I understand readers' affection toward this book -- a novel that takes place on the Isle of Nollop (Nollop being the man that composed the famous phrase "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog," of course). When letter tiles of the famous phrase begin to fall from the Isle's tribute, citizens take it as a sign from Nollop's grave.

"Speak or write the letter 'z', first offense-public reprimand, second offense-public flogging or the stockades, third offense-deportment from the island of Nollop. If you refuse to go, death is the punishment."

Thus unfolds the fun behind this novel -- letters begin to "disappear" from the text (words containing them aren't used, at least), until finally, words are spelled "creatively" when there are only a few letters remaining that haven't been banned.

As a writer, I understand the remarkable fun Dunn must have had writing Ella Minnow Pea. To begin with, the idea of an island devoted to the phrase "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is an interesting one, and to follow, how entertaining would it be to write a novel where you must constantly think of alternate phrasing?

My only criticism of this book, however, is that the characters writing the letters (the "narrators," if you will, as the story is told using the Rashoman effect) are incredibly flat, and I felt nothing for them. They were merely there to present Dunn's idea. There was little development or actual action in the book. I felt that the characters rambled in their letters, talking about much of the same things, merely to in permit the continuation of the novel and its missing letters.

Mostly, I think I enjoyed the concept of the book, rather than the book itself.

This creative, intriguing novel follows the swift disintegration of an imaginary civilization when the letters on a statue they revere begin to fall, and their island government deems this a sign that they are to no longer use these letters in speech or writing.
The novel is written in the form of epistles, and as the story progresses we see the struggles of the correspondents to communicate without using the forbidden letters.
The book can be read as a cautionary tale, a political and/or religious allegory about censorship, idolatry, and the ease with which unwise laws can be passed, often unwittingly. The result of forbidding people to use certain letters of the alphabet is catastrophic; it results in physical punishment, exile, the breakup of families and loss of property -- even death.
Yet this novel is also a creative and entertaining read, uplifting and, in places, humorous. I highly recommend it to anyone who is fascinated with language.

Speak or write the letter "z", first offense-public reprimand, second offense-public flogging or the stockades, third offense-deportment from the island of Nollop. If you refuse to go, death is the punishment.

"Ella Minnow Pea" is quite possibly the most original book I have ever read. Mark Dunn's first novel is highly creative, insiteful, with a touch of political undercurrents. Written in the form of letter correspondences, it is a quick and entertaining read. As letters become outlawed, they do in fact drop from the book, not making it harder to read (as was my worry) but only adding to its charm. "Ella Minnow Pea" will even give you a new appreciation for that wonderful thing we call the alphabet, as well as put a smile on your face. So, find out the fate of the alphabet and the citizens of Nollop and read this book!

I recently read "Dear Heart How Like You This?" by Wendy J. Dunn and I was so impressed and touched that I wanted to write a brief review to thank the author. I have never done anything like this before, so I read someone else's review of this wonderful novel to get an idea of how to write mine. The review I read was so eloquent I thought how could I possibly add anything to something so complete. All I can add are the deep personal feelings this book brought out in me. Sir Thomas Wyatt is my blood kin. I have always had a history of my family with pictures of Allington Castle and stories of Sir Thomas. I had this image of Sir Thomas, larger than life, possessing no human frailties or weakness. After reading "Dear Heart", I realized he laughed when he was happy and cried when his heart was broken, as it often was. While I read, I had to keep reminding myself that it is a work of fiction, but it did not feel like fiction to me. The characters and events are not fiction. It is not fiction that Sir Thomas loved Anne Boleyn for most of his life. Tom's grandson, George Wyatt, speaking of Thomas and Anne, said Sir Thomas "could gladly yield to be tied forever with the knot of her love." If I had inherited Tom's way with words, I could express how deeply this novel touched me. I do not know what else to say except thank you Wendy.

T. Wyatt

I have read every novel I ever found about Queen Anne Boleyn and enjoyed them all. This one was special and very refreshing! While adhering to main historical events, Wendy Dunn takes us on a mental and emotional adventure into possibilities of personal relationships which may well have been true. I came away from this novel more aware of the minutes and hours and days apart from the public events of Anne's life and emotions, and those of her friends and family, than ever before. "Dear Heart, How Like You This?" turns Anne, George,& Mary Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt from historical personages into very real personalities. It is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in people and a delight for anyone interested in Tudor times.

Wendy J Dunn's "Dear Heart, How Like You This?" is a glimpse into Tudor England that has yet to be achieved by any other author. There have been many books written about the ill-fated Anne Boleyn but through the eyes of poet Sir Thomas Wyatt, Anne is portrayed as never before. For instead of a queen, we see a child with a love of life unsurpassed, an innocent spirit whose path to the execution block was paved by betrayal, untruths and heartbreak. A woman who could trust only two men in her life, her brother George and the man who loved her from childhood, Thomas Wyatt.

Based on documented history, Wendy J. Dunn has indeed added the exact amount of spice to create this superb historical novel. As Thomas shares his love for Anne, he also shares the fickle character of the Tudor time period where passions ran high and a sentence of death could so easily be achieved. Loyal to each other unto death, Anne, George and Thomas' lives are entwined so steadfastly that what could not tear them apart was instead used to destroy them.

As we come to know Anne, George and Thomas through Thomas' own words, we learn of a friendship that truly transcends time. Spun beautifully by the author, it is a camaraderie most have witnessed and yearn for. It is the familiarity established by the author that carefully captures you and heaves you right into the nucleus of Tudor England. It is not without surprise then that once the book concludes, you feel Thomas's loss keenly and it is with an element of sadness that you allow the cover to close on his life.

What I admired most about this book is not only its sensitivity to the time period but its incredible grasp of human nature. In an era where life was unpredictable and fate often lay in the palms of others, Wendy J. Dunn captures the people that dwelt within it simply but effectively and ensures their vibrancy to the every end. Cleverly and thoughtfully composed, the author imparts a tale that she herself states is -- "conceived around people who were once flesh and blood."

Historians will enjoy this book for the insight it offers on Tudor life, for the politics of the English court and for the dominance of Henry VIII. Others will enjoy this work simply because it is a tale of tragedy that cannot fail to strike at the heart and soul.

"Strong Poison" is a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, the first of four that feature his relationship with Harriet Vane, so if you are new to Sayers, this is a good one with which to start. Sayers was one of the authors of mystery's "Golden Age", following the pioneers - Poe, Wilkie Collins and Conan Doyle - and preceding the hardboiled school of Hammett and Chandler. She was thus a contemporary of Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen.

Her style is perhaps the most literary and polished of any mystery writer. (For further evidence of her skills, read her superb translation of "The Song of Roland"). She handles dialogue and human interaction extremely well and convincingly portrays a wide range of character types. Also notable is the occasional flash of ironic, rather dark, humor. I have to say however, that her penchant for bizarre names can be rather off-putting. We meet two jounalists called Salcombe Hardy and Waffles Newton, a lawyer called Sir Impey Biggs and an actress called - would you believe? - Cremorna Garden.

The plot is not as strong as the poison; it is too linear, with no twists and turns, although the central idea is quite good. It is more interesting as a literary portrait of 1930 English society than as a crime puzzle. But a good read, nonetheless.

Dorothy L. Sayers remains the finest of the early 20th century mystery writers: unusually erudite, she earned one of the first english degrees awarded to a woman at Oxford University. Eclectic enough to have written a definitive translation of Dante's Divina Comedia, her detective novels are shot through with quotations from a who's who of english literature.

Sayers loved language and her characters display this love with brilliance. In this novel, her favorite sleuth, the curiously human Lord Peter Wimsey, engages himself for the first time with Harriet Vane, whom he discovers on trial for her life for murdering her lover. Convinced at once of her innocence, he sets out to prove it. A hung jury gives him the opportunity, and Sayer's great skill in plotting brings Miss Vane out of prison, but unfortunately for Wimsey not (yet) into his arms. He has, of course, become hopelessly besotted with her.

Some reviewers describe Harriet Vane as unlikable -- there's little douibt that Sayers put much of her own sometimes awkward personality into Harriet. However, she is a genuinely interesting and surprisingly real character, and without question an early feminist.

The book is entirely satisfying in its own right, with particularly telling passages about spiritualism (an obsession of the time). Sayers' Miss Climpson, another fascinating character, a spinster who aids Wimsey in his detective work and philanthropy, uses spiritualism to elicit the motive for the murder and ultimately the responsible party.

It is also noteworthy for introducing the series of novels about Wimsey and Harriet Vane that includes Have His Carcase (the least satisfying), Gaudy Night (the first great feminist novel of the 20th century) and Busman's Honeymoon. Jill Paton Walsh, no mean novelist herself, completed a Sayers manuscript much more recently for Thrones and Dominations, a competent additional chapter in Peter and Harriet's lives.

Sayers was an extraordinary woman and an extraordinary writer -- in Wimsey and Harriet Vane, she connected her ideal man (Wimsey) with her alter ego, (Harriet). Strong Poison is the start of a sequence of highly intelligent, beautifully written novels that happen to be mysteries.

This is still a masterpiece of the genre. Doroty Sayers was very aware of the issue of the writer as outsider. Her writing is sprightly. We begin promisingly, right in the midst of a trial. Nothing could be more action oriented. There is a wonderful jury instruction given on the burden of proof. Harriet Vane is charged with murder by arsenic and she is writing a mystery story about murder by arsenic. It is so very curious to write books about crime and to be accused of crime. There is a hung jury.

With a month to erect a new defense if available, Lord Peter Wimsey undertakes to visit the father of the victim. Since both Harriet Vane , the alleged perpetrator, and the victim are writers, their books are selling enormously well. Wimsey seeks to insert his man, Bunter, into the household of the cousin with whom the victim resided and a lady confidential clerk into the cousin's law chambers.

Lord Peter notes he collects books. Crime is not very decorative. Lord Peter's interference in bringing about his sister Mary's marriage is just dear. The plotting is excellent. The book does not age, although some of the renderings of the accents of the servants and the various classes of British society are heavy going.

Having read Men Are From Mars; Women Are From Venus, John Gray misses the mark where really intimate, loving relationships are concerned. His perception of the dynamics involved in relationships between men and women brings to mind the movie The Stepford Wives. In the movie, women are merely automotons, meeting the basic needs and desires of men, never needing to relate intimately with them or get involved in their lives. Rather than offering a hollow substitute, Dr. William Van Horn's book, The Seven Steps to Passionate Love, teaches couples how to enjoy a relationship of satisfying substance built on a solid foundation. You will not only learn what skills and tools are necessary to build and maintain true intimacy and passion in your relationship, but also how to heal the pain each partner brings into it. You will also learn how to break the destructive patterns that prevent lovers from effectively communicating. If this book had been available ten years ago, my husband and I would not have wasted so much time, money and energy on other ineffective books, tapes, videos and marriage councelling. We have literally fallen in love again and enjoy a truly intimate,loving,passionate relationship we never dreamed possible. Learning The Seven Steps to Passionate Love helped a dream become a reality. Thank you, Dr. Van Horn!

My husband and I both have professional degrees from Ivy League universities. About 20 years into our lonely, workaholic marriage, I was seriously thinking about leaving him. Yet because I did not want to subject our son to the anguish of divorce, I started to search for books that could help us learn how to improve our relationship and deepen our love for one another.

Two books helped tremendously: David Schnarch's Passionate Marriage, and William Van Horn's 7 Steps to Passionate Love. Each is brilliant in a different way. Schnarch's book helped us to see that "emotional gridlock" was inevitable in a longterm relationship, but that there were ways to grow individually and collectively into a much more fulfilling relationship. Van Horn's book has helped us to see what we must do day-to-day to create a more satisfyingly loving experience. Van Horn's book is lacking re design, editing, and proofing, but these are minor complaints. Today, we are a far happier couple because of the things that we learned from these two wise books.

I wanted to learn how to energize my marriage, but I couldn't find any book that offered real solutions. When I read "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus", I had trouble relating to the women John Gray described, so it was difficult to apply any of his teachings (most of which, by the way, seemed very sexist to me).

Dr. Van Horn talks about experiencing love on a whole new level and that's exactly what my marriage needed. Now, my husband and I are even closer to each other than we were when we first met. It feels good to share this love again and it spills out into our relationship with our children and friends. After reading this book, I feel WHOLE.

While the Software Manual that comes with PhotoImpact is fairly complete, it doesn't give you many nice examples. This book gives you some nice examples and ideas of what you can do with the software. But, it lacks some of the technical detail. So, it's a nice companion to the software manual, but not a complete unit in itself. A lot of the color pictures in this book are helpful, but some of the pictures that are used to display differences between different software options all look the same to me.

This PI6 book has many great things going for it. It can be a valuable resource from the new to advanced user. Jason takes this new outstanding version of PhotoImpact and makes it fun to explore the many features. It contains step-by-step instructions, using color examples and illustrations to easily see the potential power of this program, and numerous helpful tips and notes are sprinkled throughout the book to enable the user to stretch their abilities even further. I found the book easy to read, and the instructions accurate and simple to follow.

When I read an instructional book, I take many notes referencing back to pages I want to look at again or features I want to try. (If it is a book on a program I know fairly well, I usually do not read it while at my computer.) I especially note items about the aspects of the program, which I didn't know or want to know more about. Books such as this one and several others published by Muska & Lipman include URLs to other sites which offer products or services that compliment the program. I find this helpful, showing a team-oriented effort and a willingness to go above and beyond to help the user grow and see things from different perspectives. This book has many references to other sites, and you will find yourself picking it up and referencing it over and over again.

I have been a web developer for nearly four years, and I have been using PhotoImpact since version 4.2. I'd consider myself an intermediate user in reference to my knowledge about the program. So although my reasons and uses of the program may differ from others, my personal favorite chapters were Chapter 8 on Advanced Special Effects and Chapter 13 on Printing, Sharing & More. In Chapter 8, Jason takes many of the built-in filters and effects and shows color examples of their capabilities using before and after photos. Chapter 13 is a "catch all" section that discusses an assortment of items not covered in the rest of the book. It includes thorough explanations on using many time saving features of the program such as the Quick Commands and Batch Convert features. All in all, this book is well worth the price and the time to read it!

PhotoImpact Solutions is a great book for those who have yet to discover all the wonderous things this image editor can do. The full color layout and easy to understand language makes for very comfortable reading. It sure beats sifting through the user manual supplied with the program.

The new features are discussed thoroughly and gives the reader / user a better understanding of the power of PhotoImpact 6. Users of previous versions won't find anything essential here besides the new features, but those new to PI should not pass this book up. This is by far the most enjoyable PI book released yet!

Congrats to Jason and company for a job well done!

The presentation is truly beautiful, with the tiny Buddha statue and the book tucked into the back of the box, but I feel that those who support Tibet might want to know that this lovely piece was made in China.

The omission of Theravade Buddhism is very severe indeed. Theravada Buddhism is the single surviving line of the Hinayana tradition that dates to the earliest semblences of Buddhism. Ignoring that teaches the reader little.

I give this book 3 stars for the pictures and the figure. But if you want to read some real educational material on Buddhism then don't buy this book.

It was a really short book but for me thats good because I have so many other things that I need to read. But this was a amazing introduction to bhuddism and I am going to investigate more and maybe convert over to that because it seems like a sort of strict religion but one that deffinintly improves your life.

Dunn's Different Hours is quite an accomplishment. Dunn focuses on the ordinary and on human relationships and uses wry humor, omission, nostalgia, and expertly controlled language to limn the ordinary into song, whether classical or from a jutebox. These subjects, in other hands, may fall flat, for Dunn does not elevate his experience into the sublime, or into the intellectual like C.K. Williams' Pulitzer-winner "Repair." Different Hours---a unique and mature book.

Stephen Dunn won the Pulitzer in 2001 for his collection of poetry, Different Hours. And unlike other Pulitzer winners (Carl Dennis' Practical Gods for example), this one might actually deserve the award. It is a pretty good collection. The poems are lyrical and interesting. Dunn isn't obsure. He doesn't ramble. It's a solid collection, with several really good poems ("Evanescence", "The Death of God", "Optimism", "John & Mary", "returning from an Artist's Studio", and "Story").

What a wonderfull book. I read this book twice and will read it again.His poetry settles in like a old friend. Read anything by Dunn that you can find.

I do not know a thing about vampires so I can not say if this book was correct or not. However I enjoyed the pictures and the content of the book.

This was a very good book, expecially for begining vampire fanatics. Many of the basics are here, including suggestions for futher reading, in novels at least. The pictures are great. The Countess Bathory part is not accurate, and the Vlad Dracula part isn't wholly accurate either. Don't use this as your only guide. This is really a good place to start, and the pictures in them selves are worth it.

This is a great book and I've actually purchased it twice! This is a must have for anyone interested in vampires and vampire myths. Telling the stories and investigations of vampires this book gives you a good insight on what is true or not, yet in the end wondering if vampires really do exist or if they have only been in our imaginations all along.

I've owned this book for a couple of years or so. It's a guide I'll refer to when I'm at home, but I don't like using it out in the field. It's a guide that I've never felt very comfortable using. There are better ones out there than this. I can't quite point my finger at what I don't like about this book. The information and maps are fine. I guess it would have to be the fact that the book's drawings don't seem as good as other guides illustrations. The book is quite large also, and not really pocket sized. My favorite illustrated guides are Roger Tory Peterson's Eastern Birds and All the Birds of North America (the drawings are more reliable in these I believe).

I have been birding for 20 years. My life list is a respectable 445 species in North America. While some reviewers may not carry this book around, I will guarantee you the National Geographic Society (NGS) Field Guide to the Birds of North America is the #1 choice among every birder I know. On my shelf I have a dozen guides...in fact probably every one published. This one is HANDS DOWN my favorite. What makes it so good? With due respect to Roger Tory Peterson, the illustrations and written clues in the NGS guide are unmatched. Secondly, in the 3d edition, National Geographic has demonstrated a fervent desire to keep up with the ever-changing naming conventions from the American Ornithological Union. Other guides are simply not keeping pace. If you are new to this hobby, this is THE guide. If someone told you they are interested, but they don't know where to start, this is THE guide.

The one to get if you only get one. The one to use if you have many.

Just like that holy book, you will find this excellent book by National Geographic is constantly referred to. As you would expect from any field guide, it is beautifully illustrated. That's usually not enough though to help you positively identify some species, regardless of whether you are an expert or casual birder. The field notes associated with each birds' illustration come in very handy. They give vital clues about behavior, habitat or some other factor that can help clinch the identification. Small maps showing breeding, year round and winter ranges are well placed on each page and are there to provide quick geographic checks. Helps avoid situations like this: "I just saw a Louisiana Waterthrush. Oh wait, I'm in South Florida, can't be then, it must have been a Northern."

The only other way I can endorse this book is to say that I have quite a few other guides and reference books and when going out birding with my family and I say "bring the field guides" this is usually the first one grabbed.

As a professional comedian, I rarely laugh out loud -- especially at books. In fact, this is one of the only books I've read IN MY LIFE that I can remember doing so. And I don't mean I laughed once or twice -- I laughed THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH! Add to that the insight I got on the working mind of the single guy, and it was win/win all-around!

My best friend Ari wanted me to read this book so badly she faxed it over to me page by page! She said the character Pea epitomized my person. I read the book and honestly related to almost every character, not just Pea. I am currently an undergrad attending USC and this book was a fountain of information for a guy just like the "guys" in the book. I almost felt as though I had encountered a new group of friends! The characters are real, down to earth, relatable sorts. Any male out there that has tried, and failed, to "bag a babe" will love this book! Not only is it hilarious, it is insightful, honest, and thought provoking. I feel so much better as a single, college age male after having read this book. I know I am not alone! I highly recommend this book! As a matter of fact, not only am I going to reread it, but I'm also going to buy copies for all my male friends! Excellent book! I couldn't stop reading it once I started.

What a scream this book is! I read the first 30 pages yesterday and had to quit reading because I was laughing so hard, the tears were messing up my make-up! I have already begun to tell my friends about this hilarious read. Great work for a guy in a blue, courduroy jacket! Back to the book! ds