Baker Books

This book is truely written for each of us. For those who are still healthy, it will help you understand what is most important about life. For those who have received a diagnosis that may be terminal, it still gives you a lot of hope. The neatest thing about the book is all the practical suggestions about what you can do when you are in these situations. It contains a lot of helpful information. I would highly recommend it!

The collaboration of licensed clinical psychologist, Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Pastor Robert C. De Vries (Professor of Church Education, Calvin Seminary), Living Fully In The Shadow Of Death: Assurance And Guidance To Finish Well is an invaluable treatise and guide to the practical and spiritual issues and concerns of dying in the modern age. Focusing upon the aspects of emotional and spiritual preparation for the end of life, whether one's own or that of a loved one, Living Fully In The Shadow Of Death offers daily meditations to guide the heart and affimations of the value in life and faith. A serious-minded and helpful look at enjoying the journey that is life, up to the very end.

Dr. Smeenge and Dr. DeVries combine again to to help us look at life, before, during and after death. They encourage us not to flee from death but to accept and prepare for it. They offer wise suggestions as to how to take stock of our life so as to better live to the fullest and die with peace and dignity. There are pratical suggestions as to how to evaluate one's values and reorder one's life to achieve less regret, more satisfaction. Biblical principals guide the reader and well as sound psychological techiniques. The reassuring grace of God's word rings in Dr. DeVries' 40 meditations that grapple with issues of life and death.

Hospice workers, clery, nurses, physicians, and psychotherapists who help others deal with living and dying, should not miss this rich resource. Family members and all of those who plan to die some day should stop and take note of this guide to better living and better dying.

I liked this book and you will too. It is written for us all. Thanks Susan and Bob!

The Story of the Buchan Bakers is much more than about a Seattle industrial basketball team that rose to the top of its game during a time when amateur basketball was king. The authors skillfully tell the story of the Bakers within the context of the time; the integration of African-American players, the Cold War goodwill trip to Eastern Europe, and the emergence of the professional game. This is a good read for any student of the history of basketball. The book captures a glimpse of a piece of sports history that would have otherwise been forgotten, a time that seems markedly innocent compared to the what the business of basketball has become today.

Longshot, a book about Seattle's amateur basketball team in the 1950's that brought home the city's first national championship, comes on like a full court press.

Well written and researched, Longshot, is about a group of athletes who worked for and were sponsored by a local bakery, and who played against teams underwritten by national corporations in a time before professional basketball caught on. In 1956, the Buchan Bakers walloped the local competition went to Denver to play other regional winners and on to beat the highly favored Phillips Petroleum team in a two point squeaker of a back and forth game that wasn't decided until the final buzzer, bringing home the national crown to Seattle.

Every local history buff and all sport's enthusiasts will find Longshot a welcome and enjoyable read.

Incredibly well written and highly entertaining anecdotal history of mid-twentieth century basketball. Proof that David and Goliath stories really happen as a small baking company defeats both the Soviet national team and Phillips Petroleum Oilers to win the national AAU title.

The accompanying CD is not as much of a stand-alone pleasure as some other books, but few Celtic acoustic books have so much to offer. The tablature is written a bit different from other books and is hard to read at first, but not a big problem. Even though not all tunes are on the CD, once you learn a few of the songs you quickly get a feel for how to play the others. A basic ability to read music helps alot for getting the timing down.

Each tune has a short description preceding that is very interesting and insightful. In some cases the book offers up to three different versions of a tune. I've found better versions of several of the songs here in other books, but there are also some superior arrangements here, and songs I've not seen elsewhere (yet).

I would highly recommend this book as part of a Celtic acoustic guitarists library. If you're not sure you want to delve into this area of guitar, you might try The Blarney Pilgrim first so you don't get overwhelmed. There's a ton of stuff in this one. Six months into it I've only memorized about four of the pieces.

This is a very nicely done book. For one thing, it covers the gamut of Celtic styles - airs, jigs, hornpipes, reels, planxties, and songs. For another, it uses arrangements from multiple players, which give a much wider sense of the potential and flexibility of Celtic fingerstyle guitar. In some cases, there are multiple arrangements of the same tune, in different tunings, by different arrangers. Which brings up that it is also a useful introduction to the power of alternate tunings AND the power of standard tuning to address this music. And finally, there are excellent essays on various relevant subjects throughout the book - some on guitar technique, some on music history, etc. And the skill range is helpful too, from nice beginner tunes to very advanced arrangements.

All in all, a useful addition to the library of any guitarist interested in Celtic music.

It's a book you can spend a lot of time on... It contains a lot of songs, each one with a different mood: beautiful melodic pieces, quick jigs to be danced, dramatik marches, and so on...

The CD is very helpful and pleasant to listen to, even if it does not contain all of the songs of the book.
The difficulty of the songs ranges from very easy to very difficult. And you'll also find out some beautiful tunings for the guitar: DADGAD, CGDGAD,...

If you like to play fingerpicking, it's a very good book, like all of the Grossman's publications.

This is a superb book that combines practical experience with meaningful reflection and solid academic research. It is a great guide to leadership and ought to become essential reading for all leaders and aspiring leaders.

This is a very helpful and practical book that addresses real issues from the perspective of someone who has years of experience in the field and solid academic training.

Drawing on years of experience as a mentor, mentee, and as head of Arrow Leadership's matching system for leadership mentoring, Carson has written a book choc-full of insight and advice for mentors and their mentees alike. Solidly grounded in the North American Evangelical community, the book is instructive and packed with personal insights gleaned over years of experience as a leader, father, husband, and son. Personal reflections from his son Jason, his wife, and others round out the presentation in an engaging fashion.

Wes Pue

Even though on-line help (prevalent in most computer applications today) has its advantages, it is good to know that there is help in a book format that is much more detailed, well-organized, and better illustrated. It is rare that I encounter a problem with Microsoft Word that is not addressed in Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac.

I found this book very helpful, easy to follow and not compicated in their directions. I would highly recommend this book for the novice or those that have extended experience with the Mac or Office and the price is a bargain.

The In a Snap books do not presume that you are a Dummy or an Idiot. They presume that you are a smart person, not afraid of computers, but that you need to learn how to use something new, like a piece of software on your computer. Further they assume that you want to get started without having to pour through all the 1500 pages or so in the guru level book. This book takes the Office 2004 software package for the Mac computer and gives it the In a Snap approach.

In evaluating books on Office, I always look first to see if they discuss Pivot Tables in the section on Excel. A surprising number of books don't, or give them very short treatment. In this book the index sends you to page 263, that puts you right in the middle of a discussion on pivot tables. Flipping back a page or three gets you to a section called Find Relationships Between Data. What an excellent idea, that's what a pivot table really is, but doesn't have the problem of the dumb name Pivot Table. The discussion is as good as I've seen anywhere in explaining what you can use them for.

The next thing I found was inside the front cover where they have a "Contents at a Glance." This sends you to, not the page number - that's the function of the index, but to a section identified by its own numbering system. Really a handy way to get where you want to jump in to solve the problem you're having at the moment.

This book is wonderful. I have never been so excited to recieve a book as I was with this one. Once I opened it I was even happier. Simple terms, everything you could want to know is in this book.

This book is concise and easy to read. Invaluable resource for parents and teachers - anyone who works with a child with VCFS. I'm purchasing this copy for my daughter's school and I can't say enough good things about it.

Very informative, easy to read book. Everything you could ever need to know about VCFS - book to refer to throughout my daughter's life - from birth to adulthood. So thankful found such a book.

My 7 year old loved this book. He liked it so much that he asked to order another of the Mr. and Mrs. Green books. What was super about this book is that it throws in fun information about many subjects (math, art, and vocabulary) without the reader even noticing it! Pretty, happy illustrations, too.

My 26 month old son LOVES this book! It is longer than most of his books but he sits still through the entire story. Great pictures and great story lines.

The alligtor couple, Mr and Mrs Green are back in More Mr and Mrs Green and they are ready for 3 new adventures. First off it?s timefor fishing! Mr. Green shares his secret for catching the most fish. He uses jelly beans for bait! Then Mrs. Green shares with us her love of art. She paints a portrait of Mr Green and it turns out very unique. Last they go off for a lovely day in the park. Join them as they race for the ice cream truck!

My family enjoyed the bright illustrations. We have red the first book in the series and were excited to see what The Greens were going to be up to in this second installment.

The book is great for readers who are just starting to enjoy chapter books. The chapters are very short giving young reader the boost of confidence they need to enjoy reading.

Mother Aegypt and Other Stories (2004) is a collection of thirteen SF/Fantasy stories. It features several stories related to The Anvil of the World storyline, but others are off in their own universe. The title story might be from the Company series.

Leaving His Cares Behind (2004) has a debt-ridden and penniless Lord Ermenwyr returning home for some peace and quiet. After a good night's sleep, he finds absolutely nothing to relieve his ennui.

The Briscian Saint (2003) features three common soldiers from a cursed and defeated army fleeing Briscia with the statue of a saint as loot.

Desolution Rose (1999) has Ermenwyr impersonating a god to lay a truly desperate woman and finding that such actions may have unforeseen consequences.

Miss Yahoo Has Her Say (2001) depicts a Yahoo female's encounter with Lemuel Gulliver.

What the Tyger Told Her (2001) describes the advice and assistance provided by a caged tyger to a young girl in a cutthroat family.

Nightmare Mountain (2003) illustrates the damage that gossip can do to a marriage.

Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928 (2000) brings together two men of ill-luck in a past moment of significance to each of them.

Her Father's Eyes (2002) depicts a meeting between a young girl and a boy who seemingly doesn't exist.

Two Old Men (2000) describes a hectic afternoon in the life of Markie Souza while carrying messages between two old men.

The Summer People (2001) depicts an evening in which an Elvis impersonator almost gets his big chance for fame and fortune.

How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down (2001) tells how Indian Tony overdoes his shaman thing and has to climb a tall tree.

Pueblo, Colorado Has the Answer (2001) shows how the government helps its citizens with gardening problems.

Mother Aegypt (2004) presents the story of the medieval con artist Golesco and the immortal Mother Aegypt. This tale could almost be part of the Company series, but it is too funny to fit.

All these stories have an odd outlook on life and hidden meanings. Short, but fully packed, stories written by one of the heritors of Damon Knight and Fredric Brown.

Highly recommended for Baker fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales with unexpected twists, uncertain morals and dry humor.

-Arthur W. Jordin

As most of you who read my reviews know, Kage Baker is my favourite writer out there. She has written numerous short stories that are scattered hither and yon, almost impossible to keep up with. Thankfully, she has a habit of collecting her stories in compilations. Best known for her series of books about "The Company," Mother Aegypt and Other Stories is unusual in that it doesn't contain any Company stories. Instead, it draws together a bunch of her other fiction, mostly fantasy. It contains two stories about Lord Ermenwyr, from The Anvil of the World, as well as other fantastic stuff. I have to say that, after finding this book, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I had read two of the stories already, which had drawn me to her in the first place, and this just made me want more of her stuff. As is usual with collections, there is the occasional clunker, but the overall quality is quite high. Strangely, most of the weak stories seem to be ones she wrote for sale on Fictionwise.com, which makes me wonder. They almost seem like they were churned out so that they would have some stories to sell. I'm not saying that's what happened, but it certainly feels like it. Thankfully, the final Fictionwise story is outstanding, redeeming the rest of them.

Probably the two best stories are "What the Tyger Told Her" and "Desolation Rose". While all the stories (even the weaker ones) have that wonderful Baker prose and characterization, these two just stand out. The Tyger in "What the Tyger Told Her" coaches a young girl into seeing what lurks beneath the surface of her high-society family, and what greed can do to you. It also touches on the role of women in a male-dominated world, as the child is effectively invisible because of her two brothers. "Desolation Rose" is a redemption story for Lord Ermenwyr as he finds that sometimes romance isn't the end-all and be-all. He ends up doing the right thing, though true to his personality he doesn't quite go all the way.

Probably the weakest of the stories is "How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down." I just found the characters uninteresting and the story was too slight. Thankfully, it was very short and thus didn't take that much time. If it had been longer, I may have done the unthinkable and actually skipped it. Other weak stories are "The Summer People" and "Miss Yahoo Has Her Say," both of which I didn't really care about. "Miss Yahoo Has Her Say" also forces the reader to get through a form of pidgin English which was annoying until I got used to it. Even the only original story in this collection, "Mother Aegypt," suffered from a weak ending, though the rest of the story was fabulous.

Overall, though, the collection is wonderful. If you're a Kage Baker fan, you have to pick this up. If you want to see what the fuss is all about but don't want to get involved in The Company just yet, this is a good taste of the quality writer that is Kage Baker.

Dave Roy

A remarkable collection of fantasy stories, each one representing a different strain of fantasy, but each one shedding light on human nature. And isn't that what fantasy is all about? Because the fantasy writer creates a distance--an illusory distance--from ourselves, she makes it possible to look at ourselves.

There are stories here about lonely little girls, and womanizing monsters, and a woman who finds the love of her life, but only in absolute darkness. The title story tells of a smooth-talking con-artist who tries to outwit the woman who cannot die. Each story has a satisfying twist and poignant lesson.

Kage Baker is an absolutely luminous writer. Her prose style flows easily with total clarity. Each story is different, a different type of fantasy, yet they all give powerful insights into the human condition. The title story was a little long, but worth finishing. I can recommend this collection highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

Great resource to open children's mind to science outside of a book or a classroom. I am a science teacher (4-8 grade) and I used this book in a summer camp. The kids LOVED IT!!!! They were excited and ready to go each day. If you are looking for a different way to get students involved in science while teaching them key concepts this is your book! I am waiting on the next one!

Students really got involved in science investigation as they tried to solve one of the mysteries in this book. During a summer camp for children ages 9-12, we used the mystery written for the older students. They loved the hands-on involvement and stayed engrossed all week. If your science curriculum is putting your students to sleep, this book will help you jumpstart their interest. There are two different mysteries. One is designed for K-3 while the other works well with the older students. Even students of mixed ages and abilities worked well together and were successful. The students only had one complaint...The book did not give them a definitive answer as to who was the guilty party. They wanted to be told who the criminal was and why, but had to settle for a deduction of their own. Although I find value in that open-ended style, they were frustrated by it.

This book is absolutely amazing! It contains two different mysteries to solve (one for younger grades and one for older grades). In a practicum for my teaching degree we did the older grades mystery with a class of fifth graders and they loved it. They were able to look for clues, gather evidence, map the crime scene, scientifically test the evidence, use deductive reasoning to solve the mystery and much, much, more. The educational value of this book is tremendous. A great supplement for the science curriculum and also to help kids to use logic and reasoning. It's a must have for all teachers!

I aboslutly loved this book!!! I took the Mythology course last year (junior year) in high school and this was our "textbook" for the class. It told the myths wonderfully and it have ones you know and ones you don't. Also it give you background information on the ancient Greeks and it helps you understand their culture more and how they lived.

I highly recommend it!

I am currently reading this book in my Freshman English class, and I have to say that it is very good. It is considered a college text but the vocabulary is simple enough that 9th graders can read it without much difficulty. The book contains myths from just about every culture and concentrates on the change from a matriarchal society to that of a patriarchal society. Each myth starts with an introduction to the story, giving the reader background information about the characters in the myth, then it goes on to the story. The writing clear, precise and not as dry as most books of the type. The book also follows up some of the myths with reflection questions and also a paragraph or two on how the myth relates to our society today.

As a pre-service teacher, I am always looking for good ideas for lesson plans. This book is wonderful. It provides the historical context of the myth, presents pre- and post-reading questions, and offers links to today's world. The myths are brilliantly retold in modern language that is easy to understand. The book is thought-provoking, and it challenges the idea that mythology is a thing of the past. Mythology and You is very well composed, and offers a unique perspective on an old tradition.