Smith Books

If you like a book that will make you relax and think about life's small and big choices, this is the one for you.. A book written in an inovative and funny way. This is really a great book!

I think Druthering will for sure become part of popular culture.

We have really enjoyed druthering. My seven year old didn't want to quit! I like the fact that this book is appropriate for any age. I enjoy hearing why people choose the answers they do. I'm giving these out for Christmas presents. I'd much rather have a book like this than fruitcake! : )

I have really enjoyed this fun piece of literature. Iy really makes you think. Try it, you'll love it. A wonderful replacement for all the boring small-talk at parties. Great gift for the holidays.

If I had my druthers, I would not have been in a car with my least-favorite cousins on a two-hour road trip to a "must-do" family gathering. The only thing that saved civility in the car was that I had grabbed my copy of The Book of Druthers before leaving. Once on the interstate, I opened the book and read aloud the first druthers. It was an easy ride from then on. Indeed, by the time we had reached our destination, I liked and had great respect for my cousins. And I think they can now tolerate me. The Book of Druthers, then, is not only good for road trip entertainment, it can bring a family closer together. Now, I think I will sit and think through it in solitude.

Henrietta Elmore-Smith has created a wonderful heroine in Carmel Delarue. She has integrity, spunk, drive, character, and courage, and she needs all of those qualities to keep up with the men who keep chasing her! No matter what happens around her, Carmel never loses her self-respect or composure. She is a character both women and men will admire. I can't wait for Ms. Elmore-Smith's next book!

Chased is a story that you can cheer for the characters, and it is easy for the reader to find themselves wanting to be in those
characters shoes. What man wouldn't want to be Durrell, tall, dark,handsome and hard working. What man couldn't resist a bright, beautiful and confident woman as Carmel?, a wonderful role model.
Why had I not read this book 2 years ago, it is fun and exciting and you can imagine yourself in the high powered settings of the story and the ambiance draws you in.
All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone, for enjoyable
reading. The characters are believable and I commend the author
on her writting style and format and looking forward to the next work from Henrietta Elmore-Smith.

Once you begin reading this novel it becomes apart of your persona. At least that's what happened to me. It is drama, humor, comedy, romance, serious business and more; it is worth paying for. I want to read more from this author. She has given new meaning to what fictional work is all about. I'll be waiting.

By reading the positive comments about CHASED I decided to read it myself and I am so glad I did. The interactions that the characters have is so intriguing. It is a work that is so well written and the author's main characters are so well portrayed; it's as if you were actually witnessing real-life situations. What an imagination she has and there are some phenomenally funny circumstances that erupt. Ms. Elmore-Smith has painted an upscale business world with unyielding energy.
THANK YOU H. ELMORE-SMITH

I understand this is Ms. Elmore-Smith's first book. I am so impressed with the fact that she chose to do a descriptive narrative in her first novel. I applaud the author for deciding upon this type of format. In this novel she paints a world about our present day and fast-paced society offering the opportunity for success with career, romance and life in general. It is truly a great escape. I found a few areas that I could relate to; like being attracted to someone whom seemed already spoken for and still wanted to pursue them. There is some boldness to her writing and then again she applies finesse in developing each character. I had to read this novel in low-gear and when I reached the end there was a bit of a jolt-I never saw it coming-Chased was well worth my time and $20.00 Bucks-Another 5 Stars for the author.

I'm extremely happy with Cherish. Using it has given my scrapbook pages such variety and made my books more interesting. The diagrams are easy to follow and I'd buy this for a gift for other scrappers.

This is a great book for scrapbookers. It is one of the best I have, and I have a lot of books. This book is perfect to help you make more creative pages. It is easy to follow and you can mix and match pages. It is perfect for the person who wants to use 5 or 6 or more pictures for their pages, but can't figure out how to get them to fit. There are plenty of layout page books out there, but I have never seen one that actually tells you the exact measurements to cut. You can make pages pretty quick and they are really nice. It is a must have, I highly highly recomend it.

Being new to scrapbooking, it is sometimes hard to create a layout from scratch. The patterns in this book help to get the creative juices flowing whether you exactly copy a pattern or take elements of the design to enhance your own ideas. Even veteran scrapbookers can benefit from the wealth of page layouts. Highly recommended.

This book has beautiful scrapbooking pages laid out with instructions on dimensions to cut your paper (so that you get the most out of your patterned paper), ideas for changing the layout slightly,and techniques for papercrafting/stamping/scrapbooking. You could make hundreds of different pages using just this book! IT's the best scrapbooking book I've seen!

I've been a huge fan of Becky Higgins sketches because they give me a blueprint for my scrapbooking layouts. A friend recommended Cherish to me, and I was skeptical at first because I've bought too many scrapbook "how-to" books over the years. Nevertheless, I bought it, and I loved it immediately. If you love Becky Higgins' sketches, you absolutely flip over this book. Not only do you get a sketch for your layout, but you get paper and picture sizes as well. In fact, you even get a diagram of how to best cut your coordinating papers to minimize waste! I just completed a [...]scrapbook for my son's teacher, and I used this book to do it. The final album was incredible! If you like using sketches for your scrapbooking, you need to buy this book.

I've enjoyed all of Cotton Smith's novels (Dark Trail to Dodge, Brothers of the Gun and Behold a Red Horse, etc.). His style is straightforward and action-packed drawing in the reader and keeping him entertained. But it's all the melancholia beneath the surface that really hits home; the uncertain morality, tormented and haunted characters where the past never quite lets go, and the drive to dig out a personal destiny.

I just read Dark Trail to Dodge after reading Cotton Smith's newest novel, Behold a Red Horse. Both westerns had great characters & stories! His books are perfect for any western lover -- or anyone who likes a fantastic read!

After reading all the great reviews on Dark Trail to Dodge, how could I not read it? It was great from page one. I'm a huge fan of Kirby Jonas books, and he'll always be my favorite--better than Louis L'Amour. But Cotton Smith is not far behind. With Cotton Smith and Kirby Jonas and maybe Elmer Kelton, you really don't need anyone else! If you like this book, try Legend of the Tumbleweed, by Kirby Jonas.

I really liked this book. I've read a lot of westerns, from Shane to you name it. This one ranks right up there with the best. John Checker is the lead character; he's a former Texas Ranger with the intriguing and surprising past. I can't wait to see who plays him in the movie! Maybe Tom Selleck -- or even Tom Cruise. Of course, years ago it would have had to be John Wayne. Read this one. You'll be glad you did.

If you enjoy cattle drive adventures, this is the master handbook. Nice little story too.

I have always wanted to paint & draw but never knew or learned the techniques. This book has everything. What brushes to use what kind of paper, what kind of pencils to use, how to make your own frames, how to use color pencils, etc. The book is paperback as indicated above, and it has great pictures and is enough depth for a beginner (like myself.) Highly recommended!

This book has great information on a lot of topics! I use it in a few ways. As a practicing and selling artist, and it's a good place for ideas, inspirations and technique brush-ups. I also teach community art classes and it's great when I need project ideas, or even need to refresh myself or teach myself techniques for a certain class. This would also be a great book for a budding artist looking for an area of concentration.

This book is a great book for children and adults who want a basic introduction to art mediums. DK always does a good job of describing and it is an enjoyable read.

DK books are always a "best buy" when it comes to bringing clear, concise information on how to do almost anything.

The book is in wonderful shape! My daughter needed it for a college class so the price helped her out a lot. I am an art teacher and was very impressed with it. I told her when she is finished with it she needn't pay me back...just give ME the book.

Basically it is a mix between the original 2 scripts for the movie, making it pretty much twice as awesome!

Those random small things that left you hanging in the movie such as where does the Left Knocker lead?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Ah, another George Lucas movie. Well now its a awesome book. I personally love it as much as Star Wars. Its a strange tale, of a strange girl, who gets trapped in a strange land....wow, does that sound familiar. This is my favourite book! I love it more than Interveiw with the Vampire! and thats alot of love!

If you liked the movie, then you'll love this book. I bought a mint condition copy for about seventy dollars last year, and I couldn't be happier with it.

Like the movie, the book tells of a young girl draw into a fantasy world by her own overactive imagination in order to save her little brother, who has been stolen by the goblin king, who says he is only seeking favor in her eyes, and seems to have fallen in love with her.

The book follows the storyline of the movie exactly, but offers more insight into the characters thoughts and actions. I can remember in particular that the ballroom scene was quite staggeringly more descriptive. A wonderful book, worth the price; espescially if you can find one in good condition.

this book is worth every penny... its a story about a day dreaming girl who wishes her little brother to a land of goblins castles and of course the labyrinth. if you dont want to spent 50 dollars on this book you CAN GET IT FOR FREE.. just google it and youll find the transcript of the book that you can print out and read.. its not like having the book... but its way cheaper..

gosh, i was six when i first saw the movie! now that i'm eighteen makes no difference how i love this enchanting story.

smith brings the story up to another level, as he dwelves deeper into sarah's feelings... and also jareth's. the chemistry between the two is undeniable. i would like to think that in another situation both of them would be together, albeit the fact that she's mortal and he a goblin prince.

smith's writing is of course, very detailed and deep, and he tries to explain all the different meanings and reads between the lines of the movie. he has us vying for the king, and rooting for the good guys, too. he makes us want jareth to have a happy ending, and perhaps one with sarah. he makes us want to see the movie.

well, maybe the movie IS old, and the special effects kind of horrid by today's standards, but truth be, enchantments are timeless.

So much of what you read and hear about relationships is negative... "It nevers works out for anyone..." etc. This book was a refreshing change from the usual negativity. It left me with positive feelings about my chances of meeting someone special. Thank you Lois <3

I've read many memoirs, but this book which intertwines the author's own romantic experiences, as well as those of her family -- and eleven other great stories -- is by far the best of this genre. After I finished the chapter on her parents' love story, I immediately called my mother, asking for details about how she fell in love with my dad. This book reminded me that love comes in so many forms, and it should be celebrated and passed on from one generation to the next.

I have never written a review, but just started reading this book and had to tell others how great it is. It makes you feel so cozy and happy. I've been through some tough times in love recently and it reminded me to persevere. I have been learning lessons from each story. The book is so beautifully written and the stories so wonderful. If you're having a hard time or want to remember why you got married in the first place, or are thinking about marriage, or just want to read some heartwarming love stories, this is the book for you. I loved it! Thank you Lois Smith Brady for writing it!!!!

I've been reading Brady's column in the NYT for the past decade it seems, and this book even surpasses her columns, which are pure delight. No one can write about love like Brady; no one even comes close to having her sense of humour about it, or her sense of the glorious magic that fills us when we are in love.

This book was excellent! Lois Smith Brady is really a treat to read. I would highly recommend the book as a gift for newly engaged couples or for married couples. Inspiring stories for singles - many hopeful stories about finding love in the most unusual places. All of the stories are funny, insightful and touching in some way!

Would you go hiking without a map? Would you work on your car without a manual? Then why would you even think about going to the Middle East without this book? Poole once again sets the standard in the industry for explaining the tactics, history, and mindset of the Islamic Extremist. From military commander to field grunt to civilian contractor, if you're headed to a desert combat zone do yourself a favor and BUY this book! I also suggest you read this book with a highlighter in hand...but you may just end up highlighting everything. This book undoubtedly has saved lives and will save more in the future!

The book gives a good acccount of the various Islamic militant factions and their interactions. The opinions seemed a bit "armchair general" and opinionated at times, but they made several good points. I'd recommend the book although it had the following drawbacks for me:
-The insertion of outside material to back up the author's words made for a sometimes disjointed read
-The sprinkling of "God (Christian) & country", stereotyping, etc. seemed unnecessary
-20% of the material was a repetition/reiteration of a particular point (not sure if this was to beef up the number of pages or to compensate for a shakey arguement)

This book was kindly donated to my unit by the publishers when I was a Company Commander before I deployed. Everyone over here should read it. Regardless of how much money our government spends on high-tech equipment and contracts, until we gain a better understanding of our opponents sociological and theological motivations we will continue to waste a lot of our military resources. LTC Poole's emphasis on taking a humanistic approach and integrating our forces with the locals is sound, provided that the local forces are properly vetted and aren't infiltrated by insurgents.

Once again H. John Poole has pulled aside the Middle East veil of mystery to show us how the Muslim militants go about their business. Known as the "War on Terror" aka "4th Generation warfare", radical Muslim militants have worked out the ways to challenge the West collectively, on - and off the battlefield. Thus far, their efforts have cost the U.S.of A., not only lives, but billions of dollars, sowing anxiety and terror. How have they accomplished this with slender resources? Against the most technologically advanced armed forces in the world? Poole tells us how.
The book is divided into three parts:
The initial part updates the reader on the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan to the summer of 2005. How the Muslim militants have survived and continue to succeed against coalition armed forces without tactical victory, hi-tech resources or heavy arms; all the while they suffer heavy casualties and continue to burn through the resources - and resolve of the West - are addressed.
The next part examines, through the lense of ancient oriental texts on the principles of warfare, the stratagems employed by the militants. These are the most illuminating chapters: now the daily events in Iraq and Afghanistan make sense if one understands the militants' operational philosophy. Poole's explanations of tactical actions clarifies how these militants are playing "the Game" against coalition forces. What makes no sense militarily in Western understanding of warfare are perfectly acceptable to furthering these militants' ends.
The final section's chapters provide approaches to dealing with "4th Generation Warfare" situations, which Western military forces are more and more wont to encounter. Many of Poole's recommendations reflect the U.S. Marines' experience with the Combined Action Program (CAP)used in Vietnam during the 1960s. Essentially, special Marine units operated with Vietnamese local forces at the village level to root out and undermine the Viet Cong insurgency. He contrasts this approach to the reliance on hi-tech and heavy fire power, the preferred operational mode of U.S. forces. Further, Poole (pp 278-294) describes the changes in tactical philosophy that must come about if U.S. ground forces are to prevail against their current enemy. This, to my mind, is the best part of the book.
Poole's views on training and tactics in the last chapter, come closer to dealing with military cultural reform than in his previous wotks. While he addresses these subjects in other books, these last pages in MILITANT TRICKS come the furthest to combining these previous discussions into a coherent whole which reflects the grunt's eye-level ground view.
Hopefully, the powers-that-be are reading his works - effecting the necessary changes.

This is the best book I have read so far on where and who the real enemy is and who is behind and against the U.S. supporting democracy and the liberation of the people of Iraq.
Breaks down in detail who is Sunni and who is Shiite.
How they work and how they are fighting U.S. Forces together.
How the real enemy is Iran with many proxies to gain control of Iraq.
How the U.S. must change to deal with fighting in Irregular Warfare now and for decades to come.
How the enemy is capitalizing on U.S. democratically controlled Congress to gain victory.

Heading over to OIF II in a few months, active duty CDR O5 who will be working in support of the bravest of the brave (EOD Forces defeating IED's). This book was instrumental in developing a understanding of what is really going on.

I would recommend this book for all Officers and enlisted personnel heading to fight this fight from E1 up.

CDR Bill Noel (Navy EOD Officer)

One of my favorite books for the last 30 years. A wonderful set of stories about kids who use their brains to figure out problems and have adventures. Positive stories that are well written.

The Mad Scientists solve a bank robbery, get outfoxed by Harmon Muldoon, save Mammoth Falls from a drought, invade the town with a UFO, then finally get even with Harmon and his gang in a satisfying and exciting sequel to The Mad Scientists' Club. Using classic technology and, of course, their noodles, the MSC romps through 5 short stories which are more complex than the originals, yet retain their smart and fun flavor. Henry thinks, Jeff leads, Mortimer snarks, Homer climbs, Charlie narrates, Harmon interferes, and Freddy and Dinky get kidnapped...twice! This book is great for boys AND girls 9-12 (and also for 42-year old women like me!) I'm so happy I found this book again after 30 years...it was worth the wait and then some!

If you loved Bertrand R. Brinley's first collection of stories about The Mad Scientists of Mammoth Falls The Mad Scientists' Club or the two novels: The Big Kerplop!: The Original Adventure of the Mad Scientists' Club and The Big Chunk of Ice: The Last Known Adventure of the Mad Scientists' Club, then you'll also love "The New Adventures of The Mad Scientists' Club". The boys return in five new stories, again mixing simple yet sound science and a gently wicked sense of fun.

In "Big Chief Rainmaker", a story originally planned for inclusion in the first book, the boys make clever use of simple scientific principles to break a killer drought by making it rain. Unfortunately, making it STOP raining, turns out to be a good deal harder.

In "The Telltale Transmitter" while investigating a series of unexplained seismic anomalies, the boys make an unexpected discovery.

In "The Cool Cavern" the boys acquire a WWII-era midget two-man Japanese submarine and stash it in a cavern behind Mammoth Falls' namesake Mammoth Falls while restoring it to functioning. Then one night the cavern roof collapses, hopelessly trapping Harmon Muldoon's gang, who had come to spy on the submarine, behind tons of fallen rocks. Or are they?

In "The Flying Sorcerer" Dinky Poore is so obsessed about wanting to see a UFO that he quits showing up for club meetings, until his fellow club members promise to build him a UFO. Hi-jinks ensue.

In "The Great Confrontation" Harmon Muldoon's gang kidnaps Dinky Poore and Harmon's cousin, Freddy Muldoon, and offers to trade them for the submarine and the right to use the Cool Cavern. Boy, are they going to be sorry!

As a boy, while I enjoyed this book very much, I never liked it as well or reread it as often as the first one, and after rereading it as a man I think I know why. It isn't the writing, which if anything has improved; it is the story topics. If the first book could be re-titled "The Mad Scientists' Club Triumphant", this book could be re-titled "The Mad Scientists' Club Get Their Comeuppance". In "Big Chief Rainmaker" the boys go from heroes to goats, and in "The Cool Cavern" the boys get made utter fools of. "The Telltale Transmitter" turns out to be a fairly conventional crime-solving, and even the wackiest story of all, "The Flying Sorcerer", is essentially "The Strange Sea Monster of Strawberry Lake" redux, except with a less triumphal ending, and it isn't until "The Final Confrontation" that the boys finally get even with Harmon Muldoon's gang for the events of "The Cool Cavern". The result is a little more downbeat than I prefer. In addition I regret the lost story possibilities of the restored midget submarine, which Brinley never made use of.

Note: the Purple House reprint of The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club is worth picking up even if you own an older edition because it includes an introduction written by Bertrand's son Sheridan and a chronological listing of the stories so you can read them in the order they were written (the order of the stories in the book was not changed). Reading them chronologically clears up some confusion over places, geographical references, and characters.

Not many books can capture your imagination like the Mad Scientists books. I read these back in the late 60s and still have my original copy. Its been reread dozens of times and by the way where is Mammoth Falls? The location was always elusive. References to Chicago, the Air Force Base nearby, and the description of Strawberry Lake was most unusual. I keep two copies of the republished books on my shelf. I rarely rate 5 stars but this one gets it because after 40 years its still one of my favorites.

When I was growing up, I really enjoyed reading the 'Mad Scientists Club' and its influence may partly explain why I ended up in engineering research. Until recently I had forgotten all about it until I was looking at books by my favorite authors as a youth, such as Stephen Meader and Jim Kjelgaard. I came across the Brinley books and I decided to re-read the original and discovered much to my delight that there was a sequel of short stories and two additional full-length books by Brinley.

I read the sequel, 'The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club'and I was both ecstatic and a little dismayed. The stories are uniquely excellent melding adventurous vignettes with some science. However, I noticed that the sequel showed some changes in personalities from the first book. I was a little surprised to see that in The Flying Sorcerer' Henry was both not fully truthful with Colonel March, but even after he was told how much personal trouble he was causing him, Henry proposed that the club continue with additional flights of the flying saucer. The readers had been told in 'The Cool Cavern' that Col. March had done them a big favor in helping them acquire the plexiglass nose from an old B-17 bomber for their midget sub. I guess it did not seem in character for them to treat their friends so shabbily. I know that the Mad Scientists are supposed to represent our rebellious American youth who do not respect authority, but I thought the stunt was taken a bit too far. Moreover, I was surprised when I read that Mortimer Dalrymple stole the rotor from Col. March's Air Force car, which is not only a dirty trick, but patently illegal. I am not sure if it was the length of time between Brinley's writing of his first story in 1960 to his last in 1968, but the characters in the sequel seem to not be as 'kind and gentle' as in the first book.

Regardless, I still really enjoyed reading the sequel and I plan on reading the two re-published full-length books.

This book is a MAINSTAY in my reference library. Though I do only limited back-end development in the applications I work on, this is the first book I look for when I need to be pointed in the right direction. I highly recommend it!

I bought this book as a complete Oracle novice, transitioning from Microsoft T-SQL to PL/SQL. I was worried about the transition being difficult until I read this book.

It is one of those very rare books that presents advanced concepts in a context understandable by users of all experience levels. The author often throws in tips about Oracle PL/SQL quirks to watch out for, as well as some very applicable information about how Oracle works internally.

I've since become more comfortable with PL/SQL, and the book also serves as a great reference. I highly encourage you to read this book straight through.

I recommend this well-written book to anybody wanting to learn PL/SQL, as well as anyone needing a great reference.

Although the information was accurate and useful, I think the strength of this book was it's clear and logical presentation. It is easy to read and very helpful. For example, I needed to know how to dynamically build the "where" clause for select statements and his chapter on DBMS_SQL gave me the tools to accomplish my task at work.

This is definitely an excellent book. No one should rank it less than 5 stars just because it was published in 1996. Please do some research before talk. Actually, Scott Urman has wrote a book, "Oracle8 PL/SQL Programming", which was published in 1997. Buy this one if you want to learn PL/SQL 8.0.

Oracle 8 is out and in this book it only covers to Oracle 7. It is a very well written book. It is a valuable reference however it was published in 1996. Still looking for Oracle SQL Plus 8.0 AND the PL/SQL Programming. I hope the author steps up to the plate and updates his work.