I am Public Relations Manager for GreaterGR.com, the Greater Grand Rapids area website. As such, I am often asked which publications about history and life in Grand Rapids are the best. "Greater Grand Rapids: A City that Works" tops my list! It is a unique look into life in Grand Rapids as Gerald R. Ford experienced it. You will find this book in the reception area of many businesses in the Greater Grand Rapids area, most likely because the pictures are exceptionally vivid, capturing the essence of city life. It is a great coffee table book and conversation piece!

Being new to the Grand Rapids area, this book is the most effective and efficient way to get a glimsp at the Grand Rapids business and private sector as well as a view of Grand Rapids through the eyes of Gerald Ford. This is a must buy for anyone who is looking at Grand Rapids for fun and fellowship.

This book is an incredibly charming read, made even better by the beautiful pictures. I enjoyed it so much that I have given several copies of this book to friends and family. When I grow up (?), I want to be an archaeologist!!

Thank you, Naomi Miller, for giving me many evenings of pleasure.

Amazon.com had a mistake in the listing (since corrected) which prompted me to write and take the opportunity to transmit what my friends say about the book (I, of course, would be too prejudiced to write my own review):

One of the people pictured in the book wrote to me: "Thanks a million for your wonderful book. I've just spent a while taking refuge from a grumpy evening by flipping through it, pausing to read about the parts of your life I don't know. How wonderfully generous of you to enshrine us like this, with such precise evocation of time, space, foolishness & purpose."

Another friend wrote:"Your lovely book of drawings and watercolors arrived yeaterday. [We] were immediately entranced by the images and text--such an amusing, informative down-to-earth description life on the dig. The watercolors are really wonderful, but I've always known that.... I had never seen the Shiraz bazaar or Malyan village scenes. Then there are all the pals: ...--they evoke such memories! Is that Dash, the Wonder Dog, on the back cover? Remember, he had a "thing' for you, invading your bedroom with his cargo of fleas! And there he is, wagging his tail at your photograph. Plate 16 is a sweet rendering of my favorite view of Yassihöyük. The Euphrates views are as close as I ever need to get to that old river. Finally, I love all the little sketches scattered throughout--especially the birds and animals. Thanks again for the originals, which I treasure, and thanks for the book. ..."

And another friend wrote: "...Your book is wonderful: your narrative is a delight to read and you know how much I admire your watercolors--each is exquisite w/ great sureness of line, balance of composition pacing & repetition that makes a whole of the multi-paneled ones, and of course great use of colors to die for. I love them! I am lucky to have seen many in incomparable person but there were some that were new to me--the luminosity of the originals and your wonderful backlighting were undiminished in reproduction. Of course we love best of all discovering new things in the plates with each reading.
Congratulations in getting your book out. I am so happy that everyone else will get to share in the pleasure of looking at them.
Thank you again, I am most proud to possess a copy so wonderfully inscribed!"

I won't bore you with the rest of the rave reviews!

ellen zieselman is a brilliant writer. a magical piece. i hope she goes on to write others.

This is a delightful representation of the artist and his work, beautifully and clearly written and magically photographed. It will make an enthusiast of the casual observer!

This was one of the more thought-provoking romances I have read in a long time. There are a lot of issues in this book and Catherine Blair has done a really good job in weaving all the elements and story line together smoothly. It is refreshing to see an Regency author that believes that not all men that went off to fight in the Napoleonic wars were heros that came back home without a twinge on their consciences. Viscount Hunter is full of guilt and rage and unfortunately chooses to try and deal with his problems on his own. His young wife, Amelia Harrow, is deliberately shut out of his life. She eventually comes to understand what drives her husband and grows up during the process. Do give this book a read, I highly recommend it!

I think we all know how sexy and frustrating it can be to be in love with someone who does not seem to return the sentiment - and it makes for some major tension in a romance novel! It's just all wham bam - and since the marriage happens earlier in the book than most romances you read of this era, the tilt of power and tension is very novel and exciting. It's almost a mystery novel wrapped inside a Regency romance. Very nicely done!

The second book I read on Islamic Art. Was very impressed. It's very comprehensive and well organized. Starts coverage in chronological order (from the start of the Islamic empire) and covers Architecture, Calligraphy/Book art, Paintings, Ceramics and Textiles for every major Muslim Empire(Spain to India inclusive) from 560AD to the fall of the last great Muslim empire-the Ottomans in modern times. The pictures are great and complement the subject matter well.

Blair and Bloom do a great job explaining classic Islamic arts. They give equal attention to architecture, calligraphy, weaving and decorative arts, and suplement their accessible yet intelligent text with attractive photographs. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to begin learning about Islamic art, as well as to those who already know the basics.

NICK FRANCISCO PERIOD 2

"A Time to Kill" is John Grisham's first novel. His fluid, detailed storytelling is unlike the choppy first attempts of many modern authors.In a small town in the Deep South, two redneck hooligans rape and maim a ten-year-old black girl. Enraged, the girl's father, Carl Lee Hailey, takes justice into his own hands, killing the two rapists in a courthouse shooting. He seeks the help of defense lawyer Jake Brigance to save him from the gas chamber.

Brigance, a young but sharp lawyer, has to find a way to win an impossible case: a black man is on trial for killing two white men, and his case is being heard by an all-white jury. Adding to the mix are violence between the Ku Klux Klan and the black community, and the fact that, during the shooting, Carl Lee had injured a sheriff's deputy.

When I first read this novel, I was angered and irritated by the depth of hatred that exists within racism. I was angered that had Carl Lee been a white man bent on avenging his daughter's suffering, he would never have had to face trial. The rape of ten year old Tanya, Carl Lee's daughter, by Billy Ray and Pete, A Time to Kill is a disturbing novel, aside from the raping and killing that opens the tale. It is not possible to look at our justice system the same way, especially from the viewpoint of the black community in the South.

John Grisham is of course my favorite author, and this is the perfect collector's item of sorts because it gives you all of his best books...in audio! If you listen to all his books, it just makes them come more alive and real, and it's just terrific.

This book was great! I bought it used from this site and the book was wonderful. Katie and Sabrina are my two favorites and this book didn't disappoint me. I recommend everyone should read it.

I liked this book very much. I love every Girl Talk book I have ever read. I am still trying to find more books. Well, this book was interesting. It was about Katie Campbell and her friends volunteering for a youth program. Katie, her crush, Scottie Silver, and her stepbrother, Michel, are teaching young kids the basics of playing ice hockey. Katie is looking forward to the team's first scrimage, but she ends up in the hospital due to a serious health problem.

I ride the N train in New York City daily, and in my backpack are my lunch, my notepad, and my copy of Love Letters to Myself.

This Blair Schulman can write a story! I have gotten my friends into this book and we have met a couple times in a group to talk about the book (I got an autographed copy!!). It's funny, exciting, jaw-dropping ... kinda reminds me of the stories I read in gossip columns. It is great company when I'm alone, a fun read with juicy passages, some of the most vivid writing I've read since undergrad.

I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in reading about the New York socialite lifestyle ... or anyone who's ridden the N train, really!

Blair Schulman's first-person narrator gives playful descriptions of the novel's other characters. He always seems at least vaguely amused by his surroundings, and by the people in those surroundings. Schulman utilizes the narrator's witty observations as a way of offering descriptions-as opposed to giving bland, static descriptions of the characters, action, and settings.

I kept looking forward not only to what would happen next but also to what the narrator would say about it. For example, the pretentious snobs he encounters generally lack any sense of decorum or self-control, making them fodder for more of his quips.

If you like witty, zany, fast-paced reading, this book will make you want to write love letters to author Blair Schulman!

I really like "Mixed Feelings". I have "Mixed Feelings", "Face Off", and "Odd Couple". Those are the only books I have of Girl Talk. But I've read more Girl Talk books than that. I really like "Mixed Feelings". Scottie is my fav. Michel is O.K., but Sabrina likes him.

Book synopsis: When a gorgeous Canadian boy moves to Acorn Falls and joins the Bradley Junior High hockey team, life suddenly turns pretty interesting for Katie Campbell - especially when she discovers that her best friend, Sabrina, has a crush on the new boy.

If you enjoy reading fun series books, I suggest you check out the Girl Talk series. I have a number of them, and I really enjoy reading them. All of the stories in this series are lots of fun and I'd reccommend them to anyone who likes to read!

Gary Ryan Blair has created a book that gets to the core ofgoal setting. I have purchased many books on goal setting. Gary'sbook captures the essence of goal setting in a concise easy to read format. If you want to really learn how to set goals and live within the realities of goal setting, then read The Myths and Realities of Goal Setting. I highly recommend all his work.

I was really suprised by this book. It provided an excellent overview of the 15 most common myths that people experience when it comes to goal setting. On one side, the myth is identified and on the other, Gary Ryan Blair provides the correct reality.

I liked the format and direct approach that was presented. Each point is relevant for both my personal and business. In fact, I gave a presentation on each point to my team members just the other day. I highly recommend this book!