G Books

Helped me in my undergrad (older version). Helped me when I gave subject GRE recently. Covered Pipelining superscalar, out-of-order execution processors, caching and secondary storage, combinational and sequential ckt review etc real well. No computer architecture book covered them all so clearly, and in one book.

A clearly written book, which employs a simple language. Another beauty of the book is that all loose ends are tied up. As sentences unfold one will realize why a particular phrase was used earlier and so on. That makes a big difference for an engineering text book.

It is the best book that I know for fundamentals. Hence, it will be useful for years to come.

Must have for all embedded systems people.

This was the assigned text for my junior year computer engineering course on computer organization. I loved it. The explanations are clear, progress logically, and are clearly presented. I find myself picking it up from time to time, both to read the more advanced chapters out of personal interest and to look up details needed in more advanced coursework.

After reading this book do not believe you'll know everyting about computing , but you'll know more than others do.

I had a chance to recommend this to a colleague just last week. It is easily twice the price of the "competing" books on the market, but you get what you pay for. With this book plus (perhaps) a hands-on course in the microprocessor laboratory--interfacing various logic families to output devices, e.g., or whipping up a robot of limited capabilities--the student gains the ultimate understanding of what makes computer systems "tick," from the loftiest levels of software, through the details of instruction set implementation (microprogrammed control, prefetching, cycle-stealing DMA transfers) and even the detailed digital logic circuits that underlie the CPU.

I dare say the student who aces this course is all but prepared to build a simplistic CPU on his own--"simplistic" because, though the concepts can be understood quite completely, it's an intricate challenge. Notably, the book has kept pace with the times: while the PDP-11 instruction set is didactically wonderful--clear and easy and even sporting reasonable opcode mnemonics--you don't see lots of PDP or LSI (or, for that matter, VAX) minis floating around nowadays. So, HV&Z moved on to the 68000, the Power PC, perhaps even the Pentium in the latest (of five or six) editions. (Good move, gentlemen: you've actually done your homework rather than just changing "happy" to "glad" and reprinting with a new version number!)

I used this book as a junior, but (a) I went to Cooper Union, which operates at an extremely high intellectual level [let's put it this way: I took a number of graduate-level computer science electives--compilers, OS, etc.--taught by Bell Labs MTSs as a junior and senior; and some "doctoral" courses that I took at Case were--honest Injun--watered-down versions of similar courses I had taken at Cooper], and (b) I graduated more than twenty years ago, and requirements always creep downward: a few credits fewer, a few tangential courses eliminated, perhaps one fewer humanities elective necessary to matriculate, etc. By 2006 standards, I would reluctantly have to reclassify HV&Z as a postgraduate text.

(A little puzzle for the reader: we had to build--from NAND gates--a microcomputer featuring two three-bit registers, and my squad was the only one that implemented an "exchange registers" function that required only one cycle and used no auxiliary storage registers. How did we do it? Tick ... tick ... tick ... time's up! The circuitry compared corresponding bits from both registers. If they matched, it did nothing; if they differed, it flipped both! So, there was no literal "exchange" operation: rather, each was simultaneously reset to the value of the other.)

Gilbert Ryle's classic philosophical work, The Concept of Mind, is now best remembered for the least philosophical part of it, the rhetorical dubbing of Descartes mind/body dualism as the "dogma of the ghost in the machine." Ryle's own particular brand of philosophical behaviorism hasn't weathered all that well, and so this book's surviving interest is primarily as a negative work. Nevertheless, the book is interesting as a crucible for Cartesians and those interested in the philosophical merits of the Cartesain theory of mind.

Ryle's book is chauk full of arguments, long ones, short ones, simple ones, subtle ones, with a particular predominance of infinite regresses. Even if you think, as I do, that many of these arguments are misguided, you will still be put through a variety of mental gymnastics as you try to diagnose the various faults they hide.

One note of caution, because many of Ryle's arguments are of the ordinary language variety, his linguistic distance from us (the book is over 50 years old, and British to boot) does hinder understanding. It was not always clear to me whether Ryle was misusing a word, or whether its use is different for us than it was for him.

Gilbert Ryle wrote this classic exposition on the mind-body problem in philosophy with a view to dissipate a myth fundamental to religion and philosophy. His cogent exposition leads us to see mind in persons as other than a "Ghost in a Machine." More than this, though, his comprehensive scrutiny of the many elements of the life of the mind constitutes an incisive study of the synergy of mind and body in an integrated life. Ryle exercises consummate skill in avoiding technical jargon to present a refreshing style for treatment of a difficult and elusive subject. One of his favorite analogies is to compare a study of thinking as "like trying to catch a jellyfish with a fine hook." A thoughtful and careful reader will revel in Ryle's success with his daunting task.

"The Concept of Mind" is one of the essential works of philosophy and one of the great books of the twentieth century. Western thought took a horrendous wrong turn with Cartesian dualism and it was not until Ryle's book in 1949 that we got back on track. Or at least should have done, for the idea that we are two separate entities - mind and body - still pervades, and muddies, our thinking, whether philosophical, theological or everyday.

Some of Ryle's followers have extended his ideas to the point of distortion, and would have us believe that mind and consciousness actually do not exist. Don't let such behaviorist extremism put you off. Ryle's feet were always more firmly on the ground. He defines the concept of mind, not invalidates it.

He has a lively, readable style (of how many philosophers can you say that?) and although a lot of his ideas do not have the novelty that they would have had half a century ago, this is still the best book with which to begin an investigation of the nature of mind and consciousness.

There is no getting away from the noun 'mind'. It is perfectly intelligible and sensible to say that Newton, Hume and Richard Bentley had fine minds. However we soon get into a muddle when we misunderstand what kind of noun 'mind' is. People possess certain capacities that we call 'mental' by way of distinguishing them from capacities of the senses such as eyesight, or from capacities of the physique like weight-lifting, and anything that is `mental' is of the mind. And immediately we have to watch our step if we want to think clearly. Bentley, Bentley's eyes and Bentley's eyesight can each be said to have had the capacity to read the text of Manilius. Bentley and Bentley's eyes (but not Bentley's eyesight) can each be said to have read Manilius. However what enabled Bentley to correct and edit the text of Manilius was his mind, but Bentley's mind didn't edit Manilius, Bentley did.

There is no such thing as a mind, Ryle argues if I don't misrepresent him, as distinct from things that are of the mind. There is an intelligible entity called a body that we recognise as distinct from any and all of its attributes. The mind is nothing except certain capacities, and the noun 'mind' is the convenient way of referring to these. It is not the same sort of thing as eyesight or hearing, but belongs in the same category of noun as `character' or `personality'. Epistemology like this is often described as the study of knowledge, but it would be better described as the study of understanding. Its aim is to clarify what we think and how we think, and it takes as its basis the way we use language in ordinary day-to-day utterance. Ryle's book was highly influential in its day, and it seems to have retained the status of a kind of classic over the 40-odd years since I last read it. If so, it thoroughly deserves this status. Linguistic philosophy, of the kind predominantly associated with Oxford, can and does sometimes degenerate into what Denis Healey unkindly called `semantic nose-picking'. However in my own opinion it rescued theoretical philosophy from some strange aberrations that had been treated with a respect they did not deserve, and which had confused earnest seekers after truth in a way they did not deserve either. Speech is the main medium of human communication, and we need to think carefully about how we use it if we want to advance to higher levels of theoretical understanding. Examining the use of words on their own is part of the trick, but even more important is sensitivity to how they are used in varying contexts, and surprisingly often the most important thing of all is to consider what the implied alternative may be. Russell illustrated this point wittily when deciding on the title of a book of essays that he thought too heavyweight to be described as `popular'. `If not "popular", then "unpopular"', he reasoned speciously, so `Unpopular Essays' they became.

The book is laid out in a very schematic way, with chapters and sub-chapters dedicated to individual topics. This makes it very convenient for students with an essay to write on this or that topic that the book addresses (experto credite), and similarly will make it easy for the modern reader to consult almost as a reference-book. I should say that the best way to read it is to work through the entire first half or thereabouts, and select as desired from there on. By half-way through an attentive reader will have got the hang of the type of thinking it enshrines if he or she is going to get it at all. For me the most interesting topic other than the mind itself was free will. Ryle is even a trifle summary in his treatment of this, but finds the age-old argument about free will to be a non-question, and so do I. What might non-free will be, do you suppose? There can be enforced actions, but not enforced wishes. My own guess is that `free will' is often confused in practice with free choice. There can be enforced choices in one sense, the performative sense of selecting. More commonly it's a matter of one's choice being thwarted, as when my preferred brand of breakfast-cereal is not in the shop when I go for it; or of my own deliberate act of choosing a second-best if I think the price being charged for my first choice is too high. The other confusion is with some supposed inevitability or pre-programming, by which it is supposed that nothing, our will and our choices included, could have happened otherwise. This seems to me to be true only in the trivial sense that nothing that has happened can be other than what it was. The answers to the question `Why?' I choose a certain kind of breakfast-cereal are usually several and straightforward - I like the flavour, it contains vitamins, etc. The answer to the question `How?' one chooses anything is more obscure, so obscure that I don't even know what it's asking.

The book is maybe a little too long, but I think if so that that's because it is partly a great manifesto of a certain type of thinking, partly (in its later stages) something that degenerates slightly into a bit of a reference-manual. A lot of topics get covered, and some semi-giants e.g. Descartes are slain, while some real giants e.g. Hume are put in their place too. I have no real difficulty with Ryle's view that `the self' will be better understood from the uses of `I' than the way Hume went about it. I also probably agree that whatever the deficiencies of `phenomenalism' it had the benefit of showing up the greater deficiencies of arguments resting on `essence'. I just hope he doesn't sweep aside with the latter Plato's doctrine of the Forms, which I, like Russell, take as quite literally true. Whatever - this book is all about how to think, not what to think.

Gilbert Ryle shows a great skill in condensing his whole argument in a succinct metaphor. On page 16, he writes: "A foreign stranger visiting the Oxford campus is shown libraries, department buildings, and museums. Then he asks "But where is the University?". This is the "category mistake". Cartesian question "Where is the mind?" has a same confusion, he asserts.

A famous epigram "Ghost in the Machine" is sometimes misinterpreted. His point is that there is NO "ghost". What we think ghost (spirit) does not exist (therefore ghost!).

Although the philosophy of ordinary language and the logical behaviorism, the British school represented by Wittgenstein and Ryle, had an its apogee in 50's, its crux of reasoning still has an important element. I still feel the current dominant school in cognitive science such as functionalism has a long way to go, before it can make it acceptable for broader spectrum of scientists whose prime mode of thinking is purely materialistic or physicalistic.

In 524 AD Boethius was confined under severe house arrest while awaiting trial for treason. The imprisonment did apparently permit access to some books and writing materials. He had been a very honored Roman aristocrat, and had received an excellent classical education in his youth. He had translated several Greek books into Latin.

His present situation left him very depressed; it was not at all the future that he had expected. Then Lady Philosophy appeared in his imagination. She was commanding, and chased away the muses of the theater who had been occupying his attention with tragedy and superficial entertainment. He at first did not recognize Philosophy. Then he remembered her as the teacher of his youth. She had come to claim her own, and to nurse him back to mental health.

Boethius and Philosophy had an extended discourse. Boethius recorded it in "The Consolation of Philosophy" (translated by P. G. Walsh, Oxford, 2000). He was troubled by the frequent apparent absence of justice and goodness in human affairs. Boethius was a Christian, but this book utilized dialectics as practiced by Socrates and recounted by Plato in his "Republic". The Christian point of view is founded on faith that God, goodness, and a final purpose exist because they are revealed in the Bible. In the Platonic view taken by Boethius, the presence in human affairs of God and purpose ("purpose" appears in Richard Green's translation of "The Consolation of Philosophy".) can be established by reasoning. The reasoning does require faith in something, namely in the orderly and lawful progression of events in the natural world, as suggested for instance in the orderly motions of the heavenly bodies (Walsh, p. 17, "...this tiniest of sparks will cause life's heat to be resuscitated in you."). In the language of the time, orderly progression was determined by divine reason.

"The Consolation of Philosophy" was little noticed in the turmoil following the final collapse of the Western Empire. But it was transcribed under Charlemagne in the eighth century, and it remained thereafter a very influential book for a thousand years. Chaucer translated it into English. One can imagine that its very deterministic outlook was too constraining as the later Renaissance burst forth and demanded unbounded freedom for the individual.

We may be entering more sober times. Some of us may find that our present realities do not meet our expectations. We share this with Boethius. If we have never achieved the success or fame accorded Boethius, we still may have reverses due to the economy or old age. Can "The Consolation of Philosophy" help us? If we turn to it as a reasoned approach, does it hold up in the light of modern science?

Our most highly developed science is physics. How does a modern physicist regard the world? Based first of all on quantum mechanics, he is apt to feel that reality at the fundamental level is probabilistic rather than deterministic. But there have been those who seem to disagree, most notably Einstein and Schrödinger. Einstein's vision of reality involves a space-time continuum. Doesn't this imply that any part of the whole is predetermined by the requirement that it fit adjacent parts? This corresponds with the medieval belief that the world, present, past, and future, is known to God. Boethius felt that this is compatible with free will for humans, in a way that is not immediately evident to out human reason. He resolves this after finding why human affairs do not seem to be guided by the hand of God, as is the material world.

Physics is not the only science. Biology is much closer to human concerns. The most spectacular aspect of modern biology is the discovery of the structure of DNA and the mode of its expression in the body. DNA bridges the gap between organismic biology and evolutionary biology. The structure of DNA is described with a mechanistic model, and its expression results from causal relationships. This is very deterministic.

In organismic biology perhaps the greatest accomplishment in the twentieth century was the theoretical and quantitative explication of the firing of the giant neuron in the Atlantic squid, since the same model can be applied to many other neurons and species simply by adjusting parameters. Eric Kandel has extended the quantitative and molecular understanding of neural behavior further in his work on synapses. This establishes the molecular basis of memory. In his Nobel address ("Science", 2 November 2001, pp. 1030-1038), Kandel noted that the solution of the general problem of neural functioning in memory will require a systems approach, and he is confident that this and other questions in the biology of learning will be addressed in the near future. I wonder if Kandel is too optimistic?

A neuropsychological theory of memory and learning was advanced by Donald Hebb in 1949, and used by Hebb in his teaching of psychology (Hebb, D.O., "Textbook of Psychology" (3rd Ed.), Saunders, Philadelphia, 1972. See also Hebb, D.O., "The Organization of Behavior", Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.). Hebb's theory introduced cell assemblies in neural networks, but was nonmathematical. Hebb was not a mathematician, and in addition the tools for putting the theory in mathematical form were not available. Powerful computers did not exist (a modern PC would suffice for a small idealized network), and the mathematical field of nonlinear dynamics was relatively undeveloped. Now those tools exist, but apparently the approach has never been tried. Has contemporary science gone beyond such fundamental things?

Now let's consider a bit of social science. Going back 56 years, the Second World War had been over long enough to give people time to think about how to change human culture and prevent another war. One idea for changing social behavior was offered by the behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner. He presented it in the form of a novel, titled "Walden Two" (reissued 1976, Prentice-Hall). Walden Two was an imagined utopian community. The description and history of such communities is interesting in itself, but my purpose here is to compare the formative influences in Walden Two with those that our society has brought to bear in recent decades. Walden Two had been in existence for ten years, and its population after the war was about 1000. At that time its educational procedures for children had been worked out. They began at birth, and were so thorough in instilling cooperative attitudes that male aggression never appeared in early childhood. I wonder whether that might interfere with normal male hormonal balance. Maybe, if the cooperative attitude is desirable, training should begin after proper male development. At any rate, if we aimed to develop a socialist society, training for reduction of male aggression should be introduced at some age. We are now going in the opposite direction. In our society, fathers encourage aggressive behavior in their sons, so that they will be able to get their share in the capitalistic culture. The development of aggressive instincts does not stop there. The influence of television on all ages promotes violent attitudes. Whether Skinner considered this in his later years I don't know. He did not live long enough to see the development of violent computer games, but surely he would be appalled. As things stand, we appear to be committed irrevocably to an unrestrained capitalistic society, in which waste could be unbounded. Can we halt this with recycling? Or are we headed for social disaster? The wise course for the individual is to prepare for acceptance, whatever comes.

Coming back to the present, many of us are disappointed, and are looking for encouragement or consolation. Some will find it in religion based on faith, especially the forgiving Christian faith revealed in the Bible. There will also be mystics, who have a direct experience of God, and therefore don't need a conscious act of faith. Others may turn to a more secular view. Notable is the outlook expressed by Stephen Jay Gould in "Wonderful Life" (Norton, 1989). Gould sees precious value in human life precisely because its origin was dependent on contingent events, and hence was so unlikely. This is very different from the deterministic view I have taken. Gould draws further assurance from the apparent release of the free will from determinism.

Finally there is the path chosen by Boethius. It is the way of a rational mind that has been confronted with the harsh reality of reversals or deprivations. It is the path of acceptance, as a higher value becomes evident. Again we question whether this view makes sense in the light of modern science. Is there something about the human mind that makes it override material values? Many have tried to define the source of the difference between human perception and that of other animals. One current view is that consciousness is the special human resource. But do we really know that other animals don't possess consciousness?

The difference between humans and animals may be that humans have passed a threshold in symbolic activity. When our ape-like ancestors left the forest, and began hunting on the hilly savannas, they became more social, both to hunt big game in groups and to prepare food at the camp. This promoted a dramatic development of language. Brain regions involved in symbolic activity expanded. It became possible to tell stories of hunting adventures. Stories cultivated imagination, and imagination led to visions of what might be over the next hill. This in turn led to the concept of a space beyond all hills, an abstract space. The regularity of the Sun and Moon demonstrated order in the abstract space. Maintained by what agency? There must be a divine will that promotes order. At that point our ancestors were DISCOVERING the spiritual realm.

Ages later writing appeared, which made it possible to transmit precise knowledge, and so led to advanced culture. We discovered mathematical relations, and made a start in learning physical laws. These developments depended on the conscious mind, but also involved the subconscious in an essential way. The subconscious is not limited by sequential logic. Like nature, it considers everything at once. And so we draw closer to God. It is the above characteristics that make the individual human mind precious. It depends on culture, but rises above culture. The individual mind comprehends a whole world. Except perhaps when we pass our threshold of tolerable pain, the mind is able to rise above physical discomforts and deprivations, and find refuge in comtemplation of the world within.

The next time you have a bad day and get mired in self-pity, think about Boethius. Born into a wealthy Roman family around 480 C.E., Boethius was a successful scholar and politician. Early in his career, he wrote influential treatises on Aristotle's logic and Christian theology. He became a senator and found favor with the rulers of the Roman world, ultimately taking the highest post in the Western government (then located in Ravenna, rather than Rome). But his world fell apart when his king, Theoderic, charged him with treason. Confined to his house and awaiting a particularly gruesome execution (you don't want to know), Boethius comforted himself with philosophical reflection. Working partly in verse and partly in prose, as translated by P.G. Walsh, Boethius crafted a long dialogue with the goddess Philosophy, who slowly convinces him that happiness based on worldly things is fleeting and false, and that true happiness can come only from knowledge of God and his goodness. getAbstract is glad to offer a look at this classic work, which inspired people from Dante to C.S. Lewis, even in their darkest hours.

The particular edition I am reviewing is the Oxford World's Classics translation by P. G. Walsh.

This is one of those classics that can catch an unsuspecting reader completely by surprise, especially if one has read many other works by near contemporaries. The circumstances under which it was composed are legendary, and lend the work a legitimacy granted to few other works. Boethius was among the foremost government officials in what was essentially the successor government to the end of the Roman Empire. Rome and much of the rest of what would later become Italy was under the control of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric. A product of one of the leading Roman familes, Boethius ascended to a power of great honor and authority under Theodoric, only to be accused of treason late in the latter's life, at which point Boethius was imprisoned and condemned to death. While awaiting his fate (including whether Theodoric actually intended on carrying out the sentence), Boethius wrote this remarkable dialog between a prisoner whose situation closely resembles Boethius' and Philosophy personified as a woman. Although many topics are discussed, the heart of the dialog is the nature of true happiness.

Although few of its readers are likely to face circumstances as dire as Boethius', the work remains remarkably pertinent in an age where ideals of happiness are dictated almost entirely by our modern consumer society. Philosophy carefully explains to the prisoner that that happiness can never be found in such things as fame or power or riches and other things that are confused with the true source of happiness. For Boethius' Philosophy, happiness is ultimately rooted in the Christian God, but even for non-Christians, the lightly theological tone of the work provides much reflection on the nature of happiness in almost any kind of situation.

The Walsh edition of this work is, in my opinion, the finest readily available edition in English. The notes are marvelous, both providing overviews to each upcoming section as well as providing detailed comments on specific lines in the text. The introduction gives any new reader of the work all the context and background that he or she would need to digest the work. Best of all, the translation is exceptionally readable, and the translations of the many poems far above the average for most academic translations of verse.

I recommend this work strongly to either of two kinds of readers. First, for anyone who is a student of intellectual history the work remains for an understanding of a host of writers in the middle ages, as well as for many 19th century poets. Second, anyone interested in devotional or reflectional works, whether religious or philosophical, this remains one of the most essential works in the history of thought. By almost any standard, this is a work that demands careful reading and study.

For a long time, this would stand as the last major work in which philosophy played the role it was accustomed to play in Antiquity; most medieval thinkers would make philosophy the servant of theology and strip it of its profoundly ethical roots - after all, Christianity became the philosophical way of life par excellence. By using philosophy as a character, Boethius emphasizes its vital role in everyday life and the choices that life entails. Although Boethius is usually mentioned in conjunction with Aristotelian and Christian thought, this work is especially linked to Platonism, Stoicism and Neoplatonism: a) it follows the progression of Socratic discourse in a journey that leads one from the suppression of false beliefs towards a gradually clearer approximation of what Good is, and Philosophy is akin to the priestess Diotima of Plato's Symposium; b) the harrowing context in which it was written mirrors the composition of Seneca's Letters to Lucilius; c) its frequent allegorical use of poetry and myths follows the path set forth by the Stoics and Neoplatonists. The first few books free Philosophy's interlocutor from his errors, and Boethius then explores the work's central subjects: justice, the nature of good and evil, providence (themes that also intensely preoccupied Plotinus late in his life). Treating 'Consolation...' only as a compendium of ancient Greek philosophy would be doing it a major disservice, as it would underscore the personal dimension lying at the very heart of the work. Those who forgot that philosophy is a lot more than the mere juggling of concepts should definitely read this key book.

Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.

All happyness, all worth, all reason for being, lies in the One and the Good. Even when we commit immoral acts, it is a result of ignorance on our part in seeking this ultimate goal. Indeed, to turn from the quest of finding the One is to cease to exist at any meaningful level. There is no "fire and brimstone", or talk of eternal torment in hell here. There doesn't need to be. As long as you willfully or ignorantly stray from the Path then you are in hell. And to not find reconnection with the One and the Good is to cease to exist. All of our earthly existence is for the purpose of reawakening to our true nature. This truth lies within all of us and it is only reached by personal introspection (Know thyself.) Only in this way will we return to the eternal Source that lies beyond time itself.

The consolation of the Consolatio lies in the fact that suffering serves a purpose if it puts us back on the true Path. Moreover, earthly recognition of virtue is irrelevent. God always recognises the man of virtue if the masses do not.

I read this book about two years ago and return to it frequently. It is filled with ways I can meet with God while also meeting the needs of my children. I've recommened this book many times to friends. It gave me hope that I don't have to live as a frazzled mom alienated from God.

I first heard about this book from an online journaling group. The very name called to me. I knew then I had to have it and I was not disappointed. The subtitle is "Restoring Rich Relationship with God in the Midst of Motherhood." I had to hear how this then mother of three could manage a relationship with God while mired down in the quagmire of motherhood. And she proposes not just any relationship, but a rich relationship! I had to know more. The author, Ann Kroeker, states in the first chapter, "I can't guarantee goose bumps, but I propose that it is possible for everyone to restore a rich relationship with God. Yes, even busy women in the midst of motherhood." Hallelujah! It could be done. Ann gives practical tips to finding time to be alone with God. I recommend this book to every mother - no matter what the stage of your motherhood - new mom, tenured mom, empty nester. Pick up your copy today and find a love like no other.

I love Ann's book. As a Christian writer, I read a lot to get my own creative juices flowing, but this one hit me where I live--as a half-crazed mom of two wanting nothing more than to be a good servant of Jesus and a decent wife and mother to boot. Ann Kroeker pulls it all together: She gives you the tools to begin and good coverage of the methods to True Sanity through the madness, regardless of where you are in your faith walk. Check it out!

I first heard about this group through an online journaling group. The very name called to me. I knew I had to have it and I was not disappointed. The subtitle is "Restoring Rich Relationship with God in the Midst of Motherhood." I had to hear how this then mother of three could manage a relationship with God while mired down in the quagmire of motherhood. And she proposes not just any relationship, but a rich relationship! I had to know more. The author, Ann Kroeker, states in the first chapter, "I can't guarantee goosebumps, but I propose that it is possible for everyone to restore a rich relationship with God. Yes, even busy women in the midst of motherhood." Hallelujah! It could be done. Ann gives practical tips to finding time alone with God. I recommend this book to every mother - no matter what the stage of your motherhood - new mom, tenured mom, empty nester. Pick up your copy today and find a love like no other.

I think I need to read this book again! What an amazing book written by a mom of three young daughters - and she still has her intellect together enough to be reading the heavier-weight Christian books! These books mine the depths of the Christian faith. Yes, they take extra effort, but I believe that if we make that effort, we will be rewarded by having a richer devotional life.

After I wrote my last review, the author wrote me an email, which was just great! I want to write her - and now I don't have her email! So Ann, if you're reading this, please email me again (click on See More About Me for my email address)! I have a couple questions for you about some of the books you were reading.

If you're a mom who wants a little more depth to your devotional life, this book is for YOU!!

Because my wife and I read our children so many books, very few stand out. COPY ME, COPYCUB, like GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU is a book that I can remember effortlessly. The story is beautiful and engaging without being overly sentimental, and the authors do not shy away from the very real danger little things face in the wild. However this is not a book that will frighten children, but rather one that emphasizes the wonderful bond between parent and child. I can't imagine anyone purchasing this book and being dissatisfied.

I bought this book for my grandson to replace the paperback book he had worn out. He's only 14 months, but he loves books. Now he has his favorite book in a more durable form.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this lovely children's book is a novel! It's charmingly told & drawn with some quite serious ideas to tell. Just who teaches us? How do we learn & why? A good book to ask questions about afterwards. ...

Susan Winter's engaging pictures accompany this very simple yet engaging story of a little copy cub who learns lessons of life by imitating his mother. A simple text makes it easy for youngsters to learn about the little cub's efforts to mimic his mother's wisdom.

This is the third time we are checking this delightful book out of the library, so it's definitely time to buy it. My just turning three year old loves this book and has us read it to him every night. The pictures are great, and he has this story down to memory also, as someone else mentioned in their review. I would recommend this book to anyone with a 2-5 year old in mind..

From back cover:

"Fortify yourself against the likes of you."

"This remarkable book presents a step-by-step system to develop an appreciation of the underlying princples of personal power and its enhancement.

A compelling blend of erudition, wit, storytelling, synicism, morality, and practicality, 'The Craft of Power' is profuse with techniques for managing people and organizations, for developing a personal philosophy of power, and for implementing this philosophy.

If you can live with it, it can live with you. Let not the wailing and groaning of the innocent weaken your will to win and keep."

This is not your pop-business or pop-anything book. It is a scholarly work that has global political reach, as well as personal impact. Part of the beauty of this work it how systematic it is in providing a well-rounded picture of power dynamics that transcend the century in which they play out.

I have been a student of the philosophy, if not the practice, of war for as long as I can remember. I've read everything from Machivelli to Napoleon to Sun Tzu in an effort to study the nature of ruthlessness. The comparsions of this book to Robert Greene's work are unavoidable. But for any serious student of the nature of power this book is indispensible.

I was constantly reminded of "The 48 Laws of Power" as I read this book. The author used laws (80 compared to 48), as well as historical and political examples to make his point. This book is much shorter, making it an easier read. I enjoyed reading this book, but should have had a dictionary handy, as there were a lot of big words. If you like "The Prince", "The Art of War", or "The 48 Laws of Power" you will like this book as well.

In this book, Siu applies the philosophies of Machiavelli to the subject of power in the modern-day corporate and government realms. I learned a great deal from this book. In particular, it provided me with a lens through which I can identify and deal with the power plays that occur in every day life. While few will want to follow the recipe provided by Siu to obtain personal power through his methods, all can learn from them.

WONDERFUL STORY WONDERFUL BOOK. who is Michael cornelius

This book was an incredible read. The story is brilliantly told, encompassing the reader almost immediately. From the beginning, it stirs emotions within the reader because the author seems keenly intuitive of how gay men emote when challenged by their greatest enemy and/or lover. The story's unusual ending exemplifies the author's talent. I anxiously await another novel by Mr. Cornelius.

The writing is poetic and the themes are universal. I picked up the book after I received it and I did not put it down until I finished it that evening. The stories were short montages and finally came together at the end of the novel. It's a great first novel and I can't wait to read his second one!

Stay with this one...its hard to figure out where the author is 'going'. The format is a bit disjointed at first (a series of short...stories... told in a variety of styles), as you get into it really works- love the parable aspect of this book... I think many different people will get different things out of it... Different- was glad I read it.

I just finished this book - it was awesome! The characters were really interesting, and I loved how we came back to them all - like a sequel, only better! I hate reading books that leave everything just dangling, and this one didn't do that at all - I felt really satisfied in the end! This is a great book for anyone - sexy, deep, and really interesting!!

I ordered this book for a friend who is very interested in this type of history and he was very pleased with the style and detail of the narration. Since my childhood was spent in South Dakota, I am reading the book myself and am fascinated by the tales of the cowboy life in the early years.

Ike Blasingame was a Texas cowboy working for the Matador Land and Cattle Company when the company expanded its operations in 1904 and leased just-opened range land along the Moreau River in South Dakota south of today's Mobridge. Blasingame was among the cowboys sent along with 3,000 head of cattle to this new area, and this being 1904 both men and beasts went the modern way - by train. Evarts (no longer extant) was the shipping point. For the next 10 years or so Blasingame punched cattle for the Matador, and this is his account of that experience, dictated to his wife who wrote it all down, many years after the fact.

Blasingame relates his story in a leisurely narrative style. His memory was obviously good - at least that's the impression given with many names given and events told as if they happened yesterday. There are the usual stories about bad weather, stampeding cattle, mean horses (and useful cowponies), branding, shy cowboys around the ladies, and the often dull times rounding up cattle or driving them to the railhead one finds in memoirs like this, but Blasingame keeps things lively and interesting. The Matador had a big spread in Canada, and sometimes Blasingame was sent there on his cowboy duties, but he was always glad to return to Dakota. When the company began closing their leases he bought a ranch on his old stomping grounds and ranched there with his wife and kids until the Dust Bowl troubles forced him to move to California, where he continued his ranching ways with an outfit there. Lovers of the Old West and the lives of the cowboys who worked the range will enjoy this book a lot.

Of all the cowboy memoirs, this is one of the best. Ernest "Ike" Blasingame was barely twenty when he went from Texas to South Dakota in 1904 to cowboy for the Matador Land and Cattle Company on rangeland leased from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. His account of that experience covers the next 7-8 years, and it's a well-told story full of memorable incidents, cowmen, and horses. There's an excellent balance between informative explanations of the work of cowboys on the ranges and amusing anecdotes, accounts of mishaps and accidents, and nicely drawn descriptions of personalities and behavior revealing depth of character (or lack of it) among his colleagues.

The roll of the seasons and the extremes of weather are well described, including the fatal winter of 1906-07. Indians also figure prominently in the narrative, and you can get a good understanding of the cattle industry itself in the years before the West was transformed by homesteading settlers and small farmers. Demon rum has a role to play in the fortunes and misadventures of these men, and there are insights into the social history of the all-male, bachelor work force who performed the hard labor of working cattle.

Remembered and told 50 years later (the book was first published in 1958), Blasingame tells his story as though it happened yesterday. It is full of youthful enthusiasm and wide-eyed enjoyment of his work and his growing reputation as a fine young bronc rider, taming the company's unbroken horses and winning the respect of the men he works for, who quickly trust him to rep for the Matador at roundups on other ranges.

It's not clear how much of the writing is really Blasingame's. He gives credit to his wife "who wrote this while I talked." And it may well be she to whom we owe the credit for this lucid, well-organized, vividly described memoir. At any rate, as a joint project, it provides a wealth of information and entertainment for anyone interested in the real West of working cowboys. It's a classic. And thanks to the University of Nebraska Press for keeping it in print.

Well-told stories of cowboy life in the Dakotas and Canada at the turn of the century. Highly recommended. A joy to read. A great plain-speaking, direct style. Lots of dry humor. Left me wishing I could spend more time with "Wild Ike." Overall, it is a bronc-buster's view of a slice a history - the arrival of cattle herds on a large South Dakota reservation, the heyday of the cattle business there, and finally the demise of free range ranching in that area and the arrival of the homesteader. I was a little concerned that it would be the story of cowboy life 20 years after the end of the cowboy era. But there are no pickup trucks or ATVs in this narrative, just cattle and horses, cowboys and Indians. His profiles of dozens of horses (woven into the narrative) would be worthwhile even without the other stories. (Here's a tip - there is a fold-out map on the last page. I figured that out when I got to the last page, but you will be happy to have the map as you read.)

I am the son of Ike Blasingame the author. This is not a fiction book. Every event and place are true. On the map all the creeks and places are in their correct places as well as the tributaries which run into the Moreau River, and Missouri River. There are 3 million acres of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation leased by the Matador Land & Cattle Co. of Texas who then sub leased to 10 other New Mexico and Texas cattle ranches, all having seperate brands, (like L7, Turkey Track, and DZ). Chief Sitting Bull died in 1899 but Ike Blasingame bought horse from Sitting Bull's brothers, One Bull and Lone Bull.

Ray Blasingame - Paisley, OR

Like a lot of Maurice Sendak's books - you love it as a kid, and you love it as an adult for very different reasons.

I guess I need Dear Mili afterall to remind me of other things than life's mandane, and to help me see our seemingly unsatisfying life in a different light.

Maurice Sendak's drawings enhanced the classical beauty of the Grimm's fairytale. You can almost see the elegant images listlessly brings the words to life as the best storytellers do.

This story is sad, but told beautifully. It is also inspiring and comforting.

A little girl is sent into the woods alone by her fearful mother when war comes to the village. She manages to find peace and loving care in the home of St. Joseph. When it is time for her to return to the village so much has changed.

This tale by Grimm is beautiful. In my opinion it is translated well as the words are rich and descriptive and there is a satisfying pace to the story throughout. The introduction itself is nearly as moving as the tale that follows. Sendak's illustrations magically combine reality with imagination and the double page spreads grow out from the page and allow you to fall into them.
The setting and scene changes are enough to tug your emotions. This story's scene sequence is as follows: a quiet country village, a village in panic at the threat of invasion, a child wandering alone in the woods, a child in the comforting care of St. Joseph, back to the village which has now changed.

The subject matter is not light in this tale about love and two hearts coming together. A tale like this could not be as well told if one were to attempt to tell it lightly.

Dear Mili was a surprise in many ways. While Maurice Sendak has never failed to amaze, this tender rendering a newly discovered fairy tale set as a metaphor of children hidden in the holocaust is one of the most beautiful experiences a reader can have. This is my favorite children's book of all time: the artwork is I believe the peak of Sendak's career. A small girl living alone with her mother is sent for safety in the forest when a terrible foreboding threatens. In the forest she meets St. Joseph, and another small one, who keep her safe. Returning after a pleasant journey, she finds her mother aged and alone.
Their is joy and reunion: this is a poignant story on many levels. Looking deeply at the artwork one will see shoah themes:
Sendak in premiere Jewish sensitivity has done a remarkable thing: taken ancient Grimm Catholic legend and woven it into a metaphor for all of us, for all time. If this book does not tender the heart of the older who read to the younger, they have no heart. Absolutely 5-stars: Should be a classic and not out of print.

This book scared the crap out of me as a child. The images, the story are dark and nightmarish. The pictures are incredibly striking - I haven't picked up the book in years but I still remember many elements - fire licking from the sky, greyish tangling trees and flowers, the ghostly quality of the little girl. I wouldn't recommend this book for children. I don't think I've encountered anything in children's *or* adult literature since that has so disturbed me.

If M.M. Kaye had written more books like her "Death" series, she might have had a place almost as exalted as that of Agatha Christie. Best known for "The Far Pavilions," Kaye also wrote other stories set in the exotic locations that she had visited in the past. Though it may be politically incorrect to reminisce for times when the British were a strong presence around the world, it's hard not to wish oneself into one of these exotic mysteries.

Twenty-one-year-old Amanda Derington is newly freed from her strict, oppressive uncle, and is travelling to Cyprus with a tour group that includes her uncle and aunt, a cynical romance novelist, a faux invalid and her doting husband, and an oddly attractive young artist. But after her aunt Julia enters a state of jealous hysteria and then dies mysteriously, Amanda finds a bottle of poison in her room. The artist, Steve, urges her not to reveal where she found it.

Amanda comes to Cyprus, with the incident seemingly behind her. But her host, the kindly Glenn Barton, has to relocate her to the eccentric Miss Moon's. His wife Anita has left him and is now living with an artist, claiming that her husband is cheating on her with several women. And as Amanda tries to find out who killed Julia, she finds that more murders may be in store -- including her own.

As always, M.M. Kaye evokes a bygone time of muted glamor, rugged Army officers, lots of flowers and atmospheric settings in exotic locales. Descriptions are good, not too flowery but help to bring images to mind. The dialogue is sprightly and realistic, very different for each person, and often hiding subtle clues as to the person's inner thoughts. Her characterizations are multilayered; characters like Anita Barton are not as simple as they seem, and may not be fully explained until the last pages.

Amanda is much like Kaye's other mystery heroines -- young, pretty, bright, observant, brave, a little naive, and essentially kindhearted. Love interest Steve is attractively insolent and brainy, while the mild-mannered Glenn Barton hides unusual secrets; his wife Anita also hides secrets, behind a facade of alcohol and scandal. Monica Ford, Glenn's secretary, inspires either indifference or pity, depending on the part of the book one is reading. Miss Moon is the truly unique character, an effervescent old lady who dresses on opulent clothing and jewelry according to the day of the week.

For a bit of nostalgic escapism, open "Death in Cyprus" and enjoy the exotic places and mind-bending mysteries. Then read the rest of the series, which is every bit as good as this book.

Death in Cyprus was captivating. I'll admit, it has a slow beginning, but once the story gets going in Cyprus you can't put the book down. The unlikely hero and witty, romantic dialogue gives the book a very lovable angle that will make you pick it up again and again. The suprise ending is very much of a suprise and (unless your Sherlock Holmes,) you won't even recognise some of the clues until the end. Death in Cyprus is not the best of M.M. Kaye's mysteries, but it's a romantic thriller that will sweep you off your feet.

30 years ago I improved my knowledge of English reading more than 43 novels by Agatha Christie. Not only was I a fan of mysteries, I loved and still do the light touch of Miss Christie, her lovable characters from Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple. It is therefore a great, great compliment when I say that M.M. Kaye is better than Christie. Why? She is more detailed, there is greater local color, the characters are better developed. I am thrilled to have found someone as wonderful as M.M. Kaye - this is the first novel I read of hers-- and cannot wait to read more. I recommend this book to all mystery lovers, to all Agatha Christie lovers. Flying colors!

M. M. Kaye wrote this most enjoyable mystery novel set in an enchanting Cyprus that Kaye realized was too good to last. Years later when memories of places like Kyrenia had begun to fade, she made the sun shine bright one last time on the Cyprus she had seen and experienced with this marvelous adventure and romance touched with danger. Those who love the scope and beauty of Kaye's grand "The Far Pavillions," Trade Wind," and "Shadow of the Moon" will find much to love in the atmosphere created by the author in this old-fashioned mystery romance set in an exotic locale. Places like Port Said, Fayid, Limassol, Nicosia and Kyrenia are alive and filled with beauty and adventure once again, just as they were when Kaye saw them. M. M. Kaye made sure the sun would never truly set on the exotic place she knew with "Death in Cyprus."

Sunlit garden verandas and dinner tables overlooking a crystal sea of jade and emerald, and the breeze from silver-grey olive trees are described in such a manner you can almost taste them like a fresh purple grape from the vineyards of Nicosia. The setting is ripe for romance, but danger as well, and Kaye brought together both in one of her finest mysteries. While "Death in Zanzibar" will always hold a special place for me as it was the first of Kaye's mysteries I read, it must be said that "Death in Cyprus" is one of her most exciting mystery novels and is a perfect blend of adventure, romance and mystery. You will feel as though you too have enjoyed a vacation fraught with excitement and adventure upon finishing this most charming and old-fashioned style of mystery we will not bear witness to ever again.

Young and lovely twenty-year-old Amanda Derrington will board the S.S. Orantares and meet a group of people who will play an important part in her life in ways she could not have imagined. Before she leaves the ship for a stay in beautiful Cyprus a murder will occur that will reach the white-walled houses of Cyprus, shining bright against the sea. Only Amanda and Stephen Howard, a painter who carries a gun and may be more than he seems to be, know that it was murder, and not a suicide. Only the happenstance of a last minute cabin switch allowed Amanda to find the poison ending Julia Blaine's life. Amanda's knowledge of the crime will put her in danger as the killer is now aware of what Amanda knows.

The romance of Stephen and Amanda, or Amarantha as he calls her, is a very-old fashioned one born of danger and mystery. It is the kind of romance and mystery that recalls the best of Hitchcock's British films, and very much has that feel. Jealousy and romantic strife all come into play as just beneath the surface of smiles much is going on. Amanda will befriend more than one person while having doubts about Stephen and what his real purpose is in all this. A moonlight kiss will complicate matters, as will a second, and unexpected murder. And an attempt will be made on Amanda's life while in Kyrenia which will nearly succeed.

There is a terrific ending filled with both adventure and romance. You will not guess the killer or the motive, although the clues are there. The last few moments will be fraught with danger and excitement, and just when you believe all has been revealed, the true insanity of the real murderer will change what you though you knew. A fine and vivid assortment of characters enliven the story almost as much as the exotic locale. Grand beauty and old-fashioned romance amidst an ever-growing danger do the rest, making this a memorable mystery romance that outshines everyone else who wrote in this genre.

This particular mystery and romance novel was born in 1949 when M. M. Kaye and her husband were staying in Egypt because his regiment was assigned there. A painting holiday in Cyprus she and a friend took would sow all the seeds for "Death in Cyprus." The house described in Kyrenia is the actual one Kaye and her friend stayed in while there. A series of curious incidents witnessed by Kaye on her stay gave birth to the novel she would not have the opportunity to write for another five years.

Originally published in 1956 under the title "Death Walked in Cyprus," Kaye would make revisions that enhanced the story and made it even better. "Death in Cyprus" is a wonderful adventure for all those who like their mysteries on the old-fashioned side, shaded with beauty and touched with romance. You will find none better than "Death in Cyprus" and I highly recommend you take this vacation with M. M. Kaye and rediscover how a good mystery can refresh your soul. Enjoy.

I have read lots of mystery stories, and I must say, this is the one that I can read over and over again. The setting is gorgeous - you can almost feel the sun on your face and the sand at your feet, and you almost feel like visting Cyprus, the beautiful land of Kyrenia, icosia, Huilarion, the Abbey of Belapais, the palace where Queen Berengaria waited for Richards ships. The tone used used is hilarious and the conversations and the hero as well as the heroine and enchanting. It is a must read!!