I purchased this book about a week ago and am very pleased with it. I actually sat at Borders with 3 different Flex 3 books and flipped through them all to see which ones would fit my needs. this was the cheapest of the 3, and also the most thorough. I’m a flex 2 developer who was looking for a good trainer on Flex3 as well as more advanced and indepth information on the framework itself. This book is great for just that. I don’t know if I would recommend it to a new developer – probably a book sectioned by lessons and hands on stuff would be better for you, but if you are already a seasoned developer who is looking for MORE, this book will fit ur needs.

Only downside I did find with this book is it is FILLED with typos. Luckily they aren’t in areas that are too damaging or cause the material to be overly confusing if you already know what you are doing.

Amanda

I’ve watched both of David’s lynda.com video series (Flex 3 Essentials and Beyond the Basics, which are excellent by the way), and I am now reading this book. His depth of knowledge is apparent, yet his ability to convey the simplest to the most complex topics in an easy to understand and logical manner are what really separate his books/videos from the pack. He’s not afraid to tackle the more complex subjects that many books state, “are beyond the scope of this book,” with amazing clarity. In particular, his coverage of data services is unparalleled in current works. While there are many excellent books out there on Flex that whet your appetite, this one satisfies it. This book is structured so that you can read it cover to cover or jump to a specific section that interests you (it is excellently cross-referenced, within itself and to resources on the Internet), which makes it quite useful as both a learning tool and desk reference. I only wish was available in PDF format. Complete source code is available at the book’s homepage. If you’re looking to learn Flex, do yourself a favor and get this book and watch his Flex video series at lynda.com. Thanks David!

This 900+ page book is a seriously meticulous walk-through of all the essential aspects of developing Flex applications as of the Flex 3 release. After a tiny bit of history, the author wastes no time in getting right to the Eclipse IDE in it’s Flex 3 incarnation. One indication of the thoroughness of this book is in the fact that he spends 7 pages entirely devoted to the “html-template” folder within a Flex project! And I don’t know how many other Flex books out there (as I write this in 2008):

* Show you how to override the clone() function for event bubbling
* Describe the use of Flex 3 advanced layout constraints like constraintRows and constraintColumns
* Spend 6 pages showing you how to create skinning graphics in Flash CS3
* Describe the all-important facts surrounding switchable-container creation policy and deferred instantiation
* Show you how to use the BindableComboBox that comes with the ColdFusion Extensions for Flex Builder
* Walk you through how to group flat data with the GroupingCollection and the Advanced DataGrid
* Show you how to install and configure a Flex-BlazeDS-Java application
* Show you how to configure and develop a Flex-Coldfusion application
* Show you how to create a Flex-ASP.NET application
* Show you how to create a Flex-PHP application

It is a testament to the depth of the Flex API and to the inherent complexity of ANY serious front-end development platform that I can say that even with this book, there are still some pretty important things that are not covered. There’s no coverage of the History Manager or deep linking, no coverage of the ExternalInterface API, no coverage of how to use Cairngorm or other frameworks to keep a large application from becoming a tangled mess. But the book is already pretty darn thick, and it had to end somewhere. Basically, I think that with this book plus a good book devoted to ActionScript 3, the motivated novice-to-intermediate Flex developer would be good to go. Excellent book.

Steinbeck resists the pessimistic strain that runs through much 20th-century literature of alienation and despair. His is essentially a positive, “comic” vision in that he affirms the human community, all the more so if it comprises outcasts and eccentrics who reject the conventions and materialist values of the dominant culture in favor of the more “natural” as well as mystic order represented by Doc. Mack and the boys, along with most of the other inhabitants of Cannery Row, embody a democratic, inclusive social order founded on genuine diversity–of character and lifestyle more than color, ethnicity, or religion. In fact, they have much in common with the lovable and vital mischief makers of Shakespeare’s King Henry IV plays, though Steinbeck’s Doc cannot bring himself to be as heartless as Shakespeare’s Prince Hal. Falstaff and company are allowed to remain in Steinbeck’s version. They’re as essential to the vitality and strength of the human community as the debris that contributes to the cycle of life represented by the tide pools.

One striking example of Steinbeck’s worldview is the automobile. Unlike Fitzgerald’s symbol of American aspiration and status, of danger and tragedy, Steinbeck’s machine is distinguished by the working symmetry of its parts and by its relation to resourceful, inventive human beings capable of adapting and modifying it to their own purposes–which aren’t primarily selfish but directed toward the survival and celebration of the community which it serves. Gay’s mechanical expertise inspires the narrator in Chapter 11 to proclaim: “Two generations of Americans knew more about the Ford coil than the …, about the planetary system of gears than the solar system of stars. With the Model T, part of the concept of private property disappeared.”

Chapter 18, it strikes me, contains some of the best writing in all of Steinbeck. Doc, like Steinbeck, is a collector of specimens, but the sight of a dead girl that confronts him here discourages any action associated with acquisition or even representation. It’s an expanded, mystical moment in which the author manages to suggest the inextricable relation between life and death, the suspension of the narrative matching the reader’s wonder and amazement before a universe that surpasses human understanding.

It’s a rather utopian view, or cosmos, but Steinbeck makes it work while aligning himself with forbears like Whitman, Twain, and Sandburg–all of whom drew inspiration from the American community as a microcosm of life and nature, rooted in a deep belief in the sanctity of life and the inherent capacity of human beings for kindness and tolerance. “Our Father who art in Nature” is the narrator’s invocation in the second chapter, and the story that follows reveals this Creative Spirit’s unlikely incarnations in everyday experience and the natural world.

Throughout the final chapters, the theme of community counterbalances an equal emphasis on the tragic and the elegiac. Even as Mack and company finally throw a successful party for Doc, the guest of honor keeps coming back to the haunting ancient poem, “Black Marigolds.” In a universe that can be ruthlessly impersonal, taking away as much as it gives, it is the spirit of poetry, Steinbeck seems to be saying, that helps us share and even repair loss, linking us to one another in our tears as well as our laughter.

Cannery Row is Steinbeck at his best. It is a great example of Steinbeck’s humorous side as well as some sad commentary on the state of mankind. Freddy’s fate, the drowned girl, and the chapter in which the boy makes fun of friend’s father committing suicide make it clear that Steinbeck is trying to do more than just write a feel good novel for his readers recovering from WWII. Steinbeck seems to want to make clear to the reader that the tragedy that often is the reality of life is always lurking somewhere in the background. Despite some of the gloomy chapters, Steinbeck does an excellent job of creating memorable characters who move through their lives in a laid back manner that reflects the character of Cannery Row itself. In fact, the town of Cannery Row becomes as much a character in the novel as Doc. Mr. Lee, or Mac and the boys. By having the fickle moods of Cannery Row change as portrayed by the weather and scenery Steinbeck uses the living element of the town to move the reader through the story. I highly recommend this novel.

Reading CANNERY ROW on the heels of TORTILLA FLAT, the reader quickly notices many parallels between the two novels, both of which spotlight the ironies of human existence, including its happiness, despair, success and failure, and how conventional wisdom often fails dismally in describing the realities of existence. Despite the many parallels and equivalencies between them, however, the two novels differ in tone and treatment, if not in theme, and are equally worthy of the reader’s attention. In fact, the reader’s grasp of Steinbeck’s commentary on life will remain incomplete if only one of the novels is read. By all means, learn from both.

CANNERY ROW shows us many great ironies, not the least of which is the fact that “Mack and the boys,” a group of down-and-out bums, seem to be more content and fulfilled with their lot in life than is “Doc,” the professional man who operates the Western Biological Laboratory. Doc is alone in the world; he lacks that human attachment that brings comfort and connectedness to those who are otherwise adrift in an uncaring universe. He has lost his only lover some time before our story begins, and his stumbling across the corpse of a beautiful, drowned girl is a painful reminder of that loss. An even more poignant reminder of his alienation from humanity comes in the words of Frankie before he is isolated in an insane asylum. Frankie’s simple answer of “I love you” sends Doc retreating to the seclusion of his laboratory.

Contrasted with the loneliness of Doc, we find a fulfilling camaraderie among Mack and his cohorts. Penniless bums living in a ramshackle warehouse that they have coerced from Lee Chong, the Chinese grocer, sitting in chairs painted red with stolen paint, drinking from the liquor jug filled with the leavings of bar customers’ glasses, these men possess the connectedness and the feeling of belonging to the human race that Doc has lost. Despite the facts that their few possessions have been purloined, that they are employed only when necessity drives them to it for short periods, and that they would surely be classified as ne’er-do-wells by any member of polite society, the men are not only comfortable with one another but also reach out to others, wanting to “do something nice” for Doc simply because they like him, and lavishing ignorant but fully sincere love on Darling, doting upon her even as she eats their only shoes and makes puddles in their warehouse-home.

Other residents of Cannery Row also connect to the human community, sharing what they have and supporting one another when the fates bring misfortune upon their fellow men. When influenza strikes down both adults and children of the Row, Dora sends her professional girls, bearing thick, hot soup, to sit with the sick after their “work shifts” have ended for the day.

Misfortune, aided by copious drink, does sweep through the company. A party for Doc, who does not return from specimen gathering in time for it, gets well out of hand, and Doc’s laboratory and personal belongings suffer greatly as a consequence. At other points, the reader encounters suicide, crime, the callousness of a “system” that cannot understand or tolerate unfortunates such as Frankie. Cannery Row is not Utopia. Yet, somehow in the midst of impoverished existence, life will go on. Connections will be made. Humanity will be preserved. Logic and reason may not always apply, for the most despised dregs of society may be those who discover the paths of camaraderie, of sharing, of giving and of loving. Yet, despite such ironies, the vibrant, growing, fighting, reproducing life of the tidal pools will find its counterpart on land as well.

And what of Doc, whom we have described as divorced from this community of humanity? There is perhaps some promise there, too. At another party thrown by the boys for his birthday (though it wasn’t really his birthday), Doc truly enjoys himself-despite the broken glasses, windows, and door. Essentially, Doc remains alone, but now he-and we-know that bridges do exist across that gulf of loneliness and that connectedness, even though it may be temporary, is possible.

Steinbeck’s CANNERY ROW paints a portrait of humanity set firmly in the naturalistic genre. It depicts all of the grime, the drunkenness, the self-incriminations, and the rationalizations of men mired in poverty and ignorance, yet it also depicts them as survivors, and being a survivor is essentially what life is all about. Steinbeck’s novels should probably be “required reading,” if there were such a thing, for every adult, but I am somewhat dismayed at the thought that there are high school teachers who use them in their classes. The dismay is not because of any Pollyanna-ish notion that students should be “protected” from scenes such as Steinbeck draws, but rather because having more experience with life and its diversity is really necessary for a greater appreciation of Steinbeck’s observations. Here, of course, I write in generalities, for there are undoubtedly students of all ages and at all levels of life whose experiences will enable them to understand and, therefore, to appreciate Steinbeck’s verbal portraits of the human condition, and to them I highly recommend him.

I just couldn’t get into this classic. Language and plot just didn’t grab my interest, and I do read a lot of the old classics. I’ll keep checking out others on the Kindle List!

This book is packed not only with yummy recipes but also with great information regarding Cholesterol, Fat, and Calories.

Just tried the chocolate brownies and they are wonderful!!! They definitely don’t taste low calorie and low cholesterol!

Each recipe is listed as being either Low Fat, Low Cholesterol, and/or Low Calorie so no matter what your diet needs you’ll find recipes you love. Most of the recipes are low in all 3 areas, even the desserts!!!

This book is worth it for the nutritional information alone but please make sure and try the chocolate brownies!!!

My husband and I have both recently been diagnosed with high cholesterol and could both lose some weight. I purchased this cookbook from Amazon.com and have been trying each of the recipes. I have been very highly surprised, thinking that if it was low-fat or low-cholesterol, I would have to saccrifice taste in my cooking. Not so. This cookbook offers wonderfully, easy recipes which are so delicious. It offers nutrition info on each recipe, as well as the time it will take to cook the meal (most under 30 minutes). Every recipe we’ve tried (and we’re going to try them all) has been great. My husband doesn’t even notice that it’s healthy! The recipes are also very simple to make. I go through the book and make my shopping list from the ingredients of the recipes I want to put on my menu for the week. Some of our favorites have been: The Cajun Mustard Pork Chops, Hearty Beef and Veggies, and Lemon Dill Shrimp. You’ll be happy if you get this recipe book.

I love this book. I have been a big fan of The Simple Screamer & Make Something Ugly For a Change and this book is even better. What I love about this and all Dan Reeder’s books is that they teach you simple methods for making large sculptures that are almost fool proof. Even if you are not interested in making monsters you can use his methods to help you figure out how to create almost anything you desire.

When I see a 1,000+ page book on any subject, I really have to wonder if it will be worth the time I’d have to invest reading it. I am happy to say that Burrows and Wallace’s GOTHAM was worth every second I spent poring through its pages. BOTH TIMES! GOTHAM is very compelling and very witty, and, at the same time, terrifying and troubling when you read about some of the atrocities committed on this tiny island. The treasure-trove of illustrations along the way only add to the enjoyment of the narrative. I can’t recommend it highly enough. To me, however, the book is an important reminder that the history of New York City is richer, older, and more complex than the other US cities we tend to think of as historic, like Boston, Philadelphia, or DC. The history of New York City, laden with hope and tragedy, friction and cooperation, tolerance and intolerance, greed and charity, has never been given the majestic yet human voice it deserves, until now. GOTHAM lets you celebrate the history of New York as you learn about it. To me, that’s worth every second of reading.

I have only read about a tenth of this mammoth work so far and I have found it to be one of the best written and most interesting books I’ve ever come across. As an Australian, I’ve always had a great fascination with New York (I’ve been there twice) – it’s history, it’s beautiful skyline and it’s great contribution in so many areas like the arts & architecture (the Chrysler Building is one of the most gorgeous pieces of modern design in the world, in my opinion). So, to read such a marvellously written work on the city itself was a book I couldn’t resist. Despite it’s weight (it’s quite a load to carry to work every day on the train) I LITERALLY can’t put it down. Well done, Professors Burrows & Wallace – I can’t wait for the next volume from 1898 onwards!

I applaud this book!

During my 25 years teaching in public schools, I have witnessed a disturbing shift in the way young people view themselves and the world around them. In the midst of troubling news about kids today, Building Moral Intelligence offers a refreshing look at what can be.

A healthy mix of background information, authoritative research, and anecdotal content leads the reader to practical tools to evaluate and encourage positive personal growth. Clearly written and well edited, Dr. Borba’s book offers a realistic understanding of current trends, then provides concrete solutions that address each critical issue.

As one of the world’s leading authorities on moral development, Dr. Borba has given us a real book for real people. Building Moral Intelligence holds the key to what is possible for kids everywhere. This should be mandatory reading for every parent, every politician, and every citizen who cares about the health of this nation.

While I still maintain a child can best learn from a positive example, unfortunately in today’s society, not all parents are setting positive examples. I have counselled many children over the years and in a vast majority of cases, what has contributed most to the need for counselling in the first place has been the absence or lack of adequate parenting skills. There are excellent parents in existence, for many it comes naturally. For others, they never “get the act together.” Some individuals, for whatever reason, simply do not possess the bonding ability, tolerance, time, energy, understanding and financial resources to raise a child for the first eighteen years of their life. There are also those parents who feel they are doing “everything right” when in reality, they may be making every mistake in the book.

When a child has become so unhappy, emotionally insecure, rude, defiant and/or physically abusive that the parent(s) can no longer deal with their child, he/she is inevitably pointed in the direction of a counsellor, either by the parent(s) or the courts, to miraculously “fix the problem.” In many cases, had the child been raised in a positive, loving, nurturing, understanding, respectful and accepting environment, and learned the importance of moral intelligence, the child would not be sitting in front of me at all. Good relationships, whether it be husband and wife, parent(s) and child, do not just happen. They need time, open communication, commitment, love, understanding, encouragement and a lot of work if they are to grow and survive. “Building Moral Intelligence…” is an excellent learning tool for young, inexperienced parents or any parent who chooses to expand their knowledge on the subject. This book does not have all the answers, no one ever does, but it is an excellent place to start, learn and grow for both parent and child.

In this book, the author bases moral intelligence around seven issues: conscience, empathy, self-control, respect, kindness, tolerance and fairness. I would like to have seen honesty added to the list. Over time, I have seen some very insecure children who feel they do not measure up to their parents’ pre-determined standards (or fear the actions of their parents) become pathological liars. Honesty, like the other areas mentioned in the book, is an important key issue to be learned from an early age. The excellent hands-on activities in this book, dealing with everything from conflict resolution to social justice, are the book’s most impressive aspect. The positive information presented in this book not only helps to build strong moral intelligence but sets the foundation for healthy, secure, well-adjusted children. Again, the book works best when followed by strong parental examples.

There are seven essential virtues–empathy, conscience, self-control, respect, kindness, tolerance, and fairness–that the author believes helps a child deal with ethical challenges and pressures she will encounter throughout life. Each chapter offers strategies for enhancing moral intelligence including…a self-test to evaluate your child’s virtue strength, practical ways to enhance the virtue (several to choose from, so you can choose the ones best suited to your child’s temperament and learning style), discussion questions to help launch a dialog with your child, and much more. The one thing that was missing was information on what behavior is developmentally appropriate by age. For example the quizzes on each virtue are great…but perhaps it’s not as serious if a 4-year-old is somewhat selfish or less empathetic than it is for a 12-year-old. Other than that and the occasional feeling like the book was written for some parents needing significant moral boosting themselves (advice like “don’t ask your kids to lie for you”), I found the book very educational and uplifting.

Bottom line – This book provides tools to teach critical ethical principles to your child…enabling parents (teachers, etc.) to better model, inspire and reinforce these moral values.

The “Table of Contents”, on page three of the edition, lists all 73 books of this edition of the bible, and also has quick links to both the New and Old Testaments. Just select the book title you want to go directly to it. Once you are at the top of the book page, you can select the chapter you want in two clicks. You are there! Navigation links at the beginning of each book allow you to select any chapter you want, back up or forward to the previous or next book, respectively, or return “Home” to the “Table of Contents”.

“e-Learning by Design” is a very valuable update of William Horton’s “Designing Web Based Training” (2000). It provides more on recent development with standards for web based courseware. It is particularly useful when using a coursware system such as Web CT and Moodle. You need to worry less about the web design of the course as that is largely set by the package.

This is an excellent book/resource for you if you are involved in eLearning in any way: manager, writer, designer, web developer. Does your eLearning development group have published instructional design and course development standards? This book can help put a framework around reaching agreement among staff and clients. Or benchmark your current standards and definitions of quality eLearning against examples found in the book. Horton’s 2000 edition has been cited in academic texts. And if he wasn’t so cynical about advanced degrees, we would surely be calling him Dr. Horton. Yet, that is essentially what defines Bill Horton. He the eLearning industry’s Henry David Thoreau.

This author actually was able to present detailed and effective solutions for E-Learning problems. You could sense that he had to solve similar problems. He also seemed to have encountered a broad range of real E-Learning problems, rather than simply theorize about them. The solutions made sense. In addition, Horton presented a number of well researched issues that appear to have caused problems due to frequent instructional designer beliefs that the E-media itself is good enough to cover the lack true learning assistance…… real learning assistance, that all too often is missing in many E-Learning presentations due to interaction gimmicks that offer no relationship to assisting with the learning process.

Great book! Sits now on top of my Michael Allen E-Learning books. I also liked Horton’s apparent attitude that philosophizing does not solve instructional problems, but offering solid detailed solution approaches can.

Once again Russ Harris has written a book that is well worth reading. It is accessible and sensible and a pretty interesting read. I work as a psychologist so read a fair few books and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one – and found a lot of useful tips that I would use. I’ll be recommending this book to anyone who seeks a better relationship!!

I have recommended this book to several of my clients. I and they have found it to be quite helpful. The author provides additional worksheets online that are worthwhile “homework” or in-session assignments. Dr. Harris does an excellent job of applying the ACT model to couples therapy in a way that is understandable and with experiential exercises that help treatment to generalize to real-life settings.

I think this is a great book. Russ Harris writes in a clear style that gets right to the point. He shows how all couples are bound to struggle at some time and become disconnected from their relationship values. I think this is an important point, because we often go into relationships with the fairy tale idea that relationships should be easy (happily ever after). I think “ACT with Love” does a good job of showing how easy it is for all of us to lose contact with our partners and no longer see them as they really are. It describes how a once loving, caring relationship can become a war.

The book proposes an anecdote based on Acceptance and Commitment therapy. Basically, it shows how couples can become more mindful, accepting of things they can’t change, and values driven. I believe these three skills are essential for love and intimacy.

I like the format of the book. I found it easy to skim and find topics I was most interested in. I found the exercises to be helpful. I liked that the book was both serious and humorous (e.g., in one section Dr. Harris discusses destructive relationship tactics such as “exhuming the corpse ” and “springing the ambush”

I strongly recommend this book, both to relationship counsellors and to people in relationships. I don’t think you need to wait till you are having problems in a relationship to get it. It probably would make for some good preventative medicine

Blasts from the past come racing into the story when Alex’s former partner, Grace Nolan, discovers her son, Danny, has been taken. But Grace has been retired for sometime and living a peaceful life in the quaintness of the countryside. Alex realizes this is a dire emergency but also knows that he really isn’t the first person she wants to reunite with.

Now hold on, because this is where the plot starts to get juicy. Alex and Grace were once an intimate couple until work drove them apart. The father of Danny is unknown by Alex and Grace is unaware that Sean Devlin is her ex-lover, Alex. Mmm Mmm Lip-smacking goodness. So work once tore them apart…and how everything comes full circle as work once again threatens to tear them apart.

The book takes place over the span of 72 hours and in that time a lot happens. Shannon Stacey does a remarkable job keeping the story moving smoothly and without prediction. This is a challenge for many authors, but with her flawless approach, Shannon Stacey, draws immediate comparisons to JoAnna Wylde and her novel Price of Freedom: Price of Freedom (highly recommend) With romantic settings and mysterious overtones, I cannot recommend 72 hours highly enough.

Sizzling Passion and a smoking hot cases during the next 72 hours.

Jenny

I hate to be the almost lone dissenter here, but 72 hours is a story told at break neck speed losing what could have been a very good story and turning it into just ok. I kept wanting to say, “Whoa, slow down. Let’s learn about the characters before they go running off to be super heroes.”

The Devlin Group is a group who stops Big Bad things from happening – like spreading poison all over Gitmo.

Alex Rossi is the Super Hero leader who, at one time, worked with Grace, the Super Heroine. They were a great team with both of them equally able to get to the bad guys. Alex also doubles as Sean Devlin, the founder of the Group. He named the group Devlin to flush out the man who killed his Mother 11 years ago. Grace was not aware of this story. Alex and Grace had a baby but Alex was never told about him because Grace wanted to keep the baby, Danny, safe from the Super Hero’s enemies. All of this is for naught as Danny is kidnapped. While this sounds somewhat complicated, Stacey does a good job of keeping things clear and the reader is never confused as to the story line.

There are two other major characters, Carmen and Gallagher, who also help with the Devlin Group.

The downside is that this adventure/romance is told so fast that there is little character development. I know about as much about Carmen and Gallagher as you do right now. There was a whole story there left on the cutting room floor, so to speak, and the book would have been much better if Stacey had taken the time to allow the reader an insight into these two characters.

Alex and Grace are somewhat better developed but still leave a bit to be desired. Grace comes off somewhat naive in the ways of motherhood, to put it nicely. For some reason we never know, she thinks being able to make cookies is more important in the raising of a child than allowing said child to get to know his father. Go figure. I still want to know what makes Grace tick.

Stacey has talent but needs to learn a little about character development. If the reader knows the characters, they care what happens to them. While this is an exciting story, I never really cared if the characters lived or died except for what would happen to the child.

Alex Rossi has a secret too, only it may just be worse than the one Grace is keeping. Alex too is made to come clean because of the threat to his family. When he is asked to meet with Grace after all the years apart, Alex is curious. He wonders exactly what Grace is up to, and also how he’s going to keep his heart intact. On top of all of this, Alex also has another objective in mind, getting his revenge for his mother’s death and finding out just who was behind it.

A misunderstanding led to the chain of events that kept Alex and Grace apart. To find their son, they have to sort it out, let go of the past and work together. And perhaps along the way, discover that they need each other.

I could not stop reading 72 Hours for a single moment, I read it straight through and then wanted to immediately read it all over again. 72 hours took me on one escapade after another, with each turn getting better and better. The journey to forgiveness on both Grace and Alex’s parts was wrought with pain, trials and a thick mixture of other emotions. Grace’s fear when she discovers her child has been taken is palpable and it flows over into her nervousness at meeting Alex again, followed swiftly by a plethora of other emotions running gambit through the story. There is never a dull moment even after Danny is found. I would definitely recommend 72 Hours to anyone, in fact I already have. As a fan of Shannon Stacy’s previous works, I was not in the least bit let down with her foray into this new genre; in fact, she surpassed my expectations and left me breathless and anticipating her next release.

Cerise
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This book is 4 stars because that’s the average of 3 and 5. When Renegade’s Magic is at its best — and I do agree with other reviewers that the ending is superb — I almost want to shout, “DAMN THIS IS GREAT!” When it’s not… well, only Hobb’s great word-smithing (and the desire to know what’s happened, since we’re three books into her world) kept me going.

The result is a very good novel that is also remarkably slow going.

Hobb set herself some odd challenges in writing this book, the third in the Soldier’s Son series. One of them is that her primary character is passive; things happen to Nevare rather than Nevare taking decisive action. If you’ve read the previous two books in the series — and really, I can’t imagine reading Renegade’s Magic unless you have — you know that there’s a good plot reason for this, but it doesn’t make the guy seem any less… well, not whiny exactly, but he’s often on the verge of seeming so. Secondary characters, such as Epiny, are so well drawn and admirable that it makes up for Nevare’s ambivalences.

The other (unavoidable) weirdness in the narrative is that Navare is sharing residence with Soldier’s Boy. (I realize that sounds coy, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers.) So she ends up writing prose like this: “…Soldier’s Boy picked up one of the gelatinous structures and set it on my tongue. . . . when he swallowed it, the shiver that I had experienced on my skin was repeated, but as a quivering throughout my entire body.” It’s hard to follow, and yet oddly compelling. But it does make it slower to read the story.

Only Hobb’s great writing makes it possible for the story to succeed, and… well, she really is one of the best fantasy writers today.

Existing fans shouldn’t shy away, but don’t expect a merry romp. (Er, far from it.) If you’re new to Hobb, start with Assassin’s Apprentice; it’s a different universe, but a better intro to this author’s work.

Another reviewer suggested there was not a lot to enjoy in the Soldier’s Son trilogy. I have to agree, if we’re talking about the eating chocolates in the bubble bath kind of enjoyment. But there’s another kind of enjoyment I get from Hobb’s work. It’s the enjoyment of splitting wood in the rain. You feel virtuous for having done it; you’ve earned something by doing it; you’re a little stronger and better now. My soul enjoyed it, even if my inner child wanted more laser beams, romance, and bad guy vanquishing.

The first book was okay. The second just wore me down and depressed me. But I had faith in Hobb. She’s written some of the most psychologically interesting fantasy that anyone has *ever* written. It’s her and George R. R. Martin at the top, then Tolkien. Everyone else seems more than a peg lower on the deepness scale.

If Robin Hobb makes me suffer, I trust that she’s preparing the way for a great finish. I believe she did that.

As a man, I find her male characters often don’t quite think like men (Witness the amazing hand-wringing over love issues that Fitz goes through in the Assassin’s series. He seemed incapable of thinking about sex as simple fun. Dude, come on. Note to Robin: study the male psyche a little more… you almost have it…) However, her plots involve such self-psycho-torture that it works, anyway. Complexity is a tide that floats all boats. I’m fascinated by the way she makes her characters walk a labyrinth before finding the payoff.

Renegade’s Magic is a conclusion that redeems the prep work she’s done with the first two books. It never seems to drag. Yes the protagonist is kind of a spineless fool, but that’s because his spiny part was alienated from him by the Tree Woman. It’s like that episode of Star Trek where the nice Kirk gets split from nasty Kirk, and they are both impaired.

I found this last book entertaining and satisfying. I recommend the series not because you will smile while reading it, but because– if you are are a fan of human complexity– reading it will annoy you like a deep muscle massage given by Angry Helga, and then leave you feeling kind of floaty and satisfied afterwards.

At this point, I will read anything by Hobb, no matter what. I’d like to see her write something with a decisive main character who doesn’t keep a million secrets and lie to everybody in a vain attempt to protect them… but maybe that’s the only way she can make the plots complex enough for them to work their magic on us.

I shall place myself in her capable hands.

Robin Hobb has just concluded her Soldier’s Son trilogy with the third book–Renegade Mage. There doesn’t seem to be much point in reviewing solely Renegade, however, as anyone who has read the first two is likely to pick up the conclusion, so instead I’ll simply review the trilogy as a whole.
Of course, the first question one has to answer as a reviewer is would you recommend the book (s) to a reader. I wish I had an answer. To be honest, I’m just not sure, for several reasons.
Let’s start with the positives. I think Hobb was truly ambitious with this series in a lot of ways, including:
Character– she is willing to have several very unlikable characters drive much of the plot–including the one/two main character (s).
Point of view–employing a hybrid first/third person limited in Renegade Magic when the main character is an observer in his own body.
Themes–the clash of cultures, the clash of religions, free will, prejudice, environmentalism, the individual versus the greater good, progress versus tradition, etc. She wrestles with big questions here and often does so thoughtfully and eloquently.
World creation–setting her trilogy in a 17-1800’s American frontier sort of world with no truly strange races (and none of the clichéd ones–elves, dwarves, etc), no bizarre or portentous sounding place names, and very little wielded magic (usually the magic does the wielding).
“Gray” ethics–presenting us with characters and situations where the choices are not so black and white, where actions aren’t obviously good or evil.
Plot and pace–carrying us along in a slow, almost real-time/real life pace and pulling tension out of character or economics/politics rather than out of battle and conquest.

In short, she breaks away forcefully from many of the conventions of the fantasy epic genre–the medieval, magic-infused, mixed-race world where armies mass for large battles while a small overmatched group representing the obvious good quests for a sneaky way to defeat obvious evil, led of course by the Dread Lord Sauron, I mean, um . . . The complete originality that permeates the book is a welcome change of pace from the usual big-book fantasy.
Another plus is simply the writing. Whether she is creating an entire continent or the smaller worlds of home and barracks, township or market; or creating major characters that spill across all three novels or minor ones that appear for only a few paragraphs or pages, she does so with a sharp, rich sense of fine detail. Her dialogue is rock solid–sounding like people would actually sound during the situations they find themselves in.

Clearly, then, there is a lot to admire in Soldier’s Son. But that’s also the sticking point. There is a lot to admire, but if I were completely honest, I’m not sure there is a lot to enjoy.
It’s an admirable risk to employ an unlikable character, let alone several, but it’s a risk that may work better in novella form, or at least in a single novel. It’s asking a lot, perhaps too much, of a reader, to carry that dislike over 2000 pages. I could barely do it, finding the main character Nevarre almost too much to continue with in book two and here again in book three. When he gets twinned with an equally unlikable other self, and the two of them do little but squabble or sulk, it became almost enough to make me stop even in the concluding book of a series.
Hobb wrestles with big themes here, but I’m not sure I walked away with a crystalline view of how we’re supposed to see them. Looking over the series, it seemed many of the concepts were a bit muddy. If you’re just throwing them out there for us to think about (”talk amongst yourselves”), that’s fine, but somehow I feel a bit more is warranted if I’m going to invest the time to read three large books.
The point of view is interesting stylistically, but I’m not sure it best served the book. The passivity of the narrator was a bit annoying, and his ability/inability to become active seemed a bit too arbitrary, based more on the need of plot than anything else.
The pace is sometimes too slow in all three books. Book one rewards the pace more than either of the latter two books, which seem overly slow, overly dry, and at times overly repetitive–both could have lost a few hundred pages and suffered very little in terms of characterization or plot.
While the endings of books one and two do much to redeem their earlier flaws, and though some of Renegade Mage’s ending has the same effect, much of it also seems too pat, too forced, or tacked on. And the big solution to the whole clash of cultures, or at least a major one, seems far too simple and anti-climactic, making one wonder if the whole thing couldn’t have been solved in the first thirty pages of book one.
In the end, I’m torn about recommending the series. After all, for most people 2000 pages is a large investment of time. I’m a fast reader and all three books probably took me about 10 days total to read and I’m still not sure I feel it was worth it. I’m still trying to decide. But if someone needs to set aside 20-30 days of reading, or more, than it’s hard to imagine that they’ll feel repaid in the end. And with so much out there that is both rich and enjoyable, it’s hard not to send them elsewhere. Which would be sad, because as I said, there’s a lot to admire and this sort of ambition should be rewarded I think. But not if it doesn’t equally reward the reader. So I’ll cheat a little and say read book one. In many ways, and especially many traditional ways–it’s the book most likely to bring enjoyment. If that one doesn’t do it for you, and doesn’t do it by a lot, then don’t feel bad about putting it down and picking up something else. But if you can find reward in its rich character and slow, measured pace, then give the next book a shot. I wish I could be more effusive than that, but it’s the best I can do.

I do hope those responsible for this product do make a second attempt because I see great promise in it, however this particular version just isn’t ready.

With a bit of doing you can load hundreds of e-books to your Kindle though. For a glimpse of what’s available, check out the Gutenberg project’s library at [...]

I do hope those responsible for this product do make a second attempt because I see great promise in it, however this particular version just isn’t ready.

With a bit of doing you can load hundreds of e-books to your Kindle though. For a glimpse of what’s available, check out the Gutenberg project’s library at [...]

The problem is not with the Kindle functionality, which seems to be fine. I am not even bothered, as some seem to be, that your Whispernet needs to be turned on, because the puzzles are actually downloaded as you play them. I subscribe to a newspaper and a couple of blogs, so I keep my Kindle online all of the time anyway, and am accustomed to recharging it every three or four days, or more often if I am using it a lot.

The problem with this collection is that the sudoku puzzles themselves are poorly designed. It looks to me like the “authors” have little to no understanding of sudoku at all. I am sure they got some completed grids from the solution section of a sudoku book and tried to make the puzzles “their own” by simply changing the givens, the numbers already filled in on the grid before you start solving. The problem is, they didn’t realize that if you don’t choose the given numbers carefully, you can end up with more than one possible correct solution, at least for some grids, where there are subsets of numbers that can be interchanged without violating the rules that stipulate that each digit can only occur once in each column, in each row and in each three-by-three box.

So far, I have solved three puzzles — the free sample, and numbers 2 and 5 from the ten I purchased. In all three cases, I solved the puzzle down to such an ambiguous outcome. In the case of the two easy puzzles (the sample and number 2), I got to a point where there were four cells left, two in one box and two in another, in parallel rows, and the two numbers needed to complete the puzzle could be entered in either order to complete the puzzle successfully. At that point, all you can do is guess which solution the authors intended. In one case, I got the message that I had completed the puzzle correctly, and in the other case, I got a message saying I had four boxes filled in incorrectly, even though my solution was every bit as valid as theirs.

The moderate puzzle (number 5) leads to a slightly more complicated outcome, with 10 boxes involved in what are potentially two different but correct solutions. Again, when you solve the puzzle down to this point, you have essentially successfully solved it, no matter which of the two ways of completing it you choose, but you will get the message saying you were correct only if you choose the solution the authors intended in their apparent ignorance.

The technology is there, and the Kindle should be a good tool for doing sudokus and other puzzles. However, unless you enjoy frustration, I would recommend that you stay away from this particular series.

Unfortunately, since you do have to momentarily turn on the wireless to load each individual game, you will not be able to use this while traveling outside wireless areas or while on an airplane.

Having said that, I think it is great that someone has finally made a game that can be played on the Kindle (especially one so mentally stimulating like Sudoku!)

My personal interest in this is to supplement my newspaper subscriptions on the Kindle that don’t come with the puzzles you would otherwise get with a physical subscription. With this I get to satisfy my momentary impulses to either read an interesting article from a newspaper or play a quick Sudoku game.

Great Idea!

Also, once you are done with the games that come with this, the author has published two more volumes with more playable games.

This one covers a lot of information including free books, free newsfeeds, and other services. I’ve spent a lot of time on my Kindle so I had already come across most of it, but it did give me Google Reader’s mobile address. I didn’t know there was a mobile Google Reader site, and just for that information alone it was worth the buy. Has a lot of useful links. Easy to understand and straightforward – not techie at all. So if someone who has spent countless hours researching Kindle stuff found new stuff in this guide, there’s a good chance you’ll find quite a bit of new stuff too! Highly recommended.

As a new Kindle owner and an avid follower of the Amazon “Kindle Discussion” forums I knew that the Kindle had the capability to perform a multitude of tasks not listed in the Users’ Guide. I also knew that I purchased this rather expensive device simply for convenience-convenience of reading,obtaining and storage of books. And when I used the Kindle I wanted to utilize all the potential short cuts of the Kindle and to optimize the use of the whisper-net(not limited to just obtaining books from Amazon.com). I did not want to use USB cables unless it was absolutely necessary…again I paid good money for the convenience…so why not spend $4 more to make sure I’ve optimized my convenience?

The problem was that I am only marginally technically competent and I am also a “techno-phobe” (reason why I don’t want to use USB cables). With all that in mind I decided to down-load the sample of “The Kindle Cookbook.”

Frankly I found the sample a bit scarce. The sample simply contained the book’s Table of Contents and a couple of introductory remarks. Hardly impressive. However what drew me in was “The CookBook provides step by step recipes for capabilities you won’t find in the Users’Guide.” Further, the Table of Contents listed topic after topic of Kindle capabilities that I had encountered in my followings of the Amazon Kindle discussion forums. Needless to say the forums had not always explained clearly and simply how to accomplish all of the above. Thus I risked $4 to download the complete CookBook.

Best $4 I ever spent. There was no re-hashing of the Users’Guide. The book explained each topic in simple step by step manner. In the first night alone I downloaded several free books via whisper-net from non-Amazon.com websites. This alone was worth the $4 but I went on to learn other ways to maximize the use of my Kindle.

My advice is to first review the Table of Contents(using the free sample download). If one or more of these listed Kindle capabilities /topics are worth $4 to you then buy the book with the confidence that these capabilities will be easily realized with the purchase of the book. And yes, you may learn about some of these Kindle capabilities on the internet but for $4 I would just assume store all this information conveniently in my Kindle. So for all you out there who are like me (techno-phobes who possess limited technical skills) this book is for you. Enjoy!

“In THE WORLD’S GREATEST BOOKS an attempt has been made to effect a compendium of the world’s best literature in a form that shall be at once accessible to every one and still faithful to its originals; or, in other words, it has been sought to allow the original author to tell his own story over again in his own language, but in the shortest possible space.

An important additional feature of the work is the brief, yet highly critical biographical and bibliographical note which accompanies every author “

These volumes might be called the “Cliff Notes” collection.

Volume 02

FICTION
BORROW, GEORGE
Lavengro
Romany Rye

BRADDON, M.E.
Lady Audley’s Secret

BRADLEY, EDWARD (”COTHBERT BEDE”)
Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green

BRONTË, CHARLOTTE
Jane Eyre
Shirley
Villette

BRONTË, EMILY
Wuthering Heights

BUCHANAN, ROBERT
Shadow of the Sword

BUNYAN, JOHN
Holy War
Pilgrim’s Progress

BURNEY, FANNY
Evelina

CARLETON, WILLIAM
The Black Prophet

CARROLL, LEWIS
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

CERVANTES
Don Quixote

CHAMISSO, ADALBERT VON
Peter Schlemihl, the Shadowless Man

CHATEAUBRIAND, FRANÇOIS RENÉ DE
Atala

CHERBULIEZ, CHARLES VICTOR
Samuel Brohl & Co.

COLLINS, WILKIE
No Name
The Woman in White

CONWAY, HUGH
Called Back

COOPER, FENIMORE
Last of the Mohicans
The Spy

CRAIK, MRS.
John Halifax, Gentleman

CROLY, GEORGE
Salathiel, or Tarry Thou Till I Come

DANA, RICHARD HENRY
Two Years before the Mast

“Mild mannered” is an understatement! The guy is a total wimp! He lets life just roll around him and does little to help himself out of a bad situation. He lets his wife leave him without saying a word in his defense. His daughter runs out and he doesn’t say a word. Sheesh!

Where is the action? Maybe this introspective, touchy-feely stuff plays in Harvard, but not in fly-over country.

The guy is in newspapers. Doesn’t he have sources? Doesn’t he have some snitches that he met while covering the crime beat?

The premise is good and would have made an interesting novel. Heck, I could see this being a series with Branford being the central figure, but who cares about the “hero”? Not me.

I could go on and on, and I hate to give this only one star, but it needs a lot of work, IMHO. The author can email me if he wants more specifics…

BTW, there is at least one instance of “of/or” and “as/if” being interchanged.

I find this to be the most detailed veterinary guide, short of buying a veterinary encyclopedia. Of the several I own, most are very general and have a lot of “ask you veterinarian for a course of action.” This one tells you the most common treatments so you know what to expect. I go back to my dog-eared copy all the time. As I back-yard breeder, I like Giffin’s veterinary breeder’s guide, too.

For the novice user this book will take you by the hand, and guide you through VB.NET from the IDE, to basic principles and concepts of OO programing, and into concrete examples, covering a vast amount of information. There is an incredible 200+ page appendix.

Like most other books on the subject, the sections that cover parts of VB that I work with daily (and thus understand well) offered few new insights. The other 75% of the book has proved to be extremely helpful!

If you truly “know” VB.NET ‘08 inside and out, then you don’t need this book (or any others for that matter!), for the rest of us the useful information abounds.