Adam Books

This is a large beautiful edition of Michigan birds written by many of Michigan's ornithologists and most knowledgable birders. The illustrations and artwork are superb and I wish I could have them as artwork in my home without tearing them out of the book.

This is not a field guide or identification book but a resource of most of the knowledge about each species of bird seen in Michigan up to the publication date of the book.

I refer to this often when I wish to get more information on a birds history of occurance in the state or its population status or biology.

More recent information on species status and sightings can be found on the Michigan Bird Records Committee website.

Anyone that is interested in the birds of Michigan would treasure this book.

The Natural History of Michigan avifauna presented includes population fluctuation, habitat changes, current status; historical records verified from as far back as the 19th c. in some cases. Reasons for decline or increase in numbers and range are usually well known or theorized by ornithologists (there are a few unsolved mysteries) A less pedestrian look at these details: " Maurice Gibbs in 1879 reports the Cardinal or 'Red Bird' as an "accidental visitor"

Artwork: Full sized color plates = full page layouts featuring the male and female set amongst their preferred habitats or a vegetaional sample. A Bobolink chortles in his mellow hay field, The Towhees scratch leaves under the brambles and the Great Gray Owl is caught in the act of enchanting his Northern starlit forest.

Includes species extinct and extirpated as well as all species that have visited the State at least once on record. As an example, a McCown's Longspur is listed as a Michigan bird, a species that rarely if ever seen anywhere beyond it's breeding range in the Upper Midwest, (Colorado to Alberta), yet a verified record exists at Whitefish Point - Chippewa County in May, 1981.

What else? If anything it manages to capture the great beauty found in the details of a birds life. (The Great Horned owl female sits through yet another snowstorm on an old heron nest to keep her two eggs warm in the late winter incubation period.)

SB

"The Birds of Michigan" is more than an oversize picture book. It's a treasure. The 200 species of birds that nest in Michigan are depicted in original, full color paintings by Michigan artists, and the detailed text on over 400 birds that have been seen in the state is compulsive reading. The species accounts were written by some of the state's leading ornithologist-naturalists, including their own field observations, and I learned something new about my favorite birds on almost every page. Originally, I'd checked "The Birds of Michigan" out of the library, but once I'd read it, I had to buy a copy of my own.

The careful observations and the level of detail about each species sets a standard none of the field guides can match:

* The earliest published spring arrival date for Chimney Swifts in Detroit is 04/05/1981.
* Belted Kingfishers excavate nesting burrows in river banks, usually taking a week to dig a tunnel three to six feet long.
* Forest regeneration and winter feeding stations have extended the range of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker to the Northern Lower Peninsula.
* I'm glad I'm not the only birder in Michigan who misidentifies the Pine Warbler for a Chipping or Swamp Sparrow!

My heart-felt thanks to the artists, ornithologists, editors, and sponsors of this book: Sarett Nature Center; Kalamazoo Nature Center; and First of America Bank. It must have very expensive to produce, but the results are worth every penny spent. My only suggestion for the next edition would be the inclusion of a CD of Michigan birdsongs.

I enjoyed the story of Bodo. I purchased the book to read on my vacation and could hardly put it down. It truly left me wanting to know what happens next. The cover is well done and I can envision the cover of the next book in my head.... To parents, this book will encourage children to want to read. The lessons and morals are healthy and address human compassion in several ways. Maybe you should read it first and you might even want to start a book club in your neighborhood for a great Summer activity. In fact, I think I might just do that too.

Bodo is a heartwarming story for animal lovers everywhere. This book is a well-written combination of adventure, suspense, and family-oriented story telling. The characters are multi-dimensional and well developed. As a reader, you really connect with the family members and can identify with all of their tribulations and celebrations. It is apparent that the authors are writing from a deep affection for both the humans and the animal characters created in their tale. This is definitely a must-read for any dog lovers and also for anyone looking for a wholesome, feel good story.

If you are like me and constantly keep an eye out for the latest boxer books, Bodo: The Tale of the Woodcarver's Dog will come as a total surprise to you. Honestly, how many are there, still available to buy? Two? Three? Of course I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, although I was a bit scared that my expectations might be too high.

Initially, I thought that it'd be a murder story, since Bodo's owner left but never returned, but I quickly discovered that it was a sweet and humorous family story with some action and adventure thrown in.

The authors made the kids in the book so humorous and refreshing that you can't help but adore them and their newly adopted dog, Bodo. I think that, just like a boxer, who is smart, funny and sweet, those same characteristics are the ingredients for this book! A lot of background knowledge on boxers and Schutshund training has been put into Bodo's tale as well.

This book is perfect for any boxer lover, young or old or any dog lover for that matter. You do not want to miss this adventurous and funny boxer novel. Thumbs up for the authors on their debut novel!

Mike Adams and his sister Louise Adams have co-authored Bodo: The Tale of the Woodcarver's Dog and are both dog lovers themselves. Mike Adams was co-founder of Centurion Boxers, based in Florida USA. After many positive reviews this book was enhanced to make it a better reading experience and to be used in school systems. Also, because of the favorable reviews, the authors have already outlined a second book to continue the adventure. I can hardly wait!

- reviewed by Eveline for Euro-Reviews/Boxers België

With the ACC expansion, it's a good idea to take a look back and see where the league has been to get an idea of where its going. "Border Wars: The First Fifty Years of Atlantic Coast Conference Football" does a fine job of detailing the first 50 years of ACC football. It's an unbiased, mostly season by season account of football only.

It's nice to read a book about the ACC that is NOT basketball centric. The book begins in 1953 and ends with the 2003 season. The format is to simply detail the events of the eras and seasons. Some chapters are detail one season only. There is one whole chapter devoted to Clemson's 1981 national title team, another devoted to G. Tech's national title in 1990. Other chapters report more on eras, highlighting the dominant team(s) in that era, like the chapter on the "Two team league from '82-89" about Maryland and Clemson's great 80's teams.

The book is very fair to Clemson, but just reading it will give you greater appreciation for the history of Maryland, UNC and Tech football. S. Carolina is barely mentioned, except for detailing why they left the ACC. The 90's dominance of Florida St. is told in an even-handed way as well.

The book would make a great read for yourself, or a holiday gift for an older person who lived through those years or a younger student who needs to know about great Duke teams, the Maryland conference dominance of the early 70's and why the 80's were so special for a Clemson fan.

The author discusses Clemson's probation fairly. There isn't a lot of prose in this book. It mostly gives details about coaches, teams, seasons, players and universities. Fortunately, there isn't a lot of nonsense about stadiums, fans, adminsitrations, or any other goofy controversies that we like to waste much of out time on. The book is just about football and for that reason alone I highly reccommend it.

Fun and easy to read, fascinating insights into an interesting conference and their football history.

The best Atlantic Coast Conference football history book that has ever come out......Powell does not place more emphasis on one school over another, and it is clear that he has done a massive amount of research.

This book is a MUST HAVE for longtime Atlantic Coast Conference football fans, and for fans of Florida State, you can relive all the glory years of the 90s in full detail with this book!

There is no way to describe College Prowler's books other than amazing. Whether you're already in college, still deciding on one to go to, or deciding which ones to apply to, College Prowler's books are probably the best asset you can have.
It's the only guide written with information from students who actually go there, instead of just what the school wants you to think. College Prowler's guides can tell you everything: where to hang out, where to live, how much money to have on hand, where to park, how much drugs/alcohol is being passed around, how attractive your peers will be, and just about anything else you could want to know about a school.

Unlike most college guidebooks available about particular schools, this review goes far beyond the statistics...allowing the reader to get a real glimpse at life at Boston University. Adhering to a "by students, for students" attitude, this edition is aimed at high school seniors who are uncertain whether a particular university will suit their lifestyle, preferences, and individual needs. With a generous dose of humor and honest commentary by the author about her experiences as a student, this is an excellent choice for any potential student.

I am currently a senior in high school, and will be graduating this spring. I received this book as a gift recently and read it from cover to cover. It's no nonsense, in your face honesty is something I truly enjoy and respect. This book has put me over the edge in my decision to attend BU, and I have decided to enroll early acceptance as a result. Bravo to the authors!

At last, a clear roadmap to designing a productive meeting. Written in a user-friendly manner, this book provides detailed instruction on how to plan for and how to facilitate meetings that actually produce results. Anyone who plans meetings, in whatever capacity, should read this book.

We need to stop meeting the old fashioned way where the person who called the meeting thinks it's his or her meeting. In reality, whenever any group of people meet to discuss issues and solve problems, the meeting belongs to everyone who attends. In simple and elegant terms, this book shows you how to harness the people-power that is inherent in any meeting. Read it and apply it's principles and suggestions and the quality and productivity of your meetings will improve dramatically. As Professor Schein of the Sloan School knows, this book is both theoretically sound yet totally practical. It is an indispensible guide to meetings in the 21st Century.

This book is an essential part of every manager's toolkit. It is the most pragmatic book I have ever read about conducting a productive meeting. The title is modest. In addition to providing me with a step by step guide for the best meetings I have ever led, over half the book is dedicated to the delicate art of managing group dynamics. Levasseur takes sophisticated behavioral concepts and makes them simple to apply in the toughest situations. He also offers great advice on how to design and conduct specific meeting types (customer advisory sessions, process redesign workshops, etc.) that tend to be non-recurring and require a creative approach. The author accurately points out that the techniques of dealing with human dynamics in a large group meeting also apply in less structured business situations, such as one-on-one feedback sessions. I give this book two thumbs up. The first thumb is up for the book's broad applicability, pragmatic style, and overall usefulness. The second thumb is up for its readability and relevant examples that bring the concepts to life. Not only have I read this book a number of times, I use it on a regular basis in my work. I've read all the books on meetings, and haven't found one better than Breakthrough Business Meetings!

Kearse's convention compilation is a cornerstone for the serious bridge library. For bidding theorists and advanced partnerships, no substitute for this work exists (and attempting one would be a foolish waste of time). Only the inclusion of a bibliography with appropriate references to same in the body text could substantially improve this fine reference work.

This book lists all the conventions authorized by the ACBL, describing the intent of the convention, its operation under a variety of circumstances, the pros and cons of using it, and even a few words about the defence to many conventions.

It is not intended for the non-serious bridge player. It is intended for partners who have already settled on their basic bidding system, but who wish to review the conventions they use, and decide whether any changes would improve their game.

The book is exhaustive rather then brilliant, but if you want a tool to enhance partnership discussion of your bidding methods, this book is hard to beat.

Where most "convention encyclopaedia" books fail to provide enough detail to be practical, this book delivers!

You will not learn to bid from this book. But once you have read a basic bridge book... (***a real book...not "Bridge and Whist in one weekend" or "Lets' play bridge in fifteen seconds" [titles made-up]***) ...this book will serve as an invaluable reference. This book is to Bridge what "Modern Chess Openings" is to Chess.

I have never read a more complete collection of bidding and signalling conventions in any other text. Not only are the mechanics of the conventions discussed, but the rationale behind their use is adequately presented without sacrificing brevity.

Even if you are not a fan of Bryan's music, you will really enjoy his photograhy.

This photo book series is really high class, and Bryan Adams did not disappoint. I will collect most of the books for future reference.

This beautiful book stuffed with Badman-pictures really is a must for every Badfan on this earth. With over a hundred pictures in it, it shows Bryan Adams in a lot of different positions. Sleeping in an airplane, playing with dogs, standing on top of a rock in the desert of Utah and, of course, on stage. If not for the photographs, you should buy this book for the great comments on the pictures, written by Adams himself. Can you sing along to Vanishing, consists your CD-collection mostly of Adams-albums, do you get angry about everyone who spells Bryan with an 'i', or are you in any other way a die-hard, I would say: BUY THIS BOOK!

Business Writing Makeovers by Hawley Roddick is a tremendously useful book. It is full of excellent information and advice that would benefit both business and non-business writers. Roddick's use of before and after letters, memos, reports, etc. is a practical and effective way to make important points. The concise checklists that follow are valuable aids. And joy of joys, the examples of writing deal with varied subjects and issues that are interesting, informative, and entertaining to read about! I highly recommend Business Writing Makeovers to anyone who wants to be the best communicator he or she can be.

The book covers so many occasions for communication, in and out of what is strictly business, that it is a useful guide to writing in general. It warns of pitfalls and recommends ways around them, but what I found most engaging were the transformations from Original to Makeover, the details and stories coming into focus: the "demotion" story, for instance, or the "retirement" details. Besides its practical purposes, the book discovers the inner workings of many business activities, and it is indeed enlivened by the novelist's invention.

Business Writing Makeovers should be useful to business people, teachers of writing, and anyone who wants to write better. It is also fun to read: I enjoyed the letters in which a company official complains to a supplier that the huge ice sculpture ordered for a sales conference had been set up so it melted onto an electrical unit, causing a short circuit that ruined the conference's most important presentation. Roddick's sample letters and emails show ways to make your writing more precise, concise, correct, and graceful. They will help you choose the right tone to adopt in a letter, the right details to include, and the right structure to convey information and ideas. I found good suggestions here for writing with greater tact, better grammar, and stronger impact. Roddick's own writing is elegant and clear--an excellent example for her readers.

This is one of the best books I've read about connecting with the Angelic Realm. It is easy to read and easy to understand. Joyce Keller provides practical spiritual techniques and applications anyone can use to overcome challenges and make better choices and decisions. Calling All Angels is self empowering and enlightening. Put the magic back into your life. Don't miss this one or any of Joyce Keller's wonderful books for that matter...

I wish I could give this author, and this book a 5 plus rating.
I had the pleasure of joining colleague and Nationally Known Psychic/Astrologer Joyce Keller on her radio broadcast from Long Island New York shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11th, 2001.

I found Joyce to be one of the most personable, down to Earth, and concise colleagues I have ever had the pleasure of working beside.

Calling All Angels openly bears the same traits as this beautiful author.

You can actually understand and comprehend the techniques suggested for connecting with your Angels.

You will most certainly feel the warm persona of the author through her written words.

Years ago I used to feel guilty about "asking" my Angels to intervene and assist me through daily grinds. I thought this was selfish. This book assures you that this is why they have been placed with us. Not just to always pave the way with roses and sunshine, but to give us the feeling that we are not alone in the hard times.

The book shares simple instructions on inviting your Angels in.

I found CALLING ALL ANGELS appropriate for a wide age range as well.
I have mailed copies to several friends and clients aging from 17 to 84.
From one end of the spectrum to the other found the book inspiring as well as insightful.

Most of all, it IS UNDERSTANDABLE...
I could not tell you how many times I have picked up
books that I cannot maintain focus on because of all the
psychological terms and metamorphis extreme life changes the author takes us through to get their point across.
By the time you actually get to techniques that you can utilize on your own...you are brain dead from trying to follow!
Not that I don't "sometimes" enjoy a trip through Tibet, 5 dear death experiences, and listening to the author tell of tremendous life decisions and feats. I have and will "enjoy" that type of writing.
However there are times when I just want to settle in,
get to the point, relax, and learn with a smile and simplicity about all these amazing gifts that life holds.
Calling All Angels is perfect for those times.

Calling All Angels is by far the best self-help, spiritual or angel book I have ever read. Ms. Keller is readable and positive, and gives concise, simple techniques on bringing angelic, or divine help into your life. I have found her techniques to work much more effectively than any offered by the myriad of "self-help" gurus floating around today.

Candy Floss has a very happy life with the carnival, helping the little dog Cocoa and a painted horse Nuts bring business into the "coconut shy" stall of their beloved Jack. This is an unusual story because Jack is a grown-up young man who cares for Nuts and Candy Floss just as much as he does for his real live dog, considering them all his "partners" and Candy Floss his "luck." It shows that some people can hear doll wishes, no matter how old they get on the outside.

Then the family gets mixed up with a spoiled, unhappy little girl named Clementina Davenport. She wants to buy Candy Floss and naturally Jack will not sell her, but Clementina is not used to being refused, and she causes everyone a lot of trouble, as spoiled, unhappy people so often do.

This was such a great story! It makes you want to run off and be a carnival doll, or a carnival stall operator. Jack has much more sense than Clementina's indulgent parents, and really she is much happier after she meets him and Candy Floss anyway.

This is the final story in the Rumer Godden collection "Four Dolls," and it is my next favorite after "Impunity Jane."

One of my fave. books as a little girl. So cute

I found this book in a box when my parents moved out of their house of 50 years. I thought it had long since been given away. My copy is the old one, with illustrations by Adams and the new version, with illustrations by Hogrogian has a different, but still charming, feel.
Candy Floss is a little china ballerina who belongs to Jack, and is his good luck charm. A wicked little girl named Clementina (think Nelly on "Little House on the Prairie", but make her even worse) steals Candy Floss away. As with so many books, after some trevails and damage, the friends (which include Nuts and Cocoa who are a horse Candy Floss dances on, and a dog), are all reunited, Candy Floss is restored to her glory by Jack and good luck returns.
It's a wonderful story made even better by a nasty villainess.