...I decided to take guitar lessons and my instructor gave me this book. IT HELPS!! I started playing guitar in a week! When I was using a self taught DVD,I was still stuck on E5, A5, & D5 chords and not knowing what I was doing for the whole week ... This book really helps! You need to learn scales to be able to understand chords. I recommend this book for any beginner. It helps you read and understand notes. If you were in a high school band, you will not have a problem with reading the notes. It may be helpful to a novice, but I do recommend a novice to take lessons and use this book!

Other, more modern books with CDs etc. started right off with chords and I had a HORRIBLE time trying to learn. I found an older version of this book in a thrift store and am now playing comfortably no more than 6 months later, and now understand what a chord is and am able to play them! I'm a total self learner so I disagree with the other guy's comments. I had no trouble understanding this book. It was hard at first, of course, but I kept with it and have made lots of progress moving steadily through the lessons in the book and going back to review older lessons.

Excellent! I was lost and I could not play guitar. This book showed me the way and now I can play like it was nothing, great lesson book!

My wife and I went to Belize in April 2002. I reviewed several books of Belize, of which there were few. This one seemed to be the book to buy. I wasn't disappointed. It had very good restuarant recommendations for Ambergris Caye as well as hotel info. Some information was not updated (internet cafe in Cayo had moved, [an inexpensive] great internet connection place was not mentioned also, a series of cabins that were listed as in business in Crooked Tree were *completely* run-down and *nowhere* near being in business) but this didn't hamper our vacation very much. It had good info on stuff to do in and near Cayo. Bottomline: buy this guide if you're going to Belize.

(Planeta.com Journal) - This 300-page book is a superb second edition that details the best of ways of exploring Belize (and nearby Tikal and the Bay Islands). What Belize First calls "a tour de force" is a must-read for travelers heading to this country. Author Eltringham's first visit was during his tour of duty by the UK's Royal Air Force. He's returned numerous times and covers community tourism issues with the same clear-spoken authority of trekking and diving. Independent travelers will relish the detailed information, practical advice and helpful maps.

We had Lonely Planet "Central America" and Fodor's "Guatemala and Belize", but it was Rough Guide we kept coming back too. In our trip to Guatemala and Belize we spent 4 days in Belize, but only out on the Cayes. Most of the time was spent on Caye Caulker (a very laid back and relaxing escape) staying at Mara's Place which was listed in the guide without much fanfare, but hit the spot.

If you need low budget (~25US per room - no tax!) stay with Mara. She is right near the swimming spit and has lovely cabins (no A/C, but ceiling fans) that are simple, but clean. You'll always notice Mara driving around town in her sporty ATV.

For the size of the Caye the restaurants are plentiful with most listed in the guide.

The one short coming was scuba info. Belize barrier reefs are known for their great scuba and snorkeling and the island has plenty of shops - but only 1 is listed. They will refer you elsewhere if they can't accomodate you, but I am surprised that Rough Guide didn't dedicate more space to this popular sport. I assume the writer either a) didn't spend much time on the Cayes or b) didn't care much for water sports. Might have been both, but this is a huge oversight given that the Cayes are one of the most popular destinations in Belize.

Despite this shortcoming - you won't be disappointed.

If you are a dog lover who enjoys adventure and the outdoors, then "Walking My Dog, Jane: From Valdez to Prudhoe Bay Along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline" is a must read.

This was a book that I could not put down, I was always curious what adventure Ned Rozell and Jane (his chocolate lab) would encounter next. My curiosity was heightened by Rozell's brilliant writing style, in which he makes you feel as though you are hiking along the pipeline with him and Jane. Who would they meet? What act of kindness would the next stranger offer? What would they see? What would be the history of pipeline mile 647?

Finally, this book is about a man who made a dream become reality, and it was this new sense of reality that made his life become a dream!

I don't know when I have enjoyed a book as much as this one. I think it is extrememy well written as well as interesting. I was so excited by sections of this book, I would wake my husband and read aloud to him. He is an outdoors guy and really understood the feeling experienced by Ned. I intend to buy a few of these books and give them as gifts to special friends. I want everyone to meet Ned Rozell.

Having visted Alaska this summer, traveling from Fairbanks to the pipeline, I found the people to be intriguing, very different. This author really helps the reader understand what goes through the mind of someone who truly loves this wilderness called Alaska. The author's journey is one of self-exploration aside from exploring just the terrain. It's a pleasure to read, and it helps explain the makeup of people who find that wilderness inspiring and nurturing.

The book was about as bad as the 15 "Dives, Joints, All-Night Cafes, Noodle Houses, Buffets, and Other Cheap Places to Eat" that we tried.

To be fair, the title is accurate (which is the only reason I rate the book 3 stars). Though many, of the locations listed that we tried were just "Dives."

This book is more like a collection of Dan's articles, and less like a review of places to eat in San Francisco. Save your money - this book is written for San Francisco's jaded.

because then it would have been only half as annoying.

As a long-time resident of San Francisco, I read Dan Leone's "Cheap Eats" column regularly, so it was natural for me to want the compilation book. Sadly, I discovered that what works well in a weekly column kind of fills you up quickly in larger doses.

When you can compare columns and watch Dan progess over a period of time, it becomes obvious what a one-trick pony he is. He's like a six year old child who's just learned a new bad word and delights in repeating it over and over to shock dinner guests. So many of his columns are a study in scatology, that it makes one wonder how he eats at all with visions of body wastes dancing in his head.

Dan Leone can be funny, in Ferrelly Brothers kind of way, and many of his columns make for amusing reading. But a little of him goes a long, long way.

I wouldn't think of eating in any of the places Dan Leone recommends -- and I wouldn't think of missing one of his columns. He's not a restaurant critic. He's a writer, and an excellent one, with an enviably distinct style and an engaging writing personality. If you want to know where to eat in San Francisco, read another book. If you want to read vibrant writing, or get a lesson in how to load an 800-word piece with personality, invention and delightful turns, line by line, paragraph by paragraph, this is the book.

I bought this book based on several 5-star evaluations here in Amazon, but I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed (which doesn't happen very often). I admit that the plot was interesting and I learned more about Boston than I knew before. However, many of the characters (especially the present-day ones) seemed very two-dimensional. It was hard to tell who was supposed to be driving the action -- it wasn't entirely third-person (which would have been logical in an historical novel) and it wasn't written through the eyes of only one or two characters. For example, a lot of space is given to Fallon the contemporary writer, and he seems to be the one that should draw our focus, but his intentions are all over the map. In fact, every time a new person is introduced, we get glimpses of that person's point-of-view too. I found it disconcerting to read the thoughts of a character in one paragraph, then have to guess what might have motivated their actions in the next one.
Maybe it's an older style of writing (the book was originally written in 1979), but I found the descriptions of relationships between people especially clumsy. I don't know if I'd have finished "Back Bay" if I hadn't been on a trip to a foreign country with no opportunity to find something else in English. I certainly appreciate Michener more than I did as a result of reading this attempt at his kind of storytelling.

I am not always much of a reader, but this book caught me from the first pages. It is a MUST for anyone who knows and/or loves the city of Boston and the history that goes along with it. I found myself visualizing the streets and areas of Boston as I read each chapter. My only disappointment was the ending...I could not believe that I was on the last page! I wanted it to end differently for the characters (thus, only 4 stars), but overall I was quite satisfied with the book. I am now going to dig into Cape Cod, but the same author.

a family saga told in parallel histories of the early 19th and the mid to late 20th centuries, spanning six generations. historic boston makes for a prominent backdrop for an elaborately plotted metropolitan treasure hunt doomed by a fatal curse. contrivances aside, an entertaining, nearly folkloric tale.

Trudging through this book was a task, and not something I rather enjoyed. I believe if you are going to read something, you should enjoy it. And this... did nothing for me. If you want to know about Canada, or better yet, the Hudson Bay Company; the Canadian Government offers great links and information that was far more enticing then this novel.

Should be mandatory reading for all highschool and undergraduate history courses. There is absolutely no better account of the founding of North America by Europeans than this. I can't believe that I was unable to find availability of this book in Canada.

This book actually goes far beyond the Hudson Bay Company to tell the history of Western Canada. The real greatness of this book the way the author takes a topic and makes it come alive. For example, when it comes time to discuss pemmicam, the food used by the voyageurs, you get a mini-history of buffalo and how each part of the body is used. These lengthy digressions take away some of the chronological flow of the book, but they are well worth it. If you like to know what it was really like to live in a different place at a different time, this is the book for you.

Nordberg tells a haunting story that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Handling an important social issue in a sensitive and well-researched manner, she has created an unforgettable family drama. The author's sense of place is one of the most notable things about this novel. I could feel the Pacific breezes and smell the rain through her prose. I will anxiously wait for her next novel.

This one was really tough to put down and I'm glad I didn't have a schedule to follow over the weekend that I was reading it. I had to make myself get to bed!

The author's style is such that you like the likable characters and dislike the dislikable. Once you get over the slow-moving 80 some-odd pages of preliminaries - the introduction to Patricia and her career, the introduction and reintroduction to Russell and his career, their courtship, wedding and honeymoon, it takes off and doesn't let you down - not 'til the very end, anyway.

Despite Russell's loving attentiveness, thoughtfully-planned dates and wonderful gifts during their courtship that would capture the hearts of many women, he undergoes a Dr. Jeckyl - Mr. Hyde personality once he and Patricia marry. He's cruel and viscious one minute but loving and doting the next when he acts like the 'ugly' side of him never took place.

Patricia is frightened for her life as he usurps control of it more and more. She blames herself for his evil actions and denies them to others.

Patricia literally bumps into Susan at the hardware store and they become fast friends. Susan is the epitome of what a friend should be. It is she who discovers Patricia's secret and helps her anyway she is able and that Patricia will allow.

The end was more than a bit disappointing, but don't let that discourage you from this well-written, suspenseful novel. I'm hoping after the letdown, there will be a second part to this one.

Serenity Bay is one of the better books I've read in a long while. I couldn't stop reading; I had to finish it to see how it was resolved.

Clearly Bette Nordberg did her research. The situations and characters were real, and I found myself warning Patricia, laughing with her, even scolding her, and finally cheering as she gained strength and resolve.

The story and its characters was skillfully revealed. Bette kept me guessing right down to the end. There was gut-wrenching drama and places I didn't want to go, but I'm glad I kept reading because I now understand better what it's like to live with abuse.

Thanks Bette for this great book. You're a wonderful writer!

I got this booka while back and thumbed through it and found several interesting facts about this bay area. I have not bothered to go on any of the trips they describe because they did not really interest me that much. the show is much better than this book.

This book is a handy one for bay area residents, for weekend getaways. It can also be of great use to the visitors.

We pick a page and go. Each trip has been relaxing and full of new experiences. My book is dogeared after only 2 months from such frequent use.

I'd probably give this a 3 1/2 stars if I could. It was a pretty cute one, there was some pretty humorous parts - which I always enjoy. It won't be on my keepers shelf though. The little obsession of the two main characters (trying to out do each other) kind of got on my nerves after a while. The way it all wrapped up wasn't real believable either. During the last half I thought we had a real mystery going on that could have been interesting, but it fell really flat & disappointed me. I have read another of LH's books though that I enjoyed, so I'll probably give her another try.

Heroine:  plump/buxom

Methodical medical researcher Dr. Jackie Barnett has been looking forward to her Caribbean getaway with her boyfriend, Ben. She's been packing, checking and double-checking her lists a full 36 hours before having to leave. Everything is coming together in clockwork fashion, except for one tiny detail: Ben has just left Jackie a message on her voicemail backing out of the vacation . . . and the relationship altogether! He just can't take anymore of her "stick-in-the-mud" uptight attitude.

Mortally wounded, as well as unnerved by the notion of taking the trip by her lonesome, she attempts to salvage from the travel agent whatever she can of the major finances she's invested. But her boss Walt vetoes Jackie's plans to back out when he discovers that Phelps grant sponsor Farley Phelps will be vacationing at that same spot, and he orders Jackie to get down there and win that million dollar grant for their lab!

Reade Hunter is fit to be tied. His erstwhile, long-distance, scientific nemesis is making a covert move to secure the Phelps Foundation grant. But Reade is a fighter and doesn't plan on making things easy for the conniving Dr. Barnett. In a whirlwind, he packs up his hypochondriac of a mother and heads to St. Sebastian to try and get the jump on his "esteemed" colleague.

But Dr. Hunter's hopes of winning the grant waver when he discovers his curvaceous competition clad in a mere scrap of a sundress, and he's overcome with the certain belief that his enemy is playing dirty. He is desperate to find the means to combat Jackie and her use of her feminine wiles on Farley Phelps to get her way. To make matter worse, handsome Reade is chagrined to find that he is in far more danger from those wiles than Phelps is!

With the rules anyone's guess and no referee in sight, who will come out the winner in this game of secrets, lies, and lust?

What worked for me:

I sure can relate to Jackie's feelings about creepy-crawly critters. And I really enjoyed watching her transformation from a wet blanket to a wild woman. (Well, she didn't get _that_ wild, but she at least let her hair down and took off that invisible lab coat that she always seemed to wear.)

For the most part I liked the secondary romance, as well. It's always nice to see older women get their fair share of loving too.

 Size-wise Jackie began the story as a size 18 conservatively-dressed frump. By the end of the story she had discovered a new, more flattering style of dress. (She also lost a bit of weight, supposedly due to her new active lifestyle, but it didn't really specify how much. Still, for a book that went out of its way to make a point of having a size 18 heroine, it would have suited me just fine if she had just stayed that size.)

What didn't work for me:

It's always a little iffy to jump into bed with someone just after breaking up with another person. Even if there is major relationship potential, trying to make things work too soon doesn't always pan out. (Why else do women on the dating scene warn friends away from recently heartbroken men? "No, you don't want that guy. He's on the rebound!")

On the other hand, the wrap-up of the book (which was somewhat predictable and manipulated) certainly addressed that point by swinging to the other extreme. Personally, I thought that leaving things hanging between the happy couple for an entire year while the heroine went off incommunicado to "find herself", was a bit too long. Even if we're talking soul mates here, when a person does something like that she runs the risk of losing her loved one to another.

Overall:

This story was a cute, quick read with a bit of humor, suspense, and hot sex sprinkled throughout its pages.

Warning: there are some steamy passages in this book.
If you liked "Runaway Bay" you might also enjoy "Dear Cupid", "His E-mail Order Wife", "The Bridesmaid's Reward", "Carried Away", "His Seductive Revenge", "Looking for Laura", "It Had to be You", "This Heart of Mine", "Too Much Temptation", "Faking It", or "Say You're Mine".

Dr. Jacqueline Barnett was about to walk out the door for a rare vacation when her boyfriend of two years broke up with her by voice mail! Jackie considered canceling the trip. After all, who wanted to spend two weeks alone at a Caribbean resort? Then she found out Farley Phelps would be at the same resort! Phelps would be the one to decide who would get a million dollar research grant! Even so, Jackie still would have canceled the trip if one more piece of information had not came up. Dr. Reade Hunter, her main competitor for the grant, would be there as well!

Reade's mother, Lenore Hunter, really believed she was sick. Reade, however, thought her simply depressed. A Caribbean holiday to cheer her up was the perfect excuse for him to be in St. Sebastian. If he just happened to meet, make nice to Phelps, and win the grant ...

***** Oh, Lisa Hendrix writes SOOOOOO WELL! I could not stop reading! Two romances are blooming in this book and the co-characters are as delightful as the main ones! The competition between Jackie and Reade, in more ways than one, make the story even more tantalizing! This is NOT one to miss! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

I have used this dictonary it's fabulous for my self and others i will like to share this info. with lots of people. I would like to hear from you on placing an order also my husband had placed an order and no responce have been given to him please tell me what to do. Thank You R DEAN

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Imho the definitions contained within most accurately reflect the American dialect of English. Certain other dictionaries seem so far off base it isn't funny. An indispensable book. I wish there was a Windows version of *this* dictionary! Slang & jargon (historical & otherwise) are the main definitions I still need to occasionally lookup elsewhere.