I've been a quilter for about two years. I like to rotary cut, and machine piece and quilt my projects. I want things done quickly! I also prefer traditional quilts to the more modern style. If your quilting style is similar to mine - or if you're just getting started in the quilting world and looking for a style - you'll enjoy this book. Nancy J. Martin is my favorite writer on quilting. The quilts are beautiful, the instructions are clear and concise, AND there are color pictures of each quilt (that's my favorite part). The quilts are rated according to difficulty (but none are really THAT hard to make). The beginning of the book has a nice "basics" section and the book ends with a short section on finishing methods. I've got so many new ideas for quilts now - i'm off to the fabric store! Great book!

If you look through this book and can't find dozens of quilts that you want to make right away, then you are too picky! I couldn't believe that I actually fell in love with most of the quilts in here. Usually when I buy a quilt book there are lots of patterns that I know I will never do. But with 101 quilts in this book, you will never run out of projects. I like how each one is rated a 1, 2, or 3 based on the difficulty level. And there are lots of instructions so even if you are new to quilting you will probably do just fine. Every project is shown in color, and the best part is that there ARE 101 quilts! The are all different, not just 10 quilts that are shown in 10 different color schemes to make 100 quilts. The best is the charm quilt - 1062 different fabrics are needed. Of course, you may not have enough fabric to make one but the picture in the book is beautiful to look at! Most of the quilts are easy to make with what you've got at home already.

This is an excellent book and I'm very glad that I purchased it! It features a multitude of quilt patterns, some traditional and some more contemporary. The book shows a color photo of each quilt, and has complete and easy-to-follow rotary-cutting instructions for each project. Each quilt has a difficulty-rating, shown in terms of "spools" (i.e., one spool = beginner, two spools = intermediate, three spools = advanced) so that you can gauge if a particular project is within your range of skills before you begin. You will love seeing all of the many quilts that you can make with this book! Anyone who enjoys rotary-cutting and speed-piecing will LOVE using this book!

Martin Gilbert is probably one of the most prodigious historians alive. This book required interviews with the 732 survivors it profiles ("Boys" includes both men and women) and those who knew them after the war. Some were as young as eight or nine when the war started. Many themes Gilbert covers are like those one can read in other personal Holocaust histories. But the experiences in each case are unique.

Martin provides two statistics I find particularly haunting. While 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust--including victims of pre-war pogroms, ghettos, concentration and death camps and death marches--only 100,000 survived the camps. And while Britain agreed to take in 1,000 Jewish "children" under the age of 16 after the war, only 732 could be found alive.

But for me, the most fascinating part of the book is the repeated confirmation that those who returned to their homes after the war found the same kind of murderous hatred among their former neighbors as Jan Tomasz Gross describes in Neighbors.

In other words, Jedwabne was not unique. Gross has himself said as much and plans to write more on the subject. But Gilbert also confirms that murders of Jews by locals happened during the war all over Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, and to a lesser extent, in Hungary. It also happened after the war all over Europe--especially in the East. Returning Jews found neighbors who wished them dead, and in thousands of cases killed them. The "boys", obviously, survived. But many lost brothers, parents, friends, after the war, in Poland, Hungary, and elsewhere. Sir Martin Gilbert gives us the living proof. Alyssa A. Lappen

An amazing book. Gilbert did not so much write a book as he did weave together masterfully the story of 732 young people whose only connection was the terrible tragedy that befell them. Gilbert, or rather his "Boys", paints a vivd picture of pre-Holocaust Jewish life in eastern Europe and makes one realize that Hitler destroyed more than six million lives. The story is terribly depressing and yet uplifting when one realizes what "the Boys" have done with their lives since 1945

An outstanding piece of writing, one that conveys not only facts, but also emotions of a time when compassion and human decency were rare or absent from the world of these boys. Martin Gilbert has the ability to place one at the scene of the event, with a quiet passion that is not matched by many other writers of this period. His book, "The Holocaust" is written in much the same manner, as he personalizes the horrific events depicted and he does not permit you to count the 6 million Jewish dead as a number. They are and remain people like you and me. "The Boys" is a similar tour de force of writing, compelling reading which carries one along, not permitting you to put the book down until you are done. It is a disquieting book regarding human behavior, and yet the success of the children described is uplifting. Read the book and ensure that such events do not take place again

As a photographer, choreographer and dancer myself, I tend to be a tough sell on books which hype a photographer's mastery of the human form, particularly where dance or dancers are concerned. But such is my appreciation, and awe, of what Schatz has accomplished in his water studies that I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that he had published "Pool Light."

Less a book about dancers than about the incredible beauty of the human body, "Pool Light," transcends the very things which frustrate us as movers. In this book, the photographer and his models make us believe in both flight and fantasy. They inspire us to see shape unihibited by gravity or earthly confines. And they succeed in taking nudity, within a photographic environment, out of the controversial realms of "indecency" and restoring it to art in the way the great painters have seen it.

Technically, the work is nothing short of a marvel. Great photography, like any great art, deceives the viewer into believing that what they see is so easy, so natural, as to be routinely simple. In "Pool Light," we see none of the sweat, none of the frustration and aches (and presumably water-logged participants), which must certainly have gone into each image. Instead, we are invited simply to see that most classic of forms, and ancient of muses, the human figure, shown, through the most contemporary of techniques, in a way which celebrates both even as it transcends our sense of their limitations.

Absolutely beautifully photographed book. Schatz captures the God given beauty of the models under water with perfect taste. This is his best book by far. Yes far better than his most recent book Nude Body Nude.The dancers and models in this book appear to be much more natural and have a graceful beauty that almost makes you forget their nude; as opposed to the cliche "sexy" look that is typical of other models.

A magic delight to any person with or even without sensibility.
A must see for photographers and artists. It is a source of inspiration for my paintings and sculptures.
The beauty of the human body as if we were still in Eden.
After this book I was hooked on all Schatz books.
Do not miss it.

Franklin Rast's memoir Don's Nam is a coming-of-age story set in the context of the Viet Nam war. A lot of these have surely been written, and quite a few published. This one, however, is unique. It's subject and structure make it the ideal introduction to the Viet Nam experience for the uninitiated.

The "war" part of the book has an unusually effective structure. The author was a lieutenant (translation: a member of the one class of officers who actually had to get out in the field and do the dirty work) in the transportation corps during the war. He tells the story of leading repeated supply convoy trips into the depths of Vietnam's jungles. Sometimes these are funny. Sometimes they're routine. Occasionally they're harrowing. Whatever the details of the individual trip, however, the familiar context of truck driving, an almost mythical American activity, is always there to "anchor" the story to something familiar, even as events veer into the exotic, the bizarre, or the terrible. The recurring element of sudden, unpredictable danger characteristic of war stories isn't undermined in this book by the sense of unreality that readers with no military background often experience when they read of such events.

And in between the convoys there is downtime at the base. Here the familiar American culture,60s style, reasserts itself, incongruously enough, in the middle of a Far Eastern jungle. As officers, non coms, and men interact through the course of the memoir, Rast gradually uncovers the incredible tensions that existed inside this insular world - above all the clash of interests and values that took place every day between "lifers" and draftees. The memoirist, an unusual combination of north Louisiana "good old boy"/ROTC zealot and budding '60s cynic, moves adroitly between the lifer and draftee subcultures, and it is amusing to watch his language, and even his attitudes, change to meet the demands of the moment.

In these scenes, as always, the dialogue in the book is excellent! Mr. Rast has a fine ability to reproduce everyday American speech, especially the half-humorous, half-hostile exchanges of men who live and work together in constant fear of their lives. He also masters the much more difficult task of rendering the voices of the VietNamese whom he encounters with clarity, sympathy, and dignity. In fact, this is one of the joys of the book Rast's exploration of a culture and people that he does not know yet always respects.

What finally becomes apparent as one reads Don's Nam is that the memoirist who manages to pull off these difficult feats is an unusual man. He's full of contradictions. He's a regular guy from the redneck part of Louisiana who possesses an abiding interest in philosophy and eastern religion. He's an extravert with has a natural ability to relate to people of all classes and nationalities, and at the same time he has an alert and questioning mind that takes everything they say with a grain of salt. In the course of the book he builds a preliminary understanding of the world and the war from all of their inputs, particularly that of the Vietnamese, and learns to live with the ambiguities that remain

Leonard W. Martin Editorial Excellence (freelance editor of literary, academic, business and legal manuscripts)

Even though I was just a young kid when America was fighting the war in Vietnam, the subject always fascinated me. Guess I've read about every book regarding Vietnam that shows up on the bookshelf, each time getting more of the same thing-firefights with statistics, people who got killed or wounded coupled with how many of the enemy we wiped out in the process; frustrated military leaders held back by the red-tape, evasive politicians misleading the public into thinking the war was to support a democratic Saigon government. This is all just great but somehow the true feelings, bitterness, sorrows, fears, humor and doubts evaded my conception of the war until I read Rast's story from his diary along with the pictures he took. The events he describes stayed with me and they stuck, I felt like I was right there with him and I kept going back to chapters in the book and rereading them with different feelings each time. Theres a little bit of all of us in his characters and the situations and emotions they display: maybe that is why it feels so real to read and see something about the war I never experienced before.

What a remarkable experience. "Don's Nam" was an eye opener for me. I am a retired Navy Veteran of twenty-years. I enlisted into the Navy after the Vietnam war, and didn't know much about it. What an eye opener. It's a book that you don't want to put down. Don's vivid accounts of events and experiences was remarkable. Orient Express is must reading for everyone who has even the remote interest in the Vietnam War.

I'm glad I bought this book. The well-designed menu really made me feel healthier & more energetic--even on 600 or 900 calories. I think everyone should consider eating a maintenance version of this diet for a couple of weeks just to see the difference that a good, well-balanced diet can make. I also liked his maintenance tips on exercise. UNFORTUNATELY, I lost three or four pounds the first week, then quit losing. And I wasn't cheating, I promise! It's a pretty tough diet to stay on if your not seeing the scale change, and I think some of us (you know who you are!) really have a hard time losing weight. Still, I learned some things that I will apply to my future weight-loss attempts and my long-term maintenance program.

This diet worked for me 5 years ago (I lost 20 pounds!). You are only hungry the first three or four days when the calorie intake is lowest. After that, your calories are not as restricted and you won't feel much hunger if you remember to have the three snacks a day. I use fruit or one cheese stick as a snack. If you follow the book's advice, you will be eating 6 times a day, spaced out every few hours so you never feel too hungry. I am doing this diet again and I am already, after three weeks, at a weight I have not seen on the scale in two years. I am also eating much healthier than I usually do - and enjoying it! I am very happy with my results. This diet is nutritionally sound, satisfying (except for those first few days), and easy to follow. This is really the sanest way to diet! I feel healthier, my skin is clearer, and I am very encouraged at losing some weight that I was not too proud of!

If you are looking for a sane way to lose weight and eat like a normal person at the same time, this is for you. I have used this program several times over the years and it always pays off - not only in safe, healthy and consistent weight loss, but also (and more importantly) in retraining my eating habits.

You eat normal, healthy meals - without bizzare restrictions like no-carbs or no-fat. Bottom line, what you end up eating are reasonable, balanced meals on a regular schedule. The key is the healthy eating combined with an ever-changing calorie count per day. Basically, you trick your metabolism into remaining at a normal level while you eat fewer calories.

The other strong result of this diet is that it retrains you into a habit of healthy eating, which goes a long way toward keeping the weight off. Every few years, I end up backsliding into donuts and pizza three times a week and use this program to dump the pounds and get me back on track.

They insist you do a three-weeks-on, one-week-off schedule, so it is easy to stay on it for a long time. My first time on the program, I stayed with it for 5 months and lost a LOT - without feeling like I was dieting or anything.

Guys do particularly well on this program. I can generally count on dropping about 12-16 pounts per three-week cycle, more if I exercise regularly.

This beautifully crafted novel tells an amazing story about two people who are opposites in so many ways but who nonetheless fall deeply in love with each other. The fact that they are opposites -- she is a yuppy/socialite from Washington, D.C. and he is an eccentric farmer from Appalachia -- is exactly what allows their crazy (and perfect) love to develop. When she is terribly traumatized and reacts in an uncontrolled manner that would drive any normal man away, he is there for her . . . as solid and constant as a rock. And she returns the favor by having the intelligence and sensitivity to see his eccentricities (perceived by most others as the actions of a retarded madman) as interesting character traits that make him a unique individual.

These are all great concepts, of course, and "Crazy Love" is not the first novel to explore them. What sets this novel apart from others is the way David Martin describes the characters and tells the story . . . by the end, you will feel as though you know these people closely and have experienced life with them for a snapshot of time. And that is why this novel will break your heart, mend it, and send you off filled with hope.

As with every David Martin novel that I have read, Crazy Love is populated with fascinating and well-rounded characters that live in your memory long after the last page is turned (which happens much too soon). Katherine and Bear bring this gripping story to life in a way that lets the reader feel completely involved with the story. I can't stress enough how much readers of quality fiction are missing if they don't read the books of David Martin. So few authors these days are as reliable for a solid story with gripping characters, plot twists and satisfying endings. David Martin will not disappoint you...

Treat yourself.
Read Crazy Love!!!

This book was one of the most touching sweet stories I've ever read. It's not many books that make me cry, but the last chapter had me sobbing. It was a wonderful story!! It totally beats The Corrections which is on the best seller list and which I could not even get into. READ CRAZY LOVE - ITS THE BEST BOOK!

"The Measly Middle Ages" is a really funny book! I can hardly believe it's true, after reading all those "boring history books!" Anywayz, I'll have to try and read the rest of the "Horrible Histories" series. Just can't wait!

I am really in the debt of Terry Deary. If it weren't for him and his wonderful "Horrible History" series, I would never have been introduced to history. I first read his work when I was only ten. Seven years later, I'm still enjoying his work. Yes, childish, but it is so much fun. I now want to teach, to make history fun to others. I wouldn't have known it possible if it weren't for Deary. Right next to my "Measly Middle Ages" and my "Woeful Second World War" is my John Keegen and William Manchester.

Onto "Measly Middle Ages". I really enjoy this book. Both irreverent and insightful at the same time, this book really shows the reader how horrible the middle ages actually were. I've read several works on the era, and this book nicely fills in the basic details, with out bogging it down with the details that us history dorks love. A great book for kids, a great book for people who both enjoy history and enjoy having fun.

This great, enchanting, and captivating series attracted me since i was a child. Not only is this an educating experience, this also provides information in a very enjoyable way. Attractive to the most intelligent minds, and interesting to every child, this makes a great gift and also a great reader.
It will make you smile and even laugh out loud as you read book after book. My only question is, why would they ever stop priting? I ask Scholastic to continue print so all who desire a book can recieve one. Thank you.

I loved Ten Kids, No Pets. I read it in the middle of 1999, and I still remember some of my favorite sentences. The ten Rosso kids have a very strict rule: NO PETS! "Ten Kids is enough" say their parents. All the Rosso kids try to hide pets, and all the kids even try to save their turkey at thanksgiving! I rate this 5 stars because it is a funny, happy aventure story about ten kids who have no pets but really,really want ONE LITTLE PET.

I loved Ten Kids no Pets. This book was funny and interesting. I recomend that you read this and if you like it read, Eleven Kids, One Summer also by Ann. M Martin and a great book.

This used to be my favorite book when I was younger and I still like it. This book is about a family with ten kids who aren't allowed to have any pets and their adventures while they try to convince their parents to let them have a pet. It's sequal, Eleven Kids, One Summer is also very good.

Esta novela me esta gustando aun mejor que la primera. !Que divertida es!

The translators and publisher are Spanish. There is much vocabulary from Spain, just as the English version has much British vocabulary. I really enjoy learning about regional vocabulary differences, whether in English or Spanish, so this was a big plus.

A friend claims the American editions have been Americanized, although I don't know if it's true. (The American editions still have many British words, but do use some American words, like "sweater" instead of "jumper".) It's funny how the Brits understand us from seeing our movies/television, but we don't understand their vocab or accent as well. It's great to be exposed to different forms of languages we already know.

The translation seems very good, but some things seem wrong, such as "?QUE TE TENGO DICHO?" on the second page of text. I think this should be "?QUE TE HE DICHO?" Maybe this is a form with which I'm not familiar, because I can't imagine a native speaker and translator would make such a gringo ("guiri" en Espana) mistake.

Ahora Harry Potter se encuentra en segundo año de la escuela de Magos. Este es un libro que una vez lo comienzes a leer no podras parar como si realmente tuviera un hechizo. Ya he comenzado a leer el Prisionero de Azkaban que es el tercero de la serie y espero ansiosa que el cuarto libro salga en español. Definitivamente la narrativa es increible,la forma en que JK Rowling describe a los personajes es impresionante. Te los puedes inmaginar tal y como son y a la misma vez te transportas a la camara secreta con Harry. Es una serie de libros completamente fascinante, tanto para adultos como para niños.

I just LOVE this book, and all the harry potter books. I wanted to say to Eric J Justice, who wrote a review above, that your review was incorrect. It DIDNT have a mistake; saying QUE TE TENGO DICHO es right. In fact, im pretty sure what you said was right too. But anyway, anyone who hasn't read this should, but read the SORCERER'S STONE first, because it's really best to read them in order.