Reference Books

I first read this book a long time ago in middle school and I still have the full series both Lioness and the Immortals they are no joke bound with duck tape because over the last 11 years or so I have read them soo many times that they are indeed falling apart and I just had to replace my In the Realm of the Gods copy because half the book fell out. Once my kids get a little bit bigger these books will be read to them and I hope that when they get even older that they will pick up these books and read them over and over again like I did!

Run of the mill fantasy book even with the twist of a girl becoming a knight. I bought it for my classroom but don't think it's all that interesting.

So, the first book of Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness Series. What did I think of it? It was all right, better than most formulaic fantasy, but not quite great. An enjoyable, casual read.

I'll start with the faults. The prose is nothing extraordinary, and there often isn't quite enough description. At the same time, things always happened quickly, as if the characters were in a mad rush. If you like your fantasy quick and to the point, and just can't slog through heavily descriptive novels like the Wheel of Time, then this book may be perfect for you.

Secondly, magic was handled a little bit casually. Even children can use it, and its treated more like a handy tool to keep at your belt rather than a mystical, arcane force. The magic system was pretty basic and not much more complicated than you'd expect to see if you were playing an RPG like Dungeons and Dragons.

Thirdly, and this is the most criminal, Thom(the best character) barely gets any page time. I hope Pierce rewrites this series from his POV sometime, because that would make for an interesting read.

Finally, the climax was rather abrupt, quick, and didn't carry much weight. The Ysandir(the final enemies) were pansies, as easily dispatched as flies to be swatted, with the exception of the leader, Ylon. The final battle could definitely have done with being drawn out a bit more, given a bit more suspense. It would probably have been more dramatic if the fight was just against Ylon, minus the underlings who is uses as fodder.

Besides these flaws, however, this is a fairly good read. Nothing deep or groundbreaking, nothing fantastic, but consistently entertaining and adaquately written. The characters were pretty good, I can't recall ever being bored with the story, or wincing at the dialogue. Hardcore fantasy fans, however, might want to look for a series with a little more meat to it, though.

3.5 stars.

I love Tamora Pierce books I have all of them that are available on CD...Amazon was the lowest price around and I checked them all... I did have to return this book because of a flaw on one of the CD's and Amazon had another copy to in my hands within 48 hours... AMAZING

Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce tells about Alanna's life as the only girl knight-to-be in the palace. Alanna lives in Tortall where only boys can be knights and she also has the magical gift, which means she can heal and do other things. Very few people know Alanna is a girl, and everybody who doesn't, knows her by the name "Alan." She has many friends and many enemies, whom she soon hopes to defeat. Alanna wants to be a knight and she hopes she is brave and strong enough to be the first girl warrior in a century. Will she ever make it?
Alanna: the First Adventure is an exciting read for girls in grades five and up. Alanna, the main character, will surprise you at every turn. The ending is perfect for this book and it makes you want to keep reading. This is one of my favorite books ever because every time you read it, you catch new information that you missed the first time, and Alanna keeps you entertained from the beginning of the book. Tamora Pierce's writing style is fairly easy to read and it will captivate you the second you pick it up! Alanna: the First Adventure, is the first book in the Song of the Lioness series, which is the first series of five, taking place in Tortall. This book has everything from romance to adventure to captivate your attention.

Many of my questions were answered in this book. After reading the book a strong urge came to me to meet Sadhguru. I met him in 2008, November and it changed my course of life altogether. If you are a seeker, you have sought the right book, just buy it without second thought. The rest of the things will happen automatically for you.

This book is really amazing. It really took me to places I had not expected. It reads well and the thing was hard to put down! We really take the incredible journey along with the author as Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev intrigues the possibly to explore deeper depths beyond our current perception. One of my favorite books of all time!

This book is a must read for everyone. It clearly states the true meaning of our life. I don't have words to express the feeling I had while reading this book.
I wish everyone read this book.

Best Regards
Prabha

What an awesome book! It contains a wealth of information and yet is an easy read. Cheryl Simone has done a great job of capturing and conveying the wisdom of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. I could hardly put the book down once I started reading it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is on a spiritual path, and especially to those who are contemplating attending Sadhguru's Inner Engineering course.

This is a great story about the author's search for some real truths in life, a search that most people embark on and then give up on because it's hard to find those answers. It's reassuring to know that those answers can be found by everyone in society today, and while carrying on with "normal" life at the same time!
The book is interesting and easy to read, a great intro to Sadhguru.

I hope this is the right book, I just love the story, and the music, and the movie too!

The book is fantastic! Great pictures! I would highly recommend this book for any fan of the movie or a Titanic fan in general! The making of the epic movie is something to see and you can definitely see it in this book.

This is a MUST have for any Titanic collector. I waited for about 9 or so years for this book and I am so extatic that I finally have it!!

The scope of this majestic book truly befits the epic effort by James Cameron with his cinematic masterpiece "Titanic". Much great information here for the movie buff who likes to see how it is done. Incredible sets including the dining salon, complete even to dishes and decor. I was amazed to see how this particular set was pulled underwater by hydraulics to provide a very realistic feeling of sinking. Page after page of photographs and stories about the magnificent sets that brought this film to life. Lots of info about the stars and other cast members as well the production crew. This book is a perfect companion to the movie as well as a testament to the filmmaking genius of James Cameron.

Great book for the titanic enthusiasts!!!!! If you loved the movie, you will enjoy this book.

This book has a thorough description of symptoms related to various diseases and then offers helpful suggestions on what one can do to treat a specific disease. Using this guide I was able to suspect I had Celiac's disease and so I ordered the blood work on my own. Sure enough the results came back positive for Celiac's.

If you have a cold sore, strep throat, pink eye, any of the common aliments that affect us this is the go to book to have for natural remedies. I ordered this book Thursday morning and it came Friday afternoon, super fast and convenient. Thanks Amazon!!

I found this book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, very useful and complete. It's a great resource guide to nutritional healing. Her organization and presentation of the material is so easy to read. In part one she offers the basic building blocks of health, (nutrition, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, engymes, herbs, natural foods, etc.) In the second part of her book, she lists a fairly complete listing of the disorders with descriptions of each and the remedies and therapies, and in the last part of her book she summarizes various other alternative therapies (like aryuvedic medicine, the use of music and sound, blood purification, color therapy, the use of crystals, the use of magnets, exercise, yoga, and hormonal treatments, and she also includes a nice listing of pain management alternatives. I love the no-nonsense, quick reference organizational quality and especially how informative it is for a lay person and how she sometimes offers not just one or two modalities of remedies or therapies, but several. She also indicates her favorite, good quality products that one can purchase at most quality health food stores. While there are some products that will need to be ordered online or directly from the company, her suggestions are rich and varied and one is bound to find what one needs.

There's also a nice quick reference section towards the front of the book around/approximately page 70-110 that list various herbs and their uses. Although, I'd like to see this section much expanded to include more of the listed herbs' uses, but also to include many more herbs listed as well, along with any 'warnings' on all the herbs too.

She has a nice glossary at the back, plus generous listings of product mfg and distributors, medical and health organizations, and a strong index.

I'd like to see her ad more illnesses and disorders and go into greater depth on some of the ones that she lists that are currently somewhat abbreviated. I'd like to see an even stronger glossary, and for the index to be updated.

Nevertheless, this is a great book to have, whether one is just learning or is an informed reader about natural and alternative remedies. I highly recommend it. Buy it.

Anymore, it's hard knowing how to treat or prevent physical or medical problems, be it the common cold or chronic conditions such as diabetes and cancer. I stumbled by accident upon this book and have slowly been making my way through it (It's 869 pages!).

I view the book as a 'starter' for many conditions, rather than one that has definitive and detailed advice or recommendations. That's not a bad thing, but it means the reader will need to do a bit more research on some of the supplements/herbs/treatments that are recommended. As an example, the author frequently suggests Colloidal Silver (for everything from ear infections to rattlesnake bites). If you look this up online, however, there is a HUGE split between the traditional and non-traditional health/medical communities as to whether this is safe to use. Granted, this isn't uncommon, but it's particularly prounonced with this supplement.

Anyhow, the book is well-organized and covers a lot of topics. If you have a certain condition and have looked into common causes and treatments, this book probably won't tell you more than you already know. But if you're looking for a good overview of how to treat a whole variety of conditions, this is a great book.

I have an older edition of the Prescription for Nutritional Healing Book for years and it is such a life saver for me. Prescription drugs never work for me due to the dangerous side effects. This book has saved me many times and not only did it teach me about nutritional healing, it also has excellent recommendations for vitamins, supplements and herbs that helped me to nurture myself back to health. So, I decided to buy this latest edition and it has all the necessary updates that I needed. It truly is a good buy and a must have!

I'll make this review relatively short and sweet. This book is amazing. It's easy to read and follow and the recipes always turn out great. I made lamb tagine tonight (a Moroccan lamb stew with dried fruits, spices, tomatoes & onions) and my lamb-hating fiance had seconds! It was perfect. If you love food, and you want to impress people with your cooking skills (even if you're a beginner, and I am, believe me) you need this cookbook! It's HUGE, but I can accept the extra space it takes on my counter because it's so useful. It's full of all kinds of tips, product recommendations, trial-and-error recipe stories, and diagrams. Perfection!

This book is great: Clarity on the recipes, and background explanation if you want to know more about the lengths they went to in perfecting the recipe.

It really helps eliminate that little nagging voice I sometimes get "Maybe I should add 3 eggs instead of 2" etc, knowing that they already tried several combinations of ingredients to arrive at the given recipe.

One of the best cookbooks I have used!

I am very happy with the cookbook. It is a little larger than I expected but it will be used for years and years in our family

This book is amazing. I'm newly married and did not start cooking until I bought this book. I read reviews on Amazon, and bought it as a gift for a family member. I started reading it and thought it was so good, I bought one for myself. I didn't cook often before getting this book, but this book is a great starting place as well as a great book for those who know their way around a kitchen pretty well. I love that they explain everything they tried before making the recipes. There is SO much in this book, you won't want to put it down. The chicken parm recipe is the best thing I've ever eaten! Buy this book for you and a friend!

I love this book.. it is a staple in our kitchen and THE go-to book when it comes to anything related to cooking.
It's well written with detailed reviews on equipment and ingredients.

There are recipes on here that I have made over 20 times! I can't say that for any other cookbook I own.

A great gift for the bachelor, single gal, or newlywed couple!

Is very good book. In English, for most part. When reading enjoyment done, useful as doorstop or throwing at door-to-door water filter salesmen.

This book is great!! For anyone who wants to make a movie, but make it their way, not some formulaic Hollywood crap, should definitely check this book out. Lloyd Kaufman knows all the tricks. Not just how to make your movie, but how to make sure it's the movie you want to make, with no one interfering with your creative process. There are a host of low budget tips and tricks. Plus, this is easily the funniest book about film making I have ever read. It's chock full of some outrageously funny stories from Lloyd's 35+ years in the business. And the forward is written by none other than the creator of "South Park", Trey Parker. How can you go wrong? This is definitely a a great addition to any movie fan's library. Also, I'm absolutely planning on getting his new book "Direct Your Own Damn Movie". I'm sure it's gonna be great too!!

Make Your Own Damn Movie serves a purpose. It is obviously instructional, perhaps not so much How-To, but Why-To do this or that. Thirty years in a harsh realm of renegade film-making, you'd think he learned a few things. His book offers insight into the twisted world of Troma, from the crazy guy who created a universe out of blood and feces and boobs, and of course poultry. Kaufman's anecdotal humor is as raw as the movies he's made. This book covers everything a film maker should know from the conception to the birth- sometimes quite literally. Very straight forward, with absolutely no holds barred, Kaufman reveals what you need to get your movie made.

Three cheers for the incomparable Lloyd Kaufman, the genius behind the low-to-no budget aesthetic of Troma! In this thorough (and thoroughly hysterical) book, Kaufman spares us the Filmmaking 101 jive. He assumes you already know how to use the machines and frame a shot - his purpose is to get down to the nuts-n-bolts practical realities of making a low-budget feature. Ie., how to assemble crews that will work for free, guerilla marketing techniques, and the importance of enough water, electricity and toilets on your set.

Though the tone of the book is Tromian through and through -- cheesy jokes, loads of profanity, sexual references, and perhaps apocryphal asides -- the experiences and knowledge he shares are sure to save novice filmmakers a lot of headaches and $. Most important, Kaufman inspires. As the poster child for the indie guy overcoming Herculean obstacles to realize a vision, his approach to every aspect of production is always WHY NOT - which is exactly what any aspiring artist needs to hear.

Easily the best book on filmmaking I've ever read.

Make Your Own Damn Movie is everything a first time filmmaker should want from a how-to book: brutally honest, practical, funny, and written by the head of the longest running independent film company, Troma's Lloyd Kaufman. Even if defenestrating or onscreen headcrushing aren't your gig, reading this book will give you a better grasp on filmmaking's every step (from getting it funded, all the way to promoting it) than most film degrees; and at under 20 bucks, it's also a lot less expensive! Take it from a man who's been doing it for 40 years. He knows the ins and outs. When you finally make your own damn movie, remember to thank Uncle Lloyd. He deserves it.

I got this book for my Step Dad for Christmas and he totally loves it. Lots of pictures and lots of information.

If you are a Beatles fan who enjoys reading about them (and not just listening) then you have to own this book. It is the story of the Beatles from their own lips. Is it the definitive Beatles book? Well, the Beatles have a vested interest in preserving their legacy so are we getting the true picture? And Lennon's absence--he's represented as well as possible--slants the overall balance to McCartney. It has more detail than the video anthology which glosses over the break up and many other details. But the Anthology book should be read as one of several crucial Beatles books mentioned in many other reviews. My favorites are the Peter Brown book, Richard DiLello's "The Longest Cocktail Party" (as much about Apple as the Beatles but a hoot!) and Nicholas Schaffner's "Beatles Forever", still my favorite after all these years. The Anthology is not the only Beatles book to own.

If there was one book about the Beatles that you should be stranded on a desert island with, it would be this one. It is made up entirely of interviews, most of which are both new and not featured in the Anthology film. All the great personalities within the Beatles shine through.

Ok, I'm going on out a limb, here, assuming that you haven't already gotten this book. It probably is a bit of stretch, seeing as everybody and his brother owns this mother, but I couldn't allow myself to continue living unless I included it here. You MIGHT not own a copy of this, for one of the following very legitimate reasons:

1. You live in some kind of cave that does not get delivery service,
2. You have chronic back pain and were afraid to pick up a book this heavy,
3. You were too busy pleasuring your super-model girlfriend,
4. You figured since you saw the Anthology video there was no need.

Actually, only the first 3 reasons are any good. The fourth one, as I will explain, is not.

The Anthology book is not just a retelling of what you saw in the video. It is a complimentary piece that explores in-depth those issues the video did not have time for. Best of all, they didn't just hire some slob to re-tell the Beatles story. Instead, they mined about a million hours of interviews and conducted a million hours more to create a book that is so densely packed with information they have to kill 23 squid to get the ink they need to print each glorious copy. *

Frankly, this is the Beatles story as told by the Beatles themselves in their own Beatle words. On top of that, being an official Apple product, this book layers endless glossy pictures across the pages. Text and images merge and become something new.

This book is huge, heavy, and awe-inspiring. If you don't have it, and you care anything about the Beatles, drop what you are doing and get yourself a copy.


*no squids were harmed during the writing of this review.

One of the best since Peter Brown's "The love you make",but has a lot of detail about the fab four as to their musical career and experiences in show business. I would read it again if i could. Good investment.

No other book tells the beatles story like this, awesome pictures and comments by the fb4 as well as people that worked with them

As a chef, it is great to know why food behaves the way it does when it is cooked and prepared, as well as interesting histories and anecdotes of different ingredients.

This is an awesome book. I used my daughter's copy until she took it back and I decided I couldn't live without a copy of my own.

This is, hands-down, one of my favorite books. I have always had an interest in biology and food science in general, and this is the only food science book that presents the information in a entirely accessible way. Anyone can enjoy this book-from the professional to the novice. Even if you don't cook, you certainly eat, and reading this taught me far more about the food that I buy every week in the supermarket than I ever thought I would know. Definitely recommended. This book should be in every household in America.

Originally purchased because friend said it helped him be more versatile. "It doesn't have specific recipes, but with just what I have, I'm confident I can cook something."

In my opinion, the book has plenty of information. Not quite a recipe book. Definitely a "lore" book. In that sense, it is an excellent work.

Read "On Food and Cooking" for those little tidbits that will help you win The Next Food Network Star. That's the kind of information it has. Helpful things, but not the be-all end-all of cook books - or books on cooking.

I learned more in the first chapter about the science of food than I had known the rest of my life previous to that. And it was a fun read to boot. I'm still working my way through this, but the book deserves all of its praise. I can't help but soak up the Whys and Hows of food with delight.

this book has very nice illustrations, but there is hardly any text. my daughter likes to be read to, so this really doesn't work. i don't think it is that funny or clever.

This is one of my 18 month olds favorites - great illustrations. My husband loves it too (he is not a big reader) - he doesn't have to read it, but just describe what is going on in the pictures.

My 2 year old grandson laughed out loud when the book was read in an animated way. Delightful for me too.

From the balloon that gradually floats off toward the moon to the clock in the zookeeper's bedroom that marks the time it takes to get the animals all back into bed, there is a lot of subtle humor and fun in this book. My 2-year old can't get to sleep without it. She has learned the word "inconspicuous" in connection with the way the elephant looks before he's discovered in the bedroom. This is a special book - right up there with _Good Night Moon_.

All right, I'm giving this two stars because my kids seem to like it, but it is, in my opinion, a thoroughly one-star-or-less book.

It is incredibly lame. The pictures are simplistic and not very well-drawn, and the story is nonsensical bordering on retarded-and-troubling.

And I can handle nonsensical, in fact I think some of the best kids books recognize the sort of bizarre dream state that childhood is and use that to tell engaging narratives that dance happily past logic and convention to make kids laugh and wonder. See for instance most of the gently hallucinogenic tightrope walk over the Gulf of Madness that is the collective canon of Margaret Wise Brown. That stuff makes NO sense--COLOR KITTENS, LITTLE FUR FAMILY, and that one about the talking island--but it's all lyrical to the point of being beautiful, and it's fun.

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA, on the other hand...ugh...man...I really, really hate this book. Seriously. I have two young kids, and as I said, they like this for some reason and ask me to read it to them all the time.

AND IT SUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS. Oh wow does it suck.

First of all there are almost no words, so you can't just shift into autopilot and read the wretched thing without thinking. You've got to narrate the damn thing, and since its story is mindless and its pictures are unexciting, well, here ya go, have fun.

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA tells the story of a zookeeper named Joe who goes around checking on the zoo animals in their cages and saying good night to them, while unbeknownst to his apparently deaf and blind or at least unbelievably distracted self, the gorilla has stolen his keys and is quietly unlocking all the other animals' cages: the elephant, the lion, the giraffe, the armadillo, whatever. Then, because animals all apparently live in bad existential faith and don't know what to do with their own freedom once they have it, they docilely and quietly follow the zookeeper into his house to fall asleep in the zookeeper's tiny bedroom.

There, the zookeeper and his wife--who is apparently also deaf and blind and in fact not even able to feel the vibrations of a full-grown elephant stomping in through their narrow door and into their bedroom--turn out the lights and say good night to one another.

Then, all the animals say "Good Night!" as well, one at a time, showing a really freaky dark side to the whole story. THEY'RE KEPT LOCKED IN CAGES, BUT THEY CAN TALK! They're as sentient and intellectual as humans--in fact far more so than the staggeringly ignorant humans in this story--and they're being kept in cages! This is...slavery!

This is not charming--this is demented.

Anyway, this alerts the zookeeper's wife who leads all the talking animals back to their cages as if this happens all the time, but the gorilla grabs the keys again and sneaks back into the house where they climb into bed between the zookeeper and his wife and fall asleep. Because that's all animals want, to be with people. Oh, if only all wild animals could be kept in cages and/or beds, how happy they would be! What the zookeeper and his wife will say when they find the giant sleeping gorilla between them in the morning, I don't know. Probably something along the lines of, "Oh, our lives are so terrible and we are so stupid, someone should write a book about us and illustrate it with mundane, unexciting, uninspired drawings."

In conclusion: do not order this book for your kids unless you have a nanny robot that is raising them for you, because if you're the one who reads to them, this book will do nothing but make you hate life and the act of reading aloud to your children. Your children will continually ask you to read this book to them because something in it may appeal to their young minds that don't know any better, you will read it, they will sense your reluctance, they will perceive that you think reading is unexciting, they will no doubt inherit that belief, will grow up illiterate (or just as bad, aliterate), will not be able to hold a good job as a result, will find themselves homeless during a low point in the economy, and will probably die of exposure beneath a bridge somewhere. That's how bad this book is.

And really, there are so many actually GOOD kids books out there, just don't take that chance. This book is a horrific chore, and if you can avoid it, do. There is no joy to be found here, no joy at all.

I first read this book back in middle school and I love this book so much I just rebought it not too long ago just to have it in my library

I hardly need to add my thumbs-up to the other reviews, but I would like to say that it was the first book I bought with my own money. I don't think there are many books that I could whole-heartedly recommend as I do this one for girls in the YA group.

Vivid, evocative of time and place, and lets you feel, hear, taste and smell the environment. Teaches so many life-lessons of loyalty, tenacity, courage and hope.

Can't beat it with a stick, as they say.

I LOVE this book, my sister wanted me to read it so I read the first paragraph and gave it back to her, later she told me I HAD to read just the first chapter so I did and I didn't put it down til I had finished the whole book! Later I decided to re-read the book and I still sweat cold! I was still really into it even though I knew how it ended.

I saw somebody said that it would be a cool movie, and yes! It would be a really cool movie! But only if they really followed the book, because if they are going to do what they did to "The City of Ember" don't make it into a movie! Don't even try! Or I will be VERY disappointed!

This book has everything that I love in a book : romance, adventure, suspense, smart characters, and EGYPT!
This is one of my favorite books ever. The way the author writes tells you effortlessly the history and culture of Egypt in the cover of romance and suspense!
I love the way the two main characters interact and the supporting characters are very realistic. Mara is my absolute favorite leading female character that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

I read this book for the first time when I was 11 years old. I was having trouble with my dad and I could really relate with the freedom-loving, impudent Mara. She is a slave who runs away constantly, but always gets caught, though she doesn't really expect to competely elude her master, though she would if she could get away as fast and as thoroughly as she could. If I had more time I would most likely write the book word for word, but I don't. I defidently recomend this book to anyone.