Stuart Books

Stuart's command of his subject matter is immediately apparent. His thoughts and helpful ideas are written in a manner easily digestible with spot-on insight that can only be garnered through life experience. Truly valuable and highly recommended.

Stuart has done a great job of taking different IT concepts and breaking them down into their simplest terms. There are a number of tips for running an IT business that will help make you more successful and profitable. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for anyone in the IT industry.

Stuart has captured a number of simple yet valuable tips for IT that will make your life simpler. It is a great book to read and is broken down into bite size topics that even non technical readers can absorb and apply. It is well worth the cost - just one idea will easily cover the investment in purchase price. And there are many ideas that will apply to most any reader so it is a bargain at that point. Enjoy and apply - it will make your IT experience much better.

Stuart is obviously a very well read author and combines that depth of knowlege with his practical experience to provide concise bits of wisdom that I was able to immediately put to use in my business. I've read and re-read many sections of the book and keep it by my desk for handy reference. If you run an IT business, this book will help!

I've found this book to have many good ideas and advice for small business IT providers. The format is a collection of articles of just a few pages each, and as such can be read whenever you have a few minutes to fill. Based on the authors own experience running his business, it's well worth the time to read.

I got this book a couple years ago and love it. It's great to take to places where you'll have to wait a while because you don't need to read it from beginning to end- you can open it to anyplace and flip around. I loved how the Wade brothers assumed the identies of all sorts of people, from mental patients to animal jewelry designers. It just shows how versatile they are. Their letters are always formal, though hilarious (such as asking Listerine for recipies and trying to find a house shaped like a W that can withstand atomic bombs). An excellent book for long- or short-term reading.

This is easily in the top three funniest books I've ever read(and I've read alot.) The imagination behind the Wade brother'sletters themselves is incredible. And clearly their targets just don't get it. Please, Wade brothers, do this again!

A very good follow up to MY BUSH PIG'S NAME IS BORIS, Humorist James "Woody" Wade is joined by his brother, Stu "Pointster" Wade in this effort. It's great to see that the business world can poke fun at itself by doing nothing more than business as usual. Can be easily read in one sitting if you don't mind cleaning up after yourself from time to time

The authors do a masterful job of exposing the humorless self-importance of the subjects of their correspondence. The discerning reader will detect a strain of melancholy and futility running throughout the mirthless, dehumanized responses to the authors' inquiries. Bravo, Brothers Wade!

For those with a good sense of humor ... this is a must read !! I knew the book just a little before Mr. James Wade came to my school. Then he was my professor in a great management course. You can't imagine how fun and professional this great person is. The book gives perfectly the image of how "Woody" is creative ! Do not miss this hilarious peace of work !!

Every time I see a review of this book, it mentions something about Hannah being a "strong pioneer woman." Certainly, she IS a strong pioneer woman. But re-reading the book recently, I noticed just how important a role Tice, Hannah's husband, plays in the story. This book has great anti-romance-novel romance. Tice is too old to be a romance novel hero, and Hannah is too plain and bashful, yet their love story rings completely true to life. I really appreciate the ways Giles shows the love between Hannah and Tice, whether it is describing how Hannah keeps watching down the path to the creek to see if Tice is coming home yet, or letting us know Tice's thoughts about Hannah while he's waiting for the raid on the Indian village. It's a love story I enjoy reading again and again.

I've read most of Janice Holt Giles' books but this one (my first) has got to be my favorite. It certainly isn't your conventional love story; but then, Hannah isn't your conventional heroine. Nor are she and Tice a conventional couple (she asked HIM to marry HER) but they don't seem to be any less happy for it. Giles' beloved Kentucky hills are the perfect setting for the story, and her writing style is wonderful in its simplicity.

By the way, the best subtle reference to sex I've ever found is in this book. When Tice says, "Let's try out that new shuck tick of your'n" and gives Hannah a gentle shove in that direction... and the rest is left to the imagination.

As an English teacher, and a lover of historic fiction, I am surprised that Giles does not rank with Willa Cather and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps she should have chosen another publisher when she was first writing her multi-book series that starts in Kentucky and ends in Denver with her novel Six Horse Hitch. At any rate, Hannah Fowler, in my opinion her best, is a wonderful read. I know. I have read it many times.

I first read this book over 15 years ago. I have since gone back and read it over about every year or two. The writer has created such real characters and a story line that is just as readable as it was when it was first written. I can not recommend this books strongly enough.

Enduring? This book has been around since 1956 and is still in print, now that's enduring! I first read Hannah Fowler over twenty years ago and I also "re read" it every couple of years. It is my most favorite work of fiction. An incredibly simple and beautiful work of art, Giles weaves regional lore with a touching love story. Since I first read this book Janice Holt Giles has become my favorite author, she writes with an honesty and wisdom that draws you to her characters. If anyone is remotely interested in Hannah Fowler, please read it, you won't be disappointed. I especially recommend it to teenagers.

The well-known phrase 'for the term of his natural life' is used by Marcus Clarke to bring home the horrors of transportation and the Tasmanian penal system in the 19th century.
Richard Devine, an innocent man (under an assumed name of Rufus Dawes) convicted of a crime he did not commit, is sent for transportation and assumed killed in a shipwreck. In reality, he is heir to a vast estate (unbeknown to him) and the convolutions of the tale that evolve from this are wonderfully written; the gradual demolishing of Dawes, the unspeakable duality of Frere, the calculating guile of Sarah and the gullible innocence of Sylvia are woven together in a plot that does not end happily ever after. This I think, serves to underline the barbarism and futility of the transportation system.
Based on actual events, Clarke uses his 'hero' to illustrate the depravation and privations that prisoners (and their guards) had to endure. Graphically showing how degradation degrades and power corrupts, the narrative never dwells on gruesome details, instead it relies for effect on the imagination of the reader, which can be more terrifying.
A book that deserves a wider readership.

This was without question one of the most gripping novels I've read in many a day. I first ran across this work in a brief mention by British travel writer/popular historian James Morris, where he thought it akin to the gulag novels of post-Stalinist Russia in subject matter and philosophical content. Add to that a wealth of striking narrative detail, immensely memorable characters (Maurice Frere, Sarah Purfoy, and particularly James North leap to mind), some truly transporting (no pun intended) and incredibly creepy passages, mind-blowing plot twists and turns, and a persistent refusal to provide too pat solutions to characters' problems... Clarke wasn't better than Dickens or Eliot, but neither of the latter could have written this book.

Clarke's masterpiece was published in 1874, after being serialized in 1870-72. Critics have lambasted a few of the less believable elements and some of the pat characterization of a number of supporting characters, but these are flaws to be found in most novels of that time (and ours). Clarke redeems himself by taking the cliches and mannerisms of the nineteenth-century English novel and using them to illuminate a whole new society, one practically mythical to the metropolitan consciousness of the Victorian Anglophone world. This work is a great counterpoint to all those English novels of the day where the hero or villain gets packed off to the antipodes and returns mysteriously changed. The main thrust of the novel, though, was the need to tell the true story of (white) Australian society's beginnings. Clarke, in telling the story of the unjustly convicted Rufus Dawes (aka Richard Devine), provides a panoramic view of early Victorian Australia, from the hellish convict settlements of Macquarie Harbor and Norfolk Island to the nascent frontier towns of Hobart and Melbourne, from the aging memories of the "First Fleeters" (the original convicts who arrived in 1788) to the controversial Eureka Stockade Uprising of 1854. The narrative frequently moves at a deliciously whirlwind pace to accomodate the exciting interaction of characters and history.

Clarke's novel is generally cited as nineteenth-century Australia's greatest and points the way towards more nuanced examinations of the colonial experience in the twentieth century (Peter Carey's JOE MAGGS, about the "off-stage" life of Dickens antihero Abel Magwitch, is apparently very much in this vein). Don't read it just for this reason, though. Please be sure to find the longer, original version, as I was fortunate enough to do. Clarke was forced to produce a revised, shortened version for the original publication, one dictated by his editors that turned the novel into a much more "conventional" Victorian literary production (and has a longer title--FOR THE TERM OF HIS NATURAL LIFE). I understand a TV series was made in the mid-80s with Anthony Perkins as North. If this was the case, then it badly needs to be remade on celluloid, because I can't seem to find the series. It's a magnificent novel whose flaws, I think, are amply counterbalanced by its unexpected joys.

It's a collation of events by various persons involved in the penal settlement of early Australia. Marcus Clarke has interwoven these events into a novel of fiction. These are stark facts; and show, as far as I've researched, very detailed. L.P. Hartely said it all,in this case.."The past is a foreign country.They do things differently there." The more you read on, the more you want to know..

LEt me set the record straight first...I have never read this book. I had seen the mini-series almost 10 years ago on CBC Canada. The series was very gripping and always left me waiting for the next in the sequence. Following the end of the series I was determined that I had to read this book. My last attempt to find it was in 1991 when I was told it was out of print and could not be found anywhere. Luckily I have just tripped across the information again and it prompted me to start looking again. Needless to say (but I must) I am thrilled to find it and now be able to finally read it. I hope it is everything that I know it is and more. It is an epic tale of grand proportions. Now if I can only find the video series AND a hard cover copy to add to my library!

Well, as an Australian living in the year 2000, reading this book, written in the 1880s, is an emotional experience.

For it is through works such as this that we can see our past. We can examine the nature of the beast that gave birth to us. Who we are. From whence we came.

If you want to understand why Australians are they way they are, and have the attitudes and language that they do, then give this book a read.

A neighbor invites you to a Seder; what should you bring? Your Hindi coworkers are getting married; what's an appropriate wedding present? You're visiting a new church with family; how much should you put in the offering plate? The mosque in your neighborhood is having an open house during Ramadan; is it OK to wear a crucifix?

All these mundane issues related with being a polite and gracious visitor in other people's homes and places of worship are covered in this handy reference book. When my son was very young, my husband and I agreed he could visit any church he liked, as long as I accomanied him. I got this book so that, no matter what kind of church we attend, we are always respectful of the worshippers there. It turned out to be useful for more than that, though, because they do not just explain the standard worship services. Customs for birth initiations (infant baptisms, naming ritutals), coming of age initiations (bar mitzvahs and adult baptism), weddings, funerals, and interments are all presented to help a visitor understand his hosts better.

Various Christian denominations and non-Christian faiths are presented, along with the basic tenets of their faiths (this is NOT intended to be a primer on theology, just a heads-up on what to expect), proper dress code for any kind of service, and an understanding of what constitutes polite in various religions. The authors are sensitive both to the guests and the hosts in their descriptions of everything from marriage customs and wedding ceremonies to whether or not a woman's hem needs to fall below her knees. Concepts about why these customs exist are not presented, so there is no judgment even implied about what is an acceptable custom. It is never suggested that a visitor must do something that is against their religious beliefs. In fact, the authors go so far as to explain what foods may be served and whether or not wine is served at meals and communions so the visitor won't be breaking any of his own doctrinal rules.

This is not intended to be a book read from cover-to-cover, as it repeats itself often. However, it is good to at least skim ahead of time so you are prepared when meeting someone from a new (to you) faith. One note, this books is only interested in organized faiths that are generally opened to outsiders, have large-ish populations, and that have set times and places to meet. They also do not dwell on the differences between sects of Judaism and Islam. Again, they are not explaining the tenets of faith in depth, just the outward polite practices.

Excellent reference. I use it often. It is not religious. It is about learning to respect customs & etiquette for multi-ethnic understanding in social situations. I have referred to it for community fund raising, business meetings, scheduling meetings, how to do what when and what to wear to funerals, batisms, weddings, etc.

Very useful reference to be used over and over as our world becomes smaller. It just isn't sensitive to assume that other people's religious practices are the same as your own. This book helps you to understand what to do when you come into contact with the diversity of religions and cultures that mark postmodern society.

Deftly edited by Stuart M. Matlins and Arthur J. Magida, How To Be A Perfect Stranger: The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook is an outstanding compendium and documentation of what is ultimately the religions of the world. Inclusive of a great detailing of the African American Methodist Churches, Assemblies of God, Bahai, Baptist, Buddhist, Christian Church, Christian Science, Churches of Christ, Episcopalian and Anglican, Hindu, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Lutheran, Mennonite/Amish, Methodist, Mormon, Native American/First Nations, Orthodox Churches, Penticostal Church of God, Presbyterian, Quaker, Reformed Church in America/Canada, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Sikh, Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Canada, and the United Church of Christ, How To Be A Perfect Stranger acts as a reference and well researched guide to a significant understanding of many of today's religions and their progression from historical backgrounds. How To Be A Perfect Stranger is very strongly recommended to all students of religion, those searching for a religion which may righteously favor their beliefs, or those merely seeking a greater understanding of societal religious perspectives.

Not only is this an invaluable reference book that provides reassuring guidance on how to act, what to wear, what to expect from the liturgical services of virtually all world religions, it also gives a concise, handy detailing of exactly what each of the religions believes in, teaches, and how and when it got its start. Handy for when you're about to attend a wedding or other life-cycle event within a faith with which you're unfamiliar, or if you're simply going to be a guest at a religion's worship service. A well-written, informative study done in plain, everyday language.

I love this book! Austen's sometimes snarky and amusingly judgmental conclusions of which rulers were good and bad. I love her loathing of Queen Elizabeth and her spirited defense of Mary Queen of Scots. The drawings by Cassandra are also excellent. I do wish that she'd written a longer history as Austen's colorful version of English history is a delightful read for all true Austen fans.

As a young girl, Jane, in her own witty style decided to write "The History of England". It's certainly not an accurate history, but a young girl's view of the world in which she lives. The text is printed in her own handwriting and is charming and fun to read.

This book may not be used in any history class, but it is one of the most charming works she ever wrote. I had this smile painted on my face the entire 15 minutes it took to read it. Very, very witty.

This hilarious little book is full of wonderfully biased observations on the Kings and Queens of England between henry the 4th and Charles the 1st. Of Henry VI she writes fiercely "I cannot say much for this monarch's sense, nor would I if I could, for he was a Lancastrian" She is a supporter of Richard III's claim to innocence, averring that he may not have murdered his wife for "if Perkin Warbeck were really the Duke of York, why not might Lambert Simnel be the widow of Richard?" She includes a very rique charade on the homosexual habits of king James I. I feel that Sellar and Yeatman, who wrote '1066 and All That'may have derived inspiration from this book, her N.B. at the beginning 'there will be very few Dates in this History' has a very Sellar and yeatman sound. I increasingly find Jane Asuten's Juvenilia more amusing than her later works, and this book is a prime example.

Jane Austen wrote these short snippets on a number of the rulers of England in chronological order - using, as she says, 'very few dates'. The result is a wonderful collection of highly prejudicial outlines of various Kings and Queens - and after all the purpose of history to be scandalous and slanderous can be undermined by sticking too closely to extraneous detail such as dates and so on. The whole thing would probably take you much less than hour to read. Austen proves her talent for sharp observation and wit from an early age for this little book was written while she was still a teenager in the early 1790's. Its a lovely introduction to her writing for those who haven't had much to do with Austen before but are keen to try her out.

I found "Looking for a Better World" to be an inspiring piece of literature that would Be a great addition to every spititual library. The chapter on cermeonies is a wonderful guide to anyone wanting something fresh and fulfilling for the necessary rites in life. I also appreciated the resources listed at the end of the book for further studies. It is refreshing to see a gentler approach to religion just when the world needs it so much.

This book needs to be read! It gives us the "good feeling" that we need so much these days. While the book is not religious, it is very spiritual. And it is a practical approach to the boring and sometimes stressful days that we all have.

This is a really neat book. The author has covered a lot of bases with some very good ideas. I like the idea that we cnanot do as much as individuals about the horrors around the world, but we surely can do things that make this a better place. It is a comforting book to read and a reminder that we call can do good things.

This book nicely summarizes conditions in the world today. More importantly, it provides MANY ideas as to how we as individuals can REALLY make this a better world. I particularly liked the chapter on leadership. I found comfort in this book.

This is an absorbing little book. Very well written, it brings into focus the realistic relevance of our daily lives to global unrest. The chapters on Trust and Leadership are excellent, and the lessons very motivating. And I loved the piece on "Spiritual Alchemy." The book is, at the same time, both practical and spiritual. A wonderful book for the whole family.

Nothing else to say. The best book for actuarial mathematics. Also good for risk managers, in particular for operational risk.

Nothing else to say. The best book for actuarial mathematics. Also good for risk managers, in particular for operational risk. It does not introduce many concepts but rather take to advance level. Excellent concepts that can be applicable in any topic or situation. A must buy in you want to have your grips on acturial mathematics and concepts

When I took a job to model prediction of loss reserves for workers compensation insurance, I began to realize that the traditional statistical methods that I generally relied n would not help me (without modification). The required modification would be either to transform variables or to model long-tailed probability distributions. This is because in the insurance business you have to reserve for those big catastrophies. The cost data for workers compensation data generally show a high frequency of low to moderate costs (say in the range of $1000 to $50,000). However occasionally there are a few cases of severe injury causing permanent disability which could run over 1 million dollars. Even though the probability of occurrence is small the cost is so high that it cannot be ignored. Such claims will surely be found when large insurance company cover millions of employees over many years.

The problem occurs when insuring for floods, earthquakes, fires and other disasters. Stuart Klugman and Bob Hogg in 1984 wrote the first introductory text to acquaint statisticians with such probability models that are important in the insurance business. Other books covering the subject were covered in books on risk theory designed for actuaries. This book covers all the topics and assumes mathematical and staistical knowledge at the level of the book by Hogg and Craig (so some calculus is required).

"Loss Models from Data to Decision" is an excellent book that covers many of the areas of mathematics and statistics that property and casualty insurance (aka general insurance) actuaries are required to know. Topics include: frequency and severity models; aggregate loss models; ruin models; Bayesian statistics; credibility and simulation. The theory is well explained; with worked examples throughout and numerous exercises at the end of each section (these questions are based on past SOA and CAS exam questions, so are directly relevant to people studying for either of these exams). Solutions to the exercises are not provided in this book, but a separate solutions manual is available.

I am a lecturer in Actuarial Studies at an Australian university and set this book for one of my (later-year undergraduate) units. In my opinion, this is the best General Insurance text book available and students whom I have spoken to tell me that they like this book very much, too. I highly recommend this text for all student actuaries.

When I took a job to model prediction of loss reserves for workers compensation insurance, I began to realize that the traditional statistical methods that I generally relied n would not help me (without modification). The required modification would be either to transform variables or to model long-tailed probability distributions. This is because in the insurance business you have to reserve for those big catastrophies. The cost data for workers compensation data generally show a high frequency of low to moderate costs... . However occasionally there are a few cases of sever injury causing permanent disability which could run over 1 million dollars. Even though the probability of occurrence is small the cost is so high that it cannot be ignored. Such claims will surely be found when large insurance company cover millions of employees over many years.
The problem occurs when insuring for floods, earthquakes, fires and other disasters. Stuart Klugman and Bob Hogg in 1984 wrote the first introductory text to acquaint statisticians with such probability models that are important in the insurance business. Other books covering the subject were covered in books on risk theory designed for actuaries. This book covers all the topics and assumes mathematical and staistical knowledge at the level of the book by Hogg and Craig (so some calculus is required).

Much of what I'd like to say has already been said by those who have reviewed the book before me. Suffice to say that this book brings to life the images that might have been contained in Lovecraft's mind when he wrote those wonderful stories. Gibbering demons and gargoyles, nameless creatures too hideous to describe and of course, grotesque monsters from outer space - they're all here in their full glory. As Ellison said in the intro, if only HP could have lived to see this magnificent tribute.

This was quiet literally an amazing and magificent book. At every turn of the page, vivid horrific scenes jumped out at me. The art work is truely glorious and inspiring. As a previous reviewer stated, Matthew, there simply are no words to describe this book, and his review fit this book to a t. It took me 3 1/2 hours to go from front to back, reading each text and introduction, the brief stories contained, and taking in each breathtaking glimpse into a remarkable surrelistic world. This will be a very fine addition to my Giger books, Bezinski, and Barlowe's Inferno. Now all I can do is sit down with this book in front of me, re-read some classic HPL tales, and go to bed at night and let the nightmares begin. Simply fantastic.

I only accidentally stumbled upon this book not long prior to its publishing, but after half a second's consideration, placed my order at Amazon with quite the discount. Having read the works of HP Lovecraft since I was about 13, I simply could not resist this. Incidentally, my first book was "The Road to Madness", who's cover a teenage boy could not resist, a cover that I found in this book. Small world indeed. What can one say about this book? It includes literally hundreds of pages of supreme quality art, both black and white and in full colour inspired or related to the literary works of Lovecraft and to a certain degree his milieu. Some of the pieces are even spread over fold-out pages, and the binding and covers is of supreme quality. It just doesn't get any better than this. The book is about half a meter tall and I guess about 5 kg's, so don't expect to sit and hold this while you read it!

There are small introduction texts for all the artists; some perhaps a bit excessively long, but oh well. Having Stuart Gordon write an introduction is a complete miss, Lovecraft must be turning in his grave considering what Gordon has done to wreck Lovecraft's work in all his "great films". That being so, I found so much great art in this book, I enjoyed myself immensely in its company for hours on end, and it is certainly a prize item to show your friends and loved ones. Granted, making it fit in a normal bookshelf might be hard, but if you can cough up the money, I can hardly recommend this book enough. Annoyingly, it has a lot of spelling- and editing-errors, enough of them to almost make me take away a star, but it is in the end a book with paintings, so it doesn't really matter. Buy it before it is too late, if you have even the faintest interest in Lovecraft's work, a book of this quality is something we don't see often in our shady circles. I think my favourite ones in the book might be Les Edward's excellent Innsmouth-related paintings; wow! 5 stars plus!

I received my hardbound slipcased edition of this last week. Jerad and Co. have done an absolutley amazing job in compiling, editing and reproducing at the highest quality level years and years of Lovecraft-related images. I cannot really add much more to Matthew Carpenter's review - he really covered everything and excellently so. The old paperback covers he alluded to were the same for me - my introduction to Lovecraft - and I was very excited to see them here. This is a one of a kind publishing event well worth the seemingly heavy money, but as was stated my Matthew, in a few years you won't miss the money and you will have a fantastic gem of art and craft that will be irreplaceable. Congratulations to all involved in the production of this piece, may it have a long long life.

Like the others said before me, words will not convey the sheer volume and quality of this book. I can barely hold this book in my arms, much easier to look at and enjoy on a coffee table hah. Anyway, there is more wonderful Lovecraft-inspired art in this book than you could ever imagine. From the 1930's pulp comic art to current CGI enhanced portraits, this book has it all. It even has pictures of SOTA's Nightmares Of Lovecraft figurines that quickly went out-of-print last year! If the price of this book had been a grand, I would still have bought it. It is a one-of-a-kind item that Lovecraft fans will be talking about from here to oblivion. I can safely say that no Lovecraft fan's collection will be complete without this book. Simply amazing.

Only Stuart Woods could write about, of all things, luggage - and make it a captivating and intriguing story! This is why each new Woods novel is greeted with such anticipation - the man can tell a story, even when the main "characters" are made of leather!

Ever see that special something that you just had to have? Then once you have it you must raise your standards to the level that your possession now requires of you? Well for Mr. Woods it was luggage, and the trials and tribulations of acquiring it, then living up to its standard provide a humorous interlude well worth the read. I am waiting to see his luggage make an appearance in the home of Stone Barrington.

The pull was quick, into this story of the barren financial beginnings of a current superstar in the world of mystery novels. Empathy was easily engendered in the opening paragraph:

>> ...One morning there appeared in the New York Times a full-page ad for the now-departed Abercrombie & Fitch, introducing its acquisition of a line of Italian luggage called "Whip di Roma." On my lunch hour I wandered across Madison Avenue and was boggled to find a sea of gorgeous honey-colored leather stretching over half a floor, incorporating everything from a shaving kit to a steamer trunk. Alas, I was unable to afford even the shaving kit. I slunk, humbled by my penury, back to... <<

As Woods linked time flashes, tracking the "Whip" line going dry, he simultaneously linked me into this tangy tale of growing "obsession." Obsession? I see this leathery love affair as a fluky gift from the "Universe." Why condemn it into the spiritless realm of psychological stigmata?

"The next years were spent in luggage wilderness. I never passed a leather shop without entering and casting a quick eye over the stock, hoping to find that somebody else had taken on the Whip line."

Avoid boredom through a hobby which provides something you're sparked to do, even in far away lands? Is not dat guut?

"For the next sixteen years I traveled widely and my cases were welcomed everywhere. Bellmen, stroking the leather, would cry, Beeootiful loggage! (this is an average of the various accents)."

Lines like that littered this journalistic excursion with sensual syntax.

"After a sleepless night the airline phoned: the cases were safe. They arrived later that morning, a little worse for the wear."

Who had the sleepless night? If a whole airline can have one of those, there's a second reason for Woods to own a pilot license and to fly himself in nearly daily dedication to nation-wide appearances signing his novels. The first reason for Woods's pilot license can be found in this prime example of an Amazon Short, which was the perfect length for me to read online, in one sitting, finishing as refreshed as if I'd sipped an iced Coke with healthy fizz, that heavy effervescence that Coca Cola used to have in the 50's.

I believe this story is true. If I hadn't explored Stuart Wood's web site, I might not believe that. Not overdone, Woods's site is stylish, and applies succinct syntax to directly inform who he is, what he's selling, and what he stands for. (See my reviews of PRINCE OF BEVERLY HILLS and RECKLESS ABANDON.)

Another true story is coming soon to Amazon Shorts. Every word, every surprise in COAL & COCA COLA is true. Maybe the reason is the season, for believing truths which may be hard to swallow, until the spirit shines and flavor flashes through.

Coal & Coca-cola

A MAN AND HIS LUGGAGE is as endearingly entertaining as a boy and his baggage might be, trailing twilights through maturity with images of red wagons carting starlight.

May your Amazon Library grow daily with brain spice additions!
Linda Shelnutt

This is certainly worth $0.49, and since you can't buy it anywhere else (to my knowledge), you should just go for it. It is a different style from his mystery books, but it is very funny. I do think some of the other reviewers are overestimating its honesty and underestimating its comedy. This itself is a testament to the excellent dry humor.

I just fell in love with Amazon shorts after reading A Man and His Luggage. It is a narration of how a little obsession can transoform ones life, creep into it and rule one. Here is something you want to read and reread for the humor and the wisdom. I am hooked.