D-A Books

Dr. Curtis has written an excellent book that can be a great resource for parents and processionals in supporting their efforts with children. Written in a clear, concise, and straightforward manner this book provides resources for working with children who are frustrated and parents who can be frustrate with the child or the world around them that is designed to support them. I have purchased copies for parents I work with and utilize it in a parent support group for children with processing challenges. I also have recommended it to professionals I work with as it fills a void left by too many other books that do not accomplish what Dr. Curtis has.

At what point do you seek professional help when a child is acting, by his parent's standards, weird? "Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges" is a parent's guide to understanding a child's strange behavior and whether they should intervene or it is simply another kind of normal. Suggesting that parents never go for short term solutions, how to look at why the child acts the way they act, and when is the line to seek psychiatric assistance? "Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Child with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges" is essential for any concerned parent who doesn't get their child's behavior and for community library parenting collections.

Trying to find your way through the myriad of advice about how to parent your child can be overwhelming on the best of days. The actual child can get lost in all of the ideas/philosophies/beliefs. That truth is amplified if your child has any sort of behavior that seems to be outside of the "norm". Dr. Curtis guides parents in an honest, nonjudgmental way toward the avenues which can best help them and ultimately, most importantly, help the child get the support he/she needs. His assurance that positive progress can be made is a gift. That these are not "problem" children who have something wrong with them... a message those of us with atypical children are confronted with all too often, but that they are children who merit more support, understanding and sensitivity. Dr. Curtis knows that children with puzzling behavior operate within a family, and that the parents, who love these kids more than anything and are trying to help them to the best of their ability, need guidance and support too. His holistic approach is truly a relief to those of us who deal daily with the beauty, challenge, heartbreak and joy of raising these unique little beings.

There are numerous "how to parent" books available, with each having their unique twist to the age old problem of raising children. None however, have placed the responsibility upon parents who ultimately know their child better than anyone! This book is a practicle guide for the parents to identify the problems and how to address them. Their teacher? The parents of troubled children know their child better than anyone could hope to. This book is their practical guide to putting their knowledge to work.

This book is an amazing resource for any parent who is struggling to make sense of their child's complex and unusual behavior. Dr. Curtis' step-by-step approach is empowering! Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior gives clarity where so often there is vagueness. The information in this book is easily understood. The worksheets and parent resources are invaluable. Everyone should have a copy of this book!

When a tourist lodge opened about twenty years ago in Kenya, the alpha males of a nearby baboon troop helped themselves to the easy pickings at the garbage dump. In the time honored tradition of baboon despotism where status obsessed males strictly enforce the prevailing hierarchy, the top ranking males claimed the spoils for themselves, and drove away their lower ranking brother baboons. The alpha males then perished en masse when they become infected with bovine tuberculosis from the rotten meat they ate at the dump. Once the alpha males died and their terroristic bullying tactics with them, the survivors were suddenly able to relax and began treating each other more decently. A new more peaceful baboon society was born.

Gwynne Dyer recounts this incident in the last chapter of "WAR: The Lethal Custom" to summarize and exemplify one of his main arguments in this thought-provoking work -- that our species' penchant for violence, although it does have roots in our evolutionary past, does not mean it is inevitable. He argues that as sentient beings we do have and have shown the capacity for making peace, too. In what is a hopeful but realistic retelling of the founding of the League of Nations after WWI and the United Nations after WWII, Dyer suggests that through it these organizations human beings are attempting to deal with the very real possiblity of species annihilation. He argues that the reversal of despoliation of the world must begin in earnest now so as to prevent the international anarchy that will undoubtedly follow if nations choose not to cooperate and instead chase after and fight over diminishing resources.

Tracing the rise of war from our early ancestors to the present day, Dyer relates a convincing story of increasing technological efficiency in the art and machinery of death, where the technology of war comes to outstrip the capacity of most human societies to contain and direct it. Early on when our species lived in egalitarian societies of roughly thirty individuals to a band, killing one's neighbors was a rare occurrence. In a sparsely peopled world with few competitors for game or territory, it was rare that roving bands would skirmish or fight each other. War appeared as more constant and sustained human enterprise with the rise of agriculturalism with its settled communities ripe for plunder by marauding bands whose economic lives and assumptions about tactics were based on their experience as shepherds of livestock. Highly mobile, schooled in techniques of herding, these bands employed the same principles when facing armies of settlers, e.g., using speed, terror, bluff and deception to terrorize settled communities into giving up their treasures.

War figures heavily in explaining the rise and fall of civilizations and peoples throughout history. The Roman phalanx, for instance, an early "machine" of war which used men as its moving parts, remained effective for hundreds of years, until guns eventually rendered it passe. Walled cities and medieval castles too, were marvels of defensive engineering, until they met a similar fate. Then with the end of professional and mercenary armies with the levee en masse in the wake of the French Revolution, came the era of total war when civilian populations, the manufacturers of the materiel of war, became defined as combatants, too, ushering in totalitarian states, weapons of mass destruction and the possiblity of annihilation.

Dyer also does a particularly fine job on guerilla warfare, which acquired that name during the resistance to Napoleon's invasion and annexation of Spain. He questions the notion of a "War on Terror" as espoused by the current American regime as emblematic of its naivete. The idea of war implies an end, a truce, an armistice. Dyer suggests that the U.S., by declaring a "war" on terror fell into the trap laid by Osama Bid Laden. For it is not a war that can be won through warfare. "Police Action Against Terrorists," while not as compelling from a rhetorical or strategic standpoint, has been shown to be the more effective strategy over time.

A history of the humankind told through the changing techniques of warfare and the key confrontations marking these shifts, written with verve, psychological and anthropological acuity, WAR is a valuable exploration of this most uncivil custom. Dyer sees evidence of and movement toward the restoration on an international level of the cooperation of early egalitarian societies. He suggests the spread of cross-cultural communication, which is opening a field for international debate (as evidenced in the massive worldwide anti-war protests against the invasion of Iraq), is restoring the possiblity of dialogue and a democracy of the multitude.

Tom Clancy once observed that a war of agression is armed robbery writ large--"they've got it, we want it, let's go get it." That's a simplistic if accurate observation, but it only describes war in only one incarnation. This book was written during the last few years of the Cold War, when very few "experts" on the issue could be described as objective. Back then, only two camps were being heard from. One was the "gung ho" school of thought that admitted that war might not be very desirable, but when your country got a slap in the face from someone "over yonder", those responsible had to be taught a lesson. That of course is the product of nationalism having been confused with patriotism--the terms are not identical. The other was the pacifist school of thought, which maintained that any enemy can be reasoned with and should be at all costs, and that anyone in uniform is by definition a bloodthirsty human predator. The first is the product of a bottomless naiivete about human nature and ignorance of how societies other than one's own think--the second forgets that it's the criminal, not the soldier, who's a predator in human vesture. Out of curiosity, I viewed the PBS series based on this book. I found myself intrigued by Dyer's observation that the way to make a fighting man out of a young man raised to believe that killing people is wrong is to strongly imply the enemy aren't really people. When you get right down to it, that is borne out by the historical wartime habit of referring to the enemy by demonizing the enemy and referring to him in subhuman terms. Another of Dyer's comments that interested me was the observation that a nation that piles up stockpiles of weapons in preparation for war will sooner or later get that war. Dyer of course isn't the only writer who's been able to look at war in such terms--Herman Wouk postscripted "War and Remembrance" with the comment that either war is finished or we are. The sad irony of our age is that some of us may be able to view war with this level of objectivity, but most of us still haven't outgrown nationalism--a phenomenon which Dyer correctly identifies as the root cause of war.

In the mid-80's, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) presented a documentary on the nature of war. Hosted by Gwynne Dyer, my recollection (I was barely a teen at the time) is that it was an interesting and in-depth analysis on the nature of war. Dyer then proceeded to write a companion book, which has been out of print for some years. Now, there is this brand-new, updated version. Dyer has woven the events of the last 20 years into the fabric of the narrative, instead of tacking on an extra chapter at the end - thus it reads like a new book, not a money-grabbing enhancement of an old one. It has been out in Canada for a few months, and will make it's U.S. (re)debut in the spring.

In terms of timeline, this is the most comprehensive book on the roots of, and motivations for, war. Dyer uses archaeological evidence and combines it with analyses on the behaviours of our primate cousins (chimps, baboons, etc.) to build a description of the origin of organised society and the roots of warfare. He then proceeds through the ages, from Babylon and Egypt to the Cold War and the two U.S.-Iraq wars. In this way, he builds a complex but ultimately useful and compelling description of warfare as a human activity. He makes many of the same conclusions as John Keegan and others, but the sheer depth of the analysis is more complex than anything else out there, to my knowledge.

Granted, much of the material in this book has been covered before. For example, is war a natural condition of human societies? Is it inevitable that man will fight his peers? With his trademark wit and seemingly contradictory combination of optimism and sarcasm, Dyer convincingly builds his thesis. The prose is entertaining to read, and the liberal sprinkling of photographic illustrations makes this book eminently readable.

First, the pessimistic side: Humans (and most apes, for that matter) really DO mean to kill each other. However, the average person's chance to die by a violent death has remained mainly steady over the millenia. Certainly, the chances of dying in this century's World Wars was high, but those wars only took up 10% of the century's time. Thus, as battles increased in size and lethality, societies fought less and less frequently, so it all balanced out.

However, he is quite optimistic that humans really are moving in a pacifistic direction. With the advent of nuclear weapons, the next big war will be the last one. His chapters describing the Cold War might be controversial (especially to the U.S. Right) as he maintains Reagan's defense policy was basically invented by Jimmy Carter, and the Soviet Union was already done before Reagan came to power. Whatever your political leanings, though, he lucidly describes the training and mindset of the professionals tasked with maintaining and, if necessary, launching the ICBMs that WWIII would have been fought with.

That's not to say that Dyer is a pacifist per se. He has great respect for people in uniform, and those that follow his syndicated column will know he was in favour of Gulf War I and the destruction of the Taliban by the U.S.-led coalition. He does maintain, however, that modern warfare has turned into an all-or-nothing game where the loser is wiped out (at least the government, and often entire ethnic groups). This is not a sustainable situation in the nuclear era, and so we are in great danger. However, he points out that natural human tendency is to equal rights and democracy. As modern communications and universal literacy make it feasible, nations will naturally move towards more equitable solutions. Thus, in the final analysis, war may eventually become obsolete after all. As he says in the book, it will be good riddance.

The best reflection about war I have read so far. Less detailed than Keegan's "history of warfare", but more pertinent. A clear, lucid perspective on organized human violence. Dyer is parcimonious with words and daring with concepts.
The hardcover edition is also a beautiful looking book.

Dyer has done an excellent job of revising his earlier text, although I must confess to missing a couple of particularly trenchant comments that he has left out in an effort to rise above the suspicions of today's readers, steeped as they are in a silly, false political dichotomy. Dyer's book is both a source of illumination onto how humans got here and a clear explication of how war threatens the future of the human race. He is not overly optimistic about our chances, but neither is he a doomsayer. If we have the guts and intelligence to confront the urges, instincts, and social pathologies that drive us towards violent conflict, we've got a chance. It's up to us.

I took "Why I'd Rather Date My Dog" to the park this morning and sat near the dog run reading. After seeing the cover, seven women stopped to tell me of their experiences dating men. As they recalled their dates in detail, I would flip through the book and show them where the author had that situation covered. Much unexpected fun was had this morning praising our dogs (one woman had a cat) as wonderful dates. This may be the book you need for your next party as an ice breaker.

I thought this book was really cute and I read it in a short period of time. If you have dogs or have had dogs (and not much luck in the dating world) you will enjoy this and find it humorous. I also loved the fact that Nancy encourages people to rescue unwanted pets from rescues and shelters. I thought that was just super!

Read this book if you like dogs as much as you like people. This "tongue in jowl" book if full of enjoyable quips about the beauty of dogs.

In this dog-eat-dog world, it is nice to have a light, quick read, which is very funny. Wonderful for the coffee table or bedroom. I find myself continually flipping it open to read about something a dog will do to charm and amuse you.

The author has rescued many animals from awful conditions and has given them a wonderful home. Pleae support someone who supports animals.

All the reviews here are right on the money. The book is fun, funny and written by someone who can make you smile with just a few pages of delightful insights. And as someone who knows Nancy, let me share with you that she is a true animal lover and rescuer of dogs and rabbits. She not only writes well, she lives her life for the betterment of animal treatment. So read her book, enjoy the fabulous illustrations and buy a copy or two for your friends. You won't regret it!

This book is a real delight! The humor is charming and entertains with most-of-us-have 'been there!' truth. It will put a smile on your face and love in your heart in appreciating and encouraging happy hours and 'unconditional' love shared with one's own companion animal(s). The illustrations are wonderful, too. I highly recommend spending some time with one of your furry best friends by your side for a perfectly fun-filled read.

I read this book when I was in elementary school (going on 43 here!) and until a year ago, I had this book in my collection to pass on to my kids, but sadly it has disappeared. I used to love this book and I love reading books about animals and believe it or not this book made me cry as did the book Snow Dog and Old Yeller. I even did a report on Yellow Eyes when I read it for school.

Picked this up at a Scholastic bookmobile at school, when I was a but a wee tot -- relatively speaking. STill one of my favorite books, and it held up when I re-read it decades later!

I read this book when I was a kid and remember it as one of my favorites. Recently I found it in a box of old books at my mother's house and brought it out to read to my kids. They where just as spell bound as I was. It is one of the most successful books at seeing life through the eyes of a wild animal without huminizing the animal. It does harken back to a time when the govermant paid people to kill animals rather then preserve them. That is a little confussing to kids but is a valuable history lesson.

"Yellow Eyes" is the first book that I can remember picking out from my school library, back when I was in 2nd grade at Des Moines Christian School. I remember this distinctly--I had to give them my last name in the library and I did not know how to spell it! Like other reviewers here, I can remember feeling for this cougar as it made its way. It imparted in me a deep respect for nature. To this day, the cougar is my "favorite animal", no doubt largely due to the influence of this tale. I bought a copy for my own son to read.

This is a book that I heard about when I was young and never read until just recently. Yellow Eyes is a cougar, and has adventures growing up. I used it as summer reading for my children. We sat together and I read the book to them, chapter by chapter. We then discussed all that we read. Reading this book is truly a moving experience as Yellow Eyes faced many dangers and some unexpected twists and turns. The writing is superb and the story development is excellent. If you are a fan of Avi and Poppy and Rye or Ereth books, this is for you!

This is a text book of modern negotiation. A great place to start your studies for the classic ideas, or a great place to go for the expert looking for fresh ideas. This book is worth while because the method works! Basically, the authors use the most advanced problem solving approaches and apply them to the study and practice of negotiation. Nice work!

Most books on negotiating fall into the win-win or win-loose categories, or some hybrid, but all of these focus primarily on the face-to-face tactics at the negotiating table. This book distinguishes itself by focusing not only on at-the-table tactics, but also on two other critical dimensions: 1. deal design, concerning value, substance, outcomes, and occurring "on the drawing board" and 2. setup, concerning architecture, and happens away from the table.

The authors delve into each of these three dimensions (tactics, deal design, and setup) in great depth, providing a powerful analytical framework, cases, and numerous guidelines and creative insights. This is a an outstanding and substantive book!

For an experienced business negotiator, this paints a broader, "global" negotiating paradigm that is well worth read.

Most books on negotiation combine the hardball win-lose tactics with the more effective win-win approach. 3-D Negotiation is different: it adds a new third dimension to negotiation, mainly the need for developing a dynamic strategy on how to set up and shape the optimum situation and overall conditions for negotiations (away from the table), and well before negotiations start. Of course, the authors believe that negotiators must employ all three dimensions as needed during most negotiations.

This new third dimension includes, among other things, "acting to ensure the right parties have been involved, in the right sequence, to deal with the right issues that engage the right set of interests, at the right tables, at the right time, under the right expectations, and facing the right consequences of walking away if there is no deal."

Here is real-world example of acting to ensure the right parties and the right sequence: A US firm was looking to establish a joint venture in Mexico and had identified three potential partners (one excellent, one good, and one that barely meets the set criteria). Should this firm start negotiations with the best prospect, and if those negotiations fail, then move to the next, and so on? Or wouldn't it be far better if this US firm makes it known in the industry (in Mexico) that they are looking for a joint venture partner, and induce these three prospects to come to the US firm? Negotiating simultaneously with the three potential partners was indeed better, especially that the US firm set up the negotiation conditions whereby the three Mexican prospects were rushing to compete for the joint venture!

Although this book introduces a third dimension to negotiation, the other two dimensions are also well covered by the authors, with a large number of real-world examples. The second dimension covers designing value-creating deals, including the traditional concept of enlarging the pie, and how to make lasting deals. The first dimension focuses on the tactics at the negotiation table, including problem-solving tactics such as shaping perceptions, setting ambitious target prices, interpersonal skills, cultural empathy, and many other tactics familiar to those who have read traditional negotiation books.

In short, 3-D Negotiation is a welcomed addition to the topic of negotiation, especially due to its strategic approach to negotiations. I particularly like the idea of backward mapping the negotiation process, starting with the desired target or outcome, then mapping all the parties, their interests, no-deal options. I was also intrigued by the authors' philosophy and the 3-D strategy of: "Let them have your way", as well as their concept of "Zone of Possible Agreement".

Although this excellent book is written with important and complex deals in mind, the 3-D approach can be indeed applied to simpler deals and negotiations. In fact, the reader will find a large number of examples of negotiations ranging from the simple ones such as buying a car or a house, to the more complex ones such as negotiations between countries, or among large international organizations.

Not as readable as "Getting to Yes" or "Getting Past No", but very well-written. Not too academic, but deep enough for the professional negotiator. Accessible for those first being exposed to the topic.

This was a really "DaVinci Code" esque page turner! A terrific read and a spell binder. The characters were great as well. I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed this one! I travel a lot and read a lot. This is one of the better reads. I compared it to The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.

This was a fantastic book. I enjoy books that have both excitement and character development and this book supplied both. The beginning was what got me hooked; it was a book similar in some respects to the DaVinci Code. The mystery of what it was all about was revealed bit by bit and this was the compelling part.
The book was also well written and descriptive of the events, people and the mystery.
Thank you Mr. Nagle

A thrill ride and a page turner, this book reads like the ultimate action/whodunit movie. Nagle effortlessly hooks his reader then leads him/her through clever plot twists, across continents, and into the dark corners of the criminal mind. In Libra he has created a heroine worthy of our respect and our interest. She alone deserves an encore, though her supporting cast in this novel (Sam, Mario, Figlio) are also richly textured and expertly crafted. The only thing I wanted was a map to help me follow Sam & Libra's adventures--but hey, an atlas works, too. Bravo, Mr. Nagle, I eagerly await your next literary gem!

Knowing I am an avid reader, my assistant put this book into my hand as I left the office for a cross-country flight, armed with my laptop and a pile of spreadsheets. Having never heard of Nagle or his work, I shoved the book under my arm to be polite and forgot about it.... until my battery fizzled. Frustrated as only a non-technical type-A professional could be, I fished the Augustus Conspiracy out of my briefcase and started reading. Here's where the reivew starts:

HOT DAMN! What a pleasant surprise to find an unknown author who hits the mark--again and again--on his first try. Within minutes I was so engrossed in the lives of Mario, Figlio, Sam and Libra, their journeys, their perilous predicaments & etc. that I was actually DISAPPOINTED when my flight landed and I hadn't finished the book. After checking into my hotel I put down my bags, sat on the edge of the bed and didn't move until I wrapped up the last pages. A great, great, read. Engaging and intelligent, alternately nail-biting and a crack-up. It will be a shame if Nagle has to wait until his later novels to get the recognition he deserves (like Grisham, Dan Brown, etc.), but it will be well-placed when it comes. Get this book. You won't be disappionted.

Scott Olivieri does a great job of describing what it means for a lifelong fan to move to the inner circle of the Red Sox. While baseball fans will find plenty of stats and baseball analysis, the casual baseball fan will not feel bogged down in numbers and technical terms. The human story of a young college grad having a chance of a lifetime is compelling as well. Particularly amusing is the story where he can't cash a check from Roger Clemens. Can't wait for the next book!

I loved this book! I had a hard time putting the book down. The book was interesting, funny, well written, and a quick read. The club house and personal stories were hilarious. The thing I liked best was that Olivieri brings you through the process of what it's like to go from being a fan, to a stranger in the club house, to a part of the team. After reading it, I bought one for my Father in-law,(a fellow believer)for Christmas. You'll love this book too.

In 1991, Scott Olivieri, then aged twenty-one and a passionate Red Sox fan, lived the dream of every member of the Red Sox Nation, spending the entire season in the Red Sox clubhouse, hoping quietly to improve the team's hitting. Until that year, each batter had had to rely on a pitcher's stats and his own experience in trying to anticipate pitches. Videotape existed, but using it to show a player his individual at-bats was a prohibitively time-consuming process. By 1991, however, Pete Olivieri, Scott's father, had developed a computer program which would not only record each at-bat and each pitch but would allow individual players to call up at-bats instantly so they could be reviewed and studied. Players could also use multiple screens to compare and contrast swings and hits. Without fanfare, the computer suddenly became an essential part of the game.

Olivieri's lifelong love of the team shines through here as he describes being a child growing up a few miles from Fenway Park, playing Little League with Jim Rice's number on his back, memorizing locker combinations by associating the numbers with Red Sox players' numbers, and watching or listening to every game. Even as a youngster, however, he realized that "the Red Sox, ultimately, are a symbol of disappointment." Time after time, he watched a team "with superb talent losing in ways screenwriters couldn't script." His chance to make a difference, using a home-grown computer program to give an edge to the batter, not only allowed him the chance to meet some of his heroes but actually to help them to improve their hitting--and maybe the team's record.

Olivieri's descriptions capture both the romance the game and the tedium of the locker room, the camaraderie of the players and the excesses of the press, locker room "etiquette" and the public missteps of some of the players. He himself is a respectful, "background" sort of person, careful not to call attention to himself so that the players can discover for themselves his program and its opportunities. His opinions of Wade Boggs, Ellis Burks, Mike Greenwell, Phil Plantier, Roger Clemens, and the unfortunate Jeff Gray ring with truth and personal insight. Red Sox fans, computer specialists, and lovers of baseball should be fascinated by this behind-the-scenes look at the interface between the computer and baseball--the beginning of a new era. Mary Whipple

Olivieri has an exceptional talent for telling a story. Put that together with a storyline that brings the reader right inside the Red Sox clubhouse - and the result is a book that makes you thirst for more. The dialogues, descriptions, and insider's look make you feel as if you were in the clubhouse yourself. This book was a great read - I did it in one sitting. I certainly hope that Olivieri continues the story - I will be first in line to get the next book(s) - and perhaps that is the greatest review of all. You don't have to be a Sox fan to enjoy this book but, if you are, it will become one of your favorites.

Since my daughter has been living in Boston for the past 10 years, and I get to travel there to visit quite a bit, I have become a rabid Sox fan (but just in the American League; the Phillies are my team in the National!). I love their storied and star-crossed history, and this book gives me new insights into the baseball culture and system. It's told from the perspective of a fan who gets the "once in a lifetime" job to mingle with the players on his hometown team. There are tremendous locker room scenes, and the players appear to be more human than we really see them when they are just on the field. Even Roger Clemens appears likeable, which is almost amazing! A close read of the book reveals that the writer was not too thrilled with the front office Sox organization, but it's the old story that familiarity breeds contempt. This is a book all baseball fans, and those who enjoy a well written book, will love! Read it, you won't be sorry.

A wonderful book. Helpful information for both newbies and experts alike. Written with a lot of humor and flair. And the pictures are lovely as well. Highly recommended!

I LOVED THE BEANIE INVASION. Your online reviews made me decide to purchase it, and I've never regreted it! This book is fun, informative and an easy read! I did not put it down until I read the whole thing! Mrs. Daniels stories are unique, and cleverly written. The poem on the back cover was a great tribute to TY. I hope she writes another book soon. I strongly encourage everyone to purchase this title. It's NOT a pricing guide, it's not negative, it's not boring or hard to read, it's WONDERFUL! It's a book full of stories which all of us can relate too that includes humor, love and passion. I could only give this title 5 stars but it deserves 10. When I received my copy it came signed. I felt so special and then learned that she signs all of her copies, something else that proves she is a people person who cares about us the collectors. Mrs. Daniels - YOU GO GIRL!

Ms. Janie has written the Beanie Invasion to inculde all of the collectors. Read this information packed book and laugh along as I did. This book will allow you to recall events you may have forgotten. I recently met Ms. Janie at a show, what a sweet woman. Not only was I impressed with her knowledge, I also loved her table setup which was geared towards children. I attend many shows and have never found any table to be packed with freebies for kids. Thanks Ms. Janie for remembering the kids are just as important! Keep writing and keep smiling, you are a beautiful person.

This is a great book! If you love beanies, you'll love this book! It's da bomb!

If you want first hand encounters of the Beanie world! If you want researched articles with humor and truth! If you want to read from an HONEST Beanie expert, then you need to read the Beanie Invasion. After purchasing The Beanie Invasion, my family reads all of Ms. Janies articles. Ms. Janie is well respected and loved by the Beanie community. She apears on many websites and is a inspiration to us all. I would guess the reason why Ms. Janie is so popular, is because she tells it like it is and still remains human and kind to all. Ms. Janie is a fair reporter and we love her.

I wish that I had read this book before surgery #1 of #15 (before age 36), most of which caused complications.

Excellent reference book on the latest cosmetic surgery procedures for face and body. Does not include reconstructive procedures.

Beauty in the Balance is a wonderfully written book covering a wide range of topics in cosmetic surgery and treatment. Dr. Rosen and Dr. Ablaza reveal the many options available using every day language. The decision to select cosmetic surgery is often confusing and frustrating, this book tackles the many issues and answers the questions those considering surgery often have. This is a must read for anyone considering cosmetic surgery.

Karla L. Hall
National Organization of Vascular Anomalies
[....]

I was truly impressed with "Beauty in Balance". It gave me a clear understanding of the procedures and this in turn helped me to have realistic expectations. I would recommend this book for anyone contemplating cosmetic surgery.

I'm so impressed with this book. It contains clear-detailed information in a professional yet easy to undestand manner.

Forget the Owner's Manual. This well written, well organized guide will tell you everything you need to know and master to utilize the Canon XTI to it fullest. Clearly written and illustrated; the book explores and explains features that you didn't know the camera had.

I found this book to be an excellent source guide for the XTi. When I have a question about my camera, this is usually the first place I turn to not the actual manual that came with the camera. Its unlikely that one would ever get a better recommendation than that.

Every time the author is describing the camera or its functions, there was a wonderfully detailed image of the topic. I can now navigate around the camera menus and other setting with ease after reading through the this book.

Its a great book for a begniner or someone entering digital SLR photography (like me).

Firstly it is important to understand that the best way to get the most out of any camera is to operate it, as much as possible. Literature is important, yes, however it will not transform anyone into a pro. XTI is a remarkable camera, cost benefit taken into account. As any SLR needs some theoretical concepts before turning to fully operational. Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D Guide to Digital SLR Photography by David D. Busch is a remarkable guide book, extremely friendly to read, a must to any junior photographer. Seniors might skip some common concepts but still, worthwhile to go through.

This book is great for amateurs like me looking to get all they can out of their new camera. I am taking classes and trying to build a portfolio in hopes to get a photography business started, and this book is the best guide to 'all I don't know' I could find.

If you are a newcomer to the (digital) photography world and want to have some useful advice on how to master light, shade with your EOS-400 this is the book for you. Even though it doesn't replace the reading of the users' manual, this book explains thoroughly how to use this great camera to make great pictures. The book is fully illustrated, has "screen shots" of the actual menus and is a joy to read. Highly recommended material.