Ball Books

This book is about Mr. & Mrs.Stupid and their kids; Petunia and Buster stupid have a silly costume ball. I liked this book because the stupids are always so funny and they do everything different and wrong. This book would be good for a girl or boy 10 and under who wants a laugh.This book has funny and great illustrations.
It is an awesome series.

I read this to my daughters when they were children (now in their early 30's with children of their own). They loved it then and asked if we still had the "Stupids" books. Couldn't find them so ordered new. The cycle continues with healthy laughs and silly references to the Stupids when our family does something equally stupid (well, almost equally). The Stupids Step Out is still the favorite of all. The Stupids Have a Ball is a very close second. This series is much more healthy and child-oriented than the "Dumb Bunnies" in my opinion. The Dumb Bunnies are hilarious, just not as clean-cut and simply funny.

I dare you to read The Stupids Have A Ball, out loud to a ten year old and not lose your composure. The Stupids are, as they say, one taco shy of a combo platter. No, make that two. Mama Stupid wears buckets for shoes and the painting of Mount Stupid is a of a completely flat lawn.
The telling sells the whole thing short, this is a marvelous, laugh-yourself-sick cartoon book from a series. Kids get it when they start to laugh at incongruities, maybe age seven, maybe later. Grown-ups get it too, but it really helps to have a kid handy when you read it.

Lynn Hoffman, author bang BANG: A Novel

Harry Allard and James Marshall once again create a masterpiece, featuring the Stupids. Everything about this is perfect - the plot, the details, the illustrations that add the perfect counterpart to the text. I read this book with my family as a child, and we frequently had to stop to catch our breath because we were laughing too hard to read. Can't wait to read it to my children.

I wasn't as touched with the story 'The Tale I Told Sasha' as I was with the illustrations. My goodness, the watercolor and sketches were so breathtakingly beautiful the story was easily forgotten.

Have you ever lost something? Then follow a little girl on a magical journey as she chases her small yellow ball over the Bridge of Butterflies, across the Field of Lesser Beasts, through painted trees, to the place where all lost things are found in the enchanting picture book, The Tale I Told Sasha. Nancy Willard explores just how far a young imagination can go on a rainy day, through her writing in this concept book first copyrighted in 1999. The vivid illustrations are the true art in this children's masterpiece, as illustrator David Christiana paints the unimaginable with captivating dimension in brilliant color. Whether the first or five hundredth time through this breathtaking book, The Tale I Told Sasha will reveal something new and deeper in each and every reading. The words, few and powerful, are capable of intriguing children and puzzling adults time and time again. Even the end-sheets of a golden hue and the cutout title page are thoughtfully created and tastefully executed. Williard and Christiana should receive smiles of approval from both young and old, as the truth of all that shadows may hide is revealed in their phenomenal children's picture book, The Tale I Told Sasha.

It's the poetic tale of a girl who lives a simple life. her house plain and small, yet her imagination is so deep that she is able to make the most out of a simple little thing like a yellow ball. Illustrations are gorgeous and the story is rhythmic.. My kids love this book and so do we!

The poetic and thought provoking adventure that unfolds through the course of this book is quite captivating in and of itself, yet I believe the fantastic watercolors that illustrate the tale are beautiful and eye catching enough to stand on their own, if needs be. Whether you have kids or not, this book is a collectable for anyone who appreciates this kind of creative eye-candy.

This book is wonderful. It provides full instructions for making temari with photo illustration. This book is excellent for beginners that have never tried doing temari. Everything is written in an easy and understandable format. Even my 15 year old girl could make one all by herself

nearly twenty years ago, i bought a temari ball in little tokyo in los angeles. i was fascinated, but had no idea of how to learn. (not living in l.a., looking for instruction in little tokyo was a non-starter.) i was thrilled several years ago to find a temari instruction book.

i was less thrilled when i tried to follow the instructions.

having just taken a class in beginning temari making, which made everything much, much more clear, i have acquired a couple more temari books for advanced instruction and inspiration.

of the three i own as of this moment, this one has the clearest diagrams, and some of the best instructions and photos. ludlow mentions 'minor' points, such as when to hold the thread in position, that make actually accomplishing the design possible. the diagrams are varied, from 'maps'(the way a globe is flattened to a map) of the patterns to diagrams for stitch directions and where each section of the design starts. the photos are clear, and include some that show method, as well as those that show the finished product.

there is even a section with line drawings to show how to develop patterns from the various divisions, a great help for designing your own.

this is an excellent book for the beginner (and i wildly applaud anyone who can teach themselves this craft from written instructions)and for the somewhat experienced. ludlow's advanced designs may not be as advanced as some in other books i have seen, but she certainly does well by the beginning and intermediate crafter.

A very basic book of the more simple Temari patterns, which could be good for the first timer. If you have already attempted and mastered any Temari you'll probably find it a bit disappointing. There are some interesting variations on basic designs, but use your own colors. For someone wishing to make their own base mari, there are very good step by step directions, and overall the directions given for the book contents are clear both in verbage and photo illustrations.

As a beginner to the craft of Temari I must say that I found this book to be very clear and concise with easy to follow instructions and some excellent hints to make the constructon of the basic mari very easy to attain.Also appreciated was the instructons on making tassels etc. to add the finishing touches to the completed ball.All in all I would heartily recomend this book as an excellent beginners manual.

For anyone who has stood in awe of the splendid architecture of Notre Dame de Paris, Saint Denis, or Chartres itself, this is a delightful book. In his engaging and smooth prose, Philip Ball guides the reader through the religious, social, and philosophical milieu that produced the quintessentially Gothic cathedral at Chartres.

The essence of Gothic architecture is hotly disputed (Ball navigates neatly through the variety of scholarly opinion), but it certainly incorporated into a unified whole a number of different elements that had previously existed--all for the purpose, it seems, of achieving a soaring height and lightness inside, heaven on earth. Contrary to what the name suggests, Gothic was really a French style, and Ball discusses Chartres in the context of the nearby and near-contemporary cathedrals, especially St Denis, Sens, Soissons, and Strasbourg. (He occasionally brings up the adaptations of the Gothic style further afield.)

Like many other important churches, Notre Dame de Chartres was erected on an even more ancient sacred site: a sacred well (not a druidic temple, which is a Renaissance misinterpretation of Caesar's writing). The earliest churches that stood over Chartres's sacred well (which can still be seen in the crypt beneath the cathedral) were wooden and burnt down repeatedly: rebuilding was undertaken in 743, 858, 1020 (at which point the bishop Fulbert decided to make it an impressive Romanesque cathedral), 1134, and finally in 1194. At this point, it was decided to rebuild in the new Gothic style--a style introduced in the west front and choir of St Denis that had been completed a half-century before.

In a long middle section reminiscent of Ross King's Brunelleschi's Dome, Ball keeps the reader waiting to find out the answers to some key questions: Who built it? How long did it take? He explains thoroughly the intellectual context of the Gothic cathedral and its material features in alternating sections not in chronological order.

The monastic trends of the era are pointed out, together with the structure of the cathedral's ministry (and the tension between Chartres's and the local bishop); and the cathedral's original interior colors, ochre and white, are revealed. The Aristotelian, Platonic, and Augustinian foundations of medieval philosophy and theology are laid; and important figures such as Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter Abelard are profiled. The state of the art in medieval science is discussed, and its incarnation at the cathedral school in Chartres; and Geoffrey of Leves and Bernard and Thierry of Chartres are profiled. The roles of architects, masters, and builders are discussed, together with their building materials (chiefly limestone in the Isle-de-France); Villard de Honnecourt and his drawings are discussed, as are the uses of military technology in building projects. The engineering challenges of a Gothic cathedral are presented, including forces and stability, cracking and buttressing. (It seems that the argument over whether to buttress or to vault first was never really settled.) And in a chapter reminiscent of Ross King's on pigments in Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, the making of colored glass is discussed, and it is revealed why blue and red were the dominant colors in medieval stained-glass windows.

In the second-to-last chapter, Ball describes the actual building of the cathedral at Chartres, and he debunks the legend of the townspeople putting their shoulders to carts of stones in a frenzy of enthusiasm. As for the cost of the project, Ball estimates that perhaps 5% of the total cost (around 4000 livres) came from the town; maybe another 5% from the French king; a little could be expected from pilgrims who came to see the town's prized relic, the Blessed Virgin's Sancta Camisa; but most of the funds probably came from the bishop's own salary and the rents on church lands. Ball addresses the age-old question of the order of construction--east to west? west to east?--amusingly, observing as evidence against the west-to-east theory that "the nave doesn't so much join up with the west end as crash into it." The question hasn't been settled, but in any case it seems that the architects had thought they would be able to replace Bishop Fulbert's two western towers. (Just one remains--the southwest, less elaborate one.) But funds ran out, and it was in retrospect a happy accident, because it forced the architects to simplify the design (nine spires were originally planned), thereby unifying it and providing a template for the great cathedrals that followed. One wonders how things might have turned out otherwise--would the great Gothic cathedrals all be like the colossal Duomo in Milan?

This was a very enjoyable book, filled with great pictures and diagrams (unfortunately not indexed, though) and eventually answering those key questions: No one knows who the masters or architects were, but there were probably a number of them. And it took just 26 years to build, much less than the century or so needed for Amiens or Reims. This is a great book for the traveler--armchair or otherwise--who is interested in Chartres or medieval architecture.

Why would someone write a biography of a BUILDING? Well, if you've ever been to Chartres Cathedral about 45 miles south-west of Paris, you'd know why. Chartres continues to provoke us with its emotive power, and its place in the history of Gothic architecture is firmly secured at "page 1" in our texts. That's why it was so exciting when we found out that there was a new treatment of Chartres being released this summer, and many reviewers, including those at The Economist and The Financial Times, took time to present the book to their reading audiences worldwide.

Ball's treatise on Chartres is a truly wonderful additional to the evolving library of Gothic. As a person who is familiar with the literature, I can easily say that his work here will make possible the introduction of this topic to an entirely new generation of people who are captivated by this most evocative of art forms. Ball has done what can be classified as nothing less than a superb job of collating, digesting, and then restating in clear, meaningful words the voluminous amount of material that is available on the subject. And this is no small task: the topic is the subject of attention of everyone from mechanical engineers, masonry experts, art historians, medieval historians, and even education historians. I've read many of these books, and most are fascinating, insightful, and tremendously enjoyable to read. But you will find yourself having to put on your "engineer's hat" to read Heyman's "The Stone Skeleton," then put on your "art historian's hat" to read Coldstream's "Medieval Architecture," and your "photographer's hat" to read Schultz's "Great Cathedrals." There are dozens and dozens more books still on the open market just like these, and they all play an important role in helping us further understanding this fascinating topic. But Ball's book deftly summarizes and explicates many of the major themes of this content, and allows us to absorb it all in one text. I must confess that the book exceeded any expectations I had. I am thoroughly impressed.

Ball's book covers far more than the physical elements of Chartres cathedral. We peer into the world of medieval scholasticism and Platonic thought in the cathedral schools of the 12th century to investigate what role, if any, such thought had on the development of the Gothic style. We read about Chartres' predecessor building, St. Denis basilica, just north of Paris, and the impact Suger had on this form there, and consider the potential linkages between these structures. We also take a quick course on medieval construction techniques, and listen to some of the hypotheses which engineering architects have devised to explain how such buildings could be constructed without electricity or power tools. We see how stained glass was manufactured, why the blue windows of Chartres are so unusual, and even hypothesize that "Chartres blue" may have been imported from other glass foundries. We also review the varying theories of the sequence of Chartres' construction that may explain its physical irregularities (was the building constructed east-to-west, or west-to-east, and why are there "mismatches" between sections of the structure?).

There is much, much more. But all along the way, we are provided a wonderful, comprehensive introduction to the times, history, and settings of that "vulgar style called 'Gothic,'" which is regarded as one of the pinnacles of architectural and artistic achievement. If you are a Gothic enthusiast, get this book to enjoy and savor, the first new book on the subject in some time. But also buy a copy for a friend. There is probably no better way to introduce Chartres cathedral and Gothic architecture to a new generation of enthusiasts.

Philip Ball's "Universe of Stone: A Biograpahy of Chartres Cathedral" seeks to explore and explain the philosophical roots of a society and culture that produced Chartres Cathedral, an archtypical masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Balls himself admits the hurdles he faced: "Arguably, then, it is a foolhardy eneavour to say anything about 'why' Chartres Cathedral was built, which in the end what this book attempts to do. But to my mind, it is only by confronting that question that we can fully experience what this most extraordinary, most inspiring building has to offer."

Ball is inevitably limited in his efforts by the lack of extensive detailed records from that distant era, as well as by the profound differences in our perceptions of the world than those held by people of the 11th and 12th centuries.

The first half of "Universe of Stone" is especially challenging to the reader as the author lays out the background to the medieval mind: Aristotle and Plato and Augustine and Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter Abelard and the rise of Neo-Platonist philosophy with its emphasis on rational order. The pace of the book's narrative picks up when practical matters of design and finance and construction are considered, with the author citing records of numerous other Gothic building projects to explain what must have happened at Chartres. Along the way, Ball addresses and discards many popular myths, such as the design of the Cathedral incorporating mystical knowledge and that cathedral-building was a manifestation of popular civic enthusiasm.

The attentive reader of "Universe of Stone" will be rewarded with a better understanding of the medieval mind as well as the practical realities of constructing such marvelous buildings.

The Crusade of European Christians to overtake Jerusalem and Constantinople is famous. There was another crusade at the time, though, a "cathedral crusade" between the mid eleventh and fourteenth centuries. In France alone over eighty cathedrals were built, not to mention large and small churches. Arguably the greatest of all the cathedrals is the one at Chartres, beneath the vaults of which, according to Napoleon, even the atheist would feel uneasy. To examine just how Chartres works and how it can impress anyone with a sense of reverential awe is the purpose of _Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedral_ (Harper) by Philip Ball. Ball, who has written about diverse subjects like Renaissance medicine, water, and the history of pigment making, says that understanding Chartres is made difficult by all the centuries that have laid on since its construction and all the different academic and philosophical views that have often made confusing issues even less clear. Ball writes, "It is only by embedding the church in the culture of the twelfth century - its philosophies, its schools and its politics, its trades and technologies, its religious debates - that we can begin to make sense of what we see (and what we feel) when we pass through the Royal Portal of the west front." His book accomplishes this goal, clearly laying out spiritual, social, and technological trends of the era in a thoughtful and entertainingly discursive book of architectural history.

There is much we do not know about how the cathedral was built. We do know that it was built quickly, in the first 26 years of the thirteenth century. We don't know the architect who planned it all out, or if an architect actually did so, nor how educated the planners and builders were. There are no plans or models. We do know that it represented a change from Romanesque to Gothic architecture. Romanesque builders piled stones for the chief purpose of having them not fall down, and their resulting vast walls and narrow windows were a reflection of darkness and monastic seclusion. Chartres was in the vanguard of Gothic construction, changing the way the church regarded itself. It is not likely that the builders had in mind a celebration of the light of reason, but it is not far-fetched to imagine that the increase of light and banishment of the old gloom both reflected and inspired a process from fearing God to investigating with wonder God's works. Most of the hundreds of stone carvings in Chartres were done by masons who knew the stones would then be hoisted to a high nook where human eyes could never again see them. Only upon the invention of powerful spyglasses, tools the masons could never have imagined, were these sculptures seen again. The erection of the cathedral was not always so idealistic, however. Ball makes clear that those who worked on it expected to get paid, and that the those who got paid did not like the idea of volunteers doing the work for free in religious ecstasy. There is a legend of the "cult of the carts", whereby spontaneous fervor caused laymen to harness themselves to bring stones from far away, but much more likely is that any such show was organized by the clerics. Certainly, surviving accounts show that all unskilled manual work went for a fee, despite any bouts of fervent free labor.

Ball writes that Chartres is "nearly a pristine document, miraculously preserved from a distant world, bearing a message that is barely diluted." There has been a bit of remodeling and a huge baroque sculpture of the Assumption in the choir, and it is alarming that what Ball calls "the arrogance of eighteenth-century artistic chauvinism" permitted the interior to be completely whitewashed. The building never did get finished according to original intentions, because it got only two spires rather than the nine that were proposed, but it still has a unity and a clarity that few structures of the time can claim. It was also a showpiece for the era's understanding of flying buttresses, pointed arches, and ribbed vaulting, all of which are pictured and diagrammed here, along with illustrations of what might go wrong if stresses on the structures were not in balance. If you can't get there to see the cathedral itself, Ball's book is the perfect vehicle for informed armchair traveling.

Karen Ball has taken a familiar historical, Biblical situation and tweaked into a very relevant story in 2007. Not only does it work, it doesn't feel even a bit dusty.

I'm impressed with the seamlessness of this third- in-the-series book. I do want to go back and grab the first two, not because I feel like I missed something, but because I'm sure the stories are equally compelling.

What Lies Within is full of conflict and challenge which makes it a speed read. Those who love to turn pages should check further into this story.

Pet lovers, you're in for a treat. Karen is an animal lover and it is very obvious in the true-to-life details of pet/human interaction.

Finally, there is a sweet love story that should get the romance lovers' hearts afluttering.

Kyla Justice has a handsome, prominent man who wants to marry her, her construction firm is a success; she should be happy, but something is wrong. Then she meets Rafe Murphy, who was injured in the war. Rafe now owns a coffee shop, and he's definitely interested in Kyla, but she's a busy lady. Then Frederick Tischler, a friend of both Rafe and Kyla hires her to build an inner city youth center. It should be an easy job, but someone doesn't want the center to be built. From day one the site has been plagued by sabotage, injured workers, and vandalism. Kyla takes on the job, but it could put her in danger.
Karen Ball has written a suspensful story with compelling characters and a strong faith message. She takes us behind the scenes into the world of gangs and street culture.

Review : "What Lies Within" is the third book in the "Family Honor Series". Karen Ball has saved the best for last.

Karen richly develops each character and I connected with them right away. Chapter after chapter the plot thickens; and my heart raced. There are many twists and surprises revealed as the hearts of the characters Rafe, Kyla, Fredrick and gang leader King K are exposed.

The story caused me to wonder what lies deep within my own heart. As I read the struggle of Rafe Murphy - x-marine, trying to make sense of his new life; Kyla - a strong women; CEO of her successful construction company as she does her job in a male dominated field. She's as tough as they come - she has to be. The author is gut honest as Rafe and Kyla share what is in their hearts and on their minds

In the author notes Karen Ball says that this book was an answer to prayer. As I read this intricate story I could see God's message emerging from the beginning of this tale to the end. It's powerful; and enlightening in many ways.

The story starts off with a bang as Rafe Murphy (leader of Force Recon Marine Squade) is in the middle of trying to save his men from impending death as the enemy is ready to pounce on them.

When he comes home he gets involved in a war that is much more personal; something he never expected to be involved with - fighting a gang in his very own neighborhood. Rafe comes to grips with the fact that those involved in combating gangs - and those resisting them - need prayer 24/7. This is a new type of combat for him. The world of gangs is a dark, pervasive place, where humanity gives way to violence and mercy to degradation. Once in a gang the only way out is death. There is only one source of light in such darkness and that is Jesus Christ. Rafe and Kyla learn that there is nothing good that lives in their hearts - but Jesus.

At the beginning of each chapter there is a quote from someone famous and a scripture. Some of these quotes and scripture pierced my heart before the chapter did. A few of the many quotes that the holy spirit used to get my attention are "We crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret for yesterday & fear of tomorrow." Fulton Oursler

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do...Explore. Dream. Discover" Mark Twain.

"God knows all hearts and He sees you. He keeps watch over your soul" Proverbs 24:12

The impact of this book is deep. It continues to work on my heart and my mind as the Lord keeps replaying segments of this book in my mind; through my day. It makes me realize yet again that God knows what is in the depths of my soul and still loves me. He will use me if I'm willing to be willing to let Him do the impossible deep inside my heart, mind and soul. This book is a keeper. You'll want to re-read this story and discover treasure you might have missed the first time.

Nora St.Laurent
Book Club Servant Leader
www.psalm415.blogspot.com
www.noveljourney.blogspot.com
www.novelreviews.blogspot.com

Kyla Justice's construction company has been a great success, but though she is making money she feels unfulfilled as she has not given anything back to society. However, an opportunity arises to do so when a church asks her to convert a dilapidated mess into a youth center. She readily agrees though she did not realize that even Job would be pressed to remain a believer.

The Blood Brotherhood gang does not want a youth center in their territory. The owner of the site does not want a youth center built on his property as he has other avaricious plans if the construction fails. Her boyfriend Mason does not want her building a youth center in the dangerous slums. The suppliers do not care one iota about a youth center as they want top dollar for shabby material. Three previous contractors were run off or paid to leave. Now Kyla faces sabotage and worse as she remains persistent in her mission though someone targets her for harm. Only former Army Staff Sergeant Rafael "Rafe" Murphy, a local coffee shop owner, supports her quest but he has an agenda to keep her safe; he is falling in love with Kyla.

The latest Family Honor tale (see SHATTERED JUSTICE) is a terrific inspirational thriller that subtly conveys the biblical message of good deeds are important but one must give oneself to God to be with the Lord. Kyla is a fabulous center holding the plot together as she is a combination of fortitude and despair. She makes the tale as Karen Ball brings her biblical theme to life in a modern day urban gangland setting.

Harriet Klausner

A book mixing a variety of topics on the hot subject of child labor, it combines all the right elements to attract the reader. Though the lengh of the book is a little long its great ideas and intriguing subject keep you reading. This is an enjoyable book to read on a lazy day.

This book contains information about numerous human rights concerns from all around the world. In addition, it contains numerous articles and many documents. It is a wonderful research took that can be used by persons first learning about human rights, as well as by those persons who are working on post-undergraduate degrees

This is a really good human rights textbook. It covers a wide range of human rights issues, and has a lot of interesting articles. However I found some of the chapters rather difficult because of the legal jargon. Some of the things you have to read over more than once. The questions in the text focus on your personal opinions, so doing homework from this book is not so bad once you understand the questions (which for my slow brain was a challenge.) It is also very useful as a doorstop. :)

It provides an efficient and valuable on hand quick reference to the industry. Depth of the content is also right for marketing and management people who need some knowledge of the field. The book is however, too simple for Electronic Engineer. On the other hand, the pictures inside are not in good resolution. Anyway, If you need an efficient reference, it save you at least several days or weeks time in browsing internet for your requested information.

There are many books on packaging, but all of them do not discuss ALL the area array packages in details. This one does! This book include BGA, CGA, CSP, FLip Chip, HDI and MEMS. What make this book so cool is that it not only mention on the making of these devices, it also includes how to use them as in assembly.

I particularly loves the the way the arthur organizes the content. Each packaging technology is covered in their own chapter. The chapter starts with an introduction and background, the materials and processes in the making of the packages, the applications and the limitations, the process, materials like solder pastes and fluxes and equipments needed to assemble these packages.

This book is design for both packaging house and Assembly house. It is also very useful for Failure Analysis guys as well as this book enables the reader to "see" the construction, and henceforth the possible weakness, of each of the packages.

All in all, this book is written for wide range of readers, from novice to R&D guys, this book covers it all.

Three competing technologies are presently battling for position in the high density microelectronics packaging arena. In this book, Ken Gilleo has corralled all three competitors - Ball Grid Array (BGA), Chip-Scale Packaging (CSP), and Flip Chip - in a single handbook that is a comprehensive reference, problem solver, and get-smart-fast source for packaging engineers, designers, production engineers, manufacturing specialists, and those from all of the other disciplines associated with microelectronics packaging.

The book brings together contributions from many of those disciplines by many talented contributors. The 38 authors include widely-known industry stars, such as Marie Cole, Dan Baldwin, Joe Fjelstad, Jennie Hwang, Wayne Johnson, Jan Vardaman, and Phil Zarrow, as well others equally expert in their own fields, if lesser known. Of course, the multi-talented Dr. Gilleo contributed several chapters, while editing the volume and riding herd on 37 cats.

The subjects covered begin with package concept and design and move through many of the intermediate stages of development and manufacture, to yields, costs, and markets. The 31 chapters are grouped into five major sections, following the flow from concept to markets.

Concepts and Design ranges in time from the pre-history of microelectronics (vacuum tubes) to the future history of packaging for current developments such as MEMS (microelectromechanical systems). After an industry overview and trends, chapters are devoted to each a wide variety of packaging, including arrays, stacked 3-dimensional, compliant ICs, and MEMS. Ken Gilleo gives a good overview of flip chip, and Marie Cole explains ceramic column grid arrays.

Materials addresses packaging ingredients. Coverage includes polymers, hermetic getters, the care and feeding of solder spheres, lead-free formulations (including their social and economic consequences), and conductive adhesives. Jennie Hwang's 59 page chapter on solder and solder paste is practically a book in itself.

Equipment and Processes is the largest section, with 11 chapters. It begins with Dan Baldwin detailing next-generation flip chip, and Wayne Johnson describing substrate design, assembly, underfills, and reliability. Rework includes chapters both for die attach rework and for BGA and CSP packages rework. Encapsulation, process development and control, and reliability have separate chapters, as do molding, screen printing and stenciling, high speed package mounting, and ovens.

Economics and Productivity begins with metrics: how to measure productivity, if any. The following chapter on cost estimating shows how to convert that productivity to profits. Both disciplines are overlooked in many texts and most companies.

Future considers the direction and destiny, both of electronic packaging and of packaging equipment, but not of the human race, and finds it pleasing. Convergences and their consequences on future packaging, and the expected evolution of SMT equipment, bring our forward-looking saga to a close.

The handbook format allows the experts to present their topics in free-standing chapters, as if they were consultants leaning over your shoulder. This format provides more practical detail than the broader but less specialized textbook format, at some sacrifice of the textbook's breadth and structure. These chapters vary in both the scope of the subject matter and in the depth of the presentation, ranging from 7 to 100 pages (mean = 24.06 pages, sigma =17.44 pages). The 400 illustrations (mean = 0.5 per page) make for easier understanding of the sometimes complex detail. Chapter-end references supply alternative sources for exploring further along these or tangential paths.

In summary, I recommend this book for gaining an understanding of the current state-of-the-art in these three packaging technologies, as an excellent reference for a wide variety of packaging topics, and as a valuable tool for solving present packaging problems and avoiding future ones.

My daughter loved this book. It's a fun read-aloud, but not so difficult she couldn't read it to herself the next night. And the illustrations are so cute.

Babymouse is a spunky little creature with a standard set of problems (chores, homework, mean classmates), and a very un-standard imagination. The humor, artwork, and characters make these books a must for young girls. Go, Babymouse!

Josephine Anna Kaszuba Locke, a BookLoons reviewer, & book hugger, January 20, 2006,

Yes, the Annual Dodgeball Tournament is coming up, and she freaks out... Hm! our heroine thinks -- '...maybe a meteor will hit the school and stop the game.' Oh, no way, you 'better start practicing, Babymouse' if you intend to outshine your nemesis Felicia Furrypaws. Shown in cartoon cut-outs of the trademark pink, black, and white, creators Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm give the readers the scoop that Babymouse has a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning. She whaps the alarm clock with one of her books -- 'FWAP', but she must have a real heart inside her, as her decoration motif is pink hearts on her bedspread, wallpaper, cutout on her bedside table, and pattern on her clothing. She even imagines getting awarded 'The Pink Heart' medal for taking out the garbage without being reminded. Nah! she's still lingering in bed when she comes out of that dream, and is late catching the bus... again... and the school walking trail is 'long and dusty', and more than 2,000 miles long. (At least that is what Babymouse's imaginnation tells her, because she only lives two blocks away from the school!) Babymouse is good at a lot of things, like 'avoiding chores', swinging upside down on a tire tied to a tree branch, and 'sleeping'...but Dodgeball? 'BOP' 'POW' 'BAMM', Ow! so she avoids the game whenever she can, like running high temperatures, or 'spraining her ear' to stay home from school. Friend Wilson to the rescue... he helps to train her for the game, while Babymouse makes out her Last Will and Testament! You just have to give this girl mouse credit for trying, and imagining, especially on how to exclude Felicia! Does Babymouse ever become a hero? Read book two and find out, while watching for the next edition in May 2006. (From a BookLoons reviewer)

Also recommended: CHOPSTICKS by Jon Berkeley
THE NUTTY NEWS by Ron Barrett

Both my kids (aged 4 & 2) love this. It's a very charming rhyming story and quite exciting as the baby crawls off into a wood in search of his beloved ball. My oldest boy's first word relly was 'ball', just like the baby in the atory, so it's perfect for him, but I'm sure there are many others for whom a ball is their favourite toy and they will all enjoy it. Gorgeous pictures too.

Lovly bouncy ryming book I read it to my sister and she laughs her head off.she is two.

This book really appeals to my 20-month old. The text is very rhthymic -- as bouncy as the ball being described. My daughter enjoys taking the ball (a large disk attached to the book by a ribbon) and tucking it into the pockets on each page. One problem is the ribbon attaches at the TOP of the large book, further than toddler arms can reach. So you have to pry the child's fingers off the ball to be able to turn the page. Still, she really enjoys the book, and it is fun for the reader, too.

These three novels are wonderful and the introduction and notes superb. Highly recommended for anyone who has been waiting a long time to find these rather rare books in a ready format.

I must say that I immensely enjoyed these three books by Chesterton. Manalive was my favorite of the three, followed by The Ball and the Cross, then The Flying Inn. I have individually reviewed each of the three, so I won't go into them here (just look up the books individually if you want to read about them). A previous reviewer said that The Flying Inn was the only book in this collection worth reading. I strongly disagree. Manalive and The Ball and the Cross became two of my favorite books after reading them. Manalive is definitely one of the best five books that I have ever read.

As to this specific edition, I was very pleased with the in-text notes. They really explain a lot of issues, and give information about many of the (somewhat) obscure historical figures that Chesterton referrences a lot (obscure in our time, not his). I do have one complaint about this edition, though: the introductions. I do not like to have the ending spoiled for me, and I knew that introductions to Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday had spoilers in the editor's introduction, so I decided to put off reading the introduction to this collected work until I had read the works. I am glad I did, because there are spoilers for both The Ball And The Cross and Manalive in the introductions, so DO NOT READ THE INRODUCTIONS unless you want to be deprived of the surprise which Chesterton indended for readers reaching the end of his books. I am very disappointed that Chesterton's editors repeatedly feel the need to give away the endings before the book even begins. Other than that, though, this was an excellent editions of some very hard to find Chesterton novels.

Overall Grade: A (Chesterton: A+, This edition: A-)

You gotta be careful with Chesterton. When he's at his best, he can't be beat, but he was also responsible for some clunker novels. Even Chesterton's most avid readers have to admit this.

Well, such are the first two novels in this omnibus: forgettable.

The only one of them worth reading -- but it's REALLY worth reading -- is "The Flying Inn" about a future England which has fallen under the spell of a super-virile form of Islam.

However, if you are going to only read this novel (a course of action I heartily recommend), there's a much cheaper edition out there, the Dover Thrift edition: ISBN 048641910X, also available on Amazon. A much more prudent purchase.