"Tower of the Riddle Master" contains the kinds of riddles that make you stop and think. These are not of the "Why did the chicken cross the road?" variety, but are presented as tightly woven poems that require careful deconstruction to solve. Some are more difficult than others, but the vast majority should be accessible and fair-game to those with general knowledge of the English language and American culture. The answers to the riddles are not esoteric or particularly specialized. Consider the following riddle from the book called "Two PhDs" (p. 80) that I found both difficult and delightful:

Two PhDs were talking
Of what can never be.
If this then that, if that not this,
But this is true you see.

This riddle works on several levels. First consider that these two professors are talking. What are they talking about? They themselves have riddling language in the time-honored tradition of Doctors of Philosophy. In the context of the poem, what is it that professors may be talking about that have these two features.

1. If this then that. AND
2. If that not this.

Don't these two ideas seem mutually exclusive? Need help? The book comes with hints. The hints for this riddle are as follows:

Hint 1: How might someone casually refer to "two PhDs" (p. 98) and
Hint 2: Try and work out the logic of "this" and "that" in the last two lines. (p. 96)

Even now you may not have solved it, but ponder for a while. The answer turns out to be "paradox." In logic (see hint 2 above) a paradox is a seeming contradiction, but still a truth (If this then that, if that not this, but this is true...). An additional, but devilishly subtle clue, is the fact that the discussion is happening between two PhDs who might be casually referred to as a "pair of docs" (paradox). You see what I mean by tight?

If you had needed to look up the hints, they are referenced at the bottom of each riddle page. Also the answers are referenced there. But when you get to the answer you must do some simple decoding. This prevents anyone from quickly, or accidentally, reading the answers before you have had the fun of solving them.

There is also a section of explanations. The riddles are rewritten in this section along with explanatory text that shows how each line relates to the riddle. This is helpful, in the above example, if you did not immediately see the connection between the two PhDs and the answer.

This book has 79 riddles, each crafted carefully, but to top it all off, only 77 of them are easily found. Like the first riddle book from Cloud Kingdom Games (The Lair of the Sphinx), this book has two hidden riddles. Part of the fun is discovering the two hidden riddles and then solving them.

I found this book delightful to try to solve alone, and also to have at small gatherings, and especially on family vacations. Car trips are a breeze when the kids are trying to figure out the answers to these riddles. The riddles are short enough to hold in memory, and can be read aloud to a group who can then try to solve them. The reader can be just as much a part of the group of solvers as anyone else since the answers are far removed from the riddle. I recommended the book to a teacher friend of mine, and he puts a riddle a day on the chalkboard as a way to greet the kids, and get the mental juices flowing.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Both this title and "Lair of the Sphinx" are excellent for those who enjoy a mental challenge.

This book has delighted my kids from ages 1 year to 5 years. Its rhyming verse and sweet illustrations are a bedtime ritual.

I have been a UNIX SA for almost 10 years and this is "THE" UNIX book. I own most of the O'Reilly books and although they are very good, this book covers System V in an easy to understand form. If your a UNIX system administrator beginner this is the book you should start with. Then move onto the O'Reilly books. Enjoy!

Wading Into Wetlands is an excellent resource for teachers of any grade who would like to introduce the importance of Wetlands Habitats. This is part of the Ranger Rick Nature Scope series and the National Wildlife Federation. Each chapter (What Makes A Wetland; Saltwater Wetlands; Freshwater Wetlands; Wetlands, Wildlife and Peoples; and Crafts) is has complete adaptations for Primary (K-2), Intermediate (3-5) and Junior High (6-7) students. The book addresses all of the seven intelligences: it has opportunities to learn songs, build models, illustrate concepts, research projects, utilize mapping techniques, and more. I am using it with my third grade class. Each child is researching a different wetland bird and making a scale model of it for our wetlands bulletin board, along with a short report. They will find different insects, mollusks, invertebrates, fish, plants and animals to add during their research. Many of these are suggested in the Wading Into Wetlands book. We will build a mangrove habitat (Mail order: That Pet Place at 1-888-thatpet sells mangrove seedlings for $1.50 and we will plant some in fresh water and some in salt water to see the plant's adaptations to different water). We will visit a local small marshy area not too far from our school and explore the area. They will write to the President about how important it is to maintain wetlands areas for migratory birds. This book is a real find and I am using every page of it for my class. I highly recommend it.

An extremely comprehensive history of American sentiment about the wolf. This book does an excellent job of covering the various aspects of changing legislation on the wolf at both the federal and state levels. It also thoroughly cites chants, essays, poems and treatises that map the varying American views about the wolf. Do not look for detailed biological information in this book, however, this is a study on human attitudes as they have affected the wolf. A good read for anyone interested in conservation, or the plight of the wolf in specific.

THis is an excellent collection of essays concerning warfare in the book of mormon and I'm sad to learn that this book is out of print. If you're interested in the book of mormon and want some logical verification of its authenticity then this book is definitely worth a look.

This book is an excellent way to introduce rhyming to children. Studies show that the ability to identify and create rhymes is important to learning to read successfully. I use this book every year in my kindergarten classroom. Is there any way to encourage publishers to keep it in print?

Both my children (3 and 6) love this book. There is a wide range of crafts for children of many ages, and lots of tidbits of info for learning while crafting.

This is book two of the Wisard Silvas's life. Beloved goddess, Carillia, give Silvawe one final gift-her godhood. He will be besieged by the gods. For the wizard will be up against other gods who are unwilling to let old grievances lie-and Carillia's family who would rather see him dead than have him replace her.

Daniel Ellsberg has nothing on Eric Schlosser, who in this hard-hitting exposé reveals countless previously unuttered truths that were veiled for decades by an ingenious web of disinformation spun by the fast food industry. Newly excavated facts that eluded crusading journalists for generations include:

1)Fast food is generally unhealthy
2)Fast food workers are not very well paid
3)Fast food restaurants are run by multi-national corporations - ones whose very reasons for existence appear to revolve around chalking up profits

Fast food regulars who dined for years under a happy cloud of lies, thinking that their meals were high-fiber low-fat treats, and that their remittances were being directed toward women's shelters, exploited seals, and the fat bank accounts of their servers, will be aghast at every page. We have significantly reduced our patronage of the Golden Arches of Doom since I finished reading this horrifying chronicle, however we have not ceased it entirely as the twins continue to extort regular visits for the purpose of acquiring Happy Meal add-in toys. Even Priscilla - already a budding Socialist (or worse) at four - is unmoved by our patient explanations of how this habit is adding to the plight of migrant workers.

This book will turn your head and change your appitite for fast food. The book has many aspects; a food aspect, and business aspect, and a political aspect just to name a few. This is facinating book that shows the true colors of the fast food industry.

Wow! Where do I begin? This book was very informative, very well researched, and a very easy read. Schlosser did a wonderful job of organizing the vast amount of information that he placed in this book. For a non-fiction book, I found that Fast Food Nation kept me entertained throughout it's entirety. In fact, I couldn't put it down! The history of the fast food industry itself was fascinating, as well as the backround information on the potato and meat industries. The first-hand accounts given by people who work for the fast food industry, as well as the meat-packing and potato plants, added to the reality of the points the book was trying to make. The fast food industry and all industries supported by fast food companies have some serious issues that need to be addressed by the nation.
In addition, Schlosser does an excellent job of pointing out the dangers of not only working for these businesses, but eating food supplied by them. It's scary to think about the dangers lurking behind the counter at your local fast food chain. This book really opens your eyes to some health hazards that all of America should be aware of. Everyone should read this book! It will change your eating habits, and the way you view large fast food corporations.