I have read this book. It's got action, excitement,and exotic locations. Move over Charlie's Angels, the Spy Girls are right on your tail. These girls can make James Bond proud. There should be more books of the series and more books of this type. Major props to the writer of the series. Keep up the good work.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Maybe I should explain my self. To make along story short, I read a book a day. I know your thinking "WHATA BUNCH OF FLUFF! " well, I read this book in a half a day.the cover of the book looks like a peice of childish nonsense, but never juge a book by its cover. these girls are are pretty darn clever to come up with such an intersting book.READ IT!

This book (and the rest of the series) is outstanding! I read the whole thing in one single day. I couldn't put it done. It's ation filled throughout the whole book! I love the adventures the Spy Girls go on. This book is one of my favorites.

this is a wonderful book about dog orgins, i read it several years ago, and bought my own copy, a delightful read with lots of information.

I'm a dog lover and thought I knew everything canine. Apparently not! This book is chuckfull of information and trivia. I especially enjoyed the chapter on US Army dogs and how unfair the US government has been to them. A must read!

The dedication of Mary Elizabeth Thurston's book says it all. She dedicated this book to her grandmother, who taught her the importance of spoiling dogs. This is a person who knows the love of sharing their life with their dog, and writes about dogs from her heart and soul. I think the chapter that stirred the deepest interest was the Dogs of War. These brave dogs and their handlers have often been forgotten, but in Thurston's book they are not only remembered, but truly honored for their contribution to the freedom we enjoy today. Thank you for writing, not just a informational book, but one that shows how much our lives are intermingled with our canine companions.

This little book is a delightful read: informative, well-written, and entertaining. I can't imagine a better book for anyone planning a trip to Spain.

Part way into a year in Madrid, I found this book in a bookshop near the Puerto del Sol. Having read -- mostly with disappointment -- guidebooks of the "eat here, sleep there" variety, as well as of the "observe famous site on the left" variety, I have been absolutely entranced with this book.

What it does is bring alive the stories of Madrid. It's not a guidebook, per se, although I think it would be an invaluable book to have on any visit to Spain. It's more a collection of stories, of anecdotes, that pull you into the actual life of the city as it is and as it was.

A typical example: almost all guidebooks mention the Cafe Gijon, and cite it as a good place to eat where generations of Madrid literati have dined. You are left wondering, which Madrid literati, what was the appeal, and what did they do there? Rather than leave you hanging so, Elizabeth Nash guides through the society of "tertullias" (informal but somewhat stable idle discussion groups) that once flourished in these cafes, quoting from some of the novels written about this literary life, pulling up diverse quotes and recollections. By the time you are done you even know the name and the politics of the man who sells cigarettes at the stand just inside the Cafe Gijon's door.

That's the sort of thing the book does throughout. Rather than just identify sites and give you a summary description, it takes you into tales of selected important areas of Madrid. Some are on everyone's tour itinerary, such as the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol, while others, such as the college residence hall where Dali, Bunuel and Garcia Lorca discovered each other, art and life, do not figure in the packaged tours.

While drawing on marvellously deep and diverse sources, it's also a very good read. It moves quickly.

I recommend it highly.

The author's knowledge and understanding of Madrileno culture, history, literature, art and psyche are impressive. She brings all these elements together to form the big picture, and the result is a potrayal of Madrid that goes deep beyond the surface. A fascinating account.

This is a delightfully funny little book in which author/psychic Elizabeth Fuller shares her experiences with her legendary house guest - Bette Davis, who stayed with Fuller and her husband and small son for a month! Amusing episodes include Liz taking Bette to McDonald's (she promised her son a visit) and the attention Davis attracted. Bette and the author watched JEZEBEL together one evening as it aired on the telly. I liked the book because it gives us insight into the real Bette Davis, who could be very child-like and just as vulnerable as anyone. Well worth reading!

Who could ever be ready to have Bette Davis, in the flesh, come and stay in our own home? What was supposed to be a few days turns into months for our admirable author, who tries to the best of her ability to do the impossible - please Ms. Davis.

Ms. Fuller lives many of our dreams come true when she takes on what turns to be an arduous task. It doesn't take long for the movie queen to wear out her welcome. Though Bette keeps Ms. Fuller hopping, the end result is a beautiful book of an inside day to day look at one of our most beloved stars. Davis fans should love it.

If you're looking for light, airy humour, definately get this book. It portrays Bette Davis off-screen and in someone elses house and the results are hilarious! Don't pass this one up!

When I was in the fourth grade back in the 1950's I picked up, for 25 cents, a copy of "The Melendy Family", donated by an eighth-grader who evidently felt she had "outgrown" it. I wonder, does one ever outgrow this book? Almost 50 years later I still have it, read to shreds, patched and repatched with scotch tape, a book to be treasured forever and never thrown away. Elizabeth Enright told the story of a family of four children with such freshness and originality that she still received letters years afterwards from young readers wondering if the Melendys were "real". Enright set her story during the second World War and the three books comprising this volume span a time period of less than two years, from early 1942 to late 1943; but they are chock full of enough fun and adventure to satisfy any youngster -- or oldster -- fortunate enough to get hold of it. Holt publishers should do the world a favor and reprint this book as soon as possible. It's a gem for every child and every generation. I still marvel at the priceless find I picked up off a bookshelf at random 50 years ago for only 25 cents. It's paid me back a zillion-fold ever since.

I read this book over and over as a young girl. My public library had the book in a Hardcover Complilation of the Three Stories in Sucession. I must have read it every summer, losing myself in the adventures with the children in this family. I have been looking for this book for my own daughter to read and have been unsucessful in finding it in any local library. I am truely looking forward to getting a copy of it for her to read. A must Read if your child is an avid reader!

When I was in my twenties, I found this book in my local library when I was studying to become a children's fiction writer. To date, I have never found another book of such absolute fresh, non-candied innocence. I have used the Melendy Family over and over as a sort of therapy for the more stressed and worldly times in my life, where I can be an observer into the lives of these four (later five) different children during the 1940's, where they embark on all sorts of different adventures. Elizabeth Enright was the perfect spyglass into the hearts and minds of children. When I read her books, it brings back my memories of how it actually felt to have all the wonder and giddiness and mischeviousness of being a child. And the rest of the world disappears for a while. I urge anyone who has lost sight of how it felt to be a child to read this book series.

This book was so refreshing! I initially bought it because I have always had a fascination with the "mermaid city" my mom has always told me stories of that she used to visit as a child in Florida. I even decorated my room as a child from her vintage postcards from Weeki Wachi Springs, FL (I am assuming this novel is based on this place). I adored reading this book. The characters are so fun and you really get to know them, you want to be their friend, you want to be a "merhag". This is a perfect read for your day at the pool or on your next beach vacation! I can't wait for her next novel!

Elizabeth Stuckey-French combines the quirkiness of pop culture with the seriousness of coming to terms with oneself in this novel, which engages the reader from the first word to the last. Complex characters, vivid settings and descriptions, and ever increasing tension make this one of the best stories I've read in a long time. I had a hard time putting it down and strongly recommend it. I look forward to reading more of this talented author's work.

I really liked this book--I could especially relate to Theo, who is so much like my son (who has been diagnosed with high-functioning autism.) I'll recommend this one for my book club & also for the Asperger's group. Great read!

This is an imaginative, educational and well constructed tale, a delight for children and the young at heart. The detailed illustrations are pure joy.

I don't have children, yet, but when I do, this will be one of the first books I read them. This book is a delightful treasure that really appeals to all ages. The art and story meld gleefully and it's full of so much charm and warmth you'll want to read it over and over again. Like any such gem, there's ideas for both child and parent, and the theme of living together and celebrating diversity is wonderfully presented. We could all learn something from this one! And just try and keep the smile from your face as you examine the antics of the mice!

This is a wonderful book, which gently conveys a message about learning to appreciate neighbors who at first seem irritatingly different. This book speaks to the importance of living in harmony with others, and understanding and liking our neighbors even when there seem to be differences between us. Moms and dads (and aunts and uncles and grandmas and granddads) who would like to talk with youngsters about peace, and friendship, and trust, and kindness, and acceptance, should be buying this book. (Or borrow it from your library!) This is an excellent book to share with children in light of what is going on in the world today.

Such sad lives were led by the the Bronte's, loneliness, loss, despair, all were experienced and fed into the imaginations on charlotte, emily and anne. This book is a brilliant book by E C Gaskell (who i normally dont really like), it is basically a collection of letters by charlotte and a great narrative, when speaking of the deaths of emily, anne and charlotte, i actually felt tears in my eyes!

Mrs. Gaskell understood a man's or woman's life to be lived within a social and natural context -- and her deployment of anecdotes and impressions of the North of England in the early pages of this book is captivating. But she also understood us to be souls, present to but distinct from God. Hence, even though in a few instances Gaskell's facts may been correctible (which the editor has done for us in this Penguin Classics edition), she is concerned with truth, and this gives readers the opportunity (rarely offered by modern entertainments) to escape from the trivial.

A very nicely written biography by Mrs. Gaskell about the life of her friend Charlotte Bronte, although most of the content was made up of letters written either by or to Charlotte Bronte rather than Mrs. Gaskell's own writings. Still this is a very concise book containing mostly everything that an ordinary reader, or well, a beginner of the Bronte novels, should know about this famous family. Nonetheless at some point of the book, I do find Mrs. Gaskell a bit too subjective, especially when it comes to the depiction of Charlotte's brother Branwell Bronte and his downfall. But consider the fact that this book was written only within one and a half year, with Mrs. Gaskell herself alone traveling all the way from Manchester to Haworth, and then to Brussel, doing all the necessary researches and interviews on her own, I must say that this is just an awesome piece of work!! And just as what Patrick Bronte himself had said about this biography, 'It is every way worthy of what one Great Woman, should have written of Another...it ought to stand, and will stand in the first rank, of Biographies, till the end of time'.

One more word though. From a more scholarly point of view, however, I think so far the 'best' biography on the Brontes should be Juliet Barker's 'The Brontes'. If, after reading this biography written by Mrs. Gaskell, you still want to know more about the Brontes, then I will say: go and buy this other book by Juliet Barker and you definitely will never regret it!

Calling this book "The Little Web Cam Book" is a bit of a misnomer. The book is huge, totaling 356 pages including the index. It is crammed full of useful information, lists of webcam sites, and places where one can download everything you need except a camera.

This is a great book! Ms Parker's writing style makes it seem like she is right there with you, explaining each portion. More advanced users will know which parts to skip over, and most chapters stand on their own, so you don't have to read every word to make sense of later chapters.

This was good for me, since I was not the least bit interested in reading about the screen savers or how to make a photo my background. This part seemed to drag out, but that is from the viewpoint of an expert; if you have never done those things, you might need to spend the time reading about them. For that reason, the book spends quite a bit on the basics of these ideas. So if you still have the same background picture on your desktop that came with it, check out this portion of the book.

Other chapters cover tips for setting up the cam and choosing the best spots for broadcasting. If you want to start another "cat-cam" or other pet-related site, it is worth reading her tips on how to make it exciting for your viewers even when the animals don't feel like being photographed. There are also some other considerations you might want to read about before you invite anyone and everyone into your home or office through a live webcam.

Another section tells about how to use the still pictures you can capture with a cam to make GIF animations. This could be for fun, e-mail, or for your web page. The author also goes into creating and editing movies and how to insert GIF animations and movies into web pages. This could save you from tons of angry e-mail when your dog refuses to go near the webcam once it's live.

There is a chapter on troubleshooting problems and it seems to be rather complete. Just about every problem I can imagine occuring is listed here with possible solutions and resources.

I expected a list of other people who have webcam, but a nice feature I didn't expect was interviews with some of the pioneers and leaders in webcamming. This turned out to be quite a treat.

Supplementary information in the book about videoconferencing was great. I didn't expect to find it here either; the author could have written that separately and she and the publisher could have made a lot more money selling it as another book. They didn't, so I think a "hats off" is in order. Thanks!

I don't have a Web cam, but maybe everyone online should have one. It is a good way to find out if you are really talking to who you think you are talking to. I think anyway. Since this is an Internet craze and I'm crazy about the Internet, you would think I'd have one already.

So, if you are like me and are completely threatened by not only the thought of people peering into your private life of typing away at your computer (ha, ha) or you have NO idea where to start looking or what to even look for in a Web cam, this is a great place to start.

You will find out:

How to choose the best Web cam (who doesn't want the best?)
Set up and install your cam
Communicate with Friends and Family
Create a live-cam Web Page - this is intriguing, cooking show? Mmm
Meet famous Web cammers in interviews
Design you own cam screen saver
Use easy videoconferencing software
Design you own cam desktop patterns
Take pictures with your cam (see, now that would be helpful for site building and cheaper in the long run)
Find great cam Web sites (ok, so I did go to a few to see if any cats were about)
Record sounds with your cam

The author gives you the basics. Like you should have at least a 120 MHz processor and a minimum of 16MB of RAM. It is possible that you might have to buy a new computer before getting a Web cam but the author says most computers made in the past few years should be fine. Since I don't learn anything until I need to, I now see how to look up how much RAM and free space my computer still has. Hey, some of us didn't care before.

At the end of the chapters there is a Summary section.

The Cams discussed in this book include: QuickCam by Logitech, Compro Dcam, VideoBlaster WebCamII, VideoLabs FlexCam and Planet View, CU-SeeMe Cam Kit for Windows. The author explains which is best for various situations. If you are looking for videoconferencing or want a crisp picture a various distance or want a cam that works with a large variety of programs, then you can decide which is best for you. There is plenty of website information so you can go do more research and find the newest versions.

This book also includes information on how to organize your pictures. I loved the section on where to get free images on the Web. Elisabeth Parker really is into "pictures." She will also show you how to convert a picture into an icon.

Then, onward to creating and editing movies. This tells you which programs to buy and what you need to download.

Ok, finally a great chapter on "Putting Pictures and Movies on Web Pages." I like that she recommends Microsoft FrontPage. Hey the author wrote: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to FrontPage 2000." While Elizabeth doesn't delve too deeply into HTML (you don't need to with FrontPage Thank God!), she does give a few tips here and there. There is also information on embedding a movie with HTML and Creating a Web Page Slide Show. The "plug in" feature... yeah, we can do that! I've seen that on FrontPage.

"Web Cams: Examples, Ideas, and Inspiration" is filled with all sorts of places you can go to see other Web cams in action. But then again, who has time to sit around watching the Amazing Fish Cam? I did think the Cat House idea was cute. You could probably get major visitors to your site to see if your cats are napping or running about wildly.

One thing I didn't realize was that to use the sound features you need to purchase a separate microphone. I think they might have some web cams with more features now.

Anyway, if you really want to learn some useful information without the headache of the learn-as-you-go-by-yourself routine, then this is your book. There are plenty of examples and truthfully, you could take a look through this book and learn something even if you don't have a Web cam.

Definitely recommended BEFORE you buy a Web cam.

Ok, so I'm still a little nervous about all this Web cam stuff. Can't I just get someone to come over and install it for me? Sigh...

One of the most popular Internet activities to make a splash on our screens recently has been that of "webcamming." Just about anyone can now set up a suitable camera, including a video camera, and publish nearly real-time audio and video clips online for a variety of purposes for profit, fun, and pleasure. Elisabeth Parker has written The Little Web Cam Book to give members of the online community some real insight into how they can make creative use of this latest Web craze.

Webcamming has really taken off during the last two years. Schools, businesses, companies, corporations, and news reporting services have gone online to provide a number of essential services such as news and weather reporting, online education, building security, Webcasting, Webconferencing, and the monitoring of children at home and in daycare facilities. Imagine if you will, being able to log on the Internet and check up on your kids at home or as they are being cared for by others from the comfort of your office! Other family members will be able to keep in touch hundreds or thousands of miles away! Hobbyists have also provided some thoughtful uses as well, such as wiring homes, offices, and other sites with cameras to provide all sorts of intriguing, but sometimes highly suspect video coverage!

Webcamming has certainly made an impact on our society and Elisabeth Parker will walk her readers through the steps necessary to give them the opportunity experience this exciting technology firsthand. She makes a number of solid recommendations for buying cameras, software, and services, helping her readers to make the better choices and help them save time and money in the process. Many of the programs she reviews in the book are available online for immediate trial use. Buying, installation, and detailed operating instructions are provided to get readers up and running in the shortest amount of time. I can hardly wait to join in the fun myself!

Parker's instruction, laced with humor, her own personal interest, and the illustrations of John Grimes makes this book fun, enjoyful, and easy to read. Plenty of creative ideas and resource information is provided - be sure to checkout the list of Webcam sites located at the back of the book! This book serves as an excellent introduction to webcamming and is must reading for anyone interested in learning about this innovative technology and how it can be put to exciting and productive use!

This encyclopedic and gound-breaking work inaugurated a new era of Buddhist scholarship in the West and significantly raised the standard for the study of Buddhism. This book is based on Professor Hopkins' Ph.D. dissertation of the same name. Since writing this book he has gone on to supervise the scholarship of numerous leaders in the field of Tibetan Buddhist studies at the University of Virginia, such as Elizabeth Napper, Anne Klein, Joe Wilson, Daniel Perdue, Donald Lopez, Guy Newland, and Georges Dreyfus among others. Together these scholars have produced a body of work which gives us a context and a philosophical vocabulary with which we can plunge into the world of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. This is of immense benefit not only to scholars but to Buddhist practitioners as well. This book started it all. It is a work of amazing depth which plunges into the Tibetan exegesis of the Indian Madhyamaka meditation. This analytical meditation tradition is designed to induce, through meticulous analysis, a direct perception of the absence of the mental and perceptual distortions which are at the root of suffering. The core delusion under which all mind-posessing beings suffer is the belief that phenomena exist inherently, or independently of their causes and conditions, their parts, and their designation by a valid consciousness. The fact that they do not exist in this way is called emptiness. Indian Madhyamaka masters Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Chandrakirti, and Shantideva express this view in their works. Their analysis is picked up by great luminaries of the Ge-lug-ba tradition in Tibet, such as Dzong-ka-ba and his disciples. Professor Hopkins primarily focuses his exegesis on the practical instructions of Chandrakirti as they are espoused by Tibetan masters Jam-yang-shay-ba, Nga-wang-bel-den, and Jang-gya. It is said by some that an analytic approach to meditation is contrary to the non-dual nature of realization in the Buddhist tradition. Such a view loses sight of the fact that all of these reasonings are aimed precisely at giving rise to such a direct experience. Putting these reasonings into practice can be the basis of profound and transformative growth, but it is up to the reader to breath life into the tradition by bringing these reasonings alive for one's self. Professor Hopkins here gives us a monumental collection of reasonings as well as a supportive analysis of pertinent aspects of Buddhist philosophy and the philosophical history of the Prasangika-Madhyamaka position which can be a cornerstone of our practice as well as future scholarship. Few works before, or even since, can begin to match the ambitious nature of this work which, in my opinion, is fully realized. In this book we see the serious engagement with some questions of fundamental import continued in the West.

A strong elixir for the path-seeking mind -- but then even elixirs can reduce the mind to a state of cataleptic numbness... Still, it broke ground...for another baker's dozen of synapse-stoking tomes of Gelugpa Madhyamaka, whose glow has warmed up many a fortunate cortex for more, and perhaps grander things...

For those of you who want a thorough "intellectual" interpretation of the stages that lead to "Emptiness," this book is the best so far. It is not an instructional book but it does give a crystal clear presentation of the philosophical schools within Tibetan Buddhism. I would personally recommend this book to those who are interested in becoming familiar with the Epistemological aspects of Tibetan Buddhism.