Big Books

This just arrived today and already I have my next five or six knitting projects planned -- the patterns are GORGEOUS and the writing style makes me feel confident I can tackle these beautiful pieces. Can't wait for "Still More" from Moreno and Singer. I also can't emphasize enough how good for my own self-esteem it is to see so many photos of joyous, generously-sized women wearing clothes they love. Wearable art is for people of all sizes!

addresses real big girl problems and designs are contempory timely and fasionable something for every one.

Thank Heaven for Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer! They have come up with beautiful clothing for us Big Gals. Lise Varrette's photography is exceptional! The choice of models for each piece is like it was made for them! The patterns are clear and easy to follow. Their style of writing makes me feel like I'm learning from good friends. Right now I'm working on the Susie Hoodie and can hardly wait to finish it.

So little time, so many great patterns to knit! I highly recommend this book - and Big Girl Knits - for any Big Girl. Thanks to Jillian and Amy for helping us Bodacious Babes flaunt what we got!!

... and for the people who knit for them.

Love the book. It's a great follow-up to Big Girl Knits, with more techniques and patterns that flatter bigger women.

It's written for big girls who are frustrated with trying to find patterns that fit and flatter, but would be useful for anyone who knits for a larger girl.

I liked the first book and found this to be an excellent followup. I'm a novice knitter so I still have a learning curve, but this book has excellent pictures and a nice variety of patterns. The book is written in a fun style with a humorous approach.

When my son was three, he made me read this book to him so many times that even now, 22 years later, I know the entire thing by heart.

Kids love this book. Parents do, too, at least the first 10 or 12 thousand times they read it to the kids!

I adored this book as a kid (I'm in my 30s now). I haven't gotten my new copy yet, but I think there is a lesson about temperance at the end, but that's not what I recall: I just remember the sheer joy of more, more, more. With books that use so few and such simple words, it's often hard for an adult to distinguish the adequate from the great. Speaking for my very young self, I can tell you that this book is great.

This is my favorite children's book - it is especially fun to read out loud. It has a cute level of humor and I've even had a class of 3-year-olds laughing at it. A good learn to read book - but also a good story in general.

I love reading this book to my daughter (2 1/2). I got it when i was a small child and have held onto it as one of my favorites. It is quickly becoming her favorite as well...the story flows so well its really fun to read...my daughter likes to see how fast I can read it without messing up.

I love this book. It lends itself to many activities with monkeys or spaghetti.

This book is very well written and timely. Diane covers the basics of simple shower etiquette from being a gracious guest of honor to then writing the perfect thank you note! The book gives wonderful sample notes for categories including meal drop offs, gifts for twins, and how to "tactfully" say thank you for a unique/unfamiliar item. Diane's style of writing is easy to read and very straightforward. I would highly recommend this book for all Expectant Mother's who will be having a Baby Shower!

Diane surely knows moms-to-be have a lot to think about! With her witty guide to writing thank you notes, she gives moms-to-be and new moms the words to pen gracious and thoughtful thank you notes. If you're worried how to write a thank you note for a gift you'll need to return- have no worries- she even gives guidance on that!

I got this book for my friend who is pregnant with her first baby, and looking through it - I wish I had this a few years ago when I was writing all my baby thank you notes! This book gives you inspiration and ideas for every gift imaginable. With a new baby, anything that saves you time and stress is a lifesaver.

Who has the energy to think of meaningful things to say in a thank you note after just having a baby?! This book saved me so much time and stress when needing to write all those baby thank you notes. Very well written and classy book.

Moms-to-be get helpful samples of personalized thank you notes for gifts received from baby showers in Diane Quast's book, The Pregnant Pen. The sample notes for every gift imaginable are creative and gracious. What shower guest wouldn't appreciate a well-written thank you note for their gift? This book also gives etiquette tips for the expectant mom concerning her baby shower. This little book will take the struggle out of thank you note writing and even includes a sample registry for items needed for the baby. And the cover is adorable! I heartily recommend it.

Patricia Mendez
Author, Easy Entertaining for Beginners

This book has completely changed my view on heaven, Jesus, spiritual warfare, and so many other things. I already had an awareness of the warfare going on around us, but this blessed little child gave us descriptions that opened my eyes to the reality of what this warfare looks like and how prevalent it is all around us. It reminds us how important it is to pray the blood of Jesus over ourselves and others and be in the presence of the Holy Spirit constantly. She describes what Jesus smells like, tastes like and feels like, and even how He dances. The thing that was most moving is how she describes the "baby room" where aborted babies go when they die, and how Jesus personally ministers to them and cares for them and even sends little animals to sing to them and make them happy. I do not believe that this girl was simply given the "gift of wisdom," as one reviewer said, but was given the gift of experience and spiritual vision. I do not believe that she is just simply repeating what she has been taught. That's pretty obvious when you read the book, such as the part when she describes the creatures with the four faces. She describes 2 of the faces as kind of like a cat and a cow. The faces are actually a lion and an ox. If she was just repeating what she had been taught, she would have said they had the faces of a lion and an ox, not something that looked similar. What a delight this book is! It is so eye opening and everyone should read this book who is desparately pursuing the glory of God. Thank you for your gift, Victoria, and I look forward to reading your next book.

This was a fantastic book. It helped open my eyes to so many things. It is so important that this book does follow scripture.
I have had so many people borrow this book and pass it on to others that I bought a couple extra copies. It has blessed every one of the lives who I passed it on to.

I absolutely loved this book. It was definitely very easy to read. Also, the book has direct quotes of the Child talking about her visions and it's just so cute! (all the wrong pronounciations and such). The visions she had are true to scripture as well! It was wonderful to find out more about Heaven and also that God was taking care of all the unborn babies who were victims to (terrible!) abortions..

Strongly recommend!!

Excellent reading. This book encouraged me to pursue further into writing my heaven adventures! God is good!

read it in one setting...so comforting, so loving, so full of revelation power...a MUST read for every human on the planet!
Keys to Third Heaven...Using Third Heaven Revelation to Impact a World

Seers Handbook

Well-written and rich with up-to-date local information. We will travel with it later this year. Some minor editing glitches.

I love the Big Island, and every time we go I like to get a new guide book to find the new cool things we haven't done yet, and THIS BOOK has lots of COOL ideas of places to go and things to do as well as lots of information about the traditions and also about local flora and fauna. And, better yet, it's funny! As a busy mom of 3 kids, I don't get a lot of time to read so even planning a vacation, I want to be entertained. And I was while I was reading this book. Great stuff like comparing a maze at a botanical garden to the one in Harry Potter. You can tell the authors had fun with this one. I also really loved all of the quotes by famous people that they included. It also provided helpful information about Hawaiian culture and history, which I shared with my kids to help them enjoy and learn about the island. We love b&bs and this offered a lot of choices. It really helped us appreciate our recent trip so much more. I wish I'd had it years ago!!!!

There are lots of guidebooks out there, and if you're planning a trip to Hawaii, this should definitely be one of them! Fryklund and Reeder pull the best the Big Island has to offer into this information-packed volume in the Hunter Adventure Guide series. Literary and Hawaiian quotes abound, making it an enjoyable read as well. Full color illustrations and photos - this is on my list of recommended books for anyone visiting the Big Island!

This is one of the best guidebooks I've ever read. It has 500 pages and then there's also bonus material on a website. I could never do everything in this book even if I had a year of vacation instead of two weeks. But it'll be fun to try. Definitely like the chapter on Hawaii Volcanoes National Park . It talks so much about hikes and drives and how to see lava, but also about the native songbirds and the goddess Pele and her "curse." Good stuff.

I had hoped to find a new guidebook for the Island of Hawaii. Sadly, this was not it. The book may be OK as an overview for a first trip to the island (week or less) but it is too superficial to be of enduring use.

This book is great! A marvelous example of how a little information can tell a lot. I recommend this to all my homeschool friends as a history of the world baseline. Very well written with just enough information to get at the real meat, and capture the essence of each period.

The Big Bang to Now: A Time Line is a penetrating but easy-to-understand overview of the current scientific history of the universe. Reading it along with more detailed books like Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything or Dawkins' The Ancestors Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life makes both books more rewarding.

But there is one question I have heard asked more often than any other. It is whether it is possible to live a life committed to religious values and at the same time to accept most of what science says today about the world. For anyone asking this question, I cannot recommend a better book to read alongside The Big Bang to Now than Edward O. Wilson's The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. It demonstrates that it is possible to embrace a scientific world view and be at the same time a deeply religious and committed believer. In fact, science can deepen one's awe of the world God has created, and make our guardianship of it more effective and caring.

Sissons' The Big Bang to Now and Wilson's The Creation each deserve five stars for what they tell us about the world and our place in it. Put together, they deserve six.

I have now read this book twice - small paperback, easily tucked in to one's bag with print that is easy on old eyes. Reminds me somewhat of Karl Rahner's "Prayers for Meditation" `62 and might be a rich jumping off point for self-centering. I read it first from the perspective of a person who believes in God and the second time as someone who believes that there is no God... I found the latter approach more terrifying. If God is not our parachute... She states that "whether you think our past can help us make better decisions for our future, or want to decide if the discoveries of science reflect a creative design that deepens or contradicts religious belief, it's a book that reveals a sometimes beautiful, sometimes brutal, always amazing universe."
The book often brings one up short "Earth may be unique in the Universe. If there are other planets where we could survive, they are thousands of light years away, we haven't found them yet, and if they exist, we won't have the means of reaching them for a considerable time. IF we do manage the trip and somebody is there before us, we might not be welcome. So if we want to survive, we had better take care of our Earth. Living somewhere else that doesn't depend on support from Earth isn't going to be possible any time soon." (page 29). She ends by saying that "In about 4 billion years, our sun will run out of energy. Earth, our solar system, and some day our galaxy will burn out. Ultimately, even the entire Universe may end. Bleak as this may sound, neither science nor religion assume this is the end of the story. We live in mystery." (pg 211)
This treatise on time, on life, on relationships, on personal responsibility is thought-provoking, inspiring, and humbling. I found myself oscillating between determination and despair, and between anxiety and inspiration as to my role (infinitely small and seemingly inconsequential) for the survival of our universe. But it is profoundly important for my own life, my own development, my own sense of peace.

I recommend Terry Sissons' The Big Bang To Now: A Time Line as both an interesting read and a handy reference guide. When I first received a copy, I opened it randomly and learned that dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago; homo sapiens' migration from Africa took only 10,000 years to reach China and Australia; and Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901. I settled down for an easy, informative read that gave a straightforward perspective on the basic cosmic and historic events of the last 13 billion years.

Though that first read would have been plenty to rationalize the cost of The Big Bang to Now, I continue to find it a valuable reference. My college bound daughter has absconded with my first copy because she wants it at school to answer a multitude of questions that come up from friendly discussions to writing papers. I have obtained copies for both home and the office because it is so easily helpful in answering "When was that?" whether the query is about astronomy, anthropology, science, or western civilization. I have a friend who carries a pocket atlas in her handbag. Now that I have a copy of The Big Bang to Now with me, an understanding of the world we live in and how we got here is always at our fingertips.

This exciting version of the whole of time divides time into about 100 eras and gives a one page, wrily factual account of each.
The opposite page of each section, has a thought-provoking commentary on the era.
It is an inviting, easy read suitable for anyone from early teens to ancient.
But, no, it is not trivial. The brief summaries of each era are soundly based on the up-to-date knowledge of 2006- with a clear reminder that science is what we know now and will surely change as time goes by. That is a good lesson for anyone to learn, and this book is an easy way to learn it.
A compulsive book for the dipper-in, there are plenty of pointers to further reading on any age that grabs.

I love this book. Pictures for every recipe and ingredients I can find at my local grocery store. Lots of fun going through for a shopping list, hard part is deciding what to make. Includes a kids' favorites section with dishes kids can help plan and make.

This book is amazing. We have made four of the recipes so far and had four incredibly yummy meals and they took very little time and effort to do... just as it advertises. Go figure. By the time I get home from work the last thing I want to do is spend two hours making dinner, so I am very thankful to have found something like this.

This cookbook has not failed me yet. I have tried about half of the recipes and would make all of them again. Only two meals needed a bit of extra spices, but that's an easy fix. The recipes are versatile, easy, have common ingredients, and each recipe is pictured as part of a well-balanced meal (giving those of us non-cretive types ideas on veggies or other sides). I recommend this book without reservations.

I received this book at my bridal shower. I've since bought copies for many of my friends. I LOVE that every recipe has a picture and nutritional information. The ingredients are basic things that I always have in the pantry. The meals are quick, healthy and taste great. The directions are very easy to follow. I recommend this book hands down! LOVE IT!!!

I have never left a review before, but I had to write one about this book - All of the recipes are simple with easy to follow directions - And there are pictures to go along with every recipe - There is even a section of food for kids - Most of the ingredients are things that you are already going to have in your pantry - Fabalous must have for anyone who doesn't always have a lot of time -

It was in very good condition, came in a quick amount of time and Was very cheap about half off the retail price, while in the same condition you would find it, in any book store. I was very pleased with the order and if the seller has anything else in future, I would buy from him and suggest to others to buy from this seller.

BESM (Besm): How do I put this? This book is anything every GM, DM, Storyteller, or player could hope for. This book makes any storyline possible, any ability ever imagined can be done, this book is as limitless as the genre its about. Keep in mind this comes at a minor price. This is really not a beginners book into role-playing. Although it does give you a grasp of role playing if you are not used to complicated rolling procedures it shouldnt be used as a game book. If that is the case, it still makes a great resource book for comming up with stories. If you wish to put the time into it to make it your primary book it can be most worth it.

I liked the book it makes it easy to create a rpg based of any kinda anime. The ruels are easy and simple. I've even started applying the weapon flaw rules to my D20 games

Big Eyes Small Mouth has gotten even better.

For those who enjoyed the tweaks made to the 2nd edition, these words may be hard to believe, but trust me, it's true. With the newest edition of their anime-inspired role-playing game system, Mark C. MacKinnon and David Pulver have created what is at once both an incredibly streamlined, simple, and fun game, and also a deeply complex, customizable, and rich gaming experience.

First, the TriStat system, what the original BESM was built on (using the three stats of Body, Mind, and Soul to build a character and make rolls) has been changed to a roll-high rather than roll-low system. Instead of trying to roll under a number, you're now trying roll above it, making the game more intuitive and accessable for afficionados of other games like D&D and GURPS. Most everything else will be similar however. You still get a set number of points with which to buy your stats, collect Attributes and Skills (which have now been more integrated, nixing the need to load up on 6 levels of Highly Skilled in order to have a competent character), and get bonus points with Defects.

The changes made to these standbys are mostly "more of everything." You start out with more points than ever before, so most things cost more. However, you also have a broader spectrum of powerful attributes from which to choose, with effects that you can either customize (creating anything from a powerful magic artifact to a highly-evolved AI in your spy gear) or can leave completely alone if you don't want to fuss with the rules. Constant notes (titled "Keep it Simple") are made throughout the book of ways to streamline the experience to make it less complicated, even allowing for near-diceless playing (by "taking 6" instead of actually rolling).

Combat has been expanded as well, with more Armour options (including expanded Shield mechanics for defense), more information on performing wild stunts (in or out of vehicles), and several tactical options like going all defensive (to gain a bonus by not attacking) or holding your action until triggered by your enemy (allowing you break their stride during an attack). Many elements that used to be seperated are now combined to allow for less confusion (Kensei and Gun Bunny are now all "Combat Techniques," so you Munchkins don't have to spend twice the points to be able to wield both two swords AND two guns), and features like "Targeted" abilities allow you to gain bonuses when facing certain foes with certain weapons.

Magic has also recived an overhaul, with powers being divided into Dynamic Powers or bought individually as abilites (Flight, Mind Control, etc.), or even created using customizable attributes with enhancements, defects, and even some spell and spellcaster templates (Want a targeted beam of holy destruction to smite your enemies? You got it, and if you don't like the example in the book, make up your own).

Additionally, there are more options than ever for items, character classes and races (more than 40 templates are provided for classes and races in 3rd Edition like Half-Orcs, cat-girl Nekojin, Mercenaries, Students, and Demon Hunters), and, most importantly, setting.

Skills now have even more genre options (new examples include Historical: Steampunk, Modern Day: Superhero, and Historical: Ancient Greece/Rome) leading to even more options for customizing the setting of your game. In addition, BESM now has an official setting - the Anime Multiverse, seven interconnected worlds linked by the Cosmic Web and joined by World Gates. Earth is joined by the demon world Bazaroth, the high-fantasy Ikaris, the space-operatic Cathedral, and several others. You could start as a highschool studen on earth and end up as a space pirate rebelling against the Galatic Trade Authority in the Interstellar Diaspora.

Game Masters and players can either absorb all of this information for vast and almost-endlessly complex world-hopping adventures using loosely-canonized plot elements, or can just roll up a few basic characters for a simple game, or literally anything in-between. With BESM 3e, the creators have literally placed all of the power to create as complex or as simple a game in your hands, all using the same intuitive and easy-to learn mechanics and loveable style that made BESM a hit years ago.

So what are you waiting for? There's whole worlds out there to discover.

What can I say Big Eyes, Small mouth was like a gift from the gods. I was over at my brothers place for a weekend and he told me about this game. At that moment I made it my quest to get this book. You see I am a huge Otaku (Anime Fan). Well a roleplaying game that you get to roleplay an anime character well how could I not want to get it. I am also a very big person in RPGs as well I have been role playing for 12 years. Played Vampire, D&D 2ed & 3rd, Kindred of the east, Chtulhu, and others not going to name them all. But this RPG I now love more then all the others. The types of Genres and settings are limitless and the only limit you have is your own imagination. You can play anything from Big giant Mecha battles like you see in Robotech, Macross, and VOLTRON!! All the way to your supernatural horrors to even your fantasy worlds like D&D you could even have a game like Vampire. The Characters aren't limited to Races or classes like most games are. Its a very wonderful game. I recommend anyone who is creative and who loves anime to purchase this book. I even have people who hate anime interested in this game and they enjoy playing it. So buy a copy of this book you won't be disappointed.

Reclusive, cranky, Seth Peterson is not an engaging protagonist. Okay, so he rescues a woman from a burning car in the first ten pages. But he doesn't really like people, particularly in crowds-say two or three ort more. Make a presentation to a group of scientists? Forget it. Do a stint in front of the camera-fainting time. But stick with Seth Peterson and you begin to find him sympathetic, engaging and more importantly, involved in some serious stuff. He grows on you.

Peterson is a researcher for something in Washington D.C. called The National Ice Center. He and his fellow scientists study frozen water. Doesn't sound too interesting or very important but the fact is, if the polar ice caps melt due to global warming or any other phenomenon, the resulting rise in ocean temperatures would be catastrophic. Consider Miami under 200 feet of ocean water. What's more, it wouldn't take the liquefying of all that ice around north and south poles to bring on major disaster. Seth Peterson knows that. He knows that if one shelf of ice separates from the south polar glacier, it would be a major disaster. He believes he's found a method to predict such a phenomenon. A significant forewarning might allow the world's scientists to do something to reduce or eliminate the disaster. But what if certain forces in the world want to keep that information from the world?

That's the basis for this very engaging novel. Bonn Jonnes has crafted a scary and very interesting scenario. He takes a potential global event and carves it down to human terms, bringing together the forces of good as represented by a lovelorn, flawed individual with important knowledge, struggling against his own inadequacies and a mysterious force that wants to destroy him and his knowledge.

Regardless of a few coincidences, and an over-the-top chase scene, once readers get to know Seth Peterson they'll root him on to the final resolution. The last two or three chapters are fine. A fun, engaging novel.

Big Ice is an exciting and suspenseful tale of threat, extremism, and heroic desperation. When a reclusive polar ice researcher discovers a "doomsday fault" that could potentially cause a massive amount of ice to detach, melt, flood coastal cities around the globe and wreak havoc upon humanity, he is thrust in the center of a nexus of journalists, law enforcement officials, and ruthless fanatics determined to make cataclysmic prophecies come true. A gripping and thrilling read, Big Ice documents author Christopher Boon Jonnes as a gifted and original novelist of considerable talent and storytelling expertise.

I've read books with high acclaim from top reviewers that can't come close to Cristopher Bonn Jonnes's "BIG ICE." The book fits all the accolades of a best seller.

Seth (the main character) . . . who can't love him even with his personal problems? To me he represents the fears in us all and how most of us have run away from something when we should have stayed. For me, Seth did more than overcome his problem of Social Phobia; he tells the reader, through his ordeal, that we are all heros when we stick out the hard times and remember those who mean the most to us, viz. our families and true friends.

I had to keep reading this book because it pulled me into its story with the non-stop action, suspense, and intrigue. Author: Christopher Bonn Jonnes has set a new trend in a genre that I thought was worn out and uninteresting---not so with "BIG ICE." You won't be disappointed if you like shoot'em up, narrow escapes from death, and grizzly scenes that make you cringe. You'll be cheering for the main character, and I promise, he will not fail you when the time comes.

Get it! Buy it! and enjoy it!

What about it, Christopher? ---can we take the sequel to the Antarctic?

From the author of: "Whipped Pups of Bitterbrush" M.D. Cummings

Just to set the record straight "Big Ice" was written and created before the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." I think to get a real feel for the catastrophic, global warming scenario and potenial planet killer phenomenon, you should read "Big Ice". Not to mention the book has a great plot and story line. It keeps the reader from yawning after seeing so many world calamity movies that always seem to wallow in the same predictable plot: I mean how many times have you seen the Statue of Liberty drowning in Ice, sand, water, or evil slime?

Christopher Bonn Jonnes, has a great novel with "Big Ice" one that will thrill any readers who not only like to read about global calamities, but enjoy suspense, drama, and mystery. Check it out and see what I mean.

---M.D. Cummings

In his debut suspense novel "Wake Up Dead" Christopher Bonn Jonnes combined intriguing characters and cutting edge science to produce a riveting read. All too often the second book from an author is weaker in terms of character development, plot or some other structural problem. That certainly isn't the case here where the author has once again combined intriguing complicated characters with cutting edge science to produce another intense read.

Seth Peterson witnesses a car crash during a snowstorm in Washington, D.C. As the crashed Blazer begins to smolder and the on looking crowd does nothing, Seth rescues the driver narrowly escaping the escalating flames. Unfortunately for the seriously social phobic Seth, the rescue brings unwanted media attention.

Seth has more than enough scrutiny that he can stand thanks to his discovery. As a Polar Ice Researcher, he believes that he has developed a program through his job at the National Ice Center, to identify where and when large slabs of the Antarctic Ice Shelf might break away. The results of such a massive release of ice would be disastrous for a world unprepared. Such knowledge could be worth millions and power to some.

Such knowledge would especially be important to members of a doomsday cult that believes an ancient and very overdue prophecy is finally about to come to fruition. Since Seth can predict where and when, it stands to reason in their minds he could assist them in actually making it happen. They need his knowledge willing or otherwise to assist them to fulfill the prophecy and thanks to the media exposure have a very good idea where to find him.

The chase is on as Seth narrowly escapes their clutches and what follows in this 244 page novel is a book full of intriguing characters with plenty of action as well as plenty of plot twists and turns. The book does slow down at times as information on ice formation and little known opposing viewpoints on the issue of Global Warming are discussed. However, each time the information is presented, it is done in an educational non-preachy way and is used to ultimately further advance the book.

This is one of those authors that modern publishing houses who seem bent on following cookie cutter methods should pick up. Better than a lot of what is being pushed by the big boys of publishing, this novel is an example of an author who can be counted on to write tight well-written novels full of intriguing characters and cutting edge science. This book, like his first, is well worth the read and this is one author you should definitely keep your eye on for the future.

My 8-month old loves these books. The pictures are simple but endlessly fascinating to him, and the message is simple and clear. I read this, "Yummy-Yucky" and "Quiet-Loud" every day to him and he never tires of them. (I cannot say the same for every book I want to read to him.)

My daughter is 17 months old and I am now buying this book for the second time because she has already overused her old one. At one point she was just bringing me pages and seemed so disappointed when all I could do was turn the cardboard over. I eventually had to just throw the pages away and get a new one.

Cute board book for little ones. Its even cuter when I catch my just turned 4 yr old reading it to her 18 month old sister.

The illustrations in this book are incredible, bright, rich and so beautiful to look at. There are only a few words on each page which is really great for the littlest of kids. They'll sit through this one, for sure! This is a must own book!!!

This book became an instant favorite with our 5 month old baby. She loves the smiling baby on each page and the bold colors capture her eye. Great book for little ones.