This is a book you will read over and over again. It can be read in less than 5 minutes...it always brings me joy! The messages in the book are simple, and very inspiring. The artwork beautiful. This book makes a great gift...its incredibly versatile. You could give it to a child, an entreprenuer, an artist or someone who needs a little encouragement. I met James Hankins at a book fair just after he published the book...I think I purchased 5 or 6 copies and will probably buy another dozen. One final thought...I have been so intrigued with how BIG a message James communicates in so few words that I am thinking of immulating this concept in a future business book...it is brillant, powerful, and oh so satisfying. I encourage you to order a copy today!

The over 10,000 title database on the CD included with this book is alone well worth the price of the text. It is a welcome time saving tool for busy teachers. Not only can you perform searches to find books to match different topics, you can organize and enter information about your existing library, whether or not all of your titles are included in the database. You can add your own comments to the information stored for each title.

The book covers the different genres chapter by chapter. At the end of each chapter, the authors have compiled a very useful bibliography, including their ten favorite books in each genre. I'm glad I found this book--it's one I'll use for years to come. It won't be gathering dust on the shelf as some of my professional books have.

I must admit a soft spot for Sybex (and Ed Tittel) study guides, having used them extensively for Microsoft exams. This book follows in that tradition, providing a good balance between detailed explanation and comprehensive coverage of the exam topics.

The bundled CD is useful. I raced through the 250 flash cards in an hour, which is good for jogging the memory. The four bonus exams, of 75 questions each, are good, but are not as difficult as the real thing. These exams provide grades broken down by each CISSP exam domain, which is excellent for identifying topics for revision.

One book can not guarantee coverage of all CISSP exam topics, particularly given the long list of references on the CISSP suggested reading list. I also skimmed through a friend's copy of Shon Harris's "All-in-One" exam guide. I would still rate this book higher, but Harris's book covers some topics in more detail then the Sybex book. The "All-in-One" practice exams are more difficult, though some of the questions are not clearly worded.

The biggest disappoint I have with the exam preparation experience is with the CISSP's ten domains. The examination questions are based on 'good exam fodder' from topics in the ten domains. The topics lean towards an academic approach to security, rather then knowledge needed by a working security professional.

The other references I would strongly suggest to help to gain a security brain, as well as a high exam score include: Stephen Northcutt's 'Inside Network Perimeter Security', Ross Anderson's 'Security Engineering', and Syngress's 'Special Ops'. Maybe I should take one of the SANS security exams, which are much more practical in nature.

And best of luck with the exam!

Usually, whenever a mass-market science book is published, unless the author's name is Stephen Hawking, both its sales and impact are quite modest. Sometimes, however, the external world intrudes onto the public's consciousness and the topic of that text may become unexpectedly hot and salesworthy. I predict such an uplifting fate for THE GREAT EXTINCTION by Michael Allaby and James Lovelock, and the reason is February 1, 2019. That is the date that astronomers have recently predicted that there is a modest probability that an asteroid may slam into the earth, causing catastrophic climatic results.
It is generally accepted that the very long reign of the dinosaurs came to a crashing end some 65 million years ago when a six mile diameter asteroid collided with the earth off the southern coast of Florida. Allaby and Lovelock discuss the geological evidence for this calamity. They note the primary evidence is the world wide existence of a layer of iridium, an element that is not particularly abundant here but is common on asteroids. They describe the first moment of the impact: 'The sea blew up. Transformed into incandescent gas, the ocean leaped upward with a roar that would have been heard on the other side of the world.' They call this moment 'The Barrel of Fire.' This name is appropriate since the resultant release of energy would have equalled 5 billion Nagasaki-sized nuclear blasts. The destruction world wide had both short term and long term effects. For the short term: fire, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions. For the long term: nuclear winter, decades long darkness, complete destruction of most of the world's eco-systems. The proud dinosaurs, which had ruled non-stop for tens of millions of years, died out overnight. The tiny burrowing mammals that survived were the default new rulers, and from them evolved humanity. THE GREAT EXTINCTION is a must read for anyone who wants to know what could happen to humanity if by 2019 we have not yet learned how to delay, destroy, or deflect the oncoming cosmic rock. The mute fossilized evidence of the remains of the magnificent beasts that used to tread this planet ought to spur us on to meet this latest challenge to our briefest of reigns as lords of the earth.

Where have all the animals gone? I hope I never have to hear that question from my children. In the Beginning is a beautiful, hardcover book featuring several animals realistically portrayed in natural, life-like habitats. Oliver Owl is visited one day by a cloud in the form of a dinosaur. The dinosuar warns Oliver that the humans have been unsuccessful in their attempts to preserve the animals and the environment. He bestows Oliver the gift of communication in order to educate all the animals of the forest in how they can help themselves. The animals therefore are telling their own stories rather than having a human narrate their tales. The idea behind the books are to educate children of the growing problems facing our animals and environment in the hopes that these innovative minds of the future can come up with some ideas to save the animal kingdom and their habitat. The illustrations are realistic yet timeless. I believe education on animals and their environment and ways to help should be a part of every child's education and this book provides you with all of the above. It also has contests in the back in which your child can submit artwork or stories that if chosen, will appear in future editions. PRETTY INSPIRING FOR YOUNG MINDS, I'd say!!!

Like the book, Dinotopia the Pop-up-Book was an exciting adventure through time.

Despite the cold war being over, the possibility of a school that trains spys is still real.
Highly recommend this book, one of DeMille's best.
This story is so plausible it will keep you awake at night.
Shiver.

Though, this book is less known to the people, I found many useful hints from the high level thought to the low level careness.

A well-written account of outlaw Jesse James's life featuring such colorful characters as the Youngers. Full of interesting facts (did you know Jesse was wounded during the Civil War)?

This is a wonderful collection of poetry readings by some of the best actors in the world. If you allow yourself only one tape of poetry, I would recommend this one. The rendition of Lawrence's "The Snake" is spellbining, and the reading of Macneil's "A Death in the Family" is quietlly gut-wrenching. And you will be surprised how well Bill Shatner recites about whales. Buy this tape, and you will listen to it again and again.