O Books

Here are contemporary teachers talking clearly about things that are often shrouded in needless mystery and myth. Yet the truly mystical aspects of these arts becomes even more convincing when discussed concretely, and the practical aspects are clarified. Though not intended as a training manual, the book offers a great deal of profound and useful guidance and inspiration. If you're a devotee of any of these arts or qi gong, the book is really fun and helpful. I read it in two days and look forward to rereading it. It's definitely worthwhile. I hope for a second volume with other teachers.

I just received this book and have really found it interesting. I really like that it features so many different folks. Some of them are famous some not but they all have something to offer and their differences help make the book accessible to more people.

It isn't how to, but most how to martial arts books are useful only as an occasional reference piece. This books is more vital because it's more fun to read and because the various opinions presented challenged me to rethink what I've been taught or what I'd been thinking.

Additionally the book is pretty entertaining which sadly cannot be said of all Martial Arts books.

In summation it's much more T'ai Chi magazine than Inside Kung-Fu and that's a really, really good thing.

Then this is an excellent book to start with. In this collection of 12 interviews and one essay, there are numerous departures for fruitful musings on the martial arts in general and on those typically classified as "internal" in particular. While some of these teachers try to shy away from the use (and abuse) of the term "qi", they all fundamentally agree that there is no real distinction between "internal" and "external" arts. Beyond that, though, the opinions expressed by the 13 teachers gathered in this volume can be extremely divergent.

The volumes opens up with a real bang, in this reviewer's opinion. Tim Cartmell certainly has strong opinions. Whether you agree with him or not (and some of the teachers represented in the text appear not to), his essay is a breath of fresh air in comparison to the stale discussions of the historicity and lineage of mythical figures like Zhang San Feng. [Yes, yes, there was at least one historical figure with this name, but the use of this figure in martial arts is purely mythical.]

Likewise, if there are any died in the wool Bruce Lee fans left out there, then James Wing Woo's depiction of him as a "horrible martial artist" may raise your hackles.

All of the interviews in this book gave me something to think about. If you enjoy hearing about the lives and opinions of life-long martial artists, then this is an excellent book. If you want a little stimulation to help jumpstart thinking and introspection on your own practice, then this book may well work. It will fill a worthy slot in my bookshelf.

This is a really fascinating read which presents the views of various contemporary practitioners and teachers of the Chinese neijia (internal schools). Each chapter provides valuable insight into the true nature of these unique arts and gives you plenty of food for thought.
If you practice an internal form of Chinese martial arts, you need this book-

Nei Jia Quan: International Martial Arts is collectively written by thirteen knowledgeable teachers of Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Gua Zhang and is ably edited by Jess O'Brien. Nei Jia Quan informs the reader of the many varying perspectives of the philosophy, history, training methods, and fighting technique that make each of these fighting styles unique and individually inspiring. As an informed and informative introduction and in-depth analysis of each of the martial arts practices of China, Nei Jia Quan is a very highly recommended read for all students of the martial arts, as well as those with an interest in Chinese history and general culture.

I've read quite a few of Jim's works over the years, and he has never failed to impress me. This book should be required reading for any project manager!

My initial pre-read perception of this book was that it was going to be just another perspective of agile methods. I was wrong. Coplien and Harrison have dissected development teams to identify the key criteria leading to successful efforts and high-performing teams. Beyond process, this book identifies the organizational structures required to make the processes work.

From an organizational perspective, roles and responsibilities within your development teams are a primary success criteria for your agile (or any other process) adoption. This book presents how and why key roles within your teams work and why teams without these key roles don't work. The way they have presented the material provides for a quick cross-reference when you are looking for solutions to help your teams.

Beyond the organization patterns themselves, I believe some of the richest material in this book is presented in the last few chapters as they present the history and importance of organizational structures, roles and responsibilities in applying process - "Process emerges from structure, and structure emerges from values". There is great value in this book beyond most software development process books.

As project managers, most of us who've been in the field working for a while come to realize that successful project teams are more the result of "good" ongoing social engineering of one sort or another rather than just dumping an almost randomly selected group of people together, coming up with an MS Project Plan and saying "do this" (the Death Star approach, all to common in large traditional process-driven IT shops). After this has happened to you, painfully, you begin to come to the realization that perhaps there's more to project management than the mechanistic "people are interchangeable resources" PMBOK-style approach.

If it hasn't already, it begins to dawn on you that the "soft" side of project management (client relationship building, communication within the team and between teams, team dynamics and team morale, motivation, empowerment, commitment, a human-style of project management) are as important or even more important than the technical work and the technical skills required. Most of us have run across teams with prima-donna's who think they're the cat's whiskers, be they project managers or technical personnel, who have the personal graces of a warthog and who are incredibly destructive to team morale and team performance. They continue to exist, sadly, and because they often deliver, albeit at the expense of everyone who works for them or with them, they continue to survive in "Death Star" style IT shops where delivery is all important and the style of successful delivery means nothing or is short-sightedly disregarded. OK, so that's my rant.

Now for the book. We've all seen successful projects and successful teams (or at least, I hope we all have). Some teams gell and perform way above the norm. What this book does is distil over 100 successfully applied organizational patterns of one sort or another from real projects in real software development groups. These patterns are broken down into logical groups (Project Management Patterns, Piecemeal Growth Patterns, Organizational Style Patterns & People and Code Patterns) which are dissected and explained, with examples provided. What the authors have done is to identify and describe key organizational patterns which are used by successful teams - not processes, but organizational structures of various types that are needed to make processes work successfully. A large amount of practical experience has gone into the content - over ten years of research experience from the authors alone.

I've read a lot of books on Agile, but this is the first I've come across that sets out organizational patterns - and does it so effectively that you'll wonder why all the stuff in here never occurred to you before. As you read through the book, you'll see patterns that will make sense, the kind of "ah-ha, that's what the problem is and this is how I can dom something about it" sense. You'll find this book useful in that the contents can be taken and applied right away. It's easy to pick what is most useful for your team, what can be applied immediately and what would be nice later on, once some of the basics are in place. The content is practical in that you can easily identify what your problems are and what pattern would help fix it, why the pattern is intended to fix it, and there's good advice on how to introduce new patterns.

With over 100 patterns, there are a lot, but they're set out concisely, a page or two to each pattern. There's no fluff, it's well-written, there's no appreciable bias, there's a lot of material, including some good coverage of the importance of effective organizational structures in applying process. As we all know, all the process in the world will not a great project team make. The book's structure is coherent and well-organized, the patterns described can be used individually or as groups and the authors give you some pretty good ideas as to what's immediately useful.

And the pictures all the way through the book are great! A nice humorous touch that helps make the point each time. Overall, I'd recommend this book very highly as a resource to anyone managing a project / team, whether Agile or not. There's a wealth of practical advice in here that any project manager could take and use, although the orientation is towards Agile Projects. An added bonus - unlike many technical books, this one won't date quickly - organizational patterns that work don't change much over the years, unlike programming languages. From a practical point of view, I've applied some of these patterns to teams I work with and the results have been positive - I've also shared the book with co-workers and they've all found it both illuminating and useful.

This book has to be The Grand Unifying Theory of Software with respect to managing the people and processes involved in software production.

To anyone who has worked in the software industry, this book is clearly the product of an enormous amount of practical experience in both management of people and projects as well as the development of software.

Coplien and Harrison have written a book which both the project manager and software engineer will understand and will immediately be able to apply to their respective work environments: This is because the book cunningly captures essential organisational concepts using a framework that is familiar to software engineers. Thus, the concepts will be by recognised by staff trained in business as well as those trained in software and systems.

I strongly feel that the material covered in this book can achieve a common communication basis between managers and engineers, and can help business developers understand the nature of their people and organisation.

If I could insist that all people in software read this book I would; but without the policing power, I can only highly recommend this book to those involved in all facets of software.

OK, I have to admit, this is the first book review I've ever written on Amazon and having read a lot of good books I should probably get off my a** and write more :-)

As a former developer and now a software development manager, I have come to realise that the "soft side" or sociology of software projects (communication with clients, communication with teammates, project management, team dynamics, cultural issues, morale, division of work, remote collaboration, etc) is considerably more complicated than the programming work itself.

Over time, you start to see patterns emerge such as "start a large project with a small experienced group and gradually phase people into a project as time goes on". This book does by far the best job of cataloguing and explaining dozens of these patterns related to (1) software project management (2) structuring, building and nurturing software project teams and (3) organization and division of development tasks to maximize the effectiveness of the team as a whole.

Highly recommended to anyone involved with software development at both the management level and in the trenches. Have fun!

This book is filled with loads of laugh-out-loud scenes. O'Brien is especially good at setting up a scene and then delivering a hilarious punchline. Even when the reader can predict how the joke will play out, O'Brien teases the story out in such a way to make the humor even funnier. Each chapter is episodic and stands on its own, but there's a wonderful arc to the entire book. The allusions to Irish history, literature, and folklore add to the writing, and O'Brien really captures the style of writers like Tomas O'Crohan and Peig Sayers. There also are some clever allusions to Wm Butler Yeats and John Millington Syne. I found the satire to be a good-natured, tongue-in-cheek humor that revolves around hyperbole and even surrealism. I find it curious that some fans of Gaelic literature, especially those who admire the real "poor mouth" writers, would be offended by the book. I like the writing of O'Crohan, Sayers, and others, and O'Brien's satire actually seems to complement and enhance the humor in their books, rather than cynically criticize their tomes. O'Brien's real target seems to be more focused on the misty-eyed romanticism of readers of Gaelic writing.

The bleak atmosphere and the beautiful, flowing prose in "The Poor Mouth" are completely at odds, which is what makes this novel so hilarious. O'Coonassa has no idea what's happening to him much of the time, but he dutifully records it as best he can, with amazingly comical results.

The concept here is much like a Buster Keaton film, in that the protagonist is presumably ignorant, but he keeps a sharp eye on events, and he's basically good-hearted (except when he has to resort to stealing a pig or a chicken or some silverware, just to stay alive).

Have you ever had a laughing fit while reading on a bus? It was almost enough to have me committed.Although not personally aware of any Irish in my blood, the way this erupted in me makes it a strong chance.

It has never been better explained why so many Irish ended up in America and elsewhere abroad. A true story!

Lighten up guys. This is satire. Flan O'Brien is satirising those - like Yeats - who mythologised a Celtic and Gaelic past that never existed. The spirit is like Paddy Kananagh - but it's satire rather than gritty realism. Understand?

This book is an inside joke, and a classic at that. It is a grand send up of professional Irish (both at home and abroad). As example, consider a book written in Gaelic making sport of the Gaelic movement by means of a Gaelic festival. ( In ourland of the professional ethnic festival, this might serve as an effective antidote to "Irish" nights and "Scots weekends.") If you are inclined to romanticize villages of the old sod dominated by pigs, mud, rain and potatos, avoid this work. If you want a great classic of the jaundiced eye school of literature, read this book. By the way, some of the fun lies in the many parodies of Irish literary works in the assorted chapters; knowledge of the genre helps.

This book was a great help - read most of it one day, and used the techniques the very next weekend. A great book!

An excellent introduction to public presentation. Clear, pithy, few wasted words -- it models what it preaches. Unlike many of its competitors on the presentation shelf, S.O.S. doesn't ramble on and on, like a speaker who just can't shut up. Instead, it gets in, gets out, and leaves the reader a better presenter.

The downside of this book is that it has no visuals, no pictures, no fancy color printing inside, and it is printed in expensively; no bells & whistles - just meat & potatos.

Recently, wanting to move my presentation skills to the next level, I spent $1,500 on books & audio. Without a doubt THIS BOOK IS THE BEST resource for advanced presenters. Of all the trainings in my career I've had in presentaiton, negotiation, media & crisis communication, I recommend this as 'the golden little book' to connect with an audience.

I applied the ideas now 3 times to big presentations and each time with "knock-out" success & unsolicited feedback from the audience afterwards. Practice makes perfect !

In addition to the positives mentioned in the other reviews, I have to highlight a great chapter on the often misused PowerPoint ("PowerPoint Doesn't Bore Audiences, Lousy Speakers Do") By emphasizing the importance of a good presentation and clear, simple and direct PowerPoint slides, Wiskup shows how to get the most from this tool without getting bogged down by the its technicalities. As a former training director I've seen lots of bad PowerPoint and this book provides a simple antidote.

I loved the book. I had to give my "State of the Foundation" speech recently at our Annual Dinner, and got great feedback. I credit a lot of that to what I have learned from this book - most importantly I included some stories and didn't spout off a lot of statistics.

If you want to understand programming the Flash Communication Server and it's capabilities this is a good place to start.

Although I'm using Flash Media Server 2, this book is still highly relevant as not much has changed. The core objects and language is the same so I would not hesitate to recommend it for anyone looking to use FMS.

This book is all about the design of applications using Macromedia's Flash Communication Server MX. FCS MX enables the building of media-rich web applications by taking care of the basic tasks required in the networking of the applications. Thus, you can focus on the application itself rather than worrying about low-level communication details.

Since this book is concerned with situations where multiple Flash applications will be executing on the same server simultaneously, there is going to be considerable effort involved in coordinating events, which is addressed by this book. You should already have FCS installed and running on your server and you should also have Flash MX available on the client. The following is description of the book by chapter:

Chapter 1, Introducing the Flash Communication Server - Acts as an introduction to FCS and an overview of the whole book.

Chapter 2, Communication Components - How the FlashCom communication components encapsulate commonly needed features such as chat, video recording and playback, bandwidth control,and user configuration. These components implement many basic building blocks for your application.

Chapter 3, Managing Connections - This chapter covers connections in more depth past the SimpleConnect component, including how to write custom code to handle various changes in the connection status as well as different errors.

Chapter 4, Applications, Instances, and Server-Side ActionScript - This chapter describes how to write Server-Side ActionScript and work with the objects that control application instances and the Flash movies that connect to them.

Chapter 5, Managing Streams - Offers a somewhat oversimplified but complete example that shows the basic steps in publishing one live stream and subscribing to a second.

Chapter 6, Camera and Microphone - This chapter explains how to use both the Microphone and Camera classes to record live streams. These classes are at the heart of most communication applications involving multimedia.

Chapter 7, Media Preparation and Delivery - This chapter covers many details for compressing and streaming audio and video.

Chapter 8, Shared Objects - This chapter starts an entirely new subject - shared objects, which provide a mechanism for the transmission of data between client and server.

Chapter 9, Remote Methods - This chapter also shows how to broadcast method calls to every movie and application instance connected to a shared object or stream, or send them to and from individual movies using RMI.

Chapter 10, Server Management API - Discusses the Server Management API and its applications, including monitoring a FlashCom Server, gathering statistics on application instances, and managing the log streams.

Chapter 11, Flash Remoting - Demonstrates how Flash Remoting can be used to add data connectivity to FlashCom applications. Flash Remoting can access web services, server-side scripts, CGI applications, XML files, or the local filesystem with the help of an application server such as ColdFusion.

Chapter 12, ColdFusion MX and FlashCom - Teaches some specifics involved in using Flash Remoting with ColdFusion MX and FlashCom. There are some practical working examples shown that demonstrate how you can leverage the benefits of Flash Remoting in conjunction with FlashCom.

Chapter 13, Building Communication Components - This is the first step in building complete applications, and is demonstrated through an extensive example.

Chapter 14, Understanding the Macromedia Component Framework - How to modify an existing component and how to create a new one. Also discusses server-side framework code and its core features and data structures.

Chapter 15, Application Design Patterns and Best Practices - Describes some of the best practices available to application developers. This chapter provides some useful design options, patterns, and best practices that will help you build better applications.

Chapter 16, Building Scalable Applications - Deals with building multi-instance and multiserver applications that don't bog down as the number of client connections increases.

Chapter 17, Network Performance, Latency, Concurrency - Traditional network design issues affect FCS also.

Chapter 18, Securing Applications - Specifically this chapter examines the three A's of security - Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting.

Excellent book, stuffed of examples very well explained, easy to read and to understand, essential for who desires initiate or even though to profound itself studies on FlashCom.
Obligator reference in projects involving FlashCom, either for fast consultations and advanced tasks.
Excellent approach of subjects as Design patterns and security, yonder a perfect demonstration about audio, video and much more.

If you're a developer looking into real-time server communication using Adobe Flash, this book is a must-have. It guides you thru various levels of application development in an easy to understand format, and provides well documented pieces of code to assist you in the learning process of putting together your project:

Topics covered include:

- learning about components and how to use them
- establishing and managing client connections
- publishing live and recorded streams
- local communication with clients
- remote communication with outside applications

The book also shows how to build and integrate your own custom components, and how to scale your application using the components that you've created. Other highlights include information on how to use shared objects and server management API, as well as ways to improve both design and performance.

It is a fine interpretation of the Songs. I was looking for a little bit more of spirituality in it which I didn't find.

From a female perspective, there are times when nothing satisfies quite like really good chocolate. Over the years, I've done my share of research to find the perfect one: rich taste, silky texture, and only a trace of fat and carbohydrates. My search continues.

Similarly, some of us know that there is a longing in our hearts that only deep romantic love can satisfy. Fortunately, the One who placed that desire in our hearts has also given us His thoughts on romantic love, hidden in a Song so beautiful that some may wonder: can this kind of love possibly be real?

Respect, devotion, emotional and sexual intimacy, profound companionship, forgiveness granted and delights shared. All ideals we value in a romantic relationship. But while I value the quality of the ingredients and exquisite process of chocolate-making, what I really want to know is: if it is actually tastes that good, can I have a bite? I think many of us may have wondered if such a love might be too much to hope for.

Gifted and insightful author, Craig Glickman artfully answers these questions as he gently unveils the vision of the Songwriter's heart through Solomon and Shulamith's journey of love, passion and joy. He writes: "Could this much happiness be too much? More than they have a right to expect? Of course not. Their happiness is not about a right to expect but a gift to enjoy." This IS real. And just as exciting, it's not earned or achieved. This kind of love is a gift, and like a box of chocolates, its greatest purpose is to be enjoyed by those who receive it.

I am encouraged, even inspired. Whether you make it this summer's beach book or you read it curled up beside a warm fire, Solomon's Song of Love will encourage your heart to open and receive the love of your dreams.

Romance, passion, and intimacy. These are the landscapes of love and the longing of the heart. The beauty of this is seen in the Song of Solomon. Craig Glickman is a leading scholar on this remarkable Song, and in this new book weaves its hidden treasures into an understandable and enjoyable display. This book provides a clear vision of what real love between and man and woman can be, and what it should feel like. A must read!

This book unveils the mysterious and romantic Song of Songs, explaining its meaning with beautiful prose, and illustrating its message with touching stories. I have never felt more open to the beauty of romantic love than after reading this book.

This "work of art," as Dr. Paul Meier calls it, is a refreshing contrast to the dozens of Christian books that miss the romance. Many are simply ordinary sex manuals with Christian words sprinkled in, while others follow the format of the self-help, how-to guides that guarantee certain steps can "make love happen."

Solomon's Song of Love shows that love goes far beyond our ability to manipulate it. It is not simply our choice. It is also a gift. From God to us, and from us to each other. And it is filled with feelings of wonder and delight that are not illusory, as even some Christian writers have claimed.

I find Solomon's Song of Love refreshingly romantic!

Indiana Jones may have discovered the lost ark, but Dr. Craig Glickman has uncovered Solomon's lost treasure -- the meaning of the Song of Songs. Acting as expedition leader for this adventure, the author guides us through the Song's panorama of romantic wonder.

Buckle your seat belt for the ride! Whether by time travel to view love in ancient kingdoms -- from Sumeria to Egypt and beyond -- or by visits to the havens of poetry in Old Europe, or by excursions to Hollywood's romantic movies and love songs, I discovered secrets of the ancient world that explain the Song, and stories in the modern world that illuminate it.

If you've ever wondered what the Bible really says about sex, love and romance, you need to read this book. For centuries the Song has been shrouded in mystery. But now its breathtaking vision of love is unveiled. Love songs come from the heart and speak to the heart, and none have touched me more deeply than this mysterious Song.

Sky Thorne is the representative of a twisted American pop culture!!! He is George Costanza in 2002! O'Dwyer takes his self-absorbed protagonist and hilariously raps him around our decaying modern day Roman empire, the USA, and we watch him slowly unravel. O'Dwyer takes on many of todays socio-political issues in a non-heavy handed way. Thundering Sky is a fun fast-paced adventure with lots of laughs! Read this book!

This book was an exciting and enchanting read.

Rave reviews from Rochester! Excellent first novel, I can't wait to read more works by Starbuck O'Dwyer!

This work provides a satsifying and enjoyable glimpse into business, relationships and ethics. Thundering Sky's animated context is rich with generational references and robust characters. O'Dwyer's writing is concise and creative. I will definitely read his future work.

Join Sky Thorne, an American everyman of the late 20th Century, as he battles his corpulent boss, an anti-beef lobby in Washington DC, his guru younger brother whose wacky advice drives him crazy, two spoiled kids, and a job assignment that can only be described as impossible - raise the market share of an ailing fast-food franchise or else. The laughs are non-stop in this satire which lampoons American cultural institions from Hollywood to our nations capital with the practiced eye of an insider. A great, light summer read that actually has some moral heft as we watch Sky transformed into a more thoughtful and better person with an ending that is a guranteed surprise! Pick up this book!

If you only read one book this year, you need to make more time for yourself. But you also should make this book the one you read. You'll find yourself strangely able to identify with one or more of the despicable characters, amused by the irreverent prose, and absorbed by the stark lunacy of this wild ride. Starbuck O'Dwyer has dreamt up some unforgettable characters, and pieces together a hilarious mosaic of the life of the main character, Sky Thorne. O'Dwyer shows a remarkable satirical affinity for pop culture and for all things tacky in America - a great read.

Parece que si, pues aunque el libro cubre la mayor parte de los temas relacionados a configuracion de servidores DHCP, WINS y DNS utilizando NT considero que el libro es pobre en ejemplos ilustrativos, graficos de flujo, consejos y trucos.
Honestamente no recomiendo el libro si es que tienes un serio proyecto en mente para crear un nodo internet y deseas desarrollar toda la infraestructura de soporte TCP/IP.
Este es un libro frio, una clase magistral distante de hace unos 50 años atras sobre un tema tan moderno como TCP/IP, que mantiene al lector muy lejos del autor.
Veamoslo de esta forma matematica:
Este libro + Más graficos + Trucos y Consejos = Que buen libro !!
Espero sinceramente que mi revision te ayude a hacer una buena decision. Saludos.
Piyux.

It's clear and simple. Very good and usefull to understand the network computer.

If you're any way involved with the administration or planning of your NT network environment, this is a book you must have! I consider myself pretty good in networking, but still found myself referring back to this book every so often. A must have on any networking library!

I bought this book to use as a reference when I got my first IT job. Areas of TCP/IP I found confusing from the Microsoft course I took were cleared up nicely from reading this book.

I never found the need to buy a second TCP/IP book after reading this. You won't either.

I had studied other resources, including a training course to get my knowledge to a good standard. This book was the first that was really worth the effort. So much so, I am now looking for titles by the same Publisher to complete my MCSE

I received my copy yesterday and laughed so hard I immediately ordered a few more for my friends. Any dog lover, gay or straight (unless you are a narrow-minded homophobe) with a sense of humor will adore this book. The illustrations are just gorgeous -- a real pleasure for the eyes! In addition to the tongue-in-cheek humor, the book is also informative. I will not repeat what others have already said. I will add that I was impressed that there was a section about puppymills and the Amish were exposed for being the worst culprits of this horrific money-making endeavor (just ask my dog who was locked in a tiny cage by the Amish for 5 years without access to sunlight or grass). Most people do not know that the worst puppymills are Amish enterprises and that they will not hesitate to club dogs to death when they can no longer bring in a buck. Here's an exerpt on this topic: "At the risk of losing book sales to my gay Amish fan base, a number of the Pennsylvania Dutch folk have become notorious for raising puppies under farmlike conditions and selling directly to brokers. Their dog-proud German relatives would be appalled; the Amish should stick to what they're best at: quilts, pretzels, and high fashion" (p. 122). You tell them Andrew DePrisco!

This Book is a Classic!!!
Great Humor,w/a Lot of Truth!!!!!
Would Highly Recommend to Anybody

I think this book is wonderful. It was a great present for someone who has everything. If you have a good sense of humor you will really enjoy this book. It is definately one of a kind!!

"Woof!" is an absolute delight. A fun and informative read for prospective dog owners of every persuasion. DePrisco is an experienced dog owner and brilliant writer who offers wise and witty advice on choosing and caring for a dog and answers questions you never thought to ask. Best of all, you will find yourself smiling as you turn the pages! O'Malley's illustrations are superb, making this a perfect coffee table book.

This book will solve many of your Christmas shopping dilemmas. It's a can't miss gift.

Woof! is Great! I've enjoyed reading every word of this book. It is the perfect gift for gay and gay-friendly households who are seeking a dog or already have a dog! Buy it! You won't regret it!

After finishing "Faith of My Fathers," I was convinced that "Among the Gods" was the II Chronicles version of Manasseh's story. Hey, I was correct. But Lynn Austin made sure that there was more to it then that. She made certain that the reader wouldn't forget the ultimate lesson in the life of Manasseh. And the lives of those he affected too. That's why she also continued the story of Joshua ben Eliakim.

Manasseh's story was anything but a fractured fairy tale, plain and simple. When he was king for most of his reign, all hell broke loose! You will see that in these pages. You'll also see the blinding bitterness and hatred that Joshua carries with him towards Manasseh. Throughout all this, he tries to make sense of his life. He also attempts to make amends to a future son that he vowed to raise as his own. Joshua has to see past his ways, and eventually understand that when it comes to God's will, God doesn't always make sense. Do we think that we seriously understand God all the time? Who do we think we are sometimes? If you find yourself asking that question a time or two, don't worry. God isn't afraid of tough questions. God is also a forgiving God. We need to do the same.

Has somebody hurt you and literally destroyed your life? God knows. Do you claim to belong to God, and his son, Christ Jesus? Then don't hesitate to forgive. In a twisted sort of way, that is one way in why I decided to give this book 5 stars. I don't agree in any way, shape or form with using crap like Apocrypha! I know that it was never an inspired "Word of God." I don't care what the scholars say, I care about what The Bible says. We indeed know for certain that Manasseh did say a prayer of redemption. What that prayer was, it was never revealed, and I believe that if God wanted it revealed, then it would be in His Word, not Apocrypha. The Bible is very clear about adding to His word in Revelation at the very least. BUT (and this is a very big BUT) this is a work of fiction, and I can understand why adding The Prayer of Manasseh might make it interesting. In my case, it really pissed me off. But I can overlook it, all the while I express what I know to be true. I may not be the most popular reviewer for my comments. But I've said what I've said, and I didn't make my comments lightly. In saying that, this was still a great read as a whole!

This whole series deserves a booming 5 stars! Lynn Austin did her homework. And if one person who isn't saved happens to read this, then praise God! For the most part, Lynn Austin is Biblically accurate. Compare the fiction you read in the pages of all five books with scripture in God's Word. Let God do the rest. This was great!

Another wonderful book from Lynn Austin. I had to stay up reading until 3:00 am to finish the book. I enjoyed it very much!

Excellent condition, prompt delivery. Wonderful story. I couldn't put it down.

I've never read a series as breahtaking as this one. I could not put the books down and I still think about it when I finished reading them. I definitely look forward to many more books that Austin will offer.

"Do you know that in the two years I've known you, I've never heard you laugh or seen you smile? I'll bet you have a nice smile, too. Like your mother's. She told me that A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Joshua tried to smile, but his heart felt as if it were breaking. "Would it help you to heal faster if I laughed?"
She considered for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I think the shock would probably kill me."
He did laugh then, but it was bittersweet. He sat up and wiped the tears from her cheeks because he knew that she couldn't do it herself.
"You're right," he said. "I can't remember the last time I laughed. And I'm so tired of feeling this way. Grief has affected every area of my life--it's hamstrung my work, blinded my judgment, poisoned all my relationships--but I don't know how to shake it off. I can't get free of it."
"It isn't grief that did all that," Miriam said. "It's hatred."

Excerpt from Among the Gods by Lynn Austin

Based on the life of King Mannasseh, chronicled in the Old Testament, as well as current archeological finds of an exact replica of Solomon's temple on Elephantine Island located in the Nile near Egypt, Lynn Austin has masterfully intertwined history with both Biblical and fictional characters.
Book five of the Chronicles of the Kings series, Among the Gods follows the physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles of Joshua as he impatiently waits on Yahweh to purge Judah of its evil king, Mannasseh. As the temple is defiled by false Gods, babies are being burned in sacrificial fires, and every type of depravity scourges the land, Joshua and Prince Amariah (the king's brother) followed by a host of Levites carrying the sacred Ark of the Covenant flee to Egypt for asylum.
Joshua thinks that waiting on God to act is torturous, but understanding His ways results in being more difficult a task. Even with the enduring support and encouragement of the woman who loves him, Joshua spiritually fails God again and again.
His relationship with his Heavenly Father isn't the only one that is daunting. The one he's attempting to build stone by weary stone with his rebellious, hate-filled adopted son, Nathan, is as well.
When will Yahweh once again call his people out of Egypt to inhabit the sweet hills of Judah? Can Joshua's insatiable need to control be broken, and will he withstand the test of fatherly love despite all, so that Nathan might see God's love through him?
Lynn Austin has given life--faults and all--to her characters in a way rarely seen. I invite you to pick up Among the Gods and take a ride into Judah at one of its worst times. Feel the utter wickedness of the kingdom, experience the robe-tearing sadness of God's people, and see Yahweh's justice and forgiveness as He sets the nation aright.
I deem this work a superbly written piece of historical fiction.