Book Review: Inferno

 

Books, like movies, are very subjective. One person will think it is great, while another will detest it. Some people will always hate any novel Dan Brown puts out simply because of the subject matter in the Da Vinci Code, and others will let each book stand on its own merit. I am not going to spoil the plot in the review. The best way I can describe this one without doing so is to say that the pacing and tone are very much similar to the Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol. The subject matter of the book is different. It does have the "race against time" aspect that the other books do, but it is much more centered around an ethical debate than it is around religion. There is a throwaway line about the Vatican hating Langdon, but outside that, the rest of the religious discussion is centered around the meaning of Dante's Inferno, and trying to figure out where something is hidden based on the messages in that book.

Like with the other books Brown works plot twists into this one. Where he succeeded in the other books however by keeping them to a minimum, he feels the need here to not only put in multiple twists but then twist those twists. It does get a little contrived and silly. If you can take the position that hey it is just a book and does not have to make perfect sense, then I think you can still enjoy it. If something like that would bug you then I think you should probably skip it. He does work a lot of geography, mythology, and science into this book, and I think those aspects are well-researched and presented without stretching them too much. There definitely needs to be some suspension of disbelief with the science part of it, but it is not so far outside the realm of possibility that it makes the story totally unbelievable. Although I think it gets closer to that line toward the end of the book when all is revealed.

I think if you really like Brown's other books, then you can also enjoy this one. While some of the plot points get contrived and silly (mainly the who is working for whom and which side people are on, character motivations, etc) toward the end, it did not take away from my overall experience. I did not feel like I wasted the time reading it. If you have been lukewarm on his other books, then this one may bug you.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 37

Day 37 was the total body power workout in 645, and in XB I did the lower back stretch routine.

Total Body Power was another fast-paced workout with a few new moves (but still moves that have built on things from earlier in the program). They do, yet again, start to run out of time toward the end and cut the last block, which is a single plyometric move a little short.

The lower back XB routine was very helpful this morning since my back and hips were tighter than normal. It was a good way to loosen them up. 

Study Aid Review: Schaum's Outline of Advanced Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists

 

This is not really a book that is tied to any one specific course like the other Schaum's outlines are. This is meant to be more like a reference where you can go to look up concepts that you may have forgotten. It is like a condensed textbook that has the key things that you need to know but does not go into a lot of detail about the theory and do a bunch of proofs as a textbook will. Let's face it, we all forget things from class after a while, especially things that we do not use on a regular basis. Most people will be able to remember how to take simple derivatives or integrals, but far fewer people are going to remember how to set up a triple integral or do Laplace Transforms off the top of their heads after they get done with the classes where they have to use them. That is where this will come in handy.

I think the best way to use any of the Schaum's outlines is to use them in conjunction with learning the concepts in class (because they give you far more examples worked out than your book ever will) or as a reference guide once a class is over. At that point, you can use it as a substitute for your textbook because you will not be as likely to need all the detail and rigor of a full-blown textbook by then. It is not something that is going to be useful to teach yourself the concepts from initially. That is because of the lack of detail and the fact that some of the outlines are edited badly and can contain errors. Once you understand the material the errors and typos can be easy to spot, but when you are first learning that is not always the case. I have only glanced through this particular outline so far, so I am not sure how many errors (if any) are in this one. I know some of the outlines have more errors than others, but just be aware if something does not look right when you are working through a problem, it may not be that you don't know what you are doing.

Product Review: VIZIO VBR210 Blu-Ray Player

 

It does fine for what it can do (play DVDs and older blu ray discs). The people at VIZIO however, in their infinite wisdom, were too stupid to make a player with hardware that could be upgraded. So, per their tech support, no firmware upgrades are being made for the player. Hence, when it comes to playing many of the newer blu ray discs it is absolutely worthless.

This model is not being sold new anymore, but if you are looking for a lower-cost reconditioned or used blu ray player skip this one and spend a little more on something that has firmware that can actually be upgraded. This will work if you just want something that can upscale DVDs a bit, but that is about all this is good for.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 36

Day 16 was the start of week 6 in 645, which meant the lower-body strength workout and for XB I did the lower-body flexibility routine.

The lower-body strength workout this week was tough. It started with an EMOM block and then blocks two and three each had three exercises that were performed for three sets. This week worked on balance, incorporating single-leg deadlifts into the workout and lateral movement by doing side-twisting lunges.

The XB routine was challenging since my hamstrings and hip flexors are tight. But, I was able to get a bit lower into the hamstring stretches. I definitely cannot do the half or full split (or even get close to either of those) however.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 35

Day 35 was a rest day in 645 and for the XB routine, I did Restore.

For the first time in quite a while, I did the Restore routine in my room using my bed to keep my leg elevated. I can definitely tell that my balance is better than it was when I started doing the XB routines and I can get a bit deeper into the hamstring stretches. So, I am making progress.

TV Series Review: Heroes

 

++WARNING, there will be some spoilers from throughout the series in my review.++

Heroes was a show that aired on NBC from 2007 to 2010 (during its original airing) and had a true ensemble cast. The cast was made up of relatively unknown actors (at least when the series started) and the series served as the launching pad for the careers of cast members like Milo Ventimiglia, Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, and Zachary Quinto. It did have some recognizable, but not superstar actors and actresses such as Greg Grunberg and Ali Larter. There was no superstar actor that everyone would recognize in the cast so the writers had to balance the storylines to involve all of the main cast members. As a result, there were always multiple storylines going on, and it was truly a show that you had to watch from the beginning to really understand what was happening.

The first and second seasons were very very good. The first season was excellent, and like nothing that had been on TV. You knew from the first episode what the characters were going to try to prevent, but there was no way of knowing how it was going to get there. Because of the time travel aspect, the story came in bits and pieces and sometimes out of order. They did not reveal too much about each character too soon. We never got to see Sylar (the main antagonist) until midway through the season, and HRG's (or as we would come to know him Noah Bennet) past and motivations were kept hidden until almost the end of the first season.

I think the series had a clear goal of where it was going in the first and second seasons. You could tell that it was meticulously planned out. However the writer's strike ended the second season midway through, and it had to be cut short. After that, there were some stories from that season that were just abandoned entirely, and I thought those should have been wrapped up before proceeding how they did. It felt like after the strike the writers never had a clear plan for the show. I did not like how the third season made Nathan into a villain. He had always had a grey moral compass, but it seemed that had gone away at the end of the first season and with the second. But then he did a complete 180 (almost anyway) then they decided to try to make him likable again by giving the impression that he was just in over his head.

I think the 4th season actually wrapped the series up very well. While it was not intended to be the end of the show (it was not canceled until after the season had ended), it tied up everyone's stories and left a lot to your own imagination. The reason I think the show declined, is that while the main "big" storylines changed every season, the individual stories within that got very repetitive. They kept too many characters around for too long and kept the characters going through the same conflicts and experiences over and over. While this did change somewhat by the 4th season, I think too many people had abandoned the show by then.

I definitely think it is better to see the series all at once. The stories do tend to flow a little better than when there were months between seasons. Plus it is just easier to follow with all the time jumps, flash-backs, and character arcs. If you were a fan of the show, it is definitely worth adding to your collection. The series looks great on blu ray, and there are a lot of entertaining extras.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 34

 Day 34 was cardio again in 645, and immediately after that was over I did the lower-back routine in XB.

The cardio workout was tough. Much tougher than any of the cardio workouts in Phase 1. In this workout, Amoila prepares you for jumping, including working on ankle strength and mobility. I was definitely sweating way more in this workout than I did in any Phase 1 workout.

The lower-back XB workout, which was one of the short ones, was nice to do after the cardio workout since my legs were already warm and stretched. This worked as a nice additional cooldown. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 33

For Day 33 I did the Restore routine in XB and then the first Phase 2 version of Total Body Tempo in 645.

It was nice to go back to the longer, 15-minute stretching routine. I also used my trigger point roller to work on my hamstrings, hip, and IT band before I did the routine which helped a lot.

The 645 workout was another total body workout, but it again focused mostly on the shoulders and core than it did on the arms when it came to upper body work. Amoila is very big on stability and working out dysfunctions in your body (at least in this program) because as he says during the workouts, if your body is not functional, the size of your arms or whether you have a six-pack does not matter. So, the first two phases seem to be really focused on working the non-glamour muscles (a bit of a shout-out back to P90x there). 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 32

On Day 32 it was the upper body strength workout in 645 and I again did the hips and glutes 6-minute XB workout.

The 645 workout again mainly worked the shoulders, along with a couple of exercises focused on the chest and some that were core-focused. There is an EMOM block in this workout, which is four sets of tricep kickbacks. As the rest of the workouts in the first week of Phase 2 have, this one ratchets up the intensity of what has been done in the prior workouts. There are really no new moves in this workout, but there are some twists on the moves to make them more challenging. 

The hips and glutes workout went well. It is probably the one XB stretch routine that I do not have to modify much at all because I have a lot of mobility in the side of my hips (almost none in the front of my hips) so I can get really deep into the stretches.

 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 31

Day 31 was the mobility and flexibility workout in 645 and the lower-body flexibility routine in XB.

The lower-body flexibility routine is mainly focused on the hips, specifically the hip flexors, and the hamstrings. You really only do a couple of moves, kneeling hip flexor stretches and transition into hamstring stretches as you lean back. Then, you can either hold the hamstring stretch or transition into a half-split or a full-split.

The 645 workout also focuses on hips and hamstrings and again has you do 7 total exercises for three-rounds. Most of the exercises are performed on the floor, with the last couple performed standing up. Then, at the end, you do squats with the power loops on. 

 

Book Review: Lolita-Introduction by Martin Amis (Everyman's Library Contemporary Classics Series)

 

Lolita is a book written by Vladimir Nabokov and published in 1955. The book is considered a modern classic (likely because of the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick), but really it is just very creepy. It is a book that would never be made today, and honestly, given the subject matter, it is a bit amazing that it was ever published back in the 1950s.

The story is presented as a memoir of a middle-aged man using the pseudonym Humbert Humbert (being edited by an editor of psychology books). Humbert lusts after the 12-year-old daughter of a woman he is renting a room from (and eventually marries to be close to the daughter, Delores, whom he calls Lo, short for Lolita). If it just stopped there it would be creepy enough, but of course, it does not. While Nabokov does not explicitly describe the sex scenes and does not use obscene language, he is clear that Humbert repeatedly molests her. The crux of the story is about how both of their lives spiral down over the course of time.

The book is relatively short, at just over 330 pages and it reads fairly quickly. Personally, I would not put it in the ranks of a classic novel, but it is a tragic story with a very dark plotline. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 30

For day 30 I did the lower back routine in XB stretch, and the total-body power workout in 645.

The lower back routine is really lower back and hips, doing variations of the Heisman stretch and hip swivels.

The 645 workout again amps up the intensity of the workout. This time, blocks one and two each have three exercises, some of which are compound moves such as a hammer curl into a shoulder press, and then there are core-focussed exercises like walkouts to planks, but starting in a squat. The last block has a single compound move that you do for four sets. Of course, all of the moves can be modified as you need, but even doing a modified version of the exercises is tough.

Book Review: Fairy Tale

 

Fairy Tale is a novel published in 2022 and written by the prolific horror author, Stephen King.  I would not say that this is a horror story per-se, but there are certainly some scary elements to the story. The book starts out as a story about a high-school kid who befriends the local grumpy old guy who lives up the street from him, then it becomes a story to save a dog, and then the story ends with a battle to save a strange fairy-tale-like land from an evil that threatens to destroy it. As disparate as those plot points sound, Kimg ties it all together into a story that, while strange at times, makes sense.

The book is relatively long, at just under 600 pages (for the hardcover version), but it is a pretty fast read and it is hard to put down once you get started. I read very fast and was able to get through it in a couple of days. And, it really only took me that long because I read at night before bed. There were no obvious easter eggs to King's other work that I noticed. Although, I will be the first to admit, I am not a King aficionado, so there may be something I missed. He does manage to get a dig in at the orange genital wart even though the book is set before agent orange's presidency. I'd honestly give the book 10 stars if I could. It is absolutely worth reading if you are even a casual fan of King and/or are into the Fantasy genre.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 29

Day 29 was the start of Phase 2 in 645, which was the lower-body strength workout, and in XB I did the 6-minute total body flexibility routine.

The XB routine was pretty good, but I think it was more focused on the lower body flexibility than it was on the upper body (which was mainly the shoulders).

The 645 workout was tough and very tiring. It was much faster-paced, going back up to 15 total reps for each move. I found myself sweating a lot more in this workout than in previous workouts. Toward the end of the workout, they start running out of time, so it gets even faster in the last few minutes (although you do fewer reps for the final set of block 3). There are three blocks in the workout. The first is an EMOM block doing deadlifts. The second and third blocks both have three exercises that you do for three total sets. The format is the same as in Phase 1. There is no rest between the exercises and 45 seconds of rest between the sets. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 28

 Day 28 was the rest day in 645 and in XB I just did the hips and glutes 6-minute routine. 

I really like the hips and glutes routine. It does not have too many advanced moves so people who have a limited range of motion can still do it without too much trouble. And, it works two areas in which I am very tight, so that helps me a lot.

Study Aid Review: Pre-Calculus Demystified

 

What is in this book is very clear and straightforward. There is not a ton of jargon like you get in the textbooks and what theory it does cover is basic and understandable. It covers the theory you need to know and does not go wild with proving or deriving the equations. And, the examples that are shown are clear. One thing I really like is the book goes into detail on comics. Conics are always covered at some point in pre-calculus, but very few supplements go into any depth. 

What knocks this down a bit for me is that it only has 1 chapter on trigonometry. The curriculum from school to school can be different. Some schools have trig as a completely separate class, and others run precalc classes as essentially a quarter to half advanced algebra, half trig, and then a few other topics depending on how much time is left at the end of the semester. If your school does the latter, while this book will give you the basics of trigonometry, what you will need to know for a class will be much more in-depth than what you will get here.

It does do a good job of explaining the basic trig functions, graphing trig functions, and some of the trig identities. Basically, the trig that the book presents is the stuff that, if you do not know it, will make the rest of trig impossible. Just keep in mind, however, that depending on your class curriculum, you may need a supplement that goes deeper into the trig material than this does.

Book Review: Walk Jog Run: For Wellness Everyone

 

Most likely the only reason you would get this is for a class that you are taking in an exercise-science program. While it does have some useful information in it, there is nothing a couple internet searches won't pull up. Some of the things the book does talk about are presented in such a dense manner that your eyes kind of glaze over trying to get through it. For example, when the author talks about putting together a walking or jogging program, the author puts together a bunch of tables with abbreviations and acronyms in them which you then have to look up in the text to figure out how to interpret it.

If you do not need this for a class, there are better, more user-friendly books and articles out there. If you do have to get this for a class, it is not really a hard read, just dry and boring.

Workout Kit and Program Review: P90X2 Series Ultimate Kit

This is the Ultimate Kit for P90x2, which comes with the Tony Horton Power Stands, a foam roller (the rumble roller), and two 8-lb medicine balls. I love this workout. I actually like this a lot more than the original version. Since most people who are considering this have already been exposed to P90x, I will highlight some of the differences for you.

1) Like P90x, it is a three-phase program. The big key for me in X2 is there is more variety. For example, in P90x aside from the recovery week, you did the same legs and back workout every week. In X2, the only program you do in more than one month is the plyometrics workout. That is in phases I and II, but not in III. There is a recovery and mobility DVD that you can also use on your rest days throughout the program.

2) X2 yoga is much better. It takes all the good stuff from the original p90x yoga but compresses it into 61 min as opposed to 90 minutes. It flows much better, and I never found myself getting bored or wishing it would stop.

3) Foam rolling is awesome. In P90x you had a stretching DVD that you could use on your rest day. Here, there is a recovery and mobility DVD, the bulk of which is foam rolling. It is hard if you have never done it before, but if you stick with it, it will make your body feel so much better. The rest of recovery and mobility is stretching and low-impact movements.

4) There is less cardio in X2. X1 had the karate workout, plyometrics, and an optional cardio DVD. The only traditional cardio workout in X2 is plyometrics, and it is very different than the X1 version. The circuits in the regular workouts however kept my heart rate up so I still burned a lot of calories. And, in phase III you basically alternate two different workouts which do have quite a bit of cardio in them, and you do the 4 moves in the circuit back-to-back without stopping, then repeat the circuit 4 times. While it does not get your heart rate up like a program such as Insanity does, it does make you winded.

5) They focus a lot on the modifier in X2. They really set the workout up so you do not need all the equipment for people who are not ready to be balancing on medicine balls and stability balls, or who are traveling and cannot take all the equipment with them.

6) While some of the workouts are similar to what you saw in X1, they are more challenging. There are still lots of pull-ups and push-ups, but you are doing push-ups on medicine balls or stability balls, which are much different than they are on the floor. Even if you have done several rounds of P90x, there will be somewhat of a learning curve in X2.

Obviously, the best workout for you is the one you can stick with. I like rotating the beachbody workouts because, let's face it, the same workout over and over gets boring, and even when split into phases your body will begin to adapt. The price on Amazon is pretty steep (you can find it for a lot less), and you always have to watch out for bootlegged copies from third-party sellers. There is always some subjectivity in what you are going to like or dislike. For people who are fans of the original, I think X2 definitely will have something to offer.

 

Workout Kit Review: P90X DVD Workout Base Kit

 

I think the infomercial has been out there long enough to know what the program is all about, so I am going to list my opinion of the pros and cons. I have done multiple Beachbody programs, and actually, this is not my favorite. That said I still think it is very good.

Pros:

1) It can eliminate the need to go to the gym. While there are some benefits to going to a gym for sure, I definitely find that working out at home saves time and money.

2) It is a highly structured program. This is a good thing if you are a beginner, because it tells you what to do on what days, and requires very little guesswork.

3) It uses resistance training and cardio but is not excessive on either one. Most of the workouts are slightly over an hour or shorter.

4) It comes with a good, easy-to-follow nutrition plan, which is essential to getting good results.

5) there are different versions depending on your goals. There is a lean, classic, and doubles version of the program. The lean is for people who do not want to put on as much muscle (it eliminates some of the resistance workouts and subs in cardio). The classic is the regular version of the program, which incorporates all the workouts, and the doubles add a second cardio workout on the resistance days.

Cons:

1) It may be hard if you are a true beginner. If you have never worked out at all, or have had a long layoff this will be hard at first. It presumes you are in decent shape to start with. It does have a person doing modified moves, which usually means using resistance bands instead of free weights and lower impact version of the body weight exercises. While a beginner can do the program, you may need to ease into it a bit.

2) It can require a substantial equipment cost beyond just the DVDs. At the very least you will need a set of resistance bands. You can get a good set of relatively inexpensive bands. You need to get a set though so you have different levels of resistance because you will be stronger on some moves over others, and will just generally get stronger during the program. However you will probably want to, at some point, get a set of weights and a pull-up bar so you can do the program fully. That can get quite expensive. You also need a good pair of cross-training shoes (not running shoes) for the plyometrics workout, because it involves a lot of jumping and quick lateral movements.

3) The program gets repetitive. Unlike P90x2 where you get new workouts each month, in this one you do the same 6 workouts for 4 weeks, then take a recovery week, then do a new rotation of workouts, which rotates in two new workouts, but the 4 others remain the same. Then in the last month, you do month one's rotation for two weeks and month two's rotation for two weeks. Some people get really bored with the workouts by that point.

4) The yoga DVD is really long. It is the longest workout clocking in at just over an hour and a half. The first 50 mins or so is great, but then it kind of transitions into a stretching and ab workout. Since the program already has three days of abdominal work built into it, and an optional stretch DVD you can use on the rest day, I personally would cut it off after the first hour or so.

Ultimately, the best workout for you is going to be the one you stick with. I think P90x is a good overall investment despite the cons I gave it. If you order from Amazon make sure it is being fulfilled by Beachbody, which is the company that produces the DVD. Some of the third-party sellers make bootlegged copies and pass that off.

Product Review: Tony Horton Power Stands

 

I got these with the P90x2 deluxe package through Beachbody. They are very sturdy and work well. They are much heavier than the push-up stands that have the "h" shape if you look at them end-on. These are especially good f you are doing wide-arm push-ups ( which were done more in p90x than x2) because they will not tip and roll on you like other push-up stands. 

Like other push-up stands (or using dumbbells) these will give you more range of motion throughout the push-up movement and are great if you have any wrist pain. I have broken my left wrist twice, and it makes doing regular push-ups hard. I have no wrist problems at all when using these. Also, these can be used to do triceps dips while you are seated on the floor, which is not something that is possible with a lot of push-up stands. So, whether you are doing P90X (or X2 or X3), or just incorporating push-ups into your workouts, these are a great option to have.

Book Review: Physics Without the Boring Bits

 

This is not a physics textbook. There are no equations (except for force equals mass times acceleration), no math, and no homework problems. Instead, it is a book that explains how physics affects the world and universe we live in. Many times in physics classes you get so wrapped up in the math that you use perspective on what any of it is good for. This book uses humor and anecdotes to explain how things from simple motion to quantum physics actually work. 

It will not help you pass a test or a quiz, but if you are a physics student it will give you an idea of why all those equations do what they do, and if you are taking a non-STEM major physics class (like physics for poets or something like that), it can help you understand the basic concepts. Otherwise, if you are just interested in science and are looking for a fun, quick and easy read this will be that as well.

Workout Program Review: Insanity Base Kit

 

Insanity was probably the second most popular program released by Beachbody, after P90x. When it was released the infomercial was on just as much, if not more, than the infomercial for P90x was, especially since P90x was getting a bit long in the tooth when this came out. Insanity is a high-intensity program that focuses on cardio. It is very hard, even if you are in shape, and is a struggle to get through. In the base set, there is no weight or resistance component to it (aside from lots and lots of push-ups, and some triceps dips). All the resistance moves come using your own body weight.

Pros:

1) No equipment needed aside from a good pair of shoes, and maybe some floor mats. You do not need dumbbells, a chin-up bar, or anything else. You do want to have or get a good pair of cross-training shoes though. A lot of people wear running shoes doing this and have lots of issues with pain or twisting their ankles. Running shoes are good for landing, but not plyometrics and lateral movements. Running shoes do not have the lateral stability to hold up when doing repetitive plyo exercises.

2) The workouts are relatively short. In month 1 they are all under 45 min, and in month 2 they are all under an hour.

3) The 60-day duration. I have done P90x multiple times and doing the same workouts for that long a time just gets boring. This is the perfect amount of time for a DVD workout series to last, and then you can decide to either re-do it or move on to another one be it P90x, P90x2 (also 90-day workouts but has different workouts in each month), or the even more advanced program, Insanity Asylum.

3) You cannot outgrow it. As you get in better shape you can go faster and take fewer breaks so it should never get easy.

Cons:

1) This is not really a program for beginners. Even the people in the videos have a hard time keeping up and have to stop and take breaks. If you have never worked out before or have gotten out of shape after a long layoff, I would suggest easing your way into this. Yes, you can do the moves slower and take more breaks when you first start out, but there is no modifier in the cast, and unless you have done Insanity Max-30, you will probably not be able to figure out how to modify the moves to make them easier like you can with other programs.

2) It is a very high impact. You are jumping and doing a lot of side-to-side movements in every workout, so if you have severe knee and/or back issues this is probably not the workout for you.

3) If you like to lift weights you will probably need to sub out either the recovery workout day or the rest day to do some upper body lifting. With all the squats and jumping you will be doing in Insanity you will probably not have to do much of a leg workout, but for people who can't go without lifting Insanity itself may not be enough.

On Amazon, the price. $144 is way too much, and I have heard about some of the "third-party" sellers selling faked bootlegged copies. If you are going to purchase on Amazon make sure it is being fulfilled by Beachbody which is the actual company that makes it.

Ultimately the best workout for you is going to be the one that you can stick with. Insanity is a good, but hard program that works if you do it. Like any workout, how well your results will be are going to depend not only on doing the workouts as hard as you can but also in large part on how you eat. Insanity does have a good nutrition guide to use as a base, but you may need to adjust your caloric intake to get the best results (and for many people that means eating more calories because the workouts are so intense). The main thing is you have to be following some kind of nutrition plan because if you are eating like crap, or on the other end of the spectrum not eating enough, the program will not give you anything like the results of the people in the infomercial.

Textbook Review: Precalculus: Enhanced with Graphing Utilities

 

This is actually a very good math book. It gives lots of examples and clear explanations (at least as clear as any math book does). I have yet to come across a math book that is an "easy" read, at least until you are about three classes beyond your current class, but I understood this one pretty well when I was taking precalculus. I did luck out and get a really great teacher for precalculus so I really did not have to read this all that much when I was in class, but when I had to, it made sense. There were times however in Calculus I, II, and III where I had to refer back to this and found exactly what I was looking for and could follow the explanation easily.

I also used this book when I tutored students so I often times have to re-read parts of it to brush up on concepts. I think it does the balancing act of giving you enough information to help guide you, but still leaves you to have to figure some things out on your own. While it is not perfect, compared to some math books out there (the crappy one I had for Calculus III springs to mind) it is pretty helpful.

Study Aid Review: The Humongous Book of Algebra Problems

 

To me the best part about this book is that it is, for the most part, just lots and lots of example problems solved step by step. The big gripe about math textbooks is that a lot of time you get a lot of explanation of the theory and formulas, but not much on how to actually solve problems. This can be compounded by the fact that some textbooks either skip steps in the examples they do solve, or they just show you how to do the easiest problems and you are left to fend for yourself on the harder problems. This book gives you a nice range of difficulty for the problems and does not cut corners or skip steps.

Of all areas of math, algebra is probably the worst to have missing steps when you are first learning it because it is the foundation for almost every other branch of math. If you are not good at algebra, you will have a very hard time in trig and calculus because they use algebra so much, that oftentimes simplifying the problems is harder and take more time than the actual calculus part. If you are going on to take classes like chemistry and physics, you absolutely have to be good at algebra because it is used to solve many problems. While proficiency in algebra will not guarantee you will do well in those other classes (you still need to know what equations to use or what concepts apply), even if you know the chemistry or physics material if you cannot do algebra you will have no shot at actually solving the problems.

While I never say any supplement be it DVD or book form is a substitute for going to class or doing problems assigned in your book this will definitely help you because chances are you can find a similar problem in this book, see how it is solved, and apply the process to your homework problem. The author also has similar books for other levels of math up to the first year of calculus. If you find this one helpful you may want to check those out as well.