Winterkill (Joe Pickett Novels)

Amazon.com

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett returns in this third adventure in C.J. Box's tough, tender, and engrossing series, which just keeps getting better. When a forest service supervisor is murdered right after a manic shooting spree that slaughtered a herd of elk, a mysterious stranger who trains falcons and carries an unusual weapon is arrested for the slaying. Then a special investigative team headed by a devious, vindictive woman arrives in Saddlestring, bent on a bloody confrontation with a group of government-hating survivalists camped out on federal land. Among then is Jeannie Keeley, who abandoned her daughter April three years earlier. Since then, April has become like a daughter to Joe and his wife Marybeth, and a sister to their own children. Now April is right in the middle of what promises to be the last stand for the ragged band of refugees from the firestorms of Waco, Ruby Ridge, and the Montana Freemen, and only Nate the falconer, who owes Joe his life for finding the real killer of the supervisor and freeing him from jail, may be able to save her before the Bighorn Mountains are covered in blood. A tense, taut thriller marked by lyrical renderings of the harsh, beautiful landscape, Winterkill's subtext, as in Box's previous novels, is the conflict between individual rights and freedoms and governmental power that continues to smolder in the towns and valleys of the American west. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Joe Pickett's pursuit of a killer through the rugged mountains of Wyoming takes a horrifying turn when his beloved foster daughter is kidnapped. Now it's personal.

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"THE KILLER NATIONAL BESTSELLER from the Anthony Award-winning author of Open Season and Savage Run. Joe Pickett's pursuit of a killer through the rugged mountains of Wyoming takes a horrifying turn when his beloved foster daughter is kidnapped. Now it's personal."

Customer Reviews:

Another good read by Box.......2005-10-15

I started the Picket novels on recommendation from Amazon after buying the Alex McNight series by Steve Hamilton. Both book series are easy reads that will draw you in before you know it. They are slightly incredible in storyline over the series (as are most series books -after all, how many exciting things can happen to the same person over and over), but still enjoyable. Not as complex as someone like Ludlum, but very enjoyable for a tired mind after a busy week of work.

If you like these, try The McNight books by Steve Hamilton.

Good Book for a Snowy Day.......2005-06-08

And plenty of snow there is, adding proper atmosphere to a brooding mystery. Good character development, plausible (most of the time) plot lines, some weird characters, painted so as to generate maximum hatred or respect. When the lady from the Forest Service first appears, you almost can hear readers hissing all across America. When the sheriff gets snide with Pickett, you want to relish what you hope will be his humiliation before the book ends. Scenes at the snowed-in Pickett household are poignant in light of future plot turns. A good page turner, with nicely done descriptions of the Big Horn Mountain area of almost-mystical Wyoming. May you write long and well, C.J. Box.

Things get personal.......2005-02-25

The third Joe Pickett mystery once again finds trouble brewing in the wilds of Wyoming, but this time there is an added obstacle to maintaining peace and tranquility in this beautiful part of the world - the harsh winter storms have closed the place down. In the first two books by C.J. Box, (Open Season and Savage Run), we have been treated to mysteries with strong environmental themes. In Winterkill Joe turns his attention to a murder investigation and then a more pressing personal crisis.

Joe Pickett is the game warden with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department living in the small town of Saddlestring, Twelve Sleep County. He is a quiet and easy-going family man, husband to Marybeth, father to 11 year-old Sheridan, 6 year old Lucy and foster-father to 9 year-old April. A fair, hard-working man he stands up for what he believes in even when that means leaving himself and, occasionally, his family open to get hurt.

While out on his regular patrol one winter's day, Joe witnesses a hunter who flouts the 1 elk bag limit by running amok through a herd, taking down 7 animals before Joe can get to him. When he does he is shocked to find that the hunter is none other than Lamar Gardiner, the district supervisor for Twelve Sleep National Forest, the person who makes the hunting laws, not the person who breaks them. In a typically Joe Pickett moment, Lamar escapes his custody and rushes into the forest in the middle of a worsening snowstorm. By the time Joe finds him again, he has been brutally murdered.

Coinciding with the murder is the arrival of a ragtag group of people in SUV's and camper-vans who take up residence in the National Park outside of town; they call themselves Sovereigns and are a mixture of anti-government protesters and dropouts. Among the Sovereigns is Jeannie Keeley, April's mother, a bitter and angry woman who abandoned April when she was a toddler. Joe and Marybeth are faced with the prospect of losing the little girl they had come to love as their own daughter.

The murder results in the arrival of another Forest Service agent, Melinda Strickland, supposedly sent to investigate her fellow officer's death. But she's bad news, you can tell that straight away when, moments after being introduced to Joe he watches as she barely restrains from kicking her dog in a moment of anger. Dog-kicking proves to be the least of her sins though. She is a self-centered woman with little regard for the safety of others, a dangerous woman when dealing with murderers and harsh climactic conditions.

Joe is dragged into the mess as a potential bloodbath looks a likely result of the standoff between the Sovereigns and the Federal Agents. To start with he is merely a concerned local citizen whose concern is primarily for a peaceful existence, but it becomes personal when April is placed right in the firing line inside the Sovereign camp.

Winterkill starts out at a very relaxed pace and we are allowed to settle in and enjoy a snowed-in Christmas with the Picketts, giving us a chance to feel comfortable with them. We are also given ample opportunity to enjoy the descriptions of the spectacular scenery surrounding them. This soon changes to the mounting tension and frustration levels as Strickland and the feds take over the town. Finally, we are thrust into a dramatic race against time through atrocious conditions ensuring a breathless ending.

It was established in the earlier books of the series that Joe Pickett is a "good" man. He always takes the passive option, often to his own detriment, and is ruled by his conscience. This is carried on in Winterkill, but it tends to restrict his effectiveness as a protagonist, particularly when he comes up against completely morally bankrupt people, as he does here. Enter a new character and eventual ally for Joe, Nate Romanowski. Nate oozes confidence and violence and adds a touch of the maverick for the good guys. He's a perfect foil to Joe's upstanding philosophy and, although we don't learn a lot about his past, every time he entered the scene he was a breath of fresh air.

A murder investigation, a Ruby Ridge style stand-off on Battle Mountain and a desperate bid by a father to protect his daughter makes Winterkill a thrilling book. Add to that Box's ability to paint the Wyoming landscape with wonderful clarity that gave me a strong sense of place and you've got a very enjoyable book.

A Dark Fantastic.......2005-01-20

I hated this book! Or maybe I was just rooting for C.J. to get his stuff together in the third book and have Joe Pickett ready to fly for another twenty years. It's what I expected anyhow. Didn't happen.
The first Joe Pickett story seemed a little tall and convoluted, but the yarn was spun tightly and with dexterity and wit. I couldn't put it down. You knew that C.J. Box and Joe Pickett would be around for a long while. The second book had me looking forward to more Joe Pickett yarns in spite of exploding cows. An audience was building. Word was getting around that C.J. Box could keep you interested. It was time for Pickett to settle down a bit, ease off the fantastics, and start a long career. Then he fell off the mountain.
WINTERKILL opens with a humiliating and extremely unlikely scene of a Forest Supervisor's "nervous breakdown" that contributes nothing substantial to the story. From there, it traverses a litany of extremes. Our humble, heroic game warden in remote Wyoming is forced down a gauntlet of sociopathology, psychopathology, political aberrations, weather extremes, bureaucratic obstruction and cover-up, and the killing of a carefully developed sympathetic character. Then, incredibly, staight-arrow Joe Picket becomes complicit in a felony that will never be discovered.
C.J. Box is a clever, compelling writer, but I don't see how Joe Pickett will ever recover from this dark detour.

Joe Pickett gets a sidekick, maybe.......2004-08-08

This is the third book in the Joe Pickett series, and unconventional is the rule in each of the books. The author manages to make a character with a wife and kids into something of an action hero, complete with gun, pickup truck, and dog, and a series of enemies that attempt everything from annoyance to murder to thwart him.

In the current book, Pickett has a murder on his hands. In this case the murder is complicated by the fact that the victim was a local Federal wildlife officer who just went nuts and killed a whole flock of elk. Pickett arrested him, but he escaped, only to be brutally and strangely killed.

Complicating things are two factors. First, the local authorities have been preempted by a Federal investigator who has taken charge of everything. She's convinced that there's a conspiracy of right-wing nutcases, survivalists who want to kill Federal agents, and of course she's going to hunt them down, damn the consequences. One of her principle suspects is a local mountain man type who has almost no interaction with the rest of society, and raises falcons at his house. That guy turns out to be more than everyone bargained for.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it to anyone who likes the wilderness or detective stories. One proviso: the author isn't a conservative politically (one of his previous books involves the Endangered Species list) but this book deals with the Federal government and bureaucrats rather harshly. Just a warning.

Average customer rating:

Excellent fiction with characters of great depth
A good piece of regional fiction
A very good book.
yheeeee haaaaawwww
Squirel on 'drugs'

Winterkill: A Novel
Craig Lesley
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312152442

Book Description

Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Book Award From the two-time winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award: a deeply moving and evocative novel of fathers and sons. Danny Kachiah is a Native American fighting not to become a casualty. His father, Red Shirt, is dead; his wife, Loxie, has left him, and his career as a rodeo cowboy is flagging. But when Loxie dies in a car wreck, leaving him with his son, Jack, whom he hardly knows, Danny uses the magnificent stories of Red Shirt to guide him toward true fatherhood. Together, Danny and Jack begin to make a life from the dreams of yesterday and the ruins of today's northwestern reservations.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent fiction with characters of great depth.......2004-10-28

I do not read much current fiction. There is a lot of stuff coming out every day that ranges from mediocre to simply god-awful, and who knows what you are going to get when you pick up a book? I only have so much time available to read books, so it is too valuable to waste on crappy fiction. Therefore I tend to avoid the newer stuff until the chaff has been sifted out.

This was an exception. I stumbled onto "The Reader" while this novel was being featured. It was about two-thirds of the way through the book, and after listening to two episodes, I was hooked and grabbed a copy at the nearest bookstore to read for myself.

It is a touching story that appeals to the reader on many levels. The exploration of the two father-son relationships should ring true for many readers, as should Danny's attempts to come to terms with the fact that he is no longer a young man who can easily withstand the rigors of the rodeo circuit. Danny is a marvelously complex character who intrigues the reader. Lesley is careful not to make Danny seem overly heroic or noble, for that would simply make him into a caricature. Instead, he becomes a character that all too many of us can relate to, regardless of our ethnicity.

For the reviewer that complained that "by the end of the novel nothing in the plot has been solved or put to rest," I feel that that was one of the stronger aspects of the book, and would gently point out that few things in real life wrap up neatly at the end of a 30 or 60-minute episode. This is fiction we are talking about, not fantasy.

Lesley richly deserves the two Pulitzer nominations he has garnered, and perhaps someday it will be a win and not just a nomination. He is one of a handful of contemporary authors whose work I will read without hesitation.

A good piece of regional fiction.......2003-03-25

Being not the biggest fan of fiction, I found myself captivated by "Winterkill" largely due to Lesley's vivid descriptions of my hometown and the land where I grew up.

Lesley may not possess the greatest storytelling ability. His plot does sag and drag and suffers from underdevelopment.

That said, "Winterkill" makes for a fine read due to Lesley's characters: a family of modern day Nez Pearce Indians and his aforementioned depictions of a specific regional space. I have hunted and hiked Red Elk canyon and currently live on the Umatilla River, attend the Round-Up on a yearly basis, drive by the Dalles Indian long house and teach in Pendleton: all settings described in this book. It really is quite fun to read a story taking place in areas I am familiar with.

All in all a fine piece of regional fiction well worth a look.

A very good book........2002-04-16

This book was a very good book. This book was about an Indian Man who was trying to keep the ways of his ancestors and keeping up with the times. He knows many rituals that his father taught him. He has a young sone that afters years of being apart, and his ex wifes death, are together again. This book kept me intersted in what was going to happen next. The setting of this book was also set in the place that I grew up in. It is a very good book and is good for anyone to read.

yheeeee haaaaawwww.......2002-04-16

I feel that this book is writen so well that it could have been a true story. It tells the way of life with out the auther trying to show only one side. It can be a little crude in spots but I feel that it only makes it all the more real. If you have any intrest in indians or rodeo life, you should read this book.

Squirel on 'drugs'.......2002-01-04

Winterkill is a hard book to get into. There are constant flashbacks to the past, which makes the timeline jump around like a squirel on 'drugs'. When Jones dies the audience can see Danny's grief but cannot "feel" it.
By the end of the novel nothing in the plot has been solved or put to rest. The audience ends the book feeling like it has just read a book like "seinfeld", which is a book about nothing.

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Winterkill (Wilderness, No 15)
David Thompson
Manufacturer: Leisure Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0843934875

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Winterkill
Gary Paulsen
Manufacturer: T. Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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AN EDGE OF YOUR SEAT THRILLER
I would reccomend this book to any one
A chilling story!

Winterkill
Nicole Davidson
Manufacturer: Flare
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0380759659

Customer Reviews:

AN EDGE OF YOUR SEAT THRILLER.......2007-02-18

Winterkill was the first book that I completed in one sitting. It is fast-paced and serves up some serious suspense. Best book I've ever read.

I would reccomend this book to any one.......1998-12-10

This was a great book, I would reccomend anyone to read. The last couple chapters really keep you on the edge of your seat. Almost all of her books so far that I have read have been really good.

A chilling story!.......1998-06-24

My cousin gave me this book the day before I left for my ski trip to Killington, Vermont and she told me to read it on the plane ride so I did. When I got off the plane I was like "whoa that's so so ironic. I was like dreaming about this book after a long day on the slopes and in it I was Karen and it was so so trippy. But I'm glad I read it. I even stole this book from cousin ( but she thinks I lost it hee hee) this is a really cool book!

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Really good book
Square Pegs in the Mountains

Winterkill
Karen Wunderman
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0759676615

Customer Reviews:

Really good book.......2003-03-09

This wonderful book was recommended to me, though I was warned that it was a "woman's book." My foot. It's a book for all of us, a fine story about a teen's coming of age. But be warned, for it's more than this, including a story about the 1950s and 1960s in the wake of McCarthyism. The characters are survivors of that period and they develop in ways that illustrate our vulnerability and resilience. If I had to sum it up, I'd call this a tough, smart, sensitive, grown-up book. The author writes beautifully. Her characters are believable and recognizable. There aren't many books that I wish were longer. This is an exception to that rule.

Square Pegs in the Mountains.......2002-11-14

Set in the late fifties, Winterkill is a thoughtful novel in which an ex-Communist party member from New York, Ben Dalton, seeks redemption in a quiet New Hampshire town. But, as he and his family soon discover,Sitwell is more likely to crush a man's spirit than to save it. Tension builds as Ben struggles to keep his past a secret and to blend in with the quirky, narrow-minded townspeople who seem content with their dull routines and bigoted opinions. The residents stand in sharp contrast to the
mutuable, awe-inspiring landscape, which Wunderman paints with an expert's eye for sensual detail. The Dalton family, the young daughter in particular, feels the pinch of the former and the tug of the latter, as they try to navigate their way through this unfamiliar territory. Both a coming of age novel and a portrait of midlife reckoning, Winterkill will appeal to any reader who has felt like a square peg in a round hole. It's a page-turning read, with a conclusion that is at once shocking and inevitable.

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Winterkill
J.D. Kipfer
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1413403336

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Winterkill
Xavier T. Jefferson
Manufacturer: Ashley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 087949087X

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Winterkill
Nicole Davidson
Manufacturer: Flare
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NY2HCC

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Winterkill
Craig Lesley
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OOLMPY

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A crucial puzzle piece: why do Eclipse caste Solars rock?
Caste Book: Eclipse (Exalted)
White Wolf Publishing
Manufacturer: White Wolf Games Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Caste Book: Dawn

Caste Book: Twilight

Aspect Book: Air (Exalted)

Aspect Book Earth (Exalted)

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ASIN: 1588466647

Customer Reviews:

A crucial puzzle piece: why do Eclipse caste Solars rock?.......2005-05-05

The "Castebooks", the first character-type-specific entries in the Exalted game line, were of varying quality. Castebook: Eclipse stands out as the most interesting of the five, if not the most sugar-coated.

In Exalted, a caste represents a character type, suggesting a role for the Solar Exalted belonging to it. While specialized castes like the Dawn and Twilight emphasize the arts of war and sorcery respectively, the Eclipse caste is comprised of facilitators, travellers, and bureaucrats. In a game of kung-fu, mythological pastiche, and giant-robot-on-demon combat, finding a place for the Eclipse character is a tall order.

This book addresses this problem by fleshing out five very interesting and mold-breaking characters, including a desert admiral, a faceless agent provocateur, and a reindeer-riding emissary to the Fair Folk. Each has a compelling story to tell, and each is compelled by somehow sympathetic motives. More importantly, each illustrates just how world-shaping an Eclipse-caste Solar Exalted can be; rightly, the social skills of the Solars are feared (and treasured by players) as much as or more than Solar swordplay or sorcery.

Less interesting in the Eclipse book than in the other castebook are the mechanical cookies given to characters who focus on Eclipse skills: creating magical boats and horses ex nihilo can be interesting, and the Mantis Form martial art is actually my favourite Solar style, but the other castebooks (not to mention the extraordinary Outcaste book for the Dragon-Blooded) are replete with more potent toys and magic. That said, on the whole Castebook: Eclipse was the most *needed* of the books, fleshing out a hard-to-grasp role. It fills the niche admirably and enjoyably.

One further note: the structure of the Caste books is closer to that of a "background" supplement than a "gaming" supplement. If you pick this up, be ready to read more in-character story text than game rules. With that in mind, it's an excellent read.

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An alternative view

Just what you need

Great ideas

Lots of good advice presented systematically, some speculation too.

Not for everyone, but a good place to start.

8 Weeks to Optimum Health
Andrew Weil
Manufacturer: Time Warner Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Weil, Dr. Andrew | Authors, A-Z | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Spontaneous Healing : How to Discover and Embrace Your Body's Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself

Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health

ASIN: 0751518557

Amazon.com

"Health," Dr. Andrew Weil writes, "is a dynamic and temporary state of equilibrium destined to break down as conditions change." In other words, there's no such thing as the type of health that allows you to feel equally great every day of your life. Instead, Weil suggests, your goal should be to improve your resilience to disease, and while you're at it, feel more joy and strength.

As to how you should gain this strength, joy, and resilience, Weil doesn't come on with a hard sell to give up every bad habit or all of the foods you enjoy. Instead, he suggests gradual changes: clean your pantry of whatever cooking oils you have there, except olive oil; start taking vitamin C three times a day; walk a few minutes a day; eat some fish and broccoli. The program is so simple and sensible that anyone trying it probably will feel better in a week.

The program then gets progressively more involved--more supplements; more of a shift toward a diet based on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; more exercise. Besides these steady changes, each week's program has a focus: In week 2, you start drinking bottled or filtered water; week 3 focuses on organic produce; week 4, on sleep; week 5, using a steam bath or sauna; week 6, trying a "universal tonic" like ginseng; week 7, volunteering in your community; and finally, in week 8, figuring out how to integrate permanently the elements of the program into your life.

Even those who don't go for the entire program will probably find something here to like--the recipes, maybe, or the suggestion that you cut back on strenuous types of exercise like running and competitive sports in favor of brisk walks. It's perfectly useful either way: as a total lifestyle overhaul, or a series of suggestions, any one or two of which will probably help you feel better. --Lou Schuler

Book Description

In his new book, Dr. Weil explains how the mechanisms and processes of the body's healing system work. He delineates the ways in which an individual can optimize the functioning of his or her own system, and he explains the effects of the eight-week program, conceived to harness and support the internal healing system of our bodies.

Incorporating alternative medicines and treatments, he gives specific and detailed information on diet, exercise, stress reduction, breathing techniques, vitamins, supplements, herbs, and all the other components in the eight-week program. He customizes programs for special groups of people: pregnant women, overweight people, recovering alcoholics and drug abusers, those dealing with or overcoming heart problems, former cancer sufferers, people over 65, and a dozen other categories.

Building on the breakthrough thinking of Spontaneous Healing and drawing on the experiences of patients who have adopted his program, Dr. Weil's Eight Weeks to Optimum Health provides an invaluable means to maintain health and lessen the need for medical intervention.

Customer Reviews:

An alternative view.......2007-03-08

I recently got a copy of the new expanded and updated edition and I must say there is alot of great information for a healthy lifestyle.I look at health related books as a buffet line where I pick and choose what is best for my lifestyle. There are lots of ideas to pick from here; there are many beneficial suggestions for the mind and body. Dr. Weil covers all the bases of well-being. He touches on the spiritual and mental aspect of optimum health, as well as exercise, including stretching and of course diet. The revised and updated information regarding cholesterol, anti-oxidants,soy products, vitamins and supplements etc. is in tune with the current times. There are many recipes to help you follow a healthy eating lifestyle that compliments the detailed information provided on specific foods. I found the information on certain herbs to be very interesting and helpful. The different sections begin with a healing story, they are usually inspirational and motivational to try Dr. Weil's suggestions on certain foods or herbs, that are, an alternative to traditional medicines. Much of the information is reinforcement of some of the life principles I have tried to establish for myself through the years and you might find such is the case for you. There is always room for improvement and the information is here in this book to help you achieve as the title suggests ,optimum health. There is no need to wait until you are sick as now is the best time to incoporate lifestyle changes beyond the 8 week introduction suggested by Dr. Weil. Dr. Weil has a good plan that more Americans should follow, it would help bring all of our health care costs down. The appendix has a very complete listing of places to get supplies, obtain certain foods or alternative services amongst other resources. Recommended for the well-being section of your home library.

Just what you need.......2007-01-17

Andrew Weil gives insights into living and feeling better through a practical, sensible approach in his eight week program. He uses diet, exercise, breathing techniques, and the incorporation of vital supplements, to name a few, to teach a better state of wellness. The program doesn't require insane life changes which makes it easier for anyone seeking better health to benefit. I use this book as a reference regularly.

Great ideas.......2007-01-09

Simple ideas for improving your health from a well respected doctor. Simple to read and understand without being boring.

Lots of good advice presented systematically, some speculation too........2006-04-11

Overall, I think this is a very good book for someone who is trying to turn their health habits around, but is overwhelmed by all of the possibilities. It also a good track to run on for someone who wants to implement important life changes in an easy step-wise fashion. There is nothing fanatical about the recommendations and they can be easily implemented by almost anyone.

One of the things I most like about this book is the encouraging tone and the prioritization of various changes that are made little-by-little in eating habits, exercise, etc. This book recommends walking as the main source of exercise and gives some great arguments for why this makes sense. I think there are also some good and simple nutritional guidelines e.g. eliminated trans fatty acids, eating more fiber, using more olive oil, etc.

Mixed in with some well researched conclusions are Dr. Weil's opinions. For example, he recommends a fairly simple supplementation regimen. While it is true that not everything he says is necessarily supported by corresponding studies, it is also probably that some of it is on the mark, but the data is not all in or all of the variables are not possible to isolate. At the least, I don't see where this level of supplementation would do harm to most people.

I also like that Dr. Weil takes a holistic approach to health. He not only looks at and talks about the body. He also addressed stress and relaxation, life attitudes and other ingredients of a healthy life that impact on health. While he is very commercial, he is also a Harvard trained physician and I do think that he has some very good insights to share.

While in some ways I think this book can be better. I would still recommend it to almost anyone, especially people who are intimidated by the idea of exercising and changing their life habits. While not every suggestion might be on target, I am sure that if someone implemented ALL the suggestions over eight weeks, they would undergo a big positive change in the state of their health. I have certainly found this to be true and I cheat on some of them ;)

Not for everyone, but a good place to start........2006-02-21

If there's one thing of critical significance that can be taken away from this book it is the importance of eating whole, nutritious foods free from chemicals and presevatives on a daily basis for the rest of your life. It means turning over a new leaf, making sacrifices and learning something new but if you are over 35 and need to improve your health this may just be the answer you're looking for (assuming from the outset you have no major health problems). While I found a few of Dr. Weil's suggestions to be out of my realm of practicality---fresh-cut flower arrangements every day, for instance----most of the other recommendations presented in the book are rather straight-forward and provide a simple strategy for getting back on the road to good eating and optimal health (like daliy walks, relaxed breathing and weekly breaks from news and current events). I had always loved foods like broccoli, ginger, garlic, sardines and olive oil so most of the dietary guidelines, for me, were easy to deploy. To start the ball rolling, Dr. Weil instructs the reader to go to the pantry and throw away---that's right----throw away all of the bad, chemically-preserved foods; canned soups, margerines, gravy mixes, bottled dressings, snacks, cakes, soft drinks, foods containing hydrogenated oils, aspartame, msg, dyes, etc. This is critical since it lays the foundation for good health in the coming weeks. Demanding that the reader abrubty cut off his supply of "comfort food" may
become a daunting task for those who have spent a lifetime enjoying these "near-foods", but once you make the committment you gradually begin to regain your health and well-being in a surprisingly short period of time provided that you stay within the dietary guidelines. I improved my health alone by simply cutting out many of the nutritionally deficient "food products" I never realized were harmful to me. I can now work-out longer, have less fatigue, sleep better plus I discovered new, wholesome foods that are now a regular part of my diet. If you follow no other recommendations provided in the book and simply eliminate all the bad foods that are slowly destroying your health, even then you will experience an unmistakeable improvement in your health.

8 Weeks To Optimum Health Weekly Planner And Shopping Guide

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8 Weeks To Optimum Health Weekly Planner And Shopping Guide

Manufacturer: Rodale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Eight Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body's Natural Healing Power

ASIN: 1579546196

8 Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body's Natural Healing Power

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8 Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body's Natural Healing Power
Andrew Weil
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 034549802X
Release Date: 2007-08-28

Book Description

Now expanded and updated–the #1 New York Times bestselling book in which one of America’s most brilliant doctors shares his famous program for improving and protecting your health

Eight Weeks to Optimum Health lays out Dr. Andrew Weil’s famous week-by-week, step-by-step plan that will keep your body’s natural healing system in peak working order. It covers diet, exercise, lifestyle, stress, and environment–all aspects of daily living that affect health and well-being. This revised edition includes the most up-to-date findings on such vital subjects as cholesterol, antioxidants, trans fats, toxic residues in the food supply, soy products, and vitamins and supplements, together with a greatly enhanced source list of information and supplies. Inside you will learn how to

• develop eating habits for greater health and well-being
• start an effective exercise program based on walking and stretching
• work with breathing patterns to decrease stress and improve energy
• solve sleeping problems
• eliminate toxins from your diet
• minimize environmental hazards in your daily life

Plus–programs tailored to the specific needs of pregnant women, senior citizens, overweight people, and those at risk for cancer.

“If there is a heaven, sixtysomething Weil is headed there, but if he practices what he preaches, probably not for some time yet.”
– London Times

“Dr. Andrew Weil is an extraordinary phenomenon.”
–The Washington Post

Average customer rating:

8 WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH
ANDREW WEIL
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Maximizing the 8 Weeks to Optimum Health Plan

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Maximizing the 8 Weeks to Optimum Health Plan
Andrew Weil
Manufacturer: Rodale Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 1579546226

Average customer rating:

8 Weeks To Optimum Health
Andrew Weil
Manufacturer: ALFRED A KNOPF
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

8 Weeks to Optimum Health
Andrew Weil
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

New Edition, Expanded and Updated

LOT 2 BOOKS SPONTANEOUS HEALING & 8 WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH

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LOT 2 BOOKS SPONTANEOUS HEALING & 8 WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH
M.D. ANDREW WEIL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WIZ5GE

2 LITLE 8 WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH & NATURAL MEDICINES AND CURES .

Average customer rating:

2 LITLE 8 WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH & NATURAL MEDICINES AND CURES .
M.D. ANDREW WEIL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000V3UJTI

Product Description

TWO BOOKS * 8 WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH A PROVEN PROGRAM FOR TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF YOUR BODY'S NATURAL HEALING POWER. * NATURAL MEDICINES AND CURES YOUR DOCTOR NEVER TELL YOU ABOUT.

Amazon.com

Grab this book and your forchetta (fork) and head to Italy for a tantalizing tour of tastes. Faith Heller Willinger is an American living in Italy who has devoted her taste buds to sampling and reporting on the best Italian kitchens have to offer. If you think Italian food equals pizza and spaghetti, the variety of offerings found in the 11 northern regions explored in this book will astound you. Each regional section begins with helpful explanations of Italian dishes from local menus. Next, the wine and food specialties are temptingly presented with interesting tidbits about production methods and historical origins. For example, grissini, yard-long breadsticks of the Piemonte region, were first made in 1668, when "the Savoia court doctor, Don Baldo Pecchio, had the court baker whip up some crunchy, thin and easily digestible breadsticks for the sickly Prince Vittorio Amadeo II, who suffered from 'intestinal fevers.'" Each section is finished off with a listing of restaurants and inns, organized by city. If you aren't sated yet, Eating in Italy also provides gelato flavors, a key to Italian opening and closing hours, types of pasta, wine terminology, and a food glossary.

Book Description

Faith Heller Willinger has the unique advantage of being an American with an insider's knowledge of the culinary mysteries of Italy and a profound love for all of them. Drawn from her extensive knowledge and expertise Eating in Italy is a gastronomic tour of the regions that comprise the northern half of the country. The finest restaurants in Florence, the best chocolate anywhere, the chic kitchenware shops in Milan, outdoor markets in towns not on any tourist's map, elegant and affordable hotels in Venice, picnic spots in the countryside -- there's information for every traveler, armchair or otherwise, who wants to experience the authentic flavor of northern Italy. Here is the Italian table for the adventurous and sophisticated, including every food-related situation, ritual, and tradition, from weather to waiters, climate to Chianti.

Customer Reviews:

ok book.......2007-05-29

I have this book and didn't find it terribly interesting. When I went to Italy, I didn't stay in the north, maybe thats why I didn't find it so useful.

Eating in Italy.......2006-11-10

Very good for its age, but beware of this 1998 edition. We just spent 3 weeks in Tuscany, Umbria, Verona and Bologna. Many of the establishments named have closed or moved.
But those businesses written about and yet enduring are terrific.

Great Guide, But Out of Date.......2006-06-14

This is a most excellent guide to the food of northern Italy, maybe the ONLY comprehensive guide in English to that vast and delectable region. It covers a huge range of cuisines from the rustic simplicty of Tuscany to the highly inflected Franco-Savoyard provincial foods of the Val d'Aosta. It gives special attention to the rich traditions of Emiglia-Romagna, especially Bologna. It also does a fine job of sampling the gamut of local offerings, from simple but excellent family kitchens to the greatest restaurants.

Unfortunately, the book is out of date. Last updated in 1998, I have found that maybe one third of its listings are now defunct, and many more can no longer be reached at the phone/fax numbers listed. I am currently planning a trip to Arezzo, Pisa, Assisi, Bologna, and Modena, and many of the restaurants I wanted to visit no longer exist. Still, the larger, more established restaurants and the older more established family kitchens tend to have the same contact information that they did eight years ago.

Please join with me in encouraging the author and publisher to revise and reissue this great guide. I'd love to see it as a supplement to the Fodor's Italy guide, which is generally excellent but provides only cursory coverage of food.

Please note that my rating is somewhat arbitrary given that the book has become largely obsolete.

Would not go to Italy without Faith's latest book!.......2006-01-31

This was our second trip to Italy using Faith's guide to help us find local markets. We were invited to prepare a celebration dinner at a villa for family/friends in Tuscany. We were able to locate all the special ingredients we needed for the feast which lasted 6 hours and ended with a standing ovation. It was a dream come true. Before and after the week at the villa, we traveled in Italy, also relying on Faith's excellent recommendations. She reports that she is currently writing a book for Southern Italy. You can bet we will plan a return visit when it becomes available. Faith has foodie tours of Florence and offers small cooking classes, as well. Check out her website.

An Indispensible Guide to Northern Italian Eateries.......2002-05-19

I've made something like ten pleasure trips to Italy in the past decade, and for me, this is easily the best dining resource IN PRINT. In this Internet age, there are additional ways to garner some information about Eating in Italy, but it you aren't too interested in the "new, hot, trendy" etc., this is definitely money well spent.
There are other books I draw upon, including Sandra Gustafson's "Cheap Eats In Italy," Maureen Fant's "Trattorias of Rome, Florence, and Venice," and the guides from the Time Out series. But kilo for kilo, this is the one I use most frequently, especially if you wander away from Rome-Florence-Venice.
Many of her recommendations also pop up (as citations) in some of the better travelogues--- for instance her writing is cited in books such as "The Collected Traveler-- Central Italy" collected by Barrie Kerper and the recently issued "Piazzas and Pizzas-- the Adventures of the Clean Plate Club in Italy."
Worth every penny, Euro, or late, lamented Lire that you spend.

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