By far one of the best books written on the Battle of the Buldge and the seige at Bastogne. Burgett gives excellent eyewitness testimony to the horror and slaughter that was the Battle of the Buldge. The reader sees the battle through the eyes that faught it. Burgett brilliantly takes the reader into the heat of the battle and makes the reader understand what it was like to be in the 101st Airborne during World Wae II. I could not put this book down until it was finished and it made me want to read as much as i could about the Battle of the Buldge.Donald Burgett is truly an American Hero. I highly recommend this book to everyone young and old.

Thirty years ago, when I was in junior high school, I read Mr. Burgett's first book on his actions as a paratrooper during the Normandy Invasion. Over the years, I must have re-read this book probably twenty times. It was that good. Most books tell us what this unit did and what the other unit did, but Mr. Burgett tells us what he and his fellow squad members did. I can't believe there is any better history than that to tell. In his latest book, Mr. Burgett tells us about the second most important battle that the United States Army fought in Europe in 1944. I have ready many books on the Battle of the Bulge and I feel that this was one of the more important ones that I could have read.

If you are looking for a personal account of the siege of Bastogne during the battle of the bulge and the tremendous feat of the 101 Screaming Eagles or are just looking for a great non fiction thriller then get this book. Burgett was a member of the 506th and fought in some of the most bloody battles around Bastogne. But besides the awesome fighting sequences he describes the misery of the foxhole, freezing temps and patrols. But look for the cheap 5 dollar version of the books because it is the same thing including the pics. And if you like this then go back to the start and read Burgetts Curahee...an awesome account of his part in the airdrops during Normandy, also available in the cheap version...

This is a very realistic account of a year in the lives of one shift of homicide detectives written by a newspaper reporter that reads as well as fiction. You are right there at the crime scenes with the primary detectives when they roll the body over looking for clues, when they interview the witnesses, fill out the paperwork and go out for drinks after work when the board is changed from red to black, signifying the case has been closed. You can get a real appreciation as to what it is like to be an underpaid, underappreciated and overworked homicide investigator in a major city. Interrrogation techniques are revealed in this unique book. Some trial action. Definitely worth the read. Contains real life violence. A good companion to the TV show.

Put down your police procedural murder mysteries. I don't care who wrote them because they are all fiction. If you want the REAL story, this is it. I couldn't put this book down. Every scintillating fact and detail of the killing streets of Baltimore, Maryland, as experienced by its Homicide Division in the Police Department is recounted here. The people in this book are all real and they are so well set forth that you will feel as if you live or work with them yourself. I felt as if I were the reporter on assignment with them for a year. This book was also a big award winner, as it should have been. In a curious way, by book's end, you are saying two contradictory statements to yourself. (1) How do these police people stand doing this kind of work day in and day out and (2) I can understand that the work is so fascinating that it is easy for it to utterly absorb and involve you, taking over your life. The rest of us lead incredibly dull lives compared to the homicide detectives of the BPD!

This book follows a year with the Baltimore Police Deparment Homicide Unit. This is a thoroughly riveting novel which manages to allow you to emphathise with the detectives featured as they investigate cases ranging from the straightforward to the impossible. It describes the procedures and obstacles faced in bringing a felon to trial. I urge all crime fiction readers to read this book if they read any nonfiction, it's a bit heavy going in places but it's worth it (beware - you'll be able to see huge holes in your fictional detectives investigations afterwards!)

This series by the author Barry Sadler is a modern blend of two ancient legends. The first is the legend of the roman centurion Longinus who was supposedly present at Christ's crucifixion.
He stabbed christ in the side with his spear to end his agony on the cross and afterwards he became a christian convert and a
saint.
The next legend is that of the wandering jew who was supposedly cursed by Christ to wander the world until the second coming.
The reason according to the story why he incurred the wrath of Christ was that he out of spite made a derogatory or insulting remark to Jesus as he was being led to his crucifixion.
The result of this blend has been Casca Longinus,a Roman soldier cursed by Christ to wander the world forever until the second coming.
Forever fighting,forever surviving and waiting for him to return.
This series of adventures takes our protagonist down through history from one war to another. In almost each case he endures wounds and horrible pain only to encounter more.
A strange unexplained power makes his flesh heal miraculously from all wounds inflicted and which renders it along with his blood poisonous to all other creatures man included.
His ability to outlive others makes his existence a lonely one without any lasting friendship or company. He finds himself in many cases the victim of other's brutality and hatred thus making his long existence also a harsh and violent one.
That which he desires so much eludes him and that is death,which is freedom from his brutal life and eternal peace. He is not so much a hero as he is a victim of fate in a situation not of his choice.
There is plenty of historic detail in this series much of it dealing with warfare and the military.
For those who want historic fact mixed with fiction this might be worth a try.
For fans of action adventure series in the tradition of "The Executioner" and the "A Team" this is a good recomendation.
There is plenty of fast-paced action in this series and it's guaranteed to keep you from yawning.
There are graphic descriptions of violence and gore so if if you're looking for light reading then I suggest reading Robert Fulghum instead.

A while back a friend of mine mentioned something about a series of books following a man who is immortal, and this man was immortal because he was cursed to live forever by Christ as he was dying on the Cross. The man's name is Casca. Casca is a soldier of the Roman army around the time of Christ's death, sometime around 33 A.D. Casca is the soldier assigned to the mundane task of waiting for Jesus to die while he kept the small crowd around the Cross at bay. When told to finish the Jew off Casca stabs him in the side, just as the Bible tells it, but Jesus has a few words with Casca. The rest of Casca's life is then changed, and so the legend begins. Anyone interested in historical fiction and/or immortality should definitely read this book if not the entire series of 22 books spanning 2000 years.

In the Eternal Mercenary Casca life goes from soldier, to slave, to extreme popularity very quickly, but I don't want to give too much away. Read this book, the first in a long series of great stories about the man made to live until the return of the Jew. Until we meet again.

I own all of the original books and still reread them. Great series and definately worth buying. I'm just sorry the series stopped (yes, I know why). Like the idea of a movie or TV series.

One of the last of the original Bond Books, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also one of the best. Picking up a year after the end of Thunderball, this book finds James Bond again battling the nefarious schemes of Ernest Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE and, most importantly, falling in love with the beautiful, resourceful, and ultimately tragic Tracy. Though the usual intrigue is well-presented by Fleming, he also makes it clear that Blofeld's plan is hardly meant to be taken all that seriously. (Without ruining it for those who might never have read the book or seen the surprisingly faithful film adaption, it all comes down to Blofeld hidden away in Switzerland, pretending to be an allergist, and brainwashing English farm girls. No, it doesn't make a lot of sense but Fleming obviously had so much fun presenting it that most readers won't take offense.) The heart of this book -- and this Fleming treats with an admirable seriousness that should take his critics by surprise -- is the love story between Bond and Tracy. In Tracy, Fleming has created perhaps his most fully realized "Bond girl." Vulnerable yet resourseful and more than capable of taking care of herself (and, at times, perhaps even more so than Bond himself), its hard not to fall in love with this character and when Bond finally does decide to reject all others for her, its impossible to disagree with his logic. Its a compelling, rather touching love story and, even though most Bond films know how its going to end, the ending still packs a heavy impact.

As for Bond himself, after being a rather predictable presence in Thunderball, he's back in full form as a full realized, interesting character in this novel. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written after the release of Dr. No (Ursula Andress even makes a cameo appearance at the time) and one can sense that, with this book, Fleming is reestablishing his claim on the character. From the intentionally ludicrous evil scheme to the frequent excursions into Bond's head (revealing him hardly to be the ruthless, unflappable killer that filmgoers though him to be), Fleming comes across as a reenergized writer in this book -- determind to let all the new Bond fans out there know who is really in charge of their favorite secret agent's destiny. The result is one of the best of the original Bond books and one of the best spy thrillers I've read in a long time.

Without a doubt, Ian Fleming's finest James Bond Novel. Mr. Fleming neatly round out the character of James Bond as the reader sees the complete person behind our favorite government operator. The book begins with Bond begining to becomed bored with his assignment and meeting the love of his life. Due to the nature of his work and the emotional scars from previous relationships, Bond is always reluctant to engage in a serious romance with a woman. However, this time, Bond is willing to take his chances to find someone to fill the void in his life. Aside from the romance, Bond also has a job to do. Reinvigorated by progress in his once moribund assignment, Bond tackles his arch enemy Ernst Stavro Blofled through Fleming's engaing narrative. References to Bond's childhood memories, past assignments, and his dreams are particularly effective. Fleming's rich imagination transports the reader from Bond's old haunts on the Northern French coast to the Swiss Alps, where 007 once again takes his licks for "Queen and Country." Hats off to Fleming for his gutsy ending, which unfortunately for Bond, underlines the fact that 007 will always belong to "Her Majesty's Secret Service."

Fleming adds the detail and the smashing debonaire of oo7 together and comes up with the incredible novel: On Her Majestey's Secret Service. The high adventure, the beautiful Bond girls, and James Bond's "save the day" attitude make On Her Majestey's Secret Service a must read! I've written several books myself but none compare to this. I stayed up late until one in the morning reading the wonderful descriptions of the exploits of Bond, James Bond. It, along with Casino Royale, The man with the Golden Gun, Goldfinger, and You Only live Twice, are ranked high on my favorite novels list and should be yours. The head of SPECTRE and his Number Two man torment the spy but as always, Bond defeats the evil plans of Ernst Stravo Blofeld but for him to only fight another day!This book is so good it should come with popcorn!

Miss Spider's Tea Party: The Counting Book, is a favorite of my 10 month old. I have been reading it to her since she was 6 months old. It is by far her favorite among all of her board books. She is captivated by the vivid art work and loves the rhythm of the story. I was so pleased with it that I bought it for my 2 year old niece. It has become her favorite. The board book stands up to wear and tear. I highly recommend this book all the way around!

I purchased this book a year ago for my then 18 month old niece and it is her favorite book. The illustrations are vivid and the characters jump off the pages.At two and a half, she's learned to count as well as identify colors. It is a well worn and loved book. Not only does she love it but I love reading it to her as well. I will continue to gift other toddlers with this gem!!DA Lancaster,Pa

My son is only four months old, however, this book, with all of the wonderful illustrations and colors, encourages him to look from side-to-side. He smiles and seems to delight with the flow of words, as well as the illustrations. This is the ONLY book that he looks at with such interest. I hope that the other "Miss Spider" books are converted to the same type of board book soon. I believe that it is never too early to introduce a child to loving character that they may grow with.

It is impossible to say anything about David Halberstam's books without first saying how influential his journalism has been to an entire generation of journalists in the United States and overseas. When I was a young news clerk at The New York Times a long time ago, I read Halberstam's masterly "The Best and The Brightest," and I wrote him a note applauding his detailed research, the flow of his narrative, and the sheer sweep of his story. To my surprise, he responded promptly; it is a note that I still treasure -- just as I treasure every book he has written since. "The Children" shows Halberstam at the peak of his writing ability. He recreates the human environment of the frenetic years of the civil rights struggles, telling the extraordinary stories of some of heralded and unheralded players in a manner that is both gripping and provocative. The reader shouldn't be daunted by the length of this book (800 pages) because there isn't a single section that flags. "The Children" is certain to become a landmark book. It deepens our understanding of a traumatic period in American history, and illustrates vividly that ultimately all social forces and causes are shaped by individual men and women -- in this case people who battled racism and the ever-present antagonism of foes determined not to yield ground. "The Children" dramatizes the triumph of goodness; it is definitely a triumph of a genre that might be called histojournalism. It is a superb book by a towering writer of great sensitivity and skill.

David Halbestam's monumental book, the children, is a hymn of praise to a remarkable group of young people who did much, perhaps most, of the heavy lifting of the civil rights movement. But it is also the story of how one man, James Lawson, influenced a movement and changed a nation. There are many heroes portrayed in Halberstam's book, but perhaps the one indispensable person in the success of the civil rights movement was not Martin Luther King, Jr., but James Lawson. This is not to diminish or belittle the contributions of King, for what more can a man give than his life. But even Halberstam doesn't seem to recognize that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 might never have come about had it not been for the remarkable acheivement of James Lawson in attracting and training the first group of young, tremendously dedicated non-violent protesters in Nashville in 1959 and 1960. This is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read, and while, as several of the reviewers have already noted, the book could have done with some paring of redundancies, if you want a story filled with heroes and heroines, with light overcoming darkness and the good guys winning, this is your book. It should be required reading for every young person in America. James Lawson, jailbird, "draft dodger" and the ultimate "outside agitator," has lived a life of consequence and significance that most of us can only dream about. The remarkable thing is that he found other young people who wished to live lives equally challenging. Human beings, if they are lucky, are given only a few rare opprotunities in their lives to make a real and great impact on their world. Lawson, Nash, LaFayette, Bevel, Powell, Brown, Johnson and the wonderous John Lewis among many others, seized their opportunity, and made life better for not only millions of Black folk held hostage to racism and ignorance, but for millions of their white oppressors as well. The great tragedy is that as the Movement entered its period of greatest success, it was, like the Russian Revolution, seized by some of the most radical elements in what had been the fringes of the movement. And we lost Martin Luther King, Jr., the most effective voice of the nation's conscience.

David Halberstam, as always, tells the whole story of events in history of which too little is known. He brilliantly details the lives and experiences of the front-line soldiers in the civil rights movement--the men and women (actually boys and girls...hence the name of the book) who had the courage to risk their lives to attain well-deserved and historically denied rights. Prior to this work, historians focused on King and his associates. I prefer the perspective and approach of Halberstam.

The reader becomes engrossed in the lives of the people. Halberstam lets us in on their organization, their disagreements, affairs, loves, families, fears, hopes, failures and successes. Most amazingly, he contrasts the children's reaction to racism with that of their parents. The younger generation's frontal assault on the segregationist strongholds is truly amazing. The stories of the freedom riders is engrossing.

Not Halberstam's best book (that would be the Fifties) but pretty darn close.

I like Vampire, but I'm no die-hard RPGer. This book can be comfortably read in an hour. Less, if one doesn't stop every few minutes to wonder why so much of the book is taken up with giant pictures which do little to add to the content or mood.

Look - it's a graphic novel. The best graphic novels have good content and excellent artwork. This novel has very little content and only good artwork. "Oh, but it has footnotes!" Look, you dork - footnotes?! In the VAMPIRE BIBLE? The footnotes are done INCREDIBLY poorly - you actually have to flip back and forth between the text on page (making up numbers here) 11 and the footnotes on page 23, and then MORE text on page 26, whose footnotes are on page 43... Yes, the footnotes are BETWEEN chapters. Brilliant.

The entire mythos presented is extremely thin - no flesh to this body - and the section describing the different clans is the most perfunctory piece of garbage I have read in quite some time - it actually feels like it was added on by an editor who thought there was too little content, but that adding more than a few sentences for each one would have somehow ruined the work.

Having read this and the Ericyes Fragments, I heartily recommend the latter - it's an excellent book. The Book of Nod has made it onto the short list of books in this genre I can't stand. Don't read this piece of tripe. Definitely don't buy it. If you feel the pressing need to read it, just go to a bookstore and read it. After all, it's only an hour long.

This is a must for every "Vampire The Masquerade" lover. You'll get more insight reading the first 3 chapters than you have got so far...

IT IS CALLED THE VAMPIRES BIBLE

And it lives up the nickname

Read it and be afraid of Lillith's curs on man.

Caine was exhiled from paradise to the land of Nod, and that is all the Holy Bible says about Caine's stay in Nod. This book goes in detail where our bible stops and TAKES US INTO THE IMAGINATIV WORLD WE LOVE TO EXPERIENCE.

Sam Chupp's The Book of Nod provides a great insight about the Father of all in the Masquerade. Nod has much information on Caine and Lilith that I would otherwise guess at if I had not found this book. This Bible for the Dark World is a must for the serious Vampire role player who is indeed into Gothic stuff.

When catasthrophe hit the grain harvest of the Soviet Union, the Politburo must decide whether to negotiate with the West for grains, or go to war, or suffer mass uprising. No one in the Kremlin wants the last possibility to happen, so two factions emerged, with the bare majority, including the Secretary-General, advocating negotiation. Through a Kremlin informant for British agent Adam Munro, the British PM and the US President learned just how desperate the situation in the USSR was.

Meanwhile, the survivor of a shipwreck in the Mediterranean aroused the interest of a British Andrew Drake. Drake descended from a Ukrainian nationlist, whose mission in life was to strike a humiliating blow against the USSR, and the shipwreck survivor provided him with an opportunity to do just that.

Somehow, the different threads spun by the author in the book came together, climaxing with the world being held hostage to an all-out war between the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc, or the greatest environmental catasthrophy yet.

The author did not stint on fleshing out his characters, providing them with ample description, motivations and attributes that the reader can just imagine the kind of actors and actresses that would be cast if this was a movie.

Plot development were fast and furious sometimes, yet deliberately slow and detailed at others, paced out well like the different variations of a symphony, but never a dull moment.

In the end, it will be up to our hero Adam Munro to save the world from the various catasthrophies, and the numerous twists in the end came round a blind corner, hitting the readers where they least expect (unless of course, they've been reading way too much thrillers like me who managed to guess a couple of them).

I was so surprised at this book.. I bought it for curiosity, because it really amazes me (as a member of the post-Cold War generation) how terrified people were. It turned out to be an amazing, complex story, and even I didn't predict the ending. I've really never seen anything like Forsyth's work. (The best part is that I read this for school credit in 8th grade.. for once, a book I didn't hate.) I had to reread several times, not for confusion but for the brilliance of the dialogue. It's a shame Forsyth has given up suspense, but I wish him well.

It's the early eighties and group of radical Ukranian nationalists have a debt to settle as The Soviet Union is facing a possible famine. After a Ukranian nationalist is found barely alive floating in the black sea, the stage is set for a plot which involves numerous european countries as well as the US and Israel.

The character development in this novel is excellent. Frederick Forsyth has a way of bringing out the personalities of the main characters very well. His knowledge of geography really shows that he does his research before he writes. I like the way the book goes from one country to another carefully discribing what is going on but not always telling the reader how it's related to the plot until later. There are quite a few surprising moments which keep your attention. There are points were you may think the story is going nowhere and then there is an abrupt change of pace with no warning.

It is books like this that can turn one into an avid reader of espionage novels.

I love this book! I was ready to give up trying to use iMovie because of a small glitch that was incurring. After browsing thru the book the very first time I opened it, I came across the trouble I was having with iMovie. Mr. Pogue directed me to the correct settings and I am now having a great time editing my DV movies.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone attempting to use iMovie. There is so much more to this program than Apple addresses in the help file. Mr. Pogue's writing is concise but not out of reach for the average Mac user.

I have many books by Mr. Pogue and I would recommend any of them if you are stumped and need a well explained how-to-manuel.

If there was an Academy Award for manuals, this is the winner. Part One, of this 402 page manual, is worth the total cost of the book. David Pogue creates an excitement for Digital Video Photography, and iMovie 2 editing on a Macintosh. The manual is very well written, and is full of illustrations, hints, tips and techniques. It reads like a great novel, you do not want to put it down. Apple's iMovie 2 is a very powerful Digital Video Editing program, but lacks in documentation like Don Rickles lacks tack. If you have spent a $1,000 for a Digital Video Camera, and have a PowerMac computer with iMove 2, your next step to using them is, "iMovie, The manual that should have been in the box." I was editing video clips, and creating DVD (disc) movies after just a few hours with this book.

First I have to give props to David Pogue and his Missing Manual series. As a bookseller and computer geek I've long favored the Dummies books as the best entry-level source for third-party information on software. However, O'Reilly made a smart move when they turned their attention on that market and grabbed Dummies standby Pogue to headline the new series. The Missing Manuals (and their mutant-dogcow mascot) are a credit to O'Reilly and a must-have... assuming, that is, that they cover the program you need. The series is still too small, but I'm sure it won't stay that way.

Now, to the book itself. If you need to do something with iMovie, it's in there. That pretty much covers what I need to say in this review, but it doesn't cover everything the book has to offer. Remember back in the 80s when the Mac made desktop publishing a reality, only to unleash a torrent of wretchedly amateurish graphic design? Well, Pogue spends much of the first couple of chapters attempting to prevent that from happening. This book starts off with a very basic primer on video production and how to use your equipment -- assumed to be a typical consumer-grade MiniDV camcorder, but it covers other options as well, particularly video bridges and the like.

The meat of the book discusses iMovie 2's capabilities, including discussions of its weaknesses and how to work around them. Effects, titles, and transitions are discussed in detail, including some useful information on crossfades (never fade straight to black -- instead, you want a black stillframe). Conversion to other formats is also an issue, and a significant part of the book discusses postproduction using QuickTime Pro. Directions are given for converting your work for DVD or VCD as well.

The issue I have with the book is largely its focus on iMovie in MacOS Classic, and the bugs that are present in that version that might not be in the OS X version. Screenshots all come from 9.x, with the only Aqua material being the interface of iMovie itself. I don't mark down for this since the program operates more or less the same, but an inexperienced user may have trouble. (I might note as well that the book works just as well for iMovie 3, which has a superficially different interface but handles more or less identically.)

So, yeah. If you're doing video production on iMovie, this is the book to get, hands down.

I happened upon Miss Spider about three years ago at the Denton public library. At the time my daughter was 3, I love the prose, I love the art, I love Miss Spider!

David Kirk does a wonderful job of creating an adorable "mis-fit" Miss Spider is so misunderstood! None of the other bugs want to come to tea. The story breaks your heart then shows how persistance and kindness pay off!

My daughter isn't as thrilled by the books as I am. but then again, I LOVE them. Thank God for people with such great imaginations as the author and illustrator of the Miss Spider series. I recommend Miss Spider to everyone, not just kids, the lessons are profound and the flowing prose style is wonderful. This is my very favorite book to read to children. I am a life long fan of Kirk!

I have loved this book since it first came out. The pictures are beautiful- very detailed and fun to look at. I have never seen such pretty flowers and colors in a children's book. Since reading this book, I am a big fan of Miss Spider and collect Miss Spider toys, books, etc. The story sends a very good message to kids. The story rhymes which makes it fun to read aloud.

~ Miss Spider's Tea Party is one of those children's books that brings delight to the adult reader as well as the child.
~ The illustrations are beautiful and vividly intricate, but not too complex for children to enjoy, the story has a very gentle wit, that adults will appreciate.
~ Poor Miss Spider invites all kinds of insects to tea, but for some reason they seem reluctant to befriend her. : - )

~ Happily, her naturally sweet charm wins her popularity in the insect kingdom over, as well as a true fan in the reader. Children really seem to love this simple tale, mostly for the beauty of the illustrations, and the sense of a happy conclusion approaching.

I highly recommend this as a book you can enjoy reading with your child. And I would definitely also recommend the sequel "Miss Spider's Wedding"!