H Books

For most students and residents I talked to, this was the only book they used for the rotation, and all of these are EM-minded people. Great concise discussions of ED's most common complaints as well as diagnosis and management.

I read all 6 case files for third year, and this continues the series into fourth year with another home run. The cases are right out of the ED, telling you what you need to do first and how to proceed, the exact things you will be asked by attendings.

When looking for books to help me review for exams, the Case Files series was recommended to me. Ever since I purchased one for my Psych rotation, I've been hooked since. The sections start off with a case and let you come up with the diagnosis and treatment plan before turning the page. The case is then picked apart and the main conept of the case is outlined (its by no means an all inclusive summary of the topic, but it is covered fairly well). There are then comprehension q's at the end of each case to see how much you learned. For all medical professionals who learn and review by reading cases rather than a non-interactive textbook, the Case Files series are for you.

If you like the case files series, then this is another great addition to your library. Good cases with adequate survey of emergency medicine knowledge.

This is really a factastic book. I own two books from the "Case Files" series, and will buy more when I see them available. Each chapter is concerned with one particular problem. The chapter opens with a case presentation, giving the opportunity to make a diagnosis before proceeding to the explanation and information. Finally, there are Clinical Pearls at the end of each chapter. The book is great because you can take 10 minutes and do one case, and put the book down. Great for a busy schedule. And great for board review.

Very entertaining and enlightening. Pepys gives us a glimpse of what life was like in that period before the "Glorious Revolution" in England which was so important in the developement of democracy in England and the United States. Pepys was on the wrong side of that revolution - a loyalist to King Charles II, although he was never convicted of treason. Good thing, since there seemed to be a lot of beheadings, etc. in that era. Occasionally, it is not absolutely clear what Pepys is talking about, and sometimes the vocabulary is not easily understood,as language and customs have changed, but that is to be expected.

I've long been a student and a collector of information on the personalities of Restoration England, growing out of a desire to know more about the background in literature classes. The Restoration crowd loved life, and in this volume (and presumably the next) you see how tenuous their lives were -- 5000 a week in the City of London dying of plague, two fleets of 100 ships each at war in a narrow sea, everyone so intent on feathering their nest and getting their next place, and an honest man rarest commodity of all. I love all these diaries. I've learned to ignore a lot of the textural (not text) notes that tell you if there was a blot on the page, or the symbol was not quite clear, but the footnotes are amazing and so is the information. Love Sam; he could have done pretty much as he pleased with me, I fear. But in his daily strolls of 5 miles and more I fear I could never have kept up as he went up and down the town, up and down the river. I've been to London and took the boat tour on the Thames from the houses of Parliament down to Greenwich to see the naval museum and Queen's house -- and he would walk, day or night, from London to Depworth, to Woolwich, to Greenwich (though he'd borrow the boat if he could) and pay attention to all he passed. What a companion!

Unfortunately for my budget's sake I started buying these in 3s and am now having trouble filling up 1666-1669. I will persevere, though, and anticipate a re-read of all or part probably every summer (while TV takes a dive and there's good light to read by until long into the evening). The only thing I have wished for is more portraits of the people he is speaking of--and the portraits by Huysmans and Lely that he reports having seen fresh painted. However, financially that may not have been doable. Will have to keep searching for a companion Restoration Portraits volume to keep me happy.

Great reading - do start from the beginning to get into the swing of things. A random paragraph doesn't put you "in the life" like the unrolling panorama does. A better map of London at your elbow (though there is one in the back of each volume) will also increase your pleasure.

It is kind of hard to match up these reviews of the Pepys' Diary with specific volumes, probably due to the nature of ISBN numbers. However, this review is about Volume 10, the Companion to the 10 vol. set of paperbacks (complete edition) by the University of California Press. IT IS a valuable book indeed, being 1700 entries, alphabetically arranged, on the details about the people and places mentioned in the Diary. It has 626 numbered pages and genealogical tables and maps.

When I started reading the diary, I expected it to be extremely boring and very old fashioned (seeing how it was written in the 1600's) - how wrong I was!!!
Samuel Pepys (pronounced 'peeps') is a human, funny, moody man who has his ups and downs like the rest of us. His narrative during the plague records his concern about neighbors, and his real sorrow when people he knows succumb to it. He also records his experiences during the great fire of London in 1666 and his first mention of it strikes me as entirely human - he says that his maids wake him as they have heard of the fire and as it is not near his doorstep he simply goes back to bed as he's tired. He has arguments with his wife, and has cast a lusty eye upon the kings mistress for years! He also has, what I call 'mini affairs' where he kisses and fondles women quite regularly, (including his own maids) and seems to have no guilt about this whatsoever. Most mornings he 'drinks' his breakfast and at one point is outraged that his new wig is teeming with nits! An historical and very human read. Makes me realise that after 450 years we are all no different at all........

There are on the Amazon site two excellent, informative reviews of the Pepys' diaries. They say far more than my own contribution.
I have read in and out of the Pepys' diary more than once. I did this in part because I have read many times that they are the ' best diaries' ever written. Without contending with that I found that they were not for me the most interesting. This probably shows more about my own shortcomings than it does about the work of Pepys.
Pepys' work is filled with description of the life of the time. It is rich in perception of the great city of London in Restoration times. It is filled with personal anecdote, gossip including that relating to his prodigious sexual appetite and activity. It is a busy, businesslike work. And it tells more about a world outside than a world in.
In the diaries I most love there is the quest of the soul to deeply understand itself and its relation to other people, and God. I find that the flurry of activity in the life of Pepys does not lead to this kind of reflectiveness. And thus for me the 'diary' is not a highly significant work personally.

I love this book! I may buy more for friends. It arrived on time in excellent condition.

I bought this book by accident. Well, not really, but I allowed another reviewer to seduce me into buying the new Kliban Cat Calendar and I saw this book listed as well on the calendar's detail page. I saw the words 'anniversary edition' and decided to order it. It was only after I received it that I discovered that seventeenth anniversary of "Cat" was in 1992, two years after Kliban's death. So 2002 is really the 27th anniversary. All that being said, I want to state that this little book would be fantastic no matter what it's age is, or what the age of it's reader is either. I love this book.

There, I've said it, this crusty old man goes all soft hearted when he leafs through a 25 year old book of cat cartoons. As well he should! Kliban captures something entirely different from other feline cartoonists. They aren't kitten cute, nor are they wicked Garfields, as Art Spiegelman points out in his introduction. Instead they are the light hearted chubby denizens of a world of whimsical, good natured self-interest. They relax at the beach, dream of the stars, and steal cheese sandwiched with equal aplomb. They exchange traditional concepts of cat beauty for an enticing comfyness which only a cat lover could understand.

Love is an important and operative word in this little volume. Not one of Kliban's cartoons is made at the expense of cats. Instead, each opens a door to the essential nature of our furry friends, and the non-judgmental affection that they display to those in their circle of trust. A snarl turns into a lick, a meow into a purr and then all is well. Kliban is the only artist I know who has managed to really capture the feline Mona Lisa smile. You know, the one that cats use to melt their owners. Cats forgive with a grace from which us humans could learn a great deal. And Kliban captures it all. Many of the cartoons are not really cartoons, but innocent studies of the artists own cats, drawn with genuine affection.

Art Spiegelmann, artist and author of MAUS, provides a short and delightful introduction to the anniversary edition, and there are 16 pages of Kliban's color work for our further delectation. Everyone who likes cats needs to have this book around. Placed somewhere so that it will fall to hand in those irritating moments when we need to look at cats in order to remember what it is to be human.

Alas, Bernard "Hap" Kliban is gone, but his genius lives on in "Cat", a book of cartoons that captures the personality of the cat as seen by cat lovers. Strangely enough, Kliban was a cartoonist for "Playboy", contributing cartoons for that publication until his death. The cat cartoons were discovered by a "Playboy" editor and the 1975 book "Cat" was born.

Kliban's cats are rotund bug-eyed creatures with a smile on their faces that says the joke is on you. The cartoons include the cats doing nonsensical things as well as performing deeds that you always suspected they might be guilty of as they interact with dogs, mice, people, and in some cases impersonate people. Included among the cartoons is a cat playing a banjo singing a tune of his own making with the lyrics "Love to eat them mousies. Mousie's what I love to eat...". For those that can remember the days when a television was a heat emanating device that invariably attracted napping cats there is a cartoon of a couple sitting in front of a television with a transparent cat standing in front of the screen. Their comments: "We enjoy the television set now that we got ourselves a transparent cat!". Interspersed among the "Kliban cats" are truly beautiful and elegant drawings of Kliban's own real-life cats, to whom he dedicated this book.

If you enjoyed Gary Larson's "Far Side" series and you are a cat lover I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.

ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR
"Get ready for a year of Cat gluttony and sloth, mayhem and misadventure, and--as always--a fine disregard for the law. (Laws governing physics and animal behavior come in for especially vigorous abuse from these feckless felines, as well as the law Thou Shalt Not Swipe Thy Neighbor's Sushi and that other law, Don't Juggle With Kittens.) ¶ Now in their third decade of worldwide popularity, the Cats show not the slightest sign of starting to behave like adults. Or like small-c cats, either. They will do whatever it takes to send you through 2006 with a smile on your face. Even if it means hugging a big, smug fish. Even if it means taking a bath. Even if it means missing a meal. Well, perhaps not that last one. ¶ 112 page, spiral-bound weekly engagement calendar with 53 reproductions, and clear plastic covers. Size: 6 5/8 by 8". Calendar features 53 weekly grids and full-page 2006 and 2007 yearly grids. Includes international holidays and a page for notes. ISBN 0-7649-3049-4 . . . Other calendars: wall, mini-wall, and 365-day. Additional publications available in our Kliban Gallery."--© Pomegranate

WALL CALENDAR
"The debauch continues. Cats have a go at Abstract Expressionism (and simultaneous inadvertent body art), feed a wild variety of birds from a park bench with nary a thought to their own nominally predatory nature, doze in the soporific vapors of a plate of pasta, and pop furtively and in sizeable numbers from the tall grass at the rustle of a sandwich being unwrapped. Other hi- and low-jinx take place as well. ¶ 13 x 12" wall calendar (opens to 13 x 24") with twelve full-color reproductions. ISBN: 0-7649-3053-2 . . . Other calendars: weekly engagement, mini-wall, and 365-day.Related items available in Kliban Cat Gallery."--© Pomegranate

This book is my absolute favorite, I have recently decided. My B. Kliban legacy goes back, way back, to my grandmother (we call her "Darling") who fell in love with the Qats back in the seventies (now keep in mind this is not some frumpy old lady. At the time she was the coolest little activist hippie this side of South Street.) Then there's my mother, who, out in San Fransisco around the same time used to roll with laughter at the Cat cartoons with her zany friend.
Enter me. As a kid, I never really understood Kliban--I also didn't have a cat yet. Then I did--first came Serena, then Zubi, and finally Torquil Hevoir James (AKA Booboo Kitty.) And so I loved B. Kliban. And this book is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Now that I'm going off to college, I think I'll frame some pages for my dorm room. And place them randomly around the campus. Most people I know who don't have cats really don't get it, but that's okay. I mean, the drawings are beautiful and whacky enough to get anyone. And the concepts--what was this guy on? Catnip, I believe. Whatever the inspiration, Cat is definitely the besties and the greaties.
P.S. I don't actually have this particular edition of the book; I didn't even know it was still in print. I have Darling's hardcover copy from 1976, and I love the cover: "Cat" in huge red letters with two of Kliban's pen-and-ink cats looking at it from below. Beautiful, beautiful.

The first and one of the best in the series. The Cave of Time provides a keen sense of being in different worlds. The different passages from which to choose from succeed in keeping the reader in suspense. It's a shame that books like this that strike the imagination in young and old readers alike hardly get written anymore.

In 1979, Edward Packard, who is easily the best author of the entire gargantuan Choose-Your-Own-Adventure series, wrote and published this book, and with that one stroke he not only gave us all a classic adventure story but founded an entire new genre of fiction as well! The whole idea of the "interactive novel" did not even exist before the first Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, as far as I know. The instant the series became popular, almost thousands of imitators started up, most of which died while the series that was started by "The Cave of Time" just kept going and going, like the Energizer Bunny. Today, it is considered just part of a whole category of books. "The Cave of Time" itself is an imaginative story that takes its reader all through time, from the end of the entire universe to the days of Camelot and everything in between. The mechanism for the time travel is NOT the typical machine, but rather a system of tunnels that can transport you in different directions through time depending on which way the tunnel is heading. An original and intriguing idea. Since the early '90s, the CYOA series has sadly gone downhill, with practically all the books being about martial arts and sports--as if they suddenly think that little GIRLS never read their books! and the number of endings has shrunk and shrunk, until now it is often less than TEN per book! As a female who has been reading, collecting, and loving this series since she was 8, this is a major disappointment for me, and I'm sure it would be to anyone else out there who may remember the "good old days" of this series. But THIS book, with its subject matter that would appeal to ANYONE, both boys AND girls, and its whopping 40 endings, is the classic that started it all. This is the standard that interactive fiction for kids has been trying--and failing--to reach ever since. ...Notorious

I remember this gamebook series from childhood, though I was never particularly good at them. "The Cave of Time" starts out with the reader finding a cave and deciding whether or not to enter it. From there, the reader travels back in time to the Ice Age, colonial America, the Dark Ages--even traveling ahead in time. There is no one ending or quest to this book, so you're not in a mad dash to win. In fact, there is no "winning" in here, just 40 possible endings to certain situations--some good, some fatal. Younger readers who like gamebooks will probably like this book/series, though there's not a lot of action.

Its not really about anything you get to be the character in the book and you half to make the decions.It takes place in a cave in a castle a ranch and it was a long time ago alot of years ago .my favorite part of the book was when these two guards draged me out of the chamber and put two spears at my back and just about killed me.I dont no what kind of people would like this book but i do recomend it because its a short, easy, and fun book to read .

I've read this book many times and think it's one of the best Choose Your Own Adventure Books ever written.

This is a biting satire of the educational system. A man (Wissey Jones) is being investigated for wanting to buy a child. He owns a company that, through drugs and surgery, turns kids into emotionless thinking machines. Local school officials are lampooned as they investigate Jones and his scheme. When the book was written (1960), American educators were in a frenzy over Sputnik and the thought that the Russians had gained the upper hand in the Space (read "Brain") Race, and more effort was needed to go into educating children. Hersey was questioning at what expense, and to what extreme, all this would go. (Ten years later, of course, and education was going in the opposite direction to a lessening of standards and rigor.) At times the book comes across as overly didactic, being told in the form of "Hearings." But overall it's an interesting story, well told.

Discrimination is declining in modern western societies. After struggles, there are now laws against discrimination of sex, race and religion. In some places there already are laws against the discrimination of homosexuals, and before long there will be laws against the discrimination of age groups (especially elderly). You can be sure of that.

The Child Buyer is sketching the discrimination of people with extreem high IQ (HIQ's), something that isn't even an issue in real life (yet). Mediocracy rules the world.

The Child Buyer is a heart wrenching, but at times also hilarious, description of the trial in which must be decided if a HIQ young boy should be sold or not to a company, because that would be good for national security, even though the boy refuses to be merchandise. The book shows how the people of a small village abandon the boy in his lonely struggle, partly because they see him as uncomfortably different, partly because they think it's for his own good to be separated from the rest, and partly because it turns out to be in their own best financial interest if the cooperate...

Hersey has structured his book around the trial. It contains only the dialogue, that is recorded in the courtroom. This may seem odd in the beginning, and perhaps slowing things down a little when all the characters are introduced, but the author succeeds very well in showing the diffence in characters. And in exhibiting the gross stupidity of some of them, as well as the way people choose for there own wellfare, above anything else.

This book was way ahead of it's time, when it was published in 1960, and - unfortunatly - it still is.

I can highly recommend it.

Hersey was justly acclaimed for his fine journalist's eye that was so evident in his Hiroshima and A Bell for Adano. But his scathing social commentary of White Lotus and this book probably have not received the attention they deserve, perhaps because of the fantastic, science-fictional feel of their portrayed worlds.

Told strictly as the minutes of a state congressional hearing, this book details the events that follow when Mr. Wissy Jones, from United Lymphomiloid, arrives in the town of Peqoud and presents an offer to outright purchase an exceptional child, Barry Rudd, who is blessed with an extreme intelligence and a maturity beyond his years, for some unspecified project that will 'aid the national defense'.

As we proceed through the hearings, we are treated to some fine characterization of the witnesses, from the sharply opinionated and articulate principal of the school Barry attends to Barry's mumbling, street-wise but not too intelligent blue-collar friend. But the hearings also expose the first of Hersey's sharply satirical looks at our society as we see the conduct of the various senators running the hearing, obviously meant to remind the reader of the McCarthy hearings, with their forcible cutting off of any testimony that does not fit the pre-defined expectation of what the outcome of the hearing should be, denigration of witnesses' lifestyles, and panel members who clearly do not have the intelligence to even understand what testimony is given.

More horrifying, though, is the picture of the educational system presented, from the ivory-tower intellectual theories that have no relation to the classroom, to the constant attempts to make all students fit one pre-determined mold, to the administrative power struggles, to the bizarre web of psychological testing, to the clueless PTA, to the rigid and hypocritical moral code that schools use to bludgeon non-conforming students. Where in this morass is the place for the truly gifted child, or for that matter one who is intellectually challenged? Hersey's points strike like daggers, for even though this book was written more than forty years ago, our schools still have every problem that is shown here.

And what of the moral outrage that should adhere to the concept of selling a child? Once more, Hersey's pen is savage, showing how easily Barry's parents sell out for a few material goods, how the senators are converted by the mere statement that it's for the 'national defense', how the general township is so easily convinced to get rid of this 'different' kid, and, most poignantly, how even Barry, with full knowledge of what the program entails, reacts to the concept.

A very moralistic tale, told sharply and with defining moments of humanity, bringing a near surrealistic concept into the all-too-possible realm of reality.

Hersey hits hard (in a humorous way) in this mock-legislative hearing at educational failure to deal with gifted children and also at psychobable theories... not to mention legislative inquiries. A little dated, but still rings true. Very funny.

Mr. Wissy Jones, from United Lymphomiloid, arrives in the New England town of Pequod on a corporate mission; he is to purchase children of exceptional intelligence. His matter-of-fact offer to buy Barry, a fat kid with a high IQ instigates a congressional inquiry.

Meanwhile, Jones skillfully garners support from every quarter in Pequod, from the pioneer-stock, six foot female principal of the elementary school and Barry's closest ally, to his own mother, a slatternly lower class housekeeper who's obviously the source of Barry's brains. Everyone has an opinion about Barry, usually not too good, ranging from jealousy, misunderstanding to just plain contempt (he's fat.) Meanwhile Barry and his street-wise blue collar friend seek to prevent his sale by a hilarious act of sexual misconduct.

What happens to the children purchased by U. Lymphomiloid is openly discussed by Wissy Jones during the trial. Yet despite the shocking revelation, Jones has manipulated the town to his side and even co-opts some surprising allies.

This isn't just an examination of an education system that strives to produce a bland mediocrity and mistrusts talent, it is the story of the intolerance of society for individuals and members of minority religions, race, anyone different than the mass average. There is a lot behind this readable book and it is fresher than every.

This book is an easy read and lifts the spirit. Very informative and interesting details about the Communist takeover of China. Nora suffered much but also saw many miracles and ultimately escaped China with her family - then she went back years later as part of the Ministry she felt called to by YHWH. A must read for those who like true stories of believers conquering through the Saviour against what to the world are overwhelming odds.

Lam Sung Neng Yee's story is marvelously told in this book. The communist don't play. Her story is both remarkable and insturctional.

I ordered a used copy of"China Cry" and was very pleased with the product. It arrived in excellent shape and in a timely manner. I ordered Dec. 11 and received the book Dec. 20. I did not know what to expect since this was the first time I had ever ordered a used book. Due to this experience I will definitely consider ordering used items in the future. Thank you for retaining my trust in Internet shopping.

I received this book into my collection when my father passed away a few months ago. A few days ago I picked it up and decided to read it. Am I glad I did. It's falling apart now, but I plan to use some hot glue to hold the pages in the binding so I can read it again later. This book can give a person a lot of insight into the workings of God in our world today. People who think God is dead need to read this book. He is alive and well and ready to come to our aid when and where we call on Him. Christians need to read this book. Sinners need to read it. People who are luke-warm need to read it. It has really inspired me to do all I can for God in 2004.

This is the incredible story of Nora Lam, a woman whose unwavering faith in God has seen her through more upheavals in her life than most people ever experience.

Her story spans decades and takes the reader through the invasion of China by the Japanese. The daughter of a western educated doctor, Nora saw her comfortable upper middle class life end in 1939, when at the age of seven she was forced by the Japanese to flee her home on the outskirts of Shanghai with her parents and seek refuge at the home of her step-grandmother's house in the French section of Shanghai. There they would remain for three miserable years, during which Norma was to have the first of a number of visions of a guardian angel, appearing in the guise of an old man. This guardian angel would sustain her and advise her in her hour of need throughout her life.

At the age of ten, she and her parents once again fled. This time they were to travel to Chungking, in free China, where her grandfather lived. Only after a perilous journey through Japanese occupied China and after being beset by robbers along the way, were they to cross the heavily guarded border and arrive safely at their destination. In the primitive city of Chungking, which was subject to continual bombing by the Japanese, Nora was to learn many life lessons that were to hold her in good stead.

Nearly four years later, in 1945, having survived the invasion of Shanghai by the Japanese and their heavy bombing of Chungking, Nora returned to Shanghai after the Japanese surrendered. There, Nora was to continue her education at a boarding school for girls. Now an impressionable fourteen years old, it was there that Nora renewed her interest in Christianity. Then, in 1949, the peace of life in Shanghai was once again disrupted for now seventeen year old Nora, when the Communist Army entered within its confines and Red Army soldiers were suddenly everywhere. The Cultural Revolution had only just begun.

Nora studied hard at the university in hopes of becoming a lawyer for the state. There she met and fell in love with Lam Cheng Shen, a handsome and young legal scholar. Some time after graduation, in 1955, when she realized that she was pregnant, Nora and Cheng Shen got married. Shortly after, she and her husband were subjected to interrogations by Communist officials, as they were deemed to be suspicious because of their family connections and because of that fact that Nora had, at one time, held Christian beliefs. Moreover, as Nora's independent spirit began to chafe under the repressive and oppressive party line, she found herself in conflict with the state and sentenced to death. Her moment of truth arrived when the pregnant Nora was brought before the firing squad.

What happened next is sure to make one believe in miracles. It is at that miraculous moment that life really began for Nora. She goes on to live a life that is nearly incredible in terms of its experiential breadth. It is a secular life ultimately lived in the service of God in all parts of the world. It is amazing what this young woman would go on to achieve and accomplish in her life. Notwithstanding the fact that some of her story strains credulity, hers is, indeed, an inspirational story that will make one believe in a higher power, if one does not already do so. It is surely a story worth telling.

Nora Lam has gone on to establish the Nora Lam Ministries, which is based in California, and she leads evangelical crusades in China and the United States. A movie, based upon this book and having the same name, has also been made.

Foster is a multi-faceted author who has successfully written books in several different kinds of settings. Here she introduces Brice, the self-appointed leader of the slave uprising in the kingdom of Ryshta and more than he appears. Brice has been prophesied to deliver his people to freedom. During one of the many battles, Princess Roslin runs to tell her father of the rebellion. However, not knowing how to travel without food, water, shoes, and the like, Roslin finds herself in the care of the rebel army. They don't know who she is. While trying to keep her secret, she finds out Brice has a secret of his own - one that would destroy him if discovered.

One can't help but like these characters, feeling their physical and emotional pain on every page. Roslin is stronger than she appears and finds it imperative to stand up to her father. Brice has more empathy than he shows, and genuinely has the love of his people. Great book from a dependable author.

Lady Roslin, daughter of the reigning ruler, has always lived a life of privilege. Never giving a thought for how her comfort is provided, she has her world turned completely upside down when she meets the dynamic and mysterious Brice, the leader of the rising slave rebellion.

On the run after her city is attacked Roslin is found by the very slaves she once took for granted. Fearful of what could happen should she be discovered, Roslin embarks on a masquerade and pretends to be one of them. Brice, however, seems to be focused on only one goal...the overthrow of the present ruler. Why such a single-minded mission? Does Brice and the ruler have a history together? If so, what? Is it the fact that the slaves are treated so badly that death is often better than living? Or could Brice simply be out to gain the throne and rule all the lands?

Slowly Brice and Roslyn discover things about each other, one of which is a strong attraction. So what is holding them back? Fear of rejection? Or is it the secrets? Secrets, which Roslyn and Brice both hold - unknown truths that could get one exiled and the other killed. Why? What does either secret have to do with Brice being "The Chosen"? And what happens to a budding romance when Brice's secret is finally revealed? Will Roslyn still want to be with Brice when she discovers Brice is NOT the man she thought Brice to be?

Suddenly Roslyn goes on the run, taking with her the one person Brice holds most dear. Or did she? Perhaps they simply chose to join Roslyn in her escape? What was it that made Roslyn run in the first place? Brice does not know the why, only that a question has now arisen - will Brice be able to reach them in time to save one or both?

Verda Foster brings to the reading world another great book. Her previous pennings, The Gift, and These Dreams prove a skill with solo works while Graceful Waters and Crystal's Heart displays an equally adept talent at co-writing. Both books were co-written with another terrific writer, BL Miller. BL Miller, herself, also co-wrote the dynamic Josie and Rebecca: The Western Chronicles with Verda's sister Vada Foster. A fact very much in evidence is that ALL display a definitive talent for intriguing, dramatic and suspenseful storytelling.

Not your usual romance. The story is a delightful surprise. I hadn't read a medieval romance in years and was captivated. Excellent writing you come to expect with this author. I picked it up this evening and couldn't put it down until the last satisfying page. Plenty of intrigue and the battle scenes were riveting. The plot had plenty of surprises that kept me turning the page eagerly wondering what would happen next. And to wrap the package with a bow the romance was beautiful and the love scenes passionate.

from the publisher's web site - In the feudal kingdom of Ryshta , there are masters and there are slaves. The servants labor for their arrogant lords, who treat them little better than animals. That's the way it's always been. But the slaves are waiting for the coming of The Chosen One, the prophesied leader who will take them out of their bondage.

A chance encounter separates Roslin, daughter of the king, from her privileged world. She takes refuge in a peasant community where she finds herself drawn to the charismatic Brice, leader of the slaves' rebellion. Is Brice indeed the Chosen? The old order is eventually overturned and the slaves win their liberty. But in the new, free world, the unveiling of a carefully kept secret has as much impact on the ex-slaves as the rebellion had on their ex-masters. And Brice and Roslin have to face their own challenges as they explore their love for each other.

Verda Foster has written a novel of remarkable insight which seeks to answer some very fundamental questions about social convention and perception. At the same time, she gives us a gripping story of love, battle and outstanding moral courage. This new edition of one of Open Books most consistent sellers is being expanded and refined to give this timeless story a new level of depth and emotion

In the land of Ryshta, a pre-industrial medieval world, the rich and powerful reign superior while the rest of the people are slaves. For as long as anyone can remember, women have been treated like chattel and the slaves have been maltreated or even murdered at their master's whim. The slaves toil with the hope and long-held belief that one day, somehow, The Chosen will arise and lead them out of their pain and misery.

A battle-hardened, charismatic warrior named Brice does indeed rise up and organize to overthrow the sadistic ruler and his society. In the process, Lady Roslin, daughter of the sovereign, comes into contact with Brice, and the secrets and lies begin. To save her neck, Roslin pretends to be one of the peasants while Brice keeps silent about her identity - for it becomes clear to the reader that Brice, though tall, dark, and handsome, is actually a very powerful woman. Her parents brought her up as a male so that she would not be forced to perform as a prostitute/bed slave like the rest of the slave women.

Brice and Roslin's worlds are turned upside down by the revolution in Ryshta. Rich, pampered Roslin has never given the culture and society much thought. She soon begins questioning all she knew once she is living in the war camp with Brice and the slaves who are passionately fighting for freedom and willing to die to overcome the cruel limitations imposed by the ruling elite.

It's clear that the old, corrupt society must fall, but what will take its place? Can Roslin survive - especially if she is found out as a related to the vicious ruler? What will Brice's role be in a new society? Can two people from different ends of the spectrum find common ground, much less a common life together? And above all, is Brice actually The Chosen?

For those who prefer fantasy with elves, wizards, talking dragons, and magic, this book isn't for you. But if you like adventure, well-plotted conflict, and a solid romance between two attractive characters set in an enchantingly medieval time, this book's for you.

Though this novel is not overly long, there is a lot of action packed into it. The battles are intense, the conflicts well-written, and the relationship between Brice and Roslin intriguing. I read the first edition of this book several years ago, and the author has smoothed out the previous rough spots. This newly edited version is a joy to read. You can't help but root for Brice and Roslin as they struggle to make a place for themselves by transforming a brutal world into a better place and at the same time, gradually unveil their inner souls to one another. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

Ryshta is a model of a medieval world. There is an elite ruling class that enjoys a privileged lifestyle thanks to the work provided by a hereditary class of slaves. The privileged don't question the benefits that come to their lives and the slaves are treated like animals. Roslin is the daughter of the ruling lord and has never questioned the order of things until there is an uprising and she meets Brice, the leader of the slave rebellion, the prophesized Chosen One. Brice challenges almost every concept Ryshta society is founded on. There should not be a privileged class, but everyone should work together for the greater good. Government leaders should be chosen democratically and that includes women having an equal voice with men. First afraid, Roslin finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Brice and eventually embracing these stimulating new ideas, as much as she would like to embrace Brice. But, there is a secret. Unlike everyone thinks, Brice is a woman raised by her parents as a male so that she can avoid the forced period of bed slavery required of the slave women. How will this impact on Roslin's growing feelings for him/her? What will happen if the people discover that their longed for champion is a woman? It's a fast paced story with just enough adventure and romance. It raises questions about the roles of people in society, but you don't feel like you've been hit over the head with them at the end of the book. Very enjoyable and a fast read.

it was new as promised and delivered sooner than expected... this person is honest and does good business

I am currently using this book as a supplemental text for a course in Psychopathology I am taking at Cleveland State University.

The explanations of the various disorders are sometimes dense for the beginning graduate student, yet there is much to learn as each chapter not only discusses the etiology, but also various treatment approaches for each illness.

Would I recommend this book? Depends on what kind of student you are. If you are the type who is interested in learning only what is necessary to get through a course, this book will bore you. But if you are looking for a resource that will take you deeper, and be useful to you long after you leave grad school, then I would invest the money. Having a well-stocked professional library is essential to good practice. This book should be on that is on your shelf.

The science moves slowly. Unfourtunately, some chapters are based in weak evidence.

This text offers an overview of various cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) techniques for a variety of psychological disorders. Relevant research and case studies are included. Etiological models, trouble shooting and therapy rationale are discussed. I enjoyed this book and found it very helpful.

It is a great book. I t is easy to read and user friendly. I am a new graduate student and I wish all my books were as straight foward and easy to understand as the Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders.

Lenski was a genius NT exegete. Anyone who wants a deep study of the NT, and has some knowledge of Greek, should seriously consider buying his set of commentaries. This is not light reading.

Robert Winslow Shaw

If you can ever find this for an affordable price, you'll want to snap it up faster than you can say "donumsuperadditum."

Lenski gives great analysis of verbs, historical background, and syntax. If you aren't sure how a particular NT Greek passage fits together, a half hour of study in Lenski will usually provide you with the answer.

Besides the exegesis, there are introductions to each book that give helpful information on the author, date, time of writing, reason for writing, chief themes dealt with, and so on.

Lenski gives you a wealth of NT knowledge. It will greatly assist your work in the Greek NT.

Lenski writes from a conservative Lutheran perspective and is therefore appreciated by most evangelical pastors and theologians. He is among that small company of "classical scholars." Although laymen could understand most of Lenski's comments, this set is geared for the serious Bible student. I appreciate Lenski's work for several reasons:

(1) Although I do not always agree with him, he evades nothing
(2) He often addresses several possibilities and settles on one in particular
(3) He brings up the Greek where helpful, but does not chase rabbit trails
(4) His writing style can be characterized as concise and precise

On the negative side, he can be a bit too sure of himself, and some volumes are not as useful to those of us who hold different eschatological positions (especially Revelation). Lenski holds distinctive Lutheran views about baptism and the Lord's Supper, but his commentary is so excellent and enlightening that I have long ago forgiven him for these doctrinal differences (this is a tease from a non-Lutheran; I obviously have great respect for many conservative Lutheran scholars)! Since the set was written in the 1930's and 1940's, they do not address some of the most modern theological challenges, but the overwhelming majority of challenges were already up and running in the 1930's, so it is still very, very helpful.

I would not feel "properly armed" as an evangelical pastor without my Lenskis.

Lenski's commentary on the NT is one of the best available in the market. With his conservative Lutheranism and clear prose, it is little wonder why this highly accessible set is so popular. Although a basic grasp of the Koine Greek is recommended, this commentary is useful even for the lay student of the bible. This was the first set of NT commentary I purchased more than 15 years ago, and I had been using it since for NT studies and exegesis. It is hard to exhaust the immense resource contained within this set. If you are considering a good investment for NT commentaries, this set is highly recommended!

This is a spectacular commentary. His Lutheranism bleeds onto the page to much but if you can over look that it is one of the finest commetaries. Lenski is Solid and extremely quotable.

Montaigne explained his own purpose for writing these essays: To create a portrait of himself. Not a physical portrait of his appearance, but a portrait of his character, his thoughts and ideas. Based on this literary portrait of Michel de Montaigne, I believe I would have liked the man immensely if I had been able to meet him.
The book is huge & intimidating and the subject matter seems incredibly dry at first glance, but once you start reading, the language of this immaculate translation will lull you into almost believing that Montaigne himself is talking to you. His writing style can best be described as conversational; he rambles, philosophizes, quotes classical authors, loses his initial train of thought... and every minute of it is fascinating and enjoyable. He wrote about everything, his favorite topics being history and philosophy, his true subject always, of course, being himself. He explores the Big Universal Issues like death and honor and morality, and I was amazed to see how well he had everything figured out nearly 500 years ago. Montaigne was apparently a model of sanity and maturity despite his outward persona of a self-deprecating and amiably eccentric country gentleman. Every few pages I found myself nodding my head in agreement and admiration of something he had written.
The Everyman's Library edition is very well-made, though a bit too thick to be held comfortably in the hands for long periods. Simply as a physical object this book is worth the purchase price, and based on the merit of its contents it would be a bargain at three or four times the cost. Definitely, definitely buy this book. It is potentially life-changing.

"My library is in the third story of a tower; on the first is my chapel, on the second a bedroom with ante-chambers, where I often lie to be alone; and above it there is a great wardrobe. Adjoining my library is a very neat little room, in which a fire can be laid in winter, and which is pleasantly lighted by a window..." Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592) wrote in the chapter "On Three Kinds of Relationships". Montaigne liked being retired, seeking distance to a world of bloody fights between religious groups. Did these things develop, 400 years later? Montaigne tried to escape dogmatic thoughts finding a new way of writing and hammering out thoughts via his typical relaxed method of writing. Living 200 years earlier than the other genius of essay, the poor Soeren Kierkegaard, Montaigne was not as filled up with anxiety as the Danish philosopher - he instead managed to stay calm with a solid resource of optimism, though things outside his favorite tower often run very worse. His courageous goal was the overcoming of the stereotyped medieval conception of the world, in which humans usually had been overwhelmed by church- or government-authorities like puppets on a string. Montaigne established the departure to individual noticing, founded an anthropocentric view of world. This probably had something fresh to his contemporary readers. Montaignes program was to dip down in ones own mind: "Everyone, who is listening to his inner landscape of thoughts, is able to discover his identity, so that he is able to repel everything, which does not fit this." About his style of writing essayist Elias Canetti noticed: "Montaigne is most beautiful, because he does not hurry." Aged 17 Michel de Montaigne had ridden to Paris, to complete his humanistic education. There he had attached important relations, had operated with prostitutes notoriously and had squandered one the family wealth, until the father pulled the emergency brake and called him back to Bordeaux, where he had to begin a boring job at the local court (if we can trust the speculations of the French biographer Lacouture). Historically more secured is Montaigne's political identity: the France of his time had torn up, the faith splitting escalated in the "St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre" in Paris on 24 August 1572, bloody amuck in many other French cities followed, also in Montaigne's Bordeaux. He had been the mayor, and particularly in the second term of office 1583-85, he skillfully succeeded to calm down the parties (Catholics tried to slaughter the Protestant Huguenots). His "ideology-free" position had been developed in expanded studies of the classical philosophers - and in a thereupon diametrically opposite literary attempt to justify an own individual kind of thinking and writing: precisely analyzing human conditions (using oneself as the only field, we can explore without too much strange mistakes) without being paralyzed by social regulations of how to search and communicate. "I do not proclaim doctrines of faith, but not obligatory opinions, which you can classify as a gesture alike children, trying to show their experiments: they only want to learn, not to instruct or indoctrinate." The skeptical, further-asking, essentially open dialogue of Montaigne influenced such thinkers as Diderot, Lichtenberg or Nietzsche. His writing method encouraged philosophy, psychology - and hundreds of essayists. Indeed we hope, that Montaigne's voice will never get lost ...

Montaigne was one of those paradoxical characters who was both utterly lazy and completely devoted. His essays are like he is. Lazy, glad (but not too glad), and content to let the blasted world roll by with all of its absurdities and madnesses. Yet he is also taut and tense, intellectually stimulated and willing to stimulate.
Montaigne was wise because he was one of those rare characters who accepted his own humanity without the need to curse at it, exalt it, make it seem ordinary, and make it seem simple. I almost wrote that he made complexity look simple; he almost made it look easy. He did that by have interests that were as broad as that most capacious of faces - the face of the universe. But add to that Montaigne's central conviction that in the sight of God all things are small and you begin to get at the unobtrsively strange and humane part of his art. He combines (in his interests) things that are profoundly trivial and things that are profoundly - ah - profound.
Montainge has been described as a cheerful sceptic and no few harsh and ecstatic souls have been outraged by such a combination. But his cheer was based on the fact that he was both a sceptic and a man of faith - a man of faith before this dreadful age (the age we live in) settled in with its grand bifurcation between the assertive intellect born in the Renaissance was left to battle the pseudo-faith of the fundamentalist Christians. Montaigne would have been politely bewildered to have to speak to either Karl Marx or Jerry Falwell. They would have seemed both absurd and absurdly deranged to him. He was too balanced.
He was and remains a great corrective to our mystical tendencies. He does not cancel them out but he does smack them in the teethe and put them into order. He despised that perennial human desire to destroy humanity in the name of a state higher than humanity.

Six months ago, I got into the habit of losing my mind. No day passed without some evidence of madness: depression, compulsion, mania, panic. Nothing helped--least of all the gray city where I live. One morning while reading this book, I felt my mind click back into place and I knew I would be all right. Since then, the Essays have been, for me, a touchstone of sanity. There is something about their boundaryless curiosity, their open admission of human frailty and mess, that pulls me back every time. It's a book of ideas that never forgets about blood, sweat and semen. Every day I sit with it there is some useful treasure. Today I was grateful to be reminded, "It is not victory if it does not end the war."

Or how about: "No quality embraces us purely and universally. If it did not seem crazy to talk to oneself, there is not a day I would not be heard growling at myself, 'Confounded fool!' And yet I do not intend for that to be my definition."

I distrust Montaigne's opinions on women and God--but to be right about mankind and life on Earth is a lot. As heavy as it is, this big book is always in my bag. Spend some time with it--it will help you stay sane.

"My library is in the third story of a tower; on the first is my chapel, on the second a bedroom with ante-chambers, where I often lie to be alone; and above it there is a great wardrobe. Adjoining my library is a very neat little room, in which a fire can be laid in winter, and which is pleasantly lighted by a window..." Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592) wrote in the chapter "On Three Kinds of Relationships". Montaigne liked being retired, seeking distance to a world of bloody fights between religious groups. Did these things develop, 400 years later? Montaigne tried to escape dogmatic thoughts finding a new way of writing and hammering out thoughts via his typical relaxed method of writing. Living 200 years earlier than the other genius of essay, the poor Soeren Kierkegaard, Montaigne was not as filled up with anxiety as the Danish philosopher - he instead managed to stay calm with a solid resource of optimism, though things outside his favorite tower often run very worse. His courageous goal was the overcoming of the stereotyped medieval conception of the world, in which humans usually had been overwhelmed by church- or government-authorities like puppets on a string. Montaigne established the departure to individual noticing, founded an anthropocentric view of world. This probably had something fresh to his contemporary readers. Montaignes program was to dip down in ones own mind: "Everyone, who is listening to his inner landscape of thoughts, is able to discover his identity, so that he is able to repel everything, which does not fit this." About his style of writing essayist Elias Canetti noticed: "Montaigne is most beautiful, because he does not hurry." Aged 17 Michel de Montaigne had ridden to Paris, to complete his humanistic education. There he had attached important relations, had operated with prostitutes notoriously and had squandered one the family wealth, until the father pulled the emergency brake and called him back to Bordeaux, where he had to begin a boring job at the local court (if we can trust the speculations of the French biographer Lacouture). Historically more secured is Montaigne's political identity: the France of his time had torn up, the faith splitting escalated in the "St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre" in Paris on 24 August 1572, bloody amuck in many other French cities followed, also in Montaigne's Bordeaux. He had been the mayor, and particularly in the second term of office 1583-85, he skillfully succeeded to calm down the parties (Catholics tried to slaughter the Protestant Huguenots). His "ideology-free" position had been developed in expanded studies of the classical philosophers - and in a thereupon diametrically opposite literary attempt to justify an own individual kind of thinking and writing: precisely analyzing human conditions (using oneself as the only field, we can explore without too much strange mistakes) without being paralyzed by social regulations of how to search and communicate. "I do not proclaim doctrines of faith, but not obligatory opinions, which you can classify as a gesture alike children, trying to show their experiments: they only want to learn, not to instruct or indoctrinate." The skeptical, further-asking, essentially open dialogue of Montaigne influenced such thinkers as Diderot, Lichtenberg or Nietzsche. His writing method encouraged philosophy, psychology - and hundreds of essayists. Indeed we hope, that Montaigne's voice will never get lost ...