Q Books

I have not only read this book myself, but have purchased it for many of my friends that have faced difficult times in their lives. Dr. Leo Buscaglia was wonderful as a Professor at USC, and his books carry forward the legacy of exactly what this title says: Living, Loving, Learning. It can be read many times over, and something new sets into the mind of understanding of who we are, what we are, and how we can have a happy life in all circumstances.

I'm glad people like Leo Buscaglia. Really, I am. If he helps people, fantastic. However, after receiving the book as a gift, I felt smothered by his "love talk", sounding for all the world like a medicated flower child. Considering that his ideas coalesced in the 60's, this may not be far from the truth. The book is a bit like mind control, and I'm sure his speaking presence was compelling. However, I think optimism is best tempered by reality and concrete steps, rather than this unedited exhortation to "love". A simplistic order to love is not going to work for most people. Love must be tempered with reason, intellect, responsibility, and experience. Life is a battlefield, and we are the soldiers. Choose a side and keep your eye on your enemy.

This book is incredible and I believe everyone should own a copy. If I had enough money I'd buy it for the entire world. Very simple, down-to-earth, and humane reading. Leo Buscaglia represents every individual in this heart warming lectures book!

This is a collection of Leo Buscaglia speeches all bundled up under one cover! I wouldn't trade this book for almost anything. Leo had the most extraordinary outlook on life and people and I miss having him in the world.

This book was excellent. It really showed me what a passionate life could be...Leo reminds us that life is for the living, and that we need to make the most of every minute of it. He also reminds us that fundamentally we are unique and lovable creatures, God made no mistakes when he made any of us. Wonderful book with a positive impact.

I was so sad about this book. I love Laura Kinsale and her other books are just incredible. This book was so promising but it the story just felt wrong. I don't find it romantic that the hero is in love with another woman(for the entire book) and is just shattered when he must marry Leda. I know that he has issues but I really wondered what he felt for Leda. It seemed to be just lust and nothing beyond that. ALso, Leda herself is not a strong heroine. She just seemed kinda pathetic and with no real character. I'm sorry but the "Dear Sir" thing did nothing but annoy me. However I felt about this book I absolutely will read every other book by Kinsale. She is a wonderful writer.

One bought used, one bought new when this book was reissued.

The emotional depth is phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about it. Some scenes in this book blow me away every time, no matter how many times I have read them.

Laura Kinsale sure doesn't believe in half measures. From what I've seen in three of her books so far, all of her characters are unique and her stories intense, every single one of them extreme cases of a trite plot in romance. I have to say that Kinsale breaths much needed life into trite romance plots. It's a wonder when a romance novel really tells a story beyond the sexually-experienced hero deflowering the innocent virgin. In THE SHADOW AND THE STAR, Laura Kinsale takes the tortured-soul-hero-with-demons routine to an emotional-angst extreme with her pretty-boy hero Samuel Gerard.. Kinsale's writing and prose enrich the reading experience tremendously and it's so nice to read her after so many poor romance novels. Kinsale skillfully sets the scene, builds the tension and concludes very satisfactorily. The oriental flavor and Hawaiian settings are nothing short of magnificent. I officially love all of Kinsale's endings from three of her books: SHADOWHEART (***), FLOWERS FROM THE STORM (****) and now, THE SHADOW AND THE STAR.

It's a tribute to Kinsale's characterizations and writing that even though all three of her heroines in the novels above are virgins, they still manage to stand out separately. Kinsale puts her heroes through a unique hell as well, and that too is delicious. I liked the way Kinsale flashed to Samuel's warrior training every other chapter for the first half of the novel and slowly but surely brought his perspective to the present. Our heroine Leda's subservience may rub some readers the wrong way, but if you can get past that, Leda's humor is something else. Leda's propriety and manners even during the most obscene circumstances proves absolutely hilarious. In Kinsale's note to her readers in this 449-page paperback, she reveals her inspiration for Leda's character: "[Leda] embodied the steadfast, kind and courageous ladies...the circle of grandmother and aunts and their friends in a small Texas town. Proper, generous, proud, sure of what was right and what was wrong..." And certainly, the circle of South Street ladies and their culture resonates in this book. I found Leda obstinately clinging to her propriety and morals in the most bizarre of circumstances and situations absolutely hilarious. Even after marriage, she continues to call her husband, "Dear Sir..." Leda is innocent, funny, proper, loyal to a fault and so caring and compassionate, any guy would give the world to her. And she would deserve it. Leda's humor is the highlight of the novel, and the book consequently belongs to Leda Etoile. That the novel belongs to Leda is even more astonishing given the inspiration for THE SHADOW AND THE STAR derives from Samuel's brief appearance in THE HIDDEN HEART which points the spotlight on Lady Tess and Gryphon Meridon.

"Really, I should like to have my own garden, with a fish pond in it, full of goldfish with tails like silk. Do you ever think of things such as that, Mr. Gerard? Whatever do gentlemen think about, I wonder?" She pondered the question, and answered herself. "Political difficulties, I suppose. It must be very trying and dull to be a man."

My problems with this novel stem from a pacing standpoint and the heavy reliance on the Ashland characters (characters from the prior book THE HIDDEN HEART). If you thought FLOWERS FROM THE STORM slow-developing, you'll find THE SHADOW AND THE STAR much more so. In fact, I thought this book never found its drive until the finale. This book also contains elements of the supernatural which fog the action sequences.

Another excellent offering from an adept author.

Others have said it so I won't go into depth. Samuel was simply totally nothing. Not likeable, not even hateable....just a big blah.

The book was like wading through molasses in December. Maybe I just don't 'get' Kinsale, but she says in 3 paragraphs what could have been said in one sentence. And it doesn't do anything but bore the reader.

And I do hate books where the couple don't actually declare their love until almost the last page. In this case, you weren't even sure at the end what 'he' felt for her.... I re-read the last 3 pages about 5 times, trying to decide if it was an "I love you" or if it was "OK, stories over, everyone go home."

Total waste of time.

I love reading reviews, and there are some incredible reviews of this book, however I always seem to feel the need to voice my own opinion..so here's my two cents.

Just a quick synopsis. Samuel was horribly abused as a child. He is taken in by Lady Tess and Lord Gryphon from the book "Hidden Heart" and made a part of their family. He has major scars, literal and figurative, from his abuse and is horribly wounded as a man. Leda was also "adopted" and is very much alone in the world. She comes to live with Samuel's family after some crazy events and thus begins a relationship with Samuel as his secretary.

Here's what I loved.....
1. The relationship between Samuel and Lady Tess is simply heart-wrenching. The flashbacks of him as a child coming home to live her and Gryph are literary perfection. Her love, devotion, acceptance, loyalty, and protection of this wounded child are heart rendering. The scene where Lady Tess talks with Samuel about his duty to marry Leda had me weeping!
2. Leda is a woman I loved. She was a woman of fierce devotion, strong moral code, and properness. She is constantly reminding Samuel of proper language (he tends to swear a little), and proper behavior.
3. Samuel is incredible. Strong....he's accomplished in the martial arts (a ninja), is very attractive, wealthy, and socially accepted. Weak....Maybe not the right word, but wounded emotionally from past abuse, extremely influenced by his sensai, very unsure of himself with Leda. All of these characteristics make him very appealing.
4. The writing is superb. There are no loose ends, no wasted plot lines, everything in this book is there for a reason and is tied up in the end. I loved how Samuel had to remind Leda to "breathe" when she gets into stressful circumstances, and this fact is true throughout the book...by the end this quirk of Leda's and Samuel's gentle care for her is so touching. Also Leda's name for him "Dear Sir" is used throughout and also is extremely touching.

Here's what I didn't.....
1. There's not much. I will say that Laura Kinsale is not for everyone. Some other authors...Kleypas, McNaught, Putney, Balogh, have more universal appeal, but Kinsale's writing sets her apart. She is smart...you as the reader need to figure out things for yourself...she not just going to give it to you. Characters feelings and motives are not always explained like you wish they would be, but this is her style. This is not a quick and easy read, (as many romance novels are). She is extremely in depth with culture and practice, and interweaves several different cultures/societies into one book. This may confuse and aggravate some readers.
2. The relationship between Dojun and Samuel was a difficult one for me. I went back in forth...is is good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, did Dojun hurt or help Samuel more...questions like this I wish were more understandable and clear, but here again lies the reality of Kinsale's writing...sometimes it's okay to live in the gray instead of the black and white.

When I saw this book for the first time I realised that a serious topic can be approached in the wittiest ways: by making it attractive to its audience; the concise explanations plus the artful presentation make it a must!!!

I borrowed this book from the library first, and was so happy with the contents, that I decided to buy it. I will be using this book for college, but also for my homeschooled children. It contains many details for first time writers, but is a great reference for those who have been writing a long time.

I ordered this for my niece in Virginia and it was just what she needed for school.

I needed this book for my high school children and amazon not only had it in stock, they had the best price. I bought it and received it almost immediatlely! Great job and service. I will continue to shop amazon. for all my book needs.

The latest edition of Writers Inc is a great resource for any student or teacher, but does not provide the extensive list of prefixes, suffixes, and word roots included in my copy of the 1996 edition published by D. C. Heath and Company, a Houghton Mifflin company. I recommended this book to a student who was looking for such a list. We were both disappointed that these lists had been removed. If you have an earlier version, don't count on this one being exactly like a previous edition.

Meet the weird and delightful Anastasia who will bring a smile to anyones face!!

I read "Anastasia Krupnik: Being ten is no laughing matter," by Lois Lowry, to assist my daughter with her 7th grade language arts assignment. The book was very well written and enjoyable to read.

The story is set in Boston, Massachusetts, where ten-year-old Anastasia is struggling with an identity crisis, eccentric parents, and the pain of growing up an only child in a secular household. Her father is an English professor who writes poetry and her mother is an artist who forgets to do the laundry, which is why they both wear socks that don't match. Anastasia writes a poem without rhyme or meter and reads it to her class, but her teacher doesn't appreciate modern poetry; she gives her an "F" and tells her to follow the rules when writing poems. She has an on-again, off-again crush on a boy who doesn't like her, a grandmother who can't remember her name due to the onset of dementia, and a baby brother soon to be born: even her goldfish "blurps" at her from within the confines of its bowl.

At one point Anastasia decides to become Catholic, so she can change her name, but she soon changes her mind when she learns that stealing cupcakes from her friend is a sin and she will have to confess her sins to become a Catholic. Anastasia chronicles the significant events of her life in a green notebook, listing things she loves in one column and things she hates in another. Sometimes the things she hates become the things she loves and vice versa. By the end of the story, there remains only one item on the list of things she hates - liver - but the list of things she loves is long. The story is told with humorous effect, even though some of the things that happen are sad.

There are a few troublesome comments about her teacher's anatomy and conversations between Anastasia and her parents sometimes show a lack of discretion, but all things considered, it is the tender account of a prepubescent little girl with a prodigious intellect and an eagerness to learn and grow. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a coming-of-age story, but it will definitely hold your little girl's interest and in a subtle way, let her know that she is not alone in her quest to overcome life's many tribulations. It even has a happy ending to boot.

(My mom, JaneLovesJesus, wouldn't let me review this before I'm done with it. I read it with her except the 11th chapter, but she also read it herself, so it's OK I didn't read the last chapter with her.) You can call me StoryMaker because that's my nickname and we got Anastasia Krupnik from the library as the hardcover edition. (Please note that I'm talking about hardcover. You might be viewing this review thru another editon. That's because amazon.com groups different editions together. The pictures are very different in different editions according to amazon.com. Please note!) It's a great story about a 10 year old girl who has a notebook with lots of stuff and she made a list of things she hates and things she loves in it. It shows you the lists at the end of each chapter. At the end she crosses out everything on her things I hate list except liver. She's a kid who dosen't like to eat liver. Anyways, it's a great story and is sad in all the chapters with her grandma but something I do not like is it dosen't follow a storyline very well. I mean, each chapter is like a new day. The storyline of this book is a storysquiggle. Other then that, I love this book a lot! Get it from the library. If you think it's great, buy it. It may not be the best for boys, but I am a girl so I don't care. Did I forget anything? Nah! I said the plot, I said it's great. What else is there to say? It's awful? Oh, c'mon, this is a positive review! It dosen't care if you don't like it. This is my opinion! Nothing wrong with having a different opinion, but this is my review. Oh, and, the family in this story is having a baby and Anastasia picks out a name but I think she changes the name at the end. I'm not sure, but I think that's what that text means. Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

One of the major moments in my childhood came when I read that Myron Krupnik kept his poetry manuscripts in the crisper drawer of the fridge so they wouldn't burn in a fire. My father (also a poet, also an English professor) did the exact same thing. I vaguely remember jumping up and down on my bed and wanting to move to Boston.
Buy these for your child, even if you're not a poet. They're wonderful.

This is one of Lois Lowry's earliest books, in fact it is her second book. The story follows ten-year old Anastasia Krupnik, the daughter of a poet and an artist as she completes the fourth grade. Anastasia changes her opinion of several things, from Washburn Cummings (her crush) to her parents, baby brother, and grandmother. While this book is not typical of Lowry's work (not even the books she wrote later about Anastasia) it is worth your time to read it. It should also be noted that this children's book has a few curse words in it and that there is mention of beer, in fact the main character drinks beer. Other than that, you may very well enjoy this book. It is different from Lowry's later works, but its still charming.

every nursing student needs a nursing dx book/care plan book. this book is definitely a great option. it includes med/surg, peds, psych, ob,..... nursing dx and care plans. my senior suggests this book to me last year. i think it is awesome and i will recommend to any nursing student out there.
Set

My nursing instructors attempted to teach me and my fellow nursing students how to make a care plan first semester, but didn't really do a very good job of it, leaving me clueless. Second semester I got a little smarter and decided to look for a good book that will help in developing a nursing diagnosis, as well as everything else (goals, interventions, etc.), I got this book because I really needed something to help me out. Boy did it help! I went from getting 75s on my care plans to 90 and beyond. It doesn't just give lists of possible nrsg. diagnosises, goals and interventions for each condition, it also shows you how to put it all together (something I needed really bad). Great book!

This book is a great resource in assiting in making accruate and easy nursing diagnosis, predicting client outcomes, and indicating nursing intervations and rationale. A perfect practice prior to entering clinical rotations.

After receiving a recent email asking me which care plan book I'd recommend to a nursing student who was staying up very late working on her care plans, I told her I'd write a review of the book that was my best friend on the night before clinicals. This is it.

I had two care plan books that were not working for me so I spent about 8 hours one weekend in Barnes and Nobles looking through every single book that had on the subject. When I got to this one, I didn't need to look any further. The diagnoses are in alphabetical order, with:
~the definition of the condition,
~defining characteristics both subjective and objective (to jar your memory of your interview of the patient pre-clinical),
~and a big one, Related To Factors (r/t) [which can be a struggle fine tuning as a nursing student];
~Client Outcomes [Client Will (Specify Time Frame)--answer is--"Ct. will____________(something that is obtainable and measurable) during my shift",
~Nursing Interventions and Rationales (in italics.) On my Client Care Plans forms, rationales were called "Scientific Principle (Documentaton Source)" and my instructor wanted the page number as well.

***Please note: I've noticed that there is an 8th Edition available now for purchase. I don't see how they could improve on this text; however, I would probably recommend the newest edition. If you already have the 7th Edition, I would say you probably don't need to buy the 8th edition. It's your call.

Good luck future nurses and Soar!

This book has been a lifesaver while in nursing school! It is one of the best books for my careplans - I definitely recommend it!

(I'm not sure why amazon has over half of these reviews for Fagels's translation on Rieu's page? But anyway...)

I have spent quite a bit of time comparing versions of "The Odyssey", and out of all of them I settled on Rieu's pioneering translation.

It was originally published in 1946 as Penguin's very first book!

He would recite "The Odyssey" from the original Greek to his wife and children during the second world war in London while bombs dropped around them. It was Rieu's wish to start a publishing company that dealt with reviving the classics for common man. Penguin Classics is now the most widely loved, read and utilized editions on the market! What a vision he had!

And what an "Odyssey" this new one is! It was sensitively revised by his son in 1991 and reprinted with a better print and layout in 2002. It has a type of "joie de vivre" all throughout, a wonderful raciness and life, and a strength of believablity that makes you stand tall after each sentence!

It wants to be read again and again...I think because there's Love in there....

The reason some stories remain classics is simply because they deserve it. This ancient story is as exciting, sexy, and romantic as they possible come and that is simply how it should be. Post-Iliad comes the perilous journey back to Greece, a journey that lasts twenty years through every horrible (and yet totally cool thing) that could ever happen. It's passionate, fun, and exciting and I guess that is why they make us read all of it in high school. Well, yay!

While the story is fictional and full of all the joys and horrors of life, I am, at my later years finding that this text, the bible, and roman mythology have so much in common as to stimulate our minds, conceptions, and views without reducing our individual religious beliefs. The tales compliment and in some small way confirm each of mankinds dealing with the unknown at that period of history. To have the background of reading the Bible, Homer, Romans, Voltaire, etc. is to truly come to grips with an individual religion and God, versus, a rote learned Higher Power.

I am what you would call a casual historian. I am deeply fascinated by the ancient world, as well as the history of literature and the evolution of storytelling. However, I am not inclined to learn Greek, and also understand that even the most universal of stories must be adjusted in order for succesive generations to be able to grasp them (and I am talking language choice, not 'dumbing down' of complex work). This doesn't merely apply to translation, but to what changing English readers over the decades can approach, as well.

Enter Robert Fagles' translation of THE ODYSSEY. I have not read any other translations of this work presently, but Fagles presents the epic in a clear, vivid style that allows contemporary readers to be introduced to the journey of Odysseus. It must be understood that translation from another language, as well as presenting a very old story, requires compromise. Fagles has been as true as possible to, what I understand from Fagles' postscript notes, the 'spirit' of Homer, while allowing it to flow smoothly to modern ears and eyes. No doubt a deeper appreciation of many aspects of Homer could be had with a different translation, but what it seems to me this translation excels at is levity.

What about all the fuss over the story itself for all this time? What I got as a first time reader was a passage into the ancient world and it's morals, values, and beliefs. The core of the Odyssey is there, as it always was. Odysseus is a very multi-dimensional character for such an early story; he is noble but sometimes wicked, proud but sporradicaly humble, quick to violence but also sharp and eloquent in speech. He can pour honey into a king's ear to gain favor, or provoke an enemy to draw first blood with a viscous verbal rebuttal. The structure Homer employs must also have been quite radical when first told to an audience; setting up both Odysseus' plight abroad and his family's trouble at home separately, then merging them together by the end. Parts of his journey are omitted as they happen, only to be filled in later as he recalls it to one of his hosts on the way home. It's no big deal today but think how risky this structure of story telling must have been at the time.

I would strongly urge anyone interested in Homer to begin with THIS translation. Other translations may have had greater success at getting across other beauties of the Greek text, but this is a moot issue if the reader becomes uninterested in the story if the reading is bogged with archaic English, thus turning them off to ancient works for ever (and I speak of the many casualties grade-school English teachers have mounted in using translations that the kids just can't get into at their reading level).

Fagles has done Homer a great service here; re-introduced one of the oldest stories in Western Civilization to a new audience (and admittedly, one that may only be beginning in it's appreciation of the classics). Die-hards will find bones to pick, that's a given. However, one has to start somewhere, and only after they are engaged by the story will they then want to branch out and see what previous translations' strengths are. I suppose the ultimate way to appreciate Homer to the completist is to read it in the original Greek, and that would be great. For 'the rest' of us, this edition will do nicely as an introduction.

I recommend this translation for anyone who loves this story, and tried to read it before and gave up. This book is an easy, flowing, beautiful read. Some readers may disagree with some of the translator's choices. For instance, the scene where Odysseus must carefully explain to Calypso why he wants to leave her - this translation has him say that he longs to travel home and see the dawn of his return. I prefer it translated as he longs for his homecoming. There are some very ancient-Greek reasons why that way of saying it conveys a fuller meaning, and also explains why Calypso doesn't press him further. But, unless you're a scholar of Homerian epics, you probably won't feel cheated by this translation. Instead, you will be transported by the poetry, excited by the adventure, and delighted by the fact that you are reading this great work of art without struggle.

I tried to use this but the book was super thick and I just couldn't get into it, I used an online interactive study guide instead and I scored a 26 on my ACT. My sister did well with this book, the only difference between us is I have ADHD and she doesnt.

From the picture this books looks manageable, but when I received it it was HUGE. I have yet to open it because there is so much information (which is good or bad). If your looking for a really extensive ACT book here you go. If not get the CliffsTestPrep ACT (Cliffs Test Prep ACT).

This certainly ranks up there. My other choices for 2007, hands down:

1) How To Ace Your Way Through College & Still Have a Life
2) The MLA Handbook
3) Fiske Guide to Colleges

Dr. Vernon M
Cambridge, MA

This edition is two years old, so don't buy this one but do get this book! Amazon has two listings for this book--one is for the new edition. I agree with the other reviewers that the primary benefit of this book is the 3 practice tests with detailed answer explanations provided. The book offers limited advice on how to best improve on its various sections--especially the science section where many students feel extremely rushed. But the practice tests are worth the price of the book.

I bought 4 books to prepare for my ACT exam (Princeton Review (Cracking the ACT, 2007 Edition), Kaplan ACT 2007 Comprehensive Program, McGraw-Hill's 10 ACT Practice Tests, and The Real ACT Prep Guide). I found the Real ACT Prep Guide to be the best one as it has three real practice exams at the end (as close as u can get to the real exam).As far as the preparation material provided for preparation, it is not as good as Kaplan's or Princeton's. i would rate the four books as follows:

1.The Real ACT Prep Guide. -- the practice papers at the end of the book are real ACT exams.

2.Kaplan ACT 2007 Comprehensive Program --(The practice papers are as difficult as the real ACT exam (but defenitly not as close as the rela exam)and the preparation material provided is also good but they dont have any sample essays to crack the writing test)

3.Princeton Review (Cracking the ACT, 2007 Edition)-- (the preparation material provided is the best compared with the Kaplan and the real ACT books and the papaers at the end are comparable with the Kaplan's.)

4.McGraw-Hill's 10 ACT Practice Tests -- the 10 papers are a good practice but they are comparitively easier than the real exam.

If you plan to buy just one book to prepare for the ACT exam then you should buy The Real ACT Prep Guide.

This book was an exciting telling of the events of that wonderful summer. However, I would have prefered more analyse of the events rather than straight story telling. Also for a book subtitled "The Men Who Invented the Constitution" it gives only basic biographical information of the men. The author also did not use footnotes which made it difficult to track down further information. An example of this would be the author citing another persons work, "A scholar once said..." and it wouldnt be given a reference number to the idex, so this basicly made it impossible to match up citations. Another downside is this book does not mention the judiciary. I know there was minimal debate over the judiciary at the convention, but it still deserves at least a few pages worth of ink. To conclude, those who are looking to read the basic story of how the United States constitution was made this book is for you. Those looking for deeper analyse should try another book.

The Summer of 1787 adds nothing new to the mountains of work on the subject. However, this does not seem to be the intent of the author. Rather than add to a subject that has been analized inside out, Mr. Stewart attempts to bring History to a mainstream audience. The writing style is interesting and readable (more as a narrative with a cast of characters than as a scholarly work of History).

The Summer of 1787 reminds everyone that the Founding Generation was just human like the rest of us. Their work, the U.S. Constitution, has developed a following that revere it almost as its own religion. Mr. Stewart bravely reminds them that it was written by mere mortals, and thus succeptible to our flaws, mistakes, and self interest.

Mr. Stewart grounds the "Founding Fathers" in reality like few authors in the past century have dared. He reminds us that their work was a product of hurried compromise, not the well planned Balance of Power we were taught in school. He is not afraid to point out its faults (putting off the slavery question for future generations to consider, &tc.).

This book is not for the experienced scholar, there is nothing new here. However, The Summer of 1787 is a must-read for everyone else.

Twain once said that there are two things you don't want to see made - sausages and laws. This is certainly true for the making of our Constitution and Mr. Stewart takes the reader into the kitchen to see how it was made.

This is a riveting account of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 where a host of interesting characters muddled, blundered, compromised, posed, blustered and worked diligently to come up with what is considered the greatest work of republican government. It wasn't pretty but the delegates got the job done.

Mr. Stewart provides a fast-paced and clear account of the convention with very good thumbnail sketches of the participants. There are no grand theorums in the book. This is straight historical writing; which is a good thing, because the history is often over-looked for the theorizing and "spinning".

What the reader does learn, in addition to what happened that fateful summer is just how difficult a task it is to come up with an entire scheme of government from a perfectly clean slate. No country had attempted to form such a government and no one knew, even after the Constitution was completed, just what the government would look like and how it would function.

This is an extremely good account that keeps the reader's attention throughout.

The Summer of 1787 is quite simply a well written book. The author very skillfully presents both sketches of the participant personalities and the
events that transpired. If you want to know about the significant elements of the Constitution and how they were included, this is the book to read.
The author excels at explaining the impact of the subject of slave states
versus free states. What I wanted to do as a reader was visit the events
of the Constitutional Convention, learn what happened, and learn who was there and what they did. I accomplished these goals. This is a straight forward book which is quite readable from the prose standpoint. It gives
you what you need to know but also piques one's interest to learn more
about some of the specifics.

Richard Macomber
Cape Coral, FL

I took this book on my vacation to Hawaii and found that it was hard to put down. It was engaging, briskly written, and a fascinating insight into the men who wrote our Constitution, their biases, foibles, and prejudices drawn from the records, notes and letters of those involved. Author David Stewart spends a little time setting the historical context and then moves right into the topic. It helps to visit the America's most historic mile in Philadelphia to get a feel for what Stewart describes, but it is by no means necessary.

In addition, the book is a remarkable study in negotiation. There were certainly many compromises and trade-offs made in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, and if anything, Stewart spends a little too much time discussing slavery, but that is, in retrospect, perhaps appropriate in that the compromises made to accommodate slavery in the Constitution shaped the history of America thereafter.

The one area where Stewart gets off base, in my view, is near the very end when he criticizes the Electoral College process for selecting the President and suggests that a direct election would be preferable. The Founders knew better, and many of the issues that Stewart spends a great deal of time discussing in the book are lost in what is his seeming disappointment at the outcome of the 2000 election. After all, the Founders were concerned that the President would be the head of a Federal group of States, not of the most people. A direct election would cause candidates to focus just on the most populous areas and not on the several states. Without the Electoral College, the two party system would crumble into a number of splinter groups, and candidates would rarely be elected with more than 50% of the vote. In addition, the Electoral College has the effect of turning close elections into landslides when the electors are counted, with the result that the President becomes the elected head of the United States, not just of those states with the most people in them.

Aside from this criticism, though, Stewart's effort is a good one and an enjoyable read.

The QA department where I work already has one of these books, which I actually read cover to cover a ways back. I decided to get one for myself to keep as a handy reference when I am not physically on the job, but thinking of it and planning out my testing. This is a must have for anyone in or interested in the QA/Software Testing field.

I was trying to become a better project manager in our small and new software firm. We had lots of problems, and especially with the QA of our product. This book helped me (and still does) understand the approach and the idea of testing software.
We managed to greatly improve the quality assurance process. Even before this book I knew testing is fundamental to the software development, but now I now "why" and most important "how".

Practical software testing from practicing software testers. Much of the time, books are written with an attempt for the author to launch some new iteration of their career and so forth thereby confusing the application, message and usefulness of the book in question. This book is very simple. It discusses, problem, approach, solution, experience and commentary. Though never as wonderful as being mentored first-hand by an expert, this book is practical enough to leave you with near first-hand experience of how to think through 'what to test', 'how', 'to what extent', etc. No book will solve your testing problem. This book simply takes you on the path of though evolution towards doing such.

The book was very helpful for me as a beginning QA Specialist. I would recommend it for background and foundational info.

I think that Cem Kaner's book was perfect 20 years ago. Right now it's very funny in most chapters. For example we have a whole chapter for printer testing. I don't think that more than 1% of programmers are working now directly with hardware. Also, we have many examples for computers with 640Kb or RAM. Many examples and test types are expired. I was confused why editors didn't remove them or change. Anyway, I recommend to read it as an overview. Moreover, this book is more like reference, not a book for reading. So, buy it and have in your library.

Micheal has an annoying little sister Tara. He feels he is always being blamed when Tara misbehaves.
The sibling's father brings home an old cuckoo. The dad sternly tells Tara not too touch it. This gives Micheal an idea.
Once alone with it, he messes with the clock. This action leads to a big mistake!
Micheal goes to bed waking up to a birthday he had celebrated earlier. He tries to fix the flop party, failing once again.
The further in time he goes back, he worries of no longer existing,as frightening thought for a teenage boy?
Can he do it? If he makes it back, will everything return to normal!?
While many horror stories have some sort of monster, fear here lies in the unknown.

i liked this story and it was good but not that scary actually it was the first book i've ever read. i read it first when i was 10 years old and i enjoyed it.

Michael Webster is always getting in trouble.And he knows it's because of his bratty sister. Tara the terible.But now something else is about to make michael's life worse. I liked this book. But it started to get boring
annie walls

I made the mistake of reading reviews before I read the book - and half of them seem to refer to things that didn't happen! Michael's little sister doesn't threaten his life, the bird doesn't attack Michael and the shopkeeper doesn't tell a scary story about the clock.

Michael is 12, big brother to seven-year-old Tara, a top contender for "Worst Little Sister in the World". He gets blamed for everything she does, and that's no accident! Tara sets him up, over and over, even ruining his birthday and embarrassing him in front of his friends. When their father brings home an antique cuckoo clock that Tara can hardly keep her hands off, Michael sees a chance to get even. Twisting the head of the cuckoo to face backwards, Michael is sure Tara will be blamed. That doesn't happen, because when he wakes up, it's his 12th birthday - again! - and they don't even own the clock yet. Michael needs to turn time around again before it's too late (or early...) for him!

Stine's horror story for kids is too funny to be horror this time, but it's worth reading anyway. You'll appreciate your own siblings a little more - unless they're worse than Tara, which is hard to imagine.

In This Story, Michael's dad bought an antique cuckoo clock. When Michael turns the cuckoo back, he is stuck on a time warp.