O Books

One thing that poverty didn't diminish is Woodruff's powers of recall. Though, as soon as he becomes literate, one senses he'll inexorably transcend his meagre beginnings which ring most vividly in this tale. I loved the regional patois as much as the rising political conscience of the working class boy. The years roll by with the daily grind, humilities accompanying the unjust disenfranchisement of workers; Dickensian conditions that were worse in Lancanshire than other industrial zones. Woodruff's effortless prose is as tough as his father's persistent presence and as nuanced as his mum's mercurial mood shifts. Fortunately for readers,'Nab's End' is no end, but a beginning to further tales from post adolesence. Having just closed the covers on Roy McFadyen's, 'at A Cost', I opened Woodruff to discover a parallel story in times bedevilled by poverty and dire economic depression. If you want to visit the comparison and find, at a pinch, an even more extraordinary childhood,'At a Cost' is published and distributed by its author @ 15 Maryann Street, Golden Beach, Queensland, Australia 4551.

This is a wonderful book which, as an Anglophile, I loved reading. Just a word to those who feel it some of the terms are American. Remember, please, that the author is now living in the US, and new terms become automatically one's own after a while. And yes, there is a sequel to this book!

You don't have to have been born in Blackburn (as I was) to appreciate this wonderful true story of a childhood in poverty with all the wit and humour and honesty of the working class. Their hopes for a better and fairer future are vivid and the story ends with an emotional desire from the reader to know how and if this young man succeeds as he takes his steps away from Lancashire. Inevitably the reader will read the sequel Beyond Nab End which is even better but read this first.

William Woodruff and I have something in common; we were both born and reared poor in Lancashire, doubly lucky as Mr Woodruff puts it. The book itself is a reader, you pick it up and you can't put it down. There is always something else you want to read in the next chapter. It is a shame the book had an ending to it as it leaves you wanting more.

Like one of the other reviewers I was a bit disappointed when the text was dumbed down, probably for our American cousins, as little discrepancies showed through the text. For instance, stating ten pennies instead of ten pence (we would have said it 'tenpunce') and the absolute glaring mistake of calling a tanner 6p when it should have been 6d and a dodger is 3d not 3p. Little details like this tend to eat at me.

The book was easy to read and if you know a little about Lancashire, specifically Blackburn, you will find it fascinating.

Tim Brimelow 19 May 2003

I came upon this book after hearing brief snippets of it serialised BBC Radio 4 and the World Service.
It had added interest for me as I know Blackburn (at least modern Blackburn) very well, it was later a surprise to discover I knew virtually nothing of the town.
The book is evocative and stirring as you follow the authors journey from early childhood to his 16th year, when he finally leaves a deprived, economically and spiritual broken town for London, in hope of work and a better life.
The journey in between is a rich array of colourful and long forgotton characters and ways of life. Most striking by far is the harshness of past societies in which the poor were virtually ground into the dirt and totally at mercy of commerce. Yet still the love and joy of these kindly, caring and sweet natured people shines through, it took a great deal to make them lose all hope. One cannot help but to think that these poor and hardworking forbares made more than a little of the muscle in the British national psyche.
The Authors journey is one of love, loss and curiousity, his intelligence is meant for better things than the dust and grime of cotton mills but so hard worked are his people and he that this realisation is a long time coming.
Highlights characters are Grandma Bridget and the lovley Aunts he visits in Summer. Quite a journey and very much a joy to read.

Longtime animal advocate Mark Hawthorne knows a thing or two about which methods are most effective in helping animals. Mark also happens to be a great writer, and his new book, "Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism," will prove helpful for everyone from armchair advocates to seasoned citizen lobbyists.

When writing the book, Hawthorne drew from his range of animal welfare experience, from volunteering for rabbit rescue groups to working with farm animal sanctuaries. He also interviewed countless people who are involved in the animal protection movement.

By bringing in the collective experiences and insights of those advocates, Hawthorne developed a valuable encyclopedia of the most successful strategies that bring about change for animals.

He discusses a wide variety of tools anyone can use, including leafleting, holding events, tabling, writing opinion pieces and corporate campaigning. Hawthorne included an in-depth section on the importance of using continually-evolving multimedia and electronic communications, such as websites, video and podcasts, blogs and more.

"Striking at the Roots" is packed with helpful tips and useful case studies of campaigns that are tangibly improving the lives of animals. Hawthorne's attention to those success stories is inspiring enough to make better advocates out of his readers.

"Striking at the Roots" is an important addition to the animal protection literature--an accessible, engaging book that's a useful read for anyone who wants to make a difference for animals.

This book is informative as a reference source, but can at times come off a little too strong. A good book for the beginner though!

Thoreau said "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root..." Mark Hawthorne has written a book to help activists in the many branches of animal rights to get closer to those roots, and to do so effectively.

Mark's writings have been seen in numerous publications; now his hands-on experience is combined with wisdom from a veritable who's who of the animal rights movement to clearly answer the question: what can I do?

From the shy animal lover to the flamboyant vegetarian, from the bookworm to the fearless animal liberator, this book offers tools and insights on how to accomplish your goals. Whether you want to take a bite out of cruel factory farming, teach compassion to your local fur store, rescue captive abused animals, or just help your family to eat healthier and more thoughtfully, this book delivers the goods.

"Striking at the Roots" details activities from letter writing to direct action, deals realistically with both potential benefits and consequences, and even gives lessons on what to expect from the police in various countries. It also provides a long list of relevant resources to learn and do even more.

Sydney J. Harris has been quoted as saying, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." Animal cruelty is a problem we're all surrounded by, and one we cannot afford--in terms of morality, human health, air quality, water pollution, soil loss, germ resistance, tax subsidies, worker injuries, and common decency.

While each of us may not be at the root of the problem, we all have hold of some of the branches, however tenuously. Mark Hawthorne's very user-friendly book can help us to make a difference for our fellow earthlings who can't speak our language or vote. "Striking at the Roots" offers many tools to bring out the animal in us -- and to do so effectively.

Every significant social movement requires a manifesto and guidebook to coalesce individuals, organize actions, and instigate social change. Striking at the Roots covers everything any activist would need to know about how to successfully advocate on behalf of animals. Whether you are an armchair activist who prefers to write letters to the editor and opinion pieces, or someone who would rather get right into the thick of protests, demonstrations, and direct action, Hawthorne provides the map for how to do it. He covers all the questions you might have wondered about in private and didn't know whom to ask, as well as questions you may not have even known you had. In addition to providing answers, Hawthorne supplies endless ideas and resources, and he solicited the input of countless activists to motivate you to action and keep you energized and revved for the long haul. Striking at the Roots is a book all animal activists should have on their nightstands and in their backpacks and briefcases. It's a manifesto whose time has come.

This is an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to help animals. Mark Hawthorne's new book covers every tool in the toolbox for anyone who wants to be effective in stopping animal cruelty. From letter writing to leafleting, from corporate campaigning to using the media, this book demonstrates that everybody can find a way to speak out in defense of beings who cannot speak for themselves. You can be shy, you can be scared, and you can still be effective. Inspiring examples from people who are changing attitudes, laws, and conditions under which animals are suffering are included in every chapter.

Bruce Friedrich from Peta wrote the foreword, and leaders from virtually every animal protection organization in the country are featured in the book. Even the appendices are interesting (Appendix A: Recent Milestones for Animals is particularly heartening.)

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.

Can't go wrong with Spurgeon. I bought these volumes for a deeper study of the Psalms, and so far they have been amazing. There's more for each psalm that I can really get in to, but that which I do has been all that I could hope for: reinforcing lower view of self next to high view of God; the only kind of perspective that brings any real sense of hope and encouragement.

Spurgeon is still the best. This 3 volume set is essential for a deep and meaningful study of the Psalms. Great for teaching and preaching research. I'm happy to have purchased it and I recommend it highly.

While Spurgeon's magnum opus is neither technical nor devotional it can meet either of those needs. It is inconceivable that anyone would have an interest in the Psalms and not have these volumes on the shelves.

This writing has really opened the book of Psalms. The teaching of Spurgeon is just beyond words.

This is a great commentary series on the Psalms and has the same feel as Spurgeon's sermons. Great resource for any teacher and pastor to prepare in study for the Psalms. Very detailed, which I can't say the same for other commentaries done during this same time period.

The price once again shows how many people have lost interest in both commentaries and our past church saints.

If you are going to be going through the Psalms in your own study or teaching you should definitely have this at your disposal.

This is the first of the O'Reilly books I have been disappointed in. I bought the book for one reason-- to find out how to restore a / and /usr file system off a remote tape drive. Unfortunately the book does not answer this question, all of its examples assume the server has a local tape drive attached. The authors spend their time touting freebie utilities at the expense of a thourough discussion of the backup and restore capabilities that come with the operating system.

This book is important for System Administrators and DBAs. The book is well-written and have discussed all the major UNIX flavors back and recovery. The author went further by discussing the Backup and Recovery of major databases on these UNIX operating systems.
I give 5 stars.

As a former Unix system administrator, this book proved invaluable to me. Backups are a dreaded responsibility for most as they are not glamorous, but when a backup is needed, the administrator can become a hero or out of a job very quickly depending on thier backups. The author provides some deep insight into the art of backups, drawing upon real world examples that provide insight into the recommendations. The authors quips on real world backup stories is worth the price alone as there is great knowledge to be gained from someone else's mistakes and failures. Truly a gem that should be on EVERY system administrators bookshelf.

Even though I was still very new to Linux/UNIX, this book was able to help me create a fully automated backup routine as well as how to restore from those backups. I found the book very easy to read and not at all dry.

This is *THE* Computer System backup book. It contains all the basics of why you want to backup computer systems, plus many of the real world experience details. It is written from a Unix perspective, but is still applicable to Windows and other non-Unix environments.

I've been using this book as a general guide for several years now. It was a book I watched work it's way through the O'Reilly system from first announcement to general release. I bought it when it first came out. I have not been disappointed in it.

Many people think of computer system backups as a dry old musty topic of interest to nobody in particular. But 9/11 showed how important good disaster recovery planning and procedures could be to a business.

Some of the specifics are now a little out of date, but not by leaps and bounds. It is still very good for its core reason for being - Backups. It is very much less out of date than other computer books on the market today.

I have been dealing with large-scale computer system backups and disaster recovery for large employers for years... and I still consult this book regularly to make sure have not missed anything important. It covers all the topics you need.

It has been a couple of years since I read this book, but I'm sure most of it is still relevant. It's definitely one of the first books you should get if you're interested in web analytics. It's one of those books you can go back to and use as a reference when you need valuable input.

I bought this copy and Web Analytics Demystified. This book repeats a lot of information in "demystified" plus it gives you coding tools to build your own metrics. More bang for the buck here.

Companies are looking for more and more business intelligence from their Web sites, both to improve their marketing efforts and determine ROI. This is a good thing. This is an exemplary "how-to" guide for Web Analytics. Extremely useful.

I think that the book is for differente people: programmers and marketers. But I found it quite interesting althought you have to select what hacks are appropriate for your job.

Web Site Measurement Hacks is the best book in the Web Analytics field. The book explains introductory topics as well as the most advanced ones in a chronological natural way. Subjects like what is web analytics, how to choose a vendor, how the technology works, and how to implement a web analytics program in your company are covered extensively.

Besides being well written and almost encompassing, it presents also the point of view of several of the Web Analytics' experts and vendors. Many of the Hacks are co-authored by big names, such as:

* Bob Page (Yahoo!)
* Bryan Eisenberg (Future Now)
* Jim Sterne (Target Marketing!)
* Jim Novo (Drilling Down Project)
* Jim MacIntyre (Visual Sciences)
* Jason Burby (ZAAZ)
* Brett Hurt (Coremetrics)
* Xavier Casanova (Fireclick)
* Jeff Seacrist (WebTrends)
* Akin Arikan (Sane Solutions)
* Jay McCarthy (WebSideStory)
* John Marshall (Clicktracks)
* ... and many more!

The index is very helpful and you find subjects very easily. The book is well organized and I refer back to it every time I have doubts. It works for me as a Web Analytics' Encyclopedia.

I was fortunate enough to be a student in Dr. Trimble's American Liturature class at the University of Texas in 1989. Before I took his class, my writing was poor and insincere. I did not know how to use my own voice in my work.

After reading his book several times--and finally "getting it", I improved my writing significantly. I am a more successful person because of this book.

Thank you Dr. Trimble.

I've read a lot of books on writing over the years, so many that I've reserved a spot on the corner of my desk for the very best of them so I can refer to them every so often. Only a few books are in this pile: they are the special ones. And one of them is Trimble's book. I discovered it many years ago when it was in its first edition, and have held it in high esteem ever since. Not only does Trimble give you a lot of useful information, he does, indeed , do it "with style." I enjoy both the information and the way he presents it. He covers all aspects of writing, including grammar, and usually when I see a section on grammar in such a book I skip over it, but not in this case. Even it is a delight.

You can read the book very quickly(2-3h) because it is written with great style(Trimble applies what he tells you,which makes the book a very good example to what he says). The advice is very practical, even the chapter on punctuation is useful-very useful i would say. Reading it once was enough for me to start using more expresive punctuation. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his writing,whatever he may wish to write.

ps:this is the first book on writing i read. it might be that some/much of the advice from this book can be found in other books on writing.however, i think it's good to read this book, because it is short and nicely written;in the end it is a good idea to rehearse some things,sometime

This book was a required text in a writing class I had as an undergraduate and I actually enjoyed reading it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I kept my copy instead of selling it back to the bookstore as a used copy at the end of the semester and I've used it for a reference ever since. It often comes in handy when I run up against obstacles in getting a writing project done.

As someone else pointed out, it's not as in depth as some other writing books. It is infinitely more readable and enjoyable, though. I know "enjoyable" is not a word that academics like since there seems to be an attitude of "it's only good if it's painful."

This book shows that good style and enjoyment aren't mutually exclusive. In fact it advises to turn your views and resources to best account to produce writing you'll be proud of. It also gives much more practical and understandable advice for inexperienced writers than anything else I've read.

This book should be a required yearly read for academic writers everywhere. It seems that many have forgotten the reason that they're writing--to communicate effectively--not simply to show off and get a publication under their belt.

If you only have time and money for one book on writing, get this one. But if you want two books, get this one and "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White.

I'm a professional developer but I have no experience using C#. My current project required learning C# at a highly accelerated pace and this book did it for me.

If you are an experienced developer needing to learn C# quickly and thoroughly without resorting to the "for Dummies" types of books this is an effective tool, use it.

References to this book kept coming up at the top of internet search results while I was trying to figure out how to implement a QBE UI using LINQ.

I finally took the hint and bought the book.

Now that I have the book, after having sifted through it, I can attest that it explains C# clearly and thoroughly and is delightfully insightful. On par with the best O'Reilly nutshell references.

I believe it is currently the best C# 3.0 reference on the market.

A Quick Way To look up anything that deals with C#
Terms, Keywords, implementation etc...
great for both a beginners referanece and a seasoned professional

This book is a hands down winner among the C# books currently in market. Written in a clear and precise manner, it is both a tutorial and a reference. You can get a taste of the book from the authors' website where they have posted tutorials (check out the tutorial on Threading in C#).
I came to know about this book from a link on Chris Sells' blog where he is all praise for the book.
Highly recommended.

Bought this to learn LINQ. Found that it has an excellent treatment of all topics and lots of sample code. Very clear and concise explanations. This is a good technical book I have read in a long time.

Superb. Simply. Great literature. The character of John, the main character's friend was the best and most gratifying of all. Please obtain and let your eyes go to work. To think the author died short of fifty. Man, we get burned sometimes.

I am thilled to see this book being available in hardcover and paperback as well. I read this book about ten years ago and I read it regularly every couple of years. The story is very compelling and the scene of the protagonist walking home through a run-down community is a classic of American literature.

What this book and O'Connor's other novel, The Last Hurrah, apart is the writing. In an era where writers seem to challenge one another to be more like Faukner and less comprehensible to the average man, O'Connor wrote very well and his language is beautiful. From this fine prose arises really deep characters which are flawed and so easily identifiable to us all.

I found this to be a wonderful novel and a great pleasure to read. I have been trying to find this for years and could not in any bookstore. While this could not translate to the movies as easily as Last Hurrah, I found this to be so much more interesting. A truly Catholic novel, it is a joy to find something that takes spiritual issues seriously and yet is hardly preachy. And if you are Irish, the dialogues of the "friends" of the family will make you laugh outloud while reading. This brought back the charms and frustrations of my childhood and my own family of Irish aunts and uncles. Long but worth the effort. A great find.

As I was reading THE EDGE OF SADNESS, I couldn't help but think that in 1961, when this Pulitzer Prize winning novel was published, it must have been rather controversial. It dealt with the humanity of priests, noting flaws but in a respectful manner. While some writers such as Georges Bernanos dealt with such issues in his DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, American audiences were still used to the Hollywood Big Screen concoctions of Spencer Tracy--Father Flanagan/Bing Crosby--Father O'Malley models of priesthood. While the priest in THE EDGE OF SADNESS may be worthy of the warmth and love given to his movie counterparts, he's hardly perfect.

The novel tells the story of an alcoholic priest named Hugh Kennedy beginning again in ministry in an older, run down parish. Readers get a sense he's not the priest he once was, and throughout the novel we learn of his early ministry, the ramifications of the death of his father, the struggle with alcohol, and the loneliness that is a real part of his life. The book is written in the first person, and we hear the story of his life as he tells of his rekindling of a friendship with the Carmody family: Charlie, the patriarch, his son John the priest, Dan, the ne'er do well, Helen, the outspoken sister married to a doctor and Mary, the daughter who remains at home to care for the aging but still independent and at times ruthless Charlie. We also meet a host of minor characters: Helen's husband Frank, their son and daughter-in-law Ted and Anne, Charlie's longtime friends P.J. and Bucky, Roy, the maintenance man who works at Fr. Kennedy's church, and Fr. Stanley Danowski, the endearing yet naïve and at time nerdy young curate at Fr. Kennedy's parish. As the events of the novel unfold, we see changes in Fr. Kennedy as he discovers his love for God and his vocation.

This is an older style novel in many ways. O'Connor is not short on words and he gives a number of details, yet the novel flows and is a fast read for a volume of nearly 650 pages. The issues of struggles in priesthood, vitality of parishes, older priest verses younger priest, unstated yet real competition between clergy people, and a hunger for God are all present in this book. In some ways if some historical details were changed in the book, it could be about modern day Catholic life. Perhaps this is the power of this book and why it can seem timeless. While it tells a story from an earlier day, it's not an invitation for nostalgia, at least for Catholic readers. Instead it will remind readers of what truly matters in life: the importance of faith, and the importance of having people who love us and people we love in return. While it may seem dated in some ways, readers will agree that the editors at Loyola Press were correct in reissuing this book as a classic.

This simple but beautiful bittersweet story of life among the Irish-American citizens of an unnamed eastern city is a joyful and beguiling tale. O'Connor's characterizations and dialogues are engaging and from my personal experience utterly authentic. I feel as though I have met all the main chacters and could give them names among family and acquaintances. The set piece of Father Kennedy' battle with alcoholism is tastefully done.

Using contemporary data and years of coaching experience, the authors offer a robust tool for guiding the coaching process. Experienced and beginning coaches will find gems that will enhance their coaching effectiveness. This book is a focused, no-nonsense guide to effective leadership coaching and development.

This book is a helpful and practical guide with stories, research and ideas. The authors describe how organizations successfully implement coaching. A must read for any leadership development professionals!

This book belongs in every internal and external coach's library! Leadership Development, Talent Management and Human Resource practitioners, who play a direct or indirect role in leadership development, would also find it greatly beneficial.

This very comprehensive and easy-to-read resource covers all aspects of executive coaching. The research, authors' experience and organizations' first-hand learnings and best practices are insightful and invaluable.

Executive Coaching for Results: The Definitive Guide to Developing Organizational Leaders

Whether you have enterprise responsibility for leadership development and talent management or simply need to develop one leader, this book is THE comprehensive and practical guide for using executive coaching to developing leaders. Based on extensive experience, this book will provide you with the guidelines, checklists, and tools to ensure successful coaching outcomes.

Executive coaching for results is a great read and straight to the point. This book is a must read for organizational leadership experts that are considering investing in executive coaching as a tool to improve results. The case studies are based on some of the leading global companies, with excellent metrics to back up the golden question; should we invest in executive coaching?

I have always been very skeptical of "biblical fiction" because creative license can border on heresy if the writer is not careful, so I reluctantly purchased Gods & Kings the first book in Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series. Wow, was I pleasantly surprised! Ms. Austin has taken a few meaningful lines of old testament Scripture and brought them to life with believeable dialogue and suspenseful plots that although speculative, do not contradict biblical truths and bring honor and glory to our GOD. The way she describes how the Israelites under the rule of King Ahaz slowly and steadily turned from the one and true GOD and allowed idol worship to appease other nations, it is very easy to see parallels with our society today and it is very sobering! However, instead of leaving us with a feeling of doom and despare, Lynn gives us hope through the young Prince Hezekiah and a handful of faithful prophets of GOD -- it is not too late to wake up America!

I look forward to reading all the books in the Chronicals of the Kings series, and hope she continues to write stories about the old and new testament.

What an awesome storyteller. If you have ever had the pleasure of reading a Francine Rivers novel, you will enjoy Lynn Austin as well. While I meditated on Rivers novels for days and even weeks, I found Austin's stories a bit faster paced and entertaining yet at the same time thought provoking and nourishment to the soul. I greatly enjoyed the first three books and highly recommend them. I am waiting for the fourth and fifth!

You will not put this down, takes you directly to the time and setting of our history! You will LOVE this...all the Kings books are a MUST!!!

I purchased this book as an Amazon recommended read. I was completely SHOCKED how much I loved this book! I picked it up and read it in a day.
It is an inspiring read. I love the dynamic love relationship that develops with Hezakiah and his grandfather, as well as the relationship with his mother. This story will inspired in me a renewed faith!

Sometimes as a Christian you can read bible stories and you gain the historical significance, but this book allows you to relize the personal significance and dedication to God. It was wonderful!

The Chronicles of the Kings series are THE BEST Biblical novels I have ever read. Lynn Austin's writing is so captivating, you won't be able to put the book down! While reading this series, I actually had to make myself not even touch the book before I went to work - because several times I did just that, lost all track of time and wound up arriving late to work!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It really fleshes out certain Biblical characters and events, enabling you to really feel involved with the Biblical accounts. They become more than just words on a page in a history book - they become living, breathing people that really walked this earth. I was pleased that the author stayed very true to the Bible. I have read novels in this genre before that took great liberties with the facts as presented in the Bible. I did not feel that this was one of those. In fact, the author uses direct quotes from the Bible at all times when the prophets delivered their prophecies! At the front of the book, the author lists the scriptures used to write the story and encourages you to study it more deeply.

This is a well-written, page-turning, true-to-the-Word book that will keep you reading for hours and deepen your appreciation for God's love and grace. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.