Biggs Books

We purchased this book because we thoroughly enjoyed The Rabbit Factory. The characters were soon family with the same conflicts and joys and horrors that carries with it. It was nice enough to follow the characters in this sequel, but it had so little of the magic of the first book. It was good enough, but if I had read Bloodthirsty first I would have passed on The Rabbit Factory and missed out on real magic.

I love these characters, Lomax and Biggs. They are back and better than ever in the second in this series. If you haven't read The Rabbit Factory, order it now! It is a great book, as is this one. Marshall Karp knows how to deliver. We get characters we care about, a page turning story, laugh out loud moments and touching ones. What more could you ask for in a book? I am looking forward to the third in the series that comes out early 2009.
And I hope the series continues on long into the future.

Karp has followed up Rabbit Factory with another exciting story which is superbly written with a lot of laughs along the way. I couldn't put it down.

I don't know if it is because we have already gotten to know the characters in Karp's world, or he turned it up a notch but this installment in the Lomax & Biggs series is a step above the first. I loved "Rabbit Factory" but this one was funnier, more convoluted, and gripping to the last. I finished it in less than 12 hours. I could not put it down. Get it, read it, love it.

Second books many times disappoint. This doesn't. Fast and slick, with a few twists, this satisfies. As long as there is Hollywood, and the author has his contacts, the material will be there. See you again.

This is a lovely book, written well, easy to follow instructions and inspiring. I keep it at my desk in my pottery gallery so I can study and sketch ideas while people browse here. I am glad I bought this, and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about creating mosaics. I like the structure of the book.

I have been planning mosiac borders for over my sinks in my bathroom. While I had an idea of what I wanted to do, just scanning this book gave me far more ideas to consider than I would have been able to conceive on my own, especially on the flow and arrangement of individual tiles. While I'm a beginner, what I have come up with is a winner.

1. For a novice mosaic artist, the encyclopedic format of techniques might be frustrating. As a resource book, it seems the user would be better served if the info was organized according to categories & sequentially, rather than alphabetically.

2. A more experienced mosaic artist will expect a great deal more content in a book entitled "encyclopedia". I would be willing to pay more for a seriously comprehensive book on this subject.

3. More historical references, with photos of ancient mosaics, would be a logical addition. There were references to these, but only a few examples. In one case, a highly descriptive reference is made to a Roman mosaic of a woman, but no photo? Photos of ancient mosaics are great sources of inspiration for projects.

4.Some of the references to ceramic tile are misleading. This book isn't meant to be a tile encyclopedia, but we should use the correct terms for the tiles used in mosaic art work. For instance; beginning on Types of Tesserae page 28, the mosaic tesserae that are identified throughout the book as Unglazed Ceramic & Glazed Ceramic, are, in fact, Unglazed Porcelain Ceramic and Glazed Porcelain Ceramic, respectively. On the same page, Glazed Ceramic Tile is identified correctly. This could create confusion to those unfamiliar with types of tile and their intended use.

There is a big difference between Porcelain Tile and Ceramic Tile.

Porcelain tile is composed of the same basic elements (clay) as ceramic tile, but has added minerals and slightly different production methods that make it much more dense & durable than ceramic tile. Porcelain tile is produced unglazed or glazed; and is generally used for high traffic and exterior applications because of its durability.

Generally speaking, ceramic tile is made of clay and it is almost always glazed - the "body" of ceramic tile just isn't usually sturdy enough or attractive enough to be left un-glazed. Glazed tiles are often decorative and can be handpainted with glazes, resulting in an endless variety of available designs & colors.

There are misleading statements with regard to the stain resistance of ceramic tile. Glazed Ceramic Tile does not stain (that's one point of the impervious glass glaze), unless the glazed surface is seriously compromised in some manner by age or wear. In this case, staining agents could migrate beneath the glaze through fractures in the glaze and cause staining under the glaze.

Unglazed porcelain mosaic tiles can stain if left unsealed, because they are not protected by a kiln fired glass glaze.

Perhaps some of the confusion is related to cultural differences between the American English and British English languages. British & American terminology on the subject of tile does seem to differ slightly. An American reader could misinterpret.

Always research the tile you plan to use for your projects, especially on commissioned projects. Don't rely on craft "how to" books for your information. Ask the dealer/distributor or manufacturer for product specifications and ask what the features & limitations are for the tile - areas of concern: frost resistance (exterior), water absorption (pools/spas), glazed or unglazed (dirt & oil resistance). This information is available in product brochures and on mfr websites - look for technical data.

5. There is an over abundance of projects using glass - perhaps the authors favorite medium.

6. Photos of finished projects (making templates, etc) in addition to the small step by step photos, would be very useful to help visualize the objective of the project.

This book is one that should be on the shelf of any and all mosaic artists. More likely, they will be found in use on desktops and workshops. From some basic history of mosaic art to actual technique and fundamental information for creating your own mosaic masterpiece, this book has it all. I loved the many images that were inspirational and informative. Overall, I loved this book and would recommend to artists interested in mosaic.

I found this book to be an excellent primer for the person getting started in mosaics. The various techniques are well illustrated with easy to understand text. I found the designs interesting, colorful, and the type I could put to use. All of this is laid out in a spiral bound book that lays flat for easy reading and reference. I own several books on mosaics, but this one is my favorite.

Backfield in Motion is a book that deals with relationships - family, friendships, ex-lovers, and the main one being marriage. We are given insight into the lives of Duane "The Hitman" Cummings, a professional football player, his wife Asia, and his overprotective mother Sylvia. Can Duane and Asia maintain a marriage despite the ups and downs, tragedies and joys, and the outside influences or relationships that can hinder and hurt them?
Job well done Ms. Biggs.

This is the story of Asia, and Duane. Duane is a big time football player who always had a crush on the older Asia. Asia had a bad first marriage, so she was hesitate about staring a relationship with someone like Duane. The two end up getting married. They try to keep their marriage working, but have to deal with Duane's mother, who don't like Asia. I liked the story ok, but felt it was missing something. I found Duane characther to be a tad bit arrogance, and annoying. Pretty good.

I read Ms. Bigg's first novel and was eagerly anticipating her second novel, I was not disappointed.

This book deals with the life of a football player, his wife, and his overbearing mother.

If you are looking for a must read, this is the book for you.

This book was a decent second effort by Undra. I only purchased it because I wanted to continue to support her after she delivered a first effort (When You Look At Me) that was remarkably one of the best books I've ever read.

Backfield in Motion's story line just didn't grip me. Reading this book took too much effort. It was far too fictatious and overwritten at times (e.g. constant emphasis on Duane's nine-inches). The ongoing battle between Asia and Sylvia bored me - I was hoping some drama would kick off, but there was nothing. They found that the best way to handle conflict was to avoid one another (yawn). It also seemed to me that Asia lost her own personal identity in Duane. There's nothing wrong with being a housewife and a mother, but somewhere down the line she lost sight of herself and I think that is what this book advocated. The only pivotal moment in this book was the Epiphany tragedy.

By the way, if Ms. Biggs is reading this, I wanted to point out that my city doesn't have a football team. What was up with that?? I'm rating your book one star less than I would have just for that inaccuracy.

Backfield in Motion, the second novel from Undra E. Biggs, takes us into the life of rising football star Dwayne "The Hitman" Cummings, the love of his life, Asia, and his overprotective mom-agent, Sylvia. Dwayne has loved Asia since he was eleven and she was seventeen. Years later he runs into her again, and this time, he is not losing her. After much work to prove himself and sifting through the baggage from her divorce, they marry and set about making it work through the good and bad times.

Sylvia is against the romance from the beginning. A young mother, Sylvia gave up her life to ensure that Dwayne was a success. It is no secret that she believes he needs to focus his attention on making a name for himself on and off the football field and not on an older, divorced, broke woman who is surely only interested in his money and status. Will Sylvia succeed in breaking up the love that Dwayne and Asia have worked so hard to build?

The story is billed as a love triangle between Dwayne, Asia, and Sylvia, but that is the secondary story. We do not get enough of Sylvia in the first half of the book so the conflict is not established. The book's strength lies in the love story of Dwayne and Asia and how they deal with some of the issues that plague many relationships: poor communication, immaturity, and tragedy. They are very likeable characters and you find yourself rooting for them and wanting them to make it.

Overall, this is a decent effort from Biggs. She is a good storyteller. However, her writing style was a bit confusing for me. For example, when the chapters changed, you could not immediately tell who was talking because they were all speaking from the first person point-of-view. There were a few grammatical errors that distracted me as well. All that aside, I look forward to future efforts from this author.

Reviewed by Danielle H.
APOOO BookClub

After reading Shredderman 1 & 2 my 9 year old granddaughter just had to have 3 and 4. It's a great series on honesty, doing the right thing, bullying and creativity.

I found this book a good read. I highly recommend this to 8-10 year olds who like realistic adventure mysteries. I recommend this book because it is funny, thrilling, and suspenseful. I only gave it four stars because personally, I think it isn't the best in the Shredderman series. I like it because it's about a average kid, Nolan Byrd, who becomes a bully busting super hero, Shredderman! Nolan meets his all time favorite TV star, The Gecko, from "The Gecko and Sticky". Nolan even finds The Gecko's missing lizard, Sticky. When he was updating his Shredderman site about "The Mole" ,a crazed paparazzi who was caught in the act of setting off a fire sprinkler, he found Sticky who jumped out of his backpack onto his computer. He said to Sticky "I'm going to get this guy in big trouble!" Shredderman had just given his identity away to a gecko! I thought that part was really funny!! It even said that the lizard started grinning! I thing this book has a lot of good lessons. A couple of examples are "What goes around comes around" and "Having friends is good". These are just 2 of the many morals or lessons Shredderman shows.

Shredderman #3 Meet the Gecko
Shredderman #3 Meet the Gecko is about this kid named Nolan Byrd getting to go meet the gecko, his favorite T.V. superhero whose real name is Chase Morton. When before he goes he finds out his enemy Alvin "Bubba" Bixby the bully is going to meet the gecko or Chase Morton. Find out the adventures he goes through.
Overall I'd give this book 5 out of 5 stars because it's a great book for kids of all ages who like to read chapter books. It's very adventurous. I highly recommend this book.

We absolutely loved these books. My son is almost 10 and we read them togehter, Although these are very easy reading for my son's age, we read them together because we enjoy them more that way. We both laugh out loud and really got into the stories. Often we ended up missing the absolute, latest possible bedtime curfew because we just HAD to read on! We would be very interested in other book by this author -- although it seems that her others are geared toward girl readers.

I am always trying to find books for my reluctant reader 9 year old. I found this book (actually the first in the series) on a list of "best books" created by kids. It is a winner! The level is good for 2nd to 4th grade.

I personally started reading this series in middle school. I am currently in my freshman year of college and still adore these books. Admittedly, I could be a bit biased about this one, considering how much I like Casey (one of the sweetest fictional guys ever). I thought the book was enjoyable overall, and I was glad to learn more about Cricket. I'd been curious about her since Runaway Elf. My only small qualm is how suddenly Sammy told Casey her secret. I understood why she wanted to, but it just seemed really abrupt to me. But then, this would mean Casey will have a bigger part in future books? I certainly hope so. And you've got to love Billy, seriously.

This book was very good and I enjoyed reading it. Sammy goes camping, sorry, BACKPACKING with a friend and her "girl scout troop" where she unexpectantly meets someone she knows, and it's not Heather.

This book is enjoyable for all ages. Not only did I learn a lot about the preservation of endangered species and how much effort it takes to succeed, it gave me a new respect for wildlife. Sammy Keyes is tenacious in her endeavor to save the wild condors and her journey in this book is most interesting to read.

Sammy Keyes is one of the greatest characters in children's literature. I recommend Ms. Van Draanen's books to all my students, as well as my nieces and nephews. Sammy is about as alive as any character on paper can be - she's got a lot of strikes against her, and yet she perseveres, believing in herself and her great friends. I especially enjoy listening to the books read by the wonderful Tara Sands, who does a magnificent job with all the characters, but especially Sammy. Because these fun and cleverly written books (which are genuine mysteries by the way, with great clues and red herrings along the way, and usually a very surprising ending) are written in the first person, Ms. Sands gets to tell you the story in Sammy's own voice! A great marriage of vocal talent and writing talent - I'm waiting eagerly for this book to come out on CD. And I'm also hoping that Ms. Van Draanen will change her mind later, and choose to write more than 20 books. I know that's greedy, but like many, many readers (and listeners), I will ALWAYS want to know - what happens next to Sammy Keyes, great friend, granddaughter, and detective?

Every summer I look forward to reading the new Sammy Keyes book by Wendelin Van Draanen. Her first five Sammy books were amazing. The children in my classroom love them. I wasn't thrilled with the next three, particularly Snake Eyes. I kept those three in the drawer because I was worried about the lamguage and the level of violence in them. With this book, Van Draanen has returned to creative plot twists and language more suitable for my elementary students. Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things will definitely have a spot on my classroom bookshelf. I couldn't put it down! Appropriate for ages 8+

My son was really looking forward to getting this book and has loved reading it. Thanks very much for a quick and pleasant transaction!

This is a GREAT SERIES for young readers. My third grader coundn't get enough of them. What a wonderful sight it is to see a child so excited about reading. Plus, this author (Wendelin Van Draanen) lives in our area, (Central Coast of CA) so my son has started to read her other books as well. Helping out his neighbor, as he puts it. We found the series at our local library, but had to have a set of our own it was SO GOOD. You can't go wrong with SHREDDERMAN.

My son, age 9, loved all 4 Shredderman books and consumed each book as fast as humanly possible. The biggest issue I have with the series is that there are not more of them yet.

We absolutely loved these books. My son is almost 10 and we read them togehter, Although these are very easy reading for my son's age, we read them together because we enjoy them more that way. We both laughed out loud and really got into the stories. Often we ended up missing the absolute, latest possible bedtime curfew because we just HAD to read on! We would be very interested in other books by this author -- although it seems that her others are geared toward girl readers.

I liked it because it seems like the very last book. Are you going to write any more, Wendelin? I'd be happy if you will.
Your fan of Shredderman,
Louis

As an avid So Cal diver, I'm familiar with California's important urchin fishery. I've also lived and traveled over much of the state. As such, this was an interesting read.

That said, the book is very simply written, occasionally repetitive, and could have been more tightly edited. The book is somewhat autobiographical, and was a bit slower as a result. However, the author's Farallone experience and tales of Ron Elliot were standouts.

If I had the option, I would've given the book 3 1/2 stars, 4 was generous. I'd say if you're particularly interested in the subject matter, you'll probably enjoy this book. Otherwise, it's not the most compelling read. I'd recommend The Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey.

This book was an excellent journey through one mans life lived on and off the California coast, diving for urchins. It is a story about a simple life that centered around tides, weather, water conditions and other unseen hazards. It is a life that although is hard work, may prove envious to many (especially those whose daily trials and tribulations centers around traffic, spreadsheets, middle managers and sales quotas).

It is also telling of the way the California urchin (and fishing) industry has changed as a whole, from single owners and family owned businesses to the large commercial companies. From the days of no restrictions and limitless limits to the present day regulations that are needed to keep people from expiring the very items that provide them with a livelihood. It is also telling of the transformation of the person in the industry from someone who is mostly carefree and just works and surfs, to that of family man, to that of someone who has responsibilities and others that depend on them, to someone who has become jaded by the business aspect and competition of the industry, to finally someone that has come to grips with their own mortality through the deaths of those he respected and cared for. Mixed in are great characters, good stories and memorable adventures to virgin coast lines and reefs.

This book does not sound like an exciting book, but it was a book that I looked forward to reading. It is the type of book that is good to read if you want to clear your head and take a trip without going anywhere. Finally, it is a very good book that centers around the ocean.

After reading excerpts in The Surfer's Journal and hearing friends in the West Coast water world rave about this gem of a book, I bought it and devoured it a weekend. This is a terrific read, at once an honest, deeply personal memoir and an entertaining swash-buckling tale of adventure. Kendrick writes in a clear, deceptively easy style that grabs you off the dock on the first page and the next thing you know, you're down 85 feet deep on a big money dive in the gin clear waters of a virgin reef by the Channel Islands. And it doesn't let up.

Kendrick was a member of the Santa Barbara, California-based sea urchin divers who pioneered this offbeat fishery, reaping its rewards and facing lethal dangers, opening new waters in Northern California, even--and this is insane--harvesting urchins at the Farallon Islands, the stalking ground of the Great White Shark. There are some great stories here, moments of danger and reward, death and laughter, all told with great insight. This is a memorable book that deserves to be in the book collection of anyone who loves the ocean and the lore of the sea.
Rumor has it that the author has been hired to write a screenplay adaptation. This book is an absolute natural for the big screen. Highest recommendation.
John Grissim, author, Pure Stoke and The Lost Treasure of the Concepcion

As the last reviewer said, if your heart is in any way connected to the ocean, be it through surfing, boating, diving, fishing, or just spending time around the beach, you'll have a profound appreciation for this book.

Tom is an amazing story teller and Bluewater Gold Rush is an wonderful mix of adventure, friends, love, and loss. I often find myself retelling Tom's stories to friends, recounting them while I'm diving, or using new terms that I picked up from the book like "white buffalo". There are stories in the book that are laugh-out-loud funny and stories where you can't help but share the loss along with Tom when bad things happen to good people.

My one regret was purchasing the book in the middle of a particularly harsh work week. My job kept me really busy during the days and the book keep me up most of the nights. I simply couldn't put it down. I made it through the book by the end of the week but sleep deprivation almost did me in!

I had the opportunity to visit one the main settings in the book after I read it and I felt compelled to send Tom an email afterwards. I would like to close by sharing this email.

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I found myself in Santa Barbara for work a few weeks ago. I had some spare time one evening so I went down to the dock and stood there with a few dozen other spectators as the urchin boats unloaded. I couldn't help but wonder if any of the characters that I read about in your book were right there in front of me. I had a tremendous appreciation for the whole process after reading your book and found myself telling my coworkers tales from the book later that night at dinner.

The next night I managed to drag 3 of my buddies over to Brophy Bro's Bar. We went upstairs and I showed everyone the picture of Wiener. I volunteered to buy the drinks that night on the condition that they listen to a few stories first. I told them a little about your book and some of the adventures that you guys had. I told them about Wiener and how he got his nickname. I also told them about the shark. Of all of the things that you said about Wiener in your book and during your talk, the one that I always remember first was that he was the kind of guy would go up to his friends and give them a big hug and tell them that he loved them. We enjoyed our shots of tequila with the toast, "To Weiner - a man who wasn't afraid to tell his friends that he loved them!". It was a neat experience!

Picked this up from the author at a party recently. We had met for the first time & we found that we had quite a few similar experiences. Set about to read this book immediately it and finished it today.

Reading this book was a nostalgic experience for me. His writing style is friendly, accurate and fast. His years in the Urchin harvesting business were heady-times and he loved those years intensely; it comes across in many ways and makes this book a joy to read.

His take on things is not polished, gender neutral or politically correct which is absolutely refreshing. This is not a dull, chronological report of the evolution of a commercial diver, but a fast paced, personal account that will hold your interest and provide an education regarding one of the most interesting activities on the west coast in the last 50 years.

If you like diving, surfing, boats, fishing, interesting coastal stories or you just like to go out to the coast every once in a while, this is a book that I highly recommend.

This book is fantastic, is used in the Cambridge Tripos and at LSE. very good if your are a fine mathematician.

I found this text an essential undergrad economics book. Economics is very quantitative in practice and therefore, should be well understood. If your math background is slightly weaker (whether undergrad or grad), this book eases you into the material. There are numerous mathematical errors in this book though, so beware! Maybe it is good practice to be able to cite the errors but you can not rely on each solution, unfortunately.

I'm not going to pretend to be a stellar mathematician. Calc 1 was a breeze but multivariable calc was way beyond me (so beyond me that I dropped it). However, calculus is, unfortunately, crucial for economics (my major), and getting some supplementary literature was the best choice I made. I don't think this is going to help anyone learn about auction theory or give anyone a substantial understanding of the subject of economics. This is more like a fusion of math text and economics literature, guiding the reader through several practical, undergraduate-level problems. In my opinion, this makes the mathematics involved in economics digestible.

This is a good textbook on explaining mathematics for economics gradually. However, it does not contain enough further details on certain topics such as optimization, game theory, linear programming. But it is worth reading if you are starting your undergraduate program in Economics.

This book is great for undergraduate economics students who need to brush up on essential calculus and matrix algebra. It's absolutely packed with worked examples to get your problem solving skills up to speed. It's also a bargain in paperback. However, it is not a comprehensive mathematical economics textbook. I found it very useful up to the advanced undergraduate level, but for graduate level work in economics you will need something a bit more rigorous.

I have acquired quite a few mosaic books and written reviews for them on Amazon, and although all of them are useful to some extent, this mosaic book has really impressed me! There are many photos of absolutely gorgeous mosaic designs which follow a more traditional style, using only tiles and not other objects such as rocks, shells, marbles, etc., like you find in some mosaic books. The designs are exquisite in color and workmanship as well. There are many "gallery" items which are examples of professional work, and there are quite a few featured projects with a form of instructions called "Method Tips" which, rather than giving explicit step-by-step instructions, give instructions with advice, suggestions and options for color, materials, positioning, etc. Because of this, and because the designs are rather sophisticated and complex, this is not a mosaic book for beginners. However, truly motivated beginners could get started trying out a couple of the simpler projects.

Besides the gorgeous designs, this book is impressive in its extensive teaching about design, light, color, contrast, background, and several methods of laying mosaic. I get the feeling I'm in the hands of a skillful and professional mosaicist, and that this is a book to be studied to gain useful insight for building my own skills. These are not designs for someone to quickly throw together; rather this book is an excellent resource for serious mosaicists.

As a relatively new mosaicist, I own several hardcover books by the well-known international artists. This is becoming my favorite. I often go to it to revisit a certain technique, or mosaic for inspiration or review, just to find myself rereading whole sections. When you are working on a new project, the perspective with which you read changes to accomodate the current work. The data on the page is the same, but you synthesize it in a new way. Because there is so much depth to the design aspects in this book, its like reading a new book each time. If I had to pick just one of my current books, this would be it.

Wow - this is an amazing book that explores colour, tone, texture and technique in sufficient detail with great photos to match. Excellent for inspiration and learning the finer points of the mosaic art but not really suited for beginners. It only loses a star because the format is not the easiest to follow even though it is well laid out, and at first glance, it doesn't appear to be a workbook. But mosaic afficienados should really include this book on their "must-have" list, if not for the photos alone. Definitely recommended.

If you want to learn about mosaic, this is a good book. Many ilustrations help you to understand how easy is create a mosaic.

This is a great book, the pictures and illustrations are awesome. Great way to learn about dragon fly's. No other books out there are like it.

I am writing to rave about this coloring book! It's wonderful! Tim Manolis is an excellent illustrator, and Kathy Biggs' text is perfect for kids and beginners with just the right amount of info and intrigue for more.
Sue G.
Field Ornithologist, NY

Not too long ago I noticed dragonflies around my swimming pool. They were multi-colored and had fascinating antics. About the time of my dragonfly discovery, I heard a lecture was to be given at the Santa Rosa Garden Club about dragonflies, so I attended the lecture, orchestrated by Kathy Biggs. Dragonflies are her passion and she has studied them for years. She is one of few individuals quite knowledgeable on the subject, you might say she's an expert. She displayed a coloring book with pictures of many Dragonflies of North America. The book is not only a delightful coloring book, but is an accurate educational tool. I purchased one for my 5-year-old grandson who was immediately enraptured! Not only is there a great variety of dragonflies to color, but careful descriptions are given to help one distinguish the various kinds of dragonflies. I would encourage anyone whose boy or girl is interested in garden creatures, nature or coloring to purchase one of these books. The book is reasonably priced, considering it is has an educational nature as well as fun. It lends itself to crayons, colored pencils or colored markers.
...Linda H.