Stalking the Puzzle Lady (Puzzle Lady Mysteries)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • "It is a puzzlement," remarked His Majesty, the Yul of Siam
  • PUZZLE LADY AGAIN
  • More of the same
  • The puzzle lady and murder on tour
  • exciting amateur sleuth
Stalking the Puzzle Lady (Puzzle Lady Mysteries)
Parnell Hall
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553587633
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Book Description

Cora Felton may look like everyone’s favorite grandmother. But the white-haired, bespectacled Puzzle Lady swears, smokes, gambles, and is even dodgy on the subject of how many husbands she’s had. So it strikes her long-suffering niece Sherry Carter as amusing when Cora announces, “I’m tired of living a lie!”

The inspiration for this sudden burst of honesty is a promotion by Granville Grains featuring the Puzzle Lady on a bus tour of televised personal appearances. Cora can’t think of anything she’d like to do less–except maybe quit smoking–than travel the supermarkets of I-95 hawking the new and improved Corn Toasties to her legions of fans. And someone else mustn’t want her to go either, because they’ve left a knife planted in her front door with a crossword puzzle attached. But when Sherry solves the puzzle she can’t decide whether the enigmatic message is a threat, a love note, or– creepier still–both.

Like it or not, Cora and Sherry must take their show on the road, along with a makeshift TV crew that includes a smarmy producer with a bad hairpiece, an abrasive director, an overambitious publicist, and two overgrown child-actors with some very adult problems. Throw in a few uninvited guests, including a roly-poly munchkin who’s had an unrequited crush on Cora since high school and Sherry’s abusive ex-husband, and you don’t need to be a puzzle expert to know this trip is going to be murder!


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars "It is a puzzlement," remarked His Majesty, the Yul of Siam.......2007-06-07

All things considered, one would not anticipate much of a demand for a series of mysteries in which the creator(s) of crossword puzzles endlessly stumble over puzzle-obsessed murderers. Nevertheless, there is not only one such a series in print, but two! And maybe, for all I know, a half-dozen more are lurking out there in the bush, as well. "Stalking the Puzzle Lady" is member of much the better of the two series.

Author Parnell Hall first came to my attention with a 1987 novel called "Detective," the first of a series featuring Stanley Hastings, a fairly ordinary Joe, fairly happily married, who is an underemployed, underpaid, unaspiring private detective struggling to write his first, long-delayed mystery novel. Much of the charm of the Hastings series was the author's obvious glee in placing his distinctly un-hard-boiled private eye into good, old, traditional hard-boiled plots, then leaving the harassed and often frightened Hastings to wriggle out as best he might.

From 1988 to 1992, Hall also published five books featuring somebody named Steve Winslow.

I remember good reviews for the Hastings books, but for the life of me I can't recall a thing about the Winslow series--or even if I ever found one to read. PI Stanley Hastings always struck me as all right guy but he was never really good hero-material, not the solid core for a lengthy series that could hope to extract much money from MY pockets. I am not privy to Hall's sales figures, of course, but it was my impression that the Hastings books were more likely to attract praise from connoisseurs than burst onto anybody's bestseller list.

That is why I suspect that about 1998, Hall or his agent or his publisher took a long, hard look at the mystery-buying public. And, I think, from that long, hard look, the Puzzle Lady series was born, for it is aimed not merely at one but at two distinct segments of the female demographic. Instead of the conventional cozy mystery team of heroine and sidekick, the Puzzle Lady series has what amounts to two heroines. One of them is a cozy mystery staple, a young woman beginning to achieve success and financial reward in an unusual profession. She has found a moderately attractive young man and their courtship can be (and has been) stretched from book to book to book, providing some handy continuity for the series. The other heroine is an elder relative with whom she shares a home, a woman who appears to be everyone's favorite grandmother, but whose character seems to be made of equal portions of Miss Marple, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Tugboat Annie and Ma Barker.

The gimmick of the series is that the younger woman, Sherry, is a successful creator of crossword puzzles who does not look the part, while the older, Cora despises the things, but looks exactly like the sort of person to create brain-twisters. In the tried-and-true tradition of "I've got the brains, you've got the looks, let's make money," the two exchange roles to make Cora the public face of the puzzles.

Preposterous? Yes. Does it work? You betcha! Okay, go figure, a puzzle-packing murderer (or something like it) turns up conveniently for each book. But so what? Cora is a genuine, dyspeptic hoot and Sherry can be fun, too.

The plots of these books, in common with many or even most cozy mysteries, are the least significant things about them. Suffice it to say that they are workmanlike and effective. The strength of such books is the entertaining way in which their heroines deal with the melodrama--the tsuris, if you will--tossed at them by the author. Cora and Sherry deal with it admirably.

The series has an additional asset that lifts it over the throng of competing cozies. Unlike the competent but plodding wordsmiths of most mysteries, Parnell Hall is a genuine writer. He routinely, and without any fuss, pulls off scenes that are simply not attempted by most cozy mystery writers. In Chapter 10, for instance what could be a major plot development is treated not as a discovery or as a source of fear but in the form of chitchat that would serve as well for a pair of "42nd Street" chorines primping for a date with a couple of well-heeled swells. Or this masterly bit of summarizing from Chapter 30:

"Okay," the cop named Jerry said. "Let me see if I've got this straight. The one guy was married to two of the girls, but not the blond girl. The other guy is dating two of the girls, including Blondie, and barely knows the other one. The girl who was married to the one guy and is dating the other is your niece. The girl who is married to the other guy is your niece's best friend. The guy who is dating your niece and used to go with the blond bombshell is a reporter. And the girl who looks like she just stepped out of a Victoria's Secret catalogue is a lawyer. Is that right?"

"Basically, I doubt if they'd appreciate being called girls, but that's their problem."

No-one could ever accuse the books of the Puzzle Lady series of being great literature, but they are certainly entertaining and expertly written. They stand well above the cozy mystery average. By the standards of their genre, they are worth five stars.

4 out of 5 stars PUZZLE LADY AGAIN.......2006-06-26

It is a tradition for me to read a Puzzle Lady book every year. This one I enjoyed. Sometimes I read the Puzzle Lady mysteries and I hope that the media finds out that she isn't really the puzzle lady, and that her niece is the true puzzle lady. Then the books would be titled Old Fiesty Lady and the Puzzle Lady solve mysteries, and I would still read them. I like how each year the author writes the Puzzle Lady books with modern themes, such as using the web to Google a name and get information etc....

3 out of 5 stars More of the same .......2006-02-22

For those of you who enjoy Puzzle Lady mysteries this latest one is jsut another offering of the same. The characters and their personalities are well fleshed out and it's just a matter of sifting through the clues and events to solve the mystery. Generally these books are not meant to be solve, as clues are not in abundance, but just enjoyed as light reading

4 out of 5 stars The puzzle lady and murder on tour.......2005-10-29

Cora Felton, the puzzle lady, is on tour promoting Granville Grains' Corn Toasties cereal. They're doing televised personal appearances at supermarkets off I-95. Not her favorite thing.

Right before leaving, a crossword puzzle is pinned to her door with a knife. Cora's niece Sherry decides to accompany Cora to keep an eye on her and keep her safe.

An old acquaintance of Cora's appears at one of the stores. This isn't someone she wants to spend time with, so she doesn't. Then he shows up at another store. Sherry's abusive ex-husband shows up on the tour as well. Then a woman on the tour is found dead. The people believe it was an accident. Cora and Sherry believe it was murder.

Cora and Sherry set out to solve the murder, but can they find the murderer without putting themselves or anyone else in danger.

I always enjoy books in this series. Cora is so abrasive, but yet likable. Sherry is quiet and always keeping an eye on Cora. They make such a great team. The reporter that Sherry is dating always assists them and complements their detecting skills so well.

The TV crew in this book really add to the story with all their quirks. The fact that they're stuck at a motel while on tour but yet outsiders can come in and out helps keep the reader guessing on who the murderer is.

I highly recommend this book.
[...]

5 out of 5 stars exciting amateur sleuth .......2005-10-25

Sherry Carter is pleased that her outgoing Aunt Cora "the Puzzle Lady" Felton takes the credit for constructing the crossword puzzles because she is so shy while her aunt is the poster girl of extroverts. Cora wants to resign because she doesn't want to go on tour as the spokesperson for the new and improved Granville Grains Corn Toasties. The only reason she agrees to do it is because she needs the money, having lost heavily due to poor investments.

Cora doesn't know that someone is in the shadows, watching every move she makes while sending her crossword puzzles. When the sender gets impatient that Cora fails to make contact with him, he kills a young actress who is posing as one of the older children that is in the crowds at each stop. Cora is uneasy because her high school friend Freddy Fosterfield is turning up everywhere she goes; while Sherry who is on tour with her aunt is being hassled by her abusive ex-husband Dennis. When the publicity person on the tour is murdered, suspicion falls on Dennis but Sherry believes he is innocent of the two killings and tries to prove it. This angers her lover Aaron and irritates Cora but neither as much as an irate killer.

The latest Puzzle Lady mystery is an exciting amateur sleuth tale in which Cora unwittingly is trapped in a cat and mouse game with a murderer who starts out as an infatuated person and evolves into a cold-blooded killing machine. Parnell Hall focuses on the violence of stalkers who are obsessed by a celebrity and shows why it is a hard crime to solve. This entertaining crime caper also has the usual numerous humorous moments and puzzles to solve that lead to clues.

Harriet Klausner
Stalking the Puzzle Lady
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Stalking the Puzzle Lady
    Parnell Hall
    Manufacturer: Bantam
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback
    ASIN: B000OCXAYM

    Light Years: An Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of Eduard Meier
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Are the Pleiadians Our Ancestors?
    • Even-handed review of a very important case.
    Light Years: An Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of Eduard Meier
    Gary Kinder
    Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Pr
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0871131390

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Are the Pleiadians Our Ancestors?.......2003-08-21

    Author Gary Kinder explores the investigation into whether Billy Meier had actually been contacted by aliens or not. I was pretty well convinced by the book that he had made contact. A lot of people investigating the phenomenon in the book were deeply skeptical of Meier and did all they could to try to figure out how he could perpetrate a hoax, but could not find much. I thought the skepticism was getting ridiculous as I read on. But if someone doesn't want to believe in something, it doesn't really matter how much evidence is presented. My only disappointment with the book is that the author did not go into great detail about what the Pleiadians said to Billy Meier about themselves, their civilization, what they knew about our civilization, and what they were doing here. Kinder dismisses what the Meier said about the Pleiadians as "ravings". Meier made notes of each of his visits with the aliens, so going into detail about the conversations would not have been a problem. Kinder should have let the "madman" speak, instead of leaving it out of the book.

    5 out of 5 stars Even-handed review of a very important case........1999-09-14

    This is the story of an initially skeptical group of American investigators who spent several years studying case of Eduard Meier. Meier was a one-armed Swiss farmer who claimed to have been visited by extraterrestials over a period of years. These researchers made numerous trips to the Meier farm in Switzerland during the period when contacts were allegedly taking place. It describes the reactions of senior scientists at IBM, NASA, the US Navy and elsewhere to the hundreds of photographs, physical evidence and advanced scientific knowledge presented by the minimally educated Meier. Though often dismissed as hoax, the Meier case leaves a great deal which is unexplainable in any ordinary way. These visitations may well be more significant than the Betty & Barney Hill case in impacting our understanding of the place of humanity in the universe. The book left me wanting to know more.
    Light Years, an Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of Eduard Meier
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Light Years, an Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of Eduard Meier
      Gary Kinder
      Manufacturer: The Atlantic Monthly Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000PAW65C
      Light Years: An Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of Eduard Meier
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Light Years: An Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of Eduard Meier
        Gary Kinder
        Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000PW8Z5A

        Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss
        Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
        • Superb Diet, Foundations a Bit Shakey
        • The lose weight BIBLE!
        • This diet gives you CONTROL
        • Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears
        • "Devil's Advocate" speaking:
        Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss
        Barry Sears , and (none)
        Manufacturer: Collins
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        1. Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

        ASIN: 0060391901

        Amazon.com

        Barry Sears's 1995-96 bestseller, The Zone, changed the way many people look at nutrition and weight loss. Although his plan advocates eating fewer calories and exercising more, it also stresses getting more of those calories from fat and protein and fewer from carbohydrates. Here, he expands on that theory (which is still not accepted in most scientific circles) and offers recipes to help readers put his principles into practice.

        Book Description

        Everyone from Madonna to Howard Stern to the cast of Baywatch is in "the Zone" -- and now "Zone"-favorable cuisine is tastier than ever! Dr. Barry Sears, author of the No.1 New York Times bestseller and health phenomenon, The Zone (more than 600,000 hardcover copies sold!), is back with an exciting new book teeming with tantalizing recipes and insightful information that will deepen readers' understanding of this revolutionary health and fitness program that has become the regimen of the '90s.

        Flying in the face of conventional dietary thinking, and after years of comprehensive scientific research, Dr. Sears discovered that "eating fat doesn't make you fat." His phenomenally successful first book, The Zone, introduced the world to to groundbreaking health plan that for hundreds of thousands of readers has become the magic key to maintaining a consistent level of physical and mental well-being -- a healthful state known as "The Zone." Now Dr. Sears takes his breakthrough scientific discoveries and stunning success a step further with Mastering the Zone, which not only presents delicious, completely original Zone-favorable recipes that are easy to prepare and taste as good as they are good for you, but also offers a practical guide to fine-tuning your place in the Zone.

        From entrees to appetizers to desserts, there is something here for every taste and every occasion. Appearing throughout is Dr. Sears' enlightening new information for readers interested in educating themselves further about the Zone -- the health regimen that succeeds where millions of others have not.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars Superb Diet, Foundations a Bit Shakey.......2007-07-21

        I'm giving this book a 4 star review. It recieves 4 stars by merit of the diet's effect on me personally. Your mileage may vary. I have been following this diet mostly to the T. I have dropped 15 pounds in the last month and I feel absolutely excellent. I'm not sure whether all of the theory that this diet is based on is completely sound. The focus on hormones and stuff seems a bit pseudo-science-ish to me, but much of it is also sound. For me I think the big thing was getting more protein and having my blood sugar levels more stable. As far as that goes this diet is excellent. I notice I have lots of energy and not in a manic psychological sense, which tells me that it's legit energy... there if you need it but you can chill if you don't. My muscles are also staying quite hard despite not having added weight training to my exercise regimen until this week... an effect strangely lacking in other diets I've tried that were so calorie restrictive.

        However keep in mind that everyone's individual chemistry is different. I've always intuitively felt that I needed more protein and fat for a successful diet, and I am the type of person who did not respond well at all to the typically dietary guidelines that the food pyramid recommends. Your milease may vary.

        5 out of 5 stars The lose weight BIBLE!.......2006-04-24

        I went from 209 pounds to 151 pounds with the principles of this book. Once you understand how insulin works against you to store fat,and learn the right amount of protein and carbs your body needs to maintain your ideal weight, you can begin your journey to eat in the zone and lose weight.It has been my eating guidelines for almost 10 years. It is well worth the trouble to learn to treat food as a drug.

        5 out of 5 stars This diet gives you CONTROL.......2006-04-17

        Having tried and failed at Atkins and other diets, I was highly skeptical about the Zone diet. I've always been more of a believer of "calories-in-calories-out," not giving much thought to insulin and the body's hormonal response to food. The great thing about the Zone is the fact that I now have control over my eating. I still can't believe it. No longer do I have cravings and feel hungry 18 hours a day. Usually, after about 3 days of dieting using the traditional high carb low fat method, I was always starving, and the thought of food consumed my life. After 3 days of being in the Zone, I have to push myself to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day! This is coming from a guy who weighed over 300 pounds when he first started. Is Dr. Sears correct in his teachings about carbohydrates and their effect on insulin? I tend to think so, given my body's response. But even if he's wrong, so what? I'm now consuming about 1,500 calories per day without hunger. So even if you subscribe to the old calorie beliefs, as I had, you're still consuming far less than before once in the Zone. Bottom line: if you're tired of feeling hungry and deprived while trying to lose weight, get into the Zone.

        5 out of 5 stars Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears.......2006-01-16

        The author provides a food pyramid which emphasizes the following:
        - unlimited amounts of water
        - fruits and veggies in abundance
        - some monounsaturated fats
        - the eating of grains very selectively

        Many simple meal recipes are provided for implementation by
        dieters. The authors ask that we never consume more lowfat protein than approximately 5 ounces of skinless chicken.
        In addition, physical activity must become an integral part of
        the daily diet. Unfavorable food groups include grains,
        pasta and starch when eaten in quantity. The preferred proteins
        are fish, chicken, soybean, low-fat cottage cheese etc.

        The work provides a good regimen for emulation by a large
        constituency of dieters. In each case, you should consult
        with your physician or registered dietician prior to full
        scale implementation.

        4 out of 5 stars "Devil's Advocate" speaking:.......2005-05-30

        First, I'd like to play the foil to the foregoing customer review (12/12/03) wherein the writer opined that Barry Sears is not an effective narrator of the audio editions of his various Zone books. On the one hand, that reviewer had me duly chuckling at his exaggerated (?) "impressions" of Sears' vocal idiosyncrasies. Ol' Barry does indeed have an unmistakable way of (mis)pronouncing the word "fa(v)orable," for example, not to mention various other polysyllabic terms. ;-) Nonetheless, I continually enjoy auditing Sears' own spoken renditions of his books, and I hope that he will continue his delightful antics with all future publications (I see that he's done so with his latest tome, The Anti-Inflammation Zone, which is, to date, the only book of his that I haven't yet heard him perform). Why on earth would I ever want to listen to some glitzy, "flawless" narrator when I can hear The Truth delivered from the mouth of the man himself--flaws and all? ;-) As a matter of fact, I will go so far as to say (at least when it comes to "Zone" topics) that I downright prefer Sears' own idiosyncratic enunciations to those of the run-of-the-mill "professional" audiobook narrators (and, trust me, I've heard a zillion of the latter).

        Now, as for the book "Mastering the Zone," I would say that this 1997 sequel to "The Zone" (1995) made great strides beyond its best-selling predecessor insofar as it's much more easily digestible for the lay reader, who likely was somewhat overwhelmed by the plethora of "biochemical terminology" in the prior book. The sequel clearly was intended to serve better as a "primer" for the average citizen wishing quickly and easily to assimilate the fundamentals of the Zone lifestyle.

        However, in that regard, Sears mass-market paperback, "A Week in the Zone" (2000) is still better. Whereas "Mastering the Zone" comprises a plethora of meal recipes throughout the majority of its pages, the subsequent paperback manages a somewhat better overall balance of information. Moreover, the paperback is much more easily transportable, conceivably even to your average restaurant. [But, hey, given that you can nowadays possess either title "used" at a dirt-cheap price, take your pick--or get both.]

        Basically, what Sears wants you to do is to think of (virtually) all your food--for the rest of your life--as a "prescription drug". Everything you eat should be chosen on the basis of whether it's truly good for you, not merely whether it tastes good. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't enjoy your food at least as much as ever. In fact, there are all manner of perfectly scrumptious foods/recipes (discussed in the book) that you can (virtually) freely indulge in, while avoiding certain other foods that, alas, too many folks have become all too used to wolfing down.

        For example, instead of processed, high-sugar desserts (e.g., pies and cakes), why not substitute fresh, chilled plums, strawberries, blueberries, or oranges? In my experience, once you're actually munching on your favorite fresh fruit (assuming it's high-quality produce at the ideal stage of fully sweet ripeness), you will most assuredly NOT miss that accustomed slice of highly processed pie, cake, etc., with all that "refined" (!) flour, sugar, and/or fat. You will be eating REAL food, not manmade food, and your body--not to mention your taste buds--will thank you for it.

        Barry Sears (a "doctor of biochemistry" and NOT a doctor of medicine--despite the "convenient" new way his name is being inscribed on his most recent books!) is arguably the most entertaining and intriguing contemporary author in the area of diet, nutrition, and health. While I sense that he is endowed with a healthy measure of self-aggrandizement (as when he pretty obviously pushes his own brand of fish oil in recent books), that capitalistic trait is, for me, rather forgivable when you consider that his overall message is sure to improve the health of the majority of readers who take it to heart. [Besides, even at his repeatedly formulaic, self-promoting "worst," Barry Sears still comes across as the sort of "smart-but-sincere" person I'd enjoy having as a next-door neighbor!]

        In "Mastering the Zone", Sears reiterates (and sometimes expands upon) the most basic concepts introduced in his first book, including such things as:

        --Determining, respectively, the amounts (and types) of protein, carbohydrate, and fat you should consume per meal (and per day);

        --Why the (former) US-government-sanctioned "food pyramid" is "dead wrong";

        --Why high-protein (or high-carb, or high-fat) diets are unhealthy;

        --Why using balanced, moderate portions from all three food categories--(lean) proteins; (high-fiber/low-sugar) carbohydrates; and (monounsaturated) fats--is the way to optimize your health and keep you "in the zone" (i.e., your crucial insulin level will continuously stay neither too high nor too low);

        --Why it's generally not fats but rather (high-sugar/processed) carbohydrates (e.g., bread, pasta, potatoes, corn, peas) that make/keep you fat.

        There is a "Frequently Asked Questions" chapter toward the end of the book. At that juncture, Sears deals with many additional topics that will surely interest the reader. A mere sampling of the questions from that chapter includes:

        --If I follow the Zone diet, does this mean I can never have rice, pasta, and bagels again? ["Of course not. But take them in extreme moderation-as occasional `condiments'"]

        --Should I be concerned about such a seemingly low daily caloric intake? [Nope. Sears points out that if you have any excess body fat, then all the calories you need are already stored in your body, etc.]

        --Doesn't ANY low-calorie diet cause fat loss? [Nay, says Sears. It depends on the particular balance--or lack--of proteins to carbohydrates to fats]

        --Why should I eat my scheduled meal or snack even if I'm not hungry? [Actually, that's an ideal time to eat.]

        Now, for the benefit of those souls who stumble onto this review (and, at the time of this writing, their number may be small, for, curiously, the lifelong, balanced, moderate Zone "diet" currently gets less media exposure--and, consequently, seems less "fashionable" to the common ruck than such "crash" diets as the "South Beach" or even the "Atkins"!), I also want to counter what some other readers have remarked about Sears' "Zone" approach being "too hard" for your average busy person to follow day-to-day. Having been "in the zone" for over two months, I can tell you that it's really downright easy. Space won't allow complete details, but, just for starters, let me advise NOT to take all the book's recipes too literally. Instead, just make sure you refer to the book's "Appendix B" regarding "food-block" sizes.

        For example, for breakfast (or lunch or dinner) the average male can have four times the weight of any given amount of a particular food listed there. Thus, since 1/2 ounce of dry (uncooked) "old-fashioned oatmeal" equals one (so-called) "food block", the average male could have approximately 2 ounces of such oatmeal for the "carbohydrate" portion of a given meal. Now, how difficult is it to simply pour about that much oatmeal into a bowl (I myself employ a cheap, digital scale for precision), add some water, and pop the bowl into the microwave for a very few minutes?

        Analogously, regarding the "protein" portion of a given meal, I've found that measuring portions of (skinless & boneless) baked chicken breast or canned salmon is easy and quick, especially if I remove the guesswork by simply setting the bowl of meat onto my kitchen scale momentarily.

        As for the "fat" portion of a given meal, how hard is it to use a "teaspoon" measurer (or merely your eyes) to allot your appropriate "fat block" portion per meal (again, referring to the simple chart in the book's "Appendix B" makes this easy for the beginner, not to mention that a bit of daily experience soon commits this to one's memory)?

        I've likewise found it plenty easy to pour part of a bag of frozen "Oriental" mixed veggies into a stovetop pan (along with a dash of olive oil and some precooked chicken-breast strips) to make for a delicious, "hormonally balanced" meal. For dessert, eating a fresh, chilled orange (or various other fruits) is quick, easy, and delicious.

        Finally, for those of us lucky enough to have access to those yummy "Zone Perfect nutrition (candy) bars", well, they can absolutely make life A LOT quicker and easier still! (Try to find them on sale--or free via coupons--whenever possible!)

        The "Zone" approach to eating and living is relatively easy to implement into your daily life, and--stressing, as it does, "balance & moderation" of all food components--certainly it's infinitely healthier than something like the "unbalanced" Atkins diet!

        Also: Make "mastering the Zone" truly easy for yourself by viewing a colorfully informative, supplementary VIDEO; just go to Amazon.com and "search" (under the "VHS" category/product heading) for a now out-of-print (and dirt-cheap!) "Zone Perfect Nutrition Program Made Simple and Easy" VHS videotape that will really make it ridiculously easy for the beginner quickly to understand and apply all the basic principles of staying "in the Zone"! Good luck, good health, and good eating!
        Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving Superhealth and Permanent Fat Loss
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving Superhealth and Permanent Fat Loss
          Barry Sears
          Manufacturer: Regan Books
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          Similar Items:
          1. What to Eat in the Zone: The Quick & Easy, Mix & Match Counter for Staying in the Zone What to Eat in the Zone: The Quick & Easy, Mix & Match Counter for Staying in the Zone
          2. Zone Meals in Seconds: 150 Fast and Delicious Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (Zone (Regan)) Zone Meals in Seconds: 150 Fast and Delicious Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (Zone (Regan))
          3. Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss
          4. Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes: 150 Fast and Simple Healthy Recipes from the Bestselling Authorof the Zone and Mastering the Zone Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes: 150 Fast and Simple Healthy Recipes from the Bestselling Authorof the Zone and Mastering the Zone
          5. Zone Food Blocks: The Quick and Easy, Mix-and-Match Counter for Staying in the Zone Zone Food Blocks: The Quick and Easy, Mix-and-Match Counter for Staying in the Zone

          ASIN: 0060191309

          Product Description

          Mastering the Zone is the next step in achieving super-health and permanent fat loss. It has dietary strategies, protein prescriptions, Zone secrets for Maximum fat loss, powerful mental and physical performance and supercharged health. Has ove 150 scientific Zone recipes. With this book you discover the U.S. Athletic Power Zone Plan.
          Mastering The Zone - The Next Step In Achieving Superhealth And Permanent Fat Loss
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Mastering The Zone - The Next Step In Achieving Superhealth And Permanent Fat Loss
            Barry, Ph.D. Sears
            Manufacturer: Regan Books/Harper-collins
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover
            ASIN: B000RIW85K
            Mastering the Zone : The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth Permanent Fat Loss
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Mastering the Zone : The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth Permanent Fat Loss
              Mary; Sears, Barry Goodbody
              Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000HM4BY2
              Mastering the Zone:  The Next Step in Achieving superhealth and Permanent Fat Loss
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving superhealth and Permanent Fat Loss
                Barry Sears
                Manufacturer: Harper Collins
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover
                ASIN: B000J2IP7O
                Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving Superhealth and Permanent Fat Loss
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving Superhealth and Permanent Fat Loss
                  Barry Sears
                  Manufacturer: Regan Books
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
                  ASIN: B000OEH13G
                  Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss.
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss.
                    Barry. Sears
                    Manufacturer: Regan Books
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback
                    ASIN: B000OES4RS

                    Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook: Spirited Recipes from Santa Fe
                    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                    • So Far So Good
                    • Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook
                    • Can You Fall In Love With A Cookbook?
                    • Great place, exuberant cookbook
                    • Yum
                    Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook: Spirited Recipes from Santa Fe
                    Katharine Kagel
                    Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    ReferenceReference | Subjects | Books | Almanacs & Yearbooks | Atlases & Maps | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | Business Skills | Careers | Catalogs & Directories | Consumer Guides | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Education | Encyclopedias | Etiquette | Foreign Languages | Fun Facts | Genealogy | General | Job Hunting | Large Print | Law | Publishing & Books | Quotations | Spanish-Language Reference | Study Guides | Test Prep Central | Words & Language | Writing
                    GeneralGeneral | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
                    GeneralGeneral | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
                    ReferenceReference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
                    SouthwestSouthwest | U.S. Regional | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
                    Similar Items:
                    1. Cooking With Cafe Pasqual's: Recipes From Santa Fe's Renowned Corner Cafe Cooking With Cafe Pasqual's: Recipes From Santa Fe's Renowned Corner Cafe
                    2. The Santa Fe School of Cooking Cookbook The Santa Fe School of Cooking Cookbook
                    3. Coyote Cafe Coyote Cafe
                    4. Southwest Flavors: Santa Fe School of Cooking Southwest Flavors: Santa Fe School of Cooking
                    5. Best of the Best from New Mexico Cookbook: Selected Recipes from New Mexico's Favorite Cookbooks (Best of the Best Cookbook) Best of the Best from New Mexico Cookbook: Selected Recipes from New Mexico's Favorite Cookbooks (Best of the Best Cookbook)

                    ASIN: 0811802930

                    Book Description

                    Cafe Pasqual's, a small, bustling, and perpetually jammed restaurant in the heart of Santa Fe, draws on a wide range of Southwestern and Mexican culinary traditions to create an original menu based on fresh, authentic ingredients and emphatic flavors. This first collection of over 60 recipes from Cafe Pasqual's includes an enticing variety of easy-to-prepare dishes for every meal of the day, from simple breakfast quesadillas to all-out dinners. Illustrated with hand-tinted photographs and bright, kitschy Mexican calendar art, complete with a glossary of ingredients and a mail-order source guide, Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook celebrates the spirited flavors and irrepressible appeal of what is fast becoming the nation's most popular regional cuisine.

                    Customer Reviews:

                    5 out of 5 stars So Far So Good.......2007-09-01

                    I have tried the green chili recipe and love it. Looking forward to trying many others. Fun book to read as well.

                    5 out of 5 stars Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook.......2007-03-08

                    Excellent recipes and instructions with sources for ingredients identified for southwest dishes.

                    5 out of 5 stars Can You Fall In Love With A Cookbook?.......2004-09-20

                    I saw Sandra Pinckney's review of the Sante Fe restaurant recently on her FOOD FINDS program. The restaurant was so adorable that I immediately went online to amazon.com to see if they had a cookbook. They did. I ordered it. When it arrived at my office I started reading it and couldn't put it down. From the front cover to the last page, the artwork is exceptional. Hand-tinted photographs along with photos and murals really make this a cookbook to keep and cherish and pass down to family. I can't wait to visit Cafe Pasqual in person and hopefully get the book autographed by Ms Kagel and Ms Simpson who was the photographer. The receipes are lovely, but the book is exquisite.

                    4 out of 5 stars Great place, exuberant cookbook.......2003-04-06

                    Pasqual's is kitty-corner across Water Street from the St. Francis Hotel in Santa Fe; we time our trips to get into town late at night, but before the St. Francis' bar closes, so we can check in, grab a quick drink, and then roll out of bed the next morning and hit Pasqual's for breakfast. Tamal dolce, big mug of coffee, newspaper, see if the rocking horse is still in the second floor window of the store across the street (hasn't moved in four years, so far, and counting.) We love Pasqual's, its food, its Ann-Arbor-in-the-Southwest feeling ... and the cookbook is a nice souvenir thereof. The recipes? Well, plan on mail-ordering a lot of different kinds of chile powder unless you live in New Mexico. Great stuff, though, if you have the ingredients and the patience.

                    5 out of 5 stars Yum.......2003-01-03

                    I make a point of visiting Cafe Pasqual's each time I am come to Santa Fe. This cookbook is excellent . The recipes are concise and delicious and the artwork in the book is beautiful. I only wish they had a second cookbook focusing strictly on the killer breakfast menu at the Cafe. Hmm...

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                    3. The Bishop in the West Wing: A Bishop Blackie Ryan Novel (Blackie Ryan)
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                    7. The Cat Who Saw Stars (Cat Who...)
                    8. The Chinese Nail Murders (Judge Dee Mysteries)
                    9. The Class Menagerie (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #4)
                    10. The Concubine's Tattoo (A Sano Ichiro Mystery)

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