Cookbooks are my hobby and I read dozens of them all the time. Most fail because they are frequently of foods that require complicated preparation and/or are foods that the average American doesn't enjoy. Another failing of most cookbooks is that the author has tried hard to fill the book up with recipes rather than giving a few that are tried, true and tasty. Mad Coyote Joe has obviously tried all of his recipes because everything in his book is delicious besides being easy to prepare. He has also chosen a popular setting for preparation of his culinary masterpieces. Most people like to do barbecue for assembled friends and parties and Joe has given us lots of food presentations with which to impress our friends and families. This cookbook is so good I am going to buy one for everyone on my Christmas list.

The Sonoran Grill is the printed version of Mad Coyote Joe's great TV show. The author takes you through some great tasting recipes from the desert southwest, and you don't feel like you need to spend years in the kitchen to make each meal a success. You might have to spend a few weekends over the grill, but this book makes doing that even easier. Its a must for the seasoned chef, and those new to the grill. I never used to cook before and now its a big part of my life. You need this one for your backyard.

Author, Mad Coyote Joe, shows you how to go from mediocre to margaritaville with this easy to follow book, The Sonoran Grill. Packed with his best recipes from the popular southwestern cooking show, The Sonoran Grill, you will never look at grilling food the same way again. This book covers chile peppers, soups, salads, salsas, side dishes, sauces and rubs, main dishes, drinks and desserts...Mexican Green Rice, tequila grilling sauce for fish, grilled coconut shrimp, grill-baked paella, and almond kahlua flan to name a few of his mouthwatering recipes. The recipe for Habanero-lime butter will have you laying down on the floor and screaming with ecstasy and is worth the price of the book alone!

This book provides an informal study of the NASA space shuttle program,
based on tales and interviews with shuttle crew and framed with tons
of (mostly) NASA photographs.

Given that definition, it is a fine piece of work, very spiffily laid
out and entertaining. However, I have to warn that somebody
who wants to get the nitty-gritty details about the shuttle program
isn't really going to get them out of this book, though there is an
appendix that does give a tidy little survey of the topic. The
essays are basically independent anecdotes only loosely organized
into themes.

As this book is clearly meant for casual reading, that can hardly
be regarded as a criticism, and there is a much more detailed
book available on the shuttle program for the technical reader
(though I haven't read it yet).

And even the technical reader will find interesting things in
the stories -- my favorite is the tale of how rats quickly adapt
to zero gee and even seem to enjoy it -- and nobody could complain
about the sparkling photography -- one of my favorites is an
amusing picture of Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi looking
fashion-model pretty while being fitted up in a space suit. A few
of the stories seem a bit over-earnest, but that's what happens when
you stick a mike in someone's face and ask them to say something.

In sum, however, this a very good book. I give it four stars
instead of five simply to warn that more technical space
enthusiasts might not be happy to shell out the money for it as
they might feel it lacked meat, though I believe almost every space
enthusiast would enjoy paging through it.

It seems hard to believe that the first space shuttle launch happened almost 22 years ago. During that time, hundreds of astronauts and cosmonauts both men and women, from many different countries have flown in space onboard this marvel of engineering. This book recounts the adventures of those who have flown onboard the space shuttle, using high quality, color photographs and a small amount of accompanying text (a few paragraphs to a few pages) provided by the astronauts and as the title states, in their own words. I've always felt that a large format, coffee table style book dedicated to the space shuttle program was long overdue.

This book is divided into two distinct parts: A chronology of the first twenty years of missions and then a section that examines an entire space shuttle mission from training to launch and then to landing. These two sections are loaded with many different stories such as the wonder of being in space and viewing our home planet, preparing and eating meals in space, a humorous story of the operation of the space toilet, the use of Mir, the construction of the International Space Station and of course the terrible times associated with the Challenger explosion. It is nice to see that through all the triumphs and trails of space exploration, these people who many hold up as modern day heroes, are just as human as the rest of us, and are filled with awe of this great adventure into the unknown.

The book also contains an Appendix that provides an excellent summary of all the missions that occurred during the first twenty years of shuttle operations. In addition, there is also a nice overview section, which briefly examines shuttle systems, astronauts training and shuttle operations.

One final thought, since the book celebrates the first twenty years of space shuttle flights, there is not any information related to the loss of the Columbia. Maybe the authors of this book will be able to produce an equally excellent book as a tribute to the Columbia. Here's hoping.

Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years is the best book on the shuttle program yet. Yes, it has beautiful [and in some cases, unpublished] photos. Yes, it has all the details you need to know to follow a shuttle mission from training to landing. But the best part of this book is that it contains the shuttle experience in the words of the astronauts themselves! The book contains paragraph to essay length quotes from the shuttle astronauts organized into different chapters each concerning a different aspect of a shuttle mission. This book is a cousin to the beautiful and now out-of-print The Home Planet [1988], although the quotes in that book were never longer than a paragraph. To top it off, Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years is published by DK Publishing, a company especially good at this type of book. Throw in a lower than normal price for a coffee table-style book and you can't miss. I highly recommend this book.

Here is the encouragement and advice many of us need to move forward in our lives along with the techniques and instructions to successfully deal with what faces us on a daily basis. There are so many factors that can complicate the life of a stepparent and 'Stepcoupling' addresses many of these problems head-on with real life stories and straightforward advice by ultimately proving that your marriage, as the foundation of your stepfamily, is the most important relationship you have.

The book labels itself as a "manual" and if ever there was a stepfamily 'How-To', this is it! After you follow several couples' experiences throughout the book, you will find a great surprise in the last chapter that rounds out this book perfectly. The 'How-To' flows through 'Stepcoupling' not only through the authors' life experiences and stories from stepcouples, but also by letting you fill in the blanks with your own life by allowing you to share honesty about your feelings between the pages of the book and yourself.

I read this book in 48 hours and now use it to refer to whenever a crisis hits our stepcoupling relationship. Susan Wisdom dares to tell the straight facts about being a stepcouple while affirming that you can feel all the difficulties and still be considered normal. My children are all grown and at 50 I never expected to raise small children again but here I am in a love relationship that includes five year old twins and I need help. This book clarified the feelings that are associated with forming a stepcouple and allowed me to understand how it all takes time. An excellent book that I highly reccomend!

This book is a soothing and practical guide for those of us in stepcouples, yet it faces head on some of the more difficult challenges faced by stepcouples, in a caring and constructive way. I would love to have had this book when we first started out more than 10 years ago! I can't think of any situation covered in this book that we haven't experienced at some point or in some form or another in our remarriage. It is a comfort to see that a lot of what we learned the hard way is right there in "Stepcoupling." I would recommend it very highly to anyone in a remarriage, contemplating remarriage or supporting remarried couples. Maybe even older stepchildren and children born into blended families should read this for some insights as to what their parents and stepparents are struggling with. Marriage takes effort no matter what, but stepcouples face so many surprising issues that usually have no pat answers. This book is a tremendous help to anyone navigating "step" territory.

I loved this book. It is not easy to tell how it ends. You think you know what is going to happen to Alissa, the main character, but you don't. Talk about an exciting last few chapters. I love all of Robin's work. Unlike many other books this is not only an exciting and wonderful story but this also offers wonderful insight. All I can say is don't read it in one night or read it only once. Like many of Robin's book this book gets better every time you read it. Definetly Buy it!!!

Sunsets was the second book I've read by Robin Jones Gunn. This book was almost as good as Clouds, but not quite. The factor I liked most was that Alissa and Brad started out as friends. Once again, great job, keep up the good work Ms Gunn!!!

I really enjoyed this book. I love the way that all the characters in the books connect. not only do they just connect in the Glenbrooke Series, but some of the characters in this series connect with characters in the Christy Miller Series. This book is about Alissa. In the Christy Miller Series, Christy was the one who prayed with Alissa when she became a Christian. She also knew Todd, Doug and Tracey. Throughout this book Christy's name is mentioned. Brad, the guy in the story, is the brother of Lauren Phillips in book 3. This was a really good book. Another thing i like about these books is that they are Christian. This book was really good.

He went by alias of Danny Bridges.

He was just on Connie Chung / CNN speaking about his new book Takedown. "Danny" was instrumental in 'taking down' the last mafia empire...that of garbage collection rings that charged extremely high rates and forced Mom and Pop businesses to use their services. Watch out! If any other garbage collection tried to get the business they were 'made a deal' they 'couldn't refuse' (if you know what I mean...).

This book is full of great detail of the inner workings and is very suspenseful!

Rick Cowan alone worked his way into the mob to 'get the goods' (evidence) on the inner workings of the Mafia. He risks his life and the life's of his family and their families. He found collusion that resulted in the imprisonment of high level "Don's". The Mafia made billions through use of their 'leverage'.

I highly recommend this book and hope that one day Rick will not end up in a garbage dump like Jimmy Hoffa. Buy this book today and read it! I couldn't put it down. Great book, great read. Will win the book Academy Awards in December.

An interesting, suspensful and funny book about how one NY detective, almost unwittingly, found him self the central figure in bringing down the "garbage cartel" in New York. Having been a business owner in Manhattan, who had to pay the unbelievable fees to carters, I hughly recommend this book to anyone looking to get insight into how the "Mob" infiltrated both big and small business.
Kudos to Cowan and Sal Benedetto for following through to the end. Let's hope the politicans have as much back bone as Cowan and Benedetto in insuring that their work was not in vain. A great read. Hope they don't screw up the movie.

A great book. A nice crisp and fast read that will have you turning the pages in anticipation of what comes next. Detective Rick Cowan infiltrated the New York garbage mafia as a problem fixer for an independent garbage hauler. Five years later his investigation resulted in indictments across the board, which have put an end to mafia involvement in the New York garbage industry and has saved New York customers and businesses millions upon millions of dollars.

The book is more than an entertaining read. It provides you a real life glimpse into how the mafia infiltrates and consolidates and industry. Cowan and Century provide background history in the novel that tell the origins of the garbage empire. I don't know of any other book that gives you such a detailed nuts and bolts picture of day to day mob operations - mafia bosses meeting on a daily bases and hatching out deals and shakedowns over Italian pasteries. It is all done by word of mouth and handshakes. As they give orders to their brutal underlings they literally get fat off of the hog.

I doubt that this is the "Fall of the Last Mafia" empire as the book cover says. I'd like to know what other businesses the mafia have "owned" in New York and how they have adjusted to Cowan's Takedown.

After finishing the book I wondered if it was worth it to Detective Cowan - spending five years of his life immersed in an undercover operation that risked his life and disrupted his family life. I think he hints at an answer with his discussion with his father at the end of the book, but there is still some ambiguity. Like a lot of things in life there is probably no yes or no answer.

Buy this book and read it. Like another reviewer said it gives a much better picture of how the mafia operates than the "exposes" written by Mafia goons and second to third generation accounts that pack the "true crime" sections of the book stores.

So you want to be a New York City cop? Read this book and make your decision. Even if your aspirations are not towards law enforcement in the big city, read it anyway. This true story takes the reader from the idealistic beginings to the hopeless conclusion of Frank Serpico's police career that spanned eleven years. From the fitting of his first police uniform, heart pounding rides in Brooklyn radio cars, plainclothes assignments, repeatedly explaining to fellow cops that he is not on the take, feeling his frustration and sometimes elation at every small battle he encounters and one brick wall after another in the way of trying to make things right in a city that sometimes doesn't know it's left, from it's right. Anyone who has taken on a unpopular cause will relate to the desparity and loneliness that was felt by Frank Serpico during a great deal of his career. This book was well researched and well written and is still fresh twenty five years after it was first published. It is very detailed and a true depictation of the everyday life of a cop in New York City.

"Serpico" is a powerful piece of reporting by Peter Maas, one of the best true crime writers in America. Hard to believe that the events of this book occurred thrity-odd years ago. The tales of corruption in the New York City police department could have come from the headlines of any big city newspaper today. Maas's genius is how he puts you with his subject to the extent that you are not even aware that he's guiding you through the story. Anyone with an interest in law enforcement should read this book and take it for what it is, a warning against the temptations of the job. As such, it is far from comforting.

Peter Maas artistically tells a story of a man who always wanted to be a "good cop." Unfortunately, the dream is shattered when Frank Serpico confronts wide-spread corruption in the NYC Police Department. The famous Knapp Commission is a result of Serpico's complaints about corruption on the force.

Unfortunately, Peter Maas's story could be told about many large urban police departments. Make no mistake about it, corruption, bigotry, and racism are all a part of law enforcement. It was the case back in the 60's - 70's, and it is still the case today. Consequently, Peter Maas's story about "one good cop" fighting a sea of corruption is still relevant today.

The story drags at times. But, otherwise, it is quick reading. It is definitely a story that needs to be read. Hence, I recommend this book. Police corruption is still a current topic. But, more importantly, Serpico's story is one of hope. At least there is "one good cop" out there trying to make a difference. And, knowing this, has made a difference in the way I view law enforcement professionals. That is, they are not all bad.

This is the most thorough book you will read on Brown v. Board of Education. Kluger makes an attentive reader of his work a modest authority on the subject. You had better be very interested in the topic, however, as he leaves no stone unturned. Kluger writes not as a lawyer or historian but as a journalist who is witness to the multitude of events which he depicts.

Besides the numerous civil rights leaders and soldiers the reader encounters, the author provides an intimate account of Supreme Court justices and the process of decision-making. This proves to be the most compelling aspect of the book.

It's required reading for every social revolutionary.

A quarter of a century after it was first published, "Simple Justice" still has the power to move, enrage and touch the hearts of anyone who believes that justice ultimately prevails.

It should be required reading in any college U.S. history course because it shines an intense spotlight on the complex development of legal issues and thinking that produced the end of segregation in the United States.

I do not exaggerate when I say I believe that this is the best history book I've ever read. Further, it's wise to read it now, because an awful lot of the people instrumental in the ultimate decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education, are dying out. The late Thurgood Marshall is a great example of a lost legal talent and courageous leader who did the right thing by all Americans by winning this case. Read this book now, if only so you'll recognize the heroes in their obituaries.

What Richard Kluger has done in this account is spell out the development first of segregation, telling us just who and how the dreaded Jim Crow laws came about-including segregation laws in the North-and then walk us through how, piece by piece, legal decisions were strung together to put an end to legal segregation.

I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and, if I thought about it at all, had the idea that the Brown decision had more or less come out of nowhere. Eventually, I began to catch on, and then I read this book. If you are similar-minded, this book will set you straight and point you to the many unsung heroes who have made us a fairer country, in line with the ideals that helped found this country. If you're a parent looking for good role models, forget sports and entertainment. Look to this book for examples of people who literally risked everything, and often paid dearly, to do the right thing. They didn't shrink from the challenge; they stepped forward, many many times. That so many others did not only reminds us of how fearful we are to force change or risk our own well being to tackle injustice. I wish I could rate it higher.

This is the one book where all the rumours, gossips,government
participation in hindering black movement into the mainstream for obvious reasons like votes was documented. Simple Justice is really two books in one.
On the one hand there is the exhaustive documentation of the race relation in this country. the evolution from sharecropping, the obstacles and outright bigotry of some white people even leaders and experts in concluding thru so-called Sponsored studies that the blackman was genetically inferior and the subsequent counter studies that goes contrary to genetics, in d issue of Gene vs. Enviroment
On the other hand the legal maneuvering resulting in d decision we now called the brown vs. boe. the role of some white brothers is acknowledged here. thanks to the supreme court later to be headed by chief Justice Jarren-for daring to do what was then the inconceivable.
the decision among other thing brought the power of government and the role of d supreme court as the pre-eminent decision maker to the fore.
I must mention here that the actors like martin luther king jnr, Thurgood Marshal later a supreme court judge ,naacp members and other black men and women who risk all they have to win this case.
**I recommend that this book should b fed if possible to all blackmen in high schools that they may know how much it took to get to where we are today. that education should be taking seriously by all black people.

It's 1814, and America is at war with Britain. Elizabet Holder's father, a ship owner and captain, has been captured by the British. Now, she must go from Boston to New Orleans to live with her aunt and uncle. But, when she arrives, she finds that her uncle has died, leaving stories of a secret map hidden in the house. On top of that, her aunt is away caring for a sick relative and she is expected to work in her aunt's bakery to earn her keep. Before this tale is over, Elizabet is threatened by a mysterious stranger and meets the famous pirate, Jean Lafitte.

This is the first book in the History Mystery series from American Girl. My daughter and I read it together and I know she enjoyed it because she never wanted to stop no matter how late the hour. Don't get me wrong, these stories aren't in the same league with Harry Potter. Someone has described them as "thinly plotted". From an adult perspective, this may be true, but they're not written for adults. For most kids in the 9 to 12 age group, they're just fine. In addition, the young heroines of these stories are great examples for young female readers, and the historical settings and themes provide a learning experience, as well.

All in all, these are good books for kids. This is our second one (although it's actually the first in the series) and my daughter has very much liked both. I highly recommend this book to young readers and their parents. Though, as I wrote above, these books aren't the equal of Harry Potter, but this one is one of the best in this series. Rated at 4+ stars.

In 1814, after her father is captured by the British, eleven-year-old Elisabet Holder must leave Boston to live with her aunt and uncle in New Orleans. When she arrives, she learns her uncle is dead, her aunt has gone to Baton Rogue, and she is expected to work in her aunt's bakery like a servant. When Elisabet learns of a treasure her uncle hid before he died, she decides to search for it so she can ransom her father. But that's only the beginning of the story. THE SMUGGLER'S TREASURE is an exciting combination of mystery, adventure, and history. I immensely enjoyed it and look forward to future books in the HISTORY MYSTERIES series.

At first I was a little skeptic about this book; I thought it was slow in the beginning. But as soon as I got farther and farther into it, I realized it was really cool. It's informative and suspenseful. It's also unique... you barely read books where the main character works in a bakery!

Elisabet Holder's father is kidnapped by the British in the war of 1812. Because she has no other family members, she has to move to New Orleans and live with her Aunt and Uncle. When she arrives, she finds mystery... there's talk of pirates, smugglers, and treasure. If she finds it she could buy her father's freedom... will she find it before anyone else does? Will she be hurt or even killed in the process?

The Smuggler's Treasure is like a great invitation to the History Mysteries... after you read this you're compelled to read the others! I plan to collect the whole series (there are six more I need). The main characters of the stories are so clever and brave, you can really look up to them. It is nice that the authors make the girls seem realistic (with strengths and weaknesses) and not stuffy and perfect. Read them!

I bought my copy of this book several years ago. It is a wonderful basic cookbook with lots of creative recipes. It is easy to follow, with lots of pictures and step by step instructions. I gave a copy to my daughter when she got her own apartment, and now am ordering one for my new daughter in law. It makes a wonderful gift.

I love to cook and try new recipies often. I have a collection of more than 200 cookbooks, many of them from other countries. I use all of them occasionally and a few of them frequently. The Southern Living Cookbook is one of the books I use most often, for all types of foods. Even after searching other books for unusual, foreign or favorite recipies with a different flair, I find myself coming back to The Southern Living Cookbook. Recipies are easy to follow and the pictures are gorgeous. I have given this book to both my daughters, who also love to cook. Thanks for many hours of pleasure you have given me and my guests!

No cook should be without this cookbook! Absolutely one of the best cookbooks ever! All the recipes are fantastic, and easy to make! Definitely on my Top-10 list of favorite cookbooks! I loved this cookbook so much, I purchased all the other Southern Living cookbooks! This is one cookbook that I would recommend to all my friends and family!

It's obvious that Dimock has done his homework in researching and writing this superbly crafted book detailing the disappearance of Glenn and Bessie Hyde, the 'honeymoon couple' who attempted a run through Grand Canyon in their sweep scow--Rain-in-the-Face--during 1928. Here we find three great stories packed concisely into one exceptionally good book. It is part mystery novel, part an historical account replete with colorful and obscure Grand Canyon characters, and part the telling of Dimock's own run down the Colorado River in the sweep scow he built to recreate the Hyde's histroic trip. SUNK WITHOUT A SOUND is also, and more importantly, a thorough biography of the life and times of Glen and Bessie Hyde. Their family members appear in startling detail, their history is laid out in a colorfully woven chronology, and their ultimate end is surmised in vivid fashion. Beyond that, the many folk tales surrounding their disappearance are debunked and kindly dismissed with considerable research. Illustrated with maps, diagrams, and an interesting variety of historic Grand Canyon and Hyde family photos, Dimock ultimely takes the reader on a whitewater trip not to be forgotten. Dimock's first book, THE DOING OF THE THING, a biography of riverman Buzz Holmstrom, won the National Outdoor Book Award in 1998. However impressive that my be, SUNK WITHOUT A SOUND is, obviously, destined for much higher accolades.

Outrageous adventures that capture the imagination, like Lindberg's trans-Atlantic flight, often personify the American spirit, especially in the youth of a new century. But the 1928 honeymoon excursion down the rapids of the Grand Canyon by Glen and Bessie Hyde ended in tragedy, their bodies never recovered, the whole trip shrouded in mystery. This book sets out to tell their story with as many facts as are available, recount the rescue efforts and determine some answers after all these years of speculation.

After reading Grand Ambition, a novel by Lisa Michael's, about the couple's fateful honeymoon, I was curious to know more of the details and explore the lore surrounding the disappearance of Bessie and Glen. Author Dimock gathers what few pertinent facts are available and reconstructs the Hyde's journey, physically experiencing parts of it himself. He even builds a replica of their craft, hoping to ascertain what happened as they moved from one dangerous whitewater course to another. Literally, only speculation remains, because their flat-bottomed scow was found drifting, intact and packed with provisions with no evidence of the bodies. Did they die, or escape? The author also carefully goes over each step of the rescue party's unsuccessful search. As an extra service to the reader, he spends some time debunking the many urban legends that have sprung up over the years, passed from campfire to campfire, further clouding the truth.

The most satisfying part of this book is Dimock's exacting concentration on each phase of the journey given the modernization of river rafting techniques and experience. Easy answers are simply not acceptable to Dimock, and he unfailingly covers every possible situation in the attempt to arrive at a feasible conclusion. In his conscientious writing, this author postulates some scenarios that set my mind at rest. When he fits the pieces of the puzzle together, it's as likely a fit as will be found at this time. And I was relieved to put aside those rumors and innuendoes told with a broad wink, because I would like to think of this couple in peace after such a short and harrowing twist of fate.

I'm no expert about the Grand Canyon or whitewater rafting - I've visited the canyon about 5 times over the last 30 years, spending 6 days on a spring break backcountry hike on one of the trips, and I've been on one float trip down the San Juan River [Bluff to 'Lake Foul'] on the spring break before or after the canyon hike - so I'm reviewing Sunk Without A Sound by Brad Dimock as an interested and knowledgable layperson. This book is an amazing adventure story, a gripping mystery, a brave piece of experimental historical investigation, the end product of extensive research, and an extremely rational and fair reading of the available evidence.

The book is a tapestry of stories sewn together with several strong threads. The main thread is the story of the failed [?] honeymoon Colorado River trip of Glen and Bessie Hyde in 1928 and the subsequent attempts to find a solution to their disappearance. It is the story of RC Hyde, Glen's father, and his obsessive, but loving, attempts to find his son and his daughter-in-law. It is the story of author Brad Dimock and his wife, Jeri Ledbetter, and their enlightening version of the original Hyde trip [they recreated the original journey in a version of the original sweep scow]. Dimock ties all these pieces together in one seamless piece of non-fiction.

I enjoyed the book immensely, especially the fact that Dimock told the most reasonable story that the research and the evidence supported. I recommend you take a ride throught the twists, the turns, and the rapids of this excellent book.