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Michele (luluinphilly) - , - Reviews

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365 Things to Make and Do
365 Things to Make and Do
Author: Vivienne Bolton
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 7/19/2008
Helpful Score: 1


Cute little book with activities for young people although my 4th graders enjoyed some of the crafts. I used some of the ideas during summer school, where the majority of the students were 12-13 years old and ... they loved the crafts, too. Never too old for a good craft!


40 Over 40: 40 Things Every Women over 40 Needs to Know About Getting Dressed
Review Date: 2/18/2008
Helpful Score: 12


I REALLY wanted to enjoy this book. I had it on my wish list for sooo long but I just couldn't get into it. I don't know if it was the lack of pictures as examples or the lack of white space that did me in. There were some illustrations but no hardcore evidence of examples. I like pictures in my books especially cookbooks and fashion/beauty books. It seemed silly not to have examples in a fashion book, doesn't it? And the lack of white space drove me crazy! All of this continuous type! It goes on for pages with no interruption. I hope the next person enjoys it more than I did!


The 5 in 10 Pasta Cookbook: 5 Ingredients in 10 Minutes or Less
The 5 in 10 Pasta Cookbook: 5 Ingredients in 10 Minutes or Less
Author: Nancie McDermott
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 1/15/2008
Helpful Score: 1


Great for a young professional or someone in college. Nice change from plain spaghetti and sauce!


50 Ways: 50 Ways with Rice
50 Ways: 50 Ways with Rice
Author: Rosemary Wadey
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 12/29/2006


Out of 50 recipes, I've used 35. That's a lot for a recipe book! I enjoyed using this book. I've used it so much that I've memorized the recipes!


The 90-Day Fitness Walking Program
The 90-Day Fitness Walking Program
Author: Mark Fenton (Editor), Seth Bauer (Editor)
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 1/15/2008
Helpful Score: 2


This is more of a speed-walking fitness program. Not at a relaxing speed.


900 Shows a Year: A Look at Teaching from a Teacher's Side of the Desk
Review Date: 7/19/2008


Written in 1986, it's quite dated. On the first page, you know where they are and what type of school it is. "There were only three people in the hall. Two women teachers were questioning a young, tearful student who had her back to a wall of orange-colored lockers ... The girl did not respond. She was blond, blue-eyed, and pretty. Her cheerleading outfit ..." I'll just stop right there. Did you say all-white suburban high school? Then you WON! Even though the author had been in the field of education for 18 years (he was a college professor of student teachers), he felt he had lost touch with what was going on in elementary and secondary educational institutions. He had only taught in a public school for the first 4 years of his teaching career. He was also fed-up with the taunts of his students. "You people from the university don't understand the real world of the classroom! When are you going to leave your ivory towers and get out in the trenches?" That should be REQUIRED OF ALL collegiate educators!


Abel's Island
Abel's Island
Author: William Steig
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 3/21/2008


This is the book. About a cultured mouse who becomes stranded on an island and misses his wife.


The Abs Diet for Women: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Belly and Firm Up Your Body for Life
Review Date: 2/27/2009
Helpful Score: 2


I really enjoyed this book. I read the book within one week, flagging important tidbits, and realized I had a lot of post-its! The first two weeks you're only doing the diet part. If you want to do the exercises, that's okay but it's not mandatory. Very relaxing exercises. I mean, I walk up to five miles per day so starting a weight program was okay with me. Limited information for pregnant or menopausal women. I liked the pictures for the exercises. The only problem I had was with the photos for the mothers. Why not use photos with a (very) pregnant model? I think it would help with positioning. If you're going to use a slim model, it's not beneficial. Just my opnion. I also liked the recipes. Very easy to make and not at all time-consuming. The smoothie secret is nothing new. I learned from Weight Watchers (old-school) to make skim milk smoothies with ice, one banana, and a dash of vanilla. Fills you up and tastes decadent!


The Access Handbook
The Access Handbook
Author: Dolores laGuardia, Hans P. Guth
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/24/2008


Another good resource for writers and students alike. Also, there is a section for English Language Learners. Collegiate level and above.


Age Protectors: Stop Aging Now!
Age Protectors: Stop Aging Now!
Author: Ed Claflin
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 2.3/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 8/15/2008
Helpful Score: 3


Another book from Prevention. I honestly thought it would be about how to look younger using different herbs and oils to cleanse and tone your face and body. The book is mostly about what foods to eat, how to stay sharp, dealing with stress, managing your time, etc. There are chapters on how to protect yourself from different "ailments." I use quotes because some of these are not problems but just a fact of getting old and a life-style choice. For example the chapter on vision. It happens with age just like your teeth turning grey. The chapter on protecting yourself from loneliness is NOT to be confused with the chapter on depression. First, people choose to be alone, it doesn't necessarily mean they are lonely. Sometimes I prefer being by myself instead of with a big group of people. I've joined several Meetup groups and all of them start out polite. But then it becomes a competition with the noise level increasing and the situation becoming rowdy. I would rather go to a restaurant by myself and savor a wonderful meal than hear someone complain about the food or the restaurant non-stop. It happens.


All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things
Review Date: 7/15/2008


I thought this would be a list of things the author learned in kindergarten. It's really a bunch of stories he originally published in the Kansas City Times. The actual list is on pages 6-7. How anyone comes up with this list by reading the stories is beyond me. Plus the fact that this has been going on for almost 20 years. What a load ...


Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone
Review Date: 3/25/2009
Helpful Score: 3


This book was just okay. After a while, the stories started to sound the same. And it got increasingly boring to read them. Especially when there were really no recipes. I was kind of disappointed about that. And the recipes that were in the book were just plain deceiving. For example, one had the ingredients but the steps were supposed to be cute. "Take the cream out of the refrigerator. Smell it. Realize it's old. Toss it out. Decide to make steamed spinach instead of creamed spinach." Or something like that. I even tried to read a chapter a day so as not to get sick of the book but it didn't help much.


American Girls About Town
American Girls About Town
Author: Jennifer Weiner, Lauren Weisberger, Adriana Trigiani
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 90
Review Date: 10/21/2008


I am SO NOT into Chick Lit! Granted, these are short stories, about 5-10 pages long. But NONE of them were interesting. It's like a formula with these stories. Most of them were about married with children women or women who were divorced or women getting divorced. I have FINALLY learned my lesson when it comes to Chick Lit. In the immortal words of Monty Python ... Run away! Run away!


American Literature (Barron's Ez-101 Study Keys)
American Literature (Barron's Ez-101 Study Keys)
Author: Francis E. Skipp
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 7/19/2008


Used this for one of my PRAXIS tests. Very easy to read, in an outline format. From the Colonial Period (1790) to Cultural Diversity in American Literature (1945-1980).


Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Author: Dan Brown
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 3685
Review Date: 12/29/2006


This is Robert Langdon's first adventure. It is set in Rome and the Vatican. Exciting and fast-paced. When you read this, you'll think, "Why did they cast Tom Hanks as Langdon? What were they thinking?"


Around the World in 80 Dates
Around the World in 80 Dates
Author: Jennifer Cox
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 1/26/2008


Cute and harmless. The premise seemed really bizarre to me. All I could think of is, "That's a lot of sleeping around!" But it's more than that. I don't think I could do it but to each her own!


Art of Macrame Modern Design In Knotting
Art of Macrame Modern Design In Knotting
Author: Joan Fisher
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 3/21/2008


Dated book on macrame. No color illustrations or pictures so it makes it confusing and difficult, especially is you're dealing with multiple colored strands. Everything is in black and white.


The Assistants
The Assistants
Author: Robin Lynn Williams
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 9
Review Date: 3/21/2008
Helpful Score: 1


This had been on my Wishlist for so long. I had been in the business for about 10 years and had a lot of books I wanted to read that dealt with my "past" life. I wasn't too impressed. I found the characters to be stock and their actions predictable but maybe that's because I was in the biz. I think "outsiders" will find it eye-opening and unbelievable. Even though it's a "fiction" book, there is some truth throughout.


The Astronaut's Wife
The Astronaut's Wife
Author: Robert Tine, Rand Ravich
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 1/14/2009


Excellent book! Loved it! Based on the movie, which I did not see. I sort of don't like Johnny Depp. I know, hate me. Oh, well! Kind of reminded me of a twisted "Rosemary's Baby." Good, fast read.


Authentic Southwestern Cooking
Authentic Southwestern Cooking
Author: Lynn Nusom
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 12/29/2006


I loved this book. Yummy recipes.


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