She is a nutcase married to a nutcase. She is a co dependant door mat making her life revolve around her husband. I am married to a bipolar person but I will not be verbally abused nor will I walk and egg shells my whole life. Marriage is a compromise between two people and her husband holds the upper hand in that marriage. I realize that bi-polar people are sick HOWEVER that does not mean that the spouse, friend or relative has to subject themselves to inappropriate behavior and insults.

If you subsitute BiPolar for Abusive in the title would you still hold her opinions as gospel? I hope the answer is no. All she tells you about is how to pray and how to tip toe around your own house so that not to upset the bipolar in your life.

The book has few redeemable qualities, she explains bipolar as it relates to her husband (however, she thinks she is an experet on Manic/Depression because she is married to one! I married a rocket scientist does that make me one too?)

I don't know what books the other reviewers read but in my opinion save your money.

This book starts out with Mrs. Bradley tricking her husband into going into the hospital. Fortunately for her, it worked. He was willing to seek treatment. How he reacted to being tricked wasn't mentioned.
How their children dealt with his illness was skimmed over in one sentence. I'm sure they would have a completely different story, having watched their father verbally attack their mother over the years. I didn't get the feeling that Mrs. Bradley was being honest in that regard.
She did give some helpful tips on how to cope with your own anxiety and/or depression when dealing with these people. There was plenty of humor and irony to go along with the sadness and frustration. That helped me a great deal.
My situation is different in that my mother-in-law is the bi-polar (undiagnosed and untreated). This book outlined her personality almost to a T. It also helped me to understand my father-in-law and why he won't leave her despite her destructive behavior.
This book is a good starting point regardless of the relationship you have with the bi-polar. I would, however, look at other books and resources on this subject to better educate yourself.

I found this book to be helpful. Not so much in that it offered any new information, but it did put into words some of the feelings that go along with loving someone with bipolar. That whole am I crazy for staying feeling. I would recommend this book to others more as a validation of your own thoughts and feelings, not so much on tips or suggestions. Again like most books on manic depression it focuses too much on the depression side. While this is helpful there needs to be more written on how to handle and deal with the manic fazes. Overall a good read though.

I have poked through endless shelves of gardening books, seeking the one, complete gardening book that I could use as a reference for everything! I was looking for one that would tell not only how to plant and grow things, but also how to harvest and prepare the products. How should you cut your asparagus so as not to damage the crowns? How do you dry your herbs? This was one of the few gardening books that addressed this aspect.

This was not its only outstanding characteristic. Not only does this book address the vegetable garden, it also tackles anything the home gardener is likely to face. Houseplants, trees and shrubs, ornamental plants as well as productive plants. It covers general topics, such as crop rotation, in addition to specific plants. And it is all arranged alphabetically, and nicely cross-indexed, so that you can nearly always find what you need.

The first and second time I bought this book, it was as a gift. I finally had to get it for myself as well. It is the best I have found so far.

"The organization of this book reflects the way you garden," says this encyclopedia's introduction, under the sub-heading "How to Use This Book". "We've grouped information into useful, complete entries that will provide all you need to know about a particular topic, rather than spreading out facts in thousands of short entries." A simple statement, it is not fully appreciated until you go searching for something in this book and find what you're looking for in a matter of seconds. Since topics are arranged alphabetically, if you can spell it, you can find it. Want to know how and when (among other things) to plant your corn? You'll find it between Coreopsis and Cornus. Need help with organic pest management? Look for it after Organic Matter.

The editors feel that 26 of the entries form the core of this extensive resource and can be divided into four categories: Gardening Technique, Organic Garden Management, Food Crops and Ornamental Plants. For a beginner such as myself, I found these fundamentals extremely helpful in outlining the basics of gardening. I was easily able to apply the knowledge gained in these fundamentals to particular entries, such as roses or radishes.

Sidebars offered with many of the entries spark ideas that the average gardener may not already be taking advantage of. For example, when I was reading the Bean topic, I found an interesting inset on growing fresh sprouts right in your kitchen. And under Herbs are several helpful side entries including herbs commonly used as home health remedies.

Illustrated for clarity in all the right places, this book is sure to become one of my favorite year-round reference guides.

It is indeed the indispensable resource for every gardener! I've had mine for a couple of years now and I'm constantly referencing it for organic and gardening information. Rodale is one of the best publishers on gardening and I always look for books printed by them first. It has diagrams on how to make a compost bin and thourghly explains how to build, maintain, and the process of compost making. It is a terrific cross-reference guide to every gardener for botoical names and common names of trees, plants, shrubs, fruits, and vegetables. I highly recommend this book to all beginning and expert gardeners.

This is a wacky book. I'm not even sure how to classify it really - fantasy/contemporary/comedy. In a nutshell it's about a guy, Jack, who is in love with a moon goddess. His friends, neighbors, and local cops all think he's a loon because he spends one night a month outside, naked as can be, awaiting his lover from the moon (it's the only way she's able to find him).

In an attempt to save him from a permanent stint in jail his friends spend each full moon with him in a cabin located way out in the boonies. It's not long before his friends begin to become affected by the presence of Jack's moon goddess and they begin to have relationship troubles. The book started out funny and the premise was wild but eventually the story turned dull as more and more time was spent on Jack's self-centered, annoying friends who were lusting after each others' wives/boyfriends/etc. etc. I really liked Jack and his moon goddess Lily - they were the only compassionate characters in the bunch - but his friends hogged up most of the book

I thought of the movie The Big Chill while I read this. I also thought of the small number of writers who write fantasy from their private slice of reality. Denton's writing is a wonder, and unlike the moon with its habit of coming and going, my interest in Lunatics never waned. Every character was unique and worth knowing. I've given this book as a gift many times. Smart, endearing writing.

Someone mentions in another review that this book is unlike Blackburn (another great book.) Which it is. Thus the wonder of Bradley Denton. I'm looking forward to his next book.

I'm only 16 years old but i picked up this book in the library, just to have something to read. I brought i over to a friend's house and read it and it was an amazing story. Every character fit in with the personality of every close friend i had. To tell the truth, the book got really creepy because it was so accurate with the characters. This is one of the few books that i could'nt put down, literally. And surprisingly enough it was a romance novel but still humorous and very very clever witha touch of fantasy in it. Very good novel.

This book starts off excellent, giving the user the belief that C is easy, etc. In fact, it is not easy and you need to have some programming experience before attempting this book. For the first 5 days no experience is necessary, but this changes quickly

I've searched through the most popular books on C and C++ trying to find something on how to determine how much memory is available for your data. I was looking for something comparable to the "memavail" command in Turbo Pascal. A programmer wants this information if he plans on putting most or all of his computer's available memory to best use. Finally I found something, and it was in this book. (I am amazed that other books on C offer nothing by way of advice or anything else in this area.) It was an example of how to use the memory allocation function (malloc()), and it also provided an excellent example of what you can do with C pointers. My compliments to the author(s) of this book.

This book is nice one, I'm sure that it could make you understand the language. I'm a C++ programmer, but somehow I have to read/analyze C code very often (since C is more popular than C++ in Japan). This book is well-done in many aspects. However, there are still something/functions that shouldn't be use. For example, the author used "gets()" function, which is dangerous.

Anyway, overall this is a nice book on C tutorial. Note for noive/beginner don't hope to finish it within 21 Days, remember that learning any language, not just programming language, take times.

This book is an inspirational read. I've always been fascinated by polar explorers (especially the early ones) because of the privations they suffered, and for nothing but recognition and desire to see what hasn't yet been seen.

Juxtapose the sub-plot of a noted Naval navigator, driven to make his mark in the world, forming a relationship with a black man (very free-thinking in those days) that made both men stronger than they would have been on their own, and you have a truly a fascinating story.

It's too bad that so much has to be made of the fact that Henson was a black man, but it mattered then, and sadly, it matters now. If Peary didn't think it was issue 80 years ago, why is race still an issue? This is the question that forms an undercurrent to the story in the book. Someday, perhaps, we'll talk of Peary and Henson's exploits, and the word "black" or "white" will only be relevent when disussing seal noses and snow....

i must say this book initiated feelings i had not expected.
i bought the book as a source of african american history but
as i read further, i got drawn into the life of a kid from the
last vestiges of slavery who despite the obvious nefarious
conditions for a black kid during those times, was allowed to
follow a dream of exploration by gaining and earning acceptance
from those good people willing to "give the guy a chance".
This book is much more than a story of a black kid who despite
never ending verbal attacks (many to this day)did what he wished
and contributed to humanity, it is a book that proves there
are no limits whenever humans are able to forget their minor
differences and intelligently solve any predicament.
Kudos to Mr. Robinson!!!

This is the life story of Matthew Henson, the Black explorer who went to the North Pole with Peary. The first-hand tales of Henson's Arctic exploits are told in straightforward prose, full of personal touches. One can almost see the twinkle in Henson's eye as he related these stories to listeners to whom the Arctic was as remote as the moon.

Henson was a key player on one Peary expedition after another from 1892 through 1909. He went with Peary virtually every step of the way on every expedition after Peary's first crossing of Greenland. Henson built sledges and other equipment, handled the dog teams, took his turn out in front by a day or more breaking trail, and, most importantly, developed a close working relationship with the Eskimos, whose assistance was the key to reaching the North Pole. Henson is not shy about his own contribution, and that view is supported by the three introductions to Dark Companion by Peary contemporaries MacMillan, Freuchen and Stefansson. These testimonials alone are reason enough to buy this book. MacMillan, a tenderfoot on the 1909 Peary expedition to the Pole and an Arctic explorer in his own right in later years, readily admitted that Peary took Henson to the pole because, with all of his experience and abilities he was the best man for the job. And Henson's courage -- whether pushing ahead with Peary despite lack of supplies, relying on hunting skills to avoid almost certain starvation, or facing constant danger from moving, crushing, and suddenly parting ice, or fighting walruses from kayaks -- is indisputable.

These Arctic accounts are available in other sources, including Henson's own book, a Negro Explorer at the North Pole, and books by Henson's fellow travelers, Peary, Bartlett, MacMillan and Borup. But only in Dark Companion can one read Henson's account of survival in another inhospitable environment -- late 19th and early 20th century America.

The Arctic was a place where Henson could contribute his full potential. Not because Peary or his white companions were civil rights crusaders, but because the environment of the north simply demanded too much to afford the luxury of limiting any person's contributions on arbitrary racial grounds. By contrast, Henson's life outside the Arctic was a struggle against diminished expectations and unspoken slurs at best and outright racial hatred at worst. But in telling the story, Henson focuses on the exception, the kindness of the sea captain who tutored him and taught him to read, as the defining influence in his life.

Upon returning to America after Peary's expedition to the pole, Henson's contribution went largely unrecognized. In fact, critics openly attacked Peary for taking a Negro on the final leg of the North Pole dash. Early on, the argument, by Cook supporters, was raised that Peary must have taken Henson because he didn't want a "credible" witness. This, the argument goes, would leave Peary free to make phony claims, since Henson would presumably be either too stupid to contradict Peary, would not dare to contradict him, or would be ignored.

Henson continues to be caught in the crossfire of modern Peary critics. To discount the possibility that Peary might have chosen Henson on merit, critics routinely have referred to him as Peary's manservant or valet. Yet Peary listed Henson as an assistant. Henson was only a "valet" once, when surveying in Nicaragua prior to 1892. Some recent critics disparage Henson's lack of "full literacy" and analyze his every statement looking for inconsistencies to prove him a "liar." Henson's recounting of his adventures to Robinson, some 40 to 50 years after the fact, does, to be sure, contain some inconsistencies in the details. Still, one wonders why some critics readily excuse what might charitably be called far greater memory lapses in the accounts of Frederick Cook, a "white man," while branding Henson's mistaken recollections as lies. But Henson never wavered on the essentials: Henson, with all his expert sledding experience, was confident that the expedition had covered the necessary distance from the last navigational observation to the Pole.

One cannot find fault with Robinson's editorial decision to let Henson's recollections speak for him. The opportunity to get Henson's detailed story, under oath, subject to cross examination, while it was fresh in his mind, was passed up when Congress, in its investigation of Peary's claim, did not bother to call Henson as a witness. History will never recover from that shameful oversight, and Robinson could not repair the damage.

This book is not about whether Henson actually stood at the pole, or only 5 or 20 miles from it. It is about one man's decision to be shaped by what was positive in his life. It is about having the courage to face every conceivable danger to participate in a great enterprise on an even playing field. It is about the satisfaction of seeing one's talents and experience put to good use, and of being the one called upon when the need was greatest -- in short, a hero. It is an inspirational story.

I found this book interesting for what Russell had to say about playing for the Celtics and how he personally played the game of
basketball.

As far as lessons on leadership, I believe that what Russell and David Falkner (Russell's ghost writer) offered were
mere platitudes that I have read in a hundred places before.

If you want to learn about Russell's basketball career, read this book. If you are looking for leadership lessons, particularly as an entrepreneur and parent (the book's targets), go elsewhere.

I always find it a bit pretentious when a sports book is written or marketed to have general application to life (Rick Pitino's obnoxious Success is a Choice comes to Mind), but with that caveat almost anything Bill Russell has to say is worth listening to if only because of the man's profound intelligence, wit, insight, and unique perspective on sports and the world in general. Will this book change your life? I doubt it. But then again, if we read for entertainment and enrichment, this book well suits the purpose, and if you happen to be a sports fan or better yet a basketball fan, so much the better as Russell provides much material about the golden age of basketball and the wonderful Boston Celtics before too much money spoiled it.

What a great and inspirational book!!

I bought this for my father for Father's Day and ended up keeping it for myself. I'm not a huge sports fan and as a woman the only thing I knew about Russell was that my Dad worshipped him when I was growing up.

This is one of the best self-improvement books I've read recently. He really understands team work. I've already used his advice at work and I'm seeing results.

Russell has a great sense of humor! My husband enjoyed Russell Rules too.

I must admit I do not feel much for Brock Taylor in the story. He feels inferior beacuse of his Whitechapel pedigree and decides to abandon his enamoured Maddie to seek out a fortune before coming back to claim her as his wife. Little did he expect that Maddie marries the profligate Lord Sedgewick. He feels betrayed and vengeful. So much so that he pays the debt that beleagured Maddie and demands repayment in the form of marriage. His ulterior motive is to secure the land that is bequeathed to Maddie. Yet when Maddie rejects his proposal, she gives in to the seduction trysts that ensues between then while hiding a deep secret that will change their relationship....

Without giving away the plot, let's just contend with the fact that Brock has caused a lot of hurt to Maddie with his pride and lack of insight. Yet love makes fool of all of us - and Brock and Maddie matures towards the epilogue to clear away their misunderstandings. Their love is riddled with thorns of insecurity and seated vengeance - and readers will no doubt seep into this melodrama inexorably. It is fortunate that Shelley Bradley has fluidly narrated their overwrought love story and gloss it with sensuality. The love scenes sizzle and crackle. Though to some cynics it may not convince them to endear themselves to the thick-skulled Brock, yet STRICTLY SEDUCTION comes alive with Bradley's impassioned writing. It renders it a strictly love-or-hate affair.

Maddie Sedgewick knows exactly what marriage means--loss of control, loss of respect, and being blamed when her husband beats her. When her first husband died, she felt relieved despite the huge debt he left behind. Now, however, a man from her past has bought the debt and is pressuring her to marry him. In 1834 in England, debters prison is still a real danger. Unfortunately, Maddie knows Brock Taylor knows no scruples--he'll do whatever it takes to win his goals. Brock needs Maddie's land to build the railroad that will enrich him and England, he needs her to gain entre to the world of the rich and noble, but most of all, he needs her to feel whole. What he can't do is trust her. Five years before, he'd left to seek his fortune and she'd lost no time marrying the first nobleman to come along. Dare he trust his heart to her now? Seduction and exploring of the physical attraction is safer for both than admitting to real love.

Author Shelley Bradley delivers a steamily sensual novel. As Brock and Maddie maneuver for advantage, they find it almost impossible to resist the sexual pull that compells them with real force. Both, in turn, try to use physical attraction to their own advantage, and both find that that weapon cuts both ways. Yet beneath the physical attraction, each hides deep secrets--secrets that could either destroy them or set them free. Until each learns to trust the other with more than their bodies, until what is STRICTLY SEDUCTION turns into real love, their relationship can only lead to pain.

This book captured me on page one and I read it in one sitting. Brock and Maddie intriqued me as very distinct, real characters and Ms. Bradley did a wonderful job of showing how both needed to grow and change.

This plot was not your 'average' plot. The hero, a stable boy at her father's house, fell in love with and abandoned a very young Maddie, who unbeknownst to him was pregnant. He leaves to become a man worthy of her and that's just what he does, thinking that she's betrayed him by marrying someone else. So when her very indebted husband dies, he sees his chance to get her back and also to get her land that he needs.

Ms. Bradley very craftily creates a hero with a past that has overcome his stable boy beginnings, but lacks the one person to complete his life, Maddie. So he goes after what he wants most in life and he gets her. But in the process of learning his life lessons, Maddie teaches him a thing or two about love and seduction. This tale is a very powerful, gripping love story that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end. You know that the characters have felt real emotions and have changed and grown into people that deserve each other.

If you enjoy stories that show powerful women overcoming huge obstacles to find love, then this story is for you. But beware, Ms. Bradley has some love scenes that leave the pages smoking with sensuality. This book is not for the timid reader who doesn't enjoy experiencing all that life has to offer.

I can't wait for Ms. Bradley's next book and look for her soon to be on the best sellers list. Move over Mary Jo Putney and Judith Ivory, a new talent has emerged. Enjoy!

The Rough Guide to Turkey is extremely comprehensive and fun. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Turkey, not only to those who will be visiting.

I used this book for a driving trip along the western and southern coasts, beginning in Istanbul, remaining west of Ankara, and concluding in Antalya.

I was impressed with this book. I found its lodging and restaurant recommendations quite useful and reliable, though they are not as low-budget as, say, Let's Go. However, Turkey is so inexpensive that even the budget-conscious need not stay or eat at the cheapest places. I like the fact that lodging recommendations are located on clear maps with numbers keyed to the text--this simple thing is often absent in guides to Turkey, and what a pain when you're constantly in new places! Nightlife is covered, as is the nearest post office and local travel agency for that last-minute flight back to Istanbul that you were sure you wouldn't need because you would be driving back yourself.

Contemporary, historical, and archaelogical information is surprisingly detailed and plentiful. When the authors do not like something, they can be stinging. While some might find this approach annoying (it is very English), I buy a travel book for its opinions, so long as these opinions are based on real knowledge.

In sum, if you were to take only one travel book to Turkey, and if you wanted to cover major parts of the country, this Rough Guide would be ideal. Add a Blue Guide Turkey, a couple of really good atlases, and perhaps a book devoted to Istanbul, and you should be set.

This is the best single guidebook we've found for Turkey. We escort small groups to Turkey, and the Rough Guide is consistently the best single reference for general and historical information. Combined with the Blue Guide to Turkey, it's easy to plan your trip. As usual with the Rough Guides, it has a lot of information for many types of travelers without sacrificing cultural and historical details. Well organized, with good maps (much better than the Lonely Planet series)

There are 26 short stories in this 16th addition to the female-oriented fantasy anthology, Sword & Sorceress, as summarized below:

A Japanese woman encounters a turtle-like creature whose fate is in her hands when she accidentally injures it in Fujiko's "The Kappa's Gift". >> A mythical room known as "The Changeless Room" (by Charlotte Carlson) materializes in a young girl's family cellar one day. Marion considers this one horror, but I don't. It's not very scary, just confusing. >> "Isabelle and the Siren" by Mary Catelli -- A woman with acute depression avoids the fatal song of a siren, though the townsfolk aren't as lucky. People with depression can probably relate to this one. >> "Dragon's Tear" by Sonya Fedotowsky -- An elf and her three companions travel to a dragon's cave in search of a jewel that will save her island. A good one. >> "A Sister's Blood" by Patricia B. Cirone -- Confined in a dungeon, two sisters--one a swordswoman, the other a sorceress--try to find a way out of their prison cell. >> "Changed" by Lisa Deason -- A woman visits a magician, known as the Collector, who shapeshifts her--as well as others--into half-human/half-animal creatures, then keeps them as caged circus freaks. Vaguely reminded me of Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Unicorn". >> A ruthless king demands a sorceress to help him attain "The Power to Change the Shape of the Land" in Dayle A. Dermatis' story. The ending was a bit unfinished. Not bad though. >> "The Frog Prince" by Linda J. Dunn -- A princess is forced to kiss frog after frog in a king's attempt to find his shapeshifting son. A unique twist on the same-named fable. >> "Honey From the Rock" by Dorothy J. Heydt -- A sorceress tries to heal a dying Greek goddess, Artemis.

"The Will of the Wind" by Christina Krueger -- A teacher ignores the regulations and traditions of her school in order to initiate one of her talented students into the Priesthood. Bittersweet ending. >> A martial arts student is asked to judge a kata contest in Carol E. Leever's "Moonlight on Water". Cat & martial arts lovers should like this one. >> "Nine Springs" by Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch -- A warrior searches for a sacred spring that will heal her dying friend. Another good one. >> This poetic story deals with the reincarnation of a "Mistweaver" (by Terry McGarry). >> "Waking the Stone Maiden" by Cynthia McQuillin -- A young woman searches for the Stone Maiden. Another good one. >> "City of No-Sleep" by Vera Nazarian -- A city is transformed every night when the king falls asleep. Imaginative setting. >> "Daughter of the Bear" by Diana Paxson -- When a woman is blamed for killing a man, she calls on a Viking bear god to prove her innocence. >> "The Wishing Stones" by Lisa S. Silverthorne -- A captured sorceress plots her freedom through three little wishing stones. Nice & short. >> "A Fool's Game" by Selina Rosen -- A woman seeks the teachings of a legendary swordswoman. Good lesson on life in general.

"The Anvil of Her Pride" by Lawrence Schimel -- A swordsmith's profession proves to be the demise of the man she loves. >> "The Dancing Men of Ballyben" by Laura J. Underwood -- A mageborn woman attempts to rescue a young man who's been transformed into stone during the day. >> "Salt & Sorcery" by Elisabeth Waters & Michael Spence differs from the others, in that it's more of a present-day story set on a college campus. Some spellwork/magic. >> "Weaving Spells" by Lawrence Watt-Evans -- A woman searches for her missing fiancee in a wizard's castle. >> "Enaree: An Azkhantian Tale" by Deborah Wheeler -- A woman tires to break her traditional role in this desert setting. >> "The Day They Ran Out of Princesses" by Gail Sosinsky Wickman -- A servant is ennobled as a princess in order to sacrifice her to a tyrannical winged slug. (laughing) Yes, a flying slug. :) Glad we don't have those in the Northwest. >> "Taking Flight" by Susan Wolven -- A woman's sister's hawk returns with a message for her. >> Katherine L. Rogers' "The Vision That Appeared" I had to read twice, even though it was, like, 2 pages. It's about a woman who attempts an old family spell. Not a terrific ending to this book, but it'll do.

As with most short story anthologies, this collection has a mixture of excellent stories, mediocre ones, and ones that are easily forgotten by the next page. But what probably bugged me the most in this book was how Marion had to give her two cents in every author bio. Still, fans of fantasy should like this series, not just feminists/women readers, though it tends to attract a female audience.

Okay, this book is set up just like all the others in the Sword & Sorceress series. However, this one seems to be one of the better ones of the series. Marion Zimmer Bradley seems to know what her readers/fans like to read. Excellent stories!

As usual MZB came out with another enjoyable collection of Sword & Sorceress. # 16 isn't quite as good as 8 or 9, my favorites, but it's still great fun. My favorite story in this volume is Choices by Lisa Deason, a really original take on shapeshifting that entertained me and made me think. Also worthy of special mention are Moonlight on Water by Carol Leever and Enaree by Deborah Wheeler--it's refreshing to read great fantasy stories based on ethnicities other than Western European. The only reason I'm not giving this anthology five stars is because of the sprinkling of mediocre, highly forgettable stories in among the gems--so forgettable I've already forgotten what they were called. There's nothing truly bad here, however, and this is a very solid entry in the series.