Powell Books

Every single recipie that I have tried is easy to make and tastes wonderful!! My husband and I really enjoy the Pork chops with Honey Glazed Apples (pg 135) and the Beef and Noodles with Chile Jam (pg 111). It's hard to find recipies that are Low GI, taste good, don't require odd ingredients and give you lasting energy -- this cook book offers all of that!!

I was actually looking for a book that would be easy for me to pull groceries out of my fridge or off the pantry shelf to make. This was a little too "gourmet" for my liking. But I will make some of the recipes, there is noway that I would be able to these a couple nights a week.

The Low GI Diet Cook book is nicely organized and illustrated. The problem is that there are ingredients in so many of the recipes that my family will not eat and some that I have to pass on. The best way for me to use this cookbook is to modify the recipes as I use them. Then, some of them just can not be changed due to core ingredients.

Perhaps this book is due to the more varied palette. I still think that it does give some good ideas.

This book had some very interesting receipes, but most were not even close to be simple.

I started following the GI Diet (Rick Gallop's book in case there are other versions). I'm not crazy about all of his recipes, so I wanted to get another cookbook that would give me some additional recipes that I could use while on the diet. The cover of "The Low GI Diet Cookbook" even says "The World's Foremost Authorities on the Glycemic Index". Hah! As I flip through the pages, every recipe that calls for a sweetener uses honey, maple syrup, sugar, brown sugar, and even confectioner's sugar! There aren't even any conversion charts on how to substitute with agave nectar, stevia, or xylitol. My biggest gripe is with the sweets, but I'm not thrilled that many other recipes call for non-green-light ingredients.

Lots of very good information. Haven't finished reading the information part and haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but they look good.

The recipes in this book look scrumptuous! This is hard to find in some vegetarian cookbooks.

I bought this book expecting to learn how to identify and use low-GI ingredients.

Why I'm disappointed:

(1) The recipes for more substantial dishes have a lot of rice and pasta. While technically these are low-GI, their glycemic load is high because portion sizes of these are typically largish and/or they have a lot of available carbs. I had hoped to learn about alternatives to these kinds of ingredients.

The photos are attractive and the recipes sound good and aren't too complicated. But too many of the use foods that I want to diminish in my diet. They are pretty conventional in the sense that no light bulbs went off as I read through the recipes.

I hope this helps.

As one who has been an off-again, on-again vegetarian for 30 years or so, I have been delighted with this cookbook! Yes, I know the gorgeous pictures can qualify as food porn, but my creations come out looking just as good, and tasting even better. The penne with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil, which takes under thirty minutes from start to finish, is a great "company dish", yet couldn't be easier. I am giving copies to my two daughters, and to all the foodies I know, whether or not they are vegetarian by disposition.

Just got this book today, so haven't tried any of the recipes, but I'm very much let down. I'm not a vegetarian, yet I live and eat a healthy, low-carb, high-fat diet. I was looking for interesting vegetarian meals that fit into that lifestyle, but this was the wrong place to look. The carb count for a serving of, say, "Moroccan Bean and Pumpkin Tagine" (a main dish) is 98 carbs (less 7grams fiber...so 91 carbs) is insane. I live with 2 Type-1 diabetics, my hubby and son. Feed them something like this, and their blood sugars would sky-rocket, low GI or not. We try to keep total carbs per meal less than 30, and that's pushing it.

I notice the authors of this diet are young...many vegetarians are young and idealistic. Heck, I ate what I wanted when I was their age, and went through a similar period as a vegetarian. Hit about 40-50 where you can't eat a ton of carbs without gaining a ton of weight, and you have to be more realistic about what you put in your mouth. I prefer realistic. I also prefer Kat James diet in her book "The Truth About Beauty." Low-GI, healthy diet plans abound, without the trade-off of excessive carbs. To its benefit though, this is a beautifully prepared book...lovely photos with scrumptious-looking foods. I wish I could eat this way, but it's not what I consider healthy.

A terrific read from someone I had the honor of knowing in 90-91. Best wishes and keep the books coming!!

Ted

A big shiny crisp apple, minus the worm, for Ms. Powell for having the courage to reveal the reason for America's teacher shortage. Written with honesty, wit, and poignancy, Ms. Powells' story is told in the "We have to laugh to keep from crying" tone well-known to teachers. Using varieties of apples and apple recipes as metaphors for the categories of students, parents, co-workers, and administrators that all educators will recognize, Ms. Powell relates her story in episodic style, interweaving the optimism and idealism of a teacher with the reality of teaching. I can attest to the fact that her experiences with cowardly, inept, unethical, cruel administrators is not unique. While Americans pay lip-service to the importance of education, a thread on anti-intellectualism runs through the fabric of America culture, manifested in placing the blame for all of society's ills on teachers. Demoralized sheep in teachers' clothing willingly act as doormats in exchange for job security until they can finally retire, while unethical educrats go to any length to protect their lucrative positions and self-perceived importance. Superintendents as CEOs, principals as middle managers, and teachers as blue-collar workers [produce] assembly-line students as products, destroying all humanity and joy in the educational process, thereby guaranteeing an endless supply of minimum wage workers and cannon fodder... Her stories and her message are lucid, and all too true. We must hope that this book will serve to inspire other educators to reveal the truth about education; we must heed the advice of this "brilliant eccentric," and demand school reform before education, and democracy, is destroyed in America. As Thomas Jefferson said, "A nation that expects to be ignorant and free...expects what never was and never will be." I recommend this book to all educators,including administrators.

Rotten Apples - what an understatement! I was a child of the public school system in central Louisiana, were I received a minimal education.

Ms. Powell's book broke my heart and brought back unpleasant memories. Reading it was an emotional roller coaster for me - elated for her in one paragraph and saddened in the next. I felt her pain and frustration. She hit the proverbial "nail on the head". GOB is alive and well on the state, parish and local levels, to a degree that an outsider could only imagine. "...cronyism, nepotism, rascalism...".

Two of my siblings are educators; both have left the public school system - citing many of the same problems that Ms. Powell writes about. I've worked in state and local government most for my career. I have seen it and experienced it first hand.

I thought the book was well written, retrospectively weaving a tale chapter by chapter.
I especially liked the way she used different apple themes to describe each chapter, which offered some comic relief.

Woe to the NON-GOB.

Rotten Apples - what an understatement! I was a child of the public school system in central Louisiana, were I received a minimal education.

Ms. Powell's book broke my heart and brought back unpleasant memories. Reading it was an emotional roller coaster for me - elated for her in one paragraph and saddened in the next. I felt her pain and frustration. She hit the proverbial "nail on the head". GOB is alive and well on the state, parish and local levels, to a degree that an outsider could only imagine. "...cronyism, nepotism, rascalism...".

Two of my siblings are educators; both have left the public school system - citing many of the same problems that Ms. Powell writes about. I've worked in state and local government most for my career. I have seen it and experienced it first hand.

I thought the book was well written, retrospectively weaving a tale chapter by chapter.
I especially liked the way she used different apple themes to describe each chapter, which offered some comic relief.

Woe to the NON-GOB.

Rotten Apples - what an understatement! I was a child of the public school system in central Louisiana, were I received a minimal education.

Ms. Powell's book broke my heart and brought back unpleasant memories. Reading it was an emotional roller coaster for me - elated for her in one paragraph and saddened in the next. I felt her pain and frustration. She hit the proverbial "nail on the head". GOB is alive and well on the state, parish and local levels, to a degree that an outsider could only imagine. "...cronyism, nepotism, rascalism...".

Two of my siblings are educators; both have left the public school system - citing many of the same problems that Ms. Powell writes about. I've worked in state and local government most for my career. I have seen it and experienced it first hand.

I thought the book was well written, retrospectively weaving a tale chapter by chapter.
I especially liked the way she used different apple themes to describe each chapter, which offered some comic relief.

Woe to the NON-GOB.

Kids learn when there are problems, a positive attitude and hard work will solve most problems. Good for the whole family.

THE SQUIRREL, THE WORM, AND THE NUT TREES is a brilliantly illustrated book. The vivid colors, adorable animals and playful scenes will keep children under interested and entertained. The story focuses on a family of squirrels whose winter food supply is being destroyed by Mr. Worm. Mr. Squirrel realizes that food will be sparse during the winter and they agree to cut back. But the family hatches a plan to ensure that it won't happen again. The unsuspecting worm continues his destruction year after year without realizing that the squirrels have outwitted him.

THE SQUIRREL, THE WORM, AND THE NUT TREES is a delightful book but lacks character development and simple editing. The book fails to answer the familiar question that kids ask, "why"? Why did the worm ruin the nuts? Why didn't the squirrels have a plan in the beginning? What did they do during the course of the year? Anyway, you get the point - these unanswered questions make for a long story time. The reading level is intended for kids 9-12 but the simplistic ideas can be understood by those that are much younger. Powell plans to write a series of books featuring the squirrel and the worm hopefully the next installment will be better developed.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

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This is one of the most delightful books I've read for children. It is so clever in revealing several of the "deadly sins" that when the book is over, the children learn (or at least have an idea) about how to manage their world (no matter how small it is).

The squirrels always began to collect food in the Fall for the Winter, but this year it was different; there were very few nuts. Mr. Squirrel brought his family into the search, and together they found enough to barely get them through the long, cold snowy season. Where there should have been nuts, there were silk worm webs.

Then the squirrel knew what had happened. The worm, greedy and mean, had destroyed the nut crop. Mr. Squirrel went to Mr. Worm to ask why he made the nuts rotten.

Mr. Worm told the squirrel that he could not use them, but loved to make them decay so the squirrels couldn't use them either. "Ha! Seems like you and your family will starve! Ha, ha!"

That year the squirrels just made it until Spring brought its small warmth; then the squirrels executed "The Squirrel's Family Plan and Goals". They spent hours on it during the winter with tummies only half full; the plans helped keep their minds off the lack of food.

In early Spring they began collecting some nuts and a few every day of Spring and through Summer; never really enough to be noticed by the Worm. In the Fall there were more that they added to their store house, but left enough to fool Mr. Worm. He laughed with his friends. He was happy thinking that he would starve out the squirrels this year.

They had so much they knew they would not go hungry; and that was a delicious secret.

This book shows what greed and avarice can do, and it shows that ingenuity and a whole family working hard together can avoid disasters.

The pictures are gorgeous, the colors vivid and bright; even Mr. Worm is cute. This is a charming and fun book for kids as young 2-3 and as old as anyone who likes delightful stories with bright, colorful pictures.

Victoria Tarrani

The Squirrel, the Worm, and the Nut Trees is a sub-par children's book about a male squirrel who has to find a way to outsmart a worm in order to get the necessary sustenance his family needs for winter survival. The worm is causing the nuts to rot, leaving the squirrel without a means to feed his family. He has to think of something; some way to prevent the worm from destroying his food supply if he hopes to survive.

This book is all about pre- planning and working toward a solution to a problem. This is fine and good, but there are many faults that prevent this from being a good children's book. Among the most noticeable of the issues I have with this book is the lack of good editing. Examples include statements like, I love to rotten the nuts with my silk webs, and, Mr. Squirrel and his family had to stretch the nuts they had found, so that they would last a longtime. Unless the dictionary has changed, the word rotten isn't a verb, a nut cannot be physically stretched, and longtime is two separate words, not one. Some simple editing would have cleared up this glaring problem. Another area that needs editing is the placement of quotes. There are many quotes from Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Worm and they are often right next to each other. You cannot immediately tell who is saying what until you finish the paragraph.

Another issue I have with this book is the story itself. Aside from the idea that planning ahead is a good way to solve a problem, there is no real moral to the story. The story is also a little too simplistic. The squirrel needs to outsmart the worm, so what does he do? His brilliant plan is to gather the nuts earlier in the year. Considering this book is aimed at elementary school children between the ages of nine and twelve, this story is a little too basic. Something more unique or creative would have made the story much better.

Is there anything redeeming about this book? I can think of exactly one thing: The illustrations. They look like they were taken directly from a television cartoon and they offer many cute drawings of the squirrels, worms, trees, and surrounding forest terrain. Most everything is either brown or green, so the illustrations are not particularly colorful. But they are realistic, and there is enough visual enjoyment that children will not pay much attention to the story.

Overall, The Squirrel, the Worm, and the Nut Trees is a below- average children's book that lacks much originality, uses bad grammar, isn't always realistic (what type of worm makes a web?), and doesn't offer a very strong or complete message (the book ends with the worm unable to figure out what happened). Only the illustrations rescue this book from the lower ranks of children's fiction. It isn't much, but it will do in a pinch when the younger children have nothing else to do and want some fun pictures to view.

Mr. Worm doesn't like the Squirrel family, and he will stop at nothing to give them a hard time, even spoiling the acorns they need to eat through the winter. However, by working together, the Squirrel family might just be able to turn the tables on Mr. Worm. It's a story that might have been written by Aesop - a lesson taught through the use of an animal metaphor, and it's a darn good read.

I got this book for my almost-4-year-old, and she really likes it. She likes the funny squirrel drawings, and the colorful pages (even those that contain only text) keep her interest. Yep, several nights running, now, she has asked for the squirrel book, and together we read it through at the end of the day. She gives it a big thumb's up, and who am I to argue? We both recommend this book!

Thom Powell's "The Locals" is a unique examination of Bigfoot that stands apart from most other books on the subject.
Powell examines and speculates on reported "typical" Bigfoot behavior and uses common sense in doing so.
The fact that he is a teacher seemed to have greatly helped because his book caused me to think. It is not simply another collection of Bigfoot reports - But it seeks to examine and understand things about the Sasquatch that are often not thoroughly studied.
It's very good and very worth the read if you are interested in this sunject. I think it is probably the best contemporary book of its' kind.

I have read many books on this subject, including John Green, and this was without a doubt the BEST. A little slow in starting , none the less could not put it down.

...he got to his theories on sasquatches possessing the ability to teleport, read minds, etc. More evidence (much, much more) than what is provided in this book is required before anybody should be going do those paths.

I can't claim to have read every Bigfoot book on the market, far from it, but I've read my share, being a Bigfoot junkie--and in my own opinion, this is the very best general treatise on Bigfoot since Ivan Sanderson's pioneering work, just as Mary Green's books are, IMO, the best in the region-specific category.

"The Locals" is thoroughly researched, sensitively presented, and sensibly organized. Thom touches on topics like the alleged paranormal, psychic aspects of Bigfoot and the possible government cover-up, presenting facts and case histories without demanding the reader's opinion of same. And as if a wonderful read were not enough, Alicia Bateman's charming, minimalist-type illustrations are an added bonus.

Locally and globally, this is a gem of a research book, worth every cent of the modest price and every minute of reading--and re-reading, which I have done. I eagerly look forward to Thom Powell's next book, and since he'll be seeing this, I hope he'll take the not so subtle hint and get going!

Like most amateur Bigfoot enthusiasts, I have read dozens of books on the phenomenon, but Thom Powell's THE LOCALS is truly the new standard to which all future books on the subject will be compared.

There are a number of reasons why this is such an excellent Bigfoot/Sasquatch book; however, rather than write endless paragraphs on them, allow me to make my points as a list:

1. Powell doesn't waste his or the reader's time by rehashing (at least in lengthy detail) the "classic" cases--the Albert Ostman story, Ruby Creek, Mt. St. Helens, the Patterson film, etc. Instead, Powell focuses his energies on relating and interpreting more modern (or previously less publicized) accounts.

2. Unlike some Bigfoot researchers who do what Sherlock Holmes described as a "cardinal" error--using facts selectively to fit theories--Powell lays out the facts of Bigfoot encounters as patterns, then develops theories that fit those patterns. This is truly the use of scientific method, and in an arena where conjecture runs rampant, Powell's approach is refreshing.

3. As far as I know, Powell is the first Bigfoot researcher who has posited the idea that Bigfoots may possess "alternative" higher abilities, which would explain both the eerie similarities between accounts of encounters and the reason why the creatures have managed to elude humans so well for so long. For example, Powell spends several pages in the book discussing the possibility that Bigfoots may possess infrasound capabilities (emitting low-level frequencies to paralyze and disorient humans or prey). Bigfoots having this ability would explain the "I'm being watched" sensation so often felt by people venturing into an area populated by Bigfoots.

4. As a writer myself and former philosophy major, I was impressed by Powell's reference to Occam's Razor--the idea that when faced with several competing theories or explanations for a phenomenon, the simplest is usually the best. Powell uses Occam's Razor to show that Bigfoots existing makes more sense than the main alternative: it is the result of a widespread hoax/mass hallucination. There are many other moments in his work where he lucidly describes complex ideas and scientific theories.

5. The book is very well-written, a fact which makes up for the lack of pictures and illustrations.

6. Powell's discussions of remote cameras, the Skookum Cast, and habituation are both enlightening and entertaining.

My only criticism of this book is that I don't agree with Powell's idea that we should be trying to habituate Bigfoots to human presence. I have a moral problem with that; most of the time, whatever we humans touch that is part of Nature, we only ruin. Searching for them, on their own turf, is one thing; making them comfortable around humans is another.

Overall, I have to say that if you have even a fleeting interest in this subject, THE LOCALS is the book to buy. Powell has raised the bar for all future Bigfoot books, and he has set a new standard for a truly scientific approach to the problem.

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I bought this book (and the others by the same author) for my brother who is a huge Lego fan. He actually read them all and loved them, whereas before it was difficult to get him to read other books with kids' versions of Bible stories.

Do not assume, just because Legos are involved, that this is a book to share with young children. The Holy Ghost is a frightening character, circumcision is accomplished with a knife the size of the infant Jesus, and the illustration of Herod's order to slaughter all male infants less than two years of age is complete with decapitated infants in the background! Both frightening and disappointing!

I bought this for my 8 year old son for Christmas and ended up returning it before I gave it to him. Luckily I looked through it before I wrapped it. I was a little too graphic with the blood and killing of babies and all. Might be OK for teenagers, they like that stuff. It was hard to see the cute little minifigs getting tortured.

Purchased for my husband for Christmas. (He works with lego robotics) My kids keep taking off with it and he hasn't even had a chance to read it yet.
Really cool book.

I'm sorry, but I must disagree with the reviewer below (Joshua C. Ternes "Good Guy")...this is not a waste of talent - it is a full embracing of talent. Not only is this book exceptionally well-photographed, it speaks the wonderful truth of the Bible. It is indeed not for children, any more than ANY visual re-telling of the Gospel would be, because the gospel has tragic events in it. But this book is an excellent tool for spreading the word. One can easily purchase a book for the purpose of handing it to someone who doesn't completely know the Gospel, and it will ensure that they read it.

For those that are not believers, they tend to not WANT to hear anything about the gospel (for numerous reasons), and this humorous - attractive - telling of the gospel breaks that barrier nicely.

I challenge the other Reviewer for Biblical basis against that.
I ask Joshua C. Ternes what he has done that has spread the good news so far?

This is the first Zola novel I have read and I could not put it down. Though in many instances the author gives very lengthy and detailed descriptions that slow the flow of the novel, the plight of the main characters finds a way to captivate the audience and keep them reading. This book, written in the late 19th century, has all the elements that current suspense fiction is famous for. Murder, cover up, suspicion, adultry, jealousy, revenge; the list goes on and on.

Jacques seems like a normal man from the outside, and judged by the standards of his contempraries he is. It's the Second Empire and as Zola has foreseen, the rise of the steam railway has created enormous changes in the fabric of the social order. To analyze this phenomenon more deeply, Zola hit on a lovely idea, to investigate the lives of those who work on the railroad and its linked industries. What he didn't expect was what he came up with, a clear link between sex murder and high speed railways. This link was to give rise within a few years of LA BETE HUMAINE's publication to the so-called "trunk murders." As Jacques realizes, trains make it possible to remove one of the awkward social reasons why men do not kill--because in general it was impossible to remove oneself from one's victim's body fast enough to avert suspicion. You coukd bury the body, but it could still be traced back to you. Now, in the 1880s, really all you had to do was put it on a train and science would steam it away from you at great rates of speed, putting infinite distances between you and your crime.

Agatha Christie took some elements of LA BETE HUMAINE and modernized them a bit in her 1950s thriller THE 4:20 FROM PADDINGTON. Both novels share the same surrealistic image--the murder seen framed in the window of a passing train that you see, so vividly, for one moment only, then it's gone as though it never happened. (Freudians interpret this discomfiture as another version of the so-called "primal scene.") Christie's murderer is a sort of updated Jacques, a man on whom the veneer of civilization is only as thick as his bank account and his convenience.

But, in LA BETE HUMAINE, if you think Jacques is badm wait till you meet up with Severine, the "heroine" of the book, a woman so bad she makes other noir protagonists look like Pollyanna. She is beautiful, selfish, conniving, self-absorbed and yet what makes her tick is her acute understanding of her social position and the way things get done, and undone, by forces we cannot control. The negotiation of such tricky, slippery moral slopes is something that a sociopath can handle with ease. No wonder this novel made such good "noir" movies later on, one by Renoir, one by Fritz Lang.

This is one of the most violent novels ever written. As other novels in the Rougon-Macquart series focused on alcoholism or prostitution or politics or the artworld, this novel focuses on murder. It seems that every character here is some kind of murderer, that the entire human race consists either of murderers or potential murderers needing only the right spark to set off their explosions. The setting for Zola's story is the world of the Paris railroad, the neighborhood around the Gare St.Lazare, a fitting environment in which to place people who often seem more like mechanized murder-machines than well-rounded human beings. The power of this novel comes not from its realism but from its strangeness. It is, in its way, as bizarre as anything concocted by Hoffmann or Poe. This is where Zola's Naturalism comes full-circle and meets the Poe-esque terror of "Therese Raquin", Zola's early 'Naturalistic' ghost story. The conjunction gives this novel more of a Modernist feel than we usually find in Zola's work.
I should also mention the prose. The publisher's choice of a Monet 'Gare St.Lazare' painting for the cover of this edition is fitting because Zola's prose here seems to be influenced by his own experience of Impressionist paintings. It seems that Monet and his cohorts taught Zola how to see and describe the modern world in a new way.

There is something very profound in "La Bete Humaine/The Beast in Man", in spite of the fact that all of its characters have a very superficial mentality. Its scenes recreate very well the atmosphere of the late days of the Second Empire. Jacques Lantier is the main character, but the novel is not at all centered around him or his urge to kill women; only as late as chapter eight he attempts to commit a violent act and it is as late as chapter eleven that he does commit a violent act. The abundance of adultery, police incompetence, two single murders (chapters one and twelve), a multiple murder (chapter ten) both committed purely out of jealousy and an uxoricide committed out of greed all show the living environment and the morale of those days. Definitely, one of the major novels of the Rougon-Macquart series.

In this book, Zola dives headlong into his fascination with "the human beast" by examining the psychology of murder. The novel is also a detailed portrait of the lives of railroad workers. The main character is Jacques Lantier, son of Gervaise Macquart (of L'Assomoir), a railroad engineer who works the line between Paris and Le Havre. Jacques feels a nagging compulsion to kill every woman he's attracted to. Fortunately, up to this point he has been able to control himself, but who knows how long he will be able to restrain the killer inside? Jacques is not the only character with murder on his mind; in fact, everyone in the book seems to be plotting to kill someone. Murder for love, murder for greed, murder for revenge are all represented. Zola has crammed so much violence and suspense into the plot, that on the surface he's written a fabulous piece of pulp fiction. Though the book pushes the boundaries of believability, it's also a fascinating study of human nature. The reader gains a window into the minds of the characters that reminds one of Poe's best tales. Underlying the criminal plot threads is a deeper level of social commentary, scientific inquiry, and philosophical debate. Zola shows how the rise of industrial technology contributes to the moral degeneration and dehumanization of the populace. He portrays Jacques' relationship with his engine as a symbiotic, almost romantic relationship. Meanwhile Jacques' Aunt Phasie and her family operate a crossing/switching station in the middle of nowhere, where their only interaction with the outside world comes in split-second views of nameless passengers being carted off to unknown destinations. While the railroad provides speed and convenience, it also generates social isolation and anonymity. Fans of Zola or readers of classical literature in general will certainly enjoy this book. Even fans of contemporary suspense fiction should find it entertaining and thought-provoking.

Reading the other reviews for this book, the main criticism seems to be its story arc. The book has a complete arc, but it's not the one most fantasy readers expect.

A lot of readers I think, are being miscued by the standard fantasy tropes (a lost King, a faceless evil being) to expect a quest tale, but this isn't Lord of the Rings. It's "The Door in the Wall". Garner gives the reader a few tantalizing glimpses into Elidor. He introduces those elements into our world and grounds them with details that are so specific and realistic, you almost believe it. Then once you've seen it, enough to believe in it and want more of it, he shuts the door and throws away the key.

The reader is not meant to feel closure. You are meant to close the book and feel uneasy and want more. That's the magic of it.

While the four Watson children, Roland, Nicholas, David, and Helen are exploring a bombed out section of London, they are transported to the other dimensional world of Elidor. Upon arriving there, the kids are enlisted by Malebron the King to take back the Four Treasures: a spear, a sword, a stone, and a cauldron, to our world. It seems that the four cities of Elidor were constructed to guard these Treasures, but a darkness has come upon the land, and only one city still stands. The problem is that dark forces might come hunting for them, even in London.

While mildy entertaining and a trifle scary at the outset as the children have to deal with the unknown, the book gradually settles into an unsatisfying first draft of a tale. I say this because nothing is ever revealed. We never have an idea of who or what the darkness is that is threatening Elidor. We have no idea what the Four Treasures true power is. I mean, what was so important about them? We never find out who Malebron really is. I'm so sick of these storylines where the heroes are kept in the dark and some magical figure gives them a quest or task to complete but never tells them exactly how to do it or resorts to talking in riddles. I mean just say what you want these kids to do instead of babbling every time you talk to them! Oh yeah, and a unicorn shows up, having a power and significance that is never explained. There is just too much vagueness working against this novel for it to succeed. The parts in London when shadow figures start haunting the kid's house is pretty good, but that's about all there is here. Sorry book.

This Fantastic book is about 4 children who are brought into elidor. they meet malebron who gives them the four treasures of Elidor But by taking them back into their world, they stir up more trouble than they think!
Thrilling adventure!

This is a very interesting book and my son and I enjoyed reading it together. It was a bit scary at times so I'd recommend an older reading age, perhaps 9 or 10 at the youngest.

The story itself was well put together and, like a lot of things in life, leaves us wondering what was going on in the part of the story we (and the main characters) are not privy to.

There is some sort of closure at the end when the children get a glimpse of Elidor and return the treasures but I would have liked some closure at the end regarding the children and what happens later. However if you are reading this with your children it makes for a great creative exercise in imagining what would happen next.

"Elidor" is best described as a solid little fantasy story -- it's just not spectacular. While suspenseful and intriguing, it doesn't really have a good sense of the epic or the atmospheric. But author Alan Garner definitely gets points for his subtle use of Celtic mythology and managing to create a believable unicorn.

Four kids exploring a wrecked church accidently venture into another world, the mysterious realm of Elidor. There, young Roland encounters a mysterious wounded man who sends him into a castle, claiming that he can save all of Elidor. After Roland frees his siblings from a spell, the man gives them a stone, a spear, a sword, and a cauldron, and they are sent back to their own world to guard these items from evil forces.

But problems arise when the kids go home and hide the items: The power that they emanate is so intense that it disrupts electricity and radio signals, causing problems all over their town. They bury the objects -- but that's only a temporary measure. The strange situation grows stranger when armed warriors appear near the buried objects, and an Ouija board displays the name "Findhorn" and a picture of a unicorn...

One of the wonderful things about Garner's Alderly duology is that when strange people and things were encountered by our heroes, it made our world seem like almost a parallel universe. It made everything seem magic. That quality is somewhat lacking in "Elidor"; the opening chapters have a promising glimpse of Elidor, but unfortunately this is never exploited. The evil force is another problem; unlike in the Alderly books, the evil is never given a face or an identity, and so it seems a little difficult to really get upset about.

Despite this, the opening and final chapters show Garner's lyrical style, and all of it displays his keen sense of plot development. The descriptions of the electrical disruptions are almost surreal, and his descriptions of Elidor are outstanding. So is his usage of Celtic mythology, though to a lesser extent than his other children's books; the dialogue ranges from chirpy British-schoolchild conversation to the formal language of the Elidor inhabitants. And don't be afraid of the portrayal of the unicorn -- Garner shies away from all the cliches.

It's not really a lightweight read, but "Elidor" is a beautifully written little tale that will thrill fantasy readers. Quite nice.

In addition to essential chronology of modern art in all is forms, the author invites you to perceive contemporary art as an expression of the mind, rather than an emotional message.
Very intellectual approach to understanding an abstract medium.
A very clever and inviting work. Highly recommended.

As an abstract painter myself, I am extremely interested and infatuated with the subject of abstract art. All art, really, but abstract art, especially. I frequently comb the shelves of the local used book store to purchase books about art and artists. I typically buy books that biographically deal with the life and work of a single artist, but am also attracted to books that speak of art and the art world in general. This particular book was obtained online, so I did not have an opportunity to scan its contents and read sections of it before I purchased. But it looked like something that would be of high interest to me. "Pictures of Nothing", what a great title for a book about abstract art. Based on subject matter and reader review I made the purchase. When my pachage arrived in the mail I quickly tore open the box and fanned the book. Taking in the multitude of fine color reproductions of work that I recognized and work that I did not (but which looked very interesting) I was in anticipation of spending a good bit of time engaged in reading and expanding my knowledge and understanding of my favorite subject - abstract art. As I began my journey into the pages of my latest acquisition, I realized that the book is a verbatum transcription of a series of six lectures give by the author in the 90's on the subject of abstract art. OK, that's fine, that doesn't mean its bad. Until I continued reading. Maybe I am not enough of a scholar to understand this book. Maybe the fact that I was not at the lectures removes me one generation from the context. Or maybe its that the dialog it completely bloated, way too obscure and simply unreadable. More likely it's the fact that the man who gave the lectures died shortly after they were given and did not have the luxury of time to take those lectures and reinterpret them into a readable book format. As the days went on, I began to think about what my next art book purchase will be. As I only read one book at a time, I has to force myself not to stop at the book store to buy my next art book. I thought "I'm reading a book right now, I have to finish this before I start my next book." It started to become a chore to read this book. There are interesting tidbits here and there, but I found myself wading through a bunch of overwritten text to get to them. This book is 272 pages - on page 255 I had to close the book and declare "no mas". I could not even finish this book. I look forward to my next purchase. At least I can look at the pictures.

This is a very good collection of lectures given about abstract art. It gives some valuable clues as to the genealogy of modern art.

a disappointing book - pretentious and unenlightening - get hilton kramer's "the trium of modernism" instead!

Pictures of Nothing is an important addition to my library. Currently completing my MFA, the lectures in this book have been both challenging and enlightening, broadening my understanding of contemporary abstract art. It is both a "cover to cover" read and a reference dipper. Written in an informed, passionate and sometimes humurous style Varnedoe's lectures are a joy to read. Well illustrated with wide-ranging coverage of art and artists within the field I can give this book 4 1/2 stars and a high recommendation.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but frankly it's turned out to be one of the best purchases I've made lately. I've been the most happy looking at the huge number of topics it covers. It is true that at times it is much more theory based than how-to, but it covers just about everything a Web designer encounters from usability to technology to project planning issues. For a small designer like me it tied a lot of loose ends together. After having used it for a few months I'd say it tends to be the strongest in site design and usability and the weakest in how to make buttons in Fireworks or more mundane tasks that my boggle a beginner Webmaster. Yet I use it all the time because I can pretty much look up information on any topic a client hits me with like search engines, JavaScript pro-cons, usability, servers, etc. I won't get 100 pages on each subject but I get more than enough to help me answer my questions. I can't say that's why I bought it but its turned out to be probably my most dog eared book. If you are going to buy a Web Design book to have around once you know the ropes and you are beyond the how to stuff, I can't say there is any other choice on the market. In that sense I guess I really have to give it 5 stars. If there were other choices maybe 4 since I will say that I would have liked some color stuff actually in color and some more graphics stuff, but fortunately the Lynda Weinmmen books I had covered that very well.

This book is absolutely wonderful! Anyone truely interested in web design will benefit greatly!

The author is very knowlegable in the web medium and gives extensive detail into some of the most important and least looked at areas of design... the design itself! That's right, this book won't serve as a complete HTML guide. The book does talk a lot about HTML, it's stucture and propoer use and functure as well as gives lots of code examples. Same for javascript. But this book is mostly geared towards design issues. Where do you but the navigation bar on a website? How big to make your buttons? How should you organize the site? What are the steps to creating a web project? What kind of site models could you use? How to best use the web technologies available to create usable content.

The book emphasises a balance between form and function and talks a lot about usabillity, something that is of utmost importance in making interactive media. This book will guide you through the thinking behind interface desing concepts and aesthetic issues as well.

Easy to read and superbly written, this book is great! Some other reviews have displayed a dislike for it's focus on design principles and concepts instead of code the underworkings. While the book will infact give you good examples of use of HTML and Javascript as well as tons of info about these technologies (and brief intros) it was not meant to be a code manual. The name is "web DESIGN: the complete refrence"... if you want a code primer or refrence or beginners guide to making simple web pages get a different book. This book however gets you thinking about the issues of desinging usable websites that you probably never considered and that up until now, many books have been completely ignoring.

I bought this book under the impression that it would be the "Complete reference for web design" and at the length of 901 pages thought it should do the trick. The trouble started when I realized the book was seriously lacking in examples of code. I have found myself on numerous occasions, unable to find simple things in this book.

The author dislikes the use of popup's and talks down to you if you would like to know how to make one. He goes as far as leaving the proper way to make one, completely out of the book.
This in my humble opinion is not the way to make a complete reference to web design. It's big on pages, and small in useful content.

A fundamental knowledge of HTML and familiarity with a web authoring tool such as Dreamweaver or FrontPage will significantly increase the value you derive from studying this book. For the beginning/aspiring Web Designer this book offers essential information for going professional and becoming recognized in the field of web design. Whatever your caliber is as a designer, the book is awesome to have as a desk reference. After you've finished studying this book, I recommend also studying "Professional Web Site Design <from start to finish>" by Anne-Marie Concepcion. This second book shows readers how to effectively manage a web design business!

This book does not lack in details or volume. It is highly recommended for someone that is a beginner to novice in the website world. Don't expect it to teach you HTML or JavaScript. It concerns itself more with information architecture and GUI / design principles. For an experienced webmaster, it is common sense stuff that you already live by.