This book covers it all: causes of reliability, measures of reliability, component modeling, system modeling, system analysis, and system optimization. It even has a great primer on distribution systems from a reliability perspective.

The great thing about this book is its ability to bridge the gap between theoretical treatment and practical applications. Although it is full of algorithms and equations, all are presented in the context of real applications and real results. It has truly broadened my understanding of of the subject.

This is by far the best book I have seen on reliability planning, evaluation and engineering of electric power delivery systems. The book is well organized and very linear in its progression through its topics, so its makes for a very good textbook or self-study guide, as was the case for me. It has an extremely comprehensive index, which means its should serve as a good, quick reference in the future.

The book is pretty rigorous, and has a good bit of equations and theory, but what I appreciated is that there is a lot of common sense and good recommendations throughout, plus good data and tables on reliability, equipment, expectations, etc. I learned just a lot about distribution systems and reliability, and what to expect and how to make improvements in the real world, from this book.

But what I think is unique about this book and its greatest value was its combination of rigorous analysis of system configuration and indidivual equipment focus. You find a lot of stuff written that focuses on one or the other. There are books and technical papers on methods to analyze systems based on layout, load, switching capabilities, etc. (configuration), but they are often theoretical and neglect issues of equipment. There are also books on equipment lifetime versus loading analysis, condition evaluation and assessment, and maintainability. But rarely are the two combined well, and in one whole analytical method.

This is one of the best engineering books I have.

This is a great book. It illustrates the fundamental theories of health and excercise in a rational straight foward way. Also all the scientific proof is written in the book for the cynics. The point system may not be a favourite for everyone but once you get the gist of the program and start analysing food labels for yourself it is really easy to add in a few more exotic foods. It is very simple to keep track of what you have eaten and how much energy you have expended without having to anlalyse everything you do during the day. One point that may be relevant to note is the ratio that foods should be consumed in. Like all books, it is biased towards the authors background. Body builders like weider and bill phillips recommend far larger meat intakes than this book. This book also focusses on having a greater complex carbohydrate intake than some newer books.

The biggest benefit this book gave me was a reasonable, sensible goal. Without some kind of measurable goal (in this case, meeting the minimum number of exercise points per week), you have nothing to measure yourself against and I always felt I wasn't doing enough! Now, when I've done my exercise for the week and I don't feel like getting up on Saturday morning, I just crawl back into bed! And it's working! Without changing my diet I've lost 10 pounds over the last month, just by using my stationary bicycle, hiking, and exercise videos.

This is the closest thing to an idiot-proof fitness plan out there; trust me, I should know. Before I started using this book, I was overweight and not very fit. In school I was the kid who hated gym class and faked doctor's notes to get out of it. Over the years I had tried and failed at lots of fitness regimens. Then a friend gave me this book, saying it had worked for her. A year later I have slimmed down and I feel a lot stronger and more energetic. This may sound like a cheesy testimonial, but it's true. What's great is that the author, Dr. Richard Brown, uses the same plan with the Olympic athletes he coaches -- it is entirely customized to your level of fitness and your goals.

Under this plan, any exercise counts -- from scrubbing floors to Tae-Bo to sailing -- because you rate the effort yourself according to an easy-to-use scale (no heart-rate monitoring). The main point is to choose something you enjoy, the reasoning being that you'll be more likely to stick with it that way. I get my points mostly from walking, stationary cycling, and a strength-training video workout, but I can just as easily figure out my effort for the occasional day of hiking or swimming in the ocean. Even if you don't keep track of your points, you can still use the general principles to pace yourself. The result for me was that I didn't burn out the way I had on other plans, because I was doing exactly the right amount of exercise, and I started noticing the benefits right away. I'd like to thank the author: L.E.A.P. is quite an achievement.

This short story collection is a worthwhile read, and I will be looking up some of the authors featured. In particular, Andrew Sean Greer's story is heartbreaking; William J. Cyr's story has an interesting conversational, matter-of-fact tone; and the curiously named author "wormser" has a short but sweet entry. The best part of this collection, for me, is the interview with author Richard Bausch. I found it thoroughly inspiring, as it touches upon such problems as writer's block and having the confidence and determination to live a writer's life. The best part about Glimmer Train collections as a whole is that they give unpublished writers their first break, in addition to publishing established writers. More literary magazines of this caliber and spirit of inclusiveness are sorely needed!

This is an enjoyable collection of short stories; although, as with other collections, there are a couple of weak links in the chain. Nevertheless, it's worth buying for Andrew Greer's story alone. Others are also quite good, such as Karen Outen's fictional debate on whether to have a baby, Wormser's story about a childhood friend, and William Cyr's original and witty (and, at the same time, chilling) story of a bad stepfather. I also enjoyed the whole presentation--with baby photos of the authors (as well as current shots) and their personal comments. Established author Richard Bausch talks about writing, racism, and life in general in an engaging interview. Definitely worth a read!

Very enjoyable. Fascinating plot line. As a CPA who does governmental audits, it was exciting to read about standards in a murder mystery format. I would recommend it to accountants and certainly to students who are considering going into accounting. It is informative as well as entertaining.

I found this book to be an interesting way to explain some of the governmental accounting issues that auditors face. The story line kept my interest the entire time I was reading. Also, the outrageous plot made the technical material easier to remember. This book made for interesting reading of a not-so-interesting topic. Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Brown.

The book is good. It help to explain how to use SAM-e. It is SAM-e that is the miracle worker!
For those who have lived with depression, SAM-e is a real spiritual lift. Never knew life could be like this!
No, the problems do not change or go away. But your ability to deal with them improves. And if you add some good self-help books and therapy, life can really be worth living. And worth fixing what is wrong in your life, too!
If you know some one who is depressed, get this book and read it! It will enable you to be more helpful. But don't be pushy or play therapist.
Just help your friend get the help they deserve and need.
God bless!

I'm an American psychiatrist and psychotherapist working in London. Having heard Dr. Brown talk about SAMe at a lecture to psychiatrists, I ordered Stop Depression Now when it came out, and read it. The authors' view that SAMe is an effective antidepressant without significant toxicity impressed me as having a scientific basis. I recommended to two patients of mine that they try it. One, who was not clinically depressed, but was feeling unfulfilled at work and was having trouble sleeping, took 200 milligrams twice a day. She noted that within a few days she felt happier, had more energy, and fell asleep more easily. The second patient had had the insidious onset a few years earlier of intermittent feelings of pins and needles in his hands and feet. These had been growing more evident, especially in his feet. I suggested that he take a cocktail that this book recommends: SAMe 400 milligrams a day, Vitamin B12 one milligram a day, and folic acid 800 micrograms a day. Over the past few weeks the feelings in his extremities have disappeared. He, too, has said he feels more energy and feels happier. Neither patient has experienced any side effects. I am favorably impressed by these two anecdotes. I hope some of my colleagues will investigate the merits of SAMe, Vitamin B12, folic acid, and the diet that the book recommends, and report their findings.

Morton Schatzman, MD

I took Dr. Brown's advice and used sam-e. I had had some success in treating my chronic depression with wellbutrin, but oppressive feelings of sadness, and self-destructive ideation, remained. One week of 200mg sam-e two times daily and the oppressive feelings began to lessen. In two weeks the bad feelings had remitted completely. Though effective, sam-e was mild in its action -- I did not feel that I had been clubbed by a mega-drug. Feeling well, I am able now to have better insight into life problems linked to my long depression -- and I'm able to work on repairing family relationships that had been damaged. I recommend that anyone suffering from depression try sam-e. Reading Dr. Brown's book is an excellent way to learn about this substance.