Ball Books

I waited for this book to be published for months and I wasn't disappointed! Barb gives detailed, clear instructions and drawings. Gorgeous pictures that are close-up to see the stitching. The book is of exceptional quality and very inspirational. A must have book for both the novice and the experienced temari stitcher.

I've been stitching temari, as well as other needle crafts for years. This is by far one of the loveliest instructional books I've ever read. The instructions are clear and concise, good for beginners and well as experienced stitchers. It is also lovely as a coffee table book...great photos and water color art.

I saw this book on display at my local library and checked it out on a whim. I wanted to renew it, but someone had a "hold" on it, so here I am at Amazon because I had to have my own copy! I had never seen or heard of Temari and now I am hooked. This book is beautiful and the intructions are clear enough for a complete beginner like me. The pages are durable and the book lays flat for easy access. I just finished my 7th ball and my sister and daughter made their own balls when they saw mine. I enthousiastically recommend this book, but prepare to be addicted.

This is a BEAUTIFUL temari book! For folks new to the art of temari this book is a complete introduction. For temari artists it is great inspiration! The temari shown are beautifully stitched. The photos are excellent. The directions are easy to follow. Give it a try and be prepared to be addicted to Temari.

This is a great book for the novice stitcher as well as the experienced one. Barb's directions are clear and easy to follow. Her sidebar comments about Temari are what set this book apart from the rest. Her passion for this art comes through with every word.

If you had concerns about Harry Potter books being based on the dark side, your prayers are now answered. You'll have no such feeling with Professor Angelicus. Your mind will soar with him, in his magic bubble, to new heights of awareness. Your mission will carry you all over our familiar Earth and beyond, where you'll meet quirky characters and new worlds. With Zak, Ivy and Ziggy, dare to visit the professor's land of sparkle and light in this first book of a series of exciting, inspirational adventures.--Beth Mansbridge, Freelance Editor

Living a seemingly normal life in a normal town, young Zak, his dog Ziggy, and his best friend Ivy are suddenly greeted by a strange and unfamiliar character named Professor Aquius Botanicus Angelicus. Stranger still, the professor has arrived on planet Earth in search of the pure water he needs to fuel his spaceship. One would think that on a planet that is 70% water this would be easy...however, Professor Angelicus and the children discover that finding pure water on a planet subject to ever-increasing pollution by humans is not that easy.

And so the journey begins, as the crew searches for pure water in lakes, oceans, and rainforests. Along the way the children meet and request help from the most unlikely characters: a talking French butterfly, King Crab, Dolphin, and an evil monster that morphs into its victim's greatest fear. By stating pertinent facts about our environment and "teaching without preaching," author L.B.B. Ward does an excellent job of interpreting relevant scientific and social topics. Covering natural history, biology, pollution, war, peace, respect, and community involvement, Ward explains how to become guardians or "sharelings" of the Earth. The author's personal closeness to nature, humanitarian spirit, and gentle voice provide a most needed call to action with this imaginative and clever new adventure novel.

Professor Angelicus brought my kids (and me) a surprisingly thorough environmental education and actual HOPE for the future - all within a fantastic adventure. I can't wait to read it to my littlest one in three years. Completely recommended!

I thought Prof. Angelicus was a beautifully written and challenging book. It broaches sensitive ecological issues in a thoughtful and engaging manner for young readers while not being didactic. Although, it sometimes has a tendency toward the polemical when it tries to do too much in a given chapter.

The novel tells a charming story with a sensitivity for the biological and the sciences in its use of specific nomenclature and in its specificity to earth processes. It certainly doesn't "talk down" to its young readers. The spiritual overtones will challenge young readers, however the overt Christian motifs and "capital G" God may be exclusive to children of other faiths.

The vocabulary,reading level and subject matter puts the novel in the 10 - 14 age range for me, yet the protagonists seem younger. Generally, young readers like to read about characters the same age or slightly older. Some children may take exception to Zak and Ivy; however the timeless themes and wonderful writing can carry the novel.

My own children, 12 and 14, seem to concur saying that the book was good and raised many questions about our relationship with the Earth, but there were times when the main characters seemed "babyish."

Definitly more stories of this calibre need to be published as they challenge children to consider our inherently mutualistic relationship with the Earth - a relationship we are compromising daily.

Living a seemingly normal life in a normal town, young Zak, his dog Ziggy, and his best friend Ivy are suddenly greeted by a strange and unfamiliar character named Professor Aquius Botanicus Angelicus. Stranger still, the professor has arrived on planet Earth in search of the pure water he needs to fuel his spaceship. One would think that on a planet that is 70% water this would be easy...however, Professor Angelicus and the children discover that finding pure water on a planet subject to ever-increasing pollution by humans is not that easy.

And so the journey begins, as the crew searches for pure water in lakes, oceans, and rainforests. Along the way the children meet and request help from the most unlikely characters: a talking French butterfly, King Crab, Dolphin, and an evil monster that morphs into its victim's greatest fear. By stating pertinent facts about our environment and "teaching without preaching," author L.B.B. Ward does an excellent job of interpreting relevant scientific and social topics. Covering natural history, biology, pollution, war, peace, respect, and community involvement, Ward explains how to become guardians or "sharelings" of the Earth. The author's personal closeness to nature, humanitarian spirit, and gentle voice provide a most needed call to action with this imaginative and clever new adventure novel.

I love Temari balls. If you want to learn this fascinating craft - you will find this book very helpful.

This is an excellent guide to help you create beautiful, and fun-to-do, Temari balls. Simple and easy to follow intructions are given.

I first became aware of Temari when I saw some balls on display by a lady offering lessons on how to make them. The lessons were $65.00. I decided to check Amazon.com before I gave up learning it on my own. I ordered this book and was thrilled with the results. The instructions are very easy to follow with lots of drawings showing exactly what to do. I was successful on my first try and I am delighted with my new hobby. I have just ordered a second book by Diana Vandervoort and can't wait to get it. By the way, the balls that I had seen on display were all from this book.

As far as I can tell, I own every Japanese and English book on Temari currently being published. This is the book I recommend to beginners who want to learn this wonderful craft. It would also be good for someone who knows a moderate amount already, as it has some advanced skills.

I first was introduced to temari while channel surfing, and stumbling onto the Carol Duval show on HG network when Diana Vandervoort was demonstrating her craft. I could not wait to get my hands on her book and try it for myself-mostly because I could not believe something so elegant and complex could be so easy to do! This turned out to be one of the easiest crafts I have ever tried, and I have tried my hand at A LOT of things. The photos are truly inspiring, and the instructions are some of the easiest to understand and follow. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, and new patterns.

This is a wonderful rhyming book that falls back time and time again on the refrain, "...I can do anything, anything at all!" and is much more than a beginning reading book. It is thrilling to a child (and to an adult for that matter) that with something as simple as string they can do so many different things, even while sick in bed (part of the theme of the story). My next-to-youngest child of four children begged me to read this book aloud over and over long after his beginning reading days were over. I think it struck a chord with him in regard to his natural mechanical abilities, and he started around then taking things apart and fixing them. Now at 25 he can fix just about anything. Our copy is falling apart, but I plan to keep on gluing it, taping it, or whatever is required to be able to keep on reading it, including to my grandchildren who are now under my homeschool tutelage and my great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, should I be blessed with so many years.

The book is in rhyme and tells the story of a little boy finding out many ways of using his "big ball of string." The illustrations are terrific and what captivated me as a child.

I am now 21 years old and I still remember this book being read to me as a child. My parents' copy is torn, colored in, and warped from humidity. If you are lucky enough to have this book for your kids, you can be secure in the fact that this is one that we (kids) remember fondly.

A wonderful rhyming story of Imagination and CAN-DO ability of a 6-9 year old child. The story begins with things to do with string out of bed. It ends with how many things can be done from bed. My decrepit copy begins at page 19, however is still enjoyed by, and hopefully inspires, first graders to step away from the TV. A MAGAZINE company advertises String a ma Thing a toy that had to have been inspired by this inventive boy. My copy is an orange-red hardcover, written and illustrated by Marion Holland and precious.

This was my favorite book growing up. I love the drawings and the ideas the boy came up to do with his string. I decided to go online to look for a copy I could read to my own kids. Now that I see how rare it is, I think I'm going to beg my parents for my old book back. Its a well worn book and has had its spine taped since it was read so much. But that's ok -- I still love it. (Besides, its all ready personalized for me -by me- in big red crayon "Kerry")

A few additional remarks besides the excellent review by Mr. Marold:
Even if you are not up to cooking these great dishes, this book is one of the most useful books if you plan on going there. Wolfert covers many specific places you may want to visit. She locates some important restaurants and chefs (even in San Francisco). She tells you what to eat in many cities. She tells you about things you may want to bring home, including some of the specialized pots which are very hard to obtain here; one exception is the U.S. maker of the pot on the cover. You can order the "Diable Charentais" by Googling and selecting the translation of the potter's page. Wolfert shows you how much diversity there is within short distances across this region.
For the cook as well as the traveler, no book in English is so perceptive, comprehensive and accurate. With attention, you can reproduce "the truth". She is also helpful to those of us who cannot assemble the authentic equipment and ingredients.
The importance of this new edition is the current information on people and places, and especially on the sources now accessible from home.

I would join with the other reviewers here in recognizing this work as a tour de force in the field of authentic, regional French cooking. I have owned the earlier edition for a number of years and have used it to produce successful, one-of-a-kind results. I would also echo the comments of others in warning prospective purchasers not to expect any simple, quick, or uninvolved recipes in this book. Many main courses require several steps of preparation spread over more than one day. It is also true that many of the recipes still call for ingredients that are hardly on the shelves of the average (or even above average) pantry (e.g., ventreche, piment d'Espelette, rendered duck or goose fat, etc.). Having said all that, there are some wonderful recipes here. However, the changes worked into this new edition sometimes leave me baffled. To take one example, both the old and new editions include a recipe for duck "ham," an air-cured preparation that, when it works, produces a prosciutto-like result. The substantive difference between the old and new versions of this recipe call for the cook to "shave off the duck skin [from the duck breast that is used to make the ham] leaving the fat underneath intact." This really calls for an illustration or at least some additional explanation, in my opinion, because the skin and subcutaneous fat on the duck breast I examined after reading this instrucion are, as I expected would be the case, as one. Note that in the earlier version of this recipe, the skin was left intact. I've found a few more such amendments to recipes that didn't seem to make things any clearer (not to mention easier), and while I cannot say that there aren't any recipes that have been improved by revision, they haven't jumped out at me yet. A few of the new recipes look interesting, but they rise to the same level of challenge as all of the other recipes in this collection always have. Still, for those willing to invest a great deal of time and attention in the preparation of authentic Southwestern French cuisine, this is THE text in English.

After visiting the southwest of France 3 months ago, I fell in love with their rustic cuisine. This book, the recipes & writtings, is just like reliving our fabulous 10 day vacation. This is a true gem, I can't wait to use my first recipe from it!

Since we just returned fro southwest France I wanted to find some receipes to make our favorite foods. The Cooking of Southwest France did just that. Great receipes and simple to make.

A revised edition of the 1983 book, this is a very authentic tome of sw french cuisine. Paula is one of our greatest cookbook authors, and you cannot go wrong with a single one of her books. The only draw back to this book is that not every recipe is 'doable' to the average home cook, as some ingredients (mainly animal fats) are very hard to find.

I've just finished reading this book; it was loaned to me by a niece of John Welch (the co-pilot, editor, and publisher of this book).

Great praise to John Welch for recognizing the value of his crew mate's (Briol's) diary when he saw it, and even more praise for his effort to make sure it was published so it could be shared with others.

And also, GREAT PRAISE for John Briol, the diarist, whose writings make up 95%+ of this book.

My iumpression is that John Briol, in large part, wrote this for you -- for US.

John had a sense that something was happening -- aerial war, conditions almost unendurable, terror, fear, courage, caring -- that needed to be captured and shared with someone both to preserve his sanity but also to pass something on to others (to US). He was not at all sure that he would survive but he hoped his diary would and he made arrangements to protect it in case he was killed.

John was obviously a perceptive man with a good facility for expressing himself. He never tried to be "literary" or to pose as an author. He simply -- and quite spontaneously and tellingly -- recorded day after day what it was like to endure combat and the threat of no return, measuring his required time against the required number of combat missions. He brought me really there. (His sentiments may be somewhat similar to those our soldiers in Iraq are feeling in April of '04).

I found his compassion (and those of other crerw members) for the civilian casualites to be somewhat affirming of the human race.

This is an EXCELLENT book. If a movie could capture the essence of this, it would be somewhere between "The Fog of War" and "Saving Private Ryan." It should be made.

Thank you, John Brion -- and John Welch -- for sharing.

I have been researching the brief life of an uncle who as a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17. I have enjoyed this book because it gives a new perspective on the battles in the skies over Germany. Rather than a long, dull recitation of historical facts and statistics like so many books provide, Briol's diary lets you see what day-to-day life was for a gunner on a B-17 and, especially important to me, what it was like for the ball turret gunner, specifically. Other books focus on missions and planes but this gives you insite into many details that you just don't learn in other books. Your butt and back will ache with Briol's after a day-long mission to the heart of Germany crammed into that little ball. You'll feel the freezing cold he felt even through his electrically heated clothing. And you'll get a sense of the stress that broke the spirit of many men watching nearby planes explode in flight right next to you and wondering if you're next.

This book will inform, entertain and make you ache for the pain that these men suffered for all of us.

If I could recommend only two books to learn what it was like in a B-17, I would recommend "Dead Engine Kids" and "Half A Wing, Three Engines And A Prayer" by Brian O'Neill.

This book is right up there with Bert Stiles' excellent book. It is dangerously readable: I bought it for a long trip, but read the first page and couldn't put it down... now I need another book to bring.

Somehow books written after the war get filtered by memory, if only slightly. They seem a bit more glorious than reality. Books written about the air war while it was happening record something that the memoirs don't. This is a down and dirty B-17 book. The crew's accounts and feelings about the air war come through so clearly that it made me wonder why I was reading this book about such a difficult thing to endure.

If you're interested in B-17's, or the air war in general, you need to read this book.

This mission by mission diary account of a brave B-17 crew is a book that is very hard to put down! Flying higher than Mount Everest while battling with german flak, fighters, and frostbite, this book is proof of our "Greatest Generation" in the grips of war. We shall forever be indebted to the service of these and all other WWII veterans. God bless you all!

"Dead Engine Kids" is a book written realistically. It reveals what it really was like to fly missions over Germany, and the anxiety and fear that each of the crew members felt. This book records events written down in diary form by the ball turret gunner and other members of the crew, expressing the realities of war. Two German women also wrote to tell their memories of living in Berlin when the Dead Engine Kids bombed it. The book far surpasses other books and movies concerning the air war over Germany. This account captures your attention from the time you begin to read it, and keeps it to the end. Avoiding foul language, the words and style are very good at generating and relating the feelings and emotions of the crew members during and between missions, in this period of their lives.

This is persented as a collector's price guide, so he can know the value of his Lucille Ball collection. It has rare pictures of her and is a must for any Lucy fan. The prices are outdated however and there are too few stories throughout the book. The book might feel to some as too much Lucy and not enough pictures of others who worked with her.

Let me start with the complaints. The prices that the items have designated to them are very off. You can easliy go to a flea market or an online auction and get most of the things at least 25% cheaper than they are listed as being worth in here. Maybe the prices are so high because the guy never planned to update it, but an update is what the book needs. After the 50th Anniversary of I Love Lucy there was a ton of stuff released. In all honesty a For The Love of Lucy Pt.2 book could be made, after all the book is 7 or 8 years old. Now moving on to the good stuff about the book. This book includes so many Lucy items that were made available from early on in her carrer to after her death that this book would be a great conversational piece for when you have any company. Each page is filled with stuff from cards and comic books, to dolls. This book is perfect for any Lucy fan who is or isnt collecting Lucy stuff. Overall this book is great, but updating it would be nice.

This book is full of photos of beautiful collectibles on Lucy - magazines, posters, toys, all sorts of memorabilia. It is wonderful to the Lucy fan to use a something of a check list. The one flaw is the absolutely ridiculous prices Wyman says some of these things are worth. I recently bought the 40s picture frame photo he says is worth $75 for $4! Many times I have paid less than a third the price he says these things go for. Wonder if he jacked up the prices expecting they would eventually fetch these rates in years to come. Still, this is a gorgeous book and he certainly does have an outstanding collection on Lucy.

Ric's does a beautiful job on this book. I get the feeling he really loves Lucy! Ric is a true fan. The photos and information on Lucy are outstanding!

Talk about complete! "For the Love of Lucy" is the ultimate book for fans and collectors of "Lucy" memorabilia. Filled with beautiful color and black & white pictures, along with helpful text and value estimates, this compendium will keep any fan busy for hours. I'm not a collector, but I found it thrilling to sift through all the pages and see the many different things out there. This would be a great birthday or Christmas gift for any Lucy lover you know.

I totally loved this book because it gave me real insights to all the relationships in my life. The author has a new take on the dynamics in relationships and puts the information across in a fun way. This is a great book that everyone needs to read - whether or not you are in a relationship. The style is easy to read - but don't be fooled - the information is powerful, and more importantly, it gives lots of practical solutions to the challenges identified. Do yourself and your loved ones a favour - buy a copy for yourself and one for everyone you care about!

Brigitte is 'cutting edge'on tips in Relationships ! Through her years of experiences of working with people she has picked up so much great infomation and practical suggestions ..
A must read ... and has helped so many people !!

Susie Mitchell (Authour - Satnav for the soul )

As a single woman who's been in and out of the dating scene, Brigitte Sumner's book made me think about how I was showing up both at work and in relationships. Some of what it has to say is not easy for us career women to hear -- when you're used to calling the shots it's not comfortable to step back and let someone else take charge simply because he's a man! But the advice Brigitte lays out in "Give Him Back His Balls" is compassionate, clear, funny, and has the ring of truth to it. Ladies, take note -- unless you want to be the "man" in your relationships, read this book and try its suggestions on for size!

If your relationship isn't yet as good as you know it can be, this book is a MUST read. While most books in this genre are full of esoteric, general, and largely useless statements about how men and women "are," Brigitte's book provides specific actions you can take upon setting the book down that will immediately begin the process of transforming your relationship into something you really want and are proud of.

Filled with real world examples from Brigitte's extensive coaching practice, her book provides an easy to follow road map to close the gap between your current relationship and move you to the relationship you always dreamed about and never thought was possible for you. Here's the awesome news...that perfect relationship does exist and this book will help you get there. Providing vignettes of what works and what doesn't, and following it up with fun quizzes that allow you to see where you are on track and where you aren't, Brigitte's approach ensures you will get your relationship on track in a way that works for you. Read the book and take action...she makes it that simple. She even anticipates common challenges and objections and deals with them almost before you can think of them.

Don't make the mistake thinking that this book is only for women. If you are a man who senses he misplaced his balls somewhere along life's path, you most likely have, and you'll get huge benefit from reading this book. Even if you're a man who knows he has a good grasp on his balls, this book will assist you in staying on that path. Male or female, on track in your relationship or not, or even not in a relationship, this book will propel you forward. It's insightful and helpful for both men and women alike, and better yet, it's even enjoyable reading.

Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Brigitte: I bought copies of her book for our two adult sons and their wives.

Get it, read it, benefit from it. You'll love it!

Brigitte in her book, GIVE HIM BACK HIS BALLS, gives the reader a real insight to what makes relationships works, how to find passion and happiness in all our relationships. With humorous stories and solutions, she guides you with practical tips and advice to improve any relationship.
A must read for all who choose to live and be in relationships!

Marcella Vonn Harting

I gave my granddaughter who is an avid "Lucy fan" this book for Christmas and she loved it because it focused on Lucy's movie career.

I'm a classic movie fan and read many biographies. This is the way biographies should be made! The author and publisher went all out for this wonderful book. The book is a real treasure for Lucy fans. It is beautifully packaged with wonderful cover and pages that are extremely well designed with text, pictures, bio and film notes. The dazzling color schemes and quality of the pages and pictures are first rate --there's nothing like this out there so kudos to the author! This is a first rate book all the way and look forward to more from the author -- how about a Rita Hayworth book -- no one else can do it like you!

This book is very well written and has wonderful pictures. The write up about Lucy gives even the biggest fans new insight into her life. It is a great way to find all the movies she was in.

To start off this is a great book and not being much of a reader myself I really love this one. It has great large pictures, hard to find pictures and the words are fairly large in this one also. Not being overly large like a kids reader but being the perfect size! But not only this, it has a lot of informative info aobut all of Lucy's movies that she has appeared in and also a despription of each movie. This is great because if you have never seen any of Lucille Ball's films you will get a thrill out of reading about all of the movies as well as jotting them down and looking online to buy them on DVD. This book has so much more also as well as the biography of Lucille Ball and a whole lot more! This is not a boring book but a nice fun book to read and to also make you want to read as well as some great info about the bright and talented star. The book itself is very large and very well made, as well as being thick. It looks like it costs about $50 it is so big and thick but I bought this through a book store in my local town for $29.99 which on the back of the book is the retail value so Amazon has a GREAT price!

"Lucy at the Movies" by Cindy De La Hoz is a coffee table sized visual treat displaying the varied movie career of America's beloved red headed comedienne. It spans Lucy's 5 decade career in movies. The text is easy to read and gives the full cast and credits of all her movies. It includes the synopis,notes and comments, and even the reviews of each movie. There are many pictures from her movies dispersed throughout the book. Also, to the delight of her many fans, there are numerous behind the scenes and other personal pictures of Lucy and her castmates.
This book is worth every penny and if you're a Lucy fan it belongs in your collection. Buy it. You'll treasure it always.

"Welcome to Mossy Creek the town you can count on ain't goin' nowhere, and don't want to" with these words you get the flavor of life in the small southern town of Mossy Creek. The people are fiesty, funny, sad, and loving. Each chapter is a different character's story. You learn the history of the dispute between Mossy Creek and the nearby town of Bigelow. Each chapter becomes a story unto itself while characters overlap occasionally in the tales. From Miss Ida, the guardian/mayor of Moss Creek who will go to jail rather than put up a new welcome sign outside of Mossy Creek (afterall it was written by a Bigelowan!) to Casey, an Olympic hopeful whose dreams are dashed while returning from her elopement, due to a car accident which leaves her paralyzed from the waist down, you will laugh and cry with the inhabitants of this marvelous town. Come on for the ride and enjoy a few moments in Mossy Creek. It is a fast read and powerful in its emotions.

I am not usually a fan of short stories, but this book was different. Each story is character sketch and many of the characters make guest appearances in other stories. This is truly fiction, all the characters are big-hearted people who trul y love their town and each other. I loved Mossy Creek and also couldn't decide story I liked the best

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - lots of fun, quirky characters. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I read this book because I love Deborah Smith's work. I figured at least her stories in the book would be fantastic. I laughed so hard with the first story my husband finally asked me to share the joke. And it just got better after that. I can not wait for the next book to come out! The characters were all fun and lovable. It made me wish my small town was a wee bit smaller, Southern and full of Mossy Creekites!

This tale about the residents of Mossy Creek will warm your heart and touch your soul. It's like sitting down with good friends for a piece of warm apple pie. Delicious!