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Rating: 
Summary: Tongue-in-Cheek Advice
Review: First off, in case you see this, Mom, there's no need to get excited. With that out of the way, I have to say that for a baby-name book, Puffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma is a great read: It's hip, sarcastic, snappy, and fun. Much more than a list of names and meanings, Joal Ryan weaves together pop culture references and Generation X sensibilities to highlight the plusses and minuses of traditional and more ... interesting names. It's by no means an encyclopedic reference, but it does a fine job of highlighting well-worn standards, up-and-coming trendy names, and timeless classics.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute!
Review: I have to confess, I have a very strange habit of reading books about baby names. I can actually sit there for an hour at a time reading and saying things like "say, did you know Sally comes from Sarah and means "princess"? This is a pretty good one, many names and their meanings are listed. The author pounces upon the most obvious well known names and makes some comment, but some of the references are obscure or outdated. I wish they would explain why decade after decade certain names just rub against the grain, names like Maude, Bertha, Gertrude, Maurice, Egbert - do they just sound funny or what?
Rating:
Summary: The Totally Excellent baby book for us! (not our parents)
Review: I was sitting down thumbing through the pages of another book and getting NOWHERE. I was having about as much fun as one has trying to BBQ in a rainstrom.I needed a book that would work for me. I saw the title of this book a decided that it might be worth a good chuckle to atleast look at. This is the book!!! I love the way she has organized it. The little "Crib Notes" are a great eye-opener and a good chuckle. It saves you time, thought and the ever-so-friendly opinions from family and friends when you might be considering naming your child Elvira or Shaq. Having grown up during the same time as her audience, Joal is in tune with the reader. She doesn't bother listing some names that haven't been used in 100 years just so she can have a book of 25,000+ names. She is smart and gives names that you might actually consider naming your child. If you are looking to enjoy naming your baby, I highly recommend this book. If you are just looking for a name (like for the pet goldfish) then the book on the checkout stand (you know, the one by the National Enquirer) will work just fine.
Rating:
Summary: The Totally Excellent baby book for us! (not our parents)
Review: I was sitting down thumbing through the pages of another book and getting NOWHERE. I was having about as much fun as one has trying to BBQ in a rainstrom. I needed a book that would work for me. I saw the title of this book a decided that it might be worth a good chuckle to atleast look at. This is the book!!! I love the way she has organized it. The little "Crib Notes" are a great eye-opener and a good chuckle. It saves you time, thought and the ever-so-friendly opinions from family and friends when you might be considering naming your child Elvira or Shaq. Having grown up during the same time as her audience, Joal is in tune with the reader. She doesn't bother listing some names that haven't been used in 100 years just so she can have a book of 25,000+ names. She is smart and gives names that you might actually consider naming your child. If you are looking to enjoy naming your baby, I highly recommend this book. If you are just looking for a name (like for the pet goldfish) then the book on the checkout stand (you know, the one by the National Enquirer) will work just fine.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Writers Who want something different!
Review: I'm an amateur writer, and I LOVE Puffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma! This is an excellent book that will help you come up with great, contemporary and hip names for modern characters. No more, should your contemporary characters be stuck with names like Justin, Lance, and Alex. Instead, your characters could be called: Gage, Ozmon, and Lizbet! Each chapter header comes complete with famous 'real people' who are using the names in question. I love it. My only peeve with this book, is the low quality paper it is printed on. This paper is a very low grade, and seems only a few grades above toilet paper. Don't let this deter you, however. This is a great book. A must buy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Writers Who want something different!
Review: I'm an amateur writer, and I LOVE Puffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma! This is an excellent book that will help you come up with great, contemporary and hip names for modern characters. No more, should your contemporary characters be stuck with names like Justin, Lance, and Alex. Instead, your characters could be called: Gage, Ozmon, and Lizbet! Each chapter header comes complete with famous 'real people' who are using the names in question. I love it. My only peeve with this book, is the low quality paper it is printed on. This paper is a very low grade, and seems only a few grades above toilet paper. Don't let this deter you, however. This is a great book. A must buy.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ON A HERETOFORE UNCOVERED TOPIC
Review: Names,names names. I kept waiting for something to happen but it was just more names. Then I suddenly realized that this was a sly narrative ploy engineered by the author...the story is encoded within the text, if you dare decipher it. It's the tale of a brave super-hero who prowls the dangerous streets of NYC on Thursday nights, using an array of Marmo-Powers to fight crime. Beware, criminal cowards! Marmoset Man is here!
Rating: 
Summary: HOW A BABY-NAME EXPERT IS BORN
Review: So, what are my qualifications to write a baby-name book? Well, for one thing, I used to be a baby. And for another thing, I have a name. (My Kryptonian-sounding moniker was created by my parents -- "Jo" from John, "al" from Alice.) Plus, I've got opinions that I'm not afraid to share -- particularly, if you're considering naming the kid, say, "Barnaby." Actually, my bottom line on baby names is: There is no such thing as a "bad" one. There are just varying degrees of therapy bills. Read, enjoy -- and good luck. -- J.R.
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Summary: Throw away your list and buy this book!
Review: That's what my wife and I did while trying to pick a name for our fourth and final child. We had a huge list of more traditional-style names, but had no luck choosing a name we both could agree on. So we threw the list away, got this book, and let our imagination run wild. Two days later, Zoe Piper was born! This book is fun to read and will bring back lots of memories for those of us in the 30-35 age range. Oh, the joys of feeling like a kid again! Joal, thanks for making a difficult task fun.
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