References Books

The entire process of ordering and receiving this book was better than I expected. The book was in "like new" condition and just what I was looking for.

it divides it up into body shapes and other categories so you can start at the most likely spot in the book to find the critter you're looking for! i especially like how it advises on various coloration possibilities and how rare or common a critter is. that helps eliminate a candidate when i cannot visually distinguish between two very close critters as it is far more likely i'm seeing the common version than the rare one! i also am a big fan of the Reef Fish ID: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas book as well and will likely get the Coral ID soon.

Since we spend a lot of time in the Indian River Lagoon, this book has become our go to as soon as we get home from a day's boat trip. The pictures depict each creature accurately and the written descriptions clear up any questions about variances in color, shape, etc. The format is clear and concise as is the table of contents. There aren't many resources on creatures of this area so it's wonderful that Paul Humann and Ned Deloach saw the importance of putting together this fabulous guide.

I bought this book for a gift for my husband (and my family) because he is always telling us of all the creatures he sees when he is diving for lobsters when we go to Florida in December. Now we can enjoy the pictures and see what he is talking about. This is the same book that sells for more money at the dive shops. The pictures are wonderful. Glad we were able to find it here!!

This is probably the best reef creature ID book out there for Florida, the Carribean and the Bahamas, but buy the third edition instead. Semi-hard cover.

I'm currently doing a revision of a completed first draft while also structuring the plots for two new novels. Sitting next to my keyboard are two books by James Scott Bell, PLOT & STRUCTURE and REVISION & SELF-EDITING. My copies are underlined, annotated, dog-eared, and well-thumbed. I've learned that no matter how much I think I know about writing, I've always got a lot to learn, and Bell is the guy who teaches it best.

If you want to write a novel that grips your readers from the first line and holds 'em by the throat to the end, regardless of genre, then these books are indispensable. Bell's intro to REVISION & SELF-EDITING, "On Becoming a Writer," inspires you and makes your fingers itch to start writing. Chapters on Characters, Plot and Structure, POV, Scenes, and so forth are a content-packed course on the essentials of writing fiction. Bell gives you a checklist at the end that will help you to spot flaws and weaknesses in your manuscript at a glance--and he tells you exactly how to fix them. Suggestion: Read a couple of James Scott Bell's novels like TRY DYING or THE WHOLE TRUTH and marvel at how this guy writes, then read REVISION & SELF-EDITING and PLOT & STRUCTURE and find out exactly how he does it.

Mr. Bell has written a book that any aspiring writer MUST have.

Reading and following his simple steps will save a writer a lot of time and money in getting their work fine-tuned and ready for public consumption.

I like his work and have found it to be priceless in helping me to re-write and revise my work to the point that I can say; "I LIKE IT!"

Mike Phelps,
Author of
DAVID JANSSEN - MY FUGITIVE
THE EXECUTION OF JUSTICE
DELAYED JUSTICE

This book is full of help for revision. It's easy to read and understand. The revision checklist is an essential tool for self-editing.

Although this is a book largely about revision and self editing of an existing manuscript, I can heartily recomend this book by Bell for those who have just commenced writing their first novel. The tips and directions from Bell will improve your first draft. I have already got lots of ideas - it has completely changed the way I am approaching my writing. Thanks James Scott Bell for a very easy to read guide.

I have bought the whole series of Write Great Fiction and also other titles. According to the buildup of the previous 4, this one finishes the series in a logical way: a brief summary of all the `how to write' elements, ended with a big checklist.

Some reviews say this is a good one (like me), others do not.
I give this book 4.5 stars, therefore 4 since Amazon doesn't do decimals. Not 5 stars since a perfect book on revision should have included the whole checklists of each individual Write Great Fiction as a summary, which would have made it more complete. Of course, the publisher obviously wants us to buy them all, but for quick checklist + completeness purposes, I would recommend the publisher to revise this book such. Probably the best way would have been to put the three authors of the series together and come up with their ideas.

Nevertheless, a well-done final of this by far best series on the `How to write' subject. I love the way these titles have handled their subjects: no vague blabla, but good examples, on how to and how not to, ended with a synopsis, and in the end a big checklist. They are conveniently arranged and that is what I was looking for, and probably all of us: after putting them down finally having some checkpoints on the wall! Writing and revising is intimidating enough, and the idea to have to keep in mind all the books and innumerable tips, is not possible. What is possible is to make a list yourself out of these books, and collect them on your own checklist on your wall, for every scene you rewrite. I did this for all titles, and it worked. I think no book on rewriting can be the perfect checklist but this series has helped tremendously to collect I think almost all you need to write a good book. The rest is just talent, and not giving up.

This book starts off with all the elements the previous titles have dwelled on themselves, so the plus is it is good to summarize and memorize again, the minus is the other titles were complete enough.
On the other hand, to just give a ten page checklist would also not have worked. I found also, that the way James Scott Bell handled all the basics again was a nice addition. He had some ideas and examples I had not read in the previous ones before, since three of them were done by other authors.

Finally he gets to the revision process itself, which is well covered.

I have not seen better titles on the subject yet. Take Stein on Writing, from Sol Stein. These titles are good too, but not as schematic as these ones (I like summaries, and bullet-points) and they are more interwoven with his experience as an editor. Nice, but sometimes too wordy, and not always handy for on the wall stuff. After all, it is about what we have left when we put it down. With Stein's books it was a nice read ,but nothing concrete. With this series, I have more than enough to go on!

This book contains some good stories about OCD experiences. However, reading a book that a therapist who also happens to be a recovering sufferer wrote was much more comprehensive. Different types of symptoms are elaborated upon and more treatment and self-help techniques are discussed in The Boy Who Finally Stopped Washing. I really enjoyed this book; it was very humorous and informative.

This book was eye-opening to the struggles of the person with OCD. It was also hopeful, funny, and an enjoyable read. I loved it.

Fascinating look into the world of OCD -- spelled out in an informative, entertaining fashion.

Jeff Bell uses the metaphor of a tape player to describe his struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in his harrowing memoir, "Rewind, Replay, Repeat." Bell has been a successful radio personality for many years, which makes his willingness to come clean about his illness all the more remarkable. He is a doubter, who states, "I have all five of my senses, but tend not to trust any of them." Because he does not believe what he perceives, Bell mentally replays entire sequences of his life over and over again. He also revisits places to check that he has not harmed anyone or failed to do something essential. He calls his story "a tale of fear and torment and agony and shame."

After experiencing a few OCD symptoms as a child, Bell enjoys a normal adolescence, goes on to college, earns an MBA, marries his college sweetheart, and starts a career in commercial radio. He and his wife, Samantha, have a little girl, Nicole. Everything is going wonderfully. Unfortunately, the peace of mind that he enjoyed for so many years is shattered when his OCD returns with a vengeance. He begins to obsess about a near-collision that occurs while he is piloting his father's boat. He spends hours worrying about some minor damage that he may have inflicted on someone else's cabin cruiser. Not only does he think about this event constantly, but he also visits the marina over and over to look for physical clues. This fixation on an unimportant incident takes over his life to such an extent that it begins to affect his marriage and his ability to concentrate at work. He stays up all night worrying, and his sleeplessness makes him groggy during the day. Rather than owning up to his condition, Bell makes a valiant effort to hide the truth from his colleagues, friends, and loved ones. He is living a double life and it is destroying him emotionally.

Even after he reluctantly shares his secret with his family and agrees to seek help, the first therapist that Bell consults has no useful answers for him. Although his devoted wife is steadfast in her support of her beleaguered husband, she finds his behavior increasingly unsettling. After sixteen months of "pent-up rage," Bell curls up on the bathroom floor of his house and bawls like a baby. He is deteriorating and he has no idea what to do to make things better.

"Rewind, Replay, Repeat" illuminates the agonizing world of doubters and checkers--those unfortunate souls who cannot leave well enough alone. OCD sufferers include: the woman who must unlock her front door repeatedly to check the stove; the driver who feels compelled to circle the block to make sure that he didn't run over a pedestrian; the terrified child who keeps asking his mother the same question a thousand times and is never satisfied with the answer; the washers who scrub their hands dozens of times a day until their skin is raw and painful; and the savers who hoard objects of no value until their homes resemble garbage dumps. Medical science has yet to pinpoint exactly what causes the brains of OCD patients to misfire.

This is an intensely personal, painfully honest, and extremely detailed look at one man's journey into the abyss and back. After he learns that he has OCD, an incurable condition, Bell struggles for years to get his life under control with a combination of spiritual awakening, a support group, cognitive behavioral therapy, and drug treatment. "Rewind, Replay, Repeat" is an informative, touching, and vividly written first-person account that will give hope and comfort to OCD sufferers and their families. It is a welcome addition to other excellent non-fiction works on this subject that include the classic "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing" by Judith Rappaport and "Brain Lock" by Jeffrey Schwartz.

I originally picked this gem up thinking it would be interesting to read from a psychological point of view. Once I started into it, though, I began to recognize certain elements of my own behavior. Though I would not say I am a full-blown OC, I do sometimes have obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors (probably as most people do at some time in their life). Just the title and him referring to the tapes that keep replaying in his brain was enough for me to squash my own destructive thoughts. Whenever I start wasting time on obsessive thoughts, I just think of his analogy of the tapes that keep playing, then rewinding and replaying. I then choose to shut the tape player off. Very freeing! A courageous and interesting story. Thank you for sharing, Mr. Bell.!

Thanks to K6YB for writing the "ALFA & ZULU" book! It fit our needs EXACTLY! I gave it to my 11 year old son for Christmas, and he is now passing sample tech exams! We hope to go to a testing session as soon as possible. Now we're working on the code, and have ordered the "DIT & DAH" Phoneticode card and dice games advertised in the book.

Hands down winner for no nonsense preparation leading towards your entry into amateur radio! The principles presented are plain and to the point. No reading between the lines, and no guessing as to what the author is getting at. The questions presented after each chapter reinforce the material just covered (and are the actual test questions from the current pool). I read the book in a little over a week, and by week two passed my technician test!

Excellent book. Our family is studying to pass the technical license exam and have found the clear diagrams, explanations, and material organization in this book to be far superior to that of the class-issued book (which primarily focuses on the exam questions and then explains the answers).

I wish we had something comparable for the general class license!

Thanks to K6YB for writing the "ALFA & ZULU" book! It fit our needs EXACTLY! I gave it to my 11 year old son for Christmas, and he is now passing sample tech exams! We plan to go to a testing session as soon as possible. Now we're working on the code, and have ordered the "DIT & DAH" Phoneticode card and dice games advertised in the book.

I have to say that this is the best book out there! I am thirteen years old and I got my tech plus in 3 weeks and now am operating 2 meters. I highly recommend this book for any one. This book kind of hides the high concentration level required for this exciting hobby by having fun. It is like little comic strips and then a small quiz after each lesson. It is the best buy I have made in a while other than my radio. Without this book I would not have my license so I wouldn't be eligible for a radio! I would like to thank my mom, dad, WD4ITU, KB6MT, and the author of this book K6YB. P.S. If you live in TX I opperate on the repeater 146.96 alot. Young people get interested in Ham radio... its great! 73 and God Bless

The two best aspecst of Dr. Schreiner's books are his conversational style of writing, and the fact that he always acknowledges other views and explains why he differs. The many references and foot notes make for slow reading, but in depth and clear understanding of the material and his interpretation. It is a learning expericence that is like a great expedition of exploration and discovery. And because it is the Word of God being explored, the discoveries are life changing. This is truly a great book.

Along with Moo, get this commentary! Schreiner is so solid and scholarly. I also have his work on 1,2Peter and Jude in the NAC. This NT scholar is so good.

His approach to scholarship reminds me of Dr. Moo. Both are really good. Schreiner does his own translation, and for me that is what makes this commentary so outstanding. If you appreciate adeptness in NT Greek, you'll appreciate this volume. But at the same time, Schreiner makes this simple enough for the person who doesn't understand NT Greek to get by.

This should be in every pastor's and anyone who's looking for the best work on Romans collection. Get this one!

This is a very good commentary on Romans. It is very well written and is clear and easy to understand. Great Reference material that can be used for years to come.

This commentary on the book of Romans by T. R. Schreiner is one of the best commentaries I have ever read. Better than N. T. Wright and Everett F. Harrison. The author is faithful to the text and respects the text as the Word of God.
It is a big blessing to have this commentary in post-soviet countries (I am from Lithuania) where theology is not popular and people are lacking commentaries, books about the Bible even in the libraries.
It is worthy to get this book because the author opens the deep meanings of the text.

As someone who has done extensive work in Romans and is NOT a Calvinist, I have found Schreiner's volume to be the best all around commentary on Romans (not the best commentary on any book, however, as that would go to Schnackenberg's 3 volumes on John). He covers what you need to teach and to preach through the book.

While knowing Greek will certainly help one follow the author's arguments, he makes it easy enough to move past difficult material and get to the heart of the matter. Moo has a tendency to list multiple options and then pick one when it is unnecessary to list all the options due to a choice being obvious or else he does not list options at all when the choice is difficult. Schreiner avoids that problem by correctly majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors (with the exception of some issues at the end of Romans 8).

For Schreiner, this is certainly a step above his previous work and is much more readable than his book on Paul. The only Romans commentary I would rank ahead of this one is the incredible two volumes in the ICC by Cranfield, which is certainly not a series for those who do not know their languages.

This Oxford archaeological guide to Rome is a replacement book for an older volume of the same that I had used so much that the pages were falling out! If you are primarily interested in the archaeological history of Rome from her beginnings through the late imperial period, then this is the book to have.

This guide is not a standard tour summary that just hits the highlights.
It is comprehensive and a bit academic, but if you really want to dig a little deeper into ancient Rome's structural past whether you are reading excerpts from it in your living room, or contemplating the forum from the Capitoline hill, this is the volume to have!

I took this book, along with a plethora of touristy guidebooks, and this one got read the most! We spent hours and hours in the Forum and the Palatine, and really delighted in uncovering the mysteries of so many building foundations. I left Rome wishing I had an archaeologist as a personal tour guide, but this book was an excellent substitution! It can be read at home, but I found infinitely more meaning when I sat at the site and read about where I was. Take this to Rome if you are interested in the ancients!

I had the fortune or misfortune of buying this book prior to my first visit to Rome. It is such a well-organized, well-written, and concise guide to ancient Rome that you could make the mistake that I made upon completing it and my first visits there. You might search a long, long time and spend a lot of money trying to find something better. Based upon my experience, a university-level seminar or a three semester hour course is the only thing that could surpass this guide.

Don't be put off by simplified plans shown in the pages. You need clear, simple ideas of what the stuff once was to understand what you're looking at. When you're in the ruins, you will be surrounded by other tourists, any changing weather conditions, and you will be viewing the architectural remains of a previous civilization from many different standpoints. You can't do that successfully without a clear, simple concept already in your mind.

Fodor's Holy Rome, 1st Edition: A Millennium Guide to Christian Sights (Fodor's Holy Rome)

You can't really understand Rome without this companion. It looks deeply into the very heart of the city, into its foundations and the stories they tell. This is practical archaelology at its best, presenting us with the lessons that history can teach us.

I used this book for my second trip to Rome and it was absolutely invaluable. I wish that I had it for my first trip. I am a person who only cares about the Ancient Roman artifacts and this book literally has ever one listed by region that you have access to. If you decide to use this book bring along a highlighter and check off the sections that you complete, by the end of the day you will be amazed at how much you have seen. I cannot recommend this book enough.

THis story is classic. I use this book so much that I have to retire my old copy and replace it with a new one every couple of years. It is a fabulous vehicle for storywriting in the primary classroom.

I have been reading Pat Hutchins books to children for many years. They are wonderful!! Rosie's Walk is a great book for sound effects! As Rosie goes obliviously on her walk,the fox encounters all sorts of sound effect producing trials. Great fun!

We have the board book edition, and I have to admit, I didn't think my 2-year old was going to like it when I first flipped through it. There didn't seem to be much to it --- no eye-catching illustrations and not much text. Shows how much I know... My daughter loves it. The story is less about Rosie the hen and more about the fox --- what happens to it from page to page. It is truly a sequential story and shows cause-and-effect: on one page you see the fox leaping towards Rosie, who is walking past the pond. On the next page, you see the fox in the pond. Your toddler will make the connection on her own: "Uh-oh. Fox fall in water."

My absolute FAVORITE book as a child! Simple, clever, and humorous all at the same time. GREAT for children starting to read! A+

We fell for this after watching the scholastic dvd series. It's on the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom video and we're hooked - love the detailed pictures and watching where thefox is headed.

I love this book and this is a perfect source of good learning of idiom for a small price its comes with. Perfect choice of gift for people that would love to read

Can anyone tell me what this book says about the idiom, "the calm before the storm"?

The graphic desciption and origin of the idiom are excellent. The explanation of the idiom is written in simple English that my 5 year old understands and loves. She read half of the book in one sitting. It's like a joke book to her. She was having a good time by herself. (She reads on a 3rd grade level.) I even learned a few things. It's a must have resource like a special dictionary that will also help to expand vocabulary. I now want all of the author's books.

I absolutely love this book. I am a teacher and this book really helped my students in 7th grade learn what idioms are. They really enjoyed learning about where the idioms came from.

Fairly good source for origins of idioms. Not all are here, but many. Some "conjecture" as to origin on many, but they do seem logical. A good over-all (particularly sufficient for elementary level) resource & nice leisure reading.

This technical guide is full of tables and statistics, along with lots of tips to make you shoot a better game of pool.

I purchased this book as a total beginner to pool and it has really jumpstarted my learning process. Normally I'd have learned by trial and error and would eventually develop a 'feel' for it. This book explains scientifically, geometrically and physically what is taking place on the table so that I understand what it is I'm attempting to make happen. Feel will always be necessary, that's much of the fun, but understanding the logic behind each shot is a great guide and really helps me get back online when I lose that elusive feel.

Koehler's book starts with the basics of equipment and terminology and proceeds through technique, strategy, psychology and more. One thing that I really like is that the book offers many alternatives so that I can choose the ones that suit me best, or have options when my usual approach isn't available. The author offers some opinions on which might be a better choice but provides enough information on each to allow an informed decision.

Though I'm still a beginner I am confident that this book would benefit players of all levels. I've got a pool buddy (also a beginner) that lives a few hours away. I sent him a copy of this book so that I won't have an unfair advantage next time we get together!

The book is very comprehensive going into a lot of detail and at times is very technical. There are lots of tables and statistics. However, it does a great job of explaining how the various aspects of the game impact the outcome of each shot. Things like cue ball and object ball movement, best cue stick positions for type of shot, how english and top and bottom spin impact cue ball placement, and much more. If you focus on the less technical aspects taught in this book you will come out with a much better understanding of how to shoot better pool. I'm still reading it but have learned alot and I consider myself a better than average pool player already. It is at times tough reading but you can get into it as deeply as you desire and several readings over time will glean more information.

Sometimes people feel that explaining wonderful things makes them somehow less magical, as if a bit of knowledge could rub the awe off of us. I'm inclined to disagree and fortunately for me, there's a whole genre of books devoted to the related jobs of explaining the wonderful and unravelling the mysteries behind ordinary stuff.

This book stands out in that world and also in the world of books about pool. The author has taken the ordinary, sometimes despised game of pocket billiards and subjected its truths to rigorous experimentation. He built apparatus for standardizing speed and direction of balls and developed a simple device for recording where balls struck a cushion.

Koehler's attention to details is pretty wonderful in itself. Consider this: "Theoretically, the center of the tip doesn't need chalk because it makes contact with the cue ball only when it's struck dead-center. When the cue ball is struck dead-center, there's no chance of the tip slipping off and thus, no need for chalk." A tiny matter? sure. Admire the mind behind it? you bet.

The same thorough approach can be seen in chapters like

1. Equipment
2. Shooting stance and technique
3. Pocketing the object ball
4. Shot selection
5. Cue-ball deflection path
6. English
7. Positioning the cue ball
8. Rail shot
9. Combination shots
10.Bank shots

If you love the game or if you simply marvel at a job well done, this is a book for you. Any pool player will find his or her appeite for practice increased and game improved



Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine from Prentice-Hall and bang-BANG, a novel from Kunati to be published in 2007

First of all, please excuse my English - it is not my native.
I've bought this book and really happy with this purchase, even Byrne's books were not even close to improve my skills in pool. The were commercially composed so that I had to buy more and more books, but fortunately I've found "Science of pocket billiards". Beleive me, its amazing, right now with a small practice after reading this book I beat my friends.
The best one.

I have only read the first 3 or 4 chapters in "The Secrets of God" and I am already recommending it to friends and family.

Being raised Catholic, going through years of not practicing, then returning to the faith when I had children, I too have been searching for more answers to support feelings in my heart and to have a more full spiritual life.

I previewed enough of Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" to know that it gave me an uneasy feeling. It did pique my interest because I think we all want to enrich our spiritual life no matter where we are on our journey, but it seemed materialistic and all about "self" with no higher power.

When I saw "The Secrets of God " on a bookshelf at a Medjugorje Peace Conference in Irvine, CA last month I bought it. It's a Christian alternative to Ms. Byrne's book!

I'll write more after I finish Dr. Cloud's book.

The book took a little longer to get but I was very pleased with the condition as it was like new.

I really enjoyed this book. For those of you "The Secret", you will find the spritual based book much more grounded and geniune. I personally connected with his message much more deeply than the other writing. God works in mysterious way, and the inception of this book is one of them. Thank you Henry Cloud for listening to that still small voice.

The book arrived before the projected date of arrival. It was in extremly excelent condition. I was very pleased with my purchasing experiance!!!!! I highly recomend this seller!!

The Secret Is Out ... God really does care for you, and He wants you to have a great life. The author does a good job disseminating Truths that make life work. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.