I have to admit when I first started reading this, I wasn't sure if I could get into it or not. Marty Stryker advertises for a "wife" to keep his house and raise his daughter. Juliette answers his ad, and they hit it off immediately. They agree to marry a week later. That is when the fairytale aspect ends and the story gets great! Juliette is keeping a secret from Marty that she doesn't spring on him until after they are married. Marty is furious, but decides to stay married to her. Once I got to this point, I didn't put the book down. It is a heartwarming emotional read, and tells the true meaning of Family. I loved that characters from previous books made appearances as well.

For engineers working in the area of analog telephony, this book does an excellent job of covering a number of topics not often found in more general telephony texts.

While the subject of Chapter 4 ("Hybrids") is covered in many books, the coverage here is particularly clear and quantitative. Chapter 5 continues with "Echo Loss and Return", material that I have not found in other books.

Chapter 2 touches on Transmission Level Plans (reviewing concepts such as dBm0).

... If your work involves design of analog telephony components or systems, or echo cancellers, look about ... for a copy.

Stinson has written an excellent mystery story with compelling characters and a gentle sense of humour. Don't expect ugly grit, and don't expect Monty Python over-the-top humour, but it's well worth a read. I wish he were writing more presently.

If you like this, some of Michael Z Lewin's works have a similar flavour, depending on which protagonist he is writing about - Lewin's Albert Samson novels are somewhat comparable.

In this pioneering book, soldiers write in their own words, no-holds-barred, about their true sexual experiences. These are men who are (or were) serving in the military and who often, because of fear of persecution, have to use pen-names. Contains about 20 in-depth stories on what really goes on behind barracks walls and inside ships when the military brass isn't snooping.

I recently read two separate but related books, this one and Alan Axelrod's Nothing to Fear: Lessons in Leadership from FDR. The connections between Roosevelt and Churchill are numerous and significant. Some doubt remains as to how close their personal friendship was but there is no doubt of their mutual respect as together they and their respective nations faced what once seemed certain defeat by the Axis powers in World War II. This book is of special interest to me because it was written by Churchill's granddaughter in collaboration with Littman. Her perspectives are especially significant, given what we learn about Churchill's family life in the excellent biographies written by Martin Gilbert and Roy Evans. Apparently Churchill could often be rather demanding of family members as well as of his staff, especially during England's struggle to survive and then share in the ultimate victory in World War II. In fact, Sandys (with Littman's substantial assistance) focuses most of her attention on her grandfather's inspiring leadership during those darkest of hours.

In the Introduction, she acknowledges that she has been frequently asked, "When did you realize that your grandfather was a great man?" For reasons she explains, she found it impossible to answer. The core question to which she does respond is this: What can be learned from Winston Churchill's leadership? She organizes her material within fourteen chapters, concluding each with a list of what she suggests are "Churchillian Principles." For example, at the end of one of my favorite chapters ("Follow Your Canvas"), she offers these:

• Expect the unexpected and you'll find yourself far better prepared to deal with life's twists and turns.

• Make your own hours to bring vitality to your work.

• Leave time for rest and relaxation, especially when under pressure.

• Wise leaders have a hobby or pursuit outside of work that brings them joy.

• Never forget the rejuvenating power of a good meal with friends or stimulating company.

Sandys was in a unique position to observe Churchill's commitment to these and other principles. Throughout her narrative, she makes appropriate use of Churchill's own statements about all manner of situations, ranging from his conflicts and collaborations with other world leaders to the reasons why he enjoyed painting so much. She offers her own opinions along the way, duly noting her grandfather's warts as well as his halos. This is a serious book, a remarkably thoughtful and sensitive book, but also one which is highly entertaining. I have always regretted never having had the pleasure of Churchill's company. (He would be among the guests invited to a "fantasy dinner" were it possible for me to host such an event. The others? Homer, Eleanor of Aquitaine, William Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Katherine Hepburn. Wouldn't that be an evening to remember?) I am deeply grateful to Sandys for sharing so much of her personal relationship with Churchill but also for her response to the question previously posed: What can be learned from Winston Churchill's leadership?

In the epilogue, she recalls that "Even at home taking command was a way of life. On seaside holidays he would direct the family party, his children and those of his brother Jack, in the building of magnificent sand castles. Everyone had a role to play under the direction of the 'King of the castle.' He was as excited as the children when at high tide the sea rushed in to fill the moat and eventually destroy the entire day's work." What a fond memory of a singular man who retained "almost to the end, his ability to enthrall his audience with wisdom, humor, and humanity."

I enjoyed this book. WHEELS is a non-fiction story about a year on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit. It is full of rip roaring action and excitement. the author writes it lap by lap, wreck by wreck, race by race. I thought the wrecks were the mast interesting parts of this book, followed by the fixing of the cars. The author shows true spirit for all the tracks and drivers. Some of the drivers in this book are Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Skinner, Steve Park, Dale Jarret, and Darrell Waltrip. Some of the tracks are Martinsville Speedway, Darlington Speedway, Daytona Speedway, Talladega Speedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway. I think every NASCAR fan should read this book.

Both this book and Mr. Sevilla's first work, "Wilkes: His Life and Crimes," are two of the best books I've ever read about lawyers and judges. They're very funny and -- I regret to say -- very truthful accounts of the way our legal system actually works. Get it. Read it. Enjoy it

I cannot prove empirically that the words above these comments are unimpeachably accurate; I would however wager that were there such a system to track how often the words of one person are quoted by another, Sir Winston Spencer Churchill would rival all competitors. There are many reasons for this position, the length of his life, the events he was in the midst of, and the manner by which he memorialized all he was involved in. In the 100 years The Nobel Prize For Literature has been given out, it has been given only 6 times to English authors, and he is one of them.

His was born when Queen Victoria sat on the throne of England, and he died when President Lyndon Johnson was serving his second year as President of The United States. There were very few years he was not in the public's eye, and very few moments he was out of the midst of current events. Even the so called, "wilderness years", would become integral in his being prepared to defend The Western Democracies from the threats posed by WWII, and the men who left England horribly exposed. It is too much to say that his words alone carried England through her finest and darkest hours, but that his words were integral cannot be argued.

Sir Winston was a great believer in reading the quotations of history's great personages and then following those quotes through to more detailed biographies. Like Disraeli before him who stated one should read biography to learn history, Churchill often took the very same path. He was never concerned with how History would view him, for has often been quoted he stated, "I will write it". Write it he did, and even if he had not, with his words so ever present in the speeches of those who are in the public arena, and writers of all genres whether fiction or non-fiction, this man would never have been forgotten by History.

There are seemingly endless books about Churchill and collections of wide varieties of his utterances. As a person who has read many of these books, I can say confidently that this pocket size version is well worth your while, contains many of his better known bon mots, and while specific wording will vary with those that record his words from a variety of sources, I found only one or two that seemed to turn a word differently than I had read before.

Few lives have stretched nearly a century, fewer still a century as dramatic as the 20th. He was there for the sunset of the 19th, the dawn of the 20th, and as his lengthy life allowed him to experience the majority of the tumultuous 20th Century. The History of our World has seen few like him, and with our modern penchant for destroying those in one moment who we hold in such tenuous esteem only a breath before, it may be a very long time until his kind is seen once again.

Like the TV series on which they are based, the series of
"Biography" books are accessible approaches to the men and
women on whom they focus. (They are also a great marketing idea.
Give that boy/girl a raise!) Each volume is written by a
well-known and/or respected author; "Winston Churchill" was penned by James Humes, whose past achievements include two other tomes on Sir Winston. The books are pithy and pleasing, highlighting and spotlighting (in concise detail) its subject, and not shrinking away from controversy or scandal. The photos are terrific; the layouts are done in that appealing, yet not over-the-top, DK style. Think of these books as printed soundbytes that are as interesting and insightful and welcome as their small-screen counterparts.

An intelligent and penetrating examination of Churchill's seldom studied views on empire and relations with the developing world. Delightfully written, it will appeal to the Churchilll specailist and casual reader alike.