A Focus on Hardware Optimization
	"GPU Gems 2" edited by Matt Pharr (Addison-Wesley, 2005, ISBN 0-321-33559-7) is a collection of forty-eight white papers that detail cutting edge techniques based on today's latest graphical processing units (GPU).  The full color hardcover text is 784 pages and includes a CD-ROM with working demos and source for some of the articles presented in the book.  The text retails for $59.99.

The book is divided into six parts: geometric complexity, shading, high-quality rendering, general purpose computation on the GPU, image oriented computing, and numerical algorithms.  A part has anywhere from five to twelve chapters.  Each chapter is written by a different author but the format and style is consistent.  The chapters have an introduction, discussion of the problem or technique, conclusion, and references.  The material is presented with color illustrations and occasionally some pseudo-code or code fragments.  Generally, the material is extremely current and very approachable to read.

As a sequel to its well received predecessor, the text focuses on taking advantage of the computational power and features of today's high-powered GPU boards.  The first part of the book, geometric complexity, emphasizes this with chapters dedicated to batch rendering, using multi-streaming, hardware occlusion, and displacement pixel-shaders.  Each chapter illustrates how operations traditionally performed on the CPU can be moved into the GPU for efficiency and greater effect.

The subsequent two parts on shading and rendering continue along the same theme: improved performance by using hardware functionality found on the GPU.  Each topic considers the performance ramifications and GPU capabilities when discussing the problem domain of a rendering technique and factors it into the final solution.  For example, chapter 10 considers irradiance environment maps for fast lighting - but with a twist - using the GPU to do the calculations in real-time.  In doing so, the book's real value becomes apparent.

The fourth part on general purpose GPU computation is an interesting addition to the text.  The chapters illustrate methods of offloading traditional CPU tasks by exploiting the inherent parallel nature of modern GPU hardware.  Since the book features Nvidia hardware, the architecture and performance capabilities largely focused on their products.

In the fifth part of the book, hardware assisted image creation and analysis is considered.  By using context clues from the spatial, texture, or lighting data - additional refinements can be made to a scene prior to rasterization.  The topics presented in this part are further refinements of the text's main theme (using the GPU fully) and are specific solutions to uncommon problems - or approaches to rasterization.  None the less as GPUs continue to evolve, the topics presented in this section will undoubtedly become more common.

Finally, the sixth part of the book provides several non-traditional graphics examples to illustrate calculating data on the GPU: solving linear equations, options pricing, and numerical simulation - just to name a few. As using the raw floating point power of modern GPU is a growing trend - these sections were quite interesting and well done.

The included CD-ROM contains examples to 28 of the 48 articles in the book.  In most cases, the example material includes source code as well as pre-compiled binaries to help illustrate the topic presented in the text.   In order to run the majority of the samples, Cg must be installed on the host computer.  In addition, the CD-ROM provides access to Nvidia's software development kit, Cg toolkit, performance tools, and several helpful reference links to on-line sites.

GPU Gems 2 provides a cutting edge view of the capabilities found in today's video cards.  The selected articles illustrate that every part of the rendering process can be enhanced in some fashion by fully using the underlying hardware.  As such, this book is essential to anyone working with modern GPUs.


Good story, good art to  match
	Not great, maybe, but good.

The theme is vampire - the creatures that feed by night on their human cattle. But what if the night goes on and on?

Good suspense, good characters and development, and an artistic style that carries the mood. It's a nightmarish visual style and a limited palette (black, white, and blood red), but it works. Recommended.

//wiredweir


Excellent book - a must read.
	John Little and Peter Sisco wrote static contraction... but John takes it a step further and eliminates the need for doing reps with scientific explanations to back up his revolutionary concept of weight training/ muscle building.. My girlfriend and I started doing this method in may of 2005 and I can honestly say i've never found such a fast, quick and easy way to build muscle. This is also a great method for those not wanting to spend hours in a gym... after a while, you only need to workout once a week... but don't forget to stretch afterwards... and don't forget to do cardio on other days.
I've never been able to develop the 6pack abs until I used the techniques in this book... not to mention all the other muscles popping out that I never knew were there before! I don't entirely agree with his take on supplements - although I think he's referring to all the stupid gimmicks out there designed to waste your time and money. Apparently he's not familiar with Shaklee


The Struggle for Revolutionary Culture
	Trotsky once wrote that of the three great tragedies in life- hunger, sex and death- revolutionary Marxism, which was the driving force behind his life and work, mainly concerned itself with the struggle against hunger. That observation contains an essential truth about the central thrust of the Marxist tradition. However, as Trotsky demonstrates here, Marxist methodology cannot and should not be reduced to an analysis of and prescription for that single struggle. Here Trotsky takes on an aspect of the struggle for mass cultural development.

In a healthy post-capitalist society mass cultural development would be greatly expanded and encouraged. If the task of socialism were merely to vastly expand economic equality, in a sense, it would be a relativity simple task for a healthy socialist society in concert with other like-minded societies to provide general economic equality with a little tweaking after vanquishing the capitalism mode of production. What Marxism aimed for, and Trotsky defends here, is a prospect that with the end of class society and economic and social injustice the capacity of individual human beings to reach new heights of intellectual and creative development would flourish. That is the thought that underpins Trotsky's work here as he analyzes various trends in Russian literature in the immediate aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917. In short, Marxism is certainly not a method to be followed in order to write great literature but it does allow one to set that literature in its social context and interrelatedness.

You will find no Deconstructionist or other fashionable literary criticism here. Quite the contrary. Here Trotsky uses his finely tuned skill as a Marxist to great effect as he analyzes the various trends of literature as they were affected (or not affected) by the October Revolution and sniffs out what in false in some of the literary trends. Mainly at the time of writing the jury was still out about the prospects of many of these trends. He analyzes many of the trends that became important later in the century in world literature, like futurism and constructivism, and others- some of which have disappeared and some of which still survive.

 The most important and lasting polemic which Trotsky raised here, however, was the fight against the proponents of `proletarian culture'. The argument put forth by this trend maintained that since the Soviet Union was a workers state those who wrote about working class themes or were workers themselves should in the interest of cultural development be given special status and encouragement (read a monopoly on the literary front).  Trotsky makes short shrift of this argument by noting that, in theory at least as its turned out, the proletarian state was only a transitional state and therefore no lasting `proletarian culture' would have time to develop. Although history did not turn out to prove Trotsky correct the polemic is still relevant to any theory of mass cultural development.

One of the results of the publication of this book is that many intellectuals, particularly Western intellectuals, based some of their sympathy for Trotsky the man and fallen hero on his literary analysis and his ability to write. This was particularly true during the 1930's here in America where those who were anti-Stalinist but were repelled by the vacuity of the Socialist Party were drawn to him. A few, like James T. Farrell (Studs Lonigan trilogy), did this mostly honorably. Most, like Dwight MacDonald and Sidney Hooks, etc. did not and simply used that temporary sympathy as a way station on their way to anti-Communism. Such is the nature of the political struggle.

A note for the politically- inclined who read this book. Trotsky wrote this book in 1923-24 at the time of Lenin's death and later while the struggle for succession by Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev was in full swing. While Trotsky did not recognize it until later (nor did others, for that matter) this period represented the closing of the rising tide of the revolution. Hereafter, the people who ruled the Soviet Union, the purposes for which they ruled and the manner in which they ruled changed dramatically. In short, Thermidor in the classical French revolutionary expression was victorious. Given his political position why the hell was he writing a book on literary trends in post-revolutionary society at that time.


Storm of Swords
	The third book of a series and follow the story line.  I have not finished it yet but am enjoying it


BRILLIANT LAWYER STORY
	Ed Hayes exposes himself and one might think that the machine gun style of the book is fantasy but it doesn't do justice to the man himself. His dedication to his clients is legendary and he spends every working moment thinking and working for them. Having shared some of his adventures but as a cop,I found that he loves cops. If it wasn't for the fact that he would not have been able to support his interesting lifestyle he would have been one.

His book covers his life and gives a glimpse into the man and his style. He doesn't know how to go at half speed and neither does the book. His upfront approach is evident. He just doesn't have time for B.S.

It's a quick read and an enjoyable one. Make sure that you take it with you on vacation! It will make it more enjoyable


Correcting an oversight ....
	V. I. Lenin wrote this book in 1917, while he was hiding from the Russian government. Lenin pointed out that "The question of the relation of the state to the social revolution, and of the social revolution to the state, like the question of revolution generally, was given very little attention by the leading theoreticians and publicists of the Second International (1889-1914)". He wanted to correct that oversight, and that is probably the main reason why he wrote this book.

"The State and revolution" is a very short book, well structured and not difficult to read at all. Initially this pamphlet was going to have seven chapters, but Lenin didn't conclude the seventh, due to the outbreak of the Russian revolution. In the postscript to the first edition he explains that, saying that due to the reasons already explained the conclusion of the seventh chapters would have to be put off for quite a long time, but that all the same "It is more pleasant and useful to go through the `experience of revolution' than to write about it".

The main idea in "The State and revolution" is that the State is a product of the irreconcilability of class antagonisms, and an instrument for the exploitation of the oppressed class (a "special coercive force" that rules through violence). The State of the bourgeoisie will disappear, but only through a revolution that will take the people to the dictatorship of the proletariat. The proletariat (the working class) will become then the ruling class, "capable of crushing the inevitable and desperate resistance of the bourgeoisie, and of organizing all the working and exploited people for the new economic system. The proletariat needs state power, a centralized organization of force, an organization of violence, both to crush the resistance of the exploiters and to lead the enormous mass of the population -the peasants, the petty bourgeoisie, and semi-proletarians- in the work of organizing a socialist economy."

The dictatorship of the proletariat will be only a first stage in the path to Communism ("Then the door will be thrown wide open for the transition from the first phase of communist society to its higher phase, and with it to the complete withering away of the state"). According to Lenin, the necessity of systematically imbuing the masses with the idea of the necessity of violent revolution lies at the root of the entire theory of Marx and Engels. All throughout this book, Lenin cites and examines Marx and Engels' writings, in order to explain and support his own point of view.

The importance of Marxism for nowadays world has diminished enormously, but I advice you to read this book nonetheless. It is certainly not a grueling task, and it will allow you to understand better some notions that many Marxist leaders believed with all their hearts. Ideas drive men, and men make history. "The State and revolution" will help you to get acquainted with some of those ideas, and that is not a small feat.

Belen Alcat


Two Hooks Up!
	My kids and I love this book.  There were so many cute ideas, several parties worth.  Pirates are a hit with most kids and this book uses this theme combined with simple objects to make things that kids will think are awesome.  I especially liked the recipes, the place cards, the ideas to make with salt dough, and the pirate facts throughout the book


Great resource for an experience Java Programmer
	I am an experienced Java programmer. This book together with the NetBeans IDE allowed me to come up with a J2ME application in less than a week. The examples in the book is a great resource for learning to write J2ME applications. I learn best when I'm coding. In my case, I used the source from the PeekAndPick RSS Reader to come up with my J2ME text reader. The program has been heavily modified since, but the book provided sample code that was a great starting point for my learning.


I am the book's author
	I want everyone to know that this book was a labor of love. I want to help make people aware of the life and the legacy of Ilan Ramon, a hero and inspiring figure for all of us


The Art of Chinese Swordsmanship
	Wow! This is a wonderful reference book not only for Taiji Jian (tai chi sword), but also for Taiji Quan. All sections of the book are straight forward and easy to follow. There wasn't any mystical  quot;mumbo jumbo quot; I couldn't comprehend. The first chapter which gives the reader information about the history of the Taiji jian, I particlularly liked this historical information. Chapter two is for Taiji jian and Tai Chi Quan practitioners. This chapter explains clearly the  quot;ins and outs quot; of Taiji Quan and Taiji jian. The author explains basic trainning, principles, elements, etc. I found this section of great interest to me having only studied Taiji Quan for about a year now. I believe the information I've gainned from reading this section will help improve my practice.I think advanced practitioners will find chapter two valuable as well. The remaining chapters 3-8 give the reader information on the parts of the jian, how to practce with the jian, basic movements,fighting principles, and a 32 posture form with pictures and detailed explanations. The explaination of each picture includes info about the key points, internal components and the movement itself. This is a great manual that I know I will refer to over and over again. This is a must read book for any Taiji Quan or Taiji jian practitioner


This book wins my heart
	The Hellion Bride is the second book in Bride Series. I love Ryder and Sophie and the joy of meeting other characters from The Sherbrooke Bride. I kept turning the pages to find out their secrets. Deceptive and abusive uncle Theo as well as murder scenes make the story more thrilling and a suspense. The Virgin Bride also comes in handy and she is an angel rather than a ghost for she always is encouraging and very nice. Sinjun pleasantly spices up the whole story. I can't wait any longer to read her own story The Heiress Bride


This book tells girls what good sportsmanship is all about.
	quot;Good Sports quot; is a book which helps girls to be the  quot;best athlete you can be. quot; It catagorizes players, parents, and other important people into real-life situations. It has quizes, quotes from  other athletes, and memory pages. Also, it offers a lot of web sites and  other addresses for girls to look up their favorite sports. More  importantly, this book shows girls what teamwork and good sportsmanship is  all about. One of my favorite parts in the book says:  quot;Sometimes heart  is the strongest muscle. quot; This book also tells girls how to take good  care of yourself- to eat healthy so that you are a better athlete. It  includes the food pyramid and what one serving is.  quot;Good Sports quot;  involves  quot;Power Drills quot; and advice from other girls. It goes  inside the lives of other athletes, such as Michelle Kwan, but also shows  girls'lives who are teens or pre-teens.  This book not only focuses on the  physical parts of playing a game, but on the mental part as well: keeping  your dreams alive even when you're at the bottom of the team, or you were  embarrassed at a basketball game when you tripped. I would reccommend   quot;Good Sports quot; to any female athelete, whether you are experienced  or haven't even started yet. It teaches you the basics and also the mental  parts of a game! It has advice on keeping your mind and body strong, along  with being a good winner and loser. It has advice from other athletes,  famous or otherwise, memory pages to record your victories, dreams and  goals, and ways to reach sports associations. As the book says, it includes   quot;Winning. Losing. And everything in between. quot


Our Grandmothers Were Right
	Barbara Ghazarian's book is a wonderful collection of recipes that originated in an ancient culture. I enjoyed reading about her family and how Armenian food remains a large part of the communal family experience. These foods from the Mediterranean region are exciting, flavorful, and easy to make. Barbara's emphasis on bulgur wheat -- a staple in the Armenian diet -- is particularly important, as this whole grain product has stood the test of time. It might even be considered the gold standard of healthy, easy-to-prepare grains.

 Simply Armenian  gives Americans a way to incorporate whole grains, meats, and vegetables into a healthy meal that a family can share. While I read the book, a line kept running through my head: "our grandmothers were right." They cooked with simple, whole foods that provided excellent nutrition and variety from recipes that were handed down from mother to daughter.  Simply Armenian  allows us to cook like our grandmothers and provide the same healthy choices for our modern families


Creepy and Fascinating
	This is a sci-fi novel about the end of the world.  Every single adult on the planet died.  THere are a couple of kids living in a house alone.  So begins the Fire-Us trilogy, fascinating, scary, and intriguing.

The story is really interesting - I mean slap in your face, give-me-more, I LOVE THIS intersting.  A couple of the images were really disturbing, though, like the fact that Hunter had to move the skeletons out of his way at the supermarket.  The kids in the story are fascinating, and the Teacher's scarpbook-thing was so . . . wierd that it was actually kind of scary.

Then Angerman is introduced.  He's really messed up, but I get the idea that he knows something about the virus (Fire-us) that the others don't.  This makes him an amazing character, and even if you don't like the story its worth reading the sequel just to find out what happens to him and his battered dummy.

I really love this series, though some of the descriptions might be a little too much for younger readers.  Well worth anyone who is into sci-fi and apocalypse, as I was at the time.

P.S. I read this book five months ago and I still remember all of the characters and their names and quirks.  Talk about powerful writing


Great follow up to The Red Hat Club!
	I love this book - such a great novel detailing the friendship and bonds of a group of women over the years.  I'll be re-reading it


Righteous
	Good books on popular music are, frankly, few and far between. This is one of those precious few. Journalist Dan LeRoy has done a remarkable job of piecing together the details of the creation of this album. Even better, he has written an engaging story. It might be a cliche, but I couldn't put it down.


If you want to do advanced DVD authoring - buy this book!
	This book shows you in an easy to read format the true capabilities of the DVD format and what is required to do it. It helped me in being able to ask intelligent questions when purchasing equipment


A Reassuring Read
	What I like about this book is that the tone is just right for a self-conscious preteen boy who has more questions than answers but is too embarrassed to ask anybody. Leave this book in his room or in the bathroom without making a big deal of it, and I bet he'll take a look inside. Some books are so clinical; others don't provide enough information. This one gets it right--at least for your basic seventh or eighth grader. As someone who has been writing for girls for years, I'm always curious about what is out there for boys, and I like Daldry's style.
Carol Weston, author of Girltalk: All the Stuff Your Sister Never Told You


Highly Recommended
	HACCP is the acronym for Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points. This text, by Arduser and Brown is the be all and end all on the topic - in my view.  It even comes with a companion CD-ROM that contains all forms from the book in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) and MS Word format. This is a major time saver when it comes to preparing and administering the required tests to staff members and the newly hired.

The comprehensive 530+ page text covers everything I can think of that relates to food safety in restaurants and other eateries. It is designed to teach food service managers and their employees the specifics of food safety in accordance with the FDA Food Code. This excellent training manual is in large print format that makes it easy to read. The writing is easy to understand and the authors were careful to explain key concepts and terms so that even a novice can study it alone.

The seven comprehensive chapters in the manual cover the following topics: Hazards to Food Safety; Factors Affecting Food-Born Illness; Food Safety Regulations; Following The Flow of Food; HACCP; and the Facility Plan. These are followed by an extremely helpful Glossary of terms. The Appendix includes all forms needed to meet the FDA requirements and to run an efficient and safe establishment. Included are checklists, signage, compliance checklists, and equipment cleaning charts, allergen-control program worksheet along with job descriptions for personnel. There is even a Certificate of Completion to certify that staff members have taken and passed the required tests (included).

With the rise in reports of food-borne illnesses and deaths it is essential that every food service operation adhere to the regulations and safety procedures at all times.  In my view, this book is essential to ensure you are in total compliance.

As one who has conducted training I find this book deserves 5 stars for its complete coverage of the subject matter in an easy to digest all-in-one format.  I highly recommend this book


a great little book!
	I love this little recipe book! It is very simply written, but informative -- everything from what a crepe is and how to turn them, stack them, freeze them, and thaw them, to diagrams on folding crepes and blintzes, and, of course, the recipes: the basic crepe recipe followed by all the variations, as well as dessert crepes and blintzes. Haven't tried very many yet, but am looking forward to it -- especially the orange dessert crepes


CJ Box does it again!
	Another incredible read from CJ Box.  I'm intrigued in the manner he sets up the future of Joe Pickett in each of his books.  I couldn't put this one down


Impeccable Perspective - A Must Read
	With all the sensationalism and relentless obfuscation of the realities of life by the media I found this an exhillarating and thought provoking book.  There's more..., but I'm sure you'll read and revisit this book again and again once it's prominently displayed on your bookshelf.  Worth every penny...


Mythology for the Masses
	Pamela Jaye Smith has an incredible talent for inspiring writers to dig deep into the core of their characters, which invariably leads them to discovering their own personal nuggets of truth. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of mythology, spirituality and metaphysics. Yet her real gift is being able to relate all of this amazing information in an entertaining and clear manner so that it's easy to understand. The book is very well organized and packed with all kinds of valuable treasures.  I highly recommend it


Life in Old Plymouth
	In this study Demos examines family life as it was for the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower, before they joined with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The book is in three main sections: the physical setting (housing, furnishings, and clothing); the structure of the household (family connections, including servants); and individual development (childhood, coming of age, and old age). The most striking thing is how all aspects of communal life were controlled by the Court: although laws were not draconian, they spelled out how one was to conduct his or her life pretty thoroughly. Mess up and you would be punished. But it's also true that people were not that different back then, either: parents still cared for their children and worried about their futures by making provisions for them; families were at the core of society's welfare; even women were given rights denied them in the mother country. It's interesting that even these first settlers saw the American continent as a vast area just waiting to be colonized, and one of the biggest problems facing the authorities was how to keep settlers from wanting to spread out too far from Plymouth itself, thus weakening communal ties. A highly recommended book


WONDERFUL Book!
	This book is a big hit with my PRE-K class! I was pleasantly surprised at how responsive and attentive they were while I was reading this. They have memorized most of the book. They all loved it! An excellent resource for teaching about diversity and various cultures! I'd definitely recommend reading this book to/with ages four through maybe second grade


Good for first timers...
	In a hobby filled with opinions, this was a one-stop shop for beginning to up-and-running of my first large aquarium. It was exactly what I was looking for in a book of this nature. I'm not going to say it's the best, worst or in between because it's the only one of this nature I bought.
Since then, of course, like most folks, I've read web sites, talked to others in the hobby and formed my own opinions.
But the reason I bought this book was to cut through the confusion and get started and for that, it was terrific. Could have used a bit more on fish and plants and that's the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. Next revision, he should throw in a bit more on the fish he picks, offer some alternatives within the scenarios he set up


Anna Anderson WAS Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia
	Anna Anderson/ Anastasia

I have researched this great mystery for some time now and I have concluded that the woman, Anna Anderson, could not have been an imposter. Not only did she never give any signs of playing a part, but she was in posession of all sorts of little facts and information that no one on the outside could have known. She knew of Gleb Botkin's paintings before he even came to see her, she knew exactly what she and her sister Tatiana had been doing while WWI was being declared for Russia (this was confirmed by Dr. Rudnev who was visiting Russia and saw Anastasia and Tatiana at that time), she had intimate knowledge of every single royal house in Europe, and could recognize her royal cousins- sight unseen- by their voices alone. One must wonder how a demented Polish farming girl could do that. Aside from just her character, there the many scars and lacerations on her body, as well as the bunions on her feet identical to Anastasia and the cautorized mole on the shoulder which was verified to have been on the young Anastasia as well by a standart officer who did not even support Anna Anderson's claim. For over six decades, Royal cousins and friends to Anastasia would try and trip this woman up with tricks. They would misstate things just to see if she would catch them and she always would. It is virtually impossible for someone to go 65 years without ever being caught in a mistake. Anna had people such as Alexei Volkov and Alexadra Tegleva in tears after having met her because they were so touched. No one has ever yet attempted to explain why Ambassador Zahle and Grand Duke Andrew's papers are still kept secret, why Doris Wingender touched up her photographs in court, or why Pierre Gilliard had his scandalous midnight 'burning' of evidence. To this day, anthropologists who compare Anna Anderson's face, ears, and handwriting specimens to the young girl she claimed to be declare with certainty that the "two" women are the same.
   The Franziska Schanzkowska story is clearly a lie from beginning to end. Anna Anderson was several inches shorter than Franziska Schanzkowska, wore a size shoe three inches smaller, was not mentally insane like Franziska, she spoke a bad German while FS spoke German as her first language, and could understand Russian. The Schanzkowska siblings did not understand a word of Russian when spoken to them. AA clearly understood Russian. Anderson also gave birth to a child. There is no record of Franziska ever having a child. Recent documents also show that Schanzkowska was never injured in the grenade explosion which supposedly infliced the wounds on Anna Anderson's body. The DNA tests have won the hour, but I hope the future will see the release of Ambassador Zahle and GD Andrew's papers to cast even more doubt on this. Richard Schweitzer's switch theory is very probable given the doubts about the identification with Schanzkowska as well as the security measures which were not that good at Martha Jefferson Hospital during the complicated court battle between Marina Botkin Schweitzer and the Russian Nobiltiy Association. According to Massie's book, one researcher was even allowed access to the intestinal tissue during this time. Is it reasonable that the Royal families would ignore the fact that Anna Anderson was about to recieve recognition as the Tsar's daughter after they had been fighting to disprove her all her life?
   In any case, the body of Anastasia is still missing, although in Russia there lies a body under the coffin which reads 'Anastasia' measuring 5'7, despite the fact that Anastasia was the shortest of her sisters. If this isn't reason enough to be suspicious that there is some sort of agenda, I don't know what is. I'm afraid however that the body lies in the ashes spread over Castle Seeon under the stone which reads, "Anastasia Manahan 1901-1984".
   To end this, I will quote Empress Alexandra's best friend (aside from Anna Vyrobouva) Lili Dehn, who met Anna Anderson in 1957(?) and declared, "Don't bother to tell me she has read these things in books. I have recognized her physically and intuitively, through signs which do not decieve. What can I say after having known her? I could not have been mistaken."

This is to explain my conviction that Anna Anderson was Anastasia. I think there is something about the DNA we do not know.

The File on the Tsar- 2002 edition... p. 362

'Nearly fifty years ago, Anna Anderson told a story about a sketch she and her sister had put on to amuse their parents during their confinement in Tobolsk. She played a male part, she 'recalled', and and had to borrow a man's dressing-gown. At a pivotal moment in the play, a freak draught made the dressing gown billow up around their thighs, revealing that she was wearing the tsar's long-johns- against the bitter cold of the Siberian winter. The family, said Anna Anderson, had hooted with laughter.
The only witnesses from the imperial household who would have been present at that scene, and who are known to have survived, were the two family tutors-both foreigners. One was the English tutor, Sydney Gibbes, and his memoirs were published for the first time in 1975. They include this account of an incident during amatuer theatricals in Tobolsk.
"The cast," Gibbes wrote, "had its happiest night with an Edwardian farce by Henry Grattan, called 'Packing Up', ... Anastasia took the male part... at the end of the farce the 'Husband' had to turn his back, open his Dressing-gown as if to take it off- Anastasia used an old one of mine... but a draught got under the gown and whisked its tail up to the middle of her back, showing her sturdy legs and bottom encased Emperor Jaguer's underwear...'
So far as exhaustive research can establish, only Anna Anderson had ever before told this vivid ancedote, in private and three decades before the Gibbes memoirs appeared. If Anderson was a phoney, as the seemingly damning DNA evidence now tells us, how did she know the story?
That was one of the myriad puzzles that believers in Anna Anderson had to confront when the scientists delivered their verdict. Ian Lilburn, a research historian and the only observer to attend every session of the "Anastasia" appeal process in the German courts, had a calmer response than some. "I think," he said, knowing he sounded like a Luddite and Romanov flat-earther, " there is something we don't know about the DNA."

Maybe after reading you can understand why some of us don't believe the DNA was Anna Anderson's, and why we don't believe she was the tall, size '36 shoe wearing Franziska Schanzkowska who could not have had such exclusive info if she were an imposter.


Great laugh for grown ups
	As an adult I picked this up for my teen daughter and read through it and laughed and truly valued the advice within and wished I had it when I was a teen.  Also a lot of this advice will work for any age.  I loved the advice for falling down the stairs


Insightful!
	Things are going swimmingly in Fish! land. In the latest volume, Fish! Tales, authors Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, Harry Paul and Philip Strand build on the successful training program that evolved from their first Fish book. Tales shows how four companies - a long-distance call center; a hospital neural-renal unit, a car dealership and a roofing company - have applied Fish! theories effectively. They also provide short examples from other companies to show how well the Fish! function. The four main principles are familiar by now - keep the work fun, seek to serve others, stay focused on your customers and have an enthusiastic attitude - but the examples in the book bring them alive. Along the way, the authors heavily sell their Fish! courses and merchandise - that's just good salesmanship - but the real catch of the day is the final how-to section, showing ways to apply these principles in any organization. The lively writing style helps keep you hooked. We suggest that if you haven't yet caught any Fish!, start with this one. Its cheery, accessible methods should lure you in, hook, line and sinker


Brilliant and Untouchable
	While some may think that good work should be "readable and enjoyable,"  great work is meant to elevate us. Stun us, amaze us, fill us with wonder.  Otherwise, See Spot Run would be a masterpiece.

William Faulkner is a writer the likes of which we may never see again.  He is not only brilliant of word but of concept.  He creates a picture not only by text, but by context and form.  In many ways, his works sculpt.  How else would we see things from the vistas of the characters, especially those who can't speak but by setting and demonstration?

One reviewer cursed his conveyance of emotion by "using big words."  Writing is the art of language interplay, the use of beautiful and succinct language.  Faulkner uses language that most of us have never heard of but when we take the time to look up that language, the effect is stunning and makes the experience all the more worth it.


The Greatest Novel
	The Reviewers above and below warn that the novel is difficult to read.  If you a person of average intelligence, all you need is a character list and a careful reading and you will have absolutely no problem finding your way through the greatest novel ever written.  (It's an incredibly easy read the second time around.)

The Sound and the Fury is a summation of Faulkner's works.  Everything that is done in the rest of his novels was first done in The Sound and the Fury.  The Sound and the Fury is poignant and tragic.  It is monumental in its mythical power.  It is Southern and yet it is universal.  It is Faulkner's triumph as a novelist.  It is a study of human consciousness, perception, and existence.  The novel follows the decline and eventual fall of the Compson family.  In Faulkner's world of Yoknapatawpha County, the Compsons and Sartorises, the Sutpens and de Spains, in other words, the established old families of Jefferson declined as the invasive and unethical Snopes, portraits of the modern businessman, ascended to power.  The story is an intimate portrayal of the Compsons, and yet it is a symbolic and mythical account of decline and tragedy.  Why is it the greatest novel ever written?  It takes the innovations in narrative technique as developed by Joyce and Woolf in the movements of European Modernism (which it does better and with more purpose than Joyce and Woolf) and combines them with an exploration of storytelling and an intense devotion to a portrayal of place and region.  The story is great and moving.  The characters are loveable, hateable, tragic, and intensely vivid.  The place is conceived and presented with taxing reality.  The language, as with all of Faulkner's novels, is at times soaring and at times quite terse.  The structure is perfectly balanced and symbolically paired with the passion of Christ (the three days are Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday).  In short, it is the paradigmatic example of what literature can (and should) do; even the greatest of literary feats stand in its shadow


fantastic English mystery in the Christie tradition
	While on maternity leave from Cambridge University and with her husband away handling a legal matter in Los Angeles, Professor Cassandra James meets her neighbor actress Melissa Meadows and her spouse Keith Kingleigh.  Melissa and Cassandra share an affinity since both recently gave birth prematurely.  Kevin is going to direct a production starring Melissa.  He asks Cassandra to adapt the Victorian drama East Lynn, which she agrees to do.

As opening night beckons, Cassandra notices the cast seems extra nervous.  Later an anxious Melissa calls Cassandra believing that someone is stalking her.  Cassandra tries to calm her down.  The next day Melissa fails to appear for a rehearsal so Cassandra goes to visit her.  Melissa is gone without a word, but abandoned her six month old baby that she had shown so much love.  With her own fussy infant at her side, Cassandra wonders what happened to her new friend while unable to contact Stephen, dealing with the abrupt arrival of her first husband, and Detective Sergeant Vickers suspecting the professor killed the actress.

STAGE FRIGHT, the second Professor James tale (see MURDER IS ACADEMIC), is a fabulous amateur sleuth mystery that builds up the suspense slowly so that the reader like the heroine suspects everyone's motives.  Either foul play occurred or Melissa had played the role of a loving mother, but Cassandra cannot find a motive for either scenario while the evidence points towards her so that even the audience will believe she harmed or murdered the actress.  This is a fantastic English mystery in the Christie tradition.

Harriet Klausner


Betty Crocker's Easy Slow Cooker Dinners : Delicious Dinners the Whole Family Will Love (Betty Crocker)
	I was a little disappointed. Maybe I should have shopped through a book store.


A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE SELLING A STORY
	Michael Hauge is not only a master at helping you elicit emotion from your story, he now also shows you how to do it in 60 seconds and generate nothing but excitement for your project


Loved it
	I REALLY enjoyed this book.  I thought the movie incorporated most of the good parts in the book.  There were some character changes and some additional characters in the book, but I don't think they hurt the story line by trimming here and there.  I read the book after seeing the movie - I always wondered what the movie had been based on.  I love baseball, and I think the book was great


From what it's really like to run a coffee bar to legal issues, sales, shop equipment choices, kitchen layout and more
	There's plenty of money to be made in the coffee business and if your dream is to get out there and run a coffee bar, you're in luck: Complete Idiot's Guide To Starting   Running A Coffee Bar provides all the basics on how to do so. From what it's really like to run a coffee bar to legal issues, sales, shop equipment choices, kitchen layout and more, much of the book is very specific to the coffee industry and provides a wealth of specific business advice.


For the Creme Brulee Lover
	All kinds of creme brulees.  This is an outstanding cookbook on a one style of dessert and has many varieties and helps and serving suggestions.  Favorite is the chocolate box presentation suggestion.  Everyone seems to go for creme brulee


thrilling, exciting,absorbing,unforgettable stories amp;pictures
	Jiraishin is completely new cop drama. There's no extremely humane hero.And no beauty as his partner. But I felt a lot of touching emotions by  this.It's really interesting


The Butchers Theater
	This was the very first Jonathan Kellerman book I had ever read.  This is by far the best one he ever wrote.  I don't think that I have ever read a book so riveting and suspensful.  It's like watching a top notch horror/mystery movie.  This has got to be my most favorite book of any by anyone.  I still recommend it to people after reading it quite a few years ago now.  I give this book a 5++++ star rating


An Affair to Remember
	Those interested in American art of the last century will find great pleasure in reading this book. Chicago and New York are the centers from which Katharine Kuh radiated. As a museum curator, art dealer, and published critic, she was personally close to many of the modern masters. In this book, she provides short but telling stories about their work and lives. I especially liked the chapters on Rothko, Tobey and Noguchi.

Disparate side characters, such as Judge Learned Hand and LBJ, pop up and add further to the value of Ms. Kuh's memoir.

Avis Berman has done a great service to all those interested in the history of twentieth century American art by completing the memoirs of Katharine Kuh. The author's reflections have been preserved in a form, while still true to the author, that is likely better than had the elderly Ms. Kuh herself remained alive to complete the job. Notes to the text and a more complete description of Katharine Kuh's personal background are some of the very much-appreciated work accomplished by Ms. Berman


This's been my favorite book for 8 years
	If you're an easily offended religious fanatic who's always looking for the vaguest insult or contradiction to your beliefs... I guess you shouldn't read this. (Actually, you could probably read this one and just skip the sequels.)

But if you're anyone else (of any age) who enjoys a really awesome story with great characters, adventure, danger, fantastic visual writing, and not a single boring moment, (well... it might take a little effort to get past the beginning, but that's coming from a really impatient reader) then yeah. Go for it. Because there's just nothing that compares


Self Help Masterpiece
	I was so impressed with this book that I wrote the following letter to its author:

I just completed your book Time Tactics of Very Successful People.  The book is truly a masterpiece, and I have found it immeasurably helpful in my ongoing pursuit to become the best person that I can be.  Your book is full of wisdom and great ideas, the value of which is many times the price I paid for the book.  I have read the works of personal development legends like Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy, W. Clement Stone, Tony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen and others and have benefited from all of them, but I really enjoyed reading your book because I found that you offered some fresh ideas that these other great men did not. I am sure that the extraordinary concepts your book provides will enrich my spirit, enlighten my mind, and serve as conduits for achieving my goals for the rest of my life. I really liked the way that you ended the book.  The quote you gave from Earl Nightengale perfectly reflects my philosophy for successful living, but helped me crystallize my thinking in a way that has helped refines my philosophy further.

Thanks again for providing the world such a valuable resource, a guide which I am certain has helped and will continue to help many others to live happier, more productive, and more peaceful lives.


Excellent book
	Although I have been writing code for a few years, this was my first foray into AI programming. I find the examples easy to understand. Everything is very well written and the example code is well documented. I could not have asked for a better book.


YES, YES, YES
	I was at the SFMOMA to see her YES exhibition, and exactly what I expected, I was overwhelmed with delight... Her art is whimsically amazing. Her music touches your heart and soul. Seeing all the people there that day, I was glad that Yoko is finally getting all the respect she deserves, after all these years... Also caught her live performance at the Los Angeles's Roxy almost 6 years ago just took my breath away. I truly think she's one of the true visionaries of our time


A magic story
	I loved this book!   I picked it up on a whim at the airport, and couldn't put it down for the entire flight. Now I'm telling all my friends to get it.  Not only does it have tips about playing cards, but it's just a flatout pageturning thriller.  You keep wondering where this guy's life is going to lead him next.  Very suspenseful and funny too.  Highly recommended.


Great!
	I don't know if I wold be willing to leave bags of blood at the bookstore,  like the previous reviewer suggested, but it's a great book.  Everyone  should read it


read it
	the best book i read in the past year.  the truth hurts


Beautiful!
	This is a great book for anyone who wants a old world country feel to their home. The illustrations are beautiful and the decorating advice is thoughtfully planned out


required reading for elementary students!!
	..."First Grade Takes a Test #8221; is an excellent, multicultural book that should be in every elementary classroom, especially Kindergarten thru 3rd grades...For it #8217;s use in demonstrating that the really important things in life aren #8217;t measurable, and even as a tool for helping students understand and interpret poorly worded questions (and there will always be a handful of them on any standardized test), the book is invaluable.  Highly recommended from this early childhood teacher


The Peak of Storytelling
	Most people are in awe of the "classic." However, a book does not pick that title on the whim of a professor of arcane texts, rather a book gains such when it constantly and consistently speaks about the human condition. Classics do not only thrill and teach, they also live.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is a classic.
This tale of accusal, love, betrayal, imprisonment, redemption, and retribution, defies genre.
Recounting the plot serves no purpose, so I will simply surmise that most readers focus on vengeance at the expense of reward. Edmond Dantes could not have desired living just to kill those who wronged him; he expected to return to those who remained faithful. Here Dumas, using Dantes, Sinbad, Albert and Abbe Busoni, championed a nonviolent stoicism which exposes a person to death to experience life.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a vivid potrayal of French life after the Revolution, an epic account of a man's quest for closure and an inspiration for the Shawshank Redemption. It is never too late to read it


a real mystery for grown-ups
	At 37, John Wade was Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. At 40, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He was heavily favored to win. At 41, he wasn't just beaten in the primary, he was crushed --- "loser by landslide."

What happened?

John Wade had a secret. As secrets will, it came out at the worst possible time. And, suddenly, he was no longer a rising star --- he was a war criminal, a killer of babies, a man to be shunned.

His secret was My Lai.

The Vietnam War is now so far from us, and American history --- especially the history of a war we lost --- is so sketchily taught, and some of you are so very young that I really ought to take a minute here and, in quick brushstrokes, relate what happened in a little Vietnam village on March 16, 1968.

Better idea: let Tim O'Brien tell it. He arrived in Vietnam a year later, and served as a foot soldier there for a year. Got wounded, got traumatized, the whole deal. Here's his account:

At approximately 7:30 on the morning, a company of roughly 115 American soldiers was inserted by helicopter just outside the village of My Lai. They met no resistance. No enemy. No incoming fire. Still, for the next four hours, Charlie Company killed whatever could be killed. They killed chickens. They killed dogs and cattle. They killed people, too. Lots of people. Women, infants, teen-agers, old men. The United States Army's Criminal Investigation Division compiled a list of 343 fatalities and an independent Army inquiry led by Lieut. Gen. William R. Peers estimated that the death count may have exceeded 400. At the Son My Memorial, a large tablet lists 504 names. According to Col. William Wilson, one of the original Army investigators, "The crimes visited on the inhabitants of Son My Village included individual and group acts of murder, rape, sodomy, maiming, assault on noncombatants and the mistreatment and killing of detainees."

Eventually, after a cover-up that lasted more than a year and after the massacre made nationwide headlines, the Army's Criminal Investigation Division produced sufficient evidence to charge 30 men with war crimes. Of these, only a single soldier --- First Lieut. William Laws Calley, Jr. --- was ever convicted or spent time in prison. Found guilty of the premeditated murder of "not less than" 22 civilians, Calley was sentenced to life at hard labor, but after legal appeals and sentence reductions, his ultimate jail time amounted to three days in a stockade and four and a half months in prison.

Terrible, terrible. (And ironic: Seymour Hersh, who broke the My Lai story, now writes about the Iraq War for The New Yorker.) But in fiction, O'Brien doesn't play judge and jury. John Wade may have been at My Lai and done terrible things there, but he found a way to live with his shame. And here's the remarkable thing --- Tim O'Brien bends over backward to see it Wade's way.

What I tell you now may seem like a plot "spoiler." It's not. "In the Lake of the Woods" is a mystery --- maybe even a thriller --- but it's totally innovative in form. That is, we know right off that something happened. The first question is: What happened? And then a gloomier question: Who did it?

What we know: After the primary defeat, John Wade and his wife Kathy retreat to a cabin in the Lake of the Woods, a part of Northern Minnesota so remote that there's nothing but water and islands between it and Canada. Thirty-six hours later, Kathy disappears.

Did she flee?

Did she drown?

Did her husband --- reliving his Vietnam experience --- kill her and dump her body into the lake?

Not easy questions. And O'Brien doesn't answer them: "I tried to make each hypothesis plausible. John may have killed Kathy. Or Kathy may have run off with someone else. Or maybe she simply drowned. Or got lost in that vast wilderness. I believed in each hypothesis as I wrote it. I inserted evidence to support each hypothesis --- just as life itself gives us contradictory evidence about a great many things. But in the end, it's all a mystery, insoluble, beyond certainty."

And to make it more mysterious, O'Brien tells the story from multiple perspectives. Offers testimony from many people. Cites historical documents. And then amps up the uncertainly by giving Wade a hobby --- magic.

And maybe that's what it comes down to --- an ungainly kid, an abusive father, a need for approval that never got satisfied. As O'Brien writes:

"A fat little kid doing magic in front of a stand-up mirror. 'Hey, kiddo, that's a good one,' his father could've said, but for reasons unknown, reasons mysterious, the words never got spoken. He had wanted to be loved. And to be loved he had practiced deception. He had hidden the bad things. He had tricked up his own life. Only for love. Only to be loved."

Too simple? A clue that takes you away from the solution? Could be: O'Brien is that good. (He won the National Book Award for "Going After Cacciato". The New York Times named The Things They Carried as one of the best books of the year in 1990 --- and chose "In the Lake of the Woods" for that list four years later.)

This much is sure: You start "In the Lake of the Woods" expecting one kind of book and quickly get another, darker, scarier book. You find yourself thinking "God, this is awful," even as you read faster and faster. You cringe at what Wade might have done, wince for what might have been done to him. And, as he comes apart, so do you.

This is a harrowing book, as grown-up as it gets. It's a great story, masterfully told. And more: It draws you in, demands your opinion. And then it demands your honest opinion --- because you have your secrets too, don't you


Blown Away
	An absolutely magnificent peice of literature! The use of language is witty and funny and I have never experienced such joy from a collection of short stories before. The ''Is He Deep?'' introduction set the mood of the bok and that question played on mind throughout the entire read. Fantasti


The elite's secrets that have degraded over the millennia.
	Robert Barid's exploration of history's secret connections is brilliant. By integrating hidden and not presented in any other book various facts of sciences, he clearly shows that our ancestors had much deeper understanding of the Reality than most of the modern people. I had a chance to explore many other books by this author available from his page on the World-Mysteries.com and I highly recommend all of them


A Solid Defense
	The Gospel of Judas has had its fifteen minutes of fame. It is but another in an endlessly long line of stories or documents meant to shake the foundations of the Christian faith. Like its many predecessors, it gave National Geographic and anti-Christian authors an opportunity to voice their dissension with the biblical story of Jesus. A book titled The Gospel of Judas shot to near the top of the bestsellers lists and nearly as quickly, shot straight back down. Still, while its popularity was short-lived, it allowed Bart Ehrman and other revisionists a chance to laud the epistle for its new insights into the life of Christ. Surely Ehrman forever cast doubt upon his credibility as a historian when he blathered, "(The Gospel of Judas) is one of the greatest historical discoveries of the twentieth century. It rivals the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Gnostic Gospels of Nag Hammadi."

National Geographic describes the importance of the document in this way: "The Gospel of Judas gives a different view of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, offering new insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Unlike the accounts in the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in which Judas is portrayed as a reviled traitor, this newly discovered Gospel portrays Judas as acting at Jesus' request when he hands Jesus over to the authorities." A classically dualistic, gnostic document, The Gospel of Judas presents a Jesus who is seeking to escape from the corruption of this physical world and asks Judas to betray Him so He can be free of this wickedness. Judas complies and shows himself to be a hero, rather than a villain. No longer the betrayer, He is a faithful friend to Jesus Christ.

Renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright is the first Christian to my knowledge to write a thorough refutation of the teachings of The Gospel of Judas. Judas and the Gospel of Jesus is due for publication in October of 2006 and will be published by Baker Books. It is a short book, weighing in at only 144 pages, but provides a thorough treatment of the subject matter.

Wright is fair to this newly published document. He does not say that there is no value in The Gospel of Judas for surely there is, for it tells us much about the gnosticism that was a great opponent of early Christianity. It gives historians access to an authentic, original document. But it tells us nothing about the real Jesus and the real Judas. Those who would have us believe that this letter provides details about the real life of the real Jesus can be little more than revisionists. Wright shows that such people believe in what he calls "the new myth of Christian origins." This myth, popularized by men such as Bart Ehrman, has three main teachings: first, Jesus was not as the canonical gospels portray Him; second, there were a great many different varieties of early Christianity, and they produced a large number of different "gospels," all of which circulated among Christians more or less unchecked; third, when Christianity became consolidated in the fourth century, many teachings about the "true" Christian faith were rejected.

"Classic Christianity," he says, "has a lot more life and promise than have ever been imagined by those who propose the new Myth, or by those who offer newly discovered gnostic texts as the panacea for our ills. It is a shame that the churches have been so muzzled, so often self-blinded to the full dimensions of the gospel they profess, the gospel of Jesus himself."

Through this short book, Wright asks good questions and insightfully shows where The Gospel of Judas simply cannot be held as equal in any way to Scripture. He shows himself to be a New Testament scholar the equal of any involved in promoting this new gospel. While the document appears to be genuine, it is little different and little more significant than the multitudes of other gnostic writings which have come down to us, even two millenia later.

It is perhaps somewhat ironic that N.T. Wright, who has reimagined and reinvented many of the teachings of Paul (and thus Jesus), would be the first to make a stand for the truth against others who would seek to reinvent Jesus. Unfortunately, Wright's New Perspectives are glimpsed, even if only dimly, through much of the text of this book. Still, he offers a compelling response to Ehrman and others and one well worth reading. I would tend to believe that, for most people, The Gospel of Judas is best ignored. It offers little that would be of interest to the average person. For those who do have interest in it, Judas and the Gospel of Jesus will no doubt prove an interesting response to the irrational views espoused by those who wish to reinvent Christianity and to cast doubt upon Scripture


Piece of my Heart
	Peter Robinson is one of my favorite authors.  When I travel on vacation I make sure to take his latest novel.   "Piece of my Heart" transitioned between the present and a time about 25 years ago.  The characters were well developed and the story line moved.  There were many layers of sub-plots that were interwoven.  I thoroughly enjoyed how everything was brought to its final conclusion.


Couldn't resist...
	"De-mystifying" a musical genre is a favorite practice of many historians, educators, and musicians, and has been overdone. Unlike them, but not unlike a master performer, Palmer is able to strike a balance between technique, feeling, and authenticity: He is historically and musically adept without denying the Blues its inherent mystery and evocative nuance.
Palmer put his life into this work and it shows; he without a doubt "convinces". I highly recommend his Deep Blues.


i love this book
	my son chris played on this team.  i love coach k as he has gotten me a job and new car.  duke has saved my family's life . this is a great book and all duke fans should read it.  FIST!  - vivian harpe


Good starter reader.
	The plot is stronger than Dick and Jane, not quite at the Dr. Seuss level.  But my 4-year-old loves the thing.  He wants to read it - what more can one ask for a first reader than self-motivation?   Good illustrations,  basic vocabulary, frequent repetition, and not scary


The Horse Packers Bible ........
	This is probably the single best work I've ever seen on the  quot;science quot; of packing. Joe Back lived and worked in N.W. Wyoming, and was a legend in the area. His humorous annecdotes, and extremely accurate hand drawn diagrams, combined with his obvious knowledge of the subject, make this a  quot;must have quot; for anyone seriously interested in learning how to pack horses or mules, and survive. This little work deserves a place in any packer's library


A MASTERFUL CONTRIBUTION
	Some previous reviewers have complained about  the complex style and writing of this book. Although in fact it is not an easily readable book, for the general public, if you have a serious interest about the history of the third Reich, make no mistake: you will not be able to overlook this book, which will surely be a  classic. It is a thoroughly well researched  contribution about the connection between religious beliefs and mass fanaticism; the interaction between the "new" domestic and international values, based on aggression; and the other causes involved in the rise (and fall) of the III Reich. From a different perspective from other mainstream historians, this winner of the Samuel Johnson prize for non fiction,  has accomplished quite an original scholarly feat, one which will enlighten the comprehension of this particular  period of history. No wonder many international critics have found the subtitle of this  opus  -A new History- particularly well deserved. Of great interest is the chapter related with the demise of the rule of law, a thorough analysis of the penetration  of the judiciary and the subordination of the police and government to the totalitarian Fuhrerprinzip


Cuts to the core....
	Dark Nature cuts to the very core of the will to survive.  Mr. Watson takes you on an easy to read journey "up" the food chain to the homo sapiens: who is neither man nor kind.  For me, Dark Nature removed judgment from the word "evil", giving a deeper, behind the scene look at what drives life.  A must read.  This copy was purchased a gift. In my judgment to continue to grow I needed to understand this piece of myself and the world around me


Her ideas are classic, yet fresh
	As a professional bridal consultant, I keep an extensive library of wedding related books on hand to help my brides design their own weddings.  Ms. McBride's Bridal Flowers is one of my favorites.  It is full of wonderful ideas - not just the traditional "must have" wedding flowers such as bouquets  amp; boutonnieres, but the out-of-the-ordinary (but inspiring) boas, decorated lampposts  amp; gilded calla lilies.  Ms. McBride shows that flowers are for more than just being carried or worn.  The large color photos are fantastic.  So many other books have little or no photos, or hand drawn diagrams that leaves the reader wondering.  Ms. McBride's book lets you see exactly what she is talking about.  It doesn't claim to be a how-to book, but perfect to take along when visiting your floral designer


Really the Last Prophet
	This rare book details Aleister Crowley's ascension as the prophet of a new Aeon, the Aeon of Horus. Out of all the Aleister Crowley books in mass market format, this stood out in memory years after I read it as one of Crowley's most disturbing works. In fact, I questioned my new faith in Crowley's religion Thelema reading this book; this was for real and not a joke. After contemplating, I thought it would be worth it stick with this because witchcraft is now a cool thing amongst today's youth and Crowley was a famous early form of witchcraft as we know it today. This is serious stuff, I wouldn't mess around with this unless you are interested in the occult. It should be noted that real life ritual magick as described in these type of works really do work; I did a ritual from Necronomicon and Lesser Key of Solomon to help with a college Astronomy course- I got a respectable C grade when I close to failing with a D-. But be prepared for some harassment aboyt alleged satanism.


Bravo!
	This is a wonderful book, which my children adore, and which taught them each to recognize the instruments in the orchestra before they were three


A nice follow-up to "Stitch 'n Bitch"
	The patterns in this book are really interesting.  They range from everything to cabled belts to baby booties to light sweaters.  This isn't as informative as the original "Stitch 'n Bitch" book, but if you have mastered the basics, it is a good starting point for ideas.  Plus, it has tried and true tips and tricks from knitters accross the nation.


Twain's "before and after" account of his quarter-century on the Old Muddy
	Twain's account of his years on the Mississippi is part travel book, part memoir, and part historical work, with a few sketches, stories, and tall tales tossed in for good measure. There is even an outtake from the not-yet-published "Huckleberry Finn," along with extensive excerpts from historical and contemporary accounts by other authors. This smorgasbord of material makes for an uneven book, but much of it shows Mark Twain at his humorous and humanistic best.

The kernel of the volume (and its best, most cohesive section) is in chapters 4 through 17; this material appeared in the Atlantic magazine in 1875 and recalls his early life as a crew member on steamboats in the early 1850s. His adventures as a young man are fraught with danger, full of comedy, populated by a number of ornery, mischievous, and reckless characters, and occasionally embellished (although Twain is a bit obvious when he's fobbing off a yarn). As Twain later wrote in "Puddn'head Wilson, "if there was anything better in this world than steamboating, it was the glory to be got by telling about it."

After he published the series in the Atlantic, Twain added another 46 chapters; much of it an account of his homecoming (incognito--or so he'd hoped) to the Mississippi River in 1882, when the steamboat had been rendered obsolete by the railroad. Many of these descriptions are unusually (for Twain) melancholy; he remarks upon the relatively emptiness of the river traffic and notes the transformations to the river and its banks that had made steamboat travel safer but less adventurous. His new journey provides opportunities to relate a number of stories--some allegedly told to him on the river and a few unpublished tales that he deemed relevant and worthy of inclusion.

The material from other sources, unfortunately, tends to bog things down--and there are about 10,000 words of it commingled in the text and included as appendices. Twain gathered newspaper articles and historical documents; he also included travel writing from earlier visitors, primarily Europeans distracted by how Americans and their homes were horribly uncouth and dirty. (You almost get the feeling that Twain would have smacked "the once renowned and vigorously hated" Frances Trollope upside the head if he'd had the chance; she provides Twain with the most interesting, if snooty, descriptions of traveling along the Mississippi early in the century.)

The material Twain wrote, however, more than compensates for the dryness of the extraneous stuff. As always, he is quotable, witty, amusing, and provocative. In spite of its excesses, nobody has done the Mississippi better


Pretty Helpful Book!
	I like the way it teaches fractions and doesn't use candy


How BIg is a Foot?
	This is a terrific book for young and older children. It is a fun way to demonstrate why we need a universal form of measurement.


Great Bread Machine Book
	I love this book!! I've owned it for about a year now, but just got it back after a very long visit to my mother-in-law. (3 months) She loved the book also and didn't want to give it back! She bought one of her own! Thank goodness! I think she got tired of reading the recipes over the phone to me! lol! Anyways great book, lots of information. Also great for what ever size machine you have. Does small (1lb), Med. (1 1/2lbs.) and large (2lbs). for each recipe.


Why Aren't You Reading This?
	How this book flew under the nation's radar---I'll ever know.  Furthermore it's discouraging as hell because it only goes to prove that great work so often goes unrecognized.

This book plays out like a Spielberg movie from page one.  Very Spielbergian because of it's perfect blend of adventure, romance and humor.  The characters are dynamic and interesting as hell.

The storyline is straight out of an Indiana Jones serial, and it keeps building until you're reading as fast as you possibly can just to see what happens.

The art work is astounding.  These are the coolest-looking heroes, sexiest women, and the most powerful looking baddies I've ever seen penciled in my life.

It's just a shame that this book isn't getting the buzz that crap like "Ultimate Spider-Man" is getting---because in all reality this is the best graphic novel on the shelves right now---and could easily be the film adaptation that could return Steven Spielberg to greatness.

For once in a very long time...I'm truly blown away.


Great!, if you're a Carolina fan...terrific if you're not!
	On the way to a conference in New Orleans, my flight from Raleigh to Charlotte was cancelled due to mechanical problems, and I was booked on a flight to D.C. As I boarded the plane with  quot;The Carolina Way quot; under my arm, a gentleman seated at the front of the plane asked how I was enjoying the book.  I explained that I had not yet started the book, so I could not give an answer.  The gentleman followed me to my seat and introduced himself as Dr. Gerald Bell, the co-author of  quot;The Carolina Way quot;.  Myself a Carolina fan, I was pleased to meet Dr. Bell, as he spent several minutes talking about Coach Smith, whom I have admired for over forty years, and the UNC basketball program, which is presently undergoing a much needed resurgence under Coach Roy Williams. Dr. Bell's contributions to the book tie Coach Smith's leadership philosophy to practical business applications by relating wonderful anecdotal references from Carolina's storied history to today's business situations.  Surely, Coach Smith, given his ability to recruit top players, has been criticized by many for his failure to win NCAA championships in the manner of Coach John Wooden at UCLA, but winning two NCAA championships, winning at a consistency high level unmatched by any program without violating strict NCAA rules, and coaching top players that graduated at a +90% rate and have gone on to be successes in their chosen professions underscore the unique successes of Coach Smith's  quot;system quot;.  Teamwork, integrity, loyalty, and hard work, are the cornerstones of the Carolina Way, and anyone in the position of managing, leading, or molding young people today would benefit from reading this book, corny as it is at times.  This book is not just for Carolina basketball fans


Kellerman At His Best!
	This is my favorite Jonathan Kellerman novel. The book focuses on a disturbing story about Munchausen's Disease by Proxy. This book so quickly caught my interest, that I ended up doing my psych 101 paper on this disease. I had not heard of this disorder when I read the book. It was disturbing, intense, and tore away at your heart. I would definitely recommend this book! Munchausen's Disease seems to have become a more popular topic since I read this book. I have seen countless documentaries on, and it was also featured in the newest episode of House. It is a disturbing, yet intriguing disease, and this book delves straight into the ugliest form of it, Munchausen's Disease by Proxy


Warcraft book2 10000 years before warcraft game1...
	The story of Illidan, Malfurion, Rhonin, and krasus using dark powers, heroic strength is enough to blow anyone away. Iy enchants me, it shows the World of Warcraft from a combination of Knaak's and Blizzard Entertainment's imagination


one to reread!
	my three year old loves this and I do too! it is a great book to share at Xmas as well.  The pictures are wonderful and we are giving it to nursery school as part of Chinese New Year celebration


The SPARK
	As an overweight, stressed-out, 40-something professional, I am thrilled to find this book!  The SPARK is exactly what I needed to get my body moving again.  I am one of those who had fallen for the 1-hour a day exercise trap, and if I didn't have an hour, which I usually don't, I just didn't exercise.  I love doing my three to four SPARKS a day, knowing I am doing my body far more good than waiting for that elusive day when I can fit in 45 minutes or more for my workout.  This is a wonderful concept, and so doable! It's working!! Thank you


And the lesson is...
	Always think twice. Never jump to hasty conclusions without considering ALL the effects of an act or decision. That's the essence of Economics: "looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy."

Most economic fallacies are the result of ignoring this lesson, as Henry Hazlitt clearly shows with many examples throughout this witty short book. Are there benefits in destruction (let it be a humble broken window or a bloody war? Is government spending the solution to unemployment or industries in trouble? Can taxes benefit the economy of a country? Do inflationary policies really encourage a well-functioning economy or are they just a smokescreen to conceal otherwise unpopular decisions? Are all labor union practices truly justified? And, what about tariffs, subsidies, parity prices, rent control, or minimum wage laws? These are the kind of issues the author analyses beyond what you can usually hear, read, or see on the media.

Beyond what you may think about the government's role in the economy, whether you agree or not with the author's liberal views, "Economics in One Lesson" shows how one should always try to see beyond the obvious and avoid missing the forest for the trees.

As the author points out, half-truths presented as complete truths are behind most economic fallacies. Demagogues and 'rogue' economists try to divert our attention by focusing only on the most visible effects of a given decision (or, in the worst cases, on the only effects that should be seen not to discredit an already decided course of action). Learning to supplement and correct their half-truths with the other half is the most reasonable thing an independent thinker can do. BTW, "Economics in One Lesson" might be a good place to start..


Sweet Read
	I found this in the church library, but it is not Christian fiction. It is simply an easy read. The story is sweet, made even sweeter by the topic. Cake. I am not even much of a cake person. I normally prefer ice cream or some sort of brownies/cookies, etc... But, as I read, I found myself longing for a bit of these intoxicating concoctions put together by the narrator. I don't recommend this book if you are diabetic or on a diet. The need for sweets will be simply overpowering


Good info, but missing a certain something...
	Overall this book is just fine for someone interested in cooking with a DO. The mix of recipes is fine, but they just seemed to be missing something. They were all more or less of the  quot;huck a good sized hen into the pot and cook for a while until done quot; variety. All of the recipes look tasty, though I would have liked to have seen a few more meat dishes, especially some more creative ones. Let's be honest, when you pay for a book you'd like to see more than  quot;...put a 5 lb beef roast into a preheated Dutch oven, salt and pepper to taste, cook until done. quot; Give me a little something to work with here! Inspire me! I can already cook a roast like this in the oven. Having said all of that, I would still reccommend this book. The vegetable dishes and desserts look fantastic and I can't wait to try some of them. As an aside, this is the only Dutch oven book I've seen with heart-healthy recipes as well as more traditional fare. Given that the average DO book requires the use of a metric ton of lard, this will probably appeal to a wider range of cooks


Interesting and educational and children LOVE IT!
	Both of my boys love this book and request it over and over again.   It is such a fun book to read because the children interact with the reader by answering the questions.  Love it!


Best book for teaching children about people and nature.
	quot;The Shaman's Apprentice quot; presents more information about the relationship between people and nature than many much larger volumes. The story of Kamanya, Gabriela, and the shaman Nahtahlah, educates children about the important roles of all living things. The text is supported by rich and colorful illustrations which easily maintains the interest of children from four to 14. If you want the children in your life to understand the importance of rain forests and the need to preserve them, you must have this book


Fascinating look at America 50 years ago
	John Gunther's INSIDE U.S.A. comes as close to time travel as we are likely to get, hurling us back to the America of 1947, as he explores, state by state, the people, politics, issues, passions and fads that make up our country.  Written with great energy and insight, Gunther captures an America justly proud of its WWII success, still unsure of its role in the world, and populated by fascinating characters like Mayor LaGuardia of New York, Governor Saltonstall of Massachusetts and Boss Hague of Jersey City.  Gunther describes regional characteristics that persist today.  He captures aspects of America that are gone,l never to return (an  quot;industrial quot; nation based on coal, iron ore and steel.)  And he foresees issues that dog America to this day -- the  quot;Negro problem quot; (actually, the  quot;White problem. quot;)  He condemns the segregationist society he finds in America, so inconsistent with its lofty ideals.  As you can tell, I loved this book.  It's very hefty -- but every time you are about to put it down, Gunther comes up with another amazing fact or interesting sidelight that keeps you reading.  All this said, Gunther does concentrate on the (a) historical, (b) political and (c) economic side of things.  You won't find much here about the arts or science.  But it is amazing a single individual could have compiled this much data and presented it so interestingly


IT'S SHOFAR TIME!
	This is the sixth and final addition to the author's excellent Holiday Time series, just in time for Rosh Hashanah! As in the other titles, (It's Challah Time! It's Seder Time! etc.) Tod Cohen's full-color photos capture the joyousness of the children as they learn to celebrate the holiday wearing new clothes, making Jewish New Year's cards for their families, tasting new foods such as pomegranates and star fruits, and blowing the shofar. The sounds of the shofar are explained in easy, understandable terms for this young age level. The children are also shown learning such things as tying their shoes and writing their names.  The brief amount of text on each page and very appealing children pictured learning to make round challot and blow the shofar make this just right for using with pre-schoolers, their parents, and in the classroom. Included is an easy shofar craft and a brief paragraph about Rosh Hashanah. Recommended for all Jewish libraries. Ages: 4-6.  Reviewed by Andrea Davidso


We Love This Book!
	Pretty much all of the Todd Parr books we've read are great but the "Peace Book" and the "Family Book" are by far our favorites.  They are very positive and carry a theme of tolerance.  We'd highly recommend this book!


A book intended to deflect attention from Arab racism
	This book is essentially about how culture is used to promote the interest of stronger, imperial powers.  Said condemns intellectuals in the West who in his eyes are "agents of exploitation".  Yet Said himself is an agent of racism.

A Pan Arabist, he always supported Arab unity and "Islam" at the expense of non-Arab and non-Moslem peoples.  Said directs and manipulates the Western taste for self criticim, and all that does is deflect the world's attention from Arab and Moslem attrocities committed against Christians, Kurds, Jews, Israelis, Coptic Christians, non-Arab Sudanese, etc.

Thus, reading Said, you would never realize that Sadam Hussein's poisoning of the Kurds has never been condemned by one Arab intellectual or leader.  This is because a racist prevalent attitude in the Arab mind is that the entire Middle East should be Arab.  This also explains the attitude towards Israel, a country that is predominantly non-Moslem and speaks a Middle Eastern language other than Arabic.

The pity is that Said himself is a Christian, yet he never spoke on behalf of Coptic Christians in Egypt, or the right of Christians to practice their faith in Saudi Arabia and probably other places in the Arab World.  He is facilitating the overall aim of PanArab Nationalists by distracting the West from what is happening in the Arab world.

For a better understanding of relations between the West and Islam, I recommend books by Bernard Lewis, such as "The Moslem Discovery of Europe" and the "Jews of Islam".  I also recommend books by the Egyptian scholar and Jewish refugee Yael Bat Yeor, such as "The Dhimmi".


Is This BOOK Made Of 100% American Products? Nope!
	Oh, yes - this is a very fine book... for me to poop on!

In other words, it's a JOKE book. It's just another one of a half dozen duds out there, all trying to slam whoever happens to be the #1 retailer at the time - this decade it's Wal-Mart.

Foreign countries paying their workers less? Blame Wal-Mart! Worker insurance prices going sky high because the medical industry over-estimates it's fees? Blame Wal-Mart! Crooked unions feeling threatened they'll get their butts kicked by non-union competition? Blame Wal-Mart! Etc., etc.

You just have to laugh at how these semi-journalistic schlockmeisters try so desperately to compare themselves to a real activist like Micheal Moore, who actually accomplishes some social good once in awhile.

But you know who's REALLY laughing? That's right - Wal-Mart. That's because they've ALREADY built their thousands of stores, and been in business for over 40 years, so it's way too late now for these mealy-mouthed media wannabes to do anything about it!

And what do these ersatz authors expect at this very late date, anyway? That millions of consumers, during these roller-coaster economic times, will be instantly brainwashed by these new crackpot books and then suddenly start to "boycott lower prices"? Ha! Ha! Ha!

Like I said, this has got to be just another joke book


Free Money
	This was one of five books that I brought from Amazon.com and by far the worst of the lot.  This man has one idea about how the government really works.  Take it from me I have been with the IRS for five years


Over rated
	This book is not as good as i thought it would be.  I hope i have better readings with Bryan Tracy's Advance selling


The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Review
	Inspired by his uncle, Eddie, who worked at an amusement park, Albom writes a well-coordinated tale of people who connect here and in the afterlife, which is described by him as a very materialistic ambience. The concept is old: a better life beyond and a reason for the people with whom you cross paths. There are concepts to be learned from the five people. The story is delightful and cavalier.

Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal


Let Me Save You Some Time
	If you're thinking of reading this book, let me save you some time--don't.  I like a good literary read as much as the next guy (really), and make it a point to read all the Pulitzer winners, but this book, in perfectly plain English, sucked.  There is no plot, no beginning, middle or end, and is so tedious and boring that I actually started reading it from the back forward.  It didn't help, but it didn't make a wit of difference either.  Do your self a favor and skip it


This book is Bedlam!
	The back cover to this book was intriguing, and captured me immediately. The writing, however, was so plodding, so inconsistent, and so non-sequential that it was painful to get through to the end. This is aside from the fact that this man appears to be socially inept and unable to manage his affairs from day to day.  I can't believe that this book made it past the editors.  In one paragraph Jon Katz tells how Rose is the only dog for the job of helping him capture his runaway herd of sheet, and in the next he says that Rose is too young to herd sheep.  In one paragraph he can't live without his wife, she gives his very existence meaning, and throughout the book he describes how he lives apart from her in order to...what was it again?  Oh, right, herd sheep!  At one point the dog he loves the most is also the one he can't connect to and finally gives away.  And then can't stop visiting, even though everyone knows how confusing that would be to a dog. And why is he wondering why the world looks at grown men funny when they hang around too much with teenage boys - there's a reason, Jon!

If you care at all about literarure, stay away from this book


At least one story told wrong
	I'm an avid reader of history, as well as processing a degree in the subject.  So imagine my surprise when, after receiving this book from a friend of mine for Christmas, I read the erroneous account of the Children's Crusade of 1212.  I had done research on this topic, so I was horrified to read the completely inaccurate account of what occurred.  Had the author not read any historical analysis on the subject from the last 50 years?  If he had, he would have realized that there were actually two crusades - one consisting of mainly French people led by Stephen of Cloyes who, when told to turn back by King Philip II, did so.  That ended that crusade.  The other one, led by a shepherd from Germany named Nicholas, led a group across the Alps into Italy.  Some left for home while others continued on to Rome.  It's interesting to note that in Rome, many received dispensations from their crusading vows because these "children" were either too old or because they were pregnant.  Perhaps until relatively recently, people believed in the Children's Crusade because it represented a morality play or because some historians gave too much credit to chronicles (like Chronica Albrici monachi Trium Fontium) which were written long after the crusade supposedly occurred, rather than relying on more contemporary sources.  Nor did they realize that the latin word "pueri" used in the chronicles can have several meanings (such as unmarried men rather than  children).

In the final analysis, you just can't rely on books like these to really teach you history.  The best you can do is read what they tell you and then try to verify it.  If only the author had bothered to check the History Channel's own account of the Children's Crusade on their website, or perhaps read the excellent paper done by Peter Raedts in the Journal of Medieval History, or even just checked out the brief but accurate entry online in wikipedia.  The book gave two pages to this event, and sadly got it completely wrong.

For this gross oversight, I am compelled to give it one star.  Readers of history, never just believe what you read - verify


Great, perhaps, for English majors, but boring for my bookclub.
	American Pastoral was repetitious to the Nth degree. I read the Human Stain a few years ago, and it was good.  But, in Pastoral, the reader is put through a zillion permutations of possible dialogs between the Swede and a psychoanalyst, and between his daughter Merry and a psychoanalyst, but absent the psychoanalyst: Roth is our psychoanalyst. What he misses, however, is that we simply have to realize that interpersonal dynamics are sometimes beyond our control. The Swede never failed as a father; rather, he failed because he couldn't let go of his sense of responsibility for her


Almost turned me off to Heinlein
	I've been a fan of Heinlein's SF for just about as long as I've been an SF fan at all (somewhere around thirty-five years). But when I read this collection some twenty-odd years ago, it nearly turned me off to the old man altogether.

The fiction is pretty good (although even that isn't Heinlein's best). But to describe the nonfiction accurately, I'd have to use words that Amazon will remove from the review anyway.

For the most part, the pieces collected here represent a side of Heinlein I strongly dislike. Though I respect _Starship Troopers_, it's never going to be my favorite Heinlein novel no matter how many times we quibble over the precise definition of "fascism" -- and I'm not going to have much respect for the nonfiction in this collection.

And mind you, it's not because I disagree with Heinlein's opinions; it's because he gave bad arguments for them and called other people nasty names when they differed. Some of the stuff collected here is tendentious to the point of being propagandistic. (At least in his fiction, he was able to create characters with points of view that differed from his and get into their heads well enough to present them sympathetically -- in short, to grok them. Not here, boy.)

Heinlein (who bought into the Korzybski/General Semantics fad pretty early on) spent a lot of years dismissing philosophers as tailchasers who derive their premises from their conclusions. But his own attempt at philosophy, as represented here in e.g. "The Pragmatics of Patriotism", is very nearly the worst writing on ethical philosophy I've ever seen.

Then, too, people who knew Heinlein report that despite his overall gentlemanly demeanor, he could be pretty churlish toward people who disagreed with him. Well, he's certainly unpleasant here; anybody who doesn't agree with him on the need for massive nuclear buildup is dismissed as a poltroon or a custard-head. Even in the unlikely event that I thought he were _right_, I wouldn't find this a very helpful approach.

Perhaps more surprisingly, his popular writings on _science_ aren't very good. Asimov's reputation as the "great explainer" is in no danger here.

This volume is second only to _Grumbles from the Grave_ in cementing Heinlein's posthumous reputation as a rather mean-spirited fellow whose fictional characters were generally much better company than he was. When I want Heinleinian company, I'll stick to D.B. Davis, Manuel Garcia O'Kelly Davis, and (maybe) Lazarus Long.

And when I want to read some humane nonfiction by an SF master, I'll still turn to Asimov. I credit Heinlein with three magisterial novels, several imperfect-but-great ones, and a good number of brilliant short stories. But the stuff in this book should have stayed in his drawer


Dreadful Mishmash
	I have to say I truly hated this book. The premise sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try.  I've read all her other books in the series and found the characters to be quirky.  This time I found her usual friends and co-workers to be boring and self involved caricatures. The groundwork was there for an interesting serial killer with complex motivation but it never developed that way. The constant head hopping was annoying and the ending came out of nowhere.  Cromwell has obviously gotten bored with her characters and it shows.  This is my last Cromwell