Guides Books

One of the very special merits of Dr. Newton's "Complete Conduct Principles for the 21st Century" is strict logic, being revealed throughout the whole book. This merit makes the sentences of the book reasonable and precise.

I especially like the Principle of "Lasting" (# 103): "A real friendship should not fade as time passes, and should not weaken because of space separation." What a beautiful and respectable mind! Few friendships have ever attained that. I hope our human beings will be improved by this great book.

Reading the book increases my hope of a better world in this century, which sadly begins with a dark side. May more people read it!

How nice it is! If one wishes to make his or her
life smoother and happier and do whatever he or
she likes without making others unpleasant, this
is a book he or she needs to read.

I agree:
How to make the world peaceful and better --
The solution can be found in Dr. John Newton's "Complete Conduct Principles for the 21st Century". This is what people in the whole world need, especially now.

Absolutely must-have for anyone contemplating selling their home. Terrific and easy step-by-step methods to increase the sale of your home. Good reading. Don't leave your home without it.

If you are planning to sell your home, this book is a must. Lots of excellent suggestions laid out in a step by step process. This would be a great resource for real estate agents to give to their listing clients as well.

This book has well organized ideas for completely readying your home for selling indoors as well as out! Many are common sense, but the psychological reasons for potential buyers to buy your home over another are amazing! It would be a pain to live long-term in a home that has been completely staged for sale, but for that purpose the ideas are terrific! I highly reccommend this book for anyone thinking of placing a home on the market, or anyone that may someday, as the ideas for color and upgrades can be lived with long-term!

I always hear people talk about "staging" and wondered what it was. This is a good beginner's guide, and will hopefully give some ideas to sellers to help them in this slowing market. It had some things I hadn't heard on HGTV before, and some were more detailed instructions on following through with ideas I've seen on TV. It also gave you details on which tricks were still in use, which ones (like baking brownies right before someone shows up) were no longer fashionable and why.

This book is great! Especially in today's real estate market, your house has to stand out from the crowd, and this book gives you the tools to make that happen. The authors give you general tips for the whole house, then a room-by-room section helps you fix up each room to its best potential. Lots of before-and-after photos help you visualize what you need to do.

"De-clutter" is a regular drumbeat that goes through this whole book, and we seriously did that. The result was that nearly all of our potential buyers commented on how clean the house was. Well yes, it was clean, but the appearance from the de-cluttering was more important in causing the look of cleanliness.

A psychological plus for us: after the staging, the house was now just a house, no longer our beloved home. That may sound negative, but it helped us see a low offer for the house not as an insult, but just as a starting point in negotiating for this object. We could be much more objective in the selling process.

Was this book responsible for four offers on the house in one week? Can't know, but we're sure it helped. Also, We thought enough of this book that we recommended it to our real estate agent after the house sold, for her other clients who might need it.
- Bill McGann, Author of The Story of the Tour de France

Dave Barry's "Complete Guide to Guys" is at once one of the funniest and fact-filled books I have ever read. I had the good fortune to be a little sister to two big brothers growing up, then married a guy, and have spent my career in fields wherein I was the only female professional on a staff of at least 35 or so males, and needed to maintain my femininity while being accepted as "one of the guys."

Dave's book was a Godsend in terms of understanding the "guyness" in my beloved husband and the men and guys with whom I worked. While being ENORMOUSLY entertaining, it contains so many nuggets of truth that will save a multitude of fights in a marriage (and thus, if the woman doesn't bug her husband about his guy stuff, he won't get on her case about her "girly-girl" stuff, which HE doesn't get, but unfortunately to which there is no guide). Ladies, this book will make you look like such a heroine at home and work, because almost NO women "get it" when it comes to the "guyness" in men, and constantly berate them when they're simply doing their "guy thing."

All Mothers should give a copy to their daughters as soon as possible when they're growing up, and I am not exaggerating here, since the guy thing sets in very early in a boy's life. You'll be giving your daughter the advantage of understanding this concept as soon as she possibly can, and maybe get along better with her male classmates at school, and not, as I did, think they were complete, shall we say politely, "jerks."

Anyway, I have never taken the time to write a book review before, but in the case of Dave Barry's "Complete Guide to Guys," I just had to, since it is one of my all-time favorite books (and I am an avid reader). Over the years since its publication, I have bought many copies of it and given them away to cool women who I thought would appreciate knowing the wealth of very useful information about their husbands, sons, boyfriends, colleagues, clients, neighbors, and any other males in their lives. Can't recommend it enough.

As a guy, it is hard not to like something that is clearly written by another guy trying to explain to the rest of the world why we're wired the way we are.

As Barry says, "Woman have always wondered, 'just what are guys thinking?' ... and the answer is, of course, 'not very much'". It's true! Guys are simple creatures -- give a guy a beer and a steak, and he gets happy. Turn off his TV during a game and he becomes unhappy. Cause and effect. None of those inexplicable mind games or multiple levels of reasoning and analysis other genders tend to display; what you see is what you get.

And all jest aside, I think that this is a key message that really needs to get across more so that women everywhere learn to adjust expectations accordingly. A forgotten anniversary is just that -- stupid forgetfulness -- not a sign that he's secretly begun loathing her and now fired the first shot in a battle that will last years and eventually lead to a bitter divorce. A dirty sock on the kitchen counter is not a demonstration of his disrespect for your mother. And yes, that 49ers game really IS more important than your coworker's baby shower.

Of course, this is a humor book so expect at least three laughs per page -- par for the course in Dave Barry reading. So you have a great time PLUS you can use it to make others gain a better understanding when you're done with it. If I ever get married, I'll make sure to strategically leave this book out and "available" -- chances are I just might save myself a ton of grief.

So funny and so on the mark I have bought at least a dozen copies since it came out -- to give to friends. We used to read it at dinner parties, wait until the eating is over, you would otherwise choke!! Laugh so hard you will cry... and smile with recognition. Men and women LOVE this book!

My daughter -- in her late teens -- is experiencing her first Venus vs. Mars misunderstandings with her boyfriend. I am about to buy her a copy of "Guide To Guys" of her own. I expect she'll laugh out loud. Or cry even louder.

This is without a doubt the funniest book I have ever read. Period. And I read a LOT of books.

Well, I agree with the raves regarding this book. I believe this extends past an armchair sea-cruising book and wallows into classic literature. But I'm not an expert on that so I can't say for sure. However, this story that Caldwell tells closely resembles Holden Caulfield in Salinger's classic. I've always thought this after I put the book down. The transference from normal to borderline and then a psychotic state is very slow and subtle. I'll go no further. You'll have to read it.

I love sea stories, I love survival stories & I knew very little about this book besides the fact that almost every review was 5 stars. I thought I would give it try. This is the story of John Caldwell who at the end of WW2 was stranded at the opposite end of the world from his new wife Mary whom he had married the year before. Try as John might he could not find a way to get back to his wife in Australia. From his years of service in the merchant marine he had enough money saved up to buy a 26 year old 29 foot sailboat. With ZERO training & knowledge of sailing he set off from Panama for a 9,000 mile journey.

One of the things that sets this book apart is at the start John really knows nothing about sailing & he isn't afraid to admit it. Right from the moment he casts off he is only minutes from disaster but somehow he prevails & after numerous mistakes he slowly learns to be a better sailor. He sails solo but he is far from alone, he has two kittens who you learn to love & other secret stowaways. Some become friends, some become dinner. John writes with a great sense of humor. As I was reading the book I was expecting John to get lost or beat up in storms but I wasn't expecting the epic tale of survival. It is one of most successful sailing stories ever. I won't delve any farther into what happens but I will say he has endless interesting escapades with the creatures of the south seas & you will see why this is a desperate voyage. Also you will be amazed at what a human being will eat if pushed to the brink of death.

You will love John's storytelling. I was sad to learn that John has passed on. This week (Sept 2008) his wife has published another book (Mary's Voyage) about further journeys with John - I can't believe he stepped foot on another sailboat. If you love sea stories this book will not disappoint.

John Caldwell was in love. So in love he bought a less-than-adequate 29 foot sailboat to sail thousands of miles across the Pacific (from Panama to Sydney, Australia) to be with his new bride. On his way, adventure and obstacles ensue, and he really shows what he's made of throughout the story.

What a great book! A real page-turner. You will have a hard time putting this one down. I know I did!

John Caldwell, a young American who served in the Australian air force and the US merchant marine during WWII, found himself at the end of hostilities stranded in Panama. He had no way to get back to Australia and his new wife Mary.

With more pluck than brains Caldwell, who had not done any small boating, buys a small sailboat (about 29 feet) with the idea of sailing to far off Australia--more than 8500 miles of open Pacific. First he learns how to maneuver his boat in and around the islands off Panama, with many hilarious screw-ups. Finally he sets off across the ocean. He has a tiresome voyage to the Galapagos Islands, again with many screw-ups, some of which almost cost him his life and nearly wreck his sailboat and disable his auxiliary engine. After the Galapagos the sailing goes better as he has wind and current with him and only some 8000 miles left to go. Then about half way there, between the Marquesas Islands and Samoa, Caldwell is hit by a terrible hurricane that destroys his rig, nearly sinks his boat, and forces him to jettison all of his food, water, navigation equipment, and supplies. His prospects for survival, not to speak of getting to Australia, are remote. Fortunately he had an almost indestructible craft, and that was his greatest piece of luck.

Under jury jig and near death from starvation, he eventually fetches up in the Fiji Islands. He is nursed back to health by the kindly natives and soon makes it the rest of the way to Australia by hitching rides on boats and planes, and is reunited with his beloved Mary. They apparently have lived happily ever after (or at least until the late 1990s), even founding and running a resort in the Caribbean.

Desperate Voyage is a wonderful and wonderfully engaging story. Caldwell writes so well and so engagingly that this book is really hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You cannot help liking this plucky screw-up with a penchant for survival. Of course, I feel somewhat guilty enjoying this tale so much--after all it is mostly about screw-ups, disaster, pain, and close brushes with death most of which resulted from Caldwell's rashness and carelessness. Caldwell's voyage is not one to emulate. But as A.J. Mackinnon says in his masterful The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow (another boating story full of screw-ups) "No screw-ups, no story." Certainly if Caldwell had been an accomplished yachtsman and as careful as we boaters are supposed to be, there would have been nothing here to laugh and cry about. Also when reading Caldwell's tale I was reminded of Mackinnon's admission: "Of course, I exaggerate for effect." How much has Caldwell exaggerated to enhance his tale? No one knows, but I sincerely doubt that he really drank his engine oil in order to assuage his hunger when he was starving.

More than thirty years ago when my young family were avid deep water sailors, I read many survival and adventure stories written by those who had had narrow escapes. John Caldwell's vivid tale of his struggle to return to his Australian lady love following his release from the Navy at the end of WWII still stands out in my mind. This year, as I home school my grandson and encourage him to develop innovative thinking, determination and loyalty, "Desperate Voyage" once again comes to mind. One of your other reviewers remarked that Caldwell "had no literary pretentions," but his book is, nevertheless, well worth reading for Caldwell's own humor and durability in the face of disaster. I am happy once again to add it to my library on my grandson's behalf.

douglas adams shed real light on a subject few authors ever even dare to touch.he made me want to stop and take time to appreciate what i do have and feel lucky about what i have lost.he kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time

Although I have not had the pleasure of buying these tapes, I have, in fact, heard them elsewhere on a digital recording. These tapes are sure to bring a smile and some intelligent entertainment.

I loved it! I was so funny! I wish I had a robot like Marvin.

Douglas Adams is funny in print, but his books really come to life when you listen to him read them aloud. He has a good sense of comic timing and often addes just the right split-second pause, or twists a word *just-so* and brings off a joke that might otherwise be missed.

We've had the 4-volume audio set for ten years and my kids have worn it out. I highly recommend getting this as a book on tape. (Better yet- bring them out on CD!)

Some people say that pure genius is very close to insanity. Either Douglas Adams is a true genius or he smoked some serious stuff when he wrote the Hitchhiker's Guide. "One must have chaos in oneself in order to give birth to a dancing star" - Nietzsche. For me, the Hitchhiker's guide is the best escape from reality anybody can ask for. Travelling with Arthur Dent through different worlds makes you see our own world in a different light. It is almost inconceivable that somebody could consider the Earth to be "Mostly Harmless"! It makes you wonder what sort of galaxies they travel to. A great read - don't miss out on this one.

I've used it for about three years and it's very helpful. I refer to it constantly and use it to teach my students.

An extremely helpful, easy to understand grammar reference guide to be used alongside any Spanish program.

If you are studying Spanish, this is a great book for teaching Spanish grammar. I found it very helpful when taking a second semester college Spanish class.

A student in my college Spanish class a few years ago introduced me to this little treasure. I was so impressed by the way it was written and designed that I asked the college bookstore to make it available. It was quite obvious that 90% of my students did not know English parts of speech nor syntax therefore handicapping them if they wanted to learn a foreign language. I used the excercises at the end of mny of the chapters as part of quiz and test reviews. Since I retired from teaching I gave my copy to a friend who teaches high school Spanish, and recently recommended this book to another friend who is teaching Spanish in an adult learning center.

This grammar book is very good and is a great help to me. I recommend this book to anyone learning Spanish Grammar. The book explains English Grammar and for someone like myself that does not have a a clue regarding grammer it helps alot with clear chapters on each possible subject and then of course its use in Spanish.

I recommend this book, as it has been the most helpful out of all the grammar books I have used.

This book is truly an excellent resource for secondary English teachers. It's replete with great teaching strategies you can easily implement in your classroom. Great lesson ideas as well! I have been teaching for 9 years, and found the book refreshing. It's not that expensive, so what do you have to lose? Try it out!

This is the perfect book for anyone going to school to teach English or already teaching. I wish I had discovered this before I started. It has valuable information in it.

This book was recommended to me by many people--professors in my master's degree program and English teachers. I borrowed a copy and I knew right away I had to have my own. This book has it all--sound theory and excellent examples of practical techniques in action. It even discusses how to get a job. The portions on class room instruction were especially interesting to me because I see discussion as the most important thing that happens in an English class. This book is The Book to get if you're going to teach English (especially high school English). I have enjoyed all of Burke's books and I hope there are more to come.

This is a really good book with lots of great information and good ideas for teachers both new and experienced. However, you'll have to get by his "look at me" pompousness and the many errors. It looks like Mr. Burke decided to edit the book himself, as he's so good at what he does. While I'm sure he is a really great teacher, all writers need a really great editor. The deficiencies can be overlooked because of the variety of quality information. Putting his picture on both the front and back of the book was a bit overdone, though...

Full of Jim Burke's years of experience and his insightful ideas. The writing is very personal, entertaining, and truthful.

I read this book to my seven year old son and was amazed at the things he was telling me. We had a wonderful conversation on all the topics in this book. It is a great way to show children how to make friends and keep them. Complete with examples.

This book shows kids through it's illustrations and text how they should act or repond to many situations(some stressful) they will encounter in daily life. Suggestions of what to do or what to say are given for each senario in a cartoon fashion and with subtext for explanation. My daughter for exammple is learning what a "sore loser" means and is trying to modify her behavior to be more like the nice girl in the book. I think both seeing and hearing the positive themes of the book help her retain the lessons.

"How to Be a Friend" is amazing. It could not be better. Not only is it great for children having difficulties with social skills due to Autism -- it is amazing for every child. It should be on the MUST READ to your child list of every parent.

This book has been great for an initial read to discuss with my children what a friend is. It continues to be a great reference tool for situations that come up. We pull out the book and read it with our children to remind them what a friend is and how a friend should treat them.

How to be a friend is such a nice book. It is like an instruction manual for kids who have difficulties making friends. It shows what is acceptable and what others find attractive in a friend. It tells directly what is annoying or inappropriate. I read this to my entire class, which consists of general education students and children on the autism spectrum (Asberger). I used it early in the year. It opened to door to much discussion and questions. We used it in therapy sessions, as well. I recommend it..

One of the funniest books I've read, even for a bit of a hypochondriac like myself. FULL of the most fear-inducing information that one shouldn't take on board- like the chapter on ordinary body quirks that could meant the most catastrophic of illnesses. Particularly amusing (for me) was the chapter where the author interviews a Proctologist. Hilarious, with insane little footnotes, and illustrations. Be prepared for a rather sobering finale. Great book.

Despite the macabre subject matter, this is a hilarious book. I laughed out loud many, many times. And while it may, indeed, feed a true hypochondriac's neurosis, it can also show just how obnoxiously far you can take it. I will admit that even I (not so much a hypochondriac) took a few of the `tests' presented in the book. I evidently have about a half-dozen serious medical conditions...

If you like Dave Barry, you'll like this book.

Warning... this is not for the paranoid, for those that read every bad bio-terrorisim book out there then wonder if they've contracted Ebola, or for those who call emergency when they've stubbed their toe thinking it's fleah eating cancer....
Great book full of witty looks at all the medical disasters that can kill ya...
It is well written, funny, well organised and lends itself to reading to friends and relatives who enjoy combining a lack of medical background with pure paranoia. Keep a copy around for flu season...

Several laugh out loud moments. Weingarten's newspaper column is funnier than this book. I love the column. The book isn't bad.

If you truly want to sample Weingarten at his best read his column.

Gene Weingarten used to be Dave Barry's editor at The Miami Herald. Enough said.

I just finished reading "Infidelity: A Survival Guide." Dr. Lusterman offers practical insights and strategies for couples to move beyond an affair, repair the damage to their marriage, and make their marriage stronger than before. As a professor and former therapist, I believe this book is one of the most helpful on this topic. I highly recommend it to couples who are committed to repairing the damage to their marriage caused by infidelity.

Infidelity is a life altering event for most people and can be a horrible thing to try and find reconcilation with. This book offers insight into the many different aspects of it. It can't change the situation for the people who are the dealing with this issue but it does help to answer some of the millions of questions that plaque the minds of those afflicted by this most heartbreaking event. It is certainly worth the time it takes to read.

This book is truly a "How to" on getting through what may well be the worst time in your life. It is written in plain language and offers advice on other reading and selecting a therapist, if you feel that you need one. No one expects to find themselve in this situation and this is a great guide to help you deal with the pain and move forward.

I thought this book was a tremendous resource in helping me better understand my perspectives on my relationship. It provides valuable information that helps the reader develop language for positive communication, and also offers insight that can be helpful in trying to understand your mate's feelings and motivations. It helped me organize my thoughts and gave me the vocabulary to clearly define my emotions, my expectations, and my situation. I would recommend this book to anyone who has had an affair, who has considered an affair, and especially to any individual whose mate has had an affair.

This is a brief and succinct book on the subject of infidelity. While much of the material is addressed to couples experiencing marital difficulties, the counsel and advice provided is helpful to unmarried couples in long term relationships also. Too often, the term "infidelity" is used as a polite euphemism for adultery. While infidelity can include adultery, a more narrow term which has both legal and moral implications, infidelity is really a much broader concept that relates to betrayal, disloyalty and faithlessness. Infidelity is all about breaching trust. As Lusterman correctly observes, while adultery always involves illicit sexual activities in violation of marital vows for at least one of the parties in the triangle, infidelity can encompass even purely emotional affairs that do not necessarily include sexual intimacy in all instances. Someone who maintains that a long time confidant is just "a good friend" may very well be involved in infidelity nonetheless by violating the exclusivity of another relationship with an innocent third person. One may be engaged in infidelity through dishonesty and unfaithfulness alone. Since communication is a key element to the success of any meaningful relationship, constant lying or omitting to speak the truth often rises to the level of infidelity. While many couples are able to rehabilitate their relationships by renewing communications after an episode of infidelity is exposed and improve themselves in the process, Lusterman warns that such recoveries are impossible with offending individuals who fail to admit their faults despite evidence to the contrary and who refuse to express any remorse for the harm that their actions have caused to others. The best one can do in these instances is to admit the obvious and move forward. Lusterman has a doctoral degree and a lengthy career record as a therapist. This concise book addresses the pain and shock that often accompanies the discovery of infidelity, often after lengthy periods of suspicion, and methods for coping with the hurt and recovering a sense of one's own self esteem. In an era in which many people rely upon the Internet to maintain regular communications and in which long distance relationships are increasingly common as a result, one needs to be prepared. Bad things sometimes do happen to good people. Lusterman's book is a valuable reference tool. It may even serve to promote a sense of healing for some people who have been victims of infidelity and allow them to forgive those who committed the acts of infidelity.