Vacations Books

This is the perfect summer 'fling'.
It's a mixture of summer romance, drama , fun and parties. Add to the mix some cute guys and girls living in the same summer share and there's bound to be some stuff happening.
Just a heads up, there is some drug use and alcohol comsumption.
If you like books like the Gossip Girl series, then you'll like this book.

If you're very image-oriented, you won't like this. But to read it is absolute fun. I should have chosen something with less text and more images as a gift for my young nephews, but now their Dad is reading it for them and they're enjoying it very much. That Nicolas is something!

Now in a newly revised and updated edition, Live & Work In Italy is a sensible guide for anyone considering a change of residence to the great and historic nation of Italy. Chapters are divided into two main sections: "Living in Italy" and "Working in Italy". Living in Italy presents the nuts and bolts of how to secure a residence permit, find a place to live, choose the right school and bank account, learn Italian quickly, and more; while Working In Italy covers such topics as how to submit the correct documents when applying for a job, the skills and trades most in demand in Italy, trade unions and contract rules, how to start or buy one's own business, and much more. A straightforward, easy-to-follow guide that will give the reader a perfect picture of what living and working conditions in Italy are like, and how to seamlessly make the transition to life and labor in Italian society, recommended for anyone considering an extended stay or permanent move

I have bought a number of books on living in Portugal etc and this is one of my favourites. Why? Because it has helped me. The best chapters are the advice on residence and entry resolutions, the setting up home in Portugal, employment and starting a business. In all these chapters I have found a lot of useful information some of which I have already used with good success. A good book I am happy to recommed.

This is the most popular japanese drama's piano scores that I haven't seen. Inside this book features piano scores for six of most memorable songs from the particular drama. Including the most I love "Close to you-- Sena no 1 and no 2". I recommend those who like the japanese song and have interested in piano performance, you can choose to have this book for you.

Carla Golembe has written a Picture Book about the state of Maryland, and her illustrations make it even more beautiful. This book would be a perfect teaching resource, or an entertaining read. I am very impressed with "M is for Maryland" and look forward to the next book she publishes!

My 7-year old son read all four the first day we got them. I asked him if he thought they were good and he said "They're better then good; they're
AWESOME!" ... nuff said! :)

What a great idea! Every travel guide has its own angle, and "Making Memories" has a very engaging approach. Like most guidebooks, you get lots of details about Walt Disney World -- What makes this book different is that the information is shared through the stories of WDW guests. The author and her able assistants do more than share their own opinions and impressions. They give a broad view of Disney World by allowing other WDW guests and travel veterans to share their experiences. This makes for very enjoyable reading. It's the kind of book that will entertain you even after you return from your vacation to Disney World.

I am a elementary school librarian, and I just finished this book. It is perfect summer reading for ages 5th through 8th and above. It has all the elements kids are looking for in a book starting with humor. The main character, Justin, has just the right voice to carry the book off as he takes a job as a nanny but being a guy he is a "manny." Romance that isn't cheeseball, dialogue that is realistic, situations that seem all too real and an ending that works just as it should. A winner all the way around.

Sometimes a new children's book author/illustrator feels like a given. Well OF COURSE Suzy Becker has written a picture book. Sure, her only books until now have been "All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat" and a humorous retelling of her own battle with cancer. But pick up, "Manny's Cows: The Niagara Falls Tale" and it feels like you've slipped into a comfortable pair of silly cow-related shoes. Becker is an ideal children's book illustrator. Her books are incredibly amusing, brilliantly penned, and now they've been oh-so-slightly tweaked to fit the picture book format. I don't know why it took Becker this long to bring us a book as wonderful as "Manny's Cows" and I don't care. What matters is that the book exists now. And it's wonderful.

You know what day Manny hates more than any other? The last day of school. "They should just cancel it", he grumbles. You see on the last day of school his teacher always asks the kids what they're going to do over their summer vacation. His answer? "Well, you can `t exactly go on vacation when you have five hundred cows". But when his teacher jokingly suggests he take the cows with him this year, Manny hits upon a plan. At first the cows are a little reluctant but once Manny's packed them into ten buses, they get into the swing of things. After the usual rest stops and ill-fated sing-a-longs the crew arrive at Niagara Falls. Unfortunately, one of the 500 cows is missing, so while the others go on a tour, Manny sets out to locate the missing bovine. She is, of course, parked in the bus enjoying the tiny television sets there. Unfortunately, this means that the remaining 499 cows have been raiding the gift store and Manny hasn't the pocket money to cover their purchases. It will require some ingenuity on the part of Buttercup and Bossy to find a way to cover their debts and arrive at home in style.

It's fun to keep track of the exact moment a book wins you over. For me, it was Page 2. While Manny explains to his class that cows require constant attention the page shows four different scenes. One is "My summer vacation", another, "My fall vacation", another, "My winter vacation", and finally, "My spring vacation". In each shot we see Manny milking a cow in the exact same position as the seasons change around him. And then there's the factual cow information sprinkled about the book. We learn that a cow must be milked two times a day and, in the course, of that milking, produces ten gallons of milk. Cows spend fourteen hours chewing and eat 100 pounds of food a day. These facts pop up at moments appropriate to the plot. So not only do you have an amusing book on your hands but you've also a (gasp, faint) learning experience to boot. Cow facts. Gotta love `em.

But wait. It gets better. It doesn't hurt in the least that Suzy Becker knows exactly how far to milk (ho ho) a joke. All the cows have very cow-like names, like Bossy, Clover, Flossie, Buttercup, etc. As you read the book through you also begin to get a sense of their personalities. Goldie (so called for the ring in her nose) loves the little TVs on the bus. Bossy has the cowbell around her neck and is in charge (insofar as that goes). Personally, my favorite moment was when the cows decide to sing, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm". They're pretty good at the cow part but when they get to the pigs they still say, "With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there". Manny tries to inform them that pigs say "oink", sheep say "baah", and roosters say, "cock-a-doodle-doo". This proves to be too much for the cows. They collapse in hysterics. You have a full page shot of them yucking it up and calling to one another, "Bahkee Doody Doo!" or "Oinky Doodles to you!". Even by the end of the book, when they're riding home in their sweet cow-spotted rides, you can still hear them chortle, "Bahkeedoinkledoo!" to themselves. I loved that.

Summing up time. Let's see... you have wonderfully detailed pictures with amusing characters and a fabulous plot. Humor in abundance. A great premise AND factual information on the side. Yes sir, I dunno how you could pass this puppy up and I don't want to know. The next time some well-meaning parent or teacher comes up to me wanting non-fiction books on cows, I'll get them the information they want. But you can betcher bottom dollar I'll be sneaking in a little, "Manny's Cows" on the side. The best of the bovine, bar none.