Reference Books - Page 5

Things Fall Apart (Guided Reader)

Chinua Achebe

By: Macmillan Education Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $33.87

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 534 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

What makes fiction important 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I know this is the classic debate of all time when it comes to literature: Is it about beautifully written prose (THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, incidentally, is a good example of this problem) or does it tell a compelling story? (yet the prose itself is not its strong point).

It seems that many works of fiction these days are of the former and unfortunately, not enough of the latter. I recently re-read this book along with another classic, JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN, after a discussion I had with a friend about this very subject. As a middle-aged person, I often look back at the books that made a difference in my life and much of the time, it's not about the author's writing style. Achebe's is a plain, straightforward style, but it's what he is conveying that is so striking about this story. (I am a bit miffed at the "English" teachers and the like who are downing this book!) Bottom line: I was left with a lasting impression that stayed with me. I can't say that many books do this today.

All I can say is pick up this read and decide for yourselves. Bottom line, this story is just as relevant today as it was so many years ago when it first appeared. These issues are universal and the world today is replete with similar conflicts. It's unfortunate to have to go back in time to find classic works of fiction, but sometimes there are exceptions. Check out--SIM0N LAZARUS, a word of mouth wonder more should know about.

Editorial Review:

Okonowo is the greatest warrior alive. His fame has spread like a bushfire in West Africa and he is one of the most powerful men of his clan. But he also has a fiery temper. Determined not to be like his father, he refuses to show weakness to anyone - even if the only way he can master his feelings is with his fists. When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan, Okonowo takes violent action. Will the great man's dangerous pride eventually destroy him?

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Anne Lamott

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Anchor Amazon Marketplace: 210 new & used starting at $3.22

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 307 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Touching and funny 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Anne teaches writing and this book is based on what she shares with her class. I love the personal stories she tells, especially about her son, Sam. Writers often talk of "voice", and I feel I know Anne through this book. I can hear her voice.

She makes the serious memorable, but also funny. Writing is important, but she does urge us to not take it all too seriously.
She talks about the thrill of seeing oneself in print, but then the raging doubt and the self-loathing that can come sometimes.
It is full of lessons, like seeing the world through a tiny window and just describing that bit - and then widening it. Don't start with a big project, just write a short assignment.
Writing is not just for publication - it is it's own reward. Commit to finishing. She is realistic, encouraging but without promising the world. Highly recommended!

Editorial Review:

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was  ten years old at the time, was trying to get a  report on birds written that he'd had three months to  write. It was due the next day. We were out at our  family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen  table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper  and pencils and unopened books on birds,  immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my  father sat down beside him, put his arm around my  brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy.  Just take it bird by bird.'"

Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The (Barrons Book Notes)

J.R.R. Tolkien

List Price: $3.95 By: Barron's Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $1.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1242 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great books but too descriptive 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The best books set I've gotten thus far. However too descriptive, it makes me sleepy since I'm suspension and adventure story lover. I know it has adventure and fantasy but again, too descriptive, just like Frankenstein.

Good Book 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Good Book to read in an airplane or bus or train, to kill time. However, it is easy to lose its own original binding shape after a few readings.

"The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings", book set by J.R.R. Tolkien 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The classic and age old story of good vs. evil told in a way that captures the imagination from the first book to the last. Books to gather enjoyment and wisdom from as the tale unfolds: "The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater..." - Haldir, Elf of Lothlorien ("The Fellowship of the Ring")

Editorial Review:

Plot synopsis of this classic is made meaningful with analysis and quotes by noted literary critics, summaries of the work's main themes and characters, a sketch of the author's life and times, a bibliography, suggested test questions, and ideas for essays and term papers.

A Guide for Using The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in the Classroom

LAURIE SWINWOOD

Amazon Price: $8.99 List Price: $8.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Teacher Created Resources Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $5.67

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 115 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

love it 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have read this book at least once a year for 15yrs and now I'm reading it to my kids. It's a quick read, I can't put it down.

Very Well Written! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I like books and I don't know if this is my favorite book but it is excellent. We read it as a family every year at Christmas. It never fails to touch me. It is fun with a redeeming message.

One of the Best Christmas Books Ever 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The worst kids in the neighborhood decide to be in the annual Christmas Pageant and turn the weeks leading up to the event into a very funny, read. I've read this book to many classrooms of children over the years and it's guaranteed to make them listen and laugh.

...

True meaning of Christmas in an untraditional presentation 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It's a fun story about an untraditional Christmas play. It shows how good can come of seemingly negative changes and find some unexpected, meaningful outcomes.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Editorial Review:

This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book includes sample plans, author information, vocabulary building ideas, cross-curriculum activities, sectional activities and quizzes, unit tests, and ideas for culminating and extending the novel.

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most

Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, Roger Fisher

Amazon Price: $9.74 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Penguin (Non-Classics) Amazon Marketplace: 129 new & used starting at $4.95

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> General AAS
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Relationships -> Interpersonal Relations

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 134 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Members of the Harvard Negotiation Project--which brought you the mega-bestseller Getting to YES--show you how to handle your most difficult conversations with confidence and skill.

Whether you're dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with your spouse about money or child-rearing, negotiating with a difficult client, or simply saying "no," or "I'm sorry," or "I love you," we attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day. Based on fifteen years of research at the Harvard Negotiation Project, Difficult Conversations walks you through a step-by-step proven approach to having your toughest conversations with less stress and more success. You will learn:
how to start the conversation without defensiveness
why what is not said is as important as what is
ways of keeping and regaining your balance in the face of attacks and accusations
how to decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation

Filled with examples from everyday life, Difficult Conversations will help you on the job, at home, or out in the world. It is a book you will turn to again and again for advice, practical skills, and reassurance.

"Does this book deliver on [its] promise of an effective way through sticky situations, whether 'with your baby sitter or your biggest client'? It does."-- The New York Times

"These talented communicators blend a daunting array of disciplines into highly readable and practical advice."-- Booklist

"Brilliant. . . . I've already re-read most of it. I'm using it. What more could a reader ask?"-- Tom Peters

"Emotional Intelligence applied to life's tough moments."-- Daniel Goleman

1001 Most Useful Spanish Words (Beginners' Guides)

Seymour Resnick

Amazon Price: $2.00 List Price: $2.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 101 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Why Is This Book Useful? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After learning German from scratch, I realized about eight months later that my unwieldy and large German-English dictionaries were a drag. They were slow and clunky. When I decided to learn Spanish, the first thought I had was to find the right reference book for starting out with the basic vocabulary. This book has the perfect form and function for the beginning student. When I'm doing exercises, I can find the word I need in this book without skipping a beat or losing my train of thought. Buy this book if you're looking for efficiency. It has, for the most part, all the vocabulary a beginning student needs without the clutter of word entries a student doesn't need. It's easy to work with because I know from the moment I need it whether it will have the word I need or not. It's a two dollar workhorse that's a pleasure to use.

Editorial Review:

Indispensable learning aid includes definitions of common Spanish words arranged by such categories as foods, numbers, days of the week, months, colors, seasons and family. At the book's heart is a dictionary, from a to zapato, where each word is used in a Spanish sentence (with English translation) demonstrating its proper use.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (Red Kivar Binding with Jacket)

Merriam-Webster

Amazon Price: $16.29 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Merriam Webster Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $13.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

complete, dependable solid reference source 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I found this dictionary to be complete...dependable
I wish the print was larger, but it may be out in large print as well.

Not a large print dictionary 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Although this is listed in Amazon as a "large print" dictionary, it's not. No knock on the dictionary, it's just not large print.

Editorial Review:

This hardcover version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, is jacketed, has a navy kivar binding, and is plain-edged (no thumb indexing). For this new edition, America's largest staff of lexicographers made more than 100,000 changes and added more than 10,000 new words and senses, such as 'convergence', 'Frankenfood', 'phat', 'psyops, and 'vermiculture'. The Eleventh Edition also features over 40,000 usage examples - more than ever before - which clarify confused or disputed terms. Additionally, thousands of phrases and idioms help distinguish vocabulary for language learners. Special sections include A Handbook of Style, An Essay on the English Language, and Signs and Symbols. Over 55 million copies of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary have been sold, spanning a time period of over 100 years.

The Chicago Manual of Style

Amazon Price: $34.65 List Price: $55.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: University Of Chicago Press Amazon Marketplace: 72 new & used starting at $33.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 103 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Fifteenth Edition is available in book form, on CD-ROM for Windows, and as a subscription Web site.  The same content from The Chicago Manual of Style is in all three versions.

In the 1890s, a proofreader at the University of Chicago Press prepared a single sheet of typographic fundamentals intended as a guide for the University community. That sheet grew into a pamphlet, and the pamphlet grew into a book—the first edition of the Manual of Style, published in 1906. Now in its fifteenth edition, The Chicago Manual of Style—the essential reference for authors, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers in any field—is more comprehensive and easier to use than ever before.

Those who work with words know how dramatically publishing has changed in the past decade, with technology now informing and influencing every stage of the writing and publishing process. In creating the fifteenth edition of the Manual, Chicago's renowned editorial staff drew on direct experience of these changes, as well as on the recommendations of the Manual's first advisory board, composed of a distinguished group of scholars, authors, and professionals from a wide range of publishing and business environments.

Every aspect of coverage has been examined and brought up to date—from publishing formats to editorial style and method, from documentation of electronic sources to book design and production, and everything in between. In addition to books, the Manual now also treats journals and electronic publications. All chapters are written for the electronic age, with advice on how to prepare and edit manuscripts online, handle copyright and permissions issues raised by technology, use new methods of preparing mathematical copy, and cite electronic and online sources.

A new chapter covers American English grammar and usage, outlining the grammatical structure of English, showing how to put words and phrases together to achieve clarity, and identifying common errors. The two chapters on documentation have been reorganized and updated: the first now describes the two main systems preferred by Chicago, and the second discusses specific elements and subject matter, with examples of both systems. Coverage of design and manufacturing has been streamlined to reflect what writers and editors need to know about current procedures. And, to make it easier to search for information, each numbered paragraph throughout the Manual is now introduced by a descriptive heading.

Clear, concise, and replete with commonsense advice, The Chicago Manual of Style, fifteenth edition, offers the wisdom of a hundred years of editorial practice while including a wealth of new topics and updated perspectives. For anyone who works with words, whether on a page or computer screen, this continues to be the one reference book you simply must have.

What's new in the Fifteenth Edition:

* Updated material throughout to reflect current style, technology, and professional practice

* Scope expanded to include journals and electronic publications

* Comprehensive new chapter on American English grammar and usage by Bryan A. Garner (author of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage)

* Updated and rewritten chapter on preparing mathematical copy

* Reorganized and updated chapters on documentation, including guidance on citing electronic sources

* Streamlined coverage of current design and production processes, with a glossary of key terms

* Descriptive headings on all numbered paragraphs for ease of reference

* New diagrams of the editing and production processes for both books and journals, keyed to chapter discussions

* New, expanded Web site with special tools and features for Manual users at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up

Amazon Price: $18.47 List Price: $27.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 80 new & used starting at $11.86

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 151 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Bought this book for my 5 year old granddaughter who is really into Dinosaurs. She was thrilled with it.

Since opening it, she wants to look at it every day. It's been 2 weeks now and she is still enjoying it.

At first glance, you may not notice all the "small pockets" on each page which also pop-up to reveal even more 3D pictures.

Overall, a great purchase and I would highly recommend it.

Editorial Review:

From the world's preeminent paper engineers comes an awe-inspiring tribute to the world's most beloved extinct animals and their 180-million-year reign on the planet!

More than 35 complex and stunning pop-ups include a massive T. Rex that springs out, flashing a startling jawful of jagged teeth. Turn the page and a ravishing raptor unfurls and appears to fly off the edge of the book.

This breathtaking pop-up book offers up-to-the-minute information on more than 50 dinosaur species. Six multi-layered spreads each feature one spectacular, large pop-up and several booklets of smaller pop-ups and text.

2009 Writer's Market

Robert Brewer

Amazon Price: $19.79 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Writers Digest Books Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $16.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Writer's Market 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

In general, the Book has loads of good leads. I really like being able to sit down and relax with Writer's Market. For anyone who wants updated information, just sign up for the online Writer's Market. They list new information regularly so you never miss out.

In regard to the Book, it is nice to have when you don't want to go online, but you still want to look for a place to sell your writing. You can always check a market listenings' website for updates.

If you can afford to purchase the text and subscribe online, even better.

Editorial Review:

For 88 years, Writer's Market has given fiction and nonfiction writers the information they need to sell their work--from completely up-to-date listings to exclusive interviews with successful writers. The 2009 edition provides all this and more with over 3,500 listings for book publishers, magazines and literary agents, in addition to a completely updated freelance rate chart. In addition to the thousands of market listings, writers will find up-to-date information on becoming a successful freelancer covering everything from writing query letters to launching a freelance business, and more.