Hayes Books

My niece Beti read the enchanted well. She wondered what was the tune playing within, not knowing what it was, she composed her own tune so taken was she by the story. Her description of the piece she composed to go with the story tells all anyone will ever need to know about this book.

She called her tune "Longing for union"... obeying the metaphor which states that every union we long to establish on the 'human' love plane..in the horizontal dimension, is really a desire for divine love...in the vertical dimension it is the only love which one can fade into when enfolded in its mutual embrace. And disappear refers to one's entire mind vanishing into an experience wherein, at last, all suffering ends and complete contentment nests in your heart.....to love humanly is an exercise in learning to love the divine...reality in fact...and to cease from all suffering!

Seanachie or storyteller in Gaelic is the one person who would captivate from the youngest of listeners all the way to the oldest person before them. The author has his Seanachie set before you gathered the grandest of stories and prose sure to delight you whether you're a girly-girl or the rough and tumble. Their journeys, their quests for love and fulfillment, their views of the world, are woven together to create an irresistible web. From the Welcome to my Valley you are hooked and you will find it difficult to set down!

A perfect day, a lovely pint, a comfortable chair, and "The Breagagh Saga". Let the author transport you through his life, his mind, his country, throw in a few leprechauns, a few legends and you will never have a better day.
Mesmerizing, enchanting, one of a kind book.

This is a must read for any Ohio State fan. Especially for those old enough to be a part of the Woody Hayes regime. This is when it was the game plan that we are Ohio State and we are tough and try to stop us man to man with the offensive scheme being simple...three yards and a cloud of dust! This is the timeframe when Lombardi dies and Woody took overthe moniker as the hard nosed extreme disciplinarian in the spot light. Many hated him but with 5 National titles, 13 Big Ten titles to his credit he got results! Unfortunately today he probably would not have prospered as much as the time period back then due to so many restrictions and sensitivity to too much attention being placed on football. The other side is he himself (Woody) made about $29,000 a year and never asked for a raise or took more money so how many coaches today would do that? The author shows Woody's compassionate side and loyalty in this book where he helped athletes by giving them money for food and bought hats and gloves out of his own measly $29,000 salary but when he mentioned it to a Sports Illustrated reporter he was put on probation by the NCAA. Like others have said I could not put it down and it is a fine addition to any Buckeye fan's collection!

This book illustrates truly how bad Coach Hayes wanted to win. In-depth coverage of the preparation for the "Big Game" show how hard Coach Hayes wanted to win it. "Buckeye" takes you through all the blowouts of the 1973 season and the heartbreak of the 10-10 tie with "the team up north". I think that Robert Vare did a great job in proving that Columbus is a Buckeye Football city. Every Buckeye fan should read this book to really appreciate who Woody Hayes was and how he took Ohio State Football from the bottom of the Big 10 in 1951 to the top of the nation in the 1970's.

I found myself unable to put this book down the second I started reading it. The detail in which it desrcibes the Ohio State Football program under Coach Woody Hayes is remarkable. This book is a must for any and all Ohio State Buckeye fans.

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This book is recommendable for students and physicaltherapists, practitioners of the use of electrotherapy modalities and procedures in the usage clinical. The authors offer a review of the physiologics principles, devices, instrumentation, and general principles of electrical stimulation. This title contributes to knowledgement about current developments in their research findings, theory and wide range of clinical application of the modality. Whereas, this book provides understanting and support for the practice of electrotherapy to obtain desired physiologic responses for the management of diseases and injuries in humans by physitherapy

Great review. Even demonstrates bathtub electrotherapy. Utterly shocking and in depth coverage of this most electrifying subject!

This well-written, easy to follow cookbook is not only one of my favorites to draw from when I'm feeling creative in the kitchen. It is also one of my favorite reads. The stories that Isaac tells from his growing up...to his stardom as THE most creative force in soul music...to the point that he is now will make you read them over & over again. Not to mention the fact that recipes are so wonderful! For starters, the Million-Dollar pie is delicious. The fried corn is off the chain. And the lemon meringue pie will make you wanna slap somebody for real! The whole cookbook gets a "Lawd Have Mercy!" from me. Thanx Isaac!

A disclaimer: This great cook book was based in part on some of my great-grandmother's recipes, so I have to tell you from the jump that I am a completely biased reader. I love it! Opening it was like going back home and the memories of my family's good cookin--grandaddy's, too, makes my mouth water even as I write this. The recipes are well written--easy to follow meals that are hassle-free to prepare. There's a nice variety from folk who clearly know their way around a kitchen, so if you like Southern cuisine with a nod toward healthy-living, this is a cookbook for you.

This is book would have to be without a doubt the absolute guide to soul food. The delicious meals are always complimented by pictures that would make the gumbo cry. Sinfully delicious is what I can say about this book. If you want a hearty meal with a smile to match, buy this cook book... FAST

This was and is one the best books ever written. While I was lost on the last couple chapters - the rest was so formulative. One has to remeber when this book was written - Fast product development and feature releases were 2-5 years. These guys revolutionized the working world during the Peters era. Where Tom Peter's reported and motivated - these guys showed you how to do it. I used this as my roadmap at the old Western Electric from 1989-1999. This is the genesis to the 5th discipline and almost all books today on concurrent engineering and Rapid Prototype Development (whether they admit it or not). A timeless classic that should be in every great library.

Dynamic Manufacturing is one of the earlier Clark/Wheelwright books on manufacturing and product development (the title is not suggesting it also covers product development, but it does). In my opinion, the book was way ahead of it's time and still, 20 years after it's publication, up-to-date and relevant and could have been written today!

The book consists of a couple of different parts, although they are not marked like that in the book itself (wonder why...):

- History (chapter 1)
- Metrics and organizational (chapter 2-5)
- Manufacturing improvements (chapter 6-9)
- Product Development (chapter 10-11)
- Next steps (chapter 12)

The history part alone is worth the book. It goes over the history of manufacturing in the US and in the world and shows that in 1988 the US manufacturing was in serious trouble, but that these troubles are similar to what the UK manufacturing went through in the beginning of the century. It has some pretty convincing data that something needed to be done. It would be nice to get an update related to this chapter alone.

The second part talks about investment planning and GAAP accounting practices and how they traditionally lead to the wrong investments and that being one of the key reasons for the lagging of the manufacturing industry. The next chapter talks about organizing manufacturing, problems and different models of solving that. The last chapter talks about measuring the manufacturing productivity and provides one productivity metric for doing so.

The thirds part describes the more concrete improvement to be done in the manufacturing. This part describes what is now known as lean manufacturing. In that sense, the book was ahead of its time since at the time the book was written, lean was still fairly unknown and new. It does great on summarizing some of the lean techniques and most importantly, ends with a chapter on people and continuous improvements.

The product development part is what later turned in their product development book "Revolutionizing product development". It introduces concepts like the "product funnel" and talks a lot about concurrent engineering. At the time the book was written, these concepts were very new and modern and this was one of the earlier books related to them, as far as I know.

As any book promoting new ideas, the last part talks about how to make the change happen. How to make the switch in mindset and where to start.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dynamic Manufacturing. Even though 20 years old, it still is relevant today. It was well written. Recommended to read, even in 2008.

The book is extremely refreshing and useful in terms of its different perspective from the conventional manufacturing management assumptions and theories, which still influence the America's management practices today. The book explores key manufacturing infrastructure issues such as capital budgeting, organization structure and performance measurement and demonstrates how these can affect, positively or negatively, the performance of the manufacturing companies in pursuing it sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors.

The book is well structured and the arguments are very consistent with one another. In analyzing different elements leading to a superior manufacturing organization,the importance of learning and adaptation to change are emphasized, while the difficulties of creating the new infrastructure that a company may encounter and the key role that management can play are also emphasized.

The points the authors propose are impressive using reliable case studies. For example, the case histories of the three presentative investment decisions that illustrate the problems with the modern capital budgeting paradigm are instrumental for better understanding. The calculations of total factor poductivity (TFP) for two contrasting products illustrate the TFP performance easurement technique convincingly. The tables and figures in each chapter, provided as further illustrations, also aid in generating neat and explicit explanations.

The author's treatment is complete since the book provides a great deal of information and shows today's managers why it is necessary and how to implement the fundamental changes if they want to create a world-class organization that builds a competitive advantage through manufacturing excellence. It is very comprehensive in addressing issues associated with creating and managing a dynamic, learning manufacturing organization at the corporation level and at the factory level. However, not all the technical details are provided in the sense that the book is more a "know-why" than "know-how" guidance.

The book is directed at managers throughout a manufacturing company, not just the management of the manufacturing function. In my opinion, capital investors, top management, manufacturing managers, project managers, industrial engineers, design engineers, and any other ambitious engineers in manufacturing companies should read this book carefully and keep in mind some insights and principles that the authors address in the book. As advocated by the authors, "learning is the bottom line".

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I love this book! This is THEE book on vintage Wilendur tablecloths and towels, some of the most beautiful vintage linens produced, as far back as the 1920's. Shows over 400 gorgeous pictures of tablecloths, towels, aprons, curtains and more, all produced by the Weil and Durrse company, the manufacturer of Wilendur and other brands. Lots of great information on the history of the company and information on all of their brand lines. Absolutely wonderful, very interesting book. Also recommended "Collectors Guide to Vintage Tablecloths" by Pamela Glasell.

The author provides a valuable resource for the collector, particularly for products of Weil & Durrse. Information on the companie's history is provided as well as current values based on condition. Fabrics, brands, colors and patterns are discussed and illustrated with the numerous photographs. Tablecloths are emphasised, but towels, aprons and other handicrafts are also covered. The author provides a useful chapter on storing and laundering linens as well. You will not be disappointed with the quality of the photographs, printing or insights offered in this volume. Highly recommended!

I take this book with me to antique shops and rummage sales. It's been a handy guide in identifying Wilendurs. So much fun!

all the cliches apply, couldnt put it down,a real page turner, i read this book in one sitting which is something i have not done for years. an extreemly clever idea with some very clever twists and turns, you think you know whats coming next but you dont.a lot of thought has gone into the characters and the plot
and the ending makes you gasp out loud, a very very enjoyable read.

After reading "The Evolution Seed" twice, my reaction both times at the end of the story was a warm, wonderful, uplifting feeling full of hope and promise. I can't recall any other book giving me such a feeling at its completion.
Mr. Hayes cleverly brings his interesting and well-developed characters together from around the globe as they all, in one way or another, search for explanations to similar, baffling occurances. Great humor, drama, and adventure are all part of the mix as his characters criss-cross the earth in their travels toward the truth. I found myself reading quickly to see what happens next, and then re-reading to savor the ideas brought forth and to further enjoy his characters' personalities.
I have also noticed that many times since reading this novel, I have been reminded of some part of the story through real life events, and I have caught myself wondering, "What if
it is really happening? What if everything about this book is true?"
Anyone who has looked at our world's chaotic events of today with dismay and possibly fear, needs to read "The Evolution Seed". Its message is one of hope and brotherhood and the reader's greatest reward, I feel, is the warm glow of feeling that the best is yet to come despite everything that is happening in current events.
Don't miss out on this wonderful story. I highly recommend it.

The Evolution Seed is a remarkable and unique novel. Thought provoking, and with characters you can easily relate to. It is a real page-turner that draws the reader into a series of baffling events set upon a world stage. It can be best described as a feast for the imagination yet tempered with the hard grit of reality, and like any good meal it leaves you with a sense of genuine fulfilment at its conclusion. It is a brilliant novel, well crafted and I highly recommend it.

The story occurs in today's world and centres around four plausible and fallible characters that set out to answer the riddle of a series of enigmatic events taking place globally. From one startling revelation to another they learn of a frightening scenario that will eventually destroy the fabric of human society and ultimately humanity itself.

Every page left me more questions than answers and unlike many novels the answers, when they were presented, were startling. The locations are vivid as are the characters and throughout the story a thread of philosophical wisdom asks the reader to look again at the world about them.

Having read this novel I would love to see the unique events and characters translated to film, I feel sure it would be breathtaking.

Bought this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR. Although I don't eat meat, my family does, and my husband particularly likes grilling. We recently started a small flock of sheep so this fall we'll have our own lamb. I've also started buying local grassfed beef and chicken and have found this volume to be an excellent resource. Loaded with great advice for getting the most from the grassfed meat we buy (or raise). The author's sense of humor (essential for a small farmer!) shines through on every page. She also presents a well-reasoned and compelling argument for avoiding mass-produced meats. Highly recommended.

If you are one of the many who are flocking to grass-fed meats and wanna know how to cook them properly (yes, it's different than the grocery store meats you buy!), then you're gonna want to get a copy of this book. Shannon Hayes grew up on a farm and explains in great detail exactly why you should be eating grass-fed beef, lamb, pork and poultry, how to perfectly cook up those delectable cuts of meat so you can maintain all the wonderful nutrients in them, and shares some wonderful carnivorous recipes for your healthy low-carb lifestyle. What a gal!

The fine art of grilling can raise any dish to the level of true gourmet cuisine. That is the purpose and promise of Shannon Hayes' 'The Farmer And The Grill: A Guide To Grilling, Barbecuing And Spit-Roasting Grassfed Meat". An impressive and thoroughly 'cook friendly' collect5ion of recipes covering all cuts of pasture-raised beef, lamb, pork and poultry, "The Farmer And The Grill" also includes step-by-step instructions for creating home-made herb rubs, marinades and barbecue sauces. Of special note is the advice and guidelines for sustainable, environmentally friendly outdoor cooking, principles for accommodating the natural variation in grassfed and pastured meats, and practical tips for selecting and working with pasture-based farmers. There are even tips on Argentine-style asado cooking! Along with recipes ranging from Rosemary Studded Spit-Roasted Beef; Mushroom and Olive Burgers; Grilled Steaks in a cilantro-Olive Paste; and a Java-Cinnamon Spice Rub; to Tamari Ginger Buckwheat Noodles; Rotisseried leg of Lamb Stuffed with Apricots and Cherries; Smoked Country Ribs Jerk Style; and Curried Chicken Salad, "The Farmer And The Grill" offers terrific suggestions for having fun in the kitchen while preparing nutritional and 'planet friendly' meals for friends and family. "The Farmer And The Grill" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library cookbook collections.

Throughout the 1970s, Fontana published a remarkable skein of ghost story collections, piloted by R. Aikman and later by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, no mean supernatural authors themselves. Some of the paperbacks in this series, which winds its way up to the "20th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories" are now collectors' items and worth over a hundred dollars apiece.

R. Chetwynd-Hayes has assembled an anthology of ghost stories that are both superbly chilling and relatively unknown for this eleventh book in the series. This editor tends to include too many humorous stories in his collections, but even the humor in this book has a ghastly twist.

These are the stories in the 11th Fontana Book:

"Justice" by 'The Gibsons'--A short short about the voice you may hear behind you some day. Try not to grumble.

"Aunt Cassie" by Virginia Swain--A tiresome old live-in aunt can't be stopped from holding conversations with her dead kinfolk.

"The Woman's Ghost Story" by Algernon Blackwood--A ghost-hunter spends a night in a deserted house and finds it haunted by a man who died of fright.

"The Ghost of U65" by G.A. Minto--If you enjoy this story of a haunted WWI U-Boat, check out the website madladdesigns.co.uk/unexplained/hauntings/uboat.htm for the 'true' story of U65. There are even photographs of the jinxed submarine.

"Footsteps Invisible" by Robert Arthur--A blind newspaper vendor learns to identify his customers by their footsteps and voices. Then an amateur Egyptologist begs for the blind man's help in alerting him to something that has been tracking him across the face of the Earth. Excellent story with a nasty twist at the end.

"The Night-Doings at 'Deadman's'" by Ambrose Bierce--Thomas Hobbes once remarked that the life of man is nasty, brutish, and short. The same could be said for the supernatural stories of Ambrose Bierce. In this one, a man is haunted by what could be more than one ghost in the ruins of a California mining camp.

"The Earlier Service" by Margaret Irwin--A very haunted Anglican church is the site of a young girl's horrifying First Communion.

"Scots Wha Ha'E" by Dorothy K. Haynes--"Braveheart" fans might enjoy this story of a new subdivision haunted by the ghosts of William Wallace and his wife.

"The Whittakers Ghost" by G.B.S.--Standard Victorian fare about a ghostly coach-and-four, plus the apparition of a monk whose appearance foretells death.

"Lady Celia's Mirror" by Roger Malisson--A haunted mirror is bought cheaply by a pair of antiques dealers. After a horrifying incident with the mirror, they sell it cheaply to a monastery. But not even the monks are safe from Lady Celia.

"The Lonely Inn" by Thomas Burke--There are many haunted inns in Great Britain, and this is one of the ghastliest. This story makes my list of 'Top Fifty Greatest Ghost Stories.'

"The Green Scarf" by Alfred McLelland Burrage--An artist and a writer live peacefully together in a tumbledown old mansion, until the writer discovers a secret compartment that contains a mouldering green scarf.

"The House of Desolation" by Alan Griff--Lady Merle and her young daughter are invited to attend the sixteenth anniversary celebration of the marriage of her friend to a dabbler in the occult. After arriving at their desolate, oddly-built mansion, Lady Merle and the other guests have trouble sorting the living from the dead.

"The Man in the Mirror" by Sydney J. Bounds--A chess player up from London meets his ultimate opponent in a rural pub.

"The Attic" by Pamela Vincent--A newly married couple inherit an old terrace house in London that seems to shelter half-seen shapes in its attic.

"The Woman in Black" by Peter Hackett--A man catches the late train from Fenchurch Street station and shares his coach with a woman dressed in black. A shocker with a neat twist at the end.

"Haunted Ground" by Oliver la Farge--This one fooled me completely. The man I thought was dead wasn't--at least not until after the story's end. A young man tries to drown himself when his one true love is killed by a robber.

"The Man Who Sold Ghosts" by Roger F. Dunkley--A traveling salesman has a rather odd product line as Lord and Lady Snood soon discover. Funny but also horrible.

"Matthew and Luke" by R. Chetwynd-Hayes--A successful young businessman is brought back to life after a near-drowning. This story starts out as one of the editor's rather heavy-handed attempts at a humorous ghost story, but it has an appalling climax.

Through the 1970s, Fontana published a remarkable skein of ghost story collections, piloted by R. Aikman and later by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, no mean supernatural authors themselves. Some of the paperbacks in this series, which winds its way up to the "20th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories" are now collectors' items and worth over a hundred dollars apiece. I'm still kicking myself for not saving all of the volumes I bought while we were on an extended stay in Great Britain.

Each volume contains a mixture of 19th and 20th century authors--at least those who published through the late 1970s. I believe this to be the finest multi-volume set of ghost stories ever issued. The only publications that can compete with Fontana are the 36 (and counting) thrice-yearly issues of "All Hallows: The Journal of the Ghost Story Society."

These are the stories in the 10th Fontana Book:

"A House in the Wood" by John Hastings Turner--Two friends go for a walk in the woods and find a house, inhabited by a beautiful, young woman and her parents. In the introduction, R. Chetwynd-Hayes says that most people prefer three ingredients in a collection of ghost stories: fear; pathos; and humor. I disagree with the latter two ingredients, as they dilute the first. Unfortunately, "A House in the Woods" is one of those stories that exudes pathos.

"Fear" by P.C. Wren--A dirty, derelict, tumble-down bungalow serves as a rest-house for travelers on route to Angkor Wat. When a visitor turns down his lantern and tries to go to sleep, he soon learns why his native bearers would not stay in the bungalow.

"The Furnished Room" by O. Henry--A young man seeking his runaway lover tracks her to a shabby furnished room on the West Side of New York. She is no longer there, but somehow he senses her presence. Not quite a ghost story, but once read it is impossible to forget. Pathos, yes, but masterfully handled.

"To Keep Him Company" by Rosemary Timperly--A boy named Tim acquires three ghostly playmates and discovers their secret only after his mother learns that she is dying.

"In the Mist" by Elizabeth Walter--A vacationing couple is lost on a misty moor. They pick up a hitch-hiker: a young man dressed in RAF-blue and heavy flying-boots who directs them to an abandoned airfield.

"On the Brighton Road" by Richard Middleton--An unpleasant little shocker about two hitch-hikers on the road to Brighton who keep meeting up with each other.


"Smee" by Ex-private-X (A. M. Burrage)--A candidate for my top-fifty greatest ghost stories list. A jolly Christmas gathering is spoiled when an extra guest keeps showing up for a game of 'hide and seek.'

"Master Ghost and I" by Barbara Softly--A disowned son returns home after five years in Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary army. His Royalist uncle had named him as heir to an estate deep in the West Country. There is a catch. It's haunted.

"The Moonlit Road" by Ambrose Bierce--A young student is summoned home when his mother is murdered. His father then disappears from his boy's sight on a moonlit road.

"Two Trifles" by Oliver Onions--Trifles, indeed. Dated humor concerning etheric communication. There's a funnier article in "New Scientist" about a man who claims to have invented a technology for communicating with the dead, called 'necrophony.'

"Wicked Captain Walshawe" by Sheridan Le Fanu--A cold-hearted soldier marries a rich wife, then harries her to her grave. He even snuffs out her corpse candle before it is fully burned and is roundly cursed by his wife's mourners.

"Monkshood Manor" by L.P. Hartley--A man has the strange habit of creeping down cold, dark passageways to ensure that all of the fires have been properly banked and the gas taps turned off. His safety precautions are a source of humor among his house guests, until one of them learns of an old monkish curse.

"The Chapel Men" by A.E. Ellis--In a small Cornish village, two bitter rivals compete for the office of circuit steward. One is chosen, but drowns in a gale after someone tampers with his fishing boat. His rival perishes under mysterious circumstances shortly after the new steward's body is recovered from the sea.

"The Birthright" by Hilda Hughes--Martin's clairvoyance is strongly discouraged by his hated father. After the old man's death, Martin uses his powers to locate a missing will. However, he's in for a nasty surprise.

"Non-paying Passengers" by R. Chetwynd-Hayes--Percy Fortesque sees "the face of his dead wife staring at him from a window of the five-forty-five train" and decides to consult a medium. What did his deceased spouse mean when she accused him of 'being late?'

Throughout the two decades from 1964 to 1984, Fontana published a remarkable skein of ghost story collections, piloted by R. Aikman and later by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, no mean supernatural authors themselves. Some of the paperbacks in this series, which winds its way up to the "20th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories" are now collectors' items and worth over a hundred dollars apiece.

For the last book in the series, R. Chetwynd-Hayes has assembled a worthy anthology of ghost stories that are both chilling and relatively unknown. Even the humorous stories in this collection carry a supernatural bite, including the editor's "My Very Best Friend."

These are the tales in the 20th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories:

"Aunt Hester" by Brian Lumley--A young girl accidentally discovers that she can switch bodies with her twin brother, with unforeseen consequences. He finally walks her body out of a window to keep Hester from doing her swap. He moves to Australia to get away from her, but this isn't the end of their story.

"Skin Deep" by Roger Malisson--A beautiful but insecure young woman finds work at a modeling agency and ends up marrying one of the top male models. Their problems begin even before she dies.

"How Fear Departed from the Long Gallery" by E. F. Benson--"Church-Peveril is a house so beset and frequented by specters...that none of the family...takes psychical phenomena with any seriousness." Except for the ghosts of twin boys who suffered a horrible death when they were only two-years-old.

"Carrie Liddicoat's Cottage" by Meg Buxton--Strange folks keep showing up at the door of Moira Montague's renovated cottage. Are they somehow connected with the ghostly cat on her mantle and the ghostly chickens roosting on her furniture?

"The Diary of William Carpenter" by John Atkins--A man buys an old farmhouse for a song and discovers the diary of the previous resident. This story has a pretty standard plot, but there's a surprising twist at the end.

"The Roads of Donnington" by Rick Kennett--The ghost of Lawrence of Arabia reputedly rides his motorcycle through the country lanes of Dorset. This ghost does the same Down Under on the roads of Donnington, and one of his distant relatives sets out to discover why he still rides.

"The Running Tide" by Ex-Private X--A. M. Burrage (Ex-Private X) was a gifted writer of ghost stories, a couple of which are on my Top Fifty list, e.g. "The Sweeper" and "Smee." This story of a haunted inn is "creepy without being horrific and has some really first class characters" according to the editor. There is also a cool parrot.

"A Lady in the Night" by Dorothy K. Haynes--Right before she gives birth, a woman thinks she hears a streetwalker tapping up and down the road by her house. Her imagination (or is it the pain medication?) supplies her with an image of the wayward woman, along with her supposedly gruesome fate.

"The Villa Désirée" by May Sinclair--A young woman who can't afford an expensive hotel room in Monte Carlo, decides to spend her vacation at her fiancé's villa nearby, even though her friends beg her not to spend the night there. If not top 50, then definitely top 100 material.

"Graveyard Lodge" by Heather Vineham--Ruth Ghavri and her Indian husband move into an old house that is almost surrounded by a neglected cemetery. Darshama has seen the house before in a dream and believes he has some unfinished karmic business there.

"Ordeal by Fire" by Gladys Law--A young couple finally locates an affordable bungalow near Oxford, after the husband is promoted and transferred. Unfortunately, the wife has several near-misses with accidentally-started fires.

"Our Lady of the Shadows" by Tony Richards--I don't think I ever want to go to Paris again after reading this story. An American college student gets lost in the dark, narrow streets of the West Bank and follows a cloaked figure down into a grubby basement apartment to ask for directions.

"The Rip Current" by Daphne Froome--A rather unusual story about a ghostly surfer. Don't read this story if you have any fear at all of going into the water. I found myself gasping for breath while reading it.

"My Very Best Friend" by R. Chetwynd-Hayes--A young boy acquires an over-protective guardian angel who leaves a trail of death amongst his relatives, schoolmates, and wife-to-be. I usually don't care for humorous ghost stories (yes, this one's humorous) but this is a good writer at his ironic best. Read his "The Liberated Tiger (1973)" for a really bad scare.

If you are as fond of supernatural fiction as I am, and you've read through all twenty of the Fontana ghost books, check out the web site at homepages.pavilion.co.uk/users/tartarus/database.htm for additional reading suggestions.

As David Hilbert had wanted to make Math easy for any person on the street to understand, this book has surely achieved the goal. In the chapter on Group Theroy in the Bedroom, the author explained Klein 4-Group (I,P,R,Y) using mattress flipping, and Cyclic 4-Group by rotating 4 car tyres. One needs not have to go through the complicated Group jargons to appreciate its usefulness in daily life.

If you liked the book "Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything" (which I loved), there is a good chance you will like this one too. The author may have screwed-up giving it the title he did and by adding "and Other Mathematical Diversions", as it may put off or scare off a lot of people who would find it enjoyable. One would be hard pressed to find a mathematical equation anywhere in the book.

Take for instance the first chapter, "Clock of Ages", on the astronomical clock located in the Strasbourg Cathedral, in the city of Strasbourg, Alsace. Though the current version of the clock dates from 1843, not only was it designed to be Y2K compliant, it is also Y10K functional, designed to directly display the current year up to 9999 and the only revision needed to make it correct for subsequent years would be to paint the number "1" to the left of the display. It will continue to display such events as the correct date for Easter even in the year 19999 (Easter falls on April 3rd in 11842). Though solely a mechanical device, the gears of the clock were designed to be accurate to an error of less than one second per century. There is a gear in the clock that turns only once every 2,500 years and the celestial sphere out in front of the clock will complete one full precessional cycle after the passage of 25,806 years.

After his discussion of the beauty of the design of this clock, the author then takes up a philosophical discussion of time, asking if anyone will still care what date Easter will be in 11842, or even if we will still be counting in years of the Common Era.

The second chapter, "Follow the Money", demonstrates how through even an entirely random process, wealth tends to become concentrated in the hands of a few people, even in a fair system.

The remaining chapters are similarly varied and all are interesting.

A great book with a wide variety of interesting subjects and an engaging, erudite writing style.

This is an excellent collection of thought-provoking essays related to mathematics. Brian Hayes covers a wide array of topics through the lens of mathematics in an engaging, thought-provoking and entertaining manner.

The essays contained in this book, addressing topics such as the genetic code, the Continental Divide and randomness, among other topics, vary widely in subject matter, but share a common underlying theme. Specifically, each of these essays asks the reader to examine "things," such as the genetic code, from a unique perspective. Moreover, Hayes pulls the reader through a thoughtful and insightful problem framing approach that has broad applications across many disciplines.

I found the content and style across each essay to be first-rate. This book teaches the reader many things...most importantly, I feel it offers rare insight into the power of shifting perspective and framing problems.