This book has the nicest page layout of photographs and recipes I've seen in a long time. It has recipes for simple things like different kinds of hot cocoa to cinnamon rolls, oatmeal, and tarts. The picture of the apple walnut muffins makes me salivate! This would make a great gift.

All About Grilling, is a refreshing book of new ideas for outdoor cooking and entertaining. I was very impressed with the different combinations of ingredients, the presentation of the meal, the grilled side dishes, and the rubs and sauces. I received the book as a gift and have enjoyed using it for my summer entertaining. I am now purchasing a book for a friend.

Finally a book on soups that feeds my passion for good soup recipes. This book contains a wide variety of soup/stew recipes. Not only does it contain american homestyle recipes, but it also contains other favorites such as egg drop soup, and other ethinic soups as well. This book is peppered with photos and illustrations that aide you in food preparation, as well as showing you what the final dish will look like. This book is enjoyable and worthwhile if you are a soup lover as I am. The book is very comprehensive, giving a wealth of good soup recipes, as well as pictures, and discussion of various soups, preparation methods and more. With this book you should be able to create some favorites of your own. I highly recommend this book to the soup lover in you.

This is an excellent book. After reading it you may conclude that America's decision to go to war with Germany in 1917 was the biggest mistake this country ever made. You may also conclude that Bob La Follette was one of the most courageous politicians in American history or, conversely that he totally misjudged public opinion during World War I.

Take your favorite Darkover novel, compress it into a few pages but leave all the emotional impact in place -- that's "The Keeper's Price." I notice that MZB and Lisa Waters kept coming back to Hilary Castamir's charcter, and I wish there had been a novel about her. :)

Leaving aside the brilliance of the title masterpiece, the rest of the collection is strong and well-organized. Even the stories I didn't like as much at first ("A Simple Dream" comes to mind, as does "Ambassador to Corresanti") have grown on me. I've read and re-read this collection probably twenty times in the past year. I still want to read it over again. These are wonderful stories!

I also appreciated how well-organized this collection and _Sword of Chaos_ were, and wish the anthologies had continued to print stories in approximate chronological order.

Oh well.

This book is a delightful member of the broad category of Fantasy (of which Tolkien's _Lord_of_the_Rings_ may be the most famous work). But this is not a story of elves and orcs. It is, as you might guess, a story of camels, genies, noble Bedouin warriors, a beautiful (and clever) Arab princess, and the vast desert.

The central plot device is a genie who is turned into a man, and given the task of winning the love of a woman. Genies, we learn, have no souls, and so will cease to exist on Judgement Day, whereas men (and women, of course) will be judged, and earn eternal reward or punishment. And so Khaled, the central character, can reach Paradise if he can earn the love of the most un-sentimental woman in the Kingdom. The twists and turns of their evolving relationship sometimes have a distinctly Shakespearean feel.

One enjoyable element in the book is the serious attitude toward Islam, and the completely automatic assumption in the story that all the good guys are Muslims (and the bad guys are not).

I first got this book for my daughter when she was almost 2. She loved the bright pictures and lifting the flaps on each page to search for the "monster." Because the book is written in a simple rhyme, it's easy for her to follow and memorize and now she can "read" it to me.

The best part of the whole book is that the kissing monster turns out to be Mommy and you have no choice but to attack your toddler with tons of kisses when you've finished reading the story. Moms and kids are sure to enjoy this one.

absolutly loved this book. for anyone who loves romances, this one is tops. a gothic rromance set in the early edwardian period.

Kudrun provides a rare and fascinating glimpse into how the pagan Germans viewed their women, and how those women viewed themselves. The tale is told using a mythological-fractal technique, where three generations of women (Hilde, her daughter Hilde, and the granddaughter Kudrun) confront the recurring issues of war and peace, love and hate, and the conflicts of duty and the heart. The male characters include the slightly demonic Hagen and the elemental warrior Wate, counterpoising their violence and strength to the diplomacy and wisdom of Hilde in her many incarnations.

Committed to writting around 1200, Kudrun is the crystallization of a much older oral tradition. It provides some excellent insights into the worldview of the pagan Germans, where the gentle beauty and intelligence of the female symbolizes a matching counterbalance to the fearless drive and aggression symbolized by the male.

Both an entertaining story and a priceless historical document, Kudrun occupies a position of major importance in the history of both literature and anthropology.

This play is horrible! Not only was it a flat narrative that was as shallow in it's arc as a puddle it was simply an amalgum of sterotypes parading as realistic characters. The dialogue was utter tripe, full as it was with clichés and predictable euphamisms. Why is that we accept bad writing through the use of stereotypes as long as that bad writing is coming from a member of that stereotyped group. All of the subplots were tact on, as if Wilson knowing his play did not have enough substance to sustain itself said "Oh crap! I better put more into this!". In the end they just add to the mess. Shame on you August Wilson! Hang your head in shame!

August Wilson's Jitney opened off-broadway in New York in the Spring of 2001. I saw the play 3 times within 3 weeks, and I took my father the last. It isn't about seeing a play. It's about experiencing and sharing hope.

Set in Pittsburgh, PA of the 1970's, the play centers around jitney/car service drivers as they try to let go of the past, and embrace future changes in themselves and their environment. They're decent, hard working middle-aged black men who are questioning their lives, wondering if they accomplished enough, made mistakes, or have been lead astray and are desparately trying to find a way to rectify themselves, even warn the angry young not to make the same mistakes.

The main story is about Becker, the owner of the Jitney and his relationship with his son Booster, who was recently released from a 20 year prison sentence for killing a rich white society girl after she falsely testified he was rapist. Becker has always been a pillar to his community, and he has never forgiven or understood his son's act. Booster, who could have been another Albert Einstein, was barely twenty when killed the girl. Because of changing times and laws, he was spared the death penalty, but not until after his mother dies of a broken heart, which is something Becker holds Booster responsible for. Will Becker forgive Booster? Is Booster sorry? What will become of Booster, a once promising scholar, who, it seems, has thrown the important years of his life away. Will Becker hold onto the Jitney or will it be demolished to make way for a mall or something similar. Will the young Vietnam Vet be able to close on the house that will make life better for his young family?

What I particularly liked about this play is that, right or wrong, the characters believably argue their convictions. It's as if the audience is deciding who's right. Events are never slanted. While there are a number of powerful scenes, the one that stands out for me is the reunion between Becker and Booster as Booster tries to justify why he killed the girl. The play is never preachy or slanted.

The play kept me and a packed audience on the edge of our seats, literally, up until and including the last word. Each time I went, the play was met with automatic standing ovation.

Whether you're an actor looking for something to sink your teeth in or a person that appreciates a skillfully action and character driven play, Jitney is worth reading. I went 3 times for the language and skillfully developed scenes.