Ball Books

I am 12, and I love to read. I have read countless books in my life, and I have to say, this book is definitely in my top 5. I picked it up last summer at the library, when it was new, and let me tell you, I am so happy that I did! Packed with humor, love, adventure, action, and suspense, it is fit for any age, 9+, definitely not stopping at 12!! I think anyone would enjoy this book, especially of the are dog or science fiction lovers. With a touch of a love story, a humourous storyline- I laughed out loud many times reading this book, even when when no one else was in the room, and the science fiction twist, this book has something for everyone to enjoy.

I loved this book from the first page to the last...I can't believe I read it through so quick. I just really wanted to know how it turned out (don't worry, I won't spoil it for you).

The chase scene is great, and I loved the gags about the A.N.O.S.

When do we get to read Space Dogs 2?

Daniel age 12

I picked up this book thinking I wouldn't be into a kids story. I couldn't put it down. I read it in one weekend, and I loved the jokes, the story, the sci-fi, the adventure and I give it two thumbs up.. or should that be two paws up :)

It says this book is recommended for ages 4-8 but I think it could go higher. I've read it twice with my twin fourth graders and each time evoked a nice discussion on the meaning of friendship and how kids can navigate through life with more compassion and understanding.

This book is a treasure!

This book has beautiful drawings and a simple yet elegant story about friendship and feelings. Cuddle up with your young child and read this important book together. Then talk about it! You'll be glad you did.

I have been present at a reading of this book to a group of children ranging in ages from toddler to pre-teen. The questions at the end instilled a lot of discussion and insightful views from the children. I can't wait for the next book from this team!

This book is the best and easiest to follow book on strength training I have ever used. It was referred to me by my certified strength training coach. Not only for basketball but for any sports program and especially for young people getting started. Careful guidance on how to begin, how to set up your own program, and how to adjust the program as needed. Very straightforward and well-written. The basics have never been so well presented...and these basics will have profound and safe results for anyone who follows the program as presented. Absolutely excellent!

This is an excellent book for strength training. The book gives you a 12 month program that lays out the exercises and amount of weight to use every day. The amount of weight is determined by testing that is part of the program. The program is 4 different phases..offseason 1, offseason 2, pre-season, and season. My high school age son has been using the program from the book for only 5 weeks and I can already see the results.

This Was a really good Book

The book is a quick and informative read. Interesting things on the characteristics of a golfball, dimples, and compression. Of course the current golf ball information is outdated and so is the comparative study. The most comprehensive book out there now is at www.golfballsrevealed.com which is up to date and can be considered a updated version of this book and with some great bonuses.

Very nice, loved the statistics on the different ball

Great book. Very informative and easy to understand. Was surprised at all the differences and technologies used to construct a golf ball. Became very aware of the types of balls available for the various types of golfers. The results of the independent study and testing of the golf balls were very interesting. This book really helped me in determining what ball to use for my type of game. I would recommend it to anyone who plays the game of golf...especially those who think the golf ball has little to do with their game. It also had a section on distance titanium drivers and an independent study and test as well...very interesting results.

Interesting read title does not clearly depict the nature of the book. The title makes it seem as a dark story of an african american family in the south. The book chronicles the struggle and racism that faced by this family and many families during the civil war time period.

This book caught me so well, that even though I left my original copy on an airplane, I had to get another copy! In this book, I found it much more than just about the Harleston family. There was so much in there about the history of Charleston, the beginnings of Jazz and Blues, and the the transformation of the South in the late 1800's and 1900's.

There was a lot to like about this book: the style, the pace, the depth of the family history, as well as the way the events were placed in the course of what was happening at the time. I particularly enjoyed the information related to the music and art of the time.

This is a tremendous book, and a great read. While I realize it could have been about 100-200 more pages, I would have liked to know more about the life of Edwina during her adult years. While she was one of the few members of the her family still alive in the mid-1900's, it seems the meat of the book ended in the 1930's.

A highly recommended book, a sure one to keep around...and pass around!

1/29/03 After scanning through the many pages of illustrations and photographs and portraits of the Harleston family ,I found the book even more intriguing by going to the 'Notes'(pgs 353-371) and the Index(Pgs 375-384) and follwing through on the events in the lives of certain of the Harlestons(e.g.):Eloise"Ella" Harleston and Edwin A."Teddy" Harleston.

I am a physical therapist and found this book to be very helpful in learning exercises on the theraball and for creating home exercise programs for patients. Very useful!

This book illustrates cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility exercises using the Swiss ball, rubberized tubing, and dumbbells. The text also illustrates correct techniques as well as different levels of difficulty for each exercise. Good book to own!

This book is excellent! It shows illustrated step by step instructions to complete each exercise. Great for rehab purposes or just toning up. There are about 190 pages of instruction. The instruction not only includes the swiss ball but also the swiss ball with dumbells and resistance band. This exercise book strengthens your mid-section (abs, truck area. Once again, this is an excellent book!!

Dr. Vincent Wolfe has plans for his lover Kyle this weekend. He demands his sub make amends for hiding his medical fetish from him. Master Wolfe's punishment will have Kyle screaming in ecstasy all weekend long.

Specula is an enticing and erotic combination of BDSM, medical play, and romance. Master Wolfe is very commanding yet it's crystal clear how much he loves Kyle. Vincent and Kyle's relationship goes way beyond their kink. Their trust, love and mutual desires are palpable. Specula is intensely kinky, very hot, and very romantic. Mr. Black nailed this. It's perfect.

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

What happens when you have a submissive who's in a contracted full-time, Master/slave relationship, and he has this secret medical fetish, while his Master happens to be a real life medical doctor? Well, Mychael thoroughly and convincingly answers this question as he gives us a stunning glimpse into the intriguing world of medical play.

The story's presented in an intriguing way, giving us a daily record with direct observations from the submissive's point of view. The story's time frame spans over a weekend, with fascinating bits of back story in the beginning, and once the stage is set, you might as well strap on those stirrups and hold on tight, because Mychael treats us to one delicious, mind-blowing story.

I admit I have a fascination for medical play stories, and I've read a few that made me feel like the author was just writing for the shock value. But not with this author. I actually read a little online on this particular play, to help with the mind set and mood, and perhaps that factored into my reaction to this, because I found myself squirming in my chair in a very aroused kind of way.

Mychael writes those minute little details that just strap you right into the action, creating those kinds of visuals that shouldn't be arousing, but most definitely are. Mychael tempers the intensity of the scenes with soothing touches and tender endearments, gently reminding us this is a loving relationship between the two men, as one needs and the other satisfies those needs. But don't think this is all sweetness and fluff, because as the weekend progresses and the energy of the scenes increase, the depth of feeling between the two men intensifies. By the third day, I was breathless and just a little restless.

And in the end Mychael gives us a little down time as the men share an intimate meal and a romantic moment. An appropriate ending to this intriguing story. Kyle and Vincent's characters were well-developed for the length of the story, the author giving us those important character moments to establish the men's playful, affectionate relationship. Again this author has surprised me, and pleased me.

After I discovered the Deviations series by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne, I gained a new appreciation for BDSM-themed stories. However, medical play is not one of my favorite story lines. So, I'm not sure what spurred me to buy this novella except that I have enjoyed most of the author's other work and it had two very positive reviews. I'm glad I bought it. It was a fun story, with an uncommon execution that worked brilliantly.

This story is told in the first person, through diary entries over a weekend. The speaker is Kyle, a full-time submissive whose master happens to be a doctor. And Kyle just happens to have a medical fetish, which he had been hiding from his master. The diary format was an excellent way to tell Kyle's story. It kept a reader focused on him, when it is all too easy to be distracted by the dominant. It made the story more intense, as all the details are reflected through his eyes, his needs. It drove home just how vulnerable he is allowing himself to be. And it was hot. Though standard intercourse occurs, it is not the source of eroticism in their weekend-long scene. Most of the "action" takes place in an exam room, after all. Some of it was just a little too much (outside my comfort zone) for me, but it was always true to the characters. What I really liked about this story was the interplay between Kyle and his master outside the exam room. Black is careful to express the care and love in their relationship as much as the spanking and sex. And the ending was wickedly funny, as well as tender. In just about 30 pages, I found myself caring about these two men.

Overall, though medical play still isn't my favorite, this story was very well done and I highly recommend it - especially to those who do enjoy that theme.

DeFleur does an excellent job of first providing the historical background for each theory, then moving on to provide both detail and context for the most significant theories in mass media development.

Logically enough the authors begin with a chronological sequence of events in the study of mass communication. They talk about the theories, assumptions, and personalities who shaped the field in its infancy. Various media forms are given attention in subsequent chapters.

A seque is made to viewing media holistically from a systems perspective. From here we're taken to a discussion of media effects. This section of the book starts with the assumptions of the magic bullet theory in the early days of media research. It is explained how these assumptions and early theoretical works proved inadequate to explain the complexities of the actual workings of media upon audiences.

In the final section of the book media in contemporary society is addressed. This book accomplishes its goal of providing a history of media research and bringing readers up to date on current theoretical thought.

This book was excellent at explaining in detail some excellent well known and lesser known mass comm theories. Not only does the book give excellent theories but also gives numerous examples of how these theories apply to daily life and the many facets of communication as a whole. Well worth the price and the time. Especially helpful if working on a thesis.

These stories carry in them a slice of the memory of the world from a certain corner of the globe. As one who grew up in those places where these stories are set in, I am able to see myself in the midst of the characters that come alive in this anthology. One could come from any part of the globe to see the universal human story in these tales. The unrelenting march of technology in the information age and in the era of globalization clearly sometimes out paces us- making us believe that speed regardless of direction is all important. Once in a while we pause and wonder what really the essentials that make up life are. These villages, the simple and cultured characters and their hardships will come to remain with you making you ponder long after you have kept the book down. The writing style is simple yet absorbing and the pictures are candid speaking their own stories in their own way.

The author talks about the beauty of an Indian village and the Great values held by these Simple people in the village.
Alamelu, Santhosam and vidivelli are some of the unforgettable characters. The simple narration make the reader live with the characters. I couldn't resist the temptation to live a village life after reading this book.

It's simply superb.

Waiting for the next set of stories...

I have nothing to gain from writing this brief review of Kumar's "Ticket to the Moon." However, I was one of two volunteer editor's, and the major one. Kumar and I are members of the Tampa Writer's Alliance critique group. I became entranced with his stories of rural life in a poorer region of southernmost India and asked him if he wanted me to take a look at them.

If you, as a reader, want to learn a bit more about the culture of this region, I highly recommend this book to you. I learned a lot from his short stories. And, I continue to work with him, presently reviewing (no money is involved) a novel he is working on, set in the same area of India.

This is a p. xiii: "Jewish spiritual guidebook [but] offers its fruits freely to anyone who feels a resonance with it...celebrates their commonalities & underscores their differences" while p. 175: "Looking at the Jewish path from the vantage point of the Far East." The author demonstrates that the Jewish spiritual tradition (as opposed to mainstream Judaism) parallels Eastern mysticism in many areas including: mantra, mandala, meditation, karma, immanence, spiritual sexuality, visualization, the infinite/nothingness, reincarnation, spiritually healing the world, etc. He explains Eastern/Western parallels via psychology: p. iv: "The religious psychology of Carl Gustav Jung offers a key to understanding the unity & diversity among spiritual paths" & p. 106: "Eastern & Jewish tradition both draw their inspiration from the same universal archetypes." Nevertheless, p. xii: "Other spiritual paths can frequently illuminate Torah in new, wonderful & unexpected ways." This open minded approach is valuable because, p. 176: "As religious institutions mature, spiritual experience frequently takes 2nd place to institutional stability. Every human institution, if it is to endure & mature, needs periodic fine tuning of its routines & image." Thus, IMHO cross-cultural comparative religion can help with religious paradigms & religious life cycle [my terms]. The author also provides a number of exercises. Many of these seem aimed at bringing secular Jews into observant practice--stressing the spiritual aspects & interpretation of normative Jewish observances. He does, however, IMHO inject some personal assumptions, untenable arguments (e. g. that kashrut was intended to promote vegetarianism--then why sacrifice animals on the altar & then eat them?), & equivalences religion & spirituality. I liked the final exercise (pp. 231-2) best--it includes visualizing oneself climbing the spiritual mountain then riding a sunray to the sun--and back. As in the Eastern archetype of the Bodhisattva, the spiritual Jew's work is here on Earth--raising the spiritual level of humanity.

For years I had been trying, usually unsuccessfully, to convince friends that my interest in (and practice of) such New Age ideas as the studying the seven chakras and reading the Tarot were NOT incompatible with traditional western religion. So not surprisingly, Rabbi Blank's title caught my eye as a promising means of validation of my own views; it was the first (and so far, only) book I'd ever found that attempted to show how one can indeed take the best philosophies and practices of several worlds--spiritually speaking--and make good use of those tools. But don't let the whimsical sounding title fool you into thinking that this slim volume is lightweight, however; the Torah is definitely in there, too, especially toward the end of the book, and Blank's take on a lot of issues, in fact, caused me to reexamine some of my most deeply held beliefs. I found myself reading familiar old stories, but seeing them as if for the first time. Blank's book, for me, was a moment of serendipity that drove me deeper into Judaism on one hand, while allowing me to retain my other "tools" on the other. This book is truly a rarity among the plethora of "guides" of every description available now for us Seekers, and our numbers are legion. Perhaps the meta-message here is that we CAN all work together, particularly in the important work of reaching toward the spirit, seeking a higher self.

The title of this book attracted my attention and so I purchased it. I have studied Tao and Tantra and now as someone returning to a somewhat traditional Jewish lifestyle I was wondering if he had any new take on things. It is a large undertaking to put together a book like this and on that criteria he is to be congratulated but his take on things is decidedly from the reform Judiac backround that he represents and as such some of his arguments are highly opinionated not looking into how traditional judaism would spin it. Of course this would make the book 3x the size and again I can't blame him. Overall an interesting read but if you want to synthesize tantra, tao, tarot, meditation, etc, books by Aryeh Kaplan are suggested. Although not specifically talking about those topics, books like Jewish Meditation discuss auras and kundalini energy from a traditional Judaic perspective and give interesting historic backround. For those interested in the structure of the spiritual universe and angels, demons, realities, Steinsaltz's The Thirteen Petalled Rose is highly reommended. Blank's book is an interesting read nevertheless with some interesting historic facts I was unaware of. One complaint was that although some of his references were great such as Mantak Chia's books on Taoist thinking, the recapitulation of those facts was slightly incorrect. Ok would I recommend the book? Yes, but I would disregard any statements of opinion and definitely read Aryeh Kaplan to get a traditional and more classic reading of those things I mentioned.