Captain Horatio Hornblower is a collection of three short novels originally published in 1937 and 1938 as "Beat To Quarters", "Ship of the Line" and "Flying Colours". All are set during the Napoleonic wars roughly between 1807 and 1811. The great success of these stories led Forester to write a number of Hornblower prequels and sequels, all of which are still read widely. It also spawned a long list of successors, some of which are excellent although none fully measure up to Forester in my opinion.

Beat To Quarters introduces Hornblower taking HMS Lydia into the Pacific Ocean to insight a rebellion against the Spanish. The story takes a number of twists including Hornblower finding his ally is a madman, a change in the political situation and the introduction of Lady Barbara Wellesley, the fictional sister of the Duke of Wellington.

Ship of the Line finds Hornblower commanding HMS Sutherland for a cruise in the Mediterranean. Hornblower not only must face the French but he must deal with a superior officer who would like to see him fail.

Flying Colours begins where Ship of the Line ends. Hornblower is a prisoner in France and must find a way to escape.

I thought that I knew these stories fairly well having seen the 1951 film Captain Horatio Hornblower staring Gregory Peck. However the novel is quite different in several areas. Perhaps what surprised me the most was the level of violence, sex and swearing that was included in the novel. I hadn't expected the violence to be as graphic, the sex to be as obvious or the swearing to be present at all. The novel has a gritty realism that was not matched in the genre until the 70s.

Captain Horatio Hornblower was written when Forester was in his thirties and before he had thoroughly polished his craft. While it might have a few rough edges it is a tremendously powerful, action-filled novel. The shy, self-doubting, self-deprecating but outwardly implacable Hornblower is one of the great characters of adventure stories. If one were restricted to reading only one novel of "wooden ships and iron men" then that novel should be Captain Horatio Hornblower.

This is a great book and definately one of the best Hornblower books ever. All the ingredients for a great adventure story. Exotic locations, a mad dictator, romance, hardship, friendhsip and the big ship to ship dual with the Natividad is one of the best action scenes I've ever read (and I read a lot of Action/Adventure).

The whole Hornblower series is brilliant and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys good rattling yarns.

"Captain Horatio Hormblower" was first published as "The Happy Return" in 1937. It was then renamed "Beat to Quarters." These books, unfortunately, stop on the return to England. But "Beat to Quarters" is available on Amazon.com. There are more reviews there.

Lawrence Scott has penned a gripping detective story which takes place in America's oldest city, St. Augustine. From the very human lead character, detective, Morgan Ponce, to the surprise ending, this is an excellent read. It is easily compared to works by James Lee Burke or John D. MacDonald. When the son of a rich and famous politician and his wife were found brutally murdered, Detective Ponce finds himself in a little over his head. He has to investigate this mob style "hit" and becomes a target himself. The murders had occurred on a luxury yacht and Detective Ponce has to find out who did it and why. Unfortunately, there was little evidence, no witnesses and he was met with resistance everywhere he looked. As he and his partner sift through the morass of information, it becomes evident that some very important people and corporations are involved in a high level conspiracy. This is a must read!

H. Steven Robertson, Author of "Ranch Boy."

Cracker Cop grabs you from the begining and keeps a hold on you. This book reveals some of the "hidden history" of the Nation's oldest city and combines it with the mostly unknown world of criminal investigation.
Furthermore, "Cracker Cop" is richly textured with personal details of the world of police work that only someone with intimate knowledge of the field would have.
I'm looking forward to the next book!

A great thriller from begining to end. I cant wait to read about Detective Ponce's further adventures.

I love this cookbook! It's features a great assortment of both sweet and savory crepes. Some are a little too gourmet for my taste (I'm thinking of the Shrimp & Jicama crepes, specifically), but most are simple, easy and delicious. The best part about this cookbook is it quickly shows you how quick and versatile crepes are. They can be used like pancakes, like tortillas, and sometimes even like pasta (like with Spinach and Ricotta crepes....just like manicotti). It's easy to throw ice cream, fruit, or nuts into a crepe for an amazing dessert. Sure, the book shows you plenty of amazing recipes, but taking the basic ideas and coming up with your own creation is a snap. This is a marvelous book. Sure to make a crepe enthusiast out of you!

This cookbook gives you all the basics to make crepes at home. They're surprisingly easy and versatile. Several of the recipes are for "savory" crepes, where the crepe is used like a tortilla, like philo dough, or like layered noodles. The pictures make them look great, and the recipes sound delicious. But crepes are still sort of like a pancake, so it's hard for me to take them seriously in a dinner or main course, even when it involves shrimp or caviar. The desserts I have no problem with. All of them are delicious, and it's easy to take the ideas and change them to your own liking (trading peaches and pralines for apples, dried cranberries and walnuts, for example). But regardless of whether you prefer the sweet or savory, this cookbook makes crepe cooking easy for the gourmet or the novice. Definitely worth the money.

I made crepes a couple times before, but they never came out well. After reading this, I made three perfect batches using the basic recipes. I like making a batch, then filling them with things and keeping them in the refrigerator for breakfasts. With the recipes and tips in this book, I haven't had a single problem.

as someone who has has siberians around the house for the last twenty years, all i can say is it's all true.

over the past few years of reading these stories on sibernet, i've always smiled when i would see myself or my dogs in these stories. i have a few friends who have gotten sibes based on these stories, and a few who have read them and said 'what was i thinking.'

this book is a crash course in being owned by huskies. it's full of love and laughter and tears. and so is life with sibes.

anyone who shares their lives with dogs should get this book.

A must read for anyone thinking of buying a Siberian Husky! Scott has seen it all in his years of rescuing this demanding high-maintenance breed. Through the years, he's taken in dogs rejected by owners who had little idea what they were getting into when they selected that intractable house-eating energizer bunny of a pup who, it just turns out, is also adept at climbing or digging under fences. We get to meet Scott's sweet delinquents in this collection of short moving essays which have, for years, been entertaining readers on the internet.

Here is Taz, Colonel Taz, he of the piercing blue eyes and regal disposition. A gentle Tasmanian Devil whose early goal is to invite the feline residents to dinner - as the main course. Beautiful tragic Kismet, who escaped and was lost forever moments after being rescued. Sweet loving Missy, whose mental acuity was left severely impacted from childhood disease. Missy's reaction to everything in life can be summed up as "Oooh, this is fun!" - yet, she'll howl like a banshee if left alone. Actually, a banshee wouldn?t quite live up to the sheer abandon with which a Siberian Husky will let the world know that you are the reincarnation of Vincent Price visiting some horrible medieval torture on this poor helpless creature by leaving it alone for but a moment.

Each of Scott's witty, funny, occasionally heart-rending tale is a complete story in itself. Yet, the cumulative effect of the book is more than the sum of its parts. I would recommend this life-affirming book to all, even if you have already read the individual essays in the past.

This book is a must for any dog owner. It chronicles the antics of a Husky owner and rescuer. If you have a high maintenance breed dog you will die laughing and if you have a low maintenance dog you will count your blessings and laugh hysterically!

"The Hand of Oberon", the fourth book of the first Amber series, is perhaps the most pivotal. Within, many of the mysteries we've followed since "Nine Princes" are finally resolved, setting us up for the big climax in "Courts of Chaos".

In addition to enough plot twists to make your head spin, it's also notable for Corwin's first real problem with Random - who finds that he might have very personal reason to take out a sibling who Corwin considers necessary for information purposes. The fact that by this book just the thought of a rift between them makes you squirm is proof of how important their relationship has been - not only because strategically Corwin needs someone to back him up but because, in a world where so much else has been suspect, we know they honestly like eachother.

_The Hand of Oberon_ is my favorite of the books in the second half of the Amber Chronicles. And that's saying a lot.

Random's missing son Martin, Dworkin revisited, more about the mysterious Dara, and the disappearance of the Jewel of Judgement-- all these plot twists are dwarfed by the big one in Ganelon's suprise for Corwin...

THIS BOOK IS VITAL TO REALLY GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE SERIES. I READ THIS SERIES YEARS AGO AND LIKED IT SO MUCH I JUST BOUGHT ALL THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES AGAIN. EXCELLANT

What a great book. Despite everything you have read in the newspapers, this book gives the reader an exceptional inside review as to the actions, and inactions at Enron. The author pulled no stops when she offered the truth that many were not looking to share.

I found this book to be extremely interesting, somewhat sad as to how management attempted to run such a large organization and how millions of people lost billions of dollars due to greed, poor management and unbelivable business skills.

This book was again, extremely interesting and worth the read.

Carl Rizzuto
Hobe Sound, Florida

A rare, eye-opening and completely believable look inside a conglomerate where greed ruled and self-preservation ran rampant from top to bottom.

Brewer and Hansen have presented a personal perspective from inside Enron in a compelling fashion. Anyone who has worked in a corporate situation, especially in a company on it's way down, can relate to the politics, the ..., the fear, and self-preservation practiced among all levels of staff.

I highly recommend it if for no better reason than to be able to recognize the signs if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. Ms. Brewer is definitely not alone in her experience, and the toppling of much of corporate America isn't over yet.

I have read a few books regarding the Enron scandal. This one is definitely very entertaining.

Lynn Brewer was an executive at Enron. Her detailed inside perspective goes well beyond what you will read in other books no matter how many interviews those other authors conducted. Lynn's story is personal, compelling, and shocking. The amount of backstabbing and office politics that went on is astounding. You will be surprised at how awful it was to work there.

Imagine having your Enron interview go well but not getting hired afterward. Then a headhunter calls about a week later with a solid offer for another Enron position. After getting hired your manager tells you to get rid of two slacker employees in the department. The attempt goes badly and the manager denies any wrongdoing. You are left holding the bag. And so your career at Enron has begun.

Brewer shows the reader how Enron executives fit into one of two categories: those who had no idea how Enron was making its money, and those who knew everything was a scam, a house of cards. It will not take the reader very long before he/she understands that Enron's top leaders knew exactly what they were doing despite their later testimony after the failure of the company.

Don't miss this one. It is among the best of the Enron books.

I have to admit to being somewhat skeptical about this book's premise. After all, most of the parenting books I've read lately tend to dwell on the importance of strict rules, discipline, and the pitfalls of being a pushover parent. Given that, what's to negotiate?

Actually, a lot of things. After a certain age, I found it physically impossible to "make" my child do anything. On the few occasions I tried, usually because of perceived lack of time or energy, the net effect was a much greater cost of time and energy for both of us. Of greatest concern to me, however, was the potential for damage to our long-term relationship. Eventually I came to realize that the negotiation approach is the only way to realize a happy, peaceful domestic life, and had been (perhaps subconsciously) using it to help my child behave more responsibly. Mr. Brown's book helped me view these interactions as part of a well-understood process, and provided me with some valuable new tools to employ. I would highly recommend it to any parent.

By the way, the techniques covered in the book are equally effective with other family members (such as one's spouse!)

Scott Brown has given my life with my children more perspective than any other book. This book is amazing, and yet, nothing in there is all that earth-shattering.

I took away from the book a few key points:

1. Keep your emotions in check.
2. Don't respond emotionally to your child, but do show your emotions (read the book to find out how!)
3. Name yours and your child's emotions
4. Truly try to understand what is going on in your child's head -- and don't guess why, ASK!
5. Involve your child in decision-making -- and this includes when you decide the consequences!
6. Persuade, don't coerce, your child to see your point.
7. Be willing to be flexible and allow your child to change your mind.

I had a revelation as I read the book that the way he talks about handling your children is how I handle conflict at work. At work, and even in my personal life (other than the kids) -- I am pretty universally known as a consensus-builder. I never force people to do what I want them to do, but I work really hard at persuading people to work with me to come up with a win-win solution for all of us. Yet with my kids, I yell at them to do what I want, when I want, how I want. I don't treat them, and their opinions, with the respect I give my co-workers and friends! How sad is that?

The best thing about the book is in the description of conflicts that we all have with our kids, and the way the same situation could have been solved using his methods. All the arguments are so accurately written that I actually laughed out loud (and was sometimes a little sad). When Brown re-wrote the scenario, using a negotiation method, it all made perfect sense. Does it take longer to negotiate? Yes. Is it really hard to keep your emotions in check? Unbelievably! But it really seems to work.

In short, buy this book. I intend to buy copies for everyone I know.

An easy read that can change the way you interact with children immediately. The sample negotiations are realistic, practical and engaging. So many books of this ilk are too preachy or verbose; not only is the book helpful, but it is enjoyable to read.

Offers a wealth of information about traditional Vietnamese culture and society...essential reading

Stories that American have been reluctant to listen to-non-American participants' stories of the horrors of the Vietnam War itself, of escape from new but undemocratic countries, of conflict-ridden adjustment...personal details about the effects of the war...Scott's collection is prefaced by a dramatic frontispiece, a painting by a Vietnamese artist that depicts boat people on the high seas, titles "A people forced to go a dangerous drama across feats of darkness and turbulent seas in favor of freedom." Collected from Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese in Philippine refugee camps in October 1985 [through] May 1 1986, these twenty-five stories are the testimonies closest in time to many of the events they describes. Scott identifies empathetically with the refugees' search for "the freedom land," as well as with those who failed to come here. In lengthy appendices, she provides maps of the Laotian reeducation camps and memorializing lists of those who have disappeared in them. Pictures of the refugees in the Philippine camps supplement the written stories. Some narratives are told by camp advisors; some are presented by "Name Withheld." While one story was given to Scott "in perfect English," others were told only through an interpreter. Scott presents her subjects' narratives entire, occasionally segmented by asterisks, with provocative titles ("The Hope of Ho Chi Minh Is Fallen Now") and with brief headnotes characterizing the individual or the historical situation. The narratives are occasionally quite long; almost all are organized chronologically... Here is Khamsamong Somvong, a former first lieutenant in the Royal Lao army: "In the seminar camp there were a few men who were Communists. They were there to execute the policy of the Politburo. And it was they who decided who should be killed in the camp. We were supposed to respect the Party only. If one of the Communists said, 'This is red,' we had to say, 'Yes, this is red.' If we said, 'No, this is black,' we would be killed. So I lived a very hard life in there. I saw many people killed before me."--Oral History Review 21/2 (Winter, 1993)

Indochina's refugees, who in jungle death camps felt the chill of the heart or saw life turn cold in crowded boats, give their harrowing stories in this collection

Most of us from eastern religion wanting to convert to the western religion. I have spent a great deal of time researching western religion and learning how it all began. The catholic church has its beginings in Christ Jesus during the Roman empire. The Catholic Church has had its ups and downs as the history will have it. However, it still remains the beginning of all churches. This book will teach those wanting to chose religion why they should consider the catholic church and the practicing catholics why they should remain faithful

I come from a Catholic home. I knew my faith well, but I did not know how to defend my believes when I got to college. I left the church and later became protestant for many years. If I had read this book in my early twenties, I would have stayed with the Catholic Faith all along. This book is a great tool for Catholics who want to know how to defend their faith when they feel attacked by protestant brothers and sisters in the faith.

The Scriptures; the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; the real presence in the Eucharist; Mary; Purgatory; justification; the nature of baptism; priests. These are all subjects of many a civilized discussion (or heated dispute!) with our protestant brothers and sisters.

The assembled essays in this book explain these and other issues in very clear and readable language. They serve well in explaining the Biblical and historical basis behind these issues.

For the Catholic who wants to understand the faith better, whether it be for personal growth or to help defend the teachings against those who would criticize them, this book is for you.

For the protestant who is willing to let the Catholic Church explain the Catholic Church, this book is for you too.

A pretty easy read. Well worth your time!

Leonard B. Scott writes another excellent book probably relating much of his own personal experience in Viet Nam. Again he sets up his main characters detailing what they left behind only to have everything they knew and understood here in the U.S. tested and in many instances left in some far off jungle in Viet Nam. Mr. Scott, though he was an officer, describes Army life among the enlisted troops with great clarity and understanding. He may be a Mustang (enlisted later becoming an

officer) whatever, I have enjoyed reading all of his Viet Nam Era Army books and would rate this one just as good as The Expendables. The vocabulary he uses is of that era and adds in his effort to recreate life back in the late 1960's. A Must Read if you like Scott's writings.

Ironically, I picked this book up at the bargin bin in a St. Petersburg, Russia. Starting out in Oklahoma, it shows the progression from state college football, to OCS, through Ranger and Airborne training to the jungles of Vietnam. Two brothers, taking different paths through the Army.

The way that Scott writes the story to the hill is extravagant. Not only do you see the one side perspective from the Brothers you also get to see it from the Vietnamese side. As one knows you need to know the two sides of the coin in order to get the real truth. This book like SCott's others is truly something else.