I've been in the computer industry for over 16 years in design and verification of processors, multi-media devices and buses (USB, PCI, etc.). I never had the opportunity to work on Data Communication and Networking projects. New to this field, I was looking for a book that gave me thorough overview of the topics with clarity and sufficient detail/analysis. I read quite a few 'latest' books but did not find any with clear explanation of fundamentals or detail covering all essential topics.

I found this book extremely well written. The descriptions have excellent clarity and gradually lead you to the real complexity of the topic at hand. No room for misunderstanding or confusion! Figures and Tables are liberally used and illustrate the topics really well. My knowledge of Datacomm/Networking increased tremendously after reading the book just for a few days. The book includes basics as well as the latest in data comm. protocols and networking devices. I highly recommend this book to a beginner as well as an expert.

I have read several data communication books from cover-to-cover;this is the first which I will re-read. It covers topics I did not expect to find in an introductory text and the authors get details right that some others do not. This is a first edition so there are a few typos (not many) and it needs a longer bibliography. In a few words: I think this book ends too soon and I look forward to more from these authors. I have ordered a 2nd copy to keep at work for reference.

This is a comprehensive introduction to data communications. The authors cover some topics I was surprised to find in an introductory text. The explanations are lucid and thorough. This is a first edition, so there are a few typos, but not many. It needs a more complete bibliography, but all in all, I liked the book well enough to buy a second to keep at work.

Never have I read a book that so effectively portrays the lessons of growing up. There is a deep selection of "coming-of-age" books on bookstore shelves, but none of them captures maturation as Creel does in this gem.

During World War II, Olivia, a young woman from busy Denver finds herself pregnant and is shipped away to marry a lonely farmer in rural Southern Colorado. Seeking companionship, she befriends two Japanase-American sisters interned at a nearby internment camp. To give away more of the plot, ruins the excellent storyline.

Author Creel beautifully weaves a tapestry of Olivia's loss of childhood, her friends'loss of freedom and the loss of life created by war. She wonderfully depicts the limits that choices made in passion place upon those who act before considering all the consequences. She most effectively shows that facing life's challenges and learning from them brings about love and maturity.

The characters in Magic are not perfect but are truly noble. This is a true love story for men and women. It bears lessons for young adults and adult alike. It's message is one that we all need to read in this age of instant gratification.

Read this book!

I originally purchased this book as a present for my wife; she couldn't stop talking about it so I read it for myself. Set in rural Colorado in 1944, the main story revolves around an educated, progressive woman forced into an arranged marriage to a farmer due to the result of a fling with a soldier leaving for the war in 1944. As the main character, Livvy, tries to cope with the disappointment and loneliness of her situation, a great love story unfolds as she begins to really know the man she married. This was my wife's favorite portion of the book, and I have to admit it was done extremely well. The spice in the story comes in a sub- plot which has Livvy befriend girls in a Japanese- American interment camp who become involved with German POWs assigned to work on the local farms. What I belived to be a great piece of fiction turned out to be based on actual events as recorded in the Denver Post in 1944. Livvy must make some difficult decisions and the result is my favorite part of the book. Well written and paced just right, the novel is balanced, informative and thought provoking. A great read.

The book opens with Olivia Dunne, a twenty- four year old with big dreams, being forced into an arranged marriage after succumbing to the advances of a handsome solder in 1944. It turns out her husband is a good man, but Olivia has nothing in common with the farmers that now surround her, and she befriends two girls, Japanese- Americans who were interned in a camp nearby. Their story culminates in a politically charged incident, based on actual events, involving the girls and German POWs from another camp. Olivia eventually begins to love her new home and even her husband, as she learns to make the best of what life has given her. Through Livvy's eyes, we feel the camp and the isolation of rural life only to discover an unexpected enchantment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the sweet, often heart- wrenching dialogue between Livvy and Ray, and the vivid description of life on a farm in Colorado in 1944. As I read I felt I was there; the author creates a strong sense of "place." The incident between the Japanese- American girls and the German POW's is a bonus and made me turn the pages even faster. From a historical perspective, I learned of Japanese internment camps and German prisoner of war camps in Colorado and the impact they had on the people there.

This was a cool book. It showed that not all friendships last forever and the plot was VERY realistic.

Stacey and Claudia are involved in a friendship feud over the new guy in school Jeremy. Claudia was sure they would have been going out by now....if only Stacey hadn't gotten in the way and stolen him! I feel pretty sorry for Claudia. Stacey's been pretty nasty to her these days, and she blew me away when she said a remark to Claudia that made my jaw drop! Ouch! (I won't tell you the remark or that would spoil the book)

I love how these are much more real then...oh say...the Baby-sitters' Club? Great job on the new series Ann M. Martin! I'm counting the days until Friends Forever #5!

This book is one of my favorites in the BSC Friends Forever Series so far! A great job you're doing, Ms. Martin! Keep up the good work! I will certainly try to be the first one in line to recieve Kristy Power!

Claudia thinks her ex-best friend Stacey is a liar, a cheat, and a boyfriend-stealer. Sure, she misses Stacey... but she isn't about to talk to her. Instead she's finding new friends, like Erica Blumberg. And the most unexpected friend of all--Jeremy Rudolph, the boy who Stacey stole. Things are about to get very complicated...Will the friendship feud ever end? Read this book to find out!

Ann surprises me with each new Friends Forever book that comes out! I thought this would be a common BSC plot: Claud and Stace fight. They both miss each other. They make up. The end. I won't spoil the ending with book, but I'll tell you, I expected it to be much different! What a great cliff hanger! I really think that Jeremy is all wrong for Stacey. He and Claud should hook up, know what I mean? I can't believe what Stacey says to Claudia in the story! I was taking Stacey's side when I read Stacey vs. Claudia, but now I'm all for Claud. I'm glad Erica appeared in this book too. Trust me, buy the book!

Hey there Hanson fanz! This book rocked! I'm surprised that the author didn't even interview Zac herself! I love the pix and the quiz in it to see if you're the type for Zac. Very well written! There may be a tinie tiny bit of false info, but still cool!

As Zac once Said: "'Peace, Love, Happiness, and Bullet-Proof Marshmellows!!"

Hey there Hanson fans! This book is totally awesome! I love the pix in it! The info is also a little bit different too! There are 16, yes 16 pix inside!!!! Is that cool or what? This author is AWESOME for a unautherized writer!

~Soni

P.S. This book rocked!!!! It also had funny stories about Zac and his bros!

Well, all I have to say to fellow Hanson fans is; if you haven't read this already...you better go out and buy it as soon as you can (if your local bookstore hasn't run out of copies yet!!) It has great behind-the scenes photos, cool tid-bit facts, and anything you wanna know about Hanson's drummer boy!!! (Beware of a little false info here and there)

If someone wants to start reading about the Beat Generation, this is the book to start with. It gives a lot of good poetry and prose from many writers and captures the spirit of the movement. It is a great springboard to starting to read the complete On the Road or Naked Lunch or Ginsburg's poems. Very illuminating.

To understand the workings of the human Id, it is nessecary to first deny it. This book is an introduction into how they were doing it. I strongly recommend that anyone interested in the literary happenings of the Beat generation should have this book as a launching point for further investigation. If you read it, there will most certainly be further investigation.

This book is major marker on the road of my personal and intellectual development. I had just finished On The Road and was interested in exploring some more Beat writing - but was completely at a loss as to where I should begin. Charter's anthology was like a literary mindbomb from the minute I began the Forward until I finished the last poem. After I was done, I just couldn't think of writing (or writers) in the same way. It managed to connect so many literary, intellectual, and musical "schools" of the West and East - I was left dazed as I saw smatterings of Rimbaud, Buddah and Bird all through the "Beat" works. Beauty, obscenity, freedom - every aspect of life can be found there. This book is just a beginning - but it's a great beginning.

I am blessed to own some woodland in New England, and my forester recommended this book.

The author writes with the same love for the land that I have, but with much more knowledge. He really enjoys the wonderful details that exist in a forest, and he illuminates them with clear explanations of how the landscape has evolved. The general tone of the book is one of guided investigation for the curious, so there is a great deal of warmth in it.

I don't know how well it works for those who do not have a basic knowledge of trees. If you are not already familiar with the different kinds of tree, you may want a tree identification book too.

I can't give this book five stars because the illustrations were not as helpful as I would have liked. I wanted color and a better sense of the textures. Illustrations of indicator plants would have been a big bonus in the appendix, and I wish they had been provided.

For a more technical book, see Working with Your Woodland by Mollie Beattie. It contains more information and is geared to the landowner, but it doesn't have nearly as much soul. For example, Wessels' book describes stumps with a keen loving eye. They barely get a mention in Beattie's book, and their significance is lost.

Reading the Forested Landscape, A Natural History of New England, reminded me that many general biology students will wander through woodlands and prairie perhaps aware of molecular happenings and yet oblivious to what the landscape is saying. This book can add delight to an ordinary stroll through an overgrown pasture or a drive through what at first glance appears to be monotonous countryside. Deducing the past history of a landscape invites more detailed observations than casual hiking even if the landscape is far from New England. This thin volume contains original high quality etchings of different landscapes. Each etching is accompanied by a detailed interpretation of the history of the forest. Human additions to the landscapes are included as a natural and important part of the history. The strength of the book lies in the insights into the reasoning behind conclusions. This reasoning has allowed me to make some transitions to the semiarid portions of Texas where I spend most of my time. The history of New England is naturally and liberally integrated into the stories of the landscape. This is not a forced history/science link but a very natural and intriguing story that unfolds with each new etching. A glimpse into the future is provided in the last chapter, rounding out a wonderful view of landscapes.

This book is a guide to understanding clues that explain the varied forest patterns of Central New England.

Each chapter focuses on a single form of disturbance - either man made or natural - that impacts the region's forests. The chapters focus on logging, pasture abandonment, fire, beaver activity, blow downs, forest blights, topography and substrate and their impact on the plants located near these disturbances.

Each chapter discusses the disturbance and then in a section entitled "A Look Back" the disturbance is related to the site's natural history. This new way of seeing a forest and its history adds to my walks in the woods. I feel a connection, a reverence, an enhancement and an inclusion that was not part of my previous walks. Although most of my hikes are in the Green Mountains of Vermont, I am convinced this process of reading the forest can be applied to any woodland in North America.

I bought this book for a friend to read to her baby. Of course I HAD to read it first -- I love dogs. The story is absolutely charming. The drawings and pictures are quite clever. And the main character is --- a poodle! I am on my fourth poodle and all have been little characters. I enjoyed this book so much I ordered another one.

Yesterday, we had a book fair in our office building. I bought this book because it featured a white poodle like my own (JC Monet). I love the book's humor and the wonderful, creative pictures! Today, my boss was reading it at my desk while I was on Amazon.com ordering a copy for her to give her dog loving mother. I think everyone young and old will love this very unique holiday book.

When I passed by this book on display at the store I thought, how cute, so I bought it for my mom who is an absolute dog lover. We listened to the CD before we were going to ship it to her. Well my 3 kids and I were roaring with laughter, and we liked it so much that we are keeping her copy. So here I am at amazon to buy her another book and 2-day it to her so she won't have to wait to start enjoying it. The book is well done and the song is upbeat and easy to enjoy. There is nothing nicer to the ear then kids singing. You won't be disappointed with this book even if you don't like dogs.

I found this book to be the best I've read so far in regards to a sugar free diet. I had been on a no sugar diet for awhile and thought I knew everything. Boy was I surprised! Who knew there is sugar in table salt! I ended up (gladly) throwing away half of the food in my kitchen. Get the Sugar out is extremely informative even if you don't want to cut your sugar to that extreme. It's very easy to read and understand. It is chock full of great tips and recipes which are also very simple to follow and tasty too! Anne Gittleman also does a great job of offering brand names so you know what to look for when your shopping. I use this book constantly as a reference...it was the best ten bucks I ever spent!

I felt that this was an excellently written and was easy to read. I had read "Sugar Blues" immediately before this and "Get the Sugar Out" was most definitely a far superb book. It seemed to stick to the subject and appeared to stay more with facts. "Sugar Blues" seemed to be more opinionated and outdated. All in all "Get the Sugar Out" was very helpful and useful to me. After reading it I can certainly never look at sugar the same or eat it without feeling guilty. The book brings up points about sugar that I have never thought of before. I have began to eliminate sugar from my diet and I am amazed at where sugar is hidden in every day food that I never dreamed would have sugar. I have already began to notice a tremendous difference in my energy level and have lost a couple of pounds. I would highly recommend reading this book to anyone who is interested in bettering their physical and mental well being.

One of my biggest complaints about change-your-diet books is that they spend a lot of time convincing you why you should/shouldn't eat . This book isn't like that! She gives a brief overview of why cutting sugar out is a good idea, then gives sensible, helpful tips on how to go about actually doing it. I'm hypoglycemic and was recently told to follow a sugar-free diet, and this book has been a my roadmap. Everyone interested in their health should read this book!

When writing a memoir, authors are advised to write the first draft as if everyone is dead - and then to prune the damaging parts in subsequent rewrites. Perhaps Mason pruned a bit too much. This otherwise lovely and affectionate memoir of how it was to grow up in a small, working-class town in Kentucky in the 40s and 50s is a bit long on respect and caution - and a bit short on grit.
Otherwise, I loved it. I grew up in Kansas in the 50s and can relate to the pace, small-town values, and lack of danger (except from the "evil Communists" and "the bomb") that Mason portrays as such inherent parts of her roots. Her language, esp in the first part of the book focusing on her own childhood memories, is rich and multi-layered and pulls readers into every scene right along with her. In the rest of the book, she uses the techniques of creative nonfiction to weave a background narrative that spans the lives of three generations of women within the community.
A worthwhile read; it won't change your life, but it might make you think, and it's certainly a pleasant trip to take with this accomplished author.

I really enjoyed this book a lot! I didn't just read it; I pored over it and savored every word. "Clear Springs" is the family history of Bobbie Ann Mason, a woman born and raised in Kentucky. It explores not only her own memories of growing up in rural Kentucky, but also those of her mother and grandmother--three generations of women. The details are wonderful. Reading this book makes you feel as if these women are people you know - maybe your neighbors or relatives in your own family. This book takes you back to a time when life was simpler in some ways, but more complicated in other ways. I especially enjoyed the photos of Bobbie's family members in the middle of the book. I would be reading the story and then go flip back to the pictures to envision these people in my mind as I thought about their lives. It really brought the characters to life in a more vivid way. What a valuable way of preserving her memories of a people, a place, and a way of life gone by in the words of this book! With all of the millions of people in the United States, one might think their own life is fairly insignificant; however, when you read this book, one realizes that everyone has a story to tell, their own personal history from their special era in which they lived. This book is like a little slice of America. I recommend it to all! Happy Reading!

Bobbie Ann Mason has written an honest and wonderful book dealing with her growing-up years in Western Kentucky, with her leaving the rural life and entering the urban world, only to return in her later years to Kentucky. The book will trigger a lot of similar memories in many readers, and should take its place alongside books by Russell Baker and others as a true and accurate picture of bygone eras.

This is a powerful and beautiful deck. For fun or academic research, it can provide much history and contemplation (and a good bibliography). For divination, you will find a syncretic mix of traditional tarot (Crowley throughout; Robert Wang's influence is heavy in the Temple/Court cards) and a specific brand of African and American nature-bound spirituality. The all-inclusive spirit of Voodoo practice pervades the deeply moving readings that can come from this set and its guidelines.

Despite what an earlier reviewer said, I find nothing "dangerous," nothing to "fear" from this deck or the power it can potentially evoke (that is, for those looking for more than just a bit of fun, beauty and insight). For the believer in spirits and forces, there is true power to be tapped with this tool. You are constantly asked to look to your own "will" and true "Self" to guide you. Readings that forebode difficulties will not be evaded with this deck -- but guidance and assistance from the "Loa" is the key to meaningful or successful outcomes.

If you use this deck, it is best to truly understand the etymological and spiritual meaning of "sacrifice" -- "to make sacred." The best lesson I have learned from this deck is spelled out clearly in the book: "To sacrifice is to create a channel cut deep into the earth, through which benefit flows both ways. To sacrifice is to give freely to the sacred, to move one's attention from acquisition to open-handed giving..."

I wish I could have the images from this deck enlarged, framed, and hung all over the walls of my home. I like to imagine the smells, sounds, tastes and textures of pictures, and the deck gives me plenty to work with. The plants seem ready to grow out of the edges of the cards, and the people *look* at you. Reading with these cards is a very satisfying visual experience.

The book is nowhere near as satisfying. I know a little about tarot and nothing about voodoo or the Qabala, so I do have plenty to learn from the book. The information about voodoo, especially the descriptions of the characters portrayed on each card, is very useful. However, I find the divinations for each card unpleasantly limited and shallow, especially for the Court cards.

When reading with these cards I find I'm better off using general tarot knowledge and the character descriptions to enhance my understanding of the images rather than the divinations offered by the book.

Obviously I still enjoy the deck enough to give it a five, so the book isn't really a drawback. I'm starting to like the fact that its scanty divinations force me to turn to the cards themselves for interpretation. The images are more than rich enough to make up for the book's deficiencies.

I have been using this tarot deck for three years and havs had amaizing results. Everyone knows me by my tarot deck. Though I recomend these cards wich are highly magical, infact I have never used a deck more powerful, and I have used many. I warn to use with mutch respect and honor. The book has some rituals that can get you into trouble " nothing that will kill you." There is a ritual on birthing the deck, and naming them. This was the first thing I did Madama L La Mama Chola has been with e for three years and I cant immagine life without her. "WORD TO THE WISE! " If you put the spirit in your deck, it will be a powerful deck capable of both good and evil, make sure to study on voodoo and Santeria befor attempting this.