This book is used continually in my classroom. My students use it to write reports about the time periods of history. It really helps them develop research skills and interest in the topic of Pre-History.

The Zen of Groups is a handbook for effective group participation. It achieves this through distinguishing the elements of group dynamics.

The Zen of Groups is written in simple language and makes complex and subtile issues clear and easy to understand. This gives both the beginner and advanced facilitator or group participant alike access to understanding and making a useful difference in the dynamics of any group.

The Zen of Groups also has a section of tools and processes which can be applied to assist groups which are stuck or not acheveing their purpose to move forward.

I highly recomend this book to anyone wanting to develop a greater understanding of the the dynamics of groups. I use it all the time as a resource in my practice as a professional facilitator.

This cookbook was written by Karolyn Grimes who played Zuzu Bailey in Capra's favourite film, _It's a Wonderful Life_. This book would be a great stocking stuffer for the Lifer (person who loves the IAWL film) you love.

While these recipes aren't actually used or referenced in the film, Karolyn has drawn together servings of love, laughter, and thoughfulness, much as this classic film has done for so many over the years.

"No Man is a Failure who has Friends", so show your family and friends how they are truly the richest ones in town.

ListMistress, IAWL Discussion Group.

The clearest, most practical book I've ever read on fitness and using exercise to feel fit and lose fat. Smart Exercise taught me about our body's three different fuel systems, and what the effects of different kinds of exercise are on them. Now I know how hard to exercise, how often to exercise, how long to exercise, and how to vary my workouts appropriately for best results. In a "past life", I ran regularly, and completed three marathons (last one in 1992), but then my third child arrived, and I got too busy raising (and chauffering) children to spend all that time running. I gained 30 pounds, and floundered badly in my efforts to design and stick to an exercise program. The information in Smart Exercise has been both informative and motivating. So far, I've dropped 10 pounds, and I'm enjoying my exercise quite a bit more. I especially appreciate the book's emphasis on helping us make sense of the science, and helping us apply common-sense principles to cut through all the propaganda, hype, and misinformation surrounding fitness and its relationship to weight loss. I consider myself an honorary Missourian (the "Show Me" state), and this is a book that lives up to the "show me" standard, with all its points backup up by credible scientific research. Smart Exercise has been immensely helpful, and highly MOTIVATING in designing my own exercise program, and making sure it is doing what I want it to--feel fit, lose the spare tire, and live longer. If I could have only one book on fitness and exercise on my bookshelf, this would be the one.

Tired of reading all those diet books (Sugar Busters, The Amazing Just Eat Protein And You'll Permanentely Lose Weight) while you continue to get hopelessly fatter? Then I have good news, my temporarily over-fat friends: Covert Bailey's "Smart Exercise!"

Why? Because as Covert explains time and again in this wonderful book "THE ONLY WAY TO PERMANENTLY LOSE FAT IS TO BECOME A BETTER 'BUTTER BURNER', AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO EXERCISE--PERIOD!"

Save yourselves the money and heart-ache, people. No diet plan ALONE is going to keep you thin and fit. Diets will only promote temporary weight loss. Unless you plan on starving yourself the rest of your life, you'll gain all the weight back and more. Just read Covert's book and he'll explain why--in easy to understand terms. He's got a degree (in biochemistry, I beleive) from MIT. I think he knows what he's talking about.

If any of you have read Bob Greene's book (The Oprah book--another excellent choice) I think you'll be happy to see that he and Covert recommend the same things (Isn't it nice to see two experts in the field actually agreeing?) Do what Covert says, and you'll lose weight and feel better than you ever imagined. I guarantee it.

Oh, and a note on a few of the hot diet books mentioned above. Skip 'em. Sugar Busters is fine, but you need to worry about exercise first! ( For MUCH better dietary advice, Read Dr. Dean Ornish's books) And when are these "high protein diet" people going to quit? High protein diets are not only hard on your body, they also dehydrate you--which is where all that miraculous weight loss comes from. Exercise and eat a balanced diet as outlined in Covert's and Bob's books and you'll be fine.Best of luck!

Bailey's style can be technical and overbearing but the man knows what he's talking about. I had been exercising for about 3 years when I found Covert's book. I had lost and kept off 30+ pounds but I wasn't really getting any closer to heavenly body I wanted to have.

I could run 5+ miles, cycle about 30 and walk 20 without hurting too much. But I couldn't seem to lose that last ten or so pounds, not to mention get the definition I wanted to have in certain trouble spots like my thighs.

I did killer workouts, sometimes running in the morning and cycling at night for only minute changes in my physique. It was so frustrating I wanted to give up.

I wasn't a fat or out of shape person but I wasn't able to get the results I wanted though I was working very hard. It wasn't until I read Smart Exercise and began using wind sprints and longer aerobic sessions in conjunction with a small split weight-training routine that my body began to look and feel significantly different.

I learned how to eat to fuel my body, how long I could work out and what the best frequency was. I learned that more is not always better and I definitely learned the value of allow my body to recover. With Bailey's help I developed a schedule and routine that allowed me to lose 10lbs in a little under eight weeks. I literally went from burning 500 calories in a 45 minute session to burning over 700 in 35 minute session because of windsprints and cross-training. With what seemed to be 70% of the effort, I was getting twice the results.

If you're at plateau and you want some good advice. Or if you've been working out for a while and want to develop a more efficient routine, this is an ideal book to buy.

Southern living is really dangerous. Random thoughts could get you in a ton of trouble. Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White is a hilarious memoir about her wacky family. One of the best qualities about the book is the way Bailey White paints the pictures of Mama. You can just see her sitting in her reclining chair, listening to the radio, and reading UFO newsletter or picking up some road kill for dinner. Another great quality is that the characters are easy to relate to. By the end of the book you want to talk to Mama or you wish that Bailey was your 2nd grade teacher. The characters are fun and exciting. The last quality that was really wonderful was that throughout the book you learned many lessons about life. From how great instant-care is to how to deal with 36 first graders on a field trip. Bailey White's life is as entertaining and Mama and the way She describes it is amazing. Mama Makes Up Her Mind was and entertaining group of stories that will make you laugh out loud. Buckle-up, because your about to read a thoroughly eccentric book.

It's been a long time since I've read anything that made me chuckle, let alone laugh out loud - but Bailey White's "Mama Makes Up Her Mind" had me doing just that for several stories in this collection, particularly the ones in the first section, the one that deals with her and her life with her mother. There's a story in that section called "Instant Care" that had me rolling on the floor. I can readily identify with Ms. White's mother - she's a real character! There are other stories that are not as funny - but then, they're not meant to be - and they're just as good. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

"My mother eats things she finds dead on the road. Her standards are high. She claims she won't eat anything that's not a fresh kill. Mama is an adventurous and excellent cook also. We have feasted not only on doves, turkeys, and quail, but robins, squirrels, and, only once, a possum. That's my Mama." This book, "Mama Makes up her Mind," by Bailey White is a hilarious string of stories that reflect on what it was like growing up in the Deep South with her "practical" but funny mother and her siblings. This book had many wonderful qualities. One of the best ones is the book's hilarious and unforgettable characters. Mama encounters many strange characters and learns how to relate to them in her own "unique" way. "I could tell from the fully present look on the top of the artist's glowing bald head that Mama was describing her invention of a cure for male-pattern baldness. She calls it the axillary transplant." The artist in this chapter called "Nonrepresentational Art" was their host and they were on their way home from one of his exhibits in a gallery. This is only one example of the witty ways of Mama.

Another quality of this book is it's ability to "paint a picture." The adjectives and form of writing really made me think of an old country house in the South. The dialogue and characters helped also. An example of these elaborate descriptions is about Rosey's restaurant in the following quote from the book. "Rosey's restaurant is a tough juke joint

on the edge of the marsh in an old-fashioned part of Florida. At Rosey's you never know whether you're drunk or not because the floors wave up and down anyway. The foundations are sagging and you can eat inside if you can take the smoke or you can eat outside and throw your fish bones down to vulture looking pelicans." This is from the first chapter titled, "Rosey's." Simple, yet suspenseful.

While reading this funny book, I found myself simply laughing out loud. It takes you back to Bailey White's childhood and allows you to experience her comical stories and lively characters. Although I fell in love with Mama, I am glad she's not my Mama.

This book is my first Agatha Christie novel, and I must say that it lives fully up to its expectations. Christie weaves a beatiful tale of a murder that can keep anyone guessing. In fact the book had a lasting effect on me, as I kept replaying the events of the murder and the actions of other characters in my head even after I finished the book. It was that mezmerizing!

I truly loved the way in which suspicion was cast on almost every character in the book. I began to look rather cautiously at the characters for fear of mentally befriending the wrong person. Christie's magic was so good that I was even beginning to think that everyone ganged up together to murder the poor Mr. Ackroyd. I especially was attracted to the cute little Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, who seems to possess a certain wizardry and deep intuition when it comes to mysteries and unearthing the truth.

The ending is indeed a surprise - as I understand is Christie's trademark. I only wish I read the book twice (both times up until the point of the revealing of the murderer) so as to make a good guess as to who the murderer really was. Oh well, perhaps I'll save that for the next Agatha Christie special.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the book that made Agatha Chries famous,not just for its superb storytelling and plotting but for its unique and very surprising conclusion. I've read this book many,many times and I have never ceased to be amazed at Christie's inventiveness and skill. The conclusion is often criticized as being unfair but if you carefully read the book you can see that Christie lays all the pieces of the puzzle on the table for her readers. A great, great mystery and absolute required reading for any mystery fan.

Having to read this book for my Crime Stories class at my college, I knew that I should read it before it was assigned so as to actually enjoy it and not have the classic case of "assigned-book-equals-boring-book"-syndrome that too many students have to suffer. I read it about two weeks before it was assigned, and finished it today. Oh my god, that was amazing!

Written in a complex (not to mention dated) style, this book is narrated by one James Sheppard, a small-town doctor in Victorian England. He introduces us to the town and its characters (which, I might add, there are a LOT of), and the whole mystery itself. It also features the super detective Hercule Poirot, in his fourth adventure (yes, this is part of a series...fortunately it doesn't seem to involve any of the other books except through vague mentions).

As to the mystery, I won't get too into it, it involves the suicide and possible blackmail of a woman, a wealthy man's murder, and...okay, just read it and find out for yourself. It's just so interesting; it's a quick read, and once you put this book down...just...I can't begin to describe it. Let's just say that I could not believe how everything turned out in the end. Read it, and I hope you enjoy it as much.

The secret garden is a good and loved book. This book shows that nature would change human's personality how much.
The main characters in this book ware Mary and Collin. They are cousin and always cross and nervous. They have a point of sameness. They have lost his mother in child. The reason of their nervous character was affected their environment. In early, Mary's mother was not care of her daughter and Collin lost his mother in his one year. Mary changed his mind more and more because Martha concerned to her at first time. One day, Mary found the secret garden, which was not opened for ten years. Mary and Collin worked hard for recovery garden. They effort to garden's live, to have keep the secret.
I would you read this book what secret is. When you read the end of story, you would experience miracle. And then you will think about your family and your life. Through this book we will recognize what we love, how we love and whom we love at first. Furthermore, when you are lonely,read this book.

I am EAD a fifth grade student at Wadron Mercy Academy.
A sour nine year old, Mistress Mary, has just moved to her uncle's mansion in a far lonely place. She has moved here because Mary made a nasty wish that her parents and maids would die, and it came true! Now, Mary is lonly and unwanted by everyone. Mary's uncle is a widower who has one son named Colin.
Soon, Mary becomes used to this place and explores all of the gardens. She has an Irish friend named Deacon. Deacon and Mary explore all of the gardens. Does Mary, Deacon, and Colin find the magic garden that their aunt had locked up? Find out what happens to Mary, Deacon, a krippled boy Colin, Mary's mysterious uncle, and the magic garden. ... I think this book was a real page turner. I could not put this exciting book down. I highly recommend this book. It is a classic of all times! I rate this book #1 of all the books I have read. I also recommend the movie.

The Secret Garden (book review)

Soon Kim
June 18, 2002

Do you believe in magic? If you read The Secret Garden you will experience the amazing magic, I am sure.
Mistress Mary Lennox was born in India. Her parents paid no attention to her. Mary is not loved by all, she is spoiled, gloomy, sullen, and selfish in India. Suddenly, her parents die and she goes to live with her uncle on the Yorkshire moors of England. But also her uncle is an apathetic person.
When she arrived in Yorkshire she found another person who looked like herself. He is her selfish sickly cousin Colin. Mary and Colin discover his mother's garden. They take care of flowers and trees together, and they have a great deal of fun together. Mary learns to accept that there are other people in the world, and she helps Colin. The garden's magic makes the two children's characters normal and happy through good people and the beautiful secret garden.
I wish that you would read this book; if you need to love, if your mind has been devastated, if your life is dry and boring, if you lose interest in everything, then read The Secret Garden and your mind will sprout " The word is so beautiful." I still smell many kinds of sour smelling blushful roses in the secret garden. The sweet roses are coloring my mind still ......... I love them so.

This is my favourite novel by Dickens and one of my all time favourites.Some of his best known characters are here:the ever optimistic Mr Micawber,the stout hearted Aunt Betsy,the slimy toad Uriah Heep,the troubled Steerforth,faithful Pegotty, honest Ham,the nasty Murdstones, and so on.Even Jip the dog is brought to life with real character.No one has created such characters as Dickens.They are a sheer delight.Dickens has a wonderful sense of humour, which shines in this book.He also has a very readable style of writing.He can be overly sentimental, but this was expected by 19th century readers.Agnes, David Copperfield's second wife and true love is just too good to be believed.We can forgive Dickens these irritations, because he gives us the most memorable characters in literature.Also, there is a great deal of sympathy and affection for ordinary human beings and their foibles in his work.This is a novel which can be read over and over again during a whole lifetime, giving much pleasure with each reading.

Charles Dickens is synonymous with literary masterpieces... And rereading this book again since high school has given me a new appreciation for this author's work. He brings us humanity at every angle... the goodness and evil, love and hate, life and death is displayed in his writing. It's about a young boy who overcomes being orphaned and child labor to become a man of his "own account" and finding true love. Although, even after all the trials and tribulations that he goes through, he still remains pure and consistent. The good in him, since a young boy, remains in him as an adult. David Copperfield is amazing. He brings us many memorable characters and even more memorable scenes. Who could forget Mr. Micawber, Miss Betsy Trotwood and Uriah Heep? And the scenes from his early childhood to all that takes place in the Yarmouth seashore is unforgettable. More like a memoir than a fiction, this pseudo autobiography must have been close to the author's heart. Dickens himself said in his later years that David Copperfield is his "favorite child".

What a wonderful book. I've cried and laughed, even though, I didn't think I would enjoy this book. I was thoroughly absorbed from the very beginning and couldn't put this book down. One of those books you should read once in your lifetime...if not twice.

Julianne

Charles Dickens is a master at re-creating the world. Throughout most of his books, Dicken's own life is recreated time and again, always with a different plot but with the same basic truths. In "David Copperfield", we go along the protagonist through his troubled and orphane childhood, his sufferings in terrible public schools, his trip to the beach to visit his nanny, his life with the stern yet loving aunt Miss Betsie Trotwood, the intrigues of the despicable yet fearsome Uriah Heep, his marriage to the childish and immature Dora, the betrayal by a trusted friend, success without happiness, and finally the encounter with true love, in the form of a friend from youthness.

The characters are all people you find during your own lifetime: your friends, your aunt, your sweetheart, that woman you love but you can't stand, etc. Copperfield is the story of a good man in his learning through difficulties and setbacks.

No wonder it is still read and probably will stay alive through the decades: Copperfield has something to tell us all.

This is, and has for a long time, been one of my favorite books. It is a complete package. Naylor's characters are chock full of depth, her writing is lyrical and her tales are down-right fascinating. While it's difficult to find an author these days who can provide the reader even *one* of those things, Naylor gives us the whole she-bang. Although written with humor, this novel is somewhat of a difficult read: there is an undeniable sadness surrounding many of the characters (even when re-reading it, I can hardly get through the chapter "Mood: Indigo"). Although it's easy to be saddened by the stories, it's important to note that hope, respect and recovery are common themes throughout the book. The Cafe itself is supposed to be a surreal bedrock of healing. I found this book more accessible than "Mama Day," and a little more heart-wringing than "The Women of Brewster Place." All and all, it's deeply satisfying and comes *highly* recommended. Bring on more Naylor, please!

This is the first Naylor book I ever read. I have now read them all. This book, along with Mama Day and to some extent Linden Hills put her in my trinty of greatest living writers, along with Morrison and Kingsolver. The technique of introducing us to the "customers" at Bailey's is a great way to tie together so many wonderful stories. All of her characters are beautiful, sweet sad and doomed. Between the happy little wife who becomes a wino prostitute and the little delta girl who can never wash the delta dust off, I cried and I fell in love a hundred times (and I'm a big tough souther nwhite male). I notice some of the other reviewers had a hard time "following" Naylor at times. My suggestion is just ride the story, do not try to see what's coming or what she means. It is like the most wonderful meal in the world, put it in your mouth and savor it, don't spend too much time trying to figure out what the chef was thinking, its all about taste and feel. This is one of the 10 best books written since Faulkner died, in my opinion, and Mama Day is another of those 10. Enjoy!

Bailey's Cafe is a mixture of suffering and redemption shown through a number of African-American women's lives. Nalyor does a great job explaining the characters and their backgrounds. It has wonderfully descriptive portrayals of each character and no one character is alike. The stories easily saddened me, but it is clear that hope, respect and recovery are important themes throughout the novel. There were also times when I was a bit lost as to what Naylor was trying to say . But, by the end of the chapter, I would figure out what it was that she was trying to depict. At the end of the novel, you realize that Naylor's complex writing style and all her characters will to survive just make this book that much better. I especially love the way Naylor connects her books. This is a must-read for anyone who is a fan of Gloria Naylor. I first got into her books because of my teacher, and now i have read all but "Mama day", which i look forward to reading. But Bailey's Cafe has been my favorite so far.

This review of the book Pollyanna may be affected by the fact that it's being written by a boy, but let me say first that I enjoyed the Disney film version with Hayley Mills. I just didn't like the book as much. It's really nothing more than your average "irrepresible orphan turns everything upside-down" story, and like most of them, it's filled with cliches and is blatantly unrealistic, not to mention cloyingly cute. I could not stand the character of Pollyanna; she spent too much time chatting her mouth off and misinterpreting every cold act of her aunt's as an expression of love to really make an impression on me with her "glad game." While the characters are somewhat interesting, they're all stereotypes: the cold, unloving mother figure (in this case an aunt), the kind doctor who spends too much time with his patients to blot out an unhappy personal life, the embittered millionaire with a secret, the hypochondriac, grumpy invalid. It's so easy to notice these stereotypes that it makes everything so much less real than it already is. The movie was different in that it was completely believeable, thanks to the talented cast and the calm, subtle playing of Hayley Mills, who actually made a difference and had an obvious, BELIEVEABLE effect on the town without drowning us in cuteness. Get the movie; forget the book.

This book so effected me as a child, to this day, many many years later the phrase, "If you look for the good, you will find it" still serves as a valuable reminder for how we can effect our realitiy with our personal perspectives. This little girl, Pollyanna, teaches other children how to play the glad game in a wonderful and engaging story. Too few children today, know how to recognize or be happy. They haven't learned the "glass is half full" thinking. This book is a great spiritual guide, without trying to be one. Please read it and discuss it with your child. You'll both be happier. Thanks.

Have you ever been dropped into a house where you feel invisiable? Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter is a tender heartwarming story about a girl and her aunt's relationship. Eleanor H. Porter has touched many souls with this heartwarming and loving story.

This heartwarming story is about the relationship and concern of an aunt and her niece. They both try to accept that there's someone important and new in their lives.

Meet Pollyanna, and her aunt Polly, they both live in Vermont. Pollyanna and her aunt devolp trustcin each other after facing many obsticles.

Eleanor H. Porter brought in very discriptive detail. She changed font and size when she expressed what each of the character did, said,see and thought. Eleanor H.Porter is a very talented author. She convinces the reader with her expressive chapter endings.

You will find this story irrestible if you love stories that have characters who devolp many relationships. Adults and kids who have read this book will say its hard to put down. Don't miss this wonderful oppertuinty to see how this very good relationship begins, devolps and ends.