Boyd Books

This is a great book, it provides a detailed history of Bill and Lois's lives complete with black and white photos, small side notes and cute anecdotes. You really get a very strong picture of Bill's upbringing and his family life as well as the history of his disease and how it affected his entire career and friends and family. A great biography.

It is amazing how much valuable information the author has packed into this short 64pp volume. And the pictures, many of which have not appeared elsewhere in the hagiography of Bill Wilson, make this volume one of a kind. Although the publisher indicates that it is directed to the Ala-Teen and Ala-Tot audiences, those 10 to 14, this 71+ multi-diagnosed addict and alcoholic recommends it to those with the diseases of addiction and alcoholism, as well as those surrounding we chosen ones. ["I am grateful that God chose me to be an alcoholic and an addict."]

I was particularly gratified when the author correctly states how the name "Alcoholics Anonymous" came to be identified with Bill W.'s organization; e.g. Cleveland, the "Brewmaster", adopted the name from the book, and the larger organization took the name from Cleveland. White also gives Bill's drinking buddy and sponsor, Ebby Thatcher, proper credit for Bill's last drink. White also points out that Bob Smith did not recover on-the-spot from talking with Bill Wilson, but instead went directly to a bender.

White does shy away from diagnosing Bill's bi-polar disorder, but does not omit the symptoms.

This reader hopes that the author will turn his eye, and add succinct biographies of Mrs. Marty Mann and Lois Wilson to what promises to be a most worthwhile series. [Mann, who like Clarence Snyder eschewed anonymity, was responsible for more persons coming to AA than the Saturday Evening Post article.]

I will use this volume in the future with my more recalcitrant pigeons.

The box of candles is a device to mark time. While the candles give light from Shabbat to Shabbat and Jewish holiday to holiday, a romantic story unfolds. The romance is a bit far from the purview of most picture book readers because it involves the remarriage of a living-with grandmother, an experience most readers will not face. However, it includes a range of emotions from dislike and jealousy (the new man means less attention from grandma) to acceptance (he does special things for the granddaughter) to love (she grows to love him for herself and because he makes her beloved grandmother happy). Ruthie receives the candles from Grandma Gussie on her seventh birthday. She accepts the gift with thanks and the clear, foreshadowing comment she does not like change. The plot unfolds during the year until her next birthday, marked by traditional Jewish days. The boy friend, Mr. Adler, appears at the very start of the book, thus, readers first meet Ruthie as a petulant and sad little girl. Her moods change as the book, divided into chapters, moves chronologically. By summer Ruthie's emotional chill thaws. By fall she throws away her bad thoughts of him at Tashlich. By winter she misses Mr. Adler when he is gone and by spring she wants her grandmother to marry him. Ruthie proposes a proposal to both of them. Each period of time naturally incorporates information about Jewish celebrations and customs at an age appropriate level. Large, full page illustrations support the plot line by clearly delivering Ruthie's emotional response to the action. Most of the pictures reference Jewish holidays with artifacts, symbols and family participation in rituals. The muted pastels echo the softness of the plot. The book ends with a long glossary in case readers wish as explanation of the Jewish terms in the book. Adults will have to handle this for their young readers. This sweet, slowly paced story will appeal to little girls aged five and six. Meant to be realistic, it will read as a charming fairy story to those whose grandmothers do not live with them and who do not have beaus.
Reviewed by Ellen G. Cole

This book provides a sensitive introduction to a year of Jewish religious holidays, so well woven into the text, that they clearly become a part of the main character's life and much more than a backdrop for the changes that occur. The device of marking the passing of time and the growth in a child's understanding by the lighted candles, works both gently and well. The writing is lyrical, and the action engrossing. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in knowing more about Jewish observances. In the process, he or she will discover a compelling intergenerational story. The illustrations are somewhat sylized and static, but many have an endearing quality that will appeal to children.

I am new to the collecting world of boyds bears. I saw this book at a store that mainly sold boyds bears. This book was very helpful in showing me what bear was of value etc. They have a handy reference guide in the back of the book that helps you find the bear you are looking for by name. Its great!

This guide is the best as far as I'm concerned I depend on this for my collection and my bids for auctions. The pictures are very lifelike, this guide is very informational. This guide is as close to complete as I've seen. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in collecting Boyd's Bears.

My husband and I are the parents of one 2.5 year old boy and one boy on the way. As an African American parent I am desparate for books discussing the special issues that relate to our sons. I found this book to be a great resource and reference.

With all of the issues facing our sons--drugs, gangs, police overreaction etc. it felt good to know that I am not the only one extremely concerned about how to grow my boy into a man.

This book deals with all of the issues I could think of related to raising a black son.

I think it can be a praticular interest to single moms who I believe have a special need.

This book also provides a listing of several other books that one can reference which I found invaluable.

Donna

As soon as I learned that the baby I was carrying was a boy, I instinctively knew that I have to foster the "state of emergency" frame of mind to make him into the shining Black Prince that I wanted him to be, and this book will push you on that path from the jump. It encourages, enlightens and spells out the solutions to keep your precious son on the right path. Nearly every possible scenario is touched on here: encouragement to single mothers and fathers and tips on the ex, homosexuality, the doomed "raise the daughters love the sons" mentality, how to teach him to live in a sometimes hostile, racist world while maintaining self-dignity and respect for others, how not to allow himself to get "dumbed down" by peers, avoiding the temptation of drugs and gangs,etc. This book has more info than you would expect one source to have, and it helped me to understand that raising a responsible, loving, respectful young Black man doesn't have to be a pipedream. If you want to help avert crises before they occur, or need help throughout the one you may in the midst of, this book is priceless. Learn from the case scenarios and advice these 2 parents give from their own lives and others and cherish it.

I liked this story because of the ending and how interesting it was. The story was about a bus driven by a man named Mack. Some people on the street where yelling at Mack to watch out and he did. Guess what was down there? It was an animal that was very loud and no one could get it to stop. Read the book "The Blue Bus" to find out what it is. Katie V.

Gus and Tess see a parade of interesting vehicles as they wait for the school bus. A rythmic refrain repeats. The colorful, lively illustrations contain much to discuss and make multiple readings fun for child and adult alike. My two-year-old son enjoys vehicles and loves the short text of this delightful book.

On cattle ranches across the western part of the United States, plenty of children help their families with the livestock operations. These "cattle kids" perform various tasks, including checking on the cows while they are calving, forking hay, helping with vaccinations for the calves, operating the machinery, and gathering the herds. This instructive book offers readers a detailed description of raising, herding, and selling cattle for the production of beef and leather goods. The text is straightforward about the destiny of most of the cattle, and the rich display of photographs further provides an inside look at the ranch work. Adults can use this book to teach children a valuable lesson about natural resources and how certain food products reach the market.

IRA Notable Book author Cat Urbigkit presents Cattle Kids: A Year on the Western Range is a children's picturebook all about life as a cowboy or cowgirl - a job that isn't entirely restricted to grown-ups! Beautiful, full-color photography illustrates this exciting portrayal of young people helping adults look after cattle, from calving and branding to haying and rounding up the herd. A delightful, honest, and accurate portrayal of genuine ranch life.

Prof. Boyd's book is god-sent,

I discovered it during a self-embarked journey in the blooming world of spectral methods. Unfortunately,
these very potent and promising techniques have only recently
escaped the confines of the field of Applied Mathematics where
they were first developed. Thus, most existing literature is too
mathematically oriented and rather opaque to the engineer and
applied scientist, as it does not offer them the basic
operational knowledge that they would require. This book is
one of the first to overcome this chasm. It provides
a survey of all the necessary fundamentals for the application
of spectral methods to various disciplines of computational
engineering but also delves deep into various advanced topics.
At the same time it provides one with sufficient ammunition
to explore, otherwise intimidating, more theoretically-oriented
texts. The text, reflecting the author's extensive knowledge
on the subject, has an unusually flowing writing style to it
and throughout it are interspersed some quite entertaining
snippets of the author's humor.

I recommend this book to all students of spectral methods, regardless
of level of expertise.

Spectral methods, as presented by Boyd, are techniques for numerically solving differential equations. His book is a collection of A LOT of practical information presented mostly through a mathematical frame work. Practical means different things to different people; in Boyd's case, he discusses the details of what happens in putting the mathematics to use (the pitfalls), and when each technique should be used. Supporting numerical methods, such as matrix techniques, are discussed where needed. Example computer code is scarce. Worked examples are inconsistently used, and sometimes abstract.

As a novice to the field, I found the level of presentation a notch too high to be able to put it to use. It was more abstract than applied. I'm not saying it is not informative, only that this is not a good first book on the topic. I might get this as a second or third book.

I give it 4 starts due to two complaints. There are not a lot of illustrations, and moreover those that are included are often too simple or need more annotation. A little more thought should go into them, and there should be a more of them for some of the more abstract topics. Additional thought should go into the organization too. Information at different levels of expertise are scattered throughout so you either (a) need to know the answers already, (b) skip ahead several chapters, or (c) go on an aside in another text.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the wartime dramas of Edie, Ruby and Janet. Everyone seemed so real. Details of the time and the effects of war on England were "spot on". Excellent job of keeping the reader interested. Quite the relaxing and entertaining read. Wish it was easier getting hold of copies of her other books which I'd like to try after enjoying this one so much.

Edie, Ruby and Janet all work at the Cadbury factory in Birmingham Engalnd. Right before the war breaks out the girls are each faced with a life changing event. Edie is getting married, Ruby is afraid of getting left behind and Janet finds herself having a baby. But the war does come and Edie finds her taking in a child that is an victim of airraid. The war ends, and the three women find themshelves going in different directions but the boy with no past, will bring changes to all of thier llive.
"Chocolate Girls" is the first book by Annie Murray that I have read and while I did find it an okay read, I have to admit that I didn't enjoy the time jumps that the writer used, overall it was an okay war-time read.

This is a fantastic book. Everyone should read it

This was a very nice book and I think anyone would enjoy readign it, espcially around the holidays . . If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

After months of anticipation, "Cloak & Dagger" has arrived. This work reveals, for the DM of course, some startling events in the lands of Faerun. This source book is filled with a myriad of realms lore and information, as well as hooks for bringing these nefarious organizations to play in your realms campaign. For many of us, this is what we've been waiting for, and calling to the powers-that-be about. Finally, these intrigue riddled organizations are made flesh for the cunning game master: The Shadow Thieves, The Knghts of the Shield, The Iron Throne, and the Night Masks to name only a few. But more importantly, it reveals a great shift in the balance. What is it? I won't ruin it, but I'll tell you it has to do with the Zhentarim, and Manshoon himself! If you're a Forgotten Realms DM, and you want to spice up the intrigue in your campaign, even if you don't like using power groups in your games, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. You will not be sorry!

This book proves to be excellent source material for many of the power groups of TSR/Wizard's Forgotten Realms campaign world. In fact,if the upcoming 3rd edition sourcebook proves anywhere near as insightful, it should enhance the Realms' potential as a complete and true alternative to the current "Greyhawk-centric" layout of most the 3E materials currently being published. The book proves to be insightful, especially for DMs who run a Realms campaign, and it will spoil some storyline if you are more of a player than the game referee. Despite high praise, there are some aspects that may not please all fans. But first, let me state the excellent parts. What this entails is the efforts to develop details and story growth for some the Realms most famous and infamous groups. This material should prove good to developing and expanding a FR game adventure with new plotlines and activities. For several factors, this is important for game play and development. First, in recent years we have seen the campaign world material focus on geography and history, while casually or only briefly discussing many of these groups within. This left many a GM in the lurch, forced to come up with solutions that may not have been detailed or ideal for their campaign. By adding more details, and often a framework of villains, the book improves the group structure for adventures and encounters. Groups like the Rundeen and The Iron Throne(now of Baldur's Gate computer game fame)are given a deeper explanation and motivation than slavers or evil merchants, explanations that were casually tossed in to add flavor. Second, it adds much needed storyline to more familiar groups in FR adventures, like the Zhentarim and the Harpers. While I don't agree with all the new plots, these more-familiar and popular organizations were in need of an infusion of new dynamics, either to make them more realistic villains to fight or more interesting as heroic allies. Those players who have been involved as Harpers should be thrilled at the new adventures, while foes of the Zhents will find them more powerful and crafty to deal with than previous material had conveyed. The other added plus is that the more generic or marginal organizations mentioned in novels or modules have gotten some detail as well. Here, the book shines by giving attention that fleshes them out moreso than before. The Shadow Theives, The Westlake criminal society(plus city layout); The Unseen, and even a secret society of evil elves(if you read the Dungeon Crawl modules, you know where this going) all come into focus more. This information provides many a gamemaster with an alternate source of material than just encounters with the more famous groups(i.e. Harpers, etc) of the Realms, especially if your players have grown bored of them. While all this makes for great source material to GMs, and plot stories to fans of the Realms, the book isn't without some flaws. Let's start with the fact that you really must be versed in the Forgotten Realms; this isn't material that translates well into a generic campaign. Without trying to say too much, the plots involving Manshoon and the Zhentarim are very complex and could create confusion if you aren't familiar with the villains' histories and details. While some explanations are added for help, there is an intention to leave enough left unanswered to further future gaming. However, this convultion isn't always helpful to game structure and some may find it be too much. In fact, some may find that the storylines are too much change to add to a campaign involing those groups. Also, the excellent detailing found in this book is not evenly distributed. Some groups have more material, perhaps too much that can bog down your interest, and others very basic information or blurbs. For example, the Men of Bailisk or the Cloak Societies are briefly mentioned, and associated with other entries, usually a broad one like the Zhentarim or the Knights of the Shield. This doesn't really add to the possible areas of devlopment for adventures the DM could flesh out. To sum it up, CLOAK & DAGGER does a great job developing and revealing the power groups of the Forgotten Realms. The materials sticks close to its source, developing the mystery, manipulation and detailed intrigue lots of gamers associate with this game world's high adventure. Some, however, may find the changes too confusing to use in their gaming campaigns without careful application. You'll find it good and creative, but not as complete as one would like in some parts.