I read Ms. Presberg's book right after reading one by Dick Francis and right before reading one by Barbara Paul. Compared with those two writers Ms. Presberg comes across as an amateur. Her publisher compares her book with Richard Powell's Tickets to the Devil. I read that book many years ago, and in my opinion Ms. Presberg's book does not come close. As a bridge player I found her bridge examples particularly dull. I am certainly not an expert on police procedures, but I doubt if any professional police officer would have acted as she portrayed the police in her novel. As a mystery fan, I found a total lack of any suspense. Ms. Presberg did do a good job of hiding the identity of the perpetrator until the end.

This is a fun book for anyone who knows the least bit about bridge. The character development is especially well done, and you can truly envision each of the potential suspects. The reader is left in suspense for a long time before the killer is revealed, with many intriguing clues along the way. You could read this book straight through in a few days, but I read it a few chapters per night because I liked it so much I wanted it to last longer

I found this book less informative than others on progesterone such as Dr. Lee's "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You..." books or "The Estrogen Alternative" But it still covers the basics. It does not contain an extensive reference section or "lessons" in biology to answer the biggest question, "why?". This is a good book for those who are just learning and have many questions. The question and answer format allows the reader to get direct answers to questions instead of having to read the whole book to get an answer to a specific question.

Although this book is a bit weak in explanations as to why this is happening to our bodies, I appreciate the fact that the title includes "Progesterone". My reason why is that I was prescribed synthetic progesterone when I first started suffering from those perimenopausal problems. I got so depressed it was scary. I stopped them immediately and sought out alternatives... a site where my family has purchased supplements, herbs and vitamins for several years now has a whole section devoted to women's health. There I found some blends that are helping me immensely. I ordered ... a black cohosh blend and a wild yam cream, followed the directions and am feeling much more myself. Although this book doesn't cover it all, it is good for empowering women to not settle for synthetic forms when there are so many natural forms out there. In case you are doing searches for these, another word for these are phytoestrogers. Check them out...

I like this book. It is a list of questions and answers in Q&A format. There is an order by general subject, but nothing individually. There is no index, so if you're looking for something specific, it's hunt and peck.

Still it is a good compilation of facts about New Jersey. Some of them are the commonly known facts, but most of are tidbits you don't know about the state.

Like a joke book of one-liners, NJ Trivia is not something you sit down and read in one sitting. Its full of a nice blend of famous people, places and events all born in, located at or centered around th e birthplace of Joe Piscapo, the home of the blueberry capital of the world (pg. 27) and the site of more than 100 battles and squirmishes during the Civil War (pg. 88).

The book is divided into 6 sections:Geography, Entertainment, History, Arts & Lit, Sports & Leise\ure, Science and Nature.

There are 2 main limitations to this book. First, written in the early 90's, some of the material is dated. For example, Who is the coach of the Seton Hall men's hoops team is no longer P.J. carlesimo and the NJ Nets star who lead the team in scoring during the 90-1 season is no longer relevant (if it ever was). And unfortunatley it has not been revised to include perhaps NJ pro sports brightest moments- the Devils winning the Stanley Cup in spectacular fashion.

2nd, for it to be more useful as a reference book, there needs to be some sort of index to look up specific information. The Pine Barrens, for example, has several entries and trying to find them all pretty much involves rereading the book several times.

The 1st point is inevitable with a trivia book and the 2nd seems to be beyond the scope the authors/editors intended for this book. Also, the answers are directly below each question so if you are trying to test your knowledge you need to read with an index card to cover up the answer.

Still, this is a nice little book. Highly ecommended. Also try NJ Firsts(ISBN: 0940159457).

I found this book to be only average. It covers only basic math in its review. Mistakes can be noticed throughout the book. These mistakes throw off answers and make problems seem much more complex than they really are. Be prepared to see problems which have no solution as they are written. This book certainly deserved to have been proofread before publishing. Overall, I rate the book with a C+.

My daughter, who is in 9th grade, actually liked using this prep book. It helped her immensely, as she is not a great student but managed to work well with the material in the book. It is instructional but not overwhelming. I highly recommend it.

Although containing good general information, this book is not very detailed. For the most part, I needed more specific information for prairie restorations. However, I did enjoy the discussion on the history of tallgrass prairie restoration in Iowa. Additionally, the species-specific information with additional comments on the native prairie wildflowers and grasses is quite useful and much appreciated. It is the first species list I have found that provides information regarding what wildlife would be attracted to each plant.

Restoring the Tallgrass Prairie is a great "first" book for a person interested in praire management/restoration. The book is split into two parts. The first part is a guide to restoration. The second part is a field guide for the identification of prairie grasses, plants etc. I recommend this book because of its content and superior value for this type of book.

Sorry, Shirley - you should have quit while you were ahead. Most of this book I found illuminating and thought-provoking. Although some of Ms. McLaines experiences were, to say the least, unusual, there was no reason to doubt she actually experienced them. Unfortunately, an experience she claims she had at the back of the book directly conflicts with one she related near the front. Specifically, she lays claim at the beginning that our lives are not pre-determined, that we have free choice, and a purpose toward which our choices should be directed. Then, at the end of the book, she relates an absolutely incredible account of a fortune teller in Peru predicting the outcome of a US election. Fortune telling presupposes a predetermined existence, and this contradiction is glaring.

If I had been Ms McLaine's editor, the book would have ended after chapter 17. Still, the concepts are intruiging, even though the contractions make it useless as a research work.

If you are searching for more meaning to life, Shirley does some major leg-work for you in this book.

She travels the world and references many credible sources and spiritual hotspots... the way she analyzes situations, and gives a thorough perspective of both sides of the coin is plenty to be satisfied for the beginning of "your" search.

This book will grip you, and is a great first step to spiritual awakening!

For Linda Russell to throw darts, the way she does in this account, to David Smith, who after his two dead babies is the one and only victim of her murderous daughter, is shameful; and really not worthy of the person she pretends to be: a Christian. Hypocrisy and a desire for revenge is what comes through the pages of this pathetic story. Mrs. Russell would do well in looking at herself in the mirror, and she should ask herself some questions. She does not need to tell us the answers. We already know them. Susan Smith is a murderess, and she should have been given the death penalty. Michael and Alex didn't get justice. Sleep with the angels babies. And Union is a County of cowards.

It seems to me that Linda Russell is putting the blame on Michael and Alexander's deaths on everyone else but the person most responsible--Susan Smith. No matter how bad your home situation may be, may I emphasize that there NO excuse whatsoever for killing innocent children, let alone kill them and then lie about it for nine days. The book was very informative and well written, and it shed light on the events leading up to the tragic murders. Also, I feel that it was not at all appropriate to be using the book to point fingers at David Smith. No one knows what goes on in people's relationships, and Linda Russell would have been better off staying out of their marriage. No matter what David Smith may have, or may have not done during the marriage, that outwardly blaming David for "helping the children into their graves" was uncalled for. Susan, and Susan alone is completely responsible for causing those children's deaths, and she must endure the consequences for her selfish actions. As you will read in sections of the book, her main concern was about Tom Findley; she was more worried about him than about her own sons!
Michael and Alexander, wherever you are, rest in peace, precious Angels.

This is a very good book. My heart breaks for everyone involved in this tragic, heart-breaking situation, and I can only pray for Susan and her family. Linda did a very good job of exposing things that were hard to think about, much-less to express to the world.

Whew. I was a little offended by the frequent references to Lovecraft in reviews and book notes. Sure, it's horror genre and the bogeyman is an ancient unspeakable creature (or creatures, hell I couldn't even make sense of it). But Lovecraft would never have penned anything like this mess. He knew how to tell a story. The "special effects" here are way overblown and read like they're on their way to a movie script. There are subplots galore, threads (albeit some good ones) going in all different directions, and much gratuitous pornography. What's it really about? A little this and a little that. Who knows. Maybe I'm old fashioned (I'll agree that so many current novels are like this), but this is five (or more!) good stories, not one. It's so disappointing because Shirley is obviously quite talented. There are many gems of character insight, human nature, and philosophical notions in here, but also loads of offal and noise to wade through to get to them. This book could have been so much better at half its length. But, it is a cut above the rest as is, so it gets three stars from me.

_Wetbones_ by John Shirley combines the 3 Ms - murder, mutilation (to the point of maceration), and mind control into an erotic, yet extremely graphic splatterpunk novel probably too strange for the mainstream.

A cult-like group can manipulate people by stimulating their brain centers and doling out Punishment or Reward. Several people with nothing apparent in common -- a man hung up on his ex-wife's death via self-mutilation, another searching for his juvenile deliquent brother, a reverend who counsels drug addicts, and an ex-cult member performing grotesque murders -- all find their paths crossing at the cult's compound. At the compound they discover unspeakable rituals and the cult's secret of mind control.

However, _Wetbones_ does more than just describe the horror of hacked-up human bodies; it is also a study of addiction and the depths of despair. Its intensity and flat out weirdness make this book a highly recommended read for the "slice-and-dice" horror set.

A lot of things can be said about this book but "dull" has no place in any description about this book. And yes, stick to Stephen King if you want the same old predictable and formulated horror novel written from the imagination and not the soul / from experience. The only problem with WETBONES is that it's horribly misunderstood. The author presents us with a familiar surrounding - the filthy and one dimensional city of Los Angeles. However, we find out that it's actually 4 dimensional. For the most part the other reviews here do describe some of what goes on in this book so I won't bore you with attempting to elaborate... just read this book.

John Shirley speaks from his own horrors of drug and sex addiction and when an artist pours his soul into his work it ceases to be pornography, it is art. This book is dark and ugly and highly confrontational in regards to addiction and its consequences as well as the nature of humanity. It is raw and visceral and honest in ways I've never experienced before. This book is a profound story with a message which may be too honest for most people to handle... John Shirley pulls no punches and even I wished that I could put the book down and forget I had heard of it, but I couldn't because it's too compelling as a horror novel, as a drama, as well as somewhat of an autobiography in symbolic and metaphorical ways. John Shirley simply made it severe enough that people would take notice. Whether you love it or hate it WETBONES leaves its mark. It's a pretty hardcore book and not for the squeamish. It is ultimately about hope and pulling through the darkness of our souls (and what feeds on them)however it is a long and hard journey through that darkness and the only way past it is through it. Read this book and if you don't feel anything than stick to flat and "dull" works of other horror writers who only wish they could write like Shirley. Wetbones is a journey to places within ourselves that we don't want to be or see, but that's the beauty of it and the formula for really good horror. Out of a possible 5 stars I give it 10. There is no other book like this and more than likely there never will be again.

I'm a beginner in MFC, but I have big experience in otber fields about programming.

I think it's a very good book, at least for beginners in MFC.
I have run most of the examples and all them goes fine.
Even those apparently wrong !.

For example, in chapter 1, the example MyApp1, it's OK, because it's possible and safe to call CFrameWnd::Create() from the constructor of a derived class of CFrameWnd!.
MSDN documentation doesn't say that it's not possible.
And the Debugger confirm that !
I mention this to answer one of the bad reviews I read.

I'm studying the book with Visual C++ 6.0.
Of course, the book needs updating.

I like the idea of the author, one-idea-at-time. It's the best way to go fast !.

I hope Ms. Shirley Wodtke have time to update the book

Thank your for the book!.
Eduardo
Spain

Learn the MFC C++ Classes does exactly what it claims to do-- it is beginners book on MFC. I only had a little bit of understanding of MFC, but Ms Wodtke's book helped me to understand the basic foundation classes so much better. She has a very simple approach. I appreciate this and found her book to be very valuable in learning more about the library of MFC classes. I now feel comfortable editing the code.

It is sad to see that some of her students are frustrated by the fact that they cannot grasp the basic concepts of MFC in Wodtke's book. They seem to be pretty upset by this. I have read Prosises and Kruglinski's books, and if you cannot understand Wodtke's book then I don't think that these books will make it any clearer.

FOR ME, THIS IS THE BEST BOOK ABOUT MFC..

READING THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS I HAD LEARNED MORE THAN READING TEN CHAPTERS OF OTHERS BOOKS.

THE AUTHOR'S IDEA, "ONE-IDEA-AT-A-TIME" IT'S THE BEST WAY TO GO FAST. AND NOW, I'M REALLY GOING FAST LEARNING MFC.

OF COURSE THE BOOK NEEDS UPDATING TO VISUAL C++ 6.0, BUT IT'S VERY HELPFUL EVEN WITHOUT UPDATING.

I HOPE MS. SHIRLEY WODTKE WRITE MORE BOOKS ABOUT MFC, OR WINDOWS PROGRAMMING IN GENERAL. I LIKE HER STYLE OF WRITING.

SHE EXPLAINS VERY CLEARLY DIFFICULT CONCEPTS.

EDUARDO
SPAIN

In the book The Sword and the Stone by Rosemary Sutcliff, she retells the classic Arthurian stories. When Arthur as a young boy was sent to find Sir Kay's sword, he soon came upon a sword in a stone. Not knowing that he was the only man to pull Excalibor, his soon to be sword, from the stone, he was soon destined to become King of all Britain. Including the story where Arthur becomes King, she also retells the adventures of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.
In the original stories of King Arthur and his knight, the author simplify the stories. In Rosemary Sutcliff's book, she gives a lot of details and makes every story go further and some become more interesting. Although she does not change much but the names of some characters, the story line stays about the same as the original stories.
The book The Sword and the Circle might appeal interesting to people who like old legends such as King Arthur legends. To others, it will seem extremely boring. Some of these stories keep you interesting in some parts like in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In others, the author runs on and on and the story doesn't get any better. This book would probably be for kids 12+ because of the bigger and more descriptive words. I would give this book two out of five stars and would not waste your time reading this.

The Sword and the Circle is a great book about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The story begins with how Arthur actually became king. The story then continues on with adventures of Arthur and how he assembles his Knights of the Round Table. The book tells about the many quests of Arthur, his knights, Guenever, and Merlin, the magician. During the story Arthur adds many knights to his group, but none stand out more than Gawain and Lanccelot. I enjoyed this book and thought it was very well-written. This book is very exciting and full of adventure. I had a hard time putting this book down because it told so much about the journeys of the knights, such as the mystery between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The book was also quite interesting and gave adequate information and detail without having excessive writing. This book kept me interested because it was so in depth and full of fascinating information, such as the feelings Sir Lancelot was forced to hide from others. The only negative aspect about the book was that it jumped around between characters. I had a little difficulty following what each character was doing, so I had to look back in the book to see what was happening. I would definitely recommend this book because it is an epic story of adventure that people of all ages would enjoy.

Rosemary Sutcliff's adaptation of the King Arthur legend is truly a unique and inspiring work, told in a highly descriptive yet very concise format. It is not only powerful and thought-provoking, but creates a sense of the ancient and medieval time it owes its existence to. Starting years before Arthur comes to power, Sutcliff tells the story of young Merlin and how Arthur came to be, following him through his rise to High King, the meetings of such brave and infamous knights such as Lancelot, Tristan and Gawain, right up to just before the quest for the Holy Grail begins. Sutcliff not only tells the traditional and time-honored stories, such as the sword in the stone, but also adapts other variations of the quests that individual knights took upon themselves to maintain peace and honor in Britain. For example, although he may not have actually been a knight of the round table, Sutcliff tells the tragic and romantic story of Tristan and Iseult, the ironic tale of Beaumains, and the humorous story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, all of which reflect the honor and love which bounded King Arthur's kingdom together. This book easily stands alone, but simultaneously lays solid groundwork for the next two books, The Light Beyond the Forest and The Road to Camlann, two other excellent books written by Sutcliff on the rise and fall of Arthur. By taking her stories to a level above just the basic story-telling, Sutcliff also helps put King Arthur's place in history into perspective and gives an excellent reason for retelling this timeless legend again for this day and age. The book is really a medieval romantic story at heart, but has enough battles and swashbuckling adventures to keep readers more interested in action than a rambling story hooked. I would recommend this book to those who have never read a King Arthur book in their life, to those who might know the story by heart, and anyone in between those two categories, because it is an excellent way of reacquainting ourselves with the days of princes and knights, of villains and dragons, chivalry and fair maidens, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The Sword and the Circle and the other two books in the trilogy truly deserve a place all their own among those stories about the knights of the round table. Reading through it page by page, I truly felt drawn into a dim and room, lit by a crackling fire while the wind howled outside, listening to the voice of an excellent story-teller speak of a bygone age and long-dead heroes.