Big Books

This is a great source for Yosemite Big Walls. It provides valuable information including strategies, ratings with relative comparisons to other big wall routes, approaches, precise topos, optimum belays and bivy locations, pitch-linking possibilities, weather/seasonal factors, and descent routes. For those interested in Yosemite Big Wall history, there is a section devoted to the pioneers of Yosemite Big Wall climbing that is quite interesting. All in all, a great book for Yosemite's Big Walls. Thumbs up!!

Yosemite's best in painstaking detail -- a truly outstnading resource !

These topos are the best on the planet!

They are so detailed they allowed me to relive most of the hard or akward sections on the wall, occasionally even describing a single move. With the supertopos you can be ultimately prepared, as they include to what extent "clean routes" depend on fixed gear and what to bring if some of it rips out.

Real wall-rats/purists might feel that it removes some of the adventure, but then again you don't have to read everything and there is still plenty adventure left. Also the stories of the first ascents and histories of the climbs make it the ultimate guide, and even a good read.

Reading it got me so psyched up that I can hardly wait for my next "Big Wall" trip.

I can only hope that the other supertopos (e.g. free climbs) will be just as good.

This is hands down the best climbing guide I have ever purchased. Not only does McNamara replace the ambiguous beta from past books with straight-up ratings and tips, he also provides entertaining history and profiles to get you psyched. I also recommend "The Road to The Nose" book that Chris sells on his site ...

This book sets new standards for climbing guides. The production values are superb, and the information contained detailed and informative. If you're even thinking of climbing a big wall in Yosemite, buy this book. If you're a guidebook author, or thinking of becoming one, buy this and imitate it.

Billy Cox has really put it all together in an easy to read & understand, step by step guide on how to succeed in business and life. My husband and I own a succesful sales company and we have made this book mandatory reading for all of our employees. This book along with Billy's goal setting workbook "The Dream Book" has improved our business and our personal lives dramatically. I will echo what others have said and encourage you to pick up enough of these books for your entire oranization or team.

Although I am not a sales professional, I believe everybody's selling something whether it's to our family members or business associates and "The All-Star Sales Book" will sell you on believing in yourself again. I highly recommend this book for Billy Cox gives you the strategies and techniques to getting and keeping the "winning edge" in life, business, and sales. His book is full of ideas on how to develop and maintain a burning desire to win at the highest levels and to continue raising your personal bar. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of goal setting, decision making, and taking action and initiative so that you stretch yourself to perform at an All-Star level and get results.

Working in the direct sales industry one can really use a great tool to get re-motivated....this is the tool. Not only does it cover tools for work, but in the home front as well. I would recommend this book to anyone!

Being stuck in mediocrity is quite possibly the worst place a salesman can be, claims "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks". Selling just enough to get by makes one comfortable, and lacking aspiration - where one who is doing miserably will be motivated to do everything they can to recover and make the most of themselves- to dream of what they want and that drives them. "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks" hopes to inspire sales people to become more that they can ever hope to be through stories, analogies, anecdotes and more. "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks" is highly recommended to business people everywhere who need that little kick to get them rolling in life and for community library business collections.

CRAAAAAK!! Going!! Going!!...Gone!! Billy Cox has hit yet another one out of the park with The All-Star Sales Book. Billy very clearly and concisely gives you the the keys to unleashing the champion within you in this MUST READ book. Anyone interested in personal development and human performance will take their game to the next level with the gems that Billy provides in this reader friendly masterpiece! No matter who you are or what you do, this is a book that EVERYONE SHOULD OWN.

Angus and the Hidden Fort, by Steven A. Corirossi, was one of my favorite books. It's about [a small]kid who found a secret fort and it actually belonged to someone very famous years ago. To find out who it is, you got to check this book out. I loved how Steven wrote the ending. He added so much detail that I was disappointed when the book was over. This book is one of those books that you wish could never end. I recommend this book to six graders and up because I don't think that little kids would understand. If there are anymore books by Steven Corirossi, I got to read them!

Angus And The Hidden Fort by Steven A. Corirossi is an engaging novel for young readers about Angus McBride a nine-year-old boy, and his best friend Andrew Sills, who when exploring Black Hawk Park, discover the legacy of a one hundred and fifty year old mystery. Angus And The Hidden Fort is a highly recommended, adventurous and exciting tale, and one that opens with an unknown individual fleeing the wrath of two bare-chested Indians and proffers tantalizing hints as to the who and the why of the chase, until the stunning revelation of the end. The debut novel of a six-book series, readers will appreciate author Steven Corirossi's talents as a first class storyteller and will look eagerly forward to the new two titles: Angus And The Mysterious House and Angus And The Forgotten Trails.

Angus and the Hidden Fort is a very funny, mysterious, and exciting book. Although some words in this book I didn't know, by the time I was done with each chapter I had at least one word to add to my vocabulary list. I could read this book over and over and never get tired of reading it.

I was so excited to learn about this new adventure series--set in Central Illinois--that I just had to write and tell the author how grateful I am... it isn't too frequent that I can share with my 5th graders such wonderful, family-friendly stories that practically take place in our own backyard! Both Angus and the Hidden Fort and Angus and the Mysterious House are creatively and well written chapter novels that not only my students enjoyed, but I did as well. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of Steven's third book, Angus and the Forgotten Trails... hurry up!

The book was a nice adventure story for boys or girls, although more geared to boys because all of the main characters in both time frames were male. Going back and forth in time made for more interesting reading and there was an element of mystery about the characters from the past that made the reader want to keep going to see what really happened and to whom.

The protagonist in the present was an adventuresome boy and I could imagine more stories of his exploits from the author. As an adult, I found the book a little simplistic and fairly predictable; still, I enjoyed the yarn and read it all. I think youngsters could picture themselves involved in this kind of exploration, doing a little detective work and trying to figure out some of the unexplained happenings.

For many years I am interested in a megachurch phenomenon and like to read different books on subject. This book is different. Drawn from a research and destroying the myths surrounding the megachurches, I found this volume worth all the money and highly informative and refreshing. A great study for all the pastors and leaders.

Even though I am not a pastor of megachurch myself (in my country there is no single church with over 500 people in attendance), I have learned a lot about the proccess and principles beyond the growth of the megachurches. I wish someone would do a similar study on world megachurches as well from different cultural tradition. That would be a great volume 2!

I think this piece adequately demonstrated that many of the popular negative impressions people hold of megachurches are false. I've believed that for a long time. Some of the books that came out in the late 90's suggesting that these churches are nothing but marketing and entertainment were clearly exaggerated. I wondered if the authors had actually visited and studied the churches they were slamming.

On the other hand, their claim that megachurches don't grow mainly by transfer from area evangelical churches doesn't square with our studies. So far, in studies of nearly 30 megachurches, we have found only two that had over 10% of their people stating that they met Christ in that church: Willow Creek at 23% and Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa at 60%. Our own church is also over 60%. All the others had less than 10% converts, and many had less than 5%.

Taking the word of pastors and staff on how many in the church are converts vs. transfers doesn't work. Only on the ground interviews of meaningful samples of attendees can be trusted.

Dennis McCallum, author Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community

As a missionary who works with many churches, I found Beyond Megachurch Myths to be very helpful in increasing my understanding of the church today. I would recommend it to anyone involved in ministry and/or Christian leadership. In addition to enhancing my understanding of the megachurch, I found many practical observations to strengthen my own ministry. I'm already looking forward to Dr. Thumma's next book!

Rev. Jack Landis

There are a lot of opinions about megachurches, but this is the first complete assessment of the megachurch phenomenon. It draws together extensive information and other available research to correct assumptions. It also includes practical questions and considerations for all pastors and church leaders. As a broad overview, it doesn't get better than this.

This book goes well with several others. I suggest Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way by Kimon Sargean, A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church as well as Hollywood Faith: Holiness, Prosperity, and Ambition in a Los Angeles Church by Gerardo Marti, The Megachurch and the Mainline: Remaking Religious Tradition in the Twenty-first Century by Stephen Ellingson, When Church Became Theatre: The Transformation of Evangelical Architecture and Worship in Nineteenth-Century America by Jeanne Kilde, and Donald Miller's Reinventing American Protestantism: Christianity in the New Millennium.

This book is long on analysis and full of helpful lessons that any church can apply regardless of size. You could spend several months and thousands of dollars visiting the fastest growing churches in America and trying to gather what they've learned OR you can spend a few bucks and get it all in this book. Reading this book will challenge your assumptions and leave you inspired about the tremendous potential of the local church, including yours.

We started reading to our baby when he was just a few weeks old. This was the one book that stimulated his senses right away. The bright and contrasting colors captured his attention as an infant and now as a toddler, this is still his favorite book.

My daughter loves this book. She has to have it at least once a day--if not 15 times. One of the first things she would do once she could walk was carry it to me so I could read it to her. As her vocabulary has developed she asks for it by name and loves to point out the things she knows the words for. And after having read it hundreds of times, I still find the art freash and amusing. How many children's books hold up to that test?

My son usually can't sit still for long periods of time and this book is PERFECT. He loves my exaggerated pronounciation of the text and the pictures are big, bright, and appealing. His favorite book, by far!!

This book is very cute. Its size and the bright colors grab babies' attention. The pictures and writing are bright and big. Although my daughter is not yet 1, I think she'll enjoy it for a couple of years as she learns colors, articles of clothing, etc. Definitely different from typical childrens books and lots of fun.

This is a bright and exciting book (it's on our list for the grandparents as a "not-before-bedtime" book) with fun pictures for toddlers. Our toddler loves to look through the pictures and although she is WAY too young to think about reading, the words are also very appealing and large and attract her attention too.

The drawings are bright and bold and show children of diverse skin colors (including green and blue) in outlandish clothes that are way too big for them. The underlying message is one of diversity, but it's not sappy or pushy.

Keith Haring was one of the great artists of our time, and it's tremendous to have a children's book that introduces children to his art in a casual way. This is not a "let's study the art of great artists" book, it's just a children's book filled with great illustrations that happen to be by a great artist. I suspect that many of the children who are enjoying this book as toddlers or preschoolers may have one of those tremendous "ah-ha" moments five or ten years from now when they end up on a school field trip to an art gallery and think, "I KNOW that artist."

I bought this for a college friend of mine and she absolutley loved it. The only problem we saw was that some of the shot combos have really obscure liquors that you cannot get at a normal liquor store.

This book is off the "heezy fo' sheezy"...lol...go get it pronto!!! Great book!!!

Wanna get crunked up??? This book will leave you wanting to try so many different shots you'll wish you had the alcohol tollerance of a sailor!

Bought it for a friend who could really use it while on the road to share with others and expand his alcohol erudition. Not sure how far he is yet in the alphabetically-listed line up.

Easy to use - all the shot names are in alphabetical order and directions are simple. You don't have to be a certified mixologist to understand how to make them.

Like Whoa you need this book. If you are a bad ass you need this bad ass book. Stack um and keep the shots coming

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")

The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know Everything As a positive psychologist and a school psychologist I am fully aware of how many problems, issues, and even pests (like annoying siblings) girls really encounter on a day-to-day basis. Growing up is not easy. Anything we can do as experts to help quiet the fears and anxieties that kids live with, while offering practical, clear advice and even a touch of humor, is certainly just what the doctor ordered. And that's what I love about this book. It is set-up in a pleasant, easy style, crammed full with real-life questions and problems from girls and then wonderfully clear, reassuring advice and tips. This is an ideal book for any girl 8 or older. I was impressed how well this book dovetails with my latest book, The Truth: I'm a girl, I'm smart and I know everything. They make great companion books, as in my book, which is a fictional diary written by a girl, the reader can make notes about her own concerns while identifying with the character. A slightly different approach, but together both books speak to needs that real girls have.

I bought this book for my 8 yr old daughter. We are both reading it together and we really enjoy it. It has real situations were kids may wonder what to do.It helps the kids think it out before acting. It is just wonderful to have. You must see it to believe it.

My 8 year old daughter loves this book. When we first got it, she took it everywhere. Sometimes we read it together, and have even "looked up" problems (getting along with a sibling) and the book gives good advice. I like the way the book encourages her to come up with mutually agreeable solutions rather than insisting on having things her own way.

My nine year old granddaughter loves this book. She has read it over and over. She feels that it is written for kids---no adults needed. However she like telling you what she has learned which is a great way to open up dialogue. She has almost all of this series as do most of her friends.

Life's biggest problems for tweens (and Moms!) are all solved to a T in this super volume from American Girl Library. Whatever problems might come up from babysitting blues to tricky friends who get snarky when others are around are all solved here.

The Big Book Of Help will be well-worn in short order by girls who can find the answers to life's most pressing problems, and thoroughly enjoy sharing these answers with friends.

Recommended!

This book is adorable. It is great for children who speak Spanish or English!

This is a great book for the beginner child. very short and easy read. i highly recommend

Normally I would say that my daughter is a little old for this type of book. At 5 she is a bit beyond little board books without many words. But for laying a foundation for Spanish, this book is just what both she & I need. The simple sentences allow us to see what exactly each word means, as well as get an intuitive grasp on the grammer, and the pronunciation guide in the back is VERY helpfull.

I know that we will quickly move beyond this book, but for now I view it as essential for our grasping Spanish. In fact, I plan on buying the other books in this series.

This is another book that I enjoyed by this author. My children have asked me to continue to purchase this books and they read them all the time. I see the joy and excitement on their faces as they say different words in Spanish and actually know the meaning. I feel that it is important for the and myself to learn a second language, and books like these have been able to serve as a base for my entire family. It's easy to read and grasp, and a good reference to look at when necessary. Keep up the great work Gladys and I'll keep reading your books. Learning is a continuous process and now it's become really fun!

I am bilingual and am raising my son bilingual, too. This is an excellent book and series with adorable pictures, and each page has both english and spanish on it. The back includes pronunciation guides for all the vocabulary (both for english and spanish) which is helpful for my husband, a non-native speaker. It's very hard to find quality bilingual books- I've looked around a lot and loved these so much I have even given them as gifts to friends who want to introduce their kids (and themselves) to the language.

Glenn Gaesser, Big Fat Lies (Gurze, 2002)

Do yourself a favor-- find this book and read it as soon as possible.

The first two sections of this book show a study in selective reasoning by the medical establishment. Gaesser provides a mountain of evidence that all we've been told by the insurance industry, the medical industry, and the fitness over the last half-century or so regarding weight loss is a lie. We hear some of it now and again on the news, especially how low weight is linked to osteoporosis, but you've never seen this much of it together all in one place. Gaesser's position is that exercise, not weight, is primarily responsible for a person's health, and that "exercise" as we know it today (high-impact aerobic exercise) is not the be-all and end-all foisted upon us. All of which points out why overweight and obese people should be reading it (and popularizing it), and they are its target audience to be sure, but Gaesser makes a lot of noise about the normal- or underweight unfit, too.

The first two parts of the book are the theory, the third part is the practice. Gaesser provides a simple, easy-to-follow exercise regimen suggestion, infinitely customizable for the average person, and dietary suggestions without ever proposing a diet per se; his goal is to steer us towards eating healthier rather than rationing out what we can and can't eat. Again, the thin will benefit from following his guidelines just as much as the overweight. It's all common sense, of course, but he does point out a number of things that may surprise the average grocery shopper (for example, the actual amount of fat to be found in whole milk, which is staggering).

The book's only real flaw is stylistic; Gaesser, not to much surprise, has adopted the medical-jargon use of "overweight" and "underweight" as nouns rather than adjectives, and it's enough to drive the average stickler up the wall. It is certainly not, however, enough to put anyone off reading this. It may be the most important book you read all year, and should go on the short shelf of sacred books next to Peele's The Diseasing of America. **** ½

Read this book before you try one more plan to get thin. It helps you see that, for most people, losing weight is an aesthetic decision, not a health one. You can look at yourself more kindly, realizing that you are not ruining your health, unless you actually do have a weight related condition. You can look at other big folks more kindly- be honest; you know you judge others!- realizing you have no more idea of whether they are unhealthy than their thin counterparts-as if it was any of your business! But, really, the facts helped to loosen the hold this topic had for me. There are other books that go farther with appearance acceptance, but this one is a great start to feel confident it's really okay to go there!

I learned the truth about both Weight Tables and Diets, as well as the importance of Nutrition and Exercise. In this book, Dr Glaesser explains the historical context of the American Weight Tables and their formation by Met Life Insurance Company. His extensive research has shown that people with higher weights can be fit and sometimes even fitter than the ones that actually fit into the prescribed weight tables. For me this is a startling finding. I am relieved to learn that Glaesser recommends allowing our bodies to equilibrate around our natural set point rather than yo-yo dieting to try to attain a weight that we have been taught is optimal. In depth discussions of good vs bad types of body fat are also informative and further make Big Fat Lies a good and instructive read.

I'd love to have a case of this book so that I could gift one to every health care professional who has made snap decisions on their patients based on visible fat. Well, I guess I'd need more than a case of them, wouldn't I... because that tendency is far too prevalent.

I am a healthcare worker, and have long had a love/hate relationship with my fat body. Yes, I do think obesity exacerbates preexisting illnesses; but I don't believe fat causes illness in and of itself. Looking at comparative studies of people who are of moderate weight and even thin who have the same dietary and exercise patterns would be a more useful guage than immediately assuming that weight loss will magically make health problems disappear. Many times, it doesn't.

Recently the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that claimed that weight loss could extend your life by a (staggering) five to nine months. Wow. Whoopee.

What if being overweight could be healthy? Apparently, it's not the pipe dream the majority of the world and researchers would like us to think. In Big Fat Lies, Glenn Gaesser unlocks the myths about obesity specifically the biggest of them all "obesity kills". Glenn is a graduate of the University of California and taught at UCLA and the University of Virginia so he isn't just blowing smoke up our fat butts.

He feels the obsession of a person's weight needs to be dropped mostly because weight loss is no guarantee for improved health. With his book he hopes to reshape your thinking on the various aspects of body weight and health, I think he will. Obviously, some facts are unquestionable if you eat only bad food and don't exercise you're in trouble. But overweight people can be strong and healthy; sometimes stronger and healthier than their slim counterparts.

With simple truths and simple facts Glenn explains how our expectations of body weight have been directed by insurance companies, the diet industry (30 billion plus industry), the fashion industry and of course media appeal. He thinks we should be focusing on metabolic fitness instead of weight. He discusses in great detail his views on metabolic fitness.

Glenn succeeds in taking the focus off weight. Instead he sheds light on the importance of physical activity over "exercise". The purpose of the physical activity is not to lose weight but to be healthy by moving. Lo-Carb-ers will not be impressed with the Nutrition for Metabolic Fitness section but I like how he encourages adding instead of taking away. According to him "No foods are strictly off limits."

A lot of what's discussed are the studies ignored over the last 20+ years showing body fat is not the problem. "Fat in the arteries and fat on the body are different and not necessarily related." Study after study becomes a bit tedious after a while but it is still good to know there's more to the studies than "obesity kills." For sure this book won't appease the die hard skeptic but for those of us who are obese, eat our fruits, veggies and continue a daily bout of physical activity, at least we know for sure it isn't all in our head. We're healthy.

I'm sure when you are finished reading Big Fat Lies you'll have a different view on the role of fat in your life. Pun intended. Reviewed by M. E. Wood