Western Books

In my book, Black Storm Comin`, Colton, the twelve-year-old boy who is the main character, is very responsible and knows everything he needs to know to travel by himself and knows how be a man. One example of that is that Colton has to work with his dad every day. Colton has to wake up at 6:00 a.m. in the morning he doesn't stop working until 8:00 p.m. And he has been doing that for 5 years straight. Another example of that is that he has good manners. Colton calls a lady ma'am and a man sir, he is really polite and he says please and thanks you. Colton also became the man of the family. After pa left after shooting Colton accidentally at the leg while he was asleep, Colton had to stand up and was forced to take responsibility for his whole family and he was doing everything. Colton helplessly needed a job so, he thought he could get a job at the Pony Express because it would cover up the pay and it would take him and his entire family to Sacramento, California that everyone needed to go there and he got the job. At the middle of the story Colton's ma gave Colton a letter to give to her half sister, then at the end of the story, Colton gave it to the half sister, but then ended u running for their lives meaning his pa and himself. Colton was the perfect kid at his time as I have already told you how.

A 12-year-old boy, Colton, tries to get a job with the Pony Express in this unusual "western". There are no Indians in the story, but race plays a part with the hero as a son of a white man and a free black woman, but who can pass for white. The family is moving west with a wagon train but is beset by the troubles of the trail--no doctors, difficult childbirth, broken wagon wheels, lack of food. A gun accident while in Nevada precipitates it all: the depressive father accidentally shoots the son in the leg, then takes off in apparent remorse, leaving the family to fend for itself. Racism is a theme of the story, but it is also about a boy's doggedness and the importance of cross-country communication on the eve of the Civil War. The prose is easy, in a colloquial style. Those who like horse stories and action-adventure will appreciate this one. I could hardly put this book down, and despite having to go to work I finished it in less than 24 hours. This book is heartily recommended, and should appeal especially to middle schoolers studying the pre-Civil War era as well as to horse enthusiasts, male or female. It would work well as a read-aloud for middle school, since the audience will be anxious to know how it turns out. It is devoid of love interests, but despite that it should serve a high school audience well, too.

I'm not usually a fan of westerns. I don't get that whole prairie, horse, dirt thing that many find appealing.

But this story is not a typical western.

It's the story of a 12 year old boy and his family - a 12 year old who's forced to take responsibility for his family (an occurrance common enough in the past).

There's a lot of historical information and environmental vibes packed into this book - it fairly places you in the shoes of a biracial child who, quite guiltily, can pass for white in a time right before the civil war. It gives you an insight into the Pony Express - a wonderful group of kids who kept the country connected and informed.

In all, this is a good read, especially for young boys, which will open the mind and the heart.

(*)>

Like all of Diane Lee Wilson's books, we get some excellent historical background to a great story. Her characters are always interesting and nuanced, not the stock character so often found in young adult fiction. Her stories are set in interesting times and we always learn something we didn't know. In Black Storm Comin, we get an insiders look not only into the Pony Express but also the challenges faced by the bi-racial rider. And the horses! Wilson can write about horses like no one else - she's taking over where Marguite Henry left off. This is a great read and I look forward to her next one. I recommend it for any reader, young or old, male or female.

Based on Wilson's research about the pony express, this story is filled with fascinating facts and tidbits about the old west. But what is so delightful is the intensity of the story, excellent horsemanship, and relationship of a small boy and his horse. It kept me on the edge the whole time. The young protagonist is also bi-racial, adding an interesting twist and subtheme to the entire story. I learned much about the pony express and its riders, as well as the challenges of being bi-racial in early America.

Bright and bold illastrations firmly keep the childs attention, whilst Mem Foxs rhyming has them quickly reading along with you. A big favourite for many children.

I enjoy reading this book to my 2.5 year old son. It is repetative and enjoyable as he chimes in with the "Boo to a goose" line. They say this is how young kids start to learn how to read! I think it is just fun to have a book that helps your child interact with the reader. The illustrations are also unique and fun...a collage type art. I recommend this book for any parent that enjoys interactive reading time with their child 2+.

Although the ages given for this book are 4-8, I find that this is a wonderful book for younger children. This has quickly become my 2 year old daughter's favorite book as she can say the word "boo" and can listen and know when to say it within the story line. This makes it fun for her as she is not only listening as I read but also adding to it herself. Not since "Goodnight Moon" has a book made such a hit in our household!

This book is #1 with my 26 month old. It's rhyming sing song way and its consistent "boo to a goose" have her reading along with me and laughing the entire way.

"Boo to a goose" is a refreshingly silly book that's fun to read to kids. The structure is very repetitive, so they know exactly when to say that they "wouldn't say boo to a goose," and all of the other, braver things that they would do instead are funny to slightly older kids too.

The explanation of why the storyteller is scared of geese comes suddenly at the end, and wraps it up nicely (and in a silly way).

I enjoyed this book because Mr. Griffin showed us that it took many types of people to tame the West. In this book, he's remained true to history by including cowboys who were former slaves or of Mexican heritage, as well as having women and girls helping out in time of need.

I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Showing the indomitable spirit, while being respectful of other cultures, Griffin paints a great picture of the Ol' West. Full of lots of action, and a wide pallet of great characters from all walks of life, this reads like a classic pulp western from bygone days. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

It's hard to find a good old-fashioned western anymore. Most of those on the paperback stands are sex-in-the-west stuff. "Border Raiders" is for those of us who want the emphasis on more traditional action, and it delivers. It starts off almost leisurely, with a scene of the ranger/hero at home before the start of his mission (tracking down renegade Comanches and rustlers). The action builds gradually and, once started, gathers momentum like an avalanche. The band of rangers has real challenges to overcome in this outing.

Once again I was captivated by the adventures of Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk. The author, James Griffin, has written another action-packed western novel with just the right amount of Western adventure to keep my interest and without the use of overly graphic violence to make this short novel an excellent read. It is a welcoming relief to be able to read a book that does not contain overly graphic sex, violence or profanity. I highly recommend this book to fans of Western novels.

Once again, James Griffin has given us a fast-paced, action-packed tale of frontier Texas. This time, Ranger Jim Blawcyzk must help a company of Rangers track down white rustlers and renegade Comanches in the Nueces Strip. The action comes fast and furious, and holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. And, as in Trouble Rides the Texas Pacific, there's not a curse word nor overly graphic scene to be found. A great story in the style of the traditional Western.

David Brentridge was the only Brentridge heir left alive that knew about the family secret. Many men and even a woman sought out the rumored gold hidden on Brentridge property. None had ever breached the security of faithful work hands, the pool of poison, or the gun of David Brentridge himself.

Recent deaths led David to believe that his enemy Will Janely, was on the lookout to get his grimy hand on the gold. David was right in suspecting Will; but he never would have guessed who actually rode away that day with the small fortune leaving David for dead.

That one day put life in motion for David. He knew he must marry to sire a child of his own to pass on the family secret to. The only problem was, he didn't know where to find her as she has up and disappeared. In the end David got what he wanted all along; he was willing to pay the price in gold, too bad it also cost a leg.

Mr. Lambert has written a western that is a wickedly detailed , weirdly worded book of pure excitement. The characters exploded from the pages coming right to life. This story was very detailed, so much so that it distracted me from the story time to time. With that aside this is definitely a 4 heart worthy series that I will be sure to follow.

Did David find Consuela again? Are they living happily ever after? Did he produce a heir and a spare like he hoped? Does the secret live on? Did he find another opening in the treasure room? Is there more treasure or another darker, deeper mystery? Who pulled him out of that tunnel? What was amiss in the treasure room that he couldn't put his finger on? Oh yes, inquiring minds want to know. When is W. Lambert III going to write the next book in the series to answer all these questions....Or has W. Lambert III already written it? Where can I get it?

Love the book. Just what I needed on a sunny Sunday afternoon drifting on the lake ... relaxing. Perfect!

I could not put this book down. W. Lambert has written this twisted and twisting plot excellently. During the "hunt" scenes I am reminded of the short story "The Most Dangerous Game." While gold may be what everyone is after, both the prey and game turn out to be humans.
Every detail in the book is strategically placed and timed to result in a shocking and revealing ending. This book is raw--human raw. We see the characters for who they are and not who they pretend to be--with a few surprises. Death is present many times during the story; each depiction is realistic and relevant.
I cannot wait for the next book by W. Lambert

When author Christopher Dane, whose 1981 book RIDERS OF THE DRAGON presaged the Heaven's Gate suicides and arrival of comet Hale-Bopp, recommends THE BRENTRIDGE GOLD -- "Great! Fantastic! Unusual! A book I wish I'd written!" -- I sit up and take notice. Nor was I disappointed.

A sci-fi fan and a western afficionado, I found THE BRENTRIDGE GOLD, subtle enough in its plotline to satisfy readers of both genres. In fact, if you aren't a die-hard fan of the Ancient Astronaut theories, you might very well be misled into believing Lambert has written a western with just a very interesting and very unique storyline. However, if you are a true believer, there's enough insinuation of things "above and beyond" (including "Pakal, The Maya Astronaut" on the cover) to get the juices and the ah-yes-there-you-have-it! thought process working overtime.

Lambert, not new to the book scene provided some now classical reads in the eighties (ENCORES IN FADE; MICHAEL THE MASTER; ASSIGNMENT GREY AREA), and it's great to have him back from retirement [or from wherever else -- (cue "The Twilight Zone Theme") do,do do,do -- he's been], especially with a book that I predict will become a cult classic in its own right.

Don't miss this one if you like your westerns with a twist you're not likely to find in your typical run-of-the-mill cowboy novel, or your sci-fi really out of the ordinary! And since the books presents itself as merely the first in "The Pleiades Portals Series" of books, be sure not to miss it, because of predicted upcoming-more-of-the-same!

While I usually won't read Westerns, the idea of one involving "Ancient Astronauts" intrigued me, because I love science fiction! The science fiction and adventure elements keep sneaking into the narrative, along with hints of possible supernatural activity. Still, author W. Lambert III stays tightly focused on the Western-style hero, David Brentridge.

In fact, David takes up most of the ink in this book. We often see only him, or just him with brief appearances from the other characters. Fortunately, Lambert makes David a unique and fascinating character who slowly reveals more and more about himself and his family through his actions, dialogue, and thoughts.

The people who keep crossing David's path in one way or another might want the Brentridge gold, and he rarely can decide which of them to trust. Lambert even holds back from the readers why the gold involves so many secrets, far beyond any obvious fortune, but he gives us fascinating hints and glimpses through David and an ancient shaman. He also gives a fast-paced, unpredictable read.

This book is, in a word, extraordinary; so is the accompanying CD recording, which gives in addition to music of the Macedonian Romany people, a slice of their life in cafes and markets. One hears their daily activities, the sale of pita, and various wares, as well as juke boxes and street sounds as the Mahala awakens.

Mahala, for those unaware, is the village ghetto to which Rom people are generally confined, although the anthropologists who compiled this book do not seem to know that it is Arabic for ghetto, and the same word used in North Africa and other Middle Eastern Muslim nations to describe the Jewish and Christian ghettos in which those dhimmi groups are similarly confined. Dhimmis are the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim lands, and their treatment (and in Muslim nation remains) generally described and defined by the Islamic laws of jihad.

Unlike most other recent books about the Rom, this one contains a massive amount of research on the lives and music of these people, as they live it; but what I like the most are the oral histories that provide readers with a real sense of the hardships suffered by the Rom in Greek Macedonia. While the book mentions the great and disastrous Turkish invasion of Greece in 1922, it does not note the great massacre of an estimated 150,000 Christian Greeks and Armenians in Smyrna on the Aegean coast that year. This undoubtedly included some Rom, as the town was then (as now) central on the Turkish coast.

But without knowing it, the authors have demonstrated some of the ill effects of Muslim rule, for they do discuss, via oral histories, the great liberation experienced by Greek Roma in 1924, when Turks were repatriated to Turkey and 1 million Greeks from Turkey to Greece. The latter may have lost some territory, but she gained liberation from Muslim oppression.

As Greeks from Turkey poured into Greece, the town fathers in Jumaya, for example, and presumably everywhere else the Roma then lived in Greece, began to allow the Roma to go to school with Greeks. Beforehand, the Turks had imposed separation on non-Muslim peoples. But with Turks gone, Greeks exiled the old cast system too, thereby relinquishing the system that had helped imprison Greek Roma in lives without equal education. Now, suddenly, the Rom could attend the same school as everyone else.

There are many wonderful features of this book, including the photographs and the music CD at its end. But make no mistake, the oral histories are the best feature, making this one of the best books on the Rom I have read to date.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

When you get Bright Balkan Morning you are likely to open it up and then leaf through it, looking at the photographs. After a few minutes of this you'll remove the CD from the inside back cover and put it on. Then you continue looking at the photos while listening to the sounds.

That in itself is a rich and satisfying experience. But don't stop there. Read the text!

It tells of Roma (aka Gypsy) musicians who have cornered the market on live music in polyglot Greek Macedonia. While they are at the bottom of the social order, anyone who wishes a proper wedding, festival, or party of any kind hires these musicians. The musicians generally perform in trios, one playing a bass drum while the other two play the zurna - a double-reed woodwind found throughout Eurasia and Africa. Their repertoire is drawn from the peoples who live in the area, or passed through at one time, and is sometimes more Oriental, sometimes more European - whatever the customer wants.

Keil and Keil give detailed accounts of several performances - a baptism, a wedding, and a saint's day festival - tell the life stories of a dozen or so musicians & family, and recount the broad history of the Roma in the Mediterranean as well as presenting a more focused account of their sojourn in Greek Macedonia. Blau's photographs range from intimate portraits, to dancers in full party whirl, through street scenes jumbled or measured, to serene landscapes. Some of his shots are so strikingly composed - the cover image, for example - that the effect is both subjective (Blau's aesthetic) and objective (we're looking at things, out there, in the world). Steven Feld's soundscapes give us the living flow of sound. Not only do we hear the twin zurnas flying through drum rhythms, but dancing feet, shouts of joy and exertion, motors churning, sheep braying, and Stevie Wonder piped in through a tinny sound system.

Bright Balkan Morning is a milestone. See it, hear it, read it. Take pleasure in it.

In the rich and wonderful BRIGHT BALKAN MORNING: Romani Lives and the Power of Music in Greek Macedonia (Wesleyan University Press. Includes a CD), Charles and Angeliki Vellou Keil write of how, since the earliest days of Byzantium, commentators have remarked, sometimes positively and sometimes negatively, on the power of the Romani people to "steal your heart." With its stunning photographs by Dick Blau and its evocative CD produced by Steven Feld, this book is just one more instance of stolen hearts. The Romani, who are sometimes called gypsies, have stolen the authors' hearts and are well on their way to stealing my heart as well.

I urge you to buy this book. I say so as someone who almost never reads anything published by an academic press. I am definitely not an anthropologist or a social scientist of any kind. What I know about the raw and the cooked doesn't get very far beyond my kitchen, but I couldn't put BRIGHT BALKAN MORNING down. This book ought to be that rare thing: an academic book with popular appeal.

The easiest way into the riches of BRIGHT BALKAN MORNING are Blau's black-and-white photographs of the Romani playing their instruments for weddings, wrestling matches, and the little parades that apparently form wherever they go. When the dances started up, I have a feeling that Blau joined in, for these pictures just pulled me along. I could smell the perfume in the grandmother's handkerchief as she held it out to Blau and, through him, to me, as we all danced together. I could see the textures of the road when I took my place in the wedding parade; I could almost hear the sound of the zurna (a kind of outdoor oboe) being played in my ear.

Of course Steven Feld's CD brings the actual sounds to life. The CD begins oh so slyly by introducing Romani music emerging from the ambient sounds of twentieth-century Macedonia. The Romani are, if nothing else, great survivors of history's cultural wars, and you can hear so many diverse musical strains-from the Muslim to the techno pop. Eerily enough, the rhythm of the dauli (a two-headed bass drum) being played sounds exactly like the bass-drum pounding at a high-school football pep rally.

I wasn't as happy with the book's writing style, but then the authors seem to be wrestling with shaping this heartfelt information of theirs into all the requirements of academic publishing, and that struggle oddly mirrors the lives of the Romani. This sometimes awkward prose becomes just one more instance of the dance the Romani inspire everywhere they go as they blend in and out of the moment's culture.

--R. M. Ryan
Duncans Mills, CA

Last night I planned to read this book for just a few minutes before going to sleep. Hours later, instead of sleeping I was transformed into the world of the Balkan Roma musicians and their incredible culture! I simply couldn't put this amazing book down. I love the stories and interviews with the old musicians, the informative history of the Roma people and their culture, the full-of-life photos, and the CD with soundscapes. All these pieces combine to give the reader a great view of a people and their heritage, and one that has been largely overlooked in the past. I found the work ethic of the musicians described in this book to be very inspirational. To be able to play all kinds of requests for days on end is really something to admire. Musicians of any genre could learn a whole lot from reading about the musicians in this book. Years ago, these authors turned me on to the subculture of polka in the USA (and made a polkaholic out of me) with their super "Polka Happiness" book. They have clearly done it again - informed the world about an incredibly rich culture that was largely hidden from view.

This book responds to my interest in the social context of folk music and dance. The focus was on the lives of the people who make the music, in this case the Roma of Jumaya (Iriklia) in Greek Macedonia. The writers give you quite a rounded view, describing how the music is performed, at what kinds of events, how people relate to the music and each other, how the musicians see themselves and their occupation and how making a living as a Roma musician fits into Greek society. There is also a strong sense of history and how things have changed over time in many ways - the history of Roma in Greece and other Balkan countries, the specific history of Roma in Jumaya, and the stories of individual musicians and their families. The consistently positive way that the writers approach their subject is also refreshing - they describe how Roma have used music to survive and, in some cases, prosper, and how in doing so they have contributed to the multi-layered fabric of Greek-Macedonian ethnic identities.

What is especially interesting to me is the authors' view of how multi-ethnic society works in Greek Macedonia as compared to Bulgaria or Former Yugoslavia, and how the strategy of Roma musicians is different in these different countries. In Greek Macedonia the musicians play the music of all ethnic groups in order to maximize their flexibility and income. During multi-ethnic celebrations the musicians follow a strict policy of playing everyone's requests in the order requested, so that no one feels that they have priority. There is a fascinating description of an ethnically mixed wedding where the families have to adjust their various wedding traditions to accommodate each other, making it up as they go along to some extent.

The authors compare and contrast this with the approach taken by Roma musicians in other areas of the Balkans. In Kosovo in the 1980s the Roma musicians are said to have purposely selected music from traditions from other than Serbian and Albanian in order to avoid conflicts. In Bulgaria the wedding band tradition is described as leading to a new pan-Balkan "fusion" style which borrows from many cultures but still feels Bulgarian. Ultimately the motivation behind each strategy is the need of musicians to make a living.

The book is interesting reading from a North American perspective as well. Keil contrasts the multi-ethnic consciousness of Greeks, where the same person may have several types of ethnic and national identities simultaneously, with the concept of "multiculturalism" which he describes as slices of a pizza in which there are lots of ethnicities but everyone is either one thing or another. This raise the question of what is really going on in such immigrant nations as Canada and the United States.

The accompanying CD is a potpourri of sounds, including music of various types, and there is a section of the book describing the contents of the CD. Some of the track titles are Market Day in Jumaya, Afternoon at a Mahala Café, At Home in the Mahala, New Year's Party in Serres, Taverna Party at Nikisiani. The combination of the text, the many high quality black and white photos and the soundscape are successful in putting you into the experience, as much as this is possible. There was also a nice balance between Angeliki Keil's straight-forward and very readable reporting of the lives of the musicians and Charles Keil's more theoretical musings about ethnicity, the music and the role of the musicians. My only complaint about the book is its weight - it's printed on very heavy, glossy stock, no doubt adding to the quality of photographic reproductions, but it is so big and heavy that you pretty well have to read it sitting up. An alternate title could be, "Your Big Fat Roma Music Book."

The Canadian and the Skeena are both prominently featured in a Railway Map Guide for Western Canada recently published by Way of the Rail Publishing company founded by VIA's Vancouver based activity coordinator Chris Hanus.

The full-colour oblique perspective map includes charts of cities and towns, a speed table to determine the speed of a train and an interpretation of railway signals and signs. "In my job as an activity coordinator, I saw first-hand that our rail passenger guests wanted to know the names of the awe-inspiring peaks, canyons, water falls, and other scenic highlights along the route," explains Chris.

The map guide has received rave reviews and Chris is already working on future publications, including a scenic railway guidebook which would include the entire VIA network. The Railway Map Guide for Western Canada is available through Amazon.com and on board the Canadian.

The Canadian and the Skeena are both prominently featured in a Railway Map Guide for Western Canada recently published by Way of the Rail Publishing company founded by VIA's Vancouver based activity coordinator Chris Hanus.

The full-colour oblique perspective map includes charts of cities and towns, a speed table to determine the speed of a train and an interpretation of railway signals and signs. "In my job as an activity coordinator, I saw first-hand that our rail passenger guests wanted to know the names of the awe-inspiring peaks, canyons, water falls, and other scenic highlights along the route," explains Chris.

The map guide has received rave reviews and Chris is already working on future publications, including a scenic railway guidebook which would include the entire VIA network. The Railway Map Guide for Western Canada is available through Amazon.com and on board the Canadian.

The Canadian and the Skeena are both prominently featured in a Railway Map Guide for Western Canada recently published by Way of the Rail Publishing company founded by VIA's Vancouver based activity coordinator Chris Hanus.

The full-colour oblique perspective map includes charts of cities and towns, a speed table to determine the speed of a train and an interpretation of railway signals and signs. "In my job as an activity coordinator, I saw first-hand that our rail passenger guests wanted to know the names of the awe-inspiring peaks, canyons, water falls, and other scenic highlights along the route," explains Chris.

The map guide has received rave reviews and Chris is already working on future publications, including a scenic railway guidebook which would include the entire VIA network. The Railway Map Guide for Western Canada is available through Amazon.com and on board the Canadian.

This award-winning guide features a visually striking topographic rendition of the western mountains, via the integration of GIS, 3D visualisation and graphic design software. The main side depicts the passenger railway lines between British Columbia and Alberta and the reverse focuses on northern BC between Prince Rupert and Prince George, with two pannels devoted to mileage charts along the rail lines. The 32 x 19" map is sold in a sturdy hardcopy foldout format measuring 9.5 x 4', easily handled by the map-unfolding challenged.

Cartographically, the most intriguing component is the terrain representation which uses the free 'GTOPO30' elevation data (1 km resolution) and features a hillshaded oblique perspective combined with hypsometric tints, in natural greens through yellows to browns. The illumination is from the east, and the perspective resembles Tanaka's orthographic relief method, described using GIS software by Kennelly and Kimerling (2002). This approach pits enhanced visual appeal against some topographic concealment in steep terrain compared to conventional hillshading (see website).

The website gives further information on the map guide's construction involving the combination of Arc/Info, World Construction Set and Photoshop software, with final layout in Adobe Illustrator. Minor criticisms concern the ancillary information: the neatline is divided in a seemingly redundant one-inch grid numbered 1-19 vertically, and A-Z then A1-E1 horizontally (since it is 32" wide). The lack of a scale bar is perhaps justifiable given the mileage charts on one side, and the guide's function as a topological perspective.

It is a fine cartographic work, with sales already in the thousands, and this where railways are used more for freight than public transportation! Main roads and ferries are included to enable this attractive guide as a road map of western Canada for both tourists and trainspotters.

An activities coordinator for VIA Rail's flagship train, the Canadian, Hanus provides a topographical rendering of the western Canadian countryside with names of the scenic highlights. The hardcover map folds out to 36 x 20 inches, and includes railway museums and tourist lines, as well as ideal photo locations.

This is a really great cookbook. It is well organized, has fabulous photos, and the recipes are very easy to follow. Both the recipes and the accompanying anecdotes are written in an exceptionally user friendly style, making this a cookbook that you will want to actually sit down and read! This is one I find myself coming back to, time after time, for easy preparation and terrific results!

Brendan writes exceptionally well. I like his style; it's very upbeat with a joie de vivre feeling. Comfortable punctuation makes the writing flow nicely. It's concise and unambiguous without being the least bit pedantic.
The anecdotes, biographical sketches, introductions to place, and mini-tutorial lead-ins are most enjoyable. (Man, would I have loved some of Michel's 150-pound halibut!) The complementary
information provided about the people and their environments makes the recipes that much more appreciated. I am very much enjoying the book and the learning experience. It's like a travelogue. I have never really "read" a cookbook before. But then, this is not an ordinary cookbook.

It is unusual to be completely satisfied once you actually delve into a cookbook and try to produce the "plat".
Brothers in the Kitchen works!
It is clear that much attention was put into clarifying the recipes to make them easy to follow, each with a photograph.
The accompanying essays are light and engaging.
I have ordered several to give as holiday gifts... if not for cooking to impress, to make a beautiful coffee table addition.

Some 35 years ago Brendan O'Farrell, an international business man, and Michel Deville, a French Master Chef, became the best of friends who shared an appreciation for good service and great food. They opened a restaurant (La Table de Michael) in Sain-Remy de Provence near Avignon in the South of France in the spring of 2005. Now having successfully collaborated as restauranteurs, they have combined their love of the culinary arts to publish a compendium of savory recipes laid out with careful step-by-step instructions so clear and concise as to be able to transform ordinary kitchen cooks into accomplished chefs of French cuisine. Wonderfully illustrated throughout with finished dishes, the recipes comprising "Brothers In The Kitchen" range from Tri-Color Salad; to New Orleans Style Gumbo; to Roast Sirloin Encrusted in English Mustard; to Jumbo Prawns Flambe with Pernod; to Spinach with Swiss Cheese Sauce; to Mint Chocolate Delight. Enhanced with the inclusion of wonderful anecdotes and stories, "Brothers In The Kitchen" begins with thematically appropriate advice about how to get started in the kitchen, matching wines with foods, stocks and savors, and goes on to include sage counsel respecting menus, special restaurants and restaurateurs, conversion tables for cooking, and more. "Brothers In The Kitchen" is enthusiastically recommended as a core addition to any gourmet quality kitchen cookbook collection!

This book was a pleasure to read & the pictures made my mouth water. The recipes are designed to be successfully followed by both the seasoned chef & the newly initiated, with pretty impressive results. I tried the "Death by Chocolate" and was ready to go to heaven! Anyone who yearns for a taste of Provence, whether it be at the dinner table or in a favorite reading nook, will be deeply satisfied. Also, unlike some other books of this genre, I think that men would especially enjoy its particular combination of culinary craftmanship, staightforward writing & entertaining stories.

The format of this book is great. For me to retain important information I need the essentials presented in an easy to understand format. The chapters aren't too long but are packed full of easily readable information. The layout is beautiful too on a design level, many people liken it to a magazine.

The back has tear out study cards for each chapter that basically review all the key terms and break each chapter down into it's learning objectives summarized into a paragraph or two for easy studying. Also, the online tools that come with this really back the product great. Flash cards, e-lectures, quizzes, etc.

With this business book it will make a business course less daunting and much easier to manage.

As a student who regularly fell asleep over most textbooks, I was really surprised to be able to read through this book feeling like I was reading a magazine. It was actually kind of fun. It's very well-organized, but I was able to skip around to the topics I most needed to know about in any order without feeling like I'd "missed" something. BUSN provides a very complete introduction to many business topics, and the examples and scenarios are very timely and relevant, very "now." The graphics, colors, and layouts are super too. I didn't feel like I was reading something meant for my parents. I wish more textbooks and business books were available in this format; check it out!

Easy to follow, interesting to read. BUSN is one of the best textbooks I have had in university. This is broad in its scope, but addresses important business topics and terminology in sufficient detail that allowed me to confidently go on in my business studies. It didn't seem like a textbook, but more like an informal meeting with my professor during office hours. I especially liked the graphics and capsules in each chapter; these demonstrated the business concepts in real life examples, and made them visually interesting.

I wish my other textbooks had been more like this one!

Another intro to business textbook? Yes, but this one is different. The examples are up-to-date, the writing is crisp and catchy, the pages are visually interesting and the overall effect is entertaining! Best of all, it's concise. What I particularly like is that the shorter "magazine feel" of the book allows the entire text to be covered in one semester. Take a look! You'll be pleasantly surprised. A refreshing change to the standard 400 page+ book.

I wanted to know more about business in general - finances, marketing... and a friend suggested this new book. What a pleasure it is to read. Edgy, funny like the author was talking directly to me. Textbooks were never like this in my school years. The book was organized, logical, FUN to read and easy to remember. The feature boxes on many pages were full of fun, up-to-date facts that added to the text. I was so impressed with this book. Other textbook authors can take lessons from this woman.

I love this book and I'm so glad I found it again.I had one when my son was little (18 now!) and we lost it so I was thrilled to find it on Amazon since I have a toddler once again!It's so sweet and the little rhyming page is adorable.Who doesn't love Kermit?

We tried for a long time to get our daughter to give up the bottle at nap time. Since she never took a pacifier or had a special toy or blanket, this was very hard for her to give up as it was her only "comfort" for nap times. She loved this book, having me read it to her again and again. We followed saying bye, bye to the bottle just like they did in the book - making an event of boxing them up and saying bye, bye. She felt very proud making the decision that she was a big girl and it made what had been a such a hard thing, much easier!

I bought this book for my daughter who is 191/2 months old. She was still taking a nightime bottle. The day this book came we read it several times. The next day I asked her if she was ready to say "Bye Bye Bottle" and she said she was. We packed up the bottles as Kermit does in the book and said bye bye to each one. She has not had a bottle in almost three weeks!

For a long time "Bye Bye Diapers" was my favorite Muppet Babies story (I could recite it in at least three languages) but this book has grown on me until it threatens to overtake that tale.

"Bottle" features Kermit, who--although Ms. Piggy would no doubt argue the point--has always been the leader of the late Jim Henson's muppets. Kermit loves his bottle, and although the motivation seems a bit shallow, he has an epithany of sorts midway through the book and decides to try drinking from a glass. Realistically, it would be wise proceed slowly, perhaps moving up to a sippy cup, but of course Kermit is a dreamer and, by the end of the story, imagines that soon he will be drinking from any cup he chooses. Don't each of us have these kinds of simple, distilled dreams? When I think of my own personal quest to become a top-ranked reviewer at ..............--how impossible that seems at times, particularly since my reviews don't seem to get published--the story of the little frog who dares to dream of drinking like a grownup never fails to inspire me to charge on toward that distant horizon!

I bought this book and read it to my 26 month old daughter. She only took a bottle at night and I told her she was a big girl now and she needed to say bye bye to the bottle. I read her this book twice and handed her a bottle of water instead of milk and she looked at me and I said bye bye bottle. She said bye bye and has never had one since that night. It was so easy I wish I had done it long ago. Now she even sleeps all night!

I can't believe I found it! This was one of my favorite books from when I was in kindergarten. I remember it well. I'm buying it for my 6-year-old daughter tonight.

"Way out west in Cactus County there was a horse named Calico. She wasn't very pretty...but she was very smart. She was the smartest fastest horse in all of Cactus County." She could run like "greased lightning", and she could smell like a bloodhound. "Her nose was so keen she could track a bee through a blizzard." She was owned by a cowboy named Hank, and "...she would go to the end of the trail for Hank. They had a language all their own and understood each other perfectly." Life was good and happy for everyone who lived in Cactus County, no locks, no fences, and no sheriff or jail. But across the Cactus River were the Badlands where the villains of this story lived. And the meanest, sneakiest, absolutely worst bad man of them all was Stewy Stinker. He was so mean, "he would hold up Santa Claus on Christmas Eve if he had a chance." So sit back and get comfortable and see what happened when Stewy Stinker and his nasty gang came to town..... First published in 1941, Calico The Wonder Horse is as fresh and entertaining today, as it was over fifty years ago. This is an old fashioned, action packed, rootin' tootin' western that has it all...cattle rustling, hold-ups, a stampede and kidnapping, a wild and thrilling stagecoach chase, and through it all, Calico comes to the rescue, outsmarts the bad guys and saves the day. Virginia Lee Burton's clever, witty text is dramatic, engaging and full of wild west colloquialisms that will have both kids and adults laughing and cheering at all the fun. Her marvelous comic strip illustrations are expressive and full of detail and beg to be pored over and explored. Put it all together and you have the makings of a timeless classic to share with friends, family and future generations. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Calico The Wonder Horse is a masterpiece and a MUST for every home library.

The illustrations of this Wild West comedy saga are just as good as the lively and creative prose. Easy to read in one sitting as a great "before bed" story. The adventure and humor will keep even those with short attention spans listening intently. The ending is perfect!

My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I love this book! Best of all, and unlike many of our other favorites, the hero (Calico) is female whose merit is based on her intellect and problem-solving skills. I really like that subliminal message. I'll admit that at first I was a little put off by the artsy "comic book" format, but it grows on you, and I appreciate it more each time I read it. This book and Mike Mulligan are must-have Burton books.

I am a big fan of Virginia Lee Burton and Calico the Wonder Horse is another example of her great illustrations and story lines. The story is action packed; you laugh, you cry, and you want the good guy to win and live happily ever after. What is interesting about this book is that the color of the pages correspond with the action of the story. It is an all around good read for you and your child.