The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

This is a charming and thought-provoking book that takes the reader on a journey through the life of an amusement park maintenance man who discovers the meaning of his life upon arrival in heaven. Throughout the small book, Mitch Albom masterfully weaves the threads of his main character’s life together with that of major [...]

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I found The Network – A Worldwide Plot To Launch The Fourth Reich to be an entertaining and inspirational work of historical fiction. Rabbi Seltzer’s fascinating characters and unexpected plot twists are masterfully weaved together as the novel reaches a breath-taking climax that causes the story to complete a circle that may surprise the [...]

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This is an indespensible reference book for indexers that should be sitting on the shelf right next to Nancy Mulvaney’s “Indexing Books”. In Facing the Text, Do Mi Stauber provides realistic solutions to some of the difficult aspects of the art and science of indexing; dealing with multiple meta topics, identifying an elusive [...]

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This is the best indexing book I’ve read so far! Indexers Sherry Smith and Kari Kells take you on a journey into their thought processes as they both index the same text and conclude with two very different, but professional and usable indexes.
I highly recommend Inside Indexing to anyone considering a career in indexing [...]

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I’m indexing this book as an exercise preparing to begin work on a project in a few weeks and thought others might be interested in it so I’m sharing my review.
Initially I expected Health at Every Size was going to be similar to David Zulberg’s The Life Transforming Diet, and it is in the [...]

Continue reading about Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth about Your Weight by Linda Bacon »

Father’s House by Yigal Allon
I enjoyed this book which provided a window into a world I had never imagined. I’m going to try to recall the trials and hard life the early settlers of Israel had to endure in the early- to mid-nineteen hundreds whenever I am tempted to complain about the difficulties of [...]

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I read this book for the purpose of exploring a different writing style. I was completely drawn into Tobias Wolff’s story! His style is mature and smooth, providing me with examples for flexing my own writing muscles with techniques I hadn’t previously considered.
This is an excellent read about a boy (Tobias Wolff [...]

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This is a collection of vignette-style memoirs of Walter Benjamin as a child living in Berlin. Not exactly my “cup of tea”, but I do respect the genius of his writing style. In this Memoir, Mr. Benjamin cleverly reveals his feelings and experiences through objects; like mirrors, rooms, parks, furniture, etc.
I’m providing this [...]

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Wow – what an incredibly well-written story! I stopped reading non-Jewish content years ago to avoid filling my mind with unholy things, but this was one of the few titles left on the recommended reading shelf for a course I was taking. I read the first chapter, which describes in vivid detail every parent’s worst [...]

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A fascinating memoir of a Holocaust survivor for emigrated from Poland to Vancouver, Canada at the age of 13 in the 1950s. Being a teenager in a normal world presents its challenges to a family on the move, but Eva had already had her fill of traumatic experiences. Eva’s vivid vignettes of her [...]

Continue reading about Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language by Eva Hoffman »

This book was recommended to me by several professional indexers when I expressed interest in entering the profession. The Indexes Chapter of the Chicago Manual of Style says:
“For greatly expanded coverage of the present guidelines, along with alternative usages, consult Nancy Mulvany’s Indexing Books. Anyone likely to prepare a number of indexes should acquire [...]

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by Libby Kahane
Being a fan of Rabbi Nachman Kahana’s weekly Torah commentaries, and clueless regarding Jewish life in the mid-twentieth century, I decided to give this 700+ page book about his brother’s life a try. I’m inspired by Rabbi Meir Kahane’s faith, bravery, perseverance and chutzpa!
A word of warning: I’ve found that [...]

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This manual for learning or fine-tuning copyediting skills is an indispensable reference tool for editors at all levels.
I’m providing this link just in case you can’t find it locally.

Continue reading about The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn »

(Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) by Charles Lipson
If you can remember the correct citation style for the various fields you may write in (e.g., Chicago, MLA, APA, CSE, AMA, ACS, AIP, or AMS) then this book isn’t for you. It’s for those of us who write across the various fields and/or don’t [...]

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This book/CD set has settled many disagreements between technical writers I’ve worked with regarding the correct verbiage (e.g., login vs. log in) or whether or not to hyphenate e-words (e.g., e-mail). Let’s face it, Microsoft sets the standard for technical publications, following their lead is so much easier, more cost effective and user-friendly than inventing [...]

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Considered an essential reference book for journalists and editors, I have found this to be a valuable resource for business writers as well.
I’m providing this link just in case you can’t find it locally.

Continue reading about The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law by Norm Goldstein »

This is the American writer’s Bible – don’t write without it! CMOS should be on every writer’s bookshelf (or desktop, if you have a preference for electronic versions) because it is the ultimate reference guide for style, punctuation and usage.
I’m providing this link just in case you can’t find it locally.

Indexers might prefer – [...]

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by Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, Walter E. Oliu
This handbook is an indispensible resource for technical communicators – or those contemplating a technical writing career. The layout makes finding answers to a variety of technical writing questions quick and simple. It covers a wide range of topics including grammar, style and usage [...]

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For years I’ve been trying to find the time and method for putting together the stories that run through my mind. This book, along with Your First Novel, has moved me closer to achieving my goal of transforming my thoughts into worn out books on people’s shelves.
I’m providing this link just in [...]

Continue reading about Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass »

For years I’ve been trying to find the time and method for putting together the stories that run through my mind. This book has moved me closer to achieving my goal of transforming my thoughts into worn out books on people’s shelves.
I’m providing this link just in case you can’t find it locally.

Continue reading about Your First Novel: An Author Agent Team Share the Keys to Achieving Your Dream by Ann Rittenberg, Laura Whitcomb »