I am not usually a biography reader. This book was my first biography. I fell in love with it. I don't think I've read a book so honest and blunt. I can relate to most of julia's thought's and feelings. Although I am wondering how she can over come so much without a god!

It's a really cute book if you have a son, or it would make a perfect gift for someone who has a son, or is expecting one. I enjoyed it. It has Lullabies and poems, Baby boys in myth and history, Birth Signs and Birth stones, Superstitions and birth cermonies,singing and talking games, Boys' names and their meanings, and Grandmothers' ideas on bringing up boys.

This is one of the most evocative, magical books I have ever read in my life. It tells the story of a young girl named Lyra Belacqua who goes out in search for a particle called Dust, which can reveal the answers to amazing mysteries. Along the way, more questions are posed that keep you wanting to turn the pages to find the answers. This book is like no other I have ever read. The plot twists keep on coming, and the similarities and differences between the world Lyra lives in and our world provide endless fascination. I don't know what other way to say it. This book is beautiful, but most certainly not for young children. Christians may take offense at some of the undertones that Pullman writes of in his book, such as the Christian church being portrayed as evil. But what everyone must remember with The Golden Compass, as with any fantasy novel, is that it is just that, a fantasy. Fantasies are only true in our dreams, and then only if we allow them to be. A young adult or adult can discern between fantasy and reality, and know they are different, though sometimes I wish with all my heart that they are not...

My 10 year old sister has been bugging me to read "The Golden Compass" for ages. I finally got around to reading it and I'm dumbstruck. This book belongs on a shelf with Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." It is at times amusing, thought-provoking, frightening, spell-binding, gripping, and fascinating. The ideas are unique and original. I especially like the panserbjorne, armored polar bear mercenaries who are anything but cute and cuddly. And the idea of daemons, animal manifestations of your soul, is captivating. I found myself wishing I had a daemon. Pullman manages to keep the story exciting, enthralling, rich with vivid prose and ideas. I have to say, this is the third best fantasy book I've read (and I've read quite a few). The top five are 1)"The Lord of the Rings" 2) "The Amber Spyglass" (the third book of the trilogy of which the Golden Compass is the first book) 3)"The Golden Compass" 4)"The Subtle Knife", the sequel to "The Golden Compass" and "The Hobbit"I highly recommend "The Golden Compass" to anyone who can read them and is ten and up (some of the ideas are too frightening and complex for anyone who is younger). The same goes for "The Subtle Knife." I wouldn't recommend "The Amber Spyglass" for anyone under 12, because the plot is more complicated than the first two books. Five stars.

I have listened to The Golden Compass for the second time, and it has lost none of its spellbinding nature the second time around. The production is superb, and the characterizations by the readers full of drama, enhancing a book that already stands on its own. Lyra, the main character, is a strong female protagonist, like Sally Lockhart of Pullman's other trilogy, The Sally Lockhart Trilogy, although younger. Ideas such as "dust" and the creation of "daemons" keep you intrigued. One character I tho't was weak, however, was Lee Scoresby, the Texan aeronaut. I think Pullman created him after John Wayne,of whom I'm not fond. There are so many interesting characters (e.g. Mrs. Coulter, Iorek Byrneson (sp?) the armored bear, the gyptians, etc), however, that we can forgive Pullman one less than stellar creation.

I think this is a series that teens 14 and up would enjoy. It has some violence and a dark tone to it, but it's far more benign than many books for that age group, yet enough to keep a teen's interest. Pullman's writing has a lot of depth, and I personally encouraged my 14 yr old son to read it (and he has expressed an interest when he heard part of the audio production.).

But please don't compare it to JK Rowling's books--yes, they both have witches, but the tone is very different and the stories appeal to a much older crowd.

This autobiography is a joy to read.

Usually books from physicists suffer in their attempt to make the language of mathematics understandable to the public by means of analogies that confuse the issues even more.

This book will not confuse the layman. But it'll befuddle anyone lacking in a sense of humor.

Perhaps the most important question it poses is what constitutes genius? Or a man of genius? How does a brilliant mathematician go around taking wild leaps in logic and landing on his feet?

Apparently having a soul, a sense for the absurd, and a taste for babes really helps.

That's an interesting counter to all the 'self evident' sermonizing about genius being 99% hard work , the capacity for taking infinite pains, etc, etc.

Of course, one could argue that learning to pick up and score with women in one night by means of letting THEM buy YOU drinks or hanging out with the Nick the Greek in Las Vegas to fathom how he made a fortune in spite of the house odds IS very hard and painstaking work.

What can one say? Feynman had a blast. So will the reader.

This book actually MAKES you want to be a physicist! Feynman recounts his funniest and liveliest moments in his life, from his early days as a kid radio fixer to the world of one physicist. His book is written in an easy, flowing style with no physics nor math weaved into its pages. Extremely colloquial, Feynman thus reflects his light-hearted view on life and his love for physics. This part science/physics/biography of Feynman practically shatters all the stereotypes of the usual scientist.

This book, or satire, should I say, not only allows the reader to laugh out loud bad crazy, but to give up reading and devote life to rereading.

Richard Feynman [1918-1988] was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, and 'thrived on outrageous adventures'. This book is the treasured collection of those outrageous adventures, in which one would never imagine to have happened to a single person in a single lifetime.

Feynman not only gives the reader a good laugh and a bawdy time, he also runs a semi-invisible commentary on what makes 'authentic' knowledge: learning by understanding, and not by rote; refusal to give up on seeminly unsolvable problems; and total disrespect towards weird ideas that possess no firm grounding in the real world.

A nobel-prize winning physicist who plays the bongos and paints, both hobbies at a high if unprofessional level, a man with a self-admitted anti-"cultural" bias whose bongo playing was almost good enough to win a prestigious Parisian award, a supreme intellectual who comes from blue-collar origins and never stopped being a "regular person", Richard Feynman demonstrates yet another high-level talent with this book: he's a fascinating storyteller as well. This book is an episodic autobiography; he makes no attempt to give us an in-depth story of his life. He simply tells us many of the interesting things he's seen and done in a long, varied, and interesting life. And he does so with wit and humor that most professional writers should envy.

I wish I'd had the chance to meet the man; after reading this book, I almost feel that I did.

I actually read "Nobody's Baby but Mine First", liked it, and looked for other of her books. I found out there was a sequel, about the second Bonner brother, Gabe, so I went ahead and bought "Dream a Little Dream", and let me tell you, I haven't laughed and cried so much reading a book before,and all at the same time! I read other reviews and people raved about Heaven, Texas, but this is sooo much better.
Rachel Stone was married to a corrupt televangelist who died in a plane crash. She lost everything and left town with her son, Edward (otherwise known as Chip). Years later she suddenly finds herself stuck in Salvation, a town that hates her,as a last resort because she is determined to find some money she knows her husband left behind, money that will help her feed and keep her son because they have $10 dollars left and are living in their car (which dies a noisy death at the entrance of town, leaving them definitely stranded). Enter Gabe Bonner, a vet whose son and wife had been killed in a car accident and who has lost the will to live. He reluctantly ends up hiring her to help him put up a business and gets much more than he ever bargained for. She constantly challenges him, taunts him,insults him, and even desperately offers her body to him the day they meet, and through it all manages to keep her composure, strength and dignity, her spunk, her sense of humor and her desire to go on despite unimaginable hardship. She makes him feel again, even if it's mostly anger,and slowly brings him back to feeling somewhat human again.Unfortunately there's still another hurdle to overcome: Gabe can't stand her son because he compares him to his dead son and finds him so weak, scared, and lacking, that he can't understand why his son is dead while this scrawny kid is alive, and Chip can't stand his guts either. Then there's the people from town, who aren't happy to have Rachel back and give her a really hard time.With Gabe's help she tries to look for the money and fights against some enemies she unwittingly made along the way. But all's well that ends well, with a few surprises to boot! The eldest Bonner, Cal, and his wife appear too, and as in Nobody's Baby, there is a parallel love story, about the third Bonner brother, Ethan, who's a pastor in the community. I highly recommend this book, I found it was almost impossible to put it down, and was sorry to see it end. The second time I read it, I laughed and cried just as hard, and I'm sure I'll do it again some day.

This was such a great book! I absolutely loved Rachel and Gabe. Their relationship was a roller coaster of a ride. Gabe's tragedy was heart breaking and Rachel's struggle to overcome the prejudice caused by her dead husband's betrayal of a town was valiant and admirable. Her son Edward's need for a stable home and a father was heart wrenching. It was wonderful to see them accept the unevitable love that had developed and finally become a family. It was also wonderful having the other characters in the book grow and heal. Kristy's wish finally comes true when Ethan, her employer, a minister and Gabe's brother, finally realizes his love for her. Their scenes were hilarious and touching. Cal, Gabe's older brother, his wife Jane, and their baby daughter Rosie, were also fun to get to know. This book is definitely worth your time and money. You'll love it. Trust me!

This book absolutly had me hooked! I almost finished it in one day, but once again that sleep thing got in the way.

Three years after leaving Salvation, NC after her televangalist husband is killed and found to have stolen money from the congregation, Rachel Stone is back to try to find the five million dollars that he stashed away. Unfortunately, things don't go well for Rachel. She has nine dollars in her pocket, a car that just broke down (which has also been her home for the past week), a five year old son and has to deal with Gabriel Bonner.

Two years after Gabe's wife Cherry and their five year old son Jamie was killed by a drunk driver, Gabe is still greiving. He's a very unhappy man, especially when Rachel Stone shows up with her kid and wants a job. Reluctantly he gives her a job and the two eventually fall in love, although they wouldn't dare admit it.

Since Rachel's husband swindled the town out of millions of dollars the entire town of Salvation, NC hates her. She can't go down the street without names being called or having her tires slashed. Gabe is time and again coming to her rescue.

Something that I both liked and disliked about this book was Ethan and Kristy's relationship. I really found I enjoyed their story, but they should have had their own book. That is my only complaint.

Overall, excellent read, highly recommended.

Never have laugh so hard about Lucky Charms! This is the first book I've read of SEP, and I'm so glad I picked it up. I couldn't put it down, had to finish in one night! Cal and Jane are such sweethearts, and I especially loved the secondary characters in this books, Annie, the shotgun toting grandma, Ethan, the handsome as sin minister brother, and Kevin Trucker, the arrogant yet insecure quarterback, I was ecstatic to hear he's getting his own book soon, he quickly became a favorite for me. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was because I didn't particularly like Cal in the first 100 pages or so, he seems too cold and unforgiving, but I am so glad I stuck with the book, it really got much better and I was left wanting more at the end. Read this book, you won't be diappointed!

I've read a lot of romance novels and lusted after a fair number of heros, but Cal Bonner is the only one I wanted to lift whole from the book and take home for my very own. He's incredible - a star quarterback with a killer body, tremendous wit, an impressive intellect and great values. Sure, he can get a little grumpy and stubborn, but usually in a sexy, kind of adorable way. Thank goodness Susan Elizabeth Phillips created Jane Darlington, a woman worthy of Cal. Jane is an egghead physicist intent upon finding a physicially perfect but intellectually challenged sperm doner. She mistakenly assumes that Cal is going to fill the bill, but boy is she wrong. The ensuing struggle between these two is hilarious, touching and very sexy. SEP always writes great books, but this is one of her very best. Even if you're not a big romance reader, I promise that you're going to love this book!

I read a lot of romance books, by many different authors, but no one can compare to Susan Elizabeth Phillips! Nobody's Baby But Mine was the first book by her I read. I read it so fast, I was mad because it was over so fast! I loved all her characters because they were so real to me I was truly caught up in their lives! Nobody, I mean nobody has a sense of humor as Susan does! Besides at the time I read the book, which was about a year ago, I had just embraced the sport of football! (Thanks to my son!) I pictured her hero as Howie Long! I kept telling people that this was so obvious! (Or maybe just wishful thinking on my part!) I love all her books, but the football themed ones are my favorite. After reading Nobody's Baby But Mine, I had to read everything by Susan I could get my hands on! She is truly unique! I usaully read about 4-7 books a week, so it gets pretty expensive, I frequent most all the libraries in my area to search for her books. Finding a Susan Elizabeth Phillips on the shelf is next to impossible they're so in demand! Still I managed to pretty much read them all. I always purchase my favorites though! Even reading as many books as I do, I sometimes read hers more than once! Susan I love you, you are simply marvelous!

The "Subtle Knife" I admit wasn't quite as entrancing as the "Golden Compass", but it was better in other ways, such as the piecing together of the lives of Will and Lyra, which was by far one of the best points of the book, you really had to think and remember the present and past. Once again you meet up with characters from the other book, Miss Coulter, Serafina, and the rest of the witches, etc. So you must read the first book. The ideas are wonderful from the daemons to the windows in the air. Personaly I thought the angels were a bit strange but interesting. The details are done quite well, which is expected of Phillip Pullman. I must say the beginning was a bit strange since at the end of the "Golden Compass" you stand ready to go through the window, but you end up at Wills house. I thought it was a little confusing (beginning) but it straightened out. The ending leaves you almost stupified.Its also extremely suspenceful at points especially the ending. If your the emotional type you will shed a tear or two.

Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy really increases the reading pulse of kids and adults alike. After reading the first book in this series, "The Golden Compass", I looked forward to the second and was not disappointed.

"The Subtle Knife" continues the plot of "Compass" as Lyra Belacqua (now Lyra Silvertongue) continues her search for the nature of the spiritual particle known as Dust. After crossing over into the haunted world of Cittagazze, she encounters young Will Parry. Will is from our world and, after providing a respite for his ill mother, begins the search for his father, an explorer who disappeared in the arctic shortly after Will was born. Will accidentally trips into Cittagazze through a slice in the continuum. Once they stumble onto one another Lyra and Will's adventures really take off. Witches, soul-eating Specters, exploding dirigibles, shoot outs, break-ins at an English mansion, tortures, communications with spirits on an Oxford computer, even angels, percolate to the top in this adventure. Wow!

We are reminded, however, that this is a little above "Harry Potter" as for the second time in two books one of the main characters close to Lyra dies. As a matter of fact, a number of folks die in this story. The much ballyhooed allusions to "Paradise Lost" abound. While no 12-year-old will necessarily be familiar with Michael and the fall of the angels, the subplot of Lyra's father, Lord Asriel, building a fortress to prepare to battle the "High Authority" for heaven will keep them glued to the pages. References to a "New Eve" and a "New fall" keep the Milton comparisons churning along for literay students more interested in scholarship than in entertainment. Asriel, for example, is a son of Manasseh, who was related to Joseph of Technicolor Dreamcoat fame. But who cares?

Still, if you think Pullman is anti-Christian because he paints the church in Lyra's world as totalitarian and shows little clarity as to whether the "Authority" is good or not, or whether you think he is sexist because Lyra cooks for Will, please don't lose sight of the fact that this is still a children's book where, hopefully, children's heroes will prevail.

As with all middle books of a trilogy, Pullman ends this one with a cliff hanger ending. He concludes the series with "The Amber Spyglass". I can hardly wait.

I love reading (well, my English teacher tells me, "You don't know how to read a book.") She's on my list of teachers-i-dont-like. Anyway, this and the Golden Compass are the best books! Anyone who knows me can tell (even if they dont know what the books are or anything). What's that "Lyra Silvertoungue" ever-imprinted on your right hand? they ask, as if i could explain. What's your screen name (GldCmpsGrl) stand for? Could it be Gold Campus or Computer girl? Nope! Everyone should read this book for a couple of reasons: 1. I wouldnt have to answer all those ?s. 2. It's the best book in the world. 3. My friends wouldn't think I was as strange as they do now. 4. I could talk to them about something not stupid. 5. What is all that 'stuff' on ur walls? would be a comment like, cool walls. And the list continues... Oh yea, one last comment, If they change the date The Amber Spyglass is comming out one more time (unless sooner than April) ill scream!

I finished this book last night and I am still chuckling this morning. This is a really fun book. Kenny is a golfer who is having a little bad luck in his career. To get back into the "swing" of things, so to speak, Kenny has agreed to act as tour guide for Lady Emma. Emma is an English headmistress of an all girls school in London. It took me about 2-3 chapters before I really started to get into this romance, but when things take off, they really go. The love scenes were hot and the romance was sweet. Not only were the H/H fun to watch, but the secondary characters were great too. Just when I thought I had seen everything, Kenny/Emma would say or DO something so outrageous, that I just had to crack up! The dialogue caught me by surprise so many times, that I have go back and read it again to see if I missed anything.

Lady Be Good becomes a collectible like all of Ms. Phillips' other novels. While this book definitely has Ms. Phillips' trademark writing style, I felt it lacked something. It left me waiting for something to happen that never did. I'm used to reading her novels in one sitting and this one took me a little longer to get through. Lady Emma and Kenny were an interesting couple, but the chemistry didn't jump off the page at you like it usually does with all of her other novels. The storyline with the fiance in England was disappointing, but the sub-plot with Dexter and Torie was great. I was happy to see the characters from her novel "Fancy Pants", Francesca and Dallie Beaudine, as well as their son, Teddy make an appearance. While I always anxiously await Ms. Phillips' books, their story is still my favorite.

It is impossible to read this book and not find yourself grinning and laughing. Even in public places when I was trying to be inconspicuous - I found myself grinning like a fool and chuckling. People around me tried to see what I was reading! My children begged me to let them in on the humor. The only complaint you will have about author Susan Elizabeth Phillips is that she needs to publish more! She will not only have you thoroughly enjoying the main characters Emma and Kenny but she will entertain you with the antics and relationships of the "supporting cast" of Torie and Dexter. She brought back old favorites - Francesca and Dallie Beaudine. No one does a better job of offering greating subplots while keeping the main story at peak entertainment. Please, Susan, more books!!!

A classic book about the development and management of large scale software projects. One of the industries veterans shares his experience and his views gathered mainly during the development process of the IBM OS/360 operating system. Yes, this book is more than 20 years old - which makes it even more interesting (or shall I even say: sad?) to see that many of the observed shortcomings and pitfalls are still the industries greatest problems today. Maybe all management and developers alike should be required to read this book prior to getting a job in the field. Although the book does feature some code examples these are few and far in between, it's main focus lies on the coordination and management aspects of software projects. The somewhat poetical title hints at one of the most stressed points, namely that men are not interchangeable and that twice as many engineers don't cut development times in half. Brooks also offers his opinions on the psychological aspects of systems design, backed up by his experience and occasional statistical evidence. This anniversary edition features a review by the author, where he sums up what points he thinks remain valid in hindsight more than twenty years later.
I particularly enjoyed a beautiful chapter titled: 'The joys of the craft' where Brooks tries to explain what fascinates and captures him about programming. If you happen to be stuck on a frustrating stretch of your project - read this chapter and you'll feel better - I did.

There are few must reads in this industry. This is one. First published in 1975, this work is as applicable to software engineering today as it was then. Why? Because building things, including software, has always been as much about people as it has been about materials or technology--and people don't change much in only 25 years.

In the preface to the First Edition, Brooks states "This book is a belated answer to Tom Watson's probing question as to why programming is hard to manage." This short book (at just over 300 pages) does a masterful job answering that question.

It is here we first hear of Brooks's Law: "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later." Brooks doesn't just drop that on the reader without explanation. Instead, he walks through the reasoning, discusses how communication in a group changes as the group changes or grows, and how additions to the group need time to climb the learning curve.

Those new to the industry or who are reading the book for the first time might be put off by the examples and technology discussed. Indeed, even in the newly released edition, the original text from 1975 is still present, essentially untouched. So, talk of OS/360 and 7090s, which permeates the text, is perhaps laughable to those not looking deeper. When talking about trade-offs, for example, Brooks offers "... OS/360 devotes 26 bytes of the permanently resident date-turnover routine to the proper handling of December 31 on leap years (when it is day 366). That might have been left to the operator." This is 26 bytes he's talking about!

Brooks provides a light, almost conversational tone to the prose. This isn't to say the observations and analysis were not very well researched. Comparing productivity number with those of Software Productivity Research (SPR), you'll find Brooks came up with the same measurements for productivity as Jones--only 20 years earlier!

Other wisdom is also buried in this work. Brooks declares "The question, therefore, is not whether to build a pilot system and throw it away. You will do that. The question is whether to plan in advance to build a throwaway, or to promise to deliver the throwaway to customers." The state of products I buy today tells me not enough people have taken Brooks's observations to heart!

The latest version of the text includes his work "No Silver Bullet." Brooks, who had brought us so much before, had one last "parting shot."

As I started this review I will also end it: this book is a classic. Read it.

If you've ever wondered why large software projects often turn out to be such nightmares, read this book to learn why it's not just a figment of your imagination. You are not alone.

Furthermore, this book should be required reading for any CEO who has to oversee ITD folks and whose business depends on the success of technology improvements.

When you have a brain-trust working for you that constantly tells you how new tools and technologies will save the day, read the chapters 'No Silver Bullet' and 'No Silver Bullet Revisited' and decide for yourself.

My nit to pick would be that Brooks embraces packaged software products without differentiating between products that support your business (accounting or payroll software) versus products that are your business. Should Ebay have bought a vanilla auction package? I think not.

This isn't necessarily an easy read (that is, it's not Scott Adam's 'The Dilbert Principle' or Eliyahu Goldratt's 'The Goal') but as another reviewer suggested, a casual pace with time for reflection is suggested. It's well worth the effort.

I ordered this book from the United States, as the release date in Australia is uncertain and I didn't want to wait! I am left amazed at the breadth and depth of Pullman's achievement. I don't personally agree with his worldview, but still appreciated the complexity and further development of his characters, especially Mrs. Coulter, the unexpected and sometimes heart-wrenching twists in the plot, and the skilful pulling together of the various elements from the previous two books in the series. There are powerful passages, gentle passages, sections that make your heart pound; this book runs through a large gamut of feeling, and is written on an epic scale. The whole series is one I will come back and read again someday, and I'm sure I will find something new in them each time. This is not writing for children, in spite of the fact that the main characters are children. Pullman is asking serious questions about being human and the struggle of living in this world. The clarity and beauty of his prose stands out in all three books, and "The Amber Spyglass" is definitely up to the standard of the first two books in the series. I still consider "The Golden Compass" (or Northern Lights) to be the best in the series, but "Amber Spyglass" comes close behind.

The action-packed last book, The Amber Spyglass, of an AWESOME trilogy, was one of those books I'll never forget. Throughout the book, different events are happening and like all good books, the author leaves you hanging at the end of every chapter. I couldn't put this book down! For anyone who loves to read as much as I do, I would definetly recommend this book and the rest of the series. The characters in the book are so well developed that you feel you've known them for a long time. The religious aspect of this book was a bit different to put it mildly, but if you aren't willing to accept other viewpoints on religious happenings then just don't read books that will upset you!! The ending was so perfect but TOTALLY unexpected!! I must admitt I cried a lot and didn't want it to end the way it did, probably because I love a good, happy ending. When i finished I found myself wishing for more of Lyra and Will and especially Pan who was my favorite character throughout the book. If you love fantasy, adventure stories this book is for you.

Harry Potter? C.S. Lewis? Tolkein? Pullman puts them all to shame, working the magic for a third time with the Amber Spyglass. Ghosts, ghouls, angels, witches, bears, and that evil golden daemon are back again, as Pullman catapults us in to a world (worlds) very different than our own, but eerily parallel. Will, Lyra, and the bulk of the characters from the first two books are back, more developed and lovable than ever, and as determined as before to give us an amazing story. With its theological implications, its amazingly detailed plotlines, and its grand theme of how the simplest things have the most profound consequences, this book is without a doubt worthy of sharing a trilogy with its predecessors. It remains to be seen if this amazing epic will be read by millions, but for those who do read it, you will be as happy as a mulefa (read the book). Eric