C Books

You have to keep going. It's a way of living, a way of proving you're alive. A perfect life can change in the blink of an eye. You don't forget, but you don't shut down. You keep going.

In Susan Haley's Rainy Day People, Amber's story is about life. The highs and the lows happen; the promises of life are lived then withdrawn. And out of this, Amber learns to let go of the past and discover a new life and a new love.

After the death of her husband, Amber finds herself settled in a quiet, solitary life on the Florida coast. Much of the story that follows is about meeting Ben. Amber and Ben are drawn to each other, but these complex, rainy day people have much to consider.

To me, Amber's story shows the kind of courage that we often need as we go through life. At the same time it helps if we keep our perspective, enjoying the small things. Amber loves rainbows, nature, and driving fast in her convertible. She's a tiny, feisty, sometimes fun and always interesting heroine, someone that I wanted to know.

Above all, what Rainy Day People has going for it is truth. People who are rebuilding their lives have more than attraction to consider in new relationships. But then, let's not be too quick to discount attraction.

This is a rich story that kept me constantly involved. I highly recommend Rainy Day People.

Michael Durr
Author: My Brain, My Future

When viewing a Chuck Close canvas, one needs to step back a bit to appreciate it full essence. Such is the case with the power of this wonderful novel. A riveting story is only part of what makes Rainy Day People such a success. The artistry involved in crafting this work enticed me to move from audio to hard copy, then back to audio once again. Through these dual modalities of sight and sound, I was flooded with the very emotions this author's words were meant to evoke. All sensibilities were heightened: sight, sound, touch . . . but foremost, the all-to-human feelings surrounding the experiences of love and vulnerability. Susan Haley is one talented writer. Keep an eye on her. I know I will.

Lois W. STern
Author of SEX, LIES AND COSMETIC SURGERY

The writer understands the meaning of life and how we are all connected and how to put that meaning into print to touch a person soul. This is a must read even if the author is currently maybe unknown will some day be a great author. After reading this book you become hungry for a new novel by this author. We read the book and listend to the audio and both were great. The book lets you stop and reflect on a certain part but the audio lets you paint a true picture in your mind. The narrator was excellent and a true story teller. I know that you will love it and you to will find your rainbow.

Although Rainy Day People comes under the genre of fiction, this story is based on real-life happenstance. Susan Haley transports her readers on an incredible journey that runs the gauntlet of life's emotions and it does not stop until the story ends. Ms. Haley's love of the ocean and the majestic beauty of the land, her love of animals, whether it's a wild bear, a snake, or a six-week-old kitten is manifested in the persona of Amber, the main character. Very briefly, Amber, a widow, meets Ben Riley. Together they embark on a journey which takes them from the warm waters of Florida to the bone-chlling nights of Maine. Amber's love for Ben sustains him as he is dying from cancer, which is unbeknown to Amber. This heart-warming love story ends like a thriller novel. I strongly recommend it.

This heartwarming story of love for all things living was like a hug from my mother. She was a horse whisper and introduced me to nature spirits many years ago. I identified with the magic of this story. When you open your eyes to what is really around you, you will see miracles every day. Ashley in the book claims that there are no coincidences. By the end of the book you realize that what she means is that they are really just God's little miracles.
Rainbows are signs of love and hope in this fantastic book. I saw a completely round rainbow. I happened to look straight up to the sky and there it was, above my head. It was so far away that it was a small circle but all the colors were clearly visible. It too gave me comfort as I was adjusting to widowhood.
Susan Haley is an outstanding writer. Her ability to capture you made the book one of those you can't set down. The clever way she wrote and wove the ending shows why this is an award-winning book. This love story is based on her life experiences. It touched my very soul. I look forward to reading this book again so I can take the time to reflect on the spiritual insights expressed in the conversations between Ashley and Ben.
I recommend this book of courage, love, and of being in touch with all that is. It's like a spiritual awakening.

Paul Smith has produced a wonderful book here. It captures so much detailed information that it should make a wonderful documentary source. Yet, it is written so clearly that for those who have read other books on the subject (like me) it is very easy to skim to the parts that contain new information, insights, and details (and there's a whole lot of ALL of those throughout this book!) This book is a must for anyone who wants a more complete picture of the subject matter, as well as a feeling of greater familiarity with the fascinating and enjoyable personalities of the players involved.

I'd suggest Paul Smith's book to students of self discovery and military historians alike. Reading the Enemies Mind provides a concise and engaging history of our nation's remote viewing program. Those seeking to further advance their potential will discover many advanced concepts that have yet to reach mainstream society.

What I most enjoyed about this book was the author's optomistic view of the future of remote viewing. The abilities to tap this newly discovered area of human potential have yet to be fully explored. This newly discovered science holds great promise and may someday lead to a cure for disease, advanced education and furthering our intelligence and understanding. Perhaps someday our political and military leaders will use this potential to advance our civilization rather than simply using remote viewing as a military intelligence gathering tool.

While various forms of remote viewing have existed since the dawn of civilization, Paul Smith carefully documents the proven effectiveness and scientific reality that refutes serious critics and encourages those with a limited understanding. I'd recommend this book to anyone seeking a more advanced understanding of their human potential.

Reading the Enemy's Mind is a fascinating history of the Star Gate program. I've read accounts of a couple of other former Star Gate participants and they are either sensational and fictionalized (David Morehouse) or short on history (Dale Graff). Paul Smith's account is comprehensive and doesn't make wild claims. His tome is a level-headed treatment of the program. He's very upfront that for every success there are many failures.

Some of my favorite successful remote-viewing stories from Reading the Enemy's Mind include viewing Aldrich Ames - the CIA traitor, the USS Stark attack, and the capture of rogue DEA agent Charles Frank Jordan.

In 1987 Star Gate was tasked with finding the mole in US intelligence. CIA sources in the Soviet Union were disappearing or being executed and people wanted to know who was giving them away. Star Gate came up with a composite of the traitor. Among the details was that he drove a gray European car and was involved with a Columbian woman. While many of the other details were off, Smith wonders what might have happened had the Star Gate information been used:

"The fact of the car alone might have significantly narrowed the field of possible suspects in the CIA. How many CIA employees owned grey European luxury cars in 1987? Certainly some, but percentage-wise not that many. And how many CIA employees had a significant relationship with a Latin American woman, especially a Columbian?" (p. 340)

Smith remote viewed the "accidental" Iraqi missile attack on the US destroyer Stark 50 hours before it occurred. He described the colors of the attacking military ("tan uniforms with black belts and bits of red and green."), the unprofessional nature of the attackers ("they reminded me of a militia as opposed to a professional military"), and the explosion itself ("The structure/vessel shivers, shakes, quivers. 'There were a 'clang,' a 'screech,' and a 'metallic squeal...'").

A final story I'll share is that of the rogue DEA agent, Charles Frank Jordan. This agent had turned bad and escaped custody. The DEA was convinced he was in the Caribbean. A remote viewer thought he was in Wyoming. "This information was so out of line with where Jordan was thought to be, that at first the authorities were inclined to ignore it. Finally, one agent decided that it would do no harm to alert police in that part of Wyoming.(p. 384)" Jordan was apprehended shortly after that - in Wyoming!

I highly recommend Reading the Enemy's Mind.

I have read a lot of books and articles about Stargate, but the majority of the material here was a surprize to me. How did this all start? What were the early days like? Why did the CIA pull the plug? What kind of results were they really getting?

The history is exhaustive, with many exact dates names and locations. However, the book is not dry at all. A nice touch is Major Smith's own story woven in. Yes history is about people.

There's a great section in the beginning that calls to task the so-called skeptic James Randi, and how his research is flawed, slanted, inaccurate, and often made-up. The book mentions specific falsehoods and areas where Randi just made stuff up to support his point. This is ironic because the psychic research is strongly controlled here while Randi is guilty of the falsehoods he projects on all things paranormal.

RV works. The book cites a lot of research, some published in per-reviewed journals. There's an amazing comment from a peer-reviewer who didn't want a study to appear in the IEEE journal who said something like, "I don't care if it is real, I don't want to believe it." This gives you an idea of what so-called legit science does with research outside it's accepted box.

Major Smith has written a great history of the psychic spying program. Cold War buffs will find it fascinating. Paranormal researchers should find it fascinating. Anyone who likes a good story will enjoy it.

I have been following the saga of remote viewing since the first media reports and subsequent appearances by Major Ed Doomes, er Dames, and others on the Art Bell show. I have read some great books by those involved like Dale Graff and especially Joe McMoneagle. Dean Radin's books have convinced me that psi functioning is a real phenonemon, no one knows how it works, or why it doesn't sometimes. But when it works it is elegant, accurate, and important to our world view, I believe because of what it says about the collective. We are all part of the same organism, all one, and these bodies are just a temporary vehicle. We can keep killing and hating if you want, but it is pretty pointless.....Anyway this book lays out a credible documentated history of Remote Viewing from a legitimate source and answers a lot of questions, detailing the origins through to its ultimate demise as an intelligence tool. Time will tell, but getting this out of the hands of the bureaucracy should turn out to be the greatest moment in history. Some might say first we have get it away from Ed Dames...but time and Ed's unfulfilled predictions will take care of that. I could never figure out why the most public of RVers in the early days had such little credibility. David Morehouse and Ed Dames are finally outed for good in this book. They are the kind of people that just live in a little different reality with or without remote viewing. You have met the type before, seem to exagerate everything, especially their own importance in something. Turns out both of them were bit players with much less time, training, experience and accuracy than other more level headed RVers that are not so willing to run their mouth about unverifiable possible reality targets. Please, if you are at all interested in this subject matter stick with these authors I have mentioned, and of course Paul Smith. They are giving you the straight skinny on an amazing new idea that will ultimately lead to whole new understanding of the universe. But please be careful about the ones that will try to turn themselves into would-be prophets4profit. It takes a stable middle of the road mind to handle this stuff. The overly enthusiastic are usually over the top on everything. If your conscious mind can barely process what is in reality happening in your own lives, Mr Dames and Moorehouse, what are the chances that you can accurately process messages from your subconscious, especially when you ignore established protocols that keep your imagination in check. Your mission here is not to save the world, you have to save yourself first to be of any use....

I enjoyed the book (see other reviews for synopsis). It was a "fun" read with a little bit of thoughtful material (e.g., what it would be like to be confined to life as a ship). It was one of those books that frequently made me smile, but it was not a page turner.

I'd been looking for a bit of intelligent escapism, and certainly found it in this collaborative effort by Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. The Ship Who Searched is the second in the Brainship collection (though the books needn't be read in order) - where each book in the series is a team effort between McCaffrey and various eminent authors in the genre.

The Brainship world of the series is a version of our own future, where humankind has long since left our solar system. The characters are still very much informed by the Earth history we know, however, and though the novels take place amongst other worlds and are occasionally populated by other nonhuman species, the story feels very real for that reason.

Hypatia Cade (Tia) is a precocious and brilliant child, and as the daughter of xeno-archaeologists has spent her young life traveling from one planet to another on exploratory digs. Her parents are investigating the puzzling disappearance of a world-hopping alien civilization that vanished without a trace long ago.

While playing at her own "pretend" dig, Tia uncovers what seems to have been a waste repository for the aliens. She somehow contracts a virus that results in the gradual loss of feeling and control in her extremities and by the time she tells her parents (not wanting to interrupt their work with what the ship's AI tells her are "growing pains"), it is too late. Hypatia is transferred to a medical facility, where it is determined that she will never regain control of her body below the neck.

In this future world, children born with debilitating congenital defects are often entered into the Brain/Brawn program, where their non-functioning bodies are sealed up into ships (or occasionally spaceports or other facilities) and their minds become the "brains" of the craft. These "shellpersons" are essentially one with the ships they inhabit; their brains have been enhanced and modified to monitor every aspect of the electronic and mechanical workings, and they "feel" the hull as though it were their own skin. Brainships are paired with a Brawn, a living (and mobile) component to the ship's operations. These pairings are typically very close, given their intimate proximity and the partners' frequent long-term isolation in space travel during their assignments.

The Ship Who Searched has a lot of heart for a sci-fi novel. Hypatia is a compelling and likeable character; her only hope is to convince the Brain/Brawn directors that she's not too old to be included in the program, so that she can fulfill her dreams of becoming a pilot with the Archaeological division. So, too, must she solve the riddle of the vanished alien race, whose disappearance may be linked to the disease that devastated her body - plague is a common threat to the archaeologists of the future. And, as both a Brainship and a developing young woman, she must navigate her growing feelings for her newly assigned Brawn, Alex.

The Ship Who Searched is a fast-paced, emotionally satisfying, and thoroughly entertaining read. The application of archaeology to a science fiction setting was compelling and well conceived, and the Brain/Brawn program feels surprisingly believable. I found it refreshing to read a novel where several main characters are physicaly disabled, and found the book's treatment of the subect to be very balanced sympathetic without being pandering. While the ending felt a bit too quick, it was natural and fulfilling. I had quite a bit of fun with this one, and will definitely be investigating others in the series.

-Jacquelyn Gill

Hypatia (Tia) Cade is an astonishingly bright and surprisingly well adjusted daughter of two distinguished archeologists. Although her parents were totally engrossed in excatvating long dead civilizations on remote planets they were also quite devoted to their daughter, refusing to send her away to be raised by strangers or enrolled in a boarding school. During the day while they were outside working at the site Tia kept busy working at the teaching terminal supervised by the resident A(rtifical) I(ntelligence) and occasionally chatting with Moira, the brainship that serviced their site. It was a happy life for Tia, one that she intended to continue so that she could join her parents as a colleague once she completed school. Unfortunately tragedy struck in the form of an exotic virus that left Tia completely paralyzed, her only option for any sort of independent life lay in becoming a shell person, a living brain encased in a shell and controlling a space station, a city, or a ship.

Once Tia completed her training and selected her 'brawn' Alexander the pair found themselves tracking down tomb raiders and stopping plagues from sweeping through the galaxy, jobs they were uniquely suited for. Along they way they made a few other discoveries that would have even more far reaching consequences than they ever could have foreseen.

This 1992 book is a continuation of the 'Ship' series begun by McCaffrey years before with THE SHIP WHO SANG. The basic premise of the series is that severely handicapped infants are placed into 'shells' where their devasted bodies are no longer a prison for them. There are references to earlier books in the series, as well as a few inside jokes concerning other future collaborators to the series but this work can definitely stand on its own and be enjoyed without any knowledge of earlier works.

This book was a book club choice. It is written by two of my favorite fantasy Authors. The thought of them doing science fiction together intrigued me. The book turned out really well. I enjoyed the story from cover to cover. I found that I could not put this one down. I have gone on to slowly read the rest of the Brainship series. Each one is a piece that can be read by itself as well as a series. This one if facinating because tia is not put into the brainship program at birth but at 7 years old.

This book will have you from the first few chapters on. I simply loved it and couldn't find myself putting it down. How can one resist the will of a cute girl with a strong will and a teddy bear? This book is good for all ages. Anne McCaffrey will always be one of my favorite authors.

I am impressed by the writings of Robert Louis Wilken in this history book. He tells us that the purpose of his book is "to depict the pattern of Christian thinking as it took shape in the formative centuries of the Church's history."
His purpose leads me to believe that he understands that the Bible is the central factor that appeals to all the religious writers from the very beginning to the present time. I cannot help but to be aware that the central theme for anyone will be to understand what God has helped man to write in this great book, The Bible. Readers should come to an awareness in the introduction of this book that we need to understand the history, rituals, and the text to have the proper knowledge of Christian history in order to convey facts and thoughts to all concerned people.

It is hard to believe that this book is by the same man who wrote "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them". What a difference 19 years makes.

This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. I must have highlighted the whole book since I found almost every sentence edifying.

I had become accustomed to reading the Church Fathers from an apologetic or polemical standpoint. This book made me realize how I had overlooked the faith and piety of the Early Fathers. Prof. Wilken shows among other things how they sought to ground their all their arguments Biblically, and how little Christian doctrine actually owes to pagan thought, other than perhaps a few philosophical terms.

If you really want to understand how Christian doctrine was shaped by faith and inspiration, and not by cerebral distillations, you simply MUST read this book.

In a previous volume called The Christians as the Romans Saw Them (1984), Robert Louis Wilkin, professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia, explored the broad and deep antipathy that developed in the first five centuries toward the Christian movement, at least as that was expressed by the cultured elites. He presented the views of the pagan critics with both sympathy and understanding, devoting one chapter each to the views of Pliny the Younger, the physician Galen, Celsus, the Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry, and the Roman emperor Julian. In a short epilogue, Wilkin acknowledged that Christians responded to their critics: "There was a genuine dialogue, not simply an outpouring of abuse. The credit goes as much to the Christians as to the pagans." In this present volume Wilkin explores the emergence of what eventually became a distinctly Christian view of God, the world, the self, and human history.

Although his task requires him to consider the history of theology as it developed in the early church, and its relationship with thinkers of Judaism, Greece and Rome, Wilkin warns us not to be be overly preoccupied with intellectual ideas. The Gospel, after all, does not intend to make us smart, but to transform our hearts, minds, and our very lives. Early Christianity appealed to history, reason, ritual, experience, and most of all to the Scriptures, all with the goal of authentic faith expressing itself in true love. What we seek is not barren knowledge but the very face of God (see Psalm 105:4). In his panoramic survey Wilkin describes how we know God in worship, the sacraments and the Scriptures; the struggles to define the Trinity, the nature of Christ, and creation; the relationship of faith to reason and the church to broader society; poetry and icons; and then the nature of Christian virtue and the spiritual life. From start to finish the book is a feast of the early Christian fathers, with special emphasis on Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, and Maximus the Confessor. These forbears are, as he says in the last sentence of the book, "still our teachers today."

An aspect of this book I particularly enjoyed was the discussion of Justin Martyr and the early church's liturgy and beliefs on the Eucharist. It would seem logical that the Christians closest in time to Christ would be in the best position to understand Christianity as Christ intended it. Justin Martyr's descriptions of the earliest liturgies and Christian beliefs on the Eucharist reflect the essentials of modern Catholic belief and practice. It is this type of evidence that prompted me to convert to Catholicism several years ago and Wilken writes about it well and makes it interesting. I also particularly enjoyed his treatment of the thought of Augustine and Maximus the Confessor, the latter of whom I knew very little about.

This book left me feeling very torn. On the one hand, it was really a great read. On the other hand, it seemed that there was an underlying agenda that the author refused to admit (or realize). At times, it seemed a little like Bart Ehrman's book--only half the story gets told to bend the conclusion. Of course, Wilken admits that he is not telling the whole story, but he leads the reader to believe that he is being fair. Allow me a few examples. Wilken admits that Augustine is the giant of early Christian thought, and quotes him in every chapter, and on almost every subject. However, when he begins to talk about free-will, there is no talk of Augustine, and Wilken says that all the early fathers believed in free-will. While Augustine may have been in the minority, the average reader (to whom the book is written, as purported by Wilken) would have no other idea. Also, Wilken talks about the monothelite controversy. Usually, he deals with all the bishops and emporers on both sides of a debate. However, in this discussion, he fails to mention Honorius, prelate of Rome. This would be unknown to the average reader, but seems (to me) that it would be important enough to mention. There are a few other, mostly minor, examples of things like this. It all seems to be an apologetic for Roman Catholicism. While that's fine to write an apologetic for your church, telling half the story is deceitful.

That being said, the book is a good read. It flows well, and is enjoyable. Technical terms (usually Greek or Latin words) are explained and used in useful ways. The book contains a good amount of information, yet is presented in an understandable way and is made easy to remember. It isn't just another book on early church history--it traces other things like poetry, etc. Another underlying theme is that knowledge of God is not true knowledge until it is experienced. It seems simple enough, but Wilken explains it quite well. And to this end, I agree with another reviewer, that there is a devotional, not just academic, use for this book.

The negative side of this review shouldn't deter anyone from reading it. This book is a great read, but it needs to be read with discernment (of course, everything does).

I wanted to get a little more background on the life of a Secret Service Agent. I found this book filled with interesting tidbits of information. It was an easy read that I found entertaining, as well. His recounts of what it was like working around the Reagan administration, the Pope's US visit, etc. kept me interested for several hours worth of reading. It personalized some of the details that the public often may not realize.

This book is well written with just enough detail to keep you in every scene. It hooked me from page 1 and kept me interested all along.

If you have any interest in the presidency of Ronald Reagan or the Secret Service, I highly recommend this book. The tone is very matter-of-fact, but what comes through is what an honorable person Joseph Petro is. He lost out on a possible N.F.L career when he was drafted for the Viet Nam War, but our country, and especially its elected officials during the time of his service, gained a great deal.

A very engaging book.

I found this book extremely enlightening as to what life as an Agent in the USSS will be like. Petro does a wonderful job at writing about what he is allowed to disclose yet still keeping the reader engaged. If you are interested in the USSS, you should read this book during your application process since little is know about the Service.

This book was very enjoyable and a easy read! Joe must have been a very good agent, (I forgive him about the Mrs. Quail incident) He is someone I would like to meet. This book is a GREAT find for anyone into politics, The White House and the Secret Service.

This book is a great place to start learning about Therese. Includes the full text of the autobiography, and some supplementary material incl. a introduction to the autobiography and life of Therese and some of her letters and prayers. You can get much of this stuff online, but the book is a delight, with many pictures.

Therese is a very special person, and I recommend a familiarity with her beautiful soul.

Excellent book and in her own words unedited. Also a good little book on St. Therese is 'Heart of a Soul'. This book Iam reviewing is A MUST Read.

It is a well written, inspirational text. I really liked the historical aspects as well as the religious excerpts. Great book for anyone experiencing an ongoing illness. It helps to put the disease in perspective. :)

From her own words, we can see how this important and popular Catholic saint dedicated her life to the unconditional love of God. Through a life of simplicity and obedience, she came to be one of the most revered saints in the history of the Church. The book takes us from her childhood to her death and clearly outlines her path to sainthood. An inspiring and uplifting book for someone who already knows Therese of Lisieux, as well as for those interested in learning about her life and her "little way."

Rev. Thomas Taylor's early 20th century translation of the memoir of St. Therese of Lisieux was made from the only manuscript then available outside her monastery, one substantially rewritten by Therese's sister Pauline, who made five thousand changes. Scholars interested in the documents which gave rise to the cult of St. Therese may wish to consult it. I urge those who want to read what Therese wrote to read the third edition of "Story of a Soul" translated by Fr. John Clarke, OCD, and published by ICS Publications in 1976. The Clarke translation, made from the unretouched manuscript written by Therese (which was published in French only in 1956), is recognized as the standard throughout the English-speaking world. No other translation compares to it. Whether you have not read "Story of a Soul" or have read only earlier English translations (Taylor, Knox, Beevers), the Clarke translation will open the world of Therese to you. Don't miss it. You'll find it at Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition

I was trawling through a bookshop in Girona Airport(Spain) looking for a book to read on my flight back home (London, UK). Picked this book and thought I would just about manage to get through the first chapter before being lulled off to sleep. How wrong I was. I couldn't put it down.
I could relate to all three main characters and haven't laughed so much in years.
Thanks Patrick Sanchez, I'd never have thought that a man could relate to women's feelings the way you have done.
In my PC (politically correct) world , it was such a refreshing read.

In THE WAY IT IS by Patrick Sanchez, three seemingly different women have much more in common than they think. Issues with weight, love, careers, and self-worth put these women to the test.

Ruby is a woman with a successful career and a beautiful home in downtown Washington, DC. However, Ruby's weight issues plague her day in and day out. Between her mother's constant nagging for Ruby to shed some pounds, to the inner struggles with food, body image, and self-worth, she really has her work cut out for her. As if things couldn't get any worse, she has to take in two roommates to help with the mortgage after her nerdy husband leaves her for another woman.

Wanda is big, beautiful, and loving life. As a plus-sized model, she embraces her size and isn't too shy to let everyone know it. But there is an annoying obstacle in Wanda's way if she wants to make it to the top of the modeling industry.

Simone is a beautiful Latina anchorwoman for DC's local news channel. Coveted by many and very popular with the men, Simone thinks she has everything under control. However, Simone holds a dark secret that could ruin her career and, ultimately, her life.

Patrick Sanchez doesn't disappoint with THE WAY IT IS. He delves deeply into his characters, their quirks, and insecurities and writes from deep within his characters' minds, allowing the readers to walk beside them in their struggles and antics. The result is an outrageously touching and hysterical novel.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Can this guy get any better? Oh my! He is wonderful!! Patrick Sanchez is one of the best authors I have ever read! The Way It Is is a fabulous page turner of a novel! I enjoyed every minute of it and it was hard to put it down. It is the story of three gals, who by chance became roommates, and the life issues they are dealing with at the moment. The covers of his novels alone will draw you in and never let you go!! Read this one!

This book was funny and poignant. I liked Ruby's character. She reminds me of myself. I complain about my weight all the time like she does. My goal is be Simone's size. Read the book and find out for yourselves. This book gives all the ladies their own voice and I thought that was well done coming from a male author. He knows the women.

Patrick Sanchez has done it again with his second novel, The Way It Is. Each chapter is filled with comedic antics that will keep the reader laughing and looking forward to the next chapter. Mr. Sanchez introduces the reader to three women from three different paths in life.

Ruby Waters is lacking self-confidence, divorced, plus-sized and is saving for the day when she will be thin. She is waiting for the day when she will be thin so she can wear a little black dress that her mother (Doris) has saved from her younger days. She goes to work each day trying to get the courage to talk to the co-worker she has a crush on. Ruby has a three-bedroom house and is in need of a roommate. She puts an ad in the paper and has an interesting time interviewing the interested parties. She decides to have two roommates (Wanda and Simone). Ruby's roommates help her with her self-confidence and she is also able to give others some help in the process.

Wanda is a plus-sized model that knows what she wants and how to get it. She moves in with Ruby and helps Ruby to become a new person. Wanda has a co-worker that wants to take Wanda's place as a model. Wanda finds out a secret about her co-worker that just may change everything.

Simone is a sexy, famous news anchorwoman that is living in style. She moves in with Ruby while her place is being renovated. She likes her men young and does not want a commitment. While Simone looks good on the outside, she has issues of her own that have to be dealt with and soon.

I did not want the story to end and hope that the author will write a sequel. Each of the characters is interesting. Ruby is one of my favorite characters because her issues are real for some people today. I recommend this book and look forward to reading future novels by Patrick Sanchez.

Reviewed by Phyllis
For BBW Reviews

This guide is the definitive guide to advantage. No where else on the planet can you get the information detailed in this book.
If you use advantage, you must have this book!

I was a beginner at database usage, but I was able to pick up the nuances of ADS through the use of this book. It is my main source of reference for questions concerning ADS, and has helped solve many of my problems. ADS is a great resource, and this book is the ultimate companion.

Our company (Hudson Medical Systems) has been using the Advantage Database Server in our medical transcription and dictation products for over 3 years now and we could not be more satisfied with its ease-of-use, performance, and cost. I was pleased to see a new book devoted to this remarkable product that explains the unique features of ADS in such a logical and straight-forward manner. We especially liked the dicussion of the new features in version 7.0 that we are interested in. I would recommend this book to any database developer, regardless of their familiarity with ADS, as a great resource when developing applications.

We have been making Point Of Sale Applications since the DOS days and have been through several databases over the time. Advantage Database Server has performed far beyond than we ever expected from any Database Server Software. Programming in Delphi, we found the Advantage Database Server to be the most flexible and powerful Database Server and still reasonable priced. I wish we had have this book from the start. We have used Advantage Database Server for over three years and we have learned a lot by reading this book. You, definetly, need this book if you are looking for a new database server or you are already using Advantage Database Server. You don't want to miss out on this book!!!

Whether you're upgrading a BDE app to a client server database or developing a new single-user or scaleable multi-user app, Advantage Database should be at the top of your list of databases to consider. Native Delphi VCL components, ISAM file formats, free local server, easy installation and maintenance-free design make designing and deploying ADS apps a snap.

Now with "Advantage Database Server: The Official Guide", Cary Jensen and Loy Anderson have made life even easier. Although the Advantage help file documentation makes an excellent reference, it's no substitute for Jensen and Anderson's step-by-step guide to creating an Advantage database, connecting your app to it and deploying your end product.

If you've attended one of Cary Jensen's excellent Advantage Workshop seminars you'll recognize that this intuitive, and easy to read book is based on his well developed course book. If you haven't yet had the benefit of Cary Jensen's Advantage Workshop, you probably won't need it after reading "Advantage Database Server: The Official Guide"!

Whether you're an Advantage expert or rookie this book's a keeper as both an introduction and a reference. If you're looking for a low cost, maintenance free, high performance, scaleable database that you can learn to use and deploy in a day, this book and the included companion CD contain everything you need to get started.

Before I picked up this book, I had no idea what a detailed and interesting history lay behind the explorations of the Arctic region. This is a truly fascinating book about man's determined quest to explore one of the last unexplored regions of the world.

This is a story of the search for the Northwest Passage, that elusive waterway that would let ships sail over the north of what is now Canada, instead of having to sail around the tip of South America. Even after the British had determined that the icy arctic conditions and the maze of islands made the Northwest Passage worthless as a commercial shipping route, they were still determined to find it anyway. Ship after ship headed to the Arctic to find the passage, sometimes spending two or three winters trapped in the ice, with only a few warm summer months each year in which to explore before the winter ice returned. Many men died, mostly because of the remarkable inability of the British Navy to learn from its mistakes, or more importantly, to learn from the natives, who had lived in the Arctic for thousands of years. The British sailors wore wool instead of fur and sealskin, refused to hunt (they didn't even know how), suffered from scurvy from their impractical diets, and hauled extremely heavy sledges over the ice with man power instead of dogs. Not only did the British fail to learn from the natives, but the natives also got less than their fair share of credit at the time for helping avert death and starvation for hundreds of expeditions over the years.

This is also a story of the quest to reach the North Pole. Early explorers held the belief that the top of the world was an open polar sea, and tried to sail all the way to the pole. Once that theory was abandoned, explorers tried other ways of getting there. One allowed his specially-designed boat to become trapped in the polar ice and then played a waiting game as the boat drifted with the ice. Another tried to float to the pole in a balloon. Many tried and failed to walk to the pole over the hundreds of miles of ice. And even when two explorers claimed to have seperately reached the pole in this fashion, their claims were dubious.

While this book is long and a bit heavy at times, it is worth it to stick with it. Pierre Berton has done his research, and he is an excellent writer. I look forward to reading more of his books.

Very rarely the reader is so moved by a book that he simply starts thinking about it around the clock. It is such a powerful book. For two weeks I couldn't think about anything else than Arctic and those people confined by and in the ice for often several years.

It is the book you will never forget. It is so powerful narrative.

Reader get accustomed with names like Lancaster Sound, Admiralty Inlet, Gulf of Boothia, King William Island etc. Reader feels urge to see those strange locations on a map.

I bought and read this book just out of curiosity about arctic exploration and the men behind the quests...I was very much awed at this spellbinding tale of adventure,loneliness,deprivation,life,death and above all the courage and determination of the individuals involved in the Artic explorations....I had no idea at all what to expect and after the first chapter was hooked till the very end...I recommend this book to anyone interested in history,explorers,'firsts'...I gave it 5 stars on everything...I wish there were more photos but the drawings were good and the maps explained a lot....READ IT !!!

I was already a great fan of Pierre Berton, as well as being very interested in arctic exploration and history, so it was a natural that I picked this book up. I wasn't disappointed. This may be the best book that Berton has written. For certain, the material is irresistable. There were sections where it sounded as though Berton lost his temper at the imbecilic and entrenched attitudes of some of the explorers. This book is often a testament to man's unwillingness to adapt, and the down the nose view of Europeans of the exploration era to other cultures. Only this time, it was the Europeans that paid the price for their snobbery.

This excellent book, first published in 1988, stands as a fitting memorial to the prolific and accomplished writer Pierre Berton, who passed away at age 84 as recently as November 31, 2004. It details the events and personalities of Arctic exploration over nearly a century, beginning in 1818 with the first British naval expedition of John Ross and Edward Parry, and the related disastrous first naval land expedition led by the oddly ineffectual John Franklin. It concludes with the strange twentieth century tales of Robert Peary and Frederick Cook, both of whom claimed to have reached the North Pole, though neither could prove actually to have done so (nor had they). Along the way we meet a host of players, including the indomitable Lady Jane Franklin, Admiralty puppeteer John Barrow, the underestimated arctic masters Edward Penny and John Rae; Robert McClure, M'Clintock, Charles Francis Hall, Sabine, Nares, Greely, Elisha Kent Kane, Nansen, Amundsen, a number of memorable Inuit personalities and a host of others.

The great strength of this account is the repeated demonstration that the outcome of almost every event in the drama depended ultimately on the characters and personalities of the major players, their strengths, weaknesses, flaws and ambitions, and their capacities to learn from the experiences of their predecessors and their Inuit contacts. This gives a Shakespearian, if not biblical, dimension to the history, which is ably exploited by Berton. The book is as much about explorers as exploration.

Berton's well-detailed sources include the numerous accounts of the explorers themselves, their biographers and ghost writers, and much archival material - letters, original field notes, official reports etc, all woven together in a skilful and compelling synopsis. The book can be heartily recommended!

A few matters are missed among the vast number of items covered, for example James Cook in HMS Discovery, shortly before his death in Hawaii, reached Barrow Point, Alaska, from Bering Strait in 1780, setting the target for Franklin and others exploring from the east. One would like to have read the story of the Oval Office "Resolute desk", donated to the American Presidency by Queen Victoria in 1880, and constructed from timber salvaged from HMS Resolute, a ship mentioned frequently by Berton. The icebound Resolute was abandoned at Bathurst Island, Melville Sound by the British in 1854. She released the following summer and was later found adrift in Baffin Bay by a US whaler, sold on to the US government, refitted and returned to the British with a gorgeously attired naval band, much panoply and splendid one-upmanship. Also that Amundsen eventually disappeared in the arctic in 1928 while on an aerial search for the wonderfully zany General Umberto Nobile and his downed dirigible Italia (watch those late-night movie listings for the excellent film Red Tent (Krashnaya palatka), in which Peter Finch plays Nobile and Sean Connery Amundsen). Most of all perhaps, that the first expatriate to fully traverse the north west passage (on McClure's Investigator to Banks Island in the west and Intrepid from Barrow Strait in the east, with much walking and sledging between the two) was Lieut. Samuel Gurney Cresswell, in 1853 (he departed for Britain ahead of the other former Investigator crewmen with the news that McClure and his men had traversed the elusive passage).

Many original works of relevance have appeared in recent years. Notable are the excellent commentaries and reprints of the first Franklin expedition journals and paintings of John Richardson, George Back and Robert Hood edited by C. Stuart Houston (Arctic Ordeal, Arctic Artist and To the Arctic by Canoe), and David C. Woodman's studies on the Inuit memories of Franklin and his lost crews (Unravelling the Franklin Mystery - Inuit Testimony and Strangers Among Us ( all published by McGill Queens UP). Also the hard-to-find and indispensable arctic chronology of Alan Cooke and Clive Holland (The Exploration of Northern Canada - Arctic History Press), a first version of which was used by Berton. Many others are well covered in Amazon.com documentation.

This C++ core language book is so often used that I thought it may deserve a review.

I own 3 books about C++ and this one became the reference. Only 200 pages (compared to the 1000 pages of another one :) but every useful feature is well explained. Authors payed careful attention in order to prevent the reader to fall in common traps. Lots of examples, always accompanied with relevant comments.

C++ in a core language really answers the questions the beginners have in mind. Concise, pragmatic, the authors are not showing off, they simply remember they were beginners one day and their explanations are exactly what one can expect. Well, I'm so happy about this book (this morning again, I was looking for a reminder about "virtual" functions or a detail about the copy constructor and all my worries were answered with no ambiguity at all) I went straight to to Amazon for a review :)

This book is relatively short, but many people might see this as a good thing, since it is really intended to transition C programmers to the basics ("core") of C++. I believe it does a decent job of this, although there are some topics (such as const) that I think it should cover but, surprisingly, does not. I liked the comparisons between polymorphism in C and C++, and the explanation of virtual functions. The examples are pretty good. There is some great humor in the book, and some parts actually made me laugh out loud. Overall, I would suggest the book to any C programmer who wants to transition to C++. Get this as your first such transitional book, then once you understand the basics, move on to a more comprehensive intermediate level book.

C++: The Core Language is a well written book and a pleasure to read. It appears that that authors made an extra effort to remove unneeded verbiage. I appreciate this because I have so much to read.

The bread and butter OOD concepts of abstraction and polymorphism are well covered. The chapter on templates covers this difficult subject well, however, I would have liked to have seen a little more on template functions.

I came from a Kernighan and Ritche C background (the "C' bible), and this seemed to pick up right where they left off. You could call this book K&R part II, and it is also about the same size. If you want a complete C++ bookshelf, I would also recommend buying (in this order) Effective C++ by Scott Meyers, The C++ Standard Library by Nicolai Josuttis, and C++ in a Nutshell by Ray Lischer.

-ND
www.NicholasDiToro.com

This is an excellent book for C programmers coming to C++ for the first time. I found the writing style and organisation of topics to be very good. The authors describe key object-based and object-oriented concepts first using familiar C constructions and then extend those ideas into the C++ domain. The ease of transitioning from C structs to C++ classes was very good, as was the discussion of subtle points like the copy constructor. Almost all major C++ concepts are described, including inheritence, virtual functions, and even templates.

My only negative criticism is that the authors leave out some important C++ functionality from their view of the C++ "core." They only mention in passing the use of const, considered by many to be vital to good C++ design. Also, since this book was published in 1995, it does not discuss the C++ standard library, which was finalised in 1997. It is therefore missing a discussion of the very useful 'string' class, among many others. Readers should defininitely follow up on these topics.

Regardless of this missing information, this book will give C programmers a solid foundation for using C++.

As an undergrad and passionate dbl major, having read many books in C and C++, this book quickly became my friend. It's a good read for those breaking out of C to C++. This book helped me cope with the shock experienced while I was trying to learn ADTs, BSTs, splay trees, skip lists, multiway tries and extendable hashing in the high level programming courses where if you asked questions you'd look dumb. The information in this book made me feel contiguously good while sitting in class. It also served as another perspective and filled in the gaps that the professor and school text left out. Also, pick up Robert Sedgewick's Algorithms in C++ 3rd Edition, which is also a splendid read.

Enjoy helping computers understand people!

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