Bonds Books

I bought this book two years ago and couldn't follow it. After reading other books I found in surprise that I understand what he is talking about now (books not about the same subjects though). The book is well written and I finished the first five chapters. It has many scary formula but the good thing is the author does provide simple examples. It would be even better if he could provide some simple spread sheets for people to play with. I bet he has them. Formula are for mathematicians (I got a master in Math but still I don't feel easy at reading formula. You have to keep one thinking what i is and what k is and they location in the matrix and so on). Well the first 5 chapter is all about covariance matrix and no arbitrage drifts, I bet the later chapters have sophisticated stuff ... it will keep my commute to new york interesting

My avid reading kept jostling out superb hot ideas from this book. Rebonato carries out a comprehensive survey of the LIBOR market model. He tackles historical background, calibration, and effective implementation. The later chapters also cover extensions to the LIBOR market model to take account of smile and skew. In particular, there is extensive discussion of the cutting-edge Joshi-Rebonato stochastic-vol, displaced-diffusion LIBOR market model.

If you are working on the pricing of exotic interest rate derivatives, this book is a must buy.

I am not qualified to write a review of this book, but neither is the above author as his "review" is nothing more than an uninformed assault on modern finance.

In fact, I submit, that said reviewer knows nothing of finance whatsoever.

(Since this book happens to be well regarded, I'll give it a five)

It's hard to believe a reviewer with such a myopic view of Derivatives pricing could go through the whole book, understood it and found time to rate it. Mindblowing waste of time !
Few hundreds years ago, he would have recommended burning the Madmen claiming the earth was round.

Anyway, while Derivatives Pricing achieves little for the welfare of mankind, the recent need for assets based on ever complex market scenarios calls for a more refined pricing methodology. There no supply and demand here, only customers who want hedge/trade/tradge assets /liabilities and traders who need to make sure their firms don't go burst when market move.

The author answers that demand by formatting and publishing his papers.

A complicated body of mathematical theory, developed over a period of about 30 years, addresses the question: how should derivative X be valued if we know certain parameters, especially the volatility of the price of its underlying asset?

But why exactly does the question need answering? After all, the price of X, like that of its underlying, is determined by the point at which the demand for X is equal to the supply of X. One doesn't need a computer for that, one just needs a liquid marketplace. I can look up the price of a share of Microsoft's equity in my daily newspaper. I'm not tempted to develop a body of theory to figure it out, when I can flip through a few pages and find it.

Nowadays, I can also look up the price of a standardized option to buy Microsoft in the newspaper. In 1973, when people like Fischer Black began developing this body of theory, that was not yet the case.

This brings us to the point of my little sermon. The purpose of this body of theory is to produce a price figure in cases where there is not a liquid market for X. The theories answer the question a portfolio manager must often ask himself: if I were able to find a buyer for X, how much could I charge for it?

This book has its moments, but in general I believe this body of theory accomplishes less than its adepts believe. The imagery of a God-like Newton on the dust jacket indicates, I submit, some of the pretentiousness that gets into their ivory towers.

I ordered this book to be read and discussed in a church book club discussion group. Most of us agreed that the book has some wisdom, particularly involving the concepts of trusting God and handling life's challenges with prayer. One of our group members is a widow who related well to Marion Bond West's description of early widowhood. However, the book seemed poorly organized and the writing lacked strength and depth.

When life became overwhelming, testing author Marion Bond West's faith in God, she found herself praying for confidence and belief - and her spiritual memoir shares her story and how this new approach changed her life. Her twin sons struggled with an auto accident, bipolar disorder, and addiction - when her husband died her faith was sorely tested as a single parent. Her wellspring of inspiration translates well to this vivid memoir: a top pick for any spirituality library.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

In an instant, your life can change from calm and peaceful to one filled with personal trauma. Where do you turn for peace? How do you find God's help and comfort?

The key points of PRAYING FOR MY LIFE by Marion Bond West are captured in the prophetic words from Habakkuk 3:17-19, which describes a difficult personal plight. In part it says, "Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation." The phrases from these verses create the section divisions of Bond West's personal story of dealing with adversity.

The mother of four, Bond West writes movingly about the difficulties she faced with her fraternal twin sons, Jon and Jeremy, after her first husband died from a brain tumor. Over a four-year period, this now-single mother had to look after these "strong-willed" brothers who stretched every boundary and limit.

In an early chapter, Bond West describes her fears when Jon and Jeremy, as 35-year-old adults, are patients in two different hospitals. Jeremy suffers his fourth car accident, while on the other side of the city, Jon is hospitalized with a fever and a life-threatening bacterial disease to his hand and arm. Just when you believe Bond West is carrying more than a human can bear, she's challenged to say "no" to a grown son who wants to move back home.

In a modern sense, Bond West's personal experiences capture the emotions of the prophet Habakkuk, and she declares her own determination to follow God in faith no matter what happens.

Each chapter ends with a pointed personal prayer related to Bond West's experiences in that section. As she grows through the life-changing situations and walks in faith, the reader's faith is also strengthened. Not every chapter relates to her family --- several sections deal with befriending nearby neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Farmer. Despite her hardships and struggles, Bond West never stops believing and never stops praying. She continues to experience the transforming power of God in her life and in the lives of family members, providing hope to readers that they too can continue to move ahead through life's challenges.

In this well-crafted book, Bond West uses vivid dialogue and rich, engaging prose to relate her experiences. Anyone can gain strength and encouragement from these pages.

--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin

Do you feel like you're on the verge of losing hope? Marion Bond West has been there, and in her powerful spiritual memoir, she'll show you how she survived with a little known prayer in the book of Habakkuk.

Now a grandmother and contributing editor for Guideposts magazine, Bond West has had to overcome early widowhood, raising four children as a single mom, and dealing with rebellion, substance abuse, and bipolar disorder in her adult sons.

Marion's honest, transparent writing will restore your hope.

I loved this book, and it's the kind of book you write your name in so when you loan it to people they'll be sure to give it back to you. (I've already loaned mine out twice so far!) Each chapter is a stand-alone story that demonstrates how God brought the author through a trial -- sometimes funny (as in the time she fell through the flooring of her neighbor's attic trying to take care of a cat) and sometimes painful (as in having to say good-bye to her adult son who was leaving for a treatment center).

But always, you feel a little bit closer to the heart of God when you journey alongside Marion Bond West.

-- Christian Women Online Book Buzz

It happens to everyone--unexpected experiences in life. It seems like Marion Bond West had almost more than her share of difficulties. When the experiences of life seemed almost too much to bear, she turned to prayer and found unusual strength and peace.

The theme of this book uses, Habakkuk 3:17-19--some little known verses from a minor prophet in the Old Testament. The world crumbled around Habakkuk as well yet he chose to follow the God of his salvation. It's a timeless choice which Marion Bond West makes in this book--and each reader can make as they reflect on these experiences.

Here's a book loaded with hope and encouragement for the most challenging of life's experiences. I recommend it.

I have added this book to my library and the book is very good and a fine addition to my current library.

the book is the reprint of a number of articles published by the author over time. It is well written, and the information is definitely of high calibre. It is however best used by limit holdem players; as no limit holdem strategy differs widely from limit strategy.
With that proviso in mind, i think those interested will find their dollars recieve fair value from the author.

This is one of the only truly great mid-limit books I've read besides Ciaffone's. A collection of some of Cooke's Card Player articles, it lays out the thinking processes of a VERY solid mid-limit player. Once you get inside Cooke's head here and follow his logic, you will understand why mid-limit is such a great game to play, and how much there is to learn before you can beat it regularly.
One of my favorite poker moments came about five years ago, at four am in the Bellagio 30/60. I'd been there for 16 hours and was stuck about four dimes. I should have gone home a long time before but I decided to prolong my misery and see what I was really made of (some of you know exactly what I'm talking about). I'd been running good the month before and could afford the loss but I really wanted to know how long I could keep playing my A-game while getting crushed on the river time and again. I'd never had such an unlucky session (nine flopped sets, one of them held up!, etc etc) and to this day still have not, knock on wood but who's superstitious? Certainly not any gamblers I know.
So I'm in the six seat at this fast seven-handed game, hoping to see something finally hold up for me, and down plunks Roy in the three seat to pull off the graveyard shift on a Saturday morning, a fine time indeed to find some very live money. We played a couple hours, very friendly table with tons of action and even without any good hands I managed to steal a few pots by playing tight and bluffing at flops and turns everyone clearly missed. I was feeling good about cutting my loss by a dime or so and was talking with Roy about life in general, his real estate biz, his wild younger days, etc. I hadn't mentioned I'd read his writing as that would be unfair to him while he stalked the unwary prey at the table (though in reality we were the hunted!).
We both started laughing about how bad we were running; he couldn't catch a river to save his life either. After it got four-handed at 7 am and the live ones were gone (except me) he said, "I knew you were a local pro within five minutes of sitting down. For how badly you're catching you're playing some really great poker." When I told him I was just another dumbass tourist who had moved up to 30/60 from the 15 a few days before, he said he was genuinely surprised that I hadn't been playing this limit for years.
It was one of the best compliments I've ever received, and it highlights how great this book is. After reading this and Ciaffone I had a fair handle on the basics of not-basic-at-all mid-level Vegas poker (a much nittier world than the Commerce), and to hear that confirmed by one of my teachers was a great feeling.
That's all I really need to say about this book. Read it well and frequently and it will show you how to play very solid aggressive poker at limits that can pay for your Vegas excursion and then some. Cooke has a good sense of humor and is easy to read, and his discussion of his editor/friend John's errors are very entertaining and informative. Roy takes you through each decision in a hand and it's one of the most simple and useful formats you'll find in poker writing.
That said, the competition at the 30 and 40 games can be very tough indeed, and it takes more than book smarts to win consistently. You need brains, balls, heart and some luck as well to make that happen. I've certainly had my swings at those tables, but beating them is a great feeling when it happens, because you know you are now a truly solid player who can play with some of the best out there.
The no-limit tv games are entertaining, but if you really want to watch the pros who live off the game without sponsors and backers, sweat these games. They are a major education, and Cooke helped educate a lot of those players.
I am glad to report that while he was running cold at that game he took all his beats like a gentleman, was always gracious as a winner, and was a pleasure to play cards with. And in the end, that means a lot more than running good and stacking chips.

In each chapter, Cooke focuses on one hand. He lays out the scene, how the hand played out, and what his thought process was on each hand.
His goal is to make as much money as possible on his winners, and to lose as little as possible on his losers (a good goal).
While sometimes he may come across as a bit of a know-it-all, this is an invaluable book that addresses many of the issues poker players face at the felt, including Pot Odds, Implied Odds, how to play in loose games v. tight games, short-handed v. full games, and more.
Each chapter is about 3 pages, making this an ideal book for those who don't often have large chunks of time to devote to reading.
If you play Limit Hold 'Em and want to make more money, buy this book, put it in your bathroom, and read one chapter a day. Your game will be better for it.

REAL POKER II: THE PLAY OF HANDS offers up a winning set of his Play of Hand columns from 1992-99. From right and wrong plays and misreading to deciding when to call, REAL POKER II: THE PLAY OF HANDS is for avid players who would be better.

I purchased the book in order to get some depth on the inner workings of code access security and version management as it pertains to strongly named assemblies. In neither case did the book offer anything more than a rehash of the documentation -- and not in a particularly well thought out or organized manor.

My only criticism of this book is that it wasn't released sooner. Security for VB.NET covers what should already have been part of the VS.NET help or MSDN online library. I *love* the chapters on role-based and code-access security, which actually explains how you would use this stuff in real life. But my favorite chapter is the one on locking down Windows, IIS and .NET - this is exactly what I was looking for, a simple, unambiguous checklist for how to secure the platform.

When I first saw this book, I thought "How can they write a whole book on security?" So out of intellectual curiosity, I started flipping through the pages. It was like getting kicked in the stomach, not because it was wrong, but because it was right. It made me fundamentally re-think how I write my code and really shifted my whole mental image. Too many times developers think that if an app does what users want and runs fast and is reliable, that's all there is to it. Not anymore. The most killer app written wouldn't impress anyone if it got hacked and cost them a lot of money. There days, too many people are trying to hack your stuff, and having your app busted is no less 'bad' than having a logic flaw miscalculate tons of money. Moreoever, security breaches often make the headlines so it's a lose/lose for everyone if your security is breached.

The good news... buy this book, follow their guidelines religously, keep up to date with security issues, and sleep easy at night.

Security is becoming an essential topic and there is a lot of information available already, but up until now, no reference that brings it together for the VB programmer. I was after a book that gave me the basic knowledge for writing secure apps. This book is great.

Ed Robinson and Mike Bond have previously written about VB migration. I often find that authors like the rest of us mortals grow in our jobs and this book is very well written. It starts out with the basics, and gets more advanced as the book goes on. I like the fact that the book has loads of example code which is designed to be cut-and-pasted into your applications.

As a final note, I think this is definitely one of the best MSPress .NET books. Unlike the other security books, which seem to be rushed to be first to market, this books is well thought out, and created by people who know VB.NET as well as knowing about security. This brings security down to earth, and is more relevant to the VB programmer than anything else I've read on security. This book is worthy of five stars.

I was a little bit skeptical to buy this book since Amazon hasnýt put up a description yet, so I went to my local bookstore to check it out. I got to readin it and couldnýt put it down. I was never really sure if my VB code was secure or not.. Iýve read other books that are heavy on security options, but light on recommendations. This book gave me both the options and recommendations. It told me exactly what I needed to do to use encryption in my program. Something I was never able to figure out from the documentation. Plus it gave me plenty of other ideas on how to make my VB code better and more secure. Now I feel like Iým in control of my VB code again. It was well worth the trip!

Agree with much of the prior review. That said, if you can find thinly traded warrants (i.e., where there is less pricing efficiency due to the low trading volume), this book presents a very workable strategy for the individual investor. In addition, the book does outline an approach for hedging the "warrant component" of convertible bonds. In my opinion, the key is to stay in the low-volume (and, therefore, more market in-efficient) securities, so that an individual investor can use one's small size as an advantage by trading where the larger funds cannot.

The basic premise of this book is to long stock and delta hedge w/ out of the money warrants. This was great when the tax incentives encouraged corporations to sell bonds w/ detachable warrants rather than selling convertible bonds. In addition, valuing the warrants was tricky prior to the use of the Black-Scholes model. This strategy - delta neutral covered calls - is profitable when the market has peaked out but you can get your handed to you if you employ it in a scenario such as '99-'00. Further their reocmmendations that you short more as your warrants fall is very dangerous - shorting a lot of gamma. The warrant game played itself out and the authors made a a lot of money. This is a very interesting book written by a very profitable hedge fund manager, but I would not recommend attempting to replicate this strategy w/ LEAPS. Pricing is much tighter now so your margin of error has dramatically decreased

The strategies in this wonderful book are only employable in Asia now, and in very limited ways (often insurance and bank stocks and bonds) but you take a lot of liquidity risk, so I'm not sure if you are still paid alpha over an expected return.

Still, a marvellous read. Pre-dates the Black-Scholes by five years, but in a replicating portfolio no-arbitrage method (which implies a lognormally distributed expected equity return) which Thorp then correctly pointed out was arbitrageable.

This book also serves as a curious filter rule. Those who read this and understand the old world and Thorp's method most likely can see current methods and models and break them down and differentiate them into tractable and fantasy. Credit structures who've relied on standard cash-flow and default probability metrics would have done well to start with Thorp to see how what they construct can be de-constructed by clever boots who see both the strengths of the original construct, and the copula methods and correlation assumptions in the structure (and its decay) to make arbitrage opportunities. In other words; if they read Thorp and "get it" they have a lower likelihood of being hoodwinked going forward.

E. O. Thorp has made a tremendous career from finding opportunities and properly exploiting them as advertised in this ground breaking book. There is no one in the financial world who has had a better risk-adjusted return than Thorp for the last 30 years.

Virtually unknown is the fact that years before, Thorp invented/discovered the formula that is attributed to Black-Scholes, with the exception of the risk-free interest rate factor, because of existing market structure that prevented interest from being a factor.

And Thorp's treatment of the Kelly Criterion makes this a standout work.

Since many have never read this book yet or tried to apply the principles that Thorp revealed in this book, it would be easy to dismiss this as some worn-out idea that has come and gone. Far from it. There is a reason that the few copies that were printed are still in demand.

The old saying is that those who can, do - while those who can't, teach. Thorp proved that he was the former.

If the principles from the book are understood the execution in different markets becomes apparent. In the last 20 years, I have applied the method in different forms in stocks, futures markets and LEAPS, with returns that exceeded the benchmarks stated in the book, with the same relative safety factors.

As long as there are people making investment decisions; who change their views as to whether a tradeable is cheap or dear, the opportunity for this method will remain infinite.

The concept IS the thing.

This is both my first Toko Kawai manga (dunno how I've overlooked Our Everlasting all this time) and my first 801media title. I thought I'd be disappointed since most of the "compilation" yaoi titles I pick up end up having disappointing title stories and underdeveloped filler shorts. However, I was not disappointed with this title, which was both surprising and refreshing.

I didn't have a problem with the translation like the previous reviewer, though that might be because I have come to expect lower standards in yaoi localizations (and have read a lot of mediocre scanlations in my time). The packaging (not the dust jacket, mind you) actually had one color picture, which I wish more manga did (for the price we're paying they can throw in a bonus color page, right?). The dust jacket itself features the apparent mascot of 801media, 801-chan, a sailor-uniformed yaoi fangirl. She reflects in the inside rear fold in a four panel extra comic that an uke is not supposed to be taller than his seme (possibly alluding to the fourth story pairing in the book), much to the chagrin of her boyfriend standing nearby. Very funny.

The first of the four short stories in this volume is definitely the strongest. It being the title story it is also the longest and probably the most explicit of the book, though most of the book is pretty tame by general yaoi standards (love scenes, but not particularly graphic or drawn out). I'd have to say my absolute favorite panel in the book, though, is in the second story, Situation, in which the main character, Yoh, reflects as an adult on his former childhood teacher's words of discourangement for his love of his male best friend: "Thanks for implanting those words into my head... You b****. Please die." The panel just jumped right off the page and I was hooked.

None of the stories are particularly original in their content, but Kawai does not seem to be the type of mangaka that sacrifices story depth for graphic bits. Her love scenes are reserved for the genre and her characters are very human, not polarizations of seme/uke stereotypes. They are presented as kind-hearted men with real life issues, many of which focus around their conflicting feelings for one another (cliche, but effective). Even in the "fantasy" story, Kitan Garden, even though Prince Fiona is from a magical flower kingdom and finds himself in the human world as a naive and cute boy, he still struggles with his short time to enjoy the company of the human man that he has come to love. It also helped that Kawai's character designs were never particularly girlish. It's hard to believe a yaoi situation about "normal" men when half of them might as well be flat-chested girls.

My only real disappointment was in the unresolved feeling I had about a couple of the story arcs. I felt like the first story in particular could have benefitted from one last passionate love scene between the two men in their reunion. It would have helped give a little more closure to the story, especially with the anticipation Kawai created earlier in the "piercing" scene. Getting us excited about something and then not following through is called "teasing," you know.

In all, I'd recommend this title if you want some short reading without lingering attachments. If you're looking for the really hardcore stuff, you'll better be served somewhere else, though.

The stories presented here were originally published in 2000-2003, and show the development of this manga-ka. Her author's notes at the end are not the usual hyper-humble fluff--she is very candid about what she tried to do in each story, and about the last one, "Sakura," she begs to be excused from saying anything at all. "Sakura" is, indeed, a cliched piece--but even so, Kawai-fans will see the beginning of several themes and character types here that will be used more effectively in her mature work.

Typically for this kind of collection, the longest and best story is the first one. "Bond[z]" is one of the most explicit stories in the Kawai canon. As with all the best of her work, though, it is the emotional shocks that really stay with you. The other two stories in the book are good reads--neither of them are typical of her later work, but they are still distinctively Kawai.

I was surprised at how poor the translation is. The quality is several notches lower than the average DMP/June book (801 Media is an affiliated publisher of DMP). In a couple places the dialogue makes no sense. Most often, though, it is just awkward and clunky. It's a shame DMP couldn't maintain quality in this area, because the other production values for this book are very good.

4 stories here by my favorite mangaka. The 1st one of the same title centers on the relationship between 2 close friends, Tomo and Keita. They have girl friends but one summer day changes everything. This story is kinky, sexy, emotional and "angsy" as Tomo and Keita become obsessed with each other, their passion escalating after each secret encounter. The sex here is explicit.
The second one is my favorite and just so heartwarmingly sweet, touching and cute. Yoh and Akira are childhood friends. They obviously love each other. But their relationship is hurt by one teacher's remark. Both seme and uke here are extremely likable.
The 3rd one is the mangaka's first attempt at fantasy. This story between a gardener and his rose is melancholic, bittersweet and really gets to you.
The 4th story is think "Roman Holiday". The plot here is predictable but still pretty enjoyable.
Overall a great collection to have indeed!

Nothing too explicit, but does show a bit. This oneshot collection is pretty good. Bondz is the best of the collection, but the others are good as well. I like this one a lot (like a guilty pleasure).

Hello. Our names are Samantha and Angel. We are currently students of Mrs. Ciardullo, but you may know her as Rebecca L Frencl. We have never actually read her book, but we love her anyways. She is an amazing language arts and reading teacher and she is very insightful, creative, and intuitive!! She is the greatest, and I'm sure you'll be happy to know that she is an author and teacher who cares about her students. We look forward to reading this book, and any books she publishes in the future!

WE LOVE YOU MRS. CIARDULLO !!!

I am Mrs. Ciardullo's student, which means I know her. The book was fairly well done - I'd want to give it 5 stars, but the brilliance of Salvatore and Weis And Hickman and Tolkien rather dims the light of this book. I personally envisioned Rae as my teacher Mrs. Ciardullo. My favorite character is NOT Daro - I rather like Rae more than her partner. I'd prefer more of magic and such, but that's my opinion. After all, it is a well writen book for a high-school student. This can also be called as historical fiction, for no supernatural powers are seen in this book. It can actually happen, and that's what makes this book special. It has a sense of closeness and reality to you - unlike Hocus Pocus mages running around shooting goblins with their fire arrows from their fingertips.

good

Bonds of Blood, Bonds of Steel was a very youthful attempt at writing in my favorite genre. I wrote the book when I was a freshman in high school, and unfornately, at times you can tell. In addition to writing it very young, the publishing company had a few problems in their typesetting department. It's not a very well edited book. In fact, some of the spelling errors make the English teacher in me cringe. Overall though, it's fun book--I had a great time writing it and I certainly hope that people enjoy reading it. It has memorable characters (Daro's my favorite), and a very detailed world that begs for more exploration. The idea of assassins on the side of good was fun to play with--I loved creating the governments--and there are a wealth of stories out there for me. I hope to continue exploring the world of the Assassins of Codoria for years to come. In then end, though, it's a book that is overall a satisfying read--there are some truly beautiful scenes (I like the masquerade) and if it gets a little dramatic at times, it fits the character (Rae's a tad on the hyper side.) Enjoy! I look forward to any comments anyone has. Rebecca L. Frencl

Feldman has written a book that is part thriller, part history and part social commentary. They are all seamlessly interwoven to create a thrilling narative with an intellectual, almost scholarly underpinning. Feldman, an attorney, writes with the clarity of a legal brief that has found poetry. The author tries to understand the motivations and psychology of the protagonists without sympathizing with their horrible deeds. Even his asides concerning the position of women in the United States at that time, serve to provide a context for the story and never lapse into soapbox rhetoric. This is a book that gives you much to think about and will stay with you long after you have put it down.

Standing upon a masterful analysis of archival materials, Ben Feldman's reconstruction of antebellum New York is alive with teeming streets and the buzz of commerce, the strivings of its warring classes, the machinations of politicians and newspaper editors, and the lures of vice and crime. For this reader, it bridged the gap between the remote beginnings of the city and the one that is familiar today. Only a true love of New York could produce such a work. And remarkably, all of this is accomplished within a story of suspense.

Fascinating social history of New York City in the pre-Civil War era and an intriguing portrait of a woman's tribulations in maintaing not only social class but the basic means of survival. The book is also an excellent portrayal of the criminal "justice" system of that era.

An excellent historical review of a sensational murder in the early/mid 19th century. Well written and will hold your attention as well as most novels. Also, for this story, you can see where the bodies are buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

The book arrived in a very timely manner and was in great shape. Thank you!

This book is good. I purchased it as text for my class. It has all the information required for my class so I am satisfied with it.

Perfect information book for anyone trying to understand financing or is in the mortgage or real estate business.

I used the HP-12C financial calculator instead of the TI Real Estate BA calculator with this book. One of our agents who is studying for the broker's exam used my HP-12C along with Mr. John A. Tirone's excellent "Professional Real Estate Problem Solving Using the HP-12". The Tirone book covers more than enough to get one through the california real Estate Finance book, and you can do it easier with the HP 12 C, at least that is my thought on the matter.
One problem which gave our agents trouble was on page 354 of the California real estate finance book. It is an bi-weekly loan payment problem: the example in this book is exacly the example that Mr. Tirone has in his HP-12C real estate problem solving book (a bi-weekly loan with $100,000 PV, 10% annual interest rate, amortization-loan term of 360 months!). However, the answers are different! Who is right? Whose is wrong? we called Mr. Tirone to go over the problem and he gave us a Finance Lesson, true to form we hear! Result is we know there is a typo in the term of the bi-weekly loan on page 354; not a big problem, off by just a little bit. Again, Professional Real Estate Problem Solving Using the HP 12C rules the day!

Now that Casino Royale has been released as a movie I decided to reread the book to see if it held my interest as several readings before, and yes it did.

When Ian Fleming set pen to paper to write about things he knew well, having been involved during WWII with such matters, he tailored the figure of Bond on things he not only knew well but fashioned Bond after many things he, Fleming, spent his entire life pursuing. While Bond is not an exact clone of Fleming he is most certainly somewhat Ian Fleming's near shadow.

This first book not only establishes a style and pattern of writing for the other 13 books in the Bond series, but sets a new enemy before us: SMERSH, short for SMYERT SHPIONAM which translates "Death to Spies". And in the case of James Bond in this first book he gets the ideogram for SMERSH cut by a knife into the palm of his hand. As Bond would later say in another book, "he got the point".

The location of the story is Royale-les-Eaux and casino, situated as a resort in N.E. France. Since the book was first published in 1953 that may be an approximate time for the action, and it most certainly has to be a few years after WWII from references made by Bond. Quite a bit of the story is set at the card tables within the casino involving the card game baccarat. Other than 'M' there are only 5 main characters: James Bond, Vesper Lynd, Rene Mathis, Felix Leiter, and one of Fleming's most interesting creations: Le Chiffre or the cypher. And had it not been for the intervention of SMERSH, Le Chiffre had the best of Bond and would have killed Bond in this first novel; Le Chiffre certainly came close enough. Sub characters concern a group of Bulgars or Bulgarians who are hired hit men trying to use several camera bombs to blow James into tiny, little pieces. The reader's interest is held to all of this as the story unfolds, what could have happened 50 years back is quite plausible yet today, too.

As Raymond Benson states in synopsis of this first James Bond novel: "Most atmospheric of all novels; most serious and violent of all novels; Bond at his coldest and most ruthless.". I would also add as the reader arrives at the end of the book, a most philosophic James Bond, and through his philosophy as he speaks to Rene Mathis, James gives us his reasons to continue on with the "00" number. He explains that his number is 007 and the "OO" number is only given to agents after they have killed two people in cold blood prior to becoming an agent. When he begins his lengthly philosophy Bond seems bent on resigning from the secret service, but by dialogue's end, he has convinced himself he must, however, take on this new evil: SMERSH.

And as all of us having both the books and DVDs know quite well, it has been and continues to be, one glorious and bumpy adventure, one after the other.

If you are a newcomer to James Bond and decide to read the books, and that is really the only way to come know Bond, it is advisable to read them in the order written. Though they stand independently, one from another, and can be read as such, reading in sequence will allow your knowledge of things "Bondian" a gradual growth. As in this first novel we find that Mr. Bond wears suits that cost $6000.00. Now in the 1950s that could amount to 2 year's salary for most factory workers! Just one of many other inside items never finding its way to the silver screen.

Good reading, shaken but never stirred.

Semper Fi.

This is not only Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel but one of his best. It is richly textured, well written, clearly defines the Bond character and has survived not only as good literature but as a great period piece of the 50s. It also gives us a glimpse of the often unseen smoke filled cocktailed night life found in Europe's plush casinos of that era. Clearly, James Bond is a worldly character that lives and breaths in this unseen world described by Ian Fleming in this novel. James Bond can easily adapt to any locale or situation, size it up and endure. He is both innovative and resourceful and he must rely on his talents and instincts to survive. This is a very good Bond novel. The interestingly designed retro cover too adds to the ambiance.

I was intrigued to read the book after seeing the movie, which i really enjoyed, and wWas excited to see that some of the film's strains (there were things that seemed incongrous) were efforts to stay loyal to this book. In surprising measure, the film does.

"Casino Royale" gives the impression of a much more human Bond than the film character, and the new film captured that as well. Fleming's 007 is not the unflappable quip-ready playboy made popular in cinema, instead favoring the grittier portrayal carried off in the new film.

It's not all grit, there is an element of sentimentality that seeps through in the novel, and many of Bond's interior monologues in the novel are reminiscient of Bronte.

All in all, I found the novel a quick reading and enjoyable spy story. As someone in my 20s, it was interesting to get a taste of espionage fiction from before the digital age, and Fleming's narrative is happily not overburdened by the gadgetry of even the early Bond films.

In his first published adventure, Ian Fleming's James Bond is despatched to the dangerous arcade of Casino Royale, where nothing is ever as it seems, to gamble a decadent Soviet operative known as "Le Chiffre" into oblivion in a winner-take-all game of Baccarat. But the unexpected lurks behind every corner, and Bond must put his trust in the beautiful but enigmatic Vesper Lynd. In the end, only one man can hold the winning card...

CASINO ROYALE is chronologically the first of Ian Fleming's legendary Bond novels, and indeed it is one of the finest. Atmosphere and characterization are at the heart of Fleming's Bond stories, and CASINO ROYALE is exceptional even by Fleming's usually high standards. Bright lights and the air of expensive cigarettes radiate from each page, and the whole is a taut, rarely-equalled example of the Cold War thriller. 007 himself is introduced as the ruthless, rather sinister assassin who set the archetype for all secret agents to come, despite the best efforts of some of the movies to turn him into a playboy with a gun fetish. The unreadable Vesper Lynd adds sugar & spice to the plot, and in my opinion makes for one of the two most alluring of all the Bond Girls (rivalled only by Tracy from ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE), and the intense hot or cold affair between she and Bond is a real stinger. Despite the relatively spartan action scenes, notwithstanding one of the most horrific torture scenes in popular literature and a purely theoretical weakness which the excellent 2006 movie more than makes up for, CASINO ROYALE never wants for suspense, and once it's begun the novel is almost impossible to put down. A classic not only of the spy genre but as a drama, CASINO ROYALE is most heartily recommended.