I think we now have another William Faulkner in John Cook. He is able to hand us an entire piece of America in a single work. Cook takes us to a place we would never go to on our own--Appalachia. Jesse Logan is so completely drawn as a character that I feel if I reach out, I can touch him. I can actually see Homer and Ellen and Andy and Reverend Stevens. The story is so well done I didn't even see the seams as Cook pulls it all together with what seems to be a natural, effortless act. He makes us take a hard look at a part of America most of us never think about. Yet the story is profound. Jesse is far from a county bumpkin and Homer has a natrual intelligence that is extremely rare. On the face of it, there is no way in hell the beautiful Ellen Barlow would actually fall in love with Jesse Logan. Yet she does, and Cook tells it in such a way that we belive it. I stayed up until five in the morning because I could not put it down. However, it was worth it. Cook did not disappoint me. He delivered. Read this novel.

Extremely easy to read and very well organized. Author has relevant examples and whole book is straight forward style with out the usual pontificating, pompous approach of most writers of public speaking books. Written like an engineer-no mushy soft stuff. Best discussion of any book on merits of each type of script (Word for word, traditional outline, key word outline, pictograph).Excellent discussion of body mechanics and eye contact tips. Excellent chapter on humor and how and when to use it.

Elena Franklin was born in Standhope, CT in 1910 and died of congestive heart failure at age 70. She was considered one of great minds of her time. Though her views were unpopular at times, she had the brains and the guts to stick by them and to admit it on those rare occasions when she was wrong. She had two great loves in her life, never had children and never married.

Elena Franklin never existed. She is a fictional character created by Thomas H. Cook. In this amazing book, Mr. Cook follows Elena from her birth to her death through her older brother's eyes. The premise is that Elena's biography has just been published but William, her brother, doesn't think it captures Elena's true essence, so he writes his own biography of Elena. A writer himself, he had long ago accepted the fact that his contribution to the world would merely be as a footnote in Elena's life. Elena wanted only to be true to her intelligence and at whatever cost. She realized that she missed out on passion and companionship, but she lived the life that she felt was necessary. And I think she died having peace of mind.

This is an incredible book. I was lucky enough to buy it when it was first published and this is one book that I will not lend to anyone. I've probably read ten times and I will be reading it again. It's a book to read when you are at a point in your life when you have to reassess your priorities and think about the life that you have lived. While it is not a fun book, it is ultimately uplifting.

That was my reaction after I took a glimpse at the cover of Encyclo-Beanie-a. The cover is just the icing on the cake, this amazing book is the best beanie book out there. Everything is great about it-- the pictures, content, presentation! A MUST HAVE for any beanie collector!

-Devin Lazerine Webmaster at Beanie Baby Universe

I have tried several recipies in this book and all have turned out fabulous! Most items for the recipies are probably already in your kitchen. The dishes are extremely easy to make and I especially like the cooking tips which tell you what part of the dish can be made in advance so you have more time to spend with your friends and family. This is a great book and I am buying another as a gift to a friend!

"Esmeralda and the Enchanted Pond" is a great book that mixes
fantasy and the reality of a southern pond during the four seasons.

Esmeralda and her dad take trips to this special place where the
father creates a fairy tale description of everything they see.
This leaves Esmeralda very frustrated since she wants a real explanation of the way things are.

The full page, color artwork in this book is an extremely beautiful compliment to the story.

There is an additional activity guide that Pineapple Press offers
for parents and teachers. It takes each of the story elements and gets the reader to explore activities in writing as well as science.

This book is the most comprehensive all-in-one guidebook for budget travellers I have seen. With the help of it I planned a one-month Interrail trip around Europe. The book covers everything from what railpasses to buy and equipment to pack to places to stay and recommendations on travel routes. Rather than trying to cover the entire rail network of the continent it focuses on selected routes, but also has "Where Next" boxes for each city for those not sticking to the main route.

Having already decided on the route I was going to take, I found limited use in the suggested ones. Those who haven't planned their route, however, will benefit greatly from them.

The book covers dozens of cities for each country in Europe, although the focus is a bit more on the western ones are focused. The information for each city is very helpful, covering budget accomodation, where (and what) to eat, ways to get to/from the airport/rail station along with details on local transportation and even the places to party! This is where the book excels, giving useful phone numbers in each city for booking hotels and tickets for trains and events.

I liked the book because it doesn't sound like a travel ad for the cities. If the crime-rate is a problem, it tells you so, also if the prices are sky-high. Also, I never got the feeling a city was judged by one person's bias towards it.

Overall, the book is a great help for planning a rail trip and, as in my case, a terrific budged travel companion.

This collection of studies is, unfortunately, not light reading (especially for those lacking a solid grounding in statistical methods). Nor, like many of the pro-gun tracts, do the studies included set out clear and definitive conclusions.

What it does is present a number of studies and articles by those scholars who the NRA would label as "gun grabbers" offering evidence that challenges many of the more widely disseminated pro-gun arguments and pseudo-scientific works of authors like John Lott.

For example, while John Donohue's article presents a rather compelling case that Lott's conclusion (summed up as "More Guns, Less Crime") is deeply flawed he notes:

"If one had previously been inclined to believe the Lott and Mustard results, one might now conclude that the statistical evidence that crime will rise when a shall-issue law is passed is at least as compelling as the prior evidence that was amassed to show it would fall. However, there are still enough anomoliesin the data that warrent caution."

That's quite different from Lott's certitude in "More Guns, Less Crime" and, given the evidence, it is Lott's certitude that should be called into question, even before the conclusions about which he is so certain.

One other example merits particular note. That study, by Steven Raphael and Jens Ludwig, challanges the effectiveness of one program that is the "darling" of both the NRA *and* the Brady Campaign -- Richmond's Project Exile. The study concludes that the drop is actually something more akin to "regression to the mean" -- where the implementation followed a particurly steep risee in homicides and the subsequent drop is more attributable to the return to the "normal" rates than the increased focus itself. What the study doesn't mention is that, in 1997 (the base year used in hyping the program's success), homicide rates in Richmond had risen so steeply (contrary to other Virginia metropolitan areas) that Richmond's homicide rate exceeded Washington, DC's.

It many ways, it's a shame that the book isn't written for a wider audience, because the gun debate is one where the loudest and most self-certain voices carry more weight among the public than the most reasoned ones.

Filled with stories, legends, songs, and recipes, The Everything Christmas Book is a fun read, as well as an authoritative reference. The editors observe that the true spirit of Christmas is a sense of wonder and "this book is intended as a celebration of that wonder."

They begin with the history of Christmas and how it "evolved over many centuries, enduring occasional tribulation, scrutiny, and abolishment along the way." Folklore, such as why red and green are Christmas colors, complements the historical facts. They also explain how decorated trees and Santa Claus became a part of contemporary Christmas celebrations.

The chapters on stories and poems include such well-known tales as Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Moore's "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," in addition to other favorites. Music and complete lyrics are provided for forty Christmas carols. The list of Christmas videos contains more than fifty titles.

Do you know in what year "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was first broadcast or when "Miracle on 34th Street" was first released in movie theaters? These are two of the 106 questions included in "The Ultimate Mass-Media Christmas Trivia Quiz." (Answers are at the end of the chapter!)

If you're up to a little traveling, check out the section on local festivities. Tree-lighting ceremonies, parades, Yule log celebrations, feasts, and lighting festivals are available all across the States. The editors provide times and contact information for each event listed.

No Christmas is complete without lots of good food, and the editors have selected a tantalizing sample of holiday recipes, including wassail and "Special Green and Red Vegetable Salad." Recipes are divided into sections for breakfasts and brunches, appetizers, side dishes, main courses and accompaniments, sweets and desserts, and drinks.

The next chapter offers recipes for gift-giving. And yes, it does include fruitcakes!

The editors conclude with a section on how Christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world and a discussion of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

The Everything Christmas Book is an ideal gift for people of all ages and interests. Be sure to get a copy for yourself also--it will soon become a treasured favorite.

This book is comprehensive and incredibly useful. Anyone who is interested in designing or interpreting an experiment or a quasi-experiment in the social and behavioral sciences would benefit greatly by reading it.