In recent years, many reptile species have been introduced to Florida from other places, making the identification of native species confusing. This book solves that problem by making identification easy and fun. Makes a great gift.

'Ice Age', is both a collection of 10 stories and the debut of Author Mr. Robert Anderson. The jacket suggests that this writer is taking readers into the world of the absurd, and mixing the concrete of reality with the surreal. I would normally find that type of description to be pretentious and obscure, an attempt to infuse meaning into work where there is none. Such is not the case with this work. I put this book down many, many times, however the parts I believe I understood eventually took me in.

This is the type of book that I would love to hear the Author read from and explain what he wanted his readers to glean from his words. I want to emphasize that I normally have no interest in this sort of work, and to the extent I, 'understood', the Author I probably understood very little. This is not light reading and you must force yourself through passages that seem nothing more than collections of meaningless wordplay. However this man can write.

Religion, life, death, and time are common elements among the 10 tales. The stories vary in their intensity, and more than one are very hard edged in their use of language and stereotypes. It is actually hard to comment on these, as it would not get posted here.

To give an idea of what awaits the reader, the final story, like a few others, contains a person from real life, in this case Jimi Hendrix. If the idea of Hendrix visiting Los Angeles as he contemplates his recent death sounds interesting, that is just the start. Now imagine Hendrix with a Mother Superior breaking down the looking-glass reality we call life, and Hendrix then taking calls on a sort of 1-800-help line. He doles off advice and wisdom while laying out Tarot Card Hands and interpreting for the caller. This is just a small section of the story, and if it appeals, you will love the balance.

This type of writing in my opinion walks a very fine line from experimenting with the absurd, and only being absurd. This Author stays on the legitimate side of the line, with some lapses that are either beyond me, or are just abstract word art.

A very unusual read, which is very worthwhile if only to experience a very different genre of work.

I am looking for This book for my friend Writer: Muir's (RNM)Mascween and Kwhaley Muir's (Medical Pathology)14th Edition Name of the Book (Muir's Text book of Pathology) I Need Only The 14th Edition.

This book is written in an accessible and practical format. It assumes nothing but at the same time treats the reader as an intelligent participant on the journey to understanding evidence based practice.

It is up to date and I was especially impressed with the web address it gives to ensure the reader is kept abreast of any changes since publication.

It systematically explains the need and use of 'evidence', how to find it (the search advice is comprehensive and includes details such as search terms and the best search engines aswell as web addresses) how to evaluate it and also how to act on it.

All in all this book was great, and I would reccomend it to anyone involved in evidence based healthcare practice as it will guide you through the thorniest problems.

Although this book doesn't cover the most sophisticated aspects of pruning in detail (like grafting), it will give you a firm grasp of the basics, including when to prune, and how to do it. Various general types of trees are treated, like conifers, deciduous trees, fruits, bushes, etc. Simple yet attractive line drawings fill the book and are very helpful.

This book was a big help to me when I was setting up a cage for some chamelions. A very good place for begginers to look

This is a good collection of essays on Missions from a variety of perspectives. It's a great overview and introduction on what is going on in terms of missions work in the mid- to late- 1990s. It's not all theoretical (as there is some practical stuff), but gives a lot of history and context, as well as a variety of places for missions, and some missiological issues. It is written from a varied Christian background.

The book is divided into 4 sections, and every essay is approximately 10-15 pages:

Section 1: Christian Families in mission. Four essays are presented, from Evangelical Missions, Conciliar Missions (i.e., the Ecumenical movement within Protestantism, usually associated with liberal Protestantism, and the World Council of Churches), Roman Catholic Missions, and Pentecostal&Charismatic Missions. Each of these essays gives some background of history, assumptions, theology and missiological background (e.g., for the Roman Catholics, Vatican II plays a very strong influence, and is discussed).

Section 2: Christian Mission by Region. This is a very practical section, discussing missions in various parts of the world. The areas covered are Southern Asia, the former USSR (i.e., the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)), Africa, North America, Oceania, Latin America, Northeast Asia, Europe, and Middle East.

Section 3: Foundational Disciplines of Mission. This chapter is on more of the theory and theology behind missions, and how to interact with other cultures (and their religions). Essays in this section include one by Bosch on "Reflections on Biblical Models of Mission," and others on Mission Theology, Spiritual Formation for Mission (written by Catholics, so they emphasize dialogue, mentoring, developmental psychology understanding of peoples, and understanding culture, religion, tradition, rather than the Protestant approach of in spiritual formation of piety, conviction based upon Scripture, and then Contextualization through Incarnation), Mission Strategies (mostly an essay about applying strategies), Contextualization in Mission, (towards) Forming Indigenous Theologies, and Popular Religions.

The final section, section 4 presents special challenges in mission: The teaching of missions, women in mission, mission and the Problem of Affluence, Mission and Social Justice: An American Dilemma, Urban Mission, Christian Dialogues with Other Faiths, Christian-Muslim Relations, Church-State Relationship and Mission, and then some stuff about Gerald H. Anderson.

I think, if one was looking for a book to be introduced to what's going on in missions and some different views on this topic, this would be a good book. It doesn't strike me as the type that has a timeless classic feel to it (unlike Bosch's book, Transforming Mission) or Stott's book, Christian Mission.

Nonetheless, it's good supplement to hearing first-hand stories on missions.

Murasaki star system contains a duo of inhabitable planets that orbit each other: Genji - a high-gravity world with a dense, soupy atmosphere; and Chujo - an arid, wintry world of canyons and wind-swept plains. Neither is perfect for humans - on Genji they must wear pressure suits in addition to getting used to gravity levels half-again as high as on Earth; Chujo is more forgiving, though it can be intensely cold. Both planets serve home to sapient races: the Ihrdizu of Genji - low-tech amphibians that congregate in small villages; and the humanoids of Chujo - aloof, mysterious beings that ignore the humans entirely. It is here that the first manned interstellar expeditions will arrive, bearing humans of all frames of mind - Earthlings and off-worlders, atheists and philosophers, mystics and iconoclasts...

Instead of being a collaborative novel, "Murasaki" is a mixed bag of science fiction stories that share a setting, each written by a different award-winning author. Mind the fact that the only interesting part is the fairly in-depth world-creation notes (included as appendices), and that the stories are pathetically shallow and lead virtually nowhere...

...That is precisely what I though about this "science fiction novel in six parts" prior to reading the last two parts, which are so refreshingly, profoundly excellent that I almost wept with awe. A mystery of interplanetary proportions is suddenly built up and then revealed in flying colors.

It's really a pity that the rest of Murasaki doesn't follow suit.

I became interested in this book after reading Otherness by David Brin. One of the short stories in Otherness is actually a chapter in Murasaki. The book itself is has a very intruiging storyline and I enjoyed reading much of it. The only problam I had was the mental transition I had to make with each chapter of the book, as they are all written by different authors.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes the work of Brin, Bear, Anderson, Pohl, Kress etc etc etc.. They all wrote parts of it.

A good read.

That's roughly the authors' answer to how to gain and maintain willpower. This short book describes ten negative influences that can inhibit your willpower, and nine "Building Blocks" that are supposed to help you gain willpower. Unfortunately the authors devote only a few pages to each subject, and none are discussed to any significant depth or level of detail. These "Building Blocks" could have benefited from more specific examples of their being put into use, and case studies of people who have actually gone through their steps and gained more willpower as a result, but the book contains none of that.

Instead, the book seems to contain more vaguely motivational and superficial "pick-me-up" advice, delivered via a cutesy lightbulb character, without providing any specific, useful information. Worst of all, at various points the book emphasizes labor and perseverance as necessary ingredients for building willpower. People lack willpower precisely because they *don't* want to have to labor and persevere, and the book doesn't answer the question, "Well what if I don't have the strength to labor and persevere?"

The only section that seemed remotely helpful was the 1 1/2 pages devoted to imagining yourself obtaining your goals, also known as imagery or guided imagery. There are entire books devoted to this subject, which would probably be more helpful to obtaining your goals than this book. If you're looking for a vague, generic overview of willpower, then this book is for you. If you're looking for more specific, useful information and help, this book is *not* for you.

I've read this book at least ten times and every time it gives me a boost! I keep it handy as a constant reminder of the basic things I need to succeed. It's so quick and easy to read, which is a lifesaver when you're always pressed for time. I used the simple principles in the Anderson's book throughout my pregnancy and they helped to make the entire experience a pleasant and rewarding one. Each time I read this little "gem" I know I can do it. So can you.

This book was like the movie "Remains of the Day". "Huh?" You say?
Well, I enjoyed the little adventures John faced upon his arrival in
Boonville and they kept me interested throughout the book. However,
I kept waiting for the real story to start and then it ended - just
as I was surprised when the ending credits scrolled up on "Remains..".
I suppose having driven through Boonville many a time,
let me get into the book more then your average yutz.

(From my Zentertainment.com review):

That the strange little town of Boonville, California is an obscure target makes it no less an easy one.

And if I told you that the first word in the novel is "Boonville" and the last is "Yee-haw," you might fairly assume that Robert Mailer Anderson lets the obvious gags write themselves and adds nothing worth a second look.

Not at all. I have lived in Boonville for just over a year now myself, and in fact I only read Anderson's novel for that sad little "I can see my house from here!" thrill, but if anything, the familiar setting proved to be a mild distraction from what is otherwise a hilarious and morbidly charming book.

John Gibson inherits a cabin and a demented legacy from his grandmother and reluctantly travels from Florida to California, leaving his girlfriend of several years in the process. He arrives in town on page 11, and by page 72 he has already decided, "F**k it... F**k it all. F**k being hung over and getting beat up... Most of all, f**k Boonville."

But he doesn't quite manage to get out, and soon he meets Sarah McKay, a young "hippie by association" who is more ambitious and self-aware than her fellow dropouts at the Waterfall commune, and thus inevitably more bitter, as well. She and John share a distracted but very real attraction and interest in one another, but little comes of it in any traditional or predictable sense due to an unlikely series of obstacles, ranging from naked hippies grunting menacingly on all fours to violent rednecks whose idea of reconstructive surgery is super-glue to reattach a chopped lip.

Anderson provides (pop) cultural context without resorting to the simple name dropping of lesser writers. He is also refreshingly unconcerned with political correctness. However, he abandons it not for the sake of mean jokes, but keen insights. He is a writer of absolutely vicious humor, and yet Boonville is satisfying not because it causes the reader to wince at its merciless jokes (though it certainly does), but because on the same page that makes you cringe, you're also likely to nod your head at an unfortunate but familiar bit of dysfunction or even smile at an unexpected display of heart.

If Tom Robbins was as angry as he is surreal, he might have written Boonville. Instead, it was left to Robert Mailer Anderson, which is perhaps a mixed blessing for the people of Boonville, but great news for readers everywhere else.

I feel compelled to give this book 5 stars not because it is a perfect book--indeed, it does have faults--but because so many Boonville troglodytes have mercilessly and unfairly panned it. No doubt shocked by their depictions into crawling from their patchouli scented passion pits and wacky-tabacky caves over to the local library-welfare-line for their alotted fifteen minutes of free Internet, these Northern California acid casualties have seriously and pathetically skewed the rating on this book.

For the truth is that this book is genuinely funny and engagingly written. It needs the attention of an editor in places, but that is no fault of the writer, and even in the places where the author allows himself to rant he manages to do so in a still entertaining way. If you take the time to read the book objectively, the author's love for his characters readily shows through.

So for those of you who have never heard of Boonville, I say that this book will serve as an excellent introduction.

And for those of you from Boonville aghast at your depiction in the book, I say, "pound sand," because you are being a bunch of jerks. This is a work of fiction, and as such any similarity to persons living or dead is probably not entirely unintentionally intentional.

So rather than complain about it's artistic merits I would encourage you instead to think of the book as your one and only chance at immortality, the last twenty years of your drug hazed vegetarian lives recorded for future generations of meat eaters.

Get Some!!