If you, like me, have looked for years, without success, for truly well-written Christian literature, this is what you have been looking for! I have read this book as slowly as possible, in order to savor the pleasure of discovering such beautiful, honest language in a piece of "Christian" fiction. This book is one that I would be more than proud to share with a discriminating book group...and I have never before found a novel in this genre that I could say that about. As a very busy mom of four children, I rarely have time to read, so I have been carrying around Leaving Ruin everywhere...for those odd moments of waiting time in post offices and grocery stores. This book is such a gem...the only drawback is that it leaves you longing for more such literature, and since this is Jeff Berryman's first novel, we may be in for a long wait!

Leaving Ruin is a masterfully written story by a master storyteller. Jeff Berryman brings you into the life and heart of Cyrus Manning, a preacher in Ruin Texas. You will get to know his faith, his doubts, his love for his family and his desire to hear from God. This is an honest book that can be enjoyed by anyone whether they are a part of a church or not. One page will leave you laughing and the next you will be holding back a tear. But one thing's for sure--you'll keep turning the pages!

Get a copy, a cup of coffe, and find yourself transported to Ruin, Texas. And, if you get a chance, see Jeff bring "Leaving Ruin" to life in his one-man play.

Jeff Berryman has given the world a real gift in "Leaving Ruin"--a story that explores the faith of a pastor from the inside out. The characters are rich and complex. The story is incredibly real in its telling. Too often Christians are portrayed in books--written by Christians or by non-Christians, as simple minded, trite and unrealistic. This novel tells the tale of a Texas pastor with a realism and sensitivity that is masterful.

It is a book about struggles that we all have--the searching "Why God?" questions that are common to the human race--not just to people of the Christian faith. To Christians, it has special meaning. How do we cope when things don't seem to be going very well? Dare we voice our nagging doubts out loud? Berryman's characters do this for us, brilliantly. Especially the main character, a pastor who is much more human and real than his congregation wants him to be.

But it isn't just a book for Christians or church goers. This is fine writing for anyone. Berryman is a extraordinary writer who captures the nuances of emotion, irony, and personality with the ability of a Jane Hamilton or a Wallace Lamb. It's simply superb.

Very vivid and strung with haunting points. This appealing tale cuts into polished humour. Nor young or old it caputers a promising audience. Many unanswered mysteries of the heroic series are unraveled in a solved puzzel. Linked colorful pictures are a delighted bounus.

A experienced reader will still run into suprising corners of the epic comic. Wild fansty creatures dominate the whole action terrain. I say this is a wonderful gift to present to someone.

If you've gotten this far, you know what a kick the Bone series is. Strong, stylish and effective graphics (think Alex Toth) merges with writing that mixes grand epic fantasy with strong character work and riotous slapstick humor. What you need to know is that volume six carries more than its weight in the saga-- a whole raft of mysteries are cleared up here including yet more info about the royal family, the hooded bad guy, and the search for the one who bears the star. It's a masterpiece of plotting-- nothing is expected and yet Smith doesn't pull any of his solutions out of left field. Buy this (and any of the others you're missing), plunk down in a comfy chair, and read straight through all six!

Jeff Smith has done it again! Old Man's Cave takes you deeper and deeper into the thickening plot as cliffhangers are completed and started. Brilliant artwork and a perfect twist of humor, fantasy and suspense. The Bone saga can be compared to the satire of Peanuts, the philosophy and wit of Calvin and Hobbes and the humor and dialect of Pogo. A mezmerizing collaboration of the elements. This book is a must have for Bone readers and fantasy lovers alike.

As much as I hated the title of this book (being from a northern state myself) I really enjoyed reading it. Jordy Poteet, inveterate librarian in the mythical small town of Mirabeau, Texas, returns to solve yet another murder. The book begins with some mysterious explosions, one of which injures Jordy's arm. Shortly after his injury, Jordan is surprised with the appearance of Lorna who was his girlfriend when he lived in Boston. She is presumably in town with a corporation which is attempting to buy some land for an upscale housing development. She is accompanied by her boss who is unceremoniously killed with a length of barbed-wire. Complications arise when environmentalists oppose the development and Lorna tries to seduce her old boyfriend. Jordy is caught in the middle, between Lorna and new girlfriend Candace, and frankly begins to enjoy all the attention. Things get serious when there's another murder and Jordy works to sort things out. There are a sufficient number of "red herrings" to make this an enjoyable mystery and one which is not easy to figure out. As usual, Abbott creates the perfect Texas small-town background for his well-written book.

Just hoping that we will have more Jordy Poteet books to enjoy,the man is wonderful!!!!!!!!! But,could he write a bit faster?????????

I LOVED "THE ONLY GOOD YANKEE". AT IT'S CONCLUSION, I LOOKED AT ABBOTT'S PHOTOGRAPH AND STATED ALOUD "GOOD JOB!".

As a true die hard fan of MASH I can honetly say this "takes the cake!" After flipping from beginning to end I actually attempted Hunnicutt's wife's cookie recipe.

Needless to say they were AWESOME, and my wife and my family enjoyed them until the last morsel. I'm now looking through the book for more wonderful morsels of goodness.

Jocularity! Jocularity!

this is a great cook book, not only for M*A*S*H* fans but, for anybody who enjoys cooking. the titles of the recipes are all M*A*S*H* related. THERE ARE COCKTAIL RECIPES!!!!!!! a must for any true M*A*S*H* fan. the col. Flagg truth serum is very good stuff. your girlfriend will love it!

Have always been a huge M*A*S*H fan and was delighted to find this droll and eccentric book at the bookstores just in time for Christmas gift giving. Thank you Private Igor for this entertaining 'walk down memory lane' with all my friends from the 4077!

A.R. Ammons, James Wright, Robert Wrigley, Heather Allen, Richard Hugo, W.H. Auden, and a host of zen poets all have given us a lot to think about in drawing the line between philosophical meditations and contemplations of the principles of nature. Jeff Knorr's "Standing Up to the Day" is full of ruminations of mystery. Nature is the foil, but it is the depth of our humanity that Knorr is after--and after in a unique and quiet poetry that refuses sensationalism or sentimentality. The flavor is California and male...but universal without the taint of machismo....voice lessons in the wilderness that manage to take the private public without the distortions of transfer. "We want to know / we have not wasted our days / waiting for the coming of spring."

Jeff Knorr's "Standing Up to the Day" is a wonderful collection of poems that brings the reader back to what matters: deep connections, enjoying life and a peaceful sprit. In "Leaves" for example, Jeff focuses on the small victories in daily life, the beautiful moments in nature that we take for granted, and the importance of staying connected to what makes us feel alive. A must read!!!

When I read the poetry in Jeff Knorr's collection, I'm lifted away from any confinements and I'm suddenly outside smelling rain and grass and spending my minutes observing what's most important. Everyone needs this!

in third grade i meet Jeff nathan and i loved his poem book i am now in sixth grade and still love his poems and enjoy reading them to my younger sister you will laugh so hard you will be dissapointed when the book is over
Great poems By This Book !

I loved this book. All Mr. Nathan's poems were really funny andmade sense too. I would certainly recomend this book for auditions and just having fun!

This book is so far, the BEST poetry book I've read in my whole entire life! I recommend this book to EVERYONE. It really doesn't matter what age you are. It'll make you laugh so much, you'll get a cramp in your stomach. This is the BEST book of poems!

Although this book starts off a little slow it is still a must read. After the first chapter and a half of background information you will not be able to put it down. Great stories and interesting facts. This book talks about all his encounters with players, writers and GM's. All the dirt you wish you could know is in this book. I would say it is a must read.

I became interested in rereading this book after Mike Keenan's recent appointment to the ailing Florida Panthers. His story reads like a greek tragedy in that his fanatical drive continually prevented him from seeing and learning from his mistakes. Players and management either loved him for his discipline, or hated him for his sadism, unpredictability, and indecorous behavior with the press. Jeff Gordon does a wonderful job of detailing Keenan's strides and missteps without skewering him with a pitchfork. This book is also well-written and as fair of an account of Mike Keenan as a readers are likely to find. I highly recommend it.

A definite Hat Trick!! Gordo knows what he's talking about.

I consider Jeff Smith one of the finest Artists ever!
his art and illusion make you drift away onto the quest of bone himself! it is a overstanding comic book of adventure, mistery, and love as well. I am looking formward for the next book to come up!!!

Not the best of the series, but still a great album, with Roque Ja ('you're not rolling the R, r-r-r-roque ja') as a new character. It's got everything Bone got famous for; brilliant drawings, great dialogues and an intelligent plot. Hurray!

Bone is fantastic,the story starts as if it would not happen anything, as if Jeff Smith was throwing things and telling some jokes. The surprise in Bone is that you will soon find out that the stories are conected as a whole in an elegant and brilliant story. Jeff Smith is writing a masterpiece in the comics books!

If you want to collect the best comic books ever made you must buy all the bone books!

Val and Jeff Gee bring their extensive experience in employee training to a simple, yet effective book version of the training sessions they designed for top corporations. They offer seven critical ideas - keys - to providing outstanding customer service. Each one builds upon the premise and actions of the previous one, making these lessons sensible, precise, and natural to put into practice. The book illustrates each key with anecdotes, case histories, boxed lists, cartoons, and exercises. This creates an interactive learning experience. Nicely written in an upbeat, conversational style, it does not talk down to the reader or take the tone of a cold, authoritarian "employee manual." Neither is it condescending by being overly simplified in thought or tone. We [...] recommend this book to anyone whose position involves serving customers, or supervising those who do.

I do a lot of human resources training in my work, and have recommended this book to numerous organizations. It is well written, and makes its points clearly and without unnecessary theorizing. I also have never before seen customer service presented from the perspective that the server isn't doing it for the customer or the company, but for their own sense of excellence and satisfaction.

Super Service is one of the rare books on this subject that delivers what it promises. Val Gee and Jeff Gee know their stuff and communicate it with real style and enthusiasm. Moreover the tips are practical easy to implement and inspirational.

Horwitz wrote a book that I had always wished for and had considered writing myself. It discusses the *practice* of managing and administering servers, rather than focusing on operating system commands and utilities. While written for Unix sysadmins, many of the lessons discuss elements generic to all operating systems.

In the first half of the book, he discusses the basics of planning, setup and impact to the data center, testing, and a support organization. It is an IT Management 101. In the latter half, there is more focus on Unix, but even then, most of the material is relevant to all operating systems. He discusses communications, procedures, and documentation.

This is a must-read for a manager of system administrators or for a lead or lone administrator of a small shop. In fact, I would recommend every sysadmin read this book, as the cutbacks typical of this tough economy are forcing more and more IT employees to broaden their scope of responsibility from the mechanics of the OS to general computer operations.

To all the SyaAdmins out there who are looking for real world examples and non of the same old information that is stright from a man page, this is the book of all book. NO JOKE!

I am the Owner and CEO of webhosting company call LogicInternet.Com, Through out the years I have trained all our SysAdmins personally so that I know that they are ready to handle the type of responsibility that being a SysAdmin has. I will now start using this book as required reading for all current and new SysAdmins that we employ.

Jeff has obviously had a wealth of experience to share to the world of SysAdmins and is truly intelligent enough to know what information is necessary to know and what isn't.

Thanks for your dedication and hard work that you have done that contributes to our profession. Also thanks to all your loved ones for supporting the work of a much need book.