Brown Books

While I am biased becuase I stay at Marriott properties regularly, I did find this book useful. Bill speaks in a way that is easy to understand and shares some great tips on how to provide excellent service. Also, I learned some great mgm't related ideas as well. This book is not fancy, but deserves to be read.

If you've stayed in a Marriott hotel and you've wondered how they put everything together you'll learn about it in this book!

Everyone has probably seen a Marriott Hotel product on one of their drives. They are everywhere and have a diffeerent line of hotels to suit every need from Fairfield Inns, Residence Inns, Courtyard, Marriott, Ritz Carlton and others. What you may not know is the story of how those hotel came to be and what drives the success at Marriott. From their langthy Standards of Operation, to thier treatment of the thier employees is all explained for you to read. You get a great insight on a great company.

While this is not a biography, there are many biographical moments where Mr. Marriott give a little insight on him and why he does what he does at the company. He explains some of the moments from when his father started the busines, to his army days to his life now.

This is not you typical business how to book either because much of the information is geared to Marriott and the lodging industry while leaving it readable for all who want a book on success and business. He also helps to give insights on the Lodging and food industry and should be a must for Hotel and Management Students.

Since I work for a Marriott product, it has help me to understand the organization better which makes me a better employee and more focused. The company has a great reputation and this book helps to define what is expected.

He does explain the four rule of decision making which are:

1. Be willing to make decisions. He fells this are the most
important.
2. Do you homework. Just do not do it to obsession.
3. Listen to your heart. Some times your heart knows best.
4. Don't waiste time regretting. Sometimes a decision will look
better in hine sight, but some times you win, some times you
loose. Just roll with them.

This is a very inspriational book also. Where he speach about his personal experience with a heart attact and his religion.

Recommended for all.

In The Spirit To Serve, Bill Marriott offers advice on how to develop the type of management basics and solid core values that made his company an industry leader. These ideas are neither new nor radical. They are the simple lessons that Mr. Marriott has learned during his lifetime tenure at Marriott.

· Take a hands-on approach to your firm. Don't sit at your desk. Walk around your facility and interact with your employees. Make sure they know that you care about what they do.
· Managing well depends on listening well. Cultivate patience and keep an open mind when listening to ideas from employees and customers.
· Give your employees the tools they need to work. Make sure employees are properly trained for their jobs. After training, make sure there are support systems in place to assist employees.
· Offer exceptional employee incentives. Marriott has offered employees a toll-free consultation service, profit-sharing programs, promotion from within and several recognition programs.
· Encourage teamwork among workers. Create an environment in which the rewards of working together outweigh the rewards of individual interest.
· Don't take your partners for granted.
· Discover what works best and do it. Develop detailed standard operating procedures. The right way of doing things is worth making a habit.
· Balance who you are with where you are going. Maintain order within your organization while embracing change.
· Don't let growing pains destroy what you have built. Stay close to the daily grind of your business during periods of growth. Keep a close eye on quality control.
· Don't waffle over decision making. Stand by the decisions you make.
· Learn to recognize boom and bust signals. Pay attention to colleagues, reports and other indicators in your industry to get a realistic picture of what is happening. Don't be overconfident.

Ran into a copy of this succint biographical book at the Sydney Marriott alongside the Bible/Gita/Buddhist manual, and I wasn't too sanguine about something from the hospitality industry being too relevant to me. But this slim, easy read may actually connect with almost any business person. More so if you are in any way related to customer services or marketing.

Without skipping any beat on chapters of glorious prose, ala TypicalBusinessBook, it shoots straight from the gut about the tenets of Marriott -- how with sheer determination it shot to the big league from a small cottage inn, the MBE leadership style of Marriott (the younger Marriott that is) who prefers to walk his troops instead of boardroom inertia, lessons in team building, the importance of listening to all the levels of the organization, codifying past experiences into business philosophies (not the usual "Best Practices" bromide that is bandied about in elite echelons of business) etc etc.

In all respects, a hidden business gem of a book.

Now the million (ok, 11) dollar question. You can imagine how I got my copy. So would I *buy* this book if I had to? For the basement price, and for the simple but compelling REAL WORLD lessons, most likely yes.

I really enjoyed the first 4 and thought the last was the least , but overall one of E.L. DOCTOROW'S best writings .

Bought this as an amazon remainder. Doctorow is one of the most underrated of America's authors. His language is brilliant, and he manages to entertain without pulling out every post-modern trick in the book. Always a good read.

the 5 short 'Sweet Land' stories keep you in their grip and make you think about how much of it could happen or has happened in real life, they are that intense and down-to-earch, another proof why E. L. Doctorow is an author essential to any Reader's Must List.

JohPWilbrand

I read and enjoyed Doctorow's current historical novel of Sherman's march, "The March," and wanted to read more. Doctorow's "Sweet Land Stories" (2004) lacks the sweep of his Civil War novel. But it excells in its picture of American down-and-outers, loners, losers, grifters, and wanderers. It includes short but unforgettable scenes of a varied and almost timeless American, in rural Illinois, Chicago, Alaska, a religious commune, Las Vegas, and elsewhere.

The book consists of five short stories, four of which appeared initially in the New Yorker while the fifth story, "Child, Dead in the Rose Garden" appeared first in the Virginia Quarterly Review. Each of the stories is faced-paced, draws the reader into the action, and can be read easily in a single sitting. The stories reminded me of Hubert Selby's "Last Exit to Brooklyn" and of the novels of Charles Bukowski without their rawness. Doctorow's is the voice of a polished literary artist.

Three of the stories are told in the first person by male narrators. The first story "A House on the Plains" is recounted by Earle and tells of his conniving and murderous mother on a small farm in Illinois. For all the brutality and irony of the story, the characters come alive sympathetically. "Baby Wilson" is told in the voice of a young man with nowhere particular to go whose girlfriend has kidnapped a baby claiming it is the couple's. We are treated to a picturesque ride through dusty roads and small towns as the two loners truly become a couple and parents as well as they struggle to resolve the situation.

"Walter John Harmon" tells the story of its namesake, a former garage mechanic and thief, and current alcoholic and philanderer, who becomes the leader of a religious commune. But the narrator is an attorney who has given up a staid if successful law practice and, with his wife Betty has joined the commune. The tone of the story is set by its first sentence: "When Betty told me she would go that night to Walter John Harmon, I didn't think I reacted." Doctorow shows the credulous, unresolved needs of many people, including highly educated individuals, for belief and spiritual support, as the narrator is cuckolded by Walter John Harmon who runs off with Betty and abandons the commune to its fate.

The story "Jolene:A Life" tells of a young woman with three bad marriages and other affairs who works through a life of trouble and attains a degree of peace at the end. This is a tawdry story with tawdry scenes, tattoo parlors, topless bars, sexual abuse, gangster-style killings,convincingly portrayed. Jolene struggles throughout all this to develop her talent as an artist.

The final story, "Child Dead, in the Rose Garden" seems to me weaker than the others in that it is too overtly political. I had the same problem with Doctorow's "The Book of Daniel" which is a fictionalized account of the Rosenbergs. This story also differs from its companions in that the protagonist is not a down-and-outer but a respectable person in a responsible job. The story is about the adventures of a retired special agent named B.W. Molloy who, over official resistance, solves a mystery about how the body of a dead child was found in the White House Rose Garden and in the process learns a good deal about himself.

Doctorow has made his reputation, and deservedly so, as a writer of American historical fiction. This book is smaller in scope than novels such as "The March" but perhaps digs deeper into the hearts of its characters. This book together with Doctorow's difficult modern novel "City of God" which to me shows the promise of a secular, open America, are thoughtful, spiritual works which I have greatly enjoyed.

Robin Friedman

I've said I don't know how many times that I really don't like short stories. But every now and then I'll pick up a short story book, and I'm usually always disappointed. Well, not this time. These 5 stories grab your attention from start to finish.

The first...A House On The Plains, is the tale of a mother and son and their murderous means of living, and how they continue to get away with it. The second...Baby Wilson, is the story of two lovers. A shady man, and a delusional woman who kidnaps a newborn child and tries to pass it off as their own, while the man finds a way to get them out of the mess she created.

The third...Jolene: A Life, was my favorite. We meet Jolene at the age of fifteen. An orphan who over the span of 10 yrs. goes through three husbands, a stint in a psychiatric hospital, a mobster boyfriend, living the high life, being homeless, and countless jobs, some pretty gritty. The fourth...Walter John Harmon, is an inside look at life in a cult. Members give all their wealth and possessions to 'prophet' Walter John Harmon in exchange for a peaceful and clean community. But they are so disillusioned, they cannot comprehend when he betrays them.

And finally...Child, Dead, In The Rose Garden. This was my least favorite. A dead child is found in the White House Rose Garden after an event. Special Agent Molloy sets out trying to find the answers as to who, why, and how this act was carried out. I definitely recommend this book. The stories are short and very intense. I will most certainly be giving more of Mr. Doctorow's books a chance.

The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing by Bruce C. Brown is a must read for anyone who owns and operates a business in today's technologically advanced world. It is a great resource and a handy reference guide to the mysteries of internet marketing. It explains, in detail, what Search Engine Optimization is and how to make your website visible in search engines via the use of keywords. It contains comprehensive information about marketing your business and products online. While some of the chapters can be quite complex, the author includes screen prints as he walks the reader through the necessary steps to get a website on to the more popular search engines. There is a chapter devoted entirely to fraud, and how to stop your competition from clicking on your ads and burning through your advertising budget - something I didn't even know existed until I read this book. The case studies are helpful in demonstrating the effectiveness of directed pay per click marketing and search engine optimization. After reading this book, you will not only have a clear understanding of how internet advertising and marketing works; you will be able to apply your knowledge and immediately start marketing your business on the internet.

One hundred fifty years ago, businessmen believed that the China market was unlimited. They illustrated its size by claiming that, if they could sell even a single wooden match to every citizen of China, they would make a fortune. Nowadays, the Internet has replaced China as the source of unlimited market opportunity. Bruce C. Brown's The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing: Pay Per Click Advertising Secrets Revealed tells the reader how to tap into this opportunity and start building a fortune.

Brown cites studies that predict 231 million online users in 2009 spending as much as $3.7 billion. Brown shows readers how to reach those users through various online marketing techniques, in particular through PPC (pay per click) advertising. He details for owners methods for generating traffic, developing marketing strategies, budgeting, building sales, and protecting themselves from fraud. In addition to this information, useful to most business owners interested in generating Internet traffic, the book also operates on another level.

Brown goes into considerable detail on optimizing a web page for search engines and working in detail with Google and Yahoo marketing programs. No doubt, there are individuals who are equally comfortable with web page design and business operations, but it is more likely that a business owner will best use the web page design information to guide their interaction with a programmer. The book closes with case studies and more expert advice from individuals who have been there and done that. Brown has created a thorough guide loaded with a great deal of useful information.

The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing: Pay Per Click Advertising Secrets Revealed was recently selection as a USA Best Books Awards 2007 Business: Marketing & Advertising Winner: The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing: Pay Per Click Advertising Secrets Revealed by Bruce C. Brown.

Winner:
The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing: Pay Per Click Advertising Secrets Revealed by Bruce C. Brown
Atlantic Publishing Company
ISBN: 978-0-910627-99-3

Finalist:
How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote, and Market Your Business or Web Site--With Little or No Money by Bruce C. Brown
Atlantic Publishing Company
ISBN: 978-0-910627-57-3

The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing: Pay Per Click Advertising Secrets Revealed by Bruce C. Brown is a great book for small business owners and those with small marketing budgets. This comprehensive guide is a wonderful addition to anyone who wants to promote their business online.

The online pay-per-click system may seem complicated with its many ins and outs but with Brown's book, you can implement his ideas with little to no money and do so easily. Each section offers a wealth of information for web marketing and pay-per-click newbies. There are even three separate sections each on how to use Google, Yahoo and Microsoft alone! The concepts are simple and the history of online marketing gives one a helpful background in getting started. Brown teaches you how to create a budget, devise a marketing strategy of your own and work from there. This book is a good resource with its handy checklists, helpful glossary of terms and sections on writing your own press releases and even detecting fraud in the online marketing world.

`The Ultimate Guide' gives detailed plans and goes far beyond the basics of PPC marketing. With Brown's guide, you will learn the difference between the internet marketing practices and be armed and ready to get your business out there. What I loved the most was that names, internet addresses and links are all right here in this book! Brown includes so much information and guidance that there is even a section about how much time you can expect to spend depending on the success outcome level you are looking for. There are a variety of links and resources all at your fingertips in this book. It is detailed, well laid out and incredibly helpful to anyone who is looking for a new way to advertise their business and get beyond the first round of search engine success.

Bruce Brown takes us on a delightful tour of search engine Marketing. We meet some Pay Per Click guru's that astound with their knowledge.

"Forget schemes and empty promises. There is only one way to guarantee
that your web site will get visibility, at the top of all major search engines. It is through hard work compared with P.P.C. advertising," says Bruce.

So much for my six pack of silver bullets. But he's right. And when you think about it hard work never hurt anyone . . . . right.

We now have two billion pages on the internet. Google and Yahoo come under the spotlight. Bruce even gives Microsoft ad Centre the once over.

To get a maximum return, we are gonna need to do our homework. These three are the major players so study up and decide which is best for you.

Chapter 14 has some real case studies. One example is `The Hitchin Post.' In Sep. and Oct. they did not spend on P.P.C. advertising. The money just trickled in.

The next month, Nov. they invested $550 on P.P.C. . the return was $2,375.55 . The following month $885 was shelled out and the payoff was a staggering $4,131.59 . Almost double.

If this is not enough to convince you, on page 200 is a special report. In the closing pages there is an excellent glossary.

The story takes place in Indiana, in a public school, a Hoosier teacher being the main character, and written by an Indiana teacher/writer was my reason for buying this book. Reading Indiana writers, especially books with a Hoosier setting, are a passion since I also am a Hoosier retired teacher and writer. (Not under the name above.)

"Why Johnny Died" is "right on" when it describes the school, teachers, staff, administration, and the relations between them. That part of the story is not fiction. Marlis Day does a tremendous job mixing the fictional tale of a murder into the school setting. Realistic? Close. I'm not sure most teachers are as adventure questing as the self-appointed detective, Margo, in the story; but then...stranger has happened in the public schools.

School personnel will love this book. "Claude Dupree, assistant principal, was temporarily promoted to main principal...spent an inordinate amount of time mapping the school and assigning new duty posts...disaster drills have become more regular...most of the faculty feel that the emergency has already occurred and pray for a speedy decision on the part of the school board in hiring a new principal."

And this: "In stunned silence we stared at each other--he with his gun in the doorway, and I , seated . . . as most school principals, Leo (Fitzbaum)had been given the gift of glare, and could beat me in a staring contest any day of the week."

Or take Roxie Rayburn, Science teacher and Margo's co-crime investigator, like Tonto to the Lone Ranger, or Barney Fife in Mayberry. "She unfailingly wore costumes rather than clothes...three earrings in each lobe...her smoker's voice and slight drawl...going to college in the sixties had taken its toll on Roxie, and I always suspected that she had a tattoo. Most likely, a dragon or a smoking gun was carefully concealed under her stirrup pants."

Like my first reading of a book by Marlis Day was "Death of a Hoosier Schoolmaster", actually her second book (I didn't read them in order). Both are next to impossible to put down, even at bedtime. Both with a twist at the end making it near impossible to guess who-dun-it.

Short, easy to read mystery, filled with the non-fiction of life for a teacher in the public school. Glad I never had a student murdered by putting a poisonous snake into his bed. The whole story can't be told for you, but now I KNOW Why Johnny Died.

Funny and mysterious. Now excuse me, Marlis Day has a third to read, "Curriculum Murders." Another Margo Brown Mystery coming up right now for this Hoosier reader.

I must tell you up front that I know Ms. Day. He is a fine school teacher who is now retired. I am very happy that she serves on a non-profit community center with me. I am the president, she is the vice.

Marlis loves to write and you can tell that in her style of handeling a story line. She is working on a new title and I am very much standing in line waiting. Most of what she writes about has some basis in fact. I can go out and say what parts, just keep in mine much of what she says is non-fiction written as fiction. She has a way with works that makes her works very entertaining,

Buy this book and the rest that come out. If you want more info on her work with the "Blue Jeans Community Center" then visit us at [...] We will even tell you where the name comes from.

Bless you all and enjoy Marlis' future books.

"Kerry Dean" Teverbaugh
FOX 7 TV Weathercaster
Evansville, IN

Marlis Day has been a teacher for 30 years. She holds a BS degree from Indiana State University and an MS degree from Indiana University. She is also a freelance writer, having published ten articles in Christian magazines and educational journals. Why Johnny Died is her first Margo Brown mystery.

Johnny Benson, a seventh grader with a sweet personality and a rotten home life, is found dead by his mother of an apparent snake bite. Margo Brown is his teacher, and when she reads a journal Johnny wrote for her class, she is convinced that he is too smart to have carelessly picked up a snake. She concludes that he was murdered, but no one believes her, except her colleague Roxy. Together they piece together a chain of facts that implicate their ever so stern principal in Johnny's death. Dr. Fitzbaum transparently tries to dispose of Johnny's journal because it has incriminating evidence, and he would succeed if it wasn't for Margo Brown's penchant for adventure:

"In stunned silence we stared at each other-he with his gun in the doorway, and I, seated in his chair with my arms full of his private papers. . . and Johnny Benson's journal. As most school principals, Leo had been given the gift of glare, and could beat me in a starting contest any day of the week. I'm sure my expression was a combination of terror and wide-eyed astonishment, while he was calm and feral."

Why Johnny Died is a mystery with a purpose, as Ms. Day clearly expostulates in her epilogue. Teachers see children from broken homes; children who are abused; and children from homes full of alcohol and drug abuse every day. Because of the legal system, teachers no longer have any real control over their students' lives. Therefore they cannot come to the assistance of children in need. This is a national tragedy. It has pushed good people out of teaching, and made the act of teaching that much harder. Children who are troubled are simply thrown back into the classroom, where they disrupt the atmosphere and interfere with the learning process for all children. Ms. Day writes her extremely entertaining, witty, but sad story to get our attention. Children are the single most important resource we have...thanks, Ms. Day.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Marliss Day has written a wonderful book that is engaging and entertaining. The story keeps you guessing and makes you laugh too. I hope she will continue writing many books with the same characters....if you love a good, cozy, mystery, check this out.

Margo Brown, a seventh grade language arts teacher and protagonist of Why Johnny Died, never planned to be a detective. It's only when one of her students dies unexpectedly - an event never before experienced in her twenty-year career - that the veteran educator turns sleuth. Her decision to give Johnny Benson's school journal to his grieving mother seems like a good one until Margo reads the final few entries in the book. Driven by a need to know the truth about her young student, Margo and fellow teacher Roxie Rayburn use their status as faculty members of James Whitcomb Riley Middle-High School to gain entry to the homes of those people closest to Johnny Benson. Their snooping eventually leads to a confrontation not only with school authorities but also with an extremely desperate killer.

Marlis Day has created a set of realistic characters in Why Johnny Died. Anyone who remembers their own school days will recognize Dr. Leo Fitzbaum, the slightly officious principal known as "Old Fuzzy balls" to the less reverent students of James Whitcomb Riley. Clude Dupree, "the only man I ever knew who actually tied his sweater sleeves around his shoulders," is the formidable but well dressed assistant principal in charge of discipline. Frances Updike is the teacher we can all recall, the one who "consistently wore dark skirts with matching blazers as her school uniform." And those of us who have been forced to sit through endless seminars in the name of continuing education will appreciate Marlis' humorous take on a workshop attended by Margo and Roxie. Having "traveled to Indianapolis in search of intelligent life," the audience "sat like amiable toads in harmony of purpose. There was no discord in our ranks; we were bored in unison."

Why Johnny Died is characterized by clean writing, good characterization, and a believable plot. Anyone who appreciates intelligent writing will find more than a mystery in this first novel by Marlis Day. I look forward to the further adventures of Margo Brown.

I have received The Wilderness War by Allan W. Eckert in good condition. While I have not had time to read it yet, I know that I shall enjoy it as much as the other books I have read by this author. He is careful and thorough in his research for each of his books, and his writing style is such that you hate to put the book down until it is finished. If you enjoy true history of the settlement of the great lakes region, Mohawk River region, and the Ohio River valley; of the struggles between the white men and native Indians for control of these lands, you will enjoy the series of books penned by Mr. Eckert.

This is one of the weaker books in Eckert's series, but it was still a good read. I'd recommend it for any Eckert fan, or any other American-History fan. You should definately read the other books in the series!!!

For over 200 years the Iroquois were a force to be reckoned with. They constituted one leg of a three legged stool which balanced French and English interests on the North American Continent. This was a most profitable position for the Iroquois and they knew it: In this position they were the gate keepers between the English and French trading establishments and all other non Iroquois, native North Americans. With a home in upstate New York they waged war and demanded tribute as far North as Hudson's Bay, as far South as Georgia and the Carolinas and as far West as the Western Great Lakes and Minnesota. Because of this dominance in the economic and political interests in the eastern half of the US and Canada they provided a buffer zone between Indian and White, between French and English interests. Simply stated, they had to be dealt with.

Wilderness Empire is the story of the Iroquois during the apex of their influence and power, the French and Indian War. Struggling to maintain the status quo and their preeminent position, this Confederation of six tribes fails in its attempt to balance its competing interests, splitting along French and English lines of allegiance. Resulting in an Iroquois Civil War, the Confederation is ultimately destroyed.

This is a quite detailed, yet smooth flowing, description of the destruction of the Iroquois Confederation during the French and Indian War and it comes complete with an all star cast of characters: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, King George, Montcalm, William Johnson, Pontiac, George Crogan, George Clinton, Wolfe, Charles Langlade and Bougainville, just to name a few. Fought all across the East Central US and Canada, this war stretch from Detroit and the Michigan Peninsula to Albany, Niagara, the Mohawk Valley, New York, Montreal and Lake Champlain, the sweep of the story line, the savagery of the battles, the intrigue and betrayals will leave you stunned.

Second in his Winning of America Series, this page turner may be Eckert's best.

The best book I have ever read on the French and Indian War. It is utterly amazing how Eckert makes characters from the past come so alive. You really get the feeling that you not only learned about events that happened in the past, but that you get to know the people who experienced them.

Wow! What a book! For anyone interested in studying the French and Indian War period, this is a must read. Although it's not a "textbook" account it's still a lot of fun. I would read this book alongside Francis Parkman's "Montcalm and Wolfe" and Anderson's "Crucible of War". Probably Mr. Eckert's best work. It's really great for younger children or anyone who has forgotten about good old-fashioned American folklore. Fantastic!

ESPN always puts out a good almanac, and this is of the same quality of years past. It provides data for the past year for all of the major sports (baseball, football - college/pro, basketball - college/pro, hockey), plus racing, soccer, amateur sports, world sports, and some business information, too. It's nice that it provides a lot of historical data, too, single-season and career records. It's probably not the guide if you want all of the historical baseball information ever (or something like that for any other sport), but it's authoritative in its scope of all sports.

Like any almanac, the yearly data quickly ages. I suppose I would rather them carry data for the 2000-01 NFL season, for example, rather than the 1999-2000 season, but I suppose that given the continuous nature of the sport seasons, they have to make a trade-off for one sport.

It's very good; I highly recommend it for any sports fan with a knack for trivia or who frequently finds themselves asking (or arguing) about records and statistics and superlatives.

This is the best sports almanac you'll ever find! It is full of interesting facts about every sport and all the information you'll ever want to know. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who likes sports.

When it comes to sports, the letters that come to most people's mind are ESPN. Those letters have stood for sports for the last two decades. And the Sports Almanac delivers, every year.

This book is for everyone from the casual sports fan to the stats geek. It covers all sports. (At least every one I could think of!) For the amount of content and the price, you can't beat it!

I own a world almanac for knick-knack arguments and discussions, but I have found that when I am locked up in a heated sports debate, there is NO SUBSTITUTE for this book! It's the best! It's easy to read, and it has info on all of the sports that I care about (and even on some sports I could care less about!). It not only covers the pure stats of the games, but it also covers some facts about the arenas in which they are played! That, coupled with the in depth and far reaching historical material that it houses make this indespensible for the avid sports nut!

ESPN has shown the world once more that it is the beginning and end of sports information. Every sports fan should have this reference, as even the most avid fan will marvel at the breadth of knowledge contained in this must have publication.

I just picked it up to thumb through because I liked the cover photo, I didn't think I'd read it let alone love it as much as I did.

Childs has created a beautifully written book about animals and journeys into their abodes. He lashes a poet's equipoise to an adventurer's rugged wagon and traverses stories that are breathtaking both in their raw facts and in their telling. A wonderful book.

I have greatly enjoyed reading this naturalist's account of personal encounters he has had with animals in the wild. He demonstrates a respect, as well as a healthy fear, of the big predators such as mountain lions, bears, and jaguars. Intertwined with the adventures, Craig Childs provides details and meaningful information on creatures as diverse as mosquitos and Blue Sharks. It is a personal account which is accurate and does not romanticize the animals he describes.

This book tops my list of favorites. Childs' skillful use of languge not only brings his encounters to life, but revels in the mystical aspects of the wilderness. It is as close to poetry as prose can get; it's simply stunning.

I purchased "The Secret Knowledge of Water" by Craig Childs, and picked up the "Animal Dialogues" at the same time. After reading both books, I will buy more by this author. Vivid descriptions of places and happenings make his experiences come alive. The short chapters on each species give his own story and some scientific information on the animal as the story unfolds. I have learned much, and enjoy his take on the face to face encounters with some of the animals. We can identify with the cat and mouse tales in the Tipi. The Mountain Lion encounters were incredibly intense. This will really make me be more aware of where I am and what is around me when walking up the slot canyons and in the river wash. The footprints we find will be a little more of a wake up call, then just 'Oh neat! A fresh Mountain Lion foot print!"

Whatever the small spunky feline in the title role of this book does gets him into trouble, but it's never intended and it usually has an unexpectedly good outcome. This small black, bow-tied cat has a Cheshire grin and lives "in a huge, dirty city". The illustrations are childlike but edgy and full of fascinating detail. They are reminiscent of Richard Scarry's artwork.

We watch as Bad Cat wanders the city, stumbling into one situation after another - he paints a wall, sprays water, picks flowers, drops a banana peel, bounces on a bed - and always sings songs. People yell "Hey, you, bad cat! Don't you do that!" and only realize after he's long gone that "Bad Cat, Bad Cat, you're not as bad as all that!" Bad Cat is a loner, a bit of a rebel, and probably has an attention deficit problem, but he's also a catalyst who makes good things happen as he jumps from one misadventure into another.

Kids often feel misunderstood by those around them but unable to articulate what really happened - they'll find it very easy to identify with Bad Cat's antics and sheer exuberance and realize that they're "not as bad as all that".

Chalk up one more rave review by an almost-two toddler. My daughter actually had the Bad Cat sequel first (Bad Cat Puts On His Top Hat). We got Bad Cat when I just could not read Bad Cat II one more time! :) Truthfully, I love them both and so does she. The "busy" pictures--the ones with all of the characters (especially the opening page of the book)--are, by far, her favorites, as she loves to pick out the characters from the busy city scenes. She also is completely cracked up by the character's names (in both books). (Today, she kissed one of the pages in the book and said, "I love you, Pooslop.") Bad Cat is one misunderstood cat; he's naughty, and silly, and great fun to read.

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! I'm heading into 50 and this book made ME laugh out loud! The illustrations are delightful. Will make a nice gift for any age cat lover.

I picked up this book over the holidays for our 7 year old daughter who is an avid reader.
When we first opened it (post holiday period) we could not get past the graphics, plot and the feeling of wanting to read it over and over again.

This was a great book to read in between our chapter books. I often find her reading it to herself. I look forward to another bad cat book.

2 Thumbs Up!

Bad Cat is one serendipitous cat. He does something and people holler at him for being a bad cat. As he runs away, these same people discover what he has done is to make things better than how he found them, or to do good deeds by happenstance.

First example: He finds several cans of open paint and a paintbrush in front of a store. He picks up the brush and begins painting in first one color then another. The owner comes out shaking a stick at Bad Cat, chasing him away. When the man discovers the beautiful graffiti on the store front, he calls Bad Cat back. But Bad Cat is singing: "I'm a bad cat, bad cat,/ said that man,/ he thinks I live/ in a garbage can!" as he runs away.

My favorite example: Two rather large people, man and woman, each carrying groceries, slip on a banana peel Bad Cat throws down. They crash into each other, spilling groceries everywhere. Other people grab him, intending to do harm to our Bad Cat. Lying on the sidewalk, the two people look into each other's eyes and fall in love. The people celebrate this wondrous occasion by having a block party. To Bad Cat, they say: "You're not as bad as all that!"

In the last episode Bad Cat meets a character that shows up in the next book, a marmalade cat with glasses, representing perhaps the domesticated cat versus the stray cat with sharp teeth. Bad Cat also represents the desire to think outside the box. You know those children who won't follow directions, but follow the machinations of their own minds to create new ways of doing things. Bad Cat does what others think bad, but ends up creating good--all against a backdrop of intense colors. There's a definite message here.

The illustrations are intensely bold and colorful, created in Photoshop on a Mac. I would love to know how because they are so fabulous! Created by a writer/illustrator, this book is sure to please. I am looking forward to sharing this with my library children! You rule, Bad Cat!

Wow, I just want to say this book is awesome! I remember buying it at Barnes & Nobles because I thought it looked interesting. It was so good, I just could not put it down! I read it in like two days and I have been waiting for the sequel for months. I'm going to go and pre order it now!

I know it says in the summary that this is for readers of Gossip Girl and A-List, but I swear this book is much better than those. I liked this book so much, because it showed four girls in pursuit of their dreams. I could relate to each of them in different ways, and I felt like the ending was perfect. It wasn't entirely corny and predictable. This is similar to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, except for the fact that we don't have to wait for a second book to come out before we find out what happens.

It is the time for their lives to truly take flight. Best friends Harper, Kate, Becca and Sophie have graduated high school and are going to separate colleges to pursue their separate careers. But to Harper's disappointment, her future is crushed when she received the rejection letter from NYU and rather than tell her friends the truth, she decides to spend the year writing America's next Little Women. Although her gambling journey was not to be taken alone, for Harper inspired both Kate and Sophie to chase their dreams as well. Sophie blindly stumbles into Hollywood in search of the perfect audition that will propel her into the movie business, but instead finds love with the wrong actor. Leaving home with only a passport and an open road, Kate bails out of Harvard to explore the world and its broad opportunity where she hopes her dream is hidden. The only one to stick to her plan, Becca hits the ski slopes on the Middlebury team content with the only thing she feels good at, which keeps her company when her friends are far. Love comes to each girl that year and with it decisions that could change their lives, and though apart, the four friends manage to find ways to hold each other close. Bass Ackwards and Belly Up, by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fein, is a heartfelt novel that defines the love that is intertwined in the friendship of four girls who experience their first steps into the real world.

Bass Ackwards and Belly Up is made up of the four stories of the four friends Becca, Harper, Sophie and Kate. The tales of each of their separate lives makes the book a more intriguing read, one that's difficult to put down. From each girl, the reader can sometimes relate and because there are separate stories, it is easier to compare with.

Thorough the hard times, together or apart, the authors do a great job of defining each character by their experiences. For instance, when Kate is robbed and Harper finishes the first fifty pages of her book, each girl is changed and reacts a different way to the events. The characters are very well developed and it makes the story much easier to imagine.

Bass Ackwards and Belly Up focuses on each friend's dream, whatever that dream may be. In this way, it gives teens the incentive to chase their dreams, but still to think out what this change may hold for their futures. Through this story, the authors send a great message for teens that shows you can accomplish whatever you wish if you just give it a try.

This story of four friends and their adventures as young adults is an incredible story of love, determination and the freedom to make your own choices with the burden of the consequences. I highly recommend Bass Ackwards and Belly Up to teenage girls and young adults for I highly enjoyed it myself.

E. Knipp

Best friends Harper, Sophie, Becca, and Kate have done everything together since elementary school. Now they've graduated, and are about to go off to college. True, they're all going to different schools, in different cities, but they're still all having the same experiences, just in different locations. Then, the night before Becca is supposed to leave for Middlebury, Harper drops a bomb. Instead of heading off to Manhattan, she's going to be staying at home in her parents basement and writing the next Great American Novel. In other words, following her Dream. Sophie and Kate quickly hop on board the "Dream Train," as they call it, going to L.A. and Europe, respectively. For Becca, joining the Middlebury ski team is her dream, but her friends tell her she should work on expanding her horizons by falling in love. As the girls' powerful stories alternate throughout the novel, you will be rooting for all of them to accomplish their dreams. True, there are obstacles: a bitter ski coach, skeezy guys, and writer's block, to name a few. But this Dream Train is full speed ahead, and it doesn't stop for anything or anyone.

Despite their vastly different personalities and families, Harper, Sophie, Becca, and Kate have been best friends for years. No matter what, they tell each other everything.

Well, almost everything. Harper was rejected from NYU, the only college to which she applied, and has been keeping this a secret from her friends and her parents for months. Right before her friends plan to take off for colleges all over the country, the truth comes out.

Well, kind of. Harper acts as though she has decided not to go to NYU, preferring to stay home and write the next Great American Novel. She thinks this quasi-admission will shock her friends, but their reactions shock her even more: two of them decide to follow her example and take a year off from college to chase their own capital-D Dreams.

From there on, the story follows each girl in turn. Each storyline is given equal time and attention, switching back and forth every few pages. This format will be familiar to fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Sophie wants to be a famous actress. As luck would have it, her mom's old friend lives with her husband in Beverly Hills and allows Sophie to stay at the guesthouse rent-free. Sophie's landlords are quite busy and have good connections, giving her total freedom and helping her snag some auditions. Sophie befriends Sam, an aspiring actor who takes care of the pool and does odd jobs around the place, and Trey, a famous actor who gets her a line in a movie and steals her heart. If you like Sophie's storyline, read The 310 series by Beth Killian.

Kate's post-high-school plans were supposed to be set in stone: Go to Harvard with her long-time boyfriend, study hard and get good grades in an effort to live up to her parents' high expectations. Harper's big plan makes Kate realize she has no plan of her own. Europe calls out to her, so she books a plane ticket and packs her bags. As her boyfriend drops her off at the airport, he breaks up with her. She heads off to her big trip feeling more alone than ever. While she travels, she attempts to work her way through a list of 100 tasks ("Touch the Berlin Wall," "Take the water," "Stomp grapes") created by her friends and her younger adopted sister Habiba. If you like Kate's story, read 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

Becca heads off to Middlebury as planned, wanting to wow the school's coach with her skiing ability. He coached an Olympic team and she wants to impress him more than anything. She ends up getting on his bad side during the first practice and staying there for quite some time. Not only that, but small pratfalls evolve into bigger disasters, snowballing into something she never could have seen coming. Somewhere along the way, she manages to do the one thing her friends challenged her to do: fall in love. If you like Becca's story, read the Love Bukowski series by Emily Franklin.

Meanwhile, Harper finds herself staring at a blank computer screen. Now living in her parents' basement and told that she must pay rent, she takes a job at a local coffeehouse. An old classmate, Judd, becomes an unlikely friend. The twenty-three-year-old English teacher she crushed on in high school becomes a regular customer - and maybe something more. Now if she could only manage to actually write something . . . If you like Harper's story, read That Summer by Sarah Dessen.

The book covers three months in the lives of four teenage girls. As any teenager can tell you, that is both a very short and a very long period of time. During those three months, the characters are each granted a new kind of independence, but manage to come back together. If only all friendships were truly this strong, and we were all afforded the freedom (and, for the most part, incredibly good luck and easy resolutions) these girls were given.

Traffic citations, especially seatbelt citations are almost always about power and money. If it were about safety, they would put more focus on straightening out all the dangerous curves, force property owners to cut back brush, obstacles, and hinderances that causes unseen intersections. They could also install traffic control devices where necesary and work that much harder to get the most dangerous class of drivers, the aggressive ones, and those who are intoxicated - off the roads and into jails. There is no need to not know what you can do if you are a victim.

I bought this book because I received a ticket for running a stop sign. Seems simple enough, except he went so far to conceal his location that he put himself in a bad position to see the intersection. After stewing for a few days, I decided to buy this book and determine if I was going to fight it. After reading the info, I decided to plead not guilty and meet with the prosecutor.

He mentions it in the book, and there were 10+ people in the courtroom today that didn't do it, which is make sure that you are prepared. A defense of "I didn't do it" isn't going to work. I broke my defense into 5 parts:

Obstacles - the officer couldn't clearly see the intersection because of bridge pillars which blocked part of his view.

Distance - the officer was over 200 yards (2 football fields) from the intersection where the alleged violation took place. Police have a tendency to really try to hide themselves from you, but in doing so may put themselves in a poor position (which you can bring up in court).

Traffic - the officer put that there was heavy traffic on the ticket. He was on the opposite side of the traffic when he observed me (which further obstructed his view).

Time - I got the ticket at 8 am and the officer was facing due East. This is the time of the morning where he is looking into the sun (he had his hand up in front of his eyes to block the light).

Driving Record - I printed out my driving record (which I had to request online) which shows that I have a clean driving history. This shows that I am a responsible driver and lends credibility to my testimony.

****Side note*****
Unless the lights on the cop car are on, they probably aren't recording video. The officer made it a point to tell me that his car was equipped with video and that I should know it if I chose to fight it. The judge told me today when I requested a copy of it that in most situations they are erased after 30 days (it was 45 days from the ticket to my arraignment).

All of these factors cast doubt on his ability to accurately see me traveling through the intersection, and I am using them to raise reasonable doubt. Hand signs and noises don't convince the prosecutor that you are innocent (I saw a bunch of people doing it today). The prosecutor told every other person there fighting their ticket to take defensive driving (or that they would have to present their testimony at trial), he told me I had a good case and to take it to trial. He said that he doesn't care if I was guilty or not, he only cares about what he can prove (at this point it is very little). Once he verifies the officers vantage point, we should be able to put this to bed.

I am not off the hook yet, but I recommend this book as a good starting place. Buy it and read it, it will help you decide if it is worth fighting.

you need to get this book if you were ever a victim of the traffic codes that plague our country. attorney brown does a great job in breaking down the court procedures and even provide dialogue to use in certain circumstances.

Used this book to get a sense of how to fight my ticket. While the book did not specifically cover my citation (HOV), it did give me some direction on how to approach it and the best way to go about it. It is an excellent way to start and most beneficial for those who have minor violations dealing with stop signs, lane changes and speeding. I highly recommend it.

I took my case to court and won!

I've been to traffic court many, many times and I always feel like I'm misunderstanding something because I get shafted left and right. As it turns out, I was misunderstanding something. I flew through this book, which is odd because it's technically a law book, but it's written in a very accessible way. It's good to just have the knowledge of how to stand up for yourself, and even if you don't stand a chance in court, you at least know what to sat, when to say it, and what the heck is going on. I highly recommend this to anyone considering buying it.