On-balance

The author, Jan Cloninger, allows the creative process to lead her on a journey of words and feelings about and to her son, Alex. She dares to let him know deep caring and high hopes. He is invited to find out what makes his heart sing, what he feels his needs are, how his attitudes can guide him, and that he may listen to his dreams.

Mothers will find helpful ideas for their own growing children.
The author lets her heart speak in balanced and loving ways to her son, now available to the rest of us. Thank you, Jan, for a memorable gift.

Whether or not you are an artist or another career-woman, this book offers insight and advice and encouragement to anyone who is struggling with combining ambition and motherhood while keeping sane. I recommend this book to my women's group and any mother I meet.

I am really getting a lot from the content of this book; the exercises are fun and very effective. But at the same time I'm so disappointed in its quality--I've only had it a few days and almost all the pages have come loose. To use a book like this one must hold it open, turn pages back and forth, etc.; in other words, it should be made to be handled. This is not.

This book is great for working out on your own with the ball. It gives very clear directions, and even lets you know what muscle groups you are targeting so that you can really focus on getting the most out of each exercise. This is the best ball book that I have bought (I also have Pilates on the Ball, which is good but this one is better).

This book is great for all levels. I teach classes on the ball and this gave me many great ideas. She uses a rating system that gives one to three stars to designate if the exercise is for beginners or advanced. I do feel that some of the exercises are inappropriately marked as beginner or intermediate, and that they should actually be advanced. I highly recommend this book!

Stu Weber has provided answers in a country full of questions about men and their biblical role as leaders in their households and in their churches. The reader comes away from this book with a renewed excitement about what it means to be a man of God in the US. Stu Weber helps men understand the dangers of giving too little or going too far in either direction of the four pillars; King, Warrior, Mentor, and Friend. It is impossible to read this book and not have a new sense of God's purpose for Christian men in their roles as husbands, fathers, and leaders.

Stu Weber has a great way of defining the role of a man in the world today. With solid Biblical references, this book beautifully describes a man's responsibilities in relation to his wife, his children, and his peers. This book should be required reading for every man!

We took 40 high school boys through this book for a whole academic year for mens' small group while our girls went through Kay Arthur's Someday Marriage Without Regreats. Not only was it a very well balanced study for the year, the book itself (Four Pillars) proved to be well balanced in its approach to manhood, fatherhood, husbandhood, friendship and more. A great challenge for young men aspiring to be GREAT men.
JW

As an Indian ex-pat, I felt this book captured the essence of life in big-city India. I was amazed at how the political landscape dominated the lives of the poor and unfortunate jophadpatti-dwellers and the lower income people trying to survive in the big city.

While it wasn't the most uplifting book to read, I felt it was incredibly well written and gave the reader a true glimpse into rural life as well as city life for the untouchable caste and lower income classes in 70's India. Anyone looking to get a feel-good bhel-puri story is sure to be disappointed, because this is about reality.

The central characters were truly gripping, and the reader finds themselves caring about each of them immediately. There is so much to tell about each of their lives, so that one gets the full appreciation of who they are and their current situation. The author does not disappoint.

I would easily rank this in my top 3 favorite Indian novels.

India, a country I knew little about, haunts me since reading this book. The author captures on paper the feeling of India on every page. The sounds, the smells and the people stay with me well after the last page was turned. Unforgettable characters that evoke every type of emotion!

Rohinton Mistry meshes the lives of four people of diverse backgrounds into a bond that lasts a lifetime. The in-depth look at a culture and a people that I knew little about has brought about an understanding that I previously lacked.

Dina Dalal, widowed and determined to make it as an independent woman in a world where women have little value, becomes the unwilling glue that supports 3 other lives. Maneck Kohlah is a student, sent by his parents from his mountain village to attend school in the city. Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash are tailors escaping the terror in their village by moving to the city to look for work. This unlikely group of people become dependent on each other out of necessity, their lives entangling to create the basis of the story.

This book is written with much sadness as well as humour and has touched a place in my heart. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. Bravo!

You know you've read an epic novel when its 5th line had you sucked hook line and sinker. This 2-time "just missed Pulitzer" masterpiece from RM was stuck in my hands until I had it smacked down to the very last word. Immaculate piece of literature, this, you'll be an instant RM convert.

Although it's named "A Fine Balance", this novella is one of those rare gems that simply blow you out of the bubble in which you lead your life -- impervious to the extremeties around you. I found myself almost living in the world of our 4 protagonists as they go go from bouquets to brickbats. Mistry's fluent and witty language only eggs you on, I found myself amused and chuckling at many points in the book, and hard as it is to admit, I even had my eyes welled up on more occasions than I can remember.

Our protagonists are simple people, mind you. A couple of tailors, a young woman who makes her life sewing, her brother who makes it in "business". The idiosynchrasies of each character, their daily peccadiloes, the minute lens with which we are exposed to their smallest emotions, joys and fears -- as a peak into the ordinary Indian life, I simply cannot imagine a more accurate or grittier novel in recent memory.

India is indeed a country where the sinister contours of social strata (the caste system, to be specific) often seem clumsy, ominous or just plain grotesque, where deep ideological divisions feed into and exacerbate ordinary social mores. Even external dangers play themselves out domestically. A Fine Balance brims with such clear-eyed, tragicomic, Dickens-like observations of the Indian fabric.

Ingenious, wholesome, and deeply moving. Not just for Indians or people interested in India, this novel is a delight to read for ANYONE even mildly interested in literature. Highly, highly recommended!

My ongoing professional development involves a commitment to read books that have nothing to do with my profession. I chose this book for two reasons: It is the textual basis for a faith-sharing program in which I am involved at my church. I also thought its subject was far a-field from my job as a preceptor/facilitator.It appears I was mistaken on the second reason.

Gregory Pierce is in the publishing business, he's a husband and father, and he's active in his church and civic communities. The subtitle, "10 ways to balance your life on the job" is really what the book is all about. As he puts it, "It is pretty clear that God is present on our workplaces. Yet the workplace is a difficult place to 'be spiritual.' It is noisy, crowded, complex, competitive, materialistic, tiring, frustrating, dangerous, busy, [and] secular. To find God there, we have [to work hard at it], and most of our traditional spiritual disciplines are not well designed to help us do that."

This is the belief that forms his thesis and Pierce's life experiences provided the motivation for his writing. The writing is crisp and clear, and, unlike similar spiritual books, is not aimed at changing one's belief systems about God, but it's rather a 'how-to' book on achieving a higher level of spirituality in the workplace.

Pierce establishes some common language for us about work, defines spirituality, and he adds some ground rules about how he wants us to focus on what he refers to as spirituality disciplines. He presents ten disciplines, or practices, for spiritual improvement and invites our examination in the context of what we do with each area daily.

This book revealed more about leadership than I first imagined. Woven into each discussion on each of the disciplines are anecdotal quotes concerning how each person practices their spirituality and why it's important for them to do so. Although he didn't use the term servant-leader, Pierce shares this from a social worker who was talking about her boss:
"She was direct and honest but never disparaging of others. She was strategic but not conniving. Her power came from her vision, not just from the authority she held by virtue of her position. She was gentle in her correction or direction of others- affirming not mushy. [She] was passionate but not emotional, smart, tolerant of other views but always clear about her own. She treated others like she wanted to be treated, and others who worked for her eventually began to behave that way too." This reflects that notion of Robert Greenleaf's servant leadership plus the "modeling the way" espoused by Kouzes and Posner.

These ten disciplines remind one of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits, especially Pierce's last discipline entitled "Engaging in Ongoing Personal and Professional Development." This was almost a carbon copy of Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw. The book is simply constructed, with just enough thought provocation on each spirituality discipline followed at chapter end by a section prescribing real-life methods of practicing each discipline discussed in that chapter. Great stuff!

This was a well-conceived and well-researched book by an author who convinced me that he had experienced the same kinds of issues and problems faced by those searching to practice spirituality at work. I recommend putting this book on your leadership bookshelf for the practical lessons it teaches and for the timelessness of the author's prescription for a balanced life.

This wonderful little book could be aptly subtitled "Spirituality for the rest of us." Pierce, who confesses himself "piety-impaired," has written a practical, day-to-day handbook for discovering the divine presence as it lurks in some of the places we may least expect it.

This is not a book about how to cope with jobs that overwhelm and diminish us. It is rather a step-by-step set of instructions, which Pierce terms "disciplines," through which we may actively transform our daily grind (whether we're priests or poets, doctors, lawyers, butchers, bakers or candlestick-makers) into our own best crack at co-creation of the world. It is not a book about getting away from the world, but rather a book about getting really into the world with our spiritual wholeness intact, about remembering to remember that God is present among the daily hum and rattle, if only we have the personal discipline to look. Not a book to read and put away or pass along, you'll want to keep it desk-side, a User's Manual for the spirit, available for ready reference.

Take Time for Your Life arrived as I was heading to the airport. I tucked it in my bag and read almost all of it on the plane, arriving with a calm, positive outlook that lasted all weekend! What's incredible about Cheryl Richardson's book is that it presents a simple, do-able plan to simplify and enrich your life, with specific "take action" steps. Somehow she makes you feel as if this is the book you'll really incorporate into your life, and the vision of what your life will become is compelling. Checking items in "What's draining you?" and making a "Top Ten Procrastination List" will instantly change your perspective on your everyday life and give you the nudge to rearrange your priorities. Using this book, you will give yourself permission to put "extreme self care" at the top of the list (in a positive kind of selfishness), and free up your energy for dealing with everyone and everything around you. Making an "Absolute Yes List" will help you to say no without feeling negative. Each chapter lists great resources. This is a well-balanced, comprehensive plan for changing your life, presented in a "Swiss cheese" way so that you can immediately start applying parts of it and realize the benefits from the beginning. A must for anyone from a stressed-out professional to a frazzled mom!

Are you tired, stressed out, eating lots of junk food, overdrawn in your checking account, procrastinating, watching lots of tv, turning into a slug, and generally feeling FRAZZLED? If so, you should buy this book and take Cheryl Richardson's advice. If you do, I guarantee that in six weeks your life may not be perfect, but it will be much, much better.

I've tried lots of organization books, time management courses, and self-help books that just haven't worked, but Cheryl Richardson's book is different (much like Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out is different and works!) But where Morgenstern focuses on cleaning up the clutter and creating SPACE for a new life, Richardson tells you, in step-by-step fashion how to actually create "the life you want."

Richardson recommends reviewing the whole book before you start taking action, and I found it easy to do this in two evenings. Then, at a MUCH slower pace she tackles one area of your life at a time, giving you practical and thoughtful guidance on how to make changes that really matter. My favorite chapters were "Put yourself at the Top of the List," which advocates adopting an "extreme self care" approach by starting a journal, designating a few hours a week for a date with yourself, and making sure that you're taking time for your physical and emotional health. For those of you who feel overwhelmed with that list, Richardson advises taking on no more than one of these tasks a day (and even less than that if you need to). "What's draining you" helps you to figure out the 1001 niggling details of the day that suck the energy from you--even if you're not doing them! Her mantra of "do it, hire it, chuck it" is finally getting me through the 247 unopened email messages sitting in my inbox! I'm still working through the financial chapter (my biggest nightmare), but progress is being made.

Sure, we all know that we should exercise, get enough rest, and balance our checkbooks--but how many of us actually do? Richardson's book is the anecdote for the hysterical pace of life in 2000. If you imagine your life differently, I'd try this book out and see if you can't turn that dream into a reality.

This book is for anyone who works more than 8 hours a day. If you know someone that works more than 10 hours a day - you should tell him or her that they MUST read this book.

Cheryl is a life coach that shows people how to organize their lives so that they have a nice balance between all their needs. A person who is spending too much time at the office will likely burn out and not be very successful in the long run.

She also teaches that you don't have to do everything by yourself. It may sound so simple, but when you read this book you will see how Cheryl expounds on this idea and teaches you how to have a more holistic approach to life.

I highly recommend you reading this book.

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

Elizabeth Peters writes with an assured cadence. Her stories seem to unfold as though revealed in a handwritten letter and with elegant penmanship. Having read two delightful short stories set in Egypt I was ready to immerse myself in a full length book.

For the first time the clerk in my bookstore approved of my choice. She was a devoted fan of the Amelia Peabody series. I was sure to love it. Before this she had failed to comment on any of my bi-weekly mystery selections. I sensed I was in for something special.

The quality of writing did not disappoint. The archeology felt authentic. I learned a lot about excavating Egypt. The settings seemed appropriate to the times and circumstances. I even lamented the intrusion of industrialization upon gentler traditions. I was reminded of Merchant & Ivory.

The Emersons could have been so much more compelling. They are a liberally-collected rainbow group who would be welcomed and entertained at most sophisticated social events of OUR time, but would xenophic and racist Londoners toward the end of Victoria's reign been so kind to compatriots who had "gone native"? Yet it was the mixed backgrounds of two of the "children" that I thought could have yielded the most interest.

What was uninteresting to me was how physically attractive they had to be. Emerson's "steely arms" and "muscular chest"; Ramses' physical stature and attraction for women; David's appearance being similar to Ramses with "the long-lashed dark eyes"; and "strikingly pretty, extremely intelligent" Nefret was even blessed with laughter "like sunlit water bubbling over pebbles". Peabody herself was able to look good in any outfit while being the object of a Master Criminal's desires. Did they also have to be rich and well-bred? Then I was reminded of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider.

I much prefer Elizabeth Peters' short story characters: Senu, the carpenter, and Rennefer, the weaver, or Baenre, the potter, "a scanty little man with thin hair and sharp bones", to these pharaoh-like protagonists. Without the lordly Emersons the short stories are able to plunge the reader directly into that heat and dust where, due to the humble (or average) circumstances of the characters, there is no escaping the mystery, but to solve it.

The Emersons were in Egypt by choice. Their wealth, background, and physical stature distinguished them from the masses. They were even more privileged and rarified than their "lesser" countrymen, some whose careers kept them in Egypt. Throughout the book it occured to me that if situations turned too ugly The Emersons could have decamped to London for a season of ablutions and liberal causes.

I hope Elizabeth Peters, with her knowledge of Egyptology and excellent writing skills, will give us a book length mystery involving Egyptians in their own country.

I always eagerly await the next Amelia Peabody adventure, and this was worth the wait. Peters had plateaued for awhile, but her latest Amelia tales have recovered the charm and excitement of the earlier ones. Ramses and Nefret are growing as characters of their own. Dare I hope that she will start a new series with Ramses alone? There seems to be the hint of that possibility, but maybe it's my imagination.... An abduction attempt at Amelia in England leads them to suspect the Master Criminal once again, and this year's Egyptian expedition is off to a lively start. Emerson is frustrated at not being allowed to start any new digs in the Valley of the Kings, but discovers another tomb anyway. Ramses, David and Nefret are more involved in this one, and both Ramses's and David's romantic interests add an interesting spice to the story. Wonderful as usual, and if you have met Amelia and her family before, I don't need to explain. If you haven't, it's time you got acquainted.

Highly regarded archeologist Professor Radcliffe Emerson has recently alienated too many administrators. In retaliation, he has been relegated to wandering around the Egypt's Valley of the Kings, which by 1907 has been explored too many times for any individual to get excited about it. However, having his beloved wife Amelia Peabody, their adult son Ramses, and their foster children (Nefret and David) along with him will ease the tedium.

In a slummy section of Cairo, the children purchase a papyrus of the Book of the Dead. Abruptly what was to be a dull season has become very exciting because two people are murdered and the Master Criminal has surfaced. This time he defeats Amelia in his game of cat and mouse, but fails to account for her now maturing allies, the next generation of Emersons, who just might tip the scales back in favor of the good guys.

The tenth Peabody novel, THE APE WHO GUARDS THE BALANCE, demonstrates why Elizabeth Peters recently was the recipient of the Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. The novel, like all the Peabody tales, is complicated but humorous and loaded with interesting historical references from two eras (antiquity and the first decade of the twentieth century) that surround an intriguing mystery. However, what makes the latest entry so refreshing and fun to read is the maturing of the next generation of Emersons. This will elate fans of the series and bring in new readers as well.

Harriet Klausner

This was a very disappointing book in the New Jedi Order series. The plot develops very slowly and is only gathering a little speed on the last 30 pages. The characters are poorly drawn, only Jason's inner fight concerning the use of the force is subject over pages and pages (I really started to dislike Jason in this book). Kathy Tyers did not pick up the storylines of the characters that were developed in the previous books. It was like seeing familar faces and wondering why they behave so strangely. The worst thing were the many illogical parts in the plot and the obvious lack of knowledge of the author about the Star Wars universe. It is always said that Jedi can sense other Jedi also over long distances. At the beginning of the story nobody neither Luke, Mara, Jason, Jaina nor Anakin know about the whereabouts of Leia. Jason and Janina are on the same planet with Leia wondering where their mother is? Hello?! Even if Jason doesn't want to use the force at least Jaina should have been able to feel and locate Leia. You can find this kind of mistakes all over the book. The story doesn't develop naturally but seems to be forced together. It appears that the author had a list of to do's which she just somehow had to deploy in the story no matter how. If you feel about this book as I do don't worry. The next one #7 Edge of Victory by Greg Keyes is really a brilliant novel worth 5 stars!

This book picks up about two months after Jedi Eclipse. In the first few pages Jaina, who is still flying with Rogue Squadron, is injured in battle and temporarily loses part of her sight. On the planet Duro, where refugees from those worlds captured and destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong invaders are being brought, Jacen is working at his father's side. Ever since the events at Centerpoint, he has been especially confused and conflicted. He knows that the Vong must be fought, yet he is afraid that by using the Force to strike back, he will step over to the dark side. Back on Coruscant, Mara discovers that she is pregnant, and she worries that her disease might harm her unborn child. When Mara and Luke discover that a Jedi apprentice went missing on Duro, they take Anakin and head there to check it out. The main plot in this book was Jacen's dillema. After the events in the last book, Jedi Eclipse, I found his character to be quite irritating, but how he resolved his issues in this book redeemed him for me. I liked how Mara and Jaina were featured more than they were in the Agents of Chaos duology, especially seeing as how they are two of my favorite characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to the New Jedi Order, which is easily the best so far. I am looking forward to the next book.

Book six of the New Jedi Order series, Balance Point, could not be better. Kathy Tyers (author of the excellent Truce at Bakura) returns to the Star Wars Universe to write an extremely satisfying novel.

Like James Luceno's Jedi Eclipse, Tyers' book has a vast number of stories to follow, but unlike Luceno, Tyers does it well. The extra storylines have a reasonable purpose, unlike Luceno's, and everything is well-told and suspensful. Leia is still working to help refugees and Jacen and Han (no longer whiny and moping constantly) go to help, aswell. The two do not realize that Leia is close to them and, indeed, whether she is even alive. Jaina is severely injured, and recuperating, battered, scarred and blind, after having to go ev (extravehicular) during a battle. Anakin is, as he has been in the New Jedi Order, annoyingly competent. Tyers also examines Luke and Mara's relationship, which hasnt really been done since the Hand of Thrawn duology by Timothy Zahn.

All of the characters show development, but none more then Jacen, who is still struggling to come to grips with his role in the force. At what point does fighting become of the dark side? While Jacen does not answer that question, or most of his many others, in Balance Point, he does finally realize that sometimes one must fight to protect their loved ones, even if that means violence.

Overall, Tyers puts together an excellent story, and a refreshing change from James Luceno and his subpar duology. Maybe it's just coincidence, but the New Jedi Order authors with prior Star Wars experience seem to write the more enjoyable novels, or at least up to this point in the series.

This book is great. I have read and re-read it several times and always find something new. It really explains how and why we gain weight. It also is excellent in explaining how we lose weight. I have been following this book for a 3 weeks and already lost 12 pounds. It is very easy to follow and I am never hungry. Plus the recipes are fabulous and easy to make.

Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

After being a strict vegetarian for 15 years (and teaching cooking classes at a health foods complex), I was highly skeptical about Suzanne's system. But I'm a researcher, and I did my homework. Food combining is, indeed, an old and accepted theory of healthy eating. This is not an anti-carbo "diet"; it calls for the healthy food groups, only in different combinations so that insulin levels aren't spiked, thus causing the body to store calories as fat.

After reaching 50 and having a size 6 lean, mean machine, I suddenly put on matronly inches. Whose waistline was I seeing in the mirror anyway? Certainly not MINE! I couldn't fit into my clothes. Menopause wreaked havoc with my body. My low-fat vegetarianism didn't work at all for me anymore. All my workouts (Pilates, etc.) couldn't trim the excess inches I was continually adding. I began to feel desperate and out of control. So, as a last resort, I tried Somersizing.

I have known Suzanne was a fabulous cook ever since discovering an article about her culinary expertise 20 years ago. But these recipes and these sauces, in particular, are extraordinary! The latest book with its zucchini noodles, parmesan sauce, mozzarella marinara, and other delectable goodies is a triumph! I love to cook again! The simple wine reduction sauces are fabulous. The information about good fats is "freeing"! My husband and I are losing inches and eating tremendous food. My body is returning to its size 6 dimensions. I couldn't be more positive about this program. The information by Suzanne's endocrinologist is right on-target. It all comes together and finally makes sense. If you don't want to do the program, at least make the delectable foods! And if you DO want to follow the program, buen apetito and viva the weight loss! Also note: Suzanne's no-chemicals, no-preservatives sugar substitute, Somersweet, is due out in May. Another breakthrough for healthy cooks who have had to do without sugar for years. This woman is no dumb blonde. She's on the cutting edge!

I can say that after trying many different methods of shedding pounds, that without a doubt Suzanne's way of eating is BEST for losing wt and keeping it off. It is a way of life, NOT a DIET. She allows you to still eat carbs, which is crucial for energy. Other popular diets now that eliminate carbs are impossible to live by, and leave you feeling hungry. Definitely NOT something I could do forever.
Food combining and eating healthy WHOLE carbs is the way to go. Whenever I have tried to go to low calorie, low fat- tradional dietician recommendations, I not only DO NOT lose weight, but even GAIN.
Suzanne has a great solution here and it is something you can live with and NOT feel deprived.
The first 2 weeks of her diet I lost 10lbs...when I recommend it to my mom, she too lost the 10lbs in 2 weeks.
By the way, I am a chronic prednisone user and diabetic, and EVEN with that combination, this WORKS. Blood sugars are best when I follow this way of eating.