Miniature Books

This book truly is a "miniature edition." It could serve as a coaster - BUT if you ever decide to use it as one, make sure you read the inside from cover to cover. The contents are hillarious. You could read this entire book from the time you start a load of laundry and finish it before the timer to the dryer goes off ... AND ... it would be one of the most enjoyable loads of laundry you'll ever remember doing. I ordered three of these books - one for myself, and one for each of my sister's (best friends)! Great gift idea for the girls!

The read was cute. I got a few chuckles out of the book. But when ordering I didnt notice that it was a miniature and was so very disappointed in that fact. Whether it was an over sight on my part or misleading by Amazon, I'm not sure. So as far as that is concerned, only a mid rating.
I did enjoy the mini enough to order the "REAL" book and have started reading and enjoying that.

I have been meaning to read this book for years, because it sounded so funny. When I finally ordered a copy, I was a bit let down.
I expected a funny take on being a southern woman, with a lot of teasing about being an improper southern belle ("fallen").
What I found was a lot of cliches and stereotyping---not of the female southerner, but more sitcom-style. The author relies heavily on traits that we females supposedly tend toward, but I don't find most of them to be true. I also don't see the behavior of the Queens as very funny--mostly snarky to their aquaintances, rude to outsiders, condescending to men, and uncreative. I also don't get the heavy reliance on sexual jokes and innuendo. My friends and I don't talk like that, yet we are not prudes.
It would be funny if the author didn't appear to belive in her own dogma, but she says she does, so I guess I'll have to take her at her word. No matter, I've got this one up for swap and won't finish it.

Fun take on life from a woman's perspective, great recipes and the straight skinny on how to get men to behave. If you haven't read the Sweet Potato Queens you are missing out on a good time and some great advice on men and life in general.

Jill, if you read your own reviews and I hope you do: this is for you.
First, the world in general is right: you are hilarious You have a gift, sister. And I would have given you five stars just for that. But honestly Jill, you know darn well that when humor becomes degrading it is not really humor at all.
There are a lot of us out here who may be "young and hip", but we're not stupid. Your mother and her friends were right: private bedroom experiences (whether right or wrong) do not need to be publicly hashed over and laughed at.
Apparently this sort of thing used to be referred to as "trash". Now it's "what's for dinner"-everywhere...
You seem to have a whole lot more to offer. Skip the trash, keep the hilarity. God gave you your gift for a reason. Use it with intelligence and you can change the world-for good.

I decided it was time to take off the baby weight and had tried other things with no success. This was my last effort and BOY DID IT WORK!!! At first it was way different than every diet I had tried but after a couple of weeks not only did I feel great I was beginning to see a difference. Then all of a sudden the weight came off! I lost 25lbs in less than 4 months. I HIGHLY recommend this book to EVERYONE! To help myself in the beginning I made myself 'cheat' cards, a list of what is a 'protein', what are the 'funky' foods, etc. It helped a great deal. JUST DO THIS! IT IS SOOOO EASY!

Great book for lifestyle dieting. I can live comfortably with Suzane's approach to eating.

Follow Susan's plan and you are guaranteed to loose, or should I say win the battle against fat.

Enjoyed the writings, found the advice useful and the recipes were good. I believe you need to find what works for you-maybe combining the right foods as suggested here will work. I have a family so found this difficult. If it was just me, I would be more succesful.

This is basically the "Fit for Life Diet" which is based on the idea that you shouldn't mix some foods at a meal. It works for some people. I've lost weight on this program but really, you are just cutting WAY WAY back on calories, so, that's the bottom line. If we all stopped snacking on GARBAGE and excerised, we'd lose weight! Why I really hated this book is because it is ALL ABOUT SUZANNE! There are pictures of her in her gorgeous home with her gorgeous friends and her gorgeous skinniness...gag me. If you want a Suzanne Sommers "Why I'm wonderful and how I keep my Figure" book, go for this one. But don't pay full price. Buy it for one cent.

CENTENNIAL EDITION LITTLE WOMEN OR MEG, JO, BETH, AND AMY A wonderful book I remember from my childhood and plan to read again. The illustrations by Jessie Smith are outstanding. Also, the story is set in a period of our history which is so fascinating.

I have loved this book ever since I was in grade school! I bought this copy because I wanted a nice, hardbound version and I liked the illustrations.

The words are so crowded. So I won't suggest this one.

I bought this book as a gift to impress the receiver. To my shock, the receiver told me the book was very nice indeed but it contained only the first half of the book. I did not see anywhere where we are told about this being only half of the book unless you include the Library Journal description.

This is a classic we wanted our grand daughter to read. The illustrations are professional and wonderful

The tale of a picky eater this goofy book has a sing song-y sound, bright art and an a sense of over the top that kids love.

I love the book Green Eggs and Ham. I bought the BOARD BOOK for my 2 year old to enjoy. With all of the flaps it was not sturdy enough and within 24 hours the book was ripped to shreads from opening and closing the flaps. He loved the book. I don't think he was exceptionally rough. Due to his lack of fine motor skills he worked the flaps and caused the rips. We have no other board books that were ripped to shreds from normal use. Board books are for toddlers not preschoolers that have a concept of books.

We all know this book, no need for me to re-iterate the plot.

What makes it work, though, is that Dr. Seuss understood the importance of breaking the rules - something many of his imitators never grasp. He didn't stick to a rhyme scheme or a meter all the time, he varied it and dropped it when needed. That makes his books readable instead of mind-numbing - even when you're reading them for the 1000th time straight :)

As a mom of a 24 and an 8 year old (I know . . . big surprise) I am firmly of the opinion that Dr. Seuss is the greatest American philosopher! In this book he urges us to try things that we may be afraid of or even repelled by. Many folks think this book applies only to food but I think he is urging us to be more brave in all avenues of life. We need to listen to those around us urging us expand our horizons. I believe that if we go for it and 'take a bite of the egg and ham' then we too will say "Thank you, thank you Sam-I-am."

I forgot how much I loved this book until I began reading it for my 3-year-old. She loves it, and I love reading it to her (unlike the ELMO books which our daughter loves and I dread). You really can't go wrong with Dr. Seuss. The illustrations are imaginative and the writing is really a work of genius in children's literature. I can't recommend this highly enough.

I purchased this book about a year ago and it still cracks me up on a near daily basis. If you want something that you can pick up, glance at for a few minutes, and have a laugh (while also having the sense of accomplishment for having read something), this book is for you. "Real News" is so serious and disheartening these days. The Onion News, however, just feels warm and cuddly.

there was a wad of chewed gum stuck to the top of the pages, and the book as a whole was shrink wrapped. I am still disgusted.

It sounds so incredibly good that you don't know sometimes if what they are saying is true or false. You really need a strong background in the subject on some of the information to get it.

I've read several of The Onion's books, and this one stands out as the funniest. A few of my favorite headlines: "Kennedy Slain by CIA, Mafia, Castro, LBJ, Teamsters, Freemasons,"; "Stalin Announces Five-Year 'Everybody Dies' Plan"; and "World's Largest Metaphor Hits Ice-Berg". Hopefully we can all learn something from The Onion's version of history, or we'll be condemned to repeat it!

Smaller than a 3X5 card, it has a big book price. Hardbound, it'll last a while. History of the last 100 years. Cute gift idea. Decent read. Nothing extra special about it. Kind of gimmicky.

This is, of course, the classic beginning reader by Dr. Seuss.

What can I say about it that has not already been said? Honestly, I can't think of a thing. Just that it is a classic, and has taught many children how to read, and is a fun read-aloud to younger kids as well.

In my opinion, this is, besides being the most well-known concept of Dr. Seuss, one of the best things he has written save "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Tis the season of Seuss right now, and as I read this book to my class I was once again enchanted by the sheer awesomeness of this story. The writing has an awesome beat and flow and the pictures are hilarious! Who can not love the banter between Cat and Fish with their surprisingly detailed personalities? Great book for a rainy day.

Times have changed. Little kids left home alone and shouldn't they have been told by their parents not to let anyone in?

This is the book that must of led to a lot of wild house parties and may have spawned many party while your parents are away flicks (Risky Business, etc).

A good fun read with a lilting cadence!

The Cat in the Hat
By Dr. Seuss

The Cat In the Hat was my first book. I remember reading it to my mom in the kitchen while she cooked dinner.

Any child who has to sit, sit, sit on a rainy day, would enjoy a visit from the cat in the hat. He made a game of balancing on a ball, adding items one by one, until the whole thing was overturned and the cat fell on his head.

The cat brought in a box with Thing one and Thing two, while the fish in a pot warned about the mess, and what their mother would do.

Your children's book collection would not be complete without a copy of The Cat In A Hat.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood, author
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

This silly story centers around self-responsibility. The children panic because they know their mother won't be happy if she comes home and find the house a mess. The fish fluctuates between being an annoyance and a voice of reason.

The story stars a well-meaning cat who tries to release the children from an afternoon of boredom. He brings excitement, which quickly devolves into chaos...or so it seems.

This is a fun bedtime story, nothing more, nothing less. My sons weren't looking for a debate about latch-key children and abandonment. We'll leave those reviews to the sociology graduates.

If your children enjoy this book, I also recommend, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.

I couldn't imagine our children's bookshelf without these Dr. Suess books, too:

The Cat in the Hat
Green Eggs and Ham
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Lorax

Amateur investors have "numerous built-in advantages, which, if exploited, should result in outperforming the market and the experts."

Peter Lynch, America's number-one money manager of Fidelity's multibillion-dollar Magellan Fund, shows the layperson how to use what they already know to outperform the "experts" and to create investments on businesses that really matter.

Peter Lynch wrote a classic with One Up on Wall Street. Peter Lynch was lead investment manager of the Magellan Fund, which is arguably the most successful large $ mutual fund in the US. He no longer manages the fund but in his book he lets us in on some of his secrets of choosing stocks.

His approach is rather simple. Buy stock in something that you know. As a consumer and a personal investor we have the ability to know products before anyone on the street knows about them. For example he got in on the stock Yum Brands because he bought a Taco Bell burrito years ago when it first came out. He believed that their set up and approach would work and so he put some money into the company.

His suggestions like listening to things Oprah likes are great simple tips that a typical investor may not even realize we have more information on than wall street on a daily basis. His book is a read for all investor types from beginner to advanced. Enjoy!

I struggled with the 1st 74 pages or so, but after that this book is excellent. There is a section he titles Kicking the Tires, in short he goes over how to evaluate a company and to stay away from the 1-2 year fly away companies. I remember when everyone was selling Apple back in the day, Peter did the opposite and started gobbling up shares. As he somewhat states, the wheels on Apple were still good.

I was going to do some online trading and bought this book too learn more about selecting stocks. Mr. Lynchs' statement that he considered himself successful if 6 out 10 stocks he selected increased in value changed my mind. I want to thank him for waking me up. I will stick to index funds and wish all the online traders the best of luck.

I thought this book was an abreviated version of the full book, however this book is actually a miniture ~2inch micro-pocket version of the full book. Text is full size, thus it only contains a very few high-level comments. I was hoping for a boiled-down version, but got mini-me.

Many people consider James Allen as the founder of the personal development industry and many teachers credit this book for providing the foundation to their teachings. This small, yet impactful book was of significant influence to me as I began my path of self-cultivation. I quote from As a Man Thinketh a number of times in my workshops and in my book and audio book, Managing Thought: How Do Your Thoughts Rule Your World? I am so thankful for James Allen who, through this timeless work, has helped so many people to understand and take responsibility for their thoughts.

This book is basically "The Secret" except written about 100 years beforehand (and a whole lot shorter!). Every sentence packs a punch. There are no frivolous words wasted in this short book. All the great modern motivational speakers have taken the advice from this book and simply reworded it. Just goes to show you that the same advice has been floating around for ages. It's up to you to do something about it!

The main message reverberated throughout the book:

"You and your circumstances are a product of your thoughts."

James Allen was one of our great thinkers. He understood what everyone is now calling "The Law of Attraction."
I can't say that he was ahead of his time, but that he gave time to understand, what has always been true, which is "The Way of The World," the way things develop from a thought to an actuality.
How he came up with his understanding of the world is unknown, but I suspect it was a higher power.
If you are interested in the grass roots of any of the books that have been written lately about obtaining the things that you want in your life, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, The Teaching's of Abraham by Jerry and Esters Hicks or The Secret Daydream (A guide to Your Child's future) and The Secret Daydream for College Students (The Guide to Surviving Conflict) by Charisse Rudolph, You will love the thinking that you will do when you read "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen.

This book is so helpful to give your thinking to the best way of enjoying life.
It is simple reading with out big words.

This book is amazing! It's short but powerful and since I got it, I read it every morning before school or work. It is a constant reminder to continue to maintain positive thoughts and weed out all of the negativity that impairs my performance at school, work and home.
Hightly Recommend it!

This is one of the best performances of A Christmas Carol I've ever heard....highly recommended.

Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, forever old as well as new, arrived in a timely manner and in factory new condition. Thank you. I give you a five star rating.
Earl Woodham

Cute book to add to my table of Christmas Stories. Will make a cute addition this Christmas.

I ordered 30 copies of this Dover Thrift Edition of A Christmas Carol and used them as stocking stuffers at work.

This is a great item for the price, lower than some greeting cards, and I suspect appreciated a tad more than the usual overflow of candy around at holiday time!

Everyone has their favorite version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Make this dramatic retelling yours. At about 2 hours, its perfect for listening in the car while running around during the holidays or on your MP3 player while putting up Christmas lights. I plan on listening to it every year from now on. Patrick Stewart gives voice to every character, including the narration, and gives the kind of performance which I have come to expect from an actor of his immense talents.

The sequel to the wonderful Hitchhiker's Guide is just as (if not more so) humorously, brilliantly written and imaginative than its predecessor. It's the kind of book that you don't read lightly, you read savoring as the pages fly by. In this installment, our travelers eventually find themselves eating at a restaurant perpetually circling the end of all existence. Zaphod learns he's supposed to find the man who runs the universe (which he eventually does). Arthur even finds himself home, back on Earth, but two million years in the past. Really, brilliantly clever, fantastic book. Grade: A+

A quick, fun read which left an indelible impression on my mind's eye. I think about the Restaurant itself frequently and hope I can visit it at some point in the future.

Intolerably funny. But if you thought you could get away with Douglas Adams without thinking about the Big Questions in life, no such luck! While putting mortality 2 million years out is a great way to soften the blow, the question is still, "OK, you got a life for a little while, whatta ya gonna do about it?"

After enjoying both the book and the movie, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I decided that I absolutely, positively and at all costs read the other books in Douglas Adams hilarious trilogy in five parts.
When we left Zaphod, Ford, Trillian, Arthur, and Marvin, they were on their way for a meal at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Now, the five are being attacked by Vogons trying to finish the extermination of the human race (due to orders given them). The five escape, but end up separated. Zaphod lands near the office of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and suddenly begins to remember things that he had buried before becoming president--the steps to who rules the universe and who may be able to provide the Ultimate Question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Good:
Douglas Adams' sense of humor is what really shines in this book. He is adept at creating comical situations, playing on stereotypes and providing a humorous outlet. For example, he satirizes middle-men (i.e. hairdressers, management, etc.) when the middle-men of a certain culture are tricked to leave their planet, leaving behind all the smart people and all the people who do the work the smart people demand.
Furthermore, Douglas Adams bucks the system of creating admirable heroes and heroines. Zaphod is a selfish moron, more interested in being well-fed than other lives (and who doesn't think twice about stealing); Ford is (generally) a spineless hitchhiker. Arthur desires only to have a nice cup of tea, and Trillian doesn't necessarily stick her neck out for anyone else (although she was not very prominent in the book so it would be hard to say).
The story is smart and interesting, with twists and turns that no one would expect. Also, Adams intertwines science in it at appropriate places to make it sound convincing while refusing to let it bog down his story. I enjoyed how it was easy to read and quick as well.

Bad:
The story at times seems to exist mainly to show outrageous situations and make satirical remarks about society. I haven't read the whole series, so I can't quite say if these events make a difference later on, but going from being attacked to talking to a dead man to being transported to a distant planet to being carried from that planet in a building to another planet just makes me want to take a break and nap (and this is only less than halfway through the book!).
Sometimes I felt that the book went by too quickly and ended too abruptly. I won't completely blame the book as several sequels have this element (Empire Strikes Back comes instantly to mind). Also, Trillian and Marvin do not play as much of a role in this one.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Primarily British invectives, like "bloody".
Girlfriends are mentioned along with Zaphod's desire to be on the beach with 50 beautiful women.
People die during a planet crash. Officers carry guns. Other than that, the violence is rather minimal.

Overall:
There is so much to like about this book that it almost totally eclipses what may be considered "bad". Douglas Adams' writing style is so clean and so hysterically funny that I can easily forgive the rather outrageous plot and the brisk pace. Definitely, if you liked Hitchhiker's, you will enjoy Restaurant.

This, the second book in the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy science fiction comedy series, continues the humerous story in the same fast passed tempo as the first one.

We are thrown right into a drama where a Vogon spaceship is trying to blow up the heart of gold, the fabulous space ship that Zaphod stoled during his time as president of the galaxy. As it turns out Zaphod had locked up parts of his brain prior to becoming president and a good deal of this book deals with him trying to recover this hidden memory. At one point Zaphod even getts caught up in a spaceship that has been delayed for departure, due to missing paper napkins, for 400 years. After many twists and turns we end up at the restaurant at the end of the universe. With the ever unlucky Marvin, due to a mishap in time travel, having to actually wait until the end of the universe (several million years) for the others to turn up.

At the restaurant, they steal a funky black spaceship which, as it later turns out, is destined to crash into a Sun during a interstellar rock concert. They eventually rescue them self by using a malfunctioned teleport, which unfortunately hurls everyone uncontrollably through out space. Zaphod and Trillian eventually ends up at the real president of the universe, meanwhile Ford and Artur are stranded in a space ship filled with management consultants, hairdressers and telephone sanitizers. Eventually they crashes on prehistoric earth, where its original inhabitants quickly goes extinct, but alas the crew of the spaceship survives and quickly call earth their new home.

As in the first book you find yourself laughing out loud at least once on every page. The humor is intelligent, subtle and extremely bizarre - eventually you end up racing through it, just to get to the next kick and yet it is still a well composed book containing a great story. In short a highly recommended page turner.