Best Consumer Guides
Announcing the completely revised and updated edition of The Wine Bible , the perennial bestselling wine book praised as “The most informative and entertaining book I’ve ever seen on the subject” (Danny Meyer), “A guide that has all the answers” (Bobby Flay), “Astounding” (Thomas Keller), and “A magnificent masterpiece of wine writing” (Kevin Zraly). “MacNeil’s writing style is engaging and conversational, and if you want to know anything about wine her book is the place to start” – Forbes.com. Karen MacNeil is the only U.S. winner of every major wine award in the English language, including the James Beard Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year (2004). She is the host of Wine, Food and Friends with Karen MacNeil (PBS nationally); a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, and Town & Country ; and chairman emeritus of the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was so thrilled to get this newly revised version of The Wine Bible and Karen MacNeil did a wonderful updated version."
"The definitive wine book, although MacNeil's writing can be a bit unhelpful at times ("you don't drink this wine, the wine drinks you"."
"Well written book on wine without being pedantic."
"Reads like a digest."
"The Wine Bible has lots of wonderful information about wines."
"My only reservation is about hoe outdated some of the statistics might be."
"I have my copy highlighted and full of sticky notes."
"Aside from the serious stuff about grapes and winemaking, etc,, it also has nice little tid-bits like explaining why waiters in restaurants give you the cork to inspect when they open your wine (Her explanation makes perfect sense, but I'd never heard it before)."
The Number 1 Best Seller in Computers and Technology The one and only Amazon e-book you need to find the top apps for the Kindle Fire. We didn't set ourselves a number, we just kept searching for great paid and free apps until we'd found something for everyone. Read reviews of all the top Kindle Fire apps and our recommendations for the best of the rest. Bonus Material. If you're just getting to know your Kindle Fire for the first time then take a look at our bonus material where you will learn how to purchase and download apps, understand permissions and set parental controls. Over 250 Apps in these 20 Categories. Books, Comics & Reading. Education & Reference. Entertainment. Finance. Food, Drink & Cooking. Games. Health & Fitness. Kids. Lifestyle & Hobbies. Music. News & Magazines. Novelty. Photography, Art & Creativity. Productivity. Shopping. Social Networking & Communications. Sports. Travel, Navigation & City Info. Utilities. Weather.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Haven't tried any of the apps yet, but I am very impressed with the information provided in this book."
"Found quite a few free apps that I have downloaded and am enjoying."
"very satisfied with this product."
"A little hard to comprehend if you are new to the app thing, but it does help to have available."
"Great recommendations, for every use!"
"After looking through the best apps out there for my Kidle Fire ,there is not a doubt in my mind that I will be returning."
"Since I'm not very computer savvy,I found the book an easy read and extremely helpful with information about apps that are most compatible with the kindle fire."
Top 300 Free Apps for the Kindle Fire by best-selling technology book author Ed Jones, is the detailed source for those must-have apps for your Kindle Fire! You'll find apps for the home office, for entertainment, for news, weather, and sports, for your health, for managing your finances, for playing games, and more. A new local news apps section provides news, weather, and traffic apps for over 50 major US cities, and a new travel section gives you an insight to the best apps that will help you find great deals on flights, hotel rooms, cruises, dining, and even the best gas prices around your hometown or when on the road. His career spans years of technology training, database development, and consulting services for major law firms and government agencies in the Washington, DC area, and he currently resides in Charlotte, NC where he is concentrating on providing publications to the rapidly growing digital marketplace.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Its ok but I wouldn't say I find it very exciting or useful it depends on what individuals like in the way of apps and I just find it uninteresting."
"Quick guide to popular free apps."
"Love it I have a better understanding about my kindle fire."
"Focuses on most useful apps with great explanations."
"This was a great great book.besides the fact that it was free, it had many apps that I've never heard about and downloaded and some I will keep in mind for future.I loved that it is simple easy reading and straight to the point."
"App."
"It was just the authors book about this and the authors book about that and who cares..."
Best Catalogs & Directories
The official companion book to the British Library exhibition and the ultimate gift for Harry Potter fans! The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world’s greatest research libraries.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I love everything about the world of Harry Potter! Also, I really wasn't sure what to expect as this is a collection of stuff, but not really anything NEW by Rowling."
"I don’t care who you are or what degrees you have, I promise this book will tell you something you didn’t know about the subjects taught at Hogwarts!"
"Honestly one of the best books I've bought all year and definitely a must-have for any Potterhead!"
"As an avid Harry Potter fan, I continue to be impressed by J.K. Rowling's created world."
"It includes 2 page mini stories about the backgrounds of characters in the book, how she finally found a publisher, and art from the original British book cover artist."
"Originally planned to give it to our 6yr old but found it way too advanced for him."
"It's hard to get my autistic granddaughter to read."
"This is a great addition to any Harry Potter fans collection."
Best Writing, Research & Publishing Guides
One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying a character's emotions to the reader in a unique, compelling way. Angela and Becca also co-founded their popular Writers Helping Writers site, a hub where authors can hone their craft, as well as One Stop For Writers , an innovative online library built to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In my opinion, this guide could be useful to both new and experienced writers of fiction. For the former, this is an amazing resource for learning how to write convincing characters and see how emotions translate into writing (then, hopefully, provoking sympathy, empathy, or whatever feeling you wish to evoke in the reader). For the latter, I would say that this can easily be a go-to reference for experienced writers to shake things up a bit and to avoid the long hours of research it would require to do the legwork already done in this guide."
"An extremely helpful resource."
"An absolutely awesome reference book for those who are writing or acting."
"It digs deep by talking not only about external signs, but internal as well, giving writers significantly more to play with in the wording of their novels."
"I'll definitely look to this when I'm stuck on just what emotion a character should be feeling."
"I've long been a fan of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi's blog, The Bookshelf Muse, as it offers great tools and resources for writers. From "Adoration" to "Worry", each entry includes the definition, physical signals, internal sensations, mental responses, emotional cues, and a writer's tip. For example, the physical signals for Loneliness include a longing gaze, sullenness, talking to oneself, a heavy sigh, and two dozen other ways to illustrate a lonely character."
"I write screenplays, focusing on additional aspects which leave emotions out on a ledge where I can poke them with a stick and hope I get the correct response."
"No book can elevate a writer to a whole new category of excellence, but this book is helpful when I just want to jar some fresh ideas loose."
Best Etiquette
Man Up! Kate McKay has taught history and humanities at Tulsa Community College and is one of the main content creators on the popular Web site ArtofManliness.com.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I got this book for my son, but my older, teenage daughter liked it too."
"I first got this book about five years ago from my uncle and the book definitely has taught me a lot and has shaped me to the person I am today."
"Neat information on tying a tie, I only knew of one way while the book describes multiple."
"The perfect groomsmen gifts!"
"Great book for any man or advice to pass onto a man-in-progress."
"My husband seemed to really like the book...so win!"
"The pages of this book are like rain in a desert when it comes to teaching young men the do's and don't's, and helpful hints for every day and special occasions."
"My son loved it."
Best Encyclopedias
Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. Their dull, empty life sharply contrasts with that of his next-door neighbor Clarisse, a young girl thrilled by the ideas in books, and more interested in what she can see in the world around her than in the mindless chatter of the tube. After fleeing to avoid arrest, Montag winds up joining an outlaw band of scholars who keep the contents of books in their heads, waiting for the time society will once again need the wisdom of literature. Stephan Hoye's narration is perfectly matched to the subject matter: his tone is low and ominous, and his cadence shifts with the prose to ratchet up tension and suspense.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"That's the job of one Guy Montag, but he begins to question his role as he gets in contact with a teenager who reads secretly. The most surprising thing about Fahrenheit 451 is that it's premise could, in the hands of a lesser writer, easily turn a condescending little lesson about the importance of reading books. The only sources of distraction for the denizens of Fahrenheit 451 are sports or soap operas in televisions the size of entire walls. From this insipid entertainment are born people who literally talk to the walls and a society unable to question. She is a cattle-person, described as having an invisible cataract behind her pupils, afraid of anything different, incapable of thinking or feeling without directions from the TV or authorities."
"He graduated from a los angeles high school and never went to college. They are not part of the system, so they are not particularly wealthy, or successful, but they are more alive than any other human being. "Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving....Don’t give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with." "Stuff your eyes with wonder,’ he said, ‘live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds."
"I didn't enjoy the rambling style of writing and the story can be a bit dragging but the concept of a society where a dictatorship can decide that ideas or history may offend someone and must be suppressed, where people are dulled into mindless submission by reality television is very frightening."
"The book itself, though slightly predictable, has a powerful message that keeps sucking in the reader even though there wount be a satisfying ending as is popular in dystopian literature."
"This classic is totally relevant today."
"On the other hand, some terms like "Play the man, Master Ridley, we shall this day light such a candle, by..." and "knock hubcaps" should have been explained by Word wise."
Best Atlases & Maps
Robert Strassler's new edition removes these obstacles by providing a new coherence to the narrative overall, and by effectively reconstructing the lost cultural context that Thucydides shared with his original audience. The Landmark Thucydides includes a vast array of superbly designed and presented maps, brief informative appendices by outstanding classical scholars on subjects of special relevance to the text, explanatory marginal notes on each page, an index of unprecedented subtlety, and numerous other useful features. But the bulk of the book itself, where Thucydides chronicles the long struggle between Athens and Sparta, enjoys an unexpected freshness on these pages--partly due to Strassler's magnificent editorial labors, but mostly because it's a great story resonant with heroes, villains, bravery, desperation, and tragedy. He has added descriptive paragraph-by-paragraph synopses, topic headers on every page, numerous maps keyed to the adjoining text, explanatory footnotes, an extensive index, an excellent introduction by Victor Davis Hanson (California State Univ.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"And as an American, I find it not only brilliant but -- in a good way -- incredibly painful to read. It's hard not to identify with the Athenians for their democratic ideals, in a way that I can't identify with anyone else before the British colonization of North America, but man, does it hurt to read about their brutality and horrific mistakes. The Syracuse campaign is an agonizing read, very similar to the first book you read on the Holocaust. I would add, however, that the footnotes, which are written under the assumption that you haven't read previous chapters, are repetitive (literally word for word) or about geography in a way that isn't that helpful (as there's usually a map at hand that can be looked at just as quickly and with greater reward). And what would have been very, very helpful but is missing is direction arrows on the map that give a sense of chronology."
"This was an important time when the Greek poleis city-states, fresh from their victory over Persia, destroyed any hope of a Greek/Athenian empire and laid the ground for Alexander's conquest. Thucydides style is sometimes complicated, but reaches wonderful heights in the Pericle's funeral oration and the disaster in Sicily. However, he occasionally assumes that the reader understand his frame of reference and spend little time describing the culture and lands of Hellas -- a shortcoming compared to Herodotus. There are informative appendices written by various scholars, the translation is lively and clear, there are copious footnotes and, most importantly, tons of maps."
"Perfect gift for classical history loving friend."
"A compelling read and highly relevant to the modern world's politics and warfare."
"This tome orients, helps the reader (me) navigate, both geographically and logically following (understanding) a complex narrative…Footnotes, maps, explanation of the culture and the politics of the period made this read informative, eloquent and most importantly enjoyable..."
"Amazing history of the battle from someone who was there."
"No problems."
"classic study of strategy and war."
Best Genealogy
Whether you've just heard of DNA testing or you've tested at all three major companies, this guide will give you the tools you need to unpuzzle your DNA and discover what it can tell you about your family tree. "[This] Guide to DNA Testing offers a lot of information for the beginner and advanced researcher alike...[and] is easy to read and comprehend" -- Bobbi King for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter. "There are very few titles on my book shelf in my genealogy office that I refer to constantly. I know that The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy will be one of those titles for years to come.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This 240-page book is the most complete and up-to-date resource on genetic genealogy. While some material is too advanced for raw beginners, you will want this comprehensive book on hand as you work your way through the DNA testing process. Blaine clearly explains all the different DNA types and their individual inheritance patterns."
"It presents up to date information for this evolving field, introducing the science of genetic genealogy in easy to understand chapters."
"The DNA market is hard to understand if you don't know what you are doing....If you are confused about whether to go with Ancestry's test, or one of the products on FamilyTreeDNA or 23AndME.....this is THE BOOK. I was on Ancestry's DNA support forum asking questions....and another user referred me to the book and told me I could get it all right here."
"I have been working with genetic genealogy for five years, and I highly recommend this book!"
"She mentioned that it was a very helpful insight into Genetic Testing and how to understand the results and various other matters."
"This is a great book for understanding the use of DNA testing to find or confirm ancestors when written evidence is lacking."
"A perfect blend for both beginner & intermediate level genetic genealogists to fully understand the scope of what genetics brings to the table for their research."
"While this book is long and very detailed, you can learn a lot about the various tests, testing companies and ability to match family information."
Best Dictionaries & Thesauruses
You can set this dictionary as your default Kindle dictionary and look up words while reading. Today, the company continues as the leader in language reference, publishing a diverse array of print and electronic products, including the best-selling Merriam-Webster's Collegiateî Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When using it as a writer (I know the word, but not its spelling, nor if I completely understand the word I seek to use) and not as a reader, I would have been more pleased if those who had added electronic usability had also made it more intuitive to those of us with poorer ability to spell by more simply allowing the browsing for a word as is done with a paper dictionary."
"The dictionary I recommend to my college composition classes."
"JUST WHAT I WANTED--WRAPPED FAB."
"This was a gift."
"I bought this after being unhappy with some of the New Oxford definitions."
Best Quotation Reference
National Best Seller From the best-selling author of Wild , a collection of quotes--drawn from the wide range of her writings--that capture her wisdom, courage, and outspoken humor, presented in a gift-sized package that's as irresistible to give as it is to receive. This book gathers, each on a single page, more than 100 of Strayed's indelible quotes and thoughts--"mini instruction manuals for the soul" that urge us toward the incredible capacity for love, compassion, forgiveness, and endurance that is within us all. Cheryl is gritty and honest, more honest than I've ever seen a woman write - Reese Witherspoon.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Brave Enough is basically a prettily-packaged collection of quotes taken from Strayed's books, essays, and talks formatted in big text and centered on the page. Not because I believe in my own sagacity, but because I believe in the power of words to help us reset our intentions, clarify our thoughts, and create a counternarrative to the voice of doubt many of us have murmuring in our heads--the one that says You can't, you won't, you shouldn't have. Ultimately, this is a very nice book that will look good on a coffee table or will make a thoughtful small gift for the holidays."
"Short little bursts of inspiration for being the best you that you can be."
"Bought this book for my husband, he loves to read and this is a surprise gift for him."
"Everything was as promised and expected."
"One is my closest friends bought me this book for Christmas a couple of years ago thank God."
"Wasn't what I was expecting, but still full of inspirational and motivational quotes."
"Thanks for sharing your life moments."
Best Trivia & Fun Facts
From uncovering what happens to lost luggage to New York City's plan to crack down on crime by banning pinball, this book will challenge your knowledge of the fascinating stories behind the world's greatest facts. "Every story in the book is interesting, and Lewis includes a 'bonus fact' at the end of each story which is a mini mind bender on its own."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The story on the Bats considered for use in spreading fires in Japan during World War II hooked me, line and sinker. I’ve included a small excerpts below, so readers can peruse the style of presentation utilized by the author. EXCERPT. BAT BOMB. USING BATS IN UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE. During the final days of World War II, the United States, apparently believing that Japan was unlikely to surrender otherwise, dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The death toll from these two bombs numbered as high as 250,000 when one factors in those people who died up to four months later due to burns and radiation sickness. If the United States Army could figure out a way to start fires in a large number of buildings spread out over a wide area, the Japanese infrastructure and economy would suffer but the direct loss of life would be relatively small. But a few months before the Manhattan Project got underway, a dental surgeon named Lytle Adams came up with the idea to use bats— those nocturnal flying mammals— as part of the strategy. As he would later tell Air Force Magazine, after seeing millions of bats flying around caves in Carlsbad Canyon in New Mexico, he immediately thought that they could be used as a way to spread firebombs throughout Japan. He collected a few of them himself, did a little research, and found that even tiny bats weighing well under a pound could carry three times their weight in explosives. The timer ticks down and shortly after, without obvious explanations, hundreds of thousands of Japanese buildings start to burn to the ground. By March 1943, the U.S. military had identified a suitable population of bats, having located a series of caves in Texas that were home to millions of the flying critters. But the final report on the bat bombs issued in mid-1944, though positive, noted that they would not be ready for combat for another year. A fish lodge owner named Richard Perky built the Sugarloaf tower in 1928 with much fanfare— and one big problem. According to Atlas Obscura, when Perky put the bats into the tower, they flew off to find some bugs to eat— and never came back."
"As the owner of an extremely popular "interesting fact" website (TodayIFoundOut) and someone who runs a similar newsletter to Now I Know, I've read or at least skimmed pretty much every major interesting fact/story website and book out there, so I can tell you from vast experience that Dan Lewis is one of the best in this genre."
"For example and this is not in the book; Do you really think the American Civil War was fought because the North felt that no person should own another person? Romantically this is what is implied with every American history lesson but the full truth is that the North could not compete in an economy where the South had free labor."
"to his site/newsletter, so I was happy to get the book, which meant I could actually know more than one thing a day."
"A fun read to dip into a few minutes at a time as time allows."
"I've been subscribed to Dan Lewis's daily emails of fascinating facts for about a year, so I was very excited to see he was releasing a book."
"Wife is a trivia and useless facts nut."
"Quick reads, no plots to remember, and some amazing information."
Best Almanacs & Yearbooks
Praised as a "treasure trove of political, economic, scientific and educational statistics and information" by The Wall Street Journal , The World Almanac and Book of Facts will answer all of your trivia needs—from history and sports to geography, pop culture, and much more. Historical Anniversaries: The World Almanac 's recurring feature expands to incorporate milestone events and cultural touchstones dating to the book's founding year, from the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson to the publication of Little Women . Other New Highlights: A brand-new biography of the 45th president and profile of the Trump administration; 2016 election results; and statistics on crime, health care, overdose deaths, shootings, terrorism, and much more. 2017—Year in Sports: Hundreds of pages of trivia and statistics that are essential for any sports fan, featuring a preview of the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympic Games, complete coverage of the 2017 World Series, new tables of NBA, NHL, and NCAA statistics, and much more. Sarah Janssen is the senior editor of The World Almanac® and Book of Facts .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We buy one of these every year because it gives such a wide range of facts on nations, famous people, new laws, population figures, socio-economic figures, etc."
"Buy this World Almanac every year."
"Ordered it as a gift for my brother who is into this information and he loves it!!!"
"Just as expected."
"Lots of information!"
"Love this book and I get it every year!"
"I like getting the World Almanac every year, to keep up latest events."
"The print is ridiculously small."
Best Words, Language & Grammar
One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying a character's emotions to the reader in a unique, compelling way. Angela and Becca also co-founded their popular Writers Helping Writers site, a hub where authors can hone their craft, as well as One Stop For Writers , an innovative online library built to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In my opinion, this guide could be useful to both new and experienced writers of fiction. For the former, this is an amazing resource for learning how to write convincing characters and see how emotions translate into writing (then, hopefully, provoking sympathy, empathy, or whatever feeling you wish to evoke in the reader). For the latter, I would say that this can easily be a go-to reference for experienced writers to shake things up a bit and to avoid the long hours of research it would require to do the legwork already done in this guide."
"An extremely helpful resource."
"An absolutely awesome reference book for those who are writing or acting."
"It digs deep by talking not only about external signs, but internal as well, giving writers significantly more to play with in the wording of their novels."
"I'll definitely look to this when I'm stuck on just what emotion a character should be feeling."
"I've long been a fan of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi's blog, The Bookshelf Muse, as it offers great tools and resources for writers. From "Adoration" to "Worry", each entry includes the definition, physical signals, internal sensations, mental responses, emotional cues, and a writer's tip. For example, the physical signals for Loneliness include a longing gaze, sullenness, talking to oneself, a heavy sigh, and two dozen other ways to illustrate a lonely character."
"I write screenplays, focusing on additional aspects which leave emotions out on a ledge where I can poke them with a stick and hope I get the correct response."
"No book can elevate a writer to a whole new category of excellence, but this book is helpful when I just want to jar some fresh ideas loose."
Best Foreign Language Study & Reference
And don't miss Runny Babbit Returns , the new book from Shel Silverstein! In Shel Silverstein's popular tale of few words and simple line drawings, a tree starts out as a leafy playground, shade provider, and apple bearer for a rambunctious little boy. At this point in the story, the double-page spread shows a pathetic solitary stump, poignantly cut down to the heart the boy once carved into the tree as a child that said "M.E. When there's nothing left of her, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. (All ages) --Karin Snelson “If you’re looking for a children’s book that teaches generosity or unselfishness, most people will point you right to The Giving Tree , Shel Silverstein’s lovely story of a tree that will do anything for the boy it loves—and for good reason.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"All that I can honestly say about this book, what some people say is "controversial" is it ; touches on feelings. teaches about selfishness. teaches about selflessness. teaches about caring. teaches about giving. this book really tugs at all the emotions everyone goes through one time or another. It has turned into a discussion book for all my grandkids. The book is a hardback & comes with a cover resembling the cover of the book."
"She would often just read a poem from A Light in the Attic, or Where the Sidewalk Ends, but this book really stuck with me."
"One of my favorite books with a great lesson for children on giving/taking and appreciation."
"This is my family's favorite children's book and certainly mine."
"Must have for all children."
"Best childhood book ever - adults should re-read every year as well."
"Great story for my 6 year old who reads voraciously.."
"Just like I remebered!"