Angela Thirkell's books fall into a typically English genre: the gentle goings on of a set of eccentric (usually upper class) villagers. The books amusing and make an enjoyable quick read. Although I understand where the comparisons to Jane Austen are coming from, I think they are off the mark, though. I think P.G. Wodehouse is a fairer comparison, without so much silliness (which I love). These little trifles don't have the depth or subtlety of Austen's works. However, for a light read where you like most of the characters and wish them well, you can't beat Thirkell. My favorite is Cheerfulness Breaks In.

Unexpectedly wonderful. I had read somewhere that Thirkell was a bit of a poor-man's Nancy Mitford. Well that might have been for some of her novels - my knowledge of her full body of works is not great - but the Thirkells is a wonderful descent into glorious pre-World War II English Countryside.

The book is chokka with great and memorable characters and has an appealing plot which has a few twists in it to keep things very interesting indeed. In fact it starts as a simple premise of a family waiting for an inheritance, as such, as ends as a very sweet romance indeed.

It all starts with the sickness of a maiden aunt, Sissie - who lives in a mouldering pile and keeps threatening to will it all away from various relatives if only to keep them on their toes. Trouble is the various relatives - or at least two of them Mr Grant, and Francis and Brandon - don't actually want the mouldering estate anyway. No matter how poor they are they can see that it will be a bit of a white elephant - or at the very least a very damp hippotamus.

The Brandon's come with a wonderfully vague mother who keeps getting read bits of boring pieces of writing by adoring males in the area, and Hilary Grant comes with a hideously annoying mother whom nobody - except possibly the reader - can like. This book is very much in the vein of E E Benson's Lucia Series - although those were individual masterpieces of machivellian cunning- this book is a fun and rather distinguished country romp.

Apparently Thirkell wrote a number of stories in which the same characters turn up - all of which is set in the Barchester land of Anthony Trollope so there is enough connection among these books to make for quite an extensive bit of connected reading (if anyone is interested of course). It has all the satisfaction of a nice twisting plot with the pleasant relief of a happy and romantic ending to look forward to.

This is the first book I have read by Angela Thirkell and I am determined to read all of the other novels she has written.

Of all the authors I have read with claims attached to them of being "modern day Austens", Angela Thirkell is the only one that lives up to that claim, in my opinion.

In "The Brandons", as in Austen's literature, one senses a "match" in the offing and Mrs. Brandon spends much of her thinking on how to match up Miss Morris with one of her eligible male friends. The book is delightful, charming, funny, and full of astute observations on human nature...just like Jane Austen's writings. Read it!

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Europeans and Americans discovered the world of Japanese woodblock prints and thus began an enduring love affair. One result has been the publication over the last century of literally hundreds of books and thousands of articles about the prints known as "ukiyoe," with a particular emphasis on such giants of the genre as Hokusai and Hiroshige. How then, in this crowded field, does one manage to create a must-have publication for readers who may already have well-stocked libraries on Japanese art?

One answer is to be found in "Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts." Issued by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in conjunction with an exhibition, "Hokusai and Hiroshige" is typical of a new wave of "ukiyoe" books that combine excellent design (of layout and typography) with clear and interesting text. Every page displaying a print has a near equal amount of space devoted to text, and the book benefits as well from introductory essays by three established experts. The text in particular appeals to me, providing not only insights about the compositional nature of each print but also detail on the locales depicted by these two great landscape artists and appropriate historical information. There is room for improvement in "Hokusai and Hiroshige"--I would have preferred more standard romanizations for some Japanese words and the inclusion of an index covering well more than just print titles--but overall this is an excellent and valuable volume.

I have not "finished" this book, nor do I intend to for a long time. I take it out to admire, print by print, sometimes reading the informative text, sometimes not. This is not a comic book to rush through. Linger, enjoy.

This volume was the companion for the exhibits at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. It covers all the lerge number of works shown there, each with descriptions of what is depicted and some in the points of interest that highlight each artist's rendering of the scene. There are sections on the lives of each artist and the fairly primitive tools used to create these intricate multi-colored (and thus multi-pressed) prints. The full collection of sets, such as the Hokusai views of Mount Fuji, are very well done and would in themselves make this book worthwhile. The sum total of both these woodblock masters is awe inspiring and sumptuous.

It's a powerful tool that can be utilized to bring love into your life. I felt that Brandon is a master motivator, as well as gives practical advice that will help a lot of people. I can't wait for the next book to come out by Brandon.

The book comes to life in a motivational way for me, giving real antidotes for negative thinking. I truly like the part about being created by GOD in his own image. And the statement to men telling them that if you don't have anything outside the bed then what you have in it doesn't mean anything, anyway. To me Brandon should be a motivational speaker.

This book has built my confidence up to a level that's unbelievable, and I'm not a handsome man. I would recommend it to anybody who think you need money or good looks to capture a woman's heart.

Before the T2 Ultimate Edition DVD came out, this book was probably one of the most exhaustive sources of information regarding the movie, along with 'The Making of T2' paperback. It's basically the final draft of the screenplay along with production notes and anecdotes about each scene. There are also hundreds of mostly black-and-white stills that correspond to each scene as the script goes on. Also included are the many moments that were cut from the theatrical release, most of which, thankfully, has been restored in the Special Edition. This includes Sarah's dream with Kyle Reese, The Dysons at home, the garage head surgery, T-1000's "glitching", and several other notable omissions. And as you read the screenplay, you'll see that quite a few of the lines spoken in the film differ from what is written. Some of the final ad-libs and slight changes of premise are discussed in the scene notes, and the various reasons (if any) for the slight alterations.

The book also devotes a chapter to parts of previous drafts that included many scenes that were never filmed, mostly due to production costs, as well as notes and commentary about them. The most notable almost-scene is the time machine room, where the resistance sends Reese to 1984, and the second Terminator to 1994. Another abandoned moment is the T-1000 wreaking havoc at the Salceda camp (the trailer-park/junkyard-looking place in the desert) following the departure of the three heroes. This scene would've shown more T-1000 morphs and 'gags'. Like the photos that correspond with the final script, the storyboards of these lost moments are shown along with the script to give you an idea of what each scene would've looked like.

I found the most interesting part to be the introduction by co-writer/co-producer/director James Cameron. He talks about the grind of completing T2 in just a year, and probably his most profound revelation about himself: that writing the script is his least-favorite part of movie production. I found this little revelation to be rather ironic, because I always felt that his scriptwriting ability is his strongest suit. Well, maybe not with 'Titanic', but that's me.

Sadly, just about all of the stuff discussed in this trade paperback, and then some, has been incorporated into the Special Features disc of the Ultimate Edition DVD. If you've already entered the digital age of movie technology, this book is pretty much just a relic of the pre-DVD era.

'Late!

I really enjoyed Terminator 2. It had some great scenes that the movie left out - like scenes with Kyle in the future and in Sarah's dream. Also had more characterization because you could read what the characters were thinking. Would have liked to have had the scene where the "learning chip" is turned on put in the movie. Mr. Frakes described a poignant moment when Miles Dyson dies. Highly recommend this book to all T1, T2, and sci-fi fans. Enjoy!

James Camerons follow up to the Terminator has recieved both critical acclaim and criticism. I for one, loved the first Terminator movie. Terminator 2 was a worthy followup to the series. The action, the drama, the message, it was all there. Sure, some of his was hammered home, but its such a fun ride, you don't care. The screenplay itself is remarkable. It contains commentary and scenes that didn't make the final cut. For all you how need a testement to Camerons genius, this is it.

This is a very well written book: straight to the point, with lots of interesting facts. This book also has pictures of Bruce & Brandon Lee (& others) that I had never seen before. A great book for fans of Bruce & Brandon Lee.

I am a big fan of Brandon and Bruce and this man could not have written it better .of two stars who have not jet become who they truly wanted to be. Rest in Peace Bruce and Brandon!

This book is very useful for every students who take civil engineering as their major. It give you all the explanation about concrete destruction because of nature and human error. And tells you how to repair it and to maintain it so it won't damaged more that it used to be. I find this book very helpful for my thesis. Every civil engineering students and other major that related to it has to own this book.

This is the best book out there on this subject. The author has done an excellent job explaining and illustrating the proper process of repairing concrete: Diagnose, repair and protect. I have made this a must read for all of my sales reps.

Brock Osborn
S.E. Area manager
Sto Corp.

I just received this mornin' the fresh flash book, i already own the Flash Math Creativity book, and i have to admit that this fresh flash book is a great source of inspiration for designer, or good programmers, as the Flash Math Creativity, the authors still does not explain very well what they "paste" in the book, full pages of code with // explanation if you begin do not get this book, if you have solid knowledge of actionscript so this book is for you !!! you will scratch your head while reading the book, and that is the GAME !! Even if it is, a little bit more explanation in the book would have been a pleasure that is the reason why i would give 4 stars, because some parts of the code are very hard to understand...

Finally, this book is divided into 9 parts, one for each author, each one got his own way of coding and that is funny to see how they solve different problems, they got their touch !!

So, designers, coders get this book !!!!!!!

This is a _very_ nice book. I have recently changed my field of study at my university to design and media. Lately I've been wanting to break in Flash so that I could add motion to my art. This book was perfect. I didn't need to learn how to create a tween or any actual respect of Flash really, but instead how to explore the creative potentials that permeate from Flash. It was quite incredible.

Particularly, I found the chapters on video and 3D, runtime 3D, "bezier creatures", and the set interval enticing. You should see the chapter on runtime 3D! A _full_ library of 3d code that is extremely easy to use (including incredibly insightful comments in the code). You do not need to know much math to make some crazy effects. Also the chapter on video and Flash enlightened me as I did not know of flash's capabilities in this field.

So, in the end, get this book! It is awe inspiring.

This is probably the first book dedicated to this subject. For this reason it deserves a four star rating. It is written in a way that is very appropriate for development managers and users of Web GIS systems. It does not require a lot of technological know-how. It also has a lot of web links that serve the purpose of intruducing people to the idea of GIS online.

However, this book is not very suitable for the technicians who actually make the web GIS. It does not have enough discussion on the related programming issues, namely, Java and Markup Languages. Its discussion on over-all system planning is also quite superficial from a programmer's point of view. Issues like how to make web GIS co-exists with other database systems (accounting, inventory control, etc.) are not discussed.

Being new to DGIS, I was very pleased to find a "starters" book that also has resources for anyone who has 'net-savy'. I found the book to be chucked full of resources, ideas, and steps to implement a DGIS. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in such a dynamic subject.

A great thumbnail sketch of each of the listed religions. Great for starting off on a more extensive study - gives major ideas and definitions as well as brief histories. It's just what you expect it will be as far as the "Idiot" series goes.

I sought out this book as a reference source for a "Coming of Age" class for the 9th graders at our Unitarian church. The purpose of the class is to examine issues such as gender roles, ethical behavior, sexuality, purpose of life (etc!) and how they are approached by the worlds' religions. I wanted a concise resource, but one that did not simplify or omit too much information. This book, was extremely helpful. It examines the following mainstream religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confuciansim, Taoism, and Shintoism. There are also brief discussions of lesser known religions, such as Baha'i, Neopaganism, and Native American traditions. For each religion, the book focuses on these aspects: 1) a brief history of the development and roots of the religion, 2) the major tenets and beliefs, 3) important holidays and rituals, and 4) common misbeliefs (and potential areas for faux pas) about the religion. For my purposes, the book was extremely helpful since it addressed how each religion dealt with major life issues in fairly simple yet accurate terms. It was excellent for my group of 9th graders as the format is informal, breezy, and fun, without any hint of ridicule (particularly to those religions that may be less familiar to American teenagers). I wish it would have addressed a few more issues, in particular, the role of gender in religions. I found very little on how different religions proscribe the roles of men and women, in the clergy, and in lay life. I would also have enjoyed more discussion on how religions deal with environmental issues, and the question of the ethical treatment of animals, since these are hot topics to my group of kids. But, all in all, this is a valuable book for a concise, yet not overly simple, review of the world's religions, and it makes a good starter for those just beginning to research this topic.

Great book typical of the "Idiot's guide to..." series. Gives me just a taste of each religion listed. Great book for those who want to know just the "nitty-gritty" and do not need to know the deeper issues of the religions. Very useful for a quick study.

It is difficult to find a comprehensive history of the electric chair. And short of reading a copy of "Agent of Death," written by state executioner G. Elliott, much of the discussion of the technology of execution by electrocution is either too vague or too inaccurate to be of value to someone studying this bizzare and unlikely method of state killing.

Brandon's book promised to shed new light on the technological marvel-turned torture device that was and is the electric chair. Unfortunately, the book fails to deliver. There are many inaccuracies (the youngest person electrocuted in the U.S. was 14, not 17 as Brandon indignantly states; Fred Leuchter was prosecuted not because of a book he never wrote -- he wrote a report -- but because he testified in a Canadian criminal case that the Holocaust never occurred; Elliot hardly protected his execution techniques as "trade secrets" -- they're stated plainly in his book, "Agent of Death"). The book is much to "thin" (257 pages of text) for the high price of almost $40.

Professor Brandon's in-depth research provides a fascinating account of the economic and historical background which led to the development of the electric chair. The ever-controversial topic of capital punishment finds additional fuel in this well-documented history. I highly recommend this book to those who consider important the social and moral issues surrounding capital punishment.

Brandon did an excellent job of reviewing the voluminous historical documents and putting them into a fast paced story. This is not a tiring ponderous tirade against capital punishment but a rare objective history story.