Services Books

This book is strictly for men who want to work through the twelve steps in recovery from sexual addiction of any type. Outstanding book to be used in step meetings.

When Lost Men Come Home is more than a book. It is a tale of struggle, despair, hope and success. It inspires the hopeless, and provides the tools to make changes in your life to become a man of integrity. I highly recommend this book to those who are struggling with issues related to sexual integrity.

Dave has taken a bold step beyond the usual esoteric self help adiction diatribes by taking us, adict and non-adict alike, down a simple path of self evaluation. Through matter-of-fact, straight forward and anecdotal personal experience examples, Dave flips on the light switches that illuminate the better potential that lurks within us all. Well done Dave.

When Lost Men Come Home isn't filled with trite euphemisms and slogans for living a life of integrity. It is a practical, insightful, well-written book that gives men and women tools for living a life of sexual integrity. It is a book to read over and over again...filled with grace and truth...it won't beat you up, but walk with you side by side to help you become the person you truly desire to be.

A brother in the journey
San Clemente, CA

From a woman's point of view, the help, inspiration and encouragement found in this book is wonderful. Not just for the addict but for the family and supporters of those struggling. This book brings hope to those who have not yet experienced hope for recovery.

This book is a perfect summary of the dark side of humanitarian work. Unequipped, unprepared contract workers who are unprotected and essentially thrown to the wolves.

The author answers an fax looking for boat drivers and the only preparation he's given is a night at a bar and told to watch out for displaced wildlife. From the moment he steps off the plane it goes downhill. Even a good deed ends in tragedy because he doesn't understand the population he's trying to help.

Mostly though this is an indictment of the conditions the relief workers have to deal with because different UN agencies and Non governmental organizations all want to show how much they are "helping". The individuals may do good things but the organizations use it to play politics.

Burnett provides a vivid picture of the logistics and politics surrounding relief work as well as the dangers and difficulties of doing this work in a war zone. What I liked best about this book is he didn't enter into this job with any particular altruistic or political agenda. As a result Burnett is able to paint a rather honest and impartial picture of NGOs, the UN, the people of Somalia and his fellow aid workers. The book is written in a way that lets you experience what he experienced. It is a personal account that keeps you turning the pages.

This is a well-written, fast-paced book that sheds an important light on relief work, its benefits and its risks. I knew very little about the floods in Somalia, and this was a great lesson as to what I missed.
Great read. You won't be disappointed.

This book reads like a bullet train from New York to Mogadishu, from heaven to hell, a pageturner if ever there was one. You get a privileged insight into the life of a reliefworker, a first hand account of the absurd madness of a godforsaken place where anarchy rules and where lives have no value.

Speedboats donated by western governments to distribute relief supplies quickly turn into perfect terror tools for local warlords, who find them to be ideal to impose their will on the population, specially when mounted with a machine gun...

John Burnett completely repaints the picture that I had in my mind of a relief worker. Only guts, ingenuity and a whole lotta luck will help you to get out alive of a place like this.

From the comfort of your home to the nightmare of Somalia is just a book away...

Superbly written and very hard to put down, this book throws quite a few surprises. Burnett provides first-hand insight into the adventurous and dangerous world of those on the field who distribute humanitarian aid.

Relief workers, like those they are trying to help, survive crocodiles, snakes and hippos, feuding warlords, and child soldiers. At the same time they are dealing with competing aid organisations and governments' political and military agendas. Through tears, anger and frustration, he reveals what it is like trying to save lives in a war zone.

The ups and downs. The highs and lows. The good the bad and the ugly of LV advantage playing. Could not put it down.

Read it all in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down!

LV Pro is a card counter. He turns himself from a degenerate losing gambler into a degenerate winning card counter and shares all the details as he proceeds to build his bankroll trip after trip, beating the casinos at their own game of blackjack. Unlike the high-rolling whiz-kids on the MIT team in Bringing Down the House, LV Pro grits it out, starting on small teams, but deciding to make it on his own. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas is the usual rule, but not this time. The good games, the interesting folks who count cards and pursue them, sex, drugs, and money...all find their way into this genuine account of one man's pursuit of the Vegas dream.

I too have been following LVPro's adventures in the Blackjack Insider newsletter. When I heard that he was compiling a book of his trips, I just had to read it and see how it all started!

His approach to grinding out an advantage in BJ play against the casinos was written in a much more realistic style than other books I have read on the subject. I could relate to his goals, problems, highs and lows in his pursuit of the elusive bankroll.

His style of writing is easy to read as well as humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and found many nuggets of knowledge that I can apply to my own pursuits.

I have followed Barfarkel's trip reports as posted on bj21.com for many months now. "You've Got Heat" is a compilation of the reports that blackjack fans have followed for several years on bj21.com and on Henry Tamburin's Blackjack Insider site.

"You've Got Heat" is not a how-to manual on card counting. It is, however, a very entertaining read about the author's journey into both the secretive world of the card counter and the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas.

Books such as "Bringing Down the House" would have one believe that card counters live a lavish existence and routinely throttle casinos for millions of dollars. "You've Got Heat" dispels this myth and shows that the card counter faces an enormous challenge. Barfarkel describes the emotional highs and lows of his grind against the casinos in a very straightforward fashion.

Las Vegas guidebooks and Travel Channel specials generally show only the glitz and the glamour of Sin City. "You've Got Heat" explores the various cultures and subcultures of Las Vegas from many angles, ranging from the ritzy shows at the Bellagio and other high-end Strip properties to the prostitutes, vagrants, and other unsavory characters at the city's numerous run-down casinos.

Anyone with an interest in either Las Vegas or blackjack will like Barfarkel's book. Frequent Vegas travelers can learn a great deal from Barfarkel's experiences. All aspiring card counters should read this book so that they may thoroughly understand the focus and discipline required for long-term success.

Andi McConnell's life is falling about. Just before her sixtieth birthday, her job is downsized and her boyfriend breaks up with her. In the midst of all this, she gets the surprise of her life. A long forgotten uncle has left her his limo. She really doesn't intend to keep it, but it is so much fun driving it around town.

The fun disappears a couple days later when Andi thinks she hears a noise outside. Going to investigate, she is knocked unconscious. When she comes to, she finds a body in the trunk of her limo. A body that wasn't there that afternoon. With the police zeroing in on her as a suspect, Andi decides to investigate and try to find some other suspects for the police. Can she clear her name?

This debut mixes murder with plenty of fun. No, it's never absurd or over the top, but I often had a grin on my face reading about Andi's antics. Really helping things along is her new friend Fritz, a former TV star who helps out. The plot was rather poorly paced, sometimes stopping for character stuff that really doesn't advance the story. The ending was plenty exciting, on the other hand. And the Christian sub-plot was interesting as well.

I have several of author Lorena McCourtney's books I haven't read yet, so I'll have to change that. In the mean time, I'm looking forward to Andi's next adventure.

Your Chariot Awaits is a brilliant match between mystery and humor. The protagonist's viewpoint, as one who has just turned 60, is a refreshing change from the many books on the market featuring twenty-and-thirty-somethings. The appealing characters had me rooting for them all the way through. Lorena McCourtney has spun a tight yarn, and kept me chuckling while she did it. I recommend this story highly, and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton

Andi McConnell is celebrating her sixtieth birthday--but turning sixty is not for the weak of heart. She is fired from her job, breaks up with her boyfriend, and receives an unexpected inheritance from an eccentric uncle--a sleek black stretch limo.

Andi isn't quite sure what she's going to do with the limo, but it sure isn't what happens. Less than twelve hours after getting the vehicle, her ex-boyfriend's body is found in the trunk. As the prime suspect, Andi wants to prove her innocence, so she joins forces with a nosy but charming former TV private eye in a hilarious attempt to find the killer.

I fell in love with Lorena McCourtney's books with her previous series (which ended long before I was ready!) so I was totally thrilled to get to review her newest book, the first in the Andi McConnell Mystery series, Your Chariot Awaits.

Andi is a wonderful heroine, old enough to be my mother, but lively and full of life. I fell in love with her and with her nosy TV private eye, Fitz. The secondary characters are all well developed.

There are plenty of red herrings in the book to keep the reader guessing, but I correctly guessed the murder before the end of the book. Still, it was well written enough that I had to keep reading to see what happened next. I love this new series and am anxiously awaiting the next book in it.

Armchair Interviews says: You'll love this series.

Lorena McCourtney's latest character Andi McConnell bursts onto the fiction scene in Your Chariot Awaits. As the book opens, Andi turns sixty, loses her job at the local insurance company due to a merger, and breaks up with her boyfriend. Oh, and if that isn't enough to make any woman seek her bed with a box of bonbons and a chick flick, Andi inherits a shiny limousine from her uncle and before she can decide what to do with it, a dead body is found in the truck. Not just any body, but that of her recently estranged boyfriend, Jerry who she threatened with a shovel in front of her neighbors.

Andi soon becomes a prime suspect in the murder and has no choice but to investigate to clear her name. She teams up with her new acquaintance and potential future love interest, Fitz. Though Fitz's more than willing to help Andi solve the murder, his only qualification for the job is the role of a detective that he played on an old television show. What follows is a bumbling search for the killer, leaving you laughing and smiling all the way through.


Though Andi is older than many protagonists in today's fiction market, McCourtney writes Andi in a way that all generations of readers can relate to her. She's spunky, vulnerable, and shares the same fears we all deal with everyday. Even I, an avowed computer nerd, embraced the woman who doesn't own even one computer. Really. Not one.


In addition to the fun read and enjoyable characters, McCourtney weaves in a strong spiritual message. She exposes the non-believer Andi to Christianity through a warm, pregnant twenty-something neighbor who encourages but never preaches. And, the unlikely friendship between the two women is believably written and natural despite the years difference in age.


So if you're looking for a well written cozy mystery, one that makes you laugh and smile, pick up McCourtney's Your Chariot Awaits. You won't be disappointed.

Lorena McCourtney is back with a new series that proves that just because you're over 50 doesn't mean you still can't have fun. Andi McConnell has just been laid off from her job. Things are still ok though because she's just inherited a limo from a crazy uncle she barely knows. But before she can enjoy her sweet new ride, she's knocked unconscious and wakes up to find a dead body in her trunk. Now Andi has to be on her guard as her house is ransacked and she's being watched to see if she knew the killer's secrets. With her pregnant tenant and an ex TV detective to back her up, will she be able to find the killer before he gets to her?

This was a wonderfully fun book to read. I love all the characters in this book. Andi, Fitz, and Joella seem like an unlikely threesome that end up gelling well together. Andi is a wonderful character. I love especially that she was dating a guy younger than her in the beginning of the story. She's very feisty and doesn't consider an age to be a problem to her at all. She doesn't act her age basically. Other than the occasional references to her turning 60, I wouldn't have thought of her as being that old at all. I do hope that in the next book Joella is able to play another role because I like her character very much. I think a series on her would be fun to read as well. Fitz reminds me of an aging Magnum PI, not really old but a TV actor who's past his prime. He has good chemistry with Andi and I'm hoping something will come out of it. The action in the book is fast paced especially the last few chapters. The mystery is very good and I had no clue who the killer really was until the very end. I really admire Andi for still wanting to own that limo even after knowing there was a dead body in it. I would have gotten that car destroyed! While there isn't as much humor as there was in the Ivy Malone stories, I still laughed a lot while reading this book. How Andi gets the car from her eccentric uncle and his way of distribution made me giggle a lot. Especially funny is the scene when Joella thinks she's in labor but it's really due to bad indigestion. The part when the pair realize how bad their breath really is was a hoot. I really can't wait until the next book comes out in the series. It's given me the urge to go find a limo and ride around now!

Still Giving Kisses: A Guide to Helping and Enjoying the Alzheimer's Victim You Love
Reading about Lela Knox Shank's incredible committment, creativity and and joy in caring for her husband as he suffered from Alzheimer's Disease was incredibly inspirational as well as informative. As an occupational therapist I appreciated her ingenius adaptations such as Velcro along the sides of his pants to make undressing easier and understanding of emotional needs as she discovered onging solutions to new challenges. As a writer Ms. Shanks presented as such a loving and sincere person, I asked her to write the foreword to my book: Still Giving Kisses: A Guide to Helping and Enjoying the Alzheimer's Victim You Love. Thank-you Lela, for your book, writing my foreword and being who you are!

I especially admire the sections "Twenty Coping Strategies" and "The New Life of the Caregiver and Its Rewards". She is so wise, although she doesn't always acknowledge that other demenitia pateints may not have the same problems. Wish I'd found this book during my husband's illness! I quote it often in my own book, "Voices of Alzheimer's."

For any family going through this heart-wrenching disease with all of it's struggles, this book should be mandatory reading. I have found, as a daughter of an Alzheimer victim, that people are afraid to ask you about your loved one, because they don't know how to react. Lela Shanks is to be admired for her enlightenment of this disease. This book should be handed out to any family upon the diagnosis of Alzheimers.

This book helps those of us new to dealing with a family member with Alzheimers's. It helps identify odd behaviors as expected and helps give caregiver tips for dealing with the affected family member.

I strongly encourage anyone facing any type of involvement with an Alzheimer's patient to read this book. Anyone who knows the author could tell you that she is the type of person who is honest and straightforward. This book is a mirror image of her personality. There are practical solutions to the day to day trials of dealing with an Alzheimer's patient as well as an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance for the entire situation. The book also deals with the importance of support for caregivers. The best thing you can do to support yourself or anyone involved with an Alzheimer's patient is to love them. The second best thing you can do is to educate everyone involved. Start with this book and it will open your eyes and your heart in ways you never thought possible.

The Interstate Exit Authority was ordered on June 3 and it had not been received by the 27th of June. Correspondence with Woody's led to a refund quickly. However, within a couple of days I received the book, it had been mailed on the 4th of June, the USPS took three weeks to deliver! The book was in great shape but the packaging looked like it had been through a war. Woody's Books was repaid and all is well. I consider them a great Company and certainly would order from them again.

It's amazing that they have a book of this sort. If I'd have known earlier, I would've bought one every couple of years. I drive a lot and this is perfect.

Best book I have ever used while traveling in the U.S. You will know what services are available well in advance of signage. Has been extremely helpful when automotive mechanical emergencies occur, since you can look up the exits ahead to determine service availability

If you have traveled, will travel, or currently are traveling on any interstate highway, you need this book. No more guessing where gas, food, or lodging are located.

Stop guessing what's ahead when you'r traveling. Interstate Exit Authority takes the guess work out of traveling. It list all the rest areas and services available to the traveler in a clear and concise format. If you've ever traveled miles and miles to find a restaurant or motel to stop at you will love this guide. Driving has just moved into a new dimension.

This biography of lincoln is an unbiased look into the man's life. You'll find everything you would expect and much, much, more. This is not a book for the weak hearted reader. Many of the sections seem to be endless. This is not however a negative, the opposite is true. Sandburg's quest for a truly indepth redering of the Lincoln story creates these long spells and the pay off is just. Much of the humor in the book is dated and therefore will be lost on many readers. Once again, an outstanding book that gets an easy 5 stars.

Thousands upon thousands of Civil War books are available, as American readers seem to have a limitless appetite for that era. If you are looking for the best, read Sandburg on Lincoln. A major American poet takes on one of the best-known, best-loved, most tragic of American historical figures.

When I was a freshman in high school, our English teacher offered us a deal: Anyone who read Sandburg's biography (then in six rather daunting volumes) would not have to attend class for a semester. I took him up on that offer, and was blessed to find my way through Sandburg's gift to the American people. Here is the highly detailed, thoroughly researched, and articulately written story of Abe Lincoln's years among us.

If you have time to read only one of the Civil War books from that burgeoning genre, read this one. You will come to know, from the inside out, this prairie boy who became a towering figure in American history.

I collect old and rare books. My mother bought me a copy of Sandburg's one-volume edition published in 1954. Honestly, it was slow to start, but once it got to the 1850's, I couldn't put it down. Lincoln's deeds are so often trivialized in our history books. But Sandburg meticulously builds up the background in a way that forces his reader to appreciate the magnitude of the moment, and the importance of each decision--whether right or wrong--that President Lincoln made. It easily took three full weeks to read, but it was more than worth it. I closed the book thinking, "I can't believe it's over!" My advice: Read this book right away, and make someone else read it too. You'll need someone to talk to when you're through!

I believe Sandburg is the only author to win the Pulitzer for both poetry and history. Originally a multi volume history taking decades to complete, this single volume work is an appetizer. I read it in the 1960's and went on with relish to the full multi volume work.

This single volume is insightful, laser like in it's detail yet painting the times of Lincoln in a broad and beautiful brush. Did you know that in 1860 tools could be honed to within one ten thousandth of an inch of accuracy? That magazines and newspapers said the world would change for-ever because of the new "instant" communication nation wide?

This is more than biography. It is a woven fabric depicting the times and life of Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln comes to life through the words of his devoted and talented biographer, Carl Sandburg. This edition is an excellent compromise between Sandburg's six-volume edition and the shorter, incomplete texts that abound regarding Lincoln. Take your time with this masterpiece and follow Lincoln from youth through the climax of his political career in Washington.

This is the third edition of this book, and continues to be a "must have" for anyone involved in wound care. It has been updated with the most current information on basics as well as newer treatment modalities.

It is a great resource. I use it every day at work. Shipping was fast!

This is the best wound care resource I have. From basic care to physiology of wounds, this book covers everything in an easy to understand but comprehensive manner. I especially like the chapter on the interdisciplinary process.
Donna McClure BSN, RN, ACHRN, CWOCN

As a layperson to the medical field, the most fascinating thing about this book was the extensive collection of colour plates. Showing textbook cases of exposed wounds. Sometimes with plenty of decaying skin and exposed muscle. The resemblences of some pictures to raw meat at the butcher's is stark.

One might wonder how patients let their conditions deteriorate to the depths shown here. How could you walk around, or not, with some of those wounds, and not have it treated before they got so bad?

Happy reading.

I'm studying for the CWS exam, and needed a good text for review. This works beautifully. Thanks!

For parents interested in or beginning the adoption process, this book answers questions you would never have known to ask while clarifying the mysteries of the adoption system. For parents like me who have finalized two adoptions, it informs me of a wealth of options that are (or should be) available to help me and my children and gives me the strength and courage to seek those options. Thank-you to Babb and Laws for providing what I believe will be used as a workbook of knowledge in implementing services for children. I sincerely hope every family and professional that works with "special needs" children will take the time to read this wonderful, informative book. These children are our future...and Babb & Laws give us the much needed information to help them on their journey! Again, many thanks and blessings to the authors, Eileen W.!!!

Love is not all a child needs to make an adoption work, and the authors show us this truth in their vast personal and professional experience in adopting special needs children. Prospective adoptive parents of special needs children, both domestic and international, will greatly benefit from the important information and insights into critical emotional, educational and criminal issues dealt with in this wonderful book. I heartily recommend it to everyone.
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child is well written, interesting and knows its audience (written in layman's terms). This book should be given to all parents of foster children who are considering adoption.

This book should be required reading for everyone considering "Special Needs" adoption. I recommend the book be read before you start the process. It's a wealth of current information. This book is written so well that you will enjoy reading it.

If you are going to read only one book on adopting children with special needs let this be the one. With their vast personal and professional experience in adopting special needs children, Babb and Law clearly explain the most important information and most critical emotional issues which pre-adoptive parents need to consider. My husband and I have adopted three special needs children. This book helped us understand how to advocate for ourselves as we moved through the process of adoption, how to advocate for the children both before and after the adoption and how to address some of the many complex emotional issues faced by a family which chooses to care for and love special needs children. My hearfelt thanks go out to Rita Law and Anne Babb for this wonderful gift of book.

Brilliant, Insightful and a Must read for those touched by adoption. It is wonderful to read the different perspectives and beautiful stories. I highly recommend this book.

This compilation of essays - beginning with birth mothers, then adoptive mothers, and finally the adopted daughters - goes above and beyond the usual "magazine style" articles on the quirks or perils of the adoption process. I was incredibly pleased and impressed by the diversity of Wadia-Ells' collection. Lesbian women, multi-racial families, and a variety of socio-economic backgrounds all lend to this book a wealth of perspectives. The contributors are thoughtful, often in emotional pain, honest about their experiences, and each one is a talented writer.

The one thing that did emerge most clearly from this work was the overall tone that adoption was an incredibly painful thing for all parties involved. The more positive essays were from the adoptive moms - birth moms and adopted daughters were obviously struggling to make sense out of their experiences. I suspect that there are numerous people on all sides of the fence with incredibly positive adoption stories, but pain often prompts us to find an outlet and for many women, writing is the answer. I do not regret for a moment reading this wonderful collection, but at the same time I seriously wonder whether adoption is something I'm able to emotionally tackle after experiencing Wadia-Ells' book.

This is one of the few books written about adoption that has brought tears to my eyes with the emotional intensity shared by the writers in their stories from all perspectives of adoption. I would recommend this book to anyone touched by adoption, or who is considering entering into the world of adoption, whether through adoptive parenting, placement, counseling, or reunion.

This collection of stories written by adoptees, adoptive mothers and birthmothers gives the reader a visceral insight into the truths and heart aches of surrender, adoption and reunion. Being an adoptive mother myself and having met our wonderful birthmother many years later gives me personal insight into the adoption experience, but reading this book has greatly increased my understanding and empathy for all members of the adoption and birth families. I don't know how prospective adoptive parents will feel if they read this collection, whether it is too much to cope with and sort out for their personal decision. Ideally, knowledge is power, and the more a person knows about an important subject, the better.
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

PACT PRESS: "The Adoption Reader brings together thirty-two autobiographical writings of birth mothers, adoptive mothers, and adopted daughters. Readers are taken on a journey into a world of women's deepest challenges to identity - traveling from the isolated plains of separation to the fertile grounds of connection -- offering a beneath the surface look at the discovery, excavation and assimilation of inner experiences. This is a book about women connecting with many parts of themselves through the lens of adoption. The collection presents a case for redefining what joining and separating mean and discovering new sources of adoption pride."