Sam & Max are really funny guys, I found this out by playing the computer game. They now have a cartoon on Fox Kids, Saturday at 9:30 Am centeral time. Sam is a dog(canine shamus). Max is a bunny(hyperkinetic rabbity thing). Together they are the Freelance Police. This book is just a compilation of all the Sam & Max Comics, and makes no sense, but still really funny. Its a great book!END

Few books in my life have brought about as much humor and childhood trauma as Sam & Max. Just by glancing through the book, it's not hard to see why the comic rose to computer gaming and TV fame. The hilarious and witty remarks help to highlight the humor of the comic. The duo's love for wanton destruction is almost as disturbing as the fact that the book makes such urges fun. I mean, who doesn't want to go out, buy a dozen eggs, paint faces of people they don't like on them, and smash them with hammers. For anyone that is vaguely familiar with Sam and Max, this is the ultimate book to get. We can only hope that Steve Purcell has even more mayhem for the two in the future.

The book is great - it contains extremely creative ideas, and its like a big explosion of wild imagination. I felt I want more as soon as I unfortunately finished it - and I'll buy the next one as soon as it comes out!

Twisted unusuall humour, hilarious violence and even in the bad situations - everything is psycothicly funny (like when max dies and turns into a soup in a lab).

WARNING: you will become addicted.

I never thought that the great SAM&MAX quest is based on this marvelous comics. Steve Purcell at his best.

No, He never ceases with His Loving Grace. What God had done in a time when he moved the stone from all suffering. He Still Moves Stones even now. He never changes. When everyone needs a miracle, he still does that department. It's the stones in our lives that keep us from seeing what God has done for us. The Bible is filled with people who had questions like we did. Max Lucado reminds us when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush still speaks to us. God forgave King David and still offers us forgiveness. God was with Joseph when he felt confused by God's actions. God heard Joseph's prayer and brought him out of adversity. Even God helped men and women through the ages still comes to you. He came to do what you can't to move the stone away to know his answer.

When we're hindered by the obstacles that prevents us from fulfilling our hopes and dreams. We can rely on the Savior of Second Chances. The purpose of the stories inside this book is to tell what 'Jesus Does' NOT what he did. According to Paul, he said, "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope" [Rom. 15:4]. When there's nowhere to turn, there's a never-say-die Galilean who touched with kindness and words of mercy for a sad heart. He fulfilled the prophecy: "a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." Even through the most deepest shame we have suffered. We must get help to see us through or we'll never see the dawn. When you hear the words from Jesus, "I don't judge you guilty, go and sin no more" [John 8:11]. Even when some of us are marked by bitterness. And at times we're called to love, expecting nothing in return. What have we learned from this? Is it what we have is more important than what we don't have. Even if our dreams don't happen, it's all right to dream again. But one things for certain. When our stone is too great for us to budge. There's always God, greater than any stone. From way back when and even now. Because He still moves stones. If you need any stones removed this is a great inspirational, helpful guide in setting you free.

The portraits of the people who have encountered the Lord Jesus were so vividly described by Max Lucado that I felt I travelled back in time to witness the change in these people's lives. I was reminded that the stories I so often read in the Bible were not just fairy tales but these were stories of real people in real life situations -- people just like you and me. This is one of the best books I've ever read.

I first read "He Still Moves Stones" several years ago when a friend loaned it to me. I've purchased several copies since. Max Lucado captures the wonder of God's grace. I read it again a month ago and cried again during the same passages. The book is layed out in a series of vignettes with common theme. I just gave a copy to a couple who are going through a tough time with a teenage child. He hasn't had a chance to read it, yet, but his wife is reading it. She told him today that she likes it very much and finds it motivational and uplifting.

This book is fabulous! You will read it in one sitting because you cannot put it down! A great mystery, quite the whodunit! I recommend it tremendously! Then hurry up and buy The Devil's Cradle and Dark Moon Rising ASAP, because you can't get enough of Kendall O'Dell!

I'm not usually a big mystery buff, but I thought I'd give this one a try and I'm glad I did. Now I understand what the phrase "compulsive page turner" means -- I just couldn't stop reading! It's such an imaginative plot, with so many twists and turns I can't imagine many readers figuring it out ahead of time. A definite must read.

Enjoy Southwest lore? Love a mystery? Recently I read a mystery by a comparatively new and very promising author who resides in the Phoenix area, Sylvia Nobel, which combines both features. Deadly Sanctuary is a fast paced mystery which takes place here in Arizona. The heroine, Kendall O'Dell, takes a new job at a small AZ newspaper and stumbles into an evil conspiracy involving the death of two teen-aged girls. Sylvia Nobel's tale of mystery will hold your attention from beginning to end. Her style is similar to Tony Hillerman. Try it--you'll like it!

This is a beautiful story of how we are loved and acceptable to God even though we are imperfect creatures. The gist of the story is the crippled lamb was not allowed "to run with the herd", but was very welcome in the stable where the Baby Jesus was born. He was honored above all lambs by being in the presence of such a gift as the Christ Child.

So many children have low self-esteem. This book offers a boost. The crippled lamb would have been totally out as a sacrifice in ancient Judea, but he was totally in the circle of Jesus's love.

The illustrations are excellent. This book is a new classic in Christmas literature.

The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful! They capture my children's attention and even I can't turn the page without looking at the artwork. They story is equally as beautiful. It is about a small lamb who doesn't feel he belongs because he is not as "perfect" as the other lambs. He has a tremendous friend, named Abigail, who always reminds him that "God has a special place for those who don't belong." I cannot count the times this book as been read to teach my children how to be a friend to someone "different" or how to stand the trials of being the one who is not like everyone else. It is a touching story that no matter how many times you read, will choke you up and bring tears to your eyes. Abigale and Joshua will remind you of how special God creates each of us and how important we each are in "life". This is a must read book

The Crippled Lamb is probably the most moving story I have read in quite some time. I had read it on the internet, but when I received the book, it somehow seemed different. I read it to my granddaughters tonight and with some difficulty kept the tears from coming. This book shows children (and adults) that it isn't always hard to be different. Joshua was surely different, but being different was the best thing that happened to him. God has a plan for everyone, even those of us who feel left out. I can't think of a better way to teach children of God's love for each and everyone of us. For that matter, I can't think of a simpler way to teach adults the same thing. My granddaughters loved the book and the CD. Almost as much as I do.

Although this book is religeous in tone - and not subtly so, the lesson is a powerful one I have shared with my friends who are not religeous. It has been loved and embraced by all I have shared it with! With children's books today being centered around goofy graphics and rediculous, substanceless characters and plot lines (usually and offshoot of the latest cartoon character), this book is a welcome change. Max Lucado brings the concept of positive and negative comments into an easily understood concept of stickers - stars are good, and dots are bad. He gently points out that although you can't escape the stars and dots habits of the world around us, you can begin to realize that it doesn't matter what people say about you or "stick on you" - You are special, you are loved, you are a unique and wonderful individual simply because you're you.

I recommend this for all people, whether they have families or not, because it's a simple, fun tale, written in an engaging style with beautiful illustrations that conveys a concept that is important to all of us.

I used to read this book to my campers when I was a counselor at a Christian summer camp. The message is that our creator, God, loves us for who we are - he made us who we are. Whenever we feel inadequate in this world, all we need to do is remember God's love for us. When we do that all those negative things that people see about us and even those that we have started to believe ourselves will disappear. This story is included in Lucado's book, The Book of Secrets. This excerpt from that book is enhanced by Martinez's wonderful illustrations.

Why 5 stars?: This book is wonderfully written and illustrated. The message is one that all children (and adults) need to remember. God is able to see past what others do. He looks not only at our surface, but what is inside. He made us the way we are for a reason and he loves us because we are all so different.

There aren't many books that deliver a positive message to children - I love you no matter what, just because you're you, and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks! It is never too early to teach this message to our children. If they do not hear positive and reinforcing words from their parents they will hear negative and degrading words from others. I took this book to work to show my coworkers after it was given to my daughter, and my supervisor said, with tears in her eyes, "any little girl who grows up hearing that message is going to do all right in this world." Buy this book for your child, your grandchild, read it to your Sunday School class, and often. The illustrations are also beautiful!

Okay to be quite honest I haven't bought the books yet, but that's only because I need to dig for a few more quarters out of my couch. I am a HUGE fan of Red Meat, and I think I have read just about every single panel on Max's webpage devoted to his comic. Milkman Dan is one of the funniest characters in short panel comics I have ever seen in my life. If you enjoy twisted humor, you NEED to add these two books to your collection of Dilbert and The Far Side! Trust me, it's worth every single penny.

This is by far one of the funniest compilations of cartoons ever printed. The humor is so dark and hysterical. I have not laughed as hard as I have laughed at this book in a LONG time. The content is sometimes sick, sometimes twisted but always hilarious. I cannot get enough. I loved it through every page. Not only is the actual cartoon funny but the titles of each one lend a hand to the razor sharp wit of the strip. This is definitely a must buy, skip Gary Larson and buy this book.

I started reading red meat in a weekly free newspaper from New Orleans called the gambit. Every week, I knew that there was going to be one side-splitting laugh on the comics page. Bug-eyed Earl, Milkman Dan and Ted Johnson are some of the best characters I've even come across. The strip looks so wholesome and neat but it is delightfully sick and twisted. This is great stuff, my only regret is that they're only 2 books to buy.

Lucado has a way of communicating in such a way that you feel the love of God, and the forgiveness God offers. If you need to spend some time trying to get in touch with God's mercy and love, and you want a simple read, then this is the book for you. However, if you're looking for something that has a little more substance, then I would suggest a couple of titles by Jerry Bridges - Transforming Grace or the Discipline of Grace. Both of these cover the same topics that Lucado covers but with a more thorough exposition of the biblical text, and a more lasting and thorough coverage of what can be a somewhat controversial, or easily misunderstood subject. Don't get me wrong, Lucado is a great storyteller - he has a talent for communicating the emotion of God - but his books don't do much more than that.

'In the grip of grace' is a book dedicated to communicating why we are so precious to God and that once you've been taken into the grace of God theres no-one who can drag you out. Using really life stories and modern-day 'parables' or examples Max Lucado paints a pictures of the lengths God will stretch to ensure the safety and security of his children. If you are ever feeling worthless or have committed what you think is the inforgivable sin, read this and you'll realise the truth, that God's on your side!

This is the first Max Lucado book I have read. It won't be the last. The parable he tells at the beginning was so good, I made my friends read it. They all enjoyed it too. Max runs through the book of Romans to tell of the Grace of God as he refers back to the beginning parable. There are also other relative stories he tells to add color to this book. He teaches in a way that grips the reader like it's a mystery novel or something. I'd recommend it to everyone interested in God's love, mercy and grace. Good for evangalizing, too.

In preparing our list of Christmas books to share with others, we had to search far and wide on amazon to find this particular book, a paperback edition of the classic Night Before Christmas.

This is the book I've used for years when reading this story to my own children, passing on Tasha Tudor and other illustrators. Why?

Although we can find the same poem and pay a lot more, with award winning illustrators, the illustrations provided by Douglas Gorsline are surely the best. They are quite colorful, and offer details little children love looking into...cats lie sleepily on the window sill, we see an overview of the town, the presents spilling from the open sack are intriguing and plentiful, and Jolly St. Nick is -- well, quite Jolly (as you can see by looking at the cover!)

The story is an "abridged version" - I'm not sure about other parents, but we read this on Christmas Eve, and we only have so much time and energy. Everything we remember from the classic poem by Clement Clarke Moore is in this version.

(From "'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" to "He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!" In between we have everything, from the names of the eight tiny reindeer, to a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly, including dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky".

In other words, don't be scared off by 'abridged'!)

Perhaps a hardcover edition might be more appropriate if you're giving a gift (unless you're giving to more than one child), but this book is one of the best offers we've found!

A classic done simply and inexpensively!

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.

Most MAX users quickly discover that they must continuously participate in a learning process, in order to master and remain current with the program and its various upgrades, and one soon realizes that tutorials are an invaluable learning aid. However, one also quickly learns that, for every well-written tutorial you find (e.g. Jon Bell's wonderful books), you must wade through many others that are lacking in detail or content. Well, if you're looking for some really terrific lessons, which exemplify the art of tutorial writing, have I got a book for you! A few weeks ago, just before MAX 3 arrived, I found a collection of tutorials that I can honestly say are some of the best I've seen. They're contained in a book called "3D Studio MAX 3 Media Animation", written by John P. Chismar, and published by New Riders (ISBN 0-7357-0050-8) (Retail $49.99, but $39.99 at Amazon). This book will be of particular interest to those who are interested in learning the best ways to create and use animated logos and splash screens. However, even if you're not, there's still much more in the book that is of value to all users who want to utilize and master the new features of MAX 3 as well as those carried forward from previous versions. For example, for those who think that all there is to importing and using Adobe Illustrator files is to learn where the Import 'button' is located, you will quickly discover there's a lot more to learn. How many of us employ Motion capture in our animations or even know how useful a tool it is, even if we only have a mouse and a keyboard? Want to learn more about correctly lighting that new creation, or applying complex materials? The techniques covered are extensive, and are really too numerous to mention here. But I certainly must pass on some comments concerning the overall quality of these tutorials. In my opinion, the writing is exemplary, the tutorials are extremely well devised and laid out, instructions are clear, concise and detailed, and illustrations are plentiful. The author also offers additional information on why you should probably use one particular technique over another, or he suggests alternative approaches that will also work. All necessary files are supplied, including examples of alternative techniques, and all that I've used so far have worked flawlessly. In the past, the quality of the tutorials in some of the New Riders books has been questioned, but they've produced a winner with this one. And I know this testimonial may suggest that I have a stake in the profits or know the author personally, but I assure you that I do not. I just wanted to share my discovery with you, and say "well done, John". You've set the standard for others to follow. Buy this book; you'll enjoy it....................................Frank E. Lancaster

I've always wanted a book that wasn't just a rehash of the manuals with tips and tricks here and there interspersed -- and I found it!

This is a wonderful book that assumes you know the basics, and takes you step by step through real-world examples. Not, hey, load this file that we made, and then go from there, but you start the projects with File->Reset! I love that!

I wish more books were in as in depth and useful as this one, and I'll definitely be looking forward to any other books you write!

The book I am currently using is 3D Studio MAX 3 Media Animation and it is fabulous!! I believe John P. Chismar did a wonderful job with this work and I hope to see more of his writings in the future. This book is so thorough in explaining each step as well as gaining a greater overall understanding of the concepts surrounding 3D Studio MAX. Many books and tutorials give step by step instructions as to how to perform a function within 3D Studio MAX, but end there. Mr. Chismar does a great job in presenting the basic steps but also goes beyond that and gives the overall concepts behind those steps. Hats off to Mr. Chismar for a job well done!!

I gave this book a 5 for a good reason. And the reason is that I like books that make me think about how and why I do the things I do in life. I also like that Max will put God lessons into everyday life

Max Lucado is an amazing author. I've read many of his books and I must admit that this is his best. The way he makes you laugh and cry. The feeling you feel when you have read this book is so spiritual. You feel so close to God. I read this book in two days. I couldn't put it down. Max Lucado has become my favorite christain author. I will always be his biggest fan. God loves us and Max shows us how important God is in our lives, how much we need Him. Thanks Max for showing me how much God loves me and how much I love God

This was the first Max Lucado book I have read and I was completely enthralled by his writing. His continual references to the scriptures and his real-life examples really made me feel like he was talking directly to me. More so, I felt like God was speaking directly to me through the pages of the book. This is a must read for all Christians, but especially for new Christians like me.