Guides Books

This is a great review book. I really like how the book separates the subjects and has test questions as the end of each chapter. The CD is also easy to use. I would recommend this book for anyone preparing for the nclex exam.

We ordered this book to help our daughter study for her NCLEX exam. It was very helpful and we are happy to say that she passed the test and is now a Licensed Practical Nurse.

I had several different NCLEX study books but this is the one that I used most. It is my LPN BIBLE STILL! I also had the Saunders Q & A, which I liked, but this one is so well organized. I still carry it in my nursing bag for reference. This book was recommended to me by one of my clinical instructors and I'm glad I bought it. I passed NCLEX-PN with 85 questions in Jan 2008. My cd worked pretty well. I did 3000-4000 questions before testing which is recommended. I will be using it again to study for an RN Bridge program. I wish I would have used it more during LPN school.

Out of the study guides I used to prep for the NCLEX-PN, this guide's questions were the closest to the type and difficulty I experienced on the actual exam. I highly recommend this book.

Book received in a timely manner and in good condition. I am impressed with my Amazon.com purchases.

Nice price, lot of nice pictures, species from North America and rare birds. It's one of my favorites guides to birds, i really recommend it.

Over the past few years an avant-garde style of bird identification has arisen. The classic "Peterson Identification Method" (much revered by bird lovers, instrumental in the formation of birding itself, and still highly useful), which stresses the importance of unique "field marks" is slowly ceding to a new holistic approach (also known as GISS: General Impression of Shape and Size).

This guide is at the forefront of that movement, along with Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, and should be on the shelf of any birder who wishes to improve his or her identification skills. Novice birders often wonder at the mastery of experts who can identify birds far away immediately without raising their binoculars; such ability can only come with experience, but this book offers valuable insight into that esoteric ability.

This is the Bird ID book that can stay on the coffee table. Pages and pages of wonderful pictures of shorebirds make up the front section of the book. Let me be quick to point out if you are looking for gulls or terns they will not be in this book. This is a book about the small brownish birds ( sometimes called Peeps) that can be seen on our shores. Sanderlings, sandpipers, Godwitts, Dunlin, and our rapidly declining Red Knots are the subjects of this book. If you want to know shore birds this is the book.

This book was extremely helpful for identifying shorebirds. It shows them on the ground close up, in flight and in flocks. Detailed descriptions of status, taxonomy, behavior, migration, molt and vocalizations. Photography is excellent. If you live on or near water and need a guide, this is the one!

What a wonderful and useful work. Traditionally, shorebirds are some of the more difficult birds to identify. I know I have been struggling with them for over fifty years now and the situation does not get better with age; I assure you. The wonderful optics we have available now certainly help, but only to a point. These critters are still difficult, even for the very experienced.

This book is a wonderful addition to my collection. It is a bit large to haul around like a normal field guide, but like another reviewer, I keep mine stashed in my care for quick use before the image of the bird leaves me. I use it in conjunction with the four field guides I do carry in my swag bag and have found this is pretty effective. The natural setting photographs in this work, which make up the first half of the book are top quality and show a variety as to juvenile, adult and sex. Markings are quite clear and if they are used with other books, it makes life so much simpler. I have a disadvantage at this time, not living near a large body of water, i.e. salt water or marsh, so I do not get to practice the way I use to. I need all the help I can get.

As has been so well pointed out by another reviewer here, you will not find terns and gulls and their ilk in this work. These are not shore birds. For this I was grateful as it excluded a lot of unneeded clutter. There are other fine books, i.e. most competent field guides, to help in the gull/tern area.

Of the several works I have addressing shore birds; this is right at the top as to usefulness and as a source of valuable information. Highly recommend this one.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Slow Way Home is really a nice read. Light, easy, sweet in spots, slice of life story and interesting. It is an important fiction since it deals with the issue of an absent parent, grandparents raising a young boy, a parent who has a wilder lifestyle - not necessarily condusive to raising a child, and legal issues.

It's not my style to write a review that is a book report but instead to give some simple facts and advise if I believe it is worth reading.

With the above in mind and simple facts given, I believe this is worth reading. WHile it isn't a challenging read and is a little predictable, it is new territory for fiction and well done overall.

Borrow it, read it.

Enjoyed it thoroughly - THANK YOU!

Slow Way Home by Michael Morris is a good Southern novel with an extremely strong little boy as the main character. The author does a terrific job at capturing Brandon's anger and helplessness as he is pushed around from one family to another. Brandon Willard is abandoned by his mother to his grandparents, but when she decides she wants him back, they take him on the run. Poor Brandon is moved again and again before finally finding his way home. There are Christian elements to this book, but they aren't overemphasized. The way Brandon clings to Jesus is a strong testimony to the power of the Spirit. The episode with the Ku Klux Klan in Florida seems a bit odd, but much of the book is made up of short, odd episodes in this little boy's life, perhaps it was intentional. The one complaint I have about Morris' writing style is his overuse of metaphors and similes. Many paragraphs end with one or the other, and while some are powerful, the amount of them makes the reader immune to their power.

From the first sentence spoken by Brandon to the last one written by the author in the acknowledgement section, this book had me spell bound. I was lost in the world of Brandon, a boy I saw as a modern day Tom Sawyer. Having lived most of my life in New York (moved to south Florida six years ago) I enjoyed the 'old south' setting of the panhandle of Florida. There are lots of characters to savor in this book but by far the young narrator Brandon outshines them all. A beautiful story. Today I'm going to the library to see what other books I can find by this author.

A young boy is a pawn in a custody fight between his grandparents and his broken mother. While at first it appears that there is one victor in this case, the author draws out the complexities involved in such cases and adequately shows how no one wins when the custody of a child is at stake.

I found this story to be one of heart felt redemption. While the opening scene pulled me into the book, it is the young boy's voice that forced me to keep reading. This novel is tragic, tender, and most of all very real. The writing is artfully crafted and the plot, while sometimes predictable, does not disappoint.

I never picked up a copy of this wonderous guide when it was published. There were a few mistakes I made last decade, not buying this book was one of them.

There is not much storyline given away here. Mostly background info regarding the Cardassians, Bajorans and the Federation. Deep Space Nine was the best "Star Trek" series, in my humble opinion. This guide is useful to those who wish to write about the series of the future, as well as daydreamers like myself. The thrill of walking down every corridor, knowing the details of Quark's bar and Ops...

It is all like dream, now that it is over. I never watched the original broadcast in the 1990s. What a loss on my behalf. Now in the age of hopelessly dull reality T.V., what a better way to pass the time than watching the epic unfold on DVD. Though a little overpriced, to an avid fan like myself, worth every penny! Make sure you have a copy of this manual sitting close by!

This is a must own for anyone who has ever needed to know why something works the way it does in Star Trek. This covers almost everything you can imagine in how Deep Space Nine and space craft work. If it isn't covered in this book it is covered in the TNG Tech Manual. If you write Fan Fiction, play a character in a Trek RPG, or operate a Trek Website You will treat the Tech Manuals as your gospal in Trek technology. Other good books are out there, but they don't compete with this book.

The tech isn't much different in manner from the TNG Tech Manual, but the images in this, the DS9, manual are far superior. All Trek Geeks (come on, fess up) need this book.

While I am a long time Star Trek fan, I tend to stay away from books such as this one because I just see it as another way for Paramount to get into our pocket books. I just lightly browsed this book one day in a book store and next thing I knew almost an hour had gone by!

This has to be one of the most engrossing works of fictional tech I have ever seen. There are times where you almost wonder if some form of prototype exists for the items they discuss.

Both richly written and illustrated this book is a absolute must buy for the die hard Star Trek fan! And if your favorite Star Trek is DS9 (like myself), I am not sure how you have lived without this book!

This book is amazing. I read it from cover to cover and ended up satisfied with all the details the authors placed in them. The book carries details ranging from the subspace communications system to the weapons and even the environmental system of the station. The information on it is not contained only to details about the station but everything connected to it including the Runabouts, and the Defiant. It gives off an effect that there is really a station named Deep Space Nine. The paper used was high quality glossy paper which doesn't crumple easily and the numerous images in them were in color. Although it could have been better with a hard cover, it's excellent the way it is.

First off, this book is anything but a disappointment. It is a packed with information on the series and its fictional technology from the station's basic layout to things like tricorders and sensor probes. It has great illustrations, mostly rendered in 3D by Doug Drexler and all in color. This is a quite obvious advancement since the STTNG Technical Manual.

One reason why I like the DS9 Technical Manual less than its "sister manual" is that its reliability is lacking. This is in part not the fault of the authors, considering that technical specs and especially the size of the station and of the Defiant were always subject to change throughout DS9. Nevertheless, it is dissatisfactory that none of the size figures given in the book correspond with the schematic diagrams in the same book, the latter of which consistently show a smaller 120m Defiant and a station diameter of at most 1000m. The section on starships is even much worse, since ship types and specs are arbitrarily and hastily made up, sizes of well-known ships are wrong and the Saber and Norway class even have exactly the same specs. Considering that many fans who took the specs for their websites didn't even notice the latter error, I may be overly critical, but from an officical manual I would expact much more carefulness than that.

The other point of criticism is that the Deep Space Nine Technical Manual isn't very technical and it isn't useful as a manual. It is rather like prose that has been supplemented with a certain limited amount of Technobabble, a couple of size figures and many nice images. It doesn't care about the technology in such detail as the STTNG Technical Manual, and if it is only shown how to operate it. Summarizing, as a novel the book is rather boring, while it is just not complete enough for a technical manual. Anyway, at least the drawings are great, especially the fold-outs, and most of the book with the exception of the starship section is pleasant reading, so I recommend to buy it.

This is an excellent, straight-forward, sensitive book that deals with a topic that is difficult. It is written so that it can be easily understood and is incredibly helpful to victims as well as therapists who treat them. The author validates the victim's world and encourages the victim to get help and talks about the many males who have survived and are healing.

A thoughtful book re sexual abuse of people who are trying to get past the victim ideology. The writer has had much experience in treating these people and his suggestions are helpful.

As a spouse of a survivor, I read this book which also offered advice to partners and spouses. This book gave way too many examples and other info for the first 4 chapters. Most of us already have an idea of what sexual abuse against boys can entail, there were just way too many stories of survivors that were disturbing and difficult to read. It did however give important insight and ways to get help and help yourself but it came along with a lot of unneeded information. If you have the time and patience it is a good tool towards recovery.

I gave this wonderful book to my husband who is in recovery from childhood sexual abuse by his father. He cried and read , cried and read from start to finish. The book is empowering, healing and filled with truth that heals. I recommend it as an essential read for those in recovery and for those who love them. Kate

If you or a loved one have been the victim of childhood sexual abuse then this book is an excellent resourcee. It deals primarily with Male Survivors and provides great insight into how coping mechanisms have become a way of life. It allows survivors to carefully examine their feelings and relationship choices in a positive and affirming manner, and begin to make changes to a healty lifestyle. If you have decided to read this book, well done!!! You have taken the first steps to reclaiming your life!

This is a fun, well laid out book, but in the intro., astrology is referred to as a science! Please! Let young people have fun with astrology, but don't tell them it's science!

I put this exellent book in my Best reading guide for beginning wiccans - you should go check it out!!!!!

I thought the idea of an astrology guide for kids was so unique that I gave this book as a present to each and every one of my three nieces, three nephews, three god-daughters and one god-son. Both they and their parents report that they absolutely love it. My nephew Maxim insisted on assigning zodiac signs to all his stuffed animals (of which he has a huge collection). My god-daughter Tara comes home from school when she's made new friends and heads straight for Madalyn Aslan's book to look up their signs. It's involving, entertaining and inspirational (and Tara's mom tells me plays a useful role in helping children understand how different people have different qualities and good and bad things about them) - highly recommended.

This cosmic guide is enchanting. The author goes deeply into the origins of astrology, which is the worship of our earth and our connection to all that is around us. It is a beautiful book with a truly loving message.

Take away the celebs and this could be a little Druid's book! "Sweet Venus" is described as "around 900 degrees Fahrenheit. It is an example of what could happen to the Earth if we do not take care of it." Virgo "busy bee" is so smart it "sixth-senses nectar in a flower."

I was delighted to see psychologist Carol Gilligan and other educators in the reviews. My children are Montessori-educated - Maria Montessori is in the "busy bee" Virgo chapter - and it's a hit at school as well as in our home. Incredible fun. Heartfelt thanks to to the author Madalyn Aslan for this miracle she has given us!

This is simply the best book I've found for my kids all year! It's entertaining, fun and funny, and there are stories about the stars, ancient myths and the history of astronomy in every chapter, with very cute illustrations. It's positively written, with a kind of feel-good emphasis on each sign's gifts. My kids love it! Even my youngest - 3 years old - will turn the pages over and over and doesn't want to put it down.

What's Your Sign has been a great addition to our household.

Thank you, Ms. Aslan!

Unfortunately, I had to order this book through another supplier due to some problems here at Amazon, but I have to say, this book is great, as are the other Harmony Guide books that I have. Some repeat stitch designs (very few), and lots of new and beautiful ones. My only real criticism is that the charts in the book seem to be hand-drawn and lack the uniformity found in the other crochet books I have, which the charts appear to have been done with a computer or something. Also, they don't seem to use the abbreviation for Front and Back Post Stitches in the written instructions for the stitch patterns, and the chart for the Crossed Puff Cables (which is gorgeous and I can't wait to try it), shows all Front Post Stitches on right and wrong side, rather than Front on the right side and Back on the wrong side, which seems to be an error. But if you've already got your basic skills in place by the time you get to that one, you should be able to fix it up no problem. :)

Wonderful collection of stitches, but the introduction is not what I would choose for a beginner. Betty Barnden's "The Crochet Stitch Bible" is a better choice if you are not an old hat at learning to crochet. However, as the second book on stitches, any of the Harmony series would be good.

I bought this so I could make my own designs, mainly a sweater for my daughter and it was good for just that. I found a stitch I had never seen that was cute and nice and dense (my daughter didn't want any holes in her sweater). There are some great stitches in this book and nice pictures.

The Harmony Guide V.6: 300 Crochet Stitches is an excellent reference! I first checked it out from the library; I got my own copy as I figured there were over 45 stitches that I would like to learn from this book (and I've been crocheting for years.) The binding could be stronger, so for $10, I took it to Staples to have a spiral binding added and the covers laminated; it's beautiful! I use it frequently. I find the directions very concise and easy to follow. The photographs give very good visuals of what the stitches look like. The stitch directions are written directly underneath the photos and the diagrams are a wonderful addition for us visual learners. The Introduction chapter has wonderful drawings and instructions for novice and experienced crocheters. There are well-written abbreviation descriptions and stitch diagram information. I would give this book 6 STARS if I could!

Great reference book for those who love to crochet and design their own patterns. It is also good for beginners because the introduction explains the basic crochet stitches along with their variations. The diagrams and color pictures of each stitch pattern are very helpful. Highly recommended for anyone who crochets or wants to learn how to crochet.

This book not only deals with the issues of attachment and other developmental issues of the adoptive child, but it gives you practical strategies to overcome and deal with them. This book is very inlightning, but offers hope to parents of hurt children.

I thought this book provided valuable insights and gave good real life examples. I would recommend this book for anyone adopting an older child.

This book contained things that I think all parents should know about dealing with kids and thier baggage. I have refered back to this when dealing with situations with my special needs child, if only to know that I am not alone in my struggles.

I read this book twice I liked it so much. I found many books minimized the struggle of raising adopted children and focussed too much on only the positive. Although I have not raised any adopted children myself I do plan on it after I finish university. After reading many books I knew it couldn't be as flowery as they put it. Although I am sure no book could truly prepare anyone for the realities of raising childeren it can help you understand where things are comming from. If nothing else I have a greater respect for the adoptive family because of this book!!!

This book was very helpful. It helped me even though I haven't ever adopted. It helped me understand hurting kids more. I will buy this book! I would like to adopt older kids when I'm married. Besides I have known several foster/adopted kids. It helped me understand them.

I bought this book years ago when my son became a teen. We have used the principles and it has been a great help.
I am re-reading it as our youngest is a teen now.
This is a very positive approach to parenting teenagers.
Our 3 children have ended up being good, responsible kids and have given us no problems. I have bought a couple of copies to pass on to our youth leaders. It would be a good resource to counsel parents of troubled teens.

Although I do not have any teenagers in my house, I thought it would be better to read this book too early, instead of too late. I believe I was right. This book reminds me a lot of Tedd Tripp's book, Shepherding a Child's Heart, but with an emphasis on teens and how to relate to the teenage populace.

I truly enjoyed the honesty and also the way in which Dr. Tripp directs us as parents at the heart instead of our children instead of fixing mere actions. Usually, we as parents believe all is well if our children would just obey us, whether they are obeying us for the right reasons or not is a totally different question. Paul's book sets up so the parent gets to the teen's heart so that they obey based on their love of the glory of God rather than merely trying to follow rules that are set up. What this will do is drive critical thinking in the teen so that they can make decisions for themselves in different situations and will not need to know, "did my mom and dad say specifically I couldn't do this or that?" Instead they will strive to seek the Lord's will and ask, "In what way does this decision either glorify God or take away from it?"

The book is set up in three parts:

Part I: Clearing the Debris

In this first part Dr. Tripp is really trying to lay the foundation of the family and how God desires it to be set up. He speaks to those involved (parent and teen) and also speaks to the parent understanding the teen so that the next parts of the book can fall into place. I sincerely appreciate the chapter on "Whose Idols Are in the Way?" Dr. Tripp drives home the importance for us as parents to seek out our idols and destroy them so that our discipline and time with our children becomes godly, instead of reactionary.

Part II: Setting Godly Goals

This is really the practical part of the book. After laying out the foundation Dr. Tripp shows what should be important for every godly parent. He helps show forth how to disciple your children to have godly convictions towards culture and wisdom in how to respond. The idea behind this chapter is so that when that day comes where the teen leaves home, you can be confident that your work in them has been accomplished and they are ready to decipher the world through godly vision.

Part III: Practical Strategies for Parenting Teens

This last part is only 40 pages of the 253 page book. It seems to be more of a wrap up instead of completely new ideas. It seems to be more of a conclusion than a separate part. Part II and Part III really bleed together to make the last half of the book the practical wisdom given from Dr. Tripp to the readers.

One of my favorite discussions in the whole of the book was found in chapter 11. Dr. Tripp sets up four verbs for parents who desire to model Christ to their teen. I believe a quick synopsis of this will give you an overall feel for how the book is laid out.

They are:

Accept: We are to accept our sinful children with the grace of Christ. We are not to enable their sin, but we are also not to be judgmental parents who are condemning to the teen. When condemnation and judgmental attitudes prevail the teen will shut themselves off and never feel as though they can openly communicate to the parent.

Incarnate: As Christ was incarnate God to the world and to us, so too we are to incarnate Christ to our children. We are to reveal love, grace, patience, gentleness, kindness, etc. and continue to show them the gospel in deeds instead of merely words.

Identify: (my favorite part of the entire book) Hebrews 2:10 says that Christ was not ashamed to call us brothers and we should not be ashamed to call our teens, brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be able to identify with them in their sin. We should not be ones who would ever say, "I can't believe you would do that, I would never have done that." If this statement is actually true, the parent is not a sinner saved by grace, but a Pharisee who sees themselves as greater than others by their works. To identify with the teen will show them that you too struggle with sin, and you can show them who you go to for comfort and forgiveness in that sin: Christ Jesus our Saviour. Without the reminder that we too are sinners, the teen will believe that you cannot relate and will run away from you during their struggles instead of running to you.

Enter: As Christ entered our world and culture for 33 years, so we too should enter the world that our teenager lives in. This means seeking them out, even if it is uncomfortable. Asking them questions and listening to what drives them, what discourages them, what excites them, what they struggle with and the temptations that they face every day. When we seek them out to find out where they are coming from, we show them that we truly have an interest in who they are and what they face instead of trying to just pigeon hole them into whoever we think that they should be and what they should be facing. It shows that we truly have interest and value them.

I truly enjoyed this book and believe it is of great help to any who have teens now or who will be having teens soon. Dr. Tripp continues to humble the parent and drive them to the greatest desire: to parent for the glory of Christ, not for the glory of the parent. Highly Recommended.

This book is AWESOME!!! I would highly recommend it. In fact I wish all parents were required to read it.

this was highly recommended by our daughter when i related afriend who was having difficulty with her teenager. I bought it and gve it to the friend and she said it was just what she needed to cope with the situation...she could not thank me enough.

Having read a number of books on parenting, this book was found to be the most inspiring in terms of causing us to reach to God. As Christians we are called to walk by faith in every area of our lives. This book shows us how to be loving and strategic in our parenting whilst reaching to God in faith believing for our children also to walk with Him.

The Algebra Survival Guide is a good book. I'm not sure how to say this, but you can understand it and most math books are impossible to understand." David Bortz, sophomore in honors math

Because of the Algebra Survival Guide I no longer panicked when my husband was unavailable to help our 7th grade son with Algebra homework. At first we would read the book together and apply it to his assignment. Eventually, he independently referred to the book, not just for homework, but to supplement his math text (he said the schoolbook didn't explain concepts as clearly). And I have to admit, more than once after homework had been put away, you could find me still reading the ASG. I was surprised at how interesting it was, who knew Algebra could be kind of fun? Algebra Survival Guide: a Conversational Guide for the Thoroughly Befuddled

My child had to complete a homework packet over the summer to prepare him for his Algebra 1 class. This book was very helpful!

This books gives a good, simplified review of many algebra concepts that are often forgotten once we leave college. It has a simple presentation with a few examples. If you want more practice, you need to purchase the workbook in conjunction with this text. I used both to teach a student who is instructed in the home but I supplemented with other materials. As a special educator, I can say I think a learning disabled student who is taking algebra would find this helpful.

Let me first admit that I am no math whiz, and unfortunately I passed my numerically-challenged genes on to my daughter. She has always struggled in math, and I haven't been able to help her much as the math has gotten harder.

So I was really dreading it when my daughter had to take algebra this past year. I still have the emotional scars from hiding under my desk to avoid Mr. Wentworth calling on me!

A friend told me about the Algebra Survival Guide, and I got it and the accompanying Algebra Survival Guide Workbook. This has to be one of the best book purchases I've ever made.

We pulled out the Survival Guide at the start of the year, and used it alongside my daughter's textbook. Right from the start this book calmed down my daughter's anxiety with its humor and funny illustrations. But even more, it helped her -- and me -- grasp algebra with ease.

The book uses a Q&A approach, so first my daughter reads a question about algebra, and then reads the answer. Somehow this format makes the whole process more fun. The book has great explanations, and then examples showing how to work the problems. We did the examples, and soon my daughter was getting a solid B in the class, and enjoying it, too. As I started reading the book and actually helping my daughter, too, her grade actually went up to an A-, and it stayed there all year long.

If you have a child who will be taking algebra, I can't recommend this book enough. My only regret: I sure wish I'd had it when I was in Mr. Wentworth's class.