Xanth is a magical world of fun and puns. It is a parallel world to Earth/ Mundania. Everything that happens has some double meaning, so always be on the lookout for words like "paradox" and "pair of docks." Everything living in Xanth is magical and everyone has a seperate talent. I began reading the Xanth series last summer, almost a year ago, and I've read about thirty since then. I recently read the first novel, so don't worry about reading the series in order, they all have there own storyline and you can catch on fairly quickly. hope that you enjoy the series as much as I have.

Someone once told me that you can't READ fantasy, because it is a "visual" thing. Well... Piers Anthony has opened up the movie theater in my mind with the Xanth Series. If you love fantasy (and puns), I HIGHLY recommend getting lost in the beautiful, funny, and exciting world of Xanth. PS... it's much better if you start from the beginning, so if you're going to read them, get "Spell for Chameleon" first.

This book is great! It is the first book I've read by Piers Anthony, and I plan to read many more. The first book,"Centure Aisle", introduces you to Dor the "young" magician, Smash the young Ogre, Princess Irene, who can grow plants imedietly on her command, Grundy the golem, he can talk to anything living. Their adventures take them all over Xanth and beyond. I was so into this book that I could not put it down for weekend,I have a tendency to read slow. Thanks to this book I look forward to reading instead of dreading it. The Charcters are colorful and well portrayed, I've recomended it to many and they love it and are hurrying to the book store to get more of the Xanth novels. Enjoy reading this as it will take you far into the reaches of Xanth and you will not want to come back to the real world.

My favorite book as a child. My father read it to my brother and then to me, in chapters much like Michael's father tells him the story, until we were old enough to read it to him. It's so much a fairy tale but, at the same time, Michael's father loving him so much he creates this wonderful story off the top of his head combined with the father's slight impatience or perhaps the father and son's different priorities make it believable. The under-his-breath sarcasm/innuendo in the father's voice adds a little reality check for parents reading the book to their children. I am constantly on the look-out for this book so I can share it with my grandchildren (since I won't let go of my only copy) and my friends' children. I thought it was out of print and can't believe my good fortune in finding not only a printed copy, but an audiobook as well. I think this is the first thing in my childhood that really showed it was okay to think "outside the box". I could probably stand to re-read it more often to remind me of that early lesson and it's a good lesson for kids, too.

Wolf Story was one of the first read-aloud chapter books that really hooked my five year old son in to listening. William McCleery wrote this short tale with keen insight into the mind of young boys and what excites them. The story is funny, interesting, and ends much too quickly. Children are able to recognize themselves in the typical parent/child exchanges. The book also serves to preserve an innocence and purity in the imagination and experience of childhood. My son Gabriel and I urge you to read Wolf Story together with your children as soon as possible. You won't be sorry!

This is a nearly perfect read-out-loud book. I have shared this book several times with my daughters (now 10 and 12). I am looking forward to the time when I can begin to read it aloud to my three year old son. The story within the story (the struggle between the Wolf, Rainbow and the heroic farmer boy Jimmy) effortlessly keeps the children involved. The external story (the father and son inventing the animal adventure tale over several days) makes me laugh out loud with its sly humor and insight; the boy's missing shoe gets me every time. It's great to see that a reprint edition is available again.

Anthony Calfo's "Book of Coral Propagation" was a pleasant read. It is a nearly all text book, but the author's easy-going, sometimes eccentric, writing style makes even difficult topics simple to understand. It is focused on the profitable, commercial propagation of coral, but there is a healthy amount of information for the casual owner of a coral reef display tank. The book covers topics on captive reef care from planning, equipment, and hardware to water quality issues, supplements, and feeding to shipping methods and recieving protocols to propagation techniques. But, the most important part of the book is the coral family overviews. The author covers the proper care of all of the coral species seen for sale in the trade. There are many other books that do the same thing, but where this book is different is in the discussions about profitability of species. This is the first book that I have read that discusses expected growth rates and ease of propagation. This is invaluable information for anyone serious about coral propagation. If you want to grow and propagate corals for display and trade with fellow aquarists, or to sell on a small-scale to local retail stores, orto make the jump to full-time, for-profit coral gardening, you must have this book.

The "Book of Coral Propagation" is now my favorite book in my 40-some reef/marine aquarium book collection. If you are looking for a first-rate book on coral propagation and husbandry that is in-depth, up-to-date, and full of ground-breaking information, then look no further. Don't assume this book is just about propagation for the commercial sector or hardcore reef aquarists. It provides a holistic view on the husbandry of corals too, that even beginners can appreciate. In order to propagate corals, you need to understand how they thrive and grow, and this book will be your ultimate guide. So even if you don't plan on propagating corals, this book will still provide more information on husbandry than any other book out there. The coral family overviews themselves are worth buying this book. This book is thick, and it's not full of filler. Unlike most books in the hobby (and industry for that matter), this book actually contains valuable knowledge - and lots of it - derived from years of bona fide research, practice, and experience! There are many coral books out in the marketplace, and a few coral husbandry books, but all fall short of providing practical and useful information that aquarists can really use. Most of these so called coral books are reiterations of biology books or make good coffee table books (pretty pictures). This book is radically different! It is so refreshing to read a book that is actually useful. Looking at a picture book full of pretty corals is not going to help you grow and care for corals in your aquarium. Not only is this book useful, it is very easy to read. It's amazing how a book with so much knowledge and detail can be so painless to read and comprehensive at the same time. I would highly recommend all reef aquarists add this book to their current book collection. No matter how many books you have, you will find this book most useful and full of innovativation, insight, and revolutionary knowledge based on real-life experiences of the author. And if you don't have any coral books yet, then look no further, save your money, and buy this book first!

This is THE book for coral culturing. Excellent content and very easy to read. Discusses setup, various coral species, and culturing.

Recommended to anyone who is interested in keeping corals!

I just finished with this new CCNA 640-607 study guide and feel like it is best exam prep book available for the CCNA exam. It is concise, gets right to the point in terms of objectives needed to master and is managable.

It is clearly a great value and is worth more than they are charging for it. The entire book is useful and you can tell that the author is a great teacher.

I recommend this book if you are serious about passing the new CCNA exam!

This book was a great asset in helping me pass Cisco's latest version of the CCNA which is the CCNA 2.0 exam 640-607. This book hits all of the topics right on. It even has skill based questions which prepared me to take the simulation questions on the 640-607 CCNA 2.0 test.

Buy this book if you want to prepare yourself for the exam!

I read this book and it helped me pass!!! The test Questions were jusk like the in the book. It covers everything that you need to pass!!!

David Aloisi CCNA

Piers Anthony created a masterpiece when he wrote With a Tangled Skein. This story has a strong, mystifying plot that latches on and doesn't let go. The story centers around a woman named Niobe Kaftan. The story picks up when her husband dies in her place, due to a plan devised by Satan, the lord of evil. To get her revenge, she joins the aspect of Fate as Clotho. With her are two other ladies, Atropos and Lachesis, who guide her and and help her find her way. She then learns that there are such things as incarnations; Fate, War, Nature,Time,God and Satan, real people who are immortal to govern over humanity. This story has many great elements. The characters are very well thought out, you would almost think they were real. The plot is a rel dazzler, though, because twists and turns abound in this book. It's a very absorbing book that you can hardly put down. The dialogue is immaculate and very precise. The descriptiveness is just spectacular, you feel as if you're there. On the down side, though, there are a few little problems. First,it can get a tiny bit confusing now and then, because so much action is taking place. Secondly, because this book spans many generations, it gets hard to see who had this kid and who married who, so on and so forth. Other than this, the book is excellent. With a Tangled Skein rises above all the rest, sort of a diamond in the rough, you could say. It has an enthralling plot that will keep you reading to the end. I suggest that you read this as soon as humanly possible.

Recently my friend (who's review is also here I think) lent me his copy of "On a Pale Horse," the first book in this series. I loved it and immediately read the next two books. But Skein was just amazing. Anthony was original once again, taking the three famous mythologic Aspects of Fate- Clotho, the spinner; Lachesis, the weaver; and Lachesis, the cutter of threads- and giving them distinct roles, duties, and powers. This book took place over a long period of time and managed to do so smoothly, for I felt as if Niobe had actually experienced 80-something years and developed from a stubborn young woman to a wize old one. There were a few aspects (pardon the pun) I was unsatisfied with, namely the fact that it wasn't made clear enough that the man who fills the office of Chronos who she interacts with first in the novel is not Norton from the last book in the series; her encounters with him seem almost exactly the same as the ones in the that novel. I was able to know this was not the case because I did the math, and in order for that to be Norton, Luna would have to be born while her father was only four years old. Later in the novel it was made more evident, but it still leads to misunderstanding. Whatever the case, its still an excellent book, second only to "Inherit the Wind." Satan's maze was creative, despite being slightly tedious, and it expanded well on the life of the mysterious Magician Kaftan of the first novel in the series. I particularly like that this book was full of many smaller incidents that made the larger story, much like in the first book- a quality which was lacking in the second. Now I've begun the fourth book. I've heard wonderful things about book six and I can't wait to get to it. This series is an excellent choice for anyone who likes creative another-way-of-looking-at-things type books whith lots of characters and secrets. Before closing, you might note that the branches of the family tree in Skein are awfully close... its as close as it can get to incest without actually being it. Enjoy this book and the rest of the series!

This book was one of the best I have read in this series! With a Tangled Skien is a story on how each single life is a thread that is woven into a never ending tapestry, and how three women use their abilities to fend off outside evils who try to change the tapestry of life. Anyone who loves fantesy will love this story!!!

This is the standard edition of Larkin's poetry. Larkin did not publish a great deal in his lifetime and the addition of a number of previously unpublished poems adds a good deal to his canon. Even with these additions, Larkin was not prolific and wrote no long poems. His reputation rests on a number of short poems written in a characteristic and deceptively simple style. Larkin achieved both accessibility and considerable power with direct, chiselled lyrics that use relatively simple words, metaphors, and allusions. His best poems deal with uncertainty, anxiety, the problems of aging, and aspects of personal disappointment. This wouldn't seem to be very promising but Larkin captures eloquently important aspects of life. There are also some fine and short nature poems. Easy to read and very rewarding.

In five years, nine Larkinites have posted reviews to these pages. One laments the death of poetry's ability to move the masses, laments the lost world in which poetry was a master art, in which Longfellow might hold a theater in thrall with tales of Gitchee Gumee.

Why doesn't everyone who reads in the English Language know Philip Larkin?

Oh, this Larkin is most assuredly not for every taste--he is ugly, rueful, bitter, timorous, and in these he is wholly and perfectly one with his poetic voice. He is a formalist--a large quantity of rhymed iambic pentameter at a time when most "poetry" is indistinguishable from prose except in the way the lines are arranged--who sounds, miraculously, astonishingly, colloquial (the particular mark of his genius). Many of these poems attain a perfection--Aubade, High Windows, This Be The Verse, others, all relatively well known--that literally staggers the imagination. As with the (classic) jazz to which Larkin was so devoted, in which the players continually found "new" notes to blow, and even created new musical vocabularies when the old ones were exhausted, Larkin finds boundless new resources inside the English language and then bursts poetry's integument asunder when his straightlaced, albeit eccentric, formalism seems to hem him in.

Unlike most contemporary poets, Larkin creates lines you remember--indeed, cannot shake--and want to memorize for the delight, and mortification, of self and friends.

Larkin does not, by the bye, deal in any manner of obscurantism. What he means is clearly on the page. It may not leave you in the sunniest of dispositions, but it will lift you, powerfully, to another level of poetic appreciation.

This is a book for life by the major voice of my time.

An 'elderly reclusive bachelor', a friend of mine who fancies himself a Larkin clone, introduced me to this wonderous book and to the life of this most interesting poet. I am deeply grateful to both my friend and to his hero. "This Be the Verse" is Larkin's most famous poem if only for the directness of its language and the economy of its expression. The poem begins: "They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to , but they do. " Upon reading this opening my adult daughters cheered wildly - someone had finally understood their plight. As they fancy children I encouraged reading to the closing couplet: "Get out as early as you can, And don't have any kids yourself." This stunned them, as it had me in my turn. Imagine the creative despair of Larkin's: "Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf." Ain't it the truth!A second favourite of mine, "If, My Darling" invites the reader to 'jump' inside the poet's head to view the psychic interior of one who sees "the past is past and the future neuter". Take the trip inside Larkin's poetr - short incursions are all I can handle, three poems at a time with ample time to reflect and to recover before entering this volume for the next disquieting. No poet has reached me like Larkin. He knows the grief at the center of the soul and coveys it with grace and with compassion for us all.

When I consider buying a book I look it over asking two questions. One, does the author have a story to tell? Two, does he or she have the skills to tell that story compellingly? As far as "Gabriel's Story" is concerned, the answer is yes on both counts. The story is strong both because it has a tight spine along which the narrative progresses and because the author picks up on an under-acknowledged feature of the American West, namely the role African-Americans played in its history. The novel educates, but it does so effortlessly, so that a reader is transported along on an adventure tale, probably not even noticing how much the novel adds new dimensions to writing about the West. As for the author's skills... He's got it. The narrative reads like some combination of "Lonesome Dove" and "Paradise", somehow spliced together with a cinematographer's eye for horizon-lines, with a soft heart for the family scenes and a keen eye for the violent passages. And it even has a satisfying ending. That's rare these days and seems especially hard for first novelists to pull off. Congrats to the author.

I picked up this book after reading the USA Today review, which was essentially an unconditional rave. I decided to give it a try, but figured I'd probably be disappointed, as few books live up to the praise heaped on them. But GABRIEL'S STORY was a pleasant surprise. It begins with vivid homesteading scenes - all the toil and the poverty of it. Makes me glad I wasn't a homesteader, and it made it reasonable that Gabriel would want to run away from it. The journey that he sets off on is truly engrossing, well-plotted, with beautiful language and great descriptions of the Western landscape.

It looks like the novel is being compared to Cormac McCarthy's work. There are some similarities, but GABRIEL'S STORY is a bit more hopeful than McCarthy's work. The world is still harsh and dangerous, but Durham seems to have more faith in humanity, in family and friends. Also, I thought it was interesting that the reviewer in USA Today said that he was a city-dwelling white guy that still got into this book about a black boy in another century out on the plains. I felt the same way. Yes, the main characters are black, but their racial identity is only part of the whole world of the story. They're black like James Joyce's characters are Irish or Faulkner's are Southern - it matters, but it doesn't change the fact that anybody can connect with them. Altogether a really good novel.

Here is my reaction to one of the best books I have ever read. The book is "Gabriel's Story" by David Anthony Durham. The action takes place in the 1870's. The protagonist is Gabriel, an African-American youth who has just turned 16. The other characters are his brother Ben, just turned 14; his step-father, Solomon; his mother, and his uncle. Gabriel's parents were freed slaves. After their freedom, they lived in Baltimore, where Gabriel enjoyed the big city life. Then his father dies, and his mother decides to go west to Kansas to join and marry her first love, Solomon. The two were separated by slavery. Gabriel doesn't realize that they were in love before this time. Gabriel resents his mother's remarriage and the hard life homesteading on the Kansas prairie. He has all of a teenager's resentment of everything with something real to pin them on. He makes a friend, an African-American orphan his age whose name is James. Together the boys decide to join a group of cowboys and help them drive some horses west to Texas. What the boys don't realize is that these are very bad men they have fallen in with -- the very worst men there could be. As the trip begins, Gabriel and James gradually discover what these men really are, and now their greatest desire is to get away from them. The rest of the novel contains their picaresque travels with the men, trying to leave the men, and trying to return to Kansas. The author has done a marvelous job with this book. The plot is exciting and adventurous, with many twists and turns. The characters and their relationships are complex. The description is wonderful. I felt I was with Gabriel every step of the way on his journey. On Sunday I read in a frenzy from 2 to 6 because I couldn't stop until I finished this book. At times my heart was pounding and I almost stopped breathing as I said aloud, "Oh, no!" I was so involved in this. In addition, the author's writing is beautiful and eloquent. I wouldn't have predicted that I would fall in love with a book one might call a "Western," but this novel defies categorization. The aspect of African Americans homesteading is unusual and interesting. I immediately wrote to the author to thank him for this book, and I hope other people will enjoy it as well. It might be a good one to recommend to teens.

I found this book easy to read, very clear and understandable. It is not a book for a novice. You have to know some basic astrology before you study horary. But when you are ready to learn horary, this this the place to start. The author reviews the history of horary and gives clear examples of all the concepts. There are lots of real life examples that make fascinating reading. This is astrology at its best.

Dear Mr. Louis: I bought your book Horary Astrology: Plain and Simple via Amazon.com two monthes ago. Well, it's very, very good. A special, complete and clear book. I've already finished my first reading and now I'm studying and reading it again and again with gratitude and happiness. It will help me a lot in my Astrology work. If a person really enjoys Astrology, she would have this book as a precious gift.

This has become one of my favorite astrology books since I began my studies a decade ago. Anthony Louis has done his homework and presents some difficult concepts in an easy and readable style. He gives plenty of examples to illustrate his points. The best feature of the book is the excitement and love of learning about astrology that runs through the whole text. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I wish I could give it six stars.

Author Anthony J. Alessandra identifies the four basic business personalities: Directors, Socializers, Relaters and Thinkers. As you come to appreciate the strengths of each of these styles, you also learn to put them to use. You will read about the drawbacks of each style and you will see how you can help people overcome them. The book is generally for managers who want to get more out of their employees. The authors include a section on how to apply The Platinum Rule to selling, which makes the book quite useful for anyone in a sales position. We [...] recommend this book to sales or personnel managers, and to other executives who want to understand and motivate people.

Over the years there have been many books written to explore human personality, some by academics and some by laymen. This work stands out among them as a superior learning tool written by two academically trained experts who are also actual practitioners of their messages. It is solid material and a downright good read. Dr.s Tony Alessandra and Michael O¹Connor are the leading authorities alive today on the subject of Behavioral Styles. Alessandra is a professional speaker and trainer who has specialized in the application of behavioral science in the business world. As a former college professor he taught sales and marketing for several years. As an individual he has practiced what he preached. Alessandra spent several successful years in sales and sales management positions and now counts among his closest acquaintances the top thought leaders in the worldwide business community. His experience as a professional speaker to over two thousand audiences shows up in the book, it is very entertaining and motivational.Dr. O¹Connor is the brains behind many works on behavioral style, most notably the Performax materials published by Carlson Learning. His scientific mind and technical training make this a well structured and highly accessible work.The book offers readers immediate insight into their own relationships and their personal behavior patterns. Real world examples are peppered throughout and do a great job of keeping the reader engaged. Examples are well balanced among various life situations and industries. Business people will especially enjoy the practical and entertaining nature of the book.The Platinum Rule addresses a basic human truth: the fact that we are all alike in many ways and we are all different in other ways. If we will take the brief time necessary to notice our differences then we will instantly see how to better connect with each other. The book shows how to easily observe the four most common ³styles² of behavior. It goes on to show you exactly how to deal with each style. Readers will instantly know from their own experiences that the suggestions will work. Once you have read this book, solutions become obvious and tension between people disappears. This is one of the most practical and enjoyable books ever written on this topic.Respectfully submitted by:Jim Cathcart, author of The Acorn Principle, Know Yourself-Grow Yourself, and Relationship Selling. President of the Cathcart Institute, La Jolla, CA. Past president of the National Speakers Association.

"As Chairman of the Bethel Institute, I recommend The Platinum Rule by Dr. Tony Alessandra, my clients all find it to be most useful. However, there is another dimension I'd like to suggest. I have six adult children and each is married. I have given the book to each one as a guide to a happier marriage. Tony has given us a tool to build relationships, understand ourselves, our partners and our children. Our most important and endearing relationships are at home. It seems appropriate to have a book of this magnitude to guide us in our efforts to achieve a happier personal life." Sheila Murrary Bethel, Chairman, Bethel Institute, Author: Making A Difference, 12 Qualities That Make You A Leader

When I first met my wife, I was delivering pizzas as my only source of income. She let me listen to the first tape (as a test I later found out).

I couldn't believe it! I mean here was this guy that I had seen on TV for years... but could never afford to get his tapes. (Nice mindset, huh?)

Well, I guess I passed the test because after I listened to the first tape, I couldn't stop. I had to have the next and then the next and then all of the sudden I was 30 days into the program and I was a different person. Every part of me had changed - THE PAST DOES NOT EQUAL THE FUTURE!

Together we became so enthralled with Tony's work that we started attending his live events. WOW!!

The man is a Master at what he does! My life is living proof -

Now, we live in a 5-bedroom house on a golf course. I drive a Mercedes Benz S320 and we make a high six figure income from our Network Marketing business.

If you are thinking about making this purchase - DO IT!

If you don't think you can afford it - DO IT ANYWAY! Don't ever let money stop you from experiencing what life has to offer you!

Whatever reason might be coming up in your head right now as to why you shouldn't do this - Cancel that thought and do it now!

Just like Tony says: "So many times in life we talk about what we 'should' do. You know, I 'should' do this. Or, I 'should' do that. Pretty soon we end up just 'shoulding' all over oursevles.

Turn yours "shoulds" into "MUSTS" and buy this system NOW!

And, have an outstanding life!

A friend!

If somebody had told me 10 years ago that I would be singing the praises of some "self-hep guru", I would have laughed. To this day, I have my doubts about most of them. Anthony Robbins is a different story altogether, and these tapes prove it. Robbins lays out, in detail, a strategy to being successful in all facets of life including financial, love, overcoming fears,etc. He does this not by taking the easy "just be positive" approach, but by illustrating how to change your physical and mental state to take on the challenges of everyday life. It's funny. Listening to the conviction and passion in his voice on these tapes, which I listen to when I'm driving in my car, almost seem as musical and lyrical than a song on a radio. Mr. Robbins comes off not so much like a mulitmedia, multi-millionaire celebrity, but as an older brother who has the gift to influence and find the strengths in you that you didn't know you had. If you listen to these tapes and don't find some motivation, your not human. This man is a magician, because he can find the magic in you.

I love this program. I'm on it for the second time around and it's even more powerful than the first. I'm a person sometimes difficult to motivate - but Tony does it, no matter what the critics may say. He doesn't have a PhD, but this stuff is so much more coherent and worthwile - not to mention energetic - than most with PhDs (including myself) can ever hope to produce. How does he do it - I don't know. What matters is, that it works. The program really represents a big help, support, a coach, if you will, in day-to-day life. It works on so many levels. Even if you're just interested in human psychology, you will get lots from listening to these tapes. Afraid of flying? Thinking that your diet won't work because it did not work so many times in the past? Thinking that you're hopeless in some respect and that you're "just not the material" to achieve something you're after? Feeling that there are too many obstacles and foes around you hindering your every action? Wanting something, but being unsure what it is exactly? Seek no more. Get these tapes/CDs and give it a sincere effort. There is no way that you can fail (as Tony will teach you).