5 comments about Final Fantasy X Official Strategy Guide.

1. It would be impossible to accomplish all of things you can accomplish in this game without some help. There are simply too many secret places, special weapons, hidden aeons, etc. than one person could unlock on their own. The book is easy to use, easy to understand, and put together in a helpful, comprehensive manner. You will enjoy this game even more with this valuable resource.



2. There is no getting lost in the game with this by your side. You'll always know what you need to do next.



3. Helped in some complicated situation, very good quality for a book, in color,i received it very quickly with the other final fantasy book that i had ordered. very good product



4. This guide works great for me. Easy to find the more obscure quests and items.



5. The item is exactly as described. It shows everthing needed to beat the game easily. Great on showing all bonus features too.

5 comments about Team-Building Activities for Every Group.

1. This book has a lot of ideas, however, few of them I would say are really good. If you need some ideas for a last minute activity, you can probably find them here. I modified most of the activities in the book to make them a little less lame.



2. Get Theater Games for the Classroom. It is a great community building system. It is not just about theater, read my review for that book, but again, DO NOT GET THIS BOOK!



3. I use this book all the time at church with my youth group and with the adult leaders. I have found great mixers in the front of the book to help people get to know one another and in the back of the book the chapter called Open Up has good activities to get people to share about themselves more easily. The middle is filled with tons of team-building activities and it is easy to find something that fits my needs, from a short table game challenge for our weekly dinner to more involved teamwork tasks for our weekend retreats. I also find useful activities for leadership meetings to build community among the adult leaders of the youth group as well. This is the most user friendly and comprehensive team-building book I have found!



4. I'm a peer facilitator, and this is definitely the best group activity book that I've used. I've always gotten the best response from the activities in this book...they seem to be the most fun for the kids to do, while still teaching important lessons. The book is also very easy to read and understand.
   
   My fellow Peer facilitators and I have about 25 different activity books to choose from, and this is always the one that we each try to grab every week before anyone else gets to it!



5. I've bought this book SEVERAL times and it keeps disappearing!...so be sure you HOLD onto your copy! I've used these activities for workshops, trainings, conferences, meetings...with all sorts of groups....adults and teens, leadership and prevention and alumni....etc. Great resource!

5 comments about The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance.

1. "Invest in Loss" is probably the best line and best principle to take away from this book. Although it is a universal philosophical principle the author highlights it well and gives good examples of how it helped him in his training through Chess and Push Hands.
   
   I'd also add that this is probably one of the few if only principles that support the title of the book. The invest in loss ideal is something I have incorporated into my own teaching and learning and recommend others interested in moving forward adopt this same principle, but you do not need this book to tell you how to do it.
   
   I would have enjoyed more about Push Hands when the author made the leap to that section of the book. Even though there are 3 main parts, the book is essentially divided into two - chess, and push hands. Unfortunately the author missed the mark here as the push hands section spends a majority of the pages bringing up the authors chess experience and regurgitating the first half of the book rather than spending more time discussing his push hands training and experiences.
   
   This book, simply put, is nothing but the author pandering to his own ego and not at all a book about learning or how to improve your learning. I made it to page 209 out of 262 and couldn't bring myself to finish another 50 pages of the same text reborn time and time again.
   
   I recommend you pass this one up or you'll be investing in loss through your wallet!



2. Josh Waitzkin is absolutely incredible. He has done so much at such a young age. My wife (Jane) and my two children (Cranny and Keet) went to the 25th anniversary conference of SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted)([...]) . Josh spoke at this conference about how he has achieved the success he has achieved in both chess and martial arts. It was clear that his intellectual abilities are exceptional and he is capable of learning to skills quite quickly. The one thing I learned more than anything is that when one learns a new skill, it is important to take a part of that skill and master it. Once the part of the skill is mastered, the rest of the skill becomes that much easier to master. Many of us when we are learning new skills try to do too much at one time. This one piece of advice has helped me immensely. It has also helped me give advice to others including my children and clients. Josh's book outlines his journey towards the mastery of his passions. It is quite an amazing read and will be an inspiration to us all. I highly recommend telling Josh's story to your children or to the children you work with.
   
   Steven E. Curtis, Ph.D.
   Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges



3. In the subtitle of "The Art of Learning," Josh Waitzkin aptly describes his book as "An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance." It is about his own life's learning processes developed during the mastery of two disciplines. One is intellectual: chess. The other is physical: the martial arts form of Tai Chi Chuan. In the writing of the book, he demonstrates that he is an expert in the process known as "mastery learning" as well as a highly accomplished storyteller and teacher. You'll notice I've emphasized the word "mastery." That is because I want to be very clear. The book is not about accelerated learning or quick tricks for memorization. It won't help you cram for an exam and get an easy "A." It is about learning how to learn. About learning at a depth that the learning becomes a part of you. About developing enduring knowledge, skills or expertise. And about using that learning to perform at high levels.
   
   If you want to know how to learn simply anything -- any subject, any skill, this is the book. It reads like a novel and teaches as if it were wired into your brain. It contains the most accessible description of the process of learning from experience I've ever seen, including the need for awareness, intention, attention, noticing details, analyzing, testing assumptions, planning new responses, testing behavior, honing, refining and practice, practice, practice. (Considering that I used to teach Psychology of Learning at the graduate level, I've seen quite a few descriptions of the learning process.)
   
   And like a good novelist would, Waitzkin doesn't just tell -- he shows. You can bet someone has the "know-how" if he also has the "show-how." Moreover, he adds something you would rarely see in a textbook on learning processes: he uses the context of real life and actual experience to show the connection between learning and emotion, how to avoid its pitfalls and how to use it to your advantage. It is a very practical and usable book.
   
   Please note, however, that although I stress how well he weaves his teachings into a story so that you learn them implicitly, he also has a great deal of quite explicit explanation. You don't have to guess what he means. The book could be used as a textbook. It is just more entertaining than a usual textbook.
   
   "The Art of Learning" belongs on the bookshelves of anyone who wants to learn well and deeply, but most certainly it belongs on the bookshelves of psychologists, educators, trainers, coaches, students and all others who study "learning how to learn," right alongside of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's various books on "flow" and George Leonard's "Mastery."



4. The author was the subject of the book/movie Searching for Booby Fisher. Not only is he a National Chess champion, he is also a martial arts champion. He has a very good read on what it takes to get to the ultimate levels of achievement in pretty well everything. I found tremendous insight in this book, and a heightened appreciation for the dedication to detail and performance needed at these levels. I really enjoyed his discussion on "chunking' information and "carved neural pathways" as tools that we all use to become better and better at everything we do. He also gives a very clear description on the stress and recovery model used in high performance training. As ever, I appreciate an easy to read book that lays it out so clearly that even a thick headed Swede like my self can make sense of it all. I appreciate the line, " You need to know what good feels like in order to achieve it again and again." We call that Knowing what the grass looks like when it is cut."



5. The Art of Learning. The title is presumptuous and not a good fit for the content of the book.
   Whatever your endeavor, if you are of a like mind, you will benefit from reading this book. Truth is, even if you don't benefit, it's a very engaging and interesting read. To the right people I always say: "You'll love it!!" I don't recommend it at all to the others. I've given away several copies, including my own and I expect to give away many more.

5 comments about No Limit Hold 'em: Theory and Practice.

1. Excellent book for the beginner to intermediate player to learn more about poker concepts. Well written and will definitely help your game.



2. I think this book gives a solid primer on no limit holdem, especially to the neophyte (like myself). I feel like there is some very useful information, such as when to call an all in from a short stack based on how you would profile the opponent (loose, tight, very tight, etc).
   
   The Sklansky Chubukov ratings are nice to know (even though the numbers can only be used for one small situation in the small blind)
   
   When I buy a poker book I am primarily looking to glean one or two important concepts and I think this book has done that.



3. This book is the book your looking for on no limit strategy. It explains many concepts that may not be clear to the starter player who wants to get deeper in knowledge. Many holdem books apply to limit poker but this book goes further into concepts that are started in supersystem and why doyle can makes certain plays.



4. One of 3 books on poker I bought. It is an all-time classic from what I've read and it certainly seems to live up to that billing. Its comprehensive, well laid out and easy to follow. If you're serious about winning at poker you need this book! Lots of helpful tips and advice. Great book



5. There are only 52 cards in a deck of cards and the rules to this game are VERY SIMPLE. This book is 300 pages of worthless drivel. Youll read this book, and play exactly like you always play. This book is garbage.

5 comments about Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. This book contains the location of all the items in the game and is overall very straight foward.



2. Has a lot of good info as far as it goes. Leaves a lot to be desired but like I said, it's a lot of bang 4 your buck.



3. This is a great game my son has enjoyed it alot. Highly recommend for children who like video games and legos.



4. I found the guide very helpful. It was well written and not at all confusing as many are. My grandchildren like to play the games and try to figure out where all of the items are but when they get stuck we need the book. This is a well put together aid.



5. It drives me crazy when I can't find all the secrets in a game! It also makes me feel extremely thick when I can't figure out a puzzle. This books sorts out both problems, in addition to making this mom look "cool" when she plays with her kids. I like the addition of the checklists- that was one of the biggest drawbacks of the Lego Star Wars Guide.

1 comments about Day of the Dead Crafts: More Than 24 Projects that Celebrate Da de los Muertos.

1. I was very pleased with this book, these are easy crafts that will be fun to do and fun for my granddaughter.

No comments about Mixed-Media Self-Portraits: Inspiration & Techniques.

1 comments about Heads-Up No-Limit Hold 'em.

1. This is a great book that focuses 100% on heads up play. Like Moshman's last book on sit and goes, this one gives you both the math and general sound strategy for playing these games. He describes how to beat aggressive opponents, attack weak players, and bet for "price-setting."
   
   The material on Metagame and Pot size manipulation was new for me and very useful. There is also a nice review of fundamentals that includes how to make the mathematically correct decision in almost any hand.
   
   Highly recommended.

5 comments about Mensa Guide to Solving Sudoku: Hundreds of Puzzles Plus Techniques to Help You Crack Them All (Mensa).

1. The information contained in this book is informative and useful to the Sudoku solver, but the construction quality of this book leaves a little to be desired.
   
   Within 2 days of receiving this book and working puzzles in it, pages came loose from the binding and started falling out. The binding on this book is terrible. If you want this book, use extreme care handling it otherwise the pages will fall out.
   
   The information is good, worth 5 stars. But the poor quality of the binding knocks 2 stars off.



2. This book gets five stars because it is the first book I found that actually helped me get better at working hard puzzles (and I was no slouch before I got this). I see some reviewers complaining about the puzzles being smaller than many books, which is true, but this book has over 700 puzzles in it. I'll take more puzzles any day.



3. After solving many puzzles, I found 3 star and lower puzzles too easy, but I occasionally came across a 4 star puzzle that I could not solve without guessing. This book gives you multiple advanced solving strategies that should allow you to solve any "solvable" puzzle. I was disappointed to learn from the author of this book that some puzzles that indeed have one unique solution can only be solved by guessing. The 798 puzzles in this book, however, are guaranteed by the author to be solvable without guessing. So far, I have found this to be true. Hence, I have spent long hours on some of the puzzles with ultimate success without the fear that I am simply wasting my time. I agree with other reviewers that the grids are too small for the amount of note taking that is required to solve them, so I have been transcribing the puzzles onto larger photocopied grids. This strategy also saves the puzzles for another solver or for me at another time.



4. I have never knowingly done a seduco myself but my wife is hooked. She says this book has brought her to a new level. Now she is going back and trying the ones she had put aside because they were too hard.



5. This is the type of book that one will regularly refer to in order to brush up on very advanced solving techniques. Sadly, the construction of the binding is quite poor and after a short while I had more than a few pages fall out.
   Probably should order another copy, but I hate to reward shoddy construction with even more sales.
   
   Probably the best advanced Sudoku puzzle solving reference though; if you buy, treat it more gingerly than you'd think necessary.

5 comments about Wire Style: 50 Unique Jewelry Designs.

1. Wire Style is fabulous! Excellent introduction to tools, materials, and techniques. Anyone interested in wire work will love the wonderful range of projects included in this book. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. The photos are beautiful and you can really see the detail. I have been a fan of Ms. Peck and her magazine, Step by Step Wire Jewelry since it began. I highly recommend this book!



2. This wire book has the most interesting and diverse jewelry designs I've seen in one collection. There's a smattering of everything and they're unique and playful. I can't decide which to make first. All the steps for making every project are photographed in detail in the beginning of the book. Very clear, very detailed photographs. The jewelry photography is beautiful - crisp, clear, easy to see details. There's also a good mix of skill levels - something for everyone. I love that the book design is clean and modern.
   I emailed the author before purchasing to ask whether the designs were new or had already been published and she told me only two designs were already in Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine.
   It's the best wire jewelry book I've seen.



3. This is a great book with lots of projects for every skill level. I would say it's a "MUST HAVE" if you're into wire jewelry. I've also taken a class with Ms. Peck, and not only is she a talented wire artist, but she's a great instructor. I would highly suggest taking a class with her in person if you can. [...]. If you're into making jewelry, you'll enjoy every minute.



4. This book is totally easy to follow and has a great variety of projects. I especially love the work of Jodi L. Bombadier...her work is beautiful and fun to make. Her directions are very to the point and everything is coming out great!



5. Great pictures of finished product. Nice soft color throughout book. But readability? Wow, light green colored-page with slightly darker green font. Mustard-colored page with medium gray font. I strained to read it. And to have a book without step by step instructions with photos is just plain lazy. Like another reviewer here, I've seen nearly all of these projects in other magazines or books. Maybe a couple were new to me. There are many other books out there that actually show you in a picture what the steps should look like. What were you thinking?