This book contains the major prose works of Aleksandr Pushkin, which include "The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", "Dubrovskii", "The Queen of Spades", "The Captain's Daughter", and "A History of Pugachev". Also included in the book are many unfinished stories and fragments, which provide some glimpse into what Pushkin was thinking in between the years that he wrote his masterpieces.

Pushkin's stories range from melancholy to humorous to psychological and yet they are all written in a clear, and crisp style that is easy to grasp. Unlike Pushkin's poetry, little is lost in the translation of his prose works from Russian to English and thus we can fully appreciate his genius.

Although all of Pushkin's prose works are excellent, but one that continues to remain in my memory for some reason is "Egyptian Nights". Here the two main characters are Charskii, the nobleman who upholds the aesthetic and personal nature of poetry writing, and the greedy Italian improvisator, who lives by giving public shows and is able to deliver a poem (and quite astonishing at that) on any topic at a moment's notice - but for a fee. Is it possible that Charskii and the Italian both represent different facets of Pushkin's own personality? Anyway, I thought the story ending was erotic and exotic...

Even if you are not interested in Russian literature or in Russian culture in general, I would daresay that you would find it hard to put this collection of stories down after you started reading them.

The only problem that I had was with the publisher. I wish that they had provided a bookcover, because the paint on the outside of the hardcover kept coming off onto my hands!

If you want to sincerely have a happy, fulfilling marriage to a Russian lady then you better not be complacent either.  Study the Pimsleur language lessons, read all the books you can, study Russian history and culture, read their literature.  The works of Pushkin alone are rewarding for any scholar with or without the motive of a beautiful Russian bride!

English Literature has its Shakespeare, American its Melville, German its Goethe, and Russian Literature, well, it has Alexander Pushkin. Although there are a lot of well-known and frequently-read writers from the 19th century Russia, like Gogol, Tolstoi or Dostoyevski, Pushkin is supposed to be the one who started the movement which made Russian Literature part of World Literature.

Pushkin is known as a poet (his novel "Eugen Onegin", written in verses, is the crown of his art), not as a dramatist or a novelist. As a citizen of the former Soviet Union, I know from my own experience that school children have to learn his poetry by heart from the very beginning of their school career. Even if his prose couldn't reach the importance of his poetry, it could still establish some reputation because of its uniqueness. This collection unites his greatest works in prose. Since the stories vary in kind and quality, I decided to write a short comment on some of them hoping that the review will be more helpful this way.

DUBROVSKII (5 STARS): This is a story about a young man desperate to take revenge on the man who killed his father. As a wanted criminal, Dubrovskii assumes the identity of a French teacher at his enemy's and lures for the possibility to hold his word and to kill the man he hates the most. Making his plans, he didn't expect to fall in love with the daughter of his victim. Since their love is mutual, he must decide what is more important for him, his love or his revenge... This story is the most famous of Pushkin's works. It takes place in Russia of the 18th century with its problems and victories. "Dubrovskii" portrays the struggle of different classes, of the new society influenced by the Western world and the old Russian rule that doesn't accept any changes without a battle.

THE QUEEN OF SPADES (2 STARS): This is probably the only story in this collection I didn't like at all. It presents us a young officer seeking the gambling trick of an old lady that would make him rich overnight. It's no surprise that he fails and loses everything including his mind. The story is quite predictable and offers moral views that rather belong into a children's book than a work of fiction for adults.

THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER (4 STARS): This is Pushkin's only story that reaches the length of a novel. Its background is Pugachev's revolt that took place in the late 18th century. The main character is the somewhat naive young man falling in love with the daughter of his commanding officer who gets killed during the revolt. He struggles to save her from the bandits and almost loses his life doing it. The story shows us Pushkin's turn towards Romantic period in literature and his ways of looking at the past of his country. "The Captain's Daughter" can be easily called a historical novel containing some critisicm of society. The negative point about it was the feeling that the plot is somehow constructed, artificial beyond artistic liberties. The parallels to "Dubrovskii" are obvious though they don't minimize the pleasure of reading.

This volume presents us Pushkin's prose (there are more stories than commented on above). As told before, some of it is excellent, some isn't. Nevertheless I rate this book with 5 stars because it unites works by Alexander Pushkin that MUST be read by someone who is interested in him.

This book is one of the 2 most desirable and collectible books on classical guitars (the other one is: Collection of Fine Spanish Guitars from Torres to the Present by Urlik, Sheldon). The figures are superb and the text informative. The hard cover edition is better in the following senses:

1. The hard cover edition is a limited edition (6000 copies only).
2. It is like a textbook which can be opened fully on its back. Easy for reading and scanning.
3. It's got a hard protective slipcase

However, getting the softcover edition might be your choice for its price and availability.

If you are a lover of guitars, specifically classical guitars, you owe it to yourself to purchase this book. There is nothing else like it. Great photography, details on some of the best guitars from some of the best makers...Romanillos, Smallman, Bernabe...They are all here. Inclusively, the book covers players (Williams, Bream, Segovia) as well as an in depth look at wood and the guitar market today. Great stuff and at ..., an incredible bargain.

Any lover of the classical guitar cannot help but appreciate this gorgeous collection of instruments, as well as the way in which they are displayed on the pages. Filled with information about the guitars and their construction, the luthiers, and which players'CDs you can hear them on, I highly recommend this fine edition. I take issue only with the subtitle "A Complete History", as the guitars are based on a single collection of instruments, owned by Russell Cleveland, and not necessarily what any other person would consider "Complete". That fact does not diminish my enjoyment of this exquisite book one bit.

This book should be considered a combination of art/animation history,as well as a bible for Felix fans!

Canemaker takes the reader through the amazing roller coaster ride that is the career of Felix the Cat. From the shady past of producer Pat Sullivan, to the brilliant career of Otto Messmer, this is a great read. Complete with rarely seen Felix memorabilia, this book has it all. It is just too bad that there aren't more books like Canemaker's out there for the dyed-in-the-wool fan. Pick it up!

John Canemaker has the rare gift of bringing the human side of great animation to life. He is at the top of his form in this book, which follows the story of Felix the Cat from his creation by Otto Messmer through the present day. Very highly recommended for anyone interested in Animation in any form whatsoever.

Many of the books on the market today are cutesy and lack the content that someone who needs an answer now demands. This book contains a lot of hands on information. So far, I haven't run into a situation where I needed help and this book couldn't provide it. I usually don't have more than five minutes to find an answer to questions, so most of the books I've tried don't come close to helping me. The organization of this book makes it a snap to find any answer. If you want a no nonsense answer to your questions fast, this is the book to get. Make sure you contact the author too. I saw his message asking for reader input and thought he'd ignore me like other authors do. This guy is serious--he really does want to hear from you.

Although I have used many flavors of Windows in both business and at home, Windows XP offers many new features. This book glides the reader through all aspects of the operating system with just the right amount of detail without otherwhelming you. I found the book to be very useful and have referred to it many times. The author is very knowledge of the entire suite of features built into Windows XP.

I learned more about a Windows operating system in a week with this book than I learned since I first used Windows 3.1 up thru last week. I'm a home user now, but this book will teach and inform users from home PC novices to office professionals. It covers both the Home and Professional Editions, and if you don't need the latter, it's easily skipped. Full of helpful tips and warnings when you might get into dangerous waters. Wish I'd have had a manual like this when I was an office administrator. One of the best computer manuals I've used!

The second novel of the John Paul Jones Trilogy by Nicholas Nicastro, Between Two Fires continues the saga of America's first naval hero. An historical fiction, Between Two Fires offers the reader a riveting 18th Century odyssey of bravery, battle, tragedy, and loss on the high seas, exciting and tautly written. Also very highly recommended is the first novel of this outstanding trilogy, The Eighteenth Captain...

There are no easy blacks and whites in Nicholas Nicastro's wonderfully written tales of the American Revolution. Forget about the flag-waving pabulum that your ninth grade textbook passed off as American History. Nicastro portrays John Paul Jones as a Napoleonic .... who alternates his barks with his bites as the never-say-die commander of the Bonhomme Richard. The monomaniac runs many of his men and his ship into extinction while defeating the British Serapis.

The even more engrossing parallel tale in "Between Two Fires" revolves around conscience-stricken Captain Severance, who watches his Colonial comrades barbarically commit genocide against the Iroquois Nation. Nicastro takes Lechterian delight in describing the atrocities perpetrated under General Sullivan's command--officers parade around in flesh cut from the hides of Native Americans while burning and desecrating village after village. Yes the Indians do commit their share of torture, but theirs, as described by Nicastro, is a far more noble form of sadism.

Should David Lynch ever decide to direct an 18th Century war picture, this book is filled with a wonderful cache of quirky historical curiosities. A female character aboard Jones's ship dedicates her life to capturing the ideal physical traits of people she meets in her sketchbook. Her goal is to create a composite which would match the image of Jesus Christ. I won't betray the macabre manner in which she locates the preeminent nose. Joseph, the noble Native American hero aboard the Richard, has his teeth knocked out halfway through the saga and speaks the remainder in a humorous lisp. George Washington is a self-conscious poser, pretending to act as a great commander should act-- the Ronald Reagan of his day.

The book does have a few narrative flaws. Would an eighteenth century officer really write letters describing all the grotesqueries of war, not missing a morbid detail, to his bride-to-be? Would he also write extensively about his obvious attraction for a headstrong Native American woman?

But minor exceptions aside, this is a novel not to be ignored--certainly for fans of seafaring novels but more broadly for anyone hungering for sharply written historical ficition, fiction with a harsher, less propagandistic view of the era.

The worst thing about reading great trilogies is the wait. I re-read the first book, "The Eighteenth Captain", just prior to the release of "Between Two Fires"; as I often do with a much anticipated release. If you haven't read the first book...do yourself a favor and grab a copy.

"Between Two Fires" provided some of the best historical fiction writing I've had the pleasure to page-turn. You don't need to be a history, war or nautical buff to truly enjoy the well-developed, fascinating characters in Nicastro's follow-up book. He has a way of writing dialogue that makes you feel a part of the conversation...as if you might be standing next to the characters. No easy task.

This book has everything I enjoy...action, compelling characters, period atmosphere that draws me into the time, and a great story. Please get the third book out a bit quicker.

As of the time of this review, this book is hot off the press and has been a book eagerly anticipated by many. And while the book is not perfect, as I will discuss below, there are a number of things about this critique that make it the best critique of open theism available at present.

Piper and company have assembled an impressive group of mainly Reformed scholars to tackle numerous issues regarding open theism. Almost every chapter is well documented, with numerous and lengthy footnotes accompanying much of the base material. There is a great deal here to ponder and study, and I suspect that many readers who are relatively familiar with the open theism controversy will be struck by the depth in which this book engages fundamental questions of hermeneutics and theological method.

I think there is little doubt that for the average reader, Parts 4 and 5 will be the best parts of the book. In these parts, various authors tackle critical theological and pastoral problems that open theism creates, and these are the kinds of issues that the average reader will most identify with and profit from I suspect. In particular, Wellum's critique of open theism's necessary compromise of the inerrancy of Scripture is outstanding, along with Ware's devastating analysis of how the gospel of Christ is gutted by open theism. The tackling of these critical theological ramifications is the part of this book that I felt was critically missing from Ware's 'God's Lesser Glory' book (which has been generally acknowledged to be the most devastating critique of open theism thus far, and was the book that really delivered the first mortal blow to open theism and got Boyd and company to play defense ever since), so in that respect, this book is an outstanding companion to that book.

The first parts of this book are great and necessary, but are likely to be sections that will take many readers by surprise. It is in these sections that attempts are made to discredit the inconsistent hermeneutic (to put it nicely) of open theism, as well as to discredit the much trumpeted assertion by open theists that historical theism is based on Greek philosophical ideas that are not found in the Bible. In addition, the section on the analogical nature of Scripture and the treatment of anthropomorphisms is likewise outstanding.

The one notable drawback of this book is that Biblical exegesis is not the thrust of this book. There are times when solid exegesis is conducted, but this book is not an exegetical critique of open theism. It's mainly a negative philosophical, methodological, and worldview critique that rightly exposes the mess that open theism is as a matter of scholarship. But someone looking for a sustained emphasis on Biblical exegesis of controversial passages, as well as a Biblical analysis of those many areas of Scripture that contradict open theism may be somewhat dissatisfied by the efforts here. There are other resources that deal with these issues, but it is the one critical area where this book lets open theism off the hook. This is unfortunate because as a result of this, this book, while perhaps the most comprehensive critique of open theism available, still ends up joining all of the other able critiques in doing serious damage to open theism, but not delivering the kind of comprehensive 'shock and awe' that it was capable of.

Nonetheless, for what this book deals with, it is outstanding and perhaps best of all, very current. The thought of Greg Boyd in particular has been in a seemingly constant state of modification and flux in recent years in his attempts to do damage control. His latest neo-molinist concoction gets a great deal of attention in this book where it is demonstrated to be a wholly inadequate solution to the problems his open theist perspective creates across the board. I highly recommend this book and believe that in many ways, it will become the book that open theists feel most compelled to respond to in light of the lucid and cogent arguments it lobs at open theism.

Powerful,respectful dismantling of nebulous Open Theory of Bible interpretation and aberrant Non-evangelical philosophy.

STRENGTHS:

1)Shows how sincere,misguided Christians (Open Theorists) can fall prey to Paul's warning to 'beware idle notions..and hollow,
deceptive philosophies..self-deceit via fine sounding arguments..' They depart from the Word of God and the God of the Word and the True Omniscient/Uncorrectable/Inerrant Jesus with every new Openist publication and pronouncement.

2)Establishes clear,undeniable linkage of Open Theory to Charles Hartshorne's Process Philosophy of Bible interpretation (see Hartshorne's 'Omnipotence & Other Theological Mistakes')
Such unbiblical,Process-like worldview permeates Openist filters
and lensing when doing Theology. See also Boyd's seminal Openist
book 'Trinity & Process' where he attempts a synthesis of Scripture+Hartshornism=Aberrant Hybrid Boydism (a la healthy horse+ill donkey=sterile mule).

3)Demonstrates Boyd's antipathy to his own denomination's Affirmation of Faith regarding Bible teaching of INERRANCY. Boyd is Theology Prof.at Baptist General Conference's Bethel College. BGC official doctrinal position is INERRANT BIBLE.

In Boyd's most recent book 'Across the Spectrum', he categorically denies his own denomination's position with his essay titled 'Infallibilist View'. Boyd doesn't realize the definition of INFALLIBLE is 'incapable of error in any matter'.
Boyd is teaching pastor at Woodland Hills Church. His statement of faith says, 'The Bible is Infallible'. Has anyone checked what he means by it? See his essay in 'Across the Spectrum' p.14-21 to see what Gregory Boyd really believes.

Why BGC President Jerry Sheveland and Bethel leadership maintain Boyd on clergy roster/faculty is of concern to many in BGC, who feel integrity would mean resigning in good conscience or public retraction of non-evangelical, Processist teachings that openly defy BGC church and college Affirmation of Faith.

4)Marshalling of Biblical evidence that shows how aberrant and beyond-borderline-heterodox many of Boyd's teachings are.

WEAKNESSES: minimal. These Scriptures would have been nice additions:

John 13:19 "I am telling you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe than I am He." Jesus has Exhaustive Definite/Divine Foreknowledge of ALL free futures. Boyd teaches Extensive Indefinite Forecasting or 'Divine Nescience (Ignorance)' along with 'Theo-Repentism' and 'Infinite Intelligence' in place of Evangelical Infinite Awareness-Knowledge-Omnipresent where/when-there/then in ALL dimensions of space-time (LxWxHxPastxPresentxFuture)

Boyd teaches there are Bible errors, using the example of "Jesus' command to his 70(sic)missionaries" about whether to take a staff on their trip. First, Boyd errs: It wasn't the 70, but the 12! Second, a fair reading of the Gospels indicates many mission assignments, each with potentially different itinerary and packing instructions. Luke 22 has Jesus telling them to pack a dagger-knife. Third, one or more accounts may be a composite of several trips while another may be a specific or representative mission. Fourth, this issue has been chewed on since before Augustine's time. Reformers and more recent scholars have put this to bed (see J.Bengel's, Calvin's and Matthew Henry's commentaries as well as Geisler's 'When Critics Ask' and John MacArthur Study Bible notes on Lk.9:3).
Fifth, Jesus was saying: 'carry only what you have with you: sandals on your feet, clothes on your back, staff in hand; don't procure/go get extras or what you don't have now.'(see Greek verbs used for 'take, acquire, procure,obtain,get).

Boyd's 'scholarship' and 'fairness' to the apparent discrepancy
is disingenuous and far from humble, to say the least. It's almost as if he can't help BUT to find errors of fact, history,
narrative rather than see the accounts as complementary or excerptive vs. passing judgment 'the three accounts do disagree and thus cannot in any literal sense be labeled inerrant.'-Spectrum p.19

Such is Boyd's aberrant view of Scripture: BEYOND THE BOUNDS of Evangelical, Essential Historic Christian Theology and contrary to his own denomination's Doctrinal Affirmation for Bethel College and all BGC churches, including Woodland Hills.

This book does an excellent (almost embarrassing expose') job of unmasking Gregory Boyd, Clark Pinnock, John Sanders and Open Theorists as: Christian? Yes. Evangelical? Sorry, no. Not if one takes their public false-teachings and books at face value.
They are certainly free to hold their beliefs. But self-proclaiming they are Evangelical and fomenting openly or subtly for 'change from within' is shown to be an empty claim and lacking integrity. Process theorists don't claim to be Evangelical. Why should Neo-processist theorists?

"By their fruit you shall know them..Test the spirits..Dear children, keep yourselves from idols..Scripture cannot be broken..do not go beyond what is written..are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?"

Buy extra copies and give them to friends & pastors and start group studies about Who the Real Triune God and His nature and attributes are. Be prepared for Bruce Ware's forthcoming book 'God of Greater Glory' which, along with Millard Erickson's
Christian Theology, will get the Bible student closer to the Bible. Openism just gets farther and farther BEYOND THE BOUNDS.

The downsized deity of open theism is a poor substitute for the real God of historic Christianity-as taught by Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox theologians through the centuries. This book offers an important analysis and critique of this sub-Christian view of God. Well researched and fairly presented.

-Dr. Timothy George
Dean of Beeson Divinity School, Samford University and an executive editor of Christianity Today

Here is a weighty tract for the times, in which a dozen Reformed scholars survey the "open theism" of Pinnock, Sanders, Boyd, and colleagues, and find it a confused, confusing, and unedifying hypothesis that ought to be declared off limits. Some pages are heavy sledding, but the arguing is clear and strong, and the book is essential reading for all who are caught up in this discussion.

-Dr. J. I. Packer
Professor of Theology
Regent College

Table of Contents

Contributors

Foreword
John Piper

Introduction
Justin Taylor

Part 1Historical Influences

1The Rabbis and the Claims of Openness Advocates
Russell Fuller

2Genetic Defects or Accidental Similarities? Orthodoxy and Open Theism and Their Connections to Western Philosophical Traditions
Chad Brand

Part 2Philosophical Presuppositions and Cultural Context

3True Freedom: The Liberty that Scripture Portrays as Worth Having.
Mark R. Talbot

4Why Open Theism Is Flourishing Now
William C. Davis

Part 3Anthropomorphisms, Revelation, and Interpretation

5 Veiled Glory: God's Self-Revelation in Human Likeness-
A Biblical Theology of God's Anthropomorphic Self-Disclosure
A. B. Caneday

6Hellenistic or Hebrew? Open Theism and Reformed Theological Method
Michael S. Horton

Part 4What Is at Stake in the Openness Debate?

7The Inerrancy of Scripture
Stephen J. Wellum

8The Trustworthiness of God and the Foundation of Hope
Paul Kjoss Helseth

9The Gospel of Christ
Bruce A. Ware

Part 5Drawing Boundaries and Conclusions

10When, Why, and for What Should We Draw New Boundaries?
Wayne Grudem

11 Grounds for Dismay: The Error and Injury of Open Theism
John Piper

Bibliography on Open Theism
Justin Taylor

Scripture Index
Person Index
Subject Index

This is the type of book anyone with elder or soon to be elder family or loved one, needs to read BEFORE you need to provide care. The book takes you through a logical thought process that will remove a lot of the stress and anxiety that elder care can produce. The ideas presented go beyond elder care and address real life issues including work, family and self. My review is based on what this book brought to me with my personal experience of dealing with a sick parent. I highly recommend it.

If you are caring for an elderly loved one and employed too, then this book is A MUST. It provides practical information to help you sort through the overwhelming tasks of working and caregiving. It is a valuable resource for persons who are new or experienced with caregiving.

This is an excellent handbook for the working family caregiver. John Paul Marosy has presented us with a workbook that is easy to use and chock full of information. It is A MUST for both new and experienced working family caregivers.

Starting with a strike of the coal miners, the company hires outside thugs, who end up massacring the miners. But this is only the beginning of the blood that made Williamson (a small coal mining town in southern Illinois in the 1920's) Bloody!

The thugs didn't leave. They rather liked having the run of the town. Bootlegging, gang wars, and all [heck] breaks loose.

Its important to remember the context when reading this book--because the author doesn't give you much. The worst race riots in American History happened a few miles away, in East St. Louis, in 1916--a few short years before the time covered in this book. Unions hadn't been legally recognized--that came a few years later, amidst the depression. Coal, and the economy in general, were booming. The stock market was exploding. And the federal government took the position that its role was to foster the wealth of the rich.

Anyone who thinks that political corruption is confined to big cities, hasn't spent much time in small town politics. This book is an eye opener. Of course, anyone who thinks that this sort of corruption is a part of America's long distant past, hasn't been reading the paper much recently. Political shenanigans in down state Illinois are alive and well. Of course, the big economic engine driving the southern Illinois economy today is the prison industry, but that's another book. (see Going Up the River, by Joseph Hallinan, for a description of the same area today, dominated by Tamms Supermax Prison).

Williamsburg County had an unbelievable amount of violence, in both variety and magnitude, in such a short period of time. In less than fifty years this one county had labor wars, Ku Klux Klan wars, gang wars, and one of the worst feuds in American history. Paul Angle is a good writer, but that is only an added benefit. Reading the media accounts of these events would be fascinating enough. Anyone interested in a case study of a dysfunctional community should read this book.

I write primarily to prevent the interested reader from being influenced by Alan Mills's review. It seems that Alan's review is based on a look at the dustjacket, or perhaps something someone told him while he wasn't exactly paying attention. Had he been listening more closely, he might have learned that Williamson is not a town, but a county. Had he finished Chapter One he might not have missed the central fact that it was not the miners who were killed in what came to be known as the "Herrin Massacre", but the company's mine guards and a group of recent Irish immigrants working the mine during the strike,who surrendered to the union under promise of safe conduct, before being taken to a field and shot by striking miners, who then cut the throats of their victims and urinated on their bodies. It is possible that a reading of the book would have alerted Alan to the fact that in 1922 Williamson County the union was not only well established, but had the support of a majority of the populace, and the collusion of some county officials. It was a combination of public intimidation and bribery that prevented jurors from convicting anyone in the two celebrated murder trials that followed the massacre. I don't understand Alan's point about the federal government fostering the wealth of the rich; worrying about this may be a hobby of Alan's, but the concept has nothing to do with Angle's book, or the events it describes. Those who do go on to read Angle's classic book will find a well-written and exciting account of an extraordinary period of lawlessness in Southern Illinois. It is also well-researched and accurate. Some of the participants in these events later refused to write books of their own, saying that they could never tell the story as well as Paul Angle already had.

Run IS/IT as a service business? Then you need this book which apply popular business consulting world technique to IS/IT. Value chain by M. Porter and 2x2 portfolio adapted from BCG are the two most important techniques to explore.

And you need to know where you are now and where you are going to in order to obtain a really useful strategy. The 3-era-5-stage reference model introduced here is a very powerful tool to position yourself right.

The authors also explored 4 important strategy subject areas for IS/IT: information, application, technology and resource. Which provide useful insight for us.

In one respect this book is a classic because it is frequently referenced in the body of literature on IS/IT management and IS/IT strategic planning. Out of the past 50 or so articles on the topic (including corporate and city/state/Federal government strategic plans, PHd dissertations and white papers) over 75% have cited this book.

This is not, however, a "how-to" book that describes a coherent strategic planning process. It's a collection of standalone chapters on each key element of strategic planning. The material is presented in sequential order, but no single chapter depends on another. Moreover, there is no smooth continuity between the chapters or a master chapter that ties it all together. That said, this book is valuable from two perspectives:

(1) Each chapter is highly focused and contains a wealth of information on its topic.

(2) Used as a collection of mature techniques this book could be used to support an effective strategic planning process.

The main value is the fact that each element of strategic planning is thoroughly covered. I frequently use this book as a catalog of procedures and techniques for numerous projects, including strategic planning, assessment, process improvement and IS/IT organizational improvement.

If you are seeking a book that shows step-by-step how to perform IS/IT strategic planning you may not like this book. However, if you are an experienced practitioner this book is a wonderful resource to which you'll find yourself frequently referring.

I've just finished using this as a text book in my Bsc final year. It is somewhat difficult to read as the writing is not in a flowing manner but it is an axcellent reference with a multitude of tables, charts, lists and diagrams which describe the essentials of strategic IS/IT planning.

Each chapter brings a succinct set of guidelines for the strategic planning novice. A lot of work has gone into compiling this book, it is a work which I will reference again and again.

Buy it if you're into this stuff at all, you won't regret it.

Having two girls to attend to, life can be hard and demanding but when I make the time for myself, reading is the most rewarding past times I enjoy. This is one of those few and rare, poetry and essay books that not only touches the senses but also gives worth to every indiviudal for what they are and makes us appreciate our self-worth and capabilities, as human beings. No two people are alike and we should be proud for that. This is one book I can read over and over again no matter my moods and feel energized to get up and never give up in life no matter the problems I am facing. It offers insight into people and their personal lives and loving them for what they are...

This book is very inspirational, warm, and loving. I regret not writing this review sooner. I feel it has many uplifting words and is not negative in anyway. If only more people would recognize the small things in life and encourage the world as John Paul Padilla has. John Paul goes way out of his way to be there for everyone around him unconditionally. He explains things with thorough simplicity that touches the heart. There are not enough words to say how great this book is nor is there enough time. John Paul reminds us of the beautiful things in life. John Paul offers enormous hope when I thought I was lost. Most of all John Paul reminded me not to ever GIVE UP!!!!! Love You Lots JOHN PAUL PADILLA.

This is one book that I recommend. A book that is thought to be written for all people. It must be read for everyone at least once. People looking for meaning of life would find this book really useful.