If you are an academic looking for some light reading during a break, then this book is for you. In general, I am not a fan of mysteries, but this one held my attention. The basic premise is that three mathematicians, all of whom are experts in the use of fractals, have died. Two were clearly murdered and the third was an apparent suicide. At first, it appears that their common area of expertise is a coincidence, but that is not the case. My interest was not held by the use of mathematics, but by the pace and quality of the story.
The author is a lawyer and a judge who lives in Colorado, which is the residence of the primary character, Pepper Keane, who is a retired lawyer now working as a private investigator. The principle characters are generally very well developed and also full of idiosyncrasies. The background of the author comes out clearly as the story progresses, as the steps in the investigation are generally sequential and logical.
I am not an expert on fractals, but follow the field well enough to know that the mathematical premise of fractals being used to predict markets is a real one. This added an additional point of validity to the story as it would have been much weaker if the math usage was less than legitimate.
I enjoyed this story and encourage the author to write another involving the main character. Halfway through it, I thought I had tagged the culprit, but it turned out that I was wrong and did not find that out until the last few pages. I am recommending it to all of my non-mathematician friends who enjoy murder mysteries.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

First time novelist Mark Cohen takes on a risky subject (math, not murder) and weaves it into an intriguing murderous page-turner. Not only does he make us care what Fractals are, but how they relate to economics, statistics, philosophy, and finally murder. He leaves no stone unturned and his explanations on all the tricky mathematical subjects are well defined and simple to understand. Math is no longer on my worst subject list!

I look forward to reading future Pepper Keane Mysteries, and, oh yes, impressing my friends with my new knowledge of Fractal geometry. This book gets a green light. Go for it!

Pepper Keane is a former federal prosecutor, now a private investigator living in a cabin near Boulder, Colorado. Jayne, an attractive math professor, hires Pepper to learn what links the deaths of three prominent specialists in the narrow field of fractal mathematics. Law enforcement authorities failed to find links among the three, but Pepper and his computer-wizard friend find clues and pursue the trail to a surprising end.

Along the way, we learn a lot about fractals, existential philosophy, and the inner workings of a complicated PI. Keane takes medication for depression and has a mysterious arrest in his pre-detective past.

Fractal Murders reminded me a little of mystery series about math and economics professors -- but Fractal Murders is better. As a former academic myself, I can say that he gets the academic setting 99% right. He does for Boulder what Susan Conant has done for Cambridge: lovingly accept and lightly tease a place that takes itself very, very seriously.

Fractal Murders held my interest. As an avid mystery fan, I often stop reading after the first thirty pages and sneak a peak at the ending. Not here! I was genuinely interested in learning more about the characters and content to follow the author's energetic pace.

Author Mark Cohen can write. He creates characters, evokes atmosphere and sustains suspense. Perhaps the biggest mystery is, why didn't he present this book to a major publisher for wider distribution? Or if he did, why didn't they take it? And when do we get the sequel? I want to spend more time with Pepper Keane.

Winning at Mergers is a brilliant book. It is not an ABC of M&A. As a former investment banker, I can see how it might turn off those consumed with completing transactions. Several chapters advise against doing deals that would undermine the success of the combined entity. That's a somewhat radical concept considering accountants and bankers have a singular objective in mind when faced with a corporate marriage. This book is ideal for graduate business courses. It takes the reader from the basic M&A 101 accounting-focused level to a broader and more business-focused level. That's what makes it stand out. It's more a book about successful business than number crunching. This book focuses on real-world challenges and operational factors to help a deal move from strategy through completion. It is divided into three parts: strategy; pre-deal (due diligence, etc.); and integration. The chapters on culture, organizational design and integration tactics make it worth the price of admission. No other book that I have read takes this approach. From the detail provided at every step of the way, the guidance seems tried, tested and improved upon. The book is also very well written. Interesting and filled with case studies and quotes that make the insights fresh. As another reviewer suggested, it is the perfect companion book to a dryer and more elementary book like Patrick Gaughin's. Without the insights of Clemente and Greenspan, one ventures into M&A with only a rudimentary understanding of what it truly takes to make a deal work and a company succeed. I recommend this book as a business tool and a reality check on whether one is even approaching transactions correctly.

I love this book. The concept of marketing due diligence is not only brilliant but works in practice. As the authors stress, "doesn't it just make sense to focus on the people, products and processes of a company before during and after the deal." This is a big book - in size and content. It gets in-depth about all the areas it discusses. Many other books on M&A offer up a paragraph or two in addressing an issue. You're left with a crumb. Probably because they've never really done it. Clemente and Greenspan have obviously taken their real-life experiences and written about them -- in detail...case study after case study. Real life corporate officers are quoted, discussing what works and what doidn't. The level of honesty is groundbreaking in itself.There's very little that's theoretical or lacking real-world application. Due diligence, strategic thinking, analyzing the business environment, culture from every angle, driving revenues...it's all here, in depth and with step by step guidance. It's a wonderful source that I keep on my shelf and use a couple of times a week. This book is truly the M&A bible.

This book is brilliant. It takes you behind the scenes to explore companies' cultures, management structures, marketing practices and strategic focus. It explains what companies have done wrong and what others have done right. You can really get a sense of how easy it is to take a wrong turn when acquiring or merging. The authors share so many case studies that when I applied their "critical success factors" to a recent deal that I worked on, virtually every decision led our team down the right path. These guys aren't pitching work like so many other books on the market. They freely give their methodology away and it's brilliant. After reading, you really understand corprate culture and its influences. The guidance is priceless both pre-deal and post.

This book is an invaluable aid to coaches and wrestlers alike. The moves are easy to follow, allowing wrestlers to pick out and practice new ones. Most moves are shown with a number of variations; coaches can emphasize one or as many as desired. All in all, a great reference with good detail covering a wide variety of moves. One of the best I've seen yet!

This book briefly reviews hundreds of basic to advanced moves by showing a few picures of each critical step in conjunction with a brief discription. For the most part, it assumes the reader is at an intermediate to advanced level although some basics are reviewed at the beginning of the book. The book is very comprehensive for reviewing takedowns and takedown counters and less so for riding and bottom moves. A few basic freestyle moves are also covered. I gave the book 5 stars due to the fact that its the most comprehensive wrestling book I've been able to find and the book I most refer to when encouraging my 8 year old son to add more moves to his portfolio.

The only wrestling book so far that actually documents techniques. Other wrestling books dont go this far into detail when talking about techniques and moves. Choose this book if you cant decide which wrestling book to buy.

This was one of the most refreshing and helpful books I've read in a long time. I was expecting pop-psych, but instead found a sensible, constructive, no-nonsense approach to recognizing and dealing with self-defeating behavior. Summaries of each behavior and step-by-step guides to change at the end of each chapter were a definite plus. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's ready change and is willing to make the effort to do it!

Goulston and Goldberg's book is the first self-help book my husband has ever read. He told me it was because it had no psychobabble and gave him steps he could use. (It also helped him to forgive his dad after 20 years). Each chapter is only 3-4 pages so someone like my husband can get in and out of the book in five miutes and get something he can use immediately. He even said he'd read another book by these guys.

The beauty of this book is that you can sit down and read from any of the stand on their own chapters and feel like you have a chance to make a significant change in your life. The perfect book for the person on the run, doing so many things that it is easy to be scattered. The lack of jargon also makes it friendlier and more enjoyable. I usually don't read self-help books, but I would read more like GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY,

Excellent work by Eduardo Galeano, this book is absolutely awesome. While Galeano employs a very enjoyable sarcastic humor throughout the chapters of the book, he makes it easy for readers to perceive a general and clear perspective of the third world. Highly recomended!

First of all, may I say how utterly I disagree with readers who criticize Galeano for pointing out the wrongs and not offering solutions. Why should he? This kind of criticism evidences lack of understanding of the book's nature and purposes. This book is not a political programme. It is a masterful piece of writing intended to give information that is all too often withheld and suppressed, and to awaken political conciousness. Both of which are, may I respectfully add, much needed in the United States, where most of the negative reviews come from.

Galeano succeeds in what no other author I know has succeeded - in writing a poetical, haunting book about politics. While describing the misery and suffering that capitalism is wreaking on our upside-down world, he is also able to give us vignettes of amazing beauty. Writers, as everybody knows, don't have to draw their subject matter from romance and butterflies to write beautifully, but managing to write a book full of tenderness, poetry and a very wry humour while describing hunger, torture and repression is, I think, a kind of feat.

Galeano doesn't flinch at the world's evils. He tells them. So, if you read him, you're in for a good dose of reality. Maybe that isn't to the taste of every reader. But then, what do we have Jackie Collins and Danielle Steel for?

Galeano has given this book the title of being a primer. So should be! This is required reading for all world citizens. But be prepared. Albeit anecdotal in presentation, the stories are true and this is what makes it shocking and relevant. Don't buy just one, buy two and give one to a conservative friend. Making they'll wake up and stop living in their looking-glass world.

This book provides an excellent tutorial on JDBC 2.0 core features and standard extensions. In particular, the chapters on standard extensions (XA, connection pooling,...) provide unique step-by-step descriptions/examples that offer a top-down view of these features.

This book contains everything you need to create either simple or very complex database applications written in Java - a short introduction to relational databases and SQL language, very nice and understandable JDBC tutorial, complete reference manual of all JDBC 2.0 classes and methods, and several good examples how to use JDBC features in your applications.

Actually, I would appreciate more detailed description of using distributed transactions, relation between JDBC and JTA and using EJB database components but the main purpose of this book is to cover the most common features of JDBC API - and this goal is definitely fulfilled.

If you look for a good book on JDBC 2.0, this is "the" book. The book is complete, in fact, it covers both jdbc1.0 and 2.0. All topics are explained expertly with style and depth, and in a very accesible way so that beginners can understand. All the codes are clearly written to prove all the main points discussed in the book. This book is the best both for learning jdbc and a reference.

Since not all the features in JDBC2.0 have been adopted by vendors, this book will remain as "the" reference for many years to come.

Fun, easy to learn, with lots of good advice. Role-playing Anime turns a lot of usual role-playing conventions on their head; for instance, a good anime character is probably two-dimensional with an outrageous name, and doesn't act any more consistently than the flimsy plot demands. This is a great game along the Teenagers From Outer Space, Ghostbusters, or Tunnels and Trolls line of thinking. Roll up a character, add some tags to give them form, and start acting up.

I do have a couple of criticisms. First, the combat system is surprisingly deadly for a game based on Anime; it's very hard to portray the slapstick martials arts of Ranma 1/2 with a rules system that doesn't allow for knocking out opponents. Psionic combat is unnecessarily complex. In the character creation department, some of the mechanics are a little vague; a few pronouns and articles would vastly improve the Special Attack and Special Defense rules.

The artwork is cute and entertaining. The in-betweener demi-comics are good illustrations of the genre. The book itself is durable, owing partially to its small size.

Not the best game ever made, but...

1) There isn't another game I've seen that genuinely competes in this genre. 2) It is a fun read. 3) For the price, it's really hard to say you can go too wrong.

I say: buy it.

love, kitten

I happened to find Big Eyes Small Mouth (original edition) at a used book store, and found it to be rather interesting. I had previously bought The Sailor Moon Role-playing Game and Resource Book by the same publisher (The Guardians of Order). so BESM's Tri-Stat system and general rules were quick and easy to learn, with the added benefit of being adaptable to almost any anime genre or character.

While the second edition of BESM is far more inclusive and detailed (and nearly three times larger than the original edition), the original edition is still a good match for those just beginning with role-playing games. Especially for the novice GM (GameMaster), BESM second edition contains so many rules and details that knowing how to sort through all the information presented and determine which are truly needed for a campaign and which can be set aside can be difficult. Novice GMs and younger gamers can especially benefit from the simplicity of presentation and the significantly fewer rules and details while still maintaining the creative flexibility necessary to present and participate in an original role-playing campaign. Those beginning their anime RPG experience with the original BESM sourcebook will have an easier time adapting to the second-edition sourcebook later on.

You want an easy to learn RPG where you can create your character in minutes (or however long *you* want to take in creating your character), and be playing at whatever pace you want, this is the one! The author's advice for Game Masters and players alike, "Watch lots of anime." is sound. I mean, how ELSE are you going to learn about anime characterization? And the artwork is supreme, featuring everything from standard anime/manga to the cutsy Super Deformed artwork. This book is a MUST for anime and role-playing fans alike. Go get it!

Gail Carson Levine continues to write great books, though she should write a few more long books, I am perfectly happy to have these short humorous books about girl power integrated with commen fairy tales. These books have motivated my cousin to read when she would not read anything else but these books. If you have a stubborn little girl at home that won't read, but loves fairy tales, give her one of the prinncess tales or read one together. I hope that they will love this book as much as I did. I loved Cinderellis and the Glass Hill and Prinncess Sonora and the Long Sleep the best, but the others were great too.

I must agree with Anthony Burgarino that Cinderellis and the Glass Hill does not compare with Ella Enchanted--IT ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE COMPARED WITH IT! It should be compared with the other three Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine. While all were lovely, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill was THE BEST! They are not supposed to have depth--they are supposed to be fun (and they are incredible when read aloud!). My daughters would love to have Gail Carson Levine write more fairy tails like Ella Enchanted that let you get to know the characters better, but for now we can be happy with wonderful short hillarious stories!

I would have given Cinderellis and the Glass Hill 10 stars if I could! IT IS WONDERFUL! In my opinion it's is even better than Ella Enchanted! It is a great book with a terrific sense of humor! Cinderellis and the Glass Hill is hillarious (especially when first read)!This book is Gail Carson Levine's best book yet! (and thats saying something because she writes REALLY good books). I (in case you havn't noticed) highly recomend this book.

Hans Talhoffer didn't write for sporting enthusiasts. His techniques were intended to allow a practitioner to walk away from situations where losing meant your death. Mark Rectors' translation, analysis, and commentary complement Talhoffer's centuries old illustrations of the "fine arts" of armed and unarmed combat. This book clearly shows the brutally effective techniques that were used on and off the battlefields of medieval Europe.

I am delighted with the response to MEDIEVAL COMBAT. My hope is that it serves to help the emerging Western Martial Arts community in their study of European swordsmanship, and that students and scholars and just plain folks who are interested in the history and art of the Middle Ages look to this book for the insights it provides into the real people who fought and lived and died in this fascinating period.

As a martial artist and stage fight choreographer and combatant, I am keenly interested in understanding the "real deal" of European swordsmanship. There is an astonishing wealth of material outlining the systematic methods for using all the weapons in the medieval and Renaissance warrior's arsenal, but many of these documents remain untranslated into English. For years, English speaking martial artists have been constrained to base their interpretation of these methods on the illustrations alone, without the benefit of the knowledge to be gained by a careful study of the accompanying text. Now, finally, efforts are under way to unlock these secrets of the sword.

This book is just one small step in what promises to be an exciting rebirth of the study of the Western Martial Arts and historical European swordsmanship.

Cheers!

Mark Rector

Though this review is about the German edition "Talhoffers Fechtbuch", I think it is also true for the English translation. This book is the bible for medieval reenactors and anyone interested in ancient combat techniques. If you think the Asians have invented throwing, kicking and swordfighting then this book will be an eye opener for you. The illustrations are very detailed for a fifteenth century book and the techniques have really been used to kill each other at that time. But beware you need some experience and understanding to follow those pictures. Often you have to guess what happened between them and you should know that some of the techniques can only be done with chain mail gloves or relatively dull swords (e.g. holding it by the blade and hitting with the hilt).

Although the author does dabble in the realities of financial trading he overestimates the power and esteem of the various players as well as the impact they play on the market. The "techie" sections are very interesting and skim the surface of what is accomplished in the financial industry as regards technology and trading. I found the book entertaining but would not recommend it to anyone looking for real insight into the world of financial trading. It is a romantic look at a very rough and stressful way to make a living.

This book was a thrill a minute. Rhodes must have spents years on research. I felt I was in a combination computer and financial honors level PHD MIT course, except the best part of it, it was fun. Rhodes takes the time to explain everything so the layman can understand. It's a great read, I have referred this book to a lot of friends who also couldn't put it down. When is the movie ?

Rhodes does the impossible. He helps us to understand the complexities of Wall Street's most sophisticated trading instruments, and then he actually makes us care about it! The book is a great race between the elder backroom savvy dealmakers of Wall Street, and the morals of those too new to the game to have become jaded. The book is alot of fun, and Rhodes shows us that the financial markets can a wilder roller coaster than any of us ever imagined.