Running Books

I LOVE my dashboard diva. I have had mine for about two years now, so she has faded a bit from the sun, so I am buying a new one. She dances great, even in a smooth riding car like mine. I do hope the new one comes with a microphone like my old one did.

An excellent conversation piece and the book that comes with her is a hoot! Guaranteed to bring a smile every time you get in your car!!!!

I've long been a fan of Roy Lewis' series of Eric Ward novels, and this one may be the best of a good bunch.

Eric Ward is a complex character - a former policeman who is now a solicitor (lawyer) in a North England town, he has suffered from an eye disease and is too independent to move in a crowd. As this book opens, he has been divorced for awhile from wealthy and well-connected Anne, and has turned his back on opportunities for a lucrative corporate and business practice. Ward prefers to serve a middle and working class clientele from his office in an unfashionable part of town. At a law association dinner he encounters Anne, who asks him to look in on farmer and old neighbor Paddy Fenton, who's in a bit of legal trouble.

Thus Ward gets involved in a fast-moving and complex set of events, including murder - which is finally untangled only on almost the final page of this exceedingly good crime novel.

Like many UK farmers, Paddy's been nearly wiped out by disease epidemics - or by the heavy-handed response of the government to those epidemics, take your pick. Approached to rent out his barn for a few days, Paddy took the money and asked few questions, because he was going to be away at the time. But the police had the place staked out, and arrested a small group of men producing "smokies" - illegally slaughtered, fire-seared whole sheep carcasses for which there is a big underground market in the UK in some immigrant communities, and which are a health hazard because they are not properly butchered. A policeman on the raid is badly injured by one of the fleeing criminals, who is then chased by a mixed bunch of characters through the rest of the story. Now Paddy's under pressure from the police who suspect he may know more than he's letting on, and they are after the bigger fish who are making millions off this underground meat industry.

Paddy loudly swears vengeance on the man to whom he let his barn - and then a disfigured body is discovered and identified as that very fleeing felon.

Lewis tosses into this plot an assortment of career criminals - high-ranking, low-crawling, up-and-coming, and more - and on the other side of things, a mixed lot of police officers, judges, and lawyers. Then he blends it all with the sure hand of a master crime writer and serves up some neatly turned surprises. The "good guys" aren't all as they seem, but Lewis didn't make it easy for me to sort them out before much truth was laid bare at the very end of the tale.

Simply put, Dead Man Running is one terrific read from cover to cover! Lawyer Eric Ward represents Paddy Fenton, a landowner who has tried to make a little money on the side by renting out his barn. The problem is that the renters are involved in the illegal business of making bush meat resulting in a police raid that goest completely sour. The result is Eric finds himself embroiled in a violent turf war. The plot is magnificently tangled, the charecters are memorably drawn, and the intrigue is page gripping down to the very last page!

This book is, without doubt, the best I've seen for directors in the child care field. I ordered it because I'm a JCCA subscriber, and it's even better than I expected.

A big plus is that it's very inviting. It's written in an extremely clear style, and the way it's organized draws you in and makes the material interesting and easy to read and absorb. Even complex ideas are presented in a clear way, and there's no fluff to waste your time.

I'd recommend this book to experienced directors like me as well as to anyone thinking of opening a preschool.

Great book!

I've been a director of a successful center for over 8 years. I found Director of Excellence to be exactly what I need. Instead of just stating information, it uses the experiences of real directors. It covers every area, and just the section on including children with special needs is more than worth the price of the book.

I couldn't recommend it more to anyone running, managing or working in a child care center!

ISBN 2894332513 (5 stars) - This is now the third Disney version of The Lion King that I've read, I thought I'd found the best of them in 0307127923. I stand corrected with this one. Although it's small, nearly pocket sized, and it's one of those "novelties", with a pillowed hardcover, this edition is better than the rest (so far!). For the sake of comparison I will, again, merge the reviews.

This third edition is, by far, the smoothest flowing storytelling I've found to date. Leaving out almost nothing, from the beginning to the end, it captures every important moment, running them fluidly together. This makes a much more complete and easy to follow - and enjoy! - story. Brimar's edition seems to be author-less, sadly, so it won't be possible for me to hunt down anything else from the writer - which is only one of two negatives I can find here. The other is that the text is a little small and the font not great.

The first edition I reviewed: ISBN 0717283534 (4 stars) - This is the Disney's Wonderful World of Reading edition of The Lion King. Because there are so many, and they vary so much, I think it's important not to confuse them. Some parents might be reluctant to introduce their child to the story because of the murder of Simba's father and the later killing of Scar. If that's a concern for you, this book might be best passed by for now.

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, even a step above Disney's usual standard excellence. The story is very slightly disjointed because it's condensed, but the high points are covered and those who have seen the movie will have no trouble following. On the other hand, those who haven't seen the movie might not even notice what's missing! Either way, a chance to read with your child should never be missed and a wonderful Disney tale is always worthwhile.

ISBN 0307127923 (5 stars) - This is the second version of Disney's The Lion King that I've read. All three tell the same story, but this one is a bit better. Hover's adaptation includes more detail and flows more smoothly. The illustrations by the team of Judy Barnes and Robbin Cuddy are very good and the mood of the moment is captured in fantastic colors.

Simba's birth is cause for celebration in the jungle - the future king is presented to one and all, and all show up. Except, that is, Scar. Scar is Simba's uncle, brother of King Mufasa and, until Simba's birth, next in line for the throne. Scar hatches several plans to get rid of Simba and reclaim his place, finally resorting to killing his brother and encouraging Simba to give in to his guilt and run away.

Befriended by Timon and Pumbaa, Simba grows to his full size. He misses his loved ones and, thanks to a chance encounter with his childhood friend Nala and the guidance of Rafiki, Simba returns home to take back his place as king.

- AnnaLovesBooks

This book tells the story of a strong relationship between a mighty lion ruler, Mufasa, and his son, Simba. When Mufasa is killed, Simba leaves the lion pride, thinking his father's death is all his fault. On his journey, Simba is befriended by a kind warthog and meerkat.Simba adopts their carefree motto "Hakuna Matata". The young lion prince grows up with his two new friends not willing to accept responsibility. One night, he sees his childhood friend, Nala, in the jungle. She tells him about lack of food and water at home, yet, he still refuses to return. That night, his father appears in the twilight, telling his son to return home, help the pride, and become king. Simba goes back home and puts everything back into place again. Then he assumes the throne, Pride Rock and chooses Nala for his queen. They soon have a cub of their own. The Circle of Life will continue!

Ariel is a mermaid that lives in the Atlantic Ocean with her Father King Triton. She always dreams of living on shore and having real human legs instead of fins. A sea gull names Scuttle she would go and visit and he would tell her about things humans use and give her some that he had grabbed thought out his day.
One day while she was swimming to shore she saw a large ship sailing and she tried to get as close as she could to see what was in side the ship. She had saw a man named Eric and fell instantly in love.
She came upon a sea witch named Ursula. Ursula granted her the wish she had always dreamed of legs. But in return Ariel had to give Ursula her voice. Ariel then was on land and saw Eric and he helped and talked to her. Ursula then changed her appearance and used Ariel's voice to capture Eric's love. Ariel, Sebastian, & Flouder have to swim to the boat were Eric & Ursula will be getting married in a matter of minute. Will Ariel and her friends make it in time to end the wedding?
The lesson that this story teaches is you shouldn't have to changer your appearance or anything about you for someone to love you like you love him or her. They will or should love you for who you are not what you want to be.
Age Level for this book its about 4 and up. Disney's The Little Mermaid is a very good book and children will love to read and hear about the many adventures and struggles Ariel gets into.

Storywise, this is probably the best of all the printed retellings of the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid." It's concise, explains the characters' feelings with a depth other "children's books" rarely do, and sticks very closely to the movie's storyline. It's also a very well-constructed book, sturdy despite its small size. Excellent stocking stuffer and actually a delight to read. Very high print quality; the reproduction of the movie artwork is superb

I first came across a Sara Fanelli book at the library in which I work and was immediately captivated. Her artwork--a combination of collage, drawing & painting--has the color and spontaneity of children's art, but the choice and handling of materials is very much that of a "mature" artist.

The Doggy Book has the added bonus of fold-outs in the front and back which transform the book into a doggy (Bubu?). Complete with tied-on "bone" bookmark--great fun!

I'm a fan of children's picture books anyway--some of the best examples of contemporary art are to be found inside them, and Sara Fanelli is one of the best and most original!

Check out her other titles, too.

i ENJOYED THIS CLEVER LITTLE BOOK THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO BE A DOG OR AT THE VERY LEAST OWN ONE.

Doggy is a fantastic find!!!!It is so clever and full of life, and it is great for all ages!!! I am buying a number of copies to give to children for my dog's Fifth Birthday in August! It is the perfect party favor!! Ms. Fanelli must adore dogs as much as I do!!!!!

If you are interested in building a geodesic dome house, dome greenhouse, dome tent or just your own personal space this book is loaded with inspiration. Lots of useful information, photos and peoples experiences with the dome. There is a dome manufacturers listing but being a dated book, many are not in business anymore. Not much in the way of helpful geodesic math but something for the dome enthusiast to enjoy. The original Domebuilders Handbook had more in the way of math (chord factors, angles etc.) Visually I really enjoyed the book.

This is an excellent dome builder's book that portrays the evolution of the dome from ancient times right through contemporary industrial and commercial structure and further through its use as a custom built or prefabricated home design. It contains beautiful color prints of real people's dome homes. There are also many design and building approaches outlined to help the reader get a feel for what it would be like to really build and live in one of these beautiful structures. Very interesting, and a good "read," from the ancients to Bucky Fuller.

I was looking for an illustration book with different techniques and stumbled onto this one. It's got great color photos and good explaination on how to use the mediums. It's very inspirational. I can't wait to explore more.

* A fully illustrated, step-by-step guide to more than 50 illustration techniques, from watercolors and pen-and-ink to collage and wood engraving

* Offers professional guidance on all aspects of illustration, from mastering basic techniques to developing an eye-catching personal style

* Provides information on getting the best reproduction results for your illustrations and tips on time-saving methods

* INCLUDES A GALLERY OF MORE THAN 70 FINISHED WORKS FROM LEADING CONTEMPORARY ILLUSTRATORS
[from the back of the jacket]

Very good general information. Currently using it to teach a 12-year-old to sew. Gives lots of appropriate basic information for the novice sewer. Quality illustrations.

I am learning sewing and this book is a huge help. I have other books that talk about fabrics threads, machines etc but this book is all about techniques and how to. It does not have projects. But will certainly be a help with other books and their projects. This book should be in the shelf. Very helpful.

Hill and Wallace have scoured hundreds of years of Western literature, from Aretino and Boccacio to Nin and Miller, carefully gleaning the spicy bits for this collection. And what a collection! The editors' commentary alternates with extracts from the erotic literature, helping to set the historical and cultural context for the exciting passages presented here.

It's not just an anthology of the good parts, though. Paintings, prints, and drawings decorate nearly every page. I liked seeing that the visual arts cover more of the human experience, including Japanese shunga and other samples from China and India. Scraps of poetry also adorn the side-bars of many pages, giving a varied look and reading experience to each page.

Bibilographic attribution lets interested readers find more by favored authors. Unfortunately, readers are on their own in hunting down more imagery by any of the artists shown here. Although enjoyable, the pictures vary in quality, sometimes appear in such small format that they become hard to read, and under-represent recent artists and photographers. Still, they cover a wide range of styles and practices, and complement the text quite well.

The editors intentionally omit non-consensual practices, a decision that I applaud and that might broaden the appeal of this book. Given this delightful introduction, I'm looking forward to the later volumes by these same editors.

-- wiredweird

I highly recommend "Erotica - Illustrated Anthology"; the book is filled with beautiful, sexy and sensual art and literature. Great to get for yourself, or as a sexy gift for the one you love....