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Book reviews for "Cocozzoli,_Gary_Richard" sorted by average review score:

Ramsey Campbell's Goatswood and Less Pleasant Places: A Present Day Severn Valley Sourcebook and Campaign for Call of Cthulhu
Published in Paperback by Chaosium (2001)
Authors: Scott David Aniolowski, Gary Sumpter, Richard Watts, J. Todd Kingrea, Clifton Ganyard, Rob Malkovich, Steve Spisak, Mike Mason, David Mitchell, and Lynn Willis
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A Great Buy!
It's good to see Chaosium getting back to topnotch books again. This one along with Unseen Masters, represents a "new wave" of Call of Cthulhu - as good or better than any of the stuff released in years.

You can't really go wrong with this package, it's got background resource material for the Goatswood area and a nice bundle of scenarios that look like fun to run (I can't wait to spring some of them on my group! HEH HEH HEH) I don't want to give away any spoilers but there's an S&M club, and the "GUARD" at the club is such a wicked idea not to mention the dude who runs the place. Good to see Ramsey the man himself giving the introduction, read his Silent Children book if you really want to get chills!

The artwork is decent, and lots of it. Plenty of handouts too, which are really important as far as I am concerned. One thing I could do without though is the side illustrations, they take up too much room that could maybe be used for information. But that's a small jibe compared to the value.

A Great Book!
I'm a longtime Cthulhu keeper but new to Ramsey Campbell (other than the material in the rulebook). The first half of the book is devoted to resource material covering magic, monsters and locations in the fictitious Severn Valley (well the Severn Valley itself isn't fictitious of course). The second half is devoted to a campaign of 7 or 8 scenarios. Everything is well written, well thought out and seems very playable. I'm looking forward to running it!

Campbell At Last!
I've waited a long time for this one, and the wait was worth it! It's chock full of scenarios (forming a campaign which you can ignore if you want), and lots of background material on Ramsey Campbell's Severn Valley. I wish there'd been more maps and maybe more info on some of the locations but all in all, this is a COOL package!


Never Before in History: America's Inspired Birth
Published in Textbook Binding by Haughton Pub Co (15 July, 1998)
Authors: Gary Amos and Richard Gardiner
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revisionist history
worse than revisionist history, this book tries to dress up the "big lie" from the christian right and make it look presentable and scholarly. but a lie is still a lie. this nation was founded and our freedoms established in spite of the pernicious, oppressive, and brutal traditions of the christian religion. christianity has inspired intolerance, the inquisition, and witch burning. when in christianity's long history did it ever inspire freedom of speech or freedom of religion or freedom of thought?

Telling the truth
This is a very interesting and useful read. Mr. Amos cut quickly to the core issues, presented both sides, supported his arguments with undeniable facts, exposed the mythology of false viewpoints, and did it with an admirably informed understanding of both history and theology.

It is very sad that many of his critics choose to merely spew ad hominem attacks and perpetuate myths without even responding to the specific arguments that Mr. Amos makes. I guess that the truth hurts. More Americans need to understand that those who hate the absolute truth of Christianity do not fight fairly. Consequently, they misrepresent world history in order to blame Christianity itself for the abuses of the heretical Pre-Reformation church hierarchy, failing to note that true Christianity was what Luther, Knox, and others demonstrated in beginning to liberate individuals to find God, truth, freedom, and, eventually, a new land in which to boldly enact and protect the very truths of God's word. The enlightened Bible-based renaissance that is the legacy of Luther was carried into practice by men such as Washington, Jefferson and Adams. This is the untold story for which Mr. Amos deserves great thanks.

Well done, friend. Agape, grace, and peace to you.

History Ignored - Christianity & America's Founding
Today's secular world view teaches us half-truths as to America's founding. Our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and even the Founding Fathers themselves are called or are alluded to as being "Godless." Nothing could be further from the truth. I read this book and now know just how profound Christianity's impact was on this early period in America's history. This information should have been taught to me decades ago. It needs to be taught today. Today's rush to remove religion from the classroom has also eliminated even the teaching of "historical" facts. Who we are as a nation is detailed exquisitely in this book, going back to Martin Luther, and tracing Christianity's profound impact on the thinking and founding documents which all peoples of all races and religions enjoy today in this nation. Don't cheat yourself another day, buy this book, read it, and pass it along so the whole history of America's beginning can be known. It's time to get back to basics in this country...this book will help you get there!


Invertebrates
Published in Hardcover by Sinauer Associates, Inc. (1990)
Authors: Richard C. Brusca, Gary J. Brusca, and Nancy J. Haver
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Well, It has a nice picture on the cover.
This invertebrate text is a mixed bag. Although the date on the Author's Preface is 2002, very few references more recent than 1997 are cited. The treatment is also very uneven. As expected given the authors' interests, the Arthropod treatment is done pretty well, but pretty much all the other major phyla are poorly treated. For example, reading the mollusk section is like entering a time warp; the gastropod systematic treatment is straight out of 1970s and the minor classes are perhaps worse. Within the molluscan overall framework, seminal works such as the Ponder and Lindberg treatment of gastropods are ignored, and the minor molluscan groups far no better; nothing more recent than references in the 1970s have obviously been consulted for the Scaphopods and although more recent references are listed for the Aplacophora and other minor classes the treatment is equally weak.

Similar problems are apparent within other major taxa as well.

Although the authors have tried to include some modern phylogentic analyses, the more recent data (from say, 1998 through at least 2000) that should have been included are totally absent.

Compared to the first edition, the text has many new illustrations; in fact, that seems to be the major positive addition over the earlier addition.

The book seems to have relatively few typographical errors.

Invertebrates - the definitive reference but without molecul
This large, comprehensive book is actually very suitable for the general reader. Concepts are explained well. Excellent line drawings accompany the text. The book starts off with general concepts, then covers the protozoa and then the placazoa (Trichoplax). It is suggested, as others have also speculated, that Trichoplax perhaps represents a surviving descendant of a premetazoan ancestor. The book then goes on to cover the sponges, cnidaria, ctenophora, platyhelminthes, pseudocolelomates, numerous chapters on worms, arthropoda, mollusca, etc, and finishes off with the invertebrate deuterostomes (including echinodermata, hemichordata and chordata). This book lacks recent molecular results, but nonetheless remains an excellent reference on the invertebrates.

Excellent text on the invertebrates
Brusca and Brusca's book, INVERTEBRATES, presents a wonderful treatment of this extremely diverse group of animals. The continuous themes of body plan, development, and evolutionary relationships provide a continuous focus for the book.

There is ample material in this book for any most groups of invertebrates. This book would work well for an undergraduate or a graduate level course. The line drawings and BW photos are great. The text is well written, and comprehensive taxonomic information is included.

I hope Brusca and Brusca come out with a 2nd edition, since this book was published ten years ago. If they do, it will be a top candidate for my invert zool course in the future.

5 stars.


San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art
Published in Paperback by Gingko Press Inc. (01 February, 2001)
Authors: Gary Garrels, Richard Barnes, and Justin Henderson
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A Fine Catalogue of a Superb Exhibit
Sol LeWitt is an artist for whom the catalogue is both essential and apt. Because his conception and work mainly consists of a set of instructions that are then executed by other artists, the results can be displayed in many different places. While the literally enormous beauty of the wall paintings and drawings cannot be displayed in the book, that's not the point. The paintings and drawings themselves are temporary, to be whitewashed over when the exhibit 'moves' on. The catalogue provides the valuable service of capturing moments in time when the work was someplace, and brings that to the reader, along with excellent essays on the artist.

The Show Itself
I saw LeWitt's "Retrospective" show in Chicago and loved it.It's great that a book is offered of such a fabulous show that offers the diverse and evolving work of one of the best contemporary artists in the U.S. If the book is anything like the show, I highly recommend it as an enjoyable addition to anyone's collection of art books.

lewitt is rad
sol lewitt is my #1 favorite artist. i own many books of his work, and i must say that this is one of the most complete. its got everything. if you went to the sf moma and saw this exibition you wont be dissapointed by this book, it captures it the experience well. if you ever get the chance to see lewitts work in person, DO NOT MISS IT ! you will regret it ! in person these works are extremely powerful !


Brian's Winter
Published in Audio Cassette by Listening Library (2001)
Authors: Gary Paulsen, Richard Thomas, and Peter Coyote
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Brain's Winter
Curt Lebensorger
Reading A-4
April 30, 2003
Brain's Winter

Brain's winter is about a teen aged boy who got lost in the wilderness who was on a plane to see his father. When he was on his way the plane went down and the pilot died, but Brian survived. Brian has a few supplies but not too many and needs to learn how to survive in the wilderness. First he comes across two wolves that sort of help him by letting him have the rest of the deer. Second he encounters a bear twice in this which gives him a lot of problems and would have killed him if the skunk Betty didn't come rescue him. Lastly he encounters a moose, he only attacked the moose for food in the winter but unfortunately he didn't know he was so strong and the moose did die but wounded Brain with a head collision knocking Brain out cold. Now what do you think will happen next will Brain be killed by these wild animals or will he be lucky and finally be able to come home to see his parents?

If someone asked me if I liked this book I would have to say yes. The reason I say this is because it always grabs your attention and makes you want to read the next chapter. Gary Paulsen has a way to add a twist to the end of each chapter for instance at the end of chapter 16 it says "it was too warm for trees to explode". When he said these things went into my head like is he getting his hopes up or is someone going to finally rescue him.

If I was a person that rates books and I picked up Brian's Winter I would say this book would be a 4 out of 5. I say this because it was good but sometimes I felt really bored. I felt bored because sometimes what I look for in a book is more then just one setting. This whole book basically took place with him in this one spot in the Canadian wilderness. Also the only reason this book made me want to read more is when at the end of each chapter there was always something there to get your mind going and thinking what will happen next. Then if I were to give this book a rating it would be a 4 out of 5.

This is the best book¿read it!
Brian Robeson is a teenage boy and he wants to survive the wilderness. The novel Brian's Winter is written with great, realistic details. It was also written with simplicity, which is why I liked it. I could understand it, completely. Brian is a thirteen-year-old boy who hasn't been rescued, from the novel Hatchet. So he has to face the cold winter months, alone in Northern Canada. This time, Brian has a survival kit, which he found in the plane wreck. The kit includes a rifle, two butane lighters, a fishing line and a sleeping bag. But he still has to find some food, to stay alive...I liked this book because it has a lot of hunting, and suspense in it. When Brian was in the woods alone, he hunted, and I could imagine that I was he. One part I liked in particular was when he found the Cree, and he was warm and stayed full of food.

Brians Winter
Brian winter is a good book. Brian is thirteen years old he was in an airplane crash in Canada. Brian is the only one who survived. He only has a first aid kit, broken gun, hatchet and matches. He has to survive on his own he needs a shelter and some clothes and food. He also needs to make stronger weapons. If he wants to hunt bigger game. He uses the entire animal he doesn't let anything go to waste. He uses animal skin to make clothing and also to make some of his weapons. He finds lots of friends and enemies one of his friends is Betty the skunk. She protected Brian from the bear attack and Brian is very great full. Brain feels very lonely and he is starting to forget his family. He also miss them very much.
What I liked most the book had lot of very good descriptions of the forest and how he was breathing and how he liked the animals. Also this book can help you learn how to survive in the wilderness. As well in some of the chapter the author keep you hanging at the end of the chapter. The part that I thought was cool was when the trees were exploding and Brian thought it was gunshots.
I thought this book was good I would rate it 4 out of 5 because the book was exiting and suspenseful. Like in this one chapter Brian got attached by a bear the author said that the bear was thrashing throw out the cave (brains home). There was also a part were Brian killed an animal and then the author made it so visual he said that the arrow went threw the moose then the moose started to charge at him and then Brian pulled out his lance and the moose ran on to it and the moose hit heads with Brian and Brian passed out.I thought the author did a good job on this book.


LabVIEW Graphical Programming
Published in Paperback by McGraw-Hill Professional (19 July, 2001)
Authors: Gary W. Johnson, Richard Jennings, and Richard Jennigns
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Not much different than the previous version
I gave this book 3 stars because it's still a useful resource for those who are interested in LabVIEW. However, I wouldn't recommend buying it if you have the previous version and don't wish to pursue the creation a real time LabVIEW application on an embedded Linux platform. There really is little, if any, mention of some of the new, interesting features of LabVIEW 6 which to me was a major let down, such as control references and the like. The examples included with the book on the CD Rom aren't incredibly useful or new for that matter, but could be of some benefit to a new user. Overall, if you're new to LabVIEW and have never seen the previous version of this book I'd recommend it, but if you have the older version I wouldn't be too inclined to recommend it for anything rather than the detailed information in the latter chapters regarding LabVIEW RT and Linux.

The only LabVIEW book you'll ever need
I've purchased all three editons of Gary Johnson's LabVIEW book and haven't been disappointed yet. This is one of those rare books that lives up to its hype. The writing is clear and engaging, without condescending to the more advanced user. If you're using or learning LabVIEW, check this book out.

Great Book, Especially for the Working Person
For those of you who do not have this book, this book is one of the top Labview books available. It goes very quickly through the basics, and focuses more on building actual applications in Labview. Many pointers on how to maximize resources are through out this book. It saved me many hours of trial and error. The book reads as if an articulate person is speaking to you. Very no nonsense.

For example, there's a comprehensive chapter on actually developing a Labview VI for use. It goes through the requirements, the development (internally and also the user interface) and the release of the VI. Further, it has a nice section on DAQ.

This book is more or less a rehash of the old book, with some upgrades, but for those who don't have the old one, read it's reviews. I wasn't terribly disappointed with the omission of Labview 6i stuff, since the content extended beyond it. You'll be making a good investment in this book.


Mooki's Secret (Forest Tales Series)
Published in Hardcover by Zondervan (1998)
Authors: Kari Smalley Gibson, Gary Smalley, and Richard Bernal
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Mookie teaches us that being different is a gift !
"Mookie's Secret" is a well written story that touches on some serious issues, namely "abandonment" AND "fear of being different".Upon reaching an orphanage, Mookie,the little beaver is warmly accepted but is afraid that the other critters will discover his embarrasing secret and will make fun of him. After hearing a joke, Mookie's secret is revealed - his laughter reveals his humongous teeth. Not knowing that he is a beaver and that he is SUPPOSED to have big teeth, he runs away only to find other beavers. His newly found friends help him to discover that his secret is really a blessing rather than something to be ashamed of. Mookie returns to the orphanage and uses his unique gift and newly found confidence to become part of the group in a new and exciting way. ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BEAUTIFUL!


Physical Rehabilitation of the Injured Athlete
Published in Hardcover by W B Saunders (15 January, 1998)
Authors: James R., Md. Andrews, Gary L. Harrelson, Kevin E. Wilk, and Richard Lampert
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Great rehab techniques taught.
This book showed many rehabilitation techniques that if used correctly bring great gains in the rehab process of an injured athlete. The authors do a good job explaining the rationale and principles behind the rehab technique and the time in the healing process.


Classroom Interventions for ADHD
Published in Hardcover by Guilford Press (01 December, 1998)
Authors: George DuPaul, Gary Stoner, George J. DuPaul, and Richard Rogers
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Mediocre
I agree with the first reviewer--not a very useful text. More academic than anything else. I pretty much walked away with nothing from this book. Is choppy and just a compilation of various topics written by a variety of authors--it is like reading different research papers. None of the book is integrated. As the first reviewer said, a better book would have been a text written by one author with an integration of ideas.

A good reference work but not a practical working text
This book is a compilation of chapters on malingering and deception by leaders in the field. Like all edited works, it suffers from disjunctions in quality and style from chapter to chapter. I was hoping for a practical manual of how to work with clients. Instead, I got a book that is solidly researched but that would appeal more to a researcher than a clinician. I would have preferred a book by a single author who synthesizes the works of leaders in the field. The content is good but one has to do a lot of work to find the clinically useful material. In addition, the concepts do NOT come alive in case examples. Finally, the print is rather tiny, so those over 40 will strain their eyes trying to read the text.

Open the door to better understanding the "fakes!"
Dr. Rogers certainly knows his "stuff!" Take it from one of those guy's who has "been there and done that." His arrows hit the mark! Deception and malingering, these are not just mere words to echo in the wind. The author walks along side of the reader, while all the while supporting his professional perspectives with documented and keenly researched facts.

Expertise is constantly evident, with solid exploration being given to 1). Where we've been; 2). Where we're at; 3). And, where we're going regarding better detecting the "fakes" and how to best utilize the available wealth of information contained within these pages.

The true magnitude and complexity surrounding this element of psychopathology, etc., to the qualified and perceptive researcher, is crystal clear, indeed.

This book ought to be readily available to all professionals claiming to be experts in this potentially deadly arena of forensics!


Mohawk
Published in Hardcover by Knopf (08 May, 2001)
Authors: Richard Russo and Gary Fisketjon
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Serious Humor
Richard Russo is one of America's funniest literary novelists. This novel is based in small-town New England, and all readers who have ever lived in a small town anywhere in America will feel like they're in on one of the wittiest jokes they've ever heard the entire time they read this book. Some characters want out of the town but seem never to succeed. Others never think of leaving. Others have thought of it and want to stay. All of which creates a very real and very humorous tale of small town life.

This story isn't small-minded in its small-town setting, nor is it simply humorous. Large personal issues that everyone, despite where he/she lives, must deal with are honestly and intelligently explored in this novel (e.g. a father's death, cancer, divorce, growing up, growing old, being poor, being rich then becoming poor).

The only reason I rank this novel with 4 stars instead of 5 is that it does seem to be slightly too long. It is still a great read, but if it were 20-25 pages shorter, it would have kept the energy it started with. I don't mean to suggest that it ever becomes boring, but it came out of the gates at a sprint and slowed down a bit toward the end.

In short, I advise reading this book. Despite any flaws it may have, it is better than most books I've read recently. It avoids being overly serious without becoming trite humor. I would also advise reading his novels Risk Pool and Straight Man which are also humorous and intelligent reads.

Masterfully rendered, succinct, bright in its dreary truth
A wonderful work, exciting. A truly literary pageturner with fully realized loveable characters. Completely unpretentious. Even Wild Bill--Russo is totally forgiven for his creation, a patent Faulknerian manchild--is never doubted for a moment and plays a very pivotal part in the author's unfolding of this unforgettable town and the folks in it. I dream Mohawk (finding myself in the town) sometimes, even though I read this book two maybe three years ago. I can't believe that no one else visiting this site has reviewed this book at this time, besides the reprint of the published review. But Russo is not well known and this is his first novel. I recommend this book to anyone who breathes air and is thankful that they are a small part in the midst of this great ongoing tragicomedy (life). Didn't change my life, but if you want to read someone who is NOT a hack, read Richard Russo. Funny, too. --Jeremy

Russo crafts relationships that build characters.
Original writing that will probably have the reader going back for more. Heard about Russo from some people for whom the written word is life. They read him. I decided to see what was between the covers. He develops relationships, mother/daughter;daughter/father;husband/wife; friend/enemy; that help you understand characters who could easily be part of your everyday scenery. Russo provides some unexpected perspective to his characters that keeps the reader intrigued. This was my second Russo book, and I think I'm going back for thirds. Mohawk is a novel, not a sceen play. While there are some twists, it is not quite as funny and endearing as Straight Man, but if you are a person who enjoys solid writing, intriguing, everyday characters and a new perspective, you should enjoy Richard Russo and MOHWAK.


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