl my whole life, I felt liberated by Leslie's simple yet profound ways to step out of that tired role and go against the grain.....so, I'll trade my oatmeal for some Godiva Dark Belgian Chocolate ice cream any day!

Leslie Levine has given us a reason to cheer: we don't have to follow the rules and do exactly what we're supposed to all the time. When you're running around, doing errands, keeping track of jobs and kids and house and pets, driving back and forth to the dentist, the post office, and the cleaners--you NEED this book to make you smile and remember what life is really all about!

Ice Cream for Breakfast is the book that women have been waiting for. It gives readers permission to be themselves and to go beyond the silly rules that inhibit well-deserved joy. Leslie Levine is an advocate for all of us good girls who need permission to circumvent the rules we feel bound by even when they no longer serve us. Her book is liberating in that she gives us permission to do and feel what our gut has told us all along. Bravo for Ice Cream for Breakfast!!!

The book is call "IN SWEET COMPANY" by Margaret Wolff. She talks to women about Spiritual Life and More. There were two things in this book that really touch me. The first one can be found on page 201 the talk was with Rabbi Laura Geller she said "Though I'm now happily married, I'm divorced from the father of my children. We share joint custody and work very cooperatively as co-parents but the children spend a lot of time with their father in his home, I missed out on the parts of their lives that occurred when they were with him. It's the one aspect of my life I feel sad about." Wow I thought to myself she hit what I feel with my own children. I am a single parent and every time my children go off with their father and his new family I feel that pain she talk about and this has help me to understand even more about myself. The second person who said something that touch me was on page 232-233 by Sri Daya Mata, "Men and women are meant to be helpmates, working together as divine friends, as companions, to help each other become more balanced within themselves. This is part of the divine purpose of marriage, of every relationship between man and women. Neither should try to control or dominate the other." Wow very powerful words. I am sure you will find this book very entertaining and more so do get your copy of "IN SWEET COMPANY" soon and find someones words that will touch you.

In Sweet Company is a thoughtful well-written book which will inspire any reader. It is a collection of interviews with 14 incredible women. My favorite is Sr. Helen Prejean's answer to "Is there a Golden Rule that guides you?" This book makes a wonderful gift to a friend as well as an annual read.

Margaret Wolf's interviews with these accomplished and insightful women about spiritual life demonstrate the many ways women have found both connections and comfort through their spritual journeys. Through mainstream religions, personal issues, cultural traditions and thoughtul meditations, these women share with Margaret their own pathways to spiritual places and to finding greater meaning in their lives. Inspirational, comforting, compelling, interesting, delightful and connecting, this is a book for anyone who is on his or her own journey. Margaret's gentle and respectful tone of writing and interviewing made me feel I was right there, listening to them talk to me. I highly recommend it!

I read In Sweet Company as part of a summer reading group two years ago sponsored by a friend's church. There were usually 10-15 women plus the leader,a young female minister. We met in a coffee shop. As we progressed, reading two chapters a week, I realized that I was reading a life-changing book. The spiritual journeys of each woman were so different and so much the same. Age, religion, and ethnic backgrounds were really not the most important factors in their spiritual experiences.As we discussed the chapters each week we each found something important to use in our lives.In my case, it was the discussion of meditation labyrinths. Not all of the authors were well-known names to me, such as Olympa Dukakis and Sister Helen Prejean; however, each of the women has made a tremendous impact on those around them.I will reread this book at least once a year. The result of our reading group two summers ago was to invite author Margaret Wolff to our city for a women's retreat called "Embrace" that allowed women from all backgrounds,religions and races to learn more about spirituality. The retreat was a great success. We have talked about repeating it.I believe that Margaret has compiled interviews with women whose life experiences strike a chord with other women of all ages. She is an amazing woman herself.

There are many extraordinary aspects to this book. The first is that I felt like I was right in the company of these remarkable women as they talked about their lives. Much more than interviews, they are true conversations, and I felt I had been invited to sit in on them, able to see and hear on many levels the depth of what was being shared. Wolff is a master at what she does! Each one of the fourteen women came alive as she generously shared her spirituality with a groundedness that has no room for pretense. Their stories are not about dogma and doctrine; it is about their innermost lives--real and touching.
I was also captivated by the story behind the story: The author determined to write the book following a serious car accident which left her with profound, permanent brain damage, unable even to construct a sentence. By refusing to accept that fate, and working relentlessly to regain brain function, she ended up not only with an insightful book about others' lives, she recreated her own brain from the rubble, re-grooving and rewiring it to superb capacity.
Incidentally, it was a man who first told me about the book. I knew he did not have time for fluff, so I bought the book, and after reading it, bought four more copies to give to both men and women friends. It is an extraordinary treasure on many levels!
Catherine Light, Encinitas, CA