Games Books

Dryden and MacGregor have penned a non-fiction examination of Hockey (meant in capital letters) and how it is intertwined with Canadian life. It does a good job of exposing how both Canada and hockey are changing, and touches on topics such as the minor hockey league system, the '72 Super Series, the Gretzky trade, and our enjoyment of the game. For those hockey fans out there, it's an interesting read, even if it is nearly 20 years out of date at this time.

Give me any Ken Dryden book and three hours, and I will return with peace. I love his books about hockey. His commentary on hockey and life in Canada is true to the point. There are books that you read and then there are books that you relive. Dryden's books are expereinced. The flooded pond, the neighbor games, the eternal dream of playing in a old timers league, the continued goal of scoring another goal to win, of coming back in overtime to secure victory. I am 30 years old, and I still skate out on the practice rink with a Canadian jersey on with the imagined roar of the crowd cheering for my favorite player-Sidney Crosby-or really me. I might be 30, but my heart when it comes to hockey is still 10. This weekend I watched my nephews play hockey for the first time, one of them scored his first hockey goal ever in league play. He will never forget that goal. I know, I still live hockey, it lives in me, for I am Canadian. The cold chill of playing on cold rinks flows through my blood. It is more than hockey, it is "The Game."

Although the title causes Americans of my acquaintance to laugh, this book really does a wonderful job of examining (if not always explaining) what the game of hockey means to Canadians. If you have read "The Game" and thought there was nothing more to be said about hockey and Canada, think again.

Especial highlights are the early sections discussing small-town Saskatchewan and the importance of the rink in drawing the community together; the stories of particular players with NHL dreams; and the memories of members of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. Phil Esposito, the heart of that team, is not surprisingly the guy with the best stories about what it all meant. The following section about Soviet hockey, which elevates the faceless Russkies into real guys and fellow players, is almost enough to make a Canadian root for them. (Almost.) And the writers' take on their own recreational play, and what it means to them, is illuminating and sort of touching. Once again, as in "The Game," Ken Dryden manages to depict himself as an amazingly inept Hall of Famer, always panicking under pressure and getting in the way of his defensemen -- "I could talk and chew gum at the same time, but breathing did me in." There's no false modesty here, the reader gets the impression that Dryden held himself to impossibly high standards. Still, when he explains that he now plays defense because he has fulfilled his goalie fantasies, and playing defense allows him to have new ones, it's nice to know he still enjoys the game. (And I have to admit, I howled when I got to his dry remark on playing defense and who's responsible when a goal is scored: "I've changed my mind -- it IS always the goalie's fault.")

The photos that decorate this book are equally beautiful, from the prairie kids playing on a frozen slough to the professionals displaying their remarkable ability to a member of Team Canada (1972) jumping for joy as a Russian player offers a wry yet respectful salute. The photos are grouped according to section and I find it telling that the only photo of Dryden as a Montreal Canadien is one of him and a bunch of his teammates grinning in delight at having apparently won some kind of inter-squad scrimmage trophy. This photo is grouped with the recreational player section and tells an enormous amount about how Dryden felt about the game even as a professional.

Dryden and MacGregor describe Canada as "an improbable country," and they mean that in a good way. What holds us together as a nation are the bonds we have made among ourselves, and hockey is one of those bonds. I was reminded of that this year during the Stanley Cup playoffs, when a mailing list I subscribed to for the CBC news reminded subscribers of schedule changes because "there's hockey tonight." I hadn't watched much hockey in years but somehow, living in Texas surrounded by US culture, it felt like home to watch Larry Robinson hoist the Cup once again.

These are two great hockey writers, and they have produced a book that, even ten years later, is a joy.

I can see why Canadians love there game so much through this group of essays they are very interesting I wish americans loved hockey as much as the Canadians do then I wouldn't be the only hockey fan I know

"So what can a 10-year-old book on ice hockey really teach me about the sport and Canada?" I wondered as I started Home Game. The answer is pretty much everything. Dryden, who writes in a delightfully unhurried style, takes us through the game as it is played by enthusiastic amateurs, by teenagers desperate to break into the NHL and by the professionals themselves. And by probing how hockey took root here, Dryden provides the best analysis of what it means to be Canadian that I have ever read. My job in Ottawa is to explain Canada to the outside world and of all the tomes I have read so far, this must be the most illuminating. Rarely do you come across a book which so clearly explains what fires the soul of a country. Buy it now!

I love this book so much I got it for our tutoring program and a couple of people who work with kids. It has the basic game rules (there's always someone arguing rules) and lots of other game ideas. A MUST if you work with elementary or teen students. LOVE IT!

lots of fun games for kids, easy to understand directions, lots of choices for all # of groups big or small. I gave this as a gift to my 10 yr. old niece, she loves it.

Great book, has every game I can remember from summer camp and so many more, with easy to understand instructions.

This book got so much use when I was a girl scout leader and with the neighborhood kids, especially parties! Has great games that I loved to play in the days before computers, playstations, cable TV, etc.

This book was a big hit for our family and my 7 year old son really had fun playing some of the indoor games..great new creative ideas and also a great refresher for games I had played when I was young but couldn't quite remember all the rules! Well written, easy to read format - would definitely recommend!

Even though I haven't broken 100, this book has given me the areas to focus on to break both barriers (100 & 90). Wish this was on Audible, so that I could hear it over and over. Great Job.

I can't believe that I am writing a good review for Mr. Tomasi. I loved this book. It is better than a lot of his other books. I recommend this book even if you want to break 100. It tells you what you have to do to get there. I liked how Mike Adams writes. it is simple and makes you want to go on the course to try out what you read. Get this book. I can't believe this is the same TJ Tomasi. If you want to break 100 or 90 then get this book. it will help you.

The first golf book that I have really understood when reading it. It breaks down many of the mysteries of golf in easily read, easily understood English. The touch of humor, here and there, also adds to the enjoyment of reading this book. In the space of 90 days from first read, I was able to reduce my handicap by 6 shots, win 3 competitions at my club and begin to really enjoy the game. It does work and I have recommended it to many of my golfing friends.

I started golfing regularly (about 3 times a month) last summer, practice at least once a week at the range, took a few lessons and finally broke 100. At that point I purchased "How to Break 90".

This book does an excellent job at teaching course management to avoid the dreaded blow up holes which ruin our scores. You will learn how to break down each hole to avoid hazards and to play within your ability. Instead of blasting a long iron or fairway wood on your second shot to the green of a typical par 4 hole, the author advises you to layup with a shot within your means to achieve your "personal par". There will be situations in which you can take chances and "go for the green", but in most cases, the risk doesn't pay off for golfers of our ability.

This book, together with practice will help you lower your scores. In fact I broke 90 (84) for the first time last month. I still hit plenty of bad shots but instead of trying to pull off a heroic shot to save par, the book has taught me to take my medicine and I usually do no worse than a double bogie.

Besides the outstanding course management help, "How to Break 90" also teaches you a variety golf shots in easy to understand language with a sense of humor. Highly recommended to all weekend golfers who want to improve.

I bought this book, even though at the time I was trying to break 100 rather than 90. I really liked the way the authors focused on course management and the short game rather than swing changes. I also liked the little bits of humor scattered throughout.

The authors make the point that if you average a 5 on every hole (something they call "Level 5's"), then you will shoot 90. I took this a step further and told myself that if I could shoot Level 6's, that's a 108. So if I could shave a few strokes from there, shoot 5 on a few holes (which isn't that tough, even for me), then I could break 100.

Sure enough, using thier course management advice and focusing on shooting 6's, not thinking about par, I broke 100 several times in the my next few rounds.

I'm now re-reading the book, and practicing some of the advice I thought was too advanced back then, and refining some more to hopefully break 90 soon.

This book truly helped my game....one of the few books I can say that about!

Hugo Gerstl's analysis of the legal system cuts to the core of how we solve our problems with one another -- or, more cogently -- how we are presently botching solutions to our problems with one another -- unfortunately to the profit of lawyers anf the breakdown of the system.

What's so important about this book is that it's timeless. I could have used it in the 70's or the 80's, and much of what Mr. Gerstl says applied back then -- and, unfortunately, it applies even more now.

The book is simple to read and understand, rapid fire without taking on too many subjects at one time, and crisp in its presentation. Well worth the price, because by using it, you'll save its price many times over the very first time you call a lawyer for anything.

After the release of How To Cut Your Legal Bills In Half: A Guide to Reclaiming America's Promise -- Affordable Justice For All, I had Mr. Gerstl as a guest on my Television Program, Creative Encounters, in San Jose. Mr. Gerstl was a dynamic and most interesting guest, so much so that I actually sat down and read the book after the broadcast.

The book was -- and is -- stunning in its simplicity, its common sense, and its positive spin on what can be a veryh painful subject -- I know because I've been there.

Mr. Gerstl gives a great overview of the "system" as we know it today, the reason why lawyer bills are so high, a visit to Hell ("Anatomy of a Lawsuit") and why we must -- and how we CAN -- cure this cancer on our society. I wonder how his fellow lawyers are taking this. On the other hand, I really don't care how they're taking it -- all I know is I wish I'd had this book before I ever called a lawyer.

I, for one, happen to think the American legal system is in shambles. I have, myself, written a book condemning what all-too-often passes for "Justice" in this country. My book engages high-profile examples and "large" issues. It is for consideration by legal scholars.

Mr. Gerstl's book, on the other hand, takes on the problems that are not academic, but those we face every day -- divorce, human disputes, medical malpractice cases, auto accidents, probate and the like. While these disputes may mean less on the "world" stage, they are far more pressing and urgent for the INDIVIDUALS involved.

Gerstl's book is simple yet profound in its implications, meaningful without being pedantic, resourceful without being patronizing. As such, it is a "must read" for those at issue within (or without) the "system."

As a former law office manager in a one person office, I can attest to the fact that what Mr. Gerstl says really goes on in a law office; and that lawyers, who are always pressed for time, cut corners where they can, and have to delay things so they can get SOMETHING done.

His horror story is unfortunately very real. More important, his idea of mediation really does work. The book is easy to read, clear, and convincing.

I am a major Israeli publisher of general trade and academic titles (Dekel, Tamar, etc.). I first met Mr. Gerstl at Book Expo America in 1997. At that time, I had had no dealings with the American legal system and didn't believe that I would have need to deal with the system.

How wrong I was! When I sold the rights to our book on Krav Maga, the Israeli hand-defense system, Mr. Gerstl was quick to help me through the pitfalls of negotiations, both with our American Publisher and with our technical editor. Mr. Gerstl provided an invaluable service promptly, simply and expeditiously. I understood everything he was doing all the way.

His book, HOW TO CUT YOUR LEGAL BILLS IN HALF, is very much like Mr. Gerstl himself - very pleasant, clear, prompt, and no-nonsense. He has a point to make; he makes that point clearly and without an abundance of emotion, and he moves on to the next point.

When the book is finished, you realize how much you have learned about the system and why we should do everything possible to AVOID litigation. I took Mr. Gerstl's advice -- and practiced what he preached -- and the result was gratifying indeed! This is an outstanding everyday reference work for everyone in America who has ever dealt with or contemplates dealing with the legal system.

Lucy Micklethwait is a thoughtful children's book creator. When her daughter was small, Lucy would sit with her and look at art books. They would talk about each item in the painting. While they may not have discussed the meaning, the first step in developing art appreciation and understanding is art awareness. What better way to teach a child awareness than literally let the child point out items in the painting?

Even though I am now a children's librarian bringing this book to you, in another life time I was a high school teacher. One course I taught was a kind of art appreciation. The first activity I did was post a dozen famous prints across the board, then ask students to pick their favorite and write why and least favorite and say why. Examining a painting without knowing a thing about it is the first step in art awareness.

In "I Spy" there are 26 famous paintings. The one on the cover is "Son of Man" by Rene Magritte (a man). The words on the left page inside the book say: "I spy with my little eye something beginning with Aa." On the right side is the painting.

Here is a sampling of other included paintings: Picasso's "Sitting Woman with a Fish Hat" (let their little imagination roam with this one!), Goya's "Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga," Matisse's "Interior with Etruscan Vase," Renoir's "Umbrellas," and Hockney's "A Bigger Splash."

What a wonderful way to reinforce the alphabet, introduce the child to masterpieces of art, show cultural and time differences in clothing, style, and customs. Perhaps at some point you could locate a book in the library which has those paintings. Take one at a time to discuss meaning, technique, painter.

Ms Micklethwait has several other books to consider:
Colors: A First Art Book
I Spy Two Eyes: Numbers in Art
Child's Book of Art: Discover Great Paintings, A
Animals: A First Art Book

This is not at all like the other books in the I Spy series - and at first I did not like it because of it. The other books have pages filled with tons of things, and you pick out certain items in the poem. This has a series of famous art pieces, and the thing to look for is very obvious... so from a "spy" standpoint it is not the greatest. BUT I do like that it is exposing our young children (5 and 3) to famous works of art. We have tried to make it more difficult by finding different things to seek out in each famous painting. Still, I don't know that I would totally recommend unless you really wanted to expose your children to famous art - your child would likely find a book from the regular "I SPY" series more entertaining.

I highly reccommend this book--it is an excellent introduction to the arts. Some of the references are a bit vague in terms of everyday language, e.g M is for Magpie or H for the teeny heart on the playing card. But it is quite easy to make a substitution or let the kids find their own match. My almost 3yr old son loves it! Thank you for this wonderful intro to a much larger and beautiful world.

My son is autistic and has always been obsessed with the Alphabet. This book is one of his all time favorites. He carries this around with him constantly.

This is a lovely book with which to introduce the alphabet and classical art to your child(ren). Each two-page spread contains, on the lefthand page, the jingle "I spy with my little eye something beginning with ... " and the upper and lower case of a letter of the alphabet, while the righthand page contains a large reproduction of a work of art by one of the masters -- Rousseau, Hogarth, Picasso, Botticelli, Vermeer, Sargent, Renoir, Seurat, etc. Kids can think about the alphabet while being exposed to some great art.

Terrific idea!

The Inner Game of Work is the best book I've read yet on creating an environment in the workplace for optimal learning and productivity. Thanks to this book, I now see how the 8 hours each day I spend at work can be personally fufilling instead of a chore. He points out how I can actually integrate my experience at work to acheive my personal development goals. This book provided the tools I need to maintain my quality of life at work independent of the negative situations that inevitably occur in the workplace. I have shared this book with many people at work. Some have remarked that they are feeling the culture at work beginning to shift. People remarked that they are feeling more purposeful and less stressed. I highly recommend The Inner Game of Work.

The true achievement of Timothy Gallwey is his 'putting his finger on the exact, right spot'. Not only the spot where our barriers in achieving our full potentials lie, but also on how to evade and avoid these barriers. His book on Work (after his books on Tennis and Golf) is very well written. Through his natural flowing writing style he is able to establish a paradigm shift with the reader. Then, throughout the book, he keeps the reader firmly attentive to 'the inner game' paradigm and makes the subject come alive using theory and stories as building blocks. Once you have read this book, you will never look at achievement the same way. Not for yourself nor for anybody else. This book is an absolute must-read for all modern workers providing understanding of how true fun, learning and achievement works from-the-inside-out. Do not be surprised though when this book will also positively impact your view on, and handling of, many other aspects of life outside your work. Get it; you will not be disappointed.

This book deserves more than five stars, because it explains how you can be most effective in learning, gaining experience, and achieving higher performance. The principles are based on Mr. Gallwey's earlier successful coaching experiences and books about the inner games of tennis and golf. That may sound like an unlikely way to approach becoming more effective at work, but it is unusually effective for those who have ever played tennis or golf by providing a visceral point of reference.

I could immediately relate to the book's ideas, because both my tennis and golf performances are hindered by the critical stream of commentary that flows in my head as I play these sports. Occasionally, I quiet the criticism and I play much better.

To me, the explanation of how to help someone improve their tennis or golf games, or do their work better was a real eye opener. If you encourage someone to simply notice what is going on during the performance of the act (where they strike the ball relative to their feet in tennis, the lie of the ball in golf, or the important circumstances of the work environment), the person will quickly and easily find their own solutions to becoming more effective. That made sense to me because I have been operating without taking golf lessons for about a year and a half now, and many parts of the game have improved in major ways. I have taken charge of making my own diagnoses of what I need to do differently, and have learned a lot that I did not grasp from taking lessons. That experience validated the author's approach for me.

The other reason it made sense is that in my own coaching activities with business executives about their work, I always find that people know the answer to their own issues if you can give them a more helpful focus to open their minds and help them recall information that they have observed in other contexts. That is exactly the coaching method that Mr. Gallwey describes in this book.

The model here is that our conscious minds tend to focus on harmful criticism that provides limited useful information about what we should be doing. On the other hand, our subconscious minds are very good at directing us when we let loose of the chatter from our conscious minds.

Mr. Gallway takes that observation and builds methods to help you set inspiring, authentic, and meaningful goals for learning, gaining experience, and becoming more productive. He gives you tools to shift you focus away from the concerns of the conscious mind, and how to coach others to do the same in their learning. He then links all of this to creating conscious choices to change your direction and behavior in ways that serve you better. To make this last step easier, he provides several alternative perceptual analogies to encourage you. The book has a series of effective exercises you can do to pursue those analogies. The book also provides many examples drawn from the author's consulting experiences to help bring the points home. I am sure that many of these will strike a familiar bell with you.

I plan to cite this book in my future writing, because it is an important contribution to how we can reestablish the wonderful learning capability we all had as children, in a way that is appropriate for adults.

Be sure to share this book with others you care about so you can learn to coach each other, as a way to reinforce your progress toward nonjudgmental learning. That will be a 2,000 percent solution for you both!

I also suggest that you reread this book from time to time . . . especially if you find that you are not accomplishing things as easily and as joyfully as you would like.

This book is unique from the many others on how to succeed at work, management, leadership, even life. All of the rest either give you great "principles" and urge you to pursue a higher purpose at work, or they are "packed with great ideas" for doing it better. This book is different because it is not preaching a principle or trying to sell you on the newest work fad.

This book gave me the insight, in simple terms, to learn my way of living up to any principle I choose, and then to determine if it really is a good principle for my work or the kind of leader I want to be.

The book teaches you how to work with your own best inherent desires and abilities in order to develop all the ideas, successful habits and best practices you will need. Not someone else's that they self-righteously prescribe for you, but your own genuine best.

So this is not about trying to implement the latest fad in how to be a highly successful professional and leader. This book is about a simple, elegant way of discovering and learning to be your best.

This book presents a fundamentally different view on working and learning. This other view leads to more pleasure, better performance and more effective learning in work. The ideas in this book are so powerful and relevant and Gallwey describes them so clearly that it seems virtually impossible nót to apply them. Gallwey's core message is: the traditional way in which we try to improve ourselves and our performance -through (self-)instruction and supervision- blocks what we try to achieve. To be more specific: an instructive, controlling approach to performance improvement does not lead to better but to worse performance!

After Gallwey finished his English study at Harvard University in the nineteen seventies, he went to work as a tennis coach. Doing that, he discovered that nearly all his pupils tried very hard to improve one aspect of there play that they did not like, for instance their backhand. They expected Gallwey to give them the remedy for their problem. First, this was exactly what he did: "hold your racket like this, stand there, hit the ball then", etc. He instructed pupils but noticed that they showed resistance to his instructions and that their learning did not go well. Then he noticed, to his surprise, that the performance suddenly was better when pupils stopped trying so hard to correct their mistakes but instead just played tennis for fun. Based on this observation that the 'forced mode' of learning was less effective than the `natural' mode Gallwey built his approach. His book `The Inner Game of Tennis' became a bestseller.

Gallwey proposed that the ineffective, instructive dialogue between coach and pupil also existed within the head of the pupil. While playing, the pupil continuously gave himself instructions and comments: "that was really bad, hold your racket like this, do this, don't do that" etc. Gallwey called the coach inside the pupils head SELF-1. In Gallwey's words: SELF-1 is the collection of internalised voices from the outside world. To whom then did this internal coach speak? According to Gallwey it spoke to the person him or herself. He called this spoken-to self the SELF-2. The best learning took place when SELF-1 was turned off. How is this possible? Gallwey's answer: While SELF-1 is busy giving vague and (too) simple instructions, SELF-2 is doing something infinitely more complex and precise: computing the curve of the ball, instructing muscle groups, taking into account the wind speed, the speed of the ball, etc.

Gallwey concluded that SELF-1 was a from of interference that led to nothing else than an underutilization of the person's potential. In other words: Performance = Potential - Interference. In still other words: don't let SELF-1 distract you from your task and goal!

Gallwey formulated a different, more effective and more elegant way of coaching aimed at achieving three things: 1) Awareness: by letting SELF-2 do its work the pupil can focus on collecting information on the critical variables in the task (where is the ball landing? How fast is it going? How is it influenced by the wind? etc) which leads to a greater awareness of the task; 2) Choice: it is essential that the pupil determines what he or she wants to achieve. Without this choice there is no direction and focused attention is impossible; 3) Trust: trust yourself. This goes for both the coach and the pupil. This refers to the confidence that SELF-2 will be capable of fulfilling the task.

Galwey gradually started to apply his approach to others field that tennis: golf, skiing, music and ...work. He noticed that the effects were the same. For instance: a salesman who stopped instructing and commenting himself became more effective. In seminars Gallwey draws a triangle with on the corners the words: performance, learning en enjoyment. Gallwey claims that each of these are of great importance in work and that they are dependent on each other. When you neglect enjoyment, this will eventually also lead to performance problems. What Gallwey says about the relationship between performance and learning is interesting. Performance leads to an observable change in the external world. Learning, however, establishes a change within the person who learns. It is precisely because of this that learning results are hard to measure. Enjoymentis important according to Gallwey because it refers to the relationship the person has to him or herself. If you appreciate yourself, you won't deny yourself enjoyment for a prolongued period.

Since his discovery Gallwey's most important ambition has been to let himself and others enjoy the freedom to express in their work who they really are and what they really want. He says that human freedom is nowhere more constrained than in the world of work. Nowadays, the most prevailing experience of work even seems to be: someting I'd rather not be doing if I had a choice. Gallwey says that striving for freedom at work is not the same as wanting to avoid responsibility or bosses. It is about choosing a way of working which shows responsibility to oneself. A way which is aligned with your choices and values. Gallwey uses the word 'conformity' to describe the situation when an individual gives priority to extranl demands above his internal fire. Doing this brings the security of doing and being like others but it puts out our internal fire and it diminishes our chance of satisfaction. If life decisions are based on external demands instead of internal demands, someting of the greatest value can be lost. The conflict between external and internal voices seems unfair. There is constant pressure from the outside world to conform. Sanctions, corrections, instructions, rewards, etc. are everywhere. The external world is so large and the internal so small. But the internal has one advantage: it is always there. An important step would be to understand why conformity is so attractive to us and how it affects our way of working. As an alternative to conformity Gallwey names its opposite 'mobility': the freedom to move in any direction without self-restriction.

The central idea in this book is that there is a better way of thinking about working and learning that comes down to giving more priority to our inner capacities and whishes and less to external expectations, norms and instructions. I think this is a valuable book. The author gives good and convincing examples of the inner game, for instance applied to the field of sales. In this time of extreme change good and new ideas about how people can learn and perform are wellcome. Gallwey delivers this.

Well, I can't say that I'm and expert at embroidery, but I'd like to be one day and this seems to be a good place to start. The book is very simply laid out, the instruction is very clear and it has very simple illustrations to go along with it. And it is filled with lots of great projects that seem easy to accomplish. I plan on using this as an activity that my 7 year old daughter and myself can learn together. Should be lots of fun.

My husband and I bought this book for our 8 year old daughter this year for Christmas. She has been wanting to learn to embroider for a while now. This book is very good! It is thorough and starts with the very basics. It covers much more than just embroidery though as well. It also covers needle work and cross stitch. The authors clearly explain all the supplies needed, how to work the stitches, and give great projects for the kids to do. It is a great resource and will be lovingly used for years to come. We bought some of the supplies listed in the book to make a little embroidery kit for her and she absolutely loves it. She is already partly through her first project. I highly recommend this book!!!

I've been a fan of Kristen's work for years. Her knitting patterns are fun and beautiful, so imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this book! This easy-to-follow book offers instructions on all of the different stitches that can be used to make all of the different colorful, creative, and innovative patterns she has designed. I'm 35 and I'm set to try my hand at this cool craft!

I recently purchased the how-to-book of Kids Embroidery, by Kristin Nicholas. It's terrific. The book is descriptive with step by step lessons on how to make an embroidery project. I have 3 girls, elementary school age that can follow the directions in the book. It's exciting to see the vivid photos of multi-cultural children in the book, as well as the illustrations of how-to's. I would recommend this embroidery book for anyone who'd like to give a gift to a child or adult, buy for themselves, or donate to a teacher's classroom for projects during school. This book will keep the kids busy for hours, and in the end, they'll have crafted a beautiful project as a gift or for themselves.

I enjoy this book and similiar ones that are based on a Waldorf-education approach to crafting. The projects are well-explained and useful as well as beautiful. "Kids Embroidery" is a down-to-earth book of crafting with easy to follow directions.

This book is pretty cool. It's like reading an encyclopedia of golf. I highly recommend it. The thing is, it only brings you up to intermediate level. If you want more help in deeper mentality of golf or simply play golf with more precision, read "How I Play Golf" by Tiger Woods.

Here is my suggestion: If you're new to golf but are excited to learn, skip Part 1 and jump to Part 2. Why do I say that? Simple. Part 1 talks about history, rules, golf courses and the "anatomy" of golf. They're good to know, but it can bore you from time to time and plus, it has nothing to do with the basics of golf yet. It's like reading soccer rules and how soccer is played. Knowing that can't improve your techniques. Duno also recommends hiring a professional & practice by going to the driving range. Personal preference: Everyone have their own way of playing golf and no one technique is perfect for everyone. If you read the simple techniques explained in this book, it'll get you a long way. Bottomline here is, save time and money by buying yourself a golfnet and turf and practice in your backyard or anywhere you have room to practice.

Part 2 is the perfect place to start if you want to swing that club! It's all about which clubs to buy, how to get good grips, aim better and understand basic swing fundamentals. It's my favorite part that is also worth reading it over and over again.

If you already know the basic fundamentals of golf such as golf rules and/or swinging a club but want to improve your short game, skip Part 1 & 2 and go on with Part 3. It teaches you how to master putting, chipping, pitching and hitting from the bunker. If that doesn't get your money's worth, go on to Part 4 (Become a Better Golfer) which talks about flaws to avoid, bad lies, hills, bad weather, etc.

Part 5 however is somewhat useless in my opinion. It talks about competing, differences between golf clubs, balls and what to do if you take a golf vacation. It's basically teaching you "what to do with your money once you're already a multi-millionaire." I mean, no-duh, everyone have their own preference how they want to take their golf game further. All in all, this book is worth reading and if you love golf like me, buy it just so you can read and reread it over and over again.

This book provided me with the basics of the game and the use of the tools, rules and other essentials and serves as a reference guide to this time. It is clear and simple and straightforward. It can help any new golfer to get into the game and help any duffer to refine his technique.
I recommend it highly.

I have only recently taken up the great game of golf. This book has been an indispensable aid. It explains all the basics of the game wonderfully, with outstanding illustrations and very clear step-by-step explanations.

Since I bought the book three months ago, I have probably read it at least five times - that many times I have gone back to it as a reference for the latest thing ailing my game. And I am sure that it will continue to assist me as my golf game progresses (hopefully) in the future.

I spent a lot of time at the bookstore comparing the different golf guides. This was by far the best book for the price.

This book is a gem. It is organized in a very practical fashion that allows you to focus on each aspect of the game. The range of topics is wide, going from the elements of the swing, the different shots, and all the way to strategy and conditioning for Golf. The book is written with practical summaries that allow you to keep key points in the foreground and get ready to play.

If you only buy one "how to" golf book, this should be the one.

When I wanted to get started with golf I picked up this book. Easy to understand, with simple instructions and explanations. It also has the clearest overview of the basic rules of the game that I've seen. Even the hardest part of any book on golf, the swing, is covered pretty well - I at least have the intellectual knowlege now to on swinging the club. Great book.

The Ultimate Picture Puzzle books are the best! Great time passer and fantastic workout for your brain ~ We really enjoy them at the airport/on the plane.

Turns out this book is great for impromptu gatherings when there is no way you can think of anything to do to entertain a group with various ages. Also great for taking along when travelling. I bought three of the books, and it is as fun for my pre-schooler as it is for my not-so-sharp mind. Maybe Dr. Oz will start recommending these as one of the latest and greatest ways to keep our minds young?

"Life: The Ultimate Picture Puzzle" is the third book in the series of books based on the popular feature in the now defunct Life Magazine. For the most part the puzzles involve two pictures of the same thing, with the second picture having a number of changes from the first picture. The changes can range from simple things like a person added to the picture to hard to spot things like a shirt being a different color. There are also several "cut up puzzles" in which the editors took a photo, cut it into 4, 6, 12 or 18 pieces, rearranged the pieces, numbered them, and you have to figure out the correct order of the pieces to solve the puzzle. There are also some puzzles with six pictures, five of which are identical and you have to find the one that is different. Finally, there are also ten secret changes scattered throughout the book - changes that aren't listed in the instructions and the answers can be found on the Internet not in the book.

"Life: The Ultimate Picture Puzzle" is a fun, challenging puzzle book. It has several different levels or types of puzzles - Novice, Master, Expert, Genius, Animals, and Classics - so there is a little bit of something for everyone. If you want to further challenge yourself, the editors give a suggested time limit for solving each puzzle with the harder puzzles having longer time limits. The editors do a good job of putting the puzzles in the right category and putting the right number of puzzles in each category - the Genius category, which can be fiendish, is one of the shortest sections and the animal section immediately following is a welcome relief. The number of changes in the picture varies with each puzzle and I find that the pictures with the most changes are harder simply because it can be hard to keep track of the changes you find. I dislike the cut up puzzles, which I find impossible to solve without cutting up the book.

"Life: The Ultimate Picture Puzzle" provides hours of challenging fun for solvers young and old.

I buy these books for my elderly parents. They love to work through them and it helps to keep their minds active!

Enjoy these puzzles and the puzzles are entertaining. The puzzles are ranked as beginning on up. Very fun!

MacKenzie explains concepts like inventory tracking, CAP rates, and ROI in a way that makes them accessible and memorable. I will be recommending this book to my investor clients.

Marketopoly is an excellent primer to real estate investing. Consider it an antidote to the ubiquitous information out there in the form of books and seminars on real estate speculation, dependant on unrealistic appreciation. Mr. Mackenzie has provided in an easy to read and understand form, the basic metrics for analyzing a piece of investment real estate. For this he should be applauded. Will this turn the masses into successful real estate investors? No, but it will give the reader a leg up on the competition. Read this if you are considering becoming a real estate investor instead of a real estate speculator.

Mark hit's it right on with MARKETOPOLY!
Mark will help you invest in today's markets to win! Is it the right or wrong time to invest in Real Estate? Mark book will show you it is the right time in many areas. So start making money in today Real Estate Market after you read MARKETOPOLY!

In today's shifting and confusing markets, you can't walk in blind and expect to make money. This truly is the Holy Grail of investing in real estate. Concise, powerful and easy for even the novice to grasp. A must have.

Cap rates, net operating income, cash on cash, absorption, rental surveys, internal rate of return, job trends & demographics, etc. -- all important measures. However, in this book Mark simplifies WHERE YOU SHOULD START and enables you to quickly determine the "temperature" of the market before wasting unnecessary time on the other formulas.