Hall Books

This is an absolutely outstanding resource for helping students improve their listening skills. I wish there were a CD with it instead of the cassette tapes. Tapes can be a hassle to rewind and they aren't as durable as CD's. Overall though, it's a great resource and my students love it!

I've used this GREAT book before my last trip to the USA. It's amazing the difference it made to my english. I had several business meetings with Americans and I understood everything, I mean everything they said. That didn't happen to me before using "Waddaya say?". I also learned to use reduced forms to improve my speed. But the most important thing is the almost magical change in my understanding. A suggestion is to follow carefully the instructions, then listen each conversation an repeat it many times. The book is also great source of expressions and uses, not just reduced forms. A must have ! Thank you Nina !!!!!

My students told me that they can finally understand spoken English. This is the best listening book for that. One student said, "It's like magic. I couldn't understand people speaking English last year, and now I can."

It is a good book for those who never learned how to say "what do you want to do?" in a natural way. This book shows you 20 and only 20 most common short forms. The content is well organized. But it is pricey for a book that has only 68 papges. For the most part, you may do a search and find them somewhere in the internet. But then again it is a good deal for those who do not care about the price.

I've used the First Edition of Whaddaya Say for almost twenty years. Nothing I've used to teach students to understand spoken English has ever been better. I was very pleasantly surprised to use the Second Edition, which was published in 2001, and find that all of the lessons that made listening comprehension easier for my students were included along with an additional ten lessons. The fun conversations are even better, and the tapes are really great. I didn't know tests could be useful as well as funny, but there's a wonderful test at the end of the book that was a lot of fun. I want my students to know how English is really pronounced (*wanna for "want to", *hafta for "have to", *gonna for "going to + verb", etc.). When they don't know the real pronunciations, they have a really hard time understanding spoken English.

I'm amazed by one thing in particular -- although the Second Edition of Whaddaya Say has 30% more pages and there are three cassettes now instead of two, the price hasn't gone up. I don't know why the price hasn't increased, but it seems like a great bargain to get a beautifully updated bestselling listening book for the same price as the prior version!

I don't see how anyone can really learn listening comprehension without this book.

Your Life Your Way is a "must read" for all women over 50 or approaching 50 who are desiring to make changes to enhance their lives. (Isn't that really all of us?) As life coaches Lynn Hull and Julie Molner remind us, this time in our lives can be the most exciting and creative part of the journey.

These two remarkable women and coauthors skillfully guide us through the process in taking a closer look at who we are at our core, examining the shifts that we would like to see occur in our lives and the ways to make these changes an adventure. They also remind us to celebrate who we have become and who we continue to become. They encourage us to "walk through the door" to the life we envision.

Their willingness to share stories about their own journeys through life and the experiences of other women over 50 added so much richness and clarity to the content in the book. The exercises included are like having your own personal coach at your fingertips. Your Life Your Way is a book that I will pick up over and over as a wonderful resource. Yes, I believe the best is yet to be.

"Your Life, Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women" by Lynn Hull and Julie Mulner is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to move forward in their life, and yet stuck and feeling stagnant. Lynn and Julie outline clear, simple avenues on how to live with authenticity and power -- an uplifting recipe for living, with all the essential ingredients given. Despite setbacks in life, this book encourages and shows us how to keep moving forward by tapping into our inner reservoir of strength and knowledge.
Elaine Williams

Lynn Hull and Julie Molner have drawn on their own experiences as women of a "certain age" and those of their coaching clients to demonstrate that being older than fifty can be the portal to a more authentic and enjoyable life. Your Life, Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women is just that, however, a guide for women of any age. It should be particularly effective for anyone who is a "people pleaser," caregiver, or just conscientious in nature.
Their book is divided into four sections. The first serves to define a woman's starting point: in a midlife crisis or an empty nest, in a relationship or not, in sickness or in health. In the second section, the authors explore both physical and spiritual energy, communication, and values. Section three discusses the concept of change. Finally, section four encourages freedom to choose one's path and to celebrate that choice.
Lynn and Julie suggest that readers acquire a journal in which to record answers to the numerous exercise included. Doing so would no doubt take more effort and introspection than many of us wish to put forth, but the resulting document would be invaluable as a starting point and as a reference down the road when some of the same issues, or new ones, come up again.

Lynn Hull and Julie Molner have done a great job in presenting to the over fifty crowd the tools to do something they have never done before in their lives. I encourage you to get this book as you will find out that you will be supported in every step of the way. These ladies are on different sides of the world, but they have managed to give you solid information that will work for everyone. Change is part of our life and will continue to be and if you can step up to the plate and take charge of creating new and different challenges, it will be very rewarding for you. These coaches are there to cheer you on!

Your Life Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women is a wonderful book to help with the question, "What do I want to do with my life?" The book is divided into different parts to help you examine your past, what you like and don't like, and what you always wanted to do. The book is filled with several checklists and questions to ask yourself to determine where you want to go with your life. I would recommend this book for any woman facing a transitional period in her life.

Vickie Dellaquila, author of Don't Toss My Memories in the Trash

As the author of this book, and also as an official member of the Nominating Committee for the Stephen T. Colbert Award for The Literary Excellence (I became a member of this by buying Stephen Colbert's "I Am America (And So Can You!), I can proudly state with 100% truthiness that my book is a nominee for the Stephen T. Colbert Award for The Literary Excellence.

Also, the information contained within will make the world safer for Stephen Jr.

I wish I had written this book. I'm a professional bird conservationist, and this book really provides the best introduction to the many ways that our lifestyles impact birds and the environment. Its a beautiful little book, with great ideas, fresh writing, and a cheerful tone. Laura manages to suggest 101 ways to improve your lifestyle, without loading on the guilt. A bible for bird lovers. Very informative, inspiring, and motivating. If you are one of the 50 million Americans who watch birds in your yard, or you just want some practical ideas on how to make your lifestyle more sustainable, do yourself a favor--buy the book, find something new to try, then buy copies of it as a present for those you love.

I love this little book, and find it incredibly useful.

First of all, I don't think I like birders. I recently attended a seminar on reintroducing the Western Bluebirds to the San Juan Islands (where I live) and wasn't there 15 minutes before I had exchanged words with 3 different people, 2 of whom I wanted to poke in the nose.

That said, Laura Erickson's "101 Ways to Help Birds" seems to me a dandy book for birders or non-birders alike. Her suggestions are all practical ones which cover everything from the role of conservation of our natural resources and its impact on bird populations to basic information everyone should know when feeding birds. Her language is clear and precise and she writes with wit as well as authority.

I still rarely meet a birder without wanting to thrust out my foot and watch him or her go tumbling, but I do appreciate a well-written book on ways we can increase bird populations. Nice work, Ms. Erickson!

I bought this as a gift for my wife, who just qualified our backyard as a National Wildlife Habitat. It is sensibly organized in five parts:

Part I: Helping Birds at Home

Part II: Enhancing the Natural Habitat of Your Backyard

Part III: Supplementing Backyard Habitat

Part IV: Helping Birds Away from Home

Part V: Helping Birds on a Larger Scale

As experienced bird lovers and supporters, I can readily say that there is a great deal in this book that I was unaware of. Parts III and IV were most interesting to me, and Part V I had never really thought about. If birds are the "canary in the coal mine" for the Earth, then this book, as other reviewers have suggested, of larger importance, but for me, it is quite simply a wonderful selection of 101 useful easy to read ideas that can make a difference.

Very nice.

i looked for reviews and found this to be highly regarded and
proposed as the best out of the lot. great book maybe a lil bland but its the first draft of the book from years back and not sure if they are still as bland. does a good job explaining. my problem is i am independently starting to study algebra and found this to be maybe better for a teacher student setting. you will find answers to only half of the problems.
and has a habit of putting problems in the test parts that werent really explained it the study part leaving you to try and figure out or proposing you had a teacher there to help explain. probally my biggest quirp is the end of chapter final tests have no answers in back, but i guess they can't give all the answers i would have looked for a book that had all the answers if i would have thought otherwise only half even less of the problems will tell you if your right.

We homeschool most of our children. I search carefully to find school materials that I believe are of high caliber. When algebra appeared on the teaching horizon, I read reviews of Mr. Foerster's algebra texts from both the homeschooling press and from the public/private school sectors. Having read nothing negative about this textbook, I went ahead and purchased the textbook, teacher's guide, and tests. I could not have chosen a better textbook for my son! As a ninth grader, he worked his way through the textbook completely, asking for assistance only a handful of times. The explainations are clear, and the range of problems assigned is both wide and in-depth. My son made an "A" in the course (on the 90-100 scale), despite my "picky" grading. I will not use Mr. Foerster's textbook with my next-down son, because mathematics is difficult for him. But I recommend the book unreservedly for anyone who is comfortable with math.

I am a Math major and I have tutored Algebra for many years. This is the best text I have ever seen from a wide range of both public and private schools in my area. I am ordering a personal copy to have on my reference shelf. The text is extremely thorough and not at all watered down (as many of the texts I have recently seen). It covers each topic completely and in depth. An ample set of problems is given and the author builds the student up to the challenge of more difficult problems. Word problems are written with a sense of humor that even gets a chuckle from the eighth grade boys. This author strives to develop an Excellent student not just an adequete student. Highly recommended.

Our school district has misguidedly adapted one of those fuzzy math curriculums, and I have chosen to teach my mathematically talented daughter at home rather than have her lose her love of math entirely. This book has made the job easier! Clear, elegant reasoning that doesn't skimp on rigor, plus problem solving with a humorous bent. It also covers all of the topics that I think "should" be covered. I am not finding the lack of a teacher's guide to be a problem, however, I do have a strong math background. I compared several math books before settling on this one. A close second, or maybe first, depending on your taste, is the Houghton Mifflin Algebra text. I have both, and sometimes it is enlightening to a non-teacher to see the different ways material can be presented.

Foerster's text provides the student with a strong foundation in algebra. Topics are introduced incrementally. Before Foerster introduces a new idea, he first makes sure that the reader has a strong understanding of the concepts on which the new idea is based. His exposition, which can seem pedantic at times, is clear and effective. The numerous examples he provides are explained in painstaking detail. He also warns the reader of potential pitfalls. The exercises are designed to build both the reader's algebra skills and conceptual understanding. Each chapter concludes with a section in which the reader applies the material learned in the chapter to real world problems. This material, which is a particular strength of the text, demonstrates how and why algebra is used.

The book begins with basic algebraic concepts that are sometimes covered in pre-algebra classes. Those concepts include operations on numbers, variables, constants, algebraic expressions and equations, signed numbers, and the rules of algebra such as the commutative, associative, and distributive laws.

Foerster then discusses linear equations in one variable. Rather than discussing equations of lines next, as many authors do, he defers that topic in order to cover operations on polynomials. That allows him to discuss quadratic equations before the midterm review. While he later discusses how to factor by grouping, in this chapter he treats the factoring of quadratic polynomials as a series of special cases. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the quadratic formula, the derivation of which he leaves as an exercise. If this book has a weakness, it is that Foerster teaches you how to do algebra without always justifying the methods he uses.

Following the midterm review, Foerster discusses equations of lines and systems of linear equations. This leads to a brief discussion of probability and statistics. Probability is revisited in the exercises later in the text.

The following chapters address exponents, operations on polynomials, rational expressions and equations, radical expressions and equations, and inequalities. The last chapter, which is followed by a final review, introduces concepts such as functions and right triangle trigonometry that are explored in more advanced algebra classes. The final sections of this chapter, which address quadratic inequalities, provide a capstone to the text because they tie together many of the concepts introduced earlier.

The exercises, which are numerous, vary from drills designed to develop the reader's facility with a particular type of algebraic manipulation to challenging application problems. For instance, Foerster poses the following problem: In some states, your state tax is based on your net income after your federal tax has been deducted and your federal tax is based on your net income after your state tax has been deducted. How do you determine how much tax you owe each entity if the tax you owe depends on the amount being collected by the other entity? The difficulty of the problems Foerster poses makes this text suitable for an honors course.

The text is quite comprehensive, discussing topics not found in other texts. For instance, one topic he introduces is a system comprised of a linear equation and a linear inequality. As is the case with other topics, he also introduces applications of such systems. Consequently, there is more material here than can comfortably be covered in one year. Instructors will need to be selective in their choice of topics. However, the text's clear exposition, detailed examples, and the provision of answers to the odd-number exercises make it suitable for self-study.

A less challenging alternative to this text is Harold R. Jacobs' Elementary Algebra. It is engagingly written, provides a strong foundation in algebra, and will not overwhelm the average student.

This book does an excellent job of testing all relevant concepts. Some of the questions are artificially difficult and a little on the difficult side, but if you learn the answers your boards will be a success. I just finished the book for the second time and noticed a marked difference in my ability to remember the concepts that i had seen before. i definitely recommend this question book.

It's just as good as learning from the authors in person. Comprehensive with nice discussion of answers, sectioned by system, and a good format to review topipcs.

I had the pleasure of working with Brian Hall for a couple of years and he is a fantastic educator and is always quizzing himself and others to keep everybody sharp. I used this book for my written board review and found it to be very helpful. The residents nearly universally used this review at the Mayo Clinic and seemed to feel that it was of substantial help in their preparation.

I thought this Q&A review book was easily the most "bang for the buck" in preparation for the written boards. It does require a solid fundamental knowledge of anesthesiology, but the questions are very representative of written board-type questions, and the answers are comprehensive and largely satisfactory. Textbook references are fairly comprehensive and accurate. I highly recommend this book as a final step in preparation for the written boards!

This is a great review book, it got me 100% on my first anesthesia test!!!

This is an inspriring book. I highly recommend this book for young scientists and anyone who is thinking about a life of research. This should be recommended reading for CS students everywhere.

"The Art of Scientific Innovations" by Professor Syed Ahamed and Dr. Lawrence provides invaluable insights into the great minds and history behind key innovations that continue to greatly impact our lives today. I had the pleasure of meting authors on a number of occasions and have great respect for their vision and dedication to help advance knowledge with a view to improve the quality and well being of our existence as a humanity overall. I can not think of a more inspiring and motivating book than the "The Art of Scientific Innovations" for Doctoral students and alike for whom this book has been dedicated to. Written in a clear and concise manner, the book enables appreciation of the efforts spent in the advancement of science as well as understanding of the characteristics and common threads of great scientific innovations.

I always think that how the artistic ppl think about the things, how they comes up with the new ideas.This is true that the way we looked up the thing is different from the ppl who are scientist.This book help me a lot to improve my creativity skills.

Ideas presented in this book, "The Art of Scientific Innovation: Cases of Classic Creativity", and taught by the author Professor Syed Ahamed in class are proven fruitful for many of his students including myself. The book actually leads "from realization of a concept to the development of a device intended to serve a commercial or social need". It helped a great deal to successfully finish my research on a subject (financial networks), defend my dissertation, implement my ideas in industry and keep working on a patent.
The broad audience of researchers will greatly benefit from this book.

The Art of Scientific Innovation by Professor Syed V Ahamed and Dr Victor Lawrence is a contribution to graduate education not readily found in other scientific text material. What the authors have done is to share their personal experience with guiding Ph.D. students in graduate dissertation work. They elicit the essential ingredients of performing seminal contributions to the field of endeavor. They have created a stream of outstanding flow of scientific creativity by researchers who have made some of the largest contributions to the art of scientific innovation. This report of these contributions combined with their personal analysis of the dissertation process make this a work that should be read by all Ph.D students.

Leviton's writing style is perfect for me. This book is thoroughly practical unlike so many other books with at least half useless or biased filler. Just the few pages on bowel cleansing is worth getting this book. Bravo!

I like the excercises and all, but I am very wary of the new age stuff (meditation, etc). Beware of the wiles of lucifer!

Terrific item!! My 69 year old mother is putting up a good fight against Alzheimers so this is quite good for a Christmas present.

good book, with some good points. You wont regret taking the time to read it.

This book is quite interesting. Make use of whatever suits you. I like a lot of the nutritional information, its looking into different research from all sources, and it had something interesting like encouraging you to spin around like a Sufi to boost your IQ which sounds weird, but who knows:)

This book is the most complete and clear text about the transition that many companies are doing from product centric to solution enabler organizations. A must read, highly advisable if you are in the IT business.

This book is absolutely the best! It provides frameworks to structure and implement an effective professional services organization (PSO) for an IT product vendor. A product company PSO matures over time through various phases characterized by the types of services it offers. This book is full of practical yet winning strategies and tactics to maneuver the high risk waters of professional services. There are clear directions on how to manage key levers that increase profitability but it also sets realistic expectations. Although the book provides the `recipe' for a sample $100 million professional services organization, it lists all the necessary `ingredients' to cook up a PSO of any size.

I liked the fact that it is written in a style that is free of any jargon. Authors are professionals who clearly understand the industry from inside. My least favorite part are the diagrams and illustrations which are at best adequate but could be better. Highly recommend this book!

This is the absolutely best book devoted to building pro services organization in a product-based company. While there are a lot of sources on managing stand-alone pro services firm (i.e. accounting, law), this book addresses the common pitfalls in moving into services for product-oriented companies.

The book is easy to read, well organized, and packed with sound practical advice you can start applying right away, whether you're in delivery, sales, or marketing -- you'll be going back to it often.

This book absolutely is the best book I've ever ready regarding professional services. They describe a pragmatic approach from their experience at SGI services. This book will take you through planning an PS organization, development of various groups, reporting strucutures, templates for tools to help you.

It's focus in on a PS organization of a product company but you can take much away from this book if you are purely a services organization.

What I like the most is that it helps you do begin to address the various challenges where other books gloss over these topics and leave it to you.

This book as become my day-to-day bible to managing a professional service division within our product-oriented company. If you have your objectives and strategy clear, this book will help you getting organized with the tactics.

I met Victoria live one night while surfing the internet. I am a single parent father. I have had great difficulty in my life and have battled many problems over the years.

She sent me a note without even knowing me or what I was going through and called all my emotions right on line.

Over the past year she has supported me through wonderful notes of inspiration, motivation and prayer. She has given me the boost that I needed on those very dark days to pull myself out of the barrel...lol.

It took me a couple of times to get through her story because it's so powerfully emotional. The tape came into my life at just the right time. It gave me a different perspective on my life and my problems.

Victoria is a wonderful lady who is full of compassion, understanding and unconditional love. She is like sitting down with a dear friend.

PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO GET THIS AWESOME LIFE CHANGING TAPE.

My love and thanks to Victoria, Alan

The power of this audio drama with all the sound effects is something I have never experienced before. WOW! What a display and what a story.

It took me about 4 times to get through the story as I was so overcome. I have since played it over and over again. I have found that when I feel a little down I can pop it into my tape player and I'm back on track hummming a song and being grateful for the life I had as a child and now as an adult.

My prayers are with you Victoria and thank you for stepping out and sharing this awesome story with the world.

I am a member of Charles Stanleys Church in Atlanta Georgia and I have shared it with some people who totally agree that it is truly an anointed testimony of someone who was touched by God and His messengers. I say messengers because I believe all through-out your life God has sent heavenly messengers and earthly encounters to bring you to where you must be today.

Love and blessings, Sue

I am speechless! What a story! An amazing story that is one of the most incredible and believable Angel Stories I have ever heard.

Over the years I have read many angel authors books, but I have never read one such as this one. I was overcome with joy, sadness and a real sense of being with Victoria as the story was told. SHE IS AN AWESOME AUTHOR! The way she tells the story , the words she uses makes you feel the ice hitting you in the face, smell the wildflowers and feel the gut wrenching suffering.

I cried, I laughed and I longed to be where she was as Angels sent by God touched her life.

I sure would love to meet this wonderfully, inspiring lady. I wish you Victoria all the blessings heaven has to offer for I know God will truly pour them down upon you. Your suffering has been for others and you have honestly shown through your story that you understand that.

THIS BOOK IS AN AWESOME TESTIMONY for anyone going through trials, or to give as a gift to uplift, and motivate others. I HIGHLY SUGGEST IT.

DON'T PASS THIS ONE UP.

God Bless you Victoria...your new follower...Catherine

I know Victoria personally and have first hand heard of her experience. When I think of the trials she faced during what should have been the most enjoyable years of her life, it is so painful to know that she endured such horrible tests, instead of the joy and love that should have surrounded her! Yet,God had a hand on her life and a purpose! He had His Heavenly Angels walking with her through each and every trial! Her name Victoria was anointed the day her mother named her as she truly was Victorious through these trials! I doubt few have survived such trials as she has. It is such a blessing to know that God will use us if we are willing. And He surely did use her. Your hearts will be lifted when you read of her struggles and pain as it will surely make your own burdens appear much lighter. Thank you Victoria for sharing your life with us! Many lives will be changed when they hear your testimony presented in this awesome audiobook. I remember the day we listened to it. We cried and laughed as you can honestly feel the Holy Spirit touch your heart as you wait on the edge of your seat to hear what happens next! I love you and I pray that God will use this tool to save many who are depressed and alone walking those same streets today! God Bless you dear sister, Connie Jones

I cannot remember when I have ever been so moved by a story. The way Victoria writes is nothing short of annointed. The power of the Spirit of God pours through this story. I cried, laughed and was so overcome I felt I could not even move.

I cannot wait for her upcoming childrens series for I know parents and children are going to be taken on a "heavenly excursion."

I just hope that if I were going through what she went through I would have the courage to keep going with the faith, hope and joy that she continues to live with today.

May you always find an angel of God at your side.

Best Wishes for a great writing future.

Cindy Sullivan Charleston, South Carolina

I love this book. I bought it for my kids to give me for Mother's Day. I'm a handspinner and just love this story about Charlie the shepherd who needs a new cloak. He goes through all the steps from shearing his sheep to sewing the finished fabric together into a new cloak. It has great humor and is a fun read.

Tomie dePaola always writes such good books, that I don't worry if it will be good, I know it will be. I will be using this book to help with a yarn/fiber art unit in class. I have enjoyed reading it and I know my students will like it too.

I enjoy dePaola's books very much, but this one I am extra enthusiastic about. I work in a classroom of 3,4 and 5 year olds, and I am responsible for selecting literature for, and reading to, the younger children in the class. Sometimes when I am reading a dePaola book I have to cut some of the narrative to keep their attention. I don't have to do that at all with this book. This is a book that will keep the 3 year old's attention and still offer something to the older children as well. A lot of the charm of this story is the pictures which feature the action outlined in the text as to what Charlie is doing and also clearly represents the agendas of a spunky sheep and craftly mouse. YOung children love to discover these little "surprises" within the illustrations.

While I am a pre-service teacher, the second grade classroom that I am observing is currently working with _Charlie Needs a Cloak_and sequencing. The students are given the prompt of each of Charlie's actions on 'wool' pieces and then the students write 2-3 complete sentences using various punctuation. Also, there is a story within a story, which students (at least these 12 second graders) showed enthusiasm with prediction and sequencing. The story within a story format is one big reason why I am a fan of this book!

Though it's rated at the pre-school level, I've found Charlie Needs a Cloak to be useful and entertaining for kids up to third grade. In my work as a museum educator, this delightful tale serves as a valuable intro to the world of pre-industrial textile production, especially in colonial America. The illustrations are humorous, which dePaola is famous for. Charlie needs a new cloak, and he takes the reader through the process of making one, from shearing his whimsical sheep, who help him with his work, to weaving, dyeing, and sewing the new garment. Too bad Charlie doesn't notice, as soon as he puts it on, that his favorite sheep is already chewing on his hem!