H Books

I was suprised at how good this book was. It's very well written and I look forward to reading more from Mary Herbert.

Probably my favorite out of the bridges of time series.

I finished this book 2 days ago after letting it sit in my library for nearly 3 years. I have to say that I find the book uncompelling and simple. I mean, with the word "simple", that the charecters have no depth at all, when the author needs a person, boom, he/she's there.

What disappointed me most was the dragon Cobalt. I understand that dragons can be fond of their riders (and don'T get me wrong I've been reading DL for quite some time now) but this one is just childish. Almost as if he's a pet. He is lacking depth as well. The main plot of the book is unclear until the last 60 or so pages. The reader has no idea what the book's all about.

But, the book takes hold of the reader now and then. Some parts of the book is definitely exiciting but all in all not a very good effort on Herbert's part.

What a wonderful Book. I recieved it, and read it cover to cover all in the same day! I don't usually do that, but what a damn good book.

This story is centered around Sara Dunstan, whom is still grieving over her adopted son Steel Brightblade three years after the summer of chaos. In the begining, she is living as a exile from the Knights of Tahkisis, and is pretty miserable. Then she starts having some dreams that call to her for help. Eventually, she sets out to find the source of the dreams and comes upon a wounded and riderless blue dragon whom she nurses back to health.

Thats all I'm telling you about this book. But It was page turning. I just added Mary H Herbert, to the list amazing Dragonlance storytellers, right under Richard A Knaack, whom we all know is the best. I Cannot wait to learn more about the "Leigon Of Steel" which is founded in the end of this work!

By Huma's Shield, this was a Fantastic Book!

Like i wrote in the title this has been on of the first dragonlance's beautiful books from the very first page.
This could be only my opinion, but if you like dragons stories this is your book....even if i can't tell you this is the best, for sure it is very good story filled by action and quite linear plot, easy and pleasant to read.
It's explain someting about dragon riders,dragon training and dark knights.
Read it and enjoy!

Unlike the first book in this series (Chris Pierson's SPIRIT OF THE WIND), this book doesn't have a compelling plot that draws the reader into the book. There is a bare semblance of a plot, but nothing truly engaging. It's about Sara Dunstan's (Steel Brightblade's foster mother) infiltration of the regrouped Knights of Takhisis. Herbert tells this story with no real goal observable to the reader. There is an ultimate goal of the book, but it's really just to set up a story element that will appear in subsequent books in the Dragonlance universe.

The big redeeming quality of this book is the character of Sara Dunstan. Readers were first introduced to her in Weis & Hickman's THE SECOND GENERATION and we saw more of her in their DRAGONS OF SUMMER FLAME. This book fleshes here character out much more than those two did. Since the book is told from her point of view, we get to observe the various facets of her character. This is important since I get the feeling that she will be playing a larger role down the road, possibly in Weis & Hickman's War of Souls trilogy (which I have yet to read).

The writing in the book was solid, although the supporting characters all seemed pretty one dimensional. The new general of the Knights of Takhisis was kind of interesting and it would be neat to see her fleshed out in another book at some point. Herbert does a good job of telling the story and getting to the point where the necessary things (I don't want to ruin things for people who haven't read it yet) are established for use in later books. I just wasn't engrossed in the story since there wasn't much of a plot to get involved in. Decent book and Dragonlance fans might find it useful in understanding these new concepts that I'm not mentioning. If you're not a completist, though, you can probably skip it and not miss out on much.

This book provides meticulous details about QA for integrated software and component-based software .This particular book teaches how to approach testing and QA in a systematic manner .The book gives an organized and detailed description for the Software Quality assurance for the software components. It teaches all the way from very basic step. Beginning with Black Box testing and following White box, Regression testing, Performance, System level testing .The approach includes various different validation methods that needs to be rigorously applied and a detailed QA approach which teaches all the possible Test Cases. Overall this book provides a complete teaching of the Component Based Software. Being Professor Jerry Gao's student, have completed software quality and testing courses under him. This book has increased my knowledge for component-based software testing as it describes different testing methods, phases, issues, challenges etc. I highly recommend this book for college graduates and professionals who want to brighten their career in QA and testing areas.

This is a very unique book on QA and software testing topics because it discusses some of the testing techniques & concepts extended from research world and also covers the modern software component concepts and the applicability of these techniques on them. The book is divided into IV parts. The first part introduces the reader with software components and it's testability. The model based solution to some of the issues and challanges can be applicable to the SOA based softwares as well.
Part II of the book discusses the fundamental black box and white box techniques. A section is devoted on white box techniques for object oriented testing.
Part III of the book focuses on most important challanges of todays software. The UML based approcah to software integration testing discussed in this book uses an unique approach of content and context based relationship of objects. Regression testing for maintaining software is discussed in detail.
Part IV is entirely devoted to QA topics. They fully cover QA measuremnet and validation topics, standards and certification.
This is a must have book for software developer, Test engineer and QA professionals. The references at the end of each chapter reminds you to go deeper and dig into IEEE and ACM papers on the subject. I have already recommended this book to my fellow software developers and managers.

The book has detailed coverage of all software testing terminologies and methodologies such as black-box, white-box, test automation, integration, and performance testing.Over all, this is a very good book for learning Testing techniques for component based software.This book is extremely well organized and should be useful for both novice and experienced software testers.

I learned many new concepts about Software Testing from this book. I learned how to do the manual testing, automation testing of the component software using this book. White Box Testing, which involves Control Flow Graph is documented well in this book anyone who wants to learn about the White Box Testing can easily learn through it. This book is very user friendly in terms of doing Software Manual Testing.
Automation Testing is described well too. I recommend anyone from Software Engineering planning to go into Software Testing should read this book atleast once.

This book helped me gain good knowledge about Software testing, its objectives and various approaches for real time experience. It helped me understand the basic concepts and fundamentals of Software component testability. Through this book, I got a basic idea about the rules and methodologies that are being implemented and followed in current software testing field, as per industry standards.

Black box and White box testing techniques and their relevant issues, challenges and solutions, the various test models, everything is explained very visibly. It serves as a good guide for the beginners as well as the Software professionals of all levels. Information on testing methods like Regression, Integration, Performance and System testing are detailed in a systematic manner.
The information in this text book, taught us to follow the best ways to achieve a well defined test coverage criteria by deriving a definite plan for the project- a plan for managing the schedules, designing and testing the software based components to meet the requirements in the project within a deadline. We, in a team, worked on a Simulated ATM machine, for a practical experience, and the book helped us as a good start. Each chapter has a good introductory part, which gives a clear synopsis about the complete chapter.
The book explains the role of different testing tools, designing and handling the test cases, how to perform component testing quickly and efficiently through automation testing, without manual involvement. Manual testing is time consuming and hence to solve this issue, Automation testing has been introduced lately and this information has been illustrated by the authors very clearly in the book, with suitable examples for the readers understanding.

I personally found this book very helpful and knowledgeable. A Software component's life cycle through the testing phase has been explained well, alongside giving us information about the methodologies to improve the quality of a product, and how to derive a test case to support the functionality; everything is mentioned in this book. My only suggestion is, this book is a complete pack of information on testing of a Software component and its Quality assurance, and hence, from college students to Software professionals, everybody has to experience this book, if they are seriously looking to pick up their career in Testing.

I've read a number of books over the years, both about WWII and other topics. I can say that Torpedo Junction is the most fascinating book I've ever read. Even though the author gives lots of details about the attacks, he keeps it moving along at a steady clip. I didn't want to put the thing down. It's very well-documented (albeit with some secondary sources), but also provides a lighter narrative style along to way to break up the "action reports."

Ultimately how good I like a book is if I'm committed to finish it. Torpedo Junction by Homer Hickman is a book I had to finish, but I was so interested in what it revealed I hardly wanted it to end. Many factors were at work here. First, Mr. Hickman's writing is so clear and linear that it belies the painstaking research such an easy to read factual narrative requires. Thank you Mr. Hickman for doing the work so I could both be reviled and astonished!

This little known yet very tragic part of World War II played out right at our doorstep. Because of Japan's audacity to hit us with one massive surprise salvo the even more insideous U-Boat war on the U.S. coastline played out largely unknown to the general public. For months that seemed to drag on and on the Germans sank boat after boat after boat. Maybe for our protection or maybe because we couldn't quite get a handle on how to stop the German U-Boat threat the mounting damage was kept quiet. It was a tremendous tragedy which caused great loss of life as well as massive destruction of resources. With Torpedo Junction we can finally see how close to home death truly came. Also, we get to know the true courage of those who protected our home shores so we could both support the war effort as well as keep that all important semblance of a "normal life" at home. To know the facts surrounding the North Atlantic U-Boat war helps to rectify those long years of not talking about it.

I recommend this book as both educational and entertaining. As with Rocket Boys I was pulled inside a time and place as if I was there. Storytelling really doesn't get better than this.

As the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Dione's lead soundman during period of Hickman's book I can attest that he did a wonderful job telling our story about some real hazardous duty. Homer's collaboration with our Radioman 1st, Swede Larson really paints the futility and danger of our sub chasing before and after convoys. I'm so glad Homer wrote about us. Now maybe we won't be forgotten.

Reads like a Clancy thriller. I recommend this book along with Michael Gannon's "Operation Drumbeat" so one can understand the havoc wreaked by German U boats along the Eastern seaboard against totally unprepared and in many cases complacent ships in the early days of World War II.

I KNOW NOW FOR SURE THAT I WOULD NEVER WANT TO BE A MILITARY OR MERCHANT SAILOR OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST IN 1942. TORPEDO JUNCTION WAS EXTREMELY WELL DOCCUMENTED AND RESEARCHED, BUT ALSO DESCRIPIBED BY SURVIVORS FROM U-BOATS, NAVY AND COASTGUARD SHIPS AS WELL AS MERCHANTMARINES. MY LOWER RATEING COMES FROM THE FACT THAT IT MADE ME UNCOMFORTABLE TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THE U S WAS ALMOST HELPLESS AGAINST THE STEALTHY GERMAN U-BOATS, AND THAT THE DATA WAS HARD TO STOMACH (I'M NOT A BEAN COUNTER). THE MOST VALUE I SEE HERE IS SOME BASIS FOR HICKAM'S LATER BOOKS, ESPECIALLY "THE KEEPER'S SON".

I really can't understand all the 5 stars this got because other than a short, brilliant chapter on flying the camel, it just goes on and on and on and...you get the idea. Plot summary: get up and fly, dodge archie, come back to base, maybe somebody dies, get drunk, do it again tomorrow. That's pretty much it folks. Don't look for any plot development or character development here. There is some philisophical rambling about the meaning of the war which should rightly be included in any war book. Never goes anywhere. it was hard to actually finish the book but i was curious to see if it actually every "took off and flew". final verdict? down in flames! Want my copy free?

In doing some family history research I established that an 18 year old relative had died in a mid air collision while flying a Sopwith Camel in the same area and at the same time this story is set. I was searching for some literature that could give me some understanding of what this brave young man had experienced. I could not have found anything that could have been more compelling reading or had more of an emotional impact than this superbly written account of the machinery and the time.

A ripping yarn, a must for aviation enthusiasts, replete with explicit and graphic flight scenes. The philosophizing seems more 1930's than 1918, but that's when the author published it. The way the author/hero deals with the loss of comrades is skilled writing, evoking the banality of having to get on with the job without mourning. i'm not qualified to comment on any authenticity of the feeling expressed/felt but it stands out from others of the genre for that reason. for me, it ranks with Sagittarius Rising, and Derek Robinson's work. the author enjoys spiking the sometimes purple prose with neologisms and entertaining latinisms; a trait i enjoy but others shouldn't have much trouble ignoring.

One of the great novels about flying over the trenches in World War 1. The only shame is that this edition does not carry the introduction by
T E Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia') that the earlier editions carry. Based upon the author's own experiences in the RFC it does not glamorise the life, nor does it indulge in self-pity.

Based upon the author's own experiences in the RFC in 1918 here is the complete story of the war in the air on the western front. 148 sorties, the slow inexorable death of friends and squadron mates one at a time until only a squadron of ghosts is left, dogfights with Fokkers, air superiority over the Huns, death in the air, flamers (the worst way to die!), Archie, getting tight in the mess each evening singing rousing songs and smashing furniture to relieve the tension, dropping bombs, low altitude ground strafing, slaughtering ground troops with your machine guns until it sickens you, downing two seaters, mechanical failures of your Sopwith Camel while waiting for the new Snipes to arrive from England,gliding or limping back to the lines and safety, mid-air collisions, influenza turning to TB. It is all there. Highly recommended. This is the best book on the war in the air in WW1 I have ever found. Read it, and then read it again. It is that good.

IF YOU WERE MY BUNNY has been a fabulous find for us. Our 2 1/2 year old boy loved it the first time we read and sang it to him, and he asks to read this one over and over. IF YOU WERE MY BUNNY alternates between little mini-stories where parent and child are some kind of animal, with lullabies with familar tunes but new words to fit that animal. Just this evening, I got out IF YOU WERE MY BUNNY and had him snuggle into my lap with delight.

IF YOU WERE MY BUNNY manages to hit a wonderful balance. It is purely sweet, without seeming overly so. It is just a sweet, sweet book in which parent and child love each other and pretend. IF YOU WERE MY BUNNY is a big, big favorite with parents and toddler at our house.

This is one of my very favorite books from the baby and preschool years. My daughter is 7 years old now, and I just came across "If You Were My Bunny" again while picking out baby shower presents for my best friend. "If You Were My Bunny" sets new poems to old lullaby tunes. The illustrations are charming, the length is just right, and it makes a perfect bedtime ritual. This is a special and memorable book.

We've had this book as part of our bedtime routine for years. All three of our younger boys truly enjoy the story - especially since it is set to various tunes of familiar lullabies.

The illustrations set the stage for some interactive conversations with the boys while the songs engage them. It is a truly interactive book for everyone.

This book has certainly become a special keepsake for our family and we'll be keeping this board book to share with our grandchildren.

I found a copy of this book while I was pregnant and just picked it up without really looking at it. What wonderful luck as this has been one of our absolute favorites (which says a lot, considering that we easily have over 200 children's books)! We've even had to replace it because we literally wore it out!

I've read this book to my daughter literally since the day she was born. I'm the "singer" in our family and this book is perfect, with its combination of prose and song. It's one of our favorite bonding activities. Now, at age two and a half, my daughter "reads" the book herself, singing the little songs.

In response to others who say that this book perpetuates the concept that only mothers love their children, I have to disagree. This book simply focuses on a mother's love. The song about the ducks specifically mentions that Daddy is near, protecting the family. In our family, we have an equal number of books that focus on a father's love as those that focus on a mother's love. This book happens to be one of the books that my daughter asks for on the nights I read her a bedtime story; on the nights that my husband is the storyteller, she tends to choose one of the daddy books. Don't fault the book for having a focus; instead, build a balanced library for your children. We are particularly fond of "Guess How Much I Love You" to show a father's love.

If you enjoy singing to your child and want an excellent addition to your bedtime ritual, get this book. You won't regret it.

This is the BEST book someone gave me after my son was born! The book has songs to sing to familiar toons and gives you a guide in the back. This has always worked at getting baby to sleep and now I can quote the book.
I often give this at any baby shower now that I know about it.

Great for Bible studies or Sunday school but also just as a stand-alone book even though it's written for a group. The book teaches the simple method of asking questions to get people interested in hearing the Gospel. The lessons are easy and well written so any age should be able to understand it. We have people in our home fellowship that never shared Jesus with others (for many different reasons) and now they've changed their minds and have answered the high call.

1 Star = I've been robbed!
2 Stars = Why'd I finish it?
3 Stars = Good
4 Stars = Excellent
5 Stars = Life changing

This is an exceptional Book on being a witness and on sharing Jesus Christ with others. It is easily read, very learnable, easily applied and can be proven to be very fruitful when adapted. This is a must in the library of the person who wishes to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with family, friends, acquaintances and strangers. Exceptional

Evangelism doesn't have to be scarey and Bill Fay keeps it simple. No memorization or lengthy speeches...just straight forward presentation of the gospel of Jesus. If you get the chance look up Bill's testimony!

I will have to say that this has been the most effective tool I have used to help others share thier faith in Christ. Many of us are unsure how to share Christ with others while we know it is our responciblity as a believer. I don't think you will find a more effective means of sharing Christ than the method here!

I know Bill Fay personally, and I have been with him many times when he was evangelizing. I have personally watched him leading dozens of people to Christ.

The material in his book is not oversimplified or rationalized; Bill personally uses the methods he teaches. Everything in his book has been tested and refined in the crucible of experience. I have seen him successfully use the things he teaches over and over again in real-world evangelism.

What readers of the book need to understand is that Bill treats each person he talks to as if he or she is the most important person he has ever met. There is nothing rotely formulaic in his approach - people respond to him because they see that he cares, and that he truly means and believes everything he says. Bill combines his straightforward methodology with a very personal approach. He genuinely cares about the people he evangelizes, and that shines through everything he says and does.

When he asks people if they were wrong, would they want to know it, and they reply, No, he really does walk away. Yes, most of them call him back, but when they don't, he keeps walking. It's not a gimmick. Bill means exactly what he says. If Bill has a "secret," that's it - he genuinely cares about people, and absolutely believes and means what he says.

I received this book for my 10th birthday from my parents, many years ago. At the time, I was very impressionable and this book made a significant impact on my life. I learned then that what we as fallible humans consider to be "imperfect" according to our standards of ignorance and bias is usually the most precious of all things to God.

Now, I have a two-year-old son with Down Syndrome and I can relate in so many ways to this book. As I look back over my life and various correlating events that have taken place, I see that God was preparing me to be the mother of a special needs child all along. And it all started with this one little book.

I doubt even Dale Evans knew how much this little book would touch lives. It was published in 1953 and my 6th grade teacher read the book to all of us in her class years later. Of course, we were all Dale and Roy's fans so we could not wait until the next day when she read another chapter. It is one book that I have read over and over again. It is amazing how Dale got Robin's message which was told from her point of view. If you want to read a book that is life touching, then read "Angel Unaware". The Bible verse from Hebrews is still my favorite verse.

I bought this as a present for my wife and it moved both of us to tears. Wonderful.

I first read this book shortly after I learned to read, at my grandparents house. The book was hardcover with a pink cover page.

Every time I went to my grandparents I would reread the book.

This book will bring tears to your eyes, and it shows that you are truly not alone.

Karen

A brief story of a child with Downs Syndrome, born to Dale Evans & Roy Rogers, this story reaffirms the obvious...God makes no mistakes, & uses all things to draw us closer to Him.

if not the best book ever... then I don't know what is.
This book is so strong and so entrancingly written. Her style is amazing, as is her insight.
The main character describes herself, and the things which happen to her through amazingly new, bodily metaphors. The man she falls in love with reminds one of Howard Roark from The Fountainhead, though not as blatantly preachy.

These are well written and richly tex-tured coming of age sagas of Hampton-dwellers. It turns out that they are just as interesting as anyone else's young trials and struggles.

I just finished H.T. Hamann's "Anthropology of an American Girl" and I loved it! A friend of mine recommended it to me and I was skeptical--I thought it would be a "girl book." I was completely wrong. (I guess you should never judge a book by it's cover, or title for that matter.) It was one of the best books I've ever read. Intellegent, vivid and real are the three words that come to mind. This book spoke to me like no other book has. I want everyone to share in this experience.

What an amazing coincidence that almost all of the reviews of this book are rated 5 stars, that almost all of the reviews are by reviewers who haven't reviewed any other books, and that almost all the reviews say almost the same things about the book.

Gosh, It's almost like the writer had all his friends go out and write positive reviews of the book!

Anthropology of an American Girl is an amazing book that is meant to be read slowly and savored. It's one of the most well-written books I've ever read- every word was so carefully chosen that each sentence is like a line of poetry. Don't be intimidated, though- it's totally readable and accessible. It's just the type of book that should be read thoroughly to truly be enjoyed and appreciated. Even the book itself is exquisite- it's rare to see a book that was so thoughtfully created with the essence of the novel in mind. It's really something to save and to treasure.
The story itself is beautiful as well- it's written in the first person so insightfully that by the end of the novel, you feel like you really know Eveline (the main character), whose life we follow from the end of high school through the end of college. The author is excellent at developing characters: Eveline is complex, flawed, and real, as are the other characters whose lives we follow through Eveline. As a girl around Eveline's age, I could relate to many of her struggles, but the issues that she confronts (falling in love, breaking up, the deaths of loved ones, evolving friendships, moving out, and growing up in general) are universal.
I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates beautiful writing and loves to become immersed in a story. The book's website, www.anthropologyofanamericangirl.com, gave insight into the author's creative process and helped me understand the book as a whole much better- the site has author interviews recorded from the radio, reviews, excerpts from the book, and thoughts from the author herself. Definitely worth a look- even if it's just to check out the website, which, like the book, was beautifully designed.
All in all, highly recommended for someone looking for something different.

This is one of the greatest kids books ever! Especially for my son, who always thinks he has to be perfect. This book shows kids that everyone has their own talents; it might not be what you thought was perfect, but it can still be beautiful and amazing, unique and yours. I hope this book gives more children the courage to do their own thing and express themselves.

How do you teach a child confidence?
You could put their work on the refrigerator, frame it, or talk about it with others. In this story the teacher frames a small dot drawn by a child who claims she is unable to draw. The little girl is also asked to sign her work, which emphasizes value.

Society values signatures. We want the signed book, the signed football pendant, the autograph, etc. because we perceive it is more valuable. Children can relate to signatures. Children understand signatures mean something (whether it is a report card that needs signing, an illness note for school, or the need to sign a "take home" folder). Thus, immediately the little girl realizes when asked to sign her work that her dot, her creation, is also valuable.

This wonderful story teaches children about trying, about at least starting, at least making an effort, and then seeing where that start can take you... This lesson is taught through art in this storybook but reminded me of what we were always told in writing, "Write, just start.... "

Henry Ford said, "If you think you can... or if you think you can't... you're right." This simple story illustrates a message of positive "can do" type thinking.

I also especially like that the little girl passes on what she learns at the end of the story by asking a little boy to sign his work. Setting a good example and passing on your knowledge to help others is a lesson for all children!

I loved this book and can use it in my library all the time.
Thank You

The Dot is a beautifully illustrated book about a VERY good art teacher. I found it when I was already an adult, but in a way it is written for adults anyway. The book addresses those who are unsure of themselves, which occurs in adults just as often as in children. The message is clear but not didactic, and the illustrations underline the moral.

I'm a middle school art teacher. I read the book to every class on the first day. Then, I gave them a few different media to use, (watercolor, oil pastels, markers) and asked them to "make a dot and see where it takes you" We made two rules, you had to know where your original dot was and you had to work for 15 minutes. The results are great and we are off to a great start. I also own ISH by the same author and use it a little later in the semester.

Just thumbing thru the book already has me laughing out loud. The business plan in disarray... the Family Friendly policy... and my personal favorite - the office thermostat! I wish I had Alice's chutzpah." I wouldn't be freezing to death all day!!!

This was the first Dilbert collection I bought, and it's still my favorite. It's so much like everybody's job it's scary. Just the kind of book you need to laugh and forget your own troubles.

Journey to Cubeville is a 224-page collection of Scott Adams' hilarious Dilbert cartoons. Dated between 11/1/96 and 1/4/98, these cartoons include all of the normal Dilbert crew: Dilbert, Alice, Wally, Asok, Dogbert, Catbert (a personal favorite), and so forth. The cartoons themselves appear as they did in your favorite newspaper, with the big Sunday ones printed in bright color! Plus, as a bonus, this book includes pop-out finger-puppets, which includes Dilbert, Wally, Alice, Dogbert, Ratbert, the Pointy-Haired-One, and a cubicle. (Dilbert wouldn't be Dilbert without a cubicle!)

This book is great, a must-have addition to the library of any Scott Adams fan. And, the finger-puppets make it that much better. This is perhaps the best Dilbert book of them all - buy it!

JOURNEY TO CUBEVILLE is the absolute best collection of Dilbert comic strips!!! The whole hilarious gang (`specially Wally,Alice and Dilbert et. al) just saturates every single page with their best laughs.So whether you`re wandering through a bookstore,or on the net,DO NOT miss out on JOURNEY TO CUBEVILLE.It`s worth the money!

It's amazing how Scott Adams is able to produce hundreds of hilarious Dilbert strips that revolve around just a few themes -bosses are stupid, engineers are geeks, and the whole purpose of management, marketing, and the like are to squash productivity. This book is proof that Adams is a genius because not a single strip fails to produce at least a chuckle. Get this book and laugh your a** off.