Reviews Books

It's the best Commander Toad book! I like them all. They all are great. The monster in this one was cool.

Commander Toad is a delight. He's "bold and bright", though not quite as bright as he thinks. His crew (an amalgam of loose takes on Star Wars and Star Trek characters) puts up with his prideful ways, because he is, after all, a good leader. Together with his mixed-gender crew he gets into and out of a wonderful series of scrapes. This book is the first in the series.

Jane Yolen writes for kids. For example, when Commander and crew are threatened by a sea monster who makes it clear that they're about to be lunch, I asked my 4-year old what he thought would happen.

"Shoot him with a ray gun," he answered.

"I don't know," I said. "I think that they'll find out that the monster's just lonely, and they'll make friends."

Turn the page, and BAM! Lt. Lily, Toad's female weapons master, is blasting away (to no effect). Thanks, Jane. Only you could make a story about a bunch of space-explorer frogs be true-to-life.

Jane Yolen also writes for the adults who read books to their kids. There's nearly a pun a page, and the Commander's ludicrous solutions to problems have a germ of genius unrestrained by the laws of physics that will have you shaking your head over his cleverness.

Buy this book, or regret the lost opportunity.

It's a short and enjoyable read. The book should stay on the near shelf, available for review.

This book is an excellent compilation of (all?)the research on what actually works in community building. It is an absolute "must-read" for anyone or any organization who/which is interested in community building. Their organized listing of key elements which must be considered is very helpful and good checklists to the practitioner to determine if all bases are covered.

For any collector of classical music this book is a must have resource. Keeping ahead of, or even up with the amount of classical recordings in today's market is a near impossibility, but with some help from Penguin you can at least make an attempt to. I find some disagreement with some choices and know that I find they leave out some of what I consider to be good recordings, but it's mainly just personal taste, I have never been unhappy with a recording I purchased based in the recomendation of the Penguin staff.

As has been the case ever since I began reading these wonderful guides in the late 80s, this volume updating the complete 1999 compilation of the Penguin Guide is comprehensive, entertaining, and highly informative. It contains reviews of thousands upon thousands of new and reissued CDs, which are full of wit and insight and which are up to the authors' usual high standards. The separate alphabetical listings on invididual performers, which unfortunately were omitted from the 1999 guide because of lack of space, are incredibly valuable.

Why go to college? Is it to put off working? To have a fun time? Are you serious? Do you really understand? Is it --- just the thing to do? Did you know you can learn everything you need to by reading independently? Why don't we just do it like they do in France ---show up the first day, do all the study independently, show up for the exam at the end? The "Complete Book Of Colleges" is great. But, it doesn't answer the above types of questions about what this whole higher education thing is really all about --- what America's founding fathers, especially all-time education guru Thomas Jefferson, said was critical for college to accomplish for both you and America. So, let me give you a free heads up that will help you to understand, make the right decision, and save you from making a life-altering mistake down the road. Before doing anything, I recommend you first read the only book about understanding college --- "West Point", by Norman Thomas Remick. It's a book that explains in simple language , through Thomas Jefferson's founding of West Point (hence, the title), the reasons for having colleges in America. It brought all the questions about higher education into clear focus for me. For the first time, even as a professional, I really understand what it's all about. So will you. The book could have been called, "Life's Most Important Questions, Answered". It's the first book every college seeker, and college advisor, should read. Once you have a correct and intelligent perspective on college, then go through the great 5-star reference, "Complete Book Of Colleges", and find the right college for you.

I remember the uncertainty of the college search... Being the eldest of three children I did not know where to begin my quest for the perfect college. Frustrated by the lackluster quality of my overworked and underpaid guidance counselor, I sought an answer based upon one of the most prestigious and trustworthy names in the world of college reviews. The Princeton Review has quantitatively and qualitatively laid down the facts and fictions of individual colleges and universities throughout the United States of America. This comprehensive and full-scale review of institutions of learning provides even the most uncertain or apprehensive student with vital information to help facilitate the all-important college selection. I highly recommend this invaluable resource for anyone embarking on the first steps to obtaining the goal of higher education.

If you are studying for the American Board of Internal Medicine Cardiology Boards or some other similar exam, this is the text to purchase. It covers many common yet important electrocardiograms that will frequent board questions. I studied for the Cardiology boards with this text, and found the examination questions to mirror many of the electrocardiograms in this text. As the coding is so similar to exams, it provides excellent preparation material.

So many books try and explain ecg's in language that is understandable to the practicing RN but this is the only book I've found that is useful. I'm buying a new version to replace my very worn out one.

This has got to be THE number one quick review book out there for the massage exam! Every single question asked in this book was on the exam and if not in question form it was in the easily formatted reading sections. I liked the space in the borders for writing on and used it for notes. The other book by ashton is good too. I used both and aced the exam!!!

This is the only review book I used for the NCBTMB's exam, and I passed. EVERYTHING on the test was in this book. The information is formatted and presented in a format that is easy to study, and easy to remember. Highly recommended.

Very well written and practically laid out. Superior to Novak's, Kistner, or Danforth.

I found Comprehensive Gynecology to be the best text I have read in this field. It is clear and consise yet comprehensively summarizes the current literature on each topic. Each chapter begins with a glossary of terms and ends with an excellent point by point review of key concepts. The text covers basic sciences, comprehensive evaluation of the female, general gynecology, gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility. The chapters are well organized and include a synopsis of the current literature. I would recommend this text to anyone studing for fellowship exams. I have also read Copeland's Gynecology and in comparison found Comprehensive Gynecology to be superior in organization and readability.

The layout of the book is very helpful. The chapter's are full of information and at the end ask a few questions. Gives great explanations instead of just a book full of questions. This book went over information that was very helpful and that I had not covered during my radiology classes. After taking the pre-Rad exams, I was glad I had read the book.

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I really never understood TCP/IP until I read Randall Raus' book, Computer Networks. I didn't really "get" the Internet, especially the interface layer, before reading this book. I recommend it highly to anyone who would like a clear, theoretical explanation of networking and the Internet.

Calvin Ross, author of The Aliens of Summer and The Frugal Youth Cybrarian: Bargain Computing for Kids.

Computer Networks Super Review by Randall Raus is packed with solid information. It explains the highly technical concepts of computer networking in clear, easy to understand language, and covers hot technologies such as DSL and transmission over fiber-optic. Unlike many other texts on networking, it doesn't move to quickly or bore the reader with needless repetition. It is also well organized and has many useful diagrams and tables to help the reader grasp complex concepts. Microsoft Press could learn a few things from this author! A must for the serious student of networking! Victor Roszell, MCSE, BA English.

The great thinker Whitehead made contributions in the fields of education, logic, mathematics, metaphysics, philosophy of science, physics and theology. Whitehead's process philosophy was developed into process theology by Charles Hartshorne in works like The Divine Relativity.

This 1920 publication consists of the Tarner Lectures in the philosophy of science that feature Whitehead's assessment of the impact of Einstein's theories on nature. He argues for taking events and the process of becoming as the starting points for analyzing reality. This organic interpretation is not simple, but it does make more sense than the abstract concept of matter as assumed by the scientists of his time and many philosophers.

In his work of the previous year An Enquiry Concerning The Principles Of Natural Knowledge, Whitehead explains the method of extensive abstraction. This method of abstraction defines e.g. a formal element like a point in terms of a series of similar shapes encompassing and extending over one another. These and similar thoughts are further developed in The Concept of Nature.

Rejecting the dominant dualism, Whitehead defined nature as that which is disclosed in sense experience. This does not mean the simple awareness of particular sensations but instead a profound consciousness of a spatio-temporal passage occurring in nature. Within this passage or movement, he distinguished between events and objects.

Events are occurrences that, while they may overlap, are born and then pass away. Objects on the other hand are constant and may be considered as recurring patterns. Whitehead ascribed the uniformity of nature to pervasive patterns providing the quality of permanence.

He rejects the idea of nature as a mere aggregate of independent entities, each capable of isolation. According to this notion, entities form the system of nature by their accidental relations so space might exist without time and time without space. The relational theory of space is an admission that space without matter or matter without space cannot exist.

But the separation of both from time is still accepted. Whitehead's alternative is that nothing in nature could be what it is except as an ingredient in nature as it exists. There cannot be time apart from space, because every event forms part of a whole and is significant in the whole. Likewise there can be no space apart from time.

Our knowledge of nature is an experience of activity or passage. Events are active entities; their relations with one another differentiate into space-relations and time-relations. But this differentiation is comparatively superficial, since time and space are each partial expressions of one fundamental relation between events, which is neither spatial not temporal. Whitehead calls this relation Extension: it is the relation of including and does not require spatio-temporal differentiation.

The book was extremely challenging to read; I had to go back constantly to revisit and properly assimilate previous passages in order to proceed. And Whitehead uses mathematical formulae that I am not familiar with. But people with a solid grounding in the natural sciences will have no such problem. A determination to understand at least some of this great man's ideas was certainly rewarded in reading and studying this book.

The chapters are titled: Nature and Thought; Theories of the Bifurcation of Nature; Time; The Method of Extensive Abstraction; Congruence; Objects; Summary, and The Ultimate Physical Concepts. The book concludes with an index.

Whitehead's more accessible works include Religion in the Making with its beautiful definition of the Eternal Divine and Adventures of Ideas with his thoughts on inter alia history art, beauty, truth, freedom. He cautioned against complete certainty and rigidity of thought, warning that evil results when mankind transforms the partial truths that we are able to discern into whole truths. This came to mind as I was reading Chantal Delsol's The Unlearned Lessons Of the Twentieth Century that echoes Whitehead's insight.

For me, Whitehead's metaphysics resonate in the same way as that of Michael Polanyi and Frithjof Schuon. His economic and political persuasions, derived from his observations on force, slavery, persuasion and commerce, reflect the views of the great economists of classical liberalism such as Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek.

This book from 1920 consists of the Tarner Lectures in the philosophy of science and features Whitehead's assessment of the impact of Einstein's theories on nature. He argues for taking events and the process of becoming as the starting points for analysing reality. This organic interpretation is not simple, but it does make more sense than the abstract concept of matter as assumed by scientists and philosophers for so long.

Whitehead criticizes the idea of nature as a mere aggregate of independent entities, each capable of isolation. According to this idea, by their accidental relations entities form the system of nature. In this theory space might exist without time, and time without space. The relational theory of space is an admission that space without matter or matter without space cannot exist.

But the seclusion of both from time is still accepted. Whitehead's alternative is that nothing in nature could be what it is except as an ingredient in nature as it exists. There cannot be time apart from space, because every event forms part of a whole and is significant in the whole. Likewise there can be no space apart from time.

Our knowledge of nature is an experience of activity or passage. Events are active entities; their relations with one another differentiate into space-relations and time-relations. But this differentiation is comparatively superficial, since time and space are each partial expressions of one fundamental relation between events, which is neither spatial not temporal. Whitehead calls this relation Extension: it is the relation of including and does not require spatio-temporal differentiation.

I found the book extremely challenging to read and had to go back constantly to re-read and properly assimilate previous passages in order to proceed. And Whitehead uses mathematical formulae that I am not familiar with. But people with a solid grounding in the natural sciences will have no such problem. A determination to understand at least some of this great man's ideas was certainly rewarded in reading and studying this book.

The chapters are titled: Nature and Thought; Theories of the Bifurcation of Nature; Time; The Method of Extensive Abstraction; Congruence; Objects; Summary, and The Ultimate Physical Concepts. The book concludes with an index.