N Books

I was diagnosed with type one this year and in order to help me, my doctor gave me some of his medical book's to read however, this was quite challenging for me putting all the medical terminology together in order to understand my diabetes. This book takes the medical language and translates it into everyday practical advice. I am on my second reading of this book and every time I read it I learn something new. This is a good book to mark up or highlight because of the information that is present. I would recommend this book for any body with type 1 who wants to improve there control or who have just been diagnosed.

This book is a very practical guide to insulin use that is a must-read for anybody trying to maximize their blood sugar control. We got it from the library first, but then realized we'd be coming back to it repeatedly and needed to have our own copy. Highly recommended!

I was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I thought I understood all there was to know about it. After reading this book, I truly understood not only HOW to improve my glucose readings, but why it worked. This book is just as helpful as an physician.

This book was recommended by my diabetes doctor. It has given me insights into my diabetes and is well worth the read.

I ordered this book after reading the good reviews on it and I found it to be an excellent read. My 5 year old daughter is Type 1 diagnosed a year ago. I read as much as I can on diabetes and found this book answered those little nagging questions I have always had. We have a great endo but they can only give you so much information at each appointment. I think alot of learning about handling ones diabetes is trial and error and Gary Scheiner brought that up in the book along with ways to try to figure out what works for you. I highly recommend this book!

I love the journal series she has made. they are very detailed and easy to keep track off. My husband enjoyed the pregnancy one, and i missed picking up the first year one. But overall i love this journal and would recommend it to any mom that has a deployed spouse.

I recv'd this book a couple of weeks ago and wished I had purchased sooner (my son is 2 and the book is from 1-3 years). The book is a combo b/w a toddler reference and a journal. There is space for you to note what your toddler is accomplishing at particular weeks but not preset lines/questions like "what is their favorite food" or "name 3 of your toddlers favorite songs", etc. If you prefer the preset questions, you may not prefer this book.

I am so glad there was a sequel to The First Year Journal. A friend of mine got me started on the first one and I had to purchase the toddler journal to continue commenting on my child's development. Now, two kids later, I have had the chance to read and take notes about how they've developed for the first three years of their precious lives. What a great gift to give them later in life. I love the scribbling pages and handprint pages to show their progress. I also love the three areas that are covered each week: physical, cognitive, and social. I highly recommend getting this book, as well as the first one, and make as many comments as you possibly can because you forget so much about those first three years throughout your child's life.

I love this book! It provides very helpful developmental information that is always VERY accurate and also provides great prompts to help you journal about your toddler. I would recommend it to anyone!

I loved this journal and had 3 of them for my 3 triplet girls. I enjoyed entering little tidbits about their life every week, adding handprints and their own artwork in the appropriate spots, and the descriptions of development at this age and questions asked. It was not onerous. Usually, I would jot down a few things while I watched TV at night at the end of the week.

I was sad when my girls recently turned 3 and I could not find another journal like this one to continue charting their journey.

I have had tons of pets. But none as demanding as cats. Now that I think about it cats are good training for dating, but I'm getting off track. Sumire Iwaya finds Momo, a homeless guy in a box, and takes him in. But in order for him to stay with her and eat her food he has to be her pet. Which is why he has a female dog's name. Now that seems simple, till her old flame shows up and wants to link up with her again. What if he wants to come over? What if he wants to have dinner with her? What if he wants to have sex with her? Things may get complex. I plan to keep an eye on this manga series.

I really can't add much to the detailed reviews already listed, so I'm just here to add more stars to this under publicized manga. I own volumes 1-13, and am eagerly awaiting the final volume- too bad they take four months in between each volume. This manga is intelligent and funny, with great romantic moments. And it is refreshing that all the main characters have well developed personalities, and are talented (as opposed to the stupid-but-sweet girl with smart guy dynamic you sometimes see playing out in shoujo manga.. eh..). This is definitely manga for an older teen or adults. Don't be turned off by the questionable title- you'll be missing out on a great story (in Japanese (Kimi wa Petto), the title literally means "You're My Pet" but I guess Tokyopop didn't find that catchy enough). Highly recommended.

Sumire Iwaya is a tall, workaholic, head-strong woman with a commanding personality. She has a smoking problem, tends to get drunk on wine, and dates men who are at her height or taller. In the first two pages of the manga, her personality and several of her habits are revealed, as well as her punching her now ex-boyfriend for cheating on her in the office. As she frustratingly tries to deal with her loss, she kicks a box lying at her doorstep and looks down in horror when she sees a body inside.

Enter Momo...or that's what Sumire decided to call her 'pet'. With a bouncy, energetic attitude, Momo, named after a real dog Sumire had a long time ago, allows Sumire's comfort as she washes him, feeds him, pets him and talks to him about her deepest feelings. Momo, in return, opens up to Sumire that he takes ballet classes and hopes to make a career in what he does. Like Sumire, he also has a tragic past, but he's a lot more quiet about it. Sumire aso has to hide Momo as her human pet from everyone in her office (they all think he's a cat!), especially her new love interest, a sexy man named Senpai Hasumi. While she struggles to let go of her feelings for Hasumi, she also can't seem to let go of Momo as well, being the one major conflict in the volumes to come.

The good thing about the first volume is that although it tends to rush into things quite too fast (Kissing Momo already?), it keeps you reading to find out if Sumire will have one of her bitchy moments, seeing more of Momo's hilarious antics, and to see the slowly developing relationship between Sumire and Hasumi. The humor is spot-on, with Momo taking the role of a dog a bit too seriously as he shakes himself dry after a bath, or curling up on the couch the same way a dog would do.

It's a romantic comedy that can be pretty humorous and some parts had me laughing outright. You can feel for Sumire and her struggles between a man she loves, and the 'pet' she took in. And her love for Momo shows, especially when Momo takes off for ballet 'unannounced', leaving Sumire in a nervous breakdown of guilt and indepression. To anyone who likes romance that isn't afraid to take itself to some funny levels, this manga is for you. Good stuff.

I've read a lot of manga in my time, and this is, by far, one of the best. Tramps Like Us is an off-beat romantic story about a young(ish) professional woman who takes in a 17-year-old boy as a pet. What I really like about this manga is that it doesn't fit into the classic romantic comedy manga format. Speaking about the series in general (not just Volume 1), Sumire does have a boyfriend, an ex that she arguably hasn't gotten over, and issues with her family. But what makes the story (in Volume 1) is when she takes in an injured boy as a pet, naming him "Momo" after her dog that died when she was a child. This causes trouble as Momo seems to have some deeper feelings for Sumire, and suspicion arises when Sumire won't bring her boyfriend over to her house because of her "dog". She eventually has to learn to divide her time between the two, all while keeping her boyfriend from knowing that she's keeping a boy as a pet.

The manga is also very well written and well drawn. I saw the TV series, "Kimi Wa Pet" that was based on the manga, and it was good but it didn't seem to measure up to this manga. I like Yayoi Ogawa's style and use of facial expressions. Also the end and beginning of chapter artwork is always really cute. :) If you love manga, are just getting into it, or want to try it, I highly recommend this series. Even reading through just the first novel gets you hooked. It's sweet, addictive and original...you'll love it!

The title Tramps Like Us could refer to the fact that the main character, Sumire - a girl in her late twenties, offers to take in a homeless young man for a night as a gesture of goodwill ... but I prefer to think it refers to the characters's quest to find their place in the world. All the characters in this series are "homeless" as they are looking for their place to belong, whether it be at work or in a relationship.

Normally in stories featuring a twenty-something girl, like Bridget Jones, the main character deals with problems such as looking slim and trying to cope with work. However Yayoi bravely gives us a main character who is so attractive she resembles a model, is highly educated, and, apart from a few hiccups, has a successful career. Yayoi shows us the inner thoughts of this "perfect" woman, who is actually very insecure and lonely. She has to cope with her workmates misinterpreting her shyness with being an a cold hearted [...]. Women dislike her because she is so goodlooking, while men feel threatened by her high education, tallness, and career success. After being dumped by her boyfriend, when he makes his secret girl-friend pregnant, she makes a vow never to date anyone who is shorter than her, makes less money, or is not as qualified as she is.

One night she finds a young man living homeless outside her house. After letting him stay one night and, in a bid to make him leave and as a joke, she offers him the chance to live in her flat as long as he agrees to be her "pet." And to her surprise, he agrees! Sumire names him Momo, the same name as her childhood dog, and treats him exactly as she would a dog. She gives him a home, feeds him, and tells him her problems. As she does not think of him as a "man" she is completely at ease to be herself and does not feel the need to pretend to be "perfect" as she does with the men she dates. However, because she thinks of him as a pet, she does not think of the possibility of a relationship with him. Before she realises it, he becomes her confident and her emotional support. Problems arise when she meets up with her first boyfriend/crush, the goodlooking, successful, and really nice guy Hasumi. Her relationship with him in college ended prematurely in college and they both see this as a second chance. However she cannot admit to Hasumi that she keeps a young man as a pet.

Yayoi gives us three dimensional, very human characters. Both Hasumi and Momo, while being completely different in looks and personality, are both sweet, attractive and considerate. Sumire is also very likeable. She is only truly comfortable in jogging bottoms, smoking, playing playstation games, or watching trashy tv. These are her secret vices that only her best-friend and Momo can see. It is a welcome change to read a romance with older characters, from the normal high school stories, and Yayoi delivers honest believable three dimensional characters, attractive art, and a very addictive romantic (and often funny) storyline.

The story is about finding companionship, about how the prospect of love can be so close to you that you miss it, about the difficulties a successful career woman has in a male dominated work environment, about how women are faced with the prospect of choosing between marriage and work, and about finding your place in the world. A place where you can be truly free to be yourself, comfortable in the knowledge that you are loved for your faults as well as your successes.

Great illustrations, characters and an amazing setting make Tut, Tut (Time Warp Trio) a fabulous find for young readers. There's plenty of laughs here for parents as well in this very well written novel.

Join Joe, Fred, Sam and Anna (Joe's sister) as they travel back to ancient Egypt through a book that lands them in quite a situation. The problem is that they need that same book to get back home, and they lost it!

There's non-stop adventure and some wonderful history that may well encourage young readers to seek out more information about this period of Egyptian history.

Recommended!

Time-traveling is not as cool as you think. Being mummified, being trapped in a secret room and having your friend almost eaten by a crocodile is not cool. But what is cool is being treated as a royal guest in Thutmose III's palace, sailing in his boat and teaching him basketball. So, if you like things that are cool and not, you should read this hilariously funny book.

The book was about three boys and a girl who go to Egypt through a book that one of the boys uncles gave him. They have to travel through Egypt and find the book to get back home and meet a little challenge along the way named Hatsnat. I liked this book because we had just learned about Egypt so that made it better to understand.

This book is exciting. You always want to turn the page. It is funny and interesting.It takes place in ancient Egypt.In Tut Tut there is a girl named Annie. She is 6 and two brothers. I would tell you to read it.The name is Tut Tut.

I give this book five stars because it is very funny. It is also adveturous. The characters in this story (Joe, Fred, Sam) get in a lot of trouble and Sam almost gets eaten by a crocodile. I don't want to say more because I want you to read it for your self. I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Normally I buy a couple of these a year and... well... leave them in the bathroom. But I got bored in the middle of my first chosen read of the year and picked this up off the shelf. Next thing you know, I'm 200 pages in. So it made sense to go ahead and finish it. All 600 pages.

As always, Uncle John delivers top notch entertainment and information. Particularly interesting to me was one of the final extended sections on cancer. Just reading that section filled in a lot of little holes in my knowledge, which I thought was pretty robust given my recent experience with the disease.

This is probably the 5th or 6th Uncle John's bathroom reader I've owned, and it's every bit as good as the rest. The only downside to Uncle John's bathroom reader is that they only come out with a new edition once a year!

If you like tips, tricks, trivia, and tidbits, you'll love this book!

A wonderful book for those who don't want to commit to reading some long novel. Plus, I learned so many new and unusual facts! Like, did you know that the word "calculus" means "pebble" in Latin? Learn that and so much more!

For trivia fans, 1988 stands as a landmark year. 1988 was the year "Uncle John" and the Bathroom Readers' Institute published the first BATHROOM READER volume containing interesting and oddball facts. That first book ran to 224 pages and cost $9.95. And now, praise be, here we are celebrating the 20th anniversary with this whooping 597-opus sure to delight all lovers of knowledge.

Edition 20 is the usual, entertaining collection of isolated facts, short two-four page articles on various topics and extended, multi-part articles on subjects like Music industry lawsuits, the history of bread, etc. along with the Word Origins, Court Transquips, Urban Legends, Strange Lawsuits, Bathroom Lore and other sections that have been a regular feature of the series. The series also retains its punny sense of humor as witness the following sections: Gnome Gnews is Good Gnews, The Ig Nobel Prizes and I Walk the Lawn.

Included in Edition 20 are articles on Historical Blunders, Animal Heroes, The Aloha Shirt, Weird Canada, Farts in the News, Odd Buildings, Car Name Origins, Weird Game Shows, Food Origins, Underwear in the News, The World's Oldest Calculator, Weird Wrestlers, Cockney Slang, Dumb Crooks, Comic Phrases and much, MUCH more! And all for $18.95...such a bargain!

You can't go wrong with this latest Uncle John Reader or any of the BR series ("Plunges Into," "For Kids," etc.). Total sales for the whole ball of wax is something like 7 million books so Uncle John & Co. must be doing something right. Pick up a copy of Edition 20, read and enjoy! Here's hoping we have another 20 years of Bathroom readers to look forward to!

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who can't go to the restroom without something to read.

In the case of Jane Anne Staw's Unstuck, what matters most, is that the author has written the bible for writers who are blocked. I appreciate her lack of usage of the "B" word, but at the end of the day--Blocked is blocked and sometimes we all need a bit of fiber to get things moving! Make this gem a part of your writing resource library. You simply can't go wrong.

I've had a serious three year block and have tried desperately to get out of it. I had looked at several books about writer's block and all of them were feel-good garbage or throwaway 101 Tips to...

Staw's book is the best I found dealing with the subject. As one reviewer noted, it's difficult to even take time to read a self-help book, because you tend to feel that it's one more case of avoidance or procrastination and the hour it took to read could have been spent writing. But Staw has some salient, psychotherapy-based points about those feelings--guilt and avoidance. She emphasizes kindness to oneself instead of listening to the inner hypercritic, and while this might sound like feel-good nonsense, the way she writes about it makes sense and this technique pretty common in counseling. Her examples of patients experiencing writer's block range from mild to extreme--which made me feel better. This guide by no means got rid of my block, but in some ways it gave me (or allowed me to give myself) permission to write sloppily. There's no way I can write as well as I'd like to, certainly not while experiencing a block, and I feel that Staw really nails it when she points out how counterproductive this drive for perfection can be. I've since loosened up enough to start writing small things without caring so much about the outcome (these reviews for instance)--and it's been a pleasurable step in the right direction.

I'm using this book right now and it's a healing and compassionate book for writers. I was already writing again, but the book is helping me to go back and heal the gaps from decades ago when I quit writing. I hadn't realized that I needed to be healed as a writer. The need to write never went away even though I tried not to write. This book is helping me to understand many things. I can't say enough. It's a valuable book if you have ever felt hurt or discouraged as a writer. The author is perceptive and knows of what she speaks.

I am posting this review for a long-time friend and exceptional writer: "UNSTUCK offers us a mother lode of authorial insight, inspiration, and encouragement. Dr. Staw, the ultimate writer's empathist, speaks with the authority of an unblocked writer herself, making this handbook of discovery and recovery both an indispensable road map for overcoming writer's block and a trusty guide for avoiding its recurrence."

As a near-life-long collector of books on the art/craft of writing, I treasure them not just because of their professional wisdom but also because, well: they're so well written. I've placed UNSTUCK within the top part of that latter characteristic. Thank you for writing it. -- Larry W. Bryant

Unlike most books for writers, this one assumes that you are already a writer of some kind, and treats you intelligently and sympathetically, exploring the various fears that are common among writers and are at the root of writer's block, and ways to work through them. The book assumes that all writers have their own backgrounds, their own way of working, and their own individual quirks, so it does not prescribe a set program that everybody should follow. Instead, it talks about how to use your own personality and techniques to get you past the block and put your butt back in the chair.

Some of the examples seem pretty extreme. There are successful writers out there, apparently, who develop such a strong block that they have panic attacks when they sit down to write, or even just look at their computers. I figure if Dr. Staw's approach can help them, it can help me. I don't really fear writing (or do I? the book made me think about that), I just have trouble getting to it. Several times I read what she writes and thought, that's not me, then realized hours or even days later that the writers she describes aren't as different from me as I wanted to think they were. It gave me a lot of insight into the way I approach my writing, how I think about it, how I think of myself as a writer (a not-quite-real writer--there's a whole chapter about that).

The funny thing is, I realized early in the book that I was actually using the book as an avoidance technique to help justify not writing. After all, if I was reading about writer's block, then obviously I was doing something about it, so that's almost as good as writing. Of course, the best thing I could have done was put my butt in my chair and my fingers on the keyboard, even if only for a few minutes, rather than keeping my nose in a book. But I'm glad I read it anyway.

If you want to understand your writing mind, your fears about writing, how to get past that inner critic, and so on, the book is worth the time it takes to read it, and the time it takes to digest what you've read.

This is such a great book to go with such a great song! The illustration is wonderful as well. I definitely recommend it for little ones.

This book is wonderfully illustrated. The colors are so vibrant and shiny! My 6 year old grandchild just loves it and if you know the melody to the words, they'll love it even more. A wonderfully, positive outlook on life for children in such a uneasy world today! A must have for kids today!

OMG--this book is awesome... I first saw this book at my daughters preschool. the children loved singing it at storytime. I buy this book for my nephew/nieces, and friends children for birthdays. I also bought this for the Kindergarden teacher... Its very basic, and the illustrations are very colorful.. My daughter is 8 now and still gets it out..

My baby is 9 months old. A few weeks ago our teacher read this book to us in our mom and baby class and all the babies were mesmorized by it's beautiful pictures, accompanied by the music of Louis Armstrong that was playing in the background. I quickly found it on Amazon and ordred it for my baby. We've read it together several times and he always lights up and squeals excitedly when he sees it. I love how versatile it is because I can read it, talk about the pictures, "sing" it, or play the song and just follow along with him. I am planning to enjoy this book with my son for a long time to come. The only minor issue for us is that the book has regular paper pages (I couldn't find a board book version) so if I let my baby play with it he would instantly destroy it and he sometimes gets frusterated when I hold it in front of him but out of his reach.

As a K-5 music teacher, I use this book to provide a visual aid as I sing "What a Wonderful World" to the kids. They love it, I love it, and it is a wonderful way to learn song! The pictures are a little on the hokey side and illustrate a puppet show (Satchmo included!), but for K-3, it is age-appropriate and enjoyable.

I've had this cook book for years. My copy is stained and sad looking, while my Julia Child still looks new after 25 years. I find favorite recipes here and it's true that you'll find something to cook with those random ingredients that you've pushed to the back of the cupboard.
The chick-pea chili recipe is an all time favorite in my house.
You won't go wrong with this book - and you'll discover the kinds of non perishable staples to keep on hand so that you can whip up something tasty, filling and comforting at a moment's notice without a quick supermarket run.

Enjoy!

We use this a lot and have also given it as a gift. Very useful for a student or someone who is on a budget. Arthur Schwartz is an excellent writer, so the book is entertaining even if you aren't looking for a recipe.

Right on, all you discerning people. This is the ONE cookbook among a myriad that I WOULD NOT give up. It's as good to read as it is to cook from. The cabbage and noodles, kugel variation --- super! It's as valuable for a sophisticated cook as for a beginner.

This is the best idea book ever! He takes bland staples and
gives you a recipe! One day I was confounded, feeling flu and at
home. I saw the recipe for Oriental Lemon Sauce for Noodles.
Lemon juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic and sesame oil! All
the things that fight infection! His simple little recipes have
actually taught me how to cook, or at least illustrated cooking basics. From wilted celery soup, to microwave peanut brittle, nomatter what you don't have on hand, there is a recipe to satisfy what staples you do have on hand!

I have hundreds of books and a couple dozen cookbooks, but if I were only allowed to keep one book out of all of them, this would be it. Every time I serve something from this book, people ask for the recipe; Thanks to this book alone, I've acquired a reputation as a brilliant cook! True, he goes a little heavy on the lemon and a little light on the garlic, but that's a matter of taste, and anyway there's plenty of room for making your own notes, and the non-glossy paper takes pencil.

What a brave woman this author is. She bears her soul for all to read. Her heart wrenching journey leaves you feeling hopeful in the face of any adversity and truly empowered as if all things really are possible.
I count Connie May fowler as one of my living heros!

Haven't we all wished at one time or another that we had talked the significant others in our beloved's past?!?!


After knowing and teaching with Connie May for a number of years, I waited far too long to read Katie; Connie May had left the building. And I now long to share my thoughts with her.

Her compelling memoir strikes a chord with anyone who has walked away from the carnage of a love/hate relationships, and of the fear that forces one to stay too long.

I will say that Connie Mae's courageous relevations bring to the surface the consequences of failing to "out" the abusive for fear of sounding like a victim, even though, typically, an abuser--be their tactics verbal, psychological, physical--or any combination thereof, trumps the will of their partner with the ploy of taunting and by suggesting that "you enjoy playing the victim role."

These masters of their own game create a nearly unbreakable cycle by constant character atacks that serve to undermine ego structures,and emtional equillibrium. The resulting co-dependency morphs into a version of the Stockholm Syndrome, wherein ties to the captor are reinforced.

As anyone who has experienced this "crazy-making" life knows,it is a long, hard recovery, but failure to expose exploitaton is like an endorsement that permits him/her to move on to yet another target, whom he/or she will expertly convince that the former spouse,lover or colleague was "crazy" and presenting themselves, instead, as the abused.


Connie May's courage makes us all want to stand up and shout!

There's no question Connie May Fowler is a gifted story teller and extremely talented writer. Some passages are so searing and full of truth I've gasped when reading them. Unfortunately, the story she tells here is not fiction. I won't go into the plot because other reviewers have.
But I will say that this book will open up the eyes of readers who wonder why rape and domestic violence can damage people so deeply. In telling her story, Fowler goes further - also showing how 'teasing' and discrimination against someone because of the appearance of their face can cause deep and life-lasting scars. So far, the latter is a problem barely touched on by authors and psychologists.
Read this book with an open mind, and you'll find her story underscores how cruelty, shaming and bullying can almost blow out the flame of a promising human being before she even gets a chance to realize her own talent.
Conversely, this book demonstrates how kindness and compassion can help a suffering soul survive and even bloom.
Fowler is never pitiful and pathetic, and even when the most degrading acts are done to her, she remains a person with dignity.
Free from cruelty and shame at last and embraced by love, the real Connie Fowler emerges in the end.

Connie May Fowler's, "When Katie Wakes" is masterful glimpse into the soul of a battered women. I could not put this book down once I started and I finished it in an afternoon. A heartfelt account of one women's journey from both inner and outer torments to wakefulness and a sort of freedom, I would recommend this book to anyone. Fowler's easy writing style opens the door for us to descend easily into the hell that is home to the battered woman. Often wondering exactly what is was that kept a woman from mentally walking away from her abuser when she could physically do so, Fowler's insight has put the answer into perspective and I will never have to ask that question again.

When you get right down to it, authors like Connie May Fowler are not much different than the rest of us. Fowler bears the scars of a horrific childhood and early adulthood, one strewn with the wreckage of a shattered self-image fueled by the alcoholic abuse of her mother and the degradation of a hideous relationship with an older man. She, as have many of her readers, has suffered through despair thick enough to reduce her to attempted suicide and has faced the depths of self-abdication so profound that she began to absorb the very evil identity her tormented partner imposed on her.

What makes Fowler different from us, however, is language. In her hands, words make anguish palpable, sadness tangible, struggle imperative. As an author, Fowler is able to make sense of her life, and, in so doing, help us make sense of ours. "When Katie Wakes" may well be the most brutally coarse and ugly memoir you will ever read, but, at the same time, one of the most beautiful and impassioned pleas for individual integrity and indomitability ever composed. It is nothing less than a masterpiece.

Though Ms. Fowler credits her adoption of a loyal and loving dog, Katie, as the symbolic act of reclamation and reaffirmation of life, she sells herself far short. The grandchild and child of abused women, the child Fowler becomes the target of her drunken mother's rage. The Fowler children become adept actors, hiding the shame of family disgrace and brutality under the veneer of achievement. Keeping verbal assaults invisble, preventing others from recognizing the constant physical beatings absorbed by Mama, Connie's family life resembled "smoke and mirrors, deception and shame." A "wall of silence" shrouded suffering. As a child, Connie received sustenance from words and books, and her resultant triumph as an adult vindicates her choice. Her older sister, however, absorbs and internalizes the viciousness of her home, and, consequently, develops anorexia as an adult.

In a remarkable self-portrait, Fowler describes a wretched adult woman, unloved, unlovable, disgusting and repulsive. Her self-hatred is "untainted and unhinged." She believes herself "so ugly" that only an abusive, impotent, failed radio celebrity would be willing to love her. Yet, there is not a single note of self-pity in this wrenching memoir. Fowler reminds us that her mother's life, obliterated from a childhood rape, transcends her own in loss. Mama was "an angry woman who believed life had let her down. And it had." From disappointment to the target of her own husband's physical abuse, Fowler's mother recirculates and intensfies the pain, deliberately deflecting it on her children.

As a young woman, Fowler has not escaped her mother's imprint. Indeed, her chosen partner encapsulates her mother's jagged opinion. Tense is irrelevant when Fowler hears herself described as "stupid," or "an ungrateful whore," or a "lousy excuse" of a lover or daughter. When she hears her mother decry her existence, "I wish...I had died the day you were born," Fowler must come to grips with an essential life choice: descent into emotional self-immolation or ascent into a struggle for life and affirmation.

"When Katie Wakes" bravely portrays Fowler's battle for identity and wholeness. Her steadfast determination to "take responsibility for my own happiness, for my own sense of self-worth" is the best medicine for any person struggling to make sense of inner turmoil and despair. When she proclaims her need to discover "what my placer in the world should be," she speaks for any person on the cusp of a life-altering decision searching for the courage to embrace life's potential. This emotion-laden memoir is eloquent testimony to the ability of one person to wrestle life from death, hope from despair, the future from the past.

Whispering to Witches by Anna Dale was a truly enchanting story for all ages. If you or your child like The Wizard of Oz then you most likely love this book. A pure bewitching tale with lots of magic.

Joe Binks is just your ordinary boy living with dad as mum has remarried. Being quite ordinary it is fun when on his way to mum's for Christmas holiday he is singled out by a witch and given a special item of which he has no idea of having such a thing.

Twiggy is a little girl witch who is in training and the witches in her coven totally under estimate poor little Twiggy's powers. Doing menial jobs is supposed to be a learning experience for her but she doesn't really seem how. Twiggy has the curiosity of a cat and seems to have their nine lives also with the little fixes the cutie gets herself into.

The whole mysterious caper starts out on the train that is taking Joe from London to Canterbury and continues right up until the end of the book with lots of magic and who-done-its. Lots of spells and potions, strange ingredients and places along with fairies and animals help make this witchy tale absolutely delightful.

I accidentally came across this book and am ever so glad I did. The author has done a wonderful job at giving us a pure clean tale without scaring us. This book is simple enough for an eight year old but enchanting enough for adult. Not only will it keep your interest but you will not want to put this book down until the very last word.

I really believe this is a book that elementary teachers across the globe should encourage their students to read.

if you can get your hands on a copy, get it!!!!! The whole book is based on the fact that sometimes things happen for a reason and are worth the wait. this has been one of the best stories i've ever read!!!! wish i could find more like this.

I purchased this book for a children's book club (ages 8-10). We read the book over a 4 week period (we meet every two weeks). The kids all really enjoyed this book (we don't find many titles that every member likes, so this is a big deal). The story was fresh and new, and it had lots of twists and turns the kids could follow and appreciate. The chapters went fast (always a plus with kids!). There were a lot of small details that I thought the kids may have trouble noticing and/or remembering, but they did as well (if not better) than the parents! The main characters were very likeable, and their adventure was very extraordinary. If I had to categorize the book, I'd say it is like a shorter, less complicated Harry Potter... but DEFINITELY not a copycat title. Our group really enjoyed this book. (Note: the children in the group are a little advanced for their ages, may not be for all 8 year olds level-wise).

This is a good book. I read it. It was a little hard to get into.

Dale's Whispering to Witches is fantastic. The Interesting Cover caught my attention in the library, and then I was winded into Joe's adventure. Perfect with rats, cats, a missing page, and of course, witches, I loved it from the start!