R Books

This was an interesting read especially for us that have spent some time at sea ourselves. There are however weaknesses, in my opinion, which downgrades my rating. The author has taken some artistic license with his narrative. I would have thought he could have been more specific in regards to actual weather conditions. These must be available from records available to the company, the Navy or the routing service. The descriptions of the weather are too general. Another thing I found curios was a near total lack of a description of the contact and communications held between the ship's Master and the company - States Marine. There must have been volumes!

Still, all in all an interesting enough description of the events during those dramatic days. Not a pleasant way to spend a Christmas at sea.

This book is spell binding, excellently written and so full of history that it makes you want to reach out for more info.

A true story for our time and one that needs to be shared. If you want to know more about the Coast Guard and what it's like to be at sea, this is the book to read. I'm having trouble putting it down.

"Sailing into the Abyss" by William R. Benedetto is to the Merchant fleet what the "Perfect Storm" was to the sword-fishing fleet.

The book gives "arm-chair" sailors like me, uncontrollable shakes and chattering teeth even...with a hot cup of coffee in hand! Benedetto's writing abilities plunges the reader directly into the cold sea next to the unfortunate struggling seaman who has just abandoned his sinking ship.

This is the riveting story of the Merchant vessel "S.S. Badger State" that was taking its deadly cargo of bombs and munitions to Da Nang to help support our troops and the war effort in Vietnam. Shortly before Christmas of 1969, the "S. S. Badger State" runs into two gargantuan storms that seem to converge directly into the men and cargo of the "S.S. Badger State." The bombs break loose in their cargo holds, and then...
you must read the book!

The author is really a superb writer and nautical historian. However, he sometimes gives too many historical examples of similar events to intensify the fate of this particular ship and incident. His examples are extremely interesting but...often too long. These constant historical vignettes only serve to take the readers focus away from the main events at hand. Much of that ancillary information could easily be put into another book on historical ship wrecks.

William Benedetto deserves the highest praises for sharing his expertise and love for those who suffer peril upon the seas.

A truly good book and one that all sailors, past and present should read.

Aye--Aye Captain!

This book is superbly written. The amazing story of the SS Badger State is magnetic, and even more fascinating because it's true! I will recommend this book every chance I get, and I will keep my copy as a prized possession.

Very few people are likely to have heard of the loss of the American merchant ship Badger State at Christmas of 1969. She was carrying a load of bombs to resupply the Air Force in Vietnam, and a chain of unfortunate events--poor stowage of the explosives, carrying an insufficient amount of cargo so that the ship rode high, bad weather--combined to lead almost inevitably to tragedy.

Benedetto, in very simple and unadorned prose that is not bogged down by a great deal of nautical jargon, provides a workmanlike rendition of the last days of the ship and crew. He draws heavily upon the documented testimony of survivors before a Board of Inquiry and received very significant input from Charles Wilson, the captain of the late vessel.

He also throws in a great deal of material (which at times verges on simple padding) about the tragic experiences of many other ships of the U.S. Merchant Marine over the last two hundred years, particularly about their destruction by, or, in some cases, escape from, Axis forces in WWII.

A small number of black and white photos are included. The diagrams of the ship and of the bomb pallets would have been better placed at the beginning of the book for easier reference.

This is not a lyrical and haunting masterpiece of man's struggle against the hostility of nature, but it's a serviceable enough rendering of an otherwise forgotten disaster and a nice primer about the sacrifices of the merchant marine.

The secrets of facilitation is a great account of what experienced facilitators should already know. I did not find the book to possess any new secrets or tricks of the trade, however, it is a must read for the novice facilitator.

A great book for those engaged in facilitation. It is well written and easy to understand. It is one of the better books I've found on the topic. The reason for 4 start instead of 5 is the price of the book. Books that would compliment this are "Leading Through Collaboration" and Leading Groups to Solutions: A Practical Guide for Facilitators and Team Members

Well written -- brief and to the point. Valuable even if you only read the first and last chapters. If you think you want to work on Facilitation skills -- get this book!

This book starts with good real time situations to describe the common problems in facilitation and how to overcome them. It helps both beginners and serious facilitators. Through a series of real life examples it teaches the best practices for effective facilitation.

I am the Principal of Cohesion Inc, a marketing & business consulting organization, and also a part-time course director in the marketing faculty of the Schulich School of Business, York University in Toronto, Canada.

Facilitation is an important part of my work and teaching, and as such I regularly review literature on this subject to discover new insights and techniques with which to experiment.

Whether you are new to facilitation or already an experienced practitioner, this book will serve as an excellent resource to build your skills in this area.

I got the book within a few days and it was in great shape. I have not read it yet but I know it is going to be a great book because I have read many many R.A. Salvatore books. And He always brings the best to the table.

this book, i feel, can stand out on its own along with reading the series for backstory. it is one of my favorite books out there from one of my favorite authors and favorite series. not many books really follow the more evil side of dealings in the forgotten realms and i enjoy what is in this book.

For any Drizzt lovers, you must know this novel and Sellswords trilogy is about Artemis and Jarlaxle, but it's no less amazing! Salvatore is always brilliant with his politics and action to create a perfect story. His political issues are just as interesting as the action and interactions between characters!

I bought the whole Sellswords in a set ... this was before I knew that "Servant of the Shard" was actually one of the Drizzt books and I already owned it! Oh, well, it looks good and I needed to re-read it anyway.
I'm only on Book II but if you've read any Salvatore you know that you can always count on an exciting read. The comedy aspects of his writings have never gotten much play, but I've laughed more in these books than in any of the Drizzt (and related characters) saga. Jarlaxle in particular is written with many a good zinger in there. Very entertaining.
Anyway, your travels with Drizzt are not complete unless you read the Sellswords. (Artemis Entreri is one of my favorite anti-heroes. What would Freud have said with him on the couch?) Colorful, exciting, great characters ... highly recommended.

I am quite confused!! What is the 1st book in the Sellswords series? We have the Servant of the Shard - Path of Darkness series. Are there 2 books of the same name?? Please assist asap ljkelly@vance.net

Thanks to all!

L

Tolkien was a very prolific writer. Everyone knows about "The Hobbit", and especially "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. But those were not the only books that he wrote, and I was pleased to find these two relatively short stories (compared with the other stories that I mentioned earlier). Both of them are great; in Farmer Giles of Ham,Tolkien tells us about a simple farmer, content with his farm and his land, who ends up being an acclaimed hero because he rids the land of a dragon named Chrysophylax Dives. Just as with his greater stories, this one is full of imagination and Tolkien's peculiar humor and writing style. The other story, Smith of Wooton Major, is about a boy who receives a very special gift when he eats a slice of a cake that was only baked for good children every 24 years, and what happens with that gift. If you want to read some other stories about Tolkien, without having to spend days on end, then I recommend this book.

This book has two stories from Tolkien. I especially enjoyed the second story, Farmer Giles of Ham. I loved the characters from this story and Tolkien's masterful storytelling. Two Hobbit-thumbs up!

I have long been familiar with J.R.R. Tolkein's famous books - The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings - but, this cute little book shows that just about everything that he put his hand to he did beautifully! It contains two of Prof. Tolkein's novellas - Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham. The stories are sure to charm anyone who believes in beauty and wonder...and maybe hopes just a little that that land of Faery is a real place after all!

Smith of Wootton Major tells the story of a little town that has a wonderful tradition where a special cake is baked every twenty four years, and eaten by twenty four good children. But, when a magical Faery star is slipped into this year's cake, it is eaten by the local smith's son. And so the life of the younger smith is changed beyond anyone's imagination - he is marked by beauty of face and voice, and (unbeknownst to anyone) he can even visit the land of Faery whenever he likes. It is a life of magic and giving.

Farmer Giles of Ham tells the story of a farmer by the name of Aegidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo - or in the vulgar form, Farmer Giles of Ham. A no-nonsense man was Farmer Giles, and when someone steps onto his property, he is there to meet him with his blunderbuss. However, when the next person to set foot on his property is a giant, Farmer Giles soon finds himself dealing with kings and knights and legendary swords and, worst of all, dragons!

This edition is for those who truly love Fairy Tale. It is amazing to witness first hand Tolkien's breathtaking ability to weave the tales of Faerie. Any reader who enjoyed The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or The Silmarillion will be greatly pleased.

J. R. R. Tolkien, known almost exclusively for the Middle-Earth tales, has a more humorous side. In his short story, "Farmer Giles of Ham", Tolkien displays a superb sense of irony, and a gentle wit. A satirical mock epic of almost Alexander Pope or Voltaire proportions, "Farmer Giles of Ham" is a lesser known, but intriguing part of Tolkien's body of work.

Farmer Giles (of the village known as Ham in the "vulgar tongue") lives a quiet life with his wife and dog, who possesses the power of speech. Alas! To unsettle his provençial habits, a giant stumbles upon the village of Ham, and it is Giles who reluctantly takes up his blunderbus to clumsily sting the giant in the eye. The irony is, when Giles (who came out of the trial almost as badly as the giant himself) is celebrated as a hero and reknowned in the village and beyond, the giant himself thinks that the hit of the primative gun was nought but the sting of a rather large insect.

And so, Giles, who was the last person in the land to become a hero (very much like other Tolkien heros the likes of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins) must take out a dangerous (but delightfully polite) dragon whose fire and claws have ravaged the country for some time. This he accomplishes in a suit of poorly made chainmail, and an ancient helmet.

As a climax, the farmer-turned-warrior must make battle with the high king of the land so that he may claim the dragon's hoard as his own, instead of trying to slake the king's thirst for wealth. With the help of this same dragon, Giles defeats the avaricious monarch and becomes a king in his own right.

Tolkien's knowledge of Medæval culture and lore make this story an enchanting and amusing tale of the best and worst of humankind. He spares no one in his satire, even condemning the chivalrous knights of the king. With a smile and a pen that stings, Tokien creates here a fantasy story of the deliciously unexpected. Charming and intelligent, "Farmer Giles of Ham" has a light sense of wit and humor that one rarely finds in modern literature.

I got this book from our church. I spent a lot of time reading it over a month. An excellent book, where the Gospel is presented clearly in no uncertain words.
The author did not waver in writing about what should a bible believing church have its foundations on. Christ is pointed at virtually on every page clearly. Although I would love to have been there on that road as Jesus put all the jigsaw together for those two people, Mr. Cross did a great job.
I am going to gift this to one of my friends and my younger brother.

I wish I knew about this book a couple of years ago. Its a wonderful survery of what the bible says about Gods plan for redemption. I have passed along my original purchase of this book and have purchased another to pass along as well. If you or someone you know is new to Christianity or checking it out please read this book.

This book is a tremendous book. It is great when used by new Christians to help them put the plan of redemption into more basic terms. It is great when used as an evagelistic tool for those that would not otherwise read the Bible, to help them to understand - and hopefully read the Bible afterwards. It is great for those who have read the Bible, it brings up so many things that we ponder, and is a tremendous review. It is also great for a Bible study. It is great to read to children daily. I can not say enough good things about it. I have purchased many copies of this book to share with others.

An excellent explanation of the bible! Ties old and new testaments together and explains God's plan of salvation in the easiest format I have ever found. For those who find the bible confusing, don't have time to read it, or aren't sure what to believe, this book makes it all clear and easy to understand. We loved it so much that we have since purchased dozens of this book and hand them out to friends and family who have questions about what to believe in this age of questioning everything and "anything goes". My husband became a Christian after reading this book and finally understanding how we can be sure whether we will be in heaven one day or not, strictly according to the bible.

So a short review here.

This was one of the first books suggested to me by a friend when I started getting into reading the Bible seriously. It was an immense help, being able to be walked through the whole thing from beginning to end. Seriously. For all the whining and complaining, or even genuine confusion about how the Bible seems to make no sense, etc. etc. this book helps to put so much into context. It also kicks all the misconceptions about Christianity out the window.

If you go through this book once, you'll already know more about Christianity and more correctly about Christianity than likely 80-95% of the population.

Worth every penny, and then some. And when you're done, give the book away, and buy a couple more to share (like what I did... :)

Gordon

Not exactly "like new". Cover did have some wear and damage. Otherwise, good shipping time and very good communication.

It's unlikely you won't find a financial related word you're looking for in this book. The definitions are clear and concise.

I cannot believe how thorough this dictionary is--literally all the street jargon is in here. For this price, you're doing yourself an incredible disservice by ignoring it. We all forget the lingo sometimes; the Wall Street dictionary immunitizes us against forgetting trader talk.

It's up to date and very comprehensive. It's a great reference tool.

There isn't a more comprehensive dictionary like this. I've never been disappointed with any of the terms, and there's never a case where I've sought a term in this book and it wasn't there. I highly recommend this book.

When Gordon sent me the book, I was excited to dig into it, but life is busy, and I didn't get a chance to read it right away. I am sorry I delayed reading it as it is an excellent story. I couldn't put it down once started. Gordon's undying passion and perseverance in the recovery of these WWII relics is impressive. I thought that I have had some pretty crazy adventures moving aircraft around here in the United States, but they are nothing compared to the situations that Gordon and his group had to endure. It makes me very thankful to live in America. Warbird Recovery is a well written story that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, even if you are not an aviation fanatic like me. Thanks Gordon!

I just finished reading Warbird Recovery by Gordon Page and throughly enjoyed the entire book. It starts out fast and never looses its quick pace. The author makes you feel as though you are right there with him in his quest for these rare WW11 aircraft. I am fascinated by the aircraft and that aspect is wonderfully detailed, but of equal value are the descriptions of the inner workings of the Russian Business world. This is a fast read, and very informative about Russian culture as seen through the eyes of an avid aviation enthusiast. This is a fun book to read and will give you a great sense of adventure and accomplishment.

This is an excellent book for anyone with even a slight interest in aircraft.

Although the book won't tell you much about WWII planes (hey you can get that in a 1000 boring tomes on the subject), it is a gripping and well-written read. You get a true sense of adventure and wonder if Gordon Page was either brave, lucky or determinedly stupid in his quest for the ultimate wreck!

I enjoyed it immensely from the first to last page.

Warbird Recovery is a great, true story of a journey to bring some WWII aircraft to the US for restoration and display. This journey starts with Gordon Page's childhood dream of flying a Messerschmitt 109 and grows into a real life adventure.

After the break-up of the USSR Russia was open for business with the West for the first time in decades. Buyers were looking for treasures and just about anybody was willing to take their money. As the author goes on his own treasure hunt for vintage aircraft he encounters the Russian mafia, the KGB and questionable dealers who always want cash in advance. Along the way he experiences the breakdown of just about everything in Russia. His focus on what he wants and a willingness to follow his dream when it looks like there is no hope brings the search to a surprising end.

Recommended for high school, college and public libraries particularly where there is an interest in aviation and recent history.

This is a great read. Gordon's adventures in Russia fall into the category of "someday we'll laugh about this". By sheer coincidence, I was traveling in Russia in 1993 just a few months before Gordon's first visit. Alas, I was cheated; I experienced no bedbugs, no shakedowns, no raw cod liver, no KGB tails, no self-promoting hookers, no rotgut vodka, no cold showers. I guess I was lucky to be in Moscow and not Siberia.

Gordon does a great job of describing his trials and tribulations in dealing with various shady characters, all out for a buck. Or more often, 5,000 bucks. His quest to get the WW2 crashed aircraft back to the US is described in fascinating detail, and you get that feeling of "I'm glad I'm just reading about this and not doing it". A lesser man would have given up in frustration.

An extra benefit for readers living in the Denver area is being able to visit Gordon's excellent little air museum and see many of the artifacts from his trip, both aircraft and non-aircraft related.

"You are giving me an "F?" Are you @$#$^$ kidding me?" I stood aghast at the stupidity of this graduate level English professor. After 22 years of American education, I was in the middle of writing my doctoral dissertation. I took this graduate English Lit class on Ibsen on a lark. It would be sooo simple. Having done my Masters work on Ibsen's "Ghosts," I knew I could out think any of the English Lit lunkheads in my class when it came to theatre. But the sea of red ink on my paper could not be denied. The professor loved my thinking but hated my writing. "This is simply not graduate level work."

"Hey, Prof! I have spent 22 years in the American educational system, I am about to write my thesis, if I can't write, it is not my fault. It is this crummy system that allowed me to get this far. I want YOU to help me fix this before I have to write my thesis! I want you to tutor me."

Now Full Professors are not often called to task like that, but then I was an "old" grad student, so maybe he cut me a break. He said, "You don't want me to teach you writing. I have forgotten how to do that after 30 years. You want my teaching assistant who teaches Beginning Composition to help you."

I met the TA and the first thing he did was hand me J R Trimble's WRITING WITH STYLE, the 1st edition. I devoured the book. For the very first time in my educational "career," someone was teaching me how to write, rather than how NOT to write. No detailed rules and format stuff like Strunk's stuffy book. This book actually taught me how to think like a writer. It gave me the confidence to trust my own "voice." I stopped being hamstrung by rules and convention and started to communicate. The elimination of the "back door approach" and finally learning how to get rid of the "passive voice" in my writing fundamentally changed how I thought about myself as a writer.

I got an "A" in my Drama class, successfully wrote my dissertation, and when I got to my first teaching assignment, I was giving the job nobody at the school wanted -- a major writing assignment to create a joint Music Theatre proposal that had to bring together two warring departments who had fought over this document for 3 years. I wrote it in record time, and it passed immediately.

The chairman of our department came to me and said, "I knew you could teach but I never knew you were such a great writer!" Today, people spend a ton of dough to have me write marketing material for them. I wish my high school English teacher was alive to see me now. She was the one who first soured me on writing and "convinced me" that I could NOT write.

I never had a chance to thank you Dr Trimble. So I hope you see this. As educators, and certainly as publishers, we often have no idea of the impact our work has on people. Your book literally changed my life.

Other than that, I don't think much of it! :-)

Bill Metcalf, Ph. D., Theatre Arts, University of Minnesota 1982
President of TechnoShift, Inc
www.MoreAndBetterClients.com

Ps. Doc Trimble -- I would love to hear from you and if anyone has any doubts about this book shoot me an email at bill@moreandbetterclients.com. Since I capture multimedia testimonials for a living now, I would love to provide one for you Doc if you have a website.

I love this book. I am a law student and this book has helped me to become a more effective writer. I have recommended it to many colleagues and will continue to do so.

I've read a lot of books on writing over the years, so many that I've reserved a spot on the corner of my desk for the very best of them so I can refer to them every so often. Only a few books are in this pile: they are the special ones. And one of them is Trimble's book. I discovered it many years ago when it was in its first edition, and have held it in high esteem ever since. Not only does Trimble give you a lot of useful information, he does, indeed , do it "with style." I enjoy both the information and the way he presents it. He covers all aspects of writing, including grammar, and usually when I see a section on grammar in such a book I skip over it, but not in this case. Even it is a delight.

You can read the book very quickly(2-3h) because it is written with great style(Trimble applies what he tells you,which makes the book a very good example to what he says). The advice is very practical, even the chapter on punctuation is useful-very useful i would say. Reading it once was enough for me to start using more expresive punctuation. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his writing,whatever he may wish to write.

ps:this is the first book on writing i read. it might be that some/much of the advice from this book can be found in other books on writing.however, i think it's good to read this book, because it is short and nicely written;in the end it is a good idea to rehearse some things,sometime

If you only have time and money for one book on writing, get this one. But if you want two books, get this one and "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White.

I used it teaching beginner lessons. It really helped me come up with new and creative exercises for the kids to do. You replace the jumps for rails on the ground for students that do not jump yet. I love it and use the exercises in this book all the time.

Brilliant diagrams, excellent keys, simply mapped out and laid out information for difficult and also the easiest of dressage manoevres. It's bound at the top for a vertical flip, with a hole punched down near the bottom so you can hang the book on a nail on your bulletin board or at home and keep it open while you study it. It has handy hints how to achieve positions and gives you ideas to improve certain flaws. It is by far the best book on jumping exercises I have read so far that is dedicated purely to jumping exercises.

Just about EVERY page has another full A4 riding arena on it showing the pattern where the horse is going, it shows crossbars and it shows trotting poles, verticals, gymnastics and where to place them, it shows where you should be directing your horse and what way to approach with an excellent use of diagrams and patterns which have a key right next to it so the design remains uncluttered and simple to read. It even gives you cheap alternatives to make some jumps yourselves and offers quick solutions. A best buy for anyone serious about jumping - or even dressage - to keep their horse supple and to keep their horse (and themselves!) from boredom. Brilliant.

The best how to book on ground poles and jumping that I have experienced. It's a great tool by an expert to keep your horses (young and old) interested as well as the rider thinking. Linda laid out the book very well. Good illustrations and great explanations accompany each exercise. The ground pole exercises are very helpful to use between jumping lessons. This one is a book to keep and give as a gift to a riding friend!

This book has so much info on different exercises and each exercises has little hits about when to use this exercise and what to watch out for while riding it.

This book breaks the demands or jumping down into a logical progression of skills until it takes the insecure beginning rider into a confident partner to the jumping horse. If these lessons are followed correctly, it can also take a training level horse into a skilled show jumper. This book is a must for anyone interested int he discipline of jumping.

This book honors in simple verse and vivid picture, the triumph of the underdog. For young and old, it celebrates that persistence can materialize and that "losers" can win and that even odd-balls can overcome poor odds. Give this as a gift of encouragement to those (male and female) that may "think" there is no hope and let them witness that even when they feel as though they may "standing out in the field, alone and hopeless" the power of BELIEF can, will and does manifest into a life victory. A sweet story of success against all odds.

My husband and I are expecting our first child in June. I bought this as a gift for my husband to read to the baby. He was so excited to receive this! He read the book and immediately declared it, "Wicked Awesome." Get it! Every other line rhymes, and they are are not simplistic. We both have our degrees in education and feel this a good book to help develop children's personal histories.
Get it!

Our small grandson received one as he joined his dad and grandfathers (yes, one lives near Denver) for the current World Series. In his Red Sox regalia, he wanted it read to him again and again. His great-grandfather had seen the last Series before this one, just like the book talks about, and anyone with children who need to be raised as True Believers should make sure they have a copy to pass on to their children in the future.

Although this is a children's book, people of all ages will delight in it. The illustrations are genuine masterpieces.

The book warms up with a Red Sox game in 1918. Somebody's Great-Grandfather watches that game and celebrates the Red Sox' 2004 victory, poignantly reminicing about that 1918 victory. At the time of this review, Boston is celebrating the 2007 Sweep in the World Series against the Colorado Rockies! Go Boston!

Dirty Water was the anthem of the 2007 World Series. The Standells' classic was very a propos!

The illustrations bring history into the picture, literally with the Duck Float Parade; the 1918 lineup and the excitement of the game! Varitek, who helped the Red Sox barrel into victory in 2004 was also part of the Victory Team in 2007! Go, Boston!

I recommend this book for everyone. If you like good baseball and you love Boston, then you want this book. It will hit a home run into the hearts of all readers, just as Lowell hit that winning home run in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series! Go Boston!

Excellent book for any Red Sox fan young or old. Great story for the young, great nostalgia for the not-so-young! A must for any Bostonian!