I read many books in psychology and self-help. I have B.A. in psychology and recently wrote my own self-help book, soon available (How to love yourself when no one else does). From all the books I read, this is one of the books I love to have in my library collection. It teaches you awareness about boundaries. It really helped me to be aware of my self, my own needs and responsibilities. This person knows a lot, and really changed my life, and will help me changed lives of my own patience. I recommend this book for people. The style in which it is written is not easy, but it shows that this author is very knowledgeable and knows his stuff. This book is worth your money and time!

I thought that this book has some very very important insights about relationships. I learned quite a bit about myself and my relationships just from reading this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is seriously interested in improving their relationships. If you want to know even more about your relationships and how to improve them, I'd recommend another book called Rhythm, Relationships, and Transcendence by Toru Sato. It is theoretically outstanding and has many practical applications.

The issue of boundaries, whether in a therapeutic setting or interpersonal, this book will be helpful in going from dysfunctional states to holding and containing your core SELF boundaries thereby experiencing life in a manner that is enjoyable...JOY! Written with examples from Family situations - also relationship situations (boyfriend/girlfriend,etc.)- this book is practical in its approach but teaches from a technical point of view that is based on sound academics. It even has a section written by a massage therapist which is very nice in that is describes how ultra-sensitive people can really experience loose boundaries in the psychic/mental realm and how this can affect you. I'm rereading this book for the 5th time. It always seems that I get new depths of understanding each time I find a passage to read for the day at hand. It's for true recovery work. I share this book with lots of folks and they all benefit from it. This book had helped me heal!Really! Move forward and evolve my inner self. And isn't that the goal of any therapy.

Almost as good as Bleak House. Two shortcomings, though. One, the poetry of the language never reaches the same heights. Dickens just doesn't seem as inspired here, and there are moments when he even seems tired and to be suffering from the same disappointment his characters complain of. Two, the mystery theme is pushed to the background and is lame in comparison. Otherwise, the structure is excellent, weaving the themes of the Circumlocution Office and self-imprisonment relatively seamlessly through the story.

One reviewer here has commented that "Little Dorrit" is not without Dickens' trademark humor, and, with one qualification, I would agree. Mr F's Aunt, Mrs Plornish, and Edmund Sparkler in particular are all quite funny. Characters like William Dorrit and Flora Finching, however, who would have been funny in earlier books (eg, Wilkins Micawber and Dora Spenlow in "David Copperfield" it can be argued, are younger - and more romantic - versions of Dorrit and Flora) are only pathetic in this one. It is a sign of the change in Dickens that he can no longer see the lighter side of these characters.

BTW, there is another little joke for those versed in Victorian Lit. The comedic couple Edmond Sparkler and Fanny Dorrit are a play on an earlier couple, Edmond Bertram and Fanny Price in Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park". The joke is that Dickens has taken the names and inverted the characters. Fanny Dorrit couldn't be more different than Fanny Price, and likewise Edmond Sparkler and Edmond Bertram. I'm sure this is not an accident. Dickens had a thing for the name Fanny, using it for two of his less appealing "temptresses", Fanny Squeers (in "Nicholas Nickleby") and of course Fanny Dorrit. Funny stuff.

And speaking of Fanny Dorrit, I have one last comment. It is often said of Dickens that he couldn't create good female characters. This puts me in mind of Chesterton who related a similar complaint made by Dickens' male contemporaries that he couldn't describe a gentleman. As Chesterton deftly pointed out, however, what these gentlemen really meant was that Dickens couldn't (or wouldn't) describe gentlemen as they wished themselves to be described. Rather, Dickens described gentlemen as they actually appeared. I might say the same thing about the women who complain about Dickens' female characters. It's not so much that Dickens couldn't (or wouldn't) describe good female characters. Rather, it's that the kinds of characters he did describe aren't the ones the complanaints wish to see. Women praise the Elizabeth Bennetts of the book-world not because the real world is full of Liz Bennetts (it's not), but because that's the way they themselves wish to be seen. Truth is, however, there are far more Fanny Dorrits and Flora Finchings and Dora Spenlows than there are Liz Bennetts. The women who complain of these characters, though, would rather ignore this unflattering little fact. Whatever. The truth will out, and there's far too much truth in Dickens characters to be so lightly dismissed.

4 1/2 stars

Dickens' last novels (with the exception of the unfinished EDWIN DROOD) really form a group all to themselves: exceptionally concerned with the excesses of social institutions and the cruelties of high society, they in some ways read more like Trollope and Thackeray than they do Dickens' own earlier works, although they retain Dickens's fine gift for character and bite. LITTLE DORRIT is proabbly my favorite of the later works: its multiple stories are extremely gripping, and his satire at its sharpest and most necessary. Many people say these later novels are not as funny as his earlier works, but DORRIT is to me an exception: there are few funnier (or more dear) characters in Dickens' repertoire than the breathless, kindhearted Flora Finching, and I find myself almost helpless with laughter whenever Flora's senile and hostile charge, Mr F's Aunt, makes her perfectly doled-out appearances in these pages. (Arguably the funniest scene Dickens ever wrote is the scene with this "most excellent woman" and Arthur Clennam and the crust of bread). This is a great Dickens novel even for people who tend not to like Dickens (and yes, there are some of them, as hard as that may be for the rest of us to believe).

Little Dorritt is not light reading. While it is in many ways a very entertaining work, it is not for those seeking pure entertainment. It is a very rich work, full of social commentary [church bells ringing, "They won't come."; the Circumlocution Office], humor [can anyone resist laughing out loud and Flora Finching?], several memorable characters, and a very powerful statement on personal salvation.

Yes, the novel does drag from halfway to the three quarters mark; but what 900 page Dickens novel doesn't? When you read Dickens, you should expect that. It is during that time that he typically starts to resolve many of the issues raised in the first half and also sets up his exciting finale. While the finale of Little Dorritt is not exciting in the Hollywood sense, it is very fulfilling.

The major theme that spans the entire work, something I haven't seen others discuss, is that of Old Testament vs. New Testament thinking. It is the Old Testament thinking of Arthur's mother that keeps her in her wheelchair. It is only when she gets a dose of New Testament thinking from Amy Dorritt that Arthur's mother walks. Dickens was a Unitarian who had a strong belief in the redemptive power of Christ. While he often ridiculed both the Church ("They won't come.") and religious hypocrites (Borriohoola-Gha in Bleak House), it is through Little Dorritt that he presents this redemptive power. Entertainment becomes a treatise on right living.

which is often a scary place to be. Colson is a master at revealing the true side of the world of politics and it shows in this excellently told story of the pro-life movement in america. for anyone who is involved in any 'movement,' this novel gives good advice: two wrongs don't make a right. the book holds your attention throughout, and it is downright scary because something like this could very well happen in the near future. throughout the book, Colson stresses having real morals to back up your views, and not relying solely on the laws of our country - really finding out what our laws were based on, the higher moral law. indirectly, his book is a cry for our nation to turn back to God.

Colson and Vaughn, in typical fashion, create a very eloquent story. While this is fiction, the story is very powerful and is sure to make you think about where you stand on a number of issues. Of course, Colson adds many Oval Office insider insights that are indeed interesting, especially in light of the recent events in the Clinton administration. Watch out for a portion of the book early on that seems to drag - it is worth your patience, as you will find the book capturing your attention. A very worthwhile and enriching read from a fine writing team.

I enjoyed this book immensley, but don't read it if you don't like blood, death, or any type of life's depressing consequences. The governments point of view was very interesting, as most officer's are Democrats, and the Pro-Life movement is very strong. Because this book takes place in the future, it makes you wonder if this really could happen....

I code and teach a lot of PL/QL, and this is the only book I have found which goes into any depth on these built-ins. It tells me most everything I want to know. However, you have to dig through tons of sample code from his PL/SQL products. In most cases, you won't find a clear example of the Oracle built-in packages (you know, the ones the book is supposed to be about?). Instead, there are huge, unneccesarily complex examples of how to use the author's bloated code (which is for sale, btw).

There is no doubt he is the foremost author on PL/SQL, but it's not worth digging through the junk and arrogance. To quote the back cover:
"I work with built-in packages every day, and nobody kicks sand in my face-- at least when it comes to PL/SQL!" Given the amount of his own code he buried them under, I doubt he ever even *sees* the Oracle built-ins anymore.
We have used his other books as texts for professional training, and the students have the same complaints. They are better than the manuals which come with Oracle, but not by much. (If you want a good PL/SQL book, check out Oracle PL/SQL Programming by Scott Urman. Doesn't cover built-ins much, but its far better than the Feuerstein PL/SQL or Advanced PL/SQL books).
Summary: Better than the manuals, if you like searching for needles in haystacks.

This serves as a good reference book. Saved lot of time many, many times. I bought this book 2+ yrs ago and still helps me out. But I think this book needs a major update. Oracle8i is a new beast altogether (I didn't work with 9i yet) and there are tons of new built-in packages that are very useful.

This book is absolutely necessary to get oriented in Oracle documentation. It covers PL/SQL packages that are of major interest both for application developers and those of us who want to automate DBA functions. Wonderful writing and excellent code samples are very helpful!

Some examples of DBA-related packages are DBMS_SQL which takes care of dynamic SQL (chapter 2) and DBMS_JOB for cron-type PL/SQL scripts.

Chapter 3 covers DBMS_PIPE and DBMS_ALERT packages necessary to implement servers running inside Oracle independently from host operating system.

Chapter 6 describes DBMS_OUTPUT and UTL_FILE. DMS_OUTPUT is well-known for its put_line procedure which prints short (up to 256 bytes) strings to SQLPLUS console. However, from this book one can find out how to increase standard overall output size for this package - which may be crucial for testing. UTL_FILE takes care of ASCII file I/O for PL/SQL.

Considering Large Objects management (chapter 8), we remember this is 1998 book, it does not cover latest Oracle object-related features like types or collections. Now ASCII documents (such as news articles) can be kept in VARARRAYs rather than in CLOBs.

ORACLE BUILT-IN PACKAGES is more of a reference than a tutorial, it leaves for the reader to find out what functionality is actually needed and for what technical purpose.

I've read all 3 John Caine titles, as well as all 21 Travis McGee books, and I see close similarities. I'm going beyond the obvious--the fact that both characters live on boats and do "favors" for friends. Specifically, I'm drawn to Knief's combination of action and introspection, so typical of John D. MacDonald. An illustration can be found early in the first Caine book, Diamond Head, when the older Caine must defend himself against two young attackers. Caine carries the day, but he gives close examination to his reactions and to his motives, once the dust clears. This is typical McGee. And this is the thread which runs through all 3 Caine books. This writer is very, very good, and he's just getting started. I can't wait to see where he'll go next!

Charles Knief's John Caine is back in Emerald Flash, and, if it can be believed, better than ever. There may be no shortage of dignified knights errant on the action-book scene today, but few of them can truly rise above mind candy. Even the better authors -- and there are very good ones out there -- tend to resort to the deus ex machina (although I'm wild about Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels, let's face it: Hawk is a deus ex machina). As an ex-SEAL, Caine can do everything Mr. Knief says he can. Otherwise, he benefits from nothing more than a bit of luck. The plotting of Emerald Flash is very crafty, with side roads and sudden hairpins. Then there are the people: Caine himself, who grows with each book (Emerald Flash is Mr. Knief's third Caine novel); the gangster (for want of a better word) Chawlie, to whom all roads seem to lead; Margo Halliday, who reveals herself to the reader gradually through the book. Mr. Knief's language is exquisite. Never "literary" but always extremely literate (and he avoids making Cain a poor man's Marlowe, tucking into Proust, perhaps, when he's not rescuing damsels). There is also a painstaking clarity to his narration. In many other books of action, for instance, the reader is often forced to gloss over complex descriptions of, say, a physical confrontation. Not so in the Caine books. Mr. Knief puts you in the middle and keeps you there. Finally, Mr. Knief knows how to end a book. There are many accomplished writers of thrillers out there, but there is something unsatisfying about the abrupt endings in some, or, in others, the protagonist's dutiful closing speech neatly tying up loose ends. Not with Emerald Flash, or with either of the other two Caine books. Caine has not just completed a caper; a period in his life has ended, and you feel that closure as you finish. In short, great stuff, beautifully written. Encore!

True adventure like we have come to expect from John D. MacDonald and Ian Fleming is hard to find in today's writers. Charles Knief is on his way to reviving that type of writing with his John Caine Adventure Series. I've read all three of the books in the Caine series, and think that each gets better as Knief developes his hero's character and personality. Caine is a man for our times and my hat's off to Charles Knief for giving us a hero that we can feel good about.

A few years ago this book permitted me to go reliably from
theoretical linear algebra to practical large-scale numerical
computations, using also LAPACK. I think this is its place:
from the university course level to the practical side.
On the other hand, one cannot really say it is as readable
as, say, Numerical Recipes: it has a quite terse style.

When I need to solve a large system of linear equations or better understand an algorithm I am using, this book has proven to be the best place to go. It is broad in scope and the writing is clear.

This book should be placed alongside "Principles of Mathematical Analysis" by Walter Rudin and "Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces" by Paul Halmos as a classic text, one which students/professionals of mathematics will use for years to come. A solid book covering computational matrix theory. I myself used it as a tool to bridge the gap between my formal training in Mathematics and my serious interest in computers. Reader should have some knowledge of basic linear algebra(ie understanding of vector spaces, L2 norms, etc..) before attempting this book. Excercises could be better. A good purchase for those with a more than passing interest.

First let me say that I am still reading this book, and I am more than 3/4 of the way through it but I can't stand it anymore. I have to say something. I do not pick up books like this expecting them to be Pulitzer material. I just want a fun, well paced, put-together read.
So far my head is spinning with all of the characters the author has tossed into the fray. Rather than narrowing his focus, Pollock gives us an ever-expanding cast of characters. It seems he liked all of the usual key espionage players so much he couldn't bear to leave anyone out. The resulting mess is filled with Mossad, CIA, Russian intelligence, British intelligence, local police - you name it. In fact it gets so out of hand that Pollock and his editors failed to realize that he changes a character's name entirely! On page 111 we have "Paris station chief, Parker Britin Stevenson II."
Oops! Apparently he didn't like his name too much because on page 331 he becomes "Palmer Stevenson, Paris station chief". What makes this even more ridiculous is that Parker Stevenson is actually the name of a celebrity, albeit a minor one nowadays. But if anyone remembers Parker Stevenson as one of the Hardy Boys on TV (and now as Kirsty Alley's husband. Or maybe they divorced - who knows?) this ridiculous editing gaffe is even more obvious. Not to mention the typos. Maybe it's because I am a journalist, but I always try to read my own stuff before it goes to print. This novel (although it has some great action scenes) is laden with trite coincidences, riddled with cliche (OK, anything in this genre has SOME, but come on) and could have used some more attention and reworking before it went to print, because the basic idea is terrific.

This is the first book I've read by J.C. Pollock, and I thought it was a well-worthwhile and entertaining thriller. Perfect for a rainy day. When an old, forgotten S.S. officer passes away, his son comes into possession of a list of art sales Herman Goering made to various art collectors. A former Soviet-spy and terrorist, the son sees the value of the list as a way of filling his bank account by stealing the art himself. What he doesn't see is the true value of the list, and that leads much of the world to chase him down. A definite read.

This is a fun and fast paced World War 2 based current day book that actually works. The author has the CIA, the Mossad and the Stasi all after some old masters that were stolen by guess whom? The author has done a good job here, the characters are well developed and there are enough sub plots to keep you interested but not to overwhelm the central story. I was concerned with the number of people running around, maybe dropping a few would have done the book good and the biggest issue I have is the love story. Why have this in the book? It is not needed, rushed and just done poorly. Overall I thought the book was above average and interesting.

I find it interesting that the editor of this college textbook (source book)about my campaigns and the politics of race in the South went out of his way not to ask me for an essay on the subject. Is this book supposed to be an unbiased academic survey of my impact on the politics of race in the South, when every article is hostile toward me and my ideology? Would it not be appropriate to include an analysis by the man at the very center of the controversy? I am sick of the so-called academic community, which is supposed to support diversity of opnion and open-mindedness, repeatedly preventing students from getting all sides of important issues. How can students taking a course where this textbook is used, obtain a balanced view of these important issues when they purposely are prevented from hearing from the person at the very center of the controversy.

I don't blame students from having a negative opinion about me and my political methods and ideology when they are not allowed to hear my side of the story.

Those that are interested in hearing my position articulated in detail can order my book, My Awakening from Amazon. Only then can you truly make a fair assessment of myself and the vital issues which propelled my candidacy.

Unfortunately for Mr. Duke, it appears that he is headed for Federal Prison for a few months. Hopefully, he'll take the time to actually read our book so he can provide us with a more informed review that is constructive, rather than just self-aggrandizing. We'd enjoying hearing his informed thoughts, which could be quite interesting. Maybe, just maybe, then I'll read "My Awakening" and review it for Mr. Duke.

I thought this was a good and comprehensive volume on the whole "politics of race in the South" motif, and have found it useful in my research. The fact that Duke apparently thinks it should have been about lionizing himself and his pseudo-intellectualized racism (e.g. his amazon.com review) isn't surprising, but it's a solid point in favor of this book, if you ask me. Good social science and interesting perspective in most of these chapters, backed by reasoned analysis of the larger picture-- the rebirth of race as a divisive issue in regional (and national?) politics. Funny how this title is now 5 years old, but still speaks to things like the current confederate flag controversy in South Carolina. Emphasis on electoral phenomena, but enough to keep a public policy-oriented type interested as well.

Some wonderful and successful writers gather their thoughts in this book to bear light on the magic of Tolkien's writing. Being a fan myself, I enjoyed the individual tales of discovering "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" for the first time. I related to the same sense of awe and dread, of wonder and inspiration. Surely, Tolkien has inspired many.

Unfortunately, the praise gets to be redundant and--may I say it?--almost hollow, without the balance of some thoughtful criticism. Personally, I wouldn't have much negative to say regarding Tolkien's work, but I found very little that was genuinely fresh or enlightening in this collection of "meditations." I did discover an interest in some of the authors included (not a bad reason for their involvement in the project) and in earlier 20th century writers that I have never familiarized myself with. Lord Dunsany, E.R. Eddison, Fritz Leiber, and Mervyn Peake are only a few of the old standbys mentioned repeatedly.

Although interesting, a quick read, and well-written, this collection might best serve those curious in unearthing the inspiration beneath some of their favorite authors. I was hoping for something with more vitality, but overall I'd recommend the book.

If you're a fan of Tolkien's Middle Earth, this little volume of essays will be a welcome addition. It's refreshing to see how deeply "The Lord of the Rings" effected the contributors; and how, over time, their perceptions of LOTR have changed. My favorites were the submissions of Michael Swanwick, Esther M. Friesner, Robin Hobb, Orson Scott Card and Diane Duane. Douglas A. Anderson and Ursala K. Le Guin offer more cerebral takes on both LOTR and the role of story in our lives -- the eternal rhythums Tolkien tapped while writing his masterpiece. For "Meditations" I offer what I believe is the best praise anyone can offer for a book: It's much too short.

MEDITATIONS ON MIDDLE EARTH is a collection of essays focusing on J.R.R. Tolkien's works, especially the Middle Earth saga. Some of the more renowned fantasy authors of today evaluate the series that made fantasy a household name. Surprisingly, though everyone agrees that Professor Tolkien opened up the genre to the middle class, not all of the contributors are fans of the actual novels. Insightful and entertaining, each essay is well written with the writer's particular spin. However, this anthology will be loved by those readers analyzing the various cultures in a way that cultural anthropologists would envy or by those fans who cherish Beowulf, which Tolkien felt is the forefather of the genre.

Harriet Klausner

You know, it used to be that historians would content themselves with wandering into the university or national library to idly pore over musty and ancient tomes and monographs, and that this would constitute the bulk of their research. These days, though, historians are a hardier breed, and they like to race excitedly across the countryside, getting a firsthand glimpse at historical sites and badgering old codgers for oral accounts.

David Roberts is of this latter breed, and it shows in his work. Evidently, he is a mountaineer of some accomplishment: he co-wrote one book with Conrad Anker, who was on the expedition that found Mallory's body on Everest, and yet another with Jon Krakauer of "Into Thin Air" fame. So he was not one to merely read about the exploits of Fremont and Carson; he decided to personally travel in their footsteps, across plain and desert and mountain. Consequently, his book is informed by his own knowledge of travel conditions in the West and his assessment of the various camp sites and surrounding terrain. He has visited most of the key locations and knowledgeably discusses their current conditions.

As for archival material and existing biographies of the duo, Roberts is not at all shy about repeatedly proclaiming his opinions of their merits. Many previous works on Fremont and Carson are dismissed as being factually flawed, overly Freudian, or hopelessly biased. Unlike some previous authors in this field, Roberts was able to draw upon the long-lost secret diaries of Charles Preuss, who accompanied Fremont on his first, second, and fourth expeditions. The Preuss material is an invaluable corrective to the self-serving official histories penned jointly by Fremont and his wife Jessie, and the documents cast Fremont in a far worse light.

Roberts is also sensitive to the Native American side of the story, and goes to considerable lengths to discuss the involvement of Fremont and particularly of Carson in Indian affairs. This might not sit well with readers who uncritically buy into the "Manifest Destiny" school of thought.

On the whole, Carson comes off rather well in this account, as Roberts strives to shift popular opinion away from the revisionist view of the scout as a savage and barbaric Indian killer. Fremont, however, gets relentlessly mauled, and based on the surviving independent accounts of his fourth expedition, rightfully so. His historical accomplishments may have been significant (not so much for original discoveries as for the popularization of westward expansion), but he seems to have been very much lacking as a man.

This is a boldly written and robust survey of the accomplishments of Carson and Fremont, and it definitely has a lot to recommend it. Readers of exploration literature or of the American West will want to pick it up.

I'm beginning to think that one of Dave Roberts' favorite pastimes is debunking, or at the very least shedding new light on, old myths. He did a bang up job in "Great Exploration Hoaxes," and continues here with his examination of John Charles Fremont and Kit Carson.

Fremont, (in case you were like me and had no idea who he was), was a surveyor and leader of 5 expeditions into the west. His fame was due mostly to the fact that he was in the right place at the right time. He also had an industrious, wordsmith for a wife who turned his reports into interesting accounts of his journeys. These, when published, were instantly popular with a public that was just beginning to catch the Wild West Fever.

Nicknamed "The Pathfinder," Fremont actually did very little original exploring. Instead he followed the trails pioneered by the early mountain men who had crisscrossed the western frontier in search of beaver. Fremont's guide on these expeditions was Kit Carson.

Frankly, Kit Carson is by far the more interesting of the two men, and Roberts does a good job of reconstructing a personality which was by nature very private. His job was complicated by the fact that Carson was illiterate and disliked being in the limelight. Nevertheless his actions, which were recorded by many (including Fremont) speak eloquently about the man. This is a fascinating read for anyone who enjoys redisovering history through the eyes of a talented writer.

Somewhere in the American psyche there must be a special place for mildering heroes-those who have't quite turned to dust from complete neglect, kept alive by the constant refocusing of the distorting lens of time and history. John C. Fremont and Kit Carson are prominant among the inhabitants of that place. David Roberts has written a remarkable book that examines these two flawed men who were great American heroes at one time. This is good because both men are too fascinating to be left behind.Kit Carson is examined as the Indian Killer (a perfectly acceptable occupation in 1870) turned advocate(a perfectly acceptable occupation in 2000). Fremont, "The Pathfinder"'s is examined for its brillance-he more than anyone else made manifest destiny possible with the mapping of trails west but popular through his avidly read (but probably written by his wife, Jessie)accounts of his expeditions. Fremont and Kit Carson had a symbiotic relationship on their way to fame. The one time Fremont tried to mount an expedition without Kit Carson as his guide makes for one of the most graphic chapters in this book. Stuck in the mountains in the snow several men die, some resort to cannibalism. This contains well researched information,because Fremont himself convieniently decided not to write a book about that crossing. It might have made the 1856 presidential campaign more raucus than it was(The Pathfinder as the Cannibal Candidate?) A fascinating look at these men, this book was read in a day, and now goes into my reference library. I know I will go back to it often.