Hall Books

THIS BOOK IS EASY TO READ AND FOLLOW THE RECIPES ARE NOT COMPLICATED WONDERFUL FOR ANYONE LEARNING TO COOK KOSHER OR JEWISH.

My stained, strained and well-worn 1956 copy is my most loved Jewish cookbook; my Mom cooked all holiday recipes from this and many more. Sara Kasdan's writing style and the anecdotes are priceless. Even if you don't cook anymore, buy it just for a wonderful read and the taste of yesterday.

Along with The Joy of Cooking for everyday basic cooking, I learned to prepare tradiditional Ashkenazic (Eastern European) Jewish dishes from Love and Knishes when it was first published 40 years ago when I was a newly-wed. The recipes and preparation instructions in Love and Knishes are simple, the ingredients are usually staples and the commentary is very funny, even if now viewed as, perhaps, stereotypical. The recipes are easily adaptable to today's guidelines to healthier (lower fat content) guidelines. I'm giving this as a gift to my soon to be new daughter-in-law. If your mom didn't keep kosher or prepare traditional dishes for holidays, sabbath etc. then Love and Knishes is a good place to start learning.

My mom received this little cookbook for her wedding 40 years ago, so these were the Jewish recipes I grew up on in my household. I have continued her tradition in using this as my main source of Jewish recipes. People always tell me I make the best matzah balls and latkes they've ever tasted, and I attribute that 100 percent to tips in this cookbook. A previous reviewer mentioned the noodle kugel and stuffed cabbage recipes as well - both of which my mom became famous for!

Some of the directions were a bit complicated to follow, or didn't match what I knew the recipies to be. However, for the most part, this is right out of my memories of my great Nana!

I love Joanna Trollope's books. She's perceptive and literate. I think her understanding of children in complex families is very well portrayed. My only quarrel with this book is that she let Mark off the hook. Kate's relationship with those in the shelter, especially Helen, should have led to real action instead of the acceptance we saw. Is shelter the only way to help victims of violence? I think not. I hated that part of the book!
Give this book to a friend.

Joanne Trollope is one of the greatest - very poignant, well-written novel.

I greatly anticipate each new Joanna Trollope novel that comes out, and this one did not disappoint. I re-read it for the third time recently.

I don't always like Joanna's characters. Some I can't stand. But I get so caught up in their lives, I honestly feel as though I know these people. She has a talent for drawing you in, without you being aware of it. Ups and downs of daily lives, menial and/or dramatic things we all experience. She has a talent of making it all so interesting. Of making her reader care for even those characters that aren't very lovable. And each character is so uniquely different, Joanna does not rely on cliches or tired character development. No two characters in any of her books are alike.

My advice is to be sure you have plenty of time when picking this book up. You won't want to put it back down until you're finished. I can say that about all of her books.

I read this book years ago, but it's one of those that lingers. Trollope knows the human heart and it comes through in this tale about lonely people who form a bond and a home together. I became a Trollope fan after this, but Men and the Girls remains my favorite J. Trollope novel.

I have read nearly all Joanna Trollope's books and this book is one of her best. The story was complex without exaggeration. I especially enjoyed the intergenerational weave of relationships.

This book is by far more than just a comprehensive collection of facts and figures. The author, having a no fear approach to technology, never looses sight of the business aspects. His understanding of mobility manifests itself not only in the awareness of tools, but rather in his holistic approach to make mobile technology work for you and your enterprise without having to reengineer your business processes.
Hence, anyone who feels the urge to implement mobile solutions in their business should first consult this book... or just spend a few thousand on consultancy. Your choice.

If you want to increase the effectiveness of your workforce, this is a must read book. The concepts are clearly laid out and it is written in an easy to understand language, explaining all the mobility buzzwords in laymans terms.

After reading this book I feel confident about talking to the vendors and consultants with all the latest solutions. A worthwhile investment for any manager with responsibility for field based sales people or service engineers.

Though the author uses mobilizing an enterprise in his title, he really means applying wireless technology to an already mobile enterprise. Many of the issues presented applies to standardizing mobile accessibility across the enterprise. The book starts off with an excellent analogy for untested technology - Magic, unknown, uncertain, untested, and unproven. This leverages his book for a thematic value throughout to make for an interesting development of current day technology.

To be fair, I did not read the entire book, only sections that I found interesting. However, the portions I did read, chpts 1-4, 10-12 were fascinating and on target in many respects.

The author lays out the framework for an elegant model categorizing technology providers and the corporate structure. As corporations begin aligning themselves into the categories mentioned, I was wondering where hybrid companies that have created versatile new concepts, especially outside of the US, would fit in his model.

Companies such as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that aren't quite NOs, but have some of the skills and capabilities of WAGs or SIs since their main competency is in enabling the mobilization and reselling it and just renting space from NOs would fit.

Chapter 11 was extremely informative, but I am still perplexed by "wireless technology skills" and the author's definition of this, specifically in his SWOT analyses. Saying that an enterprise application vendor doesn't have these skills is unclear, especially as many of these enterprise app vendors are WAG vendors or Platform vendors. Companies such as Oracle or IBM are perfect examples where they do not suffer the same weaknesses. Does this present a major competitive advantage in the market?

A second point with respect to this very notion is that, in general, "wireless technology skills" can be easily emulated, learned, and implemented as many small companies are crowding the space and popping up regularly. This suggests that the real commoditization will be in the value of wireless technology skills rather than other segments rather than network operations (although there is always the possibility of both being commoditized)

The author suggests that there may be a convergence of enterprise app vendors and WAG vendors, the former gobbling up the latter. I think this is already in progress and will no doubt become a reality unless the smaller WAG vendors either become enterprise app vendors or can find specific niches where enterprise app vendors are unwilling to enter.

The book as a whole provided a business perspective to what seems to be a technical issue. It was clear in many respects, and filled with useful information to better understand what it means to manage a mobile system. Although there was some bias in selecting companies for case discussion, these are considered the norm in any competitive industry. The terse, crispness of the book with a solid, social element provides for good reading and highly informative review of the wireless industry today and tommorrow.

Pat Brans has done a masterful job of taking a complex subject such as mobility and wireless and boiling it down to its most important components. Besides his ability to explain wireless technology in simplistic terms, Brans delivers a compelling guide for business executives grappling with difficult decisions regarding why/when/how should I deploy mobility and what can our company expect to gain from a revenue generation/cost savings/customer satisfaction perpspective? Finally, the best part of this book is the abundant use of practical, real-world examples (such as the business process diagrams in Chapter 10 involving pharmaceutical sales reps) to help the reader clearly understand the benefits of mobility and wireless technology as applied to a business challenge.

Mr. Brans does a superb job of presenting much of what is going on in the wireless world today.

To be fair, I did not read the entire book, only sections that I found interesting. However, the portions I did read, chpts 1-4, 10-12 were fascinating and on target in many respects.

As corporations begin aligning themselves into the categories mentioned, I was wondering where hybrid companies that have created versatile new concepts, especially outside of the US, would fit in the model. Where would companies such as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that aren't quite NOs but have some of the capabilities of (Wireless Application Gateway providers) WAGs or (System Integrators) SIs in enabling mobilization and reselling it -just renting space from NOs- fit in the author's model? There seemed to be a few missing gaps, but covered the US market fairly thoroughly.

Chapter 11 was extremely informative, but I am still perplexed by "wireless technology skills" and the author's definition of this, specifically in his SWOT analyses. Saying that an enterprise application vendor doesn't have wireless skills is unclear, especially as many of these enterprise app vendors are also WAG vendors or Platform vendors. Companies such as Oracle or IBM are perfect examples where they do not suffer the same weaknesses. Does this present a major competitive advantage in the market?

A second point with respect to this very notion is that, in general, "wireless technology skills" can be easily emulated, learned, and implemented as many small companies are crowding the space and popping up regularly. This suggests that the real commoditization will be in the value of wireless technology skills rather than other segments as the author suggests.

The book was exceptional in most other respects, containing detailed facts on the wireless markets, their evolution, and even an excellent resource base to acquire further knowledge. Even with the biased focus on a few select companies, the book covers the market's underlying agenda.

The author presented information with a terse crispness but added a social element in terms of context and example to make it readable. A great primer if you are an executive, a CIO, or someone making a decision to commit resources in mobile technology. Comparable to Wireless Crash Course by Bedell in quality, with more of a business perspective.

My father, Joe Wallace, was the national president for the Seventh Step Foundation which Bill founded. It was the orginal "Scared Straight" program. Bill was a dynamic man and I can honestly say that his book and my father's association with him was always in the back of my mind as I grew up. At a very young age, I saw first handed how crime can destroy a person. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone who is having issues with their loved ones who may be in trouble.

Bill Sands had a strange life yet almost too many extra-ordinary jobs to make it realistic. It is a good book, I could hardly put it down, yet it had times where I wanted to.

This is a book every person should read. It reaches into the heart of the hopeless and offers hope, courage, love. If you want to get understanding about why people can go bad and how they can turnaround and actually contribute in a big way, this book will do that, and bring tears to your eyes in the process.

...for how he was turned around. I first read this book as a summer orientation assignment just prior to my freshman year in college, and I guess it's a good thing that I still own that copy, given its availability at the moment. I guess it was a key influence to a kid of my generation who was just beginning several decades of wishful-thinking liberalism. Particularly where law and order is concerned--this is the autobiography of a man who claims to have been set on the right path by a number of people, one of whom was the warden at San Quentin. So you have to take with a grain of salt Sands' claim that he was rehabilitated from criminal status by the people he thanks with this book. In truth, Sands clearly admits being traumatized by an abusive mother and a semi-absentee father, and in rebellion, pulled a couple of "young hood" stickup jobs, wound up in "Q" and drew the attention of Warden Clinton Duffy, who from Sands' accounts became the surrogate father he had to wait for too long for, but who fortunately came into his life before it was too late. One thing Sands doesn't seem to realize here, however, is that he never was a bona-fide criminal--just a mistreated kid who took out his rage on innocent bystanders. Duffy simply spotted that fact and had the ability to deal with Sands in the way he needed. Which is to say there was always hope for this man--something that cannot necessarily be said for every man who winds up "in the System". After a stint in the Merchant Marine and the Middle Eastern petroleum industry, as well as the entertainment industry, Sands returns to the "family business", so to speak. Duffy, as well as rehabilitating Sands, had raised an adoptive son who followed in his footsteps as a ciminologist. A later book, "The Seven Steps", describes the rehabilitation and counseling program Sands creaated which that book is named after, but it's easy to spot the fact that Sands' biggest sucess stories in that book were men with roughly the same accessibilty as he had in their stage of life. Let's face it, gang--Sands was always a man born to help people, not victimize them. He proves this in an unrelated anecdote in this book about nursing back to health a woman friend critically maimed in an accident. There's no doubt, taking Sands' story as a whole, that his brief "partial life of crime" was but a temporary aberration. Contrary to what I was peer-brainwashed to believe when I first read this book, there are good guys and there are bad guys. This book was written by one of the former--an unusual autobiography of a great man who tells us that if it hadn't been for certain people, he'd have turned out a real scumbag. Which I seriously doubt.

Very powerful and insightful view into the power of love to turn arround a life bent on anger, hate and violence. The author explains what he learned inside prison walls, his search through classic literature and other factors that turned his life arround. I read the book 25 years ago and recently gave it to my 22 year old daughter to read and she has since passed it on to her friends to read. This book is a true classic.

The Seth material is an indivisible whole. It is so difficult to grasp in its implications that I feel quite accomplished to have a fingernail- hold on some small part of it. The Nature of the Psyche posts some indespensible chapters. Chapter nine, "Characteristics of Pure Energy" is so clear about the nature of creativity and dreaming that readers will never again be able to think of these matters in their old way. It's that good. It really is. Of course, if you're a reader of Jane roberts you already know this. Do you not agree that Jane Roberts is one of the bravest people of our modern age?

Among other things this book proffers a very touching, and original, view on love--in its various manifestations. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

This book could be called the psychology of Seth. Where his other books are geared toward describing non-physical reality and it's relation to physical reality. This book describes from Seths' unique higher perspective human psychology and is truly outstanding even among Seth books. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It ranks as high as the Eva Pierrakos channeled works from a human psychology perspective.

How we create our reality, psyche, sexuality, dreams, simultaneous time, dimensions, love, and our past are some of the more in-depth points in this Seth book. Although this is just the beginning.

In beginning, my view, this book explains the "nature of sexuality" more completely than any before. I am euphoric Seth shared his opinion because it is a very important subject. Many, many people may be shocked at Seth's view of sexuality, homosexuality, or lesbianism. Seth helped me understand this hot topic much better. Anyone interested in this area should read. This is but a small portion of this book.

Some of Seth's explanations do seem repeated from previous material, however there is much new material. The way in which Seth explains the subjects in new wording tones and sentences are far enlightening. I find there is some great info regarding dreams. In my opinion, Seth has always been outspoken on the importance of dreams. What I exuberantly enjoy about Seth are his explanations of dreams and the dream reality, this is how I correlated Seth's information into my belief of Seth. By having a foothold of my own dream experiences I have correlated them with Seth's view of the dream world.

In addition, Seth can explain how we create our reality like no one else.

Something beyond the words, and the symbols of this book. A feeling, tone, or a transcendence sense that I come away with Seth's spoken, then written words. This perception been commented on many of times within Seth groups, and as I look back and write about this sense, it still feels strange and unknown. Any person having a fond love for a book will understand.

The Nature of the Psyche is not as detailed or long as "The Nature of Personal Reality" but amazingly to the point, the chapters are shorter and gave me an excellent explanation of the topics presented. I like the fact that it is shorter.

I left much out of this review but I do believe this book would be a good starter for beginners interested in Seth's concepts. A+ material thanks Rob, Jane and Seth.

I love most of the Seth books, and this one was not too bad, its a shame tho, alot of it, just seemed to be repeated over and over again, till you kinda lose interest. Of course its interesting and has alot of good points, but takes a turn with the constant repeating of the same thing. If your an avid Seth reader, then its okay, but you may be lost if your not.

This book is responsible for my love of Dick Francis. The story of an up and coming jockey who finds himself in a slump, who is responsible and how he gets himself out of it is riveting.
He writes beautifully and gives such good characterizations that his books are a delight to read.

This is one of Francis' very first books. Written in the early 1960's and set in England, 'Nerve' concerns the exploits of a young and aspiring top steeple-chase jockey. If you haven't read Francis before, you are in for a very nice and enjoyable low-key thriller. Its hard to point to another author and say that Dick Francis is like him or her, because his work is so unlike other writers. Every one of Francis' books has pretty much the same plot outline, but in a strange way, this is not at all bothersome. One reads a Francis book to enjoy the characters and the inordinant amount of plot laden tension that is somehow packed into such a mild mannered little book.

Every time I pick up one of Francis' books I think of the Jean Cocteau movie from the early 50's I think called Orphius. Its based on the old greek myth where some guy goes to hade's (the ancient greek underworld) to rescue his wife who was stolen from him by a god. He gains her freedom on the condition that he not look at her on the way back until they are out of Hade's. Only at the very last step, he does turn around and she is turned into a pillar of salt or something like that... Anyways, in Cocteaus version of the myth, he has the main characters cast as poets, and they drive around the French country side being flocked by admiring fans and lovely young women. The poets there are the rock stars of that fictional society. Well, Francis creates a world very similar to that with his horse racing books, where the entire country of England revolves around the going ons of different aspects of racing.

One interesting aspect of this book, discussed by other readers in this review forum, is that of the human condition known as 'Nerve.' Rob Finn is made to look as though he has lost it over the opening chapters of the book and the mystery revolves around why this was done and exactly who is behind it.

I would highly reccomend this story to anyone... Its a short novel that has with held the test of time though it is entering its fifth decade since publication. It's not the greatest mystery ever written if only because Francis never really took a risk as an author. But this is also one of Francis' very best efforts and will entertain you in a mild mannered way.

This book starts with a bang and never lets up. Dick Francis' novels are admittedly formulaic, but it's a winning formula for sure. The ending is a bit unrealistic, but so what? In life there's a time for being serious and a time for losing yourself in an exciting story with an interesting main character.

This is the second book that I've read of Dick Francis's (currently reading "Blood Sport"). The plot seems to be shorter than Francis's other novels, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Story tells about a beginner jockey who takes advantage of a chance to race on a good horse. That chance takes him to the winners' circle. However, all this success is envied by some of those around him, that cause him to suffer loss after loss. The jockey starts an investigation that leads him to learn of his enemies. The hero's character is explained piece by piece as the story unfolds and becomes more interesting, especially with his love for his cousin.
Whether you're a horse-race fan, or not (like me), you'll still enjoy this novel. The ending is missing a bit of closure, in my opinion, but still has style and reveals more of the jockey's character.

Dick Francis has written so many bestselling mysteries, it's mindboggling. He excels in crafting enormously engaging, civilized whodunits, which go down smooth as cognac. Mr. Francis has a habit of introducing elements from the racing world into his novels (for those not in the know, Francis used to be a jockey). Yes, it's true that his heroes all come from the same mold and the stories do contain certain formulaic elements, but I think Francis's magic lies in the humanity and empathic nature with which he cloaks his protagonists. His heroes are all too human, all too flawed, and uniformly unassuming and Britishly reserved. Yet, without exception, they all have unexpected pluck, hidden strength, and the inner fortitude to do the right thing. In four decades, Mr. Francis has written some of my favorite mysteries: Forfeit, Rat Race, Reflex, Hot Money, The Edge, The Danger, Decider, and To the Hilt. And then there's Nerve.

Nerve holds a special place in my heart. I first stumbled across Dick Francis's mystery books years ago when I was a kid thumbing thru a Reader's Digest book. That book contained a condensed version of Nerve, which I went thru in a flash. As soon as I could, I went to the public library and borrowed the full-length version and tore thru that one, too. Since then, I've read everything that Dick Francis has ever written and I've enjoyed every one tremendously (even his anthology Field of Thirteen), but, thru the years, I've come back again and again to Nerve and its charismatic hero Rob Finn. It's just such a darn good story.

Nerve, published in 1964, was only Francis's third novel at the time. Yet, even back then, he had what it took to tell a captivating, suspenseful story. The quick plot breakdown of Nerve: Rob Finn has started to make a name for himself as a jockey when he is kidnapped, tortured, and left for dead. Torn up and bleeding, he manages to escape and get help. He then coldly plans his revenge on the bloke what did him wrong. Sounds like a simple plot, but Francis uses his narrative skills to lure the reader into following Rob Finn as he attempts to get back at his disturbed tormentor. It's gripping stuff. Francis's detailed breakdowns of Finn's pain-filled efforts to get back to racing form so soon after he was tortured will make you cringe, as you wholeheartedly pull for the fella. Our hero is very human, vulnerable, and very relatable. Yet, Francis is talented enough as a writer that, by the end of the book, you'll feel some sympathy towards the dastardly villain. And, as an added bonus, Francis throws in one of those unrequited love subplots, as Finn, who has been eternally in love with his beautiful, talented cousin, Joanna, bittersweetly continues to carry his torch. Joanna, alas, does not reciprocate.

I don't know how Dick Francis does it. I'm not into horses or horse racing. Yet, his books never get old for me, and the horse racing elements actually become interesting stuff. I really, really believe Dick Francis's gift, when it gets boiled to its essence, is how well he's able to make the reader relate to his lead character. Every one of 'em is immensely rootable. Before I read Nerve, I mostly read fantasy and sci-fi novels. Nerve introduced me to the world of mystery novels. So, for that reason and also because it's a crackling good tale, Nerve will always be one of my favorites.

Also, glad to hear that Dick Francis has a new book (Under Orders, starring Sid Halley) coming out in a few weeks. I cannot wait.

I have 3 favorite novels which I reread every couple of years. Like old friends, I know that I can always turn to them and be sure of several hours of deep pleasure. This is one of those novels. PASTORAL was written during World War 2 and concerns two young people who are serving in the military, but as the title indicates, this is not your typical war novel. Peter Marshall is a veteran pilot of an RAF Wellington bomber, even though he is still a very young man. The flying scenes are excellent, filled with suspenseful atmosphere and excitement. But when he is not in the air, he is the kind of person who takes delight in the simple pleasures of life, rambling over the countryside and fishing with his crew. And after he meets a lovely WAAF officer, Gervase Robertson, who has just joined the signals staff at his airbase, it doesn't take him long to fall in love for the first time. The love story of these two rather innocent and ordinary young people is as real as you'll find in literature, perfectly tracing the progress of their attraction and growing feeling for each other, all intensified by the immense conflict in which they play their small part. True to that time, this does not mean that they are in bed by the second date--no, these are typical, decent youngsters who accept the idea that that sort of thing must wait until marriage. Gervase does not want to give up her part in the war effort to get married, and the tension begins to affect Peter's flying and his relationship with his crew. As one of the senior officers complains exasperatedly, "The great adventure on this station isn't bombing Germany. They don't think anything of that. Falling in love is the big business here." Eventually we see that maybe falling in love is the big business after all, as the young people come to exemplify all that is best, all that is worth fighting to preserve. Nevil Shute wrote several excellent novels, but I believe that this is his best. It is a shame that it is so hard to find, but used copies are available--and well worth the hunt.

Nevil Shute seems to be a very underrated author. After his On the Beach and A Town Like Alice, the rest of his works are almost totally ignored by both the critics and the public, which is a pity as almost all of his works are finely written and have something worthwhile to say.

Pastoral was written during WWII, and from a purely British viewpoint, unlike so many of the war books that were written long after the conflict by so many Americans. As such there is a totally different atmosphere to this book, a quietness, an acceptance of the conditions and requirements of the war as just something that is there, part of the daily routine. And it is within this atmosphere that Neville constructs a fine love story between the very experienced bomber pilot Peter Marshal (at age 22!) and a W.A.A.F signals officer, Gervase Robertson.

As perhaps is typical for war-time love stories, the war itself provides the conflict, the friction between the lovers, as Peter is duty-bound to continue flying bombing missions, and Gervase believes her own duties are important to the course of the war, and should not be given up merely to get married. Her decline of Peter's offer of marriage sends Peter into a mental tail-spin, seriously impacting his efficiency as a flyer. How this conflict is resolved and the events that happen because of this conflict form the main portion of this book. Before reaching that point, however, we are treated to a view of English morality and customs of the day, a code that says one mustn't go off alone with a member of the opposite sex, that married woman are expected to keep house, not have jobs, where the woman must defer to the man. A view that might seem dreadfully stifling and old-fashioned to a reader of today's world, but it shown in such a non-obtrusive way that the reader can accept it without question. Until, that is, the reader finishes the book, and realizes that Neville has been quietly showing (and mildly satirizing) both the good and bad qualities of such a code. This is typical of Nevil's writing - his points are made far more by showing, rather than telling, always a mark of a fine writer. Also noteworthy is the attitude towards the war that is displayed by all the characters here - that death is an everyday happening, but it won't happen to me, it only happens to someone else. An attitude that seems to belong to every young person.

Nevil's prose style tends towards the descriptive, especially of the countryside and everyday actions. His dialogue in this book is loaded with English slang, very typical of actual speech patterns of the day, but this does at times make it somewhat hard for the poor modern American reader to decode what is being said. And some of Nevil's expertise as an avionics engineer shows in his descriptions of the aircraft and the functioning of various parts of these machines, at times obviously assuming that reader knows more about aircraft than is normally the case. These, however, are very minor negatives, almost totally subsumed by the engagement of the reader in the story of these two very well realized characters.

One decided negative that has nothing to do with Nevil's writing ability is the production quality of the hardbound reprint edition. The typeface used is very close to an old typewriter font, with thin serifs and a fairly small point size, and the printing press seemed to have severe difficulty with maintaining an even ink flow - at places the print fades to near illegibility. This all makes for a very rough impact on your eyes. A pity that this fine work has such a botched job of production.

Regardless of the quality of the printing, however, this book deserves a look, if nothing else just to see how a romance really should be written, as opposed to the material that passes for 'romance' on the book racks of today.

What is most remarkable about Pastoral is the way it manages to blend love and tragedy in an almost seamless manner. What would have been a rather conventional love story is transformed into something very different by the ever-present risk of death. RAF pilot Peter Marshall and WAAF signals officer Gervase Robinson go through an awkward and sometimes amusing courtship seemingly unconcerned about the fact that each one of his bomber missions over Germany could very easily be his last - indeed, some of the characters we meet during the story are lost over Germany. That they are able to function in a reasonably normal manner in the most terrifyingly abnormal of circusmstances is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit. In a way, this foreshadows Nevil Shute's much later book On the Beach, in which people are able to function day-to-day despite knowing that the world is soon coming to an end. A lesser writer than Shute probably would have made Pastoral heavy-handed and preachy, but there is almost none of that. All in all, a superb book, a truly timeless story despite its setting.
As an aside, the last few paragraphs of the story make me wonder whether it is based on true events.

... and bringing it to the flight station marks the unusual beginning of an exquisite and delicate love story between RAF pilot Peter Marshall and flight officer Gervase Robertson.

The story takes place in the midst of world war II terror and describes, in spellbinding detail, the flight missions over Germany, the dangers of cross fire and courage, during times when others have fear.

Peter's cockiness (not always at the right times), competence (in dodging enemy fire and bringing his crew home), and courage (in face of danger) win the reader's heart and make him a hero at his home station, even though he comes very close to losing is all: his aircraft, his crew and Gervase.

A marvelous story, despite its unusual start: catching a fish!

Perhaps this is Nevil Shute's best; his detail about the cold technicalities of cockpit war activity, set against the depths of an unforgettable love story makes "Pastoral" stand out above anything to be imagined. He just never ceases to surprise his readers!

This is, in my opinion, Nevil Shute's best book, surpassing even such justifiably popular titles as "On the Beach" and "A Town like Alice". With restraint and a simple, moving style Nevil Shute brings out the best in human spirit by telling this story of young people rising to the dangers and challenges of war and prevailing through dedication, comradeship and love. Why is a book like this out of print when bookstore shelves are full of stories about addicts, perverts and criminals? We desperately need more people like Nevil Shte's characters to serve as role models.

This is a good book for beginners on Peoplesoft. Some of the core concepts are well explained. I am told there are not many books around on peoplesoft that are good and this one ranks high..

I am a DBA and wanted to work on building a warehouse for PeopleSoft HRMS along with generating reports for the client. This book really helped me and my team to understand the hr/payroll concepts quickly. If you are a DBA/developer working in Peoplesoft environment, good to have this book in your library.

It is truly a thorough documentation of every important part of PeopleSoft HRMS. It is a handy-dandy book for anybody working in HRMS. Thanks to the author for taking time and putting thoughts to write such a gem.

I have been working with Peoplesoft product since last five years,I have seen may books in the market but this is the only book I have seen which has very usefull information which helps the begenners a lot to understand main tables and also gives overview of HRMS functionality.

I strongly recommend this book for Begenners and is useful as a reference book for any one.

This book is a treasure for anyone who needs to get quickly up-to-speed on the PeopleSoft HRMS data architecture and the most common tables against which queries and reports are executed. This alone would make the book invaluable because of the confusing PeopleSoft documentation and the thousands of tables. However, the author goes well beyond by breaking down the most important tables, grouped by function, into attributes and explaining how to create highly useful business reports from them.

In addition to the thorough coverage of the data architecture, the book also provides an excellent compendium of information and tips for using SQR to its fullest potential. Although my main interest is in the tables, I considered material on SQR to be a bonus and learned a great deal from this section.

If you are working with PeopleSoft on either the technical or functional side this book will probably be your most used reference. The author deserves the highest accolades for clear writing, technical knowledge and the ability to distill the essentials into one of the best references and tutorials I've read in a long time.

I guess the main idea here is whether or not the soul is immortal.

Does the soul exist outside of this physical, earthly experience ?

I've only begun reading Plato after years of reading a lot of other new age type books such as the Edgar Cayce material and Dr. Brian Weiss.

Plato is often consistent with those new age ideas but he expresses his thoughts in a more poetic way.

Plato and those others believed in reincarnation and even being reborn as an animal.

A new age theory about this is that if you go back to 10,500 BC and beyond you had a lot of people running around with for example the body of a human being but the head of a horse, tree branches for arms, etc..

Most people had tails back then.

This was a result of people projecting themselves into this physical dimension and getting entangled in the animal and plant worlds. As they did this across multiple incarnations they started to develop those animal appendages in their physical bodies.

It was in ancient Egypt around 10,500 BC that the priest Ra Ta and other Atlanteans helped these "things" to rid themselves of these animal characteristics.

That "mystery of mysteries" the sphinx is a creature that is part human and part lion. Don't think this doesn't have some very deep and hidden meaning.

Another key point in the book is the death of Socrates. He dies like a true philosopher, not in fear, but calmly.

At one point Socrates actually proves that one plus one is not equal to two. That's power.

Jeff Marzano

Same Soul, Many Bodies: Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives through Progression Therapy

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Edgar Cayce's Egypt: Psychic Revelations on the Most Fascinating Civilization Ever Known

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What happens at death? Is the soul immortal? Why does the philosopher seek death but avoid suicide? What is so attractive about death to Socrates?

This is a masterpiece of a book. While Socrates does not prove the immortality of the soul, his arguments for such, as in the "law of opposites," the "theory of recollection" and the combination of the two, make way for a very interesting and mind enhancing read and is a hell of lot more valid, intelligible and religiously inclusive than any of the biblical literalist's security hold in fallacious illusion, or was Socrates and Plato infallibly inspired? Was Homer infallibly inspired? Of course not. In turn, Socrates is counter-argued with the "theory of attunement" and subsequently argues back for the immortality of the soul.

His thoughts which entail the body as the inhibitor of obtaining true wisdom, that philosophy aids a man to go beyond his body, so that at death he can be released from the body and use his wisdom to achieve a higher realm of true wisdom, as the body acts as a place of desires that prevents men from perceiving the world of ideas apart from the world of appearances. The death of the body is the release of the soul and the condition of the soul, either that controlled by desires or that of philosophy that has brought it to a higher realm, will determine where the soul travels to after death.

Socrates further gives us a description of the round, spherical earth. This exposes the fallacy of biblical literalists who attempt to prove biblical divinity by quoting Job 40:22 and Isaiah for the spherical earth, or does that make Socrates inspired? His further description of the earth's hollows by water and the place called Tartarus brings us to the identical words of St. Paul, who certainly was influenced by many non-Christian teachings, which permeated his entire belief system. Also Socrates gets Eastern in the reincarnation of the soul back to the world of desires, including that of animals and insects, which makes this book a fascinating read to say the least. This book is a gem and great masterpiece to contemplate on. I love Plato - and Socrates too.

I will not quote myself, but I'll evoke the words that I have written here before in the review of Krishnamurti's book. Since you're reading this I guess you're interested in Plato's philosophy and this work in particular. I'll just say few words and then will let you to dive into the book and find the meaning for yourself.
This is the book that belong to Plato's later works, and debate continues whether Socrates in this book is historical Socrates or just voice of Plato. If you take into consideration few Aristotelian lines than first option would be the true one. But, no matter which one is right, Socrates here is presented as few characters of world literature are. I can not speak about philosophy here, so I shall speak about style. Bearing the posture of romantic poets, and if you picture ancient greek dungeon as some reneiscance castle dungeon, you'll have the setting. And tht's it. No quarells, no fightning and vicious murdering, just one of the most beautifull speeches conserning human soul, and only one, diginified, death.
Books like these give me hope that there is still a chance for a world to become the better place.

If it was up to me to preserve just one of the dialogues of Plato for posterity it would be the Phaedo. That is because this is the metaphysical core of the teachings of Socrates (the main character) as told by Plato. As is emphasized in the text, death is the main topic of concern for the true philosopher- and that is what is covered here. However, there is nothing morbid about it. This is a message of hope, for Socrates establishes the divinity and immortality of the soul. The good man, he who has purified himself through the love of wisdom (Philosophy) goes to a higher, purer realm to be with like-minded souls and the gods themselves. The bad man also goes to his just reward with those of like character.

If I was to abstract the core truth here it would be that the true philosopher is always trying to free his soul from the body- for only then is the soul free of the distractions and distortions that can corrupt it and keep it from direct perception of the Ideals (Absolute Truth, Good, Beauty, and Justice.)

You easily see where the Church borrowed so much of its basic theological underpinnings. In fact, reading this work abolishes forever in your mind the idea that the pre-Christian pagans were in anyway necessarily savage or barbaric in their deepest spiritual beliefs. This is spirituality more pure than anything preached by the Church- and it is supported by reasoned argument and not appeal to empty faith and authority.

The closing of the dialog is probably the finest depiction in Western literature of the death of a great and good man. You truly concur that Socrates was indeed the wisest and justest and best of all men.

Socrates is unique among philosophers, not just for his place among the early Greek philosophers, but also for the fact that he is the most famous philosopher to never write his own books. What we know of Socrates comes from contemporary accounts and students, most particularly Plato.

Set in 399 BCE, the Phaedo is a reconstruction of Socrates final conversations with friends on the day he died. We do not know when this dialogue was written, but it was probably before The Republic (Plato's most famous work, also featuring the figure of Socrates). Like The Republic, this dialogue features a well developed theory of Forms -- these are introduced gradually here, slowly filling out the details of each step. This develops the story of the caves idea from Plato's earlier work in epistemological, metaphysical, moral, and semantic terms. Plato also advances the 'imperfection argument' here -- the idea that when we sense something, it is never perfectly the thing we are thinking of, and that idea or standard to which we relate what we see, hear, feel, etc. is tying into a more perfect Form.

However, the idea of the soul is rather less developed here than in The Republic. The soul is simply mind, or intellect - all emotions are here placed as bodily aspects. This is rather Pythagorean in a fashion, that only the soul grasps the perfect Forms, and so should consist of nothing but reasoning ability, for emotions distort and cloud the perceptions and judgments.

In the end of the Phaedo, we witness Socrates drink the hemlock, without fear or trembling, as a philosopher should know the value of life and welcome death with a firm hope. The story is almost religious in nature here.

David Gallop's translation is good and true to the original (in as much as I can tell from my small Greek learning). It is somewhat tending toward the formal side. This is serious stuff, but in a small number of pages manages to capture much, and this makes it all the more relevant.

As of 13 May 2008 I was told by the Revere Academy that it will be another two years before the next edition of this wonderful book will be available....sigh. I worked from this book at a jewelry school in Manhattan and have been searching for it ever since. Another two years for the next edition is going to be way too long for this budding jeweler! I wish Alan would put it out to a bigger printing firm as I am convinced any amount of stock would fly off the shelf in no time at all as there is no other book of this calibre worth buying!

This book is excellent. No need to buy used. As of November 15, 2007, Alan Revere's website informs "This book is currently out of print. Look for the expanded and revised edition with 5 new chapters, new layout and larger photographs. Coming soon!" The price is about $70.

This is a well written project book in jewellery. The projects are detailed and well photographed, but not a book for the beginner. If you require books on methods and technical information I recommend 'Jewelry Concepts & Technology' by Oppi Untracht and 'Theory and Practice of Goldsmithing (Jewelry Crafts)'by Erhard Brepohl, which are better value for money.

1st off a new edition is on the way with lots of new photos and 5 new chapers so don't get fleeced buying an over priced used copy.

Meanwhile, This is the single best choice for the intermediate to advanced jewler and even a beginner can learn much. Great step by step that is written so one can jump in a process and glean a specific skill without making the entire piece.

I've been making jewelry such as featured in this book for over 17 years and am a book hound. All the others are fighting it out for 2nd place as this rules the roost!

Can't wait for the new edition. Hurry up Alan!

Regards,

This book is a gem. Pun intended. Gorgeous photographs and concise instructions combine to give the reader a lovely and interesting assistance into the complex world of goldsmithing , which Alan Revere knows initmately.
I especially appreciate the glossary and tool descriptions, which serve to beautifully strengthen both novice and veteran metal artists' cognitive arsenal. Wonderful beautiful volume, destined to be a classic for generations of fine jewelers and goldsmiths. Thank You Alan!!!