Burns Books

Burn Notice is a great new series with main characters that bring big spy attitude to home town reality. Weston can be compared to Bond, but it is Bond attending his home town reunion without the spy car, the tux, or the toys. What Weston lacks in glamour, he makes up for in pragmatic adaptation.

The book captures this perfectly. Everything that is fun about Weston and his sidekick, the lovely and lethal Fiona, is twice as much fun in the book where the author is able to expand on it. If you like the series, you'll love the book!

Mari Sloan

Normally, I don't buy novelizations of movies or TV shows or books inspired by the same because the "voice" is seldom the same as the original visual production. I do make exceptions like the books Lee Goldberg has written for Monk, Diagnosis Murder, and others.

Since Tod is Lee's brother, and writing talent seems to run in that family, I decided to pick up a copy of The Fix by Tod Goldberg, the first in what I hope will be a long Burn Notice series of books.

The first paragraph did it for me. I swear I could hear Jeffrey Donovan's voice aka Michael Weston doing the voice over. Totally the tone, dry humor, and "voice" that has made the TV show one of my favorites.

Get this book. Solid story line and great writing. You won't be disappointed.

BURN NOTICE: THE FIX is the first in what is likely to a very short series based on the popular USA Network program. Fans of the series might want to check it out, others needn't bother. This book is very pedestrian or if you prefer very workman like, that is to say it's very average and uninspired. I'm not familiar with the author, Tod Goldberg, and won't be searching the shelves for anything else with his name on it (unless it's to avoid it...).

The concept of BURN NOTICE is that a spy has been marooned in Miami by his former employers for unspecified reasons and spends his days helping people in trouble while trying to figure out who burned him and why. All the actors are attractive and capable, the scripts are full of witty dialogue, plentiful spy craft and lots of things get blown up. It can be a lot of fun even if some of the plots leave a lot to be desired. Then again, it's just a TV show and even if the story is silly you can at least enjoy watching all the pretty people and wait for the next explosion.

And that's the problem with this novel, there aren't any pretty people to look at and the explosions are so poorly written that the reader will barely notice when they do occur. One of the trademarks of the TV series are narrations by the spy, Michael Westen, where he tells us some spy tricks or explains how the spy business works over the image of someone working on a cell phone or something with a soldering iron creating some neat gizmo that will be used in an upcoming scene. Every episode has two or three of these scenes and they actually help to move the story along and help make some of the more unbelievable actions seem believable but in this book these scenes occur far to often, usually three or four times a chapter and without benefit of the associated visuals just become more and more tedious for the reader. Some of the other reviewers speak of how well this book captures the voice of Michael Westen, well, these segments are what they're talking about and they do in fact catch the tone and style of those from the series but there are far too many of them and too often they neither aid the story nor pormote any action.

There are basically two storylines in BURN NOTICE: THE FIX that are rather clumsily brought together for the big bang conclusion that's really more of a fizzle. A wealthy Miami socialite has been brought to the brink of financial ruin by a con man husband and needs help saving her fortune. This isn't a very original plot but if done well has lots of potential opportunity for some fun high-jinks unfortunately this rather inept novelist can't leave well enough alone and has to make the poor women both a totally clueless ditz who still doesn't believe her no good husband did her wrong while waiting for the bank to acution off her house but Mr. Goldberg also has to turn her into some kind of saint who spends her money helping the families of Iraq war veterans,. (From pages 69-70: "Every night I send out hundred of emails, probably, to those poor boys and their families and I ask them what they need. And they need so much..." Sheesh!) This storyline involves mortgage fraud, wanna be tough guy real estate agents, a Blackwater-esque private security firm and a Special Forces vet who is now running a drug operation in Afghanistan. Sound complicated? You have no idea... The second plot line involves an ex-KGB lady spy who demands Michael come up with a huge amount of money or she'll have him either killed or hung out to dry as a drug lord. Why would she do this? Well, it's kind of hard to tell from this mess of a novel where a past romantic event between the KGB woman and Michael takes up a lot more space, and includes a lot more detail, then does her motivation against him.

I wasn't going to post anything about this book as it didn't seem worth the effort then a friend told me about the positive reader reviews on Amazon. As I said at the start some fans of the show may want to check it out but any serious readers, including fans of the show, should stay away from this one. If you really want to read a novelization of a TV series check out Lee Goldberg's excellent Monk series or wait for the promised book on PSYCH that's coming out next spring. Monk will give you something good now and PSYCH will give you something to look forward to. As for BURN NOTICE: THE FIX, stay away from it and if you really must give it try, don't forget to wash you hands afterwards!

Fans of Burn Notice will be able to actually "hear" the voices of Michael, Sam, and Fiona in this book. Goldberg has done a great job of capturing the vocal mannerisms of the lead characters in the USA network series. Readers will enjoy Michael's ongoing sidebars about spy tradecraft.

Michael is a spy who has gotten "burned." Which means until he can figure out who and why, he is stuck in Miami with only his training to help him survive. All his assets and access have been frozen. Goldberg has Michael dealing with two challenges simultaneously in "The Fix." A former nemesis now going by the name Mrs. Copeland has set Michael up to look like a drug dealer and is blackmailing him with exposure and arrest in order to get him to use his skills on her behalf.

Meanwhile Sam's current girl friend, Veronica, has a widow friend, Cricket O'Connor, who is living on an estate on ultra-wealthy Fisher Island. Cricket has been scammed of all her wealth by Dixon Woods, a mysterious supposed mercenary/CIA agent whom she met through an online grief support group. They married after a whirlwind courtship and now he's disappeared along with most of her money. She's not only facing eviction, she has some small-time hoods muscling her for interest payments on money that Dix supposedly owes.

As Michael tries to solve both problems, he finds that they are interconnected. Along the way he and Sam break into a high-tech security/mercenary company, scam a real estate con man in order to get Cricket's money back, and along with Fiona set up an elaborate con/fake raid on an upscale Miami Hotel in order to free Michael from Mrs. Copeland's grasp.

Fast paced, this book will thrill "Burn Notice" fans and will make readers who haven't seen the series want to tune in.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

It was supposed to be a nice lunch with his mother at a fancy hotel. Instead, Michael Weston winds up leaving quickly when he notices agents everywhere on the patio. No, he isn't being paranoid. But they weren't out for him but his ex-girlfriend Fiona. Investigating further, he discovers that Fi was set up by Natalya. Natalya is former KGB and is in a bit of a bind. Seems if she doesn't come up with the money she is accused of stealing, she will be killed. She blames Michael for her problem, so she's giving him the same choice.

Meanwhile, Sam has agreed to help Cricket O'Connor, a woman who fell in love with the wrong man. Her husband has disappeared with most of her money, and thugs keep showing up demanding the rest. Somehow, Michael has to track down the guy's real identity and then get Cricket's money back. Can he do it while keeping Natalya at bay?

Here's the great news. If you are a fan of the TV show this book is based on you will love it. The characters are spot on, including a couple recurring characters who shows up. Michael narrates the book for us, so the entire thing feels exactly like one of his voice overs from the show. All the action and humor of the show translate perfectly to the written page.

Even if you aren't familiar with the show, you should be able to follow the basics. We're given enough information that all the relationships make sense.

Unfortunately, I had a couple problems with the plot. While it was fast paced and kept me reading, a couple times I wondered why exactly the characters were doing what they were doing. I quite possibly did miss something, but I couldn't figure it out by rereading parts of the book. Additionally, the language is a little worse than what they can get away with on TV, especially in a couple scenes. These are both minor issues, and on the whole I really did enjoy the book.

This was a pleasant read. Fans of the TV show will love having it as a tide me over between episodes. And it just might bring some new fans into the fold.

If you have to choose just one book to read dealing with adoption issues, this is the best book you could ask for.

Practical information combined with actual life-experience imbue this well-written guide with important insights into the maze which often surrounds the adoption process.

"How-to" information as well as important caveats about the whole journey are included, making this the outstanding reference book on the subject.

"Two Thumbs Up".

My wife and I will use the adoption process to start our family. Like many couples, medical reasons have us pursuing this avenue. We've begun by reading a number of books and engaging adoptive support groups. We both read Fast Track Adoption, and will undoubtally pursue the approach that Dr. Burns explains. The book gave us confidence in knowing that we'll be successful, because of its many practical tips.

This book seems to be more about how to gain a birthmother's trust and confidence in order to get her baby, and how to work the adoption system. In so doing, the book loses sight of the fact that adoption exists in order to provide children with loving homes, not to provide infertile couples with children.

She does, however, help to explode a myth: that children placed for adoption are "unwanted." This is of course far from the truth, as Burns points out that birthmothers today usually aid in picking their child's parents and nearly always want to see, hold, and spend some time with their newborns prior to relinquishment.

Still, some of the advice can get potential adoptive parents into trouble, such as placing ads for a baby. In many states this is illegal.

Some advice in this book is helpful, but I must still urge potential adoptive parents to seek the assistance of a licensed adoption agency.

Our attorney recommended this book. I read it from cover to cover. It's fantastic. If you're serious about adopting, take the proactive roll, advertise and forward the calls to your personal cell phone. This book is easy reading and so informative. I can't tell you how great it was. We were very fortunate and adopted quickly and smoothly. Get involved with the adoption process and the search for a birth mother. Your communication with her is essential. Best of luck!

Fast Track Adoption is a wonderful book full of practical advice on everything from how to write a good letter to a prospective birthmother to how to handle the birthmother's hospital stay. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone considering adopting.

This is the definitive book on leadership. It is long, dense with historical facts, sparkling with insights, and is essential reading for the leadership scholar. Few other leadership books merit a place on the essential reading list for this field.

Burns's accomplishment of recognizing the taxonomy of leadership is unmatched to this day. He distinguishes, for example, intellectual leadership from executive leadership, and explains how each is forged in the "crucible" of circumstances.

Rather than serving as a "how to" guide on leadership, Burns provides the reader with a framework for understanding his or her leadership role, and the requirements that accompany each role. Finding one's own reflection in this catalog of leadership roles can be an exciting and satisfying moment for the reader.

Burns is best known for developing the concept of "transforming" leadership, or "transformational" leadership as he calls it in this book. It stands in contrast to "transactional" leadership, which holds that every leader-follower encounter is an isolated event.

Whether the reader perseveres through the whole book, or just reads the introductory chapters, he or she will be in the presence of some of the best thinking to date on leadership.

When I was a doctoral student, I wrote my dissertation about transforming leadership. As a full-time doctoral faculty member at one of America's leading online universities, I now mentor students in leadership and organizational change, among other specializations.

Leadership, by James MacGregor Burns the Pulitzer Prize winning author, is the most important book I have read in the field of leadership. In it, Burns coined the term, Transforming Leadership, and distinguished it from its more mundane counterpart, Transactional Leadership.

In so doing, Burns catalyzed much of the theorizing and research into transforming leadership (also called transformational leadership, visionary leadership, and charismatic leadership, among others) from the latter part of the 20th century through today.

In this foundational book, Burns argued that there was a "crisis of leadership" because people did not understand the essence of leadership. Whereas traditional, transactional leaders concern themselves with exchanging money for services, the modern, transforming leader "seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower" in a "collective purpose," that is, a common vision or shared goal. The end result is leadership "that can produce social change that will satisfy followers authentic needs" (p. 4).

A classic, the message of this book is as meaningful and urgent today as it was when Burns wrote it. We need a new form of leadership to help us deal with the problems of an ever shrinking, interconnected world. Those who would be part of a collective effort to make the world a better place, would do well to read this book.

Robert E. Levasseur, Ph.D., author of "Leadership and Change in the 21st Century"

The prose is well written.... BUT that's it. Few insights that can be used in practice for people who aspire to become future leaders.

The world of leadership is examined through a sweeping assessment on its power and purpose to its origins in James MacGregor Burns's book, Leadership. This book is a very comprehensive overview of the study of leadership as it distinguishes not only what are the two basic styles of leadership: transforming and transactional, but evaluates the theory and practice of leadership skills as well. Burns stated in Leadership, "I define leadership as leaders inducing followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and the motivations¬-the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations-of both leaders and followers" (19).
Throughout the book, Burns discussed the leadership styles of political leaders to religious and social leaders. From Martin Luther King, Jr to Moses to Mahatma Gandhi to Napoleon, plus Machiavelli and even Adolf Hitler, Burns cited how these leaders made vital distinctions between wants and needs. According to Burns, "the process of leadership must be seen as part of the dynamics of conflict and of power; that leadership is nothing if not linked to collective purpose; that the effectiveness of leaders must be judged not by their press clippings but by actual social change measured by intent and by the satisfaction of human needs and expectations" (3).

The reviewer below is right. This is not a how to book. But then, it was never written with this intent so marking it down is not right.

If you want to truly understand leadership, historically, socioligically, psychologically, then buy this book. EVERY scholar of leadership has read it and often references it. It is a really monumental book and Burns is a really honest and authentic scholar (unlike the popular authors who know zero about leadership and are in it for the money). VIVA BURNS!!!

I bought this book while at the Lookout Mountain battle site in Chattanooga. If you watched the PBS Civil War series, you will recognize Mary Chesnut's name.

This is a annotated compilation of her original diaries. Her husband was high up in Jefferson Davis' cabinet, so there are all sorts of stories about the Confederate elite, and the personalities involved.

There are even funny stories, and gossip.

Even though you know how the story will end, it's an interesting read, especially toward the end, as Sherman is on the march. It's long, but you can pick it up and put it down without losing the continuity.

Mary was a witty and perceptive woman who was ahead of her time. She's someone I'd like to have lunch with.

Mary Chesnut was a name dropper, and thank goodness, because in passing along her gossip, opinions, news, and personal undertakings, she created the most comprehensive day-to-day record of life in the Confederacy that we have. Although this is both a diary and a later refurbishment of earlier writings (to the point it almost becomes a memoir in epistolary form) Mrs. Chesnut, an aristocratic lady in a position to know a great deal about the workings of her short-lived nation, makes everything seem like a first-hand conversation. Chesnut, like Mrs. Grant and Amanda Wilson, a Civil War-era diarist from Cincinnati, Ohio, has a true gift at making the distant seem immediate. Her reports on the initial euphoria of southern independence from the north and later the reality of hardship and war, are touching, even for one not in deep sympathy with her ideals. What I took away from this diary was something of the horror of loss, as Mary Chesnut's society reeled from death after death, not just of men from combat, but children and women in part from the deprivations war mandated they endure. By the mid-point of her diary, it is a rare entry, indeed, in which Chesnut does not tell of the passing of at least one more friend, or son of a friend. She lived through the destruction of a society and a war in which blood flowed in rivers. Chesnut personally knew a number of the primary figures of the American Civil War, including the wife of Jefferson Davis. She gives a point of view that is not hamstrung by being modern in sensibility, and charts a course of the war's prosecution that might vicariously suggest a later alteration of the record in northern-authored history books. For all these reasons, Chesnut's diary is worth reading.

This book is very interesting but it is hard to follow. The intro is very interesting but once you get into the diary part she skips from one topic to another and it assumes a lot. I think it will be worthwhile - it is just going to take me a while to get through it.

Mary Chestnut was an insightful, well educated, frustrated woman in a society that did not openly encourage women to become interested, certainly not involved, in politics. James, Mary's husband, was what we would call a Washington/Richmond insider. Poor Mary had to convine herself to venting in her diary which requires a good background in the politicians of the day to be informative. For this reason I give it only 4 stars, The earlier edition,Diary from Dixie, was edited by the diarist to be more politically acceptable and better able to sell. There is a considerable amount of gossip in the book which will be interesting to those interested in the personal lives of prominent Confederates, e.g., the affair between General John B. Hood and Sally Preston. Anyone willing to wade through the book with the help of a good who's who in the Confederacy will indeed find this book valuable and interesting.

Reading this book is like opening a door through time and having a daily cup of coffee & gossip session with Mary Chesnut. She was from a fine family with her father being a senator and one of the largest slave owners in South Carolina. Her husband, John Chesnut Jr., was also a senator before the war. He remained politically connected in the Confederacy. He was a general and an aid to Jefferson Davis. Given her situation in life it is not surprising that Mrs. Chesnut had an elite circle of friends and knew everyone that was anyone.
Mary loved to gossip and name drop and had very strong opinions on any given subject. She had no children so she had plenty of time to be self indulgent and a bit vain. She really must have been a fascinating person as people seem to be drawn to her. Varina Davis was one of her closest friends and she visited the Davis home frequently. She believed slavery to be wrong & hated the fact that there were so many racially mixed children that looked very much like the master of the plantations. She complained about the costs involved in keeping slaves and thought the time had come to abolish slavery. On the other hand, she spoke of slaves like children that needed to be cared for. She also had never had to take care of herself or run a house. She relied totally on her servants for everything.
She wrote this diary with the intention of including rumors, facts,and anything she might be thinking at the time. John Bell Hood was a frequent visitor and is talked of in her diary quite frequently. She talked about Hood's love for a woman and of his wounds. She referred to him as their "wounded knight". She was a very opinionated, outspoken, and (I think) spoiled women. There are no great military strategies and battle description in her book. She describes the dinners they had or how people were dressed. She talks of all the gossip about all the differert generals and the politics of the day. Reading her diary is like sitting down for coffee with her and listening to the events,real or rumored, that she chats about. She loves all the gossip and thrives on attention She had a front row seat to all events about the war, civilian life, and the downfall of the Confederacy It's wonderful to have the chance to get to know Mary Chesnut with her candid way of writting. She also writes of the trials and tribulations when everything was crashing down aroound her. Her first experience of wearing old clothes, food shortages, no money, & wondering all the while what was going to happen to her and her husband. People were dying all around her and her. Her entire culture & lifestyle were disapearing, everything simply falling apart, yet she kept up her writting. What a fascinating woman Mrs. Mary Chesnut must have been.
It may be a little difficult to read for some. I think maybe most difficult for men for much of it is "idle chatter" that women do when they get together. There is much information in here that you can only get from someone in the middle of it all.

Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (4/07)

In "Obsession," Helen is tricked into becoming a prostitute. She is drugged by her madam, and she is auctioned off as a rarity--a virgin. Sebastian buys her, but not because he longs for her or any other woman. He has more self-control than that. He is only in the brothel, because he is searching for his brother's love; she is there against her wishes, also. He buys Helen so that Templeton, his nemesis, does not buy her.

Helen is a bit headstrong, to say the least. This is not a valued characteristic in the days of corsets and suitors. She becomes a challenge to Sebastian, a man who prides himself on self-control and order. She gives into Sebastian in several lustful romps; however, Sebastian wants more; he wants to marry Helen.

Helen explains to Sebastian that her younger brother, Edward, was also kidnapped by the madam. She begs him to save Edward.

Helen is kidnapped, and Sebastian is worried; there is a serial killer on the loose. He sets out to save Helen. Will this show Helen how much Sebastian loves her?

The sex throughout "Obsession" is incredible. The readers will feel as if they are the object of Sebastian's affection. "With long strokes of his tongue, he lathed the heated velvet of her before surging upward to swirl around her sex." Because Helen is a virgin, Sebastian acts as a sexual teacher for an obviously willing Helen. "With one hand, he undid his trousers to release his erection. Capturing her hand, he made her wrap her fingers around him. She jerked with surprise, but when his tongue swirled in her mouth, she relaxed against him, her hand gripping him snugly."

"Obsession" is a book that you will not want to put down once you begin. With incredible sex mingled with a love story, you will become enthralled from the beginning. The sex scenes are very explicit (and amazing); this is not for those who blush easily. "Desire claimed his senses as her slick, tight passage clutched at him with delicious abandon." Read, enjoy, and recommend to others.

The Earl of Melton, Sebastian Rockwood, is in a brothel. He isn't looking for a paramour, but to see if he can find his brother's missing girlfriend. Stepping further into the house, he is a bit intrigued at how normal the house seems. That is, until he is greeted by the owner and told that the auction he has come to see is almost beginning. It is at this time that Sebastian knows the rumors he has heard about this particular house to be true. His eyes suddenly focus on the still, beautiful woman on the stage and he can't stop looking at her. When an enemy starts bidding on the beauty, Sebastian decides then and there that she will be his.


Helen Rivenall came to London to find her family. The victim of a false friend, she can't believe that men are bidding on her body for the night. Drugged senseless and unable to do anything but watch, she is somewhat relieved when the handsome and broad shouldered man wins the bidding war. Once in his carriage, Helen tries to communicate but can't. The next morning, Helen finds herself in the man's study where she tells him exactly what happened to her.


Sebastian once again falls under Helen's spell and agrees to rescue her brother from the madam at the brothel, for a price. Helen agrees to pose as Sebastian's fiancé in order to get his aunt off of his back about marriage. Sebastian figures a few months with a fiancé will appease his marriage-minded aunt and then he can quietly let Helen go on her merry way. Oh how the mighty fall because Sebastian soon will never be able to let Helen go.

Obsession is a sweeping, historical tale. Set in London, I enjoyed reading about the different soirees and parties. I found Sebastian's plan, while somewhat ingenious, totally hilarious. There is nothing I like better than for a man not searching for love to find it and Sebastian was just the man for me. Helen was a cute heroine in that she wasn't impressed with the trappings of Sebastian's society and she just wanted to love him. Add a few foes in for good measure, and you have the making of a thoroughly enjoyable historical romance.

Talia
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The broodingly handsome Sebastian Rockwood, Earl of Melton, lives a strict, structured life caring for his estates and family, priding himself on self-control. When his brother's fiance is abducted, little does he realize that he would be caught in a trap of lust and passion that would grow into an obsession. In their search, Sebastian and his brother arrive at a local brothal to discover Helen Rivenall, drugged and being auctioned off on stage. Sebastian is immediately drawn to the lovely Helen and soon finds himself bidding and winning her. He then rescuses her brother, takes the small family in, and plans to care for them. Each time he is in contact with Helen, Sebastian struggles with his deep lust. Soon his self-control spins out of control and his lust become an obsession. Helen is drawn to the handsome Sebastian wanting to give into her passion, but she is holding back, as she sees Sebastian as another controlling man in her life. Sebastian is frustrated with Helen not understanding her secret, that for years she has been abused by her overly controlling, religious uncle - the same uncle that arranged to have her auctioned off for her sins. Lust and desire grow and soon Helen and Sebastian give into their desires, coming together in moments of intense passion. But Helen is still holding back. It is not until after many months of misunderstandings that Sebastian discovers Helen's secret and past abuse, and Helen comes to understand Sebastian's reasons for living a strict, controlled life. When Sebastian must save Helen from her uncle's wrath once again, they both come to realize that love will free them from the bonds of the past. Obsession is a dark, sometimes frustrating, intensely passionate story that keeps the reader riveted to the pages. A well-written story, with beautifully written, passionate, love scenes, blended together to create a pleasurable read.

Helen is rude, inconsiderate and ungrateful toward Sebastian. He asks questions and she won't even answer them. He has her best interests at heart. She refuses to tell him anything about her grandfather so that he could help her find her grandfather. I don't find anything to like about her. The sex through much of the book is simply his imagination of what sex with her would be like. If you're only seeking explicit, graphic erotica you might like it. I couldn't like this book because I didn't like her.

In Monica Burns's OBSESSION, believable and interesting characters pull you into their story and keep you there. Ms. Burns has very effectively interwoven romance, spicy sex scenes (with just enough tenderness), and a little bit of suspense into an enjoyable and memorable historical erotic romance that takes place against the backdrop of Victorian London terrorized by Jack the Ripper.

I recommend this book to other readers who enjoy erotic romance or historical romance - you will not be disappointed.

We live near the Adirondacks and they have been a part of our life. The mountains and the wilderness are beyond words. To find this book that describes how a couple claim their part of this world was a delight. The book will appeal to the romantic who enjoys the beauty of life as we live it and cope with it. There is the broad view of the Adirondacks and also the details of coping with nature. If one of your fantasies is living in the forest and foraging for sustenance, you will thoroughly enjoy the writing and the detailed descriptions of life in the Adirondacks. If you cannot live in the Adirondacks, this book is as close as will ever be to the joyful experience of this beautiful piece of nature. My wife and I enjoyed the book so much that we give it as gifts to people who visit us. Just a beautiful book.. :)

Those of us lucky enough to have read Ed Kanze's essays and articles in regional publications, and enjoyed his wonderful books on John Burroughs, New Zealand and Australia, are overjoyed to see that he has collected a number of his shorter pieces into this volume. Ed, after spending time in the natural worlds of suburban New York and the Gulf Coast, as well as on the other side of the world, now lives in the Adirondacks with his wife and two small children. He apparently spends a good part of his time there sharing his vast knowledge of nature with others, and one of the ways he does this is in the form of these quiet, humorous, lyrical and informative essays. There's a narrative of discovery in the Moose River Wilderness area and the West Canada Lakes, a scientific and philosophical meditation on snow and a disquisition on the rigors of cabin life called, fittingly, "Rodents of Mass Destruction." He is an environmentalist, but might better be called a natural historian in the tradition of Burroughs, whom he admires, relishing his subjects and happy to tell us about them without beating over the head with lectures on environmental depredation. But of course, as a result, his rapier points are ever the sharper. This book is really a treat for the Adirondack aficionado and anyone else intrigued by the intersection between nature and human beings.

Our family really loved this book. We live in the Adirondacks and found reading it aloud was a delight for all. It reinforced so many of the pleasures of exploring the world around us. We learned lots of new things, and became more observant amateur naturalists.

This book is not really written for those simply looking for a travelogue of the Adirondacks. There are already too many of those available. "Over the Mountain" is for those interested in something more than a superficial tour of the region.

Ed Kanze takes you up close to a world many visitors to the park really don't see. He provides a wonderful collection of essays about the natural world of the Adirondacks. Through his writing you feel you are on the ground with him, exploring with wonder all nature has to offer. From scrambling under and around his house to trace mice, to a wonderful night float trip, you are there with him. And it's a wonderful journey.

But be forewarned; if you buy the book, your next stop will be to the travel agent to book your own trip to the Adirondacks!

Who hasn't wanted to lay claim to acreage and trees, a brook and an old, abandoned house all in need of human appreciation? Ed Kanze takes you on this journey of watchful discovery, in prose that informs, challenges, inspires and gives ease. You'll float the Saranac River at night, hike toward Pigeon Roost, dunk mice into flourescent orange powder in order to trace their many points of household entry, and climb, shovel in hand, onto the rooftop without using a ladder--on snow piled up from the eighteen feet that fell during Kanze's first Adirondack winter.

The moral of these very fine essays: if you're going exploring, take a naturalist.

A well designed book, not for the beginner but straight forward enough to clearly understand the process. The design of the book stimulates and enhances the creative juices with enough information to help you to move on to newer and bigger things. I would certainly recommend this book.

This was one of the rare books that really explain how to make art with Photoshop! I love that the images he uses are hi res on the CD that comes with the book!
Debbi

If your into Photoshop and are at the intermediate level or more, this book can help a lot. It is full of interesting techniques. I'm very glad I purchased it.

I found this book amazing, it teaches you some tricks and special effects you won't find anywhere else. Definitely for a more advanced user, however if you are knowledgeable about the basics you will learn a lot. My only complaint is within 3 days of use the book fell apart. I now have 3 sections that tore off from the book that I need to refer to. Perhaps it was just my luck to get one with a binding whose glue was missing; whatever for such a great book its sad it is in pieces on my bookshelf.


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I know photoshop fairly well (intermediate) and I find this book very advanced. The instructions are also difficult to follow, and what I got onscreen didn't follow what they got. You have to already have some understanding of masks and channels to begin with to grasp the concepts, and even then I found it hard. I would only buy this book if you want to learn advanced techniques that the average person will never use or remember.

Remember how in the 1960s and 1970s "human potential" was such a big deal, and people were digging around in psychic phenomena and roll-your-own religion, and then Uri Geller got busted on the Tonight Show and it all went away overnight?

Oh, wait, that didn't happen, did it? Hm. Well, you ought to read this then.

Published in 1981 as "human potential" gave way to "New Age", this is one of Martin Gardner's classic essay collections, a four-fifths-century update on the high weirdness that infected pop culture over the previous twenty years. It's a sequel of sorts to Fads and Fallacies, Gardner's seminal 1952 work that laid the grounds for future skeptical writing, and includes the original 1951 essay "Hermit Scientists" that led to the creation of the latter book. From there, SGBB covers widely varied grounds, not only the aforementioned psychic phenomena (in which a great many of the leading lights of paranormal research such as Rhine, Puthoff, Targ, Sarfatti, and others, are revealed as disturbingly credulous for experienced scientists), but magic, Sherlock Holmes, televangelists of the 1970s, Steven Spielberg (Gardner's review of Close Encounters of the Third Kind was incredibly negative and foresaw many future reviewers' complaints about Spielberg's perceived superficiality), and abuses of astrophysics and quantum mechanics that were directly ancestral to the handwaves of Deepak Chopra and others who invoke "quantum" as a thought-stopping cliche. Gardner, who has long held that knowledge of magic is critical to evaluating claims of the paranormal, provides some interesting hints of the world of magic (a longtime hobby of Gardner's) as background to many of the paranormal items, and extensive discussions of how honest researchers can produce bad science permeate the book.

Gardner has always taken the position that mockery is better than detailed refutation when the patently ridiculous is discussed, and does not at any point spare the snark. He gives many references for the reader experienced in periodical searches, and provides (as he did in "Fads and Fallacies") postscripts to update the subject matter to the time of publication, as well as rebuttals by many of the subjects of his essays (often followed up with counter-rebuttals from himself or others). Almost half the book is book reviews, many of which include extensive background stories relevant to the books.

This book remains in print almost three decades later, and with good reason -- much of the material it criticizes remains as strong as ever, within a culture that increasingly demands of its members more and more credulity for fear of being labeled as intolerant. Gardner's message, over his nearly 60 years of writing, has consistently been to remind people that evidence overrides everything -- be open-minded, but not so much that your brain falls out. If you must navigate today's woo, you must also know about yesterday's, and there is no better book than this for the woo of the '60s and '70s.

There is little I can add to the excellent comments already presented here. The only thing that could have improved this volume would have been a bibliography.

Gardner, in his usual fine style, tackles biorhythms, ESP, quantum theory, black holes, faith healing, and much more. The collection also includes letters from readers and the author's replies, which make the book especially intriguing. A large collection of fascinating topics.

Great book. Kept me fascinated throughout. Prefer Michael Shermer, but I loved this one nonetheless.

I first read this book almost twenty years ago and even though some of the events and principals have faded into oblivion, the basic theme has not. While there are some negative consequences of science, in many ways they are secondary to the enormous benefits. The number of ways in which the scientific approach has benefited our lives are clearly too numerous to mention. And yet, there are those who, largely for personal gain, choose to ignore it when it is advantageous to do so. When that advantage is financial, we can at least understand them, even while we consider them despicable. The saddest of all are the ignorant masses who fall victim to the nonsense that the charlatans dispense.
In this book, Gardner primarily takes on the purveyors of pseudoscientific nonsense rather than the followers, debunking ESP, UFOs and other views that fly in the face of mountains of scientific data that has been painstakingly accumulated and repeatedly verified. There are simple, effective counter arguments against most of the areas of pseudoscience, and Gardner quite effectively makes them, at times properly separating the arguments when they need to be separated. For example, the idea of life after death and mediums communicating with the dead are two separate issues. One can expose the false medium without proving that there is no life after death. It would be so simple for any departed spirit to send a special message that would be conclusive proof that they were alive, and yet no medium has ever managed to do it. The best that is offered is a general "all is good here" style of drivel, which means nothing.
My favorites in these stories are always those that invoke the giant conspiracy explanation of events. Especially hilarious are the proponents of UFOs who firmly believe that the U.S. government has conspired for over fifty years to hide information about crashed alien space ships. I am the first to admit that governments lie to the people, but to believe that such a secret could be kept for so long is ridiculous.
The entire scientific world owes a debt to Martin Gardner for his courage in taking on those who are either very gullible or who are willing to prey on the gullible, all in the name of pseudoscience. To me, the wonders of science dwarf the petty "accomplishments" of the crackpots and sleazeballs he writes about in this book. Much of it is human nature at its' worst.

This book, as well as Joe Burns' other Goodies titles, are wonderful, down-to-earth instructions for "common folks" to learn how to create their own website. The only bad part of any of them is that many of the links listed in the books are obsolete and don't work. Time for a new edition, Dr. Burns!!! If you want to make your own website and know nothing about it, these are the books for you.

This is yet another great book by Joe. Joe Burn's is a unique technical author that writes as if he is talking to you. I recommend this book to anyone-that includes the non-technical folks--interested in setting up his/her own website. WHY? Because this book IS for beginners. It is written in a simple to follow, easy to read style. I wish more technical authors would follow Joe's simple style for their writing. Highly recommended!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

PS this book helped me open my own website!

Joe Burns has done an incredible job putting together the most useful information on creating your site. The first few chapters are so useful, I cannot believe I did not do all of the recommended things before.
Now I am much more confident the site I am working on will be more appealing, and target the visitor, their needs/wants, and not what I like.
This is a must read, if you do nothing else, read his chapter Two, on, "Before you write a Word". If more people read this book, there would be a lot more GREAT and SUPER web sites, as opposed to the spattering of GREAT one's now. It is worth taking the time to stop doing what you are working on, and read this book.
He is a bit opinionated, however, 95% of his thoughts are right on, and I have already seen it work on my new site.. You will not find chunks of code, or cookie cutter templates here, but you get the design concepts, and how to make your pages stand out and get visitors that want to come back.

Web Site Design Goodies is a pefect book for beginners but not for novices and experts. Some of the pros of this book is that it contains many critiques (not reviews - it offers as much advice for imporvement rather than just ridicule) of websites and lists some of the common mistakes beginners make. I also found his chapters on site identification and promotion quite useful. Some of the cons on the otherhand is that it does not cover advanced topics such as transparent gif tricks, complex tables, etc, and that the author repeats himself on certain subjects far too many times. Bottom line: get it if you are a beginner, don't get it if you are anything more than that.

"Not returning an email is the Web's equal to being ignored by a clerk. I don't mean setting up a program that sends a nice form-style thank-you-for-writing letter. Users want an answer from you."

Yes, and I'm a bit behind this week. :> I also hate those form letters. arrgggg

This is a great book for anyone who is starting out and wants to try to figure out who their site is for and why people will want to visit their site. This was the first thing I thought about when creating mine, but often people just have an idea and run with it. With the advice in this book, you can :

Plan your site for your audience
Create meaningful text and navigation
Add images and other visual enhancements
Communicate with your visitors
Find the best ways to promote your site

Joe Burn?s has a HTML Goodies Web site and there you can learn HTML, JavaSCript and other website creation tools. He has been creating websites since the first version of Mosaic was released. Since then, he has taught thousands of people to build great websites. Including me. ;) Well, I do the best I can.

A lot of people think building a website is very difficult because they think you have to know HTML, but the truth is, if you get FrontPage, you don?t have to know very much.

The Contents Include:

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
Before Your Write a Word
Begin the Design
Your Site and Your Server
Text and Color
Links, Links, Links
Images and the Visual
Hello? Anybody Here? How Many?
Outside HTML
Promoting Your Site

There are great ideas like looking at who your competitions is, finding out how you want to design your template, choosing a font that can be read and making your site more well-known by word of link.

The author is also "so" correct about his ideas on "critiquing" other sites. That is a great idea because then you learn what you like and don't like. One of my main concerns was navigation.

There is also some great advice on domain names and what you should avoid. I guess using "the" in my one name isn't suggested, but then again, it has worked for me.

While I'm not so concerned about how to read HTML, I do like having a basic understanding. There are some tags and their functions listed on pg. 140.

For the longest time, I had no idea what the difference between a "hit" and a "visitor" was.

I just purchased my own URL for another 9 years. I'm in this for the long haul! People say they sometimes get lost at my site in a good way, so I think this book helped me.

It is strange, but when I first put up my site, I had webmasters arriving from who knows where telling me what I was doing right and wrong. It was the best thing to ever happen to me in regards to my site. If you are willing to take constructive criticism about the construction of your site, you will find people are very willing to give great advice. Of course if they tell you to change the background on every page, run, run, run quickly.

Well, the way I've built my site, I have no idea how that would be done unless I go to every single page. I assume there is some logical secret, maybe just changing the one image would solve the entire conundrum.

Great book for anyone just getting started. This has lots of the basics. You can also visit his site for added information.

~The Rebecca Review

I thought this was a well written, well researched book about a topic that means quite a bit to me; mainly football and Barcelona. I love the sport and I love the city. If anyone has an interest in football and history, I would recommend "Barca" to them. (Also, a funny picture of Jose Mourinho when he was assistant manager there in the 90's, during the short time Ronaldo was there). Catalunya is like no place on earth in the way its football is played and coached, followed and loved by the people of the region who live their lives in support of their football club.

Reading this book is simple amazing. I bough it because I am a truly FC BARCELONA fan, however this books goes beyond that, it explains very well the relationships between Spanish recent history and soccer, finally I am able to understand the frivolity between this winner team and others, more related to social and political issues than only sports.

Very well documented, fair, balanced and a treasure for anyone who really wants to learn how important soccer is in many countries. Highly recommended. Congra and my appreciation for your work Mr. Burns

I highly recommend this book for Barca fans and for general football fans alike. Not only does Burns write about the great players and personalities of the club, he also places them into a historical context.

This was one of the great surprises of the book. He spends considerable time placing Barca's history into the context of the Spanish Civil War and resulting Franco era. Students of Spanish History would do well to read this book.

Overall, I enjoyed it greatly, and hope to read more of Burns' football books.

Let me first say that I am very bias. I've been an FCB "soci" since 1981, played in their youth system for a couple of years, and by and large am one of the many fans that buys into the whole "Mes que un Club" mantra.

So understanding that, let me just say that Jimmy Burns has done a fantastic job helping the reader understand how history has shaped the meaning of "Mes que un Club". Part history, part sociology, Burns discusses the club's history, both real and invented, that pushed FCB into being the opposition to Real Madrid.

Keep in mind this is more than a book on the Club. Burns adeptly weaves the Club and the sport with Catalan politics and identity. Always balancing the passions of "Cules" with the machination of the member's of the board, one truly gets a sense of the depth of history and passion behind the Club.

The reader learns some of the details behind some of FCB lore, from the Di Stefano controversy, the Kings Cup match against Real Madrid after the Civil War, to the famous field invasion that erupted into a pro-Catalunya demonstration toward the end of the Franco regime. Some of the myths are debunked, but in all, the Clubs history is given a fair shake.

Keep in mind - On the downside, Jimmy Burns does favor the Catalan club, more times than not. He doesn't approach the topic dispassionately.

As a follow up to A Peaople's Passion, another great read on Spanish football can be found in Phil Ball's excellent book, Morbo. It touches upon the unique history of Spanish football from it's roots in the mines of Huelva, through the use of the sport in identity politics, particularly in the Basque Country and Catalunya.

This book provides a great overview of the history of the club, its stars, the machinations of its ruling junta, and the passion of the cules, all against the backdrop of Catalonia's political struggle for identity and independence within Spain. Burns provides some nice historical details and great anecdotes, but, as is to be expected considering the hundred year focus of the book and the complexity of 20th century Spain, necessarily deals with some of the political history in a less comprehensive manner.

Although it at times extremely well-written, the book could have done with tighter editing (hence, 4 stars). Burns repeats his descriptions of individuals and events in subsequent pages and at time his prose is florid and unfocused. Pretty minor complaints, however. Although not uncritical, Burns clearly appreciates what Barca have achieved. He also questions how the club will adjust, or might be changed, in the new century. Overall, the book is an excellent read, and continually succeeds in portraying the people involved as just that, people with passions and short-comings. At the end, you understand why the club embodies true football, why it inspires such passion, and why it's such an important part of Catalonia. Forca Barca!