Hoffman Books

What a SUPERB release. This is my medicinal herbal bible; it's quite complete, very nice graphics, and is easy to understand. It sits right next to my magickal herb books and has been an invaluable reference. HIGHLY recommended.

OakRaven

David Hoffman's "The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal" is one of those rare books I keep nearby, as I'm constantly referring to it. Developed for the layman, Holistic Herbal provides sufficient overview of various herbal remedies to allow one to get their feet wet and feel competent while doing so. Part 1 of the book is a mere 16-page overview of the holistic concept - short, but if you weren't already sold on it, you wouldn't be reading the book, would you? Part 2 covers the practical aspects of herbalism, including the collection and preparation of the various herbs. This is one the areas where the work shines through, as Hoffman's descriptions and photographic accompaniments clearly and succinctly illustrate the process of making not only infusions, tinctures and decoctions, but also capsules, lozenges and suppositories. The latter part of this section also familiarizes the reader with the technical terms associated with herbalism, from abortifacients to vulneraries, in clear layman's terms. Part 3 begins the herbal itself, and its clearly expounded sections will have you referring back to it often. Each page has one to two herbs, with a photograph of the herb in question, a description of the parts used and their preparation, dosages and possible combinations with other herbs for varied therapeutic effects. Seemingly in recognition that this information could overwhelm the layman, Hoffman outlines on page 49 a home herbal medicine chest, with around 30 basic herbs as well as the (minor) equipment one will need in order to make use of them. The therapeutic index which lists the various ailments and their herbal remedies also emphasizes several herbal remedies within each category that are particularly efficacious for the ailment in question.

This work offers a satisfying introduction to herbalism for the general reader, and is enhanced by useful sections on medical terminology, when to gather herbs, useful addresses, and further reading. Medical practicioners will probably find that the book contains insufficient detail and inadequate references to other literature and experimental data.

The most useful part of this book - and the one offering the clearest exposition of the author's philosphy - is the 4th chapter entitled "Systems of the Body". This is the chapter that a reader with a specific complaint should turn to first. This includes sections on eleven bodily systems, including: the circulatory system; the lymphatic system; the respiratory system; ears, nose, throat and eyes; the reproductive system; and the digestive system.

Taking the digestive system to illustrate the author's approach, the whole section consists of 14 large pages. In the first two pages, the author explains with the help of illustrations the anatomy and function of the digestive system, and then gives general lifestyle advice on prevention of digestive disease. The next two pages are an introduction to the various kinds of herbs for the digestive system, among them bitters, hepatics, laxatives, emetics, demulcants, astringents and anti-spasmodics. The final 10-page subsection is titled "Patterns of Digestive Disease", in which Hoffmann offers his views on the nature of, and possible treatments for, problems as diverse as constipation, anorexia nervosa, mouth ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and gall-bladder inflammation. The herbs mentioned in this chapter can then be looked up in the preceding chapter, a traditional herbal which devotes half a page to each herb, mentioning the parts used; how and when to collect it; its chemical constituents; its actions; and preparation and dosage. I find half a page far too little, but combining this with the information in the rest of the book, the reader will usually find enough to suggest a possible remedy for common complaints - one that will usually require verification by a qualified practicioner.

The rest of the book includes chapters on "the holistic approach" and "practical herbalism". The latter explains how to gather herbs and make herbal preparations; the chemistry of herbs; the action of herbs; suggestions for a basic herbal medicine chest for the home; and a therapeutic index, which gives an alphabetical list of conditions with most of the potentially useful herbs.

The pictures and profiles on the herbs are a pleasure to read and look at. I would have given the book 5 stars, but there is a dearth of safety information for some herbs (e.g. comfrey, coltsfoot, lily of the valley, sassafras)which I feel is a serious omission. Someone just starting to learn about herbs may start consuming them on a regular basis before coming across the safety information elsewhere. Also, in the section on body systems, the recommended herbal recipes are accompanied by symbols which are not explained anywhere in the text (or if they are, the explanation is very well hidden because I can't find it!) Other than that, the book contains a great introduction to how the body's various systems work and also a lot of common sense advice on optimizing health (not just illness prevention). The philosophy of herbal treatment (treating the whole person as opposed to treating a symptom or a disease) is nicely discussed. Also the therapeutic index makes it easy to find herbs that you can try for specific health needs. A nice addition to the herbal library as long as you have other books that offer the safety info that this one lacks!

I own a later 2002 version of the 1996 book. Except for cover design the content has remained very much the same. That is one of the best available books on herbs and herbology. It shows the herb with a color photograph for those unfamiliar with what each herb looks like. It gives a detailed description of the herb amd exact formulas of how to use it singularly or in combination.There are other features like how to cultivate and dry the herbs and how it relates to a body system. One of the Best herb books available

As a up and coming architecture photograph I found this invaluable and well arranged.

The Aperture Masters series of books are unbelievably good value. They have been recommended to me by several photography instructors as a way of introduction to the `greats' and big ideas of photography. They are small enough to carry around and contemplate at leisure. The limited number of images is also conducive to study.

Atget's images are impressive, varied, often thoughtful or clever, and sometimes stunningly beautiful, especially considering the limitations of the plates of the time. One can imagine the old man lugging his heavy camera and glass plates through Paris in the pre-dawn mist.

The accompanying essay was also enlightening.

Eugene Atget spent his 30 years in photography making over 10,000 large-plate negatives of the art, architecture, and lives of Paris. His photographs capture the beauty and emotion of Paris in the late 1800s. Atget does an amazing job of engulfing the viewer into the Paris city life. His pictures of storefronts and street scenes are amazingly lit and present a romantic yet true to life view of Paris.
This small but powerful book is one of many in the Phaidon 55 series. The small size is great for carrying around, and even though the pictures are smaller then those in most photography books, they still hold true to the original prints. There is a short introduction and history of the photographer at the beginning. Each picture is accompanied by a brief description and insight into the photograph. Even though the size is smaller then most photography books, the images are still great quality, and for the price you can't go wrong.

Eugene Atget (1857-1927) spent almost thirty years photographing details of often inconspicuous Parisian buildings, side streets, cul-de-sacs, and public sculptures. In Focus: Eugene Atget brings together more than 50 of the J. Paul Getty Museum's 295 photographs by Atget, with commentary on each image by associate curator of photographs at the Getty Museum, Gordon Baldwin. Atget's photograph and Baldwin's commentary are enhanced with a chronological overview of Atget's life and an edited transcript of a colloquium on his career. In Focus: Eugene Atget is a superbly presented and invaluable contribution to the history of photography.

Eugene Atget (1857-1927) is the undisputed photo-documentarian of 19th century Paris. With studious attention to detail, Atget seemingly photographed every intimate corner of his much-loved city. Leaving the well-known monuments and boulevards to others, Atget instead concentrated on the atmospheric fabric of everyday Paris, photographing shops and window displays, cobbled streets, doorways, stairways, vehicles, churches, amusement parks, street-peddlers and prostitutes.

Unraveling the mystery of Eugène Atget's life and work is easier said than done. Now considered to be one of history's most important photographers, Atget was relatively unknown during his lifetime. Posthumously famous for his photographs, Atget in fact made only a humble living selling his prints to architects, artists, and institutions.

Atget wrote in 1920, "I may say that I have in my possession all of Old Paris." His systematic method of photographing Paris street by street is spellbinding, and the result is a detailed catalogue of 19th century Paris. The result of Eugène Atget's life's work is gathered here in a heartbreakingly beautiful book for lovers of Paris, architecture, and photography.

While not designed to be a reference tool, the book repeatedly offered just enough information to be nearly useless. To me the title "Fast Track" assumes its a "quick start" book for beginners. While I wouldn't expect it to teach you something as simple as an if statement, it assumes a higher level of programming knowledge than is common to newbies. If you have zero knolwedge of ASP.net don't start here.

The index in the book is less than satisfying.

Explanations of many items are weak and uninformative. If your apps don't fit their molds you will have to difficulty adapting your code.

The only pros were the number of examples and the low price.

First let me say this book fully met my expectations from what I know of Wrox press and the Fast Track series. It was a big help on the little things I was hanging up on. I'm a very experienced programmer with a lot of languages under my belt, and so my biggest hurdle in learning a new technology is the "translation" of certain concepts from one platform to another. This book is good for that "I know how to do X in ASP classic...how does that fit into .NET" state of mind. It probably would help to already be familiar with C# or another OO language though...pure VBScripters may have more trouble with the syntactical elements.

My only problem with this book is the very cursory examination of custom user controls. When I started writing ASP.NET, one of the first things I wanted to do was translate my old SSI libraries into the .NET framework, and one of the best ways to do so is with custom user controls...but the book barely spent two pages on it, and what they did discuss was hardly worth mentioning to begin with.

Aside from that one gripe however, great book.

If you have some experience with server-side development such as ASP or Java Servlets, this book is a perfect fit. The authors did an excellent job in explaining the essence of this new technology with just enough information to give you a thorough understanding of all its core features. The samples are short and to the point and I liked the fact that it showed both how to handcode and what you gain if you use VS.NET. Unlike other introductions to ASP.NET this book is a very quick read. It feels a bit like a good discussion with a fellow developer who had years of ASP.NET experience. It told me what I need to know to get productive fast. Very impressive. I look forward reading more from these authors.

I've partecipated to a number of Microsoft briefing on .net the past year. The evangelists i meet where doing all to make .net impossible to understand and this made me look at .net with a certain suspect. Then i got this book and.. tadah! I've seen the light. If you understand nothing on how asp.net works this is the book for you. You'll see that there is nothing magic, nothing hidden behind ,that your knowledge of asp and ado still worth (despite the propaganda) and that .net could become a improuvement of your old style of work, not his destruction. The book covers shortly but effectively all the aspects of asp.net development. Is a great point to start from.

I purchased this book and Fast Track C# together and I was not disappointed with either book.

Pros:

The Fast Track C# book is targeted to Java and C++ developers making the transition to C# and the Fast Track ASP.Net C# Edition is targeted to ASP 3.0 programmers making the transition to ASP.Net. Even though I have limited ASP 3.0 experience, the book was easy to follow and I did not feel lost. When you have multiple authors, the difference in writing styles can sometimes be very obvious but that is not the case with Bellinaso, Gaster, and Hoffman. Their writing styles blend together. It was hard to distinguish where 1 author finished up and another started. Each chapter in this book builts upon the knowledge of the previous chapters. If you have some ASP and/or .Net skills you might want to skip the 1st (What is ASP.Net?) chapter. The authors show the results of the source code. If you do the examples, you can compare your results to the authors. A lot of books show you the source code but never show you the results. How can you know if you are doing it right, if you do not have the results to compare it with? Wrox recommends that this book or the "Beginning ASP.Net using C#" be followed with more advanced or specialized books. This book will give the basic skills to successfully write ASP.Net using C#. I would follow Wrox's advice and supplement this book with more advanced books. This is an excellent starting book and will get you up to speed with ASP.Net using C# in a hurry! I highly recommend this book.

Cons:

If you use a highligher, it may "bleed" through several pages before or after the page that you highlighted. This really makes a messy book. Did anyone else experience this?

This is a nice book for beginning readers. It has a simple story, lots of rhymes and beautiful pictures. My 4 year old likes trying to read the story and my 2 year old loves listening and looking at the pictures.

this is a super book for learning to read. my 3 year old loves it. the story is cute, the rhyming is fun and the pictures are great too. definitely a great way to introduce reading to toddlers.

My son enjoyed this book. Its great for beginners. Gives them nice breaks with the pictures. My son is 3 years old and wanted to learn how to read. I recommend this book and The Bob Books for the beginners.

K. Platt
Fishers, IN

I thought this book would be great but I was wrong. It has about six sentences in the whole book. Almost all of them are: The fox ____ on the box. The filler words are jumped, played, sat, ate, etc. The word "ate" is a sight word so they don't even sound it out. A reader that can read words with ed at the end are too far along to be reading a book with all the other words being the same on every page. A beginning reader will not know the ed ending and if you tell them then they know the whole book since it's almost the same on every page. This book is lame. Check out my much better review of BOB books. I reviewed set 3.

If you're using a reading program such as Hooked on Phonics, I would say skip this series. Most reading programs have sufficient books of this caliber for your child. If you're not using a program, this is a helpful book to work with new readers.

The shipping was remarkably fast!! It is a text for a class so it isn't something I am thrilled about reading, but it is a good book if you are looking for something for medical ethics.

arirved as described good shape and on time

This book is a great guide. There is a lot of material to cover and the book does a great job in explaining and giving examples. There is a lot of reading so be prepared.

the information is overwhelming.....this is my first Philosophy book and I am amazed at all the information that is in this book.....wonderful scenarios to discuss in class......makes you look at things from the other side of the fence.....only drawback....takes forever to read.....this book is not for the speed-reader.....

I am a professor who teaches Bioethics, primarily to college nursing students. I have used many textbooks over the years and have reviewed dozens. I have used Munson's text for the last 3 years. This particular edition is his strongest yet. Potential readers should be aware that Munson takes an encylopedic approach to the field. Each chapter includes a focus case, additional cases, ethical analysis, survey of the context, and a selection of articles written by bioethicists that cover a variety of opionions on the issue. This approach has both its strengths and its drawbacks. On the positive side, Munson's text is an excellent resource for faculty who wish to reduce the course to a single text. There is very little need to supplement the text in any way.

But the encylopedic approach has its drawbacks. First, each chapter is very long and slow to read. I have found resistance from students to read entire chapters. The next time I use the text I will direct the students to particular sections within the chapters. Second, and more problematic, the text is rather undeveloped in its moral theory. Munson confines his explict moral reasoning to a specific section in each chapter, often devoting no more than a short paragraph to each school of thought. In addition, Munson only rarely takes a position on these issues himself. Without a central guiding moral vision or approach, students are often left bewildered and perplexed about what to think of these issues themselves.

In the end, I believe that the strengths of Munson's text outweigh its shortcomings, though professors who are considering this volume should be aware that they will need to do a lot of focusing of class discussions.

This is a great book to have with you on your trip to Israel. The readings and blessings add so much to an already special experience.

Had to return this book. Chunks of it were written in Hebrew script with a romanized translation underneath followed by an English translation.

As a first time traveler to Israel, I found this book to be an extremely helpful guide for both mind and soul. It is well organized and it provides a great framework to prepare you spirtually for the trip as well as each remarkable location when you are there. I felt connected to the places I visited, to the people who have come before me, and to God. I was able to reflect on how the experiences affected me each day. This book helped me to organize my thoughts and memories that I will cherish forever. I am grateful to the author for his hard work in creating this well written book.

When I went on my Birthright Israel trip, I was like many young Jewish people and just didn't know all that much about my religion and it's history.
Aside from prayers and tips on how you can approach these places with a more spiritual frame of mind, it also gives you the requisite history about it. And it's a tiny book and an easy read, so you can even read the section on the place you're going to during the bus ride there, or even the night before you go. This made a huge impact on what I got out of my trip to Israel.
Another book I recommend for a similar reason, and you can check out my review of that one too, is Telushkin's Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History

It is the must companion for any traveler to Israel. The blurb says it best, "the other travel books tell you how to get there, Hoffman tells you why to go and what to do when you're there." Hoffman, a Professor of Liturgy at HUC-JIR, is best known for his book, "What Is A Jew?" His travel guide is in four sections. The first contains eighteen (chai) meditations to be read before embarking on one's trip to Israel. The second section is on preparations for "the eve before the trip." Section three focuses on "How to prepare while on the way." And Section four is filled with 25 specific pilgrimage destinations for the traveler. For each site, such as The Kotel or a Kibbutz, Professor Hoffman provides THE FOUR A's -- four sections on "Anticipation," "Approach," "Acknowledgment," and "Afterthought." In Anticipation, one reads an overview of the sight; Approach contains biblical, rabbinic and other writings about the site; Acknowledgment is filled with prayers or readings for you to recite at your destination; and Afterthought provides a blank space in which you may record your feelings, emotions, or just plain journal entries that you can keep forever. This is an excellent companion for a trip to Israel.

Sometimes just the comfort of reading a book is bibliotherapy enough. Author Hoffman describes this comfort herself when her character Zilla explains how one of the viri, or mind parasites, tranced her so he could suck off her in safety: "I felt like I was reading a very exciting book, and I didn't want to put down," Zilla whispered. "I still want to find out what happens next."
But Spirits That Walk in Shadow's delivers up more than just the pleasure of a good read. It also offers a rather brilliant analogy for the dual griefs of depression and co-dependence. Perhaps the real reason why your depression can't be touched by those pills your doctor gives you - or even a very exciting book - is that a mind parasite or emotion vampire is feeding off you. Or, the real reason you obsess so about your manipulator is not because you are an idiot, but because he/she/it is an emotion vampire and you are the victim of its skills. This is what art does; it explains us to ourselves, and Hoffman is to be congratulated for doing it so well.
Not a perfectly constructed book, Spirits That Walk in Shadows offers some wonderfully bright new material, and Hoffman's magical world is rich in gracefully casual detail. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." I would say that her characters are wonderfully human, but most of the more interesting ones, happily, aren't. Human. Note to self: Read all Hoffman's earlier works.

I adored The Thread that Binds the Bones, even if it wasn't as polished as it might have been. I liked The Silent Strength of Stones, which seemed a little darker and more introspective. But I LOVED this one. It had all the polish that her first Chapel Hollow novel lacked, and a lot of the darker, more introspective aspects of her second. Her writing gets tighter and better with each installment. Somehow I just like the characters and the premise of Chapel Hollow better than her other series.

This book was pretty good but it was not nearly as good as "The Threads That Bind the Bones". "Threads" was a book that propelled a new author onto my list of collected authors. I thought it was a fantastic book. "Spirits" is about Jamie, a minor character in "Threads", as she goes off to college. The story really feels as if it could have been fleshed out a whole lot more. I was disappointed in this book, especially since it takes us back into the world of Chapel Hollow. I have enjoyed this 'world' better than the other series that Nina has written about and I have been wanting her to take me back there ever since "Silent Strength of Stones". It is a good read, I was just expecting more.

Nina Kiriki Hoffman is back to what she does best in 'spirits that walk in shadow".She beguiles us with her simplicity and enchantes us with her world that is only a step away from where we are now. The magic is the glue but the characters draw us in.Kim who starts out without the magical spark and Jaimie, whom we have met in a past Hoffman book ,who is trying to control the magic she has.Starting University and sharing a room together the girls havr to face lossing all magic and being helped by a family snake.Well presented and easy to read this book fits in well with Hofman's other work.

Jaime Locke was a minor character in The Thread That Binds The Bones, but Spirits is more like a direct sequel to the short story 'Exact Change,' which appeared in the 2 Hoffman anthologies Common Threads and Courting Disasters and also in Weird Tales #299. In that story Jaime starts to question the morality she's being taught by her magic teacher and starts to try to figure out her own destiny and how she wants to use her magical powers. In 'Exact Change,' Jaime is an elementary school kid; now she is an adult, shortly after The Thread That Binds The Bones, and decides to go to college in the Outside, away from her magical family, and see how she does.

Once in college, she meets her roommate Kim, who has a recent history of depression no meds will help. They find out Kim is a victim of a being called a viri, a sort of vampire that feeds on emotions instead of blood. The pair then encounter a viri who claims Kim's viri is a rogue viri, whom he is chasing, and two cousins of Jaime's who have had a very different magical education and have different attitudes about interacting with normals. These five people from different backgrounds interact, sometimes conflicting with each other, and search for Kim's viri to make it stop feeding on her. I love Nina Kiriki Hoffman's work and wonderful writing style, and found this book very satisfying. Hoffman writes about magic very well, sliding it between the threads of the fabric of everyday life, and often writing about the souls of everyday objects, like trees and (in Past the Size of Dreaming) garbage cans.

A few characters from Hoffman's other novel The Silent Strength of Stones also appear in this book, but it isn't necessary to read that, or The Thread That Binds The Bones, to enjoy Spirits.

It's also an interesting coincidence that both Nina Kiriki Hoffman and PC Hodgell released (very different) books about a character Jaime/Jame going to college in the same year.

The book sounded great but the stories are very lackluster; they lack the proper description to make the stories frightening. The stories take place in New England but the author fails to bring any local flavor to the stories; they could take place anywhere at all!

Plus, truth be told, the stories are not scary at all. A guy sees a dog and the next day he trips on a mountain. Wow, what goosebumps!!!

Finally the author fails to tell us how she gleaned the stories or provide any background.

The one star is for the moody drawings which are well done.

Spooky New England isn't your standard book of true accounts of ghostly encounters that you see so often today. Rather, as explained in the introduction, this is really a collection of myths, legends, and local folklore from various parts of the New England landscape. These are the tales that kids told each other around the bonfire at Summer camp and that locals regale tourists with as they visit their small towns. It's America's folklore that is fast fading from the memory of present day people. Thankfully this book helps keep alive these chilling tales from America's oldest and original settlements. New England has always been brimming with ghost stories, told by some of our greatest early writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving.

Retold by S.E. Schlosser, you'll read tales from the coast of Maine to Massachusetts and a more perfect book for entertaining guests for a Halloween party you couldn't hope to find. From Martha's Vineyard read about the mysterious Blue Rock where phantom pirates buried a secret treasure long ago. Then there is the ghost of Elvira Blood, wife of sea captain Sam Blood. While Sam drank and feasted with his buddies at the local pub, his poor wife and their children were left with watery soups until Mrs. Blood finally got wind of her husband's deeds. Even after she died, there would be no more feasts at the Mariners Club, as her ghost would tip over the table and spill the food all over the floor!

There is the tragic tale of the "Wraith in the Storm" about a young man who went out to sea just as terrible storms struck. His young sister then would see a spectral funeral march towards their house carrying a casket but it soon disappeared. Yet days later the family would receive word that their son's ship sank and there were no survivors. In other tales you'll read about The Devil's Hole, the Loup-Garou, and the Black Dog of Hanging Hills.

The stories are scary, but not too potent that young ones will need to hide under their beds. There's a great amount of charm in them as well and it's a wonderful collection of almost forgotten American folklore.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This great short story collection made me sleep with the light on! My husband came home late one night while I was reading the Telltale Seaweed (the first story in the book), and when he slammed the front door I nearly jumped out of my skin! I was sure the ghost had arrived to get me!

The things I like best about this collection of spooky stories are that the stories are all based on the oral tradition from New England, that they are told phenomenally well (Books on Tape should record this collection; it just begs to be read out loud), and that many of the stories make you think: "That could really have happened".

I found these stories more insidiously spooky than some of the Stephen King novels, which are not too realistic. If you think suspense/thriller films vs. horror flicks, you get the picture.

Can't wait for the next book!

It was wonderful to read these spine-tingling folktales from New England. The historical stories from the Colonial period were especially fascinating to me. The fear of being "witch-ridden" came up more than once (in The Witch-sheep and in Old Betty Booker). It appears to have been a very real terror for the New England folks once-upon-a-time.

My very favorite story was Tom Dunn's Dance, in which Tom changes from a wild young man to a model citizen, all because of a certain, terrifying experience one night on top of Rag Rock.

A very enjoyable collection.

The book was a good read. The stories move quickly and are well told. I especially enjoyed reading Mary's Flowers to the grand children. All the stories are presented in a realistic fashion and you are able to identify with the character's in the book. You end up asking yourself could this story really be true. The story entitled The White Deer seemed like it was talking about a real event involving real people. I enjoyed reading the book very much. Some of the stories can be read many times and seem to retain their freshness.

My father actually bought this book for my daughter to read. Being a parent to a child who will and does read anything, I took it upon myself to read this book so that I would know what she was reading. Once I started, I couldn't put it down! It was that riveting. I would love to see a follow-up of this book, to know what happens to Susan, Deirdre, Julio, Edmund, and even Trudie as they get older. I would also like to see a measure of justice directed at some of the characters, which is yet another reason that I want to see a sequel.

Please, oh, please, continue the story!

Susan was perfect. She had to be, or her father would make Mother suffer. Once she had a friend, Julio, her housekeeper's son, but Father put an end to that. Now she does a lot of extra-credit reports and listens carefully to the house, so she can tell where everyone is - and when she needs to hide. She's gotten permission to stay away from home every afternoon for a month, doing research on her current project. In the library she overhears Julio and two friends discussing various sites where they can pursue their interests without disturbing anyone or being interrupted. They decide on the local haunted house and Susan is invited to join them. But this House really is haunted. Nathan was about their age when he hung himself in 1918, and when Susan listens to this House, it talks to her. Hoffman has smoothly created unforgettable characters with real issues, some magic, and a forever friendship. A page-turner, with people you don't want to say good-bye to.

Nina's writing had a similar feel to Richard Peck's writing, although a little darker in "reality." They both succeed in creating characters that are able to make friends with the odd ones that have crossed over to the other side. As a teen, Richard Peck's ghosts became my friends. Nina's Nathan has that same ability to come off the page and become a friend.

Then I see warnings on its Satanic Imagery. No. It has Pagan/Wiccan imagery, and if you have read anything about Wicca, you'll know that one of the basic tenants of Wicca is that what you do to others will come back to you tenfold. So, if you want to use wicca for evil purposes, expect 10 times that evil to befall on you.

That aside, the book has a slow start. I almost gave up before I got to the second chapter, but I'm glad I kept with it. The story is not about Wicca. It is about a girl, Susan, who has grown up with a father who is so controlling and abusive that she has come to believe that her body is not her own. She no longer even feels pain. He has successfully isolated her from other people her age, and even all other people except the housekeeper. Then Susan finds a way to sneak out of the house to join others at a "haunted" house. And there, she learns about the power of friendship.

This book has achieved a balance of fun, seriousness and mysticism that is rare. Definitely a book worth reading. Unless you feel children shouldn't read A Wrinkle in Time because of Mrs. Who, Mrs. What and Mrs. Which.

This prequel to Hoffman's other books is just as juicy and delicious as the others. She can really get inside the adolscent heart and make us bleed for the characters. I don't know why this is listed as adolescent fiction, because it's not. If you love contemporary fantasy these are great books for you. READ THEM!

Susan, a seventh-grader, has terrible secrets. Her father beats her mother and then blames Susan. He controls Susan, telling her what to wear, what to watch on television, and how to spend every minute of her time. At school, she is a lonely outsider. Her only real friends are the family's housekeeper, Juanita, and Juanita's son, Julio.

At the library one day, Susan overhears Julio and his friends plotting to visit the local haunted house, and she invites herself along. There, they meet a ghost named Nathan. Susan is oddly drawn to both Nathan and the house, and she begins to carry one of Nathan's finger bones. Her talisman emboldens her away from the house, and she finds herself able to connect with people a little more easily.

Susan finds refuge when Nathan invites each of the visitors to keep a room at the house. She develops relationships with her new acquaintances, both the living and the dead, and spends an unforgettable Halloween night with Nathan --- a mystical evening that makes her supernatural host even more alluring.

Many facets of Susan's life gradually become better. However, her home situation does not improve. Susan's unbearable pain plus her attraction to the boy ghost lead her to ponder whether or not she would be better off joining Nathan forever.

Susan and Nathan are heartrendingly sympathetic characters. The lyrical writing weaves together a dreamy ghost tale and the harsh realism of Susan's home life, ending on a hopeful note. The fact that there is no easy resolution only adds to the believability. This memorable story left me longing for more, so I was happy to learn that A STIR OF BONES is a stand-alone prequel to two previously published novels, A RED HEART OF MEMORIES and PAST THE SIZE OF DREAMING.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

This is the first time I have come across a book on business ethics that I could not put down.
No matter whether you are a new comer to the field of ethics and are looking for a comprehensive primer; or you are a seasoned practioner, looking back on where you have come from, in order to know where to take your ethics initiatives next - you will find this book invaluable.

It is a useful guidebook taking you each step of the way along the road towards the successful
implementation of a comprehensive ethics program. Equally it can serve as a checklist for those
in the business of auditing or evaluating existing ethics programs.

The language is clear, the examples ample and the case studies that appear at the end of each
chapter of the book help make the points. They are a useful way of keeping them in memory for a
long time.

The epilogue usefully anticipates the emerging challenges and points to where we
should all be thinking next.

If you are only going to own one book on business ethics this is the one to have.

Norman Steinberg
Director General Audit and Ethics Branch
Public Works and Government Services Canada Federal Government of Canada.

In the eight or so years since the "COSO" report highlighted the importance of ethics systems and the "tone at the top" or control environment in organizations, little has been written to help practitioners achieve the many promised and widely recognized benefits. This volume answers that need for a wide spectrum of readers. It sets forth a ten-point program for implementing a values-driven organization.

The authors explain the factors that have led to the current emphasis on including values in decision making instead of mere compliance with laws and regulations. Thus, the work constitutes a recipe for how to develop a corporate culture that integrates consideration of an organization's core values into its decision-making processes.

The basic premise of the book is that an effective ethics system is needed to make sure people are not tempted to "look the other way" and go with the flow. Otherwise, it may be too easy to avoid the sometimes-difficult aspects of deciding between right and wrong or even weighing two right answers. The authors believe such a system should go beyond compliance, essential as that is. They present a case that consideration of values in decision-making is absolutely essential in today's business environment.

In the context of the book, "values" could have been considered as morally neutral. For obvious reasons, however, the authors consider only positive values as relevant. Words like "fairness," "loyalty," "accountability," and "honesty" are examples. Values of this nature can become the framework within which an individual makes decisions. Driving the need for a values-oriented approach is the many changes that are affecting the business environment. A few of these changes the book notes are: Diversity, Globalization, Cost pressures, Virtual and E-Capabilities, Strategic Alliances, Teamwork, Entre- and Intra- preneurship, Downsizing, Deregulated Government, and a Competitive 24/7 Media.

The volume illustrates the best practices of exemplary companies that have developed a values-based management style. These include coverage of recent developments at Texas Instruments, Pacific Bell, Lockheed Martin, Olin, BellSouth, Orange and Rockland Utilities, and Guardsmark.

Here in one concise volume is what managers at every level need to know about building a system that encourages ethical conduct. It is written in an easy to read style that tells the story of ethics systems in a highly readable fashion. Its 20 chapters are each a short story that you may not wish to put down before finishing! This book is highly recommended reading for managers at all levels.

For those of us who are struggling, or who have struggled with the daily issues of establishing or runnning an ethics office, Driscoll and Hoffman's offering is a welcome arrival. By not only laying out the framework for the 'best-practice' development of an ethics program, but by supplementing this with the real actions of firms, the book joins a select few books on business ethics that is actually useful to those of us in the business world. An invaluable day-to-day aid.

This is the first time I have come across a book on business ethics that I could not put down. No matter whether you are a new comer to the field of ethics and are looking for a
comprehensive primer; or you are a seasoned practioner, looking to take your ethics initiative to another level of maturity - you will find this book invaluable.

It is a useful guidebook taking you each step of the way along the road towards successful implementation of a comprehensive ethics program. Equally it can serve as a checklist for those whose business it is to audit or evaluate existing ethics program.

The language is clear, the examples ample and the case studies that appear at the end of each chapter of the book help make the author's point. They are also a useful way of keeping them in memory for years to come.

The epilogue anticipates emerging future trend and challenges and points to what we all should be thinking about next.

If you are only going to own one book on business ethics this is the one to have.

Norman Steinberg
Director General Audit and Ethics Branch
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Federal Government of Canada.

This is an exceptionally well written book- easy to follow, with practical illustrations that add life to the text. As such, it became a "how to," with illustrations for me. But the illustrations also contained nuggets within themselves- i.e. they provided me with additional tips about the subject they illustrated, adding to the total body of knowledge I gleaned. Hoffman and Driscoll have done a wonderful job here.