Sports and Hobbies Books

This book had everything we needed to go on a survival hike and camp. It had tons of good ideas, fun games, lists of what we needed, etc. I would highly recommend this book.

Some parts of this book are quite interesting in its ideas for activities. All the games described are basically hide & seek while making animal sounds. the recipes are easy and fun for kids, the packing list and common sense tips are straightforward, easy for kids to follow or read. the songs and stories are typical, been there, done that, nothing new. Illustrations are quirky and cute.
reccomend for the 1st time camper or if you want to give your kids something to read before the trip.

Camp Out! is full of creative and informative lessons and fun activities. Truly a unique book. Any kid from video game addict to natural born scout will find this book engaging! it contains kid-level explanations without talking down to kid-level. As an adult I enjoyed reading this book and felt the cartoons weren't too cutesy. Good for both boys and girls.

Camp out is great! It's filled with fascinating facts about the outdoors. I have enjoyed reading it with my children.

This is a great book that will spark many wonderful experiences with my daughter. For sure 5 stars!!
Major sections include activities, crafts, nature, and cooking. This was a logical organization, but as the father of a younger child I think it would have been nice to have some guidance and organization by age appropriateness.

Didn't realize when I ordered this that it was entirely a card game, so when the smallish box arrived I was somewhat concerned. Have played several times and must admit to being extremely happy with this! The game is so simple to learn, but so deep in its play that I foresee this hitting the game table many times. Every gamer should own this gem.

my husband and i love this game and enjoy the fact that it is fun to play with just two people. we haven't played it with more, yet, but i'm sure that would also be fun!

This strategy card game is fun, quick to set up and doesn't have a lot of pieces or rules to keep track of. I've played with 2 players and with 5, and it was just as fun either way, which is unusual for this genre. It takes about 10-15 minutes per number of players.
The objective is to build 8 buildings and gain the most points, which are printed on the building cards. Each turn players act as one of the characters and use the abilities: collect money for certain districts, steal from or assassinate another character, trade or draw extra cards, be the first to choose a character, destroy a character's building, etc.
Characters are drawn secretly, and at least one is randomly excluded. Each character goes in a predestined order, and collects money or cards, may build, and can use their ability during their turn. Whoever gets the king chooses a character first for the next round, giving them an advantage. The strategies change as the game goes on, and you're always wondering what another player is going to do, if they can sabotage you, if you can foil them, and eventually who is going to call the game by building their eighth building.

Citadels is a very fun group game with lots of interesting dynamics. I find it best to play with a group of 4-8 people. With this many people the game's randomness is minimized and each turn's choices are significant. Most players are in competition till the end, and surprises can and do happen. Very good game.

The game is awesome; all great reviews are spot on. Just wanted to add that this game comes with the "Dark City" expansion, so that you don't need to buy it separately. It says this on the box, but it's too small to see from the product photo.

I picked up curling just after the 2006 Olympics. This book does a pretty good job covering all the aspects of curling, from scoring, sweeping, delivery, and more. This book won't replace a lesson from an experienced curler, but its certainly a good reference once you've gotten out on the ice. This book has the Triangle Curling Club Seal of Approval, if there is such a thing :)

As a new curler, this book was a perfect companion to actually playing. It had everything you need to learn the sport. A must read if you want to curl.

This book really helped me out. I was doing a research project on Curling and it really came in handy. It had all the information in it that I needed.

I had no idea about the sport whatsoever but having read the book I feel like a professional (even though I have not tried playing it yet!). The book is well-organized, very informative and fun to read.

The book is great as a stand alone, or as a backup for those of us who have embarked on our curling careers already, and need a little extra help remembering all the phrases, shots, rules, etc.
It also gives some background and history on alot of the aspects of curling, which help you better understand the sport as a whole. Anyone who thinks curling is easy needs to sit down and read the book and sign up for a class. There's nothing 'easy' or 'dumb' about it, but you will meet alot of very interesting people and gain a new respect for the people who have been doing this their entire lives.

This book is a well written, easy to follow tutorial on how to make art from what others may consider junk. Great photos, inspiring ideas and good writing make this book a must have for innovative jewelry designers.

This was a gift for a friend who is always looking for ways to be creative. She also wanted to learn some basic jewelry making methods, and this seemed to fit the bill. She says she loves it and learns a little something new each time she tries a new project or modifies a project from the book!

I found this book to be interesting and fun but not as inspirational as I had hoped. I'm sure that I will use the techniques in the future however.

Like all Lark books, this book is exceptional in it's choice of imagery. There are so many outstanding examples of found object jewelry, that this book is enough to give anyone's muse a hefty jolt of adrenalin.

I would like to emphasize that I do not believe this would be the best choice for a novice artist looking to learn techniques for making such assemblages. Many basic and advanced skills such as sawing, riveting and soldering are briefly covered, but I do not believe that they are meant to be the main focus of the book.

Projects included in the book list step-by-step instructions, but none show photos of the work in progress. This appears to be a major oversight, but it does allow the instructions be open to interpretation of the reader for future projects.

If looking to learn more about the various jewelry making techniques which could be used in found object jewelry, I highly recommend Joanna Gollberg's "Making Metal Jewelry: Projects, Techniques, Inspiration" which specifically covers cold connection techniques, (connections made without the use of heat) Tim McCreight's "Jewelry: Fundamentals of Metalsmithing" for cold connection and soldering techniques, or Carles Codina's
"The Complete Book of Jewelry Making: A Full-Color Introduction To The Jeweler's Art."

As a side note, I was quite amazed that no pieces were represented from two of the most prominent found object artists, Thomas Mann and Keith Lo Bue.

Marthe Le Van has put together a fun collection of easy to locate "found objects", the designs are usually funky and are achievable if you have a gerneral understanding of jewellery making. With written directions only, no pictures of the step by step, this is not for a beginner. There is a good introduction, listing the tools and terms together with basic instructions at the start of how to do certain tasks - i.e soldering, wire wrapping etc. Loads of ideas from pencils, to toothpicks,fur, bone and broken records etc. I especially liked the Check it Out section contained in each project, this section gives a brief overview/history of the material used. Not all projects have a Track it Down Paragraph, but when it is listed it is very handy, listing ideas such as "The electrical wire in the brooch came out of an old radio". Gallery was good but not brilliant as it could have been. Overall a nice book,glad I added it to my collection. I am sure my Mixed Media Jewellery students will appreciate it.

I've never written a review before, but after spending over an hour trying to decipher the sizes (and even the types in 2 cases) of beads in one of the particularly pretty designs, I have finally thrown up my hands. And I am an experienced jewelry maker! It's so odd how some of the beads are named properly and given the appropriate sizes while others are not. How is anyone supposed to work with that? I'm also not all that impressed with most of the designs in this book -- unfortunately there was just this one and one other that I already knew how to do...

The projects in this book are very basic and unimaginative! My five-year-old child can make them!

Wonderful book for those new to beading. Easy to follow directions have great illustrated drawings. Each project lists a few items(you can jot down before you shop for the items) and don't forget pliers and cutters to put it all together and some sort of clip so the beads don't slide off the string.

The title says it. The projects are fairly simple and the authors have some pretty clever ideas. Tools, thread, wire, findings needed are a standard beginning for a how-to book like this. Usually relegated to an appendix are jewelry standards, such as beads per inch, but here they precede bead stringing, knotting and weaving. How to make and use jump rings rates a special mention. Most jewelry-making books neglect the handy jump ring. Pressed for time to make a quick jewelry gift? Yes, check out this book.

I have bought many beading books and have been disappointed in many, but this book in no way disappoints. It offers the same information for beginners on findings and needed supplies that the other books do but has an easier to follow format. All (yes, all ..no duds in this book)of the projects are actually jewelry pieces that I would like to make and own or that can be easly altered to better suit the jewelry maker.

This toy is a winner in the hands of the right person. I wouldn't give it to a four-year-old, or one who is challenged in the manual-dexterity department. It does require patience, and the desire to experiment to find the right touch.

However, for a tween to adult, this is a great toy.

Would you expect anything less from Klutz?

Not just for children. I am an artist and use the Klutz product to design mandala-like images. The possibilities are endless and you can superimpose the designs on one another with different colors and shapes.
When you work with children you need to teach them to hold down the template holder securely and put it on a flat surface, otherwise it can be frustrating. Like anything else worth doing, it requires some effort and thought. While probably not for the very young child, what better way to help children develop their creativity and life skills!

To the author, nothing is wrong! Nothing is a mistake! If you didn't complete a spiral, you can create something better and unique! Full of great ideas!!!

I bought this for my children hoping to share with them the magic I had with my spirograph as a child. I am very sad that it turned out to be a huge waste of time and money. It is so poorly designed that my children (ages 6 and 7) just can't use it. I was sure they just needed to get the hang of it so I spent about an hour one night doing it by myself and I got about 5 designs out of it before I gave up. To make it work you have to put a lot of pressure on the entire frame to keep it from moving and even then the disk kept slipping out from under it and messing up the design. Not to mention the fact that the constant pressure was hard for me to keep up so I don't know how a child is supposed to do it. I guess I will just have to find a real spirograph set from the 70's.

I am making designs on cards with this. It is fun and different.

This is a wonderful book. My son got it when he was 7 and got hooked on making string figures, which is a very educational pastime. This book shows how to make figures in a pretty wide range of complexity, and the 3 colored strings it comes with are perfect: the color of each string varies along the string, which sometimes helps in figuring out the patterns. (My son has used the strings so much that they've come apart a couple of times, but the ends can easily be glued together again.)

If this book inspires a passion for string figures, one can move on to classic collections of figures by anthropologists like Caroline Furness Jayne and famous mathematicians like Rouse-Ball (both published by Dover). Very educational, and all you need is... a string!

It was funny because with all the fancy, expensive gifts my daughter received for Christmas, this was her favorite. This was a last minute extra gift for my 11 yo for Christmas, and it was worth every penny.

My daughter (Age 9) received this book for Christmas and has already learned several things to do with the string. I recommend it. It brings back memories of all the things I couldn't remember to do.

A great book and activity for kids who need something other than TV and movies. The history of string games makes youngsters understand a bit what it was like to play creatively before society decided to overstimulate them.

I bought the String Games book for my 12-year old daughter for Christmas last year and she loved it. Some of the techniques were a bit complicated, but she figured out most of them after a few months. She played with the strings so much that one of them popped (reason for the 4 stars).

This book covers the fundamentals of the tour. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in watching the tour, on TV and especially if you plan to travel to France to watch it live.

At this writing, October 2005, the book is still hot off the press and very current. If you're interested in the Tour, this book is for you because it covers and explains pretty much every aspect of the event.

Even as a avid follower of the Tour and Bicycle racing for that matter, this book gave me insights about the Tour and Bicycle racing, that I guess would make it really a book not just for Dummies!
It was just plain fun to read this well research guide to a different world!

This book was well organized and very readable. I read it preceeding the Tour and even tho I've watched the Tour for several years now I still learned some things I didn't know before. I probably will read it again next year as it's one of those books where you seem to be able to pick up something each time you read it. This book has enhanced my enjoyment of the Tour.

this book is amaterurishly written and edited and poorly final-proofed. organization is helter skelter. biggest complaint is way too much fluff. in fact, the book is mostly fluff. very little on scoring and strategy other than the obvious qualitative stuff. hotels. how the riders get on the bus. did you really want to know the secrets of the podium girls? well there aren't any. but the writers seem to think you want to know that. maybe you do.

a MUCH better source for everything technical about the Tour is in Wikipedia. save your money and shelf space and look it up.

Informative book, but basically the same info of the $50 knife shop by same author. If you glean info with a fine tooth comb from this book and add to the info from $50 knife shop you now have the sum total of Wayne Goddard's
published knowledge.

Both books: for die-hard knife makers, otherwise go for $50 knife shop.

This book has a lot in it, I am an absolute beginner but I like where Goddard is coming from. This book and his other are the best I have come across so far. If you like where his head is at you will enjoy and get a lot out of them, I have.

There is a lot of detailed information in this book, most of which are from ABS master smith Goddard's regular Q&A column from Blade magazine. As a bladesmith for more than 30 years, Goddard explains the theory and practice of his craft clearly and simply. The section on what happens to steel during hardening (quenching) and tempering is especially well done which plain old knife enthusiasts (non-metallurgists) will appreciate.

For the beginning or intermediate bladesmiths, this book is worth every dollar for the value of the information alone. For inspiration, there are a number of colour plates in the book to display Goddard's lovingly-crafted knives. Well written, easy-to-understand, plenty of photographs, and overall, a great pleasure to read. Just wish it was better organized.

Wayne Goddard is probably one of the top 10 hand-made knife makers in the United States. This book, however, was a somewhat disappointing rehash of his BLADE magazine articles of past years. There are sections of the book which are repeated verbatim on more than one page, and the disjointed collection of old articles is somewhat difficult to follow at times. On the other hand, the information that is presented clearly is very useful if the reader is interested solely in blade forging, as the stock removal method is almost entirely dismissed. Included is an excellent dissertation on the chemestry of steel.

This is the Second book a knifemaker should buy. If you are new to knifemaking, you would be better served by reading "How to make Knives" by Loveless and Barney, or one of the other how to books. If you have already made a knife or two, Wayne's book is for you. It answers many questions that will come up when you continue to make knives and sharpen your skills. Wayne also answers many questions from his popular series in Blade Magazine adding quite a bit of detail for a through presentation.

All of the techniques, materials and processes are complete and more importantly up to date. Wayne covers the Crucible partical metallurgy steels (CPM) and steels that are currently in vogue such as BG-42 and ATS-34 as well as old standbys like 5160, 52100, O-1, and D-2 (to name a few).

While not a reference book, "The Wonder of Knifemaking" could easily serve a knifemaker in that capacity. If I could only have one knifemaking book (believe me, I have them all; even the little paperback from Atlanta Cutlery and Bob Engnath's Catalog, God bless him) it would be "The Wonder of Knifemaking" by Wayne Goddard.

I rated this book 4 Stars because the organization could have been a little better. There is so MUCH information in so many places in such a short span. Ok...Ok, I'm writing a critical review here and this is the only thing I can fault. I just didn't want this piece to read like a commercial from the Wayne Goddard Fan Club. If you are a knifemaker, buy this book.

In Summary, I think Wayne just wanted to get everything he has discovered, learned, or worked-out in his 20++ years of knifemaking onto paper for everyone to have; that's the kind of guy he is. Oh boy did he do an excellent job.

My son is 5 and a bit young to do all the games himself but he loves the ones he can do on his own and the ones we all do together. I think by the time he is 6, he will get more out of it.

This book contains timeless board games and activities that suit any age range. Although the text is geared toward children, many of the games can be enjoyed by both children and their parents. Some of the games include Chinese Checkers, Checkers, Tangrams, and other timeless favorites that have no specific age range to them at all. When I bought this book there was a sticker on the cover that said "Ages 6 to 99" and I certainly think that is true. Any kid or teen will appreciate and enjoy this book on the road or just at home. The price is spectacular concidering all that is inside: you get EVERYTHING you need to play the games, nothing is left out. And best of all, everything is magnetic or sticks into the game board, so there is no chance of the car coming to a halt and all the playing pieces flying all over. I would reccomend this book for everyone.

This book truly is an Amazing game board book! With its magnetic pieces, dry-erase color boards, foam-board chinese checkers (and much much more, of course!), this book truly has it all! The Amazing Game Board Book also has many different variation for almost all the games it has, with clear and consise instructions.

I bought this book for my friend who had to go on a long airplane trip from Califorina to Taiwan. It certainly was Amazingly Entertaining!

An Excellent (Amazing) buy for any age! So if you're bored, stick this book in your shopping cart and start ordering.

I originally purchased this book (...), I bought 4 of them. I plan on buying many more. This book is a must if you have children! We plan many long car rides and this book helps keep the kids entertained and quiet. The book itself is quite impressive with many games and puzzles all self contained within the book which is also well constructed for wear and tear. I now give them as birthday presents and I have had so many calls from mothers thanking me and asking me where to find them. This book is a must if you do a lot of traveling!

An excellent book! You could say that this book has no age limits, with the dry-erase drawing boards that are fit for any age, whether you are 1 year old or 100. I was surprised at the great quality of this book, and most things are magnetic, such as the tangrams and Checkers pieces. There are clear instructions on how to play the games in the book, sometimes with neat variations. With this book, you can save a lot of money buying this book than buying all the games this book provides seprately. Very much an excellent buy.