A Books

Great how-to book. Good explanations, step-by-step instructions, background information and technical guidance. Clearly written in a light mood. Includes recipes, visuals and troubleshooting section. Everything you need to brew right.

This book was just what I needed to help me understand my fanatic friend who can't stop talking about brewing...although I have to admit, the beer is very good!
It is just what I needed to get me started.

I love this book. It manages to be one of the best basic (in this case inclusive of both extract as well as main-line all-grain techniques) brewing books while still touching on a number of advanced subjects. Like another reviewer, I also like Dave Miller's book (Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great-Tasting Beer) and regard Palmer's and Miller's books as very complementary and both essential reading for all-grain brewers. I read both again last weekend and value both for different reasons. I also highly recommend the Fixes' book (An Analysis of Brewing Techniques) for its topical coverage. Narrow (few topics), but very detailed and informative.

This is an updated version of Palmer's book. I have the earlier version but recently leafed through the new version and intend to buy it. It has updated and more complete information on a number of topics, notably batch sparging, that make it worthwhile buying the newer edition.

I have made two batches since I bought this book, and they have both come out excellent. I have the "homebrew bible" and while it is a good book, How to Brew just explained things in a way that made me relax about the beer I was brewing. It explains in a more consice way when TO worry about sanitation, and when NOT TO. Overall this is an excellent purchase!

I have to say this is the best book for anyone interested in brewing. Great for the novice and more advanced home brewer.

Readers who have been have read Stanek's first installment in the Ruin Mist Chronicles will not be disappointed. The story picks up where Keeper Martin's Tale left off, at the end of the battle at Quashan' and the sacking of Alderan. Vilmos is now called a mage in training, one of the first human magus in a millenia in a time when magical beings and creatures are hunted and killed. Vilmos has a big challenge ahead and his life is changed forever. After he leaves Quashan' with Prince Valam's promise a safekeeping, he and Xith go north to the Mouth of the World. In the meantime, Adrina and Emel have gone their seperate ways. Adrina goes to Klaive to see her betrothed. Emel must return to Imtal. In parallel story lines and groups of alternating chapters, Adrina and Emel work to help the elves, each in their own way. Stanek's lush writing and attention to detail make this epic flow effortlessly. He leaves readers wanting more and thankfully Fields of Honor and Mark of the Dragon are already completed.

This book is full of action and adventure as Vilmos continues his journey. Before you read this book I would recommend reading the first book called 'Keeper Martin's Tale' which I would give five stars to. In this book it tells a story about a couple people. The first being Vilmos, a young teen cursed by magic, Adrina, a teen who is a princess, and Seth a long lived elf. You will read about how Vilmos learns new skills, the hard ships he goes through, if he will ever meet Adrina and Seth again, and all of the battles he goes through. Not every chapter in this book has action but it keeps the reader's attention going with new twists and turns. It's also a great read.

This is a fantastic follow up to Keeper Martin's Tale - a true joy to read full of mystery and intrigue and action and adventure. Like many readers, I found this to be even better than the first one. The series continues to be entertaining and interesting and has become one of my favorite ongoing fantasy series.

What makes it different from other fantasy series is that fantasy world is as much a character as the characters themselves. Stanek moves between three to five different characters, so its like your in their head seeing through their eyes. So you can be immediately whisked across the land into another battle, another intrigue, another personal struggle at the turn of a page. Often instead of getting just one pov you get two or three different povs and it just makes it all the better.

Stanek isn't afraid to kill of his characters, even some of the most beloved ones get the ax. I like that but it can be difficult to read when your favorite characters is killed off.

It's going to be interesting, that's for sure, to read what happens next. And the best thing there's two more to enjoy: Fields of Honor and Mark of the Dragon.

Keeper Martin's Tale is one of my favorite books, and this was even better. A good read and recommended to anyone who likes fantasy.

This is the second book in the Ruin Mist Chronicles (RMC) series (after Keeper Martin's Tale). Although I truly enjoyed the first one, this is BETTER than the first one. Stanek is really finding his legs with the series. Stanek is a great writer who builds an incredible world with a compelling history. His characters are also incredible.

After the defining battle at Quashan', the heroes find themselves going in separate directions. Vilmos continues his training with Xith and they move on to the Mouth of the World and points beyond. Adrina and Emel return separately to Imtal from the south. Adrina travels from Klaive. Emel and his father return with the elves. What this effectively means in terms of atmosphere is that we have a much clearer feeling that this book has a definite goal in mind and is heading towards that goal with a lot of purpose and a fair bit of pace. With most of the character and world introductions out of the way, Stanek devotes this book to developing the story and characters further, particularly Adrina, Emel, and the elves. Xith remains somewhat of an enigma but what is here is more than satisfying enough. Here, many of the lesser characters and sub-plots begin to connect with the core, in particular Emel and Myral, cameo players in Martin's Tale, become major characters and Stanek doesn't waste too much time achieving that either. By far the most important developments though are the revelations related to Vilmos and the elves.

As with Martin's Tale, Stanek mixes cultures, religions, institutions and languages with exceptional skill. This is excellent world building, applied with a dark, powerful touch that should convince fans of Berg, Brooks, Eddings, Feist, and others to become Stanek fans, too. What I love most about Ruin Mist Chronicles is that it is always tightly plotted. I don't think it gets more tightly plotted than this installment. Kingdom Alliance is a great book, but be warned: this is a continuing story. The story has an ending but not a complete resolution of all the threads as this book is part of a larger series. A great read, great fantasy.

This book had me reading to all hours of the night! I could not put this down! This is Crystal Lacy Winslow's best! I borrowed this from a friend, and read it in a day and half! The characters were well developed and very exciting! I had to order a copy for myself because this is a keeper. I know I will want read this again!

This was the best book I've read this year. Crystal Lacey Winslow is my favorite female author. I love all her books. They have excitement, sexual explictation, and be page-turners.

Lacey is the female everyone loves to hate. Conceited, money-hungry, and expensive. She is beautiful and had a body to die for but has many personal issues. She deals with "wealthy" and "prominent" men - will her secrets be revealed?

Joshua is married to Parker and their relationship is going down-hill.

Madison had self-esteem problems that she thinks will be repaired with a man.

Theses friend secrets will soon come out. Sit back and enjoy this ride - it will be bumpey!

Life, Love & Loneliness
Crystal Lacey Winslow
Melodrama Publishing
PPP

Lyric Devaney's acting career is on the verge of stardom. Amid turmoil with her past and present lovers, Lyric is making things happen. However, when her life takes a suprising turn, she decides to change her haughty, man-eating ways and change her life to one that includes helping, not using others.

The story of Life, Love & Loneliness is told from the point of view of six characters. At several points in the novel, each individual story seems disconnected from the others. Too many point of views confuse the plot and add uneccesary details. Aside from this, Madison Michael's story is by far the most interesting, possibly more so than Lyric Devaney's.

Life, Love & Loneliness is a dramatic, over-the-top tail with plenty of suprises to keep readers wondering what's going to happen next.

I stumbled on this book and ordered it, simply because it was in my list of recommendations. I am not familiar with this author at all, but I will tell you one thing. I want to get familiar, starting with the order for her other books that I just placed minutes before typing my 2nd rating (the first one was "Project Chick") I just finished reading this book at 2:07 in the a.m, and this book was to die for. Not hard to follow along, nice and long, it took me 2 days between working 2 jobs, baby shower, and birthday party to complete this!! This book simply put was off the chain!! It was soap opera-like, but not too many characters, it gave you something on everyone in the book. It was a total shock. Lyric and Lacey being identical twins, Madison not fully recuperating after the con-man Maurice stint with her, Lyric's murderer being the mayor's wife, Monique not being pregnant by Josh (the white attorney married to Parker a black woman), but by a married judge with children, just something on every page, you can't hardly put the dang on book down. The 3rd book I will ever refer besides The Coldest Winter Ever, and Project Chick.

What can I say. I absolutely loved this book. I never heard of the author before and was kinda of skeptical in purchasing this book. Boy, am I happy I did!!! Ms. Winslow, you have a new fan here. This book will teach the reader alot of things. You can't take life or people for granted because it can all be taken away from you. I loved this book and can't wait to read the sequel. Keep up the good work.

This book, like the Little House books, gives a true look at what life was like in the past. I was amazed at what such a seemingly young boy was able to do. Kids really did grow up a lot faster then.

The story tells about farming, raising cattle, cowboys (real cowboys), making do, being neighborly, dealing with not-so-neighborly people, taking responsibility for your actions, and so much more.

The author tells a story that is believeable and satisfying. This is a great read-to-yourself or read-aloud. Please note there is some 'cowboy language' but nothing horrible and you can easily substitute other words in their place.

This book was read to our class when I was in the 6th grade. I loved it! When our kids were growing up, I read all of the series to our kids as we traveled. Because I am a speed reader, sometimes I would "read" a funny part and start laughing, before my out loud reading would be there. Who would think that modern-day kids would be entranced with stories about early 1900 kids, but they were. Ralph Moody caught the imagination as we could see this kid getting into situations before he was there. These are marvelous. Every child in America should read them. This is the stuff of the sturdiness, resiliency, & character we come from. Adversity happens, it is happening right now...the question is can we face it with strength and imagination. Laugh until you cry. Love greatly. This is a splendid series.

I just finished this book tonight. I laughed and cried and couldn't put it down. Every family in todays society needs to read and reread this book as it is all about character and goodness. I am a better person because I read this book. I will read it to my kids immediately!

Oh I am speechless. This is a book full of grace, character, This is the writers real life boyhood and apparently thought he could make a good book out of it. Boy was he right! I could read this book about three hundred times and then maybe think about putting it down! This man had such a life as a kid! man you would think it was fictional but when you know its not it makes you well... Speechless!

This is a wonderful look into how life was... I found myself thinking about the work load on children back then and thinking "and I worry that unloading the dishwasher and keeping their bath clean is too much to ask?!?" Well not any more. A great "classic"

All the reviews you find on this book are right. Straight up amazing story, BUY IT!!! You might as well since you are on this page. This is the paperback edition (I was actually expecting hardcover when I ordered it), and there actually are a few typos here and there. That shouldnt matter unless you are OCD though. But seriously, a wonderful and beautiful story, well worth whatever price you have to pay for it!

I've read this novel many years ago and left within me a certain fascination for the Viking Era.
Lastly books like Harry Harrison's "The Hammer & the Cross" trilogy, movies like "Grendel & Beowulf" (2005) and "Beowulf" (2007) had triggered again my curiosity about these times. So I decided to "pay a visit" (aka re-read) "The Long Ships".
And here I am reviewing this excellent book authored by Sweden writer Frans G. Bengtsson (1894-1954). The book was originally published in two parts first in 1941 and second in 1945; the present edition contains both of them.

The story follows the life & circumstances of Orm from infancy to old age at the same time describing daily life of that period.
Orm as teenager is abducted by a Viking war-party and joins them willingly after a short period. From their homeland they sail to Spain where they are captured by Moors and enter Almansur's service.
After serving some years as Caliph's bodyguards they are forced to fly and return home, yet not empty-handed.
They are welcome at Denmark King Harald's Bluetooth court where Orm fall in love with Ylva one of the King daughters and ask her hand. The King is quite accessible but asks Orm to ensure his wealth and return next year.
Orm & his friends join a mighty Viking army and sail to invade King Ethelred's the Unprepared England. After many battles and errands Orm rejoin exiled Ylva & marry her, returning then to his home.
Orm and his family are forced into exile to escape King Sven Forkbeard revengeful mood and finally root in his mother's ancestral domains.
After years of consolidating his position as a respected member of that frontier community, Orm sail for his last great adventure in Eastern lands.

This is a very entertaining book merging seamlessly historical characters as King Harald, Sven, Ethelred and Caliph Almansur with fictional ones as Orm, Ylva, Asa and Toste. The author is able to transmit to the reader the true spirit of those turbulent times. Another very interesting aspect of the story is showing the beginning of Christianization of Scandinavian communities.

Take a joyful romp thru Viking's world, you won't be disappointed!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

I disagree strongly with many of the people who have reviewed this book.

There's nothing wrong with its cover. I've done book and magazine covers myself. This cover is a little dated in style, being an oil (or more likely acrylic) painting with visible brushstrokes in places, but it's perfectly acceptable in quality. In fact, the use of unusual pastel tones on the front (sea green and lavender) is interesting, and the texturing techniques used on the shield and the loincloth of the viking warrior are very nice. It's not a masterpiece, but I have seen far worse book covers. If I had the original, I would hang it on my wall in a heartbeat. It's kind of nice. I like it.

Oh, you probably want to hear something about the words inside the book. All right. What everybody else says is true, only they are probably underestimating this book, if anything. Man, is it ever good. It reminds me of "I, Claudius", which is generally considered to be the best historical novel ever written, only this one is actually better. Like "Claudius", it is full of dry humor, but at the same time, it is a perfectly serious and thoughtful historical drama. If you have the slightest interest in the Viking era you must plunk down however many dollars it takes to get this one as soon as you can; it is worth every penny of whatever inflated price you have to pay for a rare used paperback. And don't worry about the darned cover!

War and strife make for good reading, at least for men pining for the (fantasy of) days of yore where heroes-to-be would gather fellow men to pillage far away lands for adventure and booty. This is among the best of such works I have read, ranking up there with the Homeric tales and the story of the Three Kingdoms from China. These Skanians (whom at that time considered themselves Danes, a far throw from the pacifist Europeans of modern Denmark) are savage men from a harsh culture, but they are also full of humor and a sort of stoic approach to both fortune and misfortune that despite their being seamen, would make a Spartan (from Laconia) proud. The story progresses through multiple kingdoms and conveys an accurate historical depiction of cultures at the cusp of the second millenium. Religion is dealt with in a tellingly humorous manner, and it reminds one that conversions were historically based on pragmatic choices and rarely some sort of spiritual epiphany. Adherents would switch from one religion to the next as their conditions (and fortunes) demanded. Buried into this amazingly rich (and incredibly fun!) tale of adventure like a vein of gold, it is a suitable reminder of what makes us human in this day of flaring religious strife and shameless demagoguery.

English literature began with a Viking story, "Beowulf," but have you ever tried reading it? My own "Beowulf" experience led me to believe Viking literature is right down there with Viking cuisine in terms of digestibility. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a novel about Vikings, written over half a century ago, to be as thrilling, fantastic, and engaging as "The Long Ships."

It's the story of Orm, a farmer's son in southern Sweden in the late 900s who one day finds himself a prisoner of a merry gang of Vikings. They quickly adopt him, and set out for adventures off the northern and southern coasts of Europe. Before the book is half over, Orm has found himself in courts from Spain to England, espoused three different religions, slain several dozen foemen, and found a princess to be his bride.

Frans G. Bengtsson's novel, originally published in Sweden in 1945, showcases two things I didn't expect from a Scandinavian academic, brevity and humor. Sure, the book is nearly 500 pages long, but Bengtsson crams a lot of incident in every page, describing events in broad strokes and letting the reader's imagination do the rest. Bengtsson's style, preserved marvelously by Michael Meyer's 1954 translation, is to consciously evoke the elliptical prose of ancient Viking sagas, but in such a way as to allow for a modern, tongue-in-cheek sensibility to come through, one that reflects a Viking world, however hard-bitten, of great wit and depth.

"The Long Ships" is marvelously quotable: "For no man complains of the weight of the cargo, when it is his own booty that is putting strain upon the oars." Or: "Only poets can win wealth with empty hands, but then they must make better songs than other poets, and competition spoils the pleasure of composition."

The book jacket includes an enthusiastic reviewer describing "man-size helpings of battle and murder, robbery and rape," which captures some of the tone of "Long Ships" but misses most of the point. Orm is no savage bandit, but a thoughtful, evolving character of great honor. The Vikings he travels with do some robbing and killing, but in a measured way. As the novel goes on, a sense of social responsibility, manifested in Orm by his adoption of a somewhat twisted form of Christianity, comes through.

You might say the story of Orm is the story of the Christianizing of Scandinavia, told from a rather neutral viewpoint that respects Christianity's mellowing influence without being blind to its flaws in practice. You might also call it a straight-up adventure yarn of many threads. After a battle, Orm and his comrades may retire to a feasting hall to hear stories of brave deeds that fill pages and then never come up again. Or else we might get stories like that of a pair of jesters, forced to entertain the slayer of the king they loved, who come up with a marvelous form of vengeance right out of Monty Python.

One thing you can't call "The Long Ships" is dull. Even when Orm is not actually at sea (he actually spends a good deal of time raising a family on a farm), the book stays busy. Some old enemy is trying to take his head off, or else he is having another marvelously circuitous exchange with his dyspeptic priest friend, Father Willibald.

And the voyages Orm takes are a lot of fun, encompassing as they do the whole of the known world at that time, from Ireland to the Dnieper River and many points in-between. While a work of fiction, Bengtsson finds ways of introducing a lot of relevant Dark Ages history, even if some of it, like an enjoyably arch Y1K scare, may not be 100% accurate.

Other books are fun to read. "The Long Ships" is a book to get lost in. You will feel like a teenager again as you take the long way home with Orm, enjoying his simpler yet wondrous time and wishing the world could have stayed so forever.

This is an awesome book. I would prefer to make things from scratch and this book is perfect for that. I love it, and everyone I know who has this book feels the same way I do. Buy it, you'll love it!

This is the second copy of this book that I've had. I was given the original back in the 80's by an American friend. When I took some mixes on a house boat holiday with friends recently they were fascinated and asked me to try and get a copy for them. That's when I found the new edition, and its so much better than the original with many more ideas and reduced fat versions. I use it even more now.

Wow....this book has been fantastic...and I've pretty much boxed up the majority of my cookbooks, but this one is in the kitchen on the counter. My whole family have enjoyed the Mixes from this book...I like having the containers that hold the mixes readily available, thus making the mix speedy and effective...my grandkids really enjoy the rolls that "gramma" makes from the Make a Mix...I also made a memory for them to remember this gramma's cooking!!!! It's awesome!

I LOVE love love this cookbook. I love to make things from scratch for so many reasons and this cookbook has changed my life! I admit that I've been borrowing the book from my local library but hope to get my own soon. This cookbook is saving me so much money because I am able to buy things like chicken breast (which can be quite expensive for us budget-conscious people) in bulk and make TONS of meal "bases". I have told my friends about this cookbook and they're getting into it as well. It's gotten exciting for us to tell each other how much we spent on our groceries and how many meals we'll get out of it.

I'm thinking about holding a Make A Mix cooking class for my MOPS group if I can figure out exactly how to put one together.

This might sound lame, but this is the most excited I've gotten about a cookbook EVER. Last night we had the sour cream enchiladas. My husband took one bite, closed his eyes and smiled. It was fabulous. I make the dinner rolls all of the time. I made meatballs for the freezer last night. I was able to make a menu for the next 3 weeks (included some dishes that I'll freeze) and it was so easy since I have several of the mixes already prepared or ready to put together.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I'd love to see another one come o

Make-a-Mix is a great concept cookbook. It provides do-it-yourself recipes for mixes that you can then later turn into cooked dishes at a moment's notice. Ranging from slice-and-bake sugar cookies, to gravy mix, to a sweet quick-bread mix, you'll find everything from breakfast to dessert to main-dish meat mixes. The cover advertises 306 recipes made from 67 mixes.

The layout of the recipes is fairly clear, although there's something about the font and placement of the "makes..." portion (the part of the mix recipe that points you to the other pages in the cookbook where you'll find recipes that use it) that makes it easy to overlook. There are no photos; most of these recipes are relatively simple, so that isn't a huge deal in my opinion.

For a book founded on the principle of making things from mixes I guess I expected them to want to showcase the versatility of those mixes as much as possible; after all, I don't see the point in keeping a single-purpose mix around for most things---I doubt many people constantly make a single type of brownies or cornbread over and over. On the other hand, some of these are fairly versatile, such as the sweet quickbread mix.

The one glaring omission we came across was in the "Our Best Brownies" recipe. We quickly found that there was just no way you could make a brownie batter out of the mix with the amount of liquid provided in the recipe---it seemed clear an ingredient had been omitted. We were able to add enough liquid to make it come out decently, but the brownies weren't particularly amazing. Luckily the cornbread recipe made up for it in terms of quality.

A dying paradigm is the idea that you must
manage employees. Instead, you must lead workers.
One reason for the shift from managing to leading is
the simple fact that a manager today likely does not
know the area of expertise for which the subordinate is
responsible. In addition, employees today need to be
treated as if they are volunteers, not employees. They
want more than a paycheck; they seek interesting and
rewarding work. You inspire them by leading, not commanding.

One of Peter Drucker's last books. He was originally going to write a life's work summary, but changed his mind to write a prophetic type of book. His two big topics are (1) the declining birth rate in developed countries, and (2) the transition from skilled laborers ("tin bending") work to the knowledge worker ("technologists").

His discussions are fascinating and I won't steal any of his thunder other than to say that he feels traditional management techniques based on time and motion studies (Total Quality Management is the latest rendition) do not motivate the knowledge worker.

Drucker's second big point is in extreme harmony with Marcus Buckingham's work (which I suggest reading first). Drucker has a similar message as Buckingham, motivated from a completely different viewpoint.

The book also has some self-help. Do you know what your boss' learning style is? Don't you think you should have asked that on the first day? Drucker thinks so, and explains why.

Peter Drucker writes a set of essays which present an outlook of the greatest challenges ahead such as the definition and role of the knowledge worker, the role of management, demographics and innovation. It will definitely make you think a lot... as all good books should.

Drucker challenges its readers to think about the future of society by addressing management challenges for the 21st century. By comparing yesterday's assumptions to today's realities, he helps connect the dots. Drucker strategically pinpoints what management challenges we can learn from the past, and at the same encouraging readers to ask the right questions to address how we can use this knowledge to prepare for what's ahead.

I also found Drucker's message inspirational and eye-opening. It's a reminder that today's Informational Revolution has been part of an evolving cycle, which started before printing presses were invented. He emphasizes, for example, that today's Information Revolution is not led by the technology folks but by those in other fields, such as finance and accounting. I applaud this, as the key message that should be emphasized today in preparing the future IT workforce is to diversify. Excitement over technologies such as the printing presses, software, and hardware is all part of what makes the IT industry exciting--but not THE key elements for career survival. Drucker does a great job addressing that in this book. Albeit unintentional, Drucker does a great job addressing this.

Management new paradigms, strategy, the change leader, information challenges, knowledge worker productivity, managing oneself, Druker proved himself more than capable in his definitions and unique challenge to managers. Rather of a retrospective of his past work "he set aside to wirte not the known past but the unknown future".
Peter Drucker discusses the profound social and economic changes occurring today and considers how management--not government or free markets--should address these new realities in the workplace. "Management is Business Management in all kind of organizations". This book is easy to read. For most content may be wider than how we think management usually is. Druker wrote in his introduction " the advice in this book requires a reversal of what most people have thought about management for more than a century". Peter Drucker discusses how the new paradigms of management have change and will continue to change our basics assumptions and principles of management.

First, let me mention that this is a pretty wordy book. Maybe a bit too wordy, because it does seem to drag on in parts. I'm constantly cutting out a paragraph here or there because it doesn't add much to the story and I really want to get on with things anyway.

And, you know, it is a nice story - about a woman who "makes the world more beautiful" by planting lupines - but there just isn't much to it.

It's not very compelling to me. We read it only occasionally.

A co-worker talked about this book at an event and after previewing it, I took it out from the library for then four year old. A few months later, when we are at a book store, she spotted it and had to buy it as a present to herself for turning 5 - with her own birthday money. I think that says volumes to the books lasting power. The story is sweet, the drawings are excellent, and the message is lasting. Nice read for a parent to a child at the end of a long day.

This is a great story about giving back something in life. Great gift idea when combined with a real Lupine plant or seeds. Then the story and flower will be remembered forever.

I just left home and school to live on my own as an intern in DC. I've been doing lots of responsible adult type activities, cooking, waking up early, cleaning etc and was feeling a little strange about feeling so old. As I was walking to work this morning, I took a slightly different route that had a house with lupines just covering their yard. They looked so beautiful in the morning. I immediately thought to myself "what was that book with these flowers??" and called up my lovely mother. It felt like a long lost dream. I could remember the symbolism, but not the specifics. When I was young, I think I was enthralled with little Alice being able to paint the clouds and even more so when she becomes a librarian and transforms the landscape by the sea. This is a truly amazing book. I'm going to walk to the library tonight and check it out again. It definitely made me appriciate beauty in the world as a child, and through my memory of it, as an adult.

This book is a short biography of Barbara Conney's great Aunt Alice Rumphius, who grew up in New England, loved the sea, and wanted to visit faraway places. And also had an objective to do something to make the world more beautiful. I have always loved this book and have had that very same goal ever since the fifth grade when our homeroom teacher read it to us. The book concludes when Barbara Cooney the author says that her Aunt Alice (Miss Rumphius,) tells her that she too needs to do something to make the world more beautiful. But even SHE doesn't know yet what that could be. I personally think that she made the world more beautiful by writing and illustrated this masterpiece. Everybody young and old should have a copy.

This is one of the best calendars out there if you have a busy family. We all like being able to see at a glance who will be doing what on any given day, and it makes scheduling for the family at a glance much easier. This is a calendar that I have gotten year after year sense getting it as a gift the first time around. I also enjoy that it begins the "year" by the school year (beginning in Aug. I believe it was) - not January to January like many calendars out there, so you actually can get a full years use out of it instead of having to switch out calendars during the holiday season when there are already a ton of things going on.

I heard so much about this product and finally bought it last year. But once I got it I wasn't very impressed with it. The idea is good, but needs more work. There should have been more detailed classification of tasks. and more space for customizing etc.
Its okay for < $5. Not worth the price.

This is really super! A column for Mom and four others for family members. The days are in a vertical line with each family member's activities written in horizontally. I only wish there were more of those adorable stickers! It's only February and we've used a lot of them for dance class, school trip, library, etc!

Buy it once and you'll reorder every year as long as you've got kids in the house. Perfectly simple and practical. This calendar will be used daily. It's the best of its kind that I've seen over the years.

This calander provides the best space for busy family to know where everyone is at on that day. I have ours centrally located so that no one is surpised by overlapping events. We are a family of 6 so my youngest son and I share a column, since he too young to go places without me.

I first read this book at the recommendation of my neuropsychologist following a closed-head injury 8 years ago. I think it saved my sanity! Closed-head injury can bring about a panoply of just plain WEIRD symptoms that can make the patient (and their family, for that matter) feel as if they're losing their mind. The insanity is explained by a doctor who went through the same experience after an accident. She talks about it in a very non-technical way and helps the patient and those around the patient understand what's happening, why, and that NO, you're not nuts!

I suffered a ruptured aneurysm this summer '07, and read this book while recovering from brain surgery. It prepared me for the worst regarding other's responses to my temporary slower mental functioning. The book also helped me to be more sensitive to other people in general regardless of whether an infirmity is obvious or not. I.e., people were very compassionate toward me when my head was shaved and my scalp was full of staples, but now that my hair has grown back and the staples have been removed, that sensitivity has disappeared even though I am still recovering and will be for a long time.

I was inspired by Dr. Osborn's strength and her determination to overcome her deficits. I admire her for writing this book to help others in her situation. Because of this book, I knew to ask my neurologist about cognitive therapy and am now enrolled and working with a occupational/speech therapist.

I don't recommend reading this book early in the recovery process if you have had any kind of brain injury. I did, and it caused severe depression to overcome me. For lighter, more humorous material about brain injury survivors' ordeals, I recommend Susie Becker's book, "I had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse?"

I have had Encephalitis twice, recieved rehabilitation in Occupational, Physical and Speech therapies, and currently work full-time, yet will forever be aware of my physical & mental limitations. In this book a doctor explains her acquired brain injury and the rehab process she and her famuly and friends dealt with, along with the positive strategies she has gained to deal with her life today. This book clearly clarified for me the diference between TBI and simple brain injury and brought to reality the fact that other people have dealt with similar rehab situations as myself & survived successfully! A must read I found hard to put down.

I was told to Read the book Over My Head By Claudia L. Osborne. I Like Her Was in a Bad accident in which I also had a closed head Brain Injury. I was in a coma for over 7 weeks in late August of 2006. I would agree with the writers synopsis that all you want to do is get back to your old Self, To be the same personyou were and do the same things but so many things changed in that split second that it is not only better to forget the Who you were and to Start basically a new Life. It is the only way to look positivly and to go on with life a new. A lot of the things in life will stay the same and yet there are so many things that I can no longer do. I could Bitch and Moan and get on hating My New Life or I could accept what has happened, Thank God Daily that for what ever reason I was spared: that He has a plan for Me and I must look at the positive and not the negative. I make it a goal now to work on putting a smile on My face every day by the time I close my eyes and go to sleep. That is of course after I have thanked the Dear Lord For The things that I can still enjoy among those things are the greatest Family and Friends a person could have. You have to look at life as a whole New life; separate and different in so many ways from who You used to be, but The same in social aspects where things ar still the same.

Osborn does what is virtually impossible. She translates the fog of a damaged brain's function into vignettes that an undamaged brain can comprehend.

In her case, this translation is from experiences which were by definition wordless, disorganized, incomprehensible, frightening and often completely mindless to their opposites. The level of Dr. Osborn's skill in doing this may be best understood by readers who have some experience (as I do) in being with brain-injured people.

Whether one appreciates Osborn's achievement in communicating the uncommunicable is unimportant. What is valuable is that she succeeds so well in giving us insight into the "being" of at a subset of the injured.

Most of the incidents recorded in the book are too long to quote in illustration of my point. Their length is a necessary consequence of Osborn's wish to reveal her floundering. Nothing in her life was straightforward. A relatively short excerpt follows:

BEGIN EXCERPT (page 33)

"I left soon after for the bookstore, but with the force of old habit and despite Marcia's written reminder dangling from the dash, I drove directly to the hospital. And then home again. Three times.

"It was noon when I drove out of the hospital parking lot for the third time, I was determined it wouldn't happen again.

"Now, as I turned onto the main road, Marcia's note clutched in my hand, I chanted, "Book store, go to the bookstore.'

"I was still saying it thirty minutes later as I turned into our driveway.

"When I got into the house, I reread Marcia's note. Lord, the bookstore.

"Well, I would definitely get the book tomorrow. Right now, I could still do the second item on her list - water the lawn."

END EXCERPT (page 34)

Needless to say, Osborn forgot to water the lawn.

The book is also notable in illustrating the lack of insight (in regard to her limitations) that Osborn (as others) experienced for quite some time. Then, once insight was gained, she writes about her struggle with a sorrowed sense of lost self.

One incident that helped to her to understand the scope of her lost abilities (which apparently were exceptional) is recorded on pages 205-206. She was not able perform even so "simple" a cognitive exercise as making a telephone call to obtain a patient's medical information.

The book provides a generalized understanding of how rehabilitation is accomplished. This includes learning stratagems for partially replacing lost structural functions.

BEGIN EXCERPT (page 145)

"Now my notes ordered me to [begin italics] really look in the mirror. Hair combed? Teeth cleaned? Collar straight? Earrings match? Expression alert, smiling? [end italics] It began to make a difference."

END EXCERPT

For the most part, the rehab portions of the book are most useful for providing a patient's view of rehabilitation. "Over My Head" certainly does not provide an overview of rehabilitation techniques. Osborn does, however, include a concise review of the generalized deficits that rehab and therapy have to address.

By the end of the book, Osborn manages to return to teaching medicine, but in a format and in situations where she can proceed more or less by rote and under controlled circumstances. Osborn emphasizes that adult brain injury generally imposes permanent limitations upon post-trauma performance. You will not be who you were. Part of the rehabilitation process requires coming to emotional grips with whom you have become.

I recommend "Over My Head" without reservation. It will be of most value to people new to dealing with brain trauma. It also has worth for those of us who lost figurative pieces of ourselves, but do not have brain trauma to blame. The "coping with loss and less" element of the book has universal appeal.

Throughout, Osborn shines as a human being.