Media Books

This is the first book I read that was set in Australia and I got a lot more from it than just the wonderful story of the lead characters and the interesting people around them. There was not really any permanent villain, each characters whether they started as bad people had their reasons for their actions and you don't really grow to hate them even towards the end unlike the typical villain. What I love is the author had done an extensive research about the history of Australia from the convict days and the life of the Aborigines that were forced to live with the European immigrants. The heroine was a very adventurous woman who was seeking her mother's early childhood memories that cost her grandparents their lives and her mother having an amnesia of her early years of life. I could not put this book down and read it in two days. The ending was not as great as I expected because the Woods left a lot of the characters behind and I did not know what happened to them. Additionally, the main characters were not reunited in person in the end after the lead character discovered where Kara-kara is located (the place that she's been searching from the beginning of the novel). I don't want to give away too much so just pick this book and you won't regret it!

I highly recommend this book to those who love Australia, are fascinated by the good and the bad of its history, and the mysticism of the Aborigin culture. It is a wonderful read for those who just want to read and be entertained; but it has much more to offer and is deeper than your normal page turners. It explores the personal development of a number of characters as well as provides a gentle critism and depiction on a human level of some of the unpleasant sides of Australia's fronteer days and of the beauty of a culture that was trampled on.

This is a wonderful book about the Australian outback and the myths and legends connected with the native peoples. It is a story about a young woman who goes in search of the cause of her mother's nightmares and of her own fears about her heritage. It was a wonderful book.

I needed something to read and purchased this book because I loved "The Thorn Birds" and was hoping this would be on a par. Needless to say, it was. I especially loved this book because it explores the world of the tribes of Australia and other things that The Thorn Birds missed out on. I would love to see this book made into a film. This was just the first of many Barbara Woods novels I've read. I read the book in one sitting. I highly recommend "Green City In The Sun" a great book about Africa that I can see Sean Connery playing the lead male role in. "Domina" another great Barbara Wood book that shows the role of women in medicine when women weren't allowed to be a part of that world. "Virgins Of Paradise" where Barbara does it again! This book will open your eyes to the roles of women in a country where women are considered "property". AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ, and "The Prophetess"...an incredible book that keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense and excitement, yet explores religion through a completely new set of eyes and shows us how much we are all alike despite our "beliefs" A page turner that you can't put down till the end. I LOVE BARBARA WOOD. The Dreaming is just one of many of her books you'll love too! *"CHILDSONG" is another book of hers, a very early one, that will make you think twice about a lot of things in life. I certainly hope you can find some of these fine novels still in print and enjoy them as I have and many of my friends.

I read this novel while I was in Australia last month - my first trip there. Ironically, I purchased the book several years ago, but never read it. Now, I am glad that I read it when I did, because it made Australia come alive
for me, rich with history, culture, geography, economics, etc, more than even just being in Australia on vacation. I especially found fascinating the embedded information about the Aboriginal culture. I went to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) shortly before I neared the end of THE DREAMING and felt much more connected to the spirituality of the land because of B.Woods' invocation of the spirit of Aboriginal life. My last day in Sydney, I went on a walkabout in the Blue Mountains, led by a guide with Aboriginal ancestors. Reading the novel gave me a different appreciation of my experience. Then I went on the Indian Pacific Railway for 24 hours, through mostly desert, and I felt as though I were a character in Woods' novel. I would have enjoyed this novel even if I read it elsewhere than in Australia, but I would encourage anyone planning to travel there to buy this book and read it if you really want to understand Australia better. Barbara Woods is an author, yes, but really she is a born teacher, because she made me hungry for more information about all the subjects she touched upon. (I was also reading Bill Bryson's excellent humorous travel narrative DOWN UNDER. He treats many of the same subject but with non-fiction humor. If you go to Australia, you should definitely read both of these books.)

Hamlet? A high school term paper compared to Lizotte's book. The Bible? A confusing rant of disconnected stories next to Ken's perfectly crafted epic. And don't even get me started on Hemingway, whose combined works in light of Ken's latest masterpiece are not even worthy of lining my bird's cage. No my friends, what Lizotte has done here has shaken the publishing industry to its very core. No more books need ever be written -- read this and sleep peacefully, knowing you've experienced all you'll ever need in wisdom, entertainment and humanity.

Ken's new book is wonderful and a must read for all consultants! It essentially outlines a road map for successfully navigating your way from professional with pearls of wisdom to savvy expert / thought leader. Throughout my consulting career I have had the pleasure to work with Ken first hand. And he has effectively captured this transformation process in his new book. His book is an easy read. It provides an overall strategy, practical approaches and how to's, testimonials from successful thought leaders and makes the business case for why you should invest your time and energy. When working directly with Ken you also benefit from his unconditional support and great sense of humor as you forge ahead. So, at a minimum read the book. If you have the opportunity to work with Ken then do that too! Happy reading!

Carol Bergeron
President of Bergeron Associates(tm)

Ken is nothing short of a wizard at making people famous. While working with him I've had more articles published in all the best places. Now he's captured the best of his wisdom in The Expert's Edge, and you have no excuse but to follow his advice and make a name for yourself that will produce dividends now and for years to come!

If you want to be a leader in your field - read this book. Ken Lizotte has packed his book full of practical and useful advice about how to do it. It's well-written, well-organized and easy to read. A real gem!

Ken Lizotte in The Expert's Edge, McGraw-Hill 2008, has nailed it. If your eye is on the prize of becoming an authority in your field, this book is it. The Expert's Edge is riveting--- and real. You'll come away with real answers and a riveting plan of how you can become "the Go-To Authority People Turn to Every Time."

M. Susan Hamilton, Director-The Family Economist

This is without doubt the best of all Star Trek stories, both in film and in print. It touches on many grand philosophical, scientific, and technological themes: machine intelligence (both in Commander Data and in the Borg), space-time engineering (the first time humanity has done this, via the efforts of Zefram Cochrane), the first contact from an alien civilization (the arrival of the Vulcans), the confrontation with true history (meeting Cochrane and finding out just who the man really was), and the ethics of highly advanced civilizations (the contrast between the Borg and humanity). This book and the film will without a doubt inspire many a young reader to take up the practice of science, and thus it will do the best job of all. Science fiction has the habit of coming true sometimes, but it also has the fault of underestimating. The future of humanity, as exemplified by the Star Trek crew of the year 2367, is a grand one to contemplate, but the true future will be much better: a world populated by humans and machines striving to be the best they can be; a future that is never static, for stagnation to intelligent life is an abomination. We will do genetic engineering of humans, to be the best we can be; we will do space-time engineering, to travel beyond any immediate confines; we will create intelligent machines, to be our friends and allies. All of these things we will do, and much more. Humans and all other lifeforms, organic or not, will be very different in the time frame set in this novel. But they will be restless, ambitious, and always yearning for more understanding, for more insight, for more knowledge: these traits will characterize the beings of the 24th century...and beyond.

"And you people...you're all astronauts on some kind of...star trek?"

That line, uttered by Dr. Zephram Cochrane in both movie and novelization, has to be my all time favorite from the Trek film series. The most interesting difference between movie and book, as far I am concerned, is that despite James Cromwell's fine performance I found the film's Zephram Cochrane incredibly annoying. I never developed a shred of sympathy for him, because the background the film gave me - the Third World War and its chaotic aftermath - wasn't sufficient to make me understand him. I don't know, not having seen the script from which J.M. Dillard worked, whether she added "Zef" Cochrane's tragic battle with bipolar disorder (a disease that before the War had an effective treatment), or if it was among the elements that inevitably got cut as the film took shape. But I do know that for me, it made all the difference in being able to care about this character and root for him.

The book follows the film with little filler added except for background on Lily Sloane and Zephram Cochrane, which gives it a similar pace. They complement each other well.

As usual, J.M. Dillard does a fine job of remaining true to the source material, while still elaborating on it. The story is an excellent one, with plenty of action and plenty of interesting science-fiction concepts for the more thoughtful to consider. It gives us a bit more insight into the "future history" between the near-collapse of civilization and the beginning of the Federation that has been hinted at but rarely detailed in various episodes of Star Trek, in various generations of series.

The plot and characterization are both excellent and the writing is fluid and professional. The book is a pleasure to read.

This is, of course, the novelization of the highly successful Star Trek: The Next Generation film of the same name. First Contact refers not to first contact with the Borg, for, six years later, Picard still bears the mental scars of his assimilation in the form of Locutus, but to Earth's first contact with an alien civilization. It is a story that had yet to be told, although Captain Kirk and his crew had met the extraordinarily old Zefram Cochrane, inventor of the warp drive, in an episode of the original series; additionally, there had been hints that this pivotal event in human history took place some time after a terrible Third World War on Earth.

As the story begins, the Borg have attacked the Federation, with one of their massive cube ships making a bee-line for Earth herself. Picard and the new Enterprise-E starship defy Starfleet orders and rush to the battle, after which they follow a small Borg ship through a time portal which takes them back to 21st-century Earth. The Borg plan is to destroy the Phoenix, the spacecraft which Zefram Cochrane launches and, by way of its successful warp drive test, captures the attention of a Federation scout ship. If that pivotal event does not happen, the Federation we all know and love will never come to be. While half of the senior staff is planet-side trying to make sure the Phoenix launch happens on schedule, the rest of the crew find themselves battling a Borg infestation onboard the Enterprise herself. Data is captured, Picard is in danger of letting his hatred of the Borg overrule logic and reason, and we get to meet the Borg Queen. Personally, I've always felt that the introduction of the Borg Queen was a disservice to the greatest Star Trek villains of them all. The Borg Queen is a complete contradiction that introduced a level of individual vulnerability into a collective that was, up until this time, faceless and seemingly invulnerable.

This is an impressive novelization of the film, making it a worthwhile read to those of us who are already familiar with the onscreen story. In particular, it provides a great deal of insight into the erratic nature of Zefram Cochrane himself; in the movie, he came across as basically a drunk, but the novelization does a much better job of explaining his behavior. That alone makes this novel a natural and extremely beneficial corollary to the movie.

Star Trek First Contact by J.M. Dillard was an excellent book. it showed emotion, fear, dispair, and anger. IT was a well written book considering it was made after the movie. I encourage all Star Trek fans to read this book and watch the movie.

This is an excellent book, and an excellent resource for secondary educators. Lots of creative ideas. I would recommend it for middle school, secondary and post high school art instructors.

As an art teacher I occasionally need a new idea to spice up my curriculum. I found this book to be a wonderful resource of innovative takes on traditional techniques.

This book was purchased as a gift. It is a nice alternative to
what is available in this category.

The author has written some of the best art education books I've ever read- this will not disappoint.

This book is full of wonderful lesson plans as well as ideas to create compelling lessons yourself. My students have found much sucess with Ken Vieth's projects. His motivation is wonderful and really simplfies the process for delivering the lessons. He has a keen insight into the secondary student's mind and how to create an interest in extraordinary artwork.

This book is really a great book. I couldn't stop reading it. This is a good book because it tells you what its like for a divorced parent to get married again. It tells about the struggles and the ups and downs of a parent getting remarried. I liked this book because it was very well written

"To Have and to Hold" is a very good Madison Finn book. I really enjoyed it, and had to keep reading. I finished it in three days! This book is mainly about Maddie's dad getting married with Stephanie, in Texas! Madison doesn't want to leave Phinnie, her friends, and her mom. And then, Maddie finds out that she has to do a reading in front of a hundred people! Meanwhile, back home, something very bad happens to Fiona's father, and Maddie wishes she could be back home. Maddie doesn't want to meet Stephanie's huge Texas family.....especially a Posion Ivy like cousin. Will Maddie get through this wedding? What about everybody back home?

This is the BEST Madison finn book EVER! Madison;s dad and Stephanie are getting married! And Madison is a little overwhelmed, and then, she is asked to go and be a bridesmaid in Texas! So she turns to Bigwheels for advice, then, Fiona's dad has a heart attack, and is in the hospital! Will this wedding turn out okay, or will this New Yorker get more than what she can Have and to Hold?

Summer Vacation is on and Madison's dad drops a bombshell. He is got engaged to his girlfriend, Steph and they are getting married in two weeks. Plus, they want Madison to be junior maid of honour and recite a poem at the wedding. Dad says that there will only be 30 people at the wedding. Then Steph's mom gets carried away with the guest list. Before long the wedding goes to 300 hundred people and about five different affairs. How is madison going to survive?

Madison Finn is back! And in a whole new, exciting way. On the first page, the book just sucks you in, wanting you to read more. It begins with Maddie's Dad announcing his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Stephanie. Suddenly, Madison's world turns topsy turvy, and she's become part of the wedding rush. As if her Dad getting married wasn't enough...it's going to be far away from home...in Texas! Think things can't get any worse? Well, it does. Stephanie's niece, Tiff, acts like a total spoiled brat towards Maddie. Will Madison's luck change? Or will this whole ordeal turn out a disaster...just like Madison thinks it will? Find out in 'To Have and to Hold'.

Book Review: The Fugitive Factor


Imagine your parents are accused of a crime they didn't commit, or so you believe. Because of this you and your sister are placed at a juvenile farm. After you and your sister escape the farm, a crazy bald man is in pursuit of you. You don't know who he is, but when you hide he searches for you and when you run, he follows. You have to avoid him if you want any chance in freeing your parents. This is Aiden and Meg Falconer's story.

In The Fugitive Factor Aiden and Meg are on the run since their escape from Sunny Dale, a juvenile farm. The Falconer children were placed at Sunny Dale Farm because their parents have been accused of helping terrorists sneak into America. After escaping the farm Aiden and Meg experience the harsh conditions of life on the run as they try to evade a man they've dubbed Hairless Joe while trying to locate Frank, the only person who can prove their parents' innocence. When Aiden and Meg find a picture at their summer house of Frank and their parents sitting outside a hotel, Meg and Aiden decide to visit the hotel and try to trace Frank down. Once at the hotel, Aiden asks the clerk to search for records of Frank's visits there. When the clerk hesitates, Meg distracts him long enough for Aiden to search the files.

With a little luck Aiden comes up with the name of Jane, a woman registered with Frank at the hotel. When they visit her, she gives them some good information including Frank's old room number. When Aiden and Meg visit the current occupant of the room, he gives Aiden and Meg some things Frank left behind. This leads to more unanswered questions. Later, when Aiden and Meg return to meet with Jane, she opens the door along with police. The Falconers immediately run, but Meg is caught. Posing as a police officer, Aiden is able to find an address for Frank. He then busts Meg out and they head to California to find Frank.

The Fugitive Factor is a very descriptive and well written book. It is at about an 8 to 10 year old reading book. Throughout this book you are entertained with the ups and downs of the Falconer's everyday struggles to prove their parents innocent. This book kept me wanting to read more at all times. This is one of the best books I've read yet. This touching and moving story is a great read.


I would most definitely recommend this book.

My 10-year-old loves this series, and has hooked her 12-year-old sister in to it, too. I've read some of the books out loud to the kids and they are fun, fast, and clean. Great suspense of a very appropriate nature for young readers. I would recommend these books to anyone.

This series by Gordon Korman worked wonders for several reluctant readers in my class. These are good fast moving books that really move you on to the next in the series.

Great but before I say anything, NOTE this is a six part writing, the reader must read them in order to make sense.

This book is about fugitives running away from cops because their parents were accusing of committing a crime, but they really didn't. So, they have to prove that their parents are innocent. They look for clues, and the clues keep taking them places far away. The cops always get so close to Aiden and Meg, but they always get away, except at the end of the story. You will have to read the book to get the ending.
I loved this book because you never know what is going to happen next. It is full of adventure and surprises. I give this book two thumbs up. This book is part of an exciting series, and I can't wait to read the next one.

All this book is, is a collection of the daily comic from the last book with very little new material. I don't think they've created any new material for this strip sense Liz and John ended up together.

This is a great book. I hope Jim Davis makes a 50th.

Other than now being in full color instead of black and white, Garfield hasn't changed much over the years. He still picks on Jon and Odie, sleeps all the time, loves food, and can't help being nasty, incorrigible, and hopelessly loveable. This book is a thick, beautiful, and easily readable tome to everybody's favorite cat.

Highly recommended.

I have been reading Garfield books for a long time now, and I have wathched him evolve in his animation and personality. He is truly still just as funny as he was when he first started. He has made us laugh through all these years, and is still making books. The book was truly classic Garfield. I hope Jim Davis makes a 50th.

Okay, there's not many days left until Xmas but let me assure you that this Garfield book makes an excellent last-minute gift. Everyone I know loves Garfield and would be thrilled at getting a book like this.

It's rather thick and taller than usual. Plus it's in full color. As long as I can remember I've loved reading Garfield, even when I was a little kid reading the black and white pocket books. So kids will appreciate this too. Trust me.

It opens with 'Garfield's code of Nevers', such as 'Never Eat the Mystery Meat. And ends with 'Garfield's Top Ten Suggestions for New Athletic Events, such as 'The Fridge Lift' and 'Eat till you Explode'. Crammed inbetween are hundreds of hilarious comic strips. Plus there is information on the last page on how to join the Garfield fan club. And why not?

I was fortunate enough to meet Frances Moore Lappe recently. Hearing her speak, I was reminded of the source of true leadership. If you ever get the chance to hear her in person. Go! If not, get this book.

Frances is able to express her vision clearly and logically, without any of the brohaha and self-importance so many thinkers possess (and foist on the rest of us). Being a life coach, I love her focus on taking action, but more than that, on helping us to understand how our thinking is so manipulated by our culture. Just today, I was speaking to a client about fear. I told her about this book and directed her to the matrix on "Seven Ways to Rethink Fear." Being a visual person myself, I appreciate the way she's laid this out as well as "Toward a Language of Democracy." Interestingly to me, one of my favorite psychology book, "Escape From Babel, Toward a Unifying Language for Psychotherapy Practice" points out how there are only a few things that make psychology work and that all therapists need to understand and "speak the same language" or they cannot help others. In the same way, Moore Lappe's "Language of Democracy" shows that "truth" remains elusive and it is how we look at things that matters. We can CHOOSE to view words and the people who utter them as antithetical to our own beliefs or we can choose to look deeper and open ourselves to the alternatives.

Fast service from the source.
Intriguing book which will affect your outlook on America.

It feels like now is the time in history for the People to stand up and shake off the fear and loss of control and believe that they can and will change things for the better. Frances Moore Lappe in this book helps us out of our chairs and pushes us out the door with a feeling of hope and excitement. Read it, get a grip and smile again while planning one small step that will make a difference.

This book is the key to keeping it real. I find myself more productive after reading it.

Francis Moore Lappe asks, "Why can't we stop wringing our hands over
poverty, hunger, species decimation, genocide, and death from curable
disease we know is all needless?" She reached into our lives and changed
our understanding of the causes of hunger some thirty years ago when she
wrote the groundbreaking book "Diet for a Small Planet." Now, after
years of research and writing, she has again responded to the questions
raised by her curiosity and has shared her analysis in "Getting a Grip:
clarity, creativity and courage in a world gone mad" It is easy to
identify with her intense desire for change, as she states,
"I'm ready. I'm past ready."

The book is hard to put down as Ms. Lappe shows us how to move from
powerlessness to empowerment. I was drawn by the intensity and clarity
of thought on the first few pages and, later, by the creativity,
insight, and determination of a woman who is committed to sharing her
perception of the work ahead so that we may join in getting a grip on
what seems "a world gone mad."

No matter how many times I read this to my son, I never tire of it. He loves the beautiful pictures and I love those plus the clever, sweet, soothing bedtime story. This is now one of my very favorite children's books.

Goodnight Mr. Night was an instant hit for both my children. They have never been afraid of the dark knowing Mr. Night is looking after them.

A beautiful bed time book that the entire family can enjoy. This is one of my all time favorites.

I agree with the previous reviews that this is a great bed time story with stunning paintings.
But.....I personally preferred hard cover stories for kids especially when it will be read at bed time.

Good Night, Mr. Night is a book that was written as a night time aid to parents of small children. Some children are very reluctant to fall asleep and this book, with its somber mood and colorful yet peaceful drawings, is intended to be used as a means to get little children to stop resisting the inevitable, close their eyes, and get a good night's sleep.

What I like best about this book are the drawings. Each drawing is colorful, but yet the mood of the book remains somber. And the drawing of Mr. Night is very effective. Instead of drawing this figure as a cartoon- like person, the illustrator of the book wisely decided to add some creative flair by depicting Mr. Night as a person whose body is comprised of stars set against a black background- just like looking at the night time sky. Mr. Night even has crescent moons for his eyes. This creative angle on the drawing makes Good Night, Mr. Night, a better book than it otherwise might have been.

The message of falling asleep is pretty clear in this book and reading it to little children usually accomplishes the book's main goal. However, the writing of this book isn't really anything special. Not only are the words very bland and lacking creativity, but there is also no rhyming or rhythm. Kids generally enjoy rhymes, and it would have taken little effort to add rhyming patterns or something rhythmic to the book. This would have improved its effectiveness.

There are several good books to read to little children to get them to go to sleep. Good Night, Mr. Night is one book in a large market that continues to grow as more and more individuals come forward with books designed for children. This book isn't the greatest in its class, but that doesn't mean it has no useful value. It is still a good book for small children and it does accomplish its main task. It offers a good degree of success at getting youngsters to fall asleep and for that reason alone, it is worth buying.

Poor Abby Hayes! Every time she receives money she ends up spending it. She is having such a hard time saving up for her new rollerblades!

I like that Abby is not always spending her money on herself, but sometimes spends it on friends. Toward the end, this idea is again repeated when she has extra money that she chooses to spend on friends, teachers, and family. Appreciating others is a nice subtle message in this book.

The book has a mixture of text and diary like entries which makes it fun for kids to read. Abby tries a few different ways to earn money which are nicely woven into the story. I am always on the look out for books using a fictional story to teach children about money (as they seem to be fairly rare). This was certainly a worthy find.

I am a BIG fan of this series. This book acutally gave me the idea of having a garage sale. So,Abby wants new rollerblades,not Eva's(her SuperSis who is a twin)rollerblades. The ones that she wants are dark and shiney but best of all,they have purple wheels with a swirling,bright desing that would flash when they turned. Abby just has to have them...but how. She does her chores,looks on the streets for money,washes her dad's car and, takes care of Marshmallow(her neighbor's cat).She's going out of town for a week and when Heather(name of the neighbor) comes back she will give her $10.Perfect...until Marshmallow escapes. Uh-oh,wants a 10 year old girl to do? Read it for yourself.

This is a great book, although I HATE to play rollerblade. Abby planned a garage sale and save money to buy herself some rollerblades with purple wheels!( Purple was Abby's favourite colour. So am I!)

P.S.:Question:Do people actually save money to buy rollerblades?I wonder who.

Before the garage sale, Abby did many things, but she only got a few dollars. So at the gargage sale, she earned $162.75! She could buy rollerblades,new pads and presents for her friends
and family who had help her while she earn money. At the end, she still have little money for herself.(PHOO!)

In the fourth book in the series, Abby Hayes has hand-me-down rollerblades from her older SuperSis, Eva. Abby hates them, she can barely take them off! So she decides to save her money. Many unexpected things happen in the process, and someone in her family takes a trip to the emergency room! Abby finally gets an idea where she earns more than enough money to buy shiny purple rollerblades she has had her eye on for a while. I loved this book because it is so interesting to see how Abby resists the urge to spend money and how she finally accomplishes her goal. Read this book today!

This and the rest of the Abby Hayes series are amazing! The books are wonderful and very cool. There is one problem though: Anne Mazer (the writer) repeats the same thing over and over. Like about Abby's friend Jessica and how she has asthma. That kind of gets frustrating. But, overall, this book is great!