This is a succinct and well-organized book that concentrates on fostering a conceptual understanding of metabolic processes rather than rote memorization of chemical formulas and reactions. It uses large, clear diagrams for each concept, adds lists and tables of the enzymes and cofactors involved for most pathways, hits all the important points regarding regulatory mechanisms, and throws in a few clinical correlations to put everything in perspective. I haven't taken the USMLE Step 1 yet so I don't know how it rates as a review book, but it was very helpful for organizing my studying for regular biochem exams.

Well illustrated, up-to-date, concise. Starts with an overview of the cell and it's components and then how these components fit into metabolic pathways. Puts everything into perspective without the need for too much memorization.

Though the pictures and layout are indeed beautiful it is unlikely that anyone but the most skilled and well-equipped person would be able to reproduce the parties shown in the photographs. Most people won't have the supplies necessary for the tablesettings or even the activities, and will not want to spend the money necessary to acquire them. Recipes are not practical or tasty. Suggestions are not detailed enough to truly employ in any kind of meaningful manner. Text is filled with fluff and flowery sweetness and leaves the reader wishing the authors had spent more time with truly detailed instructions for the preparation of a tea party.

My daughter and I had many fun hours planning and hosting several parties for some other small homeschooled friends. We mixed a few recipes and substituted some games to suit a diverse age group. Our guests were very complimentary and we received many hugs in thanks.

My daughter and I had many fun hours planning and hostingseveral parties for some other small homeschooled friends. We mixed afew recipes and substituted some games to suit a diverse age group. Our guests were very complimentary and we received many hugs in thanks.

I love the idea of this cookbook! I am not much of a cook and when I want to cook my cupboards are not filled with many ingredients required for most recipes. This cookbook seemed perfect for me.

When I got the cookbook home, I immediately tried the dishes. For a few weeks I cooked, cooked and cooked but was never happy with the outcome. Most of the recipes lacked flavor... I ended up adding my own spices (I enjoy more flavorful meals). One recipe for an artichoke appetizer actually tasted more like an omelet than a cracker spread. I suppose that with only four ingredients per recipe I should not expect Martha Stewert taste. Needless to say, I switched back to my more complex cookbooks where the taste was much more appreciated.

I am a 28 year old military wife who is NOT a good cook. I have been known to ruin even the "easiest things" like instant pudding. I got this from my mom because she knew of my kitchen related frustrations. I had it for two years and then OPENED it. OH MY LORD. I use it constantly. Let me tell you something, this cookbook is still the ONLY one I own. Not only did it get me IN the kitchen, it also made me proud to serve what I made to my family. It was wondeful for me because it used ingredients that are on hand, inexpensive, and easy to locate nationwide. The taste and the color of these dishes are amazing. Sometimes, I put two recipes together (making it six or eight ingredient) to get some other dish that I have had to write in. I feel this book is fantastic to get that "mot so rich" or "fearing another failed recipe" cook to a become successful. It is THAT good.

What a fantastic book! The recipes are fast and easy to make with "normal" ingredients that you would have on hand. The dishes are delicious and the variety is wonderful! This is a fun book for all cooks; children learning to cook, young people just starting out, working families short on time and retirees who want simple but good. This would make a great gift item for any or all of the above. Thanks Coffee and Cale for a great treat!!!

There's a line that R. Crumb uses twice, in two separate comics, that epitomizes the major themes of his art: "Nobody understands [me]... and of course, how could they??" Periodically his work will stumble into a pit of naval gazing and self-indulgence when it comes to the subjects for his comics. But ultimately, everything he does boils down to this one line. The level of self-awareness he manages to achieve with this line, and throughout the remainder of his work, is both staggering and fascinating, enough to justify the grandiosity of this book.

I tried to read this as an autobiography, from cover to cover, taking time to carefully understand how the context of Crumb's life affected his work. Not an effective strategy. If the book wasn't so cumbersome to hold, it might have worked. But since that first reading, I've gotten much more enjoyment just laying the book open flat on a large surface, and staring at the audacious art contained herein.

The large-scale (13"x11") format has various levels of effectiveness when presenting Crumb's work. The sketchbook pages, when blown up to this size, lose their intimacy. You can see the fudges and mistakes that Crumb's made. These imperfections are beautiful in the smaller format, but become grotesque and distracting at this size. On the other hand, too often his comic book covers should have been enlarged but weren't. The details in the margins, brought out gloriously when they are blown up, can't be seen when the covers are presented as thumbnails.

Each chapter begins with a page-long, hand-written introduction by the man himself. Robert is self-effacing to a fault; you can tell that he's embarrassed by the treatment his works have been given here. He never intended them for such a wide audience, and now the incoherent ramblings of his inner mind are getting the coffee table book treatment! It's preposterous! That being said, he does a fine job trying to explain his own psychology, getting at his motivations for creating the art he did, and never apologizing for any of it. And I found that if you read his writings while imagining that great laid-back drawl of his, the experience is that much more enjoyable.

The book is a perfect companion piece for anyone who's seen Terry Zwigoff's stunning documentary, "Crumb". Many of the pieces shown in that movie turn up here too, only instead of just snippets we get the whole work. Most notable is the inclusion of "A Bitchin' Bod'!", in which the notorious Devil Girl, her head removed, is given by Mr. Natural to Flakey Foont, who proceeds to defile it, only to feel terribly guilty afterwards. This comic got the most attention from the intellectuals dissecting Crumb in the movie, and it's here in all its glory. True, it's hideously misogynistic, but it's also a fine example of what makes Crumb's work so awe-inspiring. He has a unique ability to mine his id for material, to lay his fantasies bare, and damn the consequences.

A fascinating foray into one man's artistic (and by association, personal) life, "The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book" would work splendidly on anyone's coffee table. That is, if you had the nerve to actually put it on your coffee table. If you want to freak out your friends, and educate them about the twisted depths that men's souls can achieve, you should.

There's an illustration on the back cover of The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book that perfectly encapsulates the artist's work - it depicts the top of Robert's head exploding, with several of his creations, famous, infamous, and otherwise, leaping out.

That, to me, sums up Crumb's work - this incredibly inventive artist with, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, a head full of ideas that are drivin' him insane.

There are frequent complaints about Crumb's work being too dark, racist, sexist, and/or misogynistic. While I can see where these criticisms come from, I really don't think Crumb is any darker, more racist, sexist, or misogynistic than any of us - he simply is unafraid to - COMPELLED to, almost - lay his cards on the table. Some people find this offensive. Would it be absurd of me to suggest that some of those who are offended by his work have their own issues with sexism, racism, and/or misogyny that they are unwilling to confront?

What I'm trying to get at here, I guess, is that this IS NOT a book for little kids. There's a sticker on the front of my copy of the book that says "FOR ADULT INTELLECTUALS ONLY!", and while I'm not so sure about the "intellectuals" part, this is probably not a book you want your grade-school age child to get ahold of, unless you're okay with said child seeing depictions of graphic (and I do mean GRAPHIC) sex, hard-core drug use, and extreme (albiet cartoonish) violence.

I realize all I've spent all this space talking about Crumb without ever really discussing what I like about his work. I think there's two main things: (1) his unflinching honesty (as I touched upon earlier), and (2) the incredible beauty of his draftsmanship. I think my favotite chapter in the whole book is the one that features his pen-and-ink still-lifes and landscapes. Just beautiful stuff - worth studying for his use of cross-hatching alone.

In conclusion, if you're at all interested in checking out the work of one of the finest artists to ever work in the comics medium, I highly recommend you get this book. It's easily worth the 25 bucks.

Oh, yeah - and it DOES make a wonderful coffee table book. :)

I first became a Robert Crumb fan in the sixties. I remember buying Zap#1 at the Free Press Book Store in Los Angeles. It was to art as Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" was to music at the time. Both pretty much blew my mind as a young impressionable teenager. (Sold to "Adults Only"? hah!)

Its Nothing Sacred attitude and straight-up uncensored dialogue and art got me. The artist himself remained sort of a mystery man. How could someone be so brilliant in one series,

and then disappoint me so much in another? He seemed so afraid of "selling out" he occasionally just went for shock value or put out some junk calculated to alienate. (News Flash: Crumb disdains most of his fans...yeah- you too, fan-boy.)

This book is an autobiography told in art and text that reveals a lot about Crumb's character and influences. Do not buy this book if you are not into biographies, you won't like it. However, if you are a Crumb fan, it gives an entertaining insight into his struggles and regrets as an artist trying to maintain his own code of artistic integrity. I see his influences every day in commercial and popular art and get enjoyment from knowing who the "real deal" is that they've been influenced by or are out and out ripping off. Buy this book.

It's not everyday you find a five hundred page book on the history of coffee. But then again, most coffee fans take their jobs quite seriously. Author Mark Pendergast has chronicled ups and downs of this remarkable commodity on an unprecedented scale. He takes us from the discovery of the bean in the hills of Ethiopia all the way to the despicable excesses of Starbucks. The first few chapters of this book take us on a jaunty trip through coffee's early history, including the ruthless and colorful European traders who were responsible for introducing the Western world to the bizarre beverage. Pendergast, a businessman by education, then settles into a wonderfully readable economic history. The structure of the material centers on the companies and international agreements that make up the international coffee system. But unlike so many commercially-oriented histories, Uncommon Grounds is eminently readable and captivating. The characters in the saga are fascinating: from American industrialists to Latin American peasants to African warlords to European consumers, there are people involved in this story, not just money. If you have a yen for coffee, grab an espresso and read this book. You won't find weighty theories on how coffee forms the basis of all human history, rather a fun, a caffeine-inspired trip through modernity with java-tinted glasses. -- HistoryHouse.com

This book outlines the history of coffee with a focus on the industry as a whole. It's main focus is on the late 19th century to the present. I think it provides an excellent overview and history of the business. I found it very readable and quite interesting. It is not dry like you would expect a business history book to be. Pendergrast does a good job of sprinkling in tidbits of facts throughout the book without bogging down. He also illuminates some of the drama behind the early days of small roasters in America growing and consolidating. This book is not for people who want to learn how to make coffee (it does have a few pages in an appendix on this). It is purely about the history of the business with a focus on events during the 20th century. I disagree with some comments made about this book. This book does reveal how coffee has transformed several Latin American and African countries even to this day. It does not spend entire chapters on specific countries but rather surveys several countries and the impact the industry has had. I thought Pendegrast did a fairly good job at balancing the different perspectives of retailers, roasters, importers, and growers. He also sheds some light onto the origins of specialty coffee and the explosion of retailers such as Starbucks. Some have argued this book is leftist, others argue it does not adequately cover the exploitation of Latin America and Africa by the industry. I think the author does a fairly good job of portraying both views, perhaps with a bit of leaning left. Pendergrast reveals fascinating personalities such as C.W. Post the inventor of Postum and many other health cereals still produced today or Howard Schultz - without whom Starbucks would never have been the phenomenon it is, but rather a regional roaster and retailer at best.
I do agree with one reader's review - this is not a coffee table book. It is a history book - a history of the commodity we know as the coffee bean. Since it is such a book - expect it to read like a history book, a good, readable history book. It is not riveting, rather it is interesting.

A discovery made in an Ethiopian rainforest centuries ago no commodity such as coffee has brewed up a rich and troubled history. Over the years, the beverage has fomented revolution, spurred deforestation, enriched a few while impoverishing the many, and addicted millions with its psychoactive caffeine. Little do people know that coffee is now the world's second most valuable legal commodity behind oil. The book details the rise and fall of regional coffee brands in the United States, the role of advertising in the industry, the global economic impact of coffee prices, and the recent emergence of specialty coffee retailers like Starbucks. This book serves up a rich blend of anecdote, character study, market analysis and social history. You will always remember this book every time you take that sip of coffee.

FinancialNeeds.com

This book will scare the coffee right out of you -- at first. Maybe growing up around Mormons made me always a bit suspicious of coffee, and drinking the strong brew served in Tokyo certainly confirmed that you can overdose on it.
But Caffeine Blues laid more crimes to the body at the door of the Bean than there are Kennedy conspirosy theories. Except for regular strident comments about the medical profession ignoring caffeine (I have certainly seen plenty of warnings), he makes a logical case that caffeine induces stress-like reactions in the body, which long term, are bad for the body. Enough said for me to give it a go.
The disappointment sets in with his Off the Bean program which includes good advice about easing off coffee and adding exercise and sleep, but also suggests taking half a dozen supplements that I would need to read a dozen books to feel safe with. Precious little is said about them.
It turns out he is president of a company that makes stuff to make you better. And the FDA did make him sign a consent agreement to stop over-promising about his fountain of youth consummables and tests. (Search Findlaw under his name). So I worry he has overstated some of the research referred to related to caffeine.
But he has raised enough points about caffeine, and done it in a reasonable enough tone, that I will go without for a while.
Interesting read, but maybe to be taken with a grain of salt.

I have read every review by readers, and find that some people have thought out this question: "Am I an Addict?". Those who believe that "Caffeine Blues" is TOTALLY against caffeine didn't read it correctly.

In regards to health, it mentions that coffee and tea ARE powerful antioxicants...but, that it is so powerful that it also "flushes" your body of Essential Nutrients...Calcium Magnesium Potassium and Zinc being MAJOR ones. There are antioxidants like, Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins that are far better, and healthier.

I would also like to mention, that in this day of "increased knowledge" that there is a wealth of information available to anyone who wishes to learn about "natural healing" and health issues...so I wouldn't have cared if Cherniske didn't have "M.S." after his name; this book ROCKS! with information.

I could go on...but would just like to say that anyone who would defend caffeine with as much or MORE zeal, than Cherniske's opposition, might want to ask themselves, "why?". And, finally, the ADHD fellow...READ THE BOOK! and pay closer attention...the subject IS touched on...sugar and caffeine "crashes" can cause attention problems...O.K.? Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins would be a better choice.

If a product such a coffee substitutes change my life...I would probably sell them myself...even join a "down-line" in network marketing:), if that helps anyone.

The book has helped me, and he does challenge people to get off the bean for 2 months. What's the matter? CAN'T?

I like this book so much, I've been sending copies to my friends -- something I've never done before. For years, I've read about the harmless effects of caffeine, but deep down, I knew it was causing some very negative feelings.

This book explains everything and points out dozens of things you've never suspected. The writing is both engaging, scientific, and thoroughly convincing.

I highly recommend it to anyone who suspects caffeine plays a part in their mood and overall health. You will be amazed at the numbers of ways it may be interfering with your well-being.

I am beginning to wonder if a fan of Henry Rollins can give an objective review of his work. Like Rollins himself, his fans seem to portray an intensity that leaves them blind to their idol. I learned quite a bit by reading this book. I learned that Rollins plagues me. It isn't the volumes of contradictions and ridiculousness that bother me. It is that one stinging observation, the one that makes me stop and realize his vision and clarity, that makes me insane. Many times while reading this book I found myself wanting to drive to LA, find Rollins, grab his shoulders and shake him. I wanted more, yet I couldn't take it. I finished this book rather quickly, and I have been contemplating since then whether or not to start another of his books. As it is, I sit and watch VH-1 countdowns and say to the television, "where is Rollins' commentary?". I check his website like a silly obsessed groupie. I don't know that I can call this an enjoyable book. It is tolerable, at best. And anyone who thinks about reading it should make sure they are ready to commit to the long haul. Henry Rollins has a way of attaching himself to your synapses, leaving you not knowing if you love or hate him.

Mind you, I am hesitant in my criticism -- one would be hesitant in criticizing Rollins about anything after reading this book. These journal entries, from '97 to '98, have a lot to say about the meaningless and mean (yeah, mean) "criticism" our man Rollins has had to endure since his beginnings with Black Flag, and it makes you inclined to shy away from adding to that dung heap more out of pity than defense. However, Rollins does leave himself open, especially if he's printing his journals for public consumption, so hey, fair is fair, right?

These entries show us that Rollins is growing up...er, well, at least he's trying. And hard. He's scored huge brownie points for not throwing us the "I'm an impenetrable mystery" shlick that most utterly self-absorbed persons do, which leads me to believe he's is doing sincerely what he claims: trying to figure himself out before he dies. Good luck, Hank, you're gonna need it. On the other hand, his full-throttle musings in the "lone man wandering the vast desert" vein (he even drags in dear, dead Hemingway for reference) in defense of his burdensome loneliness and incapacity for relationships with women get irksome, as it is quite transparent. He fiercely avows never to marry or have kids to the extent that one hears a voice from the wings: "Hank doth protests too much, methinks." At these points in the book, Rollins is little more than a case study in avoidant-ambivalent attachment style, and it gets depressing after a while. This is especially so due to his frequent mentioning of difficult bouts of depression and loneliness.

There are enjoyable points, don't get me wrong. He does express well and clearly his great affection for music, from his youthful giddiness over Black Sabbath to his near-mystical adoration for jazz and its decorated heroes like John Coltrane. Wonder why Rollins is so lippy towards musicians that don't meet his approval? The reason is made clear here: He loves music. He really LOVES music. And like anyone with some sense and a heart, he abhors witnessing the thing he loves most being kicked about in the dirt by low-wit thugs or parceled out indifferently by agenda-serving leeches. There's no shame in that, even though oddly many think Rollins ought to be shamed. So in the end, we find Rollins digging in his heels and U2 and Sheryl Crow supporters whining and sniffling. Hysterical, really. The other thing that is enjoyable about this book is the evidence that Rollins does things with very good intentions. Sometimes he doesn't make the best choices and other times he is overcome by his own shortcomings. But while he exhibits a tense bitterness edging towards cynicism, he doesn't mean to be mean. Good example is his regret over his defensive hostility towards to two fans that approached him at an inopportune time in a parking lot in Ohio, and his small, but thoughtful gesture to make amends for it. It's things like these that make this book an interesting read.

Yet among other frustrating bits is his agitation that results from a combination of his poor social skills and his inability to cope with himself. Some of this gets aimed at innocent by-standers, which gets painful to read at times. Otherwise, it's leveled, deservingly, at the music industry. However, since Rollins is honest enough to see some pretty hard truths about life, he eventually (we can only hope) will realize and accept that he must walk a different path apart from a majority of the human race, and that's not something he needs to be hostile about. He longs still, nearly forty, to be understood, and one is inspired to awe at how hard he will work and how far he will go for that. At the same time, he succeeds well at grating your nerves to point you want to shove some of his own witty snideness right back down his throat. When that happens, just flip to some point where he's describing as eloquently as he can a moment of thoughtful meditation or some time in solitude, where you can see that he's actually a decent man once he's in his element. Yeah, you read me right, the "Hot Animal Machine" is a thinking man after all. Hooray, or something.

The thing with Rollins is that his major talent is not writing or music, but simply being honest and "putting it out there." He's on the verge of making his truthfulness an art form. You get out of him what you do, and that's that. No apologies. I, for one, can dig that. Maybe you can too, but one observation should be made. The printing I have contains a multitude of typos. Hopefully this will be corrected if it goes to print again. Another thing is that there is a section of '97 entries tagged on the end, in a section after the '98 entries, with no explanation. Strange. But rather than leaving us with heartaching thoughts at the year-end anniversary of his friend's senseless and tragic death, he lets us off the train somewhere in October, a "magical" month for him he says, with the line "I have a good life." Now that's keeping your chin up, Hank.

I think this is Rollins' best book so far. It is great to see how his writing has matured since Get in the Van or even Black Coffee Blues. It's like reading a cross between Jack Kerouac and Nietzsche. A wonderful travel journal, that is as much a journey of the mind as it is a journey of the world. A peek into a mind with focused attention, spiraling depressions, and burning aggressions. He has a deep misanthropy, because he likes people, and people do stupid things. He sees how people either don't think or simply pretend to think, rather than actually doing it. It's more evident here than in any of his other works. After reading this book, I listened to "Come In And Burn" again, and heard it in a whole new way.

This is a great book, and even better after reading the first two books in the BCB trilogy!

Makes for an enjoyable read. Worth the money and would recommend the book to readers.

Frozen Coffee Melting is a story of introspection, growth, and maturation. Vince struggles throughout, both knowingly and unknowingly, to understand life outside of his own existence. Vince's perception of himself and the world around him force the reader to question his/her own personal development.

The author utilizes humor, irony, and great attention to detail to bring Vince's story to life and make it accessible to the reader.

Have you ever wished you had time and guts to meet the people sitting around you in a cafe? Have you ever decided that some form of technology is evil? Did you ever find all that you were looking for in the lack of anything else? If so, you'll like this book.
This tale of irony depicts Vince on his odyssey from the west to the east, from the south to the north, all on a minimal budget.
This book dispenses some heavy philosophical musings on society, the burdens of college education, and a weary traveler's need to find a place to call home.

Most of these recipes are either common sense or don't work. Stick with magazine recipes and modify them accordingly. The book is also too small and thin to be sold. Better make it a free pamphlet.

This book is terrible, may be worth buying for the comic relief. I can't believe anyone does this--or that anyone would have so much free time on their hands and so little life that they would think of these techniques! You should see some of the thing they suggest. I saw the author on Rosie , and wasn't sure if he was serious or not so I checked out the book. I think he's serious. He says he's an MD--hm, hope he's a little better at treating patients.

I travel in my profession. Traveling is not always glamours. This book has allowed me to eat healthy and relax in my hotel room. I have also given it as gifts for graduating seniors. College kids love to try different and fun things. The reaction has been very positive. I recommend it for gifts.

It shouldn't be possible to be painfully honest, incredibly funny, and highly informative at the same time... especially when dealing with the personal story of a multiple sclerosis onset. I still can't fathom how Lorna Moorhead not only can laugh at her own situation, but can make us laugh with her.
Even the occasional proofreading and editing glitches don't sidetrack the reader from a real sense of involvement. I read it straight thru in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down. Please let there be more books from this fresh, funny new voice!

This is a wonderful book about the major concerns of a newly diagnosed young mother with MS. It accuratly describes her feelings, problems, and needs, and how she handles all aspects of her life.

It is written with a sence of reality and humor which makes for an inspiring read. This is a book that every MS patient or relative of an MS patient should read.

I read books for content not grammar. When I bought Coffee in the Cereal, it wasn't because I was looking for a grammar lesson. I got the book because I wanted to read about someone else's experience with Multiple Sclerosis. Ms. Moorhead's book was funny, heartfelt, and down to earth. The book may seem simple-minded to some, but to me it was just the story I was looking for. Simple. My life is complicated enough. It makes me sad to see readers who can't do anything better than to pick it apart. I want to thank Ms. Moorhead for writing something that wasn't perfect because Multiple Sclerosis isn't perfect either.