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Book reviews for "Smith,_James_A." sorted by average review score:

Fatal Honor (Force Recon, 5)
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Berkley Pub Group (06 May, 2003)
Author: James V. Smith
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FATAL HONOR PROVES LETHAL!
In Fatal Honor, the Force Recon team faces the fact that they may have to split up due to half the team being dismantled for different reasons.
First, you have Night Runner, the AmerIndian gunny sergeant of the team - and by far the best character of the series - in trouble and facing a courtmartial for his conduct in the last book.
Secondly, you have Friel back at home trying desperately to get his head back together after what happened to him in the last novel.
Thirdly, you have Swayne and Greiner going on an op all by themselves and getting way over their heads in trouble with Saddam Hussein's terrorist squads.
The writer tries to tie this story with the 911 incident, setting it before the actual happening of it. This novel was the least of my favorites thus far in the series. But the character of Night Runner is so engaging and cool, it keeps it interesting enough for this one to come back for more.
I like all the characters of the 4-man team, they all have their differences in personality, but Night Runner truly shines.
This is still a fun and fast read, but the action sequences were not as exciting this time around. The best fight scene was when Night Runner kills 3 terrorists with nothing but a sword in the dark as he saves Nina. That was very well done.
I can't wait for the next installment.


Laboratory Studies in Earth History
Published in Paperback by McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math (11 July, 2000)
Authors: James C. Brice, Harold L. Levin, and Michael S. Smith
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Historical Geology Lab Manual
I've taught Historical Geology labs from this manual starting with the third edition. I believe that this is one of the better lab texts on the subject but I hear the same complaints from students using the seventh edition that I heard from those using the third - "How are we supposed to interpret the information contained in these poor quality black-and-white photographs that typically lack a scale and a complete verbal description?" and "Why do the questions in the manual seem so 'obtuse'? We can't understand what is being asked for." I've seen only a slight improvement in photographic illustrations over the years (very, very few new illustrations) and minimal improvement in the "clarity" of questions. The colour geologic map plates are typically so poorly printed that I long ago stopped having students do geologic cross sections because we couldn't see elevation contour lines, differentiate colour patterns for formations, or read the strike and dip symbols. There are still (after 20 years) no exercises dealing with evolution theory. Examples of "applied" geology (petroleum, mining, hydrology) are still few in number and simplistic.


The Lost Cement Mine
Published in Hardcover by Univ of Nevada Pr (1984)
Authors: Genny Smith, Nina Kelley, and James W. A. Wright
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Lost, but not forgotten
For what it's worth, I am a female prospector, concentrating on the Sierra Nevadas. Most of my work is done in the Northern, but this summer afforded me a look into the Eastern Sierras and what it had to offer. I was led down Hwy 395, in Eastern California to the lost mines of the Mammoth Lakes and came upon the Lost Cement Mine. Cement mine? That's what I said! But, further investigation led me to this book that gives a bit of the history on the mine. At times, I had a hard time following the story line, especially in the end, but read it cover to cover in one sitting and was anxious for more. It's a fun book that takes you back a hundred or so years to yet more perils of the gold prospector in the never-ending quest for glitter. Thank you, James W.A. Wright, for a journey I have just begun.


Nurses Work, an Analysis of the Uk Nursing Labour Market: An Analysis of the Uk Nursing Labour Market (Developments in Nursing and Health Care)
Published in Hardcover by Avebury (1998)
Authors: James Buchan, Ian Seccombe, and Gabrielle Smith
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An accurate and sensative analysis
Buchan tackles a tough topic with skill and expertise in this highly informative work. His analysis of the "Nursing LAbour Market" is accurate down to the last detail, and some of his statements, whilst at times contriversial, enlightens the reader and gets accross the important message that runs throughout this book. An excellant analysis, marred only by the poor conclusions and weak opinions.


West Federal Taxation 2002: An Introduction to Business Entities
Published in Hardcover by South-Western College Pub (16 May, 2001)
Authors: James E. Smith, William A. Raabe, and David M. Maloney
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does this book include OnPoint systems student version -CD
this book should has a CD, I will buy this book if it includes CD


The Last Debate: A Novel
Published in Hardcover by Random House (1995)
Authors: James Lehrer, Peter Osnos, Peter Smith, and Jim Lehrer
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Stick to writing copy for your PBS news show, Jim
I've read a bit more than half of this book, and I can already say that it is probably the most RACIST book I've ever read. While trying not to make race a big issue in this novel(I think that's what Lehrer was trying to do by having a diverse debate panel), the author made the fact that Barbara Manning(African-American) and Henry Rodriguez(Hispanic) were minorities THE central issue inadvertently. Every time these two characters are mentioned in the novel, their ethnicity is brought up. Even worse, the character of Henry is a stereotype of Mexican people. On page 111, it is mentioned that Henry's favorite food is a bean burrito. Nearly every time Henry makes a statement in the novel, he uses the word "Ole`". I'm still waiting for him to break out and start refering to people as "Essay"(which, I'm sure is coming up) I think that the only thing Lehrer knows about Hispanic people is what he learned by listening to Cheech from Cheech and Chong! I'm not even going to start on the fact that every Republican in the novel is portrayed as a Neo-Nazi-type of supervillan. This is a book with weak characters that use poor dialogue.

Well written for an improbable scenario
"The Last Debate" is a page turner, an easy, quick read, good for the beach or a night of insomnia. Even though much of it was predictable, I was tantalized enough at each stage to continue on. That said, however, the plot is hardly realistic. Any decent journalist (and the hero Howley was characterized as such) or news organization possessing the "explosive" goods on one of the candidates, would check it out carefully unlike the four debate panalists. Furthermore, it is hard to believe that a candidate who behaved as the Republican candidate did could get as far as he did without at least one or two of his accusers (and there were many!) not going public much earlier on, i.e., during the primaries. Look what happened to Clinton in 1992 -- not to mention 1998. The "minority" journalists are one dimensional and stereotypical. Still, given the weaknesses in the plot, it was an interesting read, and I'm trying one more Lehrer fiction piece to see if he does any better.

Mixed, uneven, spotty, inconsistent
Days before the election, the moderator of the presidential debate (Lehrer has of course moderated many presidential debates) is given some secret, damning info on one of the candidates (the right-wing Republican who all the press realize is a truly evil man who will ruin the country) and has to decide whether to step over the journalistic line and use this info in a way that will damage the candidate in the eyes of the voters and so change American history.

It's an interesting moral question but because it is set up so weakly, a lot of the impact is lost. The candidate's character is somewhat like Pat Buchanan, but the situation is more like that of when Ross Perot first came on the scene, and he seemed such a wonderful guy, until we all found out about the steel-tip-booted way he ran his businesses, and how badly he took criticism, and saw the guy he chose for V.P. Everybody said, "Whoa! and I was going to vote for this guy?!"

In "The Last Debate," though, the American public still doesn't know about the man's real character 8 days before the election. It just seems awfully unlikely that nothing would have come to light before that time. And even then, why couldn't the journalists bypass the moral issue by just giving the damning info directly to the press to report it as news? Lehrer does kind of explain these things, in a way, later on, but these kinds of doubts gave the premise a tinge of unreality which weakened its impact for me.

You have to read this book, also, with the assumption that Lehrer is being very loose and imaginative here, probably aspiring to something a la Jonathan Swift, because the characters do express themselves in very simple, repetitive, often stereotypical ways, and say a lot of things out loud that you would never expect such people to say. But he might have done that to simplify things, and of course, ambitious people are, sometimes, extremely simple and childish, underneath it all.

And you can't really call all the characters superficial. The Democratic candidate is kind of a dummy, but he's not really a nice guy, as we see in how he treats his campaign manager. (Is Lehrer telling us they're all like that?) And I thought the contrast between the narrator (a young journalist) and the "hero" moderator (from the old school) was very interesting. And also the contrast between the somewhat opportunistic narrator and the deeply moral and patriotic private investigator.

(Lehrer also leaves open the interesting question of whether the American public is better off with the dumb Democrat rather than the crazy Republican.)

Lehrer writes with a sort of Southern lilt which is kind of nice, but then, he has everyone - the narrator of the story and most of the characters - talk that way off and on, which is a bad idea if you're trying to keep characters separate. For instance, the narrator and several characters frequently do what I give an example of above in my title: use 4 nouns or adjectives in a row. There's no point building up verisimilitude by using all sorts of place and brand names, but then making this sort of sloppy error.

Still, the book is interesting if you watch the Newshour and want to read about the Washington scene. The pacing is nicely done, and Lehrer is an honest and good man, so you do trust what he says about his world.

An aside: I couldn't help remembering Stephen King's "The Dead Zone," which also involves an evil politician and a hero who knows the truth about him. That book had a great solution to the problem, a little more physical, of course. A major flaw with King, in my opinion, is that he's lived up there among the pinecones, watching TV and reading paperbacks too long, and a lot of his plots nowadays are too far from reality, even for his genre. And I thought, wow, wouldn't it be great if Lehrer and King teamed up for a novel or two?! Or is that a little TOO Swiftian to hope for?


The Bride's Book : (For the Night Before the Wedding)
Published in Paperback by Synapse Centurion (1993)
Authors: Bill Smith, James Mathers, and Arnold Schifrin
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Trashy
While funny, the blue language was quite a surprise. I'm pretty sure the author used every word there is for body parts.What I hoped for was a light-hearted approach for a new, inexperienced bride, and what I got was much more graphic than I was comfortable giving. If it wasn't so [inexpensive], I'd have returned it. Instead I filed it in the circular file. In a plain brown wrapper.

in the trash
I expected a humorous touch, and while this booklet made me laugh some, it was more suited to a very blue HBO routine. The author uses every word for body parts you can imagine, and the "f" word is prolific. My bride won't be getting this book.

Destined to be a classic
The Brides Book is one of the wittiest and most enjoyable pieces of insight I have ever read. To be taken not so seriously and yet when understood with its humorous undertone sheds enlightenment on one of natures greatest mysteries and most pleasurable passions. Reverend Bill takes men and women on a journey into the most intimate world of passion, romance, and understanding in a way that puts a fresh and wise perspective on relationship and communication. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the books premise noone will walk away without either a strong opinion or a smile on their face. This book which is easy reading and is readable in about an hour (about 50 pages) will go down as one of the classics. It's short, succinct, directly to the point and a lot of fun. And it fits more easily into a purse or pocket than does the bible. Rarely do I find a book that has gotten me to laugh out loud and reflect more on the relationship between man and woman than The Brides Book. I cannot more strongly recommend a book. In its way it has more poignancy and wisdom than almost any book I've read including the bible, (over 1000 pages), which is not always to the point, practical, speaks in a funny language and takes a lifetime to learn. The Brides Book has the added benefit of being completely guilt free and you can immediately apply what you learn. Whether you agree with Reverend Bill's insight or not The Brides Book will make you smile, laugh and yearn to be with someone you love and want to share intimacy with. Anyone in a relationship should share a copy. A definite 5 Star (*****) rating.


The 100 Best Investments for Your Retirement
Published in Paperback by Adams Media Corporation (1996)
Authors: J. W. Dicks, James L. Paris, and Charles C., Jr Smith
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Good book, but out of date for picking mutual funds
This must have been a very helpful book when it was first published in 1996. It provides a good discussion of the financial issues one faces at retirement...income, risks, investment diversity. It also reviews good mutual fund bets for one retiring. Unfortunately the usefulness of the 1996 fund recommendations has diminished significantly. It's time for an update!


The 5S Pocket Guide
Published in Paperback by Productivity Inc. (01 December, 1998)
Authors: Jim Peterson, Roland, Ph.D. Smith, James R. Peterson, Roland B. Smith, and Roland Smith
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Not what I expected
I was expecting a memory jogger, but this was a fast paced marathon! Instead of being a few, quick, easy to read points, the pocket guide read more like a book. The formating was difficult to follow and the font was difficult to see.


Lotus Script for Dummies (For Dummies)
Published in Paperback by Hungry Minds, Inc (18 March, 1997)
Authors: James G. Meade, Jim Meade, and Chris Smith
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Totally useless!
I don't use Notes, just Approach... All I learned from this book is how to Click a button to show a Message Box. The author thinks he is very clever because he replaced the usual "Hello World" by "Goodbye Cruel World". If that is all you need Lotusscript for, then buy this book!

Unfortunately, I could not find any other book on the subject here... If someone knows one, please email me...

Did the cover say LotusScript?
OK so maybe the cover did say LotusScript, but if you are a Notes Developer, FORGET THIS BOOK! The book has absolutly nothing that deals with Notes/Domino at all. Maybe if there are people out there that want to learn LotusScript for other products besides Notes, this MIGHT be ok. There is little more to say for Notes consultants besides look elsewhere!

Not good for Lotus Notes
I thought this book was good in teaching the basics of Lotus Script, as well as the basic concepts of any language. However, if you want to script in Lotus Notes, then forget about it. Not knowing ANYTHING about LotusScript, I got a good foundation of how to do things and what things are, but as far as using the editor, how to add your own subs and functions, etc., it was no help as Lotus Notes is different than WordPro! This did not help you to differentiate between Notes Classes at all, although it did teach you about classes in general. Bottom line: good for a basic background, but won't get you very far with Lotus Notes.


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