Austin Reviews

This book taught me the SIMPLE WISDOM of my OWN BODY. To trust what my body tells me. This is something that we are ALL BORN with but it gets beaten out of us as we grow by all of the adults in our lives saying, "this will make you fat", "that will make you fat" etc etc.

This book has helped me win my weight battle and helped me to be a better mom by allowing my kids to trust their own bodies!

Thin Within: How to Eat and Live Like a Thin Person is the first and only book on the subject of weight control which worked for me. The book outlines a philosophy and program for living which does not separate the "overweight" person from the "thin" people. For the first time in my life, I have been able to consider myself to be someone who is healthy and attractively slim as a natural state of being, rather than as a result of putting forth extraordinary effort just to have the body that "normal" people have.

I am grateful to have this book to refer to on a regular basis. It has given me a kind of freedom with regard to weight control issues that I never thought would be possible. I very highly recommend it.

When I first came across this unique book about 10 years ago, I was quiet desperate. I had read probably 70+ books on the topic of weight loss and was ready to give up. As I read through the pages of Thin Within I knew I had finally found the true answer to permanent weight loss. It is so simple to follow because there is no diet! It's been over 10 years now and this no-nonsense approach to losing weight and keeping it off for good has never failed me. Buy it, you won't be sorry!

I'm 5'4" and have always weighed 115-120 lbs. After giving birth to my daughter, I weighed 147 pounds. I didn't exercise during my pregnancy, and I didn't start trying to re-gain my pre-pregnancy figure until after my 6-week postpartum check-up. The first time I went to the gym, I came home crying, because I was very much out of shape, and unable to accomplish anything on familiar weight machines. Instead of heading back to the gym, I ordered this book, and now I'm back down to 115 lbs. My friends and family keep telling me how great I look for someone who just had a baby three months ago.
This program has been great for me, as a new mother. 1) The exercise program includes a lot of walking, which my baby loves!
2) The recipes are quick and easy to prepare. 3) Denise has written out grocery lists which save me tons of time.
This book is great for busy new moms who want to shed pounds from pregnancy.

I have always loved Denise Austin she looks fabulous at 40 plus yrs of age. I just got my book today and it has a wealth of information. I like the fact that it's geared for women and womens needs such as p.m.s,pregnancy as well as menopause. She has sound advice as well as when we stress out and what it does to our bodies while we are tyring to loose weight. I am so grateful for this book, the advice, the success stories as well as denise's motivation. You go girl! I am so proud of this book it's a must read for any woman that is thinking of starting a weight and or excersie program and how she defines things and explains to us how our bodies and hormones play a key role in weight loss. Thank you Denise Austin for encouraging me to take one step further in my goals to loose weight. Ladies you will NOT be disapointed!This book is fabulous

I agree with another reviewer here -- I typically shrug Denise off as I view her as annoyingly "perky" and cannot bear to watch her videos with the sound on. I believe that she knows what she is doing in regard to exercise and that is to her credit, but the "rah-rah cheerleader" delivery is not my cup o' tea!

At the bookstore the other day, I came across this title and to my sheer amazement, found it well-researched and completely thorough. I was very impressed at how Denise gives you all the info. that you need to succeed in the weight loss war - menus, 6 weeks of varying exercise programs and specific exercises that focus on your trouble spots, to name a few of the tools she provides. Denise really did her HW with this one.

If you are looking for the least painful, most effective way to trim down - this is the best book I have found out there!

If you fish the catskills, this book is a must. I have never seen such a great mixture of photographs and text in a fly fishing book. The books takes you through all the rivers, then presents the region's historic people, their fly tying, and their rods and reels.

This is by far the most interesting book I have ever read about fishing in the Catskills. Fly Fishing in America pretty much started there and this book explains in great detail everything there is to know about the History of Fly Fishing. Beautiful pictures on every page only add to the value of this book. Coming from someone who never takes the time to read through a 240 page book, I could not put in down. This happened during fishing season.

As I opened the package that contained my copy of Land of Little Rivers I expected a great book. I had read Mac FrancisÕs earlier book, Catskill Rivers, twice. Within minutes I realized the word "great" was wholly insufficient to describe this exquisite volume. At first I was caught by the, near mystical beauty of Enrico FerorelliÕs photographs--by themselves, more than worth the price of the book! But it is Mac FrancisÕs words that captured my heart and imagination completely. They carried me along, hour after hour, through this absorbing, beautifully told story of the birthplace of American fly fishing.

The author ends his introduction, trying to define the almost supernatural power inherent in the Catskill fly-fishing tradition, with these words: "I believe it is this power -- call it passion, dedication, commitment, vision, love, or what you will -- that has inspired the myriad fly fishers who in small ways and large have created, fought for, and extended a great sporting tradition in a hallowed land, and I respect the honor of presenting them, their feats, and their little rivers in these pages."

With this book, Mac Francis does more than simply honor a great tradition; he and Land of Little Rivers become a part of it.

With the New Territories of Hong Kong fast becoming home to massive housing developments, franchised restaurants, and even a Disneyland, it's great to have this book as a reminder of times past. While the story of British colonialism is not a happy one in many parts of the world, one finds in this book an account of a British reversal of fortune: Coates frequently finds himself lost and confused, and he freely admits that he was probably a failure as a magistrate.

What the post-1997 reader can glean from this book, apart from a description of rural Cantonese life, is a telling account of relations between the British Civil Service and those they ruled and administered. But beyond this, careful insights are made into the nature of the Cantonese/Chinese mind that cannot help but be beneficial, even today. Coates was a man that asked questions of everybody all the time, and he was very observant of his surroundings. More than simply one of the numerous (bad) attempts gwailous make to "explain" the Chinese to the uninitiated, he rather sets an example for other Westerners to follow: not to assume others think the same way, and to ask plenty of questions when one doesn't understand certain cultural points.

Most importantly, it's a very easy read. Pick it up before you fly to HK...you'll finish it before you land.

I agree with the other reviewers. This is an excellent book that will help gweilos understand the Cantonese (and, to a lesser extent, Chinese and Asians in general) a bit better. If you're a Westerner planning to move to Asia, this may help to prepare you for the experience of never quite knowing what the real problem is and never getting a straight answer (at least not the first 20 times you ask the question). I lived in Hong Kong for 6 years and can't say that I totally understand the mindset of the "locals", but this book helped. And it was fun to read! I had bought at least 5 copies by the time I left Hong Kong (most of which went to friends and family), and I wish that I had purchased more. It's a classic.

One reason this book is now unobtainable in Hong Kong is the number of copies I have bought and given (or had 'borrowed' by) friends over the years. Dated but entertaining, excellent account of living in HK, away from Mid-Levels and the expatriate lifestyle. Bob Howlett

I got this one for my husband. I practice yoga and he is way more flexibly impaired then I. Nice book. I recommend it to beginners.

The book is wonderful, if only the publisher made it a book which could be laid flat, different binding

I have been unable to touch my toes all of my life, "Yoga For Wimps." was recommended by a publication that I subscribe to. I have since been rewarded with a few aches,that have since led to my gaining flexibility where I thought there was not ever going to be any. This book has empowered me to work a lot harder at gaining something I never possessed to begin with, that being flexibility. As a 63 year old with Arthritis in my neck and spine Ms. Austin has given me insight into just how a few simple yet taxing exercises can be a very uplifting and invigorating. experience. If you possess the desire to feel better and are not afraid of a little challenge then this book will definitely give you the wherewithall to persevere your own personal goals,and I have just been getting started. IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!

This book was such a joy to read. It is now one of my favorite books. The characters were very well-developed and loveable. I loved Aunt Batty and Gabe. The plot line was interesting and kept my attention continually until the end. I hope all people who love a good book will read this.

I recently read this book and it is my favorite book that I have ever read! Lynn Austin is an AWESOME writer!

This book won the North American Historical Fiction prize recently, and it deals with a Depression-era romance which finds its heroine, widow Eliza Wyatt, afraid to trust.

Eliza never loved her husband, it seemed, but he seemed to offer her security and she was faithful in return for this. Her father-in-law never liked her and terrorized the family to no end. Now that he's dead, she is in danger of losing the farm that symbolizes the security she always craved. The story goes on and we discover that through the help of a hobo and her husband's aunt, Eliza learns to trust God and others.

A Truly charming and wonderful book. Highly recommended!!

Billie Ames has never particularly thought about being rich. Her ambitious mother Agnes has, however, thought a lot about it. She has a banker's son lined up to marry Billie. As daughters will, though, Billie has other ideas. She falls in love with a handsome Navy pilot, Moss Coleman, and marries him instead. Shortly after the wedding, Moss is shipped off to war. He sends Billie and her mother to his home in Texas.

If you're a fan of Danielle Steele, you'll love this book. It's a rollicking good tale, full of romance and adventure -- Texas style. The story spans the eras between WWII and Vietnam and covers 4 generations of the Coleman family.

Moss's father is obsessed with building a dynasty. Billie's mother will sacrifice anything, including her daughter, to secure her position in the Coleman family. Billie loves Moss with all her heart.

Sexual passages were too explicit for my taste but the narrative moves at a good clip and there's a variety of interesting characters who are well developed.

TEXAS RICH is pure entertainment and fine escapist fare.

the texas series by Fern Michaels absolutely takes you out of your world, and enter the family of the Texas Colemans.
this series is the best I have ever read.
I imagined every character, had them all pictured in my head.
I became so engrossed in the colemans and their trial and tribulations. I savored every word. couldn't put them down because they were so wonderful, but hated to end the series.
I recommend this series for someone who wants to escape your world and enter another.
be warned, you'll want more!!!!
absolutely the best!!!

Fern Michaels is the type of author whose vivid imagination and ability to create real and compelling characters translates to publishing gold. In TEXAS RICH, Michaels starts the reader on a journey with the young and naive Billie Ames Coleman to a place where her heart, her courage and her beliefs will be tested -- Texas. The new bride of Coleman heir apparent Moss Coleman, we follow Billie through her acclimation to Texas and her new home at Sunbridge (the Coleman family home), her role as Moss' wife and the challenges she faces from her social-climbing mother, her gruff and demanding father-in-law and the events of the world around her. We see Billie grow stronger in heart, mind and belief as her children are born, her marriage to Moss changes and she comes into her own as a Coleman. This is an unforgettable novel that continues on in TEXAS HEAT, TEXAS FURY and TEXAS SUNRISE. A brilliant family saga from an incredible author. I highly recommend this book!

I found this book to be a great read. It's got lots of wild stories about some of my favorite rock stars, and a ton of interesting historical facts. I went to the Whisky one time and always wanted to know what kind of crazy things happened there over the years. This book answered all my questions in a very readable, entertaining style. If you enjoy reading about sex, drugs and rock and roll, this book is absolutely for you.

I think anyone interested in this portion of American culture will enjoy this book. A great gift for any rock n roll fan.

I read this book cover-to-cover in just a few days, and there isn't a dull page in it. Whether you're a serious rock and roll historian or just love hearing the kind of insane tales they tell on VH-1's "Behind the Music,"(except totally uncensored here) then this book is for you.

"Straight Whisky" goes inside the most legendary rock clubs on L.A.'s Sunset Strip: the Whisky, the Roxy and the Rainbow. It's packed with juicy stories, and the authors aren't afraid to treat the subject matter with as much creative energy as the musicians they are writing about. I guess some critics have had a problem with this inventive approach, but I thought it made the book that much cooler. I mean, this isn't a doctoral dissertation on world hunger--it's a book about rock stars getting loaded, getting laid, and making history.

The stories are just amazing: Jim Morrison pulling a date-rape move on Janis Joplin and getting a bottle broken over his head in return. . . Roger Daltrey enjoying a backstage mini-orgy with the Plastercasters. . . Led Zeppelin absolutely ripping it up in Rainbow Bar and Grill. . . David Bowie getting brutally assaulted by an obsessed fan who happened to be a black belt. . . the Germs causing a riot at the Whisky and setting the stage on fire. . . One wild story after another, told in an intense narrative style. Plus there's a great amount of interesting information about the clubs and how they affected the history of rock and roll in America.

Overall, a great read, highly entertaining and informative. With 32 pages of killer photos, almost none of which I've seen before, "Straight Whisky" totally delivers the goods. Read it.

The visual imagery in this collection is terrific, enabling readers' memory, longing, wisdom, regret, sorrow, enormous admiration (of the subjects and all that they represent)- and wonderment. The people and the settings resonate. These are important images. You might well be moved to tears. There is no shortage of emotional appeal to the viewer. One cannot be unaffected by this collection, and all that it represents.

In addition, historically important works of art (engravings and paintings) are reproduced - although unfortunately none in color. The captioning is - for a work of this scope and size, and for illustrations of such power - inconsistent and therefore disappointing, though.

Because it's published by an academic press, I expected a more careful and rigorous treatment. Books of this scope and ambition are few and far between, and one treasures the illustrations - the historic visual record - in and of itself. It's dicey to criticize a collection that has as its focus such a compelling (and neglected) subject: the history of African American women.

The subject matter is terrific - but the book is less so. One wishes that the editors had had an editor. (Why, for example, is the "b" of "black" capitalized? To my knowledge this is not conventional usage, and it detracts.)

So what happened? At times the work seems rushed. For example, three people are photographed, two are identified by name, the third called "unknown." In fact, the writer means "unidentified." Accompanying a photo of a shoeless farm worker is the caption telling one, redundantly, that she is barefoot. A number of captions identify the subject as "Unidentified woman, [location, date.]" That seems lifted directly from states' historical societies' archives. One expects more - or less - but not words that merely interfere with one's experience. One does not need to be told that a photograph is a "photograph."

Occasionally, the editors engage in assumptions regarding the illustrations that, in my view, interfere with the power of the imagery, and reduce the value of this compilation. Guessing as to the subjects' activities in a photograph by Jack Delano, they write that a woman and several children are "possibly waiting for the husband and father to get his hair cut." In fact, one cannot know, and do not need to know, what the people were doing that day. The photo is about much more than that. Another incredible photo of a woman and a girl is accompanied by more guesswork as to the relationship of the subjects (mother and daughter?). There is wordiness to many of the captions. Worst case, there is sometimes unintentional patronization: subjects are identified as "lovely young women," (p. 81) or "fashionable," "attractive" (p.4). The end result is a sense that this book was rushed, and that - despite the impressive pool of archival material from which it was assembled - some corners were cut. The editors use interesting and illuminating quotations in places - but meagerly. There is brief index of names of subjects, and names of quoted women, omitting place names and more.

I wish that the authors of this work either done more, or less. Mostly, I wish that they had more convincingly respected the ability of these powerful and important illustrations to speak clearly to the reader, and had also trusted readers to make the connections between text and visual imagery that is so satisfying and essential to the meaningful experience of organized archival material.

These pictures of black women in America will touch you in many ways, and in some cases will rip your heart out. Each photograph has a story on the surface and another deep inside it, and some force you to think about them for a long time. Every person who's opened my copy of the book has looked at a few pictures and then gone "Omigod" when the right one hits home -- and it's always a different picture. The accompanying text is also thought-provoking -- quotes from women in historic and ground-breaking situations, women who have earned positions of authority, authors, and poets. Open any page and you're right back there -- with photographs of women living in slavery, with women fighting during the struggle for civil rights, with women trying to make the best of life, with women just trying to survive, with women finding joy in the midst of everything. It amazes and delights me that these two white women decided to put together such a remarkable chronicle about black women, recognizing that the history of the black woman in America is every American's history.

This book covers generations of history. The pictures are
breath-taking....it gives you a sincere sense of purpose.

Just when you think "Twilight Manor" will be a light, breezy read, it morphs into something altogether different, weaving the unusual tale of Andi Lane, Director of Activities at a southern nursing facility. Lane has a neglectful husband stationed in the military, two much-loved dogs, and caring, watchful neighbors. As she breaks into her job routine, however, someone harrasses her with broken windows, prank phone calls, and nasty notes. Meanwhile, the residents at Twilight Manor are dropping off at an alarmingly fast rate. We meet a number of colorful, dynamic characters as the twisted mystery behind Twilight Manor's doors is ultimately resolved. Throw in a feline named Kitty-Kat and a couple of wind-whipped kayaking expeditions, and "Twilight Manor" provides an original, entertaining read.

A real page turner. Throughout the book the readers are kept wondering, who dunnit. I hope Gwen follows up with a sequel.

I found this novel to be filled with the unexpected. The characters are very believable. The situation which occurs is very realistic. However, Gwen is able to add an unexpected twist which leaves the reader saying "ah, I didn't see that coming!" Just when you thought you solved it, guess again. Her main character Andi deals with her own real life drama, and her desire to help those who need her most. This is a great book. I look forward to Gwen's next novel.