News Books

If you have any interest in this area this is a must have book.
Simple and generaly fast reading,with lots of images to further extend the meaning of the text. Written by someone who knows about the art of fighter fighting. Good for real and virtual pilots alike (so many people say)

A very competent insight on the dynamics of ACM and the relationship of the aircraft and weapon systems.

This book is a serious educational tool for modern fighter pilots. I tried reading it in high school when I thought I wanted to "grow up to be a fighter pilot." The best thing about it is that I learned that being a fighter pilot requires a lot more knowledge of math and physics than I'd ever imagined. Real fighter jocks have to be a great deal smarter than they are portrayed in movies.

The subject matter is fascinating, and the book is clear and well-written. If you read it carefully, you will certainly learn something, but unless you are also sitting in a cockpit day after day, you won't have any context for the information you've put in your head.

I suppose a die-hard combat flight sim pilot might be able to improve his or her air combat skills with this book, but, honestly, for a civilian, the only reason to read this book is because you are so obsessed with air combat that you simply must immerse yourself in this subject matter. I doubt someone who has never flown into real air-to-air combat will ever have a true appreciation of the knowledge this book has to offer.

... then this book is a must-have. However if you are a pretty casual flight simmer and just are out for fun, this will just complicate your approach unnecessarily.

I got it with the intention of getting more serious, but unless you are a young person with ambitions of joining the air force, you may be better off just getting what info there is on line already.

This book covers all aspects of ACM, and it is excellent for that. Just that after having read the book, I found I lacked the time to PRACTICE the maneuvers covered therein. And practice is the only way you will be able to translate what's in the book into anything more real. If you have an interest in combat flight, you may enjoy the book anyway, on another level.

All in all I'd have to say that it was a good addition to my library- now just trying to get the time to implement it in my fav sim.

Fighter Combat by Shaw is the definitive book on air combat in any decade.

Like so many others have said, Shaw's book is utterly comprehensive, covering everything from the most basic of basics, to advanced maneuvering tactics for fighting when faced with superior odds and superior aircraft. I originally purchased Fighter Combat as an aid to my knowledge in combat flight simulators, but I quickly found that even small portions of Shaw's book contained a level of knowledge that absolutely dwarfed my own.

Highly, highly recommended. If you're a flight-sim enthusiast, a jet fighter enthusiast or the like, there is no more authoritative work.

Series book. The large, readable print makes this good for children to read.

Summary
Frog and Toad are friends who share life together. I love the "To Do List," which includes "Wake up." Lobel wrote and illustrated more than 70 books. This book received a Newberry Honor Award.

Illustrations
I love the fresh and pleasant green and brown pictures, as did my children.

When Frog and Toad saw a snake, the snake said, "Hi,lunch!" Frog and Toad ran away.
Toad made cookies and Frog said, "They got will power." Toad made a list then when he got to Frog's house, Toad said, "We have to take a walk." They went on a walk. Suddenly, Toad's list blew away.

My daughter's nursery is decked out in Frogs, so the discovery of these books made them books we had to consider. They are fun and the illustrations are grest. At eleven months she is too young to read them herself, but we read them to her - and she enjoys them. The stories are simple with a central theme - do good for others, treat your friends with respect, help your firends when they need help, laugh, and aporach life with adventure. These are great virtues to instill in young minds. If the books were made in cardboard stock, Teah would be even more happy with them - as it is she frequently grabs one of them when it's time for her bedtime story - and great bedtime stories they are. By the time she starts to read she will know the stories by heart, but that's ok - fond memeories of bedtime stories like these should help her build a lifelong interest in reading on her own.

The Frog and Toad books were favorites of my daughters when they were young. I often give them to young friends, and was very happy to share them most recently with my two year old grandson

Learn the value of friendship with one of the most delightful duos in all of children's storytelling! Perfect bedtime stories or beginner's reading books, kids love the animorphed amphibians and funny adventures. Buy one and you'll have to get them all!

J. Lyon Layden
The Other Side of Yore

This is a very nice and gentle set of Faery Cards. I bought it after having owned the Froud-MacBeth set, which is magnificent, but stronger, deeper, profund and sometimes a little bit scary at first.

Doreen's card set however, is a soft and reassuring way to start the day. But do yourselves a favour, buy Doreen's 'Healing with the Fairies' book. They sell separately, but you will see lots more sense in the cards, and if you are a believer you won't be able to put it down. If you are not, this book may just change your mind. They both go definitely together.

Better still, do as I did, use this card set together with the Froud/Macbeth FaeryOracle cards. Doreen Virtue teaches how to do a two or multiple deck reading, and you'll be surprised at how the Faeries on both decks work together.

Highly recommended.

Nicely worded and inspirational booklet, but many of the cards are very dark in color. These cards aren't nearly as nice as Virtue's Archangel Oracle Cards or her Messages from Your Angels cards.

I bought these because I love fairies. I did not expect much from the cards though. It was an impulse buy. Years ago I once listened to some audio tapes by Doreen Virtue and was not especially impressed with what she had to say. I don't recall exactly which of her many products it was but it seemed rather fluffy.

I have been pleasantly surprised by this particular Virtue product. I have really enjoyed the art and the messages. The cards have a lot of wisdom and each has a positive affirmation to go along with it. You really can't go wrong with whatever card you choose. The box says "There are no negative or frightening cards or images". I appreciate this as I have been cautious when it comes to Tarot cards which I believe might be dangerous--although I really know little about them.

I have been quite amazed by the Fairy cards. I have used them many times now--yet I haven't even viewed all 44 cards. I have seen only the back design of many of them. I am literally choosing the same cards over and over again while at least half the cards I have yet to come across. This is synchronicity! It is no accident. It just can't mathematically be possible with the number of times I have used them. There is something guiding me in what I choose. I do hope it's the fae. These cards work, are helpful and lots of fun.

I have been an ardent fan of Doreen Virtue's Oracle Decks and have almost all of her decks in my collection. I have had the Healing with the Faeries Oracle Cards with me for some time now but only recently have started using them. As is always the case with Doreen's Oracle decks, the cards are beautifully illustrated, here you are treated to beautiful illustrations of faeries...some are illustrated in the classical tradition, and others are more abstract, but they are all beautiful! The The messages are uplifting and enlightening and I have always found an insightful message with every reading. Some critics complain that her decks tend to have the same repetitive message, I choose to see it more as emphasising some important points over and over again so that we may reap the most benefits out of the readings.I can't wait for Virtue's newest deck!

I own three decks of fairy oracle cards, this one being one of them.

This is probably the most lighthearted of the three. There are many pictures that are sugary sweet and really show the lighter side of fairies. For those who are a fan of fairies like Tinkerbell, this is the deck for you. The majority of the pictures are beautiful and the decks works very effectively in readings.

Now as I just said, this deck is very light-oriented. If you are looking for something that shows more of a variety of fairies, I would highly recommend Brian Froud's, "The Faeries' Oracle," which is also an excellent deck to work with. Also, both Doreen Virtue's and Brian Froud's cards work well with each other as they are both fairy oriented.

This deck is much like the Healing With the Angels Oracle Cards, only it is much more polished in the book and the picture selections are nicer.

I would reccomend these cards to anyone who likes fairies or Doreen Virtue's cards. This is also one of her easier decks to read in my opinion, so if you are a beginner, this deck is very good.

Suzanne Falter-Barns has given the gift of added inspiration to anyone who needs vindication for taking time out to pursue their own dreams, not just writers, but aspiring spirits of all walks of life. We are often made to feel guilty for seeking our own path, or the 'road less traveled', especially if we're not following traditional or 'money making' careers. In my opinion, this book should be required reading for all graduating high school seniors to give them that extra gust of wind beneath their wings...
Chrissy K. McVay
author of 'Souls of the North Wind'

This book may look small, but it packs a wallop for everyone who's having trouble starting - whether it be starting "the great American novel", a painting, new business or screenplay. Suzanne Falter-Barnes also shows us how "failures" actually help us in the creative process, and be positive experiences along our path. It's not necessarily a matter of having talent, it's all about having the passion to follow our dreams.

I was browsing the table of contents of this book online here at amazon, and was so excited by just the titles of each chapter I knew I had to have this book immediately if not sooner. So for the first time in my life, I dowloaded the digital version of the book and was reading it within 5 minutes. Now I am a person who has read all the Robbins,Chopra, Dyer, Sinetar, Moore, Quantum Physics and Abraham materials you can think of. Every book on Doing what you love and the money will follow theme. This book is the best of all of them.

I read almost all the "You can do anything you want once you find yourself, believe in yourself and focus" books anyone on earth can claim to have read and this book had me up all night and the next and I read it in just 2 days I couldnt put it down. What struck me about it if you read it clearly, is that this book isnt so much about doing anything and succeeding, its about just getting out of the way of all your doubts,excuses and mental reasoning and just living who you are. It doesnt even matter if you fail or succeed as the doing it becomes the divine calling of your life. Nothing else is important...or satisfying!

All the other books focus on succeeding or getting from A to B but Suzanne just tells you to do it, do it forever and let the chips fall where they may. Wow, what a relief to know that I can spend the next 30 years of my life as a public speaker, never make a dime and on my death bed know I did what my soul came here for me to do! The success and fame is just gravy.

Thank you Suzanne for giving me permission to live my life with no hidden agendas of meeting anyones expectations including my own. Damn, life may actually start to be fun again. As a financial advisor who has few paying clients I've done so well for, Ive made them millions of dollars and never even got a thank you, nor have I got the fame and exposure for my website or message board called:momsonlinestocks(ok, ok, so I threw in a little plug. lol) that I deserve after having one of the best stock picking records in the country for 2 years! Nor have I been able to live the way I want financially because they dont reward me very well, Ive felt very resentful about life. Now I know it is ok to do the things I really love even if they never pay my bills. In fact, without doing what you can say is your life/soul mission(s), no success anywhere else will ever make you feel complete. I cant wait to read Suzanne's other book which is on its way in the mail. BEST book I ever read!

Please.....get this book for everyone who is not really happy with their work and lives. In fact, get this for everyone who is as well. I'ts loaded with inspiration from cover to cover. If this book wont do it for you, nothing else will. Dont know what you want from life? No problem. Suzanne will help you. In fact, I'd love to correspond with all readers of this book and maybe even start a cyber support group or board. The most liberating and validating book I've ever read. I'm even thinking of making a career out of teaching her concepts! Coaching anyone? -) Be prepared to miss work the next day if you start this book late at night. You wont be able to put it down. In fact, tomorrow I am going to attend a workshop on a particular love of mine I have had for years knowing there will be only superior and more experienced people there. Now I am going because it is my calling to do so, the fear of measuring up is completely gone. What an epiphany! I wish I read this book at age 15, instead of in my 40's. My whole life would have probably turned out different.

I have always affectionately been know as the "maker of miracles' or the "grantor of wishes" but never was able to get paid for my personal coaching/consulting. Now I have the emotional tools to do so and it doesnt even matter if I never get one paying client. My e-mail is:mince38@yahoo.com if you'd like to comment or chat.

Marc

Unlike the last negative review, though I did find some things that have been said in many other books of this type, for me the reminders were just that--a reminder to get back into the work I love, but with a practical stamp upon it to make it happen (me being an ungrounded Gemini, being 'practical' is difficult!). I just finished Suzanne's other book, "Living Your Joy" and I am so grateful I found it as well. Both books inspired me to do the work (play) that is REALLY important to me, yet still keep the day job going for the daily bills we all face here on Planet Earth. Bravo, Suzanne!

Speaking from my own point of view when trying to pursuing my dream, I have faced the fear of failure. I think we all have in some way, more or less. We need encouragement to go on, and if we don't get it, we need courage to do it all on our own.

To me, failure is wisdom and something we shouldn't be afraid of. What's important is that we must never give up. The dream is out there and it's reachable if you don't give up. In some way you'll always be able to achieve it.

Author, Suzanne Falter-Barns is in her book `How Much Joy Can You Stand?' giving us inspiration and encouragement to never giving up on your dream. The book is based on other peoples stories as well as on Suzanne Falter-Barns own experiences. In the book are exercises to go forth and back whenever a situation occurs.

Take the advices from others and start pursuing your dream today. When you're 70 years old, it might be too late and you'll be annoyed over what you didn't do. Everything is up to you - get started!

Quick read. Definitely worth it if you have been or are going to be in the region. Some of his scientific stuff is a little off but it's not the right book if you are looking for exacting detail on these subjects. Modzelewski's perspectives were very idealistic and I found it a little difficult to believe that the experiences he relates were quite a spiritual or mind altering as he sometimes makes them seem. The author does pull series of stories or facts together well. The chapters addressed themes - like the tribes, animals, the island's owner, etc. Modzelewski doesn't try to tell you everything there is to know about any of these subjects but selects what he thinks is interesting and relates it briefly. Often the points he makes or the stories he chooses to tell are not ones that you might have expected.

I live in Alaska and a friend recommended Mr. Modzelewski's book. And now I recommend it to the world. Sure, there's the usual descriptions of animals, ocean, weather and solitude but what makes this book special is the author goes so much deeper into the Spirit behind things. Haven't stopped thinking about his experiences and it's been a month now since I finished the book.

I'm an actress and read scripts, rarely books -- but after a producer friend recommended Inside Passage to me, I couldn't put it down! In fact, I read it three times. It was like watching a movie -- that's how vividly Michael Modzelewski writes. Alaska is a far different world than Los Angeles and I escaped completely to a pure and inspiring reality. Thank you, Michael! You are gifted and blessed. And who knows? Maybe we can turn this captivating story into a film, with the author and animals the main characters and could there be a more beautiful setting than the Inside Passage to Alaska -- as evoked so wonderfully in this poetic prose.

A wonderful voyage in mother nature's womb, evoking feelings of awe, and revere at the colossal universe, inhaling the powerful imagery of wilderness through Michael.

Michael Modzelewski writes like a wild animal. If the beasts could speak it wouldn't come out much different than how Michael describes them. The author knows no limits -- extending into and giving shape to all animate matter in super insightful poetic prose.

The Last Open Road
This story starts off with a young man that is called Buddy Palumbo. He has a friend that he trusts very well and no one else would listen to him the same way. Something vey bad happens to him and he got handed some of his responsibilities at the Sinclair. He never actually got hired when he started working there. They just started to pay him. His dad did not want him to grow up and be a grease monkey he told him to work with the Union. A very rich man that owns oil rigs all over the United States. He owns some of the very nicest cars that included Cadillac's and Jaguar. No one has ever seen or heard of them. Buddy got the opportunity to work on them and soon after he figured them out he was the only mechanic allowed to work on them.
I liked this book because I am interested in driving and racing cars. It was fun to read because it was so realistic and talks about real cars and real mechanical problems they have. I can relate to the people in this book because I race and I understand their family problems. You will figure out what I am talking about when you read this book.

mid-prairie teen

B.S. Levy's The Last Open Road is a great read for anyone who is interested in wrenching on cars, particularly classics. I'm college age and I can relate to Buddy Palumbo in a lot of cases. If you're familiar with older British cars, there's some unique humor there as well. Great read.

This is a good book for the British sports car enthusiast. It brings back memories of the 1950s and racing.

This is a well-written and enjoyable book that elicits images that are very familiar to folks who were teen-agers during the wonderful 1950's. It is almost as though I know the characters and can easily apply familiar names of real people in my past to them. Highly recommended reading, especially for car enthusiasts!

If you grew up in the 50's or 60's and knew a sports car from Detroit iron, and lusted after the former...than this is your book. This is a tour de force of the origins, excitement and naivete of what the attraction was for those weekend racers. Buddy Palumbo is this loveable amateur mechanic, hang-around carguy who through luck and heft manages to have the rides of his life at one of the first sport car tracks in the US. What you will enjoy is the reality of the details of the cars, the attitudes of those in and around the machines, the helter-skelter ways you drove in those days... and that BS Levy has captured this period in his own time machine for you. If you are a carguy, you cannot put this book down, and you will laugh your head off turning some of the pages as Bert reminds you of how we were. I had just reread Kerouwac's On the Road when I picked up Bert's book at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca...because it had a XK120 on the cover which was my first car...and because Bert, himself, was there guaranteeing me I'd love it. He was so right! I'm now onto his next novel, Montzuma'a Ferrari, which takes place on the Carrera Panamericana (translates The Mexican Road Race). Bert is a true race car fan and driver and describes emotions and thrills like you are there with him. I passed the book onto my car club members and its still being read and recirculated. This is a read to savor...enjoy!

I have been struggling with autoimmune diseases with them potentially evolving into Lupus. This book has been helping me get through some really tough times. It also has helped to be able to talk to doctors with a clearer understanding of this disorder. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and this book along with Dr. Wallace's fibromyalgia book have really put things in perspective for me. I have read many books on the subject and this book by far is the best!

As I am newely diagnosed with Lupus, after years of confusing symptoms,this book has become the most important resource I have found. The information is clear and concise.I now know how to ask questions of my Rheumatologist, and to understand the test results.

I was recently diagnosed with lupus. I found this book to be extremely helpful with alot of the questions I had. I would recommend to anyone who has the disease to read this book.

This is the book whether you are a patient, a family memeber, or just trying to figure out if you might have Lupus! I've had multiple life-threatening manifestations of Lupus over the past 10+ years and I always go back to this book for answers. I have yet to read anything that comes close to covering all the bases...and since there are SOOOO many bases to cover with Lupus, start here. More than likely the it's the only book you'll need. I bought many other books but this is the one I always reference first, and I usually don't need to look further.

I have Lupus, and have bought each new edition of the book as it has come out. It's the best book on Lupus out there. Now I have also been diagnosed with MS, if only I could find a book about MS that was as concise, organized and well written as this one, I wouldn't feel nearly as "alone" in the land of MS as I do.

Thank you Dr. Wallace for such a great book that helped me navigate the uncertain road of being newly diagnosed with Lupus 15 years ago, and for the continued information you provide to all of us who have or are affected by Lupus.

More of us need a mirror so we can truly see ourselves and discover that there are positive changes we can make that will enable us to be better people and that can make the world a better place to be. This is perhaps the weakest book of the five, but is still a good read. Do start at the beginning, however, of the series, or nothing will make much sense (if anything DOES ever make sense in this mixed up world of today).

Mark Rodriguez 2/26/06

The Mirror of Merlin, Author: T.A. Barron, ISBN: 0-441-00846-1

The Mirror of Merlin book review

As Merlin realizes that his home, Fincayra, is in grave danger of the ever growing haunted marsh, he steps up and decides he is going to find who made that happen and why. This story takes place at the legendary island called Fincayra, just before the medieval times. The characters in this epic story are Merlin, his friend Hallia, the evil witch Nimue, and a friend he meets on his way, Ector, (otherwise known as Arthur). As Merlin and Hallia find a ballymag (a water creature who lives in the marsh) in a stream instead of a marsh, he tells them that the haunted marsh is growing rapidly. They also discover that the marsh ghouls are attacking innocent people, which they only do when someone invades their territory. But they don't know that the evil witch Nimue is behind it all. The reason why the haunted marsh is growing so rapidly is because Nimue traveled through the magical mirror. This can take people into the past or future. Since she traveled through the mirror she has the power to control the marshes because someone unexpected taught her about the magical way. So she uses her magic for evil and controls the marsh ghouls and the marsh itself so she can take over the legendary island Fincayra. This book is one of the better fantasy books I've read.
The reason this book tops my list is because I really like fantasy books and that this book seemed really good to me. This book was also a real page turner. It kept up with the story and it sometimes got really suspenseful at times which caused me to read it even more. There are also really good descriptions throughout the book. I really enjoyed this kind of genre for this book because I love fantasy and anything with swords, dragons, or wizards has always interested me. This book really hit on all of those things that I love. I would recommend people from 6th grade to 8th grade to read it and if you are the kind of person that likes fantasy I would really recommend this book for you. Also there were a couple of surprises in the story that really got me. One of them was finding out that the little boy named Ector is really King Arthur. So if you need a book to read, pick this one up and enjoy!

This novel is a fast, fun, and thoroughly entertaining read. While not on the same level as the classic fantasy novels, Barron has found a way for the reader to connect to the young boy Merlin, and always want more at the novel's close.

In the long winter in a enchanted forest a child was born Merlin enchanted life. This book was a skill fully written book by Rosemary Sutcliff. A novel that will catch the readers eye. Set in England and partly in Norway, far away from the world we know to a unreal universe beyond imagination.

This book set in a fantasy/ medieval setting. The main character in this book is the all powerful Merlin, described as a towering, wise and tattered man. Merlin created by the evil, dark, shadowed, witch, and queen of evil Mab to bring the people back to the old ways. Queen Mab's plan backfired and merlin will do anything to get the queen back for killing his aunt Antasia. At just a hand wizard merlin is ready to fight. But is Merlin ready for the challenges he is about to face? Read the book and find out.

This phenomenal book I would recommend it to any young reader looking for a good book. If i were to rate this book on a scale from 1 to 10 it would be a 10. Any young reader would love this book.

This book review was written by Philip Davis

I liked this book because it presented problems not yet thught of in the average reader's mind. This bookis also intertwined with the other books so you didn't have to meet the whole cast of characters. It took little characters from the other books and made them bigger in one way or another.In every book new information is presented, this book holds alot. Not considering learning about Fincayra itself this book is only second to the fifth book.
I think the best part of this book was when he meets himself, it was a comical meeting. Full of questions and anwsers. The meeting of young and old made me feel and think of pity, sorrow, laughter and wonder on what is to come in the future.
I think the most vivid part of this book was when older Merlin grows a tree right in his own house. In the middle of his own living room! Reading the tree grow is as if you are right in the room when it happens. As if the tree is planted in the book and you are riding it yourself. Not only do you feel that you were there but that you belng there.

This book hit home. One of my best friends gifted me with this book and it has been one of the best gifts ever. I work full time and have a 10 month old daughter. After reading just a chapter I felt relieved to know I am not the only one feeling stressed with all there is to do everyday while maintaining a home, work, relationships,etc. This book gives permission to slow down, and it says it's okay to stop and listen and not do the big birthday parties and attend all the holiday parties and events. Just being and listening and not doing anything together is time well spent.

As others have noted, this book is a series of reflections about motherhood and the importance of slowing down to savor daily life with loved ones.

This book energized me to make several changes in my own life. Part of my motivation for homeschooling this year was a desire to have a more conscious, contemplative, and purposeful life rather than a frantic-mad-dashing here and there life.

In fact, as the holidays approach, many of my friends are feeling "swamped", "overwhelmed", "stressed" - feelings I remember all too well from previous years. While I still have my moments, overall I am much less stressed than last year. The overall tenor of the holidays is much happier and calmer. I have done my best to pare the holidays down to the essentials, to keep things simple and personal, rather than grandly extravagant. Extravagance has its place, but when children are young, I think simplicity makes so much more sense.

I loved this book so much I chose it for my book club of busy suburban SAHMs. I was quite surprised to find only two (out of nine) loved it as I did! Three thought the book had "some good ideas", but they clearly didn't connect with the author.

The other four were quite negative about Mitten Strings. They felt it was too preachy and perfect and Pollyanna-ish, that "real" people couldn't live like the Kenisons without lots of money. But it's not a financial lifestyle she is talking about, it's an internal one, it is simply making a conscious effort to notice, appreciate, prioritize and streamline.

In trying to figure out the mixed response to this book in my book club, I came up with a couple of ideas. I think the crux of liking the book has to do with the following:

First, it depends on whether you are at a point in your life where you actually consider rushing madly to be a negative thing, rather than proof you are productive. Some people feel empowered and energized by rushing and being busy!

Second, it depends on how contemplative you are feeling when you read the book. The more contemplative you feel, the more likely you might enjoy the book.

Finally, it depends on whether you enjoy visual and poetic language. The author writes with a heartfelt, genuine sentimentality that, while I enjoyed it tremendously, can apparently be off-putting to people with more pragmatic sensibilities.

One reviewer said they would not give this book to a parent of an autistic child, or one with Down's Syndrome. I actually think this book has considerable merit for families with special needs children - the key is knowing WHEN to give the book. I have a child who was diagnosed with autism at 3, and when he was younger and we were rushing around madly from therapy to therapy, ransacking our home to make it an engaging learning environment, etc..., I would not have been in the frame of mind to appreciate it.

In fact, according to my three criteria above: the mad rushing was proof I was doing everything I could to help him; who has time to be contemplative when you are trying to save your child from autism; and poetic musings about the wonderful lives of families with typically developing children would have been quite upsetting.

NOW I see things differently. I think the ideas in the book have even MORE relevance for children with special needs, who often thrive in calm, centered environments. I think children with special needs deserve to have their progress, however slow or small, deeply savored and appreciated.

Well anyway. This is not a book that EVERYONE is necessarily going to love, in spite of the steady parade of 5 star reviews. Nevertheless, I join the parade and give this book 5 stars based on my own incredibly positive experience reading it.

I truly enjoyed this book. It is not a religious book (despite the title) nor a parenting guide; it is a deeply spiritual look at what it means to be a family.

Mitten Strings touched me in such a way that I felt like I was reading a letter from a good friend. There was a sense of peace reading it and imagining my family in her book. Her basic premise is to slow down, notice the details of your children's lives and be present with your family. But the book goes so much further than that. We all know to slow down...but to be reminded how magical it can be, with illustrations that are so tender is even better. I highly recommend this book and in fact purchased seven more to give to my friends as a special gift. I'd love to meet the author (Katrina) and sit over a cup of something on the front porch while our children run circles around the house!

It is rare to say but so true. It was given to me by an older woman and it truely changed the way I parent my two boys, see life and helped me create a summer that I will treasure. A must read for those who want to slow down and get off the "treadmill" of life.

I am new to large format photography. This book is extremly informative and focuses just on negative construction, manipulation and b&w processing. An excellent and timeless resource! Excellent for all formats!

If film shooting is interesting to you (and you should; I'm 26 and grew up with cameras, then I move to digital, and recentlly, I discovered the wonders of a darkroom and BW prints) then this book is a MUST Well, the whole series)!!! there aren't enough words to emphasize my feelings over the 3 books of Ansel Adams (camera, negative & print)

If you don't believe me, then please take a deep look at Ansel's master BW work... that should convince you!!!

This is an excellent book that will help experienced and newcomers in photography. Pay attention to the Zone system that Adams has devised. It will realy help you take total control over your pictures with a helpfull and very creative perspective. The last part of the book (developing negatives) might be ommited by the person who is into digital, although it helped me comprehend a lot about the various Adobe Photoshop features and relate them to classic photography.

One little remark I have to make is for the publisher. The book is printed into gloss paper (all the three books in the series) with a high reflectance index. This results in dificulty reading the book at certain angles.

A must read. The explanation of the zone system is outstanding. I had taken a number of skyline photographs of Austin which when reviewed by professional photographers got 2 thumbs up. After looking at them with a critical eye on exposure and armed with my new understanding of the zone - I retook those same pictures and WOW. What an amazing ability to move your camera off of matrixed metering and know how to really set the exposure for what you want to show. Also helps you understand the tradeoffs the camera is making in it's exposure settings so you can be more purposeful in changes you might make. A critical read if you also intend to ever move into large format photography.

Ansel Adams was a master of photography but not the most exciting storyteller , in my opinion.

This book is one that you should read as part of a complete education in photography, but there are some long sections in it. The parts of the book explaining Adams' zone system are very worthwhile and great stuff. Much of the rest of the book is only interesting if you are shooting film (not digital), as it deals specifically with darkroom processing.

Read about the zone system here or somewhere else, but learn it. If you are a film photog, read this whole book. For digital shooters, you might want to read only the sections of interest.