O Books

I really enjoyed this book, the first detective novel I've felt like that about in a while.
A really well thought out story, with a killer who we are aware of from the first page. Crowan Frayne is not just a killer, he's an intellectual killer with a warped mind. He has an obsession with the poetry of John Donne (around in the 15 and 1600's). He seems to want to be found as he calls upon an expert, Dr Stussman, in Donne's poetry who works at the university to explain 'things' to the police...(and for those out there who aren't 'into poetry' believe it or not it's fascinating how the poetry reads and is explained by Dr Stussman) HOWEVER there is more to his game than that!

This is Ed O'Conner's first novel (I shall be looking up further ones) and he's succesfully managed to make the characters seem very human, even the killer! The main story of the hideous murders he carries out (and eyes he removes) runs simultanously with the Chief Decective on the case's marriage crumbling...and him tipping nearer and nearer the edge.

A captivating read.

I really enjoyed this book, the first detective novel I've felt like that about in a while.
A really well thought out story, with a killer who we are aware of from the first page. Crowan Frayne is not just a killer, he's an intellectual killer with a warped mind. He has an obsession with the poetry of John Donne (around in the 15 and 1600's). He seems to want to be found as he calls upon an expert, Dr Stussman, in Donne's poetry who works at the university to explain 'things' to the police...(and for those out there who aren't 'into poetry' believe it or not it's fascinating how the poetry reads and is explained by Dr Stussman) HOWEVER there is more to his game than that!

This is Ed O'Conner's first novel (I shall be looking up further ones) and he's succesfully managed to make the characters seem very human, even the killer! The main story of the hideous murders he carries out (and eyes he removes) runs simultanously with the Chief Decective on the case's marriage crumbling...and him tipping nearer and nearer the edge.

A captivating read.

I was hooked on "The Yeare's Midnight" before I had read a word. The idea that a contemporary thriller would share top billing with metaphysical poet and Dean of St. Paul's, John Donne (1572-1631) is a haughty premise I could not resist.

Mr. O'Connor delivered and then some. This highly original story provides seemingly ordinary characters with traits that send them into an orbit that can only be called bizarre. Our chief detective, John Underwood, is overworked, underpaid, and his marriage is disintegrating. Sound familiar? Not quite. John becomes so overwhelmed with his wife's leave-taking, he disintegrates before our eyes. While detecting, he becomes carried away by fantasies of revenge and mayhem. For one, I become highly nervous when serial killers are running about, and our protagonist has a complete mental and physical breakdown. When John is taken out of the picture, we are left to the mercies of his second in command Det. Sgt. Alison Dexter, an ambitious lady who has worked hard to come up in the ranks. Again, a familiar character in crime fiction except DS Dexter is so ambitious, she plots and connives against all who might take a shred of credit from her. Her assistants despise her in spite of her cleverness and bravery.

The strange killer who removes the left eye of his victims also leaves scraps of poetry written in blood at the scene of the crime. The killer clearly means this poetry to serve as a clue to his motive. He notifies a medieval expert at nearby Cambridge in case the obscurity is too much for the local police. Enter a rather annoying gorgeous lady who is a Donne expert. Many people (self included) enjoy Donne's poetry because it brawny, frank and robust. This is the man who gave us such lines as:

"Busy old fool, unruly Sun
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on
us?"

and "For God sake hold your tongue, and let me love."

In the author's hands, the "conceits" and kernels of Donne's love poems are so convoluted and ephemeral, I was lost. I had to have the professor who I didn't like very well lead me by the hand to all the clever conclusions.

However, the pace is good and the trip worthwhile if a little abrupt at the conclusion. I look forward to more books by the clever Mr. O'Connor.

Not my usual genre (serial murders are too creepy for me), but I had heard promising things of this new author and thought I'd give it a chance. It was absolutely worth the read. I found O'Connor's writing style to be very original, and quite poetic itself with some really beautiful (and eery) imagery in places.

Several quite fascinating plots make up this remarkable debut by British author, Ed O'Connor. The first concerns a serial killer who has an obsession with the poet John Donne. He uses his poetry as the basis for murder. For some reason, he removes the left eye of his victims and keeps it while leaving a quote from Donne's poetry in blood on the wall. It is up to the local police including Inspector John Underwood to solve the crime before the killer strikes again. Aiding in their investigation is Donne scholar, Heather Stussman who is contacted, not only by the police, but, the killer as well.
Inspector Underwood, however, must deal with his own private hell. His wife of eighteen years is having an affair and it appears his marriage is near the end. His personal life is interfering with his professional life to the extent that he is placing his wife's lover on his list of possible suspects as the killer.
Ed O'Connor displays a remarkable ability, in his first novel, of balancing strong sympathetic characters with a plot that truly makes the reader want to turn the next page. It is not only a gruesome serial killer novel but an intellectual one, as well. Consider it a combination of Thomas Harris (who writes the quintessential serial killer novel with the Hannibal Lecter books) , Ian Rankin (with his depth of characters and balancing several plots) and Reginald Hill (with the academic logic in the killings). There are few weaknesses in this work. Perhaps, it is a bit too gruesome. Perhaps it is a bit too long. However, the whole justifies the means. This is a strong recommendation. Warning: not for the faint of heart.

I tackled 1 & 2 Kings with Leithart's commentary in hand. The commentary allowed me to appreciate the design in this finely crafted piece of scripture. It walked me through the many perplexing and difficult passages. Leithart has an eye for patterns and textual echoes. At times the parallels he draws feel forced but most often he draws your attention to profound insights. I just closed the book a few hours ago. I paused and didn't move for some time after, I was filled with a very rare satisfaction.

Death and Resurrection.

Leithart employs intricate typologies to show Israel/Judah undergoes a death and resurrection in this narrative, pointing to the death and Resurrection of One who will be the New Israel.

Whether people like it or not, and granted that it can be overdone, typology is becoming the norm in biblical studies in all traditions (post Liberal, Reformed, and Catholic). And so it is common to see how, for example, David typifies Christ. However, there are intra-textual types as well, showing how later Israelite kings are antitypes of David and Solomon.

Pros of the Book:
The writing is typical Leithart: masterful. Leithart has also successfully interacted with the best of modern biblical, theological, and ethical scholarship. He is the most underappreciated Reformed writer. His interactions with Aquinas O'Donovan, and Milbank provided for stimulating ethical reflections and the book leaves us hanging with the hope for a renewed Christendom. I mean, really, if anyone can successfully interact and dialogue with John Milbank and Oliver O'Donovan, they automatically deserve our respect.

Cons:
This book cannot easily be translated into aids for sermon prep. He doesn't do verse by verse exposition, but rather "text by text." While that is more faithful to the "flow of the passage," most congregations do not let you preach from two or three chapters at a time

If this is an example of what the new Brazos Theological Commentaries will be like then I look forward to an amazing collection. While Leithart examines the text primarily through a narrative/literary lens, he provides a wide-ranging exploration of philosophical, theological, cultural and liturigcal thoughts as well.

His observations and comments provoke me to revisit the text. Pay more attention to the text, and think more about the text. For me, this provocation makes the reading the commentary a profoundly devotional experience. Not devotional in simply a subjective experience, but rather in being challenged afresh with Francis Schaeffer's question, "How should we then live?"

Reading 1 & 2 Kings as wisdom literature, Leithart explores wisdom in questions of creativity, election, redemption, decision-making, leadership, prayer, and more. In a Christian publishing culture saturated with either popular texts that repeat simplistic themes over and over and over or scholarly texts that expend intellectual energy debating fine points of minutiae on page after page after page, Leithart's commentary stands out as one of those rare jewels that provokes the mind while convicting the heart and challenging the body to act.

Peter Leithart's 1 & 2 King's is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the theological underpinnings of these two books. It divides the entire text of both books into sections. While Leithart explores certain themes, he does not treat the books piecemeal the way Pelikan does Acts in the series' first installment. The end result is a more complete, user-friendly commentary. I certainly hope that Leithart's format is used for subsequent volumes in the series. Its greatest strength is its Christological interpretations. The introduction to reading 1 & 2 Kings from a Christian perspective which begins this commentary is excellent, setting the tone for the rest of the book. It doesn't leave readers stranded in the Old Testament era, but helps them better understand what 1 & 2 Kings means in light of Christ by relating each section to the New Testament. This commentary will appeal particularly to Reformed Christians, since it serves as an excellent exercise in redemptive-historical interpretation and covenant theology, which are two mainstays within that tradition. Leithart's excursions into theology, Church history, literature, typology, and even some current trends within the Church today provide excellent guidance for those who struggle with how to preach or teach these sometimes difficult texts. While the Brazos Theological Commentary is ecumenical in its intention, its editors do not force contributors to hide their theological convictions to the point where volumes in the series have no substance, which is very commendable on their part. Leithart's commentary is written unabashedly from a Reformed perspective, discussing doctrinal disagreements with Roman Catholicism in a friendly tone that seeks genuine reconciliation between the two camps rather than division.

While primarily theological, this commentary doesn't shy away from exegetical and interpretative insights. Instead, it's chock full of them. My only complaint is that I believe some sections should've been given a more thorough treatment. For example, Leithart's section on 1 Kings 19:1-21 seems a bit oversimplistic for such a hotly-debated chapter among Old Testament scholars. Surely much more theological reflection regarding its significance could have been provided as well. However, the section on 2 Kings 3:1-27, which contains one of the most perplexing episodes in all of Scripture, is incredibly insightful, and well worth the price of the commentary itself, I might add! Unfortunately, introductory topics, such as composition, date, historical background, and authorship, are strangely absent from this volume (and I assume all other existing and forthcoming volumes in the series). I guess this is what the series editors mean when they refer to these commentaries as readings 'in faith.' Scripture has been given to the Church and needs no defense for its veracity. However, I would argue that authorship and historical background frequently provide clues to a particular book's overall theological message. For this reason, I would definitely advise preachers and teachers to supplement this text with an exegetical commentary that provides a more detailed analysis of the text and addresses the aformentioned issues (The 1 & 2 Kings volume by Reformed Baptist, Paul R. House in the New American Commentary would be an excellent choice.). Leithart's comments in a few of the sections are simply too brief. Nevertheless, this is a strong commentary overall and a worthy acquisition for anyone wishing to better understand and apply the Old Testament to today. Since it accomplishes its theological goal on every level, I give it a five-star rating. It will serve preachers and teachers well, providing a goldmine of illustrations for sermons and lectures. If I were teaching an undergraduate course on 1 & 2 Kings, this would definitely be my first choice as the primary textbook. I hope that subsequent volumes in the Brazos Theological Commentary are as informative as Leithart's 1 & 2 Kings. Highly recommended!!!!!

Peter Leithart's study of 1 & 2 Kings is the third installment in Brazos's projected forty-volume series of theological commentaries on the Bible. Jaroslav Pelikan led the series with a masterful study of the book of Acts (2005), Matthew Levering explored Ezra and Nehemiah (2007), and Stanley Hauerwas of Duke University tackled the gospel of Matthew (2007). With a PhD from Cambridge and extensive pastoral experience at Trinity Reformed Church in Idaho, Leithart made me feel like I was enjoying the best of academic scholarship, linguistic analysis, literary insights, historical reflections, and thoughtful applications to contemporary Christian discipleship.

1 & 2 Kings begins with Solomon's ascension to power and ends with Judah's banishment to Babylon, which means that Leithart makes a panoramic sweep of roughly 400 years of salvation history in Israel. For him this story of the politics of God and the politics of humanity is not merely historical, prophetic, or sapiental (as a type of wisdom literature), which it is, but rather and especially it is a "gospel text" that has practical applications to our ecclesial experiences today. There is the inseparable interplay between a king's private life and his public office. Idolatry, of course, looms large in these stories, especially the "guns, gold, and girls" of Solomon. The partition of Israel and Judah is redolent with applications for post-Reformation divisions in the church and the nature of genuine ecumenicity. There's the prominent role of "outsiders" like the Gentile Naaman among the "insider" elect Israel. The providence of God over the history of humanity is a major theme in this "court history" of Israel's kings.

Guiding Leithart's interpretation of Israel's history is his strongly and unapologetically Reformed doctrine of God. Yahweh is no "great marshmallow in the sky. He is not a God who plays softball. Nor is he the god of the philosophers, a gorgeous but impotent force in heaven. He is a warrior who fights to win, and deception is part of his art of holy war" (164). He is a God, says Leithart, of enmity and enemies (146-151), of violence and vengeance (157), and not merely by way of accommodation to human sinfulness or passive permission in the divine will. In contrast to Wink, Leithart endorses violence as not only a necessary evil but as a "redemptive" and "positive good" (41). He wants to avoid any "Marcionite" (or Anabaptist) tendency toward a discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments that would privilege the Jesus story over the gore of 1 & 2 Kings. He repeatedly insists that God is not arbitrary but instead a God of boundless love and grace. I found this combination a hard sell, and I suspect that other readers might too. Why not read 1 & 2 Kings as understandably and necessarily primitive stories? Why elevate historical description to theological prescription? In the end, in Leithart's interpretation Yahweh is a "boundary-transgressing" (131) God of surprises in more ways than one.

This volume contains a generous selection of the altogether delicious servings of O. Henry's writings. One can never over-indulge in this fare.

I was surprised upon rereading O. Henry to discover more insight into human situation and character than I had thought of before. The image of a superficial maker of slight superficial gimmick stories was somehow in my mind, and it proved wholly wrong. Linguistic inventiveness, a strong narrative gift, a power to see into various kinds of human situation, warm human sympathy and of course , frequent humor, are found in his stories.

What an excellent book! I recommend it all who love short-story works

O. Henry began writing short stories as a prison inmate, and he quickly fine tuned his skills behind the bars and developed into an excellent story-teller.

The distinctive characteristic of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed.

These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language far surpasses that of most contemporary writers.

His stories also demonstrate his unique insight into the social conditions of his time.

This collection is superlative, because it consists of 100 stories, more than 400 pages, and is offered by Amazon.com at an excellent price! Don't pass up on this one!

A collection of 100 or more short stories by O. Henry? My mouth waters already! It's hard to imagine any literary treat that can be enjoyed in small doses more pleasurable than this. I have spent over a year savouring these stories, reading them one by one, tasting his delightful choice of words, digesting his fascinating story-lines, and the warm satisfying afterglow that comes after a typical twist at the end. His stories are superbly outstanding in at least four ways, each illustrated with five of my personal favorites.

Firstly, his brilliant use of language. These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language easily surpasses that of most contemporary writers. Not only does he have an extensive vocabulary, but his writing abounds with similes and metaphors that breathe sparkling life and depth into his stories. "Ulysses and the Dogman" is a fine example of his skills with a language, metaphorically portraying dog owners as victims of Circe, in a hopeless enchantment to their leashed pets. Also exemplary is "Madame Bo-Peep of the Ranches" where a ranch manager has a heart fenced by barbwire just like the ranch on which he lives, and yet the twist at the ending suggests that perhaps we were completely mistaken. "A Comedy in Rubber" uses wonderfully elevated language to farcically portray a class of people today known as ambulance chasers. And "Sisters of the Golden Circle" revolves around the profound bond that exists between two married women who are strangers but yet sisters "of the plain gold band." "An Unfinished Story" employs profound metaphors of angelic hosts to tell the tragic story of poor Dulcie's struggle for survival.

Secondly, his unique insight into the social conditions of his time. O. Henry has a great understanding of the trials of the lower class, frequently picturing the lives of ordinary people of early twentieth century America with sympathetic colours. His characters are frequently the overlooked: the struggling shop girl, the unsuccessful artist, the impoverished. Admittedly, some of his images can be hard to comprehend for modern readers, and the distance that time has placed between us and O. Henry's beloved New York means that some of his verbal pictures will be harder to identify with. But his genuine sympathy for the oppressed cannot be missed. "The Gift of the Magi" is the signature O. Henry story, probably his most famous tale which recounts a poor young couple who both give up a prized possession in order to purchase a gift for one another - but ironically a gift intended to complement the other's prized possession that they have just given up. Another story which displays his ability to picture the social conditions of his time is "The Pendulum", a wonderful portrait of the daily routines of an poor couple and the bursting anxiety of a married man, until the bubble bursts. "The Cop and the Anthem" was the first O. Henry story I ever read, and humorously recounts the unsuccessful attempts of a man to get into jail for the winter. "The Furnished Room" is a tragic and shocking story of suicide, depicting the depths of despair and desperation of the impoverished.

Thirdly, his warm humour. O. Henry has an uncanny ability to portray the mundane and the ordinary in the most elevated language. Frequently he pits two characters together in a remarkable way so that one outshines and complements the other. On other occasions he crafts the most ingenious and humorous schemes for outwitting others. One of his most popular stories is "The Handbook of Hymen", the tale of two men in a winter cabin, one armed with the hilarious Herkimer's handbook of Indispensable Information. And then there's Jeff Peters, a man who comes with the most ingenious money-making schemes, two shining examples displayed in "Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet" and "The Exact Science of Matrimony". "Let Me Feel Your Pulse" pokes fun at doctors, while in "Next to Reading Matter" an overly eloquent character wins the heart of a senora with streams of articulate talk about the mundane.

Fourthly, his ironic twist. One of the distinctive characteristics of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain, sometimes reversing the entire story line in a concluding one-liner. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed. Like the Jeff Peters stories, "The Love-philtre of Ikey Schoenstein" also feature a brilliant scheme, and the way the romantic scheme backfires is unforgettable. Other delightful examples of the glorious ironic twist include "Witches' Loaves" and "While the Auto Waits". The twist that comes at the end of "The Hypotheses of Failure" is so perplexing, that you'll have to re-read the entire story after reading the ending - but completely delighted at the way in which O. Henry has misled you. Perhaps one of O. Henry's best uses of the ironic twist comes in "The Last Leaf", a warm and tragic tale describing how a dying artist proves as resilient as the last leaf on the wall outside, and through the self-less sacrifice of another.

The Wordsworth collection is superlative, because it contains more than 700 pages of literary gems. It consists of 100 stories, showcasing a wide range of O. Henry's short-story talents. A few popular favorites are missing, such as "Schools and Schools", "Shearing the Wolf", "The Green Door", and "The Pimienta Pancakes." But the reality is that nearly all O. Henry's stories feature his trademark ironic twist, as they do his warm humour, his unique insight into the social conditions of the time, and his brilliant use of language, and that every story in this collection is a literary delight worthy of inclusion. The inaccessibility of some references for modern readers does not prevent these stories from being always entertaining and enduring! Don't pass up on these!

Overall a very good book and a very scholarly work. The book's Introduction provides us a brief insight into O'Donnell's motive for embarking on this work:

This book ... is my answer to a question I've heard countless times in the past: Where can I find a book about the history of the Irish in America that is both accurate and accessible? My goal has been to write just such a book --- a fun yet factual look at the people and events that have marked Irish American history. I've brought to this task an inclusive approach that recognizes that Irish Americans always been characterized by an extraordinary diversity --- from religion to politics to class and identity. My inclusive approach has likewise led me to chronicle not simply the triumphs of Irish Americans, but also their failures.

I feel that in 1001 THINGS ..., O'Donnell met his goal!

I'm a regular reader of O'Donnell's weekly Hibernian Chronicle column in the Irish Echo. So his "easy to read and understand" writing style comes as no surprise to me. But the other user friendly features are: A sensible organization of 10 chapters; about 175 illustration or photographs; numbered entries, and a good index. Indeed the book is "accurate and accessible," and provides a handy reference to answer questions. Not only questions raised by others, but also questions that arise in one's mind while reading news accounts, books, watching films, etc.

I always rely on reading to reduce the ardors of travel. I001 THINGS ... is a perfect travel book. The individually numbered entries, in a flexible paperback book, are very compatible with "stop and go" reading in an airport terminal or in flight --- particularly in the 'hurry up and wait" environment of these post 9-11 days.

And the price? I purchased several copies because the price is reasonable, and it makes a great gift item. I generally trust my judgement. If I enjoy a book, the recipient of my gift probably will too.

I've read many reviews of 1001 THINGS ... All have been favorable. Overall I share that assessment.

But I'm a little disappointed about the omission of some notables.

The McCourts --- Frank, Malachy, and one or two other brothers we have yet to hear from --- are not mentioned. I first thought that perhaps O"Donnell only included personages no longer with us. But this doesn't appear to be the case. Live personages such as Michael Flatley, Jean Butler, The Berrigan brothers, and Ted Kennedy make the pages of 1000 THINGS ...

Then there is the omission of General O'Reilly, the second Spanish Governor of Louisiana. Yes, I was surprised too. Spain also ruled Louisiana. And a man with the decidedly Hispanic-Hibernian name of Alejandro O'Reilly was the second Spanish Governor of Louisiana. Indeed an interesting career in politics in the new world, for a descendant of a "Wild Geese" family.

The most unfortunate omission is the Healy family. In the early 1800s, Michael Healy, an Irish-born Georgia planter, purchased Mary Eliza, a mixed-race slave. Laws during the slavery era prohibited interracial marriages, but Michael and Mary Eliza carried out their family life as husband and wife. Their union produced 10 children. Three brothers entered the priesthood ---

James Healy was the first black American to be ordained a Roman Catholic priest. He later became Bishop of Portland Maine (certainly another first), where he provided distinguished leadership in pastoral work, education, social advocacy, and public welfare.

Sherwood Healy reportedly received a doctorate in Canon Law from the North American College in Rome in 1860.

Patrick Healy was ordained as a Jesuit priest, going on to serve as Georgetown University's prefect of studies from 1868 to 1878, and its president from 1873 to 1881 ---- the first African-American president of a predominantly white university. Healy Hall, one of Georgetown's major buildings is named in his honor.

Unlike his brothers, Michael Healy did not embark on an ecclesiastical career. He ultimately joined the US Revenue Service, the forerunner of today's US Coast Guard. He mostly served in the waters of Alaska, attaining the rank of Captain and the Commanding Officer of the BEAR. The Coast Guard icebreaker, HEALY, is named in his honor.

We know little of the remaining Healy children except that three of the girls became nuns, with one of them attaining the rank of Mother Superior of her order.

Indeed the Healys were a distinguished Irish - American family.

Aside from the omissions, 1001 THINGS ... is still a good book. I hope that O'Donnell will address the omissions with a future sequel to 1001 THINGS. Perhaps a suitable title might be ANOTHER 1001 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IRISH AMERICAN HISTORY. In the meantime, I'll keep distributing the current version as suitable gifts to friends.

Irish immigrants have played central roles in defining the American character and identity, sharing their history and resources for generations. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American Historys provides lively, concise surveys of Irish-American experiences, including both ancient Irish history and religion to modern surveys of Irish lives. A historical timeline format by topic allows readers quick and easy access to Irish facts, biographies of notable figures, and events.

With this terrific book, O'Donnell has scored that rare hat trick of historical writing: 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish-American History is researched thoroughly, organized expertly, and presented with a voice that will keep the rapt attention of both the historian and layperson.... [The full text of this review appears on [Another Site]]

This is a very large well organized book about Irish Americans through history. There are many small articles about various people, organizations and historic events. St. Patrick's day and it's parades are well covered here, as is appropriate at this time. Listed also are: all presidents with Irish ancestry, Irish American politicians, inventors, war heroes, and just about anything interesting that concerns the Irish. A St. Pat's Day must read!!!

I was able to borrow a copy from a friend. Now I think I may buy this book. The contributions of the Irish to our culture are so much wider and more meaningful that the trite and distorted leprachauns leaping around on St. Patrick's Day! And usually drunk at that. This book, written in a crisp and clear style, provides a refutation of that stereotype. It should be of interest to a much wider audience. Worth the money and time.

Many easy & yummy recipes! Gave as gifts to our daughters who are learning to cook and they love it! Use it all the time.

Nothing too fancy, just reliably delicious Italian-American dishes. My mother (2nd generation I-A) loves this book and bought copies for all her daughters.

Don't let the title fool you - these are some terrific, easy recipes.

We cook alot of Italian dishes and this book has not failed us yet. Veal Chops Stuffed with Spinich has become our favorite "company dish". When we aren't sure what we want for dinner or if we feel like trying something new, this is the first book we consult.

This was the first cookbook I ever bought, back when I moved into my own apartment about 12 years ago. Many times I relied on the straightforward recipes and advice to easily create wonderful meals. These are the kinds of recipes you can knock off at a moment's notice, invite a few people over for dinner, and listen to them rave about your cooking for YEARS after that.

To keep in mind, they are mostly Italian-American recipes, so they're more hearty immigrant fare than complex northern italian-style (though there is a whole chapter on risotto - which breaks down the process so simply that literally anyone can make homemade risotto). Also no pictures, but every word of the text is helpful.

Very highly recommended!

I originally got this book because I was looking for [an inexpensive] Italian cookbook. I had low expectations, just wanted a couple of quick recipes. Instead, I got one of the best cookbooks I have ever owned. My wife and I love this book and use it all the time. The recipes are usually very easy, and always delicious. We are constantly amazed at how good the food turns out.

In the past two decades many enlightenment books have been published. Some have fallen into the category of the trendy self-help variety. Nine Diminsions is about as far from those as can be imagined. It represents a great deal of care and thought on the part of its author. David Hey doesn't set forth easy answers to spiritual questions, free of any contribution on the reader's part. Here we find a path to self knowledge (and a way to know others as well) that can help us create and sustain meaningful relationships with those we love. The book is readable because it is obvious that Hey has spent considerable time thinking about his subject and his readers. He has written about a difficult subject with grace and courage.

David Hey has written a simple, profound, and important book for helping us understand the Enneagram. With clarity and precision, he has taken this often hard-to-understand aspect of the Enneagram -- the Essence in each of us and how this relates to our Enneagram type and our search for meaning -- and made it available in a form that reads like poetry. As an Enneagram author myself (Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work" and "What Type of Leader Are You?"),I understand the challenges involved in taking this sometimes compex material and putting it into a form that others can readily understand and use. David has risen to this challenge.

The Enneagram and the teachings of Gurdjieff I have found to be too arcane for the casual reader. Hey's book The 9 Dimensions of the Soul provides an entertaining and informative analysis of some of this difficult material. As you read this book it is impossible not to begin to see how the enneagram applies to our own actions and everyone we deal with in our lives. This book also gives insight on why we behave the way we do. What I also found both useful and fascinating is how these profiles can be applied to the collective and how we work together. I would recommend this book to anyone who has seen a pattern in their own behavior.

Having lived and worked with the enneagram for a number of years, this beautiful book has added so much and inspired me in my own process and in my work. I strongly recommend it to you who want to grow and you who want to know.

I first learned about enneagram in a psychology course that I took. This ancient personality typing essentially places all people within nine personality categories. There are a number of parallels that relate to the results such as archetypes, specific personality traits, important incidents in childhood, colors, passions, and fixations. It's really quite fascinating.

With that said, the most interesting thing about enneagram is its accuracy. I have never seen a more accurate description, chillingly so. Used for personal understanding of the self and personal growth, it is an amazing tool.

When I saw The 9 Dimensions of the Soul, I had to have it. This book does a very good job of presenting the various aspects of the original enneagram system. Then, the author adds an additional layer to this information through connecting particular essences to each personality type. This only strengthens the potential use of this system as a means for self understanding.

The 'Access Data Analysis Cookbook' is a fantastic resource manual for anyone that needs to use Access on a daily basis to get the information they crave. Jammed with over 100 'recipes', you will learn how to write queries, export/import data, generate statistics, build/work with strings, and better manage your data.

I love this book. I have used Access for many years and feel that anyone that has to work with this simple, effective database at your job should pick up this great book, I guarantee it will help you out and save loads of time!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I am not sure if this was the intention of the authors, but I find this book to be amazingly helpful given my set of circumstances: I am pretty skilled in Excel and very new to Access, and I want to use Access in the same way I use Excel, but with much larger quantities of data. Of all the Access books I have been referencing, this one is by far the most useful. It provides lots of information on SQL if you are interested, but I'm ignoring that for now and still the book is great at providing the answers I need. I suspect there are lots of people in my shoes (heavy Excel background, but little experience with Access) and so I want to let you know about this excellent reference. I hope it helps you as much as it is helping me!

To be more specific, if you are skilled at constructing formulas in Excel to convert and reformat and analyze data, and you have at least a rudimentary understanding of Access (I have attended a few 2-hour workshops and that's all), and you find yourself stumped in terms of how to do something in Access that would be easy for you to do in Excel, but you can't do it in Excel because you have millions of rows of data, then I'm guessing you will love this book.

This book is not about designing forms, primary keys, or the use of built-in wizards to make easy queries or reports. This book is about applying Access to real-world business problems. The book addresses how to query data, how to move data to and from Access in various ways, the calculation of different financial and investment terms, and other such problems. The reader of this book should already have some Access experience and thus know how to get around the Access user interface, know basic table structures and relations among them, and how to construct simple queries. As long as you know this much or more, the book should be quite useful to anyone interested in business solutions using Access to analyze the data that is involved. The book consists of a series of recipes that provide example queries, programming tips, and also some requisite math. The following is a summary of each chapter's contents. Each section of each chapter is actually a recipe consisting of a problem - the section title - and its solution(s).

1. Query Construction - A variety of query issues are addressed, including the use of the AND, OR, IN, and NOT operators; creating union queries; and understanding join types.
1.1. Finding Unmatched Records
1.2. Making AND and OR Do What You Expect
1.3. Working with Criteria Using the IN Operator
1.4. Excluding Records with the NOT Operator
1.5. Parameterizing a Query
1.6. Returning a Top or Bottom Number of Records
1.7. Returning Distinct Records
1.8. Returning Random Records
1.9. Fine-Tuning Data Filtering with Subqueries
1.10. Combining Data with Union Queries
1.11. Inserting On-the-Fly Fields in Select Queries
1.12. Using Aliases to Simplify Your SQL Statements
1.13. Creating a Left Join
1.14. Creating a Right Join
1.15. Creating an Outer Join

2. Calculating with Queries - More on using queries to find solutions to business problems. It demonstrates how to apply aggregate functions, custom functions, regular expressions, and crosstabs.
2.1. Finding the Sum or Average in a Set of Data
2.2. Finding the Number of Items per Group
2.3. Using Expressions in Queries
2.4. Using Custom Functions in Queries
2.5. Using Regular Expressions in Queries
2.6. Using a Cartesian Product to Return All Combinations of Data
2.7. Creating a Crosstab Query to View Complex Information

3. Action Queries - How to apply queries to perform activities such as inserting, updating, and deleting data.
3.1. Running an Update Query
3.2. Appending Data
3.3. Deleting Data
3.4. Creating Tables with Make-Table Queries

4. Managing Tables, Fields, Indexes, and Queries - Introduces how to programmatically create and manipulate tables and queries.
4.1. Creating Tables Programmatically
4.2. Altering the Structure of a Table
4.3. Creating and Using an Index
4.4. Programmatically Removing a Table
4.5. Programmatically Creating a Query

5. Working with String Data - Recipes on managing text-based data. Shows how to isolate parts of a string, how to remove spaces at any place in a string, and how to manipulate numbers stored as text.
5.1. Returning Characters from the Left or Right Side of a String
5.2. Returning Characters from the Middle of a String When the Start Position and Length Are Known
5.3. Returning the Start Position of a Substring When the Characters Are Known
5.4. Stripping Spaces from the Ends of a String
5.5. Stripping Spaces from the Middle of a String
5.6. Replacing One String with Another String
5.7. Concatenating Data
5.8. Sorting Numbers That Are Stored as Text
5.9. Categorizing Characters with ASCII Codes

6. Using Programming to Manipulate Data - How to use arrays, access the Windows Registry, encrypt data, and use transaction processing. Also covered are search methods, charts, and manipulating data relationships.
6.1. Using Excel Functions from Access
6.2. Working with In-Memory Data
6.3. Working with Multidimensional Arrays
6.4. Sorting an Array
6.5. Flattening Data
6.6. Expanding Data
6.7. Encrypting Data
6.8. Applying Proximate Matching
6.9. Using Transaction Processing
6.10. Reading from and Writing to the Windows Registry
6.11. Creating Charts
6.12. Scraping Web HTML
6.13. Creating Custom Report Formatting
6.14. Rounding Values
6.15. Running Word Mail Merges
6.16. Building a Multifaceted Query Selection Screen

7. Importing and Exporting Data - Different ways of moving data into and out of Access. Covers import/ export specifications, using the FileSystemObject, XML with XSLT, and communicating with SQL Server. Exchanging data with other applications in the Office suite is also covered. Also covers how to create an RSS feed.
7.1. Creating an Import/Export Specification
7.2. Automating Imports and Exports
7.3. Exporting Data with the FileSystemObject
7.4. Importing Data with the FileSystemObject
7.5. Importing and Exporting Using XML
7.6. Generating XML Schemas
7.7. Using XSLT on Import or Export
7.8. Working with XML via the MSXML Parser
7.9. Reading and Writing XML Attributes
7.10. Creating an RSS Feed
7.11. Passing Parameters to SQL Server
7.12. Handling Returned Values from SQL Server Stored Procedures
7.13. Working with SQL Server Data Types
7.14. Handling Embedded Quotation Marks
7.15. Importing Appointments from the Outlook Calendar
7.16. Importing Emails from Outlook
7.17. Working with Outlook Contacts
7.18. Importing Data from Excel
7.19. Exporting Data to Excel
7.20. Talking to PowerPoint
7.21. Selecting Random Data

8. Date and Time Calculations - How to add time, count elapsed time, work with leap years, and manage time zones in your calculations.
8.1. Counting Elapsed Time
8.2. Counting Elapsed Time with Exceptions
8.3. Working with Time Zones
8.4. Working Around Leap Years
8.5. Isolating the Day, Month, or Year
8.6. Isolating the Hour, Minute, or Second
8.7. Adding Time

9. Business and Finance Problems - Ways of calculating depreciation, loan paybacks, and return on investment are introduced, and investment concerns such as moving averages, Head and Shoulders patterns, Bollinger Bands, and trend calculations are discussed. One recipe explains how latitude and longitude are used to determine distances between geographical areas.
9.1. Calculating Weighted Averages
9.2. Calculating a Moving Average
9.3. Calculating Payback Period
9.4. Calculating Return on Investment
9.5. Calculating Straight-Line Depreciation
9.6. Creating a Loan Payment Schedule
9.7. Using PivotTables and PivotCharts
9.8. Creating PivotTables
9.9. Charting Data
9.10. Finding Trends
9.11. Finding Head and Shoulders Patterns
9.12. Working with Bollinger Bands
9.13. Calculating Distance Between Zip Codes

Chapter 10. Statistics - The most math intensive of the chapters, it discusses statistical techniques such as frequency, variance, kurtosis, linear regression, combinations, and permutations. All the recipes here have great value in data analysis.
10.1. Creating a Histogram
10.2. Finding and Comparing the Mean, Mode, and Median
10.3. Calculating the Variance in a Set of Data
10.4. Finding the Covariance of Two Data Sets
10.5. Finding the Correlation of Two Sets of Data
10.6. Returning All Permutations in a Set of Data
10.7. Returning All Combinations in a Set of Data
10.8. Calculating the Frequency of a Value in a Set of Data
10.9. Generating Growth Rates
10.10. Determining the Probability Mass Function for a Set of Data
10.11. Computing the Kurtosis to Understand the Peakedness or Flatness of a Probability Mass Distribution
10.12. Determining the Skew of a Set of Data
10.13. Returning a Range of Data by Percentile
10.14. Determining the Rank of a Data Item
10.15. Determining the Slope and the Intercept of a Linear Regression
10.16. Measuring Volatility

One final word of advise is to purchase "Head First SQL" or some other good book on SQL if you don't already feel proficient. Although the book briefly explains each query it shows, I don't think the explanation is sufficient unless you see the stuff every day. A good thing about the book is that it shows screenshots of the application in just about every recipe and usually gives directions in clear numbered steps.

This book is compatible for Access 2007 and 2003(title of book doesn't let you know that), what it does is answer questions that the author poses. Many of these scenarios are relevant. I have never bought an o'reilly cookbook previously, but this book is very refreshing especially when you look at the current books out there. This book isn't for new people, this book is for people who want real solutions to the problems that they might face. If your looking for a first book to get a real grasp of access, get Access 2007 Inside and Out, if your someone who has read a book or two, or has some experience but still runs into hurdles in data manipulation, get this book.

Any involved in database management in general and Access in particular will want the ACCESS DATA ANALYSIS COOKBOOK, a survey which shows how to solve common problems of extracting data and performing calculations from large databases. From developing better queries and applying them to inserting, updating and deleting data to managing text-based data and using arrays, this offers a wealth of high-level technical Access information perfect for managers who already have the basics down.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I was pleased with the fast delivery service from the seller. Book is in great condition, and is exactly what the seller said it would be. I will use this seller in the future and will recommend this seller to anyone that is looking to buy a quality book at a discounted price.

This book helped me get a good start in my Accounting college courses. It lays out the fundamental principles of Accounting simply and clearly. Its emphasis on the process leading to, creation of, and analysis of financial statements, would be very helpful to anyone who may need to understand just what a company's financial statements really mean

This book helped me a lot understand the various topics of accounting quickly and easily. If you completely dont understand anything about accounting, this is the book for you.

Book is in new condition, and got here very quick! Thanks so much! Will do business with again.

This is an easy book to follow. Lots of exercises for practice and the answers are in the text so you can check and see if you got it or if you need to study more.

I finally come across a very good ADO.NET textbook. The author has done an excellent job explaning everything that ADO.NET 3.5 has to offer. I really like the textbook structure. The problem/solution approch is awesome. that book is fully loaded with code sample, in which you face with a problem, and the next thing you know is your problem is solved. I highly recommend this book for any developers who need to deepen their knowledge of this great Data Access technology from Microsoft(ADO.NET). Thank you Sir.

[Also posted on my blog: http://msmvps.com/blogs/luisabreu/archive/2008/06/11/book-review-ado-net-3-5-cookbook.aspx]
After several days, I've finally finished reading this book. This is really a very complete book wit lots and lots (and lots!) of examples. It's fair to say that it covers most (if not all) ADO.NET related scenarios (I'm an SQL Server user but if you're into Oracle then it also has several examples that show how to use ADO.NET and Oracle).

I do have one complaint though: chapter 8. Currently, I'll personally "hurt" anyone that is working on the same project as me and that uses ADO.NET objects on window forms or ASP.NET front ents! Ok, I'm not violent, so I wouldn't really hurt anyone :) serioulsy, don't use ADO.NET objects on your UI.

Having said this, I still recommend it (specially if you're working with ADO.NET).

The 'ADO.NET 3.5 Cookbook' is a great resource for every .NET database developer out in the world. With 950+ pages of content you will not be reading thin, as this goodies book comes with 222 tidbits of information that will help you in your everyday work.

Subjects covered include:

- connecting to a variety of data sources
- working with disconnected data objects (datasets)
- querying data
- executing functions and stored procedures
- using LINQ
- searching and filtering data
- adding and updating data
- copying/transferring data
- database integrity
- binding data to web forms
- XML data
- optimizing .NET data access
- debugging stored procedures
- doing batch updates
- enumerating SQL servers
- SQL Server CLR integration

I feel that is an outstanding companion book for .NET database developers that are looking for a resource that specifically outlines tasks into a neat, organized manner. Instead of thumbing through a book to figure out a particular way to do something, these common tasks and questions are broken up for ease of use and efficiency. If you are a .NET DB developer you definitely owe it to yourself to add this great book to your collection of technical books immediately.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

(Full Disclosure: I was a tech reviewer for this book and received a free copy)

I've been using the various incarnations of Microsoft data access technologies for quite some time and have been using ADO.NET for a few years, so I wondered whether I was going to learn anything new from this book. It covers all of the territory to get started (connection strings, basic usage of ADO.NET classes, etc.), but what I really appreciated was that it topics that advanced ADO.NET users would find useful and I certainly learned a few new tricks.

The topic on writing provider and database independent code (Section 10.22) which covers how to do it right if you are targeting .NET 1.1 (which we do) was particularly useful to me. Chapter 10 (Optimizing .NET Data Access) is just generally a good chapter no matter what your level and covers asynchronous SQL calls (executing and cancelling), ASP.NET data caching, paging queries, SQL Server stored procedure debugging and more.

Since my job was to actually run every code snippet, I can vouch for their quality. Most are built off the AdventureWorks sample database that comes with SQL Server Express, so they are ready to run. The rest come with full DDL to create what you need (databases, stored procedures, etc), and the code and SQL is available online so you don't have to type it in.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a review by a "technical expert". I really liked how the book was laid out with a problem-solution-reasoning approach (known as a recipe). Each one was generally useful for those unaware of how to do things in ADO.NET. The examples were short and too the point. The topics were quite varied so just about everyone will find something in this book. In particular the recipes on getting schema information programmatically will really benefit a lot of people because it is neither common nor easy.

I had only a few complaints about the book. The first complaint is with the title. It says ADO.NET v3.5 but in reality almost all the recipes cover any version of ADO.NET from v2 on. This might cause some people to shy away from the book. This book is really for anybody using ADO.NET.

This leads me to the second complaint. There really was no 3.5 content mentioned. LINQ and SQL 2008 were mentioned a few times but they aren't specific to ADO.NET v3.5. LINQ itself seemed out of place for the topic.

The final complaint I had was that the recipes are mostly designed to be copy and pasted into working code. The code samples don't really follow what I would consider an appropriate pattern for professional code. Therefore simply copy/paste will cause more problems than not. It really would have required no additional lines of code and would not have complicated things to have "done it right". Still this seems to be standard practice for most technical books so I can't harp too much.

Overall I recommend this book for anyone who works with (or will) ADO.NET of any version.

I thought this book was terrific. I love Georgia O'Keefe and I've traveled to Lake George a couple of times, and it proved fascinating for me personally. But it's also a great read for anyone looking for a smart mystery. The main character has lots of wit. I can't wait for the next one.

Spectacular fall foliage and the beauty of the Queen of American lakes (Lake George) serve as the back-drop for an entertaining murder mystery involving the theft of previously unknown paintings by Georgia O'Keefe. O'Keefe fans in particular will enjoy the historical background that leads to the "discovery" of lost art. A great beach book.

Anne White's cozy small town mystery AN AFFINITY FOR MURDER delights by continuing her Lake George mystery series with a different sleuth, a journalist pursuing a story. Georgia O'Keefe's painting take center stage in this mystery.

Ellen Davies plans a feature story on the artist Georgia O'Keefe who spent her summers at Lake George. When she goes to visit an art critic Edward Maranville for background material, she discovers a fire and a body burned beyond recognition and a knife stuck in his back. As Ellen pursues the story, a group of paintings hidden in a locked closet vanish. Only the painting of the black iris remains behind but even that painting might become a dangerous possession. As Ellen researches her Georgia O'Keefe story, danger lurks in unexpected places as a murderer follows her path.

Anne White's AN AFFINITY FOR MURDER is a wonderful mystery read with a small town atmosphere. The reader sees another dimension to Lake George itself with her historical research as Anne White turns her focus on new characters as they explore part of the town's history and small town rumors. With the exploration of Georgia O'Keefe's work and her history in Lake George, Anne White adds a richness to this mystery through her sensuous descriptions of Georgia O'Keefe's flower paintings as well as discussions of the artist's technique, her relationship with the famous photographer Alfred Steiglitz and other corners of the art world. AN AFFINITY FOR MURDER is unforgettable --- a delight for mystery and art fans! As Anne White turns her vision to the art history of the Lake George town, the series grows organically, giving both newness and familiarity as the reader re-enters the wonderful community of Lake George.

Anne White has spent her life as a writer, editor and librarian. She has had short stories published in several magazines, including McCall's, Career World, Lake George Arts Project Literary Review, and Glen Falls Post Star. She holds degrees in English and Library and Information Studies. Affinity for Murder is her first novel. She lives in Glen Falls, NY.

Ellen Davies is occupying her uncle's old house in Lake George. Georgia O'Keeffe is one of Lake George's most notable figures, during the summers she spent in Lake George with her husband. Ellen is set to interview an art expert acquaintance of her new friend Diane's who is staying at her and her estranged husband's bungalow when they discover smoke, a fire in the bungalow...and a dead body:

"The partially burned body of a man lay on his side facing away from me. The handle of a long, thin knife or letter opener protruded from his back. Blood had puddled up around the wound and formed a grotesque strawberry mark on the man's tweed sport coat. The smell coming from the body and from the singed hair was sickening enough but it was the face, when I leaned sideways to look at it, that really started my stomach churning."

Anne White has written a thorough entertaining tale with punch lines galore, masterful description, and a plot intricate enough to pull the reader along until the final exciting denouement. Using Georgia O'Keeffe as a backdrop, her story has a "what if" and "it could happen" air about it that is compelling. Ms. White knows her O'Keeffe, and the stories and descriptions of her painting and life alone are enough to make this a great mystery. But, not content to rest on her laurels, Ms. White proceeds to write just about the perfect mystery.

An Affinity for Murder has it all...great characterization, action, eloquent writing, a heroine who is fun to follow, and a crackerjack plot line. She hides the culprit until the very end, and adds a witty twist just for fun. Excellently done, Ms. White! We would all love to keep following Ellen Davies! She is devilishly independent, intelligent, and savvy.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

This mystery put all five of my senses right back in the beautiful Adirondacks where I was born and raised and lived untill I was 19. I could smell the wet leaves on the tall trees alongside Bolton Road and see their beautiful array of colors cluster after cluster. I could hear the wakes of the lake smashing against the docks at times and feel the smack of the cold Lake George air on my exposed face on a late October night. I could taste that freezing rain on my tongue during one of the most thrilling nights of the story. I am still thinking about all the characters, weeks after finishing the book,and hoping that Ellen and her friends return in a sequel. And yes, I have this feeling that if Georgia O'Keeffe and Anne White had had the opportunity to meet one another, they would have been best of friends.