Let me say first that I haven't bought a Forgotten Realms novel in a few years. I'm glad I bought this one though. I agree with the otehr reviewer that Erevis Cale is the coolest (congratulations Mr. Kemp), but the rest are cool too, except only the father. Ed's story didn't do anything for me. The youngest son and daughter are probably second and third best. Most of the stories are dark, even grim, with interesting stories and fast-paced plots. The city of Selgaunt really came to life for me, and I got into each of the characters when their story came along. On the strength of this book, I've decided to give FR novels another shot.

I've been a Realms fan for about ten years. Some books are hits, some are misses, and some have been awful. The Halls of Stormweather is great. Granted, a couple things were predictable, and there was one glaring discrepancy in character relationships (reread the Patriarch and Matriarch stories and see if you can find it). The authors did an excellent job provoking interest in the main figures of each story--I'd even get the books about the characters I didn't like just because I want to know what happens to them. Shamur, Tazi, Cale, and the maid whose name I can't recall are my favorite characters. They've got the most depth. Overall it's a fun read and great if you've only got a few minutes at a time to spend on a book.

All right. Two things: 1. Erevis Cale kicks serious arse. 2. This novel kicks serious arse. This is one of the few anthologies that I've ever read that actually worked. And this one worked well. This family is the best thing in fantasy since...I don't know what! Each character is fully developed, there's no cliches, and each story, while it does stand independently, interacts nicely with the others. Sembia is finally explored for FR fans, and the explanation is grand. Noble infighting, commercial espionage, thieves guilds, curses, a ton of action, you name it!

Now back to point one: Erevis Cale, the butler/manservant in this novel, is now my favorite FR character. This guy is a walking contradiction, but it works perfectly, effortlessly. Tension spills from the pages as he tries to reconcile his past with his present. This characterization job is all the more impressive considering that the author has only thirty or forty pages to work with.

I should add that everything I just said is true of the rest of the characters too, but Cale just sticks in my brain. This guys is unbelieveable! I can't wait to read more about him in Shadow's Witness this November.

I bought the Christams Box set in paperback, while traveling from Lexington, Ky to Denver, Co.I frequently buy books when I travel, but seldom read them until after I arrive at my destination. Not so with the Christmas box. I was so taken with the simple beauty and truth in the story that I couldn't put it down. I think I scared the Attendant when, not noticing the passage of time, she startled me, and with tears in my eyes, I answered her, "I'll have a coffee, please." I was compelled to explain to her that nothing was wrong, but that the book was amazingly touching. I later saw her in the airport book store investing in a copy. I bought a copy for almost everyone this Christmas. I am certain that you will cherish it too... Enough to share it with everyone you love!

You just have to read this yourself. I was given this book as a Christmas gift and thinking that is was not my "kind" of book, put it aside for some time. When I did read it I could not put it down. It is a truly beautiful story with lots of meaning and messages for us all. I've passed it on and already given it as a gift myself. As soon as I finished this book I bought "The Locket" and "The Timepiece" - again wonderful books.

This book was recommended by a friend. I resisted for a while than decided to read the books. I now own every book written by Richard Paul Evans. The most beautiful stories about Love I have ever read. For anyone who has lost a loved one, especially a child, don't miss this book. This is surely a Christmas Story that should be read every year at Christmas time to renew the true meaning of Love. Mr. Evans really knows what Love is all about. Keep writing for I want more good reading in my life.

What a wonderful book! I just bought it and I can't wait to get started. I've read it from cover to cover a few times, and I'm more than pleased with my purchase. The magnificent bodies are marvelous and breathtaking. It's true that the first few pages are bios and frou frou, but their stories are inspiring and motivating. Plus, they discuss why dancers' bodies are more agile and sculpted than most athletes, as well as tips on getting started, how to listen to your body and optimize your workout.

The workout is divided into six sections. Warm up and Stretch, followed by Abs (14-20 minutes), Floor barre (12-16 minutes), Ballet center (16-22 minutes) and Legs (16-22 minutes). Although they say you can do the entire workout as time permits, they offer suggestions for 10 or 20 minute workouts, as well as specialized workouts to correlate with specific sports for strength and flexibility or body parts of concentration. The instructions are clear-cut and detailed and along with the music selections they recommend, you'll feel like a prima ballerina. Personally, I have a lot of fat to lose so I plan on using this workout as a supplement to an aerobic regimen. I'm looking forward to using this workout every morning to get my day started.

This book is a wonderful way to firm and tone your muscles while achieving a balletic grace. I usually hate workout books or even using exercise machines because the routine seems so pointless. This book, however, gives a purpose to the exercises. It won't make you a professional dancer, or even an amateur one, but you'll feel more graceful and become more flexible.

Before you even start the exercises, you're inspired by the excellent photographs of the beautiful dancers. If you're as out of shape as I am, at first the stretches and exercises seem almost impossible, but after only just a few days they become easier as you regain flexibility and muscle tone. Most importantly, you develop an awareness of your body that stays with you long after you've finished your workout.

This is the best workout program I've ever used. I recommend it especially as a post-partum routine for women who want to regain their pre-pregnancy muscle tone and flexibility.

What this book WILL do is guide you through an exercise routine that is as challenging and fun as you want to make it.

The exercises are divided into different sections: warm-up, stretches, abdominals, legs, floor barre, and ballet. There are also sample routines in the back of the book for emphasizing different aspects of fitness: endurance, strength, abs, etc.

Each movement is shown step-by-step with written instructions, and almost every one moves your body through motions it is probably not accustomed to doing. After just the 10-minute stretch, I am already feeling energetic and relaxed. The exercises are fun, often quite challenging, and they accomplish what they claim they will.

This book will not make you a ballet dancer ~ one-on-one classes are irreplaceable for that. But using the exercises contained in it will supplement your dancing (or any other activity you're involved with!) by making your body stronger and more graceful.

No other essay-writing guide can compare in substance or style to this remarkable book. Writing with a rare combination of clarity and creativity, its authors carefully methodize law school essay writing without trivializing the difficulties of those students for whom good essay writing remains persistently elusive.

As a former student of Michael Fischl, I am not surprised that his eloquence and charisma extend to his written words as well as his lectures.

--written by someone who has been there, done that, and has even read all the available law school test taking guides

Having graduated with high honors from one of the top five law schools, I relied on several of these books to identify the appropriate approach to taking law school exams. I applied the approach as follows: (1) read only those assignments provided by the professor (ignore commercial outlines, etc.); (2) take extensive notes of everything the professor says in class (and do not write down any student comments or student answers to Socratic questions); (3) organize your notes of the professor's lectures into your own outline; (4) read the professor's prior exam files, including any student answers selected by the professor as "model answers"; and (5) practice taking the professor's old exams in the few days leading up to exam day. The rationale is that your professor will be looking for you to spot those issues that he or she views as important. The more of these issues you spot, the higher your exam grade will be. Ditch those commercial outlines and study group meetings. In addition to Getting to Maybe, you should also prepare for law school by conditioning yourself to what its competition will feel like. Two excellent books that accomplish this goal are Scott Turow's One L (Harvard in the 1970s) and Scott Gaille's The Law Review (2002 book about competition at The University of Chicago Law School).

The aim of this book is to help current law students perform well on law school exams. Law school exams are famously ambiguous; hence the title of the book.

The title of the book is a play on the title of a classic book about the art of negotiation, called _Getting to Yes_. Implicit in _Getting to Maybe_ is that, unlike a negotiation, performance on law school exams does not require an exact answer or resolution.

The method by which these law professors explain this concept is especially interesting. In connection with their academic research, they propose to break down law school exams into small components, and thoroughly analyze those components. The result is a very substantial and comprehensive analysis of the structure of law school exams and the skills required to do well on these exams.

You may be asking how the professors purport to explain _all_ law school exams, for surely there are professors for whose exams these methods will not work. These professors make the interesting point that in the United States, law education is fairly uniform, and, therefore, the skills required to perform well on law school exams are fairly uniform, as well.

I read this book prior to starting law school. I found it useful primarily because I have read a number of other books about legal reasoning and the study of law and the law school experience that are more basic than the material in this book. If this is your first book regarding the study of law or peformance in law school, I would advise putting it aside in favor of a book offering a broader overview of law, its study, and law school.

"Timepiece" is the second book after "The Christmas Box". In this story you get to know MaryAnne a little more and learn how little Andrea died.

i thought it was a moving story and I have grown to love MaryAnne's character. I look forward to reading "The Locket" witch is the final book in this series.

I have become a fan of Mr. Evans writing, and look forward to reading more by him.

April Keshavarz
English 190
12/04/02
Book Title: The Timepiece
Author: Richard Paul Evans

In the book The Timepiece, David Parkins was wealthy and a good-looking man. His business flourished with riches. David lived a lonely life and had one true good friend. He lived in a mansion and spent most of his time in his den reading, while the clocks around the house rang every quarter hour. One day the women of his dreams walked in his building and changed his life forever. Her name, MaryAnne. They fell in love with one another and lived a life of experiences. The Timepiece was a heart-warming book with twist and turns that would make your heart raise and fall at the same time. The story shows you the life during the time of the 1900's.
"David could not take his eyes off his bride as she descended the stair, flanked by Catherine and preceded by Catherine's five-year-old niece, who dropped white rose petals before them as they passed beneath the great floral arches of white peonies and apple blossoms. For the first time in his life, David truly felt fortunate. When Mary Anne reached the altar, he leaned close". This passage shows the great detail in the way the character is feeling at that very moment. He gives you the sense that you are witnessing the special event that is taking place. When I read this passage, I felt like I was watching David look at his bride to be with such lust and desire and anxiousness. I was feeling what David was feeling. This passage lets you jump into the story.
"She was wide-hipped and buxom, her hair was streaked with gray and drawn back tightly in a bun with a few prodigal strands falling across her cheek. Her attire matched her manner. She was dressed austerely in a drab muslin dress partially concealed beneath a faded ivory apron, which carried the strains of previous deliveries". This author has so much depth when it comes to detail. He makes you feel like you are standing there looking at the women. You feel like you see the ivory apron with the stains of previous births on it and how she has such wisdom in her appearance. In his description you get an idea what is going on in the story at the time just from the passage.
"David shot through the door and threw it open. A black pillow of smoke billowed into the room. The end of the hallway was completely engulfed in flames and from behind the wall of fire came a horrible sound. Andrea's cry". This passage was very impacting. You feel like you are in the place of David, and his fears are running through you. You get the feel of the fear that is running through his mind and body. The cry of the young girl lets you know where David's fears are coming from and why is determined to get to her. This passage is showing emotions and the reactions that occur from them.
The Timepiece was a book of love hate and life experiences. You learn so much from just one couple. You get to get into their life and see how life's hardships can pull together and give you something new and amazing. The story wasn't repetitive and kept me on the edge of my sit just waiting to see what was going to happen next. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a fast paced book and likes love, hate , and all and all life's experiences.

"Timepiece", is easily one of the best books I have ever read. It opens your heart and makes itself at home there, and continues to live there long after you have finished reading it. I will admit "Timepeice", made me cry, but it also made me think and take the time to be thankful for the gifts I have been blest with. Richard Paul Evans has given us characters we really care about and come to love. If you love a romantic, sweet love story you will love this book.

For those of you who have read Dick's first book, and endured his earlier sequals, you should find this book easier reading and very entertaining. The plot follows the same formula as "Green Team", but with much less of the history and explanations contained in Richard Marcinko's first two sequals to the original "Rogue Warrior". Nevertheless, a first time Marcinko reader can thouroughly enjoy the action without the earlier background, but I advise you to read the Rogue Warrior as a pre-cursor to reading "Task Force Blue". You'll find nestled in this book the admission that this book, as well as the earlier sequals are pure fiction (hint you must read the first one, or doom on you). As a collector of the hard bound editions of all his books, its hard to be critical. Dick, if you read this, you know the direction to go in now, just don't include a section where you consider e-mail book reviewers to be targeted pus(nuts)

Dick Marcinko and his band of merry men continue the legacy of beer drinking, nasty talkin', hard hitting action in the pursuit of the evil doer's of the good ole' U.S. of A. Just so I don't give away the plot and have Dickie visit me at my own abode some night with a C4 suprise package, I'll just say this adventure tracks right along with his usual style of commentary and Navy SEAL tactics until the bad guys end up properly chastised (and dead). If I didn't have it on good authority that Marcinko really is as nasty as he presents himself to be, I might wonder if these guys really are presented in a realistic manner. Since I DO know an ex-SEAL that IS acquainted with Dick, I guess I have to believe these guys really are nasty bad a-- m----r f-----s that I hope never to meet except maybe at a book signing fair. (Please Dick, if this review offends in ANY way, I profusely apologize and promise only to read the book and never write again.

This is another thriller in the Rogue Warrior series. Through his experiences as a U.S. Navy Seal Marcinko has been enabled to write some very entertaining books. His vast knowledge of types of weapons and special operations manuevers make his books quite believable. In this book Marcinke and his troops are matched up against an evil ruthless billionaire. Despite the man's over- whelming wealth Marcinko is still able to prevail. As usual there is nonstop action. The ending of this book is also very unique. Be sure to read this book. You will be greatly entertained.Dick Marcinko has written another good book.

From 1961 to 1963, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman delivered a set of lectures to classes in basic physics. By design, the contents of the lectures were transcribed, with the goal being the creation of a set of materials that could be used worldwide in the teaching of physics. Unlike so many abstract scientists, Feynman was an excellent teacher, able to explain the principles by using everyday analogies and without appeal to advanced mathematics. This book is a collection of six of those lectures, chosen for their appeal to the general reader.
The titles and topics of the lectures are:

i) Atoms In Motion - an examination of the atomic theory of matter and how atoms react with each other.
ii) Basic physics - the history of physics before and after the discovery of quantum mechanics.
iii) The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences - how physics can be used to explain chemical, biological, geological and astronomical phenomena.
iv) Conservation of energy - the fundamental principle of conservation of energy, and how energy can change form.
v) The Theory of Gravitation - the development of the theory of gravity from Kepler to Einstein.
vi) Quantum behavior - an explanation of some simple thought experiments demonstrating the weirdness of quantum behavior.

Feynman is also honest with his audience in saying that in many cases, the mechanism is not known.
Since the lectures were delivered forty years ago, many advances have been made. However, they still remain an excellent introduction to the basic principles of physics and can be read and understood by anyone interested in how the universe functions. They can also still be used as primer material in a basic physics course.

Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to one of today's most intriguing scientific fields. Feynman presents physics in a series of easily understandable lectures that are appealing to the layman, in that it presents theories and concepts through simple example. Despite the age of his work, much of what is taught and discussed in the book is still relevant and accepted in physics today.

The book centers on the basic principles and operations of the following topics:
1 - Atoms In Motion
2 - Basic Physics
3 - The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences
4 - Conservation of Energy
5 - The Theory of Gravitation
6 - Quantum Behavior

Within each topic lesser subtopics are addressed, more specifically subtopics that are rooted to or based in one of the overall topics. The teaching style exhibited by Feynman is well thought out and should appeal to the majority of readers. However, Six Easy Pieces is meant as an introduction for the layman and is not suggested for those already experienced in the field.

In closing, Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to the topic of physics, however it is just that - an introduction. Therefore, it is highly recommended for the layman, but not for the physicist.

This book consists of what the editors consider to be six of the easier lessons from Richard Feynman's Lectures on Physics, a three volume work adapted from a series of freshman and sophomore level lectures given at Caltech in the 1960s. Each piece elegantly explains its intended topic without complicated or in depth mathematics. The reader will obtain the gist of the principles behind theses physical phenomena. Feynman whole heartedly admits to the limits of scientific knowledge of his time and in doing so very much dates his lectures. They nonetheless contain rich morsels of the knowledge of physics which will benefit the modern reader. This book is not intended to be an overview of physics. It assumes the reader has some basic education in some subjects, and a previous knowledge of elementary physics greatly helps to understand the pieces. More than anything, it is Feynman's style of teaching that is conveyed through the work's pages. The greatest joy in reading Six East Pieces is to experience Feynman's intuitive knowledge of physics and his subtly elegant conveyance of this topic.

There probably isn't much I can add in a scholarly vein to what people have already said about Plato. So I thought I would make a few personal observations from the standpoint of a somewhat philosophically literate, 21st century man who is reading such an august classic in middle age.

I came to this book with more of a background in modern epistemology and the philosophy of science than in classical philosophy. So political philosophy isn't exactly my strong suit, but nevertheless I found the book interesting reading in a way I hadn't really thought of before.

Actually, I had read portions of this book 20 years ago when I was a young student first studying philosophy, and I have to say, there is something to be said for having a more mature outlook in approaching such a venerable work. At the time I thought political philosophy pretty dull stuff, and besides, I felt there was no real way to answer any of the important political questions that get debated here, despite the easy way Socrates disposes of everybody else's half-baked opinions and theories.

The fact is, if you move ahead 2400 years and read something like Karl Popper's "The Open Society and Its Enemies," an advanced modern work, you can see how much, or how little, political philosophy has progressed in the last 24 centuries.

Well, that may be true, but at least with this book you know where it basically all started. The best way to decide this issue is to read the book and decide for yourself.

Although entitled "The Republic," this society isn't like any republic you've probably ever read about. Plato proposes an ant-like communism where there is no private ownership of property, philosophers are kings, kings are philosophers, people cultivate physical, moral, and ethical qualities, and the idea of the good takes the place of political and social virtues.

Another odd facet is that the bravest citizens are permitted more wives than those less brave in battle. And then there is the infamous proposition that all poets and artists are to be banished since they are harmful purveyors of false illusions.

I find the Socratic method as a way of moving along the dialogue between the participants sort of interesting, and it is certainly an effective device. However, none of these people, even the Sophist Thrasymachus, are really Socrates' intellectual equal, so he really doesn't have much competition here.

If ancient Athens disproportionately had so many towering intellects, relative to its small population (about 20,000 people, most of whom were slaves anyway), you'd think they would show up in Plato's dialogues more. But all we seem to get are second-raters who are really no match for the clever Socrates.

Yet I would say this is still a great book. Classical scholars say there are more perfect, less flawed dialogues than Plato's Republic, but none that are as profound, wide-ranging, and as influential and important for later philosophy. As someone once wrote, in a sense the entire history of western philosophy consists of nothing but "footnotes to Plato." After finally reading it, I can see why there is so much truth to that statement.

Plato's Republic is unquestionably the origin of philosophical lines of thought which are still undoubtedly relevant today. Written in dialogue form (i.e. like a discussion between many characters), the main exponent of the argument is Socrates, Plato's friend and mentor who was executed by the Athenian government - an event which led Plato to effectively denounce democracy as an impractical system. The Republic is the result of this denouncement: beginning with the philosophical question 'What is justice?', it proceeds to lay out the nature of the ideal state. Along the way, we are given Plato's legandary Theory of Forms, including the fantastically simple Simile of the Cave - a brilliant philosophical exposition of the difference between this world and the 'proper', 'real' world of which Earth is only a shadow. Desmond Lee's translation makes the very best of a particularly tricky task, and compromises on several key passages with effective authority. The main problem for the modern layman is in getting used to the Socratic form of argument in textual form - seeing Glaucon and Adeimantus answering with "Yes", "I agree" and "That's quite right" for 350-odd pages will drive anybody a little crazy after a while! That (very minor) nitpick aside, there are two excellent appendices regarding the philosophical passages in the text, plus a detailed bibliography for those who wish to follow up on the book. And it's worth it, believe you me.

It has been said that all philosophic work of the past 2400 years stands as footnotes to Plato's writings. 'Do the ends justify the means? What is justice? Whom does it serve? Who should serve as its guardians? Is it absolute or relative?'
Plato's protagonist is his old teacher, Socrates. The arguments are presented as dialogues and thus embody a literary aspect different from many, although certainly not all, subsequent philosophical writings. His object is "no trivial question, but the manner in which a man ought to live." The answers are seen to point to the manner in which a utopian society should be operated.
As a storied mountain calls to a climber from afar, Plato calls to the student of the art of thinking. This is why we read Plato, for the "neo-Platonists" -- Plotinus, Augustine, Descartes, Leibniz, Kant, Whitehead, Gödel, and others -- have certainly propounded improved philosophy. But it is Plato on whom they improve. Most thinkers (perhaps especially most mathematicians and logicians) yet agree with Plato, at least insofar as his understanding of "form" -- often adapted or restated as: ideas / perfection / consciousness / mind / or, 'the thing in itself'.
Plato's realm of [what he calls] "forms" acknowledges the mysterious, yet logically necessary, existence of non-material reality. In Republic he views this as the realm of reference in constructing his understanding of an ideal society. We find in the work of subsequent thinkers (and within Plato's Republic as well) that this non-material reality is perhaps more easily recognized in purer considerations of reason, aesthetics, mathematics, music, love, spiritual experience, and ultimately in consciousness itself, than in idealized human social institutions. Mathematics, for example, although readily practiced in material ways, is not itself material. Thus the understanding of the purity of reason as opposed to the synthetic (and uncertain) nature of empiricism, arises from the work of Plato (and is particularly well developed in Descartes' existentialism).
Modern readers should rightly find that Plato regards the State too highly; in pursuit of an ideal State his supposedly improved citizen is highly restricted and censored. His "utopian" citizens are automatons, bred by the State; unsanctioned infants are "disposed of." Where his ideas are wrongly developed, they are in fact important ideas, i.e., they are issues deserving serious examination. Should the ruling class be restricted to philosophers? Plato says yes, that wisdom and intellectual insight are more desirable in leaders than are either birthright or popularity. Of course we, in the democratic West, tend to see this idea as totalitarianism, but it remains an interesting argument.
Although the product of polytheistic culture, Plato is leery of the tangled accounts of the gods received from the poets, Homer, Hesiod, etc. His view of the divine -- that "the chief good" has one eternal, unchanging and surpassingly superior form -- which he also calls "Providence", hints strongly of the common ground which was to emerge between neo-Platonism and monotheism. Like Plato's proverbial cave dwellers, we perceive this transcendent entity through poorly understood "shadows" of the actual truth. Beside its philosophical, literary, political, and theological aspects, Republic is also important as a treatise on psychology, in fact the science of mind seems to have progressed very little beyond Plato's insights. Books 5-7 are particularly fascinating.

I have played guitar over 30 years, played in bands, built guitars and lutes and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. After a hiatus of several years in my playing, I started to re-visit guitar when my son wanted lessons. I recomend this book to anyone who wants to better understand guitars, thier history, thier uses, music and music theory. While the book could benefit from a CD for beginners so that they could hear the concepts presented, it has served as a wonderful refresher and general exercise book for scales, picking, and other areas which I have paid $25 / hour for to get less information during a one hour lesson than from a single page in the book. I use this book to explore areas outside of my usual players rut, such as jazz progressions, site reading, substituitions and the like. This is a book with real meat in it for anyone who will take the time to chew the information presented.

Lavishly and beautifully illustrated with color pictures and diagrams. My favorite part: full page description and pictures of classic guitar/amp set ups - quite wonderful. A visual history of the development of the guitar is well done - but less interesting to me personally. An incredibly comprehensive coverage of guitar music theory, including sections on Jazz, Blues and Rock from beginner-level to expert -- quite overwhelming really; I dip into it from time to time - there is just so much. Any guitarist would love this book. DK Publishing seems to be years ahead of the competition creating by far the best books available in many fields. This book has the looks and the content. ***Highly recommended***.

This book, like all DK books, is richly illustrated. It has a good explanation of what different types of guitars are, as well as a brief history of guitars. Thge book then provides instruction with exellent illustrations as guides. The book goes beyond merely the simplest chords. Additionally, the book provides a fair amount of music theory so you can understand chord progressions and scales rather than just learn them mindlessly. There is a lot in the book for both the beginner and the fairly advanced musician.

The book could be used as a step by step guide to learn to play the guitar but, most people will probably use it as a handbook, concentrating on the chapters of most interest to them. The book was written in the early 90s and it would be nice to see a second edition, specifically to udate equipment reviews etc.