Big Books

Insofar as its chief topic is concerned, i.e. Stafford's personal experience as an officer aboard a destroyer escort in World War II, the book paints a no-doubt accurate picture of life aboard one of the Navy's lesser warships. But it strikes me as unremarkable unless one is into the minutiae of the Pacific Theater of Operations, as Stafford's ship saw no major combat.

That said, the chapter in which Stafford leaves his own ship and tells the story of the destroyers and destroyer escorts in the Battle of Leyte Gulf is worth the price of the book alone.

For those who are unfamiliar with the centerpiece battle of the multi-battle Leyte Gulf, its a classic case of the little guy giving the big guy a beating... and nearly dying in the process.

It wouldn't have happened if Admiral Halsey hadn't made the biggest mistake of his career. After pummeling the Japanese Central Force with his aircraft, Halsey took off after a group of Japanese carriers containing less than 50 airplanes that was deliberately sacrificed as a decoy to draw him away from the Leyte invasion force. In short, Halsey was suckered and left the invasion force nearly unprotected.

Far from beaten, the Japanese Central Force of four battleships, eight cruisers and 11 destroyers continued on toward the troop ships. Directly in their path was the task group Taffy 3, consisting of six "jeep" carriers and seven destroyers and destroyer escorts.

I've read a few accounts of this battle, and Stafford's is the most stiring, albeit incomplete as he concentrates on the destroyers and destroyer escorts as they take on the Japanese wagons and cruisers.

The damage and confusion they caused (three cruisers sunk), and the fact that Admiral Kurita thought he was up against the fleet carriers, saved Halsey from a disaster that could have been worse than Pear Harbor. Unbeknownst to Admiral Kurita, he could have broken through to the transports and sunk many of them.

Much of what Stafford writes about the battle has been covered elsewhere. However, his affinity for the destroyer escorts led him to cover the actions of the Samuel B. Roberts in detail.

That includes the story of how Commander Robert W. Copeland ordered his chief engineer to remove the safeties from the engines and boilers so as to make maximum speed. The steam pressure rose to 670 pounds in boilers designed for a maximum of 440, and the bridge pitometer logged 28.5 knots in a ship designed for a maximum speed of 24 knots.

You'll have to get the book, if you want the rest of the story. Believe me. It's worth it.

World War II was my parent's generation's war, and I am consistently drawn to stories of the sacrifices made by them. This is an excellent bit of history, told in a artfull but straightforward way. I highly recommend it.

Lots of histories cover the major events of WWII, but what I liked was the way the author covered small details--little "slices of life" aboard a fighting ship.

It's difficult for readers today, accustomed to the security we enjoy, to appreciate the anxiety that sailors faced. What to us seems like an inevitable victory against Japan was not such a sure thing to the men being shot at, and for that reason alone this book is worth reading.

We are planing a reunion of DE shipmates and would like to give this book to all in attendance. Our ship was commissioned 1 month after DE 343 and we went to the same locations and training. I am amazed at the details and the accuracy of the book. It came to me by chance from my children and will remain one of the most valued in my library. I hope it will be reprinted.

Way back in 4th grade I got a little book on the Battle of Midway (I think it was Ira Peck's) in a book distribution at school because the book I really wanted about making paper airplanes was already taken. I enjoyed that book immensely and began to turn the capacity for detail that most kids my age spend on dinosaurs or baseball towards the Pacific war. This book, though, which I scrounged at a used book store when I was a high schooler, introduced me to the human side of WWII. The people in the book were just plain old folks in a little ship in the middle of a big war. This book turned me into a historian, instead of just a reader of history books, because it introduced me to the concept that all history is biography. People make things happen, they don't happen on their own. You can read what happened, or you can look into why the people did what they did. This book doesn't give too much insight into the grand schemes of the Pacific War; the title says it all. It was, however, the catalyst that matured my interest in history. It is also a very fine read in its own right!

This is a wonderful children's story in itself. I had it read to me (suprisingly) my Senior year in high school and I have fallen in love with it ever since. What is amazing about the this book is it takes very adult themes and puts them in terms children can understand without exposing the true horrors of man. And even more amazing is the paralells to Kesey's more famous novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." For example is Tricker the Squirrel not earily similar to McMurphy? And isn't Big Double the Bear a little too much like Nurse Ratched? But that is why this is such a beautiful book. A great book to read aloud to children and an even better one to read to yourself as an adult.

Looking for a smart, funny, verbal frenzy to delight school-age audiences? This one is a MUST DO! Reading it with carte blanche playfulness a la "Southrin' Stah-yle" you will have as much FUN reading this one aloud as any of your listeners. Don't forget to glance up now and then to see all the twinkling eyes. I read this two years ago and maybe stunned the 1st graders into silence with the roaring of the bear but the 3rd grade today quickly piped in the chorus of "...EAT...YOU... UP!!" (heavy emphasis on the "puh!") Dare I say more fun than sharing the stories of Brer' Rabbit? Same vein, but updated/smarter/slicker with Kesey's savvy vocabulary. (4.9 AR level - or, "fourth grade, ninth month" for independent readers). Anyone who loves language, acting, humorous moral tales will LOVE this one.

I loved reading this book to kids in the library. It has tons of great adjectives. It's full of fun and keeps kids guessing as to 'what will happen next?' I want to own this book!

"Tricker the Squirrel" is a wonderful story for young and old alike. I was lucky enough to read the book years ago and came across a videotaped performance of Kesey's rendition that is equally wonderful. When the holidays come around and I get to spend time with my young nephews and niece, it is one of my favorite stories to read. It gives me a chance to open up with fun inerpretations of the characters. The kids love it and they love to take their turns too being "Big Double", "Little Tricker" and the various others that get eaten by Big Double.

The illustrations are drop-dead gorgeous but the story really steals the show. My husband and I are always quoting from this one--"and then I'm gonna DRINK SOME BUTTERMILK!" I love the dialect and the wonderful similies ("like an elevator up a greasy groove"). Can't wait to have kids so I can read it to them.

I bought this for my granddaughter Lucy. We call her LuLu so it really hit the spot. She loves the book.

This review pertains to the "We Both Read" series not just this individual volume.
I discovered these books when my 5YO brought them home from the school library. They are unique stories full of sight words and repetition on the child's page - all reinforcing the reading skills that they are learning in school. I have had a hard time finding books for the beginner reader that are neither too simplistic to keep their interest nor too difficult for the true beginner. The adult's page is not so simplistic as to bore an adult to tears but still simple enough that an older child can read to the younger one.
The process of taking turns makes the reading easy so as not to frustrate beginners if they have to get through a whole book themselves and at the same time does not let them sit passive while you read a whole book to them. The books keep the child actively engaged as they have to notice when it is their turn to read. In addition to learning the words, they are learning verbal cues from your tone to determine when it is their turn (often with a rhyming word) and they can learn how to read with expression.
I have bought at least a dozen titles in this series for my own kindergartener and for several other children at this age level. Everyone (parents and kids) has been very happy with them and they have asked where I found them. My niece, a first grade teacher, has even recommended them to her school for their "Reading Buddy" program where kindergarteners are paired with 5th graders.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

This book keeps everyone happy when my 6 year old (or my 4 year old) want to help read, but the 3 year old doesn't have the patience to listen to stories at their pace.

We have about four of the "We read togher" books. Lu Lu's shoes is the hands down favorite. Cute story line, nice illistrations and just a few words on the child's side.

Some of the books in this series were about equal difficulty on the child and parent sides. When your child can read that well, there are millions of books (many with better illistrations/stories) they can help read. The joy of this series to to have books they can help read when they still need to sound out each letter.

To see how difficult the book is, check the exerpts part of the 'look inside' section to see a sample of the parent side,the child side, and the illistrations.

I recently purchased "Lulu's Lost Shoes" by Paula Blankenship to give to my grandson who just graduated from preschool. I had the joy to watch his mother read it with him for the first time. The book is so creatively written and illustrated that my grandson was able to read his pages with ease. The ease of his reading comprehension captivated the attention of everyone in the room which increased his desire to read it again and again and again... This is creditably one of the best investments I have ever made.

Poncy is so immediate, engaging and reader-centered, that you feel you are in conversation with him -- shuffling through autumn leaves or watching the sunset dance across the ocean from the deck of a ship. His manner is light, because he has a mischievous genius for seeing the humorous side of life. But his intent is deadly serious: he confronts the inevitable erosion and universal heartbreaks of living and aging. He is an irreverent contemporary Hamlet, wondering how "To be, or not to be..." But on the brink of quicksand depression, Poncy wrenches you back with a laugh and a view of blazing horizons. His eye is on the future. This is a quick bright book with a powerful core of tough and convincing optimism.

This guy is GREAT!!! Ever notice how every bookstore in America over the past ten years has become increasingly loaded with these "How To Deal With Our Moods" and "How To Address Changes In Our Bodies" and "How To Cope" books? Well, in case you've never had the misfortune of having to read these books, they are much too serious and mopey and downright depressing or overly self-absorbed. THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT! It's poignant, but funny! And it doesn't make you feel like a self-indulgent wimp when you're done. I look forward to reading more from this guy in the future. He demonstrates that rare combination of comic genius and social insight that most of us understand but cannot duplicate!

want to know what it will feel like to turn 50? Don't care? Well, you ought to, since you don't have much choice in the matter. This book gives a fresh voice to the subject of midlife for men, but further, provides us with an author who has a natural talent for saying it "for the rest of us"

I read it once. I read it twice. And then, just to make sure I'd consumed every morsel of humor contained within its pages, I read it again. Food for thought? Most assuredly, and the author delivers this meal with a style of humor that forces you to stop reading, stop thinking, stop the world (!), and hang on to your belly until you can stop laughing. Mr. Poncy's talents are not limited to communication via the written word, however. He provides the reader with an assortment of primitive illustrations that would make a first grade art teacher cringe and question his or her calling. Yet these mini-masterpieces bring home the message as eloquently as the most exquisite Renoir. Manopause by Mark Poncy is enlightening, entertaining, and just plain fun. God willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll be hearing lots more from this new author in years to come.

Fascinating reading, an accurate description of male 'mid age crisis' in an amusing setting. Yet, a great deal of philosophical depth. Each time you read the book, you get new ideas and insights. Written in a style that makes it a pleasure to read, with many nuances that are derived with each reading. A must for all men 45-60. Their wives would do well to read it as well, to better understand the changes in their husbands.

this book came fast and was exactly what I ordered, thank you!!!!

These guys know what they're doing. Perfect blend of theory, technique, and application. The text flowed smoothly and the math difficulty level (mostly derivatives and partial derivatives) I felt was about right for intermediate econ. Economics is a difficult subject to write a text on, but they handled it well and I know now why my economics professor said it was the best book he had seen.

I'm an NU student bought this book as a reference . Must say this book has
Clear ideas with concise info

Besanko did another great job

great buy

I teach practical Game Theory for executives. This book its an excellent complementary material for the course.

I use this book to teach Intermediate Micro (although I can only cover the first 13 chapters in the book). The book is very decent (not perfect, but better than the others that I examined - actually, depends on the type of students, but if you are not in a community college or in a research school, this book is the closest to what it should be). Rigorous, clear, lots of industry related applications (not so for MBA students, though). I found that the Applications in the book are much better understood (and therefore useful) if you write questions about how the Applications are related to the theory. You also have to select which problems at the end of chapters your students should answer, since some of them are too theoretical or irrelevant.

"The Milk Makers" is a Moo-masterpiece when it comes to educational value it scores big! The illustrations are simple the text is clear for even young toddlers and lets face it adults are sure to learn something new as well. I picked this book up after I found out how well it described the milk process cause as far as my daughter is concerned sure she knows she drinks "cows milk" but the process in which it goes through from the cow to the supermarket is huge and she was purely in the dark about it. This book is sure to be a crowd pleaser for inquisitive little minds!

this was such a great story for our kids to read - we live near a dairy farm and this book gave them a lot of insight into the real working of a dairy farm - it answered a lot of their questions and ours too! We love this book!

I understand why this was a reading rainbow book. It is a great experiment activity non-fiction book. This book exaplins how milk is processed. Most children most likely think that the milk in the fridge comes from the store. What they may not realize is that it comes from a farm miles away. This book goes into great detail how milk is made, and the makeup of cattle. it also gives brief descriptions of variuos types of cattle and dairy products. The illustrations use labels and bright colors. I think this is a good non-fiction book for children. It is in a language that they understand and it is easily read. The book is also very accurate as are all, her books. Gibbons was raised on a dairy farm and has made numerous trips to the dairy farm.
In close this is a good book for children, especially for a science unit. I would have this in my classroom library for childen to perhaps complete a report about milk or other products. Gibbons has a great series on the way variuos things are made.

This is a great book for kids - it is interesting, informational, and fun!

This book is highly enjoyable and informative for children, and I think that every child with an interest in farming would be happy to own a copy. I strongly recommend this book to parents everywhere!

cute illustrations and a very simple explanation for you to tell your child about donor eggs.

My kids love this book. It is in their top five list of books they request before bed along with "The Gas We Pass, the Story of Farts," and "Curious George." It really does a great job of introducing the concept of egg donation in a non-technical way to very young kids. My kids are 2 and 4, and they LOVE it.

The book is great. It's very simple and the pictures are gorgeous. I think even more telling is the fact that my children immediately asked me to start over from the beginning at the end of the first reading and they laughed hysterically at the line "did you eat the egg." There are so few books out there that explain donor gametes in a way that is accessible to children so I am grateful to Nadel for writing this book. It also comes in a donor insemination version called Daddy, Was Mommy's Tummy Big? You can read the book online by going to Carolina Nadel's website and clicking "next" after each page (look to the right of the picture).

As a former DE patient/now mother, and a therapist specializing in infertility, I have been counseling clients thinking about donor egg, doing it, or having done it for nearly 10 years. Disclosure is one of the main issues parents grapple with. It can be daunting thinking of how & when to tell. Most critical is "how do I tell my child!?" Finally we have an answer! Carolina Nadel has given us an excellent tool. Her book will help all tounge tied DE parents begin a dialogue with their child. The pictures are positive and bright. They encourage interaction with your child. The text is simple, elegant and honest. It also encourages discussion and you can begin to add the specifics of your story to Ms. Nadel's story as you go. This book is not bogged down with too much information, nor is it dumbed down. You can read to a newborn, toddler and grade school child. It is a fantastic resource and I encourage all DE parents to get it and begin their own child's story with the help of Ms. Nadels's book. My 2 year old loves it! My older children read it to me and each other. They ask about the shots, the sad elephants and the BIG smile in the end! Carolina, THANK YOU!

I've purchased several picture books that aim to introduce the concept of donor egg to young children, but this is the only book that I'm satisfied with. Unlike the others, this book strikes an excellent balance: it doesn't condescend and dumb down the process of egg donation, yet it also avoids technical terms that aren't age-appropriate and only serve to confuse young children. The dialogue between the mother and child elephants is realistic, and it's also simple enough to serve as a branching-off point for readers - other books don't allow for this opportunity. The illustrations are bright, cheerful, and age-appropriate without being cutesy. Finally, a picture book that presents egg donation in a non-threatening, straightforward, gentle, non-didactic, even fun way.

Monaco is THE great novel of the 21st century to this point. If you are serious about literature, you need this volume on your bookshelf.

A great read in historical fiction based in 1937 Monaco. This is one of those books that gets better as it progresses. Very entertaining and fun to read, and yet thought-provoking. Morse does a wonderful job in presenting some deep philosophical issues throughout the book and artistically presents opposing sides through the main characters. If you want a good entertaining book with romance, energy, and intrigue, this book is for you. Within the context of the excitement and drama of 1937 Monaco and the Monaco Grand Prix, the reader is ultimately prompted to explore what makes us human.

It's evident that Morse is aware of some of the heedless debotchery and pornographic decadence that people seem to be attracted to in novels these days--Monaco is full of characters that represent that idea. But instead of writing something like the typical modern novel, it appears that Morse rejected that thought and instead went ahead and produced a timeless epic all the while creating his own artform: the poem/novel/philosophy book.

The story is interesting (though it doesn't really get going until 3/4ths of the way into the book) but what's really on showcase in Monaco is something much more important. Morse's writing style is a masterful mix of narrative and commentary that is more lyric than some of the best poetry. His characters are vivid and alive--save for perhaps some of the scoundrel Nazis. And his philosophy is a brilliant mix of liberty-first Lockism and Pope John Paul Duece's love-is-the-answerism. The shocking monologue by a surprise character near the end is still reverberating in my mind.

Some advice to the casual consumer: buy this book. Read it all (a reader will be rewarded for the 600-page effort and the frequent dictionary stops). And instruct your daughters to read it. This should be required reading for all pre-teen girls who are considering falling into the decadence of modern teenage ignonimy. At the very least, the OVerture, Entre'Acte, and Denouement--literary pieces that will blow your mind-- WILL be required reading in 100 level English. At least that's the case if there is any justice in the world--and, fittingly, that's what the goal of this book is--to examine and promote justice.

Everyone has their own way of judging a novel. Some people know it's a good book if they just can't put it down (and stay up half the night to finish it). Some people know it's a good book if they want to read it a second time. The way I know it's a good book is if I never want it to end. And with Monaco, this occurred to me just about three chapters into the 3rd Part. By that time, I had gotten to know the characters well enough that I really began to feel what they were feeling (the warm summer weather as well as their fears and hopes) and that put me in a place that I just never wanted to leave. Monaco is a summery book, which is my favorite season, and combines all of the best, most magical aspects of the season--the sun tans, the long days and the warm nights. And there is a great sense of traveling about the novel--you travel to Monaco first of all, but there is so much travel throughout--sailing, canyons, hiking, Paris, Germany, and Africa even! The magical feeling of Monaco generates a very vivid connection between the characters that really resonated with me so that I actually LOLed a few times and cried a number of times, which is, by the way, another way that I know if a book is good. If you can't help from crying while reading on the plane, it's a great book. No matter how you judge a novel, Monaco probably has it. Magical, beautiful, action-packed...a classic by any standard.

Just like the French Riviera in the 1930s, the setting of this new and perfectly summery novel, Monaco is warm and breezy, lush and tropical, and full of celebrities, royalty, and dreamers, and author Morse brings them all brilliantly to life.

When Dash Bradford turns a brief business trip to Monaco into a more permanent stay in order to help auto parts tycoon Jacques Tourangeau put a car in the Grand Prix--and win the heart of Tourangeau's beautiful young daughter, Margaux--the idealistic American suddenly has everything he has ever dreamed of. But when Dash finds himself up against power-hungry Nazi Germany, he soon realizes that his dreams come with a very high cost, and that pursuing them may mean risking the loss of all he holds dear.

Featuring race scenes that pulsate with all the energy and excitement of a Grand Prix course; a whimsical, romantic, and heartbreakingly beautiful love story; and an exploration into the philosophical questions upon which man has dwelled throughout history, Monaco truly has something for everyone, and Morse brings it all together with skill. With careful attention to detail, he expertly conveys the vibrant coastal setting, the lavish parties, and the gripping Grand Prix races, and his engaging dialogue draws the reader into engaging discussions of faith, tradition, family, enterprise, art, justice, love, and much, much more.

Monaco has the retro feel of a vintage travel poster, the classic action of an old Hollywood film, and the soul of a Russian novel. At the heart of this book is the belief that perfection is possible, and that life and love are worth striving against all odds for. Romantic, hopeful, and full of energy, Monaco provides a welcome alternative to the bitterly discouraging works that tend to populate the contemporary fiction shelves.

Reading Monaco is like treating yourself to a breath of fresh, warm, life-affirming Rivieran air.

Since family diet has turned mainly towards a vegetarian one, I have been searching for cookbooks that would be helpful in pursuing recipes along those lines. Although there are recipes that do contain meat, I have found it easy to substitute those ingredients with vegetarian replacements.

Who knew beans were so versatile? This lively cookbook also provides a wealth of information on bean nutrition, varieties, preparation and availability. I consult it for exciting potluck appetizer recipes like creamy frijole dip and black bean tarts, exotic salads like white bean crab salad and adzuki fruit salad as well as everyday main courses such as chili (for which there are five variations) and wraps.

The recipes are usually quick, the directions are straightforward and the results are tasty and nutritious. This would be a great gift for the health conscious and vegetarians on your gift list!

I have never been a bean lover but am a vegetarian. So when I discovered More Easy Beans and found so many great recipes, especially for appetizers, I was hooked. I truly believe this is the best bean book I have ever used. Some recipes call for meat, but of course, everyone has a friend who likes red meat. What I really found helpful was the recipes all use a can of beans or allow you to make the beans from scratch. All the recipes I have tried are right on with the cooking times. Other books I have used produce bean mush at the end. I highly recommend More Easy Beans.

I loved this book, I am on the weight watchers core plan and the recipes in this book are so easy to manipulate to fit into my diet as free food. I never go hungry and the recipes are so awesome. I recommend this book to everyone who loves beans and looking for a little variety on how to cook them. FANTASTIC! LOVE IT!

This is probably my favorite cookbook so far. The recipes are tasty, healthy and not too complicated. I already loved black beans and was happy to see many recipes which included them. The Lentil Mung Bean Soup has become a favorite at my house.
Definitly worth adding to your library!

This is one of the best books I have read about pets. Dr. Cohen has written a very informative and funny stories about her own life experiences. I just wish this book was longer. Dr. Cohen, How about a part 2?

I wish this book had been about twice as long. It is a fun read and full of interesting and useful tips. My old American Bulldog hates having his nails done and I "patted him on the head and gently blew in his face" and he was completely calm. Who would have guessed!! Please write more Dr. Cohen!

I gave this book to a fellow animal lover whose 94 year old grandmother has yet to put it down. She reads excerpts aloud to everyone who comes to visit.

A wonderful read for all ages.

Thank you Dr. Cohen for this heart-warming insight into the world of a "big city vet".

This book is entertaining (who doesn't want to know what happens in a vet's office?) but also informative, and it's sprinkled with important facts about caring for your animal. Highly recommend.

I purchased this book by chance and I have to say that I loved it. The great short stories are easy to read and educational; my 17 month old son loved it and kept bringing it back to me to read more and more. I am an "animal person" but this book taught me so much more that I think anyone would ever tell. Dr. Cohen's no nonsense tell all approach was so comforting and down to earth. I highly recommend this book to all even if you're not so into animals.