The bean-flour bread recipes alone make this book a worthwhile buy. No more dry, crumbly, grainy rice breads for me! Finally, individuals on a gf diet can have a bread with a texture just like wheat bread. Directions both for bread machines and for mixing by hand are included. Thanks to Bette, my gluten-free, dairy-free son will eat sandwiches again! This book also provides tips that are helpful for adapting recipes on your own, including descriptions of different flours and substitution recommendations. Plus, there is a wide variety of easy dinner recipes.

This really is a great book. The author goes beyond just recipes (although those alone are worth the price of the book!) to give us a whole lot of intersting and important information. This book caters to those with celiac disease, and there is a whole section of questions and answers in the front which addresses a number of relevant issues for those dealing with celiac and related diseases.

That being said, the best part about this book are the recipes! Hagman covers everything from soup to nuts. The ingredients are, for the most part, readily available at your grocery or health food store. There is a large section on breads, both rice-based and rice-free. She includes directions for making bread by hand or using several sizes of breadmakers. There are also some which omit eggs and dairy, a nice plus for those with additional sensitivities.

All in all this is a terrfic book, one which can liberate those dealing with wheat and gluten allergies, allowing us to "eat like the rest of the world." Don't hesitate!

Bette Hagman has outdone herself with her third gluten-free cookbook! She has included many recipes that incorporate the newer use of bean flours as well as bread machines. She continues to come up with innovative new recipes for both breads and main dishes. It is a must for any gluten-free cook. I particularly enjoyed how easy the recipes are to do, and they are quick. I also appreciate the health-conscious attitude the book takes. As always, she provides quite a bit of excellent reference information and background to help people newly struggling with the gluten-free diet, as well as those who have been on it a long time. Definitely my favorite of the three!

For those seriously interested in hobby robotics, Mobile Robots is required reading. Its authors follow in the tradition established by the collaboration between MIT and LEGO that began to bring the fruits of robotics research out of the labs and into the hands of the general public. Unlike LEGO Mindstorms, however, Mobile Robots is not aimed at those just starting out in science. This well written book reads something like the Voice of the MIT Media Lab, and the principal robot that it describes, the Rug Warrior, is not a beginning project. However, just about anyone with a basic background in electronics, computer programming and mechanical engineering will benefit from reading, working with and referring to it. The first part of the book does a very good job of describing a tutorial robot in detail. The second part starts with a discussion of the Rug Warrior's microcontroller and related topics. Once past this technical discussion, the book moves on to address a variety of general topics in mobile robotics. The tutorial robot first described is relatively inexpensive and easy to construct, while the Rug Warrior is neither. Most anyone wishing to build Rug Warrior will have to purchase it as a kit, as it employs parts that are difficult to obtain on one's own, and the book itself does not provide adequate information to construct it. However, Mobile Robots contains plenty of good general information that can be applied toward your own designs and projects, whether or not you decide to build a Rug Warrior.

This book is presents an excellent and in depth introduction into hobby level robotics. The circuits and tutorial information is well thought out, practical, and extremely useful to anyone who dabbles in robotics. This book covers a lot of hardware subjects, and gives a great introduction to the subsumption architecture. Highly recommended by most members of the Seattle Robotics Society

This is a fantastic book for a solid introduction into autonomous mobile robotics. It will guide you step by step in the design and implementation of inexpensive computational, sensor and locomotion systems that anyone with a little technical experience can use.

Instructions on how to interface and program a Motorola 68hc11 microcontroller are provided, as well as infrared sensors, sonar ranging modules, optical motor encoders, and other sensors.

GET THIS BOOK!

http://www.eng.ua.edu/~mdowney

I recently took an abstract algebra course that used this text. I come from a physics background and found that this book explains the mathematics, notations, and general concepts very well. I would like to add that I had the privilege to take an undergraduate course in Calculus from Dr. Gallian. His lectures were the best I have yet to experience. His enthusiasm is portrayed in his books just as in his classroom. If you want to learn the mathematics, then read Gallian's book.

Gallian's algebra book is an excellent first course. It provides an inviting and clear introduction to abstract mathematics. Though not a rigorous, encyclopedic work like my own, it offers a fresh, friendly, and approachable style that will appeal to students from a wide variety of backgrounds. And if you aren't captured by the mathematics, the many Beatles references and other well placed quotes will still make this book a delight to read.

I took the regular Abstract Algebra course at Purdue as a sophomore, and this book made me decide to switch majors from Physics into Mathematics. Gallian's treatment of algebra is NOT the most thorough. On the other hand, this book is a relatively gentle introduction to the topic, with plenty of good examples included. This would be a good book to base a 'gifted' Algebra course on. I would strongly suggest that very strong students supplement this with Thomas Hungerford's _Algebra_; similarly I recommend that first year graduate students get this book as a 'softer' perspective for when (not if ;)) they get lost. Profs should pick up this book as an example of how to write a palatible math book in the unfortunate academic climate we have today (although I wouldn't sacrifice rigor); teaching assistants should use this for anecdotal material to throw at students. I especially enjoyed the biographies of famous mathematicians and the background that Gallian provides on topics in Algebra (such as his description of the Twenty Five Years' War), which made this book quite pleasant even in the grueling moments.

"Bandit's Moon" is a great book for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. I'm a 5th grader and I loved it! It's about a girl named Annyrose Smith who gets left by her brother at a woman named O.O.Mary's house. O.O. Mary sells all of Annyrose's things she even cuts off all her hair and sells it! The story takes place during the Gold Rush in California.The Bandit Joaquin Murita comes and Annyrose asks him to take her with him. He takes her and she teaches him how to read. One of my favorite parts in this book is when Joaquin proves all his friends wrong that he did learn to read. This is a must read for people who love adventure.Go out there and buy this book!

This review is on a book called Bandit's Moon by Sid Fleishman. What I liked about this book is that the author described very well what was going on. You could imagine yourself being there. My favorite character was Annyrose because she never gave up on finding her long lost brother. She would also keep a secret and not tell anyone that she was a friend with a bandit. I would recommend this book to someone who likes adventures.

The name of the book I am reviewing is called Bandit's Moon by Sid Fleicman. The two main characters are Joquin Murita and Anyyrose Smith. In the beginning of the story Joquin ,the bandit,takes Annyrose but he is after another character named Calicos. Joquin and Annyrose help each other out. Annyrose teaches Joquin to read while Joquin helps Annyrose to find her brother Lank. To find out more read this great book.

"The Complete Win At Spades" has elevated my game to a level where I feel I can be competitive. I play frequently in the zone. The new strategies I have learned from this book have helped me immensely. Joe Andrews is an accomplished spades player who has taught many players the finer points of the game. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional I recommend this book strongly.

Whether you're new to the game of Spades or have been playing it for years, you're sure to get something out of Joe Andrews' latest work. Andrews covers every aspect of the game, from valuing your hand and bidding, to how to play your cards to get the most out of them. He also discusses at length how to handle Nil bids, both by your partner and by the opponents. In addition, you will find plenty of illustrative hands showing Joe's strategies in action. Add to that some variations of the game, official Laws of Spades, a listing of Spades sites on the Internet, and a glossary of common terms, and you have a real winner here! And that's what you'll be at the Spades table if you read this book!

The Complete Win At Spades is a classic and has stood the test of time. Joe Andrews clearly explains all aspects of the game. This book is intended for all levels of play, without the overkill of too much technical information. Many useful conventions are described and several illustrative hands help to explain strategy and technique. His wit and humor make the reading of this book very easy and enjoyable. The book is endorsed by U.S. Playing Card Company and is highly recommended.

I recognize that this is probably the most comprehensive book on Fireworks 3, but I am a little disappointed in it. There is lots of good information. It is sometimes overwhelming. There are examples in the book that you just can't follow along with. They give you the completed exercise but why not give you the starting graphics, give you directions and let you create the finished product yourself. I was also disappointed in several chapters on the CD ROM that didn't seem to have the correct files as the chapters in the book. So I decided to go to their web site to see if they had corrections. When I went to the site identified in the book, it was the site for the Fireworks 2 book. The book is an invaluable resource and should be in anyone's collection if they are working with Fireworks 3, but, in my opinion, this is not a 5 star book.

With my background being primarily in database and application development, reading the Fireworks 3 Bible was somewhat of a sidestep for me. For quite a while I have been writing ASP pages to serve as front ends to my databases-- all the rollovers and DHTML I used was hand-coded. Though fun, writing such things out manually is anything but speedy. Enter Fireworks! Not only is Fireworks speeding up my development, the work I produce is of a decidedly higher order.

The Fireworks 3 Bible is the only serious work out there on Fireworks. Luckily it's a good tech manual. I have hardly any background in graphic design, so I sat down and read this book cover to cover (if you know Photoshop/Illustrator you should be able to skim and pick up just the details you need). It was great to get an overview of vector graphic and image editing-- I feel as if I could pick up other Macromedia/Adobe products and fudge my way through basic designs.

I would recommend this book to any web developer. My approach to web development has been completely altered.

Hi,

Ok, I wanted to create my own personal web site featuring my college work in the field of engineering. I had heard of Photoshop, but a friend told me of FireWorks from Macromedia. I downloaded the trial version and followed the small tutorial that comes with the program. After a few hours of using FireWorks I could not believe how easy it was to use. I figured the program had to be more powerful, that is when I said hello to Fireworks Bible 3. The book takes you step by step and it is extremely easy to create killer web-ready images! The book also teaches you how to use Fireworks with your scanner. The book, and the software are extremely powerful and extremely affordable. I highly recommend this book if you are thinking, thought, or will think about creating a web page. Five Stars without question.

OK so it takes half the book to get to the story. In typical Henry James fashion you are completely prepared for the action. Unlike Thomas Hardy, whose surroundings tell us of the character of the person it surrounds, James wishes you to know the depth of his characters as seen through the eyes of others. This of course brings on many minor characters that just seem to disappear, but it is a view of a person as if the reader was on the other side of the mirror watching the story unfold. Yes, James is wordy, yes this is not a quick read, but Henry James has a mastery of language and story telling that is rare.
"The American" is a wonderful love story that ends as a real life love story might end. Do not expect roses and happily ever after, it is as much a story of an ancient social system as it is of the life of "our hero." And the thing that seems to get missed is that Henry James actually wrote this as a mystery, not a love story.
This is a novel to contemplate and read between the lines. Good verses Evil, Noveau vs Old Money, Right and Wrong, can literature get any better than that?

I have this friend who hates Henry James. I can't understand it. The style is dated, in that people dont write that way today, but as you get into the book you begin to enjoy the style, as well as the plot, characters, and French/American dual culture shock that still goes on today. (For an update on the theme, look at Le Divorce and Le Mariage by Diane Johnson). I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to these characters and the description of Paris in the Second Empire were fascinating. If you watch the Masterpiece Theatre version without having read the book, you will be totally confused. They moved events out of sequence all over the place and after about ten minutes I shut off the tape and picked up the book. You have to know the whole story before you watch them throw characters and events at you in the first two scenes that only appear 2/3 of the way through the novel, after a foundation has been laid as to who they are and when and why things happened.

I couldnt recommend this more for a good read. The only caution I have is for readers who have never been to France. They may get an extremely negative impression of French people from many of the characters in this book. Go to Paris and you will find the city is wonderful, and so are the French people. These characters are not typical!! They belong to a certain class, and the book does take place 150 years ago. If this book doesnt get you hooked on James, I dont know what will. Try Washington Square and dont miss that movie, with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney and Maggie Smith.

This book is long, but only because that's how James tells the story. It's like a soup that needs to boil all day, so it's kept on low, but when it's done, it's perfect. The book stays at the pace of "our hero" the American Christopher Newman. A smart, educated, rich, yet easy going, simple, and humane veteran of the Civil War and a self made tycoon, who goes to Europe to see the "treasures and entertain" himself.

He becomes entangled in what he thinks is a simple plan for matrimony, but is really truly a great deal larger and more treacherous and terrible than that.

We spend a lot of time in Newman's mind, paragraphs of character analaysis are sprung upon us, but nothing seems plodding or slow, nothing feels useless. By the end of the book we find that we think like the character and can only agree with what he does. We react to seemingly big plot twists and events as he does, without reaction, and a logical, common sense train of thought.

But don't misunderstand that. For a book that is so polite and the essence of "slow-reaction", it is heartwrenching and tragic. You will cry, you will wonder, and you will ask yourself questions. Colorful, lifelike, and exuberant characters fight for your attention and your emotions, and we are intensely endeared to them. Emotional scenes speckle the book and are just enough. And the fact that something terrible and evil exists in this story hangs over your head from the beginning. It's hard to guess what happens because James doesn't give us many clues, and the ending may come as a surprise to some people. And without us knowing it, James is comparing American culture to European culture (of the day), and this in of itself is fulfilling.

Indeed, James uses every page he has, without wasting any on detailed landscapes and useless banter. 2 pages from the end you have a wrenching heartache, but the last paragraph and page is utterly and supremely satisfying, and you walk away the way Newman walks away, at peace.

After months of therapy, Prozac, and reading self-help books, I read this one. WOW. I finally understood what the other books were about. This book made it all clear to me at last- how to quiet my mind and be present in the moment! My life was transformed by this incredible book! For the first time in my adult life I know HOW to relax.I do not exagerate when I say that if everyone read this book, the world would be a very different place.

This book just plain made sense. I know, I know, the concepts in it borrow from Buddhism, and yet it was refreshing to read a book which did not have any religious connotations. It is the 'normal' thing to do to analyze everything that comes into our minds, but if we want to have inner peace in our lives and to have a sense of flow, we must not force our thoughts. I spent a long time reading this book because I enjoyed it so much. It is worth the effort to adopt this way of life in order to enjoy life to the fullest.

The age of self-improvement promises to bring us happiness if we......this book reminds us that we already posssess what we are searching for and that our busy lives are really a reflection of our busy minds. "Slowing Down" is a clearly written, non-mumbo jumbo explanation of how we create our reality of life via our thinking..the implication being that peace of mind is just a thought away. It contains concrete strategies for living in the moment and ways to reclaim what is ours at birth a built in capacity for health, wisdom, commonsense, and the enjoyment of life. "You cannot solve a problem with the same thinking  that created it" Einstein

"Myths to Live By" is one of those books which makes me wish I did not have to assign a star rating. For while it is, as the title of this review suggests, a very eloquent and powerful exposition of the Myth that forms the bones of our Psyche, Campbell clearly has some predjudices that make some of his points difficult to see.

First, however, I shall focus on the positve aspects of the work. Campbell begins his book with a story about the conflict between a myth (in this case the story of Adam and Eve) and the facts discovered by science. The little anecdote serves to present the key thesis of the book: that our old religious idea that myths are literally true is no longer servicable, and that we must now, in an age where the world is coming together in ways unprecendented, seek the pattern that underlies all myths and discover our oneness as a species. Campbell explains why myth and ritual are neccesary in concrete, psycholgical terms. If there are no myths, individuals will become alienated from their society, since myths contain affect images that speak to not the rational mind, but the psyche. His argument is essensially Jungian in tone. Through a comparitive look at the worlds "major" religions, he shows how all myths are variations on the theme of self discovery and rebirth as a person engaged with the Universe and society.

All that is wonderful. What is not wonderful, however, is the vaugley reactionary tone underlying some of the books passages. Campbell seems to share the imperialist view that all of human history naturally culminates in modern, technological, Western Civilization. He dismisses the youth movement of the time he wrote this book (the sixties to early seventies) as folly. The cultural contribution of "Beat" poets such as Ginsberg an Kerouak is completley ignored. In fact, the "Beats" are never even mentioned when Campbell throws out an all encompassing statement like "we have no artists...of such power today".

Equally troubling is the statement that "all life is suffering, all societies are opressive, and we just have to learn to live with it". Now, while it may be true that life is sorrowful and that social orders have, throughout history, tended to be unjust, it does not follow that we have to accept the latter fact with the same passivity as the former. As Campbell points out, we make the choices that determine the direction of our society. If everyone, or a strong majority at least, were able to come to the understanding of universal Myth and Divinity, the opression that exists today would decrease, if not dissapear. The book comes to a climax with an expose of the mythic dimensions of the first moon walk. The chapter illustrates how we are indeed one planet and one species. Juxtoposed with "all societies are opressive, and we just have to live with it" however, the chapter's beauty becomes terror. In this light, the chapter is a prophecy of slavery, not oneness.

Still, this is a very important book, marred as all great works are by the author's prejudices. When reading this book, remember Buddha's finger pointing at the moon, and which one was more important.

Campbell selected and compiled a selection of a talks on mythology from a series of discussions that he delivered between 1958 and 1971. There is an academic quality about his style, but this will not be a barrier to most people who enjoying thinking and reflecting about what humans share in beliefs. The ancient mythic themes come alive as he weaves the observations of 20th Century everyday living with flashbacks of times ago. He storytells and teaches using 13 broad topics such as love, the beginnings of Humankind, War and Peace, schizophrenia, and the moon walk. Campbell's text reads as if he is in your home; quite possibly having a glass of wine; discussing love relationships in the theater of Life; balancing the ideas of such people as St. Paul, Shaw, Sarte, Persian poets, Buddha, and Lord Krishna. He is at his strongest in his chapters on journeys: inward and outward. A word of caution: Your mind's ear will be listening to a Master Teacher. If you liked Bill Moyer's interview with Campbell, you will appreciate Campbell's theme choices and style. His art of making sense of human potential and challenging its boundaries is a stimulating reflective exercise.

MYTHS TO LIVE BY consists of a dozen essays/talks Joseph Campbell prepared between 1961 and 1971. He described the period as a "new age" where "..we are...participating in one of the very greatest leaps of the human spirit to a knowledge not only of outside nature but also of our own deep inward mystery."

At the time he wrote these essays, Campbell was a professor on a campus, surrounded by young people whom he found hard to understand at times. For example, in his essay "The Moon Walk--the Outward Journey" he relates his own feelings of awe on viewing the Apollo moon landing and contrasts them with the reaction of a student who wrote "So What" on a photo of the moon landing posted on a campus bulletin board. In another essay "Schizophrenia--the Inward Journey" he contrasts the use of mind-altering drugs by shamans and psychotics (including the LSD induced version) as the difference between divers and non-swimmers in "the waters of the unviersal archetypes of mythology."

I find Campbell's essays are very relevant, 30 years later. The most obvious example is "Mythologies of War and Peace" which addresses the underlying belief systems of participants in the Mideast crises. Campbell says the cruel fact is that "killing is the precondition of all living whatsoever: life lives on life, eats life, and would not otherwise exist...it is the nations, tribes, and peoples bred to mythologies of war that have survived to communicate their life-supporting mythic lore to descendents." He suggests that "we" in the West "have been bred to one of the most brutal war mythologies of all time." He then goes on to cite Deuteronomy and Isaiah and follows with excerpts from the Koran such as Sura 2, verse 216.."Fighting is prescribed for you."

Campbell does not condemn myths nor does he say myths are not literally true. He suggests creation myths and myths about love and war and peace contain the essence of the truth. Myths are to humans what kangaroo pouches are to baby kangaroos, they provide a "womb with a view." Being born simply isn't enough. We need myths to help us organize and guide our lives. However, our current myths arose in another era and were shaped by tribal mentalities that sustain the notion of GROUP differences. We need new myths for the journey of life.

Susan Shader is a heroine of the highest calibre. Introduced to us in "Eyes," she is a psychiatrist who possesses a gift that is the epitome of "mixed blessing." She is psychic; however, clairvoyance is not a stable talent, and in "Eyes," the deaths of innocents rested on her visions being misinterpreted.

Joseph Glass (a nom de plume for an otherwise bestselling author who I wish I could uncover) writes an excellent thriller with "Blood," though it does hinge on having read "Eyes" first (many of the characters and plot devices wouldn't make as much sense without the first book). The villainous serial killer in this book drains his victims of blood. When the police are left with nothing more than the exsanguination to go upon, once again Susan is brought in with her psychicatric - and psychic - expertise.

Far more gorey than "Eyes," (to the point at which I was somewhat nauseated once or twice), "Blood" nevertheless jacks up the tension a notch, and once more challenges both reader and the characters within the book. Susan's intelligence, wit, and training, as well as her gift, are all put to task in this thriller. The supporting characters of David Gold (Susan's police friend) and Susan's son Michael also get valuable time at the forefront, and are developing into very rich characters.

If you enjoy thrillers of any kind, or if, in specific, you enjoy thrillers or mysteries with a psychic touch, "Blood" is phenomenal. Just be prepared for more than average amounts of gore, and try to catch a copy of "Eyes," first.

'Nathan

Excellent Book!! Both Eyes and Blood were hard to put down. I know Joseph Glass is a pseudonym for another author and I would love to read all of his/her books. I'm a big fan of serial killer type novels and this one ranks at the top.

This is certainly a graphic novel, and not for those with weak stomachs. With that aside, this second entry in the Susan Shader series (And I hope there are more to come!) is an excellent thriller, featuring the very interesting Susan Shader, and also her sidekick, David Gold, who is also an integral part of this series.
This time we have two despicable killers, one that Shader thinks she's helped put away (early in the book), and then a serial killer called The Undertaker, who is as sick and bloody as they get.
The book has several unsettling scenes, and you're never quite sure who the Undertaker is. The characters of Wendy Breckinridge and Tony Garza, as well as Scott Carpenter, are also great ones, although the fate of one of them is truly sad, and one has to wonder why Shader allowed it to happen...but it's realistic enough, and brings the book to a hair-raising close.
A brilliant read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.