Watson Books

I completely concur with clangley's review of this book. Death by Deception is the followup book to Dick Quinn's earlier book Left for Dead. In this book, Dick's daughter explains how congestive heart failure is most frequently there waiting for the person who survives a heart attack. She elaborates how cayenne saved her father's life, but how her father relied on it too exclusively to keep him alive and subsequently didn't make the lifestyle changes necessary for him to avoid eventual heart failure. She then goes into excellent detail describing how heart failure develops and what exactly it is. She describes all of the conventional treatments for heart failure and elaborates on the strengths and ultimate weaknesses of these conventional treatments. She then describes a regimen of using natural herbs--including of course cayenne--that help keep both heart attack and congestive heart failure at bay.

I've recommended this book to I don't know how many people. I consider this book a must-read for any male over the age of 35, and a must-read for any female who's approaching menopause, the time heart disease creeps up on many unsuspecting women.

If you don't ever plan on living this long, forget this book! Otherwise, whip out your credit card and order it already!!

Read this one after "Left for Dead" and all I can say is that Mr QUINN has done an awful lot for me. I have several copies of both of his books to re-read, loan out and to just have. I recommend this book as highly as "Left for Dead".

I knew Dick Quinn well. I knew him very well. He was a good friend.

I saw Dick struggle with CHF -- the ultimate outcome of heart disease -- and I saw him recover using an exotic African herb that lengthened his life and made his struggle with this terrible life-threatening illness far less painful. For most, a diagnosis of CHF is a death sentence, but this book gives hope.

This book is the only one of its kind that shows victims of CHF how to get a life sentence instead of a death sentence.

Dick's highly successful lifelong struggle with heart disease and its ultimate outcome - CHF - is an inspiration to anyone struggling with this terrible life-threatening disease. Dick extended his life for many precious days (years actually) using a variety of herbs that modern medicine is reluctant to embrace. Some of these herbs had instant and immediate impact on his vitality. I know because I saw it.

If you have, or know of someone with CHF, this book can help significantly lessen the suffering, and increase lifespans.

I wanted to see what Dick Quinn added to his currant book and how he was doing today. I followed his advice in the first book in 1995, just out of the hospital myself with a heart attack, I have not experienced ANY further heart problems to date. The herbs in combination work 100%. I thank him for his courage in sharing his experience with us all.

This is an EXCELLENT book. I've only had it a week and already have seen my artwork dramatically improve. The thing I love most about Hart's books(I own both, "Drawing Animals Made Amazingly Easy" and "Drawing Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy") is that they are simple and easy to understand, unlike many books that feel you need the names/latin terms for every muscle and bone in the body.

This is also a great book for those looking to use basic animal forms to create various monsters/demons/creatures/etc. A must have in your collection!

The book is very well written and has excellent instructions and examples of how to draw animals correctly. Our daughter has really enjoyed using this book.

This is an excellent instructional book. Comparing the drawing of animals to drawing human characters helped immensely. The focus on drawing dogs and cats was also appreciated by my family and I, but rest assured there are lots of monkeys and giraffes! Topics on motion and angles were great as well. Recommended highly!!

A grand book filled with clear & simple step by step instructions, which are easy to understand and follow. The anatomy and the dynamics of each animal is described well in a separate chapter for many animal types. Each animal is portrayed by simplifying its body parts, poses, movements (run, jump, twist etc) and different views: Hart hi-lights each animal's general and specific characteristics (skeletal, muscular and joint placement) which brings life, individuality & personality to the illustrated creature.
many tips and techniques about creating not only a drawing but a feeling as well, makes this a great book for beginners as well as experienced illustrator.

I think this book is very informativ, because it isn't a "pop" book about the glamour of fashion, but a book that concentrats on what has to be more important design and all its aspects(which appears explicit in the title).....And what can I say Dries' design is after my opinion some of the most innovative, yet without being to far out!

I think this book is very informativ, because it isn't a "pop" book about the glamour of fashion, but a book that concentrats on what has to be more important design and all its aspects(which appears explicit in the title).....And what can I say Dries' design is after my opinion some of the most innovative, yet without being to far out!

I think this book is very informativ, because it isn't a "pop" book about the glamour of fashion, but a book that concentrats on what has to be more important design and all its aspects(which appears explicit in the title).....And what can I say Dries' design is after my opinion some of the most innovative, yet without being to far out!

I am a big fan of Dries Van Noten's clothes. Naturally I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. It gives a good introduction to Dries as a designer, and what he considers important in his work and the industry. Knowing where his ideas are coming from and how they are executed makes you appreciate his designs more. Andrew Tucker did a very good job at portraiting a very talented designer who has a very loyal fan base, but not necessarily a household name for many. The book has less to do with decribing his designs, but more to do with Dries' creative processes. Highly recommended for anybody who's a fan of his work, or just interested in fashion!

My copy of "Ease & Elegance" just came in the mail and I'm so excited about it that I had to write this review. This idea book is jam-packed with scrapbook page layouts, hints, shortcuts, tips, and tons of unique ideas! Once again, Jill Miller is able to reach scrapbookers of all experience levels with the carefully planned chapters, easy to reference pages, clearly detailed supply lists and descriptions. Her notes and small up-close photos (to show details) allow the reader to become involved in each scrapbook page layout. I really appreciate the additional "Title Twist" and "Subject Switch" suggestions. The cover says "100+" ideas... I think it should read "1,000+" ideas! The variety of methods, tools, styles, and themes combined with creative uses of unique materials (sandpaper, leather, charms, ribbon, paint, etc...) blend together to form this outstanding idea book that is sure to be one of your favorite reference books. I like how Jill included all skill levels in this book. Whether you are just starting to preserve your family photos, are a Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced Scrapbooker, your skill level will increase after reading this book. I can't wait to pour over each and every layout and read all of Jill's tips, hints, and suggestions. Thank you Jill for another wonderful book!

I thought the designs really lent themselves to my family and vacation photos. I don't need to have exotic tools to complete the pages. I don't have to blow up my photographs to 8 x 10" just to do a page. This book has lots of ideas for using my 4 x 6" photos and maybe a 4 x 6" with a few smaller shots. Very creative ideas. I can look at the idea pages, and scraplift many of them already!

Like the other reviewers I love Jill Miller's scrapbooking style which is why I bought this book. This book definitely has some beautiful pages and ideas, but potential purchasers should be aware that while the book is loosely broken up into chapters based on popular products/ techniques with ideas for beginners, intermediate and advanced crafters it is not an instructional book. This is common with many scrapbooking idea books. Basically if you like the work of the author, you will like the book, but you should not expect to read this book and be able to reproduce the pages.

Jill Miller is a magician! In this marvelous book she has managed to focus on expanding our creative spirit while so many of us have little time for complicated instructions. The chapters, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced are do-able by all even if they look complicated. That's the great thing about Jill is that the more beautiful the pages are, the simpler she makes them able to do by anyone. These ideas are not your ordinary run of the mill pages but special in the way a Mother feels about each of her children. She finds ways to use ordinary household materials to do extraordinary techniques so you don't have to break the bank to make great pages. I can't wait for her next book because I'm sure it'll be just as great if not better than her first two. She is truly the most gifted scrapbooker I have ever seen work come from. Hurry and get your copy before it sells out because your idea library is not complete without this one book.

Thanks Jill, you're the greatest and I love your work, probably because it's so similar to my own style!

A compelling and honest portrait of the effects of addiction on family members and loved ones. Watson's anguish is palpable as she writes of her many failed "plans" to help (or force) her brother to overcome his food addiction. In doing so, she does not attempt to whitewash or gloss over her own insecurities and shortcomings. She shares intimately with the reader and there is a feeling that you really know the author and her brother. Her easy-to-read and self-revealing prose makes the book hard to put down.

What a wonderful rendition of a tragic life experience. CL's amazing writing style catches you at the very first, pulling you through her desparate attempts to save her brother. To read through the whole ordeal from her perspective was at once humourous and heart-wrenching. I believe every person who has loved someone who has lost themselves to addiction, any kind of addiction, needs to read this account if only to understand their own futile attempts to save anyone except themselves. Life can be a harsh teacher, but the gifts we receive if we always choose love are immeasurable. I am truly grateful for CL's story and hope it helps millions of people.

The epidemic of obesity in the developed world threatens to lower life expectancy and add yet more burdens to already strained health care systems around the world. Like many others who don't suffer from weight problems or food issues, I find it hard not to think that people who eat too much and exercise have only themselves to blame, even though it's clear that obesity is, like alcoholism, an addiction, requiring a holistic, multilayered therapeutic response rather than moralizing or finger-wagging.

The pressures and difficulties of food addiction were brought home to me by Eating the Shadow. The book tells the story of author CL Watson's brother, Carter, who turned from being a chubby kid into being a 400-pound invalid, and how his mother, siblings (raised with an alcoholic father), and friends tried to help this man who found it hard to accept his condition or the advice of others.

Ultimately, tragically, they fail, and Carter dies from complications stemming from obesity. In the meantime, however, we get startling, funny, moving and heartfelt insights into a family struggling with the patterns of addiction and denial, and of the power of food and sugar to smother every raw and necessarily painful emotion. Meanwhile, the extended family is forced to deal with the schizophrenia of one of Carter's niece's, another nephew's night terrors, and financial difficulties that bring home the sheer cost (both emotional and financial) that weigh upon a family when there is dysfunction and illness at its heart.

The moral of Eating the Shadow is that it is possible to intervene in the addictive process (whatever that addiction might be) and stop your loved one from dying, but that it has to be done early, and massively, and with total family support. It remains true of this, as everything else, that while the addict must first recognize that they have a problem, their road to recovery cannot be walked in isolation and that, ultimately, it is about us and our relationships with each other rather than our relationship with food.

The amazing thing about this memoir is that it makes you laugh as often as it makes you tear up. Authentic, caring, illuminating, it takes on the problem of the addictive personality and the family frameworks that perpetuate or help end this problem.

This is a delightful, heartwarming book, which reflects and gives courage and energy to all who are struggling with life's common problems.

I really enjoyed this romance novel. The characters have strengths and flaws and quirks, just like people you know in real life. Although they're attracted to each other, they have real conflicts keeping them apart, things they can't fix easily with a conversation. I've stayed away from series romances in recent years because they kept disappointing me. Not this time. I'm going to keep an eye out for more books from Margaret Watson.

The department rules insist that when an officer uses his weapon he must see a psychologist. In the line of duty Police Detective Jake Donovan killed a dangerous murderer Doak Talbott before the killer murdered his own son and his aunt, but does not want to see the shrink especially to discuss his feelings. He just wants to go back to work, but the SOP forces him to talk with Dr. Kira McGinnis before he can return to field work.

Jake makes the appointments, but does not open up to her about his inner feelings about the killing to the doc, whom he also finds quite attractive. Kira feels the same way about her patient, but hides her heart because she fears involvement and questions the ethics of an off the job relationship with a patient. Besides she has enough to do with raising her five-year-old daughter by herself and helping her troubled teenage brother.

It is elementary that the key to this strong contemporary romance is Kira's relationships with her daughter and her brother as she willingly sacrifices her own needs and desires out of her love for them. Jake wants to do likewise for the shrink he loves, but also fears commitment. Margaret Watson writes a powerful character study of people caring for the wellbeing of others finding love, but fearing its intrusion.

Harriet Klausner

Kira McGinnis is a spirited psychologist working for the local police department. Her latest patient is a handful. Detective Jake Donovan was involved in a shooting and needs to get cleared for duty. Kira finds it difficult to get the man into her office for the mandatory session, and his boss is hounding her to get him back on the street.

The situation with her new patient gets complicated when her younger brother gets in trouble at a bar. She finds out Brian is one of the troubled kids Jake works with at the local high school. It gets harder for Kira to maintain a professional distant from Jake when he keeps showing up to help with Brian, and then, to see her. The attraction is mutual, but she remains conflicted for many reasons, not the least being the welfare of her young daughter.

If they can get past the obstacles that threaten to tear them apart, Kira and Jake will have a chance for a happy future. Will they make the necessary choices to seek out the happiness they deserve?

In Family First, Watson delivers another sweet and very human love story. Her characters are personable and realistic, each strong in their own way. This is the kind of story that reminds readers that it IS possible to find romance and a happy ending in every day life. It's a fine addition to the Harlequin Super Romance line.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
6/25/2006

FAMILY FIRST by Margaret Watson
March 16, 2006

Amazon rating 4/5


"The story centers on Kira McGinnis, a psychologist who works for the police department, and her patient, police detective Jake Donovan, who killed a man in self defense and must undergo counseling before he can return to active duty. Jake resents Kira, who has no patience for him, refusing to give the all clear because he won't cooperate in their sessions. This angers Jake and his superior, Captain Crowley, who wants Jake back on the job.

Kira is a single mother with a five-year-old daughter, as well as responsibility for a troubled teenage stepbrother. Kira and Brian were orphaned when her father and his mother were killed in a car accident, an accident which Brian survived. Kira has been taking care of Brian since their parents' death, and now has a daughter as well, whose father walked out on Kira as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Jake has vowed never to get involved in a serious relationship, for reasons he rarely discloses. There is a lot of sexual tension, and hot and heavy scenes, between Kira and Jake, though each knows the other is not looking for a commitment." -- Complete review at BookLoons - M. Lofton


A novel that kept me intrigued and interested because of it's diverse set of characters. I especially liked Brian, Kira's stepbrother, as well as Kira's cute daughter Lexie. Recommended.

The Walt Reed book referred to by the other reviewers contains many more artists, but it has far smaller reproductions because there is so much packed in. By contrast the present book has some magnificent large and colourful illustrations that allow the reader to gain a better appreciation of each of the artists. The colour balance is wonderful (unlike some art books) and the selection of illustrators is great.

Note: I offended an immature person by giving negative reviews to books attempting to "prove the Book of Mormon." Rather than answer my criticisms, that person gives my reviews negative votes. Oh, well.

Your "helpful" votes are appreciated, and please remember that a short review (recommendation in this case) is good if it leads you to a great book.

I own this edition, and I would highly recommend it. I agree with the other reviewers. This is a must-have book for anyone with an interest in art.

My copy is from 1997. That edition (p. 112) contains the most wonderful scene of two children and a dog running up a hill with a beautiful valley in the background. It's from the cover of the "Saturday Evening Post" of May, 1960. Done in light greens and yellows, this painting is very evocative of an innocent youthful world.

I wish that painting had been larger. If someone knows where I could obtain a copy, please leave a message here.

"Famous American Illustrators" is full of large-format pictures that give the reader an appreciation for the talent and imagination that has gone into these paintings. What a wonderful world these artists created.

Thanks, and you will enjoy this book. Highly recommended.

The book is an excellent supplement to one of the title by WaltReed-The Illustrators in America: 1880 to 1980. The book containnumerous sample illustrations by elected members of the American Society of Illustrators.

Books on illustrators, from the golden age to the present, with their vast sample illustrations are in constant demand these days due to titles going throught out-of-print listings. One excellent reference source-The Illustrator in America:1880- 1980 by Walt Reed contains hundreds of works by illustrators from the late 19th century to the 1980's. The book unfortunately, is now out-of-print. Now, a new recent addition has been published-Famous American Illustrators. The various listings and samples of illustrators from the book are all elected members of the American Society of Illustrators. The book is an excellent supplement for Walt Reed's title where the readers can view more samples of each of the illustrators' unique styles.

Jane Butler-Biggs and editor Alison Daniels? We should bless their very socks and shoes, for in writing The Feng Shui Directory, they have given us a book that shines like a beacon out of the musty, dusty, teetering pile of current Feng Shui titles. Everytime I dip into this book, it starts my synapses zinging!
The Feng Shui Directory helps us to change our attitiudes, not just our furniture. It shows us how to PAY ATTENTION, giving us the skills to recognise how our homes affect us, and, reciprocally, how our behaviour and thinking affect our homes.
Consider the chapter on prosperity. It begins with several thought-provoking questions to ask ourselves regarding
abundance. It goes on to offer solutions for long-term patterns of poverty, a ritual to promote abundance and several methods to to invite sucess into our lives. With a wonderful assortment of practical techniques to apply all over the house and garden, it even informs us how many changes to make at a given time, how fast to do them and how to tell if youve gone a bit overboard boosting your wood energy!
The Feng Shui Directory is a really supportive book, written with much compassion, humour and crystal clear common-
sense. As a Feng Shui practitioner, I recommend this book to those clients, who, in the true spirit of transformation, really wish to explore the art behind the placement.
It 's a great book!

Excelent book of fheng shiu, easy, dinamic, well organice, interesting. The perfect book to underestand this ancient art of well living as a beginner.

The Feng Shui Directory is a great way to start Feng Shiu and learn more about it. Much more than a guide to interior decorating or an ancient scheme of superstitions, Feng Shui is presented along with all the psychological and scientific benefits.

This book isn't organized - like other books of it's sort - by the rooms in your home. Instead, chapters like "Family" or "Love and Realtionships" describe how to use Feng Shiu to change different areas of your life. Feng Shiu is presented as a way of thinking and getting in touch with yourself, not as a guide to rearranging furniture.

The authors take a minimalistic approach - change slowly, over time, and feel things out. You won't be told where the table must go, but how to tap into your intuition and figure out (within the guidelines of Feng Shui) where you might best place it.

The entire book is in full color, and the illustrations and "Quick Fixes" sections are a great addition. This book is probably too general for the experienced Feng Shui-er seeking to improve specific areas of his/her life, but overall it's a definite thumbs up.

This book is fabulous. I have purchased many feng shui books and this ranks as one of the best. It does a better job than any other book relating psychological issues to feng shui. It is very well laid out and easy to read in sections, or at one time. Much more thought provoking about how your life relates to your environment than the others. No trite cures here. It would be good to read a more basic feng shui book before this one so you understand the bagua etc. This book does not cover that, it seems to assume that you know the basics. A real winner. I have ordered more for friends.

My copy of "The Fine Artist's Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion" by Julius Vitali could not have arrived at a better time. I needed to approach numerous manufacturers to evaluate state-of-the-art video equipment for my own book project. The chapter on corporate support for the arts provided the right combination of factual information and inspiration that let me know I could anticipate a 75% favorable response to a request for product support.

This book prepares beginners for a life of living off one's own wits as an artist.It contains reasonably priced, low and high tech ways to promote your art on your own. It's required reading for anyone seriously planning on making a career in the arts. Art professors would do their students a big favor by making this book a required text.

Julius Vitali encourages artists to think of themselves as small business entrepreneurs, like painters of the Renaissance who ran their studios as businesses. In this revised edition, there are important chapters on running a home business efficiently, using media to get your work into the public eye, Internet marketing and making a career in Europe. Other chapters contain helpful strategies for exhibiting, grant writing, assembling a résumé and portfolio. I've been making a living as an artist for more than 25 years and this book taught me a lot of new strategies and unorthodox methods for marketing and self-promotion. It contains realistic information that could only be acquired from successful daily practice. Why start from scratch when you can get this type of help?

Making a career in the arts takes an aggressive approach to selling. Julius Vitali shows it can be done and how anyone can do it with straightforward, no-nonsense advice.

As I am married to an artist, I can well appreciate the immense difficulties artists face when they are endeavoring to sell their art- work.
It is with this in mind that I decided to read and review Julius Vitali's updated edition of The Fine Artist's Guide To Marketing And Self Promotion.

Vitali's question in his introduction- how do fine artists create a reputation and career that will ultimately allow commercial galleries to sell their work- sets the tone of this extremely informative book.
We often hear the common complaint of artists that they have been rejected so many times that they might as well throw in the towel and forget about selling their work. A simple reply to the artist would be to persist and don't be discouraged. However, unfortunately this is not enough.
They must realize, as Vitali points out, there are other factors contributing to making an artist known, such as knowing about publicity, marketing, a clear and articulated aesthetic vision, networking, timeliness, and yes, a certain amount of luck.

Vitali deals with all of these elements in his eleven chapters that clearly point the artist in the right direction. In addition, the reader is also provided with brief profiles of thirteen successful artists, who have implemented to a lesser or greater degree many of Vitali's guidelines. When I was growing up my parents always told me that you learn from the best not the worst. In other words, find out why certain individuals are successful and learn from them. This is basically Vitali's motive for including these thirteen profiles, wherein the reader may be able to implement some of what worked for these artists.

There is also no shortage of interesting advice scattered throughout the book. As examples, did you know that making personal contact with magazines and newspapers is the most effective way to achieve success with these publications; be careful if you exhibit in the same area and repeatedly send media releases, this may turn off reports and reviewers; that more people listen to radio than ever before and this is an excellent opportunity to be known.

In addition to receiving some excellent tips as to how to market and sell yourself, the author provides timely resources pertaining to grants for individuals and special projects, corporate support for the arts, exhibiting your art professionally in a variety of venues, assembling a résumé, portfolio, and letters of recommendation.
A useful appendix at the back of the book deals with digital resources, Internet security and other related Internet topics, useful software, printers, ink and paper, and publishing.

Julius Vitali is a well- known international artist who has exhibited all over the globe, and his work appears in numerous public and private collections.
Artists who will devote the time to thoroughly read and probably re-read chapters that are most appropriate to their situation have the most to gain from Vitali's advice.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com

I am a artist and bought this book to get more information on better ways to market and promote my work. This books offers very useful advice that is easy to understand and follow. If you are looking for ways to promote yourself and market your work this is a must read.

The marketing and promotional tips offered in this book are practical and geared toward the profesional artist. Artists who seek a career in the world of fine art and developing a reputation are strongly encouraged to read this book. The advice is both easy to understand and will prepare the artist for the real world, not small-time futility.

On the Authors homepage you have a chance of taking a glimpse inside this wonderful book. Her homepage is her full name and a com ending. I have the book myself and can only recommend it to you all.

Ms. Just has presented a beautiful book full of luscious l transparent watercolor paintings of flowers. Each page contains several large photos of her work plus instructional text. All illustrations are done in watercolor including the chapter on painting materials. Nearly half of the pages are step-by-step demonstrations, each with very clear explanations of her process. Ms. Just also discusses design and watercolor technique and shows her command of the subject matter with great expertise.
Flowers: Wonders of Nature in Watercolor will be a wonderful addition and a well used book in the library of watercolor painters of all levels.

Flowers: Wonders Of Nature In Watercolor is a full-color, how-to guide by Erika Just and expressly recommended to aspiring artists which to reveal and re-produce the beauty of flowers through the medium of watercolor. From establishing a color scheme; to building layers of color, contrast, and detail; to adding quality finishing touches, all instructions are superbly illustrated with captivating artworks. Flowers: Wonders Of Nature In Watercolor is a first-rate and thoroughly "user friendly" guide for watercolor artists of all skill and experience levels.

It was an exceptional experience painting with this book. From beginning to end it is filled with beautiful large scale full color fotos. The text is very understandable and easy to read. There is a red line from beginning to end. If you want to learn to paint, this is it. I hope more will follow soon...
Thankyou very much...