I loved the wide range of emotions. Very creative writing style. BD Wong is my new crush. I am now a follower. I usually don't read a lot, but I couldn't (didn't want to) stop reading it once I started. Just when I thought all would go well, there was a shocking, and very emotional story that happened in the ICU step down area. BD Wong is a remarkable father who told a very difficult story. I was lucky enough to get to see BD read at "Books Inc." in San Francisco last week. His reading brought even deeper meaning and emotions to the book for me. I would recommend this book to EVERY parent.

I just finished reading "Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having just read another book called "Gay Dads: A Celebration of Fatherhood", I felt that these two works perfectly compliment each other. "Gay Dads" gave 21 examples of gay men who wanted to have children and the ways they expanded their families. This story is an extension of that theme, showing the unexpected problems that can crop up in any birth. There is no guarantee, no matter how much you fantasize about the birth of child, that the stork will have a smooth landing and bring a baby that is perfectly formed, completely healthy and on time. B. D. Wong and his partner, Richie, learn this first hand when their twins, carried by a surrogate, come very early and riddled with complications. Wong, an actor in television programs such as "Oz" and "Law and Order: SVU", is obviously a creative man that uses email as a way to reach out to friends an family to update them on the progress of the baby (one twin, sadly dies shortly after birth). He soon receives responses from many people, giving him words of encouragement and showing a great deal of love for the tiny little boy trying his hardest to stay in this world with his two stressed out and loving dads. This book reveals what a serious undertaking parenting is and how dedicated and trying it can be. I'm not a parent but I certainly felt for these two men as they struggled with the constant health issues and feared for the life of their little tyke. There are lots of interesting responses and some are from familiar names: John Lithgow, Margaret Cho and Michelle Kwan, to name a few. But it is little Jackson that is the star in these pages and you find yourself drawn into his world, breaking out the pom poms and cheering "Go, Jackson GO!" A great book for any parent (gay or straight)....actually a good read for anyone! Give it a try. You'll not be disappointed.

I love reading thrillers, medical mysteries/marvals, true life and social history. This book has it all. It's a fascinating read that doesn't let you stop the ride until you've laughed, cried, sighed and sung.

So many people are turning to faith since September 11, looking for reassurance, trying to find answers to hard questions. This remarkable book skips the banal platitudes; instead, it gave me real, solid guidance to begin to face those hard questions and try to make sense of it all. The variety and depth of this astounding collection of essays is breathtaking. I was astonished by how many different faiths are represented. Especially moving, to me, was a New York parish priest's account of ministering to victims. We also get to eavesdrop on the Beliefnet community as they helped each other cope in the days following the attacks; the personal interactions are riveting. Only Beliefnet could have created this book. This is a gift that truly will help us all rise "from the ashes."

Picked this book up at an airport just before
my flight and was unable to put it down during
the entire flight! It is filled with healing
words, inspirational thoughts, and wisdom from
some of the greatest spiritual leaders of our
times, at a time when so many are desperately
seeking answers to questions regarding this
horrific tragedy against mankind. I strongly
recommend this book --- a must read for all of
us who care deeply about what happened to our
nation on September 11.

This wonderful, heartwarming book comforted me not just with inspiring words, but with the profound spiritual wisdom of a multifaith array of religious leaders. It is heartening to know that people of all faiths both condemn violence and believe that the human family can move beyond it. The community discussion part of the book -- in which computer users post messages of fear and suspense on Beliefnet.com as they realize what has happened with the crashed planes -- is gripping. These users' interfaith prayers and concern for each other show an Internet community at its best.

I read this book while I was back east this week -- I couldn't put it down! Those wonderful characters and clever structure...what a terrific read. I didn't want it to end, but thank goodness for Molly it did. If you're looking for an engrossing summer book, "Going Nowhere Sideways" is the one. I can only hope Hollywood doesn't make me wait too long for the film version.

Molly takes you on a journey of memories long ago obscured by the hype and break neck pace of the digital age. A time when the country was in turmoil and everyone was trying to find a deeper meaning and context to the chaos. Molly, as our tour guide, is intelligent, sincere and on a personal quest to live a "useful" life. While it takes her 20 years to figure it out, it seems all too brief for this reader who couldn't put the book down and longs for the next installment. Molly's tale is at once tender, intelligent, at times infuriating, and completely human. I loved every word! Leigh Curran is an exceptional writer... poetic and profound.

I did not know what to expect when I picked up this book for reading on a business trip. I got so involved in the richly real characters that I could hardly tear myself away to go to meetings. I finished it on a plane, and I sat reading til the plane cleared out because I still had a couple of pages to go. The book is beautifully constructed, with an unpredictable, almost musical flow, and the characters will stay with me for life.

This is one of those "best friend" books you tell your best friends about, as I have done. There are moments and images that have stayed with me for the months since I read it.

If you came to consciousness in the '60s, or know someone who did, revisit the times and how they grew into a gentle wisdom in the '90s. I thank Leigh Curran for this beautiful work.

If you want an Oz book that is fun to read to yourself or to children, this is the ticket! Page after page, I said to myself "this is just darling!" Toto is America's favorite canine and The Wizard of Oz is the most endearing movie of all time. I am so glad that Willard Carroll put this book together it is just terrific.

Hollywood's Golden Era is captured so well as you easily travel through page after page. I promise that you won't put it down until you're finished and the kids (especially the ones who watch the movie on a daily basis) will love for you to read this to them.

Congratulations to Author Carroll, who has Oz in his heart and soul and managed to put it down on paper for all of us to enjoy. How many times I've watched that movie and simply focused on Toto, who was just the cutest dog in the world. He makes everybody want to adopt him, well, now this is the next best thing.
Elaine Willingham
St. Louis, MO

I read this in an evening. Really enjoyed it as I am the owner of 2 Cairns and a lifelong fan of the Wizard of OZ.

Written from Toto's perspective this book gives you an insight into what really would have been going through this little dogs mind. It not only captures his thoughts but is a good source of valuable information on THE dog of OZ. It is a book that should be read to or by all children who love this movie.

As a native Idahoan, this is the first book I have ever found that truly represents the entire state. Idaho is a very diverse landscape and a huge area to cover by any means of transportation. Kirk Anderson's commitment to intimately discover and share his Idaho journey is a gift to all who know or wish to know this beautiful state. The photography proves to be of the highest caliber. Great !

This is a spectacular collection of photographs of one of the most beautiful places you can imagine...Truly "God's Country ", Idaho's diversity has been captured by Kirk Anderson in a magnificant volume showing the mountains, waters, and deserts of this special part of America. He has truly "discovered" Idaho!!

Idaho is a state of geological extremes that range from a desert moonscape to towering mountain peaks, to urban city landscapes. Photographer Kirk Anderson fully and vividly documents the diversity and beauty of this diverse and sometimes surprising state through a spectrum of color photography that presents memorable (and often artistic) portraits in its celebration. Idaho Discovered is a volume of spectacular, informative, entertaining, and highly recommended images that work wonderfully well to showcase the diverse landscapes. The accompanying texts by Frank Rowland and Clarence Stilwill are excellent frameworks supporting a truly remarkable photographic compendium.

This is my favorite decorating book this year. In fact, I can't stop going back to it for ideas! What can I say? It's me!

This book is filled with ideas to help you decorate in true garden style. It contains ideas for your porch or patio and every room in the home. The rooms have beautiful color schemes, window treatments, and other ideas for every home.

I love decorating books and have a slew of them, but this is one of the best. It contains page after page of fabulous photos, and is an inspiration for anyone who wants to brighten up a home with ideas from the garden. For browsing on a gloomy, rainy evening, this book can't be beat. It is also a superb coffee-table book that your guests will enjoy as much as you do. Highly recommended!

Best nonfiction book about professional bull riders you'll find. Coplon weaves through a bull riders world both in and out of the arena. Be ready to shake the dust off your back when you finish this book--you'll feel like you've been on the back of Bodacious. Coplon makes you feel like you're partners with the top bull riders--Tuff Hedeman, Ty Murray, Cody Lambert, Jim Sharp, and legend Lane Frost. Read how the Professional Bull Riders Assoc. began and will continue to grow for decades. Best rodeo book I've ever read-again and again and again.

The sequence in which the book is written adds variety and develops a love for the top riders, such as Tuff Hedeman and Ty Murray. I closed the book with a great feeling of satisfaction and felt a yearning to read and learn more. I would recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in bull riding.

This is a very good and captivating book and something every rodeo fan should read. If you want to learn more about bull riding legends like Don Gay, Myrtis Dightman, Wacey Cathey, Tuff Hedeman, Lane Frost, Jim Sharp and Ty Murray, this is probably the only place you can find it told so colorfully and honestly. It is also nice to read about the days when the world's top bull riders were cowboys and actually competed at rodeos, and not the pretentious PBR events. It also takes a look at how bull riding's popularity surged in the 90s. I just hope a similar book on bronc riders comes out soon.

After my kids and I read this book, we all had a lot of questions about the Gold Rush and wanted to learn more. We found it funny and interesting. It's one my kids want to read over and over- probably because of her rhymes. This book makes an excellent birthday present too!

Gold Fever is a short, but unforgetable book. In very few words it tells the story of Jasper, who starts out to find gold in California but finds only hard, discouraging work. His return home to a loving family is a satisfying conclusion. An unusual view of history and one that young children can enjoy. I have read this book to second grade classes and the response has been delight and requests to "read it again". The pictures are just right and add delightful humor to the text.

A real pleasure to read, with vivid, bouncy rhyme and great illustrations. Jasper's encounter with the bear was a particular hit . A short, fun book -- parents take note!

A passionate account of a health care system that is extremely ill. Written by a longtime activist and provider of medical care to the indigent, this book blends compelling stories of victims of the unfair and fragmented health care non-system in the US with solid data is wrong and how it can be fixed. Health Care Meltdown will light a fire under you.

This book is a must-read for anyone who either works in the health care system or is a health care consumer or decision-maker - that means all of us. Bob LeBow sifts through a very complicated problem and makes it clear for any reader. Very simply, we, the American public, have been victimized by the interests of insurance companies, managed care companies, pharmaceutical corporations and other branches of our health system. He presents the problem and offers a solution. His style of writing is engaging and holds the reader's interest. I highly recommend this book.

This book is is very timely and amazingly lucid on a topic seen by many as beyond comprehension. LeBow has sifted through the complexity and pinpointed the key players and the major causes of a system that has "melted down" - i.e. become dysfunctional for millions of Americans. The book documents how vested interests - people who make a great deal of money by maintaining the status quo - have systematically worked to keep Americans clueless about the extent of the health care meltdown, the causes of the meltdown, and the real story about feasible alternatives. One of the greatest values of the book is found in the opening chapter that identifies and examines thirteen myths that have been perpetuated about the American health care system. LeBow's contention is, quite correctly, that unless these myths get debunked, Americans are not likely to have the necessary will to fix the system. In fact, one of the myths is that old adage "We don't need to fix what isn't broken" applies to our health care system. LeBow's personal accounts of patients' experiences with our system illustrate poignantly just how broken it is. Fortunately, LeBow goes beyond the compelling critique to offer a solution, in the form of a single-payer, single risk-pool model. Recognizing the extent to which interest groups have propagandized the American public against such a model, he argues effectively that this is the ONLY model that will allow this country to resolve its access problems without spending even more on health care than we do already. His arguments are strong, his personal illustrations reinforce his points in well-chosen fashion, and he offers hope for something better. His book is somewhat of a primer for those who are motivated to work for change at a grass roots level, as well as at a macro level. And the reading is easy, on a complicated subject, including nice tight summaries of key points at the end of each chapter. Very worthwhile reading.

Alex Rodrieguez takes readers on a grand slam through his life and his struggle to the top. He gives children the tools to keep striving for their goals telling them how important education is in their lives. The illustrations and color photographs went hand in hand with the story and although the layout is a bit abstract, I felt the book came together in one great package. I am a librarian at an elementary school in Oregon and bought the book for the ever growing fan club of Alex Rodriguez, however my family thoroughly enjoyed it too! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading sports biographies or those who like to read about those famous people who make a difference in the world of education.

Truly a book all can enjoy! It is touching, inspiring, and positive. Alex shows us that anything can be achieved, no matter what obstacles face you, if you work hard. I liked that he shared a true story of his childhood, not some candy-coated, "My life has always been great" thing. This is the kind of book that inspires children to do their best and motivates adults to keep working to reach their goals!

I enjoyed this book very much. It showed us another side of Alex we'd never really seen, the youger Alex, his struggles, his achievements and everything his mother did for him and his family. I like how Alex openly talked about their financial problems and his father, it lets you know that he's human too. He sounded very confident, yet humble enough to leave a good impression. A nice one to add to your collection, the pictures are nice too.