Series Books

I have been a closet Pat McManus fan since the 80's. His short stories always make me laugh out loud, no matter what mood that I am in before I start reading them. These stories are for everyone. You don't even have to fish or hunt and you'll still get it. Anyone who has ever spent any time outdoors will be able to relate to his adventures.

The names of the stories in this book are:
Sequences
The Dumbest Antelope
Out of Sync
Kid Brothers and Their Practical Application
The Fried Flies, Please, and Easy on the Garlic
At Loose Ends
Getting It in the Ear
Garage-Sale Hype
How to get Started in Bass Fishing
As the Worm Squirms
Scoring
A Road Less Traveled By
Gunkholing
Blips
The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw
Water Spirits
Letter to the Boss
Scritch's Creek
The Tin Horn
Cupidity, Draw Thy Bow
Whitewater Fever
Never Cry "Arp!"
Visions of Fish and Game
A Brief History of Boats and Marriage
Boating Disorders
Try Not to Annoy Me

First let me say I found the Patrick McManus stories funny each month as I got that magazine. Maybe it was Outdoor Life,,,,,
Then I read there that I could get books full of his stories.
WOW, I bought all of them.
I must say though that I like this one best.

BTW, If you ever read a story by Pat about being lost in the woods by all means believe him. I am way up here in NW lower Michigan.
A man I know who is a regular fisherman was fishing a local river. He was away from any road when he happened to find a man that had been fishing, but was asking how to get out of there back to a road. After he had told the guy to just follow the river that way for about two more miles the guy introduced himself,,, Guess who? Patrick McManus of course. 8>))

Now, I'm actually from Idaho where this book is actually based off of. Despite all of the Sarcasm, you got Idaho. HAHA LOL. I know this is bad but I hate to read. I had to read this book for an english assignment. But I really like this book. It is non-stop laughter. I think I am going to read all of his books now. I hope that is enough for you to be convinced that this book really is good and should be read by anyone who loves humorous books. HAPPY READING! :)

This book is hilarious. We like to read it to the middle and high school kids. You can hear them laughing about the fur coat, etc. outside the building. It has sparked many a boy into getting Partick's other books and reading for themselves. As a library director I know how hard it is to get middle and high school kids to read for pleasure. Patrick McManus is sure a pleasure. When I read the Goombaw story, and I have numerous times I still can not get through it without tears running down my face.

I have always thought that Patrick McManus is the funniest writer on the planet. I read his stories when I need to laugh or relax. Sometimes I irritate my wife by reading it in bed. I try not to laugh out loud, but I only succeed in sounding like I am trying to muffle continuous sneezes.

However, not everyone gets it. I have been shocked by watching people read McManus without so much as a smile (though most start snorting like wild pigs on acid) . My only guess is that getting McManus requires a couple things. First, it requires some understanding of his experiences. He absolutely nails all of the stupid things 'outdoors men (outdoors people)' do and think, but don't want anybody to know about. Second, you have to see the self-deprecating aspect of his humor. Third, you can't look for great literature in integrated books. Patrick McManus is an excellent writer, if you see these as independent stories simply collected in a volume. They are meant for adults who want to laugh at themselves. So, If you are willing to or already meet the above three criteria, you will love this book.

By the way, I am a professor of clinical psychology and (other than worrying a little about McManus) I sometimes recommend this and other McManus books. I do this with people who have racing thoughts and anxiety at bedtime, and when I believe they have the necessary experiences to find it funny. It often works quite well. I think of his stories as little pieces of happiness. (Oh, that even makes me sick to hear. Sorry)

Very pleased with the condition and the Book. If you are a Believer in Jesus Christ and you want to study the "Incarnation" this is the book.

As a new convert from a totally different background, it seemed that all the modern books have been written with the assumption that people have some vague understanding of the logic of Christianity or are willing to not ask or simply just don't wonder. There were many "but WHY?" and "but HOW?" questions I've only found answered here.

First, the introduction by C. S. Lewis is alone worth the price of this short work. Lewis argues that these works by the early church fathers are far easier to read than the commentaries of the works of the fathers. He also argues that we need to read at least one out of three books out of our century. He doesn't use the phrase "chronological snobbery," but the argument is the same. We need to read perspectives of other cultures and ages to help keep ourselves from falling into the errors of the present age.

Second, the book is not terribly difficult to read. The book is short and well organized. Some of the passages take rereadings, but the arguments for the most part are fairly straight forward and accessible. Meditating on what God did through the incarnation, the reasons for the incarnation, and its impact on our lives and history as a whole can not be a bad thing.

This is one of those classic books that seems daunting precisly for being a classic. Banish such fears: it was written for the edification of a very recent convert and by someone who was good at putting profound truth clearly and simply. It is excellent, short, fun, edifying, educational and extremely relevant in these days when we continue to be corporately confused about the work of Christ on the cross.

I can't do better than quote C. S. Lewis in the introduction:

"The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.
This mistaken preference for the modern books and this shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology. Wherever you find a little study circle of Christian laity you can be almost certain that they are studying not St. Luke or St. Paul or St. Augustine or Thomas Aquinas or Hooker or Butler, but M. Berdyaev or M. Maritain or M. Niebuhr or Miss Sayers or even myself." [Cited today from http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/ath-inc.htm#ch_0 ]

As has been said, this book is fantastic. Everything good that you learn about God's becoming a man originates in this book. Would be nice if the translation was a little more fluid. Unfortunately, this is probably the best translation you'll find, for now.

Thsi is book a wonderful discovery I made. I love L'Engle, she is a phenomenal author with quick wit, and a mixture of science, faith: always a great story. This novel is no different. I loved the imagery and the setting: a beach in turn of the century South Carolina. The story centers around Stella, the young British bride of Terry, her American husband. She is sent to live with his family in South Carolina, as Terry goes off on a secret mission for the US State Department. Since it is the south and it is the turn of the century, the civil war and it's aftermath is as much of character as the people themselves.
Stella soon discovers that Terry's family is not all it seems and as she gets to know them and they her, she discovers some horrible past experiances and secrets that arre still effecting the family today. The novel is full of wit, literary refernces: Her Great Aunts play a wonderful guess the quote game. However, it has a very dark side and only after she has gone through love's terrible side can she and the famlliy come out on the other side of the sun. I can not reccomend this book enough!

Like many other reviewers, I was exposed to Madeleine L'Engle's work through "A Wrinkle in Time." I have reread most of her Children's work and then started through her Adult work. While "The Small Rain" (her first novel) and "A Severed Wasp" (one of her last novels) were excellent and well-written, nothing prepared me for the brilliance and imagination of "The Other Side of the Sun." Right from the first chapter I was drawn into the fascinating story of the post-civil war south and all its lingering conflicts. I found all the characters completely believeable and compelling, especially Honoria and the Aunties. Even minor characters were completely fleshed out and interesting.

I found myself newly fascinated with the Author. What kind of a person can dream up such a complex and beautiful storyline and fill it with such amazing characters? The complex story never became predictable or trite. What a refreshing and thoroughly entertaining piece of work. In my mind, it is L'Engle's best.

An elderly widow, Stella Renier, returns from her husband's funeral to her family in the American South. Before facing the rest of the family she and her grandson spend some time together at the family's coastal estate, Illyria, where she relates to him the story of her arrival there as a young bride many years before. Stella had traveled to Illyria to await her husband's return from a mysterious and dangerous mission. She found herself struggling to understand both the alien cultures of the antebellum South with it's strict and confusing rules and the family with it's long history and many secrets. She finds help in the most surprising places including her husband's long dead grandmother.

For those familiar with L'Engle's other works this one does not feature either the Murray/O'Keefe or the Austin families of her more well known works. The Renier family is alluded to, though, in some of these works. As always with L'Engle's works the characters are compeling, drawing the reader into the complexities of their lives, eliciting first a smile at their eccentricities and then a tear at their sorrows.

This lesser known work is a treat for a L'Engle fan or a wonderful introduction to this marvelous author, in either case it is a story that will stay with the reader long after the last page.

I think L'Engle touches...even caresses...a special nerve in those of us who become her lifelong fans. She touched my imagination when I was just 10 years old as I read "A Wrinkle in Time." Her image of Camazotz has stayed solidly at the front of my mind ever since, and I have enjoyed dipping into her well throughout the years to meet more characters, to travel to new cultures, to have new adventures, and to silently cheer on many as they come of age.

That all said, and as many other reviewers have said, this book IS DIFFERENT!!! In this story, L'Engle makes some very heavy points through very beautiful but sometimes dark mediums. At first, the story seems ordinary enough as an English bride, Stella, moves in with her husband's family down in the south at the turn of the century. But even as you meet the cast, you have premonitions that this tale might not flow as nicely as some of her other works. There is a darkness to the people that takes away even from the amusing eccentricities of the family.

As the story builds - bringing in the frightening power of the KKK and of the African-American demon worshippers - you continually fear for this incredibly vulnerable English girl. While Stella is able to find some comfort in the journals of a long-deceased relative named Mado, you wonder where she can turn for help as she unintentionally stirs up a very dark hornet's nest. You know Honoria, the "maid", is a spiritual powerhouse, but is she strong enough? Will Stella's husband come back in time? Will anyone else intervene for her?

Via this very difficult set of circumstances, L'Engle is attempting to prove out Mado's point that only when love has had to go through the burning of the sun is it pure. Before it goes through such fire, it is filled with impurities and deception. But who has the courage to undergo such trials? L'Engle's characters - especially Honoria and Mado - give one courage. And, throughout this book, L'Engle brings in small poems that pierce the heart. I'm not usually much of one for poetry, but I copied these into my journals as keep-sakes.

A must-read for every L'Engle fan and for anyone who is looking for a book to take you a bit out of your comfort zone.

Innocence can be a deadly thing. So Stella Renier, nineteen-year-old bride from England, learns when she reaches her new husband's home in South Carolina. It's 1910, and the veterans of the War Between the States are growing old. Yet the conflicts that war failed to resolve - along with some new ones created by its aftermath - simmer just below the surface of the coastal community surrounding the house called Illyria. That house will become the one place Stella regards as home throughout her married life, which is destined to be long. We know this because elderly and recently widowed Stella narrates the story for her adult grandson, during another era of turmoil in the American South. But in 1910, as she comes to Illyria without the husband she's barely had time to wed - sent to his family while Terry Renier sets off on a secret assignment for his employer, the U.S. State Department - it's a fantastic house in an alien country. And her husband's family are, of course, strangers.

How can Stella, who grew up at Oxford, understand the basics of keeping herself safe in a place where she's expected to treat the first Negroes she has ever met as if they were members of a different species? How can the girl reared by an agnostic father grasp the conflict between the powerful Christian faith of Honoria, a one-time African princess who takes care of everyone at Illyria, and the dark spirits invoked by the "Granddam" in the desperately impoverished black hamlets just inland from the beachfront homes of the Reniers? Stella doesn't even know the significance of robed horsemen who ride by night. But her husband's people all know it. And so does the English-educated black physician whose danger she increases with every innocent gesture of friendship.

"The Other Side of the Sun" is a book to read through to the end, and then read again. It has much to say about the nature of faith, of fate, of aging, and of human love. But most of all, it's a well-told and compelling story about characters as real as any I've ever met on the printed page.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"

This book is purchased for our Book Club for next year's books. Several of our members had read it to be sure it was okay. It was difficult to purchase - first we had to wait till it was published (you know how THat goes!) and then the price was exhorbitant (that was overcome) and finally it joined the other books we purchased for the Club. Oh, and say, did I mention that this is a book for next year's selections? and that it will be much like "saving it for dessert?" I haven't read it yet either - just scanned through it, and therefore I know it to be the "icing on the cake."

I was never a regular viewer of Peter Jennings' news broadcast or any of his documentaries, but now I wish I was.

This book pointed out all the great time, effort and blood, sweat and tears that Peter Jennings put into all segments of his broadcast and documentaries. He did not take his anchor position lightly and wanted all viewers to share his same passion and understanding of the subjects he was speaking.

It also went into great depth to speak of the man that none of us saw on his nightly newscasts. One who was such a humanitarian and lover off people from all different walks of life.

This book kept my attention and made me feel sad that I did not pay closer attention to his newscast while he was still with us.

If you loved Peter Jennings you will love this book. It was written in an innovative style by way of an amalgam interviews with his colleagues. If you are looking for dirt on Peter skip this book, but if you want to relive the hundreds of wonderful hours you spent with him on your TV, this book does the trick. Your memory might also be jogged when you read the many adjectives describing him in the book: charming, distinctive, exuberant, thoughtful, reflective, gracious, caring, sincere, whimsical, questioning, authentic, direct, gentle of spirit, warm, great sense of humor, intelligent.

I loved the insight many of the contributors gave, as well as the quotes from Peter: "He connected with every person he met. He didn't use them." "He had this life force that seemed to surround him--his enthusiasms, his boundless energy and curiosity. He was one of those people that was just a great sense of nirvana to be around." "And when he was faced with the actual test, he instantly did the right thing." Peter: "Be spare, be precise, take your time, and don't say too much. Let each work carry the weight of the story....communicate in a concise way."

Peter would ask, "What are we going to do today what will distinguish us?" He despised predictability, mediocrity of any kind, laziness." "Listening to Peter was...riveting." Peter WAS riveting, and so is this book!

Bill Kizorek, CEO, Two Parrot Productions

I purchased this book for my son who greatly admired Peter Jennings as I did and before wrapping this birthday gift I had to read several chapters. I loved what I read so far and my son has promised to "lend" the book to me so I can read the entire book.

ps My son truly loved reading about this talented reporter!

When ABC newsman Peter Jennings died from lung cancer in 2005, he left a void in the industry that has yet to be filled. Along with the likes of Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, Jennings helped revolutionize television news, sitting on both sides of the desk, transforming the genre from a 15-minute afterthought to a major component of network broadcasting.

The editors of PETER JENNINGS: A REPORTER'S LIFE, including his wife, have collected the thoughts and memories of scores of family, friends and colleagues who are universal in their praise and turned these stories into an oral biography. It seems as if Jennings was almost predisposed to the profession. As the son of one of Canada's most respected radio broadcasters, he got an early start, hosting his own children's show as a nine-year-old. Formal education held little interest for Jennings; these days he might have been diagnosed with ADD. His success, despite dropping out of high school, was truly remarkable.

Jennings was just 26 when he was handed the anchor assignment for ABC News in 1965, a job to which he admitted he was not suited at the time. He earned his stripes by going out into the field --- far, far afield to Europe and the Middle East where he thrived on the exotic surroundings and the action.

The entries in A REPORTER'S LIFE reveal a man in a hurry, ever curious and always willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even when that meant putting himself in harm's way. Jennings was no "Scud-stud," a term used to describe reporters who made a name for themselves during the first war in Iraq; he didn't even like to fly. But he impressed everyone, from his sound men to heads of state, with his ability to soak up information and present it to his audience.

When he stepped down as an active reporter to once again take over the anchor desk for ABC News, he brought that same restlessness with him. He was a demanding boss, always expecting the reporters to do the same thorough job he did. But his humanity was always evident. During the coverage on 9/11, he wanted the audience to see the devastation of the World Trade Center rather than in-studio shots of him. And he was never afraid to defer to experts or admit he did not know every issue involved.

Many of those interviewed said that Jennings never wanted to be the center of attention, which made his on-air revelation of his illness all the more conflicting. For him, it served as an abject lesson, another chance to educate his viewers.

The format of A REPORTER'S LIFE both works and doesn't work. Since it's not a straightforward biography, it appears choppy at times, a series of mini-monologues interspersed with Jennings's own words. It is also understandably biased; you won't find too many speaking ill of him. On the other hand, these are the people who knew Jennings best, and the book serves as their final chance to pay him tribute.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

I will only mentioned a few aspects of the world of quantum mechanics and then if you get bored you can read the last part where I mention some aspects of the book.

Werner Heisenberg is one of the most important figures within the world of quantum mechanics. Since Max Planck discovered that electromagnetic energy could be emmited in quantized forms a series of new discoveries revolutionised the world of physics. Albert Einstein confirmed Plancks's discoveries and theorized that light was composed of discrete quanta. This discovery was just too strange. How can light behave as a wave and as a particle. You can see the double slit experiment and observe how light behave when one slit is open and when the two slits are open, just amazing.So it seems that dualistic thought can not be applied here. Is light particle or wave, the answer: BOTH!As Heisenberg says in the book: "that what we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning". Thus observer and observed are in some way connected and not separated as in cartesian-newtonian world.In the introduction is written clearly: "...the act of of measurement defines the thing being measured, or that the thing being measured and the thimg doing the measuring are inextricably interwined"
This is why there have been some analogies between this new physics and eastern traditions (like Fritjof Capra's Tao of Physics)like buddhism and the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna, founder of the Madhamyaka school that developed the concept of emptyness, that is, all phenomenon had no "self-nature" "or idependent origins", there is no such thing as Parmenide's Being.All is interconnected,like Indra's jewels in Hinduism there is no gap between the observer and the observed in the world of quantum physics. Quantum mechanics is more familiar with Heraclitus where Change is the main principle, Becoming and not Being.Particles are not "things" but are like Aristotle's potentia. Heisenberg tell us: "A quantum object, in itself, is neither one thing not the other. If you decide to measure a wave-like property, the thing you are observing will look like a wave. Measure a particle property (position or velocity), on the other hand, and you will see particle-like behaviour." Note that Heisenberg that one can measure position OR velocity, this is the pillar of the uncertainty principle. In Heisenberg's words: 2The better you measure the position of a particle, the less you can find out its velocity, and vice versa."
Thus, the first years of the 1920s was a turning point in the world of physics. The Copenhagen Interpretation established the principles of quantum mechanics, some of this are: The uncertainty principle, the Complementary Principle (wave-particle duality of light) and that the description of nature is probabilistic.
Now you can have a little clue about the book subtitle: "The revolution in modern science". Newtonian mechanics can' t be applied to the subatomic world.Thus, the view of nature as a Big, impersonal Machine and that it was a matter of time that "all mighty rational humanity" was to discover all its laws is far from true. Even Einstein was not happy with this group of physicians that were saying "there is no such thing called objectivity" "newtonian laws are like a fish in the desert". Einstein after the theory of special and general relativity spent much of his time lookink for a Theory of Everything (TOE), and in some isolated himself from this great discoveries being made in the field of quantum mechanics.
Today there is this String Theory or M Theory wandering arround, and could be the best candidate that will unify the 4 forces: Gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak interaction. Time will tell...

About the book:

Heisenberg explains the developmet pf pshysics reviewing Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes (the three Milesians)Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus, Leucippus, then a quntum leap to Descartes and Kant.
He explains relativity, space, time, the Copenhagen Interpretation, the limits of language to describe the quantum world, the role of scientists, his Nobel Lecture and much more.
I think it is not a difficult book, but don't expect to understand quantum mechanics, because if you do, you really didn't understand a thing about it. So forget about binary-aristotelic logic and start developing fuzzy logics to understand a lot of weird things.

If quantum mechanics and all of its philosophical implications tickles your fancy, BUY THIS BOOK! Heisenberg jumps off the pages with an eloquence long forgotten in our day.

This is an excellent work due in large part to Heisenberg's acumen both as a physicist and a philosopher. Unfortunately, even some of the great physicists have been somewhat shallow philosophers. For whatever reason(probably the fact that his father was a professor of classical studies), Heisenberg had a very good grasp of many philosophical viewpoints. He was able to mostly avoid the cartesian bifurcation that traps most physicists even to this day. He understood that much of the "trouble" with Quantum Mechanics was caused by our unwillingness to let go of the bad metaphysical assumptions that became implicit in classical physics. Overall, this is an excellent book for anyone who wants to understand the beauty of Quantum Mechanics with eyes wide open.

As I was reading this intelligent and provocative manuscript, I could not help think why this was not part of my undergraduate physics course. For anyone who wants to know how quantum physics came to be, this is certainly the book to read. I was completely surprised how many of the aspects of modern science we take for granted today would not be in the classroom if not for quantum physics. The linking to classical philosophy was equally stirring.

I am not sure that anyone truly appreciates the fundamentals of quantum physics. But, for someone who has done a great deal of reading on the topic and possesses an advanced degree in a relatively unrelated field (clinical psychology), this is a very readable book on Heisenberg's thinking related to quantum physics. For those who know anything about quantum physics, however, it cannot be overemphasized that this is, in fact, only one perspective on quantum physics (though, probably, the most accepted). Heisenberg was one of the originators (along with Wolfgang Pauli and, particulary, Niels Bohr) of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics. For anyone interested in a more deep analysis of the thought that went along with the development of this incredibly groundbreaking thoery, I recommend this book highly!

Stop me if you've heard this one before. After months--and sometimes years--of dedicated writing, rewriting, and rewriting some more, you've finally finished that manuscript and even found a publisher. Lo and behold, you discover the real work has just begun.

Once upon a lovely time, publishers--the really big ones, anyway--took charge of marketing and promoting new books. As the author, you might be expected to make a few public appearances, but the publisher handled little things like setting up venues and contacting the media.

But enough with the fairy tales. These days, author's are shouldering more and more of the promotional (and financial) load of getting their books to market.

Was that last paragraph enough to make you quake in your comfy slippers? Relax. This just might be a fairy tale after all, because here comes the hero riding to your rescue. (Or perhaps author Dawn Josephson is more akin to a fairy godmother.)

Putting It On Paper: The Ground Rules for Creating Promotional Pieces That Sell Books is the first book in The Ground Rules Series and a great starting point.

Once you pick up this handy guidebook, you won't want to put it down. Chapter by chapter, Josephson walks you through all the elements of book promotion, from writing press releases to drafting catalogue sheets and everything in between. She supplements each chapter with real-world samples, frequently asked question (and corresponding answers), and a summary of key points. Josephson manages to cover a lot of ground (rules) in one slim volume without ever seeming over-whelming. Carolyn Howard-Johnson's excellent book The Frugal Book Promoter, by comparison, is far longer and thus more detailed. Both books have value, and both belong in any serious author's resource library. However, the novice book promoter might find Putting It On Paper less intimidating as a starting point.

Whether you've written one book or twenty (or even if you're still dreaming of that first completed manuscript), do yourself a favour and invest in your own copy of Putting It On Paper. You won't be sorry.

Dawn Josephson has written one of the most useful "how-to" books I've read in my quest to learn how to market my own books.

She gives lots of examples of cover letters, press releases, "sell-sheets" (I had no idea what that was!), and supplementary materials such as bookmarks, post cards and counter cards (I was pretty uninformed about these, too).

Obviously I needed help, and thanks to this book, help is at hand.

Thank you Dawn!

"If I had more time, I would have written less." ~Mark Twain

Dawn Josephson interviewed book reviewers and buyers from major distribution houses to find out which press kits get a positive response. The promotional pieces you use help to get your book noticed and create an inviting space where the reviewer can view comments, interviews, extra details and maybe even customized bookmarks with a matching business card.

If you have written your book and it is being published, media kits may then be created for The Media, Book Distributors and Individual Bookstores. Dawn Joesephson encourages authors to create customized professional pieces.

You can choose from a cover letter, press release, mock book review, author bio, sell sheet, catalog sheet, a chachki (give-away) item and article. By dividing the seemingly daunting job of putting a press kit together into easy-to-follow steps, the process is much less complicated.

Should you send a book out with every media kit?
How many articles should I include?
Why does personalization impress?

Authors will especially enjoy the Frequently Asked Questions and Key Points that help to keep the project at hand on focus. A Day in the Life of an Editor (or reviewer) gives insight into how much time editors really have to read books and write reviews. Reviewers might enjoy reading about the Basic Anatomy of a Book Review.

A well-thought out media packet can truly impress a book reviewer and give them the needed all-encompassing impression of your work. This gives a reviewer a good first impression of who the author is, what their mission is in life and how they want their work presented.

~The Rebecca Review

Reviewed by Bette Daoust, Ph.D. for Reader Views (5/06)

I have read many books that explain what to do when submitting letters, proposals, and documents to prospects, media sources, and others. I have always had to slog through bountiful text to get to the meat of the book and to find something I could actually use. Too often the writer confuses knowledge with practicality. Therefore tips and how to's are often lost in the abundance of explanations. These explanations are often missing good examples and real life scenarios that help the reader apply the knowledge therein.

In "Putting It On Paper," Dawn Josephson gets right down to brass tacks so to speak. She spells out everything you need to know without overwhelming the reader. Her practical tips are spoonfed to the reader to enhance understanding. Each tip is backed by ground rules and frequently asked questions. Each of these components lead the reader to a better understanding of the point and make it applicable to real life situations. Through her examples and samples, the reader is left with no question about how to apply their new knowledge. If you do not want to read the whole book, read all the ground rules! This book is an excellent source for putting together a press kit, introductory letter, and types of other promotional pieces that sell books. A definite must read!

When authors ask me for advice on how they can generate publicity for their book, the first question I ask them is, "Have you created all the marketing materials for your book?"

Most times, the answer is "What marketing materials?"

That's when I lead them to "Putting it on Paper--The Ground Rules for Creating Promotional Pieces That Sell Books."

Dawn Josephson, a former magazine journalist, knows exactly what editors want to see. Her book takes authors by the hand and shows them how to write materials that will help the media do their jobs. The book is filled with examples from her own client list, so you can see exactly what she is telling you to do. If you're an authors, shorten your learning curve with this handy, detailed roadmap.

I'm a solo developer, and without this book i would be refactoring my code every few days still.

Thank you RUP for putting my head on straight to understand iterations of the SDLC and apply them to even small projects with few assets.

RUP gives you the tools to understand your system before you write it by iteratively working with the people who will be using the system! Your customers/Users!

Excellent guide to get up to speed with RUP. Having never worked with RUP this guide proved extremely beneficial to get the project started and will be used through all iterations.

I read 'Rational Unified Process - An Introduction' some years ago and found it excellent. I got 'Rational Unified Process Made Easy' in the hope that it would provide some more substance to the ideas from the introductory book. However it didn't seem to really add that much value.

The sections covering each of the major disciplines are useful, as is the guidance on implementing RUP in projects or organisations. In contrast 'Rational Unified Process Made Easy' misses a good summary of the key artefacts.

All up I felt the book was hampered by the desire not to undermine the RUP product that IBM sells.

This book does a great job of showing steps of practical application of the RUP. The book may seem repetitive on a few points, but I feel the points bear repeating. This book has been invaluable in helping cut through the misinformation thrown around by some who have gotten the executive summary of RUP and know just enough to be dangerous. I recently completed a seven-part online course on the RUP that was based on this book. The book did a far better job of making the RUP understandable.

There is plenty of theory written about RUP, but how it should be applied to your role or your project is often misunderstood.
This book not only provides the overview, but the contextual guidance to make RUP work for you.
As a long-term RUP mentor and user, I highly recommend it.

Great book whether you write proposals now or will be doing so in the future, good reference as well.

The book is an easy read and provides me with the needed understanding of developing an RFP and template.

There are literally hundreds of good books on proposal writing, but only a tiny handful on writing RFPs. From among the handful this book stands out for a number of reasons:

(1) It clearly described the RFP process from start to finish - and RFP development is a process with a defined life cycle.

(2) The author goes well beyond the immediate objective of writing an RFP and managing the process by including thought-provoking material on post-award vendor management. This material sometimes escapes the RFP development team who is more focused on getting to the award milestone without thinking about the post-award ramifications.

(3) It's not boring - the writing is lively, and the material is presented at a fast pace. The pace, however, does not leave gaps. Every facet of the RFP process is covered in sufficient detail.

In addition to the above, the approach set forth in this book is consistent with best practices in RFP development. I especially like the copious checklists, the RFP roadmap, and the way illustrations are skillfully used to reinforce concepts and advice.

Note that the focus of this book is information technology and software acquisition. Some of the material is unique to those domains; however, the basic principles and RFP process can be used for virtually any type of RFP, from office services to purchasing furniture.

Overall, this is the one book I recommend for RFP development. If you are an IT professional, regardless of role, the chances are you will be involved in this process at some point in your career, making this book a valuable addition to your library. If you have recently been assigned to an RFP team you should get this book as soon as possible, and use it as your compass and blueprint if your organization does not already have a formal RFP process in place.

I bought this book because I was to lead a group in developing an RFP but had no experience with RFP's. I don't know how this book will meet the needs of anyone with a lot of experience but I am extremely impressed by its readability, organization, and applicability. I'm still working on the project but have gotten good feedback on what I've developed, which I could not have done without the guidance and information in the book. It is logically sequenced and appears to cover all bases, though someone with a lot more experience would be better able to assess this. Impressed? Very.

A great resource for preparation and review of an RFP. A helpful guide for people with and without RFP experience.

I had the opportunity to sail Pink Cloud through Newport (CA) harbor with Pat Royce in 1978. He gave me a signed copy of his book which I will forever cherish; I started sailing International 14's a couple years later and had a chuckle when I looked to see Pat included the 14 in his book. A wonderfully illustrated and narrated book. Buy one for yourself and give as gifts to your friends who want to learn about sailing.

Great book - have the one from the 70's but just wanted an update and to give one away to a new sailor friend who is taking sailing courses.
Wooo hoooo!!

Only telepathy could have provided a faster & more pleasant experience.

I have shelf after shelf of books on sailing and boating, but only Royce's Sailing Illustrated is essentially worn out. This and the accompanying workbook are the only books of which I have two copies; one set at home and one set the boat. If you want an excellent introduction to sailing, buy, borrow, or steal this book. It's still no substitute for actually spending time at the tiller (and making your own mistakes), but Royce, through this little book, will teach you more than a boat-load of much more expensive volumes (or most sailing "schools", for that matter).

I've never sailed, but bought this to understand what was going on in the rigging as I read Two Years Before the Mast, and have since found it an invaluable companion in reading such books as In the Heart of the Sea, The Loss of the Ship Essex, the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin books and others. Much to my surprise, the book included diagrams of the Pilgrim in which Dana sailed and some of the other ships mentioned in Dana's book, and of the Essex as well. Many of the wide variety of sailing ships mentioned in O'Brian are also shown. Fascinating reference to deepen the understanding of this literature.

LOVED IT!!!! I can not wait to pass this book down to my niece when she is a little older! Savannah's character is truly inspiring (along with all the other wonderful characters in this book)! This is one of those books that leave you feeling inspired with courage, spirit and hope for weeks after you read it. I hope that Denise continues to write more books in this series. She has done a beautiful job!!!!!

Having enjoyed Savannah From Savannah and been disappointed by Savannah Comes Undone I was intrigued to see if Denise Hildreth could return to the flare and spark that she showed in the first book... well she didn't... she got even better!!

Savannah by the Sea takes us from her beloved Savannah and into Seaside on a 'working vacation' with Savannah's family, Phoebe and of course what would a Savannah book be without Amber? Then of course, as in all chick lit, there always has to be the love interest...

This book is brilliant - it is laugh out loud funny, it is real, it is well written and it has made me desperate for another Savannah sequel to find out what happens next!

Each character seems to come into their own in this book - Victoria, Phoebe, Jake and even Amber all step into their own and become more realistic. The only character who seems to remain slightly one dimensional is Thomas.

Book Three also seems to be able to stand alone much more completely than Book Two did. Though it does help if you've managed to soldier your way through Book Two it isn't entirely necessary to have done so.

From a girl who hardly ever gives a book five stars - this is a fanstastic book and when it comes to Christian Chick Lit is up there with my other all time favourites - Consider Lily and Dreaming in Black and White/Technicolour.

Once again Denise Hildreth gives us a laugh out loud, can't put it down, moving book. I love how she always has to mention her real-life hubby, Jonathan Pierce, in her books. In this book, she actually makes an appearance herself. My one and only complaint with the Savannah books is that they are fiction and not real-life----I want Savannah as my buddy, I want her daddy, I want her best-frined, I DON'T want her mother-but I do want the wardrobe she gets her--LOL!!
Highly recommended series for all the Christian book addicts out there!

Considering that Denise Hildreth had never written a book and published it since this series, I have basically watched her grow. As her main character, Savannah, develops, I see Hildreth develop as well. Her writing has definitely changed since the first sentence of "Savannah From Savannah". I am so amazed at the effort and laugh-out-loud scenes that Hildreth brings to the table that I am writing this review with every single recommendation. That is extremely rare for a young woman who usually stays with known Christian authors or series. But, here it is.

In the third grand adventure of Savannah Philips, it occurs at a place far different then her tourist town. Placed in Seaside, FLA (where my family has vacationed since I was a child!!), the only place in the world you really feel at home, Savannah encounters the one thing that hasn't been chained to a monument or bought a lapdog. As the first two books really focused on Savannah and Victoria, this one zooms in one a new topic: TRUE LOVE. Now, I'm not going to spill the beans, but let's just say these scenes where Savannah is faced with a passion for the opposite sex are incredible. If anyone has objections, you should read something more, slow. Savannah by the Sea is a fast paced installment to a quirky, easy-going series.
Definitely what I would proudly call a 'must-read' or a 'summer read'. Buy it before the beach blankets find their way to the closet again and the bikinis officially go off the racks!!

The book was everything I hoped it to be. It was funny and poignant. I loved every minute while reading it. You will enjoy it too!