Scott Books

Seabiscuit is a great story, book, and movie. If you have not read it, buy it today and start reading. You will not be disappointed.

This book is a true American legend at its best. "Seabiscuit" was written by Laura Hillenbrand based on a true story of one horse and jockey's incredible life. This biography is set in the 1930's and 1940's and takes you on a journey with someone and something that no one believed in until they were given a chance to prove themselves. The perseverance of these two characters is admirable; they never give up, no matter what. The jockey, John Pollard, was struggling in life until given the shot to show he was more than just an average jockey. Seabiscuit, on the other hand, is my favorite character; he never accepts the possibility of losing. Pollard and Seabiscuit's relationship started when trainer Tom Smith paired them together out on the racetrack. I love that they were given a chance to prove everyone wrong by winning race after race with odds stacked against them; both had been injured numerous times. Read about how they smashed people's disbelief and made history, performing one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports. The theme of "never giving up no matter what" would most likely interest people who enjoy sports novels. "Seabiscuit" is truly the greatest sports story of all time.

This narrative leaps out of the first paragraph in the same way Seabiscuit learns to bolt from the starting gate. From the start, Laura Hillenbrand draws the reader into the story with colorful, taut writing. There are no meaningless side stories in this book - each detail weaves itself back into the tale of a horse who beat the odds to become one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
This story is gripping even if you have no interest in horseracing.

I loved this book !! It made me feel as though I was there watching the drama unfold as the unknown underestimated horse rose to champion status. The characters are real and the story is built piece by piece. If you like rooting for the underdog and enjoy the thrill of competition, this book is for you. The large print of this edition was easy on the eyes as well.

This book follows the life of Seabiscuit, an incredible racehorse in the 1930's, and the three men who were entwined in his life: live-wire owner Charles Howard, taciturn trainer Tom Smith, and reckless jockey Red Pollard. WOW. This is an amazing book. I read it because I had watched the movie and loved it, but I wasn't thinking I would actually enjoy the book. I felt obligated to read it. Well, it's probably my favorite book to read this year. The author sets up each character carefully, going back to the man's birth, or further back, and the reader really gets a sense of what drives each person. The character development for "the Biscuit" is truly great, as well. His personality really shines, and I wish I could have met him! Her insertion of anecdotes is masterful, as well. The era (the Depression), the nation's mindset, the men who loved Seabiscuit, the means jockeys undertook to maintain racing weight are all described and explained wonderfully, without the author ever becoming pedantic or talking down to us folks who don't know racing. One doesn't have to be a "race person" or a "horse person" to enjoy this beautifully crafted book. The rave reviews are well-deserved. It's the story of underdogs achieving great things. It was an exhilarating and enthralling read; better than any fiction I read this year. After reading this, I would read anything this author put out.

I purchased this book for my daughter. She read and finished the book and told me that it was well written and that it was very interesting reading. I didn't read it so I would be hesitant to recommend.

I loved this book! My heart goes out to Sharon Rocha and the rest of Laci's family.

I was pregnant with my 3rd son when Laci went missing and was so devastated to hear how she went missing. As time went on, and I looked at Scott on TV, I could tell he was guilty. He was blank, cold, and detached looking. I felt so sad for Laci and her son. She was so beautiful and looked to be like such a sweet loving woman. I was drawn to the story, and waited for her mother to write a book about her. I realized it might not happen, but was happy when she finally wrote this book. I read the book by Scott's half sister, and really enjoyed that book. I also read this book and cried like a baby at certain parts. I was confused how Laci could have been so trusting of Scott, as most women (or at least I thought) have women's intuition that would tell them something was wrong. I am happy that her mother wrote this book. I always wondered what went on with Laci's side of the family during this whole tragedy. Even though I cried many tears while reading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

When the story of Laci broke news, I thought it wouldn't be as sensational as it turned out to be, I mean how many people go missing, or are murdered;my husband thought the same way. I began reading the books about Laci and the investigation, which covered forensic, and mental health issues, but no emotional feelings until I read Sharon's book. It's powerful in its own right. A must read!

This is a compelling book which reads very quickly, as it is hard to put down. Sharon Rocha paints a lovely portrait of her daughter Laci. You can't help be empathetic as evil moves in around her. I have an incredible amount of respect for her and the search-and-rescue fund/foundation she created. This tugs at heartstrings and elicits tears. I can't help but cry.

I have read many many books pertaining to astronomy and cosmology over the years, but until this book, I had never read anything written by Carl Sagan. What interested me enough to purchase this book was not only the topic it covered, but that the book was itself written by Carl Sagan.

I best remember Carl Sagan from those TV specials he narrated that were aired on public TV many years ago. I was always impressed with Mr. Sagan's knowledge and manner of presentation of the material. His enthusiasm to tell what he knew about the cosmos was never masked by a scripted TV presentation; his enthusiasm was very infectious. So recently, I thought I had to rectify my having never read a book written by Mr. Sagan and I purchased the book Cosmos. I was not disappointed; I felt as if I was watching one of those old TV specials narrated by Mr. Sagan. In my mind's eye, I could see everything I was reading and I did not want the book to end.

Despite that the book may be dated, and cosmology has moved on a bit since the publishing of this book, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in cosmology, astronomy, astrophysics and even history. I only wish Mr. Sagan was still alive to write something new. He is missed by me.

The best advice I can give, regarding this book, is to GIVE it to a young person interested in science or space. You will plant a seed that will grow forever. Sagan's masterpiece takes the mind on a wonderful journey through the stars as well as through other space centered events. Highest recommendation as a text for learning as well as a fine read for anyone interested in the subject.

Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" was my first book on astrophysics and was very instrumental in my growing love of Cosmology and all things Space. He is a great writer, a bit out there sometimes but like any great science writer, he makes the material accessable to the general public in a way that is thought-provoking and educational.

Imagine you are a wanderer, like our forebears, you gaze up at night, finding a spectacular image then tell you offspring what you've seen, you name these constellations, like telling a story. Millions years later, our species created enough fairytales, then science comes, evolves, battles, advances, imagine you are a reporter, and you need to write down all these. Not just the outcome.
That's how cosmos comes to be what it is now, but unfortunately, most of us just know the outcome, like Earth is a planet orbiting the Sun, a star. Carl Sagan did the rest of the jobs brilliantly in Cosmos. When reading this book, you will forget it's science but a story book as if you are surfing in the wave of history from the very beginning of everything.
unlike other science book, Cosmos not just tell us what when and how, but why, why it's so important for our species and survival. The book is full of knowledge, wisdom and a sense of responsibility as one inhabitant on Earth.
Everyone on Earth should read this book

You are doing yourself a disservice if you have never exposed yourself to the work of Carl Sagan. After reading this book I immediately checked out and fell in love with the television show as well. Even though Cosmos is nearly 30 years old now, Sagan's remarkable sense of awe speaks just as clearly now as I'm sure it did then. A quote on the back of the book says "Cosmos is like the college course in science you always wanted to take but never knew a professor teach" and I couldn't agree more. It's a great crime that no science class I ever took in school, college included, ever took the liberty of exploring the Cosmos in the way Sagan does effortlessly. If you have ever looked at the stars and wondered, this book is for you.

I'm surprised at how well received this man's opines are within the Catholic community; perhaps this is due to Hahn's remarkable capacity to pull biblical passages out of his hat with startling acuity. As increasing numbers of Catholics turn to reading the texts outside the Mass and Lectionary, people will be less impressed with Hahn's Biblical gymnastics. Hahn converted via an academic spiritual exercise, i.e., Pedantic Enlightenment. His musings turn Catholicism into a hybrid Protestantism, which misrepresents his newfound faith. With a heavy hand in "The Lamb's Supper," he inserts Revelation into the Mass, which again demonstrates a Protestant phenomena. This man would argue with Jesus about scripture, given half a chance. Hahn provides Spiritual Velveeta, with a shallow historical and spiritual context that lacks the complex richness and theological understanding of real Catholic theologians.Beware those cutesy chapter subtitles, such as: " Stealing My Thunder," "Moriah Carry," "Victim's Rites," "Extrasensory Censers," and the nauseating "Oath Meal" to name a few.

For someone liberated from sola scriptura, Hahn remains remarkably laden with words, boxed into Biblical frameworks. Hahn squeezes out faith from memorizing and breaking down Old and New Testament passages into digestible chunks, sucking the juice of wisdom dry. He lacks the expertise of Rabbinical scholars in the Judaic tradition of intimately examining and memorizing scripture. Hahn relies on quoting biblical passages and citing their numbers, missing the bigger, far more complex picture. He displays a zealous desire to convert non-Christians and Protestants to his faith, counter to the teachings of the Catholic Church. There is something so narrow and offensive in Hahn's New Revelation Catholicism, for him, deep worship via Mass is simply inadequate to feed his narcissism.

Scott Hahn helps you to rediscover the beauty and mysteries behind the mass. You'll never miss mass again after reading this book. He is brilliant!

Even fallen away Catholics (like me) will benefit from this book. I can identify with Hahn's experience of realizing for the first time that what he was entering in to (the Mass) was infact the unfolding of time and space - of heaven and earth. The Book of Revelation now makes more sense to me.

For cradle Catholics, it is the perfect book; for protestants who think Catholicism is wrong, it is the perfect book; for folks who want to understand the Catholic Mass, it is the perfect book.

In this book Scott Hahn takes the Mass and draws out the parallels in the book of Revelation. He explores how parts of the Mass draw from and perfect Jewish tradition, and to my pleasure he makes abundant references to early Christian writers. His basic purpose is to show the depth and majesty of the Mass and how even the most mediocre Mass is an experience of Heaven. This book is great in terms of apologetics, explaining the rootedness of the Mass in scripture as well as for Catechesis, explaining the riches contained in the Mass.

I was pleasantly suprised to see that the book was set partially in Ann Arbor, the town I'm currently living in. I could appreciate the casual references to local bars or nearby sports teams, but I don't think they really added anything to the story, and they often came across as awkward and pandering. In fact, much of the writing seems stilted, although there are certain parts that are a lot of fun to read. The author seems to be a big fan of Chuck Palahniuk, but doesn't have the ability to pull off the same effortlessness and charm, although I did appreciate some of the font tricks he used to add life to certain conversations.

I thought the villain was a pretty neat idea, and so I'd recommend skimming the book for the interesting parts rather than wading through the whole thing. I enjoyed several chunks of the book, but if I hadn't gotten it as a free download promotion, I'd have felt cheated.

This book is available on the book's website as a free download... I came across the link while checking out a popular gossip website which shall go unnamed. My hopes weren't terribly high since it seemed like the author was left to give away the book for free but, as my Five Stars indicates, I was very pleasantly surprised. (Note: I read the hardcover version rather than the free download -- the eyestrain associated with reading off a computer screen was too much for me).

Without giving away much of the plot, I can say that it's hard to find an original doomsday or end of the world book. It's never clear that this -- the end of the world -- is the true direction the book is taking, despite some hints, which keeps the pace up and the reader engaged. The good emotional development of one of the main characters, Perry, also helps by adding depth to what may otherwise be yet another insubstantial sci fi book.

Scott Sigler is a guy to watch out for, this book quickly sinks it's hooks into you and doesn't let go. It's definitely not for the squeamish, this is a taunt, high octane ride through a landscape littered with thrills and horror that will make your skin crawl.

Okay, a book called infected. I am a fan of apocalyptic fiction, viral plagues, etc. Typically you are on the outside looking in, at least in most of the horror that I have read. You don't really understand the plague victims in their insanity, rage, or just plain barbaric behavior. You just want to see them kill, or see them wiped out, depending on your view point.
What we have here is a hard science view of a highly detailed infection where us humans get to play host to a bunch of triangle shaped, evolvingly intelligent entities. We are provided the story from the point of view of the scientists and CIA agents hunting down these virulently insane carriers but at least half of the story is dedicated to one of the hosts, a massive ex-football player who is apparently up to the task of taking on these first pesky then extremely brutal and horrific parasites that continue to grow inside him and slowly start to communicate with him as well. He is slowly going insane, but his journey felt to me like a war between him and his evolving hitchhikers, not a downward spiral. I liked the angle the author played here and the battle royal that takes place between Scary Perry and the Magnificent Seven.
The author puts us through our paces. I believe he must have taken Stephen King's old comment about writing to heart: "I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out." Scott Sigler does a decent job on the terror front, an even better job on the horror front...and as I mention in my title--what is up with those freakin' Chicken Scissors? There is plenty that grossed me out in this book. That plus I could not stop itching in the early stages of the book along with Perry, our lovely infection host, as the author described the sensations of the little buggers crawling around underneath his skin. As I think about it now I still get the itchies.
A solid horror/sci-fi read, two of my favorite genres. Fast and nicely paced, with perhaps a bit more technical info on infections and what not than I probably needed but it certainly gave it a sense of realism throughout. The author was not necessarily going for mystery here but instead disected every aspect of the infection for his audience to see. Our fear is not based on the unknown but on realizing exactly what is happening at every stage of the game, how scientifically plausible this might be.
This was a nice introduction to a promising author, who I am glad was able to break through and get this story published. But man, I could have done without those Chicken Scissors!

I picked this book up on a whim as I must admit that I had never heard of Scott Sigler. I'm hooked! I can't wait to get my hands on his other materials.

This book has the sci-fi I enjoy with a nice mix of the freakishly disgusting while being suspenseful. A wonderful cocktail of reading pleasure.

This book must be required reading for anyone developing in C++. I count this book as essential as Bjarne Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language"; these two books are a necessity.

Mr. Stroustrup's book could be considered a technical reference to the C++ language. This book I consider as a technical reference for how to use the C++ language.

The book was well written. I found the book to be easy to read and the index to be exhaustive enough for the book to be used as a quick reference.

Is this a great book? I have been asking myself that question ever since I found out that Scott Meyers does not write (or has not written for a long time) production code in C++. With that said, book is a great theoretical treatise on how to make your C++ code better but it is not a "cookbook" which will be immediately useful in day to day tasks. This is not necessarily a bad thing; such approach will encourage deeper understanding of issues at hand and that will lead to better code.

A good book in an informal language to take a look at the most importance topics to avoid many common errors during the programming in C++. Widely used in the industry.

By far one of the best books I own. It really is a must-have.

This is a great book which covers a lot of useful topics for every C++ professional. I have been programming in C++ for a while so some of the topics Scott Mayers discussed were already familiar but I still picked up a lot from this book. From a beginner to intermediate programmer, this is a must have. Advanced programmers probably have this book already (or its previous editions). Otherwise, if you bought this in order to learn something new then you are not really "advanced", are you?

This book assumes that you already used C++ and understand its fundamentals. Scott's goal is not to teach the fundamentals but to advice readers on how to use the language effectively - generating good, efficient, re-usable, portable code. On this goal, he was successful. Its pretty much like when I was learning Japanese. I understood the fundamentals and word translations but in order to effectively communicate in that language, I had to be familiar with proper sentence construction, various formalities (some words are not appropriate for certain settings or people) and word dynamics as well. In a sense, this book (or Scott) is your sensei to good C++ programming.

Some more suggested reading to complement Scott Mayer's series:
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
and
Modern C++ Design: Generic Programming and Design Patterns Applied (C++ In-Depth Series)

I had not seen this movie, but I was so glad that I bought it. It was wonderful!!!!!

I found this movie utterly predictable and Dennis Hopper's performance as the town drunk only tolerable. Gene Hackman is the new high school basketball coach in basketball crazy Hickory, Indiana in 1951. He is a man with a past, although it is not as dark as it initially appears. Hopper plays Shooter, the town drunk whose son is on the seven man team. Despite his sodden brain, Shooter has a superb understanding of the game and Hackman selects him to be his assistant coach. You know immediately that Shooter is going to sober up and become a real coach. The scenes where Hackman is thrown out of the game and Shooter must take over are forced and unrealistic; Hopper is unconvincing as a person stressed out over the combination of alcohol withdrawal and having to take charge.
Even the scene when Hackman is attending a town meeting where the purpose is to decide whether he should be fired lacks a great deal of tension. It is not out of the apparent politeness of the townspeople, there is a lack of passion among all participants. This is supposed to be a town passionate about basketball and a coach passionate about the game.
I was bored throughout the entire movie and struggled to watch it through to the end.

Love this movie! I love the flavor of Indiana more than anything. Visited that state and the area they speak of many times in my youth. Great inspirational story. Just a quick note...a joke is lost in the subtitles mid-way through the semi-national game. After being fouled out of the game, Coach glares at his player, for which the subtitles read "It was for the team". The line is actually "it was Dentyne", throwing back a joke Coach said in an earlier huddle. Being deaf helps with these things! Amazing movie still.

GREAT SPORTS MOVIE! INSTEAD OF REVIEWING MOVIE, WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS A GREAT SPORTS MOVIE, JUST WANTED TO SAY THE BLU-RAY PICTURE IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT OVER MY OLD DVD. I'M ONLY REPLACING MY OLD MOVIES THAT I LOVE BUT LOOK BAD ON MY NEW HDTV. WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE PICTURE QUALITY ON THIS. THE ONLY DRAWBACK TO THIS BLU-RAY IS THERE AREN'T ANY EXTRAS EXCEPT FOR A TRAILER. BUT IF YOUR LOOKING FOR BETTER PICTURE QUALITY, YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED.

Hoosiers DVD

I don't know how I missed this film when it came out in 1986. It is a story of a middle-aged basketball coach and his last chance for redemption. It is suppose to be loosely based on a true story (whatever that means). Gene Hackman does a great job as the coach with Dennis Hopper as a supporting actor.

Of course every body knows that all Indiana boys play basketball, just nail a basket to the side of a barn and start shooting, right? Unfortunately basketball is more than simply shooting the ball through a goal.

The movie is set in Indiana in 1951, a little before my time as a high school basketball player. It does raise some questions with me such as how much difference can a coach make at the high school level? Mine made all the difference in the world, but I was fortunate to have Coach Jerry Wayne Shelton. I suspect they can make less of a difference at the colligate level.

Highly recommended for any one who played high school basketball.

Gunner March 2008

I had not seen this movie, but I was so glad that I bought it. It was wonderful!!!!!

I found this movie utterly predictable and Dennis Hopper's performance as the town drunk only tolerable. Gene Hackman is the new high school basketball coach in basketball crazy Hickory, Indiana in 1951. He is a man with a past, although it is not as dark as it initially appears. Hopper plays Shooter, the town drunk whose son is on the seven man team. Despite his sodden brain, Shooter has a superb understanding of the game and Hackman selects him to be his assistant coach. You know immediately that Shooter is going to sober up and become a real coach. The scenes where Hackman is thrown out of the game and Shooter must take over are forced and unrealistic; Hopper is unconvincing as a person stressed out over the combination of alcohol withdrawal and having to take charge.
Even the scene when Hackman is attending a town meeting where the purpose is to decide whether he should be fired lacks a great deal of tension. It is not out of the apparent politeness of the townspeople, there is a lack of passion among all participants. This is supposed to be a town passionate about basketball and a coach passionate about the game.
I was bored throughout the entire movie and struggled to watch it through to the end.

Love this movie! I love the flavor of Indiana more than anything. Visited that state and the area they speak of many times in my youth. Great inspirational story. Just a quick note...a joke is lost in the subtitles mid-way through the semi-national game. After being fouled out of the game, Coach glares at his player, for which the subtitles read "It was for the team". The line is actually "it was Dentyne", throwing back a joke Coach said in an earlier huddle. Being deaf helps with these things! Amazing movie still.

GREAT SPORTS MOVIE! INSTEAD OF REVIEWING MOVIE, WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS A GREAT SPORTS MOVIE, JUST WANTED TO SAY THE BLU-RAY PICTURE IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT OVER MY OLD DVD. I'M ONLY REPLACING MY OLD MOVIES THAT I LOVE BUT LOOK BAD ON MY NEW HDTV. WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE PICTURE QUALITY ON THIS. THE ONLY DRAWBACK TO THIS BLU-RAY IS THERE AREN'T ANY EXTRAS EXCEPT FOR A TRAILER. BUT IF YOUR LOOKING FOR BETTER PICTURE QUALITY, YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED.

Hoosiers DVD

I don't know how I missed this film when it came out in 1986. It is a story of a middle-aged basketball coach and his last chance for redemption. It is suppose to be loosely based on a true story (whatever that means). Gene Hackman does a great job as the coach with Dennis Hopper as a supporting actor.

Of course every body knows that all Indiana boys play basketball, just nail a basket to the side of a barn and start shooting, right? Unfortunately basketball is more than simply shooting the ball through a goal.

The movie is set in Indiana in 1951, a little before my time as a high school basketball player. It does raise some questions with me such as how much difference can a coach make at the high school level? Mine made all the difference in the world, but I was fortunate to have Coach Jerry Wayne Shelton. I suspect they can make less of a difference at the colligate level.

Highly recommended for any one who played high school basketball.

Gunner March 2008

I own many editions of books written by Scott Kelby. They are easy to follow, and I've learned a lot.

From time to time you need a guide to edit your photograph, regardless how experience you are. This book allows you to achieve a professional result for an old black-and white photography, as well for color photography - just follow the instructions that are easy as 1,2,3.

Photoshop Elements 5 by Scott Kelby has some great features. First let me say I have only gotten to the third chapter before Amazon asked for a review.The "Good" is that this book is very easy to follow. Mr. Kelby has laid out the instructions so a first timer can easy follow them. Not only that, but he has created a web site where you can download the examples he uses in the book. This is fantastic and much appreciated touch!You do the corrections just as he does and learn by doing. The "Bad" is that it took me an hour to figure out how to download into "Elements" (my fault?...maybe I am 66 and may be slow on details).
The ugly is that some moves are either not explained in enough detail or Adobe has released several versions of Elements 5 w/ very small changes which don't correspond to the book.
What you really want to know, would I recommend this book? YES WHOLEHEARTEDLY!!!

This book is an excellent tool for an amateur digital photographer who is new to PhotoShop but willing to make the best use of it. It is a course that takes the reader step by step via all of the program's features and links them together in order to make them useful.
This book is worth it's price!

This book is so great. It's straightforward. It doesn't go into general Photoshop ideas - it's about specific things you want to do to your photos. It says "Sharpening" and has several things to do to sharpen your photos. Each method has clear and to the point directions. The author adds his two cents saying which method usually works better and other such things. The best part is that it's straightforward and easy to flip to any page if you want something done specifically - you don't have to go looking through paragraphs and paragraphs to find what you want. This method is great because you may flip through the book and find something new you may not have searched for or thought about before. It's great :)

I grew up with this book. I would read it over and over to myself and my siblings. When my family moved though It was lost with a couple of other books too. I just recently found it and bought it. I now read it to my daughter and she gets so excited to turn the pages and read the next phrase and see the next picture. I am enjoying both our childhoods. :)

My adult children list The Big Hungry Bear as one of their all time favorite books. In my 21 year old daughter's Children's Lit class at college, one of her assignments was to name her most beloved children's book and she said The Big Hungry Bear topped her list. I am on my second copy with our littlest three (all under 8) -- and they seem to be holding the same opinion as their older siblings. It is a wonderful book -- suspenseful and exciting! The best part is how it draws the reader into the story as a front row participant. We love this book! (And I bet you will too!!!!)

I read to my daughter literally since birth. I amassed an enormous library of all the kids' books I loved as a kid along with mounds of books which were new to me. We went to the library every week. I read, she read, we read.

My daughter is now turning 18 and I wanted to buy her a copy of her favorite book from those times and this is the one I pick -- the one she remembers the most, and so fondly! She still reads A LOT, is in her first year of college and got a perfect 800 on both verbal and writing SAT. I can only take credit for the fact that I bought this book for her 15 years ago :)

My two year old loves this story. I love the illustrations and the simplicity that fits a toddler.

Great book for preschool ages, just make sure you order the right size. I thought I was ordering a regular book, but this one (for around $27) is GIANT. It's like 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet. I didn't see that clearly listed in the description; I just typed in a search for this title and this was the first one to come up so I ordered it. I later found a regular size is also available through Amazon I think it was listed for around $10.