This is not a book for cynics - or maybe it is. A sweet and simple story about ordinary people, it runs a bridge over the chasm between rationality, our need for hard proof, and the consoling power of prayer and simple faith. Those of us needing something more than the materiality of modern life may find comfort here. Others, too smart and too busy for religion in their lives, will not bother. They should.

This book is a fascinating story within a story. Frank, a runner in his 30s, is training for the New York Marathon.

Frank comes across as very human; he could be the boy-next-door with his interest in playing poker, football, drinking beer and hanging out with his friends. But what makes him interesting and complex and gives the story its resonance and depth, is that he is a Catholic Priest.

A very thought provoking book.

What a treat to find an interesting well written book that helps explain the Catholic outlook and its rituals to mistified Protestants. Father Frank is a very appealing young priest with his all too human failings, goals and yearnings. We see his family, parish and view of life through his eyes as he goes through a year in the church calendar in training for the NYC marathon. Along the way, we see his growth and that of his church, and we grow in our knowledge of the different celebrations of the church year and their meaning. Frances Bremer has given us a city Catholic priest, reminescent of the Episcopal Father Tim in Jan Karon's Mitford series. She leaves us wanting more.

I read Michael Bremer's book, Taming The Electronic Beast, cover to cover, and found it fun, very entertaining and inspiring. In fact, I was so inspired I spent six hours recently learning basics on my computer without a single moment of stress. It was the most fun I've had yet on the Beastly Bin of Boorish Banality! (See three-part insult starter kit in book.) I've had a pc for about three years now, and whenever the thought of trying to use it appeared, I would feel aversion to even turning it on. I avoided spending time on it because I saw it as a joyless waste of time. I simply wanted to be able to turn it on and know how to use it without spending too much time. The suggestions and the voice of the book changed my attitude. I now see the time spent during the learning phase is not a waste. The Edison example was inspiring, and the idea that learning something new exercises the brain makes the learning curve much more palatable. And making mistakes represents progress. I knew all this, but I needed a reminder. I see the light and it looks like fun! I loved the humor of the book. Just the thought of embarrassing my computer with a pair of big, pink, floppy, ears makes me smile. The three-part insult starter kit has the potential to be very useful in many situations. And I may even try spending some time on a computer game or two. I hear The Sims is quite entertaining. Really, the book was been very helpful. I'm loaning it to my Mother now. We're both looking forward to future Advice From The Neighborhood Nerd books. There are many questions beginners have. For many people it is a challenge to become computer literate. We appreciate having someone like the neighborhood nerd out there to hold our hands, and the voice of the book was comforting. I recommend it to anyone preparing to learn about computers.

Are you afraid of your computer? Need to figure out what the kids know? Is it time to jump on the computer bandwagon but worried about falling down? Join Michael Bremer in this humorous and commonsense book to lose your fear and become more in tune with today's technology. Bremer manages to put everything into perspective and make learning about the computer more enjoyable. His main goal is to help you conquer your fear of computers by learning what might happen if you push the

wrong button. Afraid of breaking your computer? Losing your data? Getting a virus? Bremer goes over these details with refreshing clarity and simplicity. And he is reassuring in his assessment of computer "damage," unlike the doomsday press notices we see each day about computer failures. Truly a worthwhile book for those with computer anxiety. - The Science Spiders Newsletter

Taming the Electronic Beast with a subtitle Conquering Computer Fear is a well written book from writer Michael Bremer who calls himself The Neighborhood Nerd. The illustrations are clever. This easy to read book would be an ideal gift for anyone who is hesitant about making their first purchase of a computer. Bremer really taps into the basics with his Computer Attitude Tests. A good read.

Terry Bremer's Dandylion: The Most Misunderstood Flower is a thoroughly delightful children's picturebook about the dandelion - a common plant often scorned or sprayed as a weed, yet which is also a flower with an inviting smell and a unique albeit ephermeral beauty. A lovely rhyming poem enhanced with bold color illustrations by M. Deborah Pierce distinguishing this charming and recommended picturebook story about learning to appreciate this common yet special plant.

Dandylions by Bremer and Illustrator M. Deborah Pierce

Dandylions, by Terry Bremer and illustrator M. Deborah Pierce, is 28 pages of magical words and colorful in depth exciting illustrations about real Dandylion's personality, character and its neighborhood... It jacket is not as detailed as pages and its sturdy durable pages make book easy to clean.

Dandylions joyfully activated much family Dandylion hunting venture and many treasured photos to get special bouquets for our child's room and our kitchen... When a Dandylion appeared on the front lawn our child gathered book and began a long bonding relationship with the lonely Dandylion. It soon created a crowd of neighborhood children gather with have similar identification with Dandylion supplements by reading the book... It was an unexpected benefit and caused the book to become permanently a must have near the pillow book by many neighborhood children. .

DANDYLIONS is and daily continues to be a 5 star presentation
***** Clarity of message with vibrant illustrations &
***** Positive interaction of illustrations and magical words
***** Each page has complete thoughtful message
***** Great individual quiet read or oral book by reader and ***** Exciting family participation oral book 4 children
***** Projects positive individual character values
***** Hold multiple positive relationship messages
***** Encourages beginner reader(s) to enjoy reading benefits
***** Great interactive elementary teacher tool
***** Captured creative eye movement
***** Sparks realtionship with nature events
***** Relevant to city and rural living
***** High probability to change your child's desire to read

DAVID HOOK-unsolicited endorsement
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVIST-12 YEARS
FORMER LOCAL SCHOOL P.T.A. OFFICER
GRANDFATHER

Having done Genealogy for 23 years, I've found Ron Bremer's rather unusual research methods the answer to breaking down those stubborn "brick walls". His "Bester" and "Worser" list of resources helped me find my paternal family after having no luck for 15 years. Bremer shows you where to FIND those long lost records. If you only buy one book, this is the one. Well worth the price.

Very Goo

A magical rememberance of our past! Very well written. I highly recommend this book.

I found this book to be a helpful and comprehensive guide to PTSD. Everything I think i need is in this book, from history of trauma, to epidemiology, treatment with cognitive behavioral and medication approaches, group therapy, neurobiology, gender issues and much more. If you bought one book on PTSD, this would be it. Also for college courses on trauma this is a useful text.

I gave this book to my friend's four-year-old son, and he loved it. The story is not only charming and funny, but also intelligent, and VERY well done. The graphics could not be better drawn, and the voices are funny, and easy to listen to. In terms of story line, the plot is perfect for a child, and engaging enough to keep adults interested as well. This is not a CD that will send adults running from the room every time their child wants to play with Ronald. I would definitely recommend Ronald Dragon over any Disney Children's CDs out there.

That the vulgar 'official strategy guide' label cheapens this book reflects SimLife's uneasy categorisation as a game. I don't know how well it sold, but I'd guess that people who bought SimLife on the reputation of SimCity and SimEarth were disappointed. Like the other Sims it doesn't make that much sense as a game, but unlike them, to most people it doesn't make much sense on any other level either. SimLife is about genetics, and unless you know something about genetics it looks rather dull.

SimLife only begins to make sense when you understand something about what it's doing under the covers, which means that the kinds of people who are drawn to the program are those who are interested in genetic algorithms and emergent behaviour. These kinds of things are generally grouped under the title of 'artificial life', and I'm betting most copies of SimLife that didn't end up in the bin found their way onto the computers of A-Life groupies.

I'm also guessing the game's authors knew this, because this book, written by the same team, reveals just how frighteningly technical the mechanisms concealed behind SimLife's cuddly interface really are. For me, this is where the book scores. It treats SimLife as a testbed for doing A-Life experiments, and it pulls no punches in describing the technicalities. It also becomes clear on reading that although SimLife models nature, it does so in a grossly abstract manner.

SimLife may have been ill-conceived as a game, but as a tinker-toy for A-Life aficionados it's a hit. But to get the most from the program you need to understand its design and philosophy, and this is the book that will fill you in. If it was my call I'd repackage SimLife with a two-volume manual set, and this would be Volume 2.

I am new to the world of technical writing, and an overall experience of just over a month, but this book purchased from Amazon, for myself has been truly worthwhile in reading and applying the knowledge that I learnt to an online user manual for my company, in particular I liked the way that Bremer always relates each topic covered throughout the book in our (as technical writers) perspective, and gives opportunities for exploration in other fields.

I had this book on my wish list for at least a year and received it at Christmas. I have been writing user's manuals for a few years now and I was expecting to get fresh ideas from this book. I read it all the way through to only say to myself, "well that was interesting but how much did I get out of it?" I realized that I already knew most of what is in the book. So, am I disappointed? No. Bremer has done a great job of explaining the process of writing good user manuals. It is well organized and gives good examples. It reminded me of what is important in a good manual. The one exception that I have though is, Bremer often writes about the technical writer who writes the text and then turns the project over to a designer to format the manual. These days, it is the writer who often does the writing and formatting. I do not know too many writers who does otherwise. This book is a must for anyone who has not written a software manual. For the people who have written successful manuals, they will not get a lot out of it.

I got this book last year just before I was called for an interview for the position I hold as Senior Technical Writer for a small software firm. I read it twice through, and paid close attention to the examples. With the help of what I learned I got the job, and have been successfully writing all our documentation since. With the help of this book I was able to capitalize on my writing skills and education, and make the transition smoothly into technical writing. It gave me a step-by-step guide with examples to planning and creating the type of publications I would be expected to produce, and outlined all the processes thoroughly. I have reccommended this book to several of my colleagues.