MAD

I like this book and found the recipes and technical details useful; readers fearing to be put off by jargon will find comfort with the writer's cheerful folksy style.
But it pains me to find a reference to "King Arthur and his Knights Templar" (an anachronism of no more than 1600 years) on the first page (xiii, actually) and a statement that "honey ferments naturally" on p. 3. She does go on later to say that honey must be diluted to allow the yeast to work; I know these are trifling details, but for me they cast a dubious light on the rest of the ritual and traditional material. I really want a word with the editor; I like the book and I am happy to refer to it when I start brewing.

We were new to brewing mead and picked up this book to give us some insight into where to start. Not only have we had success with every recipe from this book that we have tried, her hints on fixing problems helped us save several batches of recipes from other sources. Like the reviewer above, cleanliness isn't pushed here... but as in all cooking, it is necessary and common sense. In the last two years we and our friends have brewed up over 200 gallons of various kinds of mead and malomels and enjoyed them all thanks to this book.

If you aren't the type of person who turns their nose up at the idea of a wine cooler you will enjoy this book. After deciding to make mead I purchased several books on the subject. Many of these were written by wine makers who seemed apologetic for meads "inferior" quality to grape wines. I found this book refreshing and different. It encouraged me to have fun and make a mead that would appeal to my individual taste rather than making a brew for some wine bigot. The methods taught were sanitary and consistent with other books I read. I was not encouraged to do anything illegal or unsafe. Buy this book. You will enjoy it.

I was just not feeling this book, at all! I did not like neither character, Mo or Reggie. I liked the storyline though. I love it when two people get together when that person is not their norm! But I guess the bottom line was that there was to much insecurity in this novel for me to handle and then it just ends, what's up with that!! I know insecurity is a real to life issue, but this book was pushing it. I mean if both people in a relationship is insecure about something that they see within themselves how is that relationship going to work! But of course, this is just my opinion on the matter!

Regina "Reggie" Primm was a highly educated, successful public relations professional who had everything going for her except the fact that she was overweight and still single at 33. Suddenly she gets the opportunity to represent her movie idol--former NFL player turned actor, Langston Downs. When Reggie and Langston first meet, the both have preconceptions about the other. In spite of his success, fame, and fortune, Langston is insecure and embarrassed about his lack of a college education. He initially felt that Reggie was an intellectual snob. As a former professor of English Compostion and creative writing classes, Reggie was a stickler about correct grammatical use of the English language. She initially thought that Langston was another rich, handsome, but dumb-jock who would embarrass her at promotional interviews she arranged for him. After spending time with each other professionally, they soon realized that their first impressions about each other were wrong. Up to this point the story was fast-paced, interesting, and sort of humorous; then it became formulamatic and drawn out before it reached it's inevitable happily ever after conclusion.

Since making this site a favorite to visit I have been privileged to add a few of my comments on books that I've enjoyed reading. I guess if you never experience a thing you dont know, but I think we all have experienced a little insecurity a time or two.

Regina "Reggie" Primm is an intelligent sista who has her own PR firm and has landed one of her biggest clients in the former football great, turned actor, voted the "Sexist Black Man" in America, Langston "MO" Downs.

Reggie is hired to help him promote his upcoming movie and since "MO" has a tendency to get bad press she is determined to make him shine. MO is quite impressed with Reggie and begins to pursue his more than professional interest in her, Reggie is not willing to let herself explore the possibility that "MO Downs" could ever have any personal interest in her, she is not the typical size 5 that would grace the arm of a man with MO's status, she is a "thick sista" that doesn't care to eat like a bird. MO sees Reggie's reluctance for something more than work, as her rejection of his not being as "smart" as the men she may normally date. They both have issues, they both have insecurities, but together they help one another build the self esteem that has been hidden under the false confidence they have projected so well. MO proudly showers Reggie with his love, he glories in being with her, he is never ashamed of her. Reggie encourages MO in his strengths while showing him potential in his weaknesses, she never sees his lack of a degree as his lack of intelligence. I liked this story because MO didn't let his life in the limelight dictate who he needed to make him happy, he learned you have to work at having some things. Reggie learned the "eyes" that are really important are in the people who love you.

Quick, think of a man who wants to get even with a woman that he feels has wronged him. What are the images that come to mind?

Obsessed crazed nut, stalker, psychopath, potential terrorist, murderer, rapist. Get a gun and shoot him in self-defense. Or, at the very least, his desire for revenge is seen as just another example of the boorish childishness of men.

Quick, think of a woman who wants to get even with a man that she feels has wronged her. What are the images that come to your mind?

Wronged woman getting even with a "jerk". Blackmail him. Expose the skeletons in his closet. Kick him.... Female-on-male revenge is always righteous and it sure is "fun". It's the staple of many works of entertainment; just look at all the members of the gentler sex in the theater cheering on Jennifer Lopez as she throttles a man to death. A generation ago, their mothers cheered on Ali McGraw for much the same thing.

A woman's desire to get even with a man isn't dangerous or childish, of course; it's just proof that you can't keep a good woman down.

Yes, a little study of the revenge industry shows it heavily steeped in femi-sexism, and this book, written by two Englishwomen, Jane Inder and Hilary Eyre, is no different.

"Hilary" is certainly an appropriate first name for an author of a revenge book, and to the extent that the male/female dichotomy is discussed, Jane and Hilary seem to design their commentary with the assumption that they are addressing a wronged woman justifiably desiring revenge against a male jerk.

For that matter, the discussion doesn't center exclusively on relationships. The authoresses gleefully repeat the Greek myth of how Artemis, the goddess of hunting and chastity, turns the hunter Actaeon into a stag and sics his own dogs on him to eat him alive. Actaeon's capital crime was that of having ogled Artemis while she was bathing naked. Punishable by mutilation and death, of course.

Obviously, life hasn't changed much since the days of ancient Greese. Women still regard themselves as goddesses, and they still regard male sexuality as a capital offense.

Still, the authors don't recommend this or any other violent method as a means of getting even; for that matter, they don't recommend that any of the "revenge" schemes that they discuss ever actually be used. The book has the expected disclaimer that these schemes are all being suggested "for entertainment purposes only". Of course.

To be honest, these authors seem a little more self-conscious of their femi-sexism than are others of their ilk. Once in a while, they allow for the concept of a wronged man. Or the bitchy co-worker. And not all revenge schemes stem from the male/female dichotomy anyway. The stuffy bureaucrat, the neighbor who lets his dogs and cats poop over your lawn, and the troublesome supervisor, could be of any gender and so could the one wanting revenge against them.

But the book also suffers from Anglocentrism. Apparently Londoners themselves, Jane & Hillary assume that all of their readers are English, a naïve assumption in the global electronic village that we now live in. Admittedly, this was less true in 1994 when this book was published. Still, if you are going to run a newspaper ad for a lost dog in the name of your target, it's useful to know that the most common dog breeds in the UK are German Shepards, Labradors, and Jack Russells, but only if you live in the UK. What about the revenge-fantasy-minded American, Canadian, or Australian?

I can't help but admire the twist on the old pizza trick though. Ordering a pizza to be delivered to a total stranger, just to play a prank on the pizza parlor, is ancient and pointless, and the pizza parlor these days insists on a call-back phone number to double-check. On the other hand, posting leaflets all over town giving your target's telephone number and advertising 24-hour delivery of discount pizzas is a stroke of brilliance.

But in large part, the schemes in this book smack of a great deal of naivete. They assume that you have access to your target's home or office or telephone or automobile. , what if your target lives out of town?

And they assume that you ALREADY know of your target's most embarrassing secrets. One who already has such access or such knowledge can probably come up with his own imaginative revenge schemes and doesn't need a book such as this to suggest them. And after the damage is done, how could one with such access or knowledge maintain a pretense of innocence anyway?

Besides, I think that the Internet effectively does away with personally-crafted revenge schemes. Why should anyone go to a great deal of time, effort, and expense to develop such schemes now? The cyber-head has enough knowledge at his disposal to make miserable the lives of others from his terminal.

And for about 20 bucks, the rest of us can visit any number of revenge-theme web pages, punch in our credit card numbers, and from the safety and comfort of our living rooms, order a melted box of candy or a dead fish to be anonymously delivered to our target. No fuss, no muss (not on our end) and quite possibly, not even illegal.

Your target might know or suspect that it was you, but she (heh-heh; assuming a female target) can't prove it.

Or if we just want to fantasize about doing that sort of thing, that certainly isn't illegal or costly.

Horns may protrude from my head and bloodthirsty hunting dogs may bay at my door. But secure in my anonymity, I give the Witches of London three stars for effort and deduct one star for femi-sexism.

Beautifully funny and hilarious tricks. In my mind I could just imagine how these tricks could be applied to friends family or people you don't like. Great entertainment.

This book is 116 pages with a lot of wasted space. Lots of empty pages and illustrations so not much actual information given. We all know that humor helps to reduce stress. I was looking for more practical information I guess. I mean it's O.K. but I didn't really learn anything new here. Sorry

As a stand-up comic and a person who uses humor in my "real-world" jobs, I found Ms. Jasheway's book to be a fun and practical approach to reducing stress in the workplace. So many people these days complain about the amount of stress in their lives but think the only things they can do to relieve it is to reduce their coffee intake and start working-out. They feel they have to listen to tapes with subliminal messages or practice yoga. Yet nothing reduces the amount of tension we are carrying around like a good laugh. Some people feel that humor has no place on the job, that it means you're goofing off and not working, and yet, as Ms. Jasheway explains, humor frees the mind and body to better do the jobs we have at hand. And unlike so many of the silly tools we are given at work in seminars or workshops, these are skills and tools that we can use anywhere to relieve stress and promote creativity. I highly recomend this book to anybody willing to lighten up a little and have more fun in their lives, both on the job and at home.

A mindless collection of other people's accomplishments by a tiresome, adolescent, bald, 40-something guy... Then again I know the author personally... Unfornately...

I think this is one of the greatest sports books I have ever read in my entire life of the 49 years I have been on this earth. But then again I know the AUTHOR! PERSONALLY!

This book was just awful I'm sorry to say. I was so disappointed!!! I should have bought a book by a writer that I know I can count on...Kim Corum does it best!

Gaby MacGregor is shocked and apalled, Jacques LeDan has plans to turn the town of Goldstrike into a theme park! Gaby first discovered Goldstrike years earlier when while driving through it got a flat. She not only got a new tire, but she found her home and now someone wants to turn it into a place with people dressed like leprechauns.

Jacques has grown bored with the candymaking business and is for the first time in awhile excited about something. Jacques is anxious to turn the little town of Goldstrike into something his grandfather would have been proud of. He is surprised when he sees so much opposition and that the ringleader of the opposition is sexy Gaby MacGregor.

Jacques and Gaby are on opposing sides of the theme park issue, but that doesn't stop them from feeling the enormous attraction that continues to draw them together. Will they find a compromise or are they destined for heartbreak?

I am so glad that MAD ABOUT THE MAN has been reprinted. It would have been a shame if I had never met Gaby, Jacques and I fell in love with the town of Goldstrike, California. Stella Cameron knows how to create a small town that will make you wish that you could live there.

I highly recommend MAD ABOUT THE MAN and know you will love it as much as I do.

CHAPTER EIGHT "Face on a Plague" starts of with an inaccurate statement, and it was very disappointing!!!!!!

The back cover of this book states, "His (i.e., the author's) rare inside look into politics and the science within public bureaucracies will engross those interested in science, public health issues, pet owners and wildlife enthusiasts, and those fascinated by infectious disease threats". This statement is true. Actually it is a 'good read' for anyone and falls into the same ilk (though not necessarily so good) as Watson and Crick's "Double Helix". For those interested in pure entertainment, the book makes good bedtime reading for the general public and scientist alike. In fact, this true story has enough human interest, petty personal politics, good guys and not so good guys, and institutional politics to have the makings of a politics/science soap opera. For those wanting to be informed or educated the book gives a good view as to how public health officials, both competent and incompetent, approach the control of a disease outbreak, whether it be real or potential. It is also instructive in general terms because it illustrates how political influence can interfere with proper public health measures. This should provide the general public with some insight into how disease control processes can be blocked by becoming political footballs (ala AIDS) which is, in itself, a significant contribution to having an informed public. Finally, for those interested in wildlife disease, especially beginning wildlife epidemiologists and managers, there is a concise history of wildlife rabies in North America and the means that have been used to control it. The book could be used as an introduction to wildlife disease courses because it touches or raises indirectly all of the problems that one encounters in the control and study of disease in wildlife, e.g., proper sampling, population estimates, and the effects of home range and animal transport on these, to name a few. However, the efficacy of the book as a source of scientific information would have been enhanced if the passages referring to epidemiological and scientific issues had been more expansive. In some instances, these issues were merely mentioned in passing. However this is not a major deficiency since it was not the intention of the author to produce a textbook. As a reader, the major negative of the book was that there were areas of repetition (intentional or poor editing?) and sometimes the author seemed to use chronology as an organizing principle and at others he used topics. The latter has resulted in some confusion, but perhaps this approach was necessary because of the difficult task of drawing a number of disparate events and personalities together into a common plot theme, not unlike an Inspector Frost, or P. D. James mystery.

This book can be described by that old chestnut: "breezy." It's a diary of David Sherwin's 35 years in the screenwriting business (If..., O, Lucky Man, and Britannia Hospital) and as all diaries, it seems that it was harder to edit than to write and luckily, even easier to read.

If you're involved in the creative process (and who isn't now-a- days) you'll probably enjoy reading how tough it is to make a living in the film business, especially if you're manic-depressive, alcoholic, difficult to work with, and insist on living in the UK when the big money is in Los Angeles

Add an extra two stars if you worship Lindsay Anderson.

This book was written a good many years ago. Though it was a very good book about Mac games and goodies when written, everything in it is outdated. Please don't buy it. You'll be very disappointed. (I know because I wrote it.)

Marriage of convenience stories have been done so many times they need a new take on them to be interesting. But this one does not. Yet another story of the virgin bride lusting for her husband, who also lusts for his wife. It seems our lusting hero, Lord Henry, can not keep his hands off is new bride, Julia. But why? On page 100, "accepting his lips with a curious questing as her supple, big-boned mannish body..." At every turn, Henry thinks she is not attractive. The author goes out of her way describing all the reasons why Julia is mannish. So what is up with the attraction thing? And I did not like Henry. He refers to Julia is his thoughts at his virgin bride and a virgin bride she will stay. That is, actually, cruel. Of course, they get together, but this reader had no respect for Henry or Julia, for that matter. Also, way to much horse stuff in the book. Frankly, Julia was a bit batty re. her horses.

Julia is a very strong heroine who has eschewed the more feminine pursuits in favor of her beloved horses. Because she is a comparatively large woman and not particularly attractive (as opposed to the picture on the cover) as well, she is seen as "mannish." That description, however, really never makes sense; it is said over and over but never convincingly. On the other hand, Julia definitely believes herself to be unattractive, clumsy, and incapable (except where her horses are concerned). Carr does a splendid job of making Julia's doubts and emotional pain real. Tears welled in my eyes repeatedly on Julia's behalf.

Henry, however, is not nearly as sympathetic, and one has to wonder why she had ever developed a crush on him. He softens by the end of the book, but for so long, he was simply cruel (regardless of his reasons). And arrogant is some of the worst ways, never able to conceive that he might be wrong. Not the most sympathetic hero ever created.

The secondary characters have potential, but it is largely unrealized. The writing style is clean, but unexceptional. The plot is the usual fare, but almost overburdened by the emphasis on horses. While the love scenes have some sizzle, there is always a melancholy or harsh feel to them.

The book is readable, but there are so many much better options.

Even if you don't know thing number one about horses, you can get engrossed in this tale of two horse-mad people who are thrown into a marriage of convenience. (Shouldn't there be a horse on the cover, too?) Our heroine is a thoroughly single-minded woman with her own definite set of priorities, and our hero is wonderfully paranoid about his dotty family and reputation.

Though I had some quibbles about small things here and there, I noticed myself chuckling, "heh heh heh" quietly as the reader was let in on jokes that our hero and heroine were too busy fretting about to appreciate. Tension builds to a page-turning frenzy as each stonily refuses to give in to the other. It's increased by the pressure exerted by well-meaning people around them to bring them together.

Two dynamic leads and a solid plot gave me a very enjoyable afternoon's reading!