Cunningham Reviews

On the shelf in my mother's kitchen there is an old, brittle gold-covered book. It's held together with clear tape, and certain pages are well splattered with stains. But I love that book. In that book are some of my favorite and yummiest memories. It's the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

So when I got my own copy for my birthday I was ecstatic. Sure, the cover was different, but inside I'd have my own chewy brownies and buttery sugar cookies. Only...they changed the recipes! The brownies that were universally praised by my class when I took them to school as a kid -- they were all different!

How am I going to make Fannie Farmer classics if they aren't classic? Now I have a useless book, and my mother's copy is falling apart. I beg of the publishers - reissue the original, without any changes, full of all that high cholesterol goodness. Otherwise, I will never be able to move out of my mother's house, and she's starting to get mad at me.

I came to Amazon to buy the 13th edition hardcover , because my 12th edition paperback is completely worn out! The pages are torn, crumpled and stained with drips and spills, the cover is gone, and a few pages are loose from overuse and abuse of this cookbook. It is the most useful cookbook I own. I bought this book from a grocery store 15 years ago, and have bought many books since then, but Fannie is the one I go back to. No matter what you're looking for, no matter what your question is about food, measuring, equipment, temperatures--it's in this book. I did not know much about cooking when I first got married, and now I am proud to say I am considered an excellent cook. I learned so much from Fannie Farmer. There's no other book that gives this much information on cooking. I love to cook from scratch, and the recipes in this cookbook call for just that. It's basic, home-cooked food, but there are also elegant recipes just in case you need them. I've read this book so many times, I've memorized many recipes, because they really are the best around. Get this book. You will not be disappointed!

This book is not going to provide you with fancy, tedious recipes. What this book will provide you with is straightforward, relatively simple and effective approaches to cooking just about anything you could ever imagine. The vegetable section is particularly great, as it's organized by ingredient with several ways of preparing each particular vegetable listed.

Stumbled on some interesting looking vegetable at the farmers' market but don't know how to prepare it? Look it up, and you'll be given several options, from the most very basic to a little more dressed up.

This book impressed me in that it is not just your normal recipe book; it is a cook book in the truest sense of the word. You'll see plenty of recipes, but they often read more like loose guidelines that are to be tinkered with, rather than the intricate and pretentious recipes that plague so many other cook books.

The reader of this book will do far better by going to the website of Warren Buffett's company where all annual reports are and where another person has not chopped the information up. There are no new insights in this book from the collator and although one could argue the book saves time I believe the reader will find the complete annual reports more rewarding.

Warren Buffett gives about 14 Owner-Related Business Principles which center around these keywords: Partnership with stockholders, Owners holding major stock positions themselves, Slightly above average gain per share progress, Ownership of entire companies or parts of companies, Reporting of key business numbers to stockholders, Reporting look-through earnings, Using debt sparingly, Treating shareholders fairly, Using retained earnings wisely, Issuing common stock guidelines, Holding good businesses forever, Candor as a virtue in communication, Being silent about contemplated additional purchases, and Rather seeing Berkshire's stock price at a fair level than at a high level. It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price. When buying companies or common stocks, Buffett looks for first-class businesses accompanied by first-class managements. Since Warren Buffett wrote these essays himself, his philosophy on capital allocation and sound business principles surface. Buffett sees world-class companies like Coca-Cola and Gillette as being good, long-term business models, marketing products which people enjoy or need.

You can learn more from this book about money and business than from pretty much any other source of similar size. The mystery of why Buffett abhors tech stocks seems to be that they don't fit within the pretty tough standards he looks for in investments--products people need that can be sold at prices that generate steady and high profits. I guess from reading this tidy little book of treasures that Buffett is awaiting the inevitable shake out in the internet world before he'll allocate capital to it. It is too soon to tell which are the winning companies and which the losing companies--right now they are all losers. But some will emerge as winners, it's just that right now trying to pick which ones is more like going to Las Vegas than to Wall Street. This book sheds a lot of light not just on the traditional good investments but on these new kinds of investments too. I got the book as a gift and am really grateful to the person who gave it to me--I'm going to get some as gifts for people I like a lot too.

I had been curious about Wicca for a while before I had seen this book. I read a few other books about it before, but I wish I had seen this one first. It was the first book to explain clearly what Witchcraft is and is not. Cunningham's purpose is not to convince you that his faith is the "correct" one, but rather to show that Witchcraft is beautiful religion undeserving of its reputation of demonic associations. It's not what I would call a deep book, but it has many good uses.

First, I would recommend it to anyone who is curious about the religion but knows little about it. Anyone who has an interest in religion, for example.

Second, I would recommend it to give to a friend or family member, if you are Wiccan and they are interested in what you believe. It's short, sweet, and to the point, and they won't have to spend weeks reading it to understand what you believe.

Third, I think it would be a great book as part of the required reading for a college course dealing with Wicca. Most college students have no idea what Wicca is, so this would be a nice intro book.

There is probably no other book in the market that can fully explain the truth about witchcraft as briefly as this book. Scott Cunningham is a wonderful author and Wiccan. In this book he explains why witches aren't 'satanic' and don't gather in covens for ritual 'orgies'. He explains the true nature of folk magic and witchcraft, and is high-detailed when talking about the religion of Wicca. He says that witchcraft is not used for harm, but for the good of one's self and others. I was also impressed how well he explained the Sabbats (the holy days of Wicca). About what happens on these days and why witches celebrate them. You well also find it interesting how he explains the Wiccan holiday Yule, the idea of the rebirth of the God. And how Christians adapted this holiday into their religion to make it Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. See the similiarity of the two holidays? Read this book and find out more, because everyone should have the benefit of knowing the truth about Witchcraft.

If you ever had questions about Wicca, Magick, etc., this book answers just about all your questions.

Scott Cunningham was a wonderful author and he constantly reminds the reader that this practice is not Satanism, dark & negative magic that most of society thinks of first.

It is a book that one who practices this art can re-read and still get more from it.

He explains the pentagram...NOT for satanic use. It represents the four elements (earth, air, fire & water) plus spirit (yours).

For those who don't understand, they will after reading this little book written with so much understanding.

This book took me a while to get into, but once I did, it was worth it. Beautiful Bodies chronicles the events of one night where 6 late-thirties women, friends since their first days in NY, meet up for a baby shower. Cunningham chooses to first introduce us to each of the women by writing about their separate journeys to the baby shower, and then observes what happens when the women meet up, one by one. But the book really doesn't get started until all of them are together.

I've read several books about female friendships, and, honestly, this book is one of the most accurate in describing how the relationships among female friends, particularly when there is more than two, can alternate between gentle, strenuous, compassionate, then explosive (not necessarily in that order) all in one evening. I totally saw myself and my friends in these characters, and loved how Cunningham expertly described the mood shifts as the evening progressed.

I'd recommend this to any woman, as long as they are not expecting a standard plot where everything is tied up in a neat bow at the end. Unlike most of my favorite reads these days, this book isn't perfect as a beach read -- I think it would be best enjoyed on a weekend night by yourself with a great dinner and a glass of wine.

...this could be me, and my five best friends. we are all single, working women in a big city. Finally a book that shows what life can really be like, the actual way it works. More hope than sex, more undercurrents and literary cache. We loved this because it excited and comforted. Laugh out loud but achingly true to accumulated urban truths of our lives. Very sensitive and smart.

A refreshingly honest, literate and lovely six sided portrait of a group of friends who gather one snowy night in New York...to celebrate and examine the secrets and truths that keep them together...An ode to twenty years of female insights and comforting --A great read, and the perfect book to share with your best friend.

Earth Power is a fairly acceptable book that Earth, Air Fire and Water tries to expand upon and fails.
Neither book is REALLY worth purchasing, but this one less so.
His Wicca books are FANTASTIC, and these lesser works skate on the quality of those good ones.

This is a wonderful book on natural magic. I love all of Scott Cunningham's books, but this one is one of my favorites. For those who say that this book offers no introduction on natural magic, that is what his first book, Earth Power, is for!! Please read that before making rash judgments about lack of information. This book is packed with spells that anyone could do. This book is a perfect addition to Earth Power.

With the powers and spirits of the earth all around us Cunningham shows us how to bring this energy into our every day lives. You can use these spells as a base to build other more complex spells. They are also easy to use in circles and out of them as well. A must have to add to the first. With more elements than the first book you dive deeper than before into a magickal life.

Cunningham writes great books about Wicca. His Guide for the solitary and Living Wicca were instant classics. However, this work, like a few others of the "practical" type, is NOT as quality a work as those.
This is a workable field guide to tools and techniques, but not something worth more than a quick perusal.
Go offline, get to your local big bookstore and order a giant hot cocoa and a cookie. Read the book in the cafe, and leave it there.

If you're looking for an in-depth and easy-to-understand guide to folk magick, the magick of the people, with no elaborate rituals or expensive supplies, then this book is for you. Cunningham takes an insiders' view of the craft, coupled with a vast library of knowledge, and leads new magicians and High Priestesses and Priests of the craft alike down a fascinating and informative journey into the world of the most basic magickal practices from all over the world and all throughout history. When you have read this book, you will know more than you did before you started no matter how knowledgeful you are, and you will likely be able to process the information to create spells and rituals of your own inspiration. But I doubt you will stop with reading it once, I haven't, and the more you read it the more you realize, especially as your overall knowledge of the craft grows. Scott Cunningham was much loved by the magickal community and will be deeply missed. But all though he has passed on to whatever rewards I'm sure await such a man as him, you can still share in the experience of enjoying one of his many books, and unarguably one of his best.

This is the book if expensive alter items, and highly elaborate rituals aren't for you. Scott Cunningham, focuses on using what's around us in the everyday world to create for us the results we desire. His straight to the point style, and endearing sense of humor make this a must read for those of us looking for true earth based magick. A wonderful resource, and a truly educational book

Although i'm not a big fan of Elaine Cunningham primarily because of her writing style, I did find this book to be a bit better than some of her other writing. Arilyn Moonblade is an interesting character concept but a bit far fetched and underdeveloped. Danillo Thann seemed a bit silly to me for some reason. Overall, this novel is only moderately appealing for fans of the Forgotten Realms series because even though it was a well thought out concept, it lacked detail and depth. Although, it could be one of the highlights in the Harpers set as a whole...which doesn't say much.

The first book in the much heralded and well deserved Songs & Swords series is simply one of the best novels in the Forgotten Realms line. For those of you who haven't yet read Elaine Cunningham...brace yourselves. Her writing style is just addicting. Throughout this first book she introduces the reader to a pair that you'll surely grow attached to: Arilyn Moonblade and Danilo Thann. Their mission to discover the mystery of the unaccountable deaths of various Harpers is really quite engaging. Then, when you meet such personalities as Kymil Nimesin and Elaith "The Serpent" Craulnober, it gets to the point where you're all of a sudden putting Ms. Cunningham in the same league as R.A. Salvatore and the DL duo Weis & Hickman.

I can't spoil any of the intriguing plot developments but the story in Elfshadow is very complex and refreshing. I highly recommend this title by Elaine Cunningham, and I can guarantee that if you enjoy fantasy done right, you'll finish this book and immediately pick up the next book in the series Elfsong without a second thought.

I loved this book.It was really good.If you like any of the forgotten realms books then you'll love this one.It has everything in it you like about books.I liked that it has some comedic stuff in it.It's about this girl Arilyn Moonblade who inhereits a sword.There's this assassin who follows her.He kills someone and it just so happens that she's always near it.And he leaves the Harper sign somewhere on the victim.She finds a man named Danilo Thann and they try to find the assassin together.I would tell you more but I obviously wouldn't want to spoil anything for you now would I?Anyway go read the book and I'm sure you'll love it too.

I don't know if it was just me but everything I had heard and read about this book lead me to expect a much different story. The book is not about a non-traditional family. Its about very different, somewhat disturbed people dealing with their neurosis and never really winning. I've come to find Cunningham's work pretty stark, brutal, and somewhat dark and this is by far the best example of that. If you liked the darker, macabre aspects of The Hours this is for you.

In a positive note though and the reason this gets 2 stars from me - Michael is a STELLAR writer. I'm sure his shopping list is a touching piece of literature!

There is no doubt that this guy is an incredible writer. Some of his sentences are simply poetry. But, the begining of the book is so much better than the end. It tells the struggle of two adolescent boys coming to terms with their sexuality, death and the supression of life with unhappy parents (why are all this writers housewives so miserable?)
Once the boys grow up, they are self involved New Yorkers with very empty lifestyles and hard to care about. The writing is still profound but when I finished this novel I found myself wishing I had known the characters better. The book is very long and goes into a lot of detail so this is a bad sign. Like spending a week with someone on vacation and returning home not knowing anything about them.
I can't criticise Micheal Cunninghams writing because there are truly stunning moments here but I just wish I had understood more about what motivated the characters. Or maybe they were really as shallow as they appeared.

I first read 'End of the World' in high school and fell in love with it's casual inclusion of sex, drugs and modern characters. When I really began reading/writing and wanted to reread this book, I was on a wild hunt for a few years as it had gone out of print...and this book has been gone back into active publication. I will admit that I am biased towards contemporary fiction; it is my preferred genre. Michael Cunningham is destined to become one of the most recognized writers of our time, "contemporary"or not.

Employing a wonderfully lyrical style, Cunningham waltzes through several decades and lives. You leave his final pages only to turn to the first ones and begin again.

Good GOD buy this book.

:) happy reading

this is my first Ann Rule book that i just got done reading..I dont know if it is just me but i had a hard time keeping up with the different wives and children..trying to remember all those names really made me nuts..i got into the first 50 pages but after that it got a little boring....i think she try to put tooo much info into this book...oh well....i will try to read another book of hers and see what happens

This was the first book I read by Ann Rule, but as soon as I was done I went to the Library and took out two more. Alot of True crime stories go too much in to detail and the reader starts skipping though it or they lose the reader completly, But not Ann Rule. She makes you feel as though you know everyone in the book. It blows my mind that people are capable of such cruelty. This was such a sensless crime. She was telling everyone for so long that he was going to kill her. She even went as far as to tell people that he would use the children to lure her away to kill her. Although I felt terrible for Cheryl, I was a little angry with her for meeting him at the gas station by herself after she herself told everyone that she knew he was going to use the children to lure her away. I really feel bad for the children and I hope that they realize what a monster their dad is and how much their mother really loved them. I would love an update on what everyone is doing now. There was a TV move on this book, it was alright but the book (as usual) was much better

Ann Rule's coverage of this story is out-standing!! My best friend is Cheryl's step sister and she suggested that I read this book. I couldn't believe that this monster grew up and went to school across the street from my grandmothers house. My own father remembers knowing this guy and it's truely shocking when you realize that this is someone who is somehow connected to you in a round about way. The book is so enticing! It makes you sad,angry,curious,terrified and so much more. I appreciate the people who would not let this man get away with what he did. Kudo's to our legal system and the men and women who fought for justice. Ann Rule is a wonderful Author who's books capture the truth and feeling in the stories that she writes about. Any book by her is worth reading over and over and over again.

This book,"Evermeet:Island of Elves" was quite good in the beginning but got thinner and thinner as I progressed. It could've been grand, but unfortunately it turned out to be just another average book. There are several reasons why I'm not totally satisfied.

The author jumps in time way too much for my liking. In one chapter you could be introduced to a certain character for instance and in the next you could read about something that occured 9000 years back in time, while in a third chapter you could read about the distant future instead. This makes the story a bit hard to follow at times, and sadly, the lack of memorable characters only makes it worse. While there are quite many of them, all lack something besides more detail- fitting names for instance. I'm not kidding at all when I say that many of them sound more russian than elvish(no offence). Mrs Cunningham also describes far to many of them as being way too racist,selfcentered, ambitious and plain stupid. They scheme and murder so much that I hardly can separate the author's view of drow elves and regular elves (no I didn't like the way she describes drow in her other books).

I was also quite disappointed that the wars between elves/orcs or elves/drow isn't in focus; instead you read about the petty deaths of failured and unconvincing elf-characters.

Don't take me wrong, the book deserves reading but if you want a similar "elf-history book" that is much better then I recommend Silmarillion, written by Tolkien. It has a thousand times more "deeper" feel.

"Evermeet: Island of Elves" was an excellent read and hard to put down, but I am biased because I am a big fan of elven lore in the Forgotten Relams. The book filled many holes in elven history that I could not find elsewhere or where my own creativity fell short while role-playing.

The ending of the book was a bit abrupt and the way the story jumps around in time took some effort to follow. Many people will be turned off by this. On the other hand, jumping around kept the overall suspense going and is a key reason I couldn't put the book down.

Most of the book is like a series of great short stories interconnected by family lines throughout elven history, culminating in a characterization of the entire elven race. Don't expect a lot of individual character development in this book. There just isn't enough time in a short story to really develop a character. Instead, look forward to the portrayal and evolution of elven character as a whole. Also, some of the jumping around may be confusing if you have not at least touched on some of the elven history of the Forgotten Realms in other books and AD&D modules. Cunningham dives deep into some concepts such as the elven moonblades (a very compelling aspect of this book) while leaving some other well known events (the fall of Myth Drannor) to be explained in other Forgotten Realms books. This may be frustrating to someone that knows nothing about these events, but very appropriate as I'm sure Cunningham was trying to avoid re-writing stories from other books.

"Evermeet..." is a love story, a story about finding a homeland and keeping it, a story about petty politics of both the gods and the elves and a story of honor, bravery and sacrifice. Cunningham seems to have an amazing grasp of events in the Forgotten Realms, understanding the "big picture" of this world of imagination. I enjoyed the book simply because it covered so much time (tens of thousands of years) while keeping it all connected throughout.

Greetings and congratulations Elaine Cunningham. Finally, someone has written the High History of the Elves of Faerun (and that is a big part of the whole Faerunian history). I enjoyed this book very much and I read it in two days. The only thing I didn't like that much was the "Spelljamming Incident", I think it was a bit "long-winded". But other than this, this book is an excellent piece of work, with many interesting characters and heroes so far unheard by everybody (Vhoori Durothil, Sharlario Moonflower). I hope someday we will see a sequel what happens next to the fascinating isle of Evermeet and to Prince Lamruil (An advice to prince Lamruil: Don't have children with Maura, because Half-Elves don't make good leaders for the elven People).