When handed this book I thought I'd never read it because of its length, subject matter, and title but ended up thoroughly enjoying it. John L Moore wrote this book using the most descriptive yet, strangely enough, concise language I have read in years. He writes this completely utilizing the English language for all it is worth. I couldn't wait to reach the end of this story and yet was disappointed when the book was over.
The only true disappointment to this book was that it ended and I could not find another book by this wonderful author. Read "The Breaking of Ezra Riley" and enjoy the ride it takes you on.

This isn't a thriller, or a shoot-'em-up western, or even a mystery. This is a raw and real story, set in the recent American West, where men are expected to be men, and dreamers are tossed to the side.

Ezra Riley is an artistic kid stuck in Montana. He loves the land and the work, but his personality is being stifled. Through a series of events, he returns to his childhood home and memories, forced to face his fears and inadequecies.

Moore writes with depth and feeling, slowly dragging you into the story, slowly twisting your heart into a knot. When he finally lets go on the last page, he doesn't do so flippantly or tritely--like many Christian novelists--he does so with tough and tender appreciation for his reader, his protaganist, and for the God that Ezra Riley's been fighting throughout.

This book will set in your thoughts with all the warmth and poignancy of the setting Montana sun.

I have had the pleasure of corresponding with John L. Moore and purchasing other books from him. He is a very genuine man. Some of the out of print books available in limited numbers by the author. I highly recommend this fabulous book. While not a fast reader, I was able to complete the saga of Exra Riley in a matter of a few days. One does not wish to put the book down and I often would tell myself ,"just one more chapter." This novel hit me in the right time and place and has me aching for wild spaces. It has been an encouragement as well, especially for all of us who feel that we don't measure up in some way.

This book adds both novelty and inspiration to an otherwise dull coffee table or mind. More touristically, this is one of the special books that make you go to the place and find where the interesting buildings not in the travel guides are. The pictures are excellent, not cropping so much as to glamourise rubbish, and not putting things out of context: in short, well edited text and visuals. One note, it has nothing to do with the experience of being in a third world country, but it is for the visual pleasure only.

I own at least a dozen books in which the second word of the Title is "Style", but this is certainly one of the best. Well organized, informative and full of beautiful photographs. Looking through this book you can learn about the Architecture and Design of Myanmar. The book is divided into sections dealing with Religious and Secular Architecture, Early and Modern Architecture and Arts and Crafts. At the end of the book there is a section of Textiles and Costumes, and another entitled the Pagoda Market which shows photographs and gives descriptions of vendors of various types of handicrafts. Thus a cross section of the different aspects of the Myanmar Style are given, without adaptations by Western Interior Decorators. Some "Style" Books are misleading because they show the adaptations, primarily in the West, of Stylistic Elements. While these books are ok, I prefer to see the Style as it actually is in Myanmar, not a Architectural Digest type of interpretation. This book is free from this. The text is concise and informative. Not overloooked should be the quality of the photographs and the paper and printing, which in this case are all excellent. Some other books of this genre are not up to high quality. No worries here however. I highly recommend this book. It will make you want to visit Myanmar, or at least think about redesigning in your home.

Finally, a book on art and design in Myanmar/Burma that does justice to the living traditions as well as the colonial and pre-colonial empires. Superb photography, thoughtful text, and some quirky subjects, too, such as the chapter The Great Pagoda Alley. Enjoyable.

A friend of mine has praised this book to the skies, so I bought a copy, expecting cover-to-cover laughs and revealations. Instead, what I got was a -very- disorganized, rambling series of partial recollections which were, despite the disclaimer in the introduction, the memoirs of a single pilot. Most of the stories failed to be funny in any way and were only moderately shocking.

Most irritating of all was Chapter Twelve, which dealt with the author's anger at the Tailhook scandal/witchhunt and which had absolutely, positively nothing at all to do with anything else in the book. The chapter didn't belong. It was a distraction. Had any editing been done on the book, it should have been deleted entirely.

There were some good parts, and the first two-thirds of the book would be quite nice with some serious re-arranging and reworking to present a coherent and orderly progression of events. The material about test-flying the Cutlass and the obscenely stupid FlexDeck program are must-reads, but the section on Apollo 1 adds nothing to the reams of material written about that tragedy, and the material on Mr. Moore's training runs hot and cold. As a minor note, the tendency to use technical terms without explaining them to the casual reader makes for difficult reading in some spots.

All in all, if I'd found this in a library first, I never would have bought it; now that I have it, I can't recommend it to others, but I won't be giving my copy away either.

Kris Overstreet

... and many of them have honored places in my library: Colonel Robert Scott's "God Is My Co-Pilot", Heinz Knoke's excellent and sadly unknown "I Flew for the Führer", Bob Hoover's "Forever Flying", Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger's "Lost Moon" (which is as much an autobiography of Lovell as a recounting of the Apollo 13 incident)...

... and then there's this book. If you go into "The Wrong Stuff" expecting another self-congratulatory throttle-jockey memoir (not that there's anything wrong with those :), you'll be sorely disappointed, because John Moore isn't the self-congratulatory throttle-jockey type. He seems frankly surprised that he survived his aviation career, and his tongue-in-cheek delight at being alive permeates the work. Somehow, this man managed to wind up involved in some of the wackiest projects in aviation history, and his wry reminiscences make this the funniest flyboy book in history. I'm just amazed, with his karma, that Moore didn't end up testing the Pogo Planes.

Highly, highly, highly recommended.

Cdr. John Moore tells it like it is (or was), back then when test flying was not as sophisticated as it is now, along with the trials of the line Carrier Pilot, during "The Korean Thing". An easy, can't-put-it-down read which had me up 'till 4 AM. It gives the reader a poignant, down-to-earth glimpse of life as he saw it and lived it, often on the edge.

There is some very valuable advice on how to deal with your kitten. I immediately stopped playing the foot under the covers game with my kitten in order to discourage her from attacking my toes. There are sensible suggestions on how to say "no" to your kitten. And I'm anticipating a move in the next few months, and I think Moore's suggestion to rub a wet towel on your kitten and then rub the towel on the walls of the new house, so that she'll recognize her own scent, will work. On the other hand Moore thinks you ought to keep a first aid kit for one cat that would easily fill the needs of a family of five, she suggests cutting the handles off of paper bags so that kitty won't get herself strangled in them, she suggests making your own scratching post, and gives advice on how to make several toys that pretty much amount to ones you can buy or glorified versions of regular items (socks, a belt from an old robe) that are sure to bring out kitty playfulness without the elaborate Martha Stewart like construction. I was also confused by some of the eating strictures. One table says kittens can't eat dry food until 12 weeks, but the text has kittens eating dry food much earlier. Moore seems to make light of lactose intolerance, and among her kitty treats includes scrambled eggs with margarine and cottage cheese!!! And her kitty chowder seems more like a human treat to me. Counterpointing the interesting suggestion to give your kitten a small piece of raw tuna as an alternative or addition to brushing are chapters on command training, new age therapies and kitty massage. This is fine and cuddly, though I doubt I'll teach my kitten to do much more than sit, if that, and I'm not taking her for acupuncture. This primer is written not so much by a cat lover as a cat fanatic. (Though I admit that if you're going to be a fanatic, it may as well be of cats.) Still I prefer the more practical down to earth advice of Cats for Dummies, than some of the outlandish, occasionally preposterous, cat adulation techniques of the Kitten Owner's manual. Then again, I am going to try the kitty massage.

I learned more than I ever thought possible regarding the care of cats. A terrific book, and my only regret is that it was not available some sixty years ago when I started my love affair with cats. I am doubly impressed that the Humane Society of the Unted States has endorsed this terrific owners manual. My hats off to Arden Moore along with thanks for writing such an informative book for all cat owners.

I have been a cat owner for over 7 years and there was alot in the book that I was amazed at. I never knew you could train your cat to speak and things. I was able to follow the guide and now my cat speaks! It took alot of treats tho!!!
Cant wait til her next book comes out.

I often have found that religion, instead of talking about how much we have in common with each other, serves to divide us (or at least that is what I feel is preached to too many). That said, this book was very interesting in that it helped me understand some of the central texts revered by others. I only read about 60% - 75% of it though. I stopped reading when one of the chapters in the book made it glowingly clear to me where the hatred of those who are not "us" stems from in one religion. I hoped this book would help me see our unions, life already shows us too much of our differences. The book itself, outside of what I got out of it, is very educational.

Being not from a very religious background I purchased this book, I guess looking for something. Believing that no one religion is the "right" choice I chose this sampling if you will, of each. Reading this book slowley so as to connect with each phrase and idea, to understand the meaning of all the words of all the religious concepts and their origins. Is to see that they are so similar, almost identical in so, so many ways. I have a very demanding and at times very violent job, I have seen more senceless death and pain, than I will ever forget. Basically I am not, nor I have been considered a saint. This book changed the way I look at people and think about people, all people, in such a refreshing manner. Although violence is an every day part of my life, I have no enemy, I hold no grudge. After a "battle" I am humbled, and pray for the fallen, not because of what I'll do, but because they don't know. I have such peace of mind although dailey life is filled with drama. Read this book, read it slow, you will feel these words reach down and open your eyes.

It used to be that the U.S. military turned out officers who could write decently. Apparently this is either no longer the case -- or the Rangers tend to draw their officers from that portion of the corps which consists largely of people who can't even write a decent field manual. Major Lock is one of these officers, and TO FIGHT WITH INTREPIDITY suffers badly because the publisher of this book didn't assign someone to edit Major Lock's manuscript as thoroughly as it needed to be. This notwithstanding, Major Lock's book is an uniquely well-researched and enormously valuable source of information on the history of the Rangers in America and the Ranger units of the U.S. Army in the wars and other armed conflicts of the 20th Century. I find this book a valuable addition to my library despite the fact that it reads like a badly translated copy of a textbook from the Frunze Academy, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the U.S. Army's development and employment of light infantry forces.

LTC Lock has done in a compact form a BDU pocket-sized complete history of the U.S. Army Rangers, this quantification is usually what we praise, but we forget the quality of his writing when he does this. We need to realize what is it that we want to learn from Army Ranger history other than the predictable HOOAH! stuff?

LTC Lock in his book reveals an aspect of light infantry operations we simply do not understand today with our men turned into pack mules with "100 pounds of lightweight equipment". Read his accounts of Roger's Rangers and you will see a light infantry that could "fly" on its feet through the woods and outfight the Indians. The recent film, "Last of the Mohicans" best captures this capability. This was a Ranger infantry that was willing to use unusual mobility means, also---boats, ice skates, snow shoes, living off the land--all to get that mobility edge over the enemy. In WWII, Darby used speed-marches and carts to carry mortars/ammo to close on enemies rapidly to gain surprise/violence of action. Merrill's Marauders used mules to carry 75mm pack howitzers and supplies to penetrate deep into the jungles of Burma and take Myitkyina airfield from the jungle-seasoned Japanese. In Five major (WALAWBUM, SHADUZUP, INKANGAHTAWNG, NHPUM GA, & MYITKYINA) and thirty minor engagements, they defeated the veteran soldiers of the Japanese 18th Division (Conquerors of Singapore and Malaya) who vastly outnumbered the Marauders. Always moving to the rear of the main forces of the Japanese, the Marauders completely disrupted the enemy supply and communication lines, and climaxed their behind the lines operations with the capture of Myitkyina Airfield, the only all-weather airfield in Northern Burma.

Theese lessons need to be applied to today's light infantry that is still over-looking the capability modern mountain bikes and carts with oversized tires could give an Airborne Ranger-type force to close on an enemy after insertion out of detection range by parachute/airlanding aircraft.

My only fault with the book is that it doesn't clearly lay-out the roles/missions dilemma current Ranger infantry is in---it really has 2 types of missions:

1.) on one hand its America's shock troops storming defended high-value targets alone or as a spearhead for other troops (WWII Commando mindset),

2.)on the other, it has to be able to "Range" across the land as light infantry for days at a time to raid/recon (traditional Ranger missions).

These two missions are different and require different mindsets and equipment---and this is why TF Ranger in Somalia did not have armored fighting vehicles--because it was not seen as appropriate for "Rangers to do mech" if one was defining the unit by traditional roles/missions. However, shock troops need shock action and that means Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) and shielded men, which Rangers lead the U.S. military by employing for the first time rifle-caliber resstant body armor and having the physical conditioning and willingness to take Soldier's load risks to go into battle with it. AFVs are not popular in the minds of some Rangers, but its necessary to successfully perform shock action missions in urbanized terrain. Other elite units in the world can ride AFVs without their image suffering. Walking is not always the best way to "range" across the battlefield, as Ranger gun-jeeps, RSOVs (Land Rovers) and HMMWVs attest from combat in Iran (Desert 1), Grenada (airlanded from C-130s), Panama (parachute air-dropped) and Iraq (Desert Storm). But these are unarmored vehicles not up to the task of advancing in the face of concentrated enemies and their fire. LTC Lock in his superb chapter on the Mogadishu raid expertly outlines why Rangers should have had armored vehicles and that they would have prevented 1-18 men dying that day. His Somalia chapter is as good as Bowden's entire book, "Blackhawk Down!" and in some ways better---because it doesn't mince words and gets to the point that AFVs were needed in the force structure.

If America's light infantry forces would look back via LTC Lock's fine book into its methodology of Roger's Rangers; it will find the mindset needed to make it the most mobile and hardest-hitting infantry on earth that can range across the terrain quick enough to defeat the stalemate sensors and optics will create against a slower moving force. If these forces will understand that as Col Daniel Bolger states in Death Ground: America's Infantry in battle: "Ranger tabs don't stop bullets", and accept a modest number of air-droppable and helicopter transportable light tracked AFVs into its force structure for its own organic shielded mobility and heavy firepower, it will have learned well from its Somalian ordeals and be ready to lead the way! into the 21st century.

Ranger units have always put tremendous emphasis on history and tradition as an aspect of pride in duty, and that's where this work has real value. Academic critique from recreational readers won't reflect this --it's just another book; however; Rangers and men in the Special Ops business out there will see much deeper meaning in it. If you want to take pride in wearing the beret a step further (whether today or years ago), read Lock's book. There are nearly four centuries of tradition behind the Ranger Creed and Roger's Standing Orders: Learn the history.

50 bucks for this, I wouldn't have paid 50 bucks for this if I would have known half the book isn't about Flash. I guess that's ok, because it teaches you to build a webisode from all aspects: graphics, sounds, distribution, and gif links. However, I don't have Acid, Fireworks, or the other programs mentioned. I liked the fact that the author gives you fast loading games (actionscrit) to play as your epic webisode is loading. Some nice touches. The cd is good, but for 50 dollars, I wish there were more about Flash.

I really like the fact that this book covers more than just one product. It covers ACID pretty well. some of the samples are funny. The cd-rom has plenty of software and samples (much better than most of the other computer books I've recently purchased). I really liked chapter 18. This is a good book if you have some time to really pick apart the samples. The first three chapters start off slow but the book really picks up the pace towards the end.

I really liked this book/cd-rom. This book not only gives you the nuts and bolts of how to make flash content, it also gives you some basic internet trend information ( how many narrowband users vs. broadband users...). This information helped me pitch my flash content to my department head! The cd-rom has some good samples and software. The loop section is very cool.

Former Mayor of Boston and U S Ambassador to the Vatican, Raymond Flynn draws a very personal and intimate portrait of Pope John Paul II. Through the various events, incidents and celebrations narrated with meticulous detail and color, the personality of the Pope comes alive to the reader. The impact the Pope has had on the average American public is truthfully brought out. This book will be of interest to an American Catholic who would be able to identify the personalities from American politics and Catholic religion, at the same time can feel along with Flynn in his admiration for this man of God. Indeed it's a smooth and delightful reading worthy of the Pope as well as of the Ambassador.

I have read many books about His Holiness Pope John Paul II, and this is by far the BEST book I have read about the Pope. It is very easy to read. Infact, once I started to read I could not stop until I finished the book. When I was done...I could not stop crying. Former Ambassador Flynn did an outstanding job in giving his reader a rare and personal glimpse of the Pope, that other authors who have written biographies about His Holiness simply cannot convey. I especially found the stories of the mother who lost her son, and when the Pope offered Flynn money stating it was not church money, but the Pope's own money to help pay for the medical bills of Flynn's oldest son very moving and touching. For those who have never met the Pope...after reading this book you will feel as if you not only met him, but have known the Pope as an intimate friend for years.

Ray Flynn has taken from his many experiences with Pope John Paul II and put together a highly interesting read. This is not your typical biography, although each stage of the Holy Father's storied life is mentioned. This book gives you the Pope up close and personal, in both his public and private dealings. What an absolutely incredible man this Karol Wojtyla is!!

Doing a review of Keats' work is impossible, his merit has already been established, his work is mastery. Now the question is this, is the book well done? For a small sample of the genius's work, this is a great edition, for a more experienced poet, this one isn't for you. The poetry is genius, the book is not great.

Doing a review of someone like Frost, Keats, Rilke, or Shakespeare is like reviewing the Bible, it is impossible. It has already been established that this man's poetry is mastery. Now the question is thus, what book should you purchase? If you want a small taste of his work at a good price, this is it. With this small, under $... edition, you can decide if you want to purchase anymore of his books. I say it is a great book for a poetry shelf in anyone's library.

What a wonderful anthology of John Keats' poetry. The selections in this book range from his well known and loved pieces like "Lamia" and " To Autumn" to less familliar but still gracefully written "On the Sea" and "To Leigh Hunt, Esq." The timeline in the front of the book is helpful, giving an overview of what the world was like in Keats' short lifespan. Many critics wonder what he would've accomplished had he lived longer, and by reading this collection of his poems, one can only image the brilliant works he might have given us to further his powerful legacy.

The other reviewer of this book gave it five stars, calling it "intelligent and top of the line." Yes, it is a beautifully photographed book, and Stefandis is one of the great decorators of our era. But I was looking for a book that would help me decorate and design my new house, bought in 2002. And, alas, "Living by Design" is already dated. It was published in 1997 but was photographed earlier, AND IT SHOWS.

John Stefanidis does live by design; and with purpose and clarity he also designed his home and gardens, with wonderful results. He used his own textile designs to good use throughout the home, which is indicative of a man who knows his own mind when it comes to design. The results of the transformation of old stables into a comfortable home are spectacularly simple, by design, making the home a most usable, gracious, and gentle environment for him. There are also numerous design elements which any would be designer/decorator could use to good advantage in their own homes.

Not your ordinary coffee-table book; an essential guide for anyone interested in a house and garden that is original, witty, mindful of place and time. The photographs are unusually good and the text compelling --- it makes the good life seem accessible and comfortable.