I was amazed by the wholesome family quality found in this delightful holiday book. Most books today contain some sort of profanity or adult situations, but this Christmas book was written with the entire family in mind! Keep it close to you all year long--your family will thank you!

Every family should read this book. Not only will it fill them with the warmth and true spirit of the Christmas season, it provides a wonderful way for a family to grow closer to one another. I would suggest purchasing this book around Thanksgiving time---it would make a wonderful hostess gift, too!--then sharing a story each day throughout the month of December.

Read one each night at dinner time, or perhaps first thing in the morning before the kids go off to school. There is so much to gain from each of these wonderful Christmas stories. Make it a part of your family's Christmas tradition!

...even impossible, for some of us. This book helped me do just that. They were smaller bookstores at first, but even that helped me learn the ropes before I approached the biggies. In the meantime, my book popped up all over town: in pizzerias, waiting rooms, office buildings, etc. Just because I was inspired to think "beyond the bookstore." You'll be too...

Almost every one of these 101 ideas is a little gem for the struggling, self-published author who hasn't had luck placing his masterpiece on the hallowed shelves of bookstores like [local stores]. Advice includes selling your book to florists (for those with gardening books), in veterinary waiting rooms (for those with pet books), gift shops (for many other books), restaurants (for cookbooks), etc. Even the few ideas that don't work for you will no doubt spur you on to come up with a few of your own. Priceless for the growing legion of self-published authors out there.

Whether you're young or old, beginner or veteran, there's something in this often-funny book for everyone. Some of it you'll know, but every page holds a surprise and is well worth reading for anyone who's ever tried to make money freelance writing...

As a beginning freelance writer, this book really helped me pick up some tips I might not have found on my own. From writing websites to query letters, this one's got it all. And a plus: It's written by an actual editor, so every tip is boosted by a hefty does of insider advice!

I think the earlier reviewer is a bit confused. This is the third of Luc Milne's Pleasure Corporation series. More than in the two previous novels the characters are developed and the idea of why people might be interested in such a ranch and the "fantasy of SM" is raised. There is a very wide range of sex highlighted in this novel and shown through the eyes of four "new recruits." I was not thrilled with the first book in this series but S/M Ranch shows growth in Milne's abilities as a writer. I hope he continues to improve.

Two autobiographical novellas from "Down Under" are featured in this book: The first "Surfer Sex" details the very passionate love affair between the author and Brent, a young Australian life-guard. The second, "Kev," is a moving, poetically told account of the author's adolescent relationship with an aboriginal boy in Australia's untamed Northern Territory.

"The Wreck of the 'Rusty Nail'" offers up an assortment of "Doonesbury" daily comic strips from the period 1981-1982-1983. At the start Duke is still on the run after his unfortunate "accidental" shooting of Zeke Brenner (events detailed in "Unfortunately, She Was Also Wired for Sound") but with Honey (and Honey's $2,000), Duke has grandiose plans for "Rusty Nail Charters." Of course, the ship is doomed, and Duke and Honey end up doing Robinson Crusoe on a "deserted" island (except for the whooping cranes, the pelicans, and a mouthy parrot). Meanwhile Phil Slackmeyer is leaving the Reagan White House to return to private industry and big bucks while President King needs to make some severe budget cuts at Walden University. Dr. Kissinger has to deal with both heart surgery and the concern of his students and there is naked Communist aggression down South American way (with photographs no less). However, I never really enjoyed the strips focusing on Duke all that much, so the best offerings in this collection have to do with Mike Doonesbury discovering his younger brother has gone punk, Joanie tells Rick that she is pregnant, and the Walden War Games provides one possible scenario for how the world will end. I do not consider anything in here to constitute classic "Doonesbury" from G. B. Trudeau, but even on cruise control these strips are still well above average given the rest of what we find on the daily funny pages. Of course, "The Wreck of the 'Rusty Nail'" is going to be of interest to those who want to reread the strips rather than those trying to work their way backwards to the beginning.

More fun and games from the Doonesbury crew. This time, the cartoons first appeared in the early Eighties.

The main tale in this book is of the mishaps of Duke and Honey as they try to run a boat charter operation. When running drugs and refugees doesn't work out, Duke takes a party of tourists on a trip to the Falklands to watch the British blockade. As usual Duke's approach to life is outrageous and totally lacking in shame but somehow, you have to like his directness.

In the meantime, we see the rest of the cast coping with the early years of the Reagan era. The humour is sharp and, despite the fact that many of the themes are now well in the past, this book is still readable today.

"A two-time cancer survivor describes his struggles with the disease as a roller-coaster ride, complete with unexpected dips and loops and turns. Writing with fear of the unknown but hope for the future - wherever that may be - Rusty Freeman speaks candidly of his journey. Based on the assurance of Scripture, these meditations, prayers and poems offer encouragement to patients whether facing a new diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, raditaion, or remission. From negative thoughts in "Assuming the Worst," "Lowering Expectations," "Angry with God," "Tired of Surviving," and "Emotionally Handicapped Friends" to the postive tones of "Joy is a Choice" and "Almost There," the author urges readers to make their suffering a blessing to others and in the process to find personal healing."
- reviewed in Baptists Today, July 2001

"Brief reflections on a host of topics dealing with the unique experiences of being a cancer patient. An excellent section on "Emotionally Handicapped Friends" and the need to have friends cry with you without fear of upsetting anyone."
- a review from Then Living Church magazine, July 23, 2000

Rusty Freeman, pastor of Johnstown Presbyterian Church, and a two-time cancer survivor, offers prayers, poetry, scripture, and meditations helpful to anyone, but particularly written for cancer patients. In his introduction Freeman reminds us that 4 things....not 2... are with us also. Death and taxes come, and also trials and the love of God can be counted on! Somewhere in the book we are told that whether we're facing a fresh diagnosis, a surgery, chemotherapy or even struggling with remission, this book is for us. I believe it!! Continually we are reminded that God loves us and is with us throughout our trials.

I bought this book because I am on Weight Watchers. I have other cookbooks of theirs but I needed something that made dinner quickly. It had to be able to satisfy the finicky eaters. I have two of them! I needed it to be a little more filling for my dear husband. I wanted to add some interesting recipes. Well, this book is the answer.

The sections of the book are divided into 15, 20, & 30. How wild is that? In front of these sections, it gives an index of what meals are in there. You can plan your menu out just by figuring out how much time you want to spend cooking. There are some meals that need more time. SORRY! My favorite part is that on the side of every recipe there is a list of ingredients so, you can just check what you have in the house. You can have an easier time shopping for the stuff too. There is nothing exotic in this book. This thrills me to death! I have timed some of the meals and they are pretty close. One small nitpicky thing is that there are just a few pictures. You do not see those mouthwatering pictures that draw you to the stove. The book is not glossy so, there is no resistance to damage. Another item that bothers me is that it is not organized into categories of food types such as: poultry, vegetarian, meat, etc. Itis organized by time and the food is just slopped into the section.

It has the points that you use for Weight Watchers. However, for those that are not on WW, it makes life easier by cooking less, using eye appealing recipes, and containing the nutritional info. It can help people that are just trying to eat healthier.

This is one of my two favorite Weight Watchers' books. You must buy this book. The positives definitely out weigh the negatives! Happy Eating!

I really liked this cookbook, because the recipes are quick, easy to follow and good! My family likes it and I don't feel like I am making food just for me. My 3 year old really like the Southwestern Skillet Macaroni and Cheese and always requests seconds! The recipes really take 15, 20 and 30 minutes to prepare. I am still losing and LOVE to cook everynight now that Weight Watchers has made it so easy. If you aren't on the WW program you will still love this cookbook, and if you are, then it will help you achieve your goal with a lot more fun.

Excellent set up of the cookbook. Recipes are set up not only as breakfast, lunch, dinner but as 15 minutes, 20 minutes and 30 minute recipes. The recipes are easy to *read*, everything is set up very clearly and simply. Points are included as are calories, fat, carbs...and other nutritional info, so you could use this recipe on other diets as well. Particularly helpful for low fat, low cal, and diabetic diets (altho ww generally uses sugar as a sweetener, this could be adjusted)

The recipes are excellent with easy to find ingredients. Some of the ethnic recipes might require things not normally in a pantry but arent items that are so way out you would never use them again. There are many full color pictures of finished dishes which i like very much. (I do wish the paper was glossier as it cleans up easier)

This cookbook has followed the other ones i have had in the respect that the recipes *work*. I have made many recipes from ww cookbooks for company without trying them ahead of time, with no problem. Also included are *what to serve with it* suggestions.

You might find for your *non-dieters* that the portions are a bit small...or a lot small. Just keep that in mind when looking over the recipes... The recipes would be great for dieters and non dieters alike

Over the years, I have used several books in the nutshell series and I have always found them to be useful. However if you buy any nutshell book and more specifically the "XML in a nutshell" book with the intention of learning XML from scratch, then you will be disappointed. This book is meant to be a pocket reference for those who know XML and don't want a huge book on their desk.

This book scratches the surface of several XML topics like DTDs,XLink,XPointer,DOM,SAX,CSS etc, but doesn't explore any subject in detail. However one glaring omission is XML schema.

If you are a techie trying to learn XML or an experienced professional looking to enhance your understanding of XML and the related technologies, then Professional XML from Wrox press is a much better bet of your money.

Overall the most useful section of this book is the reference section at the end and is well worth the money if what you want is a good reference book.

XML
This book's an authoritative document: covering XML basics like DTD authoring and detailed discussion of attribute types - through to the more esoteric issues of character sets and the tricky XML namespace standards.
At every step, I found it easy to follow. It's not a book for the non-computer literate though; more aimed at people with an existing basis of technical knowledge. A techie web-designer would find it a good start. About a third of the book is filled with references. I don't know why, but my heart usually sinks when I see page-filling content like this - that said, ultimately it's the reference books like this that end up covered with scribbles and post-it notes, so while they might not make good reading, they're very useful.
It touchs on all the necessary bases - XSLT, XPath, XHTML, XLink, XPointers, CSS - I could go on. This book does. Heck of a basis for future reading: after two and a half years in XML, there's stuff in here that I haven't come across before!

Blaise Pascal once wrote "I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter". Writing a book on XML is quite an undertaking. Writing a quick reference that not only provides expert coverage on XML and its associated technologies but does so concisely, practically, and comprehensively is a super human feat! Amazingly, the authors of "XML In A Nutshell" have accomplished just that and it shows.

One of the authors, Elliotte Rusty Harold, is no stranger to the technology. He is an early adopter who has written two previous XML books (and several good Java books) and created a web site devoted to XML (Cafe con Leche).

This book is divided into 4 parts. The first covers the essentials of XML including XML syntax, DTD and namespaces. The second covers 'Narrative Centric Documents' involving XSLT, CSS, XLinks, XPointers and XPath. The third covers 'Data Centric XML, ' involving DOM and SAX. The final part is a quick reference to all the above. Each part contains tutorials that are concisely written and packed with practical examples. Beginners can use it to jump-start their learning experience and experts can use this as a indispensable ready reference.

XML Schema is mentioned but not covered in this book.

Hats off to O'Reilly Associates for producing a professionally attractive, well-designed and portable book. It is comfortable to read and to hold. Stranded on a island and allowed only one XML book, this is it!

Author makes a good point from the start. He notes that since the web public will take time to convert to XML-ready browsers, all works should be converted to HTML until technologies play a catch-up. Author's method for this HTML conversion is done through a Microsoft-DOS based utility called "MSXSL." Well, Guess what? Microsoft has taken this tool off the market, probably to promote it's Internet Explorer 5.0 browser which has built-in XML parser. But without the "MSXSL" examples starting from chapter 2 are not possible. It's a pity, since his writing on XML are well written. But it's just too hard to overcome the frustration of not being able apply your knowledge. I will return this book and use the money to buy a book with examples of IE5 - the 'bleeding' edge of technology.

I've enjoyed ERH's JavaBeans book and both his Cafe au Lait (Java) and Cafe con Leche XML News and Resources web sites. So maybe I was predisposed toward liking his XML book. However, it stands on its own merit. ERH begins with a history of XML (very useful for newcomers) and gradually takes you from just a sprinkle of XML to a detailed examination of the syntax, much like the better traditional programming texts. Harold's writing is clear and concise. He presents quite a bit about XSL (Extensible Style Language, not even a Working Draft at the time of this writing, so expect the details to change). Very good coverage of DTDs and XLink/XPointer. Throughout the book, he gives you an idea of best practices. If you are a programmer or web developer about to use XML, buy this book! (Managers would probably prefer the Goldfarb/Prescod XML Handbook.)

After reading several dismal XML books (including The XML Handbook), XML by Elliotte Harold is by far the most concise and thorough study of XML I have read to date. This book will take a reader from XML fundamentals to developing XML applications. The topics covered in depth are XML, XSL, and DTDs.

The book covers the topic of XML and related technologies in a clear and concise manner. Focusing on actual relevant examples, Harold demonstrates how XML is used and how to begin thinking in an XML perpective. The emphasis on actual usage and thinking in XML is the primary advantage of this book.

The Quick Reference and Appendices alone are well worth the cost of the book. Rarely do I see a text where I read the 300 or so pages of text and am then able to immediately understand everything in the Quick Reference. This is a testament to Harold's lucid teaching style. Good description, useful applications, clear explanations, reinteration of critical points, and good summarizations are the halmarks of this excellent work.

While the beginning of the book was an interesting read with the author talking about Microsoft's hiring practices, the inner workings of the company and his experience at SoftImage, a company acquired by Microsoft, I felt that the book went downhill quickly from there.

At exactly page 146, I felt like I was reading a different book. Unfortunately, it was a book that I did not enjoy nearly as much as the first 145 pages. From this point onward, Mr. Barr felt the need to write a long drawn out essay about the history of the computer industry peppered with comments about how it affected Microsoft.

I have read this history countless other times in books much more entertaining and comprehensive (i.e. Fire in the Valley) than this book.

The author supposedly worked on two different versions of Windows NT and Windows 2000, but there was no talk whatsoever of what it was like to work on those teams. I definitely expected more information about what specifically went on inside Microsoft (from an insider's point of view) rather than Microsoft's relation to the industry which is public knowledge.

Adam Barr writes well. I found myself agreeing with several of his analyses: esp. his dissection of MSFT's evangelistic activities and his keen understanding of the api-itis that afflicts MSFT products today.

The book is in four parts. The first is a look at MSFT hiring and interview processes, which is followed by a description of his time at Softimage (which includes a brilliant dissection of type-1 through type-4 demos), then a long and meandering recounting of his early involvement with computers and then an equally meandering final part which is a compilation of his observations about MSFT and the industry in general. I found the first two interesting enough to read, but found the final two not as compelling. He completely mis-understands the point about middleware and Java (see Lou Gerstner's book "Who said elephants can't dance?" for a different definition of middleware and business strategy). Perhaps his narrow, unappealing and unfocussed second half meanders so much because he didn't take his chances to widen his own career within MSFT as a manager or PM.

Like Adam with his interviewees, I agonized over whether or not I should give this book a "four" or a "three" star rating :). Ultimately, I had to go with the lower rating because as a developer, I was hoping to read about what "he" had actually "learnt as a developer" when I picked up the book. Unfortunately, while he talks about a whole lot of things (such as the importance of testing for product quality, and the importance of programmers getting a 'life' as they mature, the contributions of MSFT to the open source movement, etc. etc.) he doesn't at all talk about what he worked on, what was exciting and new about NT code he may have contributed to, or how methodologies and practices changed while he was there. Maybe MSFT prevents people from talking about such stuff, but by cutting out such professionally interesting bits, the book becomes a "missed opportunity" (esp. since Adam is a self described "systems guy"). Perhaps he really was writing only for the non-programmer crowd (but I doubt it).

In this book you'll find the story of Microsoft and SoftImage in the 1990s, from a software developer's point of view. I worked at Microsoft myself for most of this time and I can say that the book is accurate and gives a good sense of the place, and of the problems facing software developers. I especially liked the detailed discussion of hiring practices. In the software business the assets walk out the door each night and a software company is only as good as its employees - hence the critical importance of hiring and retaining good ones.

The author includes a history of the personal computer industry and some thoughts on the problems facing Microsoft now, from court battles to public opinion. If you want to get a sense of what it's like inside the company, this is a really good book. I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to you.