I have a copy of the 1950 edition of Perrin's Guide (it was my mom's college textbook) and find it very useful. It is well-organized and gives good advice on how to write effective sentences and coherent paragraphs. It also discusses how to do research and take notes and write term papers. Makes a good companion to Warriner's English Grammar and Composition.

I've been reading some other reviews, and it seems that the people who didn't like the book disliked it because they thought the story was unbelievable. Wow! Wouldn't the world be nice if there were no abandoned children like Arley? No criminals like Dillon? No despicable parents like Arley's mother? The world would be a nicer place, I'm sure. But, the world is not a nice place. Screwed up things that make a plot like this credible happen every single day. Maybe some people don't like to read about them. But, if you are not one of those people - and if you like books about human compassion and the spirit of survival, this is definitely a book for you.

What got me the most about this book was the author's uncanny ability to bring you inside the head of a troubled teenaged girl. Then, when she would switch back to writing as if she were Anne, you were right inside the head of a woman who was sitting at the crossroad of her life. I could understand everything each character did, and why. This even holds true for the many "bad guys" in this book. They rang true and remained consistent throughout the book.

Some people only like to read about situations they can identify with and/or people they want to be like. If that were the truth for me, I would not have liked this book because God only knows, I would not want to trade places with any of these people. But for me, reading is about going places I would dare not go myself. And, boy oh boy did this book take me there. I wouldn't want to be Arley AND I sure wouldn't want to be Annie, either. And, maybe that was why I liked this book so much. Because, the author put me in a place I would never go myself and made me believe in it. She made me feel the hope that these characters needed to go on. Now if you ask me - THAT IS WHAT GOOD WRITING IS ALL ABOUT!

There are two kinds of books that make me read fast: A very good book that I can't put down and race through to see what happens; and a very bad book that I zip through just to get it over with. This book actually inspired me to read very slowly, savoring each word like a sip of good brandy. In spite of the controversial subject matter, there is an innocence and purity about this story. In fact, Arlington reminds me quite a bit of my own 15 year old daughter, who is both naive and hopelessly romantic and incredibly beautiful. I have given her this book to read, and look forward to hearing her opinion. If the reader can get past the their prejudices about adult/adolescent relationships (we somehow accept Romeo and Juliet who were just children!)then we can allow ourselves to feel the deep love between two very different people - a love that ultimately becomes destructive. Nor is the idea of a 14-year old girl falling in love with a hardened older guy at all incomprensible. It is probably the fantasy of many of our young teen daughters. Mitchard's ability to so accurately evoke the feelings of a young, budding girl/woman in the flush of first love is astounding. By the same token her rendering of Annie, a slightly cynical adult captivated by Arley, gives a wonderful contrast. The story weaves back and forth between Annie and Arley. And so, I found myself ready very slowly, losing myself in this emotionally charged story, in no rush to leave two women I had come to admire. I also find myself looking at my young daughter differently - I take her feelings much more seriously and realize that as young as she is, she is capable of deeper feelings that we adults would otherwise give credit to. Thank you, Jaqueline Mitchard, for a magical, tragic, but ultimately uplifting experience for this reader!

I really enjoyed More Than Wanted, it's only problem was that it started out kind of slow.It wouldn't have worked out right though if it had gone right into the plot.It did start out good though & continue that way. I liked the storyline a lot & this book was sentimental & poetic. It was a nice love story that showed what power love has over people. It is written in chapters seperately narrated by the 2 main characters. This was nice because you saw what was going on seperately in their life & their different takes on the situation. More Than Wanted had all the elements of a good novel: a little romance(not trashy), drama & a little insight into the characters interesting lives. It deserved 5 stars because I thought it was great & had trouble putting it down. You should go read it!!!

This book contains the final chapters of Grant Morrison's JLA, and it is the final that everybody wanted. With the most powerful heroes of DC Universe, Morrison had constructed a mighty League, a team made to confront Apocalipsys once and another time. "World War III" keeps that line, but this time the JLA fights the definitive menace. The story is full of emotion, epics and imagination, as Morrison had been doing till here, and Howard Porter's art is as spectacular and surprising as ever. Obligatory for JLA's fans, and a good choice if you are seeking a good superheroes story (but first, make a friend tell you what happens in JLA: Rock of Ages).

I can't understand the low rating for this one. WORLD WAR 3 was everything that was great about Morrison's JLA tenfold. Great character dynamics and awsome "widescren" action right up there with the best Authority story. Don't forget that it was Morrison who made popular the whole widescreen, cinematic style of storytelling that can now be found in just about every other comic book today. I remember loving this story when I read each individual issue and it's only better collected into one book that you can sit down, relax, and read in one sitting.

WORLD WAR THREE ROCKS!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen who have been following the "Watchtower Era" JLA; let it be said here first: Maggedon Has Arrived! This book is truly incredible. A masterpiece of grand comic proportions. However, before you all take my word for it and order this book, let me tell you that first you should read or have read the following JLA titles: Midsummers Nightmare, JLA: American Dreams,JLA: Rock Of Ages, JLA: Strength in Numbers, and JLA: Justice for All. It helps to have read most other JLA books, for character backgrounds, but these four contain some important forboding elements that really make World War 3 the powerhouse it is. Aside from the extensive need for background info, this is really an increible book. It's no Kingdom Come, but still a masterpiece all in itself. The major fault I would find with this book is that it's not really worth it all by itself. You really need to have read the whole story arc to truely appriciate how long this has been building. Additional!ly, the story does flow rather fast for such an epic experience. Bottem Line: A very good JLA book.

Marion Zimmer Bradley illuminated my world when I was a teen, when I read Mists of Avalon. I've read all the books of the serie, in french and english (I speak french). After reading the Avalon Cycle serie, I've realized that every stories Bradley wrote was the same: She changed names and places in Britain, but the story is always the same. Always a foreign Savior in love with a priestess that will bore their child of the Prophecy.
I think Bradley was obsessed and fascinated with Arthurian myths, so am I. But she never did serious researches for her writings about them, until the last decade. So I believe she began to be interested by the 'real' history much later in her life, after The Mists of Avalon.
And The Priestess of Avalon is her final cut, with too much of history (names, places...), probably because scholars didn't think Bradley was a serious writer and discredited her. I think she was obsessed now with the credibility of her stories and she loses all the magic... and the mists!

So, shortly, as a fan, Priestess of Avalon doesn't worth the buying. But if you fall on it, read it. But nothing is new and I've guessed everything from the beginning to the end.

I'll read and read and read The Mists of Avalon again and again.

P.S. The TNT special series was pathetic and didn't look what I thought. Too bad.

I am so sad to realise that this is the final Avalon book.It's also hard for me to guess whether or not a reader who isn't INTO the old Celtic religions would find this an interesting read, but for me, it was another wonderful, absorbing and magical read involving the occupants of the mystical island of Avalon and the gentle, loving form of their religion.A young priestess, Eilan, falls in love with a handsome Roman soldier named Constantius, and forsakes her home on Avalon for love of him and also because she believes that her future is inextricably bound with his.
She bears a son who becomes the Emperor Constantine who eventuually caused the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity.Eilan,or the Empress Helena as she is known when she becomes the mother of the Emperor,somewhat reluctantly accepts Christianity as she realises that much of the new religion is based on the old and, because of pressure from her son, tours his Empire on his behalf. As a very old lady, she stages her own death in order to return to her true home, the Isle of Avalon.As always when I read books about Avalon, I feel a tremendous sense of deja vu....perhaps in a former life???

Of course, Priestess of Avalon isn't really part of the lot. For the most part, it's a story tangential to the Avalon epic. I also suspect Diana Paxson did a lot of the filling in of Marion Zimmer Bradley's dream of the tale. Take it in this context--as a book about Avalon but not really part of any series--and perhaps this novel will have a different meaning.

The idea proposed to us the readers is that Eilan (Helena in the Roman world), a priestess of Avalon, falls in love and runs away with Constantius, a Roman. He existed, by the way. Somehow through her travels in the Empire (after all, her patroness is Elen of the Ways), Helena gains a wisdom and an understanding. She gives birth to Constantine, the Roman emperor who embraced Christianity. Eilan, through it all, begins to see where all religions and paths are reflections of a greater truth. Sometime after the book ends this Eilan/Helena is canonized as Saint Helena. In short, it's a detailed autobiography of a fascinating figure of a woman.

I can see where Mists devotees would be disappointed by this book. After all, only a small part of it actually takes place in Avalon. But does Eilan need to have spent her entire life on the island to be a priestess of Avalon? It seemed to me that she spread and shared the wisdom she learned on Avalon with people all over the Empire. If that doesn't make her a worthy heir to the Avalon legacy, nothing does.

The Martyrs' Torch, written by Bruce Porter, Rachel Scott's Mother's Pastor has some good insights. His intervies with Rachel's brother on the night of the shootings is chilling. There is so much pain and raw emotion displayed. Even the content of his speecha t the memorial service inspiring people to lift the martyr's torch that the title refers to is very compelling. Whree the book starts to drag and lose its bite is when Porter starts to get preachy and give advice. This needlessly enlongates the book and takes away from both the heartfelt stories of Columbine tragedy and the over all quality of writing in the book as a whole. I recommend Rachel's Tears for a life changing book about Columbine and the tragedy of April 20, 1999.

We highly recommend Bruce Porter's Book, "The Martyrs' Torch". As Pastor to the Scott family, Porter shares with us Rachel Joy Scott's Journal in her final days.

As with all words given post-humously, this journal speaks more loudly from Rachel's martyrdom, due to the brave honesty of her feelings. Just as Anne Frank's Diary revealed the human perspective of WW 2, Rachel's journal reveals the spiritual perspective of one totally committed to Christianity in an anti-Christian world.

Pastor Bruce orchestrates very carefully the thoughts and words of Rachel, including quotes and photos pertinent to the Columbine Tragedy. The narration is well woven together. In all of Porter's perceptions, he is forthright and realistic. His transparency of thought affords all of us the opportunity to be a part of the unfolding scenario.

His thoughts are weighty all the through the book, but especially near the end. The moral and ethical questions mentally debated for us here would readily make for required reading in any school, home, assembly or any segment of society. The insights given are sterling, as Porter answers the inquisitive heart of every adolescent---and let's face it---of all of us: Why? ...What for? ....What next ?

A particularly thought-provoking line is this : "I am completely convinced that if we do not pray for our leaders, then we are doomed to see the tragedy at Columbine repeated over and over again across our nation." [ page 74 ]

You will have rewarded yourself well for reading this book, and for contemplating the challenge Porter gives to each one of us--- to those of us who will never be the same after April 20, 1999.

Jim and Angela Goodrick

This is an excellent companion to the other books about the Columbine tragedy. It is also a stirring testimony to how real Christian persecution can be ignored, mocked and even trivialized.

The simple unavoidable fact is that tapes made BY the killers before the shootings clearly show who they hated the most. Had there been any other religious group (non- Christian) involved, I really doubt there would be such a quick denial of who was "targeted" during the shootings. The fact that there is such denial speaks volumes about what really happened. It also shows how nervous some people get when confronted by the name of Jesus.

Pastor Porter is to be commended on this book. It is more than just the story about Columbine. It is a hard look at our society and the depths to which it has sunk. He hits pretty close to the mark in the sermon he gave at Rachel Scott's funeral and a lot of people have heard the call. We ALL need to pick up the torch!

This review coincides with my thoughts on this brilliant book. It was published in the MANSTUFF column of Mandate Magazine's February, 2003 issue. Thanks for letting me replicate it here:

Blood Moon tells the story of Buck Brooke III, a liberal journalist who swings both ways in the bedroom. Trouble begins when he postpones a photo shoot for a major magazine that just named him "sexiest man alive." He has dinner with Rose Philipps, an avangelist known for her right-wing politics and fire-and-brimstone preaching style. Preacher Philipps has a stunningly attractive gay son, Shelley, and together they unite into an aggressive couple competing for the same male prizes. We're taken on a journey through sexual neuroses, corrupt politics, sanctimonious religion, murder, and steamy sex. When the book was first published, one reviewer raved, "If you ever thought that sex, psychosis, right-wing religion, and violence aren't linked, think again--and read this spellbinder." Another critic wrote, "Blood Moon is dazzlingly and jarringly original, an erotic thriller from a gifted Southern voice. It reads like an IMAX spectacle about the power of male beauty, with red-hot icons, a breathless climax, and erotica akin to Anais Nin on Viagra with a bump of meth."

I LOVED this novel. It's unique in the spectrum of erotic male fiction, with edgy neuroses and jarring political and cultural associations that explode all over the landscape. And at a stocking-stuffer price of less than $[money] a copy, it's hard to go wrong.....I really think you should buy a copy of this book.

Intrigued by the widely varied opinions on Darwin Porter's new psycho-sexual thriller, BLOOD MOON, I bought a copy. I loved it! It was one of the most entertaining and exciting high-libido novels I've ever read. The negative comments from some other readers (one of whom I suspect is Jerry Falwell in drag) are MORONIC and in one or two instances, incredibly naive.

This is a tour de force of gay fiction. To my knowledge, there's nothing remotely like it on the market today. The characters are both thought-provoking and sizzling, the dialogue is brilliant, and the plot is a page-turner. As for the sex scenes, they're credible, creative, and very, very hot.

Set in the late 70s, in the lusty days before AIDS, the novel weaves together about a half-dozen charismatic and full-bodied characters, most of whom are in their 20s, and most of whom are chock-full of testosterone. Their lives become entwined in a murky but enthralling blend of love, greed, psychosis, and betrayal. I read the book in three days, and didn't want it to end. What a hell of a movie it would make.

It was with satisfaction that I noted that much of the counterculture press from around the world has approved of this novel. Set in the fictional town of Okeechobee (perhaps a metaphor for Miami) the book appears in part to be autobiographical.

Gene and Buck are two of the sexiest men ever to appear in a gay novel. Rose Phillips, the charismatic and "deviant" evangelist, and her shocking son, Shelley, were surely written in hell. They are a brilliant--and jarring-- depiction of a fiercely ambitious mother/son team. I have a dozen other books piled up on my night stand, many of which I've tried (unsuccessfully) to finish reading. But what I'm really waiting for is Darwin Porter's next novel.

Blood Moon is WONDERFUL-- a spellbinder by which other contemporary gay novels should be judged!

Stunning ... breathtaking ... mesmerizing. Brett Easton Ellis with better sex. My hot summer afternoons have been totally devoted to this hot, hot story, cleverly written, wittingly entertaining. I didn't actually count, but I think every character has sex with every other character. But this novel is more than just sex. It's a great story with fantastic dialogue. (The final conversation between Rose and Calder is a camp classic.) Darwin Porter is a name to remember. Highly, highly recommended.

This book does an ok job, but I feel that the Cisco Press release of the Advanced Cisco Router Configuration explains things alot clearer. What I found most lacking in this book was the explanation of route summarization and the explanation of stub and totally stub areas. There are several questions on the ACRC exam on these topics. This book doesn't go into enough detail to understand the questions being asked in these areas. I read this book and Cisco Press's ACRC and the Cisco press book makes things alot clearer in the big picture. Anyone can memorize the commands to configure a router. However for this exam understanding why is more important than the how.

Todd Lammle has done it again! I don't care about the occassional error in the text as much as I care about results. I just passed ACRC about an hour ago. What more do you want?

The quote I'll use to describe the advantages of Lammle's book over Laura Chappell's official Cisco text is, "I don't need for you to explain the watch, just tell me what time it is," -- at least for ACRC testing purposes. I bought, studied, and will be keeping both books. You should consider doing the same because a bit of repetition never hurt anybody. While Chappell's book is the better in-depth, verbose reference, Lammle's book is unquestionably better for ACRC test preparation. The book is mapped directly to the ACRC test objectives and Lammle has trimmed a lot of the fat. The 259 question EdgeTest that comes on CD with the book is the push over the top. If you can answer every question correctly and understand WHY the right answer is the right answer and WHY the other answers are wrong, you're ready. Practice Lammle's exercise labs on your router, too, to get the much needed familiarity with the IOS commands.

Compared to a 5-day ACRC course which costs $1900 in my area (and likely requires another week or more of study before testing), this book for less than a 50 spot is a staggering bargain. Buy it and spend ample time with it. I invested a little over a month and I sit here today with ACRC behind me.

Todd, my pocketbook thanks you.

Many of the negative reviews here actually made me hesitate to buy this book - but I eventually did. Now in my final weeks of preparing for the exam - which expires on 31 July - and having gone through most of the book, I have strong confident that I will pass. You see, for the last one year, I have visited braindump site and passed one certification test after another by a lot of craming (cheating?) but questionable understanding - but this is the first certification book that truely made me understand the subject matter. The whole book is clustered with examples and diagrams to illustrate the fine point - there is no sign at all of rushing the book to the press - and no sign at all of trying to cram any subject matter just to make you pass. Some reviewer has alert us of mistakes in the book - I don't see to many typo or mistake, but it is true that there are some glaring one. For example, the IGRP chapter is well written, the 2 minutes drill has at least one or two gotcha (at least it got-me) that I suspect will make excellent exam question, but somewhere along the pages it actually says T1 has a metric of 65 - which is correct - and ethernet has a metric of 1000 - which is wrong - I think it is 10. Also, it says " convergence means that all routers in the network share a common routing table" - which cannot be true - he must have meant to say something else. But despite this, I just love the way they make me understand something by using examples and diagrams - they don't cut corners here. On many topics, like access list and IPX filtering, I beleive the book might have exceed the exam objective, certainly exceeding the ACRC course that I have taken in 98. And it is this strength and depth of true understanding that make me confident of giving it a good show in the real exam. One reminder, don't skip the 2 minutes drill - they are not just summary and revision - but also a place to alert you of possible exam gotcha. The self-test have a few tricky questions that make me laugh at my own stupidity - and I love it. For those who want to do it before 31 July - go get it - 45 days with this book can make a different.

Judging from the reviews it seems all that have read The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery weren't happy with this book at all. The same is true for me. The Blue Castle is full of beauty and humor...while this novel was a pale shadow of it. The story line is very much the same, but holds none of L.M. Montgomery's magic. Frankly, the book was boring and I skipped through most of it once I got to the middle. In my opinion, skip this novel and read The Blue Castle.

For some reason I thought this was going to be a somewhat meatier 'Shell Seeker' type-book, and I continued to think so until about the middle of the book, but then realized it was a romance novel.

OK, I guess as romance novels go. I thought the 'ghost' storyline was stupid - at one point, I thought maybe she had faked her death. No matter, pretty well-written for it's genre but nothing I'd highly recommend.

Very short, reads fast, makes you laugh. A feminist social satire set in the early 1900 somewhere in Australia. It's the story of Missy, a poor and put-upon spinster living under the autocratic tyranny of the male members of the family. She seems destined to a life of misery till a cousin, recently divorced (delicious scandal!!) arrives in town and sets the 'gentlemen' in their place with a scheme that leaves the women in the story and the readers of the book richer for the experience in every way.
Very witty and very wonderful.

The book isn't right for 640-861 exam. I got the book two days ago. Some wrong information like how long exam to take and how much question in the exam. And some wrong concept even in the book. At page.325, They talk about IS-IS is a hybird protocol. That is test question in the exam. The IS-IS is a link-state routing protocol as every cisco certified person know.
The book isn't cover enught information about new concept in the new 640-861 exam. Like VoIP, Qos and IPv6 and even no included gigabit network.

I just passed CCDA with my first try (score 902). I like the cases in this book. Definitely be familiar with them. I got almost idenfical case in the exam (of course, different questions). But this book will not prepare you fully for this exam if you are new to network, like me. I also read CCDA book from Cisco press (by Kim). Another suggestion is getting your CCNA first. I read Todd Lammle's CCNA book (that one is good) before, and found out that half of the CCDA book are exactly the same as the CCNA one(even the jokes are the same). So if you already have the CCNA book from Lammle, please don't buy this one. Buy the Cisco one.

I am changing careers and brand new to the computer/network field (my previous job was as a bookkeeper for an accounting firm). A friend sugested that I study and get certified as a CCDA in order to break into the field. All I can say is that I DID IT ! I passed (score 850) only using this book and no prior experience. If you want to pass the exam, I highly recommend this book. The book contains all the materials that you will be tested on in the real exam. Overall, it is organized well and easy to read.

It taught me the basics of networks, and how to design networks. It covered network management and routing protocols, but needed more about Token Ring and SNA.

I'm now studying for the CCNA using Todd Lammele's book and will take my exam next week!

I have read all of the Agatha Raisin series, and I am a great fan of M.C. Beaton's style of cozy, but this is the first Hamish Macbeth book I've read. They are as different from Agatha Raisin as could be, but just as enjoyable. Macbeth is a poky Scottish village constable who appears to not know how to even tie his shoes, but when he sets his mind on discovering a murderer, he shows that he has a mind like a steel trap. He has the Miss Marple knack of being able to compare people and situations to those he is familiar with, and he has the added help of many relatives throughout the world that he can call on for information. In this book Hamish solves the murder of a very nasty woman who has come to the village for a week long fishing school. It turns out that she is a gossip columnist for a tabloid newspaper, and she is at this school to dig up dirt on the other students. A very nasty character indeed, and there is certainly no lack of suspects. Great fun!

This is a cozy in the classic sense of the concept. There's just about as little violence as you can have while still having a murder. The story centers around a small group of diverse characters, in this case a vacation fishing school class. And, this book introduces a slueth, Hamish MacBeth, who makes Columbo look like a millionaire. The victim, Lady Jane, has made everyone (including you, the reader) ready to kill her with her evil inuendos. But who did it?

Anyhow, a solid read for a snowy day with a cup of cocoa. MacBeth has a considerable amount of charm and I'll be reading more in this series. The Scottish scenery doesn't hurt either.

First of the Hamish MacBeth series, this book introduces the quirky country constable who -- while not ambitious -- refuses to take a back seat to the big city Detective Inspector sent to solve Lochdubh's murder.

It's a short, light, quick reading book that centers on the characters moreso than the murder. Luckily, Beaton's dialog is snappy, enough so that you can overlook some two-dimensionality in supporting characters and some all too heavy-handed contrivance plot-wise. Then too, the Hamish MacBeth character is so very interesting and well thought, that whatever character flaws there may be in the book, you don't care as long as you can spend some time with MacBeth....

....And you do get to spend most of the last half of the book with MacBeth, puzzling out the mystery and scrounging free tea and sandwiches from the locals. Not a bad way to spend day.