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The Devil Wears Prada: A Novel The Devil Wears Prada: A Novel
by Lauren Weisberger
List Price: $13.95
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$8.37 On 7-22-2006 3.0 out of 5 stars
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Product Review
It's a killer title: The Devil Wears Prada. And it's killer material: author Lauren Weisberger did a stint as assistant to Anna Wintour, the all-powerful editor of Vogue magazine. Now she's written a book, and this is its theme: narrator Andrea Sachs goes to work for Miranda Priestly, the all-powerful editor of Runway magazine. Turns out Miranda is quite the bossyboots. That's pretty much the extent of the novel, but it's plenty. Miranda's behavior is so insanely over-the-top that it's a gas to see what she'll do next, and to try to guess which incidents were culled from the real-life antics of the woman who's been called Anna "Nuclear" Wintour. For instance, when Miranda goes to Paris for the collections, Andrea receives a call back at the New York office (where, incidentally, she's not allowed to leave her desk to eat or go to the bathroom, lest her boss should call). Miranda bellows over the line: "I am standing in the pouring rain on the rue de Rivoli and my driver has vanished. Vanished! Find him immediately!"

This kind of thing is delicious fun to read about, though not as well written as its obvious antecedent, The Nanny Diaries. And therein lies the essential problem of the book. Andrea's goal in life is to work for The New Yorker--she's only sticking it out with Miranda for a job recommendation. But author Weisberger is such an inept, ungrammatical writer, you're positively rooting for her fictional alter ego not to get anywhere near The New Yorker. Still, Weisberger has certainly one-upped Me Times Three author Alex Witchel, whose magazine-world novel never gave us the inside dope that was the book's whole raison d' etre. For the most part, The Devil Wears Prada focuses on the outrageous Miranda Priestly, and she's an irresistible spectacle. --Claire Dederer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Most recent college grads know they have to start at the bottom and work their way up. But not many picture themselves having to pick up their boss's dry cleaning, deliver them hot lattes, land them copies of the newest Harry Potter book before it hits stores and screen potential nannies for their children. Charmingly unfashionable Andrea Sachs, upon graduating from Brown, finds herself in this precarious position: she's an assistant to the most revered-and hated-woman in fashion, Runway editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. The self-described "biggest fashion loser to ever hit the scene," Andy takes the job hoping to land at the New Yorker after a year. As the "lowest-paid-but-most-highly-perked assistant in the free world," she soon learns her Nine West loafers won't cut it-everyone wears Jimmy Choos or Manolos-and that the four years she spent memorizing poems and examining prose will not help her in her new role of "finding, fetching, or faxing" whatever the diabolical Miranda wants, immediately. Life is pretty grim for Andy, but Weisberger, whose stint as Anna Wintour's assistant at Vogue couldn't possibly have anything to do with the novel's inspiration, infuses the narrative with plenty of dead-on assessments of fashion's frivolity and realistic, funny portrayals of life as a peon. Andy's mishaps will undoubtedly elicit laughter from readers, and the story's even got a virtuous little moral at its heart. Weisberger has penned a comic novel that manages to rise to the upper echelons of the chick-lit genre.
Copyright 2003 Reed business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



The Calorie King's 2006 Calorie, Fat and Carbohydrate Counter The Calorie King's 2006 Calorie, Fat and Carbohydrate Counter
by Allan Borushek
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$7.99 On 7-22-2006 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Book Description
The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter is a National Top 100 Best Seller and the most recommended book of its type by health professionals.

Whether you are dieting or just want to eat healthier, this useful book is a must have! All of your eating choices count. Learn how to make better ones with this invaluable resource.

It’s a fact: most of us drastically underestimate how much food we eat. One of the main reasons is that we really don’t know what’s in the food we eat day-in and day-out. Now you can end the guesswork. You will find the calorie, fat and carbohydrate counts for your favorite foods in this convenient, pocket-sized, and colorful book.

· Meticulously researched and most up-to-date book of food counts · Unique food data available nowhere else. · 11,000 food listings · Calories, fat and carbohydrates are color coded for quick and easy reference · 200 fast food chains and restaurants · International foods · Carnival foods and Fair Foods · Recommended by health professionals · Resource for numerous government studies on obesity · Resource for diabetes and other health educators · Consumers and health professionals rate it #1.

Publisher Description
This book has stood the test of time. For the past 15 years, consumers, health and fitness professionals, universities, government agencies have found this book to be the definitive resource of food counts. Each year a new edition is published to reflect food trends.



The Five People You Meet in Heaven The Five People You Meet in Heaven
by Mitch Albom
List Price: $19.95
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$12.97 On 7-22-2006 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.

Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley

From Publishers Weekly
"At the time of his death, Eddie was an old man with a barrel chest and a torso as squat as a soup can," writes Albom, author of the bestselling phenomenon Tuesdays with Morrie, in a brief first novel that is going to make a huge impact on many hearts and minds. Wearing a work shirt with a patch on the chest that reads "Eddie" over "Maintenance," limping around with a cane thanks to an old war injury, Eddie was the kind of guy everybody, including Eddie himself, tended to write off as one of life's minor characters, a gruff bit of background color. He spent most of his life maintaining the rides at Ruby Pier, a seaside amusement park, greasing tracks and tightening bolts and listening for strange sounds, "keeping them safe." The children who visited the pier were drawn to Eddie "like cold hands to a fire." Yet Eddie believed that he lived a "nothing" life-gone nowhere he "wasn't shipped to with a rifle," doing work that "required no more brains than washing a dish." On his 83rd birthday, however, Eddie dies trying to save a little girl. He wakes up in heaven, where a succession of five people are waiting to show him the true meaning and value of his life. One by one, these mostly unexpected characters remind him that we all live in a vast web of interconnection with other lives; that all our stories overlap; that acts of sacrifice seemingly small or fruitless do affect others; and that loyalty and love matter to a degree we can never fathom. Simply told, sentimental and profoundly true, this is a contemporary American fable that will be cherished by a vast readership. Bringing into the spotlight the anonymous Eddies of the world, the men and women who get lost in our cultural obsession with fame and fortune, this slim tale, like Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, reminds us of what really matters here on earth, of what our lives are given to us for.
Copyright 2003 Reed business Information, Inc.



The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition
by Edmund J. Bourne
List Price: $19.95
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$12.97 On 7-22-2006 5.0 out of 5 stars
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From Library Journal
This book excels not only in explaining the cause and nature of anxiety disorders and phobias but also in describing treatments. Director of the Anxiety Treatment Center in Santa Rosa (California), Bourne emphasizes the cognitive-behavioral model of treatment but includes information on biopsychiatry, intense psychotherapy, and spirituality as additional treatment modalities. This is truly a "workbook," with exercises designed to facilitate recovery, either through private use or in conjunction with professional therapy. If your library already owns the 1990 edition and money is an object, you can probably pass on this revision, which updates the definitions of anxiety and phobia so that they conform with the new DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and includes new information on the biological causes of anxiety and related treatment developments. However, if your collection lacks a good lay reader's book on anxiety and phobia, this is an excellent choice.?Jennifer Amador, Central State Hosp. medical Lib., Petersburg, Va.
Copyright 1995 Reed business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Midwest Book Review
Any who've struggled with panic attacks and fears will find this packed with self-help exercises and guidelines to overcoming anxiety and stress, from understanding how to assert oneself to creating a positive recovery strategy. This focuses on handling feelings, including plenty of tips on handling life problems. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Possible Side Effects Possible Side Effects
by Augusten Burroughs
List Price: $23.95
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$15.57 On 7-22-2006 3.5 out of 5 stars
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From Publishers Weekly
These often hilarious, sometimes contrived essays put the "me" in "confessional memoir" front and center. Burroughs recounts scenes from the floridly dysfunctional childhood chronicled in his bestselling Running with Scissors, along with vignettes from various bad jobs, including his travails at an ad agency, and his life as a famous writer. His theme is himself: his struggles with alcoholism, a voracious Nicorette habit, compulsive Web surfing, slovenliness, social isolation, unfitness for employment, gross bodily emissions and general embarrassment at being alive. The thin story lines—a visit from the tooth fairy, a trip to the doctor, house-training a puppy—suggest that Burroughs's well-mined vein of life experience may be played out. He fattens up the material—a (Frey-inspired?) disclaimer warns some events have been "expanded and changed"—in ways that sometimes ring false, especially in his childhood reminiscences, which are improbably detailed and infused with an adult sense of camp. Often, though, the only thing animating the writing is the author's perverse imagination. Fortunately, Burroughs has superb comic sensibility, throwing off sparkling riffs on everyday humiliations in a voice that's alternately caustic and warm, bitchy and self-deprecating. His self-involvement can get claustrophobic, but when he steps outside his head no one is funnier or more perceptive. (On sale May 2)
Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Burroughs is the author of the memoir Running with Scissors (2002), a "runaway" best-seller, and an equally popular collection of essays, Magical Thinking (2004). In light of recent publishing events vis-a-vis truth versus truth-stretching in memoir writing, it is interesting to note the author's prefatory comments in this, his latest collection of memoir-essays. He indicates that some events recounted in the pieces have been "expanded and changed" and that some of the "individuals portrayed are composites of more than one person." What follows is a series of funny, extremely eloquent takes on modern life and Burroughs' own particular responses to life's various stimuli. "Bloody Sunday" begins with a nosebleed on an airplane flight from New York to London and then describes his reluctance to get out and enjoy the sights once there. "The Sacred Cow" is a very sweet story about getting a second bulldog, and now both his dogs, the new one and the older one, are "more precious to me than anything." And "Killing John Updike" finds Burroughs collecting Updike first editions before he dies ("If I was going to spend two thousand dollars on a book about a rabbit, that old man better be dead by morning, or I was going to be furious"). Irreverence done to an amusing turn. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


50 Chowders: One Pot Meals - Clam, Corn, and Beyond 50 Chowders: One Pot Meals - Clam, Corn, and Beyond
by Jasper White
List Price: $30.00
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$20.40 On 7-22-2006 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Product Review
New England clam, Manhattan red, and corn--that's the chowder story, right? Wrong. In 50 Chowders, award-winning chef Jasper White explores a surprisingly wide range of these savory one-pot meals while also offering chowder history and folklore, in-depth ingredient profiles, cooking tips, and technique instruction. (Did you know that chowder is best "cured" for one hour to three days after it's made to allow flavors to meld?) Probably the last word on the subject, the book delivers the kind of comprehensive culinary profile that enlightens even seasoned cooks. Everyone will find its recipes tempting and approachable. Beginning with a history of chowder--White sets its birth in the 18th century, citing among its possible "inventors" Native Americans, French or English fishermen, or settlers in Canada and Massachusetts--the book then explores typical chowder ingredients such as the all-important salt pork. Recipes follow for classic seafood chowders and for "farmhouse" brews such as Spring-Dug Parsnip, Shaker Fresh Cranberry Bean, and Nantucket Veal. Other chowder newcomers include Digby Bay Scallop Chowder with Cabbage and Bacon, Lightly Curried Mussel Chowder, and Bermuda Fish Chowder, which is served, deliciously, with a pitcher of rum. White also provides a chapter on chowder companions such as common crackers and includes recipes for Cheddar Cheese Biscuits and Skillet Corn Bread, among other go-withs. With eight pages of color photos and numerous technique illustrations, the book gives a humble but essential American dish its full due at last. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
"In order to understand chowder, you must move away from the image of the pasty-white clam chowder restaurants serve in a small cup with a bag of crackers." For White, the popular chef of New England cuisine (Lobster at Home, etc.), chowder is not a soup; it's a hearty dish containing big chunks of fish, potatoes and vegetables in a lake of steaming broth. After perusing this competent and attractive book, many readers will be converted to his view. White begins with a complete history of chowder and a host of helpful tips on selecting the basic ingredients: fish, shellfish, salt pork and bacon, potatoes, onions, cream, thyme, corn, etc. His instructions for filleting fish are excellent, and the rundown of various types of fish used in chowderAcomplete with illustrationsAbeats out similar sections in many specialized fish cookbooks. (Another chapter contains instructions for digging up your own clams.) Still, the beauty of chowder lies in its humble character and simplicity, and White respects that too much to ruin chowder by making it fussy. He provides excellent version of such classics as Corn Chowder, New England Fish Chowder and Manhattan Red Claw Chowder. The problem is that because the dish's basic ingredients are so common, many of the recipes resemble one another: only a devotee could distinguish the flavors of New England Clam (Quahog) Chowder, Steamer Clam Chowder and Razor Clam Chowder. And the closest thing to quirky is a Bermuda Fish Chowder with Crab, made with cloves and rum. Still, White convincingly showcases the ease with which these tasty, filling meals can be prepared, and his careful explanations go a long way toward resurrecting chowder's place in fine New England cuisine. Eight pages of color photos not seen by PW. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed business Information, Inc.


Clam Chowder: The Server's Field Manual Clam Chowder: The Server's Field Manual
by Matt Lehman
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$12.95 On 7-22-2006 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Book Description
Having read everything I could get my hands on about waiting tables and the like, I found one common thread. Every book seems to be written to give the customer a new perspective. Haven't we given enough to these ungrateful slobs? Isn't it funny that even after the tables are wiped, the ketchups refilled, and the tips collected we are still trying to earn their respect? Screw the customers.

Clam Chowder is for the waiters and waitresses.

Being realistic, I also realized that I don't want servers to think about tables outside of work. Clam Chowder is designed to be read AT WORK! It fits perfectly into an apron or back pocket. Pick it up between tables, read a few pages, laugh, put it back in your apron, and go back to the grind. It also doesn't have to be read in order.

If you want to know where to work, how to get a job, and how to successfully have sex in the walk-in freezer - this book needs to be in your apron. There are practical tips too, like how to wash and press a uniform at work in about 20 minutes, how to clean crusty burnt coffee pots, and how to survive co-worker romances.

Thanks for reading.

About The Author
Matt Lehman has worked in just about every type of restaurant environment from Virginia to California. Clam Chowder is his second book. You'll have to email him for the firstit'll take a while, too, because he binds them himself. (Clam Chowder is professionally bound and edited)

He's published some poetry, had a few scripts optioned, and various other trivial points that would make you say "Wow! I have to own this book."



The Best 50 Chowders (Best 50) The Best 50 Chowders (Best 50)
by Dorothy Murray
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$5.95 On 7-22-2006 0.0 out of 5 stars
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Book Description
Chowders are not a Northeastern specialty, they're an American essential. Thick, chunky and hearty, they're as much stew as soup, and you'll find the best receipes in The Best 50 Chowders. From clam chowders and corn chowders to every variety of modern and classic seafood chowders: you'll find them all in this compact book.

About The Author
Dorothy Murray is the author of a number of cookbooks, including The Best 50 Theas and Chais, also by Bristol Publishing.

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© Adapt, Inc. 1998-2006








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