Languages Books

This book provides great resources to live a better lifestyle. I love the way Jeremy documents his accomplishments and failures. He proves that one should not give up on their dreams but rather set goals so they can achieve their dreams.

Jeremy's book is separated into three parts: Mind set, Nutrition, Exercise. The mind set is a motivational section that describes what tools a person needs to achieve their goals. This was my favorite section of the entire book!

The next section is the Nutrition section. In this section Jeremy talks about what foods to consider eating. This section does not contain a diet plan rather Jeremy attempts to educate the readers about the properties of the different food groups. This section contains great information and gives the reader an idea of what foods are made of thus allowing the reader to decide for themselves what foods are good and what foods are bad.

The final section of this book talks about exercise. Jeremy describes some exercises and explains some different ways to do them. This is a great section if you are not familiar with weight lifting. Some of the exercises Jeremy describes are the Squat, Dead Lift, and Bench Press.

This really is an amazing book. I don't contain the words to do this book any justice. BUY THIS BOOK!

I've read a lot of these type of books. A lot of similarities and a lot of contradictions between books. This books is the most comprehensive one I've read. I've reread it several times and get something new out of it each time.

a great book to read before your weight loss journey. Very well written and it has a good progression of all facets of a weight loss approach minus the recipes.

This IS THE BOOK ladies! It is not just for men only. If you want to be encouraged and seek the key to transfomation, Jeremy Likness hands you everything you need in his book. I am 49, mother or two, an RN for 27 years, gained 70 lbs and should have known better. This book has given me hope and encouragement and KEYS to getting fit and healthy again. YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. I intend on reading it again and again. It is THAT GREAT of a book!

KAREN S.

It has been said that the way to make money quickly in the book industry is self-help or weight loss fitness books. This book does not really fall into that category. It is written with a passion for a subject and based on personal experience and transformation. There are a number of factors that make this an exceptional book, and even more so an extraordinary fitness book. First is the way it is written - each chapter is written in two parts. It begins with the meat of the matter, the teaching about, health, fitness, wellness ... the second part of each chapter is the personal narrative of Jeremy's journey from being unhealthy to healthy. Mr. Likeness gives numerous examples from his own fitness journey and some from those he has helped to move along that path. In the same way that Sylvester Stallone did in his book Sly Moves : My Proven Program to Lose Weight, Build Strength, Gain Will Power, and Live your Dream.

This book is in part written around the philosophy from the book Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength by Bill Phillips, yet it goes into much greater depth on some of the non-physical factors of health and weight loss or weight management. It deals with issues of stress, family life and work factors that can either help or hinder the physical transformation a person desires to make. This book has a very holistic approach to health and fitness. It presents the argument that in order to make lasting changes in your life, those changes must begin from the inside; transformation starts in the heart and in the mind and then works out in the body. Jeremy states: "Physique transformation is about more than simply losing weight. You will find that your life changes in many ways, too. You adjust to new clothing, a new image in the mirror, even a new sense of energy that allows you to achieve more during the day. Spiritually and mentally, you may change as well. Although these changes are almost always positive, change itself can be something that we fear. For this reason, it is important to understand what changes to expect to better prepare yourself as the process unfolds." Once the physical changes start to become more evident, you will have both positive and negative comments from people in your life. Likeness helps to provide some tools for dealing with both types. An example he gives is that if you have been over weight for a long time, you might not be accustomed to compliments - you will have to learn how to receive them and take some of them to heart.

This book, as the techniques in it are applied, can be a great tool for helping a person achieve greater health and wellbeing. This can be a factor in a longer and happier life. If these goals are things you have been thinking about, or have started working on, pick up this book to help boost your resolve and efforts to make your lifestyle changes.

(First Published in Imprint 2008-05-30.)

If you've ever wished for the opportunity to interview the top literary agents in America, read Making the Perfect Pitch. Katharine Sands compiled a book of essays by as well as interviews with agents. While some essays and interviews are better than others, each one will provide information about the agent helping you decide whether or not to approach the agent for possible representation. Sometimes as I was reading, I could sense that an agent wouldn't be the right one for me just from an attitude, a statement, or a point of view. This isn't a criticism of the agent, I just knew my personality wouldn't mesh with the person. That creates a time savings for a writer looking for an agent. On the other hand, there were many agents whose essay/interview made me take notice. With titles like How Much is a Black Dress?, How I Learned to Sell Sex, Dean and Rock `n' Roll, and In the Singles Bar of the Literary Persuasion, to name a few, these essays are certain to intrigue, inform, and , dare I say, entertain. Making the Perfect Pitch is a valuable read for anyone searching for a literary agent.

The best book I've ever read about the business of writing. A top agent herself, Sands has gathered the wisdom and candor of other agents as well to share what writers need to know. PITCH is as valuable for what it says between the lines. Like with a panel discussion, what you glean and absorb is as helpful as the specific guidance the book provides. Sands accomplishes that with an engaging format and narrative voice that creates that rare, nonfiction page-turner.

It took me three years to find a publisher for my first novel; then I promoted it for several years, to the point of burnout. After my second novel was done, I let it sit for two years, unsure I was willing to work that hard again. I became willing but vowed to work smarter this time. Soon thereafter, I found PITCH, and it gave me what I needed. Even though I've worked in publishing for twenty years and have written seriously for seventeen, I found invaluable insight on nearly every page.

As others have reported, my fortune has greatly improved. I'm grateful to Sands for her important role in that happy result.

Cynthia Lamb,
author of the novel BRIGID'S CHARGE

As a freelance writer, author, and Internet marketing consultant, I am always looking for new insight into the difficult process of attracting an agent or publisher's eye, both for my own writing and for that of my author clients. When this book first came out, I was excited because I know Katharine Sands to be a fine, dedicated professional who cares about her work and about her own clients. She is well connected in the publishing world and I expected that her advice and that of the agents she had gathered together in this volume would be insightful and helpful. My expectations were met and exceeded as I worked my way through the chapters. I have often gone back and reviewed suggestions and important points and been able to apply them to benefit my own work and that of my clients.

I noted the negative comments of "avid reader" in these reviews and feel prompted to respond by saying it sounds like sour grapes to me--this person obviously thinks she/he is being excluded from an exclusive club. She/he is right--but not the club of MFA-holders--avid reader is excluded from the club of those who constantly work to refine and improve their writing skills, and of those able to absorb and put to use solid advice of experienced agents who know this tough industry well. Avid reader should try looking inward rather than pointing outward. There is not a person among us in this industry who can not learn more about how to be a better writer, how to approach the industry more effectively, how to get better results.

Personally, I found inspiration in "Making the Perfect Pitch"--not every single contributor's advice resonated with my own work, of course, but, as Terry Whalin emphasizes, different voices and ideas speak to each of us, you have to take the important kernels of information from those who can help us, heed the call to excellence, and keep on moving forward. This book helped me to do that, to inch forward on my own writing journey.
--Rosemary Carstens, writer, author, and editor of FEAST, the award-winning eZine

Katharine Sands is a New York literary agent. We heard her speak in a workshop some time back. She knows her business and has sage advice for the beginning writer as to how to attract and kept the attention of an agent. This title should sit on any reference shelf to be studied over and over.
Going outside the box seldom works in this vital aspect of an author's career. "Over the transom" submissions to a publishing house are fuel for recycling through a shredder. The last one that may have made it was COLD MOUNTAIN. Publishers state they only consider agent-ed works because they are aware the manuscript has already been through a tough elimination process. Keep this in mind and read MAKING THE PERFECT PITCH.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelUnder the Liberty OakNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil WarGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico

If you can't write a flawless pitch after reading this book, it's not because you didn't have all the information you could possibly need. Besides essays breaking things down into the proverbial "five easy steps," the book includes Katharine Sands' interviews with fellow literary agents, and the information she coaxes from them is a gold mine of invaluable advice on writing pitches and novels themselves. The subjects it covers include the importance of a twist, a colorful detail, in your query; letting hooks emerge rather than building a book on one; the benefits of underselling yourself rather than playing the salesman; and the importance of approaching an agent as a collaborator. It's impossible to overestimate the practical value of these insights. And it's safe to say that aspiring novelists can't afford not to hear what this book has to say.

My son loves this book. He loves to turn each page & see which category is next & go through each thing on the page (of animals, foods, clothing, automobiles, etc).

This book was given to my one year old as a gift & she LOVES it! She looks at it all the time & has learned a great deal from it. She is currently 18mos. old & continues to enjoy the book. I have purchased multiple copies to give as gifts to friends. My only complaint is that the pages are paper rather than cardboard so the pages rip easily.

This series of board books are fantastic.

I started collecting these for my daughter after she was given one at 6 months and this is what we started to read to her every night. She woud sit and demand it to be read over and over and over again. The board pages and are easy for baby and toddler to turn and the pictures (real photography not illustrations) are wonderful.

The word book has a little bit of everything - like a mini dictionary - of things that baby will come accross in their daily life - clothes, food, utensils. My toddler can now read and say the names of each thing herself while pointing to them. It has helped her give names (and learn to say things by us reading the book over and over) to things in her world.

If your looking for a great picture book to share with your baby this is the one (and the series of books) to buy. You can never have too many books to read with your children.

Yeah, sure, it's educational ... but far more importantly, this book quickly became a favorite with my then-10-month-old -- and now, at almost a year, she still loves it. Older babies and toddlers are dying to know the names of things, and this book delivers. I expect it to keep its interest for quite a while, as we move on to color and "do you have one of these?", etc. She's fascinated by the brightly colored pictures and loves seeing familiar things, like the banana and the cat.

I bought this book for my daughter when she was about 13 months old. I wish I'd gotten it sooner! Her interest in the book grows and grows as she learns more and more what things are. Her favorite pages by far are the front cover, the food page, and the animal pages. She even learned about the letter O from the front cover (she thought they were balls, and so we taught her about O's).

She even uses the foods page as a menu. Before she learned the signs for some of her food, she'd bring the book over to me and point at what she wanted to eat. It was very cute.

She is 17 months old now, and the book is still one of her favorites. As she learns more and more what things are, she likes to point at all of them and tell me as we turn the pages. I think this book will give us even a lot more use out of it because there's still a lot of things she doesn't know.

My only complaints are:
1. How in the world is a baby going to figure out what a "combine tractor" and some of the really off-the-wall things are. We always skip things like that. Even the tools page has very little interest in it.

2. Some of the pictures are difficult to discern to a young child what they are. The bag of flour, the coffee, and the ice cream, to name a few.

3. I would have liked to see more animals. How about a mouse or a bunny?

Aside from those, I think this book is a must-have in any baby's board book collection.

The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is an invaluable authority for writers! I have just completed my first book, and I would not be as proud of the finished work were it not for the help I received from this volume.Not only does it help in selecting the "perfect" word for a particular phrase or sentence,it provides tips and other valuable information on the word so that you will remember it if you need it again,but since there are so many words to express your creative ideas as a writer,it is unlikely that you will have to use the same word repeatedly.
I love this volume!I would not think of writing anything of substance without referring to it, now that I have found it.

Super cool. Super useful. I just wish I had enough room left in my suitcase to take it back to the USA with me. I guess i'll have to buy another.

The new edition of the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is superior for several reasons...several of which were left out of the editorial review listed above.

1. I noticed the listing of the words have been updated. The listing of words are now printed in a slightly bolder typeface - making it easier to pick out the meaning.

2. The word headings themselves are slightly larger...again making it simpler to locate definitions on the page.

3. The page layout seems to be cleaner. When you open up any page...you'll quickly notice how much nicer the structured plan is for showing words.

There is one more caveat I'd like to mention. I believe this new version, although labeled "Second Edition", should be considered a revision to the first one and not realistically a new printing. I say this because the jacket description mentions the same number of words are incorporated, namely the listing of 300,000 synonyms. There is no mention of "new" synonyms added to this "Second" printing. Otherwise the editors of this edition would have mentioned the addition of newer synonyms added to this edition. Remember, The Synonym Finder, another good resource, has a much higher listing of synonyms than the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus...about 1.2 million.

Overall, the Second Edition to the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus is a much cleaner, easier version to use.

I have used a number of Thesaurus versions in the past, but have never encounterd one so complete and helpful. Since my first published book, I have been studying a number of books to improve my writing skills. Too often prose becomes boring to editors, agents and readers alike. The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus has helped me keep my work fresh and non-repetitive. I would have paid twice the price. Every writer should own one.Tommie & Grope

This thesaurus contains a plethora of useful synonyms.However it is not a replacement for a good unabridged dictionary.Inclusion of spelling aid would upgrade it to five stars category.

I'd been confused about pointers in particular for a while. I took a C class with this as the textbook and was finally able to understand the pointers better.

I'm still working through the book but was pleased to FINALLY find an author whose style is clear without being boring. An enjoyable book which has already cleared up some confusion I had before. I have a couple of comments for other reviewers, though:
(1) The title is a play on words. It doesn't mean that the book is supposed to be
entirely about pointers, as a couple of reviewers seemed to think. I think its a great title! (2) The book IS expensive, probably because it is widely used as a textbook. Textbook publishers have been gouging students for years, and in this case it affects more than just university students. (I'm a prof myself.)

As others have noted, this book is exremely expensive. I was lucky enough to get a used copy for about half the retail price here on Amazon and I intend to keep it. I haven't read every book on C, so I may be ambitious to say this, but this is the best explanation of pointers I've read to date. The author doesn't assume anything and this is helpful when learning something as tricky as pointers for those new to the concept. The author explains concepts with clarity while being concise. I don't develop software for a living, but need to write the occasional program here and there. I thought this book accurately described the methodology of writing the most compact, yet readable code, for the problems presented. I'd reccommend this book despite the price. Those new to the C programming language won't be disappointed.

As before I bought this book I have problems about advance pointer like a pointer to function, array of pointer to function, pointer to structure or other topic like this. The author explain this topic very well.
By the way, the purpose of buying this book is to solve reading C language code on embedded linux which involve pointer and hardware. The author do not give enogh information about this topic.
However I still rate this book five stars for the topic Pointer on C.

When programming in C you must use, love and own pointers. Look at the function templates for the standard C lib. What do these functions return? POINTERS! If you don't want to learn pointers, or think about solving problems using pointers, then please go drive a truck or program in Basic or some other half-wit language. C will frustrate you to tears if you insist on using subscripts. It's not how the language approaches problems.

I am having to use C# right now and want to gag. Any language that claims to be "C" but doesn't support pointers is an oxymoron. Have a glass of dry water while you try to swallowing that load of bull. Thanks MicroSlop for ruining two languages, Basic (who cares) and C, the language that built the computer revolution (punishable by death in a better world). Arrrghhh. Thanks Ken for a great book for the strong and the brave amongst us.

Very good and revealing book for partents on how to keep things simple for preschool homeschool to help with reading, writing and 'rithmatic. By using this KISS method our girls are now competant readers in just 3 weeks!

Such a small book, yet packed with awesome wisdom. Very simple for first-third grade, yet very complete for basic academics. I wish I had found this book before I committed to a curriculum. It would have saved me quite a bit of money.

I refer to this book often to help me stay on track. Its contents offer straight forward advice on teaching in the early grades. You'll even find it beneficial to read this book when you have a preschooler, to get an idea of what lies ahead and what to do when your child is ready. In addition, reading this book will help the homeschooling parent in choosing curriculum, not with specific suggestions, but by general ideas offered.

The included wall chart of phonics and numbers has been helpful, but leaves something to be desired in the way it was printed in only blue and yellow ink. It's just bonus material. The book is your investment.

This book is a well written, easy to use guide. It includes a handy phonics chart, and a math chart on the reverse side. You certainly get a lot of bang for your buck. The only downside, is that you need to have some familiarity with phonetic sounds, (i.e. the actual sound) that the dipthongs, digraphs, phonograms, etc. make. Otherwise, this book is spectacular.

It seems like the most effective ways to teach children are often the most easy to overlook. This wonderful book shows parents and teachers how to utilize simple, low-cost means to give their young children a strong start in learning.

This book has been most helpful in our homeschooling adventure and was key in pulling this over-achieving, by-the-book teaching mother away from the need to keep to a rigid schedule and actually enjoy teaching and learning with my children.

Highly recommended.

My 11-year-old homeschooled daughter loved these books! She learned, and more amazingly, retained so many of these words over the past year and a half since going through the books. This system makes it so fun and easy to increase vocabulary. I highly recommend these books.

BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT! If you have a child coming up on SAT's or even in middle or elementary school, this is the best book out there! It was recommended to us by a reading specialist. I love to read the book just to see if I can recall words. Love IT so BUY IT!

This is a fantastic book. I am in 6th grade and got this and loved it. I would reccommend this for grades 6th -- 11th. The way it works: first it shows the word, say "copious". Next, it shows the definition -- in this case, "abundant;plentiful". Underneath, it shows a link word. For "copious", the link word was "cup". An amusing cartoon strip follows, such as the one for "copious" which showed a grinning man proudly holding a massive cup of coffee. The caption read, "A COPIOUS CUP of coffee". Then, there are three good examples. At the end of every ten words, there's a review to make sure you understand. This book is wonderful, and I reccommend it to everyone! I loved it. In total, there are 290 words.

This book is a delight! Both this and it's sister version (Vocabulary Cartoons 2) are wonderful vocabulary builder starters before you drift off into harder works like "The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder." That book sounds easy enough, but it's actually geared towards 12th graders and beyond.

These books are wonderful for visual learners, although, others might get something out of them. Building your vocabulary is a process, but the time spent will be well rewarded. A strong vocabulary helps everything, including foreign language and math skills. As you delve into harder works, you'll be learning Latin and Greek roots which build excellent decoding skills for standardized tests.

These books are perfect for summer education. You want your kids to enjoy themselves, however, it doesn't hurt to move ahead academically either. These materials -- and ones like them -- are fun summer pleasure readers. And they'll learn something along the way. Adults will likely enjoy them too!

No one cares about your education more than you do. Fortunately, we live in the day and age where materials just keep getting better and better. So supplement, supplement, supplement. Have no fear: it can actually be fun. A+

this book was a simple, fun way to review vocab for SAT

I bought this book in 2004 and I still use it to this day. It's witty and a fun read, not to mention inspiring. It isn't that I have a shortage of ideas, but I have a hard time putting it on papaer... and this book definately puts things in a new perspective for me!

Jack Heffron's "The Writer's Idea Book" is a very good specimen of a book of writers' exercises. It mixes "prompts" of various sorts (more than 400 of them according to the cover, and I believe it!) with short riffs of practical advice on a wide range of writing matters. While Heffron is a professional editor and does give advice regarding methods that he believes work best, he concentrates on writing for yourself in this book rather than trying to get published. This is just the idea phase after all--check out his later book, "The Writer's Idea Workshop," for practical advice regarding taking your idea from raw ore to refined metal.

There are many prompts meant to help you mine your own experiences for ideas and plots. (As well as your likes and dislikes, your family, your home town, places you've visited, "public moments," secrets, dreams, and more.) There are prompts to help you explore different forms of writing, structure your story, and more. There are even good solid hints on dealing with openings and endings. The huge number of prompts in this book guarantees that you should be able to find something to spark your creativity no matter what mood you're in.

In fact, about the only thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of the unusual. I love genre. Horror, science fiction, fantasy--I love the strange, and this book had a very "literary" feel to it. That'll make it perfect for many other writers out there, but it left me a little flat. I like to have a certain otherworldliness come into play when looking through lots of writing exercises and warm-ups. This book is meant to push you into finding inspiration from the ordinary rather than the extraordinary; I would have liked a better balance.

It's certainly a fun book, however, and definitely a kick in the inspiration department!

A great book with a lot of writing prompts. Perfect for the fiction author, however as a writer of non-fiction I felt there was a lot of character development exercises. The trick for me was to try to turn the ideas into ones that would fit into non-fiction. The surprise was this book got me back into writing fiction which I had not done for many years.
My recommendation is if you are looking for writing prompts for fiction, definitely buy this book. If all you do is non-fiction, this may not be the book for you, but it never hurts to look it over.
It was quite well written and Jack Heffron certainly presented some good idea generators.

With over 400 prompts in this book there is one to suit every mood and these will not only encourage you to write regularly but get your creative juices flowing. What's more each of the prompts target specific areas of your writing such as story endings, developing character & plot. It also addresses nonfiction, poetry & screenplays...and I am using it to improve my blog writing.
I own a number of books on this topic (including "What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers") but find the format and content of Jack Heffron's Writers Idea Book to be the most practical, inspiring and effective. Thanks Jack!

to add to the other reviews, I like this book because I'm the type of writer that needs an "assignment" to make sure I don't keep writing about the same things. With this book, it's easy to follow along and take out what you need and go back later to the other prompts the second or third time around. I'm a firm believer that a person should go through a book like this two or more times to get the full benefits.

I've been a writer all of my life but took five years off to get fat, dumb and pregnant -- over and over and over again. Well, those days are done and while I dwindle down to my pre-pregnancy size with a few extra sags and stretch marks, it's time to raise my kids and get back to writing. Needless to say, I needed a darn-good refresher course. After considering a $600 class, I decided against it and bought this book instead. For once, I made a great decision (and my pocket book agrees). This book was perfect in getting me back up to speed! It freshened up my creative skills, got me motivated to write again, and had all the necessary components needed to refreshen my skills. Best yet, at the end of each chapter there was an excercise to make sure I understood what I read. It was the best course in a book I could ask for. Nancy Lamb, you are the best! That was the best "slap in the creative juices" I could ask for!

If you want to write stories of any kind, you want this book. I borrowed it form the library, but I didn't want to return it. I bought my very own copy right away.

This book is great for anyone interested in writing for children, actually, it's great for anyone interested in writing fiction! It's an easy read and has loads of great information. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Nancy Lamb is the author of the "Which Way Books"!!!!

This books explores most if not all facets of writing with a focus on children stories. Very dense, her book offers enough information in each topic to get you started writing and to understand story structure. An excellent primer for beginners, the book serves well for experienced writers as a refresher. Lots of golden nuggets in each page. It is a book that will not remain on your shelf collecting dust. It's not the end all book on writing but will save you time and money from buying poor quality how to books on writing. Her style is very straightforward. She offers good examples to make her point as well as exercises at the end of each chapter geared to either the writing of your story or an element that raises your awareness to good writing. Buy the book. You won't be sorry.

Also, Check out her new book "The Art and Craft of Storytelling"!!!!

If you need a writer's guide , buy this one, no matter what you write or for which public. It's full of usefull and simple examples and exercises. The language is clear and humoristic. This book contens all you need to know about crafting unforgettable stories. I use it to rewrite my crime story manuscript and it makes rewriting something close to fun. And that is something unvaluable as you may already know. Buy this book, pick up your pen and join the creazy community of wannabe writers.

I am loving working through this book and intend giving it to several 'Mothers' for Christmas this year! Along with a blank notebook and a pen of course.

Mothers have always written about the experience of mothering. They've written letters to other mothers detailing the complex blend of day-to-day minutae and big-picture thinking that go into raising a child. They've recorded the journey of their days in their diaries. They've captured these moments in poetry, fiction, song lyrics, and movie scripts (to say nothing of countless other art forms). And, more recently, they've been inspired to hit the blogosphere to chronicle their lives and experiences and create a community of mothers online.

Writing about motherhood is a proud tradition and one that many mothers are drawn to, both to make sense of the powerful, life-changing experience of becoming a mother and because they want to capture moments of this journey, perhaps to share with their child, another friend, or the broader community of mothers.

WRITING MOTHERHOOD by Lisa Garrigues reads very much like SIMPLE ABUNDANCE FOR MOTHERS in that it is a guided journey to greater self-discovery and creativity as a mother and a writer. The book is inspiring and encouraging, and the techniques suggested will work well for mothers who are primarily interested in journalling (what Garrigues refers to as keeping a "Mother's Notebook"), but who may also be interested in other types of writing. In a short section entitled "Coming Out of the Notebook," pages 253 to 254, Garrigues discusses first steps to pursuing publication and other means of sharing your work with the world (reading your work, starting a blog). There is an additional section on online options for writers (pages 289 to 294), which will primarily be of interest to the mom who is new to the online world.

The book is peppered with encouraging quotes from other writers and Garrigues has included enough resources and writing ideas to provide creative inspiration to keep any mom writing non-stop. I love Garrigues' advice about the need for a holistic writing schedule for mothers -- "one that takes into account your whole life." She argues that your writing schedule should be nonnegotiable, individual, reasonable, resilient, and compassionate." Very sensible advice.

The only suggestion I would make to a reader of this excellent book is not to get too caught up in the formal writing exercises and writing prompts that are provided. Use them to jumpstart your creativity on days when your muse has gone AWOL, but don't allow them to drown out the ideas that are perculating inside your own brain.

What you want to be writing (and what the world wants to hear) are your own unique ideas; your own unique experiences; those raw moments of motherhood that are so fresh and dripping with truth that you have no choice put to reach for your Mother's Notebook and write. That's what motherhood writing is all about and where Garrigues ultimately wants to take you. Enjoy the trip.

If you are a mother who has ever thought of writing, I highly recommend that you treat yourself to Lisa's book. Developed after years of experience teaching writing classes for mothers, "Writing Motherhood" is original, well-crafted, and beautifully written in a manner that evokes the same deep truths as "The Artist's Way." A writing practice can be a private pursuit, the nexus for a group of kindred spirits, or something you eventually pursue for publication. But I can testify to the fact that the process is worthwhile, independent of the product.

Writing is a vital creative outlet for any mother. To write is to stake a claim for time, creativity, and energy that is just for you! "Writing Motherood" is full of practical exercises and guidelines, and Lisa's evocative writing is an inspiration in itself. She's written the guide creative moms have been waiting for.

Lisa Garrigues's first book is a creative guide for writing about our motherhood experiences whether in the past or currently.
As a grandmother, with her guide as a beacon I have written about my own children when they were young and about my 16, 6, and 3 year old grandchildren. I eagerly await her next book.

I walked through my local Barnes and Noble recently and, as always, headed for the Writing Books. It surprised me, although I don't really know why, to find a couple brand new books written specifically for Moms-who-are-writers as well as another title for "busy women."

Intriguing.

Of the books I read, Lisa Garrigues "Writing Motherhood" is the most in tune with what it means to "be" a writer, not someone who is obsessed with publishing or looking for a recipe book to achieve this or that in 7 hours or 14 days or instant-success, this is a book that is realistic, heartful and a powerful guide for mothers who want to write motherhood and so much more.

She gives specific tips and techniques as she shares stories of how these tips and techniques have worked for herself and others, including a section on "Mother's Helpers" and 7 Building Blocks for Success.

She also pays respect to the concept of having a Writer's Notebook that serves a dual purpose as a Mother's Notebook. I am a longtime fan of folks who write in notebooks like Julia Cameron and Natalie Goldberg, so this struck a significant cord for me as well. We Moms-who-write need to train ourselves to write in small, heartful chunks.

Garrigues is an able guide for us along this journey.

This is a book to have on your shelf, to pick up and use - to refer back to regularly.