I only used this book to study for the exam and I think that it was a bit foolish (I did pass.). This book does an excellent job of presentating the material that is covered on the Network+ exam but it isn't truly complete. It feels strong geared towards Microsoft servers and the Windows comunity, while the exam felt more platform independant. I would definitely recommend the book, but I would strongly suggest reading a few chapters from another book while you are at a local bookstore/library. Always get a second perspective from another book or it's exam or an exam available on-line. The person that generally writes the book, writes the questions as well, so it tends to be biased on what they taught or focused on.

The chapters are nicely written so that you could read them seperately if you wanted because reused terms or concepts from previous chapters are redefined creating excellent use of repetition which aides in the studying process. The questions are sometimes fairly easy and it's uncanny that quite a few of them were on the exam. It did lack diagrams of problem configurations to troubleshoot which would be excellent in further editions or possibly in the Exam Cram.

I had lots of hardware experience over the years and wanted to learn networking. I bought this book because of the reviews and was not disapointed. To be honest though I was a bit overwhelmed by everything covered after the first read. So I bought and read the Sybex Network+ book which was more for absolute beginners (though not near as thorough) like me and then went back to Exam Prep. Exam Prep on the second read was a pleasure. You will really learn the OSI model after reading this book. I finally know what a bridge, router, and mac address are and how they work. Network protocols like TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, and Netbui are no longer a mystery. The section on TCP/IP (including DNS, DHCP, WINS,and addressing) is outstanding and the explanation of subnetting is very understandable. TCP/IP and the TCP/IP utilities (ping, tracert, ipconfig, etc.) are important to know and will help you a lot if you go the MCSE route or any career in networking. It really helps to have an in house network lab to do the hands on projects, but I was able to pass with a 94% just having a single computer. This is the premeir Network+ book and I may sell or give away my other books but this one and Alan Carter's MCSE book will always be within arms reach for me.

I used this book for the exam preparation, but I supplemented my studies with the Network+ Exam Cram and the Network+ Exam Cram Practice tests. I also bought a couple of CD's with over 1000 practice test questions total.

This book was very informative and covered a lot of the material on the test. It gives the reader an excellent foundation on general networking knowledge. However, it is impossible for one book to cover every question that you'll encounter on the exam.

The reality check is, you need to take as many practice exams as you can before you take the actual exam. A lot of the questions that I encountered on my practice CD's were not covered by this book.

All in all, this is an excellent book for preparing for the exam. Buy this book, but don't use it as your sole source of information. Supplement your studies with as many practice questions as you can. If you can answer about 700+ different questions, you should be all right when you take the real exam. Good Luck!

This book has cool COLOR pics of all the inner senshi scouts, villins in the first 2 seasons,and more. It talks about some characters such as The Sailor starlights and the cute little Chibi-Chibi from the 5th season of Bishojo Senshi sailormoon, Sailor Stars. It talks about all the works of Neako Takaguchi (the creator of Sailor moon). And the game. It's kinda like the role playing game "Dungeons and dragons" allthough you only need 2 standard 6 sided dice. Even people who don't like Sailor Moon will still like this fun game.

I own and have read this book. I think it's the best. I especially like the resource book in the back. It's got voice actors names, episode summaries, profiles, information on Japanese customs, information on the Japanese and English versions of Sailor Moon, mythology related to the show, and lots of other things. It also contains about 200 images throughout the book. Most of the book is all about the Tri-Stat-System Sailormoon RPG. I've gone through it. The game rules seem a little complicated, but the game looks fun once you learn how to play. If you like Sailor Moon, I recommend this book for you!

When I bought this book I was a little weary because it was a little pricy. But once I took it home and read it, boy was I glad that I got it! It provides a break down of all the Senshi, Tuxedo Mask, and all the enemies from SM and SMR. What made me really happy though, was the information that was included about the Outer Senshi and the Sailor StarLights. I had not seen any eps with them yet and the information in this book was a real treat. I've been an SM fan for quite a while and I constantly find myself scouring my room trying to find this book because of the vast range of information it contains. From a summary of each episode in SM and SMR, to the inclusion of the missing eps that were not dubbed, a timeline of the "Sailor Moon Universe" and background information on many of the places in the Anime, including the Silver Millennium, and the Negaverse. This book also includes a breakdown of the names and information behind each scouts name, planet and other information you'd want to consider when making your own Senshi for RPG's or Fan Fics. Even if you never plan on joining a Role playing game, this book will provide you with an endless supply of info that I promise you'd spend hours on end looking for on the net.

I have recently read Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger. Its about a boy named John Galardi. He's a high school student in about eleventh grade. He's not really part of the crowd, as some people might say. He doesn't have very many friends besides his one best friend, Brian. Though neither really fit in with everybody else, they're practically opposites. John doesn't think he'll ever get a girlfriend. Brian, on the other hand, feels like you're not an official human until you have one. John's parents are divorced. Lfe isn't all that peachy with either of them. So, he starts writing zines.
While at Tower Records one day, he picks up a zine called Escape Velocity. When he reads it, he's captivated. He becomes obsessed with the author, a girl named Marisol. He just had to meet her, so he got a plan. Guess what, it worked! Meeting only on the weekends, they practically become best friends. Wearing only black, Marisol is a lot like John, almost. She's a lilt out of the box. She doesn't care what people think, hates to waste time, and never lies. You would think they would make a perfect couple, right? Well, I did, but there's one problem, she's a lesbian. Will she turn straight just for John? You'll have to read the book to find out.
John knows Marisol is gay, but that didn't stop him from mentioning his prom to her. Brian and his freshmen girlfriend begged him to go. Well, to make the outcome between the two of them even more of a mystery, the author decided for her to say yes. A few bad moves made by John, they get into a big fight in the middle of the prom. After that things between them become a little rough.
Once again, they are put in a situation together. There is a zine convention being held in Provincetown, a very homosexually influnced town. Will John and Merisol work everything out? You'll just have to read it to find out if they wind up together.
Allen Wittlinger did a very good job on the characters. They were believable; like the book could have been John's journal. The foreshadowing pushes you to keep reading. You'll fall in love with it. Thought the situations are sometimes like they were out of a soap opera, they were still very well done. This book would basically appeal to everyone. With a little harsh language, it is most likely better for teens. So, pick it up and have fun, I did, and you will too.

I have recently read Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger. Its about a boy named John Galardi. He’s a high school student in about eleventh grade. He’s not really part of the crowd, as some people might say. He doesn’t have very many friends besides his one best friend, Brian. Though neither really fit in with everybody else, they’re practically opposites. John doesn’t think he’ll ever get a girlfriend. Brian, on the other hand, feels like you’re not an official human until you have one. John’s parents are divorced. Lfe isn’t all that peachy with either of them. So, he starts writing zines.
While at Tower Records one day, he picks up a zine called Escape Velocity. When he reads it, he’s captivated. He becomes obsessed with the author, a girl named Marisol. He just had to meet her, so he got a plan. Guess what, it worked! Meeting only on the weekends, they practically become best friends. Wearing only black, Marisol is a lot like John, almost. She’s a lilt out of the box. She doesn’t care what people think, hates to waste time, and never lies. You would think they would make a perfect couple, right? Well, I did, but there’s one problem, she’s a lesbian. Will she turn straight just for John? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
John knows Marisol is gay, but that didn’t stop him from mentioning his prom to her. Brian and his freshmen girlfriend begged him to go. Well, to make the outcome between the two of them even more of a mystery, the author decided for her to say yes. A few bad moves made by John, they get into a big fight in the middle of the prom. After that things between them become a little rough.
Once again, they are put in a situation together. There is a zine convention being held in Provincetown, a very homosexually influnced town. Will John and Merisol work everything out? You’ll just have to read it to find out if they wind up together.
Allen Wittlinger did a very good job on the characters. They were believable; like the book could have been John’s journal. The foreshadowing pushes you to keep reading. You’ll fall in love with it. Thought the situations are sometimes like they were out of a soap opera, they were still very well done. This book would basically appeal to everyone. With a little harsh language, it is most likely better for teens. So, pick it up and have fun, I did, and you will too.

Looking for a smart, sensitive portrayal of teenagers growing up in the late nineties? Hard Love is the book for you. Jaded junior high and high school students, young college students and parents alike will be amazed at Wittlinger's perceptive, hard-hitting, complex young adult novel.

As a graduate student, I expected to feel mildly engaged with Hard Love; but to my surprise, I became deeply involved with this work. The first-person narrative of the main character, a high school junior named John, held my attention from the somewhat inauspicious beginning.

John is a young man who doesn't know if he's straight, gay, angry, happy, bored, or abandoned. His mother hasn't touched him at all since his father walked out on them years before, and his father is a wealthy playboy who gives John freedom--freedom to be ignored, freedom to turn into a block of ice.

At first, John infuriated me. I wanted him to talk, to stop whining, to tell his parents what was really going on. He comes across as a loner, a loser of a kid who's intelligent enough but keeps the world at a huge distance.

Luckily, John's world is blown open when he meets Marisol, who produces her own 'zine and calls herself a "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee lesbian."

I delighted in watching Wittlinger develop John's character from this point on as he discovers worlds of creativity, love, and strength. John's young, raw voice becomes a focal point for the labyrinth of teenage emotional life.

By the conclusion, my emotions were so completely bound up with John's that I cried with both pain and joy at the resolutions--and non-resolutions--of the novel.

The teenagers in Hard Love are complex. Alienated, motivated, creative, needy, dependent, raw, and discovering their place in a human community, they write 'zines, create music, run away from problems, face parental failings, and in general deal with the painful world in various original and authentic ways.

In creating John and Marisol, Wittlinger combines skill, knowledge, and sensitivity. Added bonuses are references to Ani DiFranco and Bob Franke, plus great tips on the world of 'zines and lyrical descriptions of the Boston and Cape Cod areas.

This 26-year-old found Hard Love an emotionally and intellectually satisfying, even fulfilling read. I'd suggest you buy it now!

After recently posting a review of Crichton's "Timeline" in which I compared the book not too favorably with "The Anubis Gates," I decided to skim through the latter again in order to post a review of it. Well, that lasted about one page, after which I was sucked in again completely and read the thing cover to cover. Wow! Even after repeated readings, Powers' tale of a mild mannered English Professor from 1983 who finds himself marooned in early 19th century Britain still manages to dazzle.

Brendan Doyle, after agreeing to take a mysterious but high paying gig to give a lecture about Samuel Taylor Coleridge, embarks on what was to be a four hour tour to London in 1810 in order to hear Coleridge speak at a pub. Things begin to go awry almost immediately when Doyle is waylaid by a band of Gypsies led by an evil Egyptian sorcerer who is in league with a vivisectionist clown to overthrow the English Monarchy. And then there is the intriguing and astonishing figure of William Ashbless, a minor poet and colleague of Lord Byron and Coleridge whom Powers manages to portray in vivid detail, weaving him convincingly into the fabric of the story. This brief description does little justice to the book, though. Powers' plot and pacing are phenomenally tight, and his characterizations engaging. There are moments of genuine pathos here, interspersed with deliciously macabre scenes. This is a brilliant book that deserves a place at the top of any time travel or science fiction best-of list.

--TR--

I was never a fan of time travel. What's more, I was never a fan of fantasy (with the exception of Tolkien). So, naturally, I felt reluctant and skeptical to pick up this book, which promised both fantasy and time travel. Thankfully, I got over that and... five pages into it, I was hooked. In fact, I was hooked so bad, I'd forsaken all of my other hobbies and interests (even the Internet) until I finished the book.

Tim Powers is one heck of a writer, and that goes for his every trait. Creating believable characters, environments, or cooking up one roller-coaster of a plot, he can do it all. He blends fantasy and science fiction in a seamless, fun way that made me feel like I was ten again and reading the timeless works of Herbert Welles and Jules Vern.

This book is a rare gem. Read it. If something doesn't make sense, have patience. It will all come together eventually, and you'll be more than amazed.

Tim Powers is amazing. I don't know how to describe the way he writes except maybe as the literary equivalent of juggling five or seven daggers while riding a mountain bike down a very steep hill and making it look easy. And he does this with a time travel story (what more can you possibly write about time travel, right? Wrong.) The way he uses historical characters and actual events makes you wonder whether this is a true story or not. He seems to know a lot about magic, ancient Egypt not to mention London in the 1800s. There's nothing I didn't like about this book! Even if you're not that much into SF/Fantasy, you will like this one for its story, its style, its realism and its characters.

A note of warning: make sure your copy has all the pages in the right order --- mine had about 30 pages missing in the middle and the few hours it took me to get a replacement copy were *VERY* frustrating. Also, start early in the day, or you'll stay up all night to finish it.

It's a shame that this movie didn't adhere more closely to Iron and Silk, the book by Mark Salzman on which it was based. Instead, the filmmakers seemed to feel they had to simplify the relationships and adhere to the "boy meets girl" script that Hollywood is so fond of. The results are disappointing and don't begin to do justice to Salzman's writing.

The story revolves around the two years Salzman spent as an English teacher in China. There he studied with a variety of teachers, the most memorable being his martial arts instructor Qingfu Pan. Although the filming is simple and some of the interactions a bit stilted, Salzman's childlike openness to new experiences and real skill as a martial artist come through.

Where I had problems was when the romantic relationship was introduced. The woman that Salzman supposedly falls in love with appeared only at the end of the book, and was appealing precisely because she touched his life so briefly and was so inaccessible. In the movie, however, the relationship is treated as a central part of Salzman's time in China. This simply wasn't true and used time that could have been better spent portraying the other fascinating people and places Salzman encountered. I would have loved, for example, to see Salzman's calligraphy teacher, the barrel-chested, bald-headed man who taught him the art of "pushing hands," or the artist who painted a landscape scene for him. It seems however, that the filmmakers had no faith in the viewing public's interest in Chinese culture or lifestyles.

This is a sweet movie, but it fails to live up to the remarkable potential of Salzman's book. My advice is to skip the movie and get the book.

Mark Salzman's BOOK Iron and Silk is great for many reasons. It's one of the best travel books ever written. It's a great book about martial arts. It's a great look at the differences between East and West. And it's a great look at Chinese culture and society. The book is really good.

The film adaptation of the book is interesting. It is very low budget but I think that is what adds to the films charm. The film is the opposite of a slick hollywood production. Instead the film is very down to earth and wonderful.

Salzman changes some names around and adds a bit more of the romance aspect. The girl was a small part at the end of the book but a major part of the film.

Bottom line is that like the book, the film is a great glimpse at China, Chinese culture, and the differences between the US and China.

My best suggestion is this: read the book and then watch the film. If you do both you will come out ahead and knowing a lot more about China.

Mark Salzman's "Iron & Silk" is a beautiful account of his two-year experience as an English teacher in Hunan Provice, China. The book consists of delightful vignettes of his encounters with different people, from bureaucrats to medical students to fishermen to calligraphers to martial artists, and when each vignette is finished we experience an epiphany because we know so well what the human issues involved are. "Iron & Silk" deserves to be read not as a travelogue or a martial-arts book (it doesn't really compare to C. W. Nicol's "Moving Zen"), but as dignified book full empathy and respect for people who live in a culture that has been shaped by different forces than ours.

The first and most important part of my review is to identify the reasoning and sincerity of the author. There is absolutely no question Karl Maddox is for real and has done significant research. To write a book as this demands reason, every page has reasons which for to long to many of us have deliberately avoided. This is a book after the truth, the hard truths which every religion and scientist does in fact hide by denial or simply avoiding. Maddox is in fact presenting material which is much over waited yet due to majority fears and ignorance this same material is way ahead of our time. Some will construe this as vapor and submit naive critiques for lack of understanding.

I applaud Karl Maddox, it is in fact time we begin to accept the reality of what we live instead of sweeping our hidden identity under our self made acceptable carpets which only have long term negative results. I notice here the subtitle of the book is not mentioned: Everyone Has the Hidden Question.

A story of human destiny placed in chilling dialog with basically two characters traveling in time. A very exciting but real journey past, present, and future. Two different distinct outcomes, which truly convey the reality of our choices, being right or wrong does in fact exist after I read this book. I also agree, we are not exactly right, but can get that way if we put down traditional fears and illusions. I was both very entertained and educated in this fine novel, which is another indication to me this author is on the level with reality. To many persons need a taste of this reality, I benefited.

I was referred to this book by a friend, I was wondering why she wanted me to read this. I couldnt understand why until the last 50 or so pages. The book is a journey in time, which jumps back to the origins of our planet, emergence of humankind, through a few of Moses select writings from the old testament, and certain true historical frames and directions, relates that to current events very accurately. Then uses this cummulative information to predict our future. The story is told mostly in Dialog from two characters however there are several other personalities who seriously contribute.

I began to enjoy the book after the first 55 pages, the adventure takes off very well in the third chapter which bases our existence on a tremendous but completely invigorating premise. The book covers a great deal of time and ground, also had to have undergone considerable research and imaginative insight. Insight concerning our destiny, without a trace of unrealistic basis. As the story moves through a very acceptable future the theme begins to strike realization of what our descendants are going to be capable of, even thousands of years from now if we don't stop it all first. The conversation between the two persons traveling through time slowly but certainly will intrigue anyone interested in what our descendants would be capable of. But there is a secret that our children cannot hide even from...

I was slightly impressed with the readers ability to predict the current situation with Saddam Hussien, it's only a few pages, but the entire book is as such, it touches various events and moves these into a lane we all will have pass. It was almost erie though reading some of these outcroppings, but when Maddox relates to the terrorist attacks and a future of strict living in the USA, (Look at the publish date, 2000) when no form of strictness as such could have been plausible, I paid a little closer attention to his yet to unfold predictions. I am a realist, I don't believe someone can just predict without extensive information. But Maddox seems to challege this realism convincingly.

The last 50 pages took me by surprise, and almost thought it was a different author but as I continued I clearly appreciated Maddox's theme building. Right now I'd say that concerns for our destiny are in fact the number one priority. As a parent, I see how important it is to direct my children.

Im giving my copy to another person who I feel needs to read this. I was also very entertained by this novel, it is a 6 by 9 inch which also surprised me as it seemed more of a mass market paper back read. More of a story, but a right on target one.

Good book from the beginning, does contain supportive evidense that builds to a climactic message that I have never heard anywhere else. The subtitle of Everyone has the hidden question, did ring home with me- the fact that our decendants could be our saviours if we could reach peace. I had put that thought somewhere in my mind since I was a child. What is nice about this book is that it puts the story to the reader in a entertaining way for all ages and education levels. A mix of Star Wars and Top Gun but class A all the way with an Original ingenious thought. The details of the story are many but not difficult to follow, which actually makes the reader believe that this story could in fact be real, or the truth. I especially liked the injection of the Roswell crash and how the alien bodies vanished. An incredible mind this Karl Maddox, or a real life happening. Leaves me thinking, even if the story isn't true now, It certainly could happen, to us all.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written a very interesting story in Jade Green. Set in the late 1800's this book gives a look into the past. The settings and characters are very vivid. Most of the storyline revolves around Judith's,the main characters, interaction with a family she has never met. The story, which is not a true ghost story, is more of a mystery. Judith becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to a former resident of her uncle's house. I found this book extremely entertaining. It is a very short, but enjoyable read. However, some of the interactions between Judith and her cousin, Charles are not for young readers. This book would be most appropriate for readers ages 11-14.

The book Jade Green was great,freaky,and the book wasn't like most scary books where you know if the ghost is bad or good right away and with a human spirit wandering around, and the end came out totally unexpected. I loved it and it gave me the creeps(which is what ghost stories are supposed to do)
Its about this bold orphan girl named Judith Sparrow who comes to live with her Uncle in a spooky old house. The very peculiar thing is that her Uncle specifically tells her not to bring anything green but Judith cannot possibly leave a green frame that her mother had made with her picture in it. So she brings it.
She meets her awful cousin who has a terrible reputation(not to mention he fits it), a caring uncle, and nice cook. Hiding the frame deep in her closet, nobody knows she has something green in the house. Then she starts hearing noises. Weird scratching sounds. She believes its just rats at first, then the story leaks out ...
Meanwhile she works in a hat shop befriending the other girl who works there and finds herself a little more than friends with a boy named Zeke.
She cant bear the frights anymore so she gives the green frame to Zeke but Jade won't let her be. Why? And what does Jade want? ... Read the book, I absolutly recomend i

I must say, that this book had me hanging on until the end! Judith Sparrow is a girl who is left with no money when her parents pass away, so she jumps at the chance to be taken in by her strict Uncle and his cook. Soon, she has found a love for her newfound family and she is also happy to have a job and a new beau! But, ever since the first night at her new home...weird things have begun to happen. Judith fears her happiness will be threatened by the ghost of Jade Green, a girl who lived in her new home and commited suicide just three short years ago. But Judith also thinks this is her fault because before she came, her Uncle told her to rid herself of anything green...but Judith couldn't part with the green silk frame from her mother...could she have disturbed an unsettled spirit and brought it back? There is also the worry of her strange 40 year old cousin who has tried more then once to touch her inappropriately. Is Jade Green back to get revenge in a spirit form? You will love this book, I urge you to read it...you won't regret it.

I've been lifting weights and doing some cardio work on and off for more than 20 years. Boy that makes me feel old at 34! I would go into the gym and thought with my vast "knowledge" I could just wing it. I wasn't a mess, but I really hadn't progressed in a long time. Same old, same old. Reasonably strong, but not getting stronger, and about 30lbs overweight.

I read this book about the same time I read Howard Shapiro's Picture Perfect weight loss, which is a fantastic, common-sense approach to eating better (not dieting). I started out exercising according to Hotpoint Phase 2, and following the principles in Picture Perfect weight loss. In just under 3 months, I've reduced my body fat from 33+% to about 21% (I know, I still need to lose more, but I will). Hotpoint fitness provided the motivation and structured weightlifting plan that has really made a difference.

If you are looking for a book to teach you EVERYTHING about fitness, this alone won't cut it. He really doesn't talk about the specifics of cardio, he just says: get your heart rate in this zone, for this length of time. That was fine with me, but others might like more detail. I just went and bought a [price] heart rate monitor (chest strap and watch) from [a local retailer], and I can walk fast, run, bike, almost anything to stay in the zone for the prescribed lenght of time.

I didn't pay much attention to his nutrition either. It seemed like sound advice, but I was/am following the Picture Perfect plan for my eating. They seem to follow the same principals, Hotpoint is just more structured.

For a "get-in-shape" motivational book, with some great innovative exercises and levels for everybody, I've not seen a better workout book.

I have lost almost 30 pounds after 7 weeks on the Hot Point Fitness program. The book has become my inspiration. When I feel myself starting to slip, I simply pickup the book and read a chapter. I always seem to find some passage to keep me motivated. The fitness program is simple to follow. The pictures pretty much tell the story. The book makes it easy to stay on the food plan, even if you're single, busy with work, and constantly on the go. Hot Point has changed my life. After years of diets, I have finally been able to master my body and weight thanks to this book.

After reading Hot Point Fitness, I got back in the gym and I have stayed at it to the present time. I liked the honesty of the author who says that there is no magic to getting fit other than going into the gym and staying on a path. This book was very easy to read and did not make any promises that a lot of other fitness books make.

I found out about this book because Self Magazine had an article article about Steve Zim and Hot Point Fitness. It was entitled "Happy Nude Year". I plan on having just that.

The exercises in the book were very easy to follow with pictures showing exaclty how to perform the exercises.

Having this book is the like having a trainer at all times. At the beginning I took this book with me to the gym. I paid under $30.00 for this book which doesn't even cover a trainer for an hour and I never have to get a trainer as a result.

The author trains pro athletes and Olympic athletes. I figured if these people who know a lot about fitness and have the money to hire anyone picks Steve Zim as their trainer, then it is good enough for me.

I recommend this book to anyone going into the gym or anyone who has been going to the gym without a trainer.

I decided to read this book to find out for myself what everybody was talking about, especially from being Catholic. I wanted to read the book that so long ago won over all of the philosophers of the time who considered Christianity to be a simpleton's system of life.
Right from the beginning of this book/autobiography I knew that I had in my hands something special. It is written with such brutal honesty and insight into St. Augustine's soul and mind. He pours himself out and into this work. It was completely refreshing to know that He/they so very long ago were dealing with the same searching the same longings and fascination that we /I do today. It is wondeful to feel the thoughts of St. Augustine who lived most of his life right in the heart of the dieng Roman civilization. This book is deeply spiritual, personal, and filled with a strong message of faith. But it goes beyond being religious or spiritual or preachy all of which it is as wll but it is a masterpiece. It is very thoughtful, personal, and well crafted. It is a great read for anyone whether Catholic, Christian, athiest or any other. It is the story of a man's life told by the very man who lived and experienced it. It tells the story of this time and this place told through the eyes of one who lived in it. I found some of the passages deeply moving. ANd yet other passages I found to be utterly hillarious. So read and enjoy the Spiritual, personal autobiography of one who lived a long time ago. For Christians one who lived closer to the actual life of Christ than to us today. It is clear to see after reading this work how it helped the Catholic Church and Christianity itself take-off with such passion and intellectual backings.

Saint Augustine's "Confessions" is a very beautiful and fascinant book that narrates, as his title suggests, in a sincere and humble way, the spiritual journey and conversion of the author from darkness to light, vice to virtue, and error to the truth of the catholic faith, proving that saints, even the greatest and wisest as Augustine, are also simple and common men (sinners) ruled by an imperfect human nature. Really, after the read of this book, it is impossible to deny that each one of us have something of Augustine in his own character, and this is one of the greats merits of the "Confessions".

A real classic, essentially an intimate and personal work, it simultaneously develops some of the major concepts that influenced decisively western civilization for fifteen centuries (the essence of God and His role on creation, the universality of moral law, the decayed human nature or the notion of free wiil, for example), which is one more reason to recommend that book to every person interested in west's religion, moral,philosophy and law. Five stars!

After Sacred Scripture itself, perhaps no other book has brought more people to a deeper understanding of the truths of the Christian faith than "Confessions." Simply put, it's the story of one well-educated, intelligent man who led a profligate life in a sophisticated pagan society. It took his mother, prayer, and the grace of Almighty God to make him a saint--and indeed one of the greatest saints of the Catholic Church.

What is most striking about Augustine's story is how easily it relates to our own lives and our own times. It is impossible to read "Confessions" without seeing a little bit of yourself in his tales of his early life. The book is perfect for anyone struggling with their Christian faith. Indeed, it helped bring me back to the Catholic Church.

This translation is well-written and highly readable. I own it and highly recommend it.

If you're one of the many people who's been caught up in the wave of highly focused historical books that have innundated our book stores, then this book is for you. Kurlansky presents the history of one of the most mundane items possible (excepting the humble potato and there's a book on that too) with an engaging and informative style. The book presents as a mix of history, current events, and recipes.

It misfired at times. There is not discussion (or recommendation) regarding management of resources or planning for the future of our fisheries. And some absolute statements (such as the superiour development of Basque cod cuisine) deserve to be challenged. And Kurlansky doesn't consider the fishing history of Native Americans; although, it may be for lack of documentation (I don't know; I'm not a historian; that's why I read these things).

In spite of this, it's an outstanding book. It meets the two key requirements for me in this regard; one, I recommend it to other people who report back on how much they liked it; and two, I'll read it again.

Buy it. Read it. You'll probably enjoy it.

A terrific book! I had no idea that cod have played such a large role in the economic and social history of the western world. Tracing their story creates a spectacular cross-section of European and North American history. It's one of those books (rather like James Burke's Connections) that helps the reader figure out why things are the way they are, and understand the links between seemingly disparate elements of society and history. I often give my books away after reading them, but there's no way I'm parting with this one.

By a lucky accident, I read Cod right after reading Kipling's Captains Courageous, which is set on a cod trawler working the Grand Banks in the 1890s. The two books reinforce each other -- one the historical summary, the other the detailed exploration of the daily life of those involved. A great combination.

If I hadn't read Mark Kurlansky's Cod, I wouldn't have known the vital role cod played in the settlement of North America. If not for cod, America might have never declared its independence. Cod was an important element in the facilitation of the slave trade. All news to me until I read Cod. (Well, until I read A Cod's Tale, which led me to read the full version.)

Cod reminds us that human beings are a connected part of our ecosystem. Too often, I think we perceive some sort of separation between us and so-called "nature." We are either concerned with or disregard our impact on the rest of the system, but we overlook how that system impacts on us. Mr. Kurlansky shows the human side of the equation. and how a lack of concern for the totality of our environment will eventually come back and bite us in the rear. We see how the reduction of the cod population has impacted on the world's fishing industry, and, more importantly, on the individuals who make up that industry.

Cod is an extremely well-done history book, detailed and easy to read. More importantly, it is clearly relevant to contemporary readers, demonstrating how the cycle of cause-and-effect continues to this day.