I loved this story. It was the first Pike book I ever read. A friend from school suggested it to me over five years ago. Now I own all of his books, besides the Spooksville series and Sati, which I plan on buying very soon. Pike has a definite way with words and now I hang around bookstores every time a new title is due out.

Teresa, Poppy, and Free definitely weave an interesting story, one that will hook you if you aren't already hooked.

A young girl leaves her house and meets two strangers, who tell her about star-crossed lovers. At times, the book seems like it is going nowhere--but every book has that--but when the meaning of the title becomes clear, it makes it all the more worthwhile to read.

"Every other road leads to nowhere" Well, this book certainly does not lead to nowhere. It takes the reader on a captivating journey through the lives of it's three main characters. From the day I first read this book (I have re-read it a number of times) my personal observation has always remained that it would make a fantastic movie. It has the type of timeless,meaningful story that can't be forgoten no matter how hard you try.

Having read over 18 books on the subject of aikido, and training in Tenshin Bugei Aikido for the past year, I was pretty up to date on the various aikido techniques and basic history. However, one thing that always bothered me was seeing how split the Aikido world has become, and I often could not account for how a martial art that was supposed to spread peace and harmony could lead to aikido organizations and senseis who want nothing to do with each and who talk badly of one another. After reading Suenaka Sensei's book, I have a much better grasp of Aikido's history after the Founder's death. The best thing about the first half of the book, which is biographical info about Suenaka Sensei, is that it explains how the great schisms came about in the Aikido world following O-Sensei's death. It makes for eye-opening reading, and I think the subject is not well understood by most modern aikidoka, from comments I have heard. I recently discovered through an on-line chat with a member of one of Koichi Tohei Sensei's affiliated dojos that he still does not allow a picture of the founder of Aikido to be displayed in any school that he has authority over; they are only allowed to display his picture. This troubles me greatly, but after reading Suenaka Sensei's book and coming to understand the depth of the controversy, it makes more sense than it did when I first heard about this. It seemed incredible to me that a man who learned Aikido at O-Sensei's feet today will not allow a picture of the founder to be displayed in his dojos. One has to wonder who's picture will replace his when he dies. At any rate, the book casts light on much of Aikidos recent history;most aikido books only cover aikido up until O-Sensei's death. For this reason, it is a valuable learning tool. The techniques taught in the book are very effective, demontrating that Suenaka Sensei believes that Aikido is both a spiritual endeavor and a practical combat art, instead of just one or the other, as many tend to want to believe these days. Very thought provoking book and I encourage you to read it.

Sensei Suenaka, a treasure in the martial arts world takes us on a fantastic journey. Outling his life's training at the feet of the modern masters, Sensei takes us into the world of Aikido we have never known. Documenting the split between Tohei and O'Sensei one can see the true sense of Suenaka's dedication to his art and the way. Sensei also puts to rest claims that Aikido is ineffective self-defense. In the second section what is shown with clarity and detail is a text on correct and incorrect technique. This book is for beginner and expert alike. An outstanding work, very well done.

This is an excellent book on the growth of a martial artist (Suenaka) and the evolution of an art (Aikido). Suenaka moves through the years rather quickly, yet one feels connected at each stage of his life. I have read a couple of Tohei's books and while I agree that ki practice is essential to Aikido, Suenaka does not forsake technique for ki development. He also makes a strong point for using atemi (vital strikes) when applying a complete Aikido waza (technique). Contrary to what some Aikido stylist may believe, and what Suenaka understands, atemi is very useful as a distraction or to "soften" up your attacker. Suenaka is a true master who highlights the ways politics and egos can negatively impact the martial arts. The technique photos are pretty good but not extensive. Basic movements and drills were addressed well. It was an enjoyable read.

I'm extremely familiar with the author's work and I think these short stories are some of his best, riveled only by those he composed for the "Midnight Club." The first story, about a boy who thinks he's dreaming when he's really not, is demented and fun. The second, a sequel to his book "Master of Murder," is a neat twist on the first book. The third, a compelling and thought provoking glimse of future life, left me in tears. The fourth is a wildly futuristic story that speaks about the implications of present actions and how they affect the future in the long run. The fifth is a wicked story of a boy who decides to murder his girl friend. Finally, the sixth is a parody on an experience the author actually had. Read the book! The stories are short, fun and easy to understand!!

This is a great book. There are several short stories so you won't get fed up with one story plot, and "The Fan from Hell" is amazing! It isn't terrifying, exactly, but it really made me think. This is C.Pike's best book!

Fan From Hell was an amazing short story that was a semi-sequel to Master of Murder. Marvin, a yung H/S student/writer is talked into terrible lies from a woman who claims to be his #1 fan. She soon seduces him. She later black mails him by saying he, Marvin raped her & beat her. Even though it was her who hit herself & she did allow Marvin to "make love" with her. She negousates by telling Marvin to basicially write a story for her that she'd started, but couldn't complete. She tries to trick Marvin with his on plots, but she makes a mistake, never interfer with a writer & his work.{hehehe} She'll try to get rid of Marvin, but who'll survive? Pike leads the reader in many twists & turns & even though Pike insists Marvin isn't suppose to be based on him, i still think a portion of Marvin has Pike's brilliance & personality. I hope he'll have another story involving Marvin & his writings. He's my favortie YA writer of all time!so far at least...?

if u want to read a seires that will u reading all night long just to see what happens next, then this is defiently it. the only sad part about this is that i just found out that there is a book after this one and i now have to go and find that book. well one word of advise for Rowley is write more books!

The Bazil Broketail series is one of the best series I have read in a while. If you are looking for a book that treates dragons the way they should be treated this book is for you.

When I first bought the first book in the series "Bazil Broketail" I was wondering if I would like a book in which the dragons could not fly. I soon found out that it did not matter because Rowley treats the dragons with respect.

I can only hope the books keep going for a long time.

As for this latest installment it was excellent.

Keep them comming.

Christopher Rowley brings to mind the old masters of the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre. In the tradition of Tolkien and Herbert, Rowley has created a marvelous world full of enchantment and spell-binding excitement. Dragons of Argonath, the latest installment in this wonderful series was a joy to read and I can't wait for the next novel!

``The Timeless Way of Building'' explains the idea of patterns in architecture. A pattern is a way to solve a specific problem, by bringing two conflicting forces into balance.

Here's a very simple example of a pattern. When a room has a window with a view, the window becomes a focal point: people are attracted to the window and want to look through it. The furniture in the room creates a second focal point: everyone is attracted toward whatever point the furniture aims them at (usually the center of the room or a TV). This makes people feel uncomfortable. They want to look out the window, and toward the other focus at the same time. If you rearrange the furniture, so that its focal point becomes the window, then everyone will suddenly notice that the room is much more ``comfortable''.

I applied that pattern to my own living room, by moving the TV under the window and rearranging the furniture, and I was amazed what a difference it made! That's a very simple example, and there are literally hundreds more in this book and its sequel. Simply reading them is fascinating; it will convince you that you can make your own home into something as wonderful in its own way as the Taj Mahal--which is Alexander's whole point.

In fact, the book's main idea is much more powerful than that. It applies to almost every aspect of life, not just to architecture. When a situation makes us unhappy, it is usually because we have two conflicting goals, and we aren't balancing them properly. Alexander's idea is to identify those ``conflicting forces'', and then find a solution which brings them into harmony. It's a simple concept, but once you appreciate it you realize how deep it really is.

This is definitely one of the best books on my shelf. It has really changed the way I look at...everything.

This is the book that set the whole software patterns movement in motion. It's a great read. It made me realize how the builder blew it when they made my house. One small design change, the house is 1 ft too narrow makes it impossible to put a screen door on the front door. It made them build a extra platform which causes people to fall down into the living room.

On the other hand, if I was building a building I'd use his visualization techniques before I drew plans. But I wouldn't use this technique to actually construct a building. It would triple the cost. (The essence is to build it as you need it.)

On the other hand he explains why swiss barns look "alike" without the need for a design review committee. (Or barns in general.)

As for software, Design patterns give programmers a way to talk about problems and solutions without talking about code. Its a great idea and I use software patterns all the time. (Get the GOF book for actual software patterns.) Read this one to understand how they came onto this idea.

I bought this book because i am about to build a house. Coincidentally, i am also a senior software engineer and very familiar with design patterns in my field - i use them every day. They work very well for programming computers.

This book, however, literally takes the concept of living patterns to architecture, and, by extension of the act of creation, to life itself.

At the same time as being a great philosophical read, it's also a handy guide to building a house. Bonus points for the author: The book can be read in 15 minutes (reading the "detailed table of contents"), in one hour (reading only the headlines), or in the full. These modes of reading the book come from the author's emphasis of the whole over the parts, e.g. the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

I am not entirely sure that, as the author promises, i will now be able to go and build a house, without drawing a plan... but that this idealistic goal is in practice hard to attain does not make the incredibly deep insights in this book any less true or any less practical.

Like another reader said - the book changed the way i think about... everything!

Patterns as described in this book are far more refined than anything we use in computer science, and that he sees them in a much broader light. The central grandiose idea is the one of complete interconnectedness of the patterns - the whole, which is more than the sum of its parts.

This book is head and shoulders above the rest of its type. It is a superb "how-to" gardening book, which provides detailed information on general techniques as well as specific instructions for various types of plants. It also presents extensive information on landscape/garden design

I found this book to be amazingly helpful. I love being able to look up a plant, bulb, or seeds I just bought and finding the right conditions for raizing them. There is information about every aspect of gardening. There's even a basic Bontony section. The only thing I find a little distracting is that it uses the latin names for plants so I always have to start at the index. It has been a great addition to my home library.

This book as a reference is great. It provides me, the novice and working my way up gardener, with a great source for understanding the fundamentals of gardening. However, I think I'm going to purchase one of its sister books, American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. The A-Z provides more details about specifc varieties which can be helpful when you're selecting plants for your garden or simply trying to learn more about a specific plant. I believe the A-Z also contains much of the information contained in this one altough it is not as encompassing from a general perspective.

It's a nice book, with excerpts of letters, and many photographs; although geared towards children, I at sixteen found it adorable. Although when you look at it, it's sad--how an innocent girl, caught up in politics, was shot. It's a nice look into the "eyes" of Anastasia, and I bet 'Shvyzbik' would be pleased.

Beautifully and honestly presented, "Anastasia's Album" tells the story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicolaievna Romanova. It offers a delightful glimpse of life in Imperial Russia, before and during its collapse, enhanced by photographs from the Romanov family albums and quotes from the family's letters and diaries. "Anastasia's Album" covers Anastasia's life from birth up to the family's imprisonment. It very tastefully tells of the family's tragic end and also has an epilogue that addresses the Anna Anderson controversy and subsequent films, setting the reader straight on the historical truth.

One of the greatest things about "Anastasia's Album" is how children absolutely love it! I teach elementary school, and the book has been a favorite among my students every year. It has turned several of my students on to history, and many of them did their own Russian history research after starting with "Anastasia's Album."

In all, this is a fantastic book, and Shelley Tanaka did the world a great service in writing it! "Anastasia's Album" should be in every school library and is a must-read for history buffs of all ages.

I loved this book. I did wish it was longer, with more pictures.
Also more quotes from Anastasia herself, not just the author's
words.

This is simply tbe best practical guide to the Enochian system of magick that I have found. I got my hands on it six weeks ago and it is dog-eared and somewhat worn from frequent use. I find myself refering to it constantly.

Although by no means a complete reference to Enochian magick (that would be quite a feat indeed!), it covers enough material so that the aspiring magician can get started on operations fairly quickly. This includes several versions of the Great Table with alternate spellings used over the years, and all the basic ritual elements from the LBRP to the different calls. This book also contains a complete copy of Liber Chenoch, which is Crowley's exposition of the Enochian system. In theory, Chenoch is sufficient to understand the entire Enochian system; in practice, Crowley can be difficult to interpret properly (anyone who's argued about minutae of the Gnostic Mass can attest to this); this book clarifies and expands Chenoch.

This book is quite handy not only as a thorough explanation of the Enochian system of magick, but also as a reference when doing actual ritual work. It is by no means a COMPLETE reference. For that, you'd do well to also look through David Jones's work, as well as Geoffrey James's "Enochian Magick of Dr. John Dee." and the "Faithful Relation." If you're looking to do practical Enochian work, then I can't think of a better place to start than with this book.

This is an excellent little book! It takes the complexity of the Enochian system and makes it usable. I can say that this is something many other books on the subject fail to accomplish. Hyatt and Duquette are both experienced and practicing magicians, which instantly comes across in this work, with its "dare to be lazy" attitude. Through experience of my own, I can tell you what the two trademarks of all true magicians are: 1)The ability to laugh, even at the worst horrors, and 2)The ability to throw jargon out the door and discern the heart of every matter while never taking any matter too seriously. The simple reason for these abilities is that by actually doing magick and actually experiencing the magickal universe instead of merely reading about it, these abilities are automatically developed. These are abilities that Hyatt and Duquette both possess, and it sets the tone for this book. If you study its contents, you WILL understand the enochian system, and if you practice its rituals, you WILL be successful, given that you have at least some prior experience in magick. Be forewarned that this is advanced magick, and requires one to be proficient in the basic abilities. The methods taught here are powerful, utilising the potencies of Sex Magick. Enochian Magick in general should not be dabbled with without a thorough foundation. Doing so will either prove useless or expose the dabbler to very real dangers, depending on that person's innate psychic ability. Regardless of what some authors claim, these forces are more than mere phantoms of the mind. They act in a very independent and objective way upon the magician's reality. In other words, they might have other agendas than those of the naive apprentice, and will express these agendas quite violently if their "master" fails to muster the strength to command otherwise. In having said that, I leave the rest over to Hyatt and Duquette. After this the rest is between you and the angels of Enochian Magick. Enjoy!

ENOCHIAN WORLD OF ALEISTER CROWLEY
ENOCHIAN SEX MAGICK
by Aleister crowley, Lon Milo Duquette, Christopher S. Hyatt, Ph.D.

Does Enochian Magick make you want to pull the hair out of your head because it is a complicated system? Then you may want to pick up the book Enochian Sex Magick even though Enochiana can be a complicated system Lon Duquette and Chistopher Hyatt make it more easier to understand. They clear up the publishing mistakes of the past and give you a basic Enochian dictionary in the back. They put in a lot of the works of Crowley but they make comments on it to help those who find Crowley complicated or who are just learning about the Enochian system of Magick. They also include some very important work that Crowley wrote Liber LXXXIV vel Chanokh (Enoch in Hebrew). This book gives out the fundamentals in an understandable user friendly way. Also they give you hints on things that will help your learning to become much more smoother. Also there are important illustrations in here as well. This is a book that will require to be read again and again from tim! e to time and also it makes a nice reference as well. Also the authers add their own experiences with Enochian magick as well. By the end of this book they give you a basic example of sex magick. Also you will find the Ritual of the pentagram & the Hexagram ritual and not the kind of ... ritual that the Schulers pulled off eighter. My only real big ole complaint about this book is why the heck did they make this book so short? I wish they added more since I really love this book! My sugestion to the authers would be to make another Enochian book! The book is 162 pages long and I doubt the serious magician who is interested in Enochian magick would find this gem disapointing. Well we all have our opinions on whats is good but I love this one. I will tresure this one until it falls apart.
out of a possible 5 stars this one gets all of them.

This is an excellent practical design guide for RF engineers. It treats the components as lumped elements and covers most of the important issues like impedance transformation, matching networks, and practical amplifier design. You can approach RF either thru the wave or circuit analysis. If you dont have either the patience and curiosity to dwelve into the whys, then this book is for you. A solid understanding of RF requires an in depth knowledge of Maxwell equations and their application to the boundary conditions. For the mathematically inclined I would recommend the Microwave Engineering by David Pozar.
Missing in the book RF circuit Design are topics dealing with distributed elements, microstrip and slot line designs which become very important in the Ghz range where even IC pad's reactance is large, and wavelength can approach 1mm.

I am amazed at the amount of information packed in these (relatively few) pages. Oscillators and signal generation are not covered, but just about every other aspect of solid-state RF circuit design is here: small- and large-signal amplifiers, impedance matching networks, filters, Smith charts, "nonideal" characteristics of components at radiofrequencies and so on. The presentation is lucid and the information eminently useful. If your job or hobby involves working with RF circuits, don't even THINK about not having this book in your collection.

If you're looking to buy TWO books about RF circuit design, I also recommend Irving Gottlieb's excellent book, which also covers vacuum tube circuits.

An excellent, concise, introduction to RF circuit design. The emphasis is on the practical aspects relating to RF circuit design. The first chapter covers components at RF frequencies, a subject often overlooked by unwary designers. Impedance matching, filters, and an introduction to the Smtih(c) Chart are covered in the text. RF small signal and power amplifier design is also explained. The text does an excellent job of taking the reader from the device data sheet to a practical RF circuit design using concepts developed throughout the book. Technicians and hobbyists as well as engineers may benefit from the book's straight-forward writing style. Bowick has kept the mathematics as simple as possible, one only needs algebra and minimal complex number (covered in appendix) theory understanding to work the many problems and examples. This book is used by several companies specializing in RF circuit design training as a textbook for their introductory classes. A must for anyone who is new to the RF design field and wants to come up-to-speed quickly. I recommend the book highly to all, it has been an invaluable resource for me.

Black light flows very nicely, and Szatkowski knows how to engage the reader with just the right amount of details without bludgeoning him/her with long, flowery descriptions. Often he finds just the right turn of phrase to describe a character or situation that really gives it an interesting idiosyncrasy or quirk to remember it by. Still, there were some people I wish could have been fleshed out just a little more and a few periphery people who were pretty one-dimensional. That's inevitable with any book, but I felt more connected to characters like Jim--who popped in and out in a chapter--than some people I had seen through most of the novel. Szatkowski does a good job with dialogue and displaying personalities through the way they talk. And even though some short sections I thought were a hair cliche (description of the murder and Tommy and Matthias' reactions to it, for example) other parts were very realistic and insightful, like the acid trip and visits with family. And I think it makes a lot more sense if you know this is only the first part in a series, so I look forward to reading the rest!

Christopher Szatkowski has shown in his new book, Black Light, that adventure is where you find it. I felt compelled to read right through the book, because I was so intrigued with the storyline and characters! Great book! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting journey to experience.

Everything about this book resonnates! It moves so quickly and the characters are so sanely insane that I simply couldn't put it down. Szatkowski uses language in such a colorful and imaginative way that it makes the details and characters of the story magfified and in-your-face.
I had this book (this author, actually) recommended by a friend.... What a great decision that was! Szatkowski is easily one of the best contemporary authors I've read. A total breath of fresh air.
I can't wait to see what his warped mind will come up with next.