Kavik the Wolf-dog was the first book about wolf-dogs I have ever read. Because of this book, it inspired me to respect and raise my own wolf-dogs and wolves to teach people how noble these animals are. I was in second grade when I read it.Now I'm almost thirty and this book stills vividly sticks in my mind. This is a classic novel.

Kavik was just an ordinary sled dog, except for one thing he is a half husky, half wolf sled dog. Kavik was also much more athletic than the other dogs, which is exactly why one businessman from California took a special interest in him. On his way to California Kavik is involved in a horrible plane crash, which kills the pilot and leaves Kavik hanging onto life by a thread. After being stranded in a metal cage for three days and facing things such as hunger, loneliness, and being attacked by wild animals, Kavik is barely alive when a boy finds him and frees him from his metal prison. The boy, with the help of his family, nurses Kavik back to health. The businessman comes looking for Kavik, and to the boy's dismay, takes him to his home in California. After spending countless weeks there, Kavik decides he has had enough and escapes from his home and tries to get back to Alaska. Along the way back, Kavik encounters many helping hands and many obstacles such as an old man and woman who live on a boat house, a pack of wolves, hunters, and miles of nearly impassible glaciers, all to get back to the family he loves.

I think all the characters in this book are very believable, especially since there is nothing like flying pigs or talking animals. This book kept me very emotionally involved because of all the twists and turns and because of all of the emotions involved in this book, ranging from humorous to heartbreaking. Kavik The Wolf Dog also teaches a very important lesson, that family is more important than anything. Not only does the book keep you involved, but it also has a great plot that has many surprises.

This story is a great book and it was hard to put down because it is one of the best books I have ever read. I also think this book has some things in common with the book White Fang, so those of you who have read White Fang would enjoy this book. I really enjoyed this book because of the twists and all of the emotions involved in the plot. Although this book is hard to find, I would recommend this book to wolf lovers, people whom like adventurous stories, and anyone who likes a story about surviving and facing the elements of nature.

I loved this book! It may be dull at first, but soon you'll be hooked. I liked it so much, I didn't want it to end.

Kavik is a wolf dog who is a champion sled dog who belongs to Charlie One-Eye. He gets sold, but the plane flying him to his new "owner" Mr. Hunter it crashes, and Kavik is left to die. His only hope is a boy named Andy Evans who is out hunting. He is shocked when he finds Kavik, and wonders if he should take his gun and put him out of misery. But Kavik's golden eyes say "I'm not ready to die." Andy takes him home, and after a while, with the help of a nearby doctor, Kavik heals, But his courage is damaged from the crash. His owner returns to take him. Kavik is miserable in the puny dog run Mr. Hunter looked him in, and hates Mr. Hunter as well. One day when Mr. hunter is showing off Kavik, he runs away, on his quest to get home to Andy. Kavik gets a ride back up north on a boat with an elderly couple. He runs away from them, and meets a young female wolf and falls in love. Like in the real world, Kavik must fight another wolf for her, and he gets his courage back. But a hunter kills her, and Kavik continues to travel until he finally makes it home to Andy, and Andy gets to keep him. It is a wonderful book that has everything. Love, compassion, loyalty, adventure, action, and all that other stuff. You gotta read it!

First of all, if you're looking for a highly detailed review of the content of this book, nope, wrong place! I review books with the enjoymnet factor being of number 1 importance. What I learn after my enjoymnet comes next. There's another review of this title that you can read for high level stimulation. So, let's get going...

I liked this book a lot, how's that for intellectual. It reads well, I was entertained and I learned a lot more then I expected, which is good for I planned on learning a lot about becoming an effective executive. But history lessons, hey, this is a bonus.

Mr. Drucker uses, as have other leadership teachers, many important history lessons of this century to illustrate his effective executive points. He includes life adventures of Gen. Marshall, Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy, even Bach, Mozart, Verdi and Haydn to illustrate points. One of my favorite comments is from Chapter 5 (First Things First), "Executives can hardly assume that they are 'executive Mozarts'". No more hints, you'll understand when you read the book. The chapter addressing "The Elements of Decision Making" is the best of the book, although the others are not far behind.

If you are in the market for a book on executive leadership, you better put this close to the top of your short reading list. If you are searching for an insightful look at some 20th Century history, then this is a good stop for the political scientist. Whatever your reason, buy and read this book, and see how it helps you become a more decisive and better leader, oops, "Executive".

The content of this book is very timely and applicable to anyone who is considered to be a 'knowledge worker'. Regardless of title, the knowledge worker really is an executive. Several pages in the first chapter are dedicated to setting up this argument and scoping out the audience.

Drucker is very methodical in laying out his 5 principles of effectiveness. These are the basis for his two arguments in the book - executives must be effective and effectiveness must be learned. In each chapter that supports his principles, he lays the foundation for the principle, builds walls around it with countless real-life examples, and then drives them home with even more real-life examples.

Perhaps the greatest asset within this book is the rich examples that Drucker has provided. He is the oracle of management that has real experience as a strategist and theorist. He has no qualms with hitting common textbook theory head on in his books and has countless examples to back him up.

One drawback is that it can become tiresome to read some parts. Drucker really drives home some points and if you've already got it, you lose appreciation for the extra examples.

Ok, so it's not like reading a Grisham novel, but I promise you will take some valuable nuggets away from this book that can help you in building your career.

This book has some powerful messages for the modern executive. The difference between being busy and being effective is an important distinction that Drucker highlights. He also highlights some important rules of thumb that are very true but often taken for granted. For example, the fact that any significant innovation requires large chunks of consecutive time spent focused on the issue. Any manager that wants to create a breakthrough change in their organization needs to think through the issues in large chunks. All we can do in small chunks of time is what we did yesterday. He also points out that the critical scarce resource for any executive is time and that some of the most important decisions an executive makes is any honest assessment of what is not going to get done. Too many projects keep moving forward burning up critical time and never reaching critical mass. Drucker provides insight into how to either make something happen or how to be decisive about what you are not going to do which is often even harder

As a 35 year old comic book fan who has been reading comics for 31 of my years, it is a sincere compliment to Peter David, for me to name him as one of my two favorite comic writers. The other is Alan Moore. You're in good company Peter. I purchased this paperback on the strength of Mr. David's name. I was not dissapointed. Well, Then again maybe I was a little. While the story and characterization were up to what I expect from him, I felt that the story became a little rushed about halfway through the book. Being the regular scripter on the Hulk comic book, no one has a better grasp of the Hulk's supporting cast than Peter David. Most of my favorites were in this book and very deftly handled. The story flowed well for one that had to be written with the restrictions of being able to fit into the current comic continuity without altering the same. My one complaint is that I think that Peter David is spreading himself a little thin these days, and it showed in this book. It appeared to me that about half way through he became a little hurried in his story telling. The story became a somewhat weaker because of this. While he still managed to pull of a good ending this is due to his skills as a plotter not to the storytelling abilities he displayed here. Peter, I am a great admirer of your work but I would love to see a little less of it, if that allows you to bring your writing up to the level I have come to expect from you. This was a good read but it could have and should have been better. Tim Drinnon Morristown T

...it gives a good story and through history of the life of Dr. Bruce Banner, his green alter-ego, and the woman who loves him, Betty Ross Banner. The story of the Banners trying to live a normal life while on the run from the military makes for good reading and is perhaps the best Hulk story ever written.

If all you know about the Hulk is what you saw on TV - on any of the cartoons or on the old Bill Bixby show - forget everything and start over here. Peter David, who reinvented the Hulk for Marvel Comics prior to writing this book, crafts a heartwrenching story about a man cursed to see his own worst angel in the mirror every day, the owman who loves him, and the evil that may lurk within both his mind and his DNA.

If you've read PAD's Trek novels, try this. It's even better than those, as he takes a character he has made his own and makes him incredible. And after this, you'll never thing of the Hulk and Lou Ferrigno in the same sentence again.

This is THE book for samba configuration. No two ways about it. This book rules.

These guys really want you to succeed an not only working a half-decent smb.conf file to implement a file server or print server but REALLY work your servers by creating stable, secure configurations where you do know what the options mean so you are implmenting knoweldge rather than mimicking the actions of others: lending robustness to your servers. It also help when you need to troubleshoot that you understand what you've done. Listen to these guys and that's what you'll accomplish: understanding. There is also good documentation on configuring various windows clients (as well as some insightful opinions on windows and it's failings and foibles: eg. Windows XP home being almost useless in a domain environment)

Lots of really good knowledge here. Pick it up and read it NOW! And then read it again.

To top it off, it is also very well written and easy to read! You now have no excuse not too...:)

Network administers will invariably face the task of integrating Windows systems with Unix or Linux ones. Samba provides an excellent solution to this problem, but for people starting out, Samba seems like a daunting task.

Not so with this book. Prior to reading this book, I had no experience with Samba whatsoever. Before long, I found myself setting up Samba on a linux server and setting up file shares to Win2k systems. The massive smb.conf configuration file no longer looks menacing, but rather, its easy to read now.

I see why this has been adopted by the Samba team. Its very easy to read, very relaxing in its pace, and very thorough in its treatment of Samba topics. I do not believe there is a more comprehensive on Samba to date. Even the reference sections in the back are very nicely organized, and very easy to use.

What really tops this book off though is its treatment of Windows networking. For those who have little or no understanding of Windows and how networks are organized, this book covers the topic very well. Unix/Linux administrators will be glad they read this chapter.

In closing, I strongly recommend this book to Network Administrators, particularly those using Unix/Linux. This book is very comprehensive, but very easy to read.

Samba is one of the wonders of the Open source movement. A small bunch of guys in out of the way Canberra, Australia develop a product that emulates a Windows Server Message Block (SMB) server. They do such a good job that within a couple of years they have sponsors assisting programmers around the world in bringing out a product that does a better job than anything Microsoft offers.

I've installed Samba in a number of different environments and used it both as a server and client. I wish I'd had this book. It does a good job of explaining how to set it all up, get it running and maintain it. Nothing else does as good a job. While you can (probably) install and run Samba using just the online manuals you will find it a lot easier if you buy this book. It certainly saves me a lot of time.

It is well written, easy to read, thorough and well paced. It contains a large number of examples and goes through the almost monolithic smb.conf file till it feels like an old friend.

While it does cover some of the underlying network protocols it does not unnecessarily dwell on them, it is a good mix of explanation and getting your hands dirty examples.

The book is well structured, starting with simple configurations and proceeding through to complex ones involving printers, domain controllers and the like. A marvelous way to learn, at the same time it is easy to find particular snippets of information when you require them. I find Appendices C (a configuration option quick reference) and D (a summary of the command line options for the daemons) and the fault tree in Chapter 9 particularly useful.

I would recommend this book to everyone who wishes to integrate Samba into a Windows environment, regardless if it is a small home network or an entire office building. And yes, you can download the entire text for free - the Samba team have now adopted it as part of the official documentation thanks to the authors and O'Reilly, but call me old fashioned, I like having the paper.

I actually purchased this book prior to purchasing the program. It's intuitive writing and excellent tutorials helped me learn some of the intricacies of the program before I actually bought it. However, the ts2 demo on the CD did not function. Simply contact IDG books, the number is in the copyright area, and they will send you a new CD with a functioning program or download the demo right from Caligari at www.caligari.com.

Peter Plantec did a fantastic job writing the intuitive text and points out many features in the program that are not listed in the reference manuals from Calagari. There are a few areas of confusion, very few, of incorrect tool paths and vague instructions, but if you are persistant you will catch on to what he is instructing you to do.

I recommend this text to any...beginner or professional...Within it's confines are the answers you have not been able to find on your own. From basic 3D modelling all the way to putting your animations on video tape and selling your work.

Look no further for trueSpace resources. Right here it is

The Caligari TrueSpace 2 Bible is an excellent and VERY thourough 3D animation information source. It's scope truly does compare to the bible, as its name implies, because it covers not only the essentials of mastering the TrueSpace 2 program, but a comprehensive introduction of how to use this tool to create art. Included is the psychology behind character developement and many in depth tips describing techniques that Hollywood cinematographers use, such as camera angles and pans, to engage your audience. The only thing I did not like about this book was the fact that the CD, which includes a 30 day trial demo of the program did not work due to its having been made in 1995 and I suppose only good for thirty days after its creation. Changing your system clock won't help. The guys that wrote publish the book will send you another for free or you can download the same demo from Caligari's site. This is actually a good idea since you can download the newer demo version, TrueSpace 3, and many others as well.

I purchased TrueSpace 2 because I was interested in 3D art. Like many others, I thought it was "cool". However, after struggling with the users manuals that came with the program, I set TrueSpace aside for about six months. Then one day, I happened to be walking through Fry's Electronics and spotted this book "Caligari TrueSpace 2 Bible". I always heard rave reviews about the Photoshop bible that is also published by IDG books. Well, I thought, if it is half as good as the Photoshop book, it might be worth taking a look at. I was not dissapointed. The book is excellent! I can hardly put it down. It explains things in laymens terms and before you know it you are creating complex objects and animations... easily! I love this book. It's got me hooked on 3D. Peter Plantec (the author) does a wonderful job of not only teaching through example, but really gets you excited about 3D modeling. It's like he is almost in the room with you, guiding you, teaching you. He makes it fun and has a gentle, and somewhat humorus way of writing. I can't recommend this book enough. -Brian M. Web Engineer Mountain View CA

When catasthrophe hit the grain harvest of the Soviet Union, the Politburo must decide whether to negotiate with the West for grains, or go to war, or suffer mass uprising. No one in the Kremlin wants the last possibility to happen, so two factions emerged, with the bare majority, including the Secretary-General, advocating negotiation. Through a Kremlin informant for British agent Adam Munro, the British PM and the US President learned just how desperate the situation in the USSR was.

Meanwhile, the survivor of a shipwreck in the Mediterranean aroused the interest of a British Andrew Drake. Drake descended from a Ukrainian nationlist, whose mission in life was to strike a humiliating blow against the USSR, and the shipwreck survivor provided him with an opportunity to do just that.

Somehow, the different threads spun by the author in the book came together, climaxing with the world being held hostage to an all-out war between the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc, or the greatest environmental catasthrophy yet.

The author did not stint on fleshing out his characters, providing them with ample description, motivations and attributes that the reader can just imagine the kind of actors and actresses that would be cast if this was a movie.

Plot development were fast and furious sometimes, yet deliberately slow and detailed at others, paced out well like the different variations of a symphony, but never a dull moment.

In the end, it will be up to our hero Adam Munro to save the world from the various catasthrophies, and the numerous twists in the end came round a blind corner, hitting the readers where they least expect (unless of course, they've been reading way too much thrillers like me who managed to guess a couple of them).

5-stars ! This is the only rating possible for the best-ever Forsyth book! THe plot is incredible, the action well distributed, the characters full of passion and convictions (although today Ucrania is already free!)As an international thriller, it is perfect !

Another solid job by this author who I have always liked. This was another of his fast paced, easy to read stories with a good long story. I love the detail of the USSR government, you really feel like it in a non-fiction book at times. He has always used a lot of good factual details to make his books solid. Like the work of all good authors, you really grow to know the characters, like some and hate some - they have solid reasons for doing what they are doing in the book. There is a lot going on but the way he writes it you do not have any problems following the action. A great book that is well worth the time.

Agatha Raisin, a sharp-tongued middle aged woman, debuts in this cozy set in the Cotswolds of England. Agatha, tired of London and the publicity business, sells out and buys a cottage in the village of Carsely. Wanting desperately to fit in, she enters a baking contest in the village, but resorts to cheating when she enters a store bought quiche instead of her own. When the judge of the contest dies from eating the quiche, all fingers point to Agatha and she must admit to all that she cheated. All the while, Agatha becomes more and more curious about the poison found in the murder victim, and wanting to clear her name, Agatha sets out to find the real killer. Helping her (when everyone else shuns her) are Mrs. Bloxsby, the vicar's wife, and Detective Bill Wong. Future love-interest, James Lacey, is also introduced in this hilarious romp of a mystery.

M.C. Beaton is also the author of the much-loved Hamish McBeth mystery series, and shows her sense of humor in this series. Agatha's antics are legendary, and at times, I laughed out loud at some of the silly things that she does. Agatha's low self-esteem (hidden under a rough, blustery exterior) makes you root for her even when she pushes everyone away. I especially like the scenes in which Agatha tries to make herself appear younger (wearing tons of make-up that runs, high-heeled shoes for a walk, etc.) because she becomes much more human and lovable to the reader. If you have not read this series and you like cozy mysteries, ask yourself what you are waiting for, and get all of the books in the series! Then curl up with a cup of tea and enjoy!

This book was the first in the Agatha Raisin series from Ms. Beaton. I found it browsing back in the mid-90's. I've always been a fan of British mystery, but this is something else. There have been some many Marple knock-offs, but early on the reader learns Ms. Raisin has little in common with Christie's heroine.

Writing with omniscience, we learn that Agatha Raisin has hidden a lifetime of hurt with a tough exterior and a razor-sharp tongue. She has been able to submerge that inner pain under a hard-won career. However, when she decides to sell her business and retire to 'the country', her sense of being an outsider comes back to haunt her. She learns she wants to belong to the community of villagers among whom she lives, and learns she can't retreat to London. Her efforts to assimilate into village life are the most humorous and touching parts of the book.

Of course, there is a murder woven into the book, along with a frustrated romance. The plot is logical and the dialogue believable.

I've loaned this book to several non-mystery-readers over the years, and they've all loved it. The inner vulnerability and self-criticism from which Agatha suffers is a universal theme. I've read the rest of the Raisin books and have enjoyed them all, but none as much as this first effort.

For those who read this and like it, check out Beaton's other mysteries not featuring Ms. Raisin. You'll like them, too!

It's a comparatively long time for me to get a great affection for another mystery series. Agatha, though reminding me and many readers of Agatha Christie and making us assume Agatha must be like Miss. Marple, has a really interesting character. Considering getting a taxi pushing a guy, she's tough, but from her past history, she is pathetic. Aside from her strong character and career, she needs an affection and concerns from the others. I laughed when her attitude reversed when getting a hope on James Lacey after hearing Bill Wong's tip on his sister. Anyway..the thing I like to comment is that the crown jewel of this series is Agatha Raisin. I ordered the sequal series already, and I am looking forward to getting a free time to absorb myself in Agatha's adventures.
I read the other series of Hamish, and it seems to be really interesting. M.C. Beaton's writing is really smooth and easy to read. Reading this, I thought I watched another TV series of Jessica Fletcher hearing some rhythmical and bright music.

I'm returning to school after 16 years away from the textbooks and I felt the need to hone my algebra skills in preparation for chemistry. Sure, some of it was tough to muddle through, but math has never been easy for me, and it guided me through each step very logically and in a friendly tone. I've already recommended this to other math-challenged friends and siblings.

If you have been away from Algebra for a while or even if you have just started learning Algebra this book is for you. The authors have done a truly masterful job of explaining the basic concepts of Algebra. But more than that, the book has frequent tests and exercises which will help you to see if you are truly learning the stuff. Another great feature is that things are presented in a succinct and cogent manner. There is no patronizing prose or cute stories to bore you.

One thing I recommend strongly. Get well versed with chapters 2 through 4. These are the "nail and hammer" chapters in the book. Techniques like factoring, exponent manipulations, and simplification are explained. If you do not get these techniques nailed down you will be hounded with difficulties in later chapters. I re-read the chapters 3 times as well as worked the problems. I also recommend that as you go along begin solving pertinent problems from "REA'S Algebra & Trigonometry Problem Solver". This may take some time but your efforts will be well rewarded.

I highly recommend this text for anyone learning Algebra. But specially if you are like myself, just "doing" Algebra after a long hiatus, grab this book. A must have !

This book, together with Algebra Unplugged, has bolstered my confidence, as I return to school after many years, for my MBA. Not having taken a math class in 30 years, my skills were beyond rusty. Algebra Unplugged is a light-hearted look at algebra concepts and was a great start, but I needed a book that would give me sample problems to work on and this book fit the bill. I'm nearly done with it and feel just about ready to tackle the math challenges ahead of me. (But first, I need to re-learn more advanced material, like Trig, before I hit the Calculus for Managers class.)

This book details and chronicals Garfield's comic life. As first a clever idea in Jim Davis' head to the mega-empire that has been built by Garfield. You learn about Jim Davis' experiences before Garfield. His work on other comics and his past comic creation that didn't do too well. It is interesting to read how the ideas are come up for each Garfield strip.

Jim Davis puts a lot of himself in the book and it comes out. You can get a feel for his personality and how much of that he puts into Garfield. You learn about the cast of characters in the comic along with those that create the comic. You see the influence that Garfield has had over the years. The many birthdays, the many kickings of Odie, the over-indulgence, all in this book. I found it a great book with one flaw being that it doesn't have enough about Jim Davis' thoughts on comics in general. It's a very minor and personal flaw. Overall it is a great book for any Garfield fan. There is much to love and enjoy.

I have been a huge Garfield fan since the early '80s. And as I am a few years short of turning 30, I remain an avid fan of the orange fat tabby. I love the ten explainations to why Lyman disappeared. My absolute favorite section of the books is Jim's top 20 cartoon strips he had done. My personal favorite [and one of Jim's favorite] is when Garfield sticks his head into the mouse hole only to be on the receiving end of a makeover. There has never been a moment when Garfield has never made me laugh. To a certain extent I have emulated myself after him. I hate Mondays, I love to eat and sleep, and I am extremely lazy but I don't mail cute kittens to Abu Dhabi and kick dogs off the table like Garfield does. Overall this book is a must have for Garfield fanatics.

Not only is Garfield one of the greatest characters in comics history, he's also the funniest. Jim Davis takes us through 20 years of your favourite Orange feline. Some parts of the book just make ya laugh forever and it's hard to put it down. I'd recommend this book to any comics fan or anyone who likes to laugh.

You will laugh, cry and be confused when you read this book. This book can teach you that what you think is good is not always good.

There is a boy named Peter Pan. He sprinkles fairy dust in Wendy and her two brothers. Then he shows them how to fly. He takes them to Neverland and shows them to the Lost Boys who live there. Wendy becomes their mother. She makes up rules, like any other mother would do. The boys have to follow these rules. Everything was fine until Captain Hook came with his crew to where the boys and Wendy were. While Wendy and the boys were at the lagoon, where they go every day after dinner, they see a girl named Tiger Lily, princess of her tribe. She was captured by Smee, one of Captain Hook's men. Then Peter saved her. A few days later Wendy and the boys were on their way to Wendy's house when they too were all captured by Captain Hook. Then Peter saves them. Then the lost boys, Wendy and her brothers go home. All except for Peter.

It is mostly about what the people in the book think is right with childhood. The kids in the book think that if you grow up it is bad, but in our case it is actually good.

Peter Pan is a violent book not really made for children under the age of 10 but people 10 and up can read it. It is violent because of the language that is spoken and the idea that killing could be fun. Also, the vocabulary is very difficult for children under 10 to understand. Even if you're older it is difficult to understand.

Overall, it is a good book but watch out for the violent ideas if you are reading it to little children.

This is an utterly charming work. It has been retold myriad times, but nobody else has done it as well as the original teller, J. M. Barrie.

It's difficult to know what to say about a book like this... everybody knows the story. But I guess that unless you've read this book (not just seen a movie or read a retelling), you don't really know the character Peter Pan, and without knowing the character, you don't really know the story. So read it.

By the way, if you enjoy this, you probably would also like "Sentimental Tommy" and its sequel "Tommy and Grizel", both by Barrie. There are differences (for one thing they're not fantasy), but there are also compelling similarities. Anybody who found Peter Pan a deep and slightly bittersweet book would be sure to enjoy them.

-Stephen

Driving with young children in the car quickly convinced me that it was unsafe to not give them something to listen to. After ten years I have collected a large (30+) bag of books-on-tape. I have also loaned them to others and asked for opinions. Peter Pan (read by Wendy Craig) is not only my favorite, but also the favorite of my wife and most of my friends. It is excellent for all ages (4 to 80) and even most hardened teenagers. Humour, presentation, ... a prefect 10.