I finally bought it, and I'm more than glad I did. This book is not at all what I thought it would be about --- it is so much more. Initially, I thought it would be another book about the life of St. Francis which, of late, I've been quite taken with. This book, though, has more to do with how we can make our faith real --- how we can really respond --- in light of a needy world around us. This is just what the doctor ordered. I say this reluctantly, but reading a chapter is almost better than going to church. I close this book at night with the understanding that I've got to get out there and DO something; I feel like I CAN make some small difference in this world, and that means so much to me. I'm at that point where I WANT to change, WANT to make sacrifices, WANT to be conformed to what God wants me to be. I want desperately not to be an 'average' Christian who longs for the same dusty, lifeless, rusting things the world does. This book reminds me that Francis, in his life, was not afraid to give up personal comfort and familiarity. When he finally overcame the greatest personal obstacle for him --- learning to love the leper -- he was freed from within, freed from that nasty monster that can entangle so many of us. Reflecting on his unique experience, I am compelled to look at my own prejudices, those things about people that keep me from loving them completely. I can't remember the last time a church sermon so compelled me. I highly recommend this book, and encourage you to grow in ways far outside the box.

St. Francis and the Foolishness of God is not just about St. Francis, but about themes that touch all of our lives. There are reflection questions at the end of each section and an invitation to share stories. I recommend this book for personal and group reflection.

The premature death of Nicos Poulantzas was, indeed, a great disaster for Marxism, and for all social theorists concerned with the critical evaluation of the State. In this, perhaps his most readable work, Poulanztas rejects the simple instrumentalist interpretation of the State in favour of a complex structuralist approach which views the state not as an instrument, but a CONTESTED FIELD. Poulantzas portrays a state that is rent through with internal contradictions: which is itself a site of struggle. For Poulantzas, the class struggle IMPRINTS itself upon the state. As he argues, "the State bathes in struggles that continually submerge it." Hence Poulantzas's view of the State as a 'strategic field' is radically opposed to the 'fortress State' perspective, where the state is an intsrument firmly in the hands of a ruling class - and must be laid seige to or 'stormed' in order to be 'smashed' and then reconstructed. There are difficulties with Poulantzas's analysis. In a fashion akin to all Structuralists, his structural determinism seems to deny to possibility of agency. From my own perspective, I would argue that class struggle does not ONLY occur structurally, but reaches a higher level with the dawning of class consciousness and the establishment of the working class as a true collective-historical ACTOR. What is more, it is not only the class struggle that imprints itself upon the state, but political struggles of all varieties. Finally, I find the non-Marxist concept of a state contested by competing 'elites' quite convincing also - in the sense that this is at least ONE dimension of the nature of the State. Hence, it is true that I harbour serious differences with the perspective put forward by Poulantzas. Nevertheless, I must conclude by asserting that his account of the State in its true, contradictory form, was one of the greatest contributions to the political theory of the State. This is a must read of Marxists and political science students alike.

In State, Power, Socialism, Nicos Poulantzas (a member of the Greek Communist Party of the Interior from 1968 until his death in 1979 at the age of 43) advances a rigorous critique of contemporary Marxist theories of the state. Poulantzas argues against a general theory of the state, and identifying forms of class power crucial to socialist strategy that goes beyond the apparatus of the state. Long out of print, this new and highly recommended Verso Books edition of State, Power, Socialismis enhanced for students of political science with an informative introduction by Stuart Hall, critically appraising Poulantzas' achievement.

I was sad to hear of Nigel Tranter's passing just days into the new millenium. This great historical writer who had the unique gift of making us see, hear, and feel the heartbeat of times long past, of kings half forgotten whose reputations were laid to rest often as quickly as they were.

Robert the Bruce, hero of Bannockburn, was the grandfather of Robert II by his daughter Marjory, wife of Walter Stewart. The kings from this union came to be known as the Stewarts, and Robert II and his son Robert III were two of the weakest. Both, prematurely doddering and unwilling or unable to wield the power in the kingdom, yielded the real power to Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife and Menteith. This last Robert is a character of the type frequently found in Tranter novels: a stern, unyielding master of realpolitik. (See James Stewart in WARDEN OF THE QUEEN'S MARCH for a reincarnation.)

The action is seen through the eyes of the fictional Jamie Douglas, descendent of the famed "Black Douglas" of Robert the Bruce's day, who tries to help shore up the monarchy for David, Duke of Rothesay, oldest son of Robert III.

Scottish history can be incredibly murky and involved at times, and that's what makes it so fascinating. Tranter has a gift for breathing life into periperal characters and putting them into play across a wide landscape and over a long period of time.

My favorite subplot involves the notorious Wolf of Badenoch, who burns down the Cathedral of Elgin, the so-called Lantern of the North, because of a dispute with its bishop. The Wolf's son, Alexander , becomes a steadfast friend and ally of Jamie Douglas.

It was my great fortune to read this trilogy while criss-crossing Scotland. I would recommend someone new to Tranter starting with the Robert the Bruce trilogy, but after that, read THE STEWART TRILOGY.

In this tale you follow the bastard son of a Douglas lord who in his first battle is knighted on the field for protecting the slain body of the Earl of Douglas. His loyalty to the earls' wife, the House of Douglas and to Scotland draw this heroic figure in to the intrigue behind members of the House of Stuart's tragic betrayal of the Scottish Crown.

Nigel Tranter has a rare and amazing gift for word craft. His ability to draw you into a tale is second to none. At every turn of the page I found my self reaching for a sword to help the young Jimmy Douglas.

This is a great book. I've read some neat interesting facts from it. It's short enough that you can find what you're looking for, but it still has so many great illistrations and details. The charts in this book are the greatest; easy to read and understand. Many pictures and stories from around the world. I would highly reccommend this book!

Storms and Hurricanes Summary: Another winner in the usborne understanding geography! Teachers and students alike, GET this series. What a wonderful tool for assisting in thematic units dealing with storms and locations. It tells why lightening is jagged, where hurricanes come from, and what happens inside the storm. It covers everything from thunderstorms to cyclones. It even shows you ways to introduce monitoring storms, predicting and tracking, forecasting, and even outlines how the pros do it! Anyone, young or old that is fascinated by storms or storm patterns will want this book for your own!

WINTER'S EDGE (Anne Stuart) Molly Winters didn't even know her own name. All she knew was that she awoke in a hospital with no memory of her name, her face, or the husband the nurse said came to the hospital when she was unconcious. When she was taken home to Winter's Edge, a house she seemed to love, it was fraught with tension. Her husband seemed to hate her and was looking foward to having a speedy divorce. Soon accidents begin to happen and she can't help but suspect Patrick, her sexy and mysterious husband. Then she starts remembering things that don't seem to fit with the image she had made for herself with the people of Winter's Edge. This is a very quick read with a seemingly immature twenty three year old who married a man ten years older because she was in love with him. Everyone in her life except Patrick took advantage of her naivete and she soon realized that he was the only one who wouldn't let her down.

SAFE BY HIS SIDE (Debra Webb) Jack Raine is a wanted man. The U.S. government wants him brought in and the head of the family he infiltrated to bring down wants him dead. When a mysterious woman turns up on his doorstep during a storm, he knows he can't dare to trust her. When paid assasins follow in her wake, he makes a run for it and takes "Kate" with him. Soon Raine and Kate are involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the desire escalating between them more and more as each day passes. A very quick read that will hook you!

Don't miss it!

The first reprint of his duo is Anne Stuart's Winter Edge. I reviewed this and got many emails moaning it was suddenly out of print. Well, here is your chance to catch a nifty Stuart gem no longer in print. Molly woke in the hospital to find she could not recall anything of her life, not the dead man who was found in her car, the 350 thousand dollars - nor the husband. This book was a little rushed because of being a series, and would have been much better as a big book, but it still is a very good read. Molly leaves the hospital to return to Winter's Edge, the only home she has ever know. Yet suddenly, she is a stranger there. She does not recall her husband, nor the various people in their lives, and she especially does not to know the woman everyone says she is. She does not like the clothes she wears, does not like the bedroom she supposedly decorated, and she cannot believe she behaved as everyone said she did. She knows Patrick, her husband hates her, but not why. And she does not know who is trying to kill her. Stuart delivers as she always does, just wishes this one had a little more room to deliver fully.

The second tale by Debra Webb is a Harlequin Intrigue
reprint Safe by His Side (Intrigue, 583) which is also out of print. Is one in a series of Intrigues centred around a private detective firm called the Colby Agency. In this one, Kate is determined to get her 'man' even if it meant tracking him down in the great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The man she is after is Raine a former government agent. He has been betrayed and set up by someone with in the agency, and until he can find out who he is running for his life. Kate tracks him down, but just as she is about to move in she is attacked by the people after him and looses her memory. She winds up at Raines hideout, no memory and must now depend upon the very man she was tracking to save them both.

Excellent! This book is a wonderfully detailed guide for achieving college success. Returning to college after several years was intimidating, but this book provided step-by-step instructions for overcoming self-doubt and becoming a better student. Everything from taking notes, to surrounding yourself with folks who are also serious about learning is discussed and explained. I bought this book two years ago, and I'm graduating from undergrad and on my way to gradschool! The tips and suggestions definitely made me a better student. This is a great book for anyone who wants to get the most out of their college experience.

After reading Browne & Keeley's ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, I was intrigued. When I confronted STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE IN COLLEGE, I bought and read it, anticipating the same intellectual motivation I gained from ARQ. Without a doubt, STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE did anything but disappoint me.

In a society where education is undervalued and few students wish to make anything exceptional of their minds, STRIVING really stands out. I am used to college "survival guides" filled with tips as ridiculous as, "Go to class." or "Try not to cram ten chapters the night before the exam." Such books do nothing for a student who wishes not only to "survive" (almost anyone can do that), but also to excel. STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE IN COLLEGE, on the other hand, provides tips that engaged learners can benefit from. For example, rather than encouraging students to take notes ONLY on the "important" material (meaning material that ! will be on the test), Browne and Keeley encourage students to take notes that enable them to make new connections with other topics discussed in the class, as well as in other classes. Students who follow these tips will not only leave college with a superb GPA, but also with an elevated understanding of the world around them.

The tips withing STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE IN COLLEGE have enabled me to leave even the most poorly-taught college classes with something worth having. Additionally, the tips help to make classes more interesting. All in all, STRIVING has proved to be an important addition to my college experience. I have found it interesting, useful, and motivating. This book should be on ALL freshman reading lists.

This beautiful catalog from an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992 is an excellent anthology of Seurat's work, juxtaposing finished works with sketches, and includes a large selection of sketches as a student. The size allows the works to be displayed in all their glory. If you like Seurat, buy this!

I felt that this book is the best overall catalog of the work of Stuart Davis. It includes an enormous amount of color and black and white pictures of his paintings and of himself. It also includes a good synopsis of his life and extrordinary career. If you need a book on Stuart Davis than this is the best.

The 17th. Century is a sea regularly trawled by authors-cum-historians, but in Angus Stroud, we have a talented historian, who clearly has an in-depth and encyclopaedic knowledge of the period.

"Stuart England" places Stroud amongst some of the great of 17th. Century historians. He writes without the muddle and confusion of Macaulay, the melodrama or gimmickry of Kishlanski, or the sometimes-unnecessary detail of Dame Veronica Wedgwood.

Stroud has demonstratively dedicated much time and attention to the investigation and evaluation of primary evidence, as well as to different interpretations of the period. In light of this, his clarity of thought, and the originality of his selection of rarely considered documents, must be seen as nothing but a virtue.

He [Stroud] takes us from 1600, through the Civil Wars and Glorious Revolution; to 1701. Usefully, he contexualizes "Stuart England", by outlining the key events of the end of the Elizabethan age, and includes a chapter on the Thirty Years War/European Context. His incisive wit and concise writing style make this section far more valuable than the comparable chapter in Kishlanski's "A Monarchy Transformed".

At times it seems that he is reluctant to enter into a detailed discourse on the individual battles of the Civil War; preferring instead, to comment on the reasons for victory/defeat, rather than military strategy. The pictures that he has selected are exemplary of the points that they illustrate, and the maps showing the changing situation are cleverly conceived.

Intended primarily as a classroom textbook, aimed at the 6th. Form; Stroud has included questions in the chapters. However, more experienced historians and lay readers need not be deterred by their inclusion, as they are as probing as they are challenging.

If "Stuart England" should prove to be the pinnacle of Stroud's writing career, he has achieved a glory, which would be proudly borne by any king or Godly man.

Perhaps the most definitive work on Stuart England I've ever read, Stroud has many fresh new insights about this important period in English history. A must read.

Stuart's Cape by Sara Pennypacker is a wonderful story about a very imaginative boy. He has many adventures while wearing his cape, from flying because he ate too much light and fluffy angel food cake to growing his favorite food: toast with butter. I liked this story because it showed how imaginative kids can be. It also made me think about using my own imagination. Sara Pennypacker has a great imagination if she can come up with such a funny story. I can't wait to read her next book!

I loved this book. It was very funny and sweet. Stuart's like a precocious Walter Mitty. And the illustrations were really cool, too!

This is an excellent book. Hunnicutt has written several volumes on US Army tanks, history, production vehicles and prototypes. This large volume covers not only the Stuart Tank, but all of the vehicles from WWI prior to the Stuart as well as variations and subsequent models. If you purchase this book, you need not buy another on the subject of US light tanks.

There are many excellent photographs of the vehicles, as well as line drawings, cut aways, technical data, specifications- you name it, it's here. I have read this book several times over and enjoy it enormously- there is something to be learned every time you pick it up.

Post WWII light tanks are covered in a seperate volume.

Hunnicutt's work is an absolute must for light tank enthusiasts. Covering earlier development of the American light tank beginning in the 1920's, it ascends through the 1940's. Tanks covered include all variants of the M2, M3, M5, M8 series light tanks and even LVT (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) vehicles. Coverage is also provided, albeit surprisingly, on the M18! Illustrated with black and white and color photos, line drawings and color plates; it includes action as well as technical views. Many photos are drawn from the U.S. Army Ordnance archives and Army technical manuals. This provides not only views of production vehicles, but prototypes and interior shots not normally seen. Technical specifications are also provided for the majority of vehicles illustrated. Overall this book is well worth every dollar spent. A definite "must have" for the armor enthusiast, modeler, or historian!