The Life of Your Times keeps you wondering where the story line is going and how on earth it will ever mesh together. The extra added conversations are hilarious. You are intrigued with each of the characters story lines and how on earth they connect to the other people. Then all of a sudden it becomes perfectly clear and you are amazed then you did not figure the concept earlier. The surprise ending is perfect. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend everyone read it.

Byers weaves together a story with humor and imagination. This book provides a wonderful read and has the reader constantly challenged in thought. The book can make one laugh and ponder the imponderable. All in all, this book provides a fun ride and a thoughtful probe into oneself.

With his first book, The Life of Your Time, Byers grabs the reader by the lapels and promptly heaves him into the world of Percival J. Weckbaugh, a courteous sixth-grader in a small Midwestern town. When Percival is presented with his first awareness of coincidence, he questions the concept, setting into motion a series of seemingly unrelated events. The book is bursting with adorably imperfect people (for whom the author has obvious and great affection) and the reader is drawn into their lives as each struggles with his own versions of love, regret, ambition, courage, failure, inner peace, and questions about his own place in the universe.

Volleying between humor and poignancy, the characters' paths cross and entangle with varying degrees of intensity and frequency - much the same way one might realistically observe in any small town. And though the story line plows through everything from being bullied at school to marital infidelity to suicide, the book remains optimistic, encouraging, and enriching. Byers launches the characters through potential minefields, managing to let each character navigate his own course, and draw his own conclusion about the greater forces at work and the value of living life to the fullest. Although not a particularly long book (about 150 pages), The Life of Your Time is a hearty and satisfying read. With each word carefully placed and diligently orchestrated to pack a wallop, many of the images and awakenings stay with the reader long after the story ends. Byers is an advocate to important concepts, lending his words and unique understanding to things most of us dare try to articulate. Once started, this book is hard to put down, and once finished it's hard to give up.

The texture of the writing is extraordinary, as the author effortlessly weaves the reader through coincidences, revelations, and character encounters, carefully and unobtrusively tying up loose ends along the way. The tapestry of the book is enhanced by Byers' quick and clever wit, dynamic use of puns, and fast-paced, stream-of-consciousness writing. And ever present through it all remain the shimmering golden threads of faith, hope, and God's love.

I enjoyed reading Midlife, A Manual. It covered many of the topics I am facing in my life as a 47 year old mother of four, with adult children leaving the nest, aging parents, retirement in the near future and investment planning. I enjoyed the humor and wit that softens the blows of life's harsh edges. The accounts of personal experience's were wonderful to read, it made me feel less isolated, knowing there are many of us facing these issues. The authors gave terrific useful information and step by step guidlines to take regarding the facing issues. It was a good read and gave helpful ideas.

Midlife, A Manual is a very thought-provoking book. I particularly related to the information on caring for my aging parents. They are at an age when an advocate is most necessary. The book alerted me to aspects I had not considered. For that I am most grateful. Well done!

Just a few quick words to let you know how much I enjoyed the Estrine's book:

I found this book to be full of common sense suggestions; an excellent aid for me while I start my midlife!

Even more importantly, it has given me support while I adapt to the addition of my mother-in-law into our home.

I enjoyed the humor included in this book - if you can't laugh about life, then you haven't got a chance!

I found this to be an easy read and extremely insightful. I would definitely recommend it to everyone!

As a physician who specializes in breast disorders of which cancer is obviously the most important one, I can highly recommend this book to families and friends of women with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Ms Stevens insight into the emotional issues those of us close to someone with breast cancer experience are enlightening, intelligent and always helpful. We can all learn from this book.

Everyone knows someone who has/had breast cancer. My best friend went through it 10 years ago, so I thought I knew all about it. Recently, as a 6th friend shared her battle, I realized I knew very little about breast cancer. That's when I picked up a copy of Barbara Stevens' book, "Not Just One in Eight."

Today, I purchased my 8th or 9th copy to give to someone who is afraid to get a mammogram. I have given this book to friends with other friends who have breast cancer, mothers of daughters with breast cancer, husbands of women with breast cancer, and my own sister. This book gives everyone who is touched by this disease the most important gift of all: knowledge. And knowledge is the power to fight back.

I had information from 6 very emotional sources before I read "Not Just One in Eight". Now I have an arsenal of information from 20 detailed and individual accounts. Both the mystery, and the fear, is gone. I don't have breast cancer, and we have no family history, but I feel confident that I now know how to recognize, meet and defeat this "boogey man" should it ever come calling.

Every woman alive today should sleep better after reading these stories and accumulating the combined wisdom Barbara Stevens shares with us. Every man with a mother, sister, wife or daughter would also find valuable knowledge and power by investing the time needed to read this book. This book IS for everyone!

With much talent and compassion, Ms. Stevens has shared her own story with breast cancer, but also the stories of other women and men. Recognizing the impact this type of diagnosis means for the individual, but also the family and friends surrounding them, Ms. Stevens shares each of their stories from their own perspectives.

A wonderful book where you can learn from those who have traveled the paths before you.....

Like so many original Trekkers, I found the attempt by the "new generations" to kill off the Kirk character thoroughly appalling. Shatner's resurrection of Kirk, while an amusing conflict of interest(!), is a wonderful "take that" that undoes all of the damage. The series is actually really good science fiction adventure which captures the epic spirit of the original TV and film series extremely well. Aspects of "Ashes of Eden" smack of romantic cheese, but once into "Return", we get down to business. There is only one Star Trek captain, and it is Kirk. Long live.

Ashes of Eden is my favorite of these 3, such an excellent story I felt that I was watching a Star Trek movie in my mind.... The Return was slow to start, but really picked up and merged Kirk into the Next Generation universe, ended with a bang! Avenger was very cool, and it had some awesome reunitings, the Virogen plague was very interesting. But of all of this, I was surprised at how good of a story-teller Shatner was, he gets into the plots right away without boring the reader with useless details, all that matters it seems with these books are that they are fun, fun, fun!! I am a huge Star Wars fan, but these books are making my Star Trek desire come to life, Shatner needs to get into having these books developed into a film that incorporates The original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and the mirror universe (I am currently reading Spectre-It is soooooo cool!)

Get this book, it will take you very little time to read all three stories, I read them all in 6 days, and I usually take a couple of weeks to a month to read just one novel. A+++++++

I found this story to be quite captivating, and all three books almost inpossible to put down. I read all three, in one sitting each. These books, I must admit are not masterfully written, but are so filled with adventure that the writting just melts away. I geatly recommend this book.

I did not realize how resourceful a book this was until I actually sat down and looked through it. I had this book and another fashion illustration book (by Kathryn Hagen) for six months and all this time, I was referencing the other book only to gain insignificant knowledge of fashion illustration. While the other book contains beautifully drawn illustrations, it did little to enlighten me to the techniques, which is important when learning.

I didn't look through Steven Stipelman's book before because I deemed it boring and uninteresting based on a brief flip through. When I actually sat down to start reading it, it all seemed to make sense. What Mr. Stipelman does that other books on this topic fail to really do is to talk about technique and concepts. He outlines standards for drawing croquis (working sketch) in steps, which is a must because a croquis is a foundation for fashion illustrations and will eventually lead to a final drawing.

He also applies the step by step explanation of how to do different poses and how clothing rests on the body in different ways. A big bonus is that he also provides a historical background wherever he can to each section because each period of time had its own ideal for "the" silhouette or body type. It really just ties in well because you get a broader understanding of fashion's past and its relation to the current ideals of fashion.

Whereas some fashion illustration books merely display pages of illustrations done by the author or professionals in the fashion industry, this book is written and arranged in such a way that you feel you're actually in the classroom being taught one-on-one all that it takes to illustrate fashion effectively and beautifully.

Oh, I've just received the book, the illiustrating skill is excellent, but it would be much better if can publish with colour, since steven's painting is very beautiful also !!!!

This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn figure drawing and clothing. I am studying costume design and found this book to be a great help to me though it is written for fashion illustration. He shows how to draw the basic figure and head as well as other details such as patterns and knits. There is even a chapter on Jewelry!

When I recieved it I was pleased to find that it is a well-bound sturdy (text)book that will survive frequent use and reference on my desk. Though there aren't any color drawings or examples (you will have to find another place to learn about painting and such) this a fantastic book that includes everything else. Another reviewer pointed out that all of the drawings in this book are from the author, which is maybe a bit disappointing, but you don't have to look very far to find other books or magazines with examples.

Though these few things are missing, this book has everything that you need to know to draw the fashion figure, especially if you already have some experience with the art media you wish to use.

I start learning 3DS4 using this book and I found it very easy to understand. Anybody who want to learn 3DS should buy it.

This book is outstanding to learn and to enhance one's knowledge of 3DS4. It is fun to read, and is really quite a page-turner! It is structured so that it holds your attention - i.e. it doesn't linger for 50 pages on one topic and mention another in passing.

It starts with the basics and moves logically to advanced topics, all while using easy-to-follow tutorials. The CDROM comes with some nice textures that are good for making your own scenes.

Plus, in an appendix, it reviews most of the popular IPAS plugins for 3D Studio R4. This reference is useful to determine what software to spend your money on.

I would recommend this book to EVERYONE learning 3ds4!

This is the best book of 3D Studio r4, in a couple of weeks you can learn almost everithing, starting with modeling, texturing, animating and scripting.

I first read this quite a few years ago but reread it nearly every year - starting to wear it out actually. Barnes clearly did the necessary research to make the tale feel real. The story line and character development make this one of the best in the fiction world (I would love to see this turned into a screenplay).

This book is not for the faint-hearted. It will make you take a look into yourself and others, and see what is deeply hidden there. Although the journey through the book is challenging, it's well-worth the effort! One of my favorites from Steven...

This author has done his research. I am amazed at the level of detail borrowing from martial arts, NLP and other disciplines - keeping everything real.

This story is hard to put down as well.

It's hard to believe the quality that is in this little paperback - but make amazon find you a copy and buy it.

If you are at all interested in martial arts, transhumanism, eastern philosphy, or good stories - this is for you.

Today the business world has inherited the language of Yiddish. This is because most small businessmen used to be Jewish or worked with Jewish people. In today's world the businesman might be hispanic or black, but everyone still throws in Yiddish words.

Wouldn't it be nice to know what those words mean. This book will teach you Yiddish terms.

In the process learn about Jewish history and the history of Yiddish. They are not the same. Lean the difference.

I found the book very enlightening. So will you. I know the author personally and he is for real.

It is always a pleasure to get a little extra. It's even better to get a lot extra! When I read Meshuggenry, not only did it explain many Yiddish expressions that are as American as bagels, I also got a seasoning of the life and spirit that fermented in the world of Yiddish. Take Klezmer music. In a few pages you get a history of its origins and its continual and present reincarnations. Take Yiddish Food and Cooking. A little history, a nosh of Yiddish food terms and some mouth-watering recipes. There are chapters on Yiddish humor and theater, but it's the insight to the Yiddish language and soul that makes this very readable concise book very special. That's the little extra! Meshuggenary is not only enjoyable to read, you are let into Yiddish insights that are still evolving. After wandering for many years from Brooklyn, to New Jersey, to California, it was good to read about my roots. Get off your tokhes and order a copy of Meshuggenary.

An absolute delight--the authors have produced a very lively academic book (which may well be an oxymoron). I wonder what early Yiddishists would say if they could now see what impact Yiddish (and Yinglish, etc.) have had on American speech, language and culture. I suspect that they would have been amazed at what they, their successors and G_d had wrought. Only in America. And you don't have to be Jewish to kvell at Meshuggenary which is a landmark success. It will not be easy in the years to come to challenge the depth, insight and completeness of the book.

This book is very well illustrated and written. It is the story of a spoiled cat that runs away because its owners bring a new puppy in to the house... We read a lot of children's books,and while this may never become a classic; it is well priced and well presented, which is more than I can say for many of the childrens books we now own.

I LOVE this book! I read it a couple of times in stores and laughed every time. I picked it up because of the cute Golden Retriever on the cover. (I have a dog like that) But it was the hilarious story telling from a cat's point of view that really made me laugh. I finally gave in and bought my very own copy to read to My Big Dog.

I use this book with my middle school students to show VOICE in writing(from Six Traits Writing). It's a great model for personification also. The kids love the book, even though it's not for the reading age.

The Thucydides edited by Terry Wick comes from an older translation that has a rather good reputation. I found that this version was easier to read than the esteemed 'landmark' edition (which has summaries, pictures, and maps), because there is more text and less distraction! Not much room in the margins, though, unfortunately. All in all, this translation is literal and generally quite good -- a good choice for studying or pleasure. However, most people I've spoken to have LOVED the landmark, so I also do not hesitate to suggest it.

The text itself will drag in places if you are not completely gung-ho for everything about war. However, contained within are a lot of remarkable insights about the human condition which have remained stable for thousands of years. Well worth the struggle.

Homer filled his pages mostly with myth, with some general facts which remotely relate to history. Herodotus wrote mostly history, with a few myths and prophecies interspersed here & there.

With Thucydides, we get the first book in western culture that is 100% purely devoted to history. The historian expresses his disinterest in speculation about the will of the gods while turning his attention solely to factual accounts of the Peloponnesian War.

The present text discloses T's history, all dressed up in the eloquent, occasionally verbose prose of the 17th century philosopher, John Hobbes. David Grene of the university of Chicago does a credible job of auditing Hobbes' translation, pointing out errors, mis-interpretations & omissions in the text.

This work contains all of the most salient episodes of the war, from the funeral oration of Pericles (Book II), the unsteady truce between Athens & Sparta (Book V) and the disastrous Sicilian expedition (VI & VII). The latter proved to be the crippling blow which sealed the defeat of Athens. Less known, but equally poignant, is what Princeton's Michael Sugrue would call the "Big Fish Eat Little Fish" oration which the Athenians deliver to the Melians (Book V) before wiping them out.

Hobbes metes out ample attention to each major event, carefully crafting his diction with the efficacy of delivering the desired effect. However, there are times when his sentences get a bit syrupy & are a bit long. It does not help matters that Thucydides constantly skips around to diverse engagements, both major & minor, not always making it clear whom or what he is referring to. While it is fairly simple to keep track of the major players in the war (i.e.: Athens, Sparta, Argos, Syracuse, Corinth, Thebes, etc) it becomes increasingly difficult to follow all of the minor provinces involved as the war goes on. Of course, the people in T's day were already familiar with whom was aligned with whom, so detailed explanations of Greek alliances are omitted. This can be a obstacle for the modern reader.

All in all, tho, this is a credible translation to one of the most monumental works of history ever composed. Within these pages we discover the nobility and wisdom of Pericles, the treachery of Alcibiades, the violence and short-sightedness of Cleon and the effective generalship of Nicias. The most poignant aspects of the period all surface without any ambiguity; the arrogant hubris of the Athenians, the resilience of the Lacedaemonians and the determination of the Syracusians. Hobbes should be applauded for pulling off one of the best English translations of Greek history ever recorded.

I undertook the project of reading the Greek Classics with a bit of trepidation and found some translations that read like the King James Bible, pompus and barely recognizable as English. I could not put down Steven Lattimore's translation. The funeral oration of Perikles was so beautiful tears came to my eyes as I read it to my wife.

I liked that portion of the book so much that I researched it and discovered that I was not alone in being impressed by it, and that it is considered some of the greatest writing ever. I compared the same passage in several tranlations found most of the to use somewhat archaic words that do not quite have the impact that they do to a modern reader as the words in Lattimore's translation.