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BOOK
Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
Mignon Fogarty
$7.73

About this product:
Are you a fool for mnemonics? If so, you'll fall head over nubucks for Mignon Fogarty--a.k.a. the Grammar Girl--and her handy new audio guide to writing and speaking well. It’s chock-full of smart little anecdotes and memory tricks for felling the most common grammatical foes (who can ever remember the difference between "nauseous" and "nauseated" anyway?) and at just an hour long it's the perfect turn-to resource for students and professionals alike. I didn't try too hard to stump Grammar Girl in our Q&A, but with her eagle eyes she spotted my grammatical (typographical?) misstep without missing a beat! --Anne Bartholomew

Questions for the Grammar Girl

Amazon.com: Now that we communicate so often via e-mail and text messaging, do you think that people have become more desensitized to poor grammar, or in your experience is awareness more heightened as a result?

Grammar Girl: The average person seems to have become more desensitized to poor grammar, but language lovers seem to be tormented by the flood of mutilated e-mail and text messages—at least a lot of the people I hear from seem to be tormented. It might be a self-selecting group. To use one of my father's favorite phrases, language lovers seem to feel as though they are "being pecked to death by a duck."

Amazon.com: Your weekly podcast helps millions of listeners use good grammar and write more effectively. Do you think there is more value in learning by listening, as compared to reading and practical exercise?

Grammar Girl: Perhaps it's ironic, but I have a hard time learning by just listening. I need to read things, which is one of the reasons why I provide full transcripts for all my audio podcasts on the Grammar Girl Web site. People learn in different ways, so those who want to listen can listen, and those who want to read can read.

In my experience, nothing beats practical exercise. I often have to look up grammar rules over and over again because I can't remember them, but once I've written a show about a rule, I always remember it.

Amazon.com: Have the grammar mnemonics you've developed come easily to you? Which ones were the toughest to capture in an easy-to-remember tip?

Grammar Girl: Some mnemonics come easily and some don't. I had a hard time coming up with a way for people to remember the difference between "its" and "it's," and I ended up using a really complicated story about a dream I had involving the eBay "it" advertising campaign.

I think the best mnemonics are the simple ones. Remembering that you should say "different from" instead of "different than" because "different" has two f's and "from" starts with an f isn't awfully creative, but it's easy to remember.

Amazon.com: Is there a grammar rule that even Grammar Girl finds it hard to remember?

Grammar Girl: There are so many that it's hard to pick just one! I have a notoriously terrible memory, which is why I'm always making up mnemonics.

Often I find that when I can't remember something it's because it is a style issue instead of a hard-and-fast rule, so different people do it differently and there is no "right" answer. For example, I always have to look up the rules about whether the verb should be singular or plural after collective nouns like "team" and phrases like "the couple" and "one of the people who."

But when I look up the rule for collective nouns, I am reminded that the "rule" is that you have to just decide whether your collective noun has a sense of being a group or a sense of being many individuals. (And then there are also differences between British and American English.)

It's even worse with a phrase like "one of the people who": experts are split over whether the verb should be singular or plural. There really isn't an answer; you just have to pick a side. I have a hard time making a mnemonic for something like that!

Amazon.com: It used to be that proper grammar and thoughtful wording were the defining factors of a good piece of writing. Increasingly, however, writing is prized for the speed with which it is produced and not necessarily the craft. How can conscientious writers find the happy medium between form and efficiency?

Grammar Girl: What, didn't I answer your questions fast enough?

But seriously, I don't think I've come in contact with the people who value speed. As a Web editor, I certainly wasn't happy when people turned in bad writing, even if they turned it in early. And when I was writing magazine articles or corporate materials for a living I never felt rushed (except when I waited too long to get started).

The places where I do feel a sense of urgency are in e-mail and messaging; people seem to expect immediate responses. But writing a high-quality message doesn't take much more time than writing a careless message; it just takes more focus.

Amazon.com: Bonus question: I wrote all these questions with no more than a cursory grammar and spelling check. How did I do?

Grammar Girl: I found only one major error, and I changed the text to bold. It looked like a typo rather than an error in your understanding of the rules. Good job!

BOOK
Lily Chin's Knitting Tips & Tricks: Shortcuts and Techniques Every Knitter Should Know
Lily Chin
$9.80

About this product:
Toss Lily into your project bag and bring her stitching savvy, troubleshooting techniques, and no-frills know-how wherever your knitting takes you!

Are you one of the thousands of Lily Chin converts who swear by her legendary Tips & Tricks classes? Or are you an avid knitter in search of a portable, accessible technique guide?

Knitters of every level will love Lily Chin's Knitting Tips & Tricks for its simple solutions to everyday knitting problems. Covering everything from knitting standards and conventions to working with various types of yarns to fixing stitch mistakes, Lily's book is a comprehensive distillation of her decades of experience, and by the end of it she will have answered knitting questions that you didn't even know you had. 

BOOK
Tips Cooks Love: Over 500 Tips, Techniques, and Shortcuts That Will Make You a Better Cook!
Rick Rodgers
$6.00

About this product:
A cook's time in the kitchen is now even more productive and easy thanks to Tips Cooks Love from culinary authority Sur La Table and cookbook author Rick Rodgers.

Tips Cooks Love gives cooks more than 500 useful tips for cooking and preparation from the cookware and baking expert, Sur La Table. The easy-to-use book is organized alphabetically for quick answers. It includes tips about ingredients as well as cookware, tools, cooking methods, and other handy information for the busy home cook. For example, did you know that adding white chocolate to whipped cream provides elegant flavor and stabilizes the cream?

The book also features ten "deconstructed" recipes that offer lots of smart ideas illustrating ways to improve the dish and one's cooking. Six "technique" sections for quick and informative reference offer tips on tricky skills, such as braising, baking, and grilling, as well as some great charts to help cooks adapt a recipe to a different-size pan.

BOOK
McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers
Marilla Svinicki
$57.55

About this product:
Retail Description: {RET – P/R} This indispensable handbook provides helpful strategies for dealing with both the everyday challenges of university teaching and those that arise in efforts to maximize learning for every student. The suggested strategies are supported by research and adaptable to specific classroom situations. Rather than suggest a "set of recipes" to be followed mechanically, the book gives instructors the tools they need to deal with the ever-changing dynamics of teaching and learning.

BOOK
Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips
Kris Carr
$4.18

About this product:
An advice-from-the-trenches cancer survival guidebook for young women with cancer.

Actress and photographer Kris Carr thought she had a hangover, but a Jivamukti yoga class didn't provide its usual kick-ass cure. A visit to her doctor confirmed her "liver looked like Swiss cheese," covered with cancerous tumors. She entered trench warfare (wearing cowboy boots into the MRI machine, no less), vowing, "Cancer needed a makeover and I was just the gal to do it!" She began writing and filming her journey, documenting her interactions with friends, doctors, alternative "quacks," blind dates, and other women with cancer--sadly a growing group. These include hip, young women such as illustrator-author Marisa Acocella Marchetto (Cancer Vixen), Glamour writer-editor Erin Zammett (My So-Called Normal Life), MTV personality Diem Brown (Real World/Road Rules Challenge), model Sharon Blynn (founder, Bald Is Beautiful), and music manager Jackie Farry, among others.

The Learning Channel is broadcasting the premiere of Carr's unforgettable documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer on August 29, 2007 @ 9:00-11:00pm (ET/PT).

CRAZY SEXY CANCER TIPS gathers the lessons learned and advice offered from Carr's own journey, as well as the experiences of her cancer posse. Full-color photos accompany personal stories and candid revelations in this scrapbook of advice, warnings, and resources for the cancer patient. Chapters cover your changing social life, dating, sex, and appearance; essential health tips on how to boost your immune system; recipes; medical and holistic resources; and information on young survivor support groups. The resulting book is a warm, yet informative tool for any woman newly diagnosed with the disease and for those who love them.

BOOK
Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD: Beyond Piles, Palms, & Post-its
Terry Matlen MSW
$9.95

About this product:

BOOK
Sex Tips For Straight Women from a Gay Man
Dan Anderson
$6.00

About this product:
Who is best equipped to give sex tips to heterosexual women about how to please a man in bed? Why, gay men, of course. Who would know better than gay men what makes men happy? Dan Anderson (gay) and best friend Maggie Berman (straight) have collaborated on this how-to book for women who feel that their lovers are afraid to ask for what they want. Chatty, informative, and graphic--in a clinical, not sexy way--Anderson and Berman have borrowed a little from Helen Gurley Brown, a little from Miss Manners, and a lot from Masters and Johnson to show women how the other half loves. Never smug and mostly useful, Sex Tips shows that sexual orientation can as easily be a potluck as a culture clash.

BOOK
Safe Baby Handling Tips
Kelly Sopp
$5.71

About this product:
New parents are often overwhelmed-and befuddled-when it comes to caring for their bundle of joy. Luckily Safe Baby Handling Tips saves the day with its hilarious "do's and don'ts" on baby care. Now incompetent parents everywhere can benefit from this indispensable guide, which also includes a unique Wheel of Responsibility to help moms and dads negotiate baby chores (and shirk diaper duty!) whenever they can. Makes baby-rearing a blast!

BOOK
How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life
Brian Curtis
$8.06

About this product:
He guided LSU to its first football championship in forty-five years. He turned down countless offers from professional teams to stay with the job he loves. Now Nick Saban reveals the secrets that will help you lead and succeed at work and in life.

Excellence doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from hard work, consistency, the drive to be the best, and a passion for what you do. Few understand this better than Nick Saban, the hottest college football coach in the game. Now, in How Good Do You Want to Be?, Saban shares his winning philosophy for creating and inspiring success.

In more than three decades as a player and coach, Saban has learned much about life and leadership, both on the field and off. Working alongside some of the game’s legends, including Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick and coaching legend Jerry Glanville, he saw firsthand how great leaders encourage greatness in others. In this candid, insightful guide, he shares such acquired wisdom as

• Organization, Organization, Organization
Create an environment where everybody knows his or her responsibilities–and each is responsible to the entire group.
• Motivate to Dominate
Understand the psychology of teams and individuals, and use that knowledge to breed success.
• No Other Way than Right
Practice ethics and values–and demand the same from your team.
• Look in the Mirror
Maintain an understanding of who you are by knowing your strengths and your weaknesses.

How Good Do You Want to Be? is more than the story of how Nick Saban motivates his staff and players to excel–it is also the memoir of one of America’s most successful coaches. Filled with instructive anecdotes and illuminated by never-before-told stories of his life and career, this is a book that challenges and inspires us all to be our best.


From the Hardcover edition.

BOOK
John Walkenbach's Favorite Excel 2007 Tips & Tricks (Mr. Spreadsheet's Bookshelf)
John Walkenbach
$21.03

About this product:
John Walkenbach comments on the new Excel: "I've been using Excel for over 15 years, and Excel 2007 is by far the most significant upgrade ever. For starters, we've got a new user interface, new open file formats, a larger worksheet grid, better use of memory and CPUs, new functions, and more templates. Dig a bit deeper and you'll find worksheet tables, 100 levels of undo, easier formula construction, better-looking charts, unlimited color choices, SmartArt, a handy page layout view, new conditional formatting options, new collaboration features, a very useful compatibility checker, workbook themes—and even 'skins' so you can change the look of the entire program."

John Walkenbach's Favorite Excel 2007 Tips & Tricks consists of a series of non-trivial tips and tricks that cover all aspects of Excel. Tips are improved ways of maximizing the power of Excel to create robust applications. Tricks are shortcuts that will speed up application development with Excel.

John's favorites include tips and tricks on dealing with function arguments, creating "impossible" charts, pivot tables, taming the new Ribbon, why use a UserForm, how to create add-ins in Excel 2007, absolute vs. relative references, changing data entry orientation, overcoming the 7-level nesting limit, dynamic chart data, sorting on more than three columns, entering fake data for testing purposes, custom functions, and much more.