Well, I read the book. That is all that I can honestly say. The book just never had imagination or anything that one would expect from a superstar of Foxx's stature and lore. This was like reading a Grade 8 assignment. Structure and content are terribly lacking. A subject loaded with plenty of history and ammunition, yet it looks as though the book was put together piece by piece with not a clue where to begin or end. The only break for the author is that Foxx had a historical abstract that indicated beginning and end to his career. At least the author stayed in that timeframe. Too good a subject for such a poor and lacadasical effort. Two stars is too generous, but the statistics carry the book. Such a shame!

THIS BOOK IS A WELL WRITTEN STORY ABOUT THE MARK MCGWIRE OF HIS TIME. AN INTERESTING AND SAD STORY ABOUT AN INCREDIBLY STRONG MAN, PHYSICALLY BUT NOT EMOTIONALLY. THE AUTHOR DOES A GOOD JOB DESCRIBING HIS GREAT CAREER AND HIS VERY SAD LIFE OUTSIDE OF BASEBALL. JIMMIE FOXX WAS A VERY MODEST MAN. ALCOHOL TOOK ALOT OF HIS GOODNESS AWAY AND COST HIM JOB AFTER JOB. JIMMIE FOXX IS A HERO TO ME. THE AUTHOR DOES A GREAT JOB OF SHOWING HOW HUMAN THIS MAN WAS. A BOOK THAT MUST BE READ.

I realy enjoyed this book about baseball's forgotten hero. One of baseball's best hitters, Jimmie Foxx life after baseball was tragic. The author uses extensive research throughout to present the basic facts of the career of Jimmie Foxx--from the young farmboy from Easton, Maryland to his superb career with the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies. The one weakness in the book, though understandable, was the lack of development of the relationship between Foxx and his Hall of Fame teammates such as Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove. Writing a book about a man who was forgotten from the world of baseball fifty years after his career ended was no easy feat. It is truly unfortunate that this book wasn't written in the 1960's when Foxx was still alive and most of his peers were still around to lend insight and develop the relationships that he had between teammates and opponent

A well written book on the whole especially for beginners like me. Unfortunately, the book does lack mathematical examples.

Microeconomics is the field of play where Rubenfield slays the dragon. But in this case the dragon is microeconomics. And Rubinfield doesnt use a sword or even a crude bomb. He uses words to dismantle microecomics in a simple easy to uses book. I say, take a bow Rubinfeld, your works will live forever in the halls of Economics. Same to you Pindick. Pindick has easily shown how supply and demand weld together to show market price. Basically, this Pindick man is a genius. I cant recommend this book enough.

I've used this book in an intermediate micro course at Berkeley, and I have to say that this is one of the best written economics books I've read. One of its greatest advantages is the clarity of explanation and abundance of visual aid such as graphs and tables throughout the book to support the material. The graphs get a bit complicated towards the last chapters, but that's only because the material that needs to be illustrated through those graphs gets complicated as well.

Second, even though I've had extensive economics background, the book could be suitable for beginners. The first two chapters give a concise overview of a basic Econ 1 course, explaining the basics of supply and demand, market structure, etc. - everything a person with little economics background needs to know to be able to understand this book. However, if you find this book to simple for you, keep in mind that Prentice Hall publishes it as "Intermediate Economics" - for use in 2nd or 3rd year in an undergraduate economics program.

Unlike many other econ textbooks I've encountered, this book is neither math-heavy nor theory-heavy - it has a good balance of theoretical information coupled with enough mathematical examples to get the message across. However, many students (and some reviewers on this website) find that there aren't enough examples and exercises (with answers) in the book - for that I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the Student Study Guide. It quickly summarizes each chapter (good for emergency test/quiz studying) and provides plenty of sample problems as it summarizes the concepts. It also includes a quick chapter quiz and gives the solutions to all problems found in the Study Guide.

Also unlike most outdated econ textbooks today, this one includes excellent chapters on Game Theory and pricing strategies. I've heard from a few business majors here at Berkeley that they're encouraged to read those two chapters as good examples of how these concepts apply to business and economics. The book features many "Sample Boxes" - small paragraphs on how the current topic of discussion has been applied in the real world. This helps understand that economics is a real science (in a sense that it can produce theories that are testable in the real world) and has some useful applications.

Overall, this is a very good economics textbook for intermediate microeconomics. The book alone deserves 4 stars, but coupled with the study guide, it's definitely a 5.

I have read all of Cornwall's books and the last two Scarpetta novels have left me disappointed in the finish . When Scarpetta finally lets the reader in on who the germ warfare bad guy is, I had no idea to whom she was referring or when the character had been introduced. The conclusion was disappointing, confusing and gives the reader a sense that Cornwall lost interest in wrapping up the crime/book. From Potters Field ended with the same lackluster, rushed conclusion. In addition to being stilted, the finish seemed a bit preposterous -- without giving the end away, the perpetrator of the crime does not fit the classic psychological profile of someone who would commit such a crime. On a positive note, Cornwall has already set up the plot for her next thriller with an additional crime (albeit one that sounds remarkably like the crime in the recently fabulous competitor's book Deja Dead by Kathy Reich) that goes unsolved in Unnatural Exposure. All in all I give it a B -- entertaining but not compelling.

UNNATURAL EXPOSURE is a good book, but not Cornwell's best. It appeals to me because it is set in Virginia, where I'm from. Cornwell also makes for a few surprises along the way. However, her Dr. Kay series is on a rapid decline in terms of subject matter. This particular book is the victim of decline, but is still good.

On the tiny and closely knit Tangier Island, a woman has died at the hands of a strange new killer. Dr. Kay Scarpetta has been called in to investigate. Early in the investigation, the killer contacts her via AOL with the frightening screen name DEADOC. They give her a virtual tour of a gruesome scene. With little to go on, Dr. Kay faces a new breed of killer. Moreover, she could be next...

This book is not the best, but it is a good read. It deals with a variety of issues aside from the crime aspect. It deals with homosexuality (a recurring theme in Cornwell's latest works),AIDS, vulnerability, and betrayal. If any of these topics bother you, I would not advise reading this novel. However, if you are an avid Cornwell/Scarpetta fan, or just enjoy good reading buy UNNATURAL EXPOSURE today.

Patrcia Cornwell has done it again. This is the eighth Cornwell book I've read and they keep getting better and better. Unnatural Exposure is the best in the Scarpetta series and the story is the most unusual. I feel like Kay is an old friend and I love Marino. Cornwell writes her characters true to life. Complete with stress, relationship problems, and the aches and pains of aging. I enjoy the intricate plots of Cornwell's stories and her development of the characters and their relationships with each other. As I read the books, I almost feel as if I am part of the story. Patricia Cornwell is a truly gifted writer and I am a loyal reader. I can't wait to read her next book.

This book is at the emotional level of a third grader. There is no concept of suspense, realistic events, or realistic characters. The plot moves like molasses and Peaches Dann speaks to us as if she has no faults (besides her cutesy memory problem). There is no emotion in this story whatsoever. Someone killed my aunt, and is trying to kill me? I'm not going to show any emotion or hide out. I'm going to be stupid and hang around investigating! My latest amazement comes from the fact that it ships in 24 hours from amazon - while reading it, I was somewhat amazed that it was ever published. To sum up, the bright spots of the book were a cat and uhh, the other cat.

Peaches Dann is used to her father's paranoid outbursts, so she only goes out to check the pond to humor him. Much to her dismay, she finds that her father was right this time. Her Aunt Nancy's body is lying face down in the water. But who could have wanted to kill her aunt? Or was Peaches the intended victim, since she and the victim have similar dresses. Then another murder takes place, in a trap most likely meant for Peaches. What does it all mean? Peaches will have to use every memory trick she's learned over the years to figure this one out.

With a title like this book has, I went in expecting a cozy mystery and was not disappointed in that regard. The book could have been better overall, however. The plot moves along at a slow pace and I really struggled to get into it. While there are several likeable characters, I also found myself irritated by many of them. The references to Peaches' poor memory (which I didn't think was nearly as bad as it was made out to be) and excerpts from her "book" on memory techniques were also overdone.

Peaches is certainly a pleasant character. I'll probably give the author another try to see if she developed as a mystery writer. Not my favorite book read this year, but I've certainly read worse.

I was saddened to read the above review about the late Elizabeth Squire's work. The person obviously doesn't like cozies. With her permission, I was happy to include a counter review that was posted on Dorothy L recently. This book begins the absent minded sleuth Peaches Dann series, which includes 6 other books, all of which were reviewed most favorably by numerous literary critics and fans. Why else would there be so many! I hope future readers will not be diswayed by the above review and keep the legacy of Peaches Dann and her author alive for many years to come. Just remember ... these are cozies! Enjoy the ride!

The book is unpractical for the working engineer and the mathematics is simplified calculus which is not understandable to the average practicing engineer, but seems to be in favor of academic types. This is not a book for someone who wants to learn why production equipment works. The chapter on multiphase flow is its only saving grace, but any cheap paper on the subject will say as much. I would recomened the OGCI books on Production Technology. Way cheaper...way better...

This is a comprehensive and relatively advanced book in petroleum production engineering. It helps to understand important parameters that control the performance of the production system. This book explains complex concepts of engineering very easy. Last, it has been written by experienced professionals world wide well recognized in the oil industry.

In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.

As far as this being one of Cornwell's best books, it would not qualify. The book started off too abruptly and didnt give as much detailed background as it should have. In the beginning it introduced us to a mysterious death. There was a peson killed on a dock. Dr Skarpetta was the person in charge of investigating this crime. It goes on and on about this, not really introducing any new material. This made the book less attention grabbing. The same happened over and over throughout the book, and really didnt feel like we were getting anywhere. The only thing that gave it a weird feeling was the fact that it took place on New Years Eve. Normally Cornwell keeps you wanting to read the next page, Cause of Death just didnt cut it. Dont take this, as if she writes bad books, since most of hers that I have read were excellent. I just wouldnt go out and get this one until you have read some of her others.

I have read all of Cornwell's books and can now honestly say I am deeply depressed by the author's galloping ego. Lucy irritates me endlessly. Her relationship with Kay bounces back and forth with remarkable clarity however. It's perhaps the most convincing relationship in the series. I hate Kay's affair with Benton Wesley with a passion. Not only is it contrived and embarrassing - how can he be so ethical and yet so base? It would have been far more interesting to team up Scarpetta and Marino. I love Marino. He's so real, I can practically see the egg stains on his tie. Benton, clearly modelled on John Douglas, the former charismatic head of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit, has lost something in the translation. He has become quite improbable since he took up with Kay. Why oh why did Cornwell bump off the boyfriend Mark? And this I think is the crux of the problem. Firstly, we are told of Mark's death in an earlier book - in the past tense! We are not allowed to really share her agony, even though we by now, care deeply about Kay Scarpetta. In Cause Of Death, Cornwell pulls the same stunt. We have to wait for nearly 100 pages to see Benton and Kay together - and we learn, they've been split up for months! Quite conveniently, Benton is getting a divorce - at his long suffering wife's request. I guess Cornwell got stung by so much criticism of the extra-marital affair. In the context of the books, it seems highly unlikely Connie Wesley would really run off with another man, but okay, I'll rent the idea for now. Still, the medical aspects of the books continue to inspire, in spite of the laughable, clunky final set pieces.. A nuclear power plant? Please! I miss the earlier Kay back in Richmond with her squirrel and no-life. This one is too Cosmo, too Rambo-lina. However, the earlier diving sequences are fun and the locations as usual, make me jealous as a writer. Cornwell has been there, done that. I can't wait for the next book

I have read all of Cornwell's books and can now honestly say I am deeply depressed by the author's galloping ego. Lucy irritates me endlessly. Her relationship with Kay bounces back and forth with remarkable clarity however. It's perhaps the most convincing relationship in the series. I hate Kay's affair with Benton Wesley with a passion. Not only is it contrived and embarrassing - how can he be so ethical and yet so base? It would have been far more interesting to team up Scarpetta and Marino. I love Marino. He's so real, I can practically see the egg stains on his tie. Benton, clearly modelled on John Douglas, the former charismatic head of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit, has lost something in the translation. He has become quite improbable since he took up with Kay. Why oh why did Cornwell bump off the boyfriend Mark? And this I think is the crux of the problem. Firstly, we are told of Mark's death in an earlier book - in the past tense! We are not allowed to really share her agony, even though we by now, care deeply about Kay Scarpetta. In Cause Of Death, Cornwell pulls the same stunt. We have to wait for nearly 100 pages to see Benton and Kay together - and we learn, they've been split up for months! Quite conveniently, Benton is getting a divorce - at his long suffering wife's request. I guess Cornwell got stung by so much criticism of the extra-marital affair. In the context of the books, it seems highly unlikely Connie Wesley would really run off with another man, but okay, I'll rent the idea for now. Still, the medical aspects of the books continue to inspire, in spite of the laughable, clunky final set pieces.. A nuclear power plant? Please! I miss the earlier Kay back in Richmond with her squirrel and no-life. This one is too Cosmo, too Rambo-lina. However, the earlier diving sequences are fun and the locations as usual, make me jealous as a writer. Cornwell has been there, done that. I can't wait for the next book

There is little to add to the comments of those who have expressed their disappointment in Patricia Cornwell's latest novel. If anyone wanted Scarpetta, she wasn't around. If anyone wanted a single story, it wasn't there. If anyone wanted to plot, there wasn't even a cemetery. So, what was there? THAT is the mystery. The answer is that Ms. Cornwell who had just finished her adaptation of her last book for the movies, is captivated by movie or TV scripts. Note the hornet-marked paragraphs which could indicate scenes for a TV script. See how the people are just like all TV people-- caricatures with a heart whom you can't help but like. And note the presence of a schtick, as they call it in Hollywood, something repetitive "joke" to relieve the tension. This time it's a cat. Unfortunately, one must notice that plots are yet to be found to fit the characters. So here's my answer to the mystery. What's it all about, Andy? Why did she do it? My guess is that Ms. Cornwell started to write A TV SERIES, and came up with this one, catchily entitled, complete with visuals, full of double entendres, and loaded with meaning and doubts. The book, like a good TV drama series or evening soap is full of : Is she or isn't she? Will he or won't he? Do they or don't they? It's what addiction's all about. I can hear America saying: " Turn on Channel 4 honey, it's time for HORNET'S NEST, tales of the Richmond Blues, or Babes with Arms." So I now am waiting for the show ----- to be made in Toronto, and aired at 1 AM after Letterman and Snyder, Koppell and Maher. It will be an opportunity to lose sleep watching video instead of reading Cornwell. WIth all I have said, I can only presume that TV turned her down and rather than lose all that hard work, she made the treatment a novel. Just between us Cornwell addicts, I've read all of Scarpetta, too, enjoyed them and yet wondered when the author would be done with all those accurate and gory autopsy details. I've been there. Done that. Enough of the blood and scientific scalping. So I did look forward to a new setting. Ooops! Sorry! We all make mistakes, and learn from them. I wish Patricia Cornwell well with a new set of characters, and hope they will be as good as her original series. BAM BAM and Chou!

The reaction of Cornwell fans to "Hornet's Nest" reminds me of the events described in Rick Nelson's song, "Garden Party."

No one wanted to read anything new, so they booed Cornwell off the stage. She was probably tired of "living" with Scarpetta, so she wanted a break.

I thought it was a nice attempt at something different. The characters were a refreshing change of pace, and they were the main focus of the book. It was certainly more character study than police procedural or forensics procedural.

Cornwell passed on what could have been a detailed look at metropolitan police efforts. But maybe that's a longtime reader judging from expectations rather than the pages in front of me.

By the late pages of the book, I cared about the characters, and I would read about them again.

A disturbing trend by Cornwell to rush to an ending was again present. As a Cornwell reader who has read all her fiction, I am concerned about that in the past few efforts.

I found "Hornet's Nest" a nice change of pace that should be judged on its own merits. It was not intended to be a Kay Scarpetta book with different character names pasted in.

Try reading it that way.

I found "Hornet's Nest" to be an interesting look at the heart of issues for women in position of authority, as well as an absorbing read. The characters had professional and personal depth; each personality realistically portrayed. There were no major mysteries requiring plot twists and surprise endings. It was simply a close and surprisingly accurate psychological treatment of females in traditionally male positions. The scrutiny, the resentment, the suspicion (and the reality) of sex on the job were "dead on". Ms Cornwell did a fine jnob on this one, proving that it isn't a bad thing if a writer departs from the familiar. I'm hoping to see more of this cast of charaters

Hall tries his best to debunk the famed 19th century medium Daniel Home. Unfortunately, much of the book is concerned with tedious and irrelevant minutiae. Hall spends many pages trying to prove that Home invented his middle name (Dunglas) in order to fake a connection with Scottish nobility that allowed him to advance in European high society. Even if true, this says little about Home's purported mediumistic abilities. A later discussion of the publication date of an obscure book brought out by Home in 1869 or 1870 goes on for multiple chapters and succeeds in establishing that 1869, not 1870, may be the correct date. So what? Hall makes no attempt to deal with the bulk of Home's alleged phenomena, ascribing the hundreds of eyewitness reports to group hallucination or collective hypnosis. He does not discuss Sir William Crookes' controlled experiments with Home, carried out in good light and in the presence of various witnesses. He does expend a great deal of energy on Home's purported levitation in front of three young friends, under non-controlled conditions, in the dark. This is one of the weakest cases, and serves as a straw man by which Hall can profess to have discredited all the stronger cases without actually addressing them. He does, however, succeed in casting great doubt on the alleged levitation, for what that is worth. A much more complete analysis of Home is found in Stephen E. Braude's "The Limits of Influence," now out of print but worth tracking down. Braude's detailed and careful approach makes Hall seem sloppy and disingenuous by comparison.

The line "every body knows, that the world is full of stupid people" is just a lyric, not a story line for an entire novel. I was unable to finish it, and completely overwhelmed by the ongoing and absolute abundance of unbelievable stupidity. Not to mention, sincerely disappointed, as I usually enjoy her writing.

I am completely at a loss for words. It is difficult to describe the feeling I had while listening (I got this book on tape) to this book, tape after tape, waiting for the plot to develop.

There are several loosely intertwined plots, most of which could be eliminated without changing the story at all. As one reviewer pointed out, there are cognisant crabs. That's bad enough, but my real issue is with the fact that the cognisant crabs are conversing with a cognisant trout. That's just silly... everyone knows that crabs and trout speak different languages. But honestly, aside from the heros of the story, the sea creatures are the most intelligent characters in the book. In that respect, they presented a welcome reprive from the nonstop mindless drivel that comes from human characters.

I could really just go on and on. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities in this book. Don't expect a typical Cornwell book. I dare you to disregard my review and read the book anyway :).

In a departure from her many forensic thriller books, Patricia Cornwell has written in 'Isle of Dogs' a silly satire of the Commonwealth of Virginia, including Tangier Island. She skewers the First Family and the state police among others. 'Dogs' is the third book that features Andy Brazil, now a state trooper, and Judy Hammer, now superintendent of the Virginia State Police. (They were also in 'Southern Cross' and 'The Hornet's Nest.') It took me several days to finish this overlong book, unlike most of Ms. Cornwell's previous page-turners. As a fan of her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, except for 'The Last Precinct,' I tried to suspend judgment on 'Dogs' and be open-minded about its postmodern narrative. Even so, aside from some very comical dialogue, I couldn't find much to like about this novel. Dr. Scarpetta made a cameo appearance in two chapters, but she seemed robotic. Judy Hammer was among the least-developed characters in the book. The quasi-historical Internet postings by Trooper Truth a.k.a. Andy Brazil were informative at times but distracted from the narrative flow. Governor Crimm's 'submarine' seemed like a poor imitation of Ignatius J. Reilly's valve. 'Dogs' is somewhat like other postmodern satires I've read, but it never really comes together as a novel. Ms. Cornwell, count me as another disappointed fan who would like to see a revitalized Kay Scarpetta back on the scene.