May Books

I also recognized Tom Ogren's name from his Allergy-Free Gardening book (the best book out there for people with allergies, if you ask me!), and was impressed with this book as well. Tom Ogren's wealth of knowledge would be beneficial to anyone, regardless of their pre-existing knowledge base.

It covers all the bases from grass varieties to fertilizers; from herbicides to pest control; from lawn mowers to sprinkling systems. It is easy to read and packed full of useful information. "Growing the Perfect Lawn" is a very handy addition to your lawn and garden library.

Since my lawns were getting pretty shabby looking I decided to finally do something about it. A friend suggested I get this book with the long title, What the Experts May NOT Tell You About: Growing the Perfect Lawn, by Tom Ogren. I recongnized his name since I had read his other excellent books on landscaping and allergies. This one is terrific!
I like that the book is full of easy to use charts and packed with handy tips. The author's way of writing is easy, pleasant, informative, and very readable. You wouldn't think a book about lawns would be all that interesting, but this one actually is.
I've had the book about 6 weeks and right after I got it I started using his insider tips to get my lawns in shape. I am happy to report that they are now thicker, greener, and all around healthier than they've been in years. The author, Tom Ogren, is a landscaper, horticulture teacher, former nursery owner and he does indeed know all the insider tips. For example, which fertilizers work the best and which are just rip offs...or, what kind of a mower to buy. The book is full of practical advice. I'm recommending it to everyone I know who appreciates a nice looking lawn.

Reviewed by Patti Yackulic for Reader Views (6/07)

For most of us, depression still carries a stigma. We're concerned that other people will react negatively towards us not only because they're ignorant as to the components and frequency of depression but also because traditional medications for depression may influence our behaviors. Dr. Michael Schachter's approach to treating depression may eventually alter public perceptions. Schachter approaches depression holistically.

Individuals suffering from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a plethora of other illnesses are all offered medically approved alternate approaches to encourage cures or remissions. Daily we're bombarded with data promoting healthful lifestyles (eating, sleeping, exercise, stress management, etc.) in order to offset or manage physical disorders; however, Schachter's similar approach towards depression is novel. Indeed, at this stage, his philosophy does not garner the support of the majority of the medical community. Nevertheless, his work holds promise - at least according to his account in "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Depression."

Before I read Schachter's book, my understanding of depression was limited to psychology course rhetoric supplemented by limited details supplied by a long-distance friend who suffers from a bipolar disorder. As I gained a more comprehensive view of depression from Schachter, I found myself wondering if anyone could entirely control depression with a natural approach, or if some level of traditional medications would always be required to maintain balance. Even Schachter does not completely negate his natural approach being supplemented with a certain amount of medication. However, his premise is to primarily focus on treating depression without heavy reliance on these traditional medications which have potentially devastating side affects. Can I imagine my friend functioning well without resorting to her daily tablets? My well-considered answer is negative, simply because my friend does not possess the discipline to maintain a healthful regime. Nevertheless, I suspect that her level of medication could be lessened if her psychiatrist embraced Schachter's philosophy and encouraged her to adopt a lifestyle which would not only promote mental well-being but physical well-being also.

"What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Depression" is not a work solely for individuals afflicted with the disorder, but it is a work which should be consider equally worthwhile for the medical community as well as the general populous. Perhaps, in time, Schachter's approach will be mainstream and traditional medications will be relegated to an alternate status.

There are as many books written about depression, as there are symptoms of this baffling disease, particularly since the malady appears to be intensifying among all age groups from children to the elderly. In addition, several books are written about all-natural approaches for treatment of depression.

However, Dr. Schachter's book may very well be the best breakthrough book to date for the content and information related to the many types of depression that afflict more than 19 million Americans each year.

The term, 'you are what you eat' has been around for decades, but this book brings a new meaning to that phrase. Not only does the author describe and outline the characteristics that define the various types of depression, but explains in layman's terms how to conquer, without medication, this debilitating illness by eating the proper foods in the correct proportions. Nutritional deficiencies are described in detail, along with a variety of symptoms that require specific supplements.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one, 'Coming To Terms With
Depression,' has three chapters that describe various approaches for treating depression and introduce the nutritional approach. You will also discover your biochemical profile and learn how to get the professional help you need. Part two, 'How To Prevent and Treat Depression Comprehensively,' has ten chapters that focus on the use of nutritional supplements for the many emotional, medical, and mental symptoms of depression.

Each chapter ends with an overview entitled, 'The Bottom Line,' which highlights the important factors of that particular chapter.

In my opinion, whether you are suffering from depression or have a loved one or even an acquaintance that is tormented by this widespread and vicious malady, this book is for you. I highly recommend this exciting approach as an effective alternative treatment of depression.

Armchair Interviews says: Important look at depression.

I have used a couple of other books in the past for using supplements and amino acids to combat my depression. This book is the BEST out of those three. Dr Schachter gives a more comprehensive overview of the types of neurotransmitters and than an approach to start balancing the inhibitory and then the excititory neurotransmitters. This book contains more information about amino acids and with a better understanding about what ranges of each you could try. I have been trying this and it has been helping me. Plus there is much more in this book such as lists of medical tests, herbs, diet, toxins, hormones, light and stories.

I will be always grateful to the person who 'turned me on' to this book.

Mary is as funny as David Sedaris, but not as dry. She is the 'peace, love, and tie-dye' generation's Erma Bombeck, and provides answers to life's puzzles like 'How did my feet get so cold?'

My keeper wife and I enjoy these short missives so much that we read them out loud to each other. Warning: You may find it useful to wear 'Depends' before starting.

This book is something that most everyone can relate to. It is so funny and relaxing to read. I would recommend this book to everyone. My husband makes me read it to him when he catches me laughing my head off. I plan to give it as gifts to my friends for birthdays, and christmas. Mary is a very talented writer and humorist. I hope she does not stop with just this book.

Good Job,

Nancy Bird

If the FDA ever elects to review books for their mood altering properties, this book will be an early candidate. If you are looking for something you can read in silence, slouched in a deep chair in the library, this might not be the best choice for you. Those who read it complain of spontaneous giggles, outright irresistible laughter, and an occasional "harrumph". Readers of Mary's weekly humor column in an SF Bay area newspaper can get a major fix: dozens of Mary's favorite columns all in one place.

This book is the one for you if:

You don't know how your feet got so old.
You're retirement age and still don't know what you want to be when you grow up
Everyone but you has a tattoo
You often get a "no files found" message when you search your memory.

I recommend this book to all my friends - but don't ask to borrow my copy. Get your own. This is one book I plan to re-read when I need a humor fix.

This book is a wonderful, inspiring testimonial to the power of faith. Ms. Deshazo Arnett gives an insightful record into her personal believe in God during a very trying personal crisis. As in every life, there are trials which test your personal strenghths whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual. The story of her son's struggle to overcome a near death experience is nothing short of miraculous. She gives a truthful account of the inward journey which brought both her and her family through the many agonizing days and weeks after the event. This book is a must read for all who have had doubts or questions about their personal beliefs.

Terri Arnett writes a terrific book about the survival of her son, Jeremy despite terrible odds. Her faith in God and the support of her family give her the strength to believe in Jeremy's recovery and deepens her faith in the process. The reader will feel Terri's anguish and ultimate jubilation as they are taken on a roller coaster ride from moments after the accident until the triumphant end. A must read for every parent!

This book is a must read for anyone who is struggling in a tough time. This is an incredible story of miracles and answered prayer. Terri writes this from a place of faith and humality. She has the ability to put those feelings in a written form that will surely touch you. You will see God through her writing. This book is also for anyone who wants to be inspired. Her son is a blessing and an example that God does perform miracles and answers big prayers, and blesses those who have real believing faith.

This book was easy to read and very compact and comprehensive. All the Bible references are there in the book making it very handy ( though the author warns us not to use instead of Bible) as a complete teaching tool. Pastor Wade says he wanted this work to encourage Bible study. It sure fired me up. I study daily now. I would not only buy anything else available by Pastor Wade, but also recommend his work to anyone wishing to grow in Bible knowledge and understanding.

Our private Christian school is using this book because it is an excellent Bible reference. Though it is not an exhaustive coverage of subjects, it readily references many subjects not normally covered by other Bible commentaries. It's mostly anecdotal format lends itself to easy lesson plan preparation for Sunday school as well as the classroom. Easy to use lists and charts are quite helpful for quick understanding of the subjects, encouraging personal study. We would recommend this work to any Christian school or college, or church eeducation director.

I am a new youth leader in my church. This book has become my #1 REFERENCE for the questions my kids ask. I used to have problems knowing where to go to get those answers, now I go straight to this book. Please let me know when you get more of Pastor Wade's books. I would love to have a whole set of them.

Roisin from Manhatan
Wow, what an amazing book, it is so fun and easy to read and you can do it half a page at a time and get great results from it. What a great find and i am thrilled i read it, and as i said the results are fantastic, it's a must read.

"Your Life only a Gazillion times better" delivers an amazingly simple yet profound way to improve all aspects of your life one easy step at a time! Cathy and Judy May have taken the best of the "self-help" world and condensed it down, added their amazing wisdom to it, and created a fun easy-to-follow one-step-at-a-time way to create HUGE changes in your life! If you are ready for some fun and great life improvements this is a great book!

I am somewhat of an expert when it comes to self-help books (last count I had read over 200!) and so I bought Your Life Only A Gazillion Times Better just because a few people had mentioned it to me. I thought at first that because it was an easy read that it wouldn't do much for me, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. It had advice in it that I had never read before and was so practical that I actually achieved things using the book in a very short amount of time. The other impressive aspect was that it didn't have a prescribed way to get healthy, rich and happy, it allowed me to design my own way to do that, based on my personality and where I am at. I wasn't told to run out and buy stocks and shares, it talked about the thousands of ways that you can make your dream come true. I have since recommended it to my business colleagues and friends.

In the first weeks of owning the book, I have done 3 of the hikes so far, Governor's Mtn, Manor circular, and Carris Hill, although I was already familiar with the parking lots, trailheads through many years mtn biking and hiking in the area, I found the descriptions to be top notch and accurate. Using those descriptions and a simple NYNJTC topo map (with GPS coordinates!) navigation is a snap. GPS is practically unnecessary since most of the trails are well marked. Even though I have only done three of the trips in there, I am very familiar with most of the places mentioned there, the Palisades, Wawayanda, Jockey Hollow, etc. as I've hiked or biked there before I got this book. The book is an excellent day trip for the beginner to intermediate day tripper, fits nicely even in small camelback type devices. My only wish is they included the trail blaze color in the maps they provide, makes for faster quick reference when hiking.

Jay

I love the way this book is organized. Rather than describe a series of hiking opportunities in New Jersey, the authors carefully culled through hundreds of trails and picked out the most exciting hikes in the state. They even patched together multiple trails in within most parks so you would get the best bang out of the time invested. The descriptions are accurate and fun to read. I tried three of them so far and look forward to doing the other 47.

I must say that I am a die-hard devoted John Lennon fan. His music and persona has had a lasting effect on my life. I was truly eager to read this book, and did so in a two day period. It made for a very interesting read. I had heard the stories and read all the interviews dealing with the "lost weekend". I always wanted to hear the other side. Not one that Yoko had contrived, nor one that John had relayed (at Yoko's bidding). This book brings the reader extremely close to a John Lennon few were allowed to know. Some wouldn't have wanted that luxury. This book shows a woman who was fascinated by, in love with, and terrified by John Lennon. Accounts of his loving nature and his horrifying fits of violence are here for all to see. It also allows the reader to see that Yoko had almost complete control over John. She knew his insecurities, and played on them. The book also details a woman's hopes and dreams for someone she truly loves. Hopes that perhaps through her love, John would become fully independent and functional as an adult. The book also depicts an almost voyeurist view of John and May's love life. In this book, you can see that John was a loving, gentle, child-like, caring man, but on the flip-side, a violent, remorseful, and controlled man. Many times I asked why May would put up with John and Yoko's mechinations. But, it is abundantly clear that May truly loved him, and wanted what was truly best for John. And what was best for him, was not always best for her. Definitely a great love story. One stopped short by Yoko.

You have to look hard to find references to May Pang in books about John Lennon. She's not mentioned in Anthony Fawcett's "John Lennon: One Day at a Time" or in the booklet that accompanied the recent "Lennon Anthology" boxed set. Even in the coffee table book "Imagine: John Lennon," May Pang is simply referred to as a "constant companion." It seems that Pang is gradually being erased from Lennon's personal history and the official story of Lennon's "Lost Weekend," is the one approved by his widow, Yoko Ono.

This is the story of Lennon's 18 month affair with Pang, a relationship she claims continued even after Lennon returned to his wife. On his "Lost Weekend," he traveled with her to L.A. to record music and party with other musicians like Harry Nilsson. It was a boozy, decadent period that saw Lennon ejected from a nightclub for interrupting a performance and generally hit the bottle in a manner in which he hadn't since he was a youth. Sadly it confirms something often glossed over in other Lennon biographies - That Lennon was a mean drunk. The man of peace could turn into a foul-mouthed, dangerous, nasty and violent drunk who needed to be tied up by his friends until he sobered up.

Pang writes of their relationship with affection and brutal honesty. Her pen chronicles, not only the facts but her emotions and reactions to the events as they unfolded. It's a lesser known fact that she was the Lennon's personal assistant in the early 1970s and she recounts stories about the making of the original "Imagine" film and Yoko's experimental films like "Fly." However, it's the Lost Weekend period that really makes this book a worthwhile purchase. Yoko can never write about this time because, for most part, she wasn't there. Pang was. She writes about: the "Rock and Roll" sessions with madcap record producer Phil Spector; Lennon's difficult relationship with first wife Cynthia and son Julian; the booze sessions with Harry Nilsson including the infamous incident at the Troubadour Club; the "Walls and Bridges" album and the comeback performance at Madison Square Garden with Elton John. While with Lennon, she also encountered other rock celebrities and tells of the times Lennon holidayed with Keith Moon and Ringo Starr, socialized with Mick and Bianca Jagger, played music again with Paul McCartney, got verbally berated by George Harrison, met David Bowie, recorded with Elton John, upset Paul Simon and annoyed the Smothers Brothers.
Pang also debunks some of the common stories we hear about John and Yoko and while she is forgiving of John, portrays Yoko as a manipulative, scheming dragon lady. An image, not unfamiliar to Beatle fans, and one which Ono has tried hard to erase.
For those fans seeking a personal view of Lennon, unauthorized by the Lennon estate, then this book is an excellent title that sits comfortably next to "A Twist of Lennon" by his first wife, Cynthia.

When Agnes May Gleason's father is injured working on the family dairy farm, her mother must take him to the hospital, leaving Agnes charge. Things were already difficult because of the Depression, and now Agnes's parents tells them to dump the day's milk. They can't afford to do that with these hard times, and Agnes decides to disobey her parents and make the deliveries with the help of her little brother and sister. This was an inspiring story about a girl during a difficult time in this country's history and how she overcomes difficulties to help her family.

Agnes May Gleason is almost thirteen, and she's living on her family's dairy farm near Walsenburg, Colorado, in 1933. Life has been hard for her family since the Depression started, and now Aggie's father has injured himself. When he must go to the hospital, Aggie is left alone to run the dairy with only her ten year old sister, Mary, and seven year old brother, Charles. If only her older brother Ralph hadn't left home! But it's up to Agnes now to make decisions, and pray that everything goes right. I highly reccomend this book.

This collection of poems piques the reader's senses and maintains interest throughout. The narrative with compelling characterizations keeps the reader moving along and even identifying with the mysterious Chinese aunt and her family in the United States. It is one of those rare books of poetry which you want to read to the very end without putting it down, and yet to enjoy stopping and mulling over individual poems. The encounters between Buddhist, Christian, and Confucian elements lend universal significance. This is the best poetry on today's literary scene.

This book is the winner of the May Swenson Poetry Award for 2000. While not a narrative poem, the story of the author's aunt that married a "Chinaman" and left her family only to return when she was dying, is as close as one can get. The poems tell of the author's need for connections and a sense of family and humanity that are inspiring and eternal. The bridge over all that divides us is, after all, built on hope and caring and sharing. A Marvelous collection.