Lifestyle Books

What an amazing story. It touched my heart as I read it to a group of children. We should all be so humble.

This is definitely a lap and snuggle book. It's not heavy, but BIG with warm tones and autumn colors settled on the pages. The illustrator, Marni Backer, captured snowy winter scenes that immediately draw you into any large city and any large neighborhood. Could this neighborhood by yours? With each turn of the page, the traffic muffles and city bustle blurs so that you can now be introduced to Lizzie and Ben's dilemma of seeing a homeless woman, Dorrie, and the children wanting to help despite their mother's caution about talking to strangers.

Told with the realism of a child, you'll see how Lizzie and Ben leave Dorrie peanut butter and crackers--but forget to give her a dinner knife. (They did much better when they brought her some warm vegetable noodle soup.)

When their mother takes notice of the parade of missing food items, she begins to become involved. She helps us to find out why Dorrie is homeless and the whole family spends a Saturday volunteering at a soup kitchen.I won't spoil the ending, but rest assured that there is a message of hope for Dorrie.

One of the nicest features about the book is the note from the author on the last page. Written at a level that young children can understand, she explains her idea for the book, where she has volunteered in an effort to help the homeless, and where to start if you want to find out more about homelessness.

Copyright © 2000. Hope Sykes & The RVing Volunteer. All Rights Reserved.

The book is a great adition to any ones library. McGovern is a great auther. The art an dwords compliment each other. It is a tuching book and has a wonderful kind caring qulity. McGovern really cares about these people.

This is a timely, beautifully written, and illustrated book. McGovern treats the subject with compassion and sensitivity. The illustrations are great. A 10+

I don't know if Larry Townsend ever had an inkling of just how influential his 1972 original "The Leatherman's Handbook" would become. I am certain he probably had no idea that - within a decade - the mantra of Gay Liberation would become fogged over by the onset of the plague of AIDS and the total indifference of the Reagan Administration. Leathermen, with their work hard play harder sexual ethic, were hit especially hard.

So ten years later, Larry took the results of surveys he'd taken with thousands of men, edited the language a bit (the original was written with a lot of seventies lingo) and made the important additions to reflect the changing health concerns. While still a revelatory book, it is also a more sober one. Back in the seventies, it was still a very risky proposition to attempt a gay publication of any sort. In the AIDS prejudiced panic of the 80's, it was still a considerable risk.

Larry Townsend's "The Leatherman's Handbook II," like its 1972 original, still spells out the codes of conduct that the underground Leather Scene and S&M men lived by and the numerous accounts of steamy real life kink encounters remained, though now with addendums about safety and health issues.

Even now, with a much wider variety of books available on how to and relationship studies, not to mention my own writings, it is hard to remember a time when Larry's book was such a shocking event. Voluntary servitude and fetishistic behaviors are given a great deal of coverage here, and the amazing thing is just how much most of Larry's original foundations remain relevant. Even more to the point is just how much the format of both editions of "The Leatherman's Handbook" became the blueprint for so much of our community's guidebooks; A little journalistic information followed up with some hot episodes.

Still, "The Leatherman's Handbook" one and two remain viable sources of both etiquette and education in addition to its historical value. Larry's work here is quite possibly one of the most important pair of books about the side of Gay Life that many would like to ignore, but it's with us and vibrant and exciting for those who have taken this intimate discovery. Like mine; a man who stumbled across a $5.95 edition of "The Leatherman's Handbook II" in a Delaware bookstore in 1989 and still has the dog-eared paperback on his bookshelf all these years later. It changed my life like gravity.

I don't know if Larry Townsend ever had an inkling of just how influential his 1972 original "The Leatherman's Handbook" would become. I am certain he probably had no idea that - within a decade - the mantra of Gay Liberation would become fogged over by the onset of the plague of AIDS and the total indifference of the Reagan Administration. Leathermen, with their work hard play harder sexual ethic, were hit especially hard.

So ten years later, Larry took the results of surveys he'd taken with thousands of men, edited the language a bit (the original was written with a lot of seventies lingo) and made the important additions to reflect the changing health concerns. While still a revelatory book, it is also a more sober one. Back in the seventies, it was still a very risky proposition to attempt a gay publication of any sort. In the AIDS prejudiced panic of the 80's, it was still a considerable risk.

Larry Townsend's "The Leatherman's Handbook II," like its 1972 original, still spells out the codes of conduct that the underground Leather Scene and S&M men lived by and the numerous accounts of steamy real life kink encounters remained, though now with addendums about safety and health issues.

Even now, with a much wider variety of books available on how to and relationship studies, not to mention my own writings, it is hard to remember a time when Larry's book was such a shocking event. Voluntary servitude and fetishistic behaviors are given a great deal of coverage here, and the amazing thing is just how much most of Larry's original foundations remain relevant. Even more to the point is just how much the format of both editions of "The Leatherman's Handbook" became the blueprint for so much of our community's guidebooks; A little journalistic information followed up with some hot episodes.

Still, "The Leatherman's Handbook" one and two remain viable sources of both etiquette and education in addition to its historical value. Larry's work here is quite possibly one of the most important pair of books about the side of Gay Life that many would like to ignore, but it's with us and vibrant and exciting for those who have taken this intimate discovery. Like mine; a man who stumbled across a $5.95 edition of "The Leatherman's Handbook II" in a Delaware bookstore in 1989 and still has the dog-eared paperback on his bookshelf all these years later. It changed my life like gravity.

An excellent "how to" manual for the sexually dominant man. Gay or straight, it makes no difference, the attitude and techniques described in this book cut to the essence of what makes sex worthwhile: power and control. Clearly written, with lengthy sexual anecdotes, it is as sexually charged a book as was ever written.

For anyone who is interested in either entering the aura of leathersex or who is all ready involved, Leatherman's Handbook II is a must read. Written by Larry Townsend who is well respected within the leather world and also a contributor to the male bondage magazine, Bound and Gagged, this book follows along with his style. This is an easy book to read and understand with chapters dealing with anything from bondage techniques, bondage material, s&m techniques, meeting a partner and much more. Each chapter generally has a story that is relevant to the chapter's subject matter.

All though the book is more gay oriented much that is said can be applied to any situation. The picking of a partner is very important and Townsend goes into detail on this issue. Townsend also touches upon the use of drugs as well as other issues.

I enjoyed reading the book and found that its material was well written and worthy as a strong reference manual for what it discusses.

This book is certainly worth the high rating of "10".

This was a rich delight to read. Many leatherfolk and leather-curious will appreciate the content, accurately described by the chapter titles: "Getting Started in Leathersex", "Playing with Power and Sex", "Playing with Pain", "Playing with Pleasure", "Playing with Life and Death", "Leather Relationships", "Anatomy, Physiology, and First Aid" and "Leathersex and Spirituality".

The author's writing style is both engaging and informative. "Leather Relationships" has an intimate quality to it, including an interesting interview with the founders of Masters & slaves Together ("MAsT"), and another with the author's late boy. The latter interview and writings around it answer, as best I've seen, the question "What is a 'boy'?" "Playing with Pain" included information on some techniques for pain processing and storage that I'd not run across in book form before. "Leathersex and Spirituality" is a short but welcome chapter.

The book flows well. The author does not shirk from addressing edgy topics when relevant. The index is exhaustive.

I particularly recommend "Leathersex" to a gay male leather audience.

Joseph Bean does an outstanding job of explaining, demystifying and clarifying many aspects of BDSM. It is from a gay male perspective and would probably not be of tremendous interest to hets or lesbians, but gay & bi/pansexual bio- & transmen should thoroughly enjoy Bean's work, no matter what their level of involvement in BDSM. He covers a wide variety of topics ranging from leather to bondage, BDSM relationships to finding partners, play parties to tools, etc. Plus Bean focuses on the importanct of the safe, sane & consensual principles. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

This is a "foundation book." A "must read." Joseph, one of the select few who have shaped the Leather culture in this country, wrote this timeless book in part so that those not (yet) involved in the Leather culture could develop a better understanding of what it is and how it works. But it is also intended for those of us who have some years of experience, here. For this book batches and sorts in ways that help us better to uderstand others with slightly different kinks. His chapter organizations are inspired and his writing style is easy to follow. As I've said: a "must read."

It can be difficult to balance between talking down to those who will feel they have a lot of experience in BDSM and tallking over those who are just learning about BDSM. This book does a good job of looking at a wide range of activities and interests, some of them for the first time, so that newbies can feel grounded while advanced kinky folk can mull over the concepts. Even though the book grew out of Bean's own journey toward becoming a master, I think the book can speak to anyone regardless of vanilla sexual orientation. However the book often reads more like it is geared toward the bottom or submissive partner in a relationship.

I origionally picked this book up from a library as a teen ager and later bought it. I find thoughtout my-life I refer to the corresponding chapter for some slightly conservative advice.

The book contains letters from a fairly successful businessman to his son. They start with school and continue with such topics as school, leadership, enterpreneurship, marriage ... etc. Would make a great gift..

I read it twice when I was young. I would have been too young to judge it on grammar or any deep meaning but I can tell you the book has sat in the back of my mind all of these years. I have refered it to many people and given it as gifts to people I respect... Thanks Kingsley!

If your father was short on words , like mine was, this is your personal "mentor in a box". It will also help you become a better father and teacher. If it is our of print, some local libraires might have it.

This brief, encouraging book consists of a series of letters (edited for print) written by a successful businessman (Ward himself) to his son, tracking the son's career from a decision on which college to attend to the son's mid-career promotion to company president upon his father's retirement. During the 20-year span, the father shares with his son (and the reader) all of his wisdom on topics from business--work ethic, entrepreneurship, partnership, business expansion, diversification, teamwork, firing an employee, leadership, etc.; as well as life--challenge, success, integrity, marriage, money, manners, happiness, friendship, criticism, balance, etc.

Ward's advice is "business conservative," with his basic message being: Set goals for yourself, work hard, be honest and block off time to enjoy your life a little. The selected decision points, problems and events in the son's life revolve around people, mainly working relationships with business associates, employees, customers, suppliers, bankers and competitors--all without neglecting family and friends. Ward emphasizes the importance of cultivating friendships, stating how "Without doubt, friendship is the spice of life." However, when he opines how a person with more than three good friends should feel blessed, and how being rich is better than being poor, but also lonelier, he exhibits his realism and unveils a hint of quiet, unspoken regret: Do we all in our drive to achieve emphasize business and profit at the expense of humanity and friendship perhaps a little more than we should?

I recommend this book to anyone involved in business of any sort, and especially to all students considering a business career. However, I also note a caveat: Without the replies of the son, the book has the overall tone of unilateral lecturing rather than fair, two-way dialog. In a related manner, I comment on the father's favorite short book, "A Message to Garcia," which he includes in the text: Yes, work as hard, competently and expediently as the courageous messenger did in President McKinley's Cuban emergency, but, as importantly, in your business career please do not march forward on your boss's orders without first fully understanding the impact of your actions (i.e., think!) and respectfully raising any concerns you may have (i.e., speak up!).

LIFE ON A PIG FARM is an illustrative and informative children's book that is easy to understand and very entertaining. It features a family and daily duties they have to perform in order to get ready for the annual fair. Some highlights of this book are:
1. A step by step look at raising a litter of piglets
2. Chores to be done on the pig farm
3. A section on going to the fair
4. An fun facts section
5. A list of books and websites kids can go to in order to learn more
6. An informative glossary with special "pig terms" that are clearly defined

This book provides youngsters of all ages with a wonderful peak at the many aspects of life on a pig farm. The wonderful pictures are both fun and informative. Be sure to check out other "Life on a Farm" books by Judy Wolfman.

I bought this for my grandchildren and read it for myself! It is well written and tells a story a child can understand. It answers all the questions that young children tend to ask about pigs, living on a farm, etc. Love it and can hardly wait to give it to my grandaughters!

I was born and raised in a rural area but my grandchildren live in a suburban area. I was glad to find a book which gives them such a good explanation of how pigs are raised, and how time-consuming the work is.

This is the first in a wonderful series of books by Judy Wolfman and David Lorenz Winston, giving an educational and entertaining documentation of farm life. Perfect for the elementary school child. The descriptions are accurate, scientific and mature, but in clear language that children can readily understand. The photos tie in perfectly with the text, and together present the full story of the life cycle of the animal, and show the love and care given by the children who live on the farm. My seven year old grandson thoroughly enjoys these books, and has taken them to school to share with his teacher and classmates.

This book is a joy to read aloud to my 3 1/2 year son. We checked it out of the library so many times that we ultimately purchased a copy. While the pictures are amazing, the gentle story and the carefully chosen words are what makes this book stand out. While Jonathan London's books may be rather inconsistent, this one is a winner!

my almost ten year old son and i read this book over and over..i still remember the phrases "momma's slippers whisper, daddy's bacon sizzles" and "sunlight melts like butter on pancakes" a wonderful book that you can easily picture in your mind...we love this book! also, "talk talk my crayons talk" yak yak yackity clack clack clackity!

Wonderful book, uttering the joy of waking to the sounds of Mom and Dad in the kitchen. Very pretty illustrations.

London captures the imagery of sunlight and moonlight as a child's day unfolds and awakens his senses to the world around him. One can almost hear the duet of the whistle of the teakettle and the sizzle of frying bacon as slippers "whisper" across the kitchen floor. This book begs to be read aloud, again and again. It is sheer poetry.

ok, well like everyone says they're not going to tell the ending, well i am. I think knowing the ending makes everything more fun. Molly shows up, who is connor's ex g/f from ireland. WEll she shows up right, and she says that the baby she has is connors. Right as Connor and Chelsea are about to get married. Then Molly fleas and leaves Chelsea and Connor with the baby. I think thats what happens in this book. I've read all of them except 6-11. So yea I also havent read it in a while so i'm not sure if this is the ending to this book or not. Have fun reading

i think this book is better than the first one. ROMANCE is the main topic in this book...kate and justin are back together, and things are as good as ever. chelsea hooked up with someone and so did conner...if you liked the first book then you will love this one!

i loved this book!!! i thought this was one of the best books in the series.in this book connor and chelsia finaly get together!!!and something big happens at the end but im not gonna say anything else u will have to find out for your self and read this awsome book which i recomend to anyone who liked the first ine because this one is much better!!!!

I read this series on the recommendation of a friend who was unable to put it down. Since then I have begun to read the entrancing stories about these young adults lives and have to say that I completely agree with my friends assesment. These books deal with many issues that teens of a similar age are actually dealing with. This allows the reader to be able to not only sympathize but empathize as well with many of the situations that take place throughout the story lines. Whether it be about relationships, both friendships and sexual, or about racism and acholism they are presented in a very real and interesting, yet still informative light. I would recommend these books to any teen as an entertaing and delightful summer read.

I purchased this book for my 6 year old grandson. He is in kindergarten and his teacher uses a lot of Lois Elhert's books. We have purchased a lot of her books and I think his favorite is "Nuts to You". We had a lot of fun reading this book. He is just learning to read and we look forward to reading books when he visits, which is quite often. If you ask him who his favorite author is, he always says "Lois Elhert". He loves books and I know that I can always order them reasonably on Amazon.com.

Janie Conrad

The pictures flow, As do the words. It's full of fish, And frogs, and birds. A trip to market, From a farm. And all and all There's lots of charm.

My four-year-old daughter is fasinated by the simple rhyming text and bright folk art pictures of this book. I think younger children would likewise enjoy it. We also like to read all the countries of origin for the various folk art pieces at the back of the book.

Ms. Ehlert collects different types of handmade folk art from all over the world. In this collection, she has arranged items as varied as ice fishing decoys from the United States and beaded dolls from Africa to create a collage to illustrate this fun, colorful story.

It's market day, so let's feed the animals, pack up the veggies and the things to sell, and head on out to the market!! Along the way, we'll pass colorful birds and even snakes sunning themselves in the grass. We'll stay all day until the sun goes down and then head back home with all the wonderful things we've bought. Told in rhyme, "Market Day" is a colorful story with a lot of energy to it. A blue bull doll from Africa carries a giant carrot to market alongside a row of papier-mache turnips from the United States. A hand-carved cart with people from Mexico joins the procession, along with other art from Central America.

While she is perhaps best known for her illustration of the famous children's book, "Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom", Ms. Ehlert has written and illustrated many other books as well. All have her distinctive cut-paper or photograph style to them, but I would rank "Market Day" as one of my favorites by her. In a world where very FEW things are made by hand, "Market Day" is a welcome reminder of the fine art of everyday. Highly recommended!

This cookbook is simply the best bread machine guide I have found, filled with a fine variety of simple to use but tasty recipes. The author also lists his personal favories with helpful commentary. His suggestion to use small amounts of gluten flour has improved many a recipe for me.

I bought this book, though I am a woman, thinking that since this book had been written for men, it might be more straigthforward than others. I do not regret. Great loafs, though, in my mind, more salt is needed in most recipes. No fuss but yummy. Have this book if you want to be using your breand machine everyday.

The recipes are easy to understand and are given in the order in which the ingredients go in the machine. He also gives details of various bread machines and explains how each ingredients acts to create the bread. It is a must for any kitchen with a bread machine.

This book gives advice to the baker who wants to try his/her own ideas. For those who dont like the loaves as they come out of the machine the instructions for baking breads in the oven are excellent. This takes nothing away from the recipes except I am not hot to trot on south West US flavoured recipes.

The popularity of mice in children's literature is underscored Again and again with each new season.

Milly And Tilly by Kate Summers, illustrated by Maggie Kneen introduces two friends, a country mouse and a city mouse, who eventually find that home is best.

This is a book my girls just loved when they were a few years younger. Maggie Kneen's illustrations are just simply wonderful and the story about how the town mouse is frightened by everything in the country and how the country mouse is frightened by everything in the city, especially by the cat is very nice, too. I used to use this book to tell my girls that people in other places (we travel a lot) would think their lives were as strange as she thought the childen's lives were in some of the places we vistied. In short this is a very good book for toddlers and it's got a nice message as well.

This "fish out of water" story concludes with the timeless moral that each of us should be content with our lot in life. Country mouse Tilly invites her city friend to visit, and then town mouse Milly reciprocates. Though they both enjoy each other's company, they part with a new respect for their own place in life.

Kneen's warm, inviting watercolors of the English countryside perfectly set off the lovingly detailed text. Summers seems to have the knack for exposition without going overboard. From the description of Tilly doing her sweeping, cleaning and other "mousework" to the detailed tour of the rooms in Milly's well-furnished townhouse, this book keeps children engrossed from beginning to end.

This is the tale of two mice, one if from the city, Milly, and the other from the country, Tilly. They go to visit each other in their houses. When the Milly goes to visit the Tilly at her country cottage and she is overwhelmed by the peacefulness. It actually starts to drive her a little crazy because she is used to the craziness of the city. They then go to the town where Milly lives. Now Tilly feels out of place. She likes the peacefulness of the country. The hectic city is just too much for her. They both realize that they are happy where they are and that they just like different things.
I like this book because it tells the tale of two mice that like different things but are still friends. When they go to visit each other at one another's houses they realize that they are happy where they are. They are both content with what they have and don't have to change. I think that is what the author is trying to get across in this story. You should be happy with you have and you don't have to change as long as your happy with yourself and where you are in life. Through this story the mice realize this and are all that more satisfied with themselves.