Hart Books

The intriguing thing about Dickey's lies was that he didn't need to lie. He was a man of massive and varied achievements who lied about his achievements. He had flown, as navigator, on 38 missions over Japanese held territory. He was an accomplished musician and athlete, an expert on French literature, a major poet and a major best-selling novelist.
Hart does not quite give us the answer to the puzzle, and perhaps none is possible. It is an old theory (one often used to explain Hemmingway) that the jock who exaggerates his masculinity is reacting against a fear of effeminacy. Some of Dickey's life, and much of his work fits in with that theory. Simple alchohol and a writer's fertile imagination account for a lot.
At 751 pages I found it rather too long and felt about it the way Samuel Johnson felt about Paradise Lost. There are a lot of day-by-day passages about where Dickey was on what particular date that I found mind-numbing, but I suppose the conscientious writer of what will probably be the only biography had to pack everything in.
The book is an interesting source of information about the literary scene of the sixties, seventies and eighties. Hart seems familiar with the life and work of practically every English language poet of those eras
He is evidently less familiar with the Greek iambic poets; a scurrilous and quarrelsome bunch. He misattributes the only well-known quotation from their best-known member, Archilochus of Paros (a touchy man who lied about his war record and abused women).
One of Dickey's many skills was as a navigator. He liked to use a sextant. I wonder if his services should have been called upon by the captain of the ship that took him to Europe when "On February 13 Dickey watched the New York skyline recede behind the gray waters of Long Island Sound." (But perhaps he enjoyed the extra ride up the East River).

What a wonderful biography of James Dickey. I knew Dickey slightly during his tenure at the University of South Carolina, interviewed him once and knew him to be all Hart says -- mercurial, brilliant and the consummate actor. Hart's biography of this amazing man and incredible poet is a real page-turner; don't miss it!

Author Henry Hart has created a mammoth biography about one of the finest poets America produced in the 20th Century. Drawing from an exhaustive resevoir of interviews, anecdotal illuminations, criticisms and Dickey's work itself, Hart has painstakingly researched the life of a man who barricaded himself inside a fortress of glorious self-promotion.

By all accounts, the difficult Dickey loved the accolades and trappings of fame and worked extremely hard to promote his finely crafted poetry by painting himself as both the uber wilderness alpha male as well as the backwoods red neck. Following in the self mythologing traditions of Hemingway and others, Dickey, a former advertising executive knew how to market a product and became his greatest pitchman. Exploiting America's love of the violent pioneer, he quickly confused fact with reality. For underneath all the bluff, bluster and macho posings,there lay a sensitive, cultured aesthete who favored the creature comforts of the upper middle class.

Much to Hart's credit, he always keeps rightly focused on both Dickey's fine literary output as well as his highly respected career as a college professor. Despite all of Dickey's claims to the contrary, Hart reminds us that here was first rate literary critic and devoted instructor. Hart takes the position that in many respects Dickey became America's answer to Dylan Thomas.

THE WORLD AS A LIE, paints a compelling portrait of an often abrasive, but always fascinating artist. This is a great literary biography. A must read for all Dickey fans.

Some reviewers have expressed their concern and dissatisfaction with Hart's concern or possible over-concern with the lies that surrounded Dickey's life. The truth is in the poems and in Dickey's own personal statements. Dickey's poems are narratives mixing both autobiographical and fantastical details; some of which Dickey appropriated from other people's lives. Dickey's public life was a collection of stories...lies. Hart puts the focus of his biography on these lies, because they were so bound up with Dickey's actual life. In his 'Self Interviews,' Dickey himself describes his fascination with lying, both in art and in life. He felt that the poet and artist had the right to lie. If Dickey had not made such a big deal about lying throughout his life, then Hart's biography might seem overkill. But, seeing as Dickey was an admitted liar, provacateur and even suggested the title for the book (which serves as a great justification for the focus of the book), I feel the biography paints a wonderful portrait of a wonderful writer. Hart does not set out to smash the image of Dickey, but to illustrate the different perspectives of the poet's life. Aside from this, the work is beautifully written and the drama of Dickey's life provides ample subject matter for the reader looking for adventure.

I would recommend this book to both Dickey's fans and detractors as a substantial work of literature.

Henry Hart is himself a talented and resourceful poet, and his writing abilities are fully on display in this beautifully paced and elegantly written biography of an important American poet. The story of Dickey's various forms of sly promotion and self-deceit -- on various levels of consciousness -- is aptly told by Hart, with a wry detachment that seems well-suited to the subject. He is generous in his descriptions of Dickey's achievements as a poet and novelist, and he understands the tragedy of Dickey's precipitous decline, brought on by alcohol and other forms of self-abuse. This is among the finest biographies I have read: a brilliant and thoroughly fascinating work of scholarship and narration.

Amazing story. I am in the medical field and my mother works in corrections. I felt like I was right there and could relate with what they were, or were not dealing with. It was hard to put it down. Love it!

My emotional reaction to this book was sadness and anger, tempered by the realization that in the same situation I doubt I would have acted any better. I expected this to be a tale of a doctor selflessly caring for the prisoners he was charged to keep well. Instead I read of a doctor who took care of himself, his co-workers, the prison guards and their relatives while the prisoners, with few exceptions, were left to fend for themselves. The doctor's dogs were treated much better than the prisoners - at least they were given food and water from the doctor's private supply. In one sickening scene, a prisoner was given CPR through the prison bars because the doctor and guards were so afraid of angry prisoners. As soon as he was breathing again, they left him in the cell. Of course it is so easy to criticize someone else when I have never been through such a difficult situation, but I still felt very sad. It was as if the jail staff considered the prisoners as less deserving of what little food and water was available. It was fairly well-written.

A must read for anyone interested in Katrina OR medical dramas. Dr. Inglese puts you in the midst of unimaginable conditions and keeps the action coming. I'd like to see a movie made from this book with Russell Crowe playing the lead.

This is a powerful book. I would suggest everyone in New Orleans and the surrounding areas read this book. These doctors, nurses, and deputies worked themselves silly. Theses people are one of a kind with hearts as hugh as the state of Louisiana. They thought of others before themselves. They are really what it takes to survive a hurricane or anyother disaster. They thought nothing of jumping into waters filled with sewage and snakes to try and help others. They put themselves in danger every time they tried to help a prisoner, but they did it without any thought for themselves. They were there to help others first and themselves last. Thank you! Thank you! For your heroic actions. When others left these people stayed. This is a book that needs to be read. It is great. I have told everyone about it. It gives you information as to how bad things really were after the storm and how great these people were. You can see images on the tv but this book gives you a feel like no other.

The doctor gives an accurate and gripping account of a horrific event. He was overly kind to the Orleans Parish Sheriff but he did not deal with him as did the deputies. This story needed to be told.

My only disappointment with this book lies with myself for not having the frame of reference inre the Bible, the classics and the news & literature of the day, to give the writing presented here the depth and flavor so tantalizingly near. Though some things transcend meanings, of course, I felt a lack of reference too in the language private and shared only between correspondents. There is, through no fault of the editors, a very noticeable mostly silence where one woman's voice surely rang, whispered, shouted, strode in over four decades of on-going intelligent and warm, in the warmest sense, and yet often distant interaction. It left me, the book, feeling like I'd stumbled upon a treasure box of letters in a sunny attic aching for the second companion box to tell the rest of the story.

Any Emily Dickinson historian or student will want this book. It contains the lost puzzle pieces, released by Sue's family, to the mysterious Emily Dickinson. Sue wanted this story told at the right time. The sheer talent in these writings is amazing. Here was a girl who spent her days as a recluse doing laundry and dishes and writing letters and carrying them around in her pockets. The pen and paper, written word, was what connected the lone Emily to her outside world, her loves, her friends, and now to the rest of us. A must have for any writer who studies her.

Most of Emily Dickinson's letters have been public for a very long time and have been the center of a debate that started just after her death in 1886. The debate has been between two major factions: 1) Emily's sister-in-law, Sue Dickinson and her children, 2) Mabel Loomis Todd, Emily's brother Austin's mistress of 13 years (Emily's brother Austin, was Sue's husband) and Mabel's children (and the relatives of the above mentioned and their descendants!)

Mabel Loomis Todd was 26 years younger than Sue and was the mistress of Sue's husband and Emily's brother, Austin. There was no love lost between Mabel and Sue. Mabel's knowledge of Emily came mostly from Austin with whom she was intimate for 13 years, and from Emily's poems and letters. Austin was very close to his sister, Emily during all of his life. (He lived next door to her with his wife Sue.) Mabel never met Emily face to face but by then Emily saw no one except old, trusted friends and was considered a recluse in Amherst.

"Open Me Carefully" comes down on the Sue side of the debate and discounts Mabel and Austin's point of view. (The authors refer to Austin and Mabel's affair only once, in passing, in the Introduction: "[Sue was] distracted by the loss [death] of Emily and by her husband's flagrant (my emphasis) affair with Mabel Loomis Todd...") But there is very little discussion of the different scholarly views and opinions of Emily's emotional life and even though there is an impressive number of footnotes at the end of the book, there is little evidence of scholarship in the book itself except for smoke that seems to rise from scholarly fires burning elsewhere.

The authors' introductory text strongly implies that Emily's feelings for Sue were sexual, even though the authors don't state this explicitly and never use the word 'lesbian.' For example on the first page of Section I, we are told "The letters from Emily to Susan and drafts of letters from Susan indicate that Susan is the object of passionate attachment for both brother and sister." On the second page of Section II we read: "These 'Dollie' (Sue's nickname) poems are deeply romantic and erotic..." In the Introduction we are told "The ardor of Dickinson's late teens and early twenties matured and deepened over the decades and the romantic and erotic expression from Emily to Susan continued until Dickinson's death in May 1886." In addition, the title of the book and the picture on its cover imply that Sue and Emily were related erotically or, dare I say, sexually?

The burden of "Open Me Carefully" should be to demonstrate that Emily and Sue had a life-long 'lesbian muse' relationship not simply to tell us they had one. Also, this book should not include any letters or poems that cannot be proved "beyond a reasonable doubt" to have been sent to Sue or intended for her. If consensus cannot be arrived at within the community of Dickinson scholars this fact should be clearly stated.

I should add that I think it is certainly possible that the theses of the book are true. I just don't believe that they have been proved or even demonstrated to be probably true.

Emily's letters and poems rate five stars but this arrangement of them isn't convincing and the extent of Sue's influence on Emily remains uncertain.

As most of you know, the Sue-Mabel controversy began virtually at ED's death (Vinnie gave Sue first shot at editing ED's poems, then turned the job over to Mabel when Sue couldn't come through) and continues to this day, one of the most fascinating things in literary history. Sue and Mabel, and their respective daughters, were in a bitter competition to publish the ED poems in their control and to preserve their "place" in ED's history. In 1966, Sewall's ground-breaking ED biography primarily relied on the Mabel side for information, so a negative picture of Sue was created. The recent Habegger biography relied on the Sue side, and a more humane picture of Sue came out.

"Open Me Carefully" comes down firmly on the Sue side of the great divide, arguing for a much greater role in ED's life and work than heretofore granted Sue (though I don't think the author's views are quite as revolutionary as the authors claim). A lot of axes are ground here, and frankly, I disagreed with many of their conclusions. I don't think they took sufficient account of Sewall's point that ED presented a different "face" to each of her correspondents (though, as in so much else, Habegger disagrees), nor evaluated in a balanced way the similar or even greater passion ED brought in her correspondence to Bowles, Higginson, Lord, and others. There really is very little evidence that Sue (herself a rather mediocre poet) had any significant impact on ED's stunning style and insight.

Nonetheless, I gave it five stars for its presentation and its excellent explication of an argument that, while I don't agree with it, should be evaluated by all interested ED students.

I still loved this book, and I think that reading her personal letters gave me more insight into her as a fellow human being, which in turn allowed me to take a new look at her poetry. This is one of the few books of letters I've read where I found that the footnotes were just as interesting as the letters themselves. There is so much information contained in this book that one would think it would be almost burdonsome (or boring) to read, but it's not. I have to say I prefer Dickinson's prose to her poetry. Her letters flow beautifully and are full of spirit and light and wit. I guess the short of it is that reading this book of letters helped me to better connect to her humanity. Of course, I have a passion for books of letters because there is something delicious about feeling as though you are a voyeur looking in on the most private parts of someone else's life. Somehow you can get a far more intimate and interesting view from someone's letters to another than you ever could by simply reading a biography.

Even if you aren't a fan of Dickinson, give this book a chance. Beauty is always worth a read.

It is always written about how children just don't show respect in this day and age. Well, to give respect, children need to receive respect and have respect modeled to them. What an eye opener! A very easy read with lots of priceless information!

Respect and co-operation between parents and children - sounds impossible doesn't it?? This book is very well written and gives really meaningful instructions for developing compassionate communication with your own children and others. Really makes you think about how you communicate with your children and points you in the direction of how to fulfill both yours and your childrens' needs without experiencing conflict!
A very useful tool

Anyone with kids knows that it isn't always easy to get your kids to "cooperate". But in the novel guidebook Respectful Parents Respectful Kids, the authors probe parents to ask themselves, what do you mean by "cooperation", "respect" and other expectations you have for your children? The handbook provides seven easy to follow keys for turning family conflict into cooperation. Written exercises help parents explore their own communication skills, emotional and physical needs, and problem areas in regards to parenting. As the authors write, this book "addresses the only behavior you can actually change - your own". The book exposes why culturally accepted forms of parenting - lecturing, advising, making demands - don't usually work. Then they provide a solution, based on the fact that at the heart of every conflict is a communication of needs.

The book is organized into three parts. 1) Foundations for Respect and Cooperation; 2) 7 Keys to Cooperation; and 3) Family Activities and Stories from the No Fault Zone. Non violent communication is a foundation of the book, and other Puddle Dancer Press books elaborate on the core ideas presented in this book. Don't pass on this useful handbook, which teaches that respecting all family members' needs equally will lead to a healthy, happy home.

I can say from experience that communicating with children can be hard work. This book gave me great communication tools to motivate, instead of discipline, kids. And that's what we all want, right? We want kids to choose to do what we want them to do on their own, not be punished into complying. This book unlocked some of the mysteries surrounding ineffective parenting - and explains why the most common parenting tactics, and common parenting language, don't work. I tried them out already, and have noticed results! I now have a formula for cooperation! The book is a good balance though (I do not like child centered parenting where the parents become the door mats!) - and emphasizes that parents need to meet their needs first. Otherwise, parenting will fail, and really, the only person you can control is yourself. This book explains why changing your own behavior will result in positive behavior from your kids. There are "explore yourself" written exercise, where you explore how you truly feel, and what is really going on in your household, and in your emotional life in relation to parenting. The written exercise really revealed things about myself and my relationship to my children. The book is based on non violent communication and emphasizes compassion. I trust experts that are coming from that perspective. I've already recommended this to some of the parents in my daughter's play group. Everyone can use the great advice from the experts who wrote Respectful Parents Respectful Kids.

I have followed the principles in this book as well as other NVC books and love the quality of connection I have with my kids (ages 5 and 2). However, now that my older son is in Kindergarten, we're dealing with a huge problem. The teacher has 24 kids in the class and does not have time to negotiate and find a win-win solution with each one. My son is getting in trouble almost every day for not following directions (i.e. clean up when everyone is cleaning up, not on his own schedule)and is starting to feel like a bad kid. Now I feel like we have to re-parent in some ways using a more 'love-and-logic' approach. I never wanted to be the kind of parent who says, "Do it because I said so." But I now realize that kids need to learn to follow the rules so that they themselves can be happier in society. We now do a lot of talking about what a 'team player' does. This is a great book but for me, it's missing the piece about teaching your kids to follow the rules, because that's how school, work and much of society work. It's wonderful for a parent and child to respect each other equally but this needs to be balanced with the idea that kid's individual needs (or anyone's for that matter) often cannot be accommodated. The philosophical conundrum for me is when to be the NVC parent and when to be the parent who says, "If you're a member of this family, this is what we do (i.e. sit down all together for dinner)." I guess the perfect parenting approach is eclectic; borrowing a little from each theory.

My husband just graduated and starting new job - he wanted this for reference book. Book in great condition and shipped in a timely manner.

Good manual not for beginners, but it could help for some. Very thorough and planned out.

To much information to even start. It has many, many tables, charts, examples, general information, math, trigonometry, NEC exception references and of course stuff like derating factors, conduit fill, device fill, electrode conductor size ohms law, Henry's law, Kirchoff's law on and on and on.

Let's put it this way, it takes up less space than the NEC and has almost the same amount of info that is not normally used (conduit fill and conductor properties for example).

Unless you "Know it all" and "can remember it all", this is
a very handy book. Eliminates a lot of guessing and over
engineering. Used this book for Years!

My husband had me purhase this for him for work. He is an Electrial Maintance Mechanic. He says this is a quick way to figure out problems at work. A must have.

"Caster's Blog" is certainly one of the most *unique* love stories I've ever read. Through "online journal entries," Marcus Alexander Hart throws the standard "chapter" format to the wind and creates an interesting narrative pacing unlike any other.

As with "The Oblivion Society," I was impressed with how Hart tied everything together. Elements that seem to be unrelated subplots turn out to have more impact on the main story than one might suspect. And since it is all told as "a year in the life of Caster," the notions of plots and subplots are *already* blurred to great effect.

Curiously, now that I have finished the book, I find myself *missing* Caster -- I got used to reading his "blogs" over the days that I was reading the book, and now I feel strangely cut off from my new geeky friend.

Since I am also a fan of Hart's other novel, "The Oblivion Society," it naturally begs the question: "Which book did I enjoy more?" At the risk of sounding evasive, I can honestly say that "Caster's Blog" and "The Oblivion Society" are *so* different, it would be hopeless (and unfair) to compare the two. They both share Hart's sharp and clever wit, and frequent references to pop-culture, but beyond that ... they are exceedingly different novels. Which, in itself, is yet *another* compliment to Hart as an author.

I highly recommend "Caster's Blog" as a quick, humorous, and pleasantly engaging read.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about Caster's Blog?

How about "When I get my copy, the Boyfriend is sleeping on the couch and it gets his pillow."

Marcus Alexander Hart uses his keen sense of geekery and pop culture that we so adored at Misinformer.com to good effect in Caster's Blog.

Hart manages to juggle the competing demand of a clear consistent narrative with the seemingly random and trivial nature of typical blog entries to craft a believable, surprising and compelling story while at the same time maintaining the appearance of an unscripted internet diary. He also had to contend with the uncontrolled input of his readers, in effect, collaborating with the whole of the internet community.

All in all a tall order.

Hart's demonstrates his skill as a writer, and his knowledge of the classic of English literature, Japanese Haiku, and '80's sit coms in this very entertaining volume.

In an age where nothing is real, one thing is: a blog. Envision a blog that could draw an audience so vast, it makes Oprah's Book Club seem like a grade school reading group. Imagine updating a blog page every 5 minutes while you're at work to get the next part of the story. Picture telling all of your friends and every cashier who breaks your Hamiltons about what's new in that journal.

This is Caster's Blog.

For one year it captured the hearts and minds of its audience and grew a faithful reader base. A whirlwind story of romance, revenge, deception, ups and downs became so unbelievable that it just had to be true. This book captures the best elements of what makes a good story so great.

Looking back over the story, at some points it may seem too incredible to be believable. This is in part because the book edits a substantial amount of unimportant posts and comments from the real journal. It was largely because of those same details that the audience was so hooked into the underlying story. At the same time though, the reader wants to believe the story. We cheer him on in the good times and come together to lift him in the bad times.

You might think you read all of the great blogs, but have you read an interesting one?

The Marcus Alexander Hart rollercoaster ride is just beginning, and you better hope you're on it when it reaches full steam. His first published novel, Caster's Blog is sharp and witty, touching and emotional, geeky and cool. Whether you maintain a blog, read a blog, or don't know what a blog is, this book will provide entertainment all the way through.

His second novel, The Oblivion Society is even better, but it isn't out yet. I suggest you purchase Caster's Blog now before The Oblivion Society drops and Marcus blows up into a superstar, allowing you to prove that you heard of him first.

I was going to try to work a Church of Oblivion Societology joke into this review somehow, but lack the writing skill to pull it off.

Marcus could have done it though, so buy his book, not mine.

The book is full of pages on insulin resistance,insulin spiking, etc. The first book by these authors was excellent and health promoting; and this one is as well.

People who have dieted as long as I have know about dieting. We've read the new books, tried new ways of dealing with our persistent problem.
Normal weight people must find this confusing if they think at all about our dilemma. Why can't we just -get- the basic principle that you eat less than you expend to lose weight. Simple. Unfortunately, not that simple in our nation. Not that simple for bodies out of whack.
It is mysterious to me how people can just eat to live and not think about it 24/7. How freeing it must be to spend no time planning meals, logging calories in and out, making weight goals, etc.etc. I may never reach that level of normalacy but the principles in this book and it's predecessor The Insulin Resistance DietThe Insulin-Resistance Diet : How to Turn Off Your Body's Fat-Making Machine, help me see what is possible.
As a dieter I want to know one thing before I put money out on a new diet book. Does it help, does it work? Is this book going to give me some vital piece of information that will help me change my life? The answer to those questions is yes, this book does help,work and give vital information. The authors encourage you to change by slowly changing one new behavior at a time until you've changed your habits even if this process takes months. We want what we want when we want it which is usually now, but that is a formula for failure in any major life change.
I didn't expect this book to be significantly different from Dr. Hart and Ms Grossman's first book, The Insulin Resistance Diet but it is. If possible, I really recommend buying both books and reading the Insulin Resistance Diet first. Although the Feel Good Diet continues and expounds upon the material in the Insulin Resistance Diet, both books stand on their own. The Feel Good Diet is better understood if you read the Insulin Resistance Diet first. If you don't want to buy the Insulin Resistance Diet, go to your public library. The IR Diet is the philosophical underpinning for the Feel Good Diet. When you eat the Insulin Resistance way, there is a calm that settles over you which makes your life and the changes you'll be making so much easier.
I also suggest reading this book completely through before trying ANY of the suggestions. Don't go off half cocked, as I did. The apple cider vinegar Vinegar, Apple Cider, Unfiltered, Raw, Organic, 32 oz.works and works well. In my opinion, it doesn't taste bad either. You might add low glycemic agave nectarAgave Nectar Liquid Sweetener, Light, Squeeze Bottle, Organic, 8 oz., to sweeten rather than other, especially artificial, sweeteners. I don't use a sweetener. It's helpful to increase your intake of minerals before you start on the vinegar. The book lists natural sources of minerals. It is also good to increase the supplements you take as suggested in the book before you start taking the 5HTP.
The book talks about sublingual 5HTP in the form of craniyums. I have benefited from 5HTPSecrets of 5-HTP: Nature's Newest Super Supplement, it gives me time to make better food choices and drastically lowers my chocolate cravings. Although I do have some stomach upset when taking regular 5HTP I am still in the early stages of deciding whether craniyums are a better source of 5HTP. Not everyone has stomach problems with 5HTP. Most of the serotonin receptors in the body are in the gut area, the second brain, as Dr. OZ says.
This book has simple menus which help you reorganize your eating, it deals with acid, alkaline issues which are very important for overall health and it deals in detail with why we need increased serotonin and dopamine precursors to be successful at dieting. All of this is sanely given with an understanding that major changes do not happen overnight.
I found out that I suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder about 10 years agoWinter Blues, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder. I know what low serotoin feels like but didn't connect it with insulin resistance until I read The Insulin Resistance Diet about a year ago. Most of the weight I've gained has happened in the winter of each year when my serotonin is extremely low. If you gain 10 lbs a year over a period of many years, you end up with a weight problem. If you use food to supply the brain chemicals you need to feel good, you end up with a weight problem. And weight problems eventually lead up to many, many other physical, mental, emotional and relational problems, as we all know.
So bottom line, yes I do recommend this book.

Everyone knows I am the biggest fan of Cheryle R. Hart and Mary Kay Grossman for writing The Insulin-Resistance Diet book which forever changed my life.

After losing 40+ pounds on my own and still having high cholesterol and still being 60 pounds overweight (not to mention feeling terrible) I needed answers. My OB/GYN found the problem and suggested The Insulin-Resistance Diet book by Hart and Grossman. I am now a total of 100 pounds lighter (50+ pounds thanks to the Insulin Resistance Diet), my cholesterol is normal and my Insulin levels are normal. I have kept the weight off for 2 years and couldn't love my life more.

My husband on the other hand had a much harder time over the Holidays and I decided The Feel Good Diet was what he needed to take off the weight. The two of us loved the book because it spoke to us from different angles. My husband is very analytical and likes to know how the clock works, I on the other hand, just want to know what time it is. The Feel Good Diet works because it gives you the "why" and "how" all in one book.

The biggest change for me was the quality of sleep I now enjoy after having my Evening Seretonin-Boosting Snack. The S'More Serotonin Snack is to die for or an evening watching a movie while snacking on popcorn made my husband very happy. The other significant change was our energy levels in the afternoon by incorporating the afternoon snack.


Cheryle Hart and Mary Kay Grossman not only wrote books which allowed me to lose weight and changed my life but they educated me about my body and empowered me to be able to keep the weight off. To be able to live a life where you control your weight instead of the food controlling your weight is AMAZING!!!!

The author's earlier "Insulin Resistance Diet" was my first introduction to reducing carbs, and I still rely on her advice to balance carbs with protein, but this new diet relies way too heavily on artificial foods for my taste. If you are perfectly happy with rice cakes and fat-free bottled dressing and artificially sweetened yogurt and the like, this diet may appeal to you. But if, like many of us, you have begun avoiding long lists of chemical additives, sodium, preservatives, etc., in favor of whole, minimally processed foods, this diet would be a major step backward. The authors also advocate deliberately spiking insulin between meals in order to promote serotonin production, but it seems to me that it would also spike hunger and hypoglycemia.

The authors take the yo-yo weight loss and weight gain syndrome out of the equation with a comprehensive look at hormone related stress factors and weight gain on the reader's body. With detailed explanation on why this occurs and how to prevent weight gain from repeating by balancing out your diet with proper foods.
The Feel Good Diet teaches the reader how to improve eating habits for a healthier, well balance eating lifestyle.

Jane Lawless has been through a lot. She lost her mother during her formative years. Then, the love of her life, Christine, dies of cancer in 1987. In 2004, when this story takes place, Jane still has all of Christine's belongings in storage. It's time for her to move on, as she has met someone new. Jane is also going to invest in a new restaurant; she meets young Greta, who is interested in this project. Jane hires Greta to photograph the demolition and construction. It helps that Greta looks a lot like Christine. Jane is thrilled with her new friend. Cordelia thinks otherwise. Yes, Greta is escaping a dead-end relationship from unstable Calvin. But, is that all there is to Greta's past? Or is there more? Read and find out.

Jane is also trying to bring closure to Christine's involvement in the Simoneau murder case. Christine was helping the Simoneaus sell their house just days before the murders, and then Christine's death. What is Christine's connection? Why the gun? Was her mysterious death just cancer spreading too quickly and too painfully? Or, was foul play involved? You'll find out in this wonderfully written mystery!

Finally, in 1987, Dexter Haynes, hired hand and law student, was found guilty of the Simoneau murders. Is he guilty? Or, the victim of a racist justice system?

You'll be introduced to a wonderful collection of colorful characters. Eccentric Cordelia is sometimes so unbelievable, but she's also very important to Jane's strength of character. The remaining Simoneaus are incredibly whacky!!! This book is both funny and touching, and will leave you wanting more Jane Lawless!!!

The subject line refers, of course, to the fact that this is the first Ellen Hart book I've read and her main character is Jane Lawless, chef, dog-lover, and amateur sleuth. If IRON GIRL is any indication of the quality of Ellen Hart's books, I will be reading them all, in short order. THE IRON GIRL was a cleverly plotted mystery (kudos to Hart for making the central crime, which occurred years before and off-stage so fascinating), but it was also much more. Hart fills her mystery with twists and turns just like others in her genre, but she also fills her mystery with intensely likable, all-too-human characters, a generous dose of pathos, and lots of humor.

Restaurant owner, Jane Lawless is embroiled yet again, in another mystery to solve. This one hits close to home. Very, very close in fact.

Convinced by her longtime friend Cordelia Thorn to open a restaurant with a business associate, Jane meets Greta, a young woman who eerily resembles her deceased lover Christine. Greta claims to be interested in photographing the rennovations as a school project. Cordelia, however, is not convinced of Greta's true motives. Why? What about the young woman is rubbing Cordelia the wrong way?

It's been several years since Jane lost Christine. But Jane now feels she is finally ready to sort out Christine's things. While going through the boxes that had been packed away, she finds something that has her questioning just how well she knew her lover. What could Christine have been involved in? And why wouldn't she have told Jane? How could what Jane found impact the feelings she still carries for Christine?

Then there is Jane's relationship with her new lover Kenzie Mullroy, a woman she met just a short time ago. A relationship that is still growing and could be put into danger by Jane's feelings for Greta. How? Will Jane's feelings for her longlost love, surfacing again with Greta's appearance, overide her feelings for her new one? Will Kenzie even stick around to find out?

The Iron Girl is an excellent offering by an extremely talented author. Ellen Hart presents a book filled with tremendous suspense, drama and intrigue, and demanding to be read. Just when you think you have the mystery solved, the author throws in a twist that has you trying hard not to cheat and skip to the end of the book!

I've read all of Hart's novels and while they are all well written, compelling and interesting stories, The Iron Girl is really, really good. A combination of danger, humor and romance kept me reading until the startling and satisfying conclusion.

This latest episode in the "Jane Lawless" series is more emotional and dramatic than anything Hart has done before. Ellen Hart has mastered the intricacies of serving plot and character in equal portions. The emotions are so real you'll find yourself drawn in and living the story.

Jane Lawless has struggled and grieved over her partner Christine's death back in 1987, a long time ago, but now she's happy with someone else and after coming back from a vacation with new partner Kenzie, she finally decides she's ready go through Christine's things. However, as she's going through Christine's briefcase, she finds a gun that shouldn't be there and now she has questions that need to be answered.

Christine was a realtor and the day before her death three members of one of her client's families had been murdered and Jane, investigator that she is, naturally wonders if there is a connection between those murders and the gun in Christine's briefcase. And as she looks into it she meets a young woman who is almost a dead ringer for Christine and now not only is her relationship with Kenzie on the line, but her life as well.

I like the way Ms. Hart weaves her tale, drawing you in page by page. I also liked Jane's somewhat eccentric, but very sharp sidekick Cordelia. She is just to die for, character wise that is. Ms. Hart has a unique talent of spicing up her clues with a few very good laughs amid the tension and she knows how to keep her readers turning the pages.

This book gave me some help with drawing eyes, mouths,and hair.
I would recomend it to up and coming artists and anyone that wants to learn to draw. It takes everything step by step for you. It also imspired me to draw some of my newer work.

For a while i thought i couldn't draw. Then i got this for christmas. w00t! Hart does such a great job showing the reader how to draw! Maybe its the fact that my porportion drawing sucks, because the wonderful world of chibis actually encourages the artist to make a fat, big headed, short limbed character! My drawing are adorable now! The book takes you step by step until you;ve reached max cuteitude! If i had known it would rock so much, i wouldn't have waited!

WARNING: This book is not for beginers. There are few step by step instructions, the rest you have to figure out on your own. (you lazy people)

For those who are not beginers, this book goes fairly deep into the world of Chibi characters. It shows basics in body structures and facial expressions.

It also touches bases on many catgirl body types.
I feel this book gives you a wide variety of ideas that you can use to create catgirls.

All and all this is one of Mr. Hart's better books. One of the facts is that he put less of his style into this book. Which causes it to become more manga, not americanized/manga that he usually draws.

Which is a good thing.

I really like the section in the back about stylized chibi's from Japan.

I myself personally have difficulty drawing chibi character's. This book is very thorough with the basic how to's of drawing chibis. IT even teaches you to think outside out the box when creating fantastical little monsters. I highly recommend this book.

OMG! This was the best how-to book i have ever READ!!!!! It is so thorough. I could draw everything, and it came out near perfection. My friends loved, I loved, and heck, my GRANDFATHER loved it! He thought it was really, really good, in terms of teaching you how to draw! I loved it, and recommend it to everyone! The book shows you step by step how to draw cat-girls (beautiful) and cute tropical girl/chibi/cat-girl and other adorable creatures. It teaches you when to use super-deformed characters, and uses cute drawings (eg, questionable little angel (my fave!) to enable you to use different, effective techniques! This is chock-full of great things!

I first came across this product in 1961 when I was exploring oil painting. It was one of the few books that gave any information about the techniques of the 'old masters' Most of the information in thsi book is unknown in art schools today and this makes it a particular valuable resource for anyone who is interested in painting like an 'old master'.

I would not use this book primarily as a reference. The organization is not useful for the beginning painter. However, experienced artists will enjoy reading the book, like one would a collection of biographies about old friends. In this case though, the old fiends are pigments, oils and various resins. As an artist I found this book to be more interesting to read than Mayer's book and also a great deal less preachy. The text appears to rely on Eastlake's history with respect to which artist's what used what media, etc. These kinds of references are dated and are not supported by contemporary research. Fortunately, Doerner presents an accurate account of each material and lists both advantages and problems with each.

For the Artist who knows what he or she is at and its certainly not for the hobbiest who would be lost with this book.This for me is a great book as it has enrichened me....information is always good.I am delighted to have it. a worthy addition in any collection.

Ralph Mayer's classic handbook of art materials has been revised in the fifth edition to include many modern pigments inclusing those of artistic value that come from other industries such as the automotive industry.
If you are looking for a comprehensive overview of the materials available to the artist, the Mayer manual is the ideal work.
Doerner's treatise, summed up from a series of lectures, is important as a historical work but is not as scientifically in-depth as Mayer's new edition for today's artist or conservationist. Indeed, many claims made by Doerner are not scientifically true just as in Goethe's Theory of Colors (another great book even when compared to the more scientifically accurate "Opticks" by Newton). The veracity of Doerner's approach is in question simply because many of the materials are now outdated, either for their toxicity or for the findings of the scientific community with respect to pigments (i.e. Minium, Vermilion, Naples Yellow, Whie Lead, etc. are now rare finds due to their toxicity). Although I am not necessarily a critic of Doerner, it is important to note that Doerner's importance lies in the realm of evaluative approaches with respect to the techniques of the old masters. If the work of the old masters interests you or if you are an artist, this English translation of Doerner is a worthy addition to your library.

Max Doerner (1870-1939) taught at Academy of Fine Arts in Munich for 25+ years, and in his day an major expert on painting techniques. This book has played a major role in art history and research since the first day it was published. Do note the book was first published in 1934, and then translated from German, hence the writing style can be somewhat turbid. Perseverance pays with there being more information in here than you can shake a stick at.

My comment about being careful is a result of recent studies of old master paintings. The old masters would typically have a team of apprentices working alongside them, mixing paint, painting parts of the painting that the master was probably too bored to bother with (as well as good training for the apprentice) etc. The Master/Apprentice setup allowed for a continuous stream of knowledge being passed along the generations. However as oil paint technology advanced, in particular the ability to buy premixed paints off the shelf, the painter no longer needed a team of apprentices. He could pretty much get by on his own. Hence there was no longer anyone for the painter to pass on his knowledge to. This resulted in a considerable amount of technical knowledge being lost. (A good example is the recent theory promulgated by David Hockney that the old masters were able to paint such realistic paintings as they used rudimentary projection techniques to place a guide image on the canvas, overwhich they painted. No one knows if he is right or wrong).

From the 1800's on, technical experts such as Doerner and Charles Eastlake ("Methods and Materials of Painting") began to impart their wisdom on how the old master paintings were created. But the techniques thay had available were very rudimentary, more often than not being a case of the expert trying to reproduce a certain style and looking at the painting surface close up. The experts proferred their theories and techniques, often with much aplomb leaving no room for doubt. Unfortunately they were often quite off the mark - they could emulate a style somewhat but never 100%. There are too many variables involved even for a discerning eye. It has only been with recent advances in scientific analysis, usually chemistry based, that a truer understanding of the old master technique is finally being determined. Van Wettering's excellent "Rembrandt - the painter at work" book details the findings of extensive research carried out on a number of paintings considered to have been painted by Rembrandt. The book is 340 pages, and they still haven't got all the answers. But what they have done is to throw in to doubt the theories and techniques of the 19th/20th C experts.

There is a welter of information in this book, but if you are trying to perfectly replicate a certain old master painterly technique, and failing to do so, then be warned the experts might not be such experts afterall.

All said and done, I do recommend this book for the wealth of information it contains. Along with oil painting it addresses pastels, tempera and mural techniques. Even if you do take the techniques in here as verbatim for an old master then there is all likelihood that you'll create a great painting.