I have owned beagles before, both as pups and adopted as adults, so I was already familliar with the breed's behaviors, but did want to buy this for a 'refresher course' in Beag-ology.

This is one of the best books I have read on Beagle-owning. From behavior to feeding, breeding, etc. The writing style is very easy to digest and the information is partitioned for quick reference if you need it. Very informative and easy to understand.

And, if you are unfamilliar with beagles at all and are thinking of adding one to your family, I can't stress enough how helpful this book will be in either 1.) your decision-making or 2.) adoption. Anyone not used to the beagles temperment and behavior needs to get this before being faced with a bevy of adorable pups. They are as 'energetic' and destructive as they are cute and do require some atypical attention. This book explains beagle pros and cons perfectly and can provide you with adequate information necessary in deciding if a beagle is right for you.

This was a wonderful, informative book about Beagles. The author wrote the book using "Sam" & "Rosy" as Beagle examples (fictionary Beagles) throughout the entire book, giving the dogs a more positive personal presence while you are reading it. It has been so very helpful to me in the decision making of the purchase of a puppy Beagle and will help me prepare for the days ahead (and some sleepless nights as well)... My husband even enjoyed reading it to better prepare for the arrival of our new little one.

A great book that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in or already owns a Beagle.

I love this book and it gives me all the info I need to take care of my beagle. I would recommend this book to any owners of beagles hard to train or has bad habits. So go get this wonderfully written book with great pictures.

I found this book to be very useful in building my first piece of log furniture. In fact my first project is a log bed (under construction at this time). There are few resources available that teach you how to build log furniture. Dan and Les have written a no nonsense book with detailed information on wood, tools, finishes and etc. The plans are reasonably clear and concise and there are lots of tips that can help reduce the "ooops" factor when building your first piece of furniture. The tools required are simple and fairly inexpensive. If you want to build your own log furniture then buy this book. My only negative coment is that I wish there were a few more projects to chose from.

Being a beginner this book gave me alot of ideas and step by step insturctions and choices that other books did not.

Les has the ability to make it sound as if he is talking right to you in this book. I have just taken an interest in rustic and log furniture and was very happy to get this book from e-bay,and he included his signature!.
The book has several different suggestions, not making one way the only way to do things.
thank you les for your wonderful guidience as I start my new hobby!
jharriet

Romeo and Juliet

Felipe Gravier and Lorenzo Schiavo review:

We think that Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two star-crossed lovers whose families are in a terrible fight which prevents them from coming together. How far the couple will go to be together becomes the focus of the story. Of his richest poetry. The opening and closing choruses are some of his most outstanding work. Romeo's It is a brilliant love story but not much more. It still possesses however some wooing of Juliet is fabulously written. The Friar gets the best lines. Mercutio is one the best friends of Romeo. It is not as good as Shakespeare has written but it's still a fabulous book and up there with his best work. One part of the play we didn't like was that for the tow families get arrange there two kids had to die.
The English language wasn't finally finished so Shakespeare had the liberty to create words and play with the language, as he liked. That's why It was so difficult to understand what each character wanted to express so the teacher had to explain us each of that words and teach us all the words in that age and told us which were the words in the English of today.

This book provides lots of Shakespeare's Storys like "A Midsummer's Night Dream" and "Hamlet" with a children's fairy tale twist. The storys are the same as Shakespeare's, but easier for children to understand. My favorite story was Hamlet because I had just seen the play. A while after we read Children's Shakespeare and it helped me to understand Hamlet better.

Shakespeare is for kids and adults in E. Nesbit's creative mind. I always liked fairy tales, but I couldn't read Shakespeare very well. In Children's Shakespeare E. Nesbit turned his work into fairy tales without changing the story and morals. This book is not much like Nesbit's other books because it was written by Shakespeare, but I bet there are some simularities.

This book was a overall well writen book and I beleive E. Nesbit put a lot of hard work into her books in her life-time. I'm sure if she were alive now she would still be writing good books to this day.

Mr. Foote does an excellent job of presenting the birth of Christ from the perspective of an innocent child. In this day and age when folks seldom appreciate the "Gift" of the birth of the son of God, it is so refreshing to happen across a work of art such as what Mr. Foote has crafted. His artwork jumps off the pages at you and the simplistic message of the gift of Jesus Christ is as always, a timely message. This isn't a Christmas book, this is something everyone should add to their library.

The Bible tells this story several times - the meaning all the same. God sent His Son as our Savior and sent him to us in a form which only a rare few could ignore--a baby. Dan again retells the story and sights some very human feelings and thoughts in a way children can relate. The story helps me as an adult realize that the birth and the coming of our King had very human aspects.

Dan shows that children play a very important part in helping others..."for you know not when you might be entertaining angels".

He makes the Birth of our King REAL!

Dan has kept the story true to the Scriptural account of the birth of Jesus with some imagination through the eyes of a child. I think it is an excellent telling of an old story and the artwork is second to none. The colors are bright and eye catching for the children. Dan, in his art, was not afraid to portray things they way they are in real life.

I bought a copy for each of my grown daughters, who each have 3 children of their own, and one for my wife and me.

This book is great for anybody that has an interest in collecting baseball memorablia. Mr. Zachofsky has unique suggestions for collecting autographs and how to display them.

I received this book as a gift and was very impressed with the suggestions and the history it gave. I have since begun creating my own Baseball Memorabilia Room and I have even gotten a few Hall of Famer autographs. I find this book extremely helpful for any collectors, experienced or new to the hobby. I think this book is fantastic and it is the "BIBLE" of any collecting manual. With the upcoming baseball season, it really makes a great read especially if you're interested in starting a memorabilia room. The forward to the book is written by one of my all time favorites, Duke Snider -- very impressive! Also, I love the pictures that are included! I highly recommend this book!

After 5 years of struggling collecting baseball memorabilia, I've finally found the magna carta for this fascinating hobby. Attempting to collect the key signatures for this hobby is the ultimate goal. Collecting Baseball Memorabilia A Handbook makes it easy, enjoyable and is a great investment. Lastly, since I've purchased this book, I've added 5 Hall of Famers to my collection without the stress because of the knowldedge found in this book.

I have read most of Dan Jenkins' books and would rate this one near the top. As in all of Jenkins' works, the characters are colorful and find themselves in the damndest situations. This book is one belly-laugh after another. Anyone who enjoys country and western music, beer drinking and permanently adolescent male behavior will love this book. Great tale of Texas honky-tonk culture.

This book is so funny that one feels one must read portions aloud to anyone within hering distance. The dialogue is brilliant. Though very broad, it is always true and real. I only wish Eric Partridge were still alive....he would have found countless words - and lines - to incoporate into his "Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English." The fact that it takes place mostly in a Texas bar and is about country-Western music should not obscure the fact that this book is a kind of minor masterpiece. Bravo!

Marvelous. Magnificent. Fill in your favorite superlative and go for broke.

I've read this book so many times I can quote much of it from memory, but it never gets stale. I'm always entertained ... and deeply impressed not only with Jenkins' style and talent, but with his earthy insight into the human condition and the latent goodness in us all.

You can live a perfectly fine life without Dan Jenkins, but you're missing important things to think about if you ever finish laughing.

It is easy to think of a novella as being a longer short story (with the usual short story limitations) and in this case, that thinking would be appropriate. When reading a novella anthology, one has to understand that character development will be more limited than in the traditional novel or mystery. There simply isn't the time to set up detailed and complex characters due to the restrictions in length a novella places on the work. Therefore, the author has to pack as much character development in his or her work as possible, while setting up the scene, the mystery problem (in this case) and plenty of action to move the story along. It is a difficult task and all four of these authors, with very different themes and writing styles, pull it off wonderfully.

At the same time, it makes reviewing the work rather difficult. One does not want to give away too many of the details and with each novella coming in around 100 pages on average (a couple are a little shorter and conversely a couple are a bit longer) it would be easy to reveal too much. The reviewer also has to take into account his or her particular interests and a couple of these were not exactly what I look for in a novel to read. Having said that, though some of the works were not my thing (as it were) it has to be admitted that those were as well written as the others in the collection, which I did really like.

The collection is opened by the offering from Mr. Robert L. Iles, titled 'The Ten-Spot Murders.' Set in a small town deep in West Texas, the work revolves around a dead man found murdered at the local motel. Instead of being found in his room, he is found behind the building. How he got there and why becomes an intriguing case for Sheriff Okie Bliss and his small department.

'Pangs of Prophecy' by Christine Spindler follows next in the reading order. In this work, April is tormented by the fact that she can see death for those she knows. She knows in excruciating graphic detail how they will die'she just doesn't know when. Trying to prevent a murder she knows is going to happen, she becomes deeply involved in the resulting case when the murder does occur.

The third work is titled 'Buyer's Remorse' by Elizabeth Dearl. Taylor is a writer living out in West Texas and is asked by her friend, Paula, to help her move. Paula has bought an old house and needs help, not only in moving, but restoring the house to livable condition. The problem, beyond the fact that the house is old and in disrepair, is the fact that it might also be haunted.

Rounding off the book is Dan Sontup's work, titled 'the Santa Switch.' While you may have secretly wished death on the mall Santa when he went ahead and promised a toy you know your child could not have in his wildest dreams, in this story, a mall Santa is killed at the mall in a back way hall. Now, Mall Security Chief Matt Ridley has to clean up the problem as well as find out who did it when the Police can't solve the case. At the same time, he has his own internal political problems and a dead Santa does not help things one bit.

In each work, the case is interesting and the approach each writer takes in developing his or her story is tremendously different. With such differences in writing styles, themes, etc., it makes this anthology an interesting and enjoyable read. There is something each reader will like and this is the perfect bag to fling in the tote for a day at the beach.

Avid Press recently released a collection of mysteries featuring four investigators certain to send readers in quest of longer works.

"The Ten-Spot Murders" by Robert L. Iles: The desperate secrets of a salesman come to light when his body's found outside his motel room. Set in Cass County, Ohio, the Sheriff's Department is crippled by a lack of budget and an overabundance of testosterone. Gritty and tense, the triangle formed by traveler, the motel handyman, a part-time prostitute, and the family of a prominent judge will hold the reader's attention riveted.

"Pangs of Prophesy" by Christine Spindler: When April comes to see Inspector Terry, she impresses him: "She was all muted gestures and self-effacing smiles, but she had a mind on the brink of another dimension." All to true, since she has visions of violent and tragic deaths. Inspector Terry is a wonderful creation, always cheering the underdog and even befriending attack cats. Indeed, this novella is startling and skillfully rendered.

"Buyer's Remorse" by Elizabeth Dearl: When the new owner realizes the dilapidated of her bargain, she soon comes to regret her new purchase. While the old house has marvelous carpentry and incredible light for a studio, it also comes complete with its own mystery. Part ghost story and part thriller, this novella will keep readers up past their bedtimes. Believable characterizations, a haunted house, and a precocious and charming ferret create a fascinating and gripping narrative.

"The Santa Switch" by Dan Sontup: Two days before Christmas a Santa is found stabbed to death with scissors in the ladies' room of a shopping mall. The unlikely hero is a security chief with an associate's degree and a background as a New York City police officer. With an unusual cast of characters and a fast paced plot, the merry red of the holiday season carries whole new meaning.

A remarkable collection, BLOOD, THREAT & FEARS is a must read. Each exhibits the powerful writing that makes these authors favorites of mystery fans. Very highly recommended.

I'm giving this book to friends and relatives for Christmas. In one 337-page book are four superb novelettes that should please all mystery-lovers. "Pangs Of Prophecy" was certainly an enjoyable read, an intriguing combination of precognition, rape and murder. "The Ten-Spot Murders" is about a killing in the Ten-Spot Motel. A good, solid mystery. I liked it very much. "The Santa Switch" concerns the death of a shopping mall Santa - death by scissors - and has a very satisfying and unexpected ending. "Buyer's Remorse" (my favorite) introduced two characters I want to get to know better - Taylor Madison and her ferret, Hazel. (Taylor and Hazel are in two other full-length mystery novels, and I'll order them, too.)

I've been gym climbing off and on for years, mostly in the last three months as there is an excellent wall at the school I go to, and found this book to be quite helpful in getting me ready for the trip outside. I have been able to climb outside in the past only with the help of other more experienced climbers, and thanks to the help of this book and other resources, I am beginning to feel comfortable going out without the help. However, do not let this book be your only resource. There are many terms not adequately defined and several concepts are not introduced, but are referenced. For instance, the author refers to the "magic X", a method of attaching to anchors, but never defines it, and doesn't even say anything more than "use the magic x method of equalizing the anchors" for many pages. However, if you have other available sources of information, this guide can fill the gaps.

Any gym climbers who are aspiring to climb outside must buy this book. It is a very comprehensive book that helps guide the transition from gym climbing to outdoor climbing. There are detailed exercises on proper top rope placement, rappelling, self-rescue, and a number of other safety issues. The advice is clear and safe. You really should go with someone more experienced when you try these techniques, but the book makes an excellent case for being safe and going beyond what is normally done. For example, you should back up your rappel with an autoblock or a fireman's belay. Why not do this easy thing that may save your life? Your friend that teaches you how to climb may not show you these lifesaving techniques. I rarely see people back up their rappel!
As you get more experienced and want to make the transition to trad climbing, it teaches important techniques like making a multi-directional anchor for your first trad anchor by using a sliding girth hitch. It takes extra time, but it may save your life by preventing all your gear placement from zippering (popping out) after your fall. Happy climbing and safe climbing to you!

One book every climber must have. Much more specific to rock climbing than "the bible", "Mountaineering: the Freedom of the Hills".

If you and a partner go through the exercises you will be better skilled than most of the climbers on the rocks.

Covers basic skills, and has great sections on setting up Toprope anchors and placing protection on Lead.

ONLY problem is the casual use of girth-hitched slings. Girth hitching seriously reduces rope strength.

Finally, someone steps up and tells it how it is. Enough Dr. Phil, this book really shows you the ropes without the sugar coating. Entertaining, witty, and education. Definitely a book every real man should have.

I've read about a million relationship books before. No, make that two million. But I don't care how many you've read in your life, you ain't never read anything like this. This is without a doubt the most hysterical, most insane, most off the wall book that has ever been written. I didn't just laugh, I think I actually peed blood I was in such hysterics. The authors take you from the day you're born until the day you die and give you tremendous insight into anything that could possibly happen to you. And they do it in a way that will keep you absolutely doubled over the entire time. Don't read this book in a library or at work. You'll enrage every one around you because you won't be able to shut up. Simply unbelievable.

For women, at first this somewhat mysoginistic diatribe about conquest may leave you with a pit in your stomach and a desire to immediately commit that a**hole of your past or present into an iron maiden. But this book is a treasure ladies, as it is a window into the soul of most of the men you've dated, are dating, or may date in the future. Burn "The Rules" and its progeny; keep this one on your bedstand and memorize it. Introduce it at your next bookclub, but nix the wine as you'll need tequila shots to make it through this piece of non-fiction. Rather than attracting a**holes, you'll now have the uncanny ability to spot an a**hole a mile away and run for cover before he's trapped you in his web.

For men, this book doesn't beat around the bush (pun intended) as it describes in graphic detail how to - ahem - conquer as many women as possible, in more positions than the Kama Sutra can describe, from womb to tomb. In no uncertain terms, it will turn the "nicest guy" (what a curse) into an a**hole so quickly that you'll have Penthouse playmates begging you to take them home with you. Even some of us nice girls will come your way (unless we've read the book before you!) Don't keep this one on your bookstand, however, as your secret will soon be revealed. Keep it under your bed along with your useless girlie magazines, and memorize it verbatim. I highly recommend that you also take a juggling class, as you'll need to learn this skill when you try to manage all the new women in your life. Happy hunting!