K Books

A fantastic book! It's written in a 365 day format so you can pick it up on any day and start there. Some of his wisdoms need to be taken one day at a time other times I found myself reading days or weeks ahead they were so interesting.

His wisdom is timeless, obviously Tolstoy was a man ahead of his time. He has a quote for everyday from some famous text or other sometimes biblical, but not always.

I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoy this book. The amazing collection of quotes and thoughts make this very worthwhile. There is at least one thought each day that really sticks with me. I know that I will be reading it day by day for years and always finding new things to think about and take away.

I've purchased it for everyone important in my life . . .it's a great daily read.

Love this book . Really interesting especially considering all the information gathered without the use of a computer . Might not agree totally with all Tolstoy's beliefs but that doesn't make it any less of an amazing book .

Immediately upon purchasing this book, I ordered another and sent it to my cousin who subsequently purchased 3, one for her husband who had opened the one I sent to her and begun highlighting passages and the other 2 she gave to her children who are in college. I know that Tolstoy viewed this as one of his greatest accomplishments in life and read from it every day. I read it cover to cover in about a week and then went back and picked up so that I can study each day. I never say that books change my life. I do think that I am the type of person who, when presented with something that resonates with my soul, I immediately align my actions with whatever it happens to be. There are many passages in this book that resonate with me, some of which elevated my thoughts and actions to a new level. I think that is why it meant so much to Tolstoy to leave this as his final work.

I came across this novel quite by accident, having seen a Steven King review of one of Goddard's other novels. King praised Goddard so I decided to check out his work. I settled on "Into the Blue".

The book has been well reviewed by 20 others here and I will just add this: Goddard is quite literate, but never boorish. The story is intricate but well told. His characters are well developed and his telling of the tale is superb. It's a tale of mystery, murder and international intrigue. I will definitely read Goddard's other novels.

As to the Kindle edition of the book, it is superb. There was not a single typo or error of any kind. The text flowed smoothly and flawlessly.

I highly recommend the novel itself and I highly recommend the Kindle edition for you Kindle owners.

This was the first novel by Robert Goddard I read. After that, I was completely hooked. I rate Goddard as the best suspense novelist I've ever read. His plot twists are incredible; as a long-time reader, I'm used to being able to predict endings. It's depressing, really, how few can surprise me. Well, Goddard can! And his are true plot twists, all the information is planted early in the novel, but you can never quite see which little nugget of information will end up being the crucial one! Delightful! As for _Into the Blue_, I felt like I had visited Greece along with Harry. And Harry rates as one of the most likable characters in suspense fiction, too. Not all Goddard novels will hold the same interest, but they are all very well-plotted.

Harry Barnett lives the life of an Englishman on holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes where he is the care taker of the Villa ton Navarkhon belonging to his powerful friend Alan Dysart. He lives peacefully in the shadow of a past disgrace until Heather Mallender, a guest at the villa, disappears on a walking tour on Profitis Ilias. Harry becomes the number one suspect. While a Greek detective tries to catch him, and the British newspapers accuse him of murder, Harry's conscience is his worst enemy of all. What happened to young, beautiful Heather Mallender? Who took her-and why didn't Harry realize that something was amiss?
Suddenly Harry, a man steeped in failure, finds a purpose: retracing the strange, twisting route that led to Heather's vanishing. But the more he learns, the less he knows. Until Harry finds himself at the heart of a dangerous puzzle whose pieces are scattered everywhere: in the realm of British politics, in the beds of adulterous lovers, in the past, the present, and most of all, amid the secrets of an unsuspected killer....
A nicely designed plot with plenty of twists and turns and a sympathetic protagonist are the strengths of one of Mr Goddard's most entertaining adventure stories.
Paul Shelley reads "Into The Blue" for BBC Audiobooks. A very good performance indeed.

You'll like Harry Barnett. He is in Greece, on the sunny sunny island of Rhodes, house-sitting there for a rich British member of parliament. Harry smokes, he drinks, he likes food, he likes women, especially the attractive young woman named Heather, who befriended him a few days ago. Heather is much younger than Harry's overweight middle-aged self.

Heather persuades Harry to take her on the half-hour drive up a nearby mountain for the view. They stop, get out of the car, and climb for a while. Heather decides to continue walking up to the summit. Somewhat winded, Harry says he'll sit and rest for a little. Harry waits and waits and waits, and no Heather. Heather does not return. Where is she? Where did she go? Was she waylaid? What happened? He finds her scarf, and loses it.

Harry goes to the police, who question him, begin their own meticulous search of the summit, dutifully find the scarf, but quickly begin to suspect himself, that he may have murdered her and done away with the body. She has disappeared Into the Blue.

The book involves Harry's search for the young woman and what happened to her. A most engrossing and vivid read. This is Goddard at his best. A few months ago, local bookstores did not have any of his novels; he wasn't even listed in Books in Print. Amazon did not have him. You had to go to Amazon.co.uk. Goddard writes wonderfully. We must all be pleased that his excellent novels are now easily available.

Goddard does it again! In this novel we meet Harry Barnett, a fiftish failure with a past. Harry's life is immersed in failure; its only positive aspect being Harrys unlikely friendship with Alan Dysart, an Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Defense. While house sitting at Alan's villa in Greece, Harry is drawn into a perplexing and bizarre puzzle involving the disappearance of a beautiful, young houseguest.

These are only two of the several plot threads that textures this story and weaves it into compelling whole cloth. Goddard's writing invites you to walk in Harrys shoes as he attempts to utilize the one clue in his possession to solve a mystery whose pieces are scattered from Greece to England to Switzerland.

You may think you have the solution.....but don't be too sure!!

In Planet of the Blind, Kuusisto seduces his readers to step behind his flawed eyes and witness a world where nearly everything visual must be imagined, or, acquired through painstaking use of a single eye that is legally, but not completely, blind. His single "seeing" eye may be his Achilles heel throughout his childhood and youth. It is not until he is in his thirties that he acknowledges to himself and the world that he cannot see. Planet of the Blind could as easily be Planet of the Imperfect. Brilliantly written, both touching and often funny, this is a memoir about coming of age and coming to terms with oneself, imperfections and all, curable or otherwise.

Stephen Kuusisto, the author of the memor "Planet of the Blind," is a poet. You can hear it in every word he writes.

His moving memoir focuses on being legally blind and on the challenges he faced every single day trying to pretend he was a normal, "seeing" person. Along the way, you watch him grow up from an isolated, awkward child to a sensitive and extremely determined individual, one who lived in constant fear of being labled not normal, yet whose refusal to get help made everyday living a challenge to his own survival. At the end, he finally gains independence and normalcy in the form of a guide dog. It is a moment that brought me to tears.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this well-written and inspiring memoir, which does read like a poem. It took me just a few hours to read finish it, it was so engrossing. It also opened my eyes to the world of the blind, a world I had never really considered before.

Thank you, Mr. Kuusisto, for sharing your story.

When I picked up this book, I was expecting an autobiography, a memoir of a blind person. I've always wondered how a blind person "sees" the world, so I was curious to read the book. What I got was something much more than a non-fictional account. The prose is absolutely striking, poetic, full of rich vivid metaphors. It inspired tears, and laughter, and rage, and awe in me at different points in the book.

This book is more than a non-fictional autobiography. It's a work of high literature. You will be enriched after having read it.

I was reccommended to read Planet of The Blind due to my interest in writing stories about people who had disabilities and about by own disablility for I'm visually impaired myself and I have an interest in writing. So I read Steven Kuusisto's book Planet of the Blind and found it very facinating and inspiring! I highly reccomend it! I'd love to know what is he doing now and is he still writing and speaking of the book?

As a legally blind person, who had totally blind parents, this vividly written book went a long way in helping me come to terms with my own situation. Like Stephen, for years I was in denial about my own limited vision and tried, successfully for a time, to "pass" as fully sighted. This is no longer possible and I have to face my own limitations head on, as Stephen finally does.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to understand what living on the "Planet of the Blind" is really like, and for anyone who enjoys beautiful writing.

I enjoyed reading this book as it gives the reader a great insight into the life and times of Robert Koga (at least up until the time of the book's publication). There is plenty of background on Koga's family roots and how he came to be an LAPD Officer and all the varied assignments that career gave him. It also gives a good, detailed, background on how Koga developed the Martial Arts system that he still teaches to Police Officers throughout the world. The major reason I did not give this book the highest rating is the fact that there are grammatical errors throughout the text (must be the result of computer spell checkers doing the proofreading instead of a competent human). Mr. Koga told me of the book's flaw when I met him a couple of months ago. Otherwise, this book provides all kinds of information not just about Mr. Koga, but the LAPD culture between the early 1950's to the early 1970's and Japanese Martial Arts.

I like this man. He has done a lot for law enforcement training and martial arts.

An amazing book! A Must-read for any law enforcement, martial arts or police enthusiast!
A living legend, Bob Koga spent 35 years in the LAPD, and studied under Aikido's distinguished Koichi Tohei. Koga served as the personal interpreter to Sensei Tohei during the Master's first visits, when Tohei revealed the secrets of Aikido to the United States (Koichi Tohei is the only person formarly awarded the rank of 10th Dan by Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido).

Co-written by Koga's own students, this inspiring work includes gripping testimonies from law enforcement officers throughout the US, whose lives were saved because of their training under Koga. Bob Koga drew from his experience to develop and teach real-life arrest and control techniques to law enforcement officers for 45 years, so far! He was inducted into the martial arts Masters Hall of Fame in 2000. This book provides a unique insight into Koga's life, from childhood to the development of the philosophy behind Koga's dedication to professionalize law enforcement.

This is the personal story behind the legend that is Robert Koga.

An amazing book! A Must-read for any law enforcement, martial arts or police enthusiast!
A living legend, Bob Koga spent 35 years in the LAPD, and studied under Aikido's distinguished Koichi Tohei. Koga served as the personal interpreter to Sensei Tohei during the Master's first visits, when Tohei revealed the secrets of Aikido to the United States (Koichi Tohei is the only person formarly awarded the rank of 10th Dan by Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido).

Co-written by Koga's own students, this inspiring work includes gripping testimonies from law enforcement officers throughout the US, whose lives were saved because of their training under Koga. Bob Koga drew from his experience to develop and teach real-life arrest and control techniques to law enforcement officers for 45 years, so far! He was inducted into the martial arts Masters Hall of Fame in 2000. This book provides a unique insight into Koga's life, from childhood to the development of the philosophy behind Koga's dedication to professionalize law enforcement.

This is the personal story behind the legend that is Robert Koga.

An amazing book! A Must-read for any law enforcement, martial arts or police enthusiast!
A living legend, Bob Koga spent 35 years in the LAPD, and studied under Aikido's distinguished Koichi Tohei. Koga served as the personal interpreter to Sensei Tohei during the Master's first visits, when Tohei revealed the secrets of Aikido to the United States (Koichi Tohei is the only person formarly awarded the rank of 10th Dan by Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido).

Co-written by Koga's own students, this inspiring work includes gripping testimonies from law enforcement officers throughout the US, whose lives were saved because of their training under Koga. Bob Koga drew from his experience to develop and teach real-life arrest and control techniques to law enforcement officers for 45 years, so far! He was inducted into the martial arts Masters Hall of Fame in 2000. This book provides a unique insight into Koga's life, from childhood to the development of the philosophy behind Koga's dedication to professionalize law enforcement.

This is the personal story behind the legend that is Robert Koga.

Susan Cooper is best known for her epic "Dark is Rising Sequence," with all its Celtic legends and sense of mystery. But she tries a different tack in "Seaward," an atmospheric little story that is just a little darker, more complex, and full of symbols and hints.

West's mother was killed by some armed thugs, just as he escaped through a door into a strange land. Cally watched her parents waste away with a strange illness, before slipping through a mirror to the same land. When she encounters West, he's trying to escape from the ruthless, cold-hearted Lady Taranis.

A kindly stranger named Lugan seems to be their best hope for escaping Taranis. As the two travellers cross the world that is an echo of our own, they encounter strange creatures such as the selkies, a talking insect that guides them over a desert, creatures made of stone, and the haunting specters of their own pasts and destinies...

"Seaward" seems like a pretty simple story at first -- two kids travelling across a bleak land. But in that simple storyline Cooper tackles questions about death and life, about grief, loss, love, about good and evil and how sometimes you can't easily classify anyone.

Probably the biggest stumbling block in "Seaward" is the slightly dreamy tone of it all. Unlike Cooper's other books, there is no grounded "homey" base -- it's all like a legend right from the beginning. As a result, it takes awhile for the story to really get going, and there are long stretches where the characters are just walking.

Though the setting is another world, it has hints of Celtic myth. The mysterious Lugan and Taranis aren't fully identifiable until the ending, but they seem like characters out of a legend. And mythic creatures like selkies are linked to the characters, by virtue of the thickened skin on Cally's hands.

Cally and West are very richly drawn, confused and saddled with grief over their parents. It makes it all the more poignant as West overcomes his guilt, and Cally is tempted to find a new family. The only problem is that their romantic feelings seem to come out of left field.

After the mass appeal of the "Dark is Rising" books, Susan Cooper tackles a more oblique, fantastical approach in "Seaward." Deceptively simple, and richly evocative.

The first time I read "Seaward" I was in middle school. I found it to be an easy fantasy read by the genius behind "The Dark Is Rising", but even at the age of 12 I could see that there was a deeper level to the story than I was - at the time - capable of understanding. Over the years I have re-read "Seaward" over and over, and each time am amazed at the depth and profundity of her final concepts. While it is a children's book on the surface, many adults can appreciate the moral dilemma of the Peter Pan type, and the dichotomy of sorrows and joys that come with death, life, and most importantly, love.

In the first chapter of "Seaward," we find a young man hurrying over wild moorland from possible distant, unidentified pursuers. He pauses to catch a small fish from a stream for his supper, and afterwards:

"...he took the glistening white skeleton, tipped still with head and tail-fin, and laid it across the blackened twigs pointing back the way he had come. He took out his knife and raised it high, stabbing the blade down into the ground behind the white bone-arrow's tail, and hesitantly, trying to remember, he said some words under his breath.
And the skeleton of the fish called out, in a thin high scream shrilling like a cicada, and Westerly knew that there was danger, that he must go on."

If the first chapter does not draw you irresistibly in, you have no magic in your soul. Well, OK, maybe that's too strong - but certainly every created "presence" in the book is a wonder of imagination, from the two-sided Life and Death images of the ice-cold Lady Taranis, to scary Stonecutter and his huge, ominous boulders that come heavily alive and mobile in a ray of sunlight, "...suddenly there was no boulder at all but two huge figures, standing, turning to her."

Is it a myth? a fantasy? a parable? outside the world of logic? a meditation on accepting Death? Yes to all of the above, and more. I see it is not to everyone's taste, but if you fall under its spell you will not escape.

I am not sure what it is about this book; I cannot stop reading it. Every so often, it beckons to me from the shelf. I drop everything that I am currently involved in and devour it, front to back.

Perhaps it is the simplicity and complexity of the story, the dreamlike quality of the writing, the characterizations that arise from only the barest sketch. I feel like I have known West and Cally all my life; I have been waiting for another book like this one for all my life. If I have a favorite book, this is it. But I can't articulate the reason. Seaward must be experienced for itself.

I loved this book as a child and continue to enjoy it as an adult. It is haunting and full of rich imaginative detail. It spurs many daydreams. Like all her books, it deals with the struggle between good and evil, in a very unique way.

I have bought a lot of hiking books and this is one of the best I've ever used. Sedona has many, many wonderful hikes. For each hike, this book provides distance, difficulty, a quick summary of the hike, a full description of the hike, driving directions to the trailhead, an elevation profile, and a color photo of the trail. This book categorizes the hikes by difficulty level, location, and personal favorites of the authors, which helps someone spending a few days in Sedona quickly find a few hikes they'll love.

I highly recommend this hiking book for anyone who wants to do some hiking in Sedona.

I've read a lot of reviews about this book and no one book is going to make everyone happy. My husband and I had a great time picking out hikes we wanted to go on. It got us where we wanted to go and it provided us enough information to know whether or not we'd enjoy them or not. There is a lot of construction and change going on in and around Sedona right now but we didn't have any problems navigating. The authors use the "Y" in Sedona as the starting point for each of the hikes. The "Y" is now two round-a-bouts. The book does exactly what it's supposed to do-Introduce you to some fantastic hikes, tells you how to get to them and has explanations and thoughts on each one. No complaints here.

This book seems to cover many great hiking areas in Sedona. It is quite explicit re: directions and information about the hiking trails. Great book for a person new to the area or even people who have been around awhile. Very informative!

I used this book for planning a 2 day visit to Sedona. I was extremely happy with the format. It has 2 pages per hike, with a high quality photo of what to expect for views, driving/hiking distance/time, as well as selections of their favorites. We didn't visit long enough to do a lot of the hikes, but we truly felt that we were able to select 3 hikes that were perfectly suited to our tastes and with nice variety. Overall, I don't think you could go wrong in Sedona, but I felt like this guide was well worth the price and only wish I could find similar guides for other locations. The Magnum's have done a great job, deserving of 5 stars.

The only shortcoming you may find is that their maps are very general and mostly help you find the trailhead (which was flawless). But, I prefer to have a quality map as well and I purchased the Emmitt Barks Cartography - Sedona Trails Map (not sure if it was on Amazon), and was very happy with it. Personally, I don't think you can create a detailed map inside the book for each hike, so I don't consider this a flaw to the book - just a bit of advice if you are planning a trip.

This book was very helpful in deciding which hikes to do. We were not dissappointed by any of the hikes. It was good that we knew about the pink jeaps ahead of time.

Crazyman's Economics

In researching "Crazyman's Economics", I discovered the "dirty secret" of Wall Street that they rely on the fees and hidden costs as Loeper so thoroughly describes in "Stop the 401(k) Rip-off!." To Wall Street's brokerage houses, it doesn't matter if your 401(k) makes money or loses money, the fact is that as long as you have your money circulating, Wall St. makes money.

Loeper is correct that you need to take a greater look at your 401(k). Where I disagree with his book is that no matter how much you work to take the fees out, the problem is that the entire system is a giant con game. I would recommend that people take money out of their 401(k) and then they won't have to worry about hidden fees.

But Loeper's book is necessary reading to get a discussion started in this country about the role of Wall Street and the need for accountability for those who hold trillions of dollars of our money.

What is the best way to "stop" the "rip-off?" One way is to find an alternative to the 401 itself. Perhaps "Stop the 401K rip-off" by David Loeper is garnering some deserved sales recently. Possibly because the financial markets are in a cyclical slump, and many Baby Boomer 401K holders are getting out their calculators. This book should lead some (not all) to question whether they should have the 401K plan at all to begin with. We know the tax benefits, but there are limitations of investment options, age restrictions, and hidden expenses (fees) that erode a worker's earnings over decades and limit allocation options.

The 401K is one piece among many investments in the retirement puzzle. This puzzle is shrinking, and retirement will be an illusion for tens of millions that will rely on the balance of the 401. Of course, the old adage of "diversification" is needed but some people are using other vehicles in their attempts attain critical mass or sufficient funds for living expenses in the latter years. And, what percentage of the 401K will be used for medical care? Pharmaceutical (medicine) costs? More than many think.

Yes, there is employer matching for some, but 401K plans are dishonest and limited. Some feel even more secure investing into the S & P 500 Index funds that are non-tax deferred.

The 401K plan has been intentionally engineered to steal from and cheat the worker. Congress has allowed this to happen. The lack of knowledge and ignorance has been engineered as well. The more ignorant workers with 401Ks are, the easier it is to profit via hidden fees.

Loeper tells us how to "stop the 401K rip-off." The gravy train of hidden expense theft is the foundation of the plan. The only way to stop the institutional and legally thievery is to stay in your plan and know *everything* about your plan, or to dump it and use alternatives. This is a good point with specifics.

2 key assets to this book. Exposing it and then advising on how to take actions. Loeper explains the "whats" of the 401 and also the "hows" of trying to reduce fees, fee disclosure, and offers points on getting in and out of these plans in the most optimum way. This book is necessary, but why should it be? Because of the systematic plan to separate as much of an American worker's money from him or her as possible.

"Stop the 401K rip-off" by David Loeper ought to be handed out by HR departments across the country when employees enroll in their 401K plans.

Dave Loeper exposes the dark, hidden and arguably unscrupulous (yet legal) ways 401k participants have been (and continue to be) robbed. More significantly he gives you the knowledge to fix this injustice. Read this book and act on it or prepare to cry about it during your retirement or lack thereof.
From my experience as a retirement plan consultant, investment advisor and independent fiduciary; it is a sad commentary that almost every employer I meet isn't even aware of the basic retirement plan issues (let alone the remedies) highlighted in this book.
After reading this book you will know more than your employer about your broken 401k plan, more importantly, you will have the blueprints to help them fix it.

What an incredible book! So many people invest in retirement programs. So many companies offer these programs. Sadly, very few people or companies negotiate well or know where to start. I found this book very helpful and a special discovery to the process of reviewing a company's retirement plan.

My name is Matthew Hutcheson. I'm an independent pension fiduciary, and have studied retirement plan economics for over fifteen years. Every American worker with a 401(k) (or a 403(b)/457 for that matter) should put this book on the top of their reading list. The information contained in this book could be worth many thousands of extra retirement dollars to you down the road. Mr. Loeper should be congratulated on one of the most important and practical retirement books of the decade.

Dr. Norton is a caring and committed practitioner who has the long-term well being of his patients at the forefront of his practice. I am a patient of his, and I can attest to this from my personal experience. This book articulates for a wider audience the guiding philosophy of his practice: to take care of structural problems (skeletal, neurological) now - before they manifest as pain. Flowing from this is the truth that absence of perceived pain does not mean there are not any underlying problems -indeed there often are. His approach makes perfect sense to me - to allow your neurological system to operate at maximum efficiency -- and I have benefited greatly from his work. So don't wait until you are in pain to take action - do so now, and you can augment your life.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I was turned on to Dr. Norton and his book, "where does it hurt?" I was certainly in a lot of pain and willing to try anything to get relief. Dr. Norton 's approach is gentle, unique and PERMANENT! I am forever grateful for my lack of pain, and the new habits I am trying to form in order to preserve my health. Prevention is certainly key, but there is hope for those of us with years of ignored injuries and bad habits leading to pain. I highly recommend this book and Dr. Norton's holistic approach to healthy living.. physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I suffered from chronic back pain for about five years. It wasn't until I started to see Dr. Norton last March that there was hope. After a few weeks of treatments, one day I realized "I'm not in pain." I had actually forgotten about my pain, something which is rather difficult after it has been a part of my life for so long.

Now that I have been reading Dr. Norton's book, I have the additional information needed to complete the healing process and restore "whole body health."

My favorite thing about the book: it's interactive which makes me feel like I'm in control, not the pain.

Even if you don't live near Central California, you can still benefit from Dr. Norton's expertise by reading this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, even if they don't think they're suffering.

Kudos to Dr. Norton and his team!

After reading the first chapter, it became so clear as to how to improve my health. The language is easy to comprehend and the stories shared were so relevent to my own experiences. I wear a medic alert bracelet because I am allergic to seven types of meds. All but one of the meds are painkillers. Dr. Norton's book has the answers I've been seeking in finding my way to improved health and pain relief. I recommend it to anyone who seeks wellness without having to rely on medication.

I have been fortunate to have access to Dr. Norton's care for many years. I did NOT make it into the book as one of his stories of healing and rejuvenated health. Why? Because I am a great example of someone whose belief in the principles that Dr. Norton espouses has helped to keep me in excellent health into my 50's. I am fortunate that subscibing to a healthy lifestyle, including Dr. Norton's Chiropractic care, has prevented me from entering a degenerative state needing "rescue". Being boringly healthy does not make for interesting reading, but I will gladly remain a part of the unfeatured, healthy majority of patients who understand that Chiropractic adjustments are as essential a part of health as good food, exercise, good supplements and a good attitude.
Dr. Norton once posed a question to my husband and I..."Do you want to feel better, or do you want to get well?" Feeling better (temporarily) by treating/masking symptoms was not what we wanted for our lives. We wanted to get well, be well and stay well.
This book will help you if that is also your journey of choice. It will give you information that traditional medicine won't and can't, and start you on the road to wellness that can only be achieved by waking up and taking charge of your health and your body's ability to heal itself.
I encourage you to read this book. It can and will make the difference between just feeling better, and truly being well.

I have a copy of the first edition of this book and am still mesmerized by it. When it first came out, everyone I knew at design school who bought it felt like the information and techniques had given them an out-of-body-experience and it quickly became THE book to own, learn from, and emulate. Anyone who buys this book and applies the material and techniques will become better at drawing, rendering, and creative presentation methods...it is a sure-fire way to achieve "star power" in your office and in front of your clients!

great book! Out of the dozens of hand rendering guides I looked at, this was by far the best and the easiest to learn from. It tells you what pencils, markers, and tools to buy to achieve certain effects, and gives you step-by-step rendering instructions for tons of different types of materials and lighting situations. I highly recommend this- in fact, it should be mandatory for interior design students!

This is an excellent resouce for the study of rendering. After detailing the elements of color and design, it describes, step-by-step, how to achieve many finishes both interior and exterior. It is both instructive and informative.

It's really hard to say too many things about this book. Even older editions of Color Drawing are great, but this newest one goes above and beyond the call of duty. In an age when a lot of books get re-released as new editions with few substantive changes, Color Drawing breaks the mold by updating the techniques with current technology (i.e. Photoshop). It's great to see that the author and publisher realize that pure hand-drawing and rendering is quickly becoming a thing of the past and that the practitioners of today and tomorrow need to have excellent computer skills too. This book is full of very useful tips for combining Photoshop with hand drawings to create great effects. So even if you have an earlier edition, do yourself a favor and buy the new one anyway because you will learn a lot.

This is the standard for rendering in architecture and interior design as far as I am concerned. It will most definitely become a required textbook for my classes in visual presentation in the years to come. Doyle takes you step-by-step into the process of rendering with marker, color pencil, and pastels. But he doesn't just spoon feed you the recipe for each material rendering, he presents the basis for a process that allows you to render virtually any material not found in the book.

Bardon and Kale, now married, are given another quest, one they must complete separate from each other. Paladin is dying, but will Kale and Bardon be able to complete their tasks and save him? Another great story of love and courage!

The powerful knight Paladin, who connects Amara with Wulder, is seriously ill. Now married, Brendon and Kale search for meech dragons Regidor and Gilda. Will they reach their friends in time? This was my favorite book of the series so far. I really enjoyed how the author made Paladin real and yet kept him symbolic

What can I say about this wonderful book other than it has great characters and humorous people of all diffrents sorts. This is a extrodinary piece of work which should be shared with everybody. I challenge you to by this book and see what it is like. If you do not like it then that's okay but if you do like it then share it with others. Buy this book!

I really enjoyed Dragonfire. It was the first book in the series that I actually bought. I couldn't wait to read the next one when I finished.

At this point in the series, I was through with libraries. Donita K. Paul had my interest firmly in her grasp, so I rushed out and bought this one the day after it was released.

And it was worth it! Deeper than the others, more great story line, and deep characters. There's a difference here from the first three. There are fewer characters, which means more time to work on their development.

Unlike the other three, I almost cried at the end of this one. It was that good. And there's one more after it!