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I simply adored every detail of _Two Truths and a Lie_. How rare for a popular-fiction mystery novel to have true character development *and* a plot! I'm one of those who always figures out the who-done-it way too early and finds little reason to finish the book (except to skim the important bits to see that I'm right). This time, I didn't want to miss a word all the way to the end. Dair, Peyton, and their friends, family and animals were real down to the last detail. Anyone who has ever struggled with an addiction (or loved someone who has) must read this book. Also a must for understanding compulsive lying.

I've never read another book which combines two subjects so well. Another author might have written a murder mystery without the caracter depth of this novel, or a relationship oriented story without the suspense that grabs the reader. This novel is definately on my top 10 favorite list. Of course this may just be the absinthe talking, but I can't wait for Kittle's next masterpiece.

Dair Canard has problems, big ones. A compulsive liar with a drinking problem, she has a husband that seems to have something to hide, parents who have separated, and a close friend whose recent and suspicious death was bizarre to say the least. Dair's life is definately spiraling out of control, and her lifetime of lying is starting to take it's toll.
This is a well written page turner with just enough twists to keep the reader guessing. My only criticism would be that I found the "animal telepathy" angle a little difficult to swallow. Even an animal lover such as myself grew tired of the endless references to the character's pets. That said, this is still a enjoyable, albeit unusual mystery novel worth reading.

It is scary how real these characters were. As a matter of fact there were times that I had to put the book down and walk away from it because I felt such a strong connection with them. I say bravo a job well done and a toast to a book that is the finest I've read in years. If you only read one book this year pick this one up you won't feel sorry. The narrative is beautiful, the characters are life like, and even the animals have a personality of their own. There is not a single place where the book falters or gets drab. It will grab you and won't let go until the very last word.

"Dair was a habitual liar. Not pathological or anything, just...recreational." Thus begins this story about lies, deception, and what happens when the truth is sometimes less believable than the lies we tell. Let's face it we've all been guilty of telling "little white lies". Stories we enhance, niceties we introduce to spare someone's feelings, the occasional all out fib. Whether we like it or not, lying is part of human nature.

And it is with this introspective into someone who has spent her entire life telling little (and sometimes not so little) lies that begins our story. We meet Dair, on the way to pick up her husband Peyton from the airport, plotting the lie she'll tell him to explain why she is late. It is the accident, or apparent suicide she witnesses on the way, which truly does make her late, and turns out to be stranger than any fiction she could have concocted.

From here a web of lies, not only Dair's, but also everyone else's, begins to spin out of control. We meet Peyton, her husband, who has his own demons to contend with, we learn more about the reasons behind Dair's "habit" of stretching the truth. We meet Dair's mother, with her unusual talent of communicating with animals. We learn the identity of the alleged "suicide" victim, and his relation to all the players in this book. And we open up a whole lot of questions in the process.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, not even having a clue what the story was about (it was sent to me by a friend), and so was glad to discover that it was full of twists and turns and surprises. The characters were very real, and easy to identify with. The author creates a world not unlike the world her reader's live in, and therefore, these characters could be our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers. Their secrets and their lies, possibly making them people we don't truly know. The relationships between the characters were realistic, deep, captivating, and I could identify with Dair, I felt for Peyton, I adored the cranky upstairs neighbor, Mr. Lively. But it was the "secondary characters" in this story, the animals, which really tied it all together for me. Katrina Kittle did a wonderful job of making the pets as much a "cast of characters" in this novel as the humans. Shoddan and Blizzard, Peyton and Dair's dogs, with their huge personalities, Captain Hook, Mr. Lively's parrot, with his extended vocabulary, Dair's Chickadee, they were vital to this story, and added a nice twist to the mystery and the drama.

For me, this book had it all, great character development, wonderful storytelling, mystery, humor, a bit of sadness, fantasy and realism. A+

Though Disney hasn't released the DVD yet, it has been released through affiliates who have links to disney.com. Search "Song of the South" on your web browser and you should come up with it. I think Disney is afraid to release it under their name, but are doing so undercover. I got one. The live scenes are a bit fuzzy, but not bad. The cartoon characters are clear and apparently were digitized. I doubt it will be on amazon for awhile as the sellers are few and want to maintain a higher price.

I am so glad I found this. Does anyone else think it's ironic that they changed the tar baby to a tar bunny?

What a treasure! Please release this wonderful film on DVD. It makes many important social comments & is very entertaining. This is one of Walt Disney's hidden treasures.

Please release Song of the South for all of us who remember seeing this movie as a child. I would love to share this movie with my child. It will always be one of my favorite movies. My mother, my sisters and myself going to see this movie is one childhood memory that I will always cherish. Please consider making this excellent movie available to us. Thank you!!

Song of the South is one of the most influential movies that I saw as a child. It shows us how to be happy in a lot of different situations. To have a positive attitude. The minority group should be very proud of this movie because the stories Uncle Remus told were positive reflections of life.
This day and age we need more old stories of being happy in tough times. Please release this movie. It is a part of history that should not be hidden.

Well written, Biblical, and stimulating. We are considering using this book as a tool in a men's Bible study.

Theological sound. Encouragement for women to not be afraid of "Theology". The author is Biblically sound in her doctrine and how women can relate to other women and others in her life; whether a crisis or just daily living. A very much needed message in this post-modern world.

When Life and Beliefs Collide was suggested to be by a man. I was skeptical to say the least. However, it is one of the most faith affirming books I have ever read. It is inspirational, informative and interesting. It makes me laugh and cry all on the same page!! Our book club is reading it and while some were not sure at first about the topic of theology, by the third chapter they are all hooked. It is a must read!!

When Life and Beliefs Collide is one of (if not THE) best books I've read in a long time. Definitely worth your time.

For more information, my online review is available here.

This was an absolutely wonderful book. I think that all women (and men!) should be required to read it. I had already come to many of the same ideas and conclusions as the author before reading the book, but she manages to say things in such a clear, coherent way that I truly enjoyed and benefited from reading the book. I bought copies for many of my female relatives. They all thought it was very thought-provoking (in a very good way), thanked me for sending it to them, and are now passing their copies on to their women friends. Don't miss out on this great book.

This is a general comment regarding Hacking Exposed series. I owned Hacking Exposed (first edition) and then I moved to the more specific Hacking Exposed books, so now I've got Hacking Linux Exposed, Hacking Windows 2000 Exposed and hacking web Applications exposed. All those books absolutely worth it, do not hesitate to buy any of them.

Don't run Windows without it. An in-depth windows security book written for those who do not understand geek. Easy to read and chocked full of info provided to save you from common (and not so common) windows sins. Definitely for the home and enterprise network user/admin.

If you are responsible for a Windows 2000 server and do not have this book, you are asking for trouble. Get it today!!!!

Excellent book which helps you secure your system from the attacker's point of view. It makes you think as a hacker to be able to find the vulnerabilities in your machine/network.

My security officer loves this book because it allows him to send me emails guaranteed to keep me up at night. ;-)

I was a bit disappointed in this book. After the first 20 pages the quilts just merged into one another - the same kinds of colours (rather boring) and fabrics and most of them are stars or use other triangle pieces. Nothing that really 'grabbed' me and said 'Wow, this is a great looking quilt'! The instructions can be helpful for other projects, so it was not a total waste. I like my quilts colourful and to make a statement, not mousy and drab. Sorry, hope it doesn't put someone off buying it, but that is how I feel.

This book was in excellent condition, however, it reeked of cats! If you know what I mean. I love the book and have used it a lot (after airing it out a bit.)

One of the best quilting books I've purchased. There are so many quilts that I want to make from this book. This one is worth the money. I've referred back to it often.

This is THE book for any quilter .. beginner or experienced sewer. Beautiful quilts and complete instructions. A MUST HAVE for any quilter's library.

I had made 4 quilts before making one from this book, so I would describe myself as between a novice and an intermediate-level quilter. Even though I have some experience,
1) I am disappointed that the instructions are not more detailed (e.g., "assemble the blocks as shown on page such and such"). I can figure it out, but it would be nice if the instructions were more specific.
2) I also find that I don't sew well enough to profit from the shortcut techniques they reccomend at the beginning of the book. My pieces do not match up well when I use those techniques, so I find myself resorting back to the way I used to construct these pieces.
3) I only like a handful of the quilts in the book. However, I am constructing one that I am very pleased with, so I guess it's a matter of personal taste.

In general, I think this book has a nice assortment of quilts, most of which don't seem terribly difficult to make. I'm glad I have this among my quilting books.

It could be science fiction
myths...
unrealistic scenario,
but certainly it is amazing.
So much work went in the
preparation of this book.
So much details.
My God!
It is really amazing....


S. Mahdi, Cairo, Egypt.

The artwork in this book is fabulous. It's a neat little companion book for sci-fi fans; it has wonderful illustrations of all the various organisms that have been portrayed in some of sci-fi's classic and canonical works. And along with those illustrations? Little one-page write ups on their biology, social structure, etc.

Once I saw that there was a Velantian in this, from E. E. Doc Smith's Lensman series, I was sold, and had to get it. Done as a page by page look at each species the artwork is excellent, and these are the sort of funny looking monster types that kids like too, so it can work on more than one level, most definitely.

Good book. I have owned this since I was a child. It was a great portal into many of these classic Sci Fi books as I would have never heard about them otherwise. Barlowe has a fantastic nack for bringing life to these aliens. Highly recommended.

I enjoy art books, mainly books of fantasy art. But this book is more a sci-fi art book, and a very good one at that. Mr. Barlowe did a excellent job with the illustrations in this book. I read H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness." I had a hard time visualizing the Old ones described in that novelette. But Mr. Barlowe helped me greatly by including them in this volume and even summarizing their history. I would love to see how Mr. Barlowe would visualize all the creatures in my book, Tales of Ancient Xenar. I know he has a fantasy art book and I hope to see that one very soon. And to be honest, the only thing I am disappointed about is the fact Amazon.com ony allows a max of 5 stars. This book deserve well more than that.

It really is a complete guide. I am 26 and facing a hysterectomy and this book answered every question that I had. It helped to educate me on what's going to happen during surgery, recovery and the long term. I am a lot less afraid to have this procedure.

Very informative and thorough guide to ALL aspects of a hysterectomy - reasons for needing one, choosing the type of surgery, what will happen during surgery, recovery time-table, & post-surgical issues. Written by a gynecologist who consulted colleagues, themselves experts in sub-specialties, when she needed to. The book is crammed with information and written in a conversational tone that is sprinkled with humorous tidbits.

I am in a high risk cancer group, and had a prophylactic hysterectomy resulting in surgical menopause. Unfortunately I found this book at the library AFTER my surgery. I read the entire book anyway, because I wanted to be fully educated on what I had gone through and what was ahead of me.

I had an excellent surgeon at a teaching hospital, but this book would have been a great resource 6 weeks ago! Kudos to the author, and I hope it gets revised as new HRT treatments and studies are released.

I think this is the best book (easy to read no-nonsense, authoritative) on hysterectomy. This doctor had good, sane advice. I underlined lots of it.

After you read this, for the "sister to sister" book about what REALLY goes down once you decide to have a hysterectomy, get the Hyster Sisters book or visit their website: www.hystersisters.com

The combo platter of these two books should help you like it's helped me.

I'm in the process of planning for a hysterectomy. I read this book BEFORE I interviewed surgeons. It was an extremely helpful resource for me to understand the various procedures to perform a hysterectomy, to learn about the decisions I need to make, and to fully understand the pros/cons and risks. As a result, my time in the doctors' offices has been much more valuable because I was better prepared. I highly recommend this book!

I thought this was an Awesome book on the subject. It is a Must for anyone needing or planning to have a Hysterectomy. Info for both before and after. Would also be a good idea for partners to read as well.

I love this cookbook! The recipes are wonderful as well as the cultural tidbits. I was an exchange student in Belgium and whenever I feel "homesick" for my home away from home, the recipes in this book are the cure!

I use this cookbook lots. The recipes are not complicated and very easy to follow instructions. The dishes we've made so far are all great. My grandfather was Belgian so it inspired me to try the cooking, so glad I did!

I purchased this book for a Belgian-themed party I was hosting, and was not disappointed. Although it was a bit sparse on quick, easy to put together party foods, it had enough recipes that I still had a tough time choosing which to make. Everything was delicious, and well-described in the book. My guests were impressed. Nothing I chose to make was any more difficult than Ms. Van Waerebeek led me to believe.
My advice is to buy this book for adventurous, Belgian-themed dinners, or if you enjoy reading about a real person who had ethnic cooking techniques passed down through her family. It is just right its descriptions, the author gives great, brief backgrounds to help you decide if you're interested in making each recipe. It's clear she is very familiar with the cuisine.
If you have an interest in this type of cooking, you can't go wrong with this book!

I am a Belgian living in the US and I bought this book in 1996. I vouched for it being authentic and still representative of how people cook today. Even busy families know that sitting together at the table at the end of the day is a great way to unwind and to strengthen the body and mind. They value the time to listen to each other while eating slowly (no tv or other distractions). My friends and family in Belgium may sometimes bring ready made food (excellent quality is available there) but all know how to cook, do it often, and enjoy the process as a way to relax and nurture the family.

People can keep up because they know that every meal does not need to have many courses. For example, I went to a restaurant-brasserie recently in Brussels where one of the day's specials was a plate of asparagus: 6 big, flavorful white asparagus with a mousseline, chopped hardboiled eggs & parsley sauce, with bread and a glass of good wine it was a satisfying and delicious meal.

So, some of the recipes in the book are for special occasions or for the weekend, the smaller dish can be used as weekday meals when time is scarce.

I use this book often and all recipes work as described, are easy to follow, and include all the information that is needed for a successful outcome - unlike too many cookbooks with attractive pictures but missing information.

I have two friends over for lunch tomorrow and I am going to serve the waterzooi of scallops with garlic bread - quick and easy to prepare ahead of time, always delicious.

As an American living in Flanders for many years I can vouch for the authenticity of the recipes and the quality of the results. There's a lot of good stuff in here, and it's well worth the purchase. I would only urge you not to read this book as a travel guide! The author must have been away from the country for quite a long time and her cultural information is pretty dated, or she is looking back with rose-colored glasses. For example, for all the romanticizing about Belgian home cooking I don't know anyone under retirement age who actually cooks much - the women are all working just like everywhere else in the world nowadays and most of this stuff gets bought in stores, not made at home. It's telling that she describes learning to cook at the shoulder of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, but that she herself is a professional cook - about the only job where people have time to prepare time-consuming dishes anymore, including in Belgium.

Also, much to my astonishment she describes Belgium's beautiful coastal villages - a month ago coastal development was voted by readers of 'De Morgen' newspaper as the worst blight of many blights on the Belgian landscape perpetrated by builders and a lack of city planning - a long wall of concrete apartment blocks overlooking the sea that is so ugly it has to be seen to be believed. The beaches are nice, but only with your back to the towns. Similarly she goes on about Belgians' love of vegetables...being from California I can only laugh at this one. Hardly anything interesting is grown in this climate - if you like green beans, cauliflower, endive and leeks you're in major luck, but once you've had them a million times you realize why people drink so much beer here - it puts you out of your misery.

The reality of today's home cooking is that it's meat and potatoes, with some boiled winter vegetables. Belgian cooking has moved to traiteurs and restaurants, and with all those people working and not cooking, incomes have improved, and they eat out for both the classics and for upscale cuisine. Restaurants are amazing - the quality is incredible for the price. So this book may describe a bygone era, but still characterizes the culinary heritage very well. It's comfort food for all those dark, rainy days.

I just bought this book based on the reviews and will be returning it. We live in Sausalito and the Marin Headlands are essentially our backyard. I bought the book to find new areas in the Golden Gate area to explore but when I looked at the area I know well, the Marin Headlands, the information ( map and route description ) were inaccurate and misleading.

This book is excellent but readers should know the authors have recently revised it for 2004/2005. They've added more maps and photos and a section for family outings. The easiest way to find the new edition is to click on the authors name. Note the title has changed slightly too. It's now Golden Gate Trailblazer: where to hike, walk, bike in San Francisco and Marin.

My vacation to San Francisco lasted three weeks. I bought Golden Gate Trailblazer when I arrived and walked many miles with it as my guide. Treasured memories are Limantour and McClures beaches at Point Reyes National Seashore which I never would have found on my own. There's so much more to the Bay Area than Fisherman's Wharf and the cable cars and traffic. This book excels when it comes to organization with maps in every section and a very detailed index. I highly recommend it to hikers and walkers who have never visited this part of California's coast. Like me, you'll probably be surprised at all the places these local authors have packed inside.

San Francisco was only a brief stopover and this book opened up all the possibilities. It turned my vacation upside down with all its trail recommendations. The book is so well written and well researched. I've loved using it and recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of history along with their exercise. The restaurant recommendations were too cool. These guys are real pros.

Simply said . . . wow. What a find! High on my list for seeing all the offbeat and major sites around the City and along Marin's rugged coast and bay wetlands. For years I've been the chauffer when guests come and stay. Now I just hand my friends a copy of Trailblazer and tell them to begin at trail #1, The City. For trails in the Golden Gate National Recreation area and Mt. Tamalpais, this is the most detailed book. You really get a feel for northern California and its history by reading it. Maps are A+ too.

I just bought these books for my four year old neighbor's granddaughter.
I used them with my son and he was reading and writing (albiet phonetically) by the time he was 3 1/2. Unless a child is dyslexic or has an auditory learning disability, McGuffey is The Way. This is how children learned to read before everyone got 'so smart'. The school systems would be be smarter if they went back to this.

I love the stories and poems. They warm the hearts of my children as well as my own. They are tender, thoughtful, wholesome, without any glut or glitter. But they do sparkle with beauty and they fill the mind with goodness.
Other reviewers have brought to light that there is an anti-semetic theme in some of the stories for older children. So far, I have not found even a hint of this type of sentiment. Even if there was, and if it was a minor allusion to such sentiment, rather than an overiding theme, I would teach my children that it's wrong.

I bought these for a friend who teaches an intro to teaching course. He uses them to emphasize a back to basics approach to reading and values. The binding is sturdy but a bit cheaper and flashier than I anticipated.

With all the reviews here, there isn't a need for another one lauding this series of readers. Our experience might prove helpful to some. Our oldest daughter completed reading the McGuffey Primer when she was three years and eight months old. She finished reading the First Eclectic Reader a couple of weeks before she turned four! [From there on she read at will and we didn't keep track of when she finished the rest of the books.]

The point is that this is a wonderful way for a parent to teach their son or daughter to read very early. You don't need to wait for an incompetent school system to teach reading; your bright child can already be reading and understanding what is read when he or she starts 'formal' education. As long as you make it fun, and show proper 'amazement' and pride when he or she sounds out a new word, your child will almost certainly want more lessons than you have time to give!

Finally, I can't say this will happen to your child, but when our daughter graduated from high school, Mensa (the group for people with IQs over 140) contacted her to join. She probably had a genetic marker for genius intelligence, but I am sure that part of the reason for her high IQ is due to the basics and discipline she learned by reading the McGuffey Readers before she started school.

The set of books will be beautiful, if I ever get the complete set. The set I was shipped was incomplete. Packed Incomplete from the publisher I assume. It is a seven book set and I was sent six. I was told another set was being sent to me, and I hope I live to see them. It has been over a month since this all started.

There is no excuse that I can think of for a set to be plastic wrapped from a source, and for the set to be incomplete.

I'm sure that this will not be posted.