Passion's Kiss is a delightful romp set in the mid-19th century England. The hero is Miles Wellesley, a first-generation American visiting his noble English grandmother while scouting out horses for his family ranch. The heroine is Lady Victoria Pembroke, a beautiful, intelligent, spirited and hoydenish spinster. Their clash, of culture, of wills, and of the sexes, makes this an enjoyable read.

Although their clashes are quite common in romance, Miles' straightforward American-ness makes him a superb specimen of a hero. These two are bound to get together if his grandmother and her step-mother have anything to do with it. And if . . . they would listen to their bodies, their minds, and their hearts. And if they would accept that their marriage is really not one only of convenience.

Miles' family provides wonderful secondary characters. Though his parents are British to the bone, they have accepted the American frontier as their home and have become more open in their views than the typical Brit.

His parents as well as his siblings provide a wholeness to this book that often romances do not always have - while it is true that Victoria's father and birth mother are not alive, there is enough extended family to provide both lead characters with a well-rounded sense of belonging.

The author expertly uses humor in ways guaranteed to bring a smile to any readers' lips. Lady Victoria's twin step-sisters have been named after States in their American mother's homeland. They are silly chits, really, and hearing Miles and his grandmother mistakenly-on-purpose refer to them as "Atlanta and Savannah", "Florida and Virginia", etc., is quite funny. Also humorous are the comments made by Miles' parents about their enjoyment of marital bliss. The scene where Miles' mother tries to allay Victoria's fears about the marriage bed by commenting that, on the morning after her wedding night, she "looked like a kitten who'd swallowed the cream", is priceless.

In fact, the major conflict in this book concerns Victoria's fear of the marriage bed. Victoria accepts the notion that young women should "lie back and think of England". Her confidants in this area, her newly-wed friend Mary Ann, as well as her step-mother, have her so frightened about "it" that she becomes obsessed with not "doing it", even though Mary Ann says she only has to do it on Saturday nights and it lasts only 15 or 20 minutes.

Victoria's fear conflicts tremendously with what her body has experienced from the kisses and caresses of her handsome hero. After a tremendous blow-out which results in both Miles and Victoria trying to hurt each other, and succeeding, they finally are able to come together and accept each other as man and woman, husband and wife.

As is different from many other books in the genre, this happens not at the end of the book, but about three-quarters of the way through, leaving plenty of time for the reader to enjoy their growing closeness. A bit of nastiness near the end does help to wrap up the loose ends, but by focusing on Miles and Victoria, American and Brit, man and woman, husband and wife, the author provides a pleasant interlude for her readers.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

Publisher, All About Romance

This is a very good book for atmospheric science and meteorology students and researchers. It includes many topics that are very useful for both educational and research purposes: the orbits of satellites, the instruments they carry, the radiation they detect, and, most importantly, the fundamental atmospheric data that can be retrieved from their observations. I first read this book when I was a graduate student in atmospheric sciences. Most books I have read are concerned with dynamics or physics, which are the classical fields. Very few of them discuss the practical yet not so established topics like satellite meteorology. This book is the most comprehensive one I have ever read that covers this whole new field.

I am glad I didn't buy this cookbook but rather checked it out of the library, as I must respectfully disagree with the others' glowing reviews. The book had some serious drawbacks for me that others might not consider drawbacks, however.

On the positive side, the book made virtually no use of soy products, not even soy milk, so those allergic to soy might find it helpful. There is also information about egg-free baked goods. For those looking for mainstream recipes (e.g., Beef Stroganoff), this book may be helpful. Ditto those cooking for two or three persons at a time; that is the size of most of the recipes. There are recipes for foods that are more difficult to make without milk, such as icing and fudge(!), that should be a boon for anyone.

However, as my sister is vegetarian, I found the absence of any meat-free main dishes a real problem. And there are five of us, so a two- or three-person recipe is annoying, to say the least. I also found the product information limited and dated.

This book is not for vegetarians! It does contain recipes that call for meat, fish, and chicken. This book was written primarily for those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein (two separate allergies.) It contains helpful sections on how to shop for foods, reading ingredient listings to find "hidden" dairy additives, and how to request that your food be cooked properly in restaurants to avoid allergic reactions. The section on which processed foods are "safe" and which are not is rather outdated and no longer useful. Some of the foods she has listed as "safe" are not safe now, as manufacturers often change formulas and rarely make this known. I'd prefer to just see the list of additives that may contain dairy or dairy derivatives and maybe some examples of package listings showing how to look for these ingredients. The recipe section is creatively done - too many allergy cookbooks rely heavily on substitutions that result in the finished food having a strange texture or flavor. These recipes contain "real" foods. There aren't many better books out there for those with dairy allergies.

The Milk Free Kitchen saved my life! At the very least it saved me from a diet of deprivation, if not total boredom! Over the past 7 or 8 years I became increasingly more lactose intolerant, until finally my only option was a dairy-free diet. The change over was hard for me, as I loved milk and baked goods, and pizza, etc. Eating became rather dull until I discovered this book. Beth Kidder has it all...recipes for pancakes, chocolate cake, cookies of all variety, even doughnuts! as well as main courses that include pizza, fried chicken, chicken under a biscuit, stuffing, meatballs, etc. etc. Not only does she have great recipes that taste every bit as good as those with milk, she also gives wonderful tips on cooking in general. Beth gives pointers too on how to eat a milk free meal in a resturant and what ingredients to avoid in premade foods. The only down side to this book is that she never wrote, to my knowledge, a sequel with even more recipes.

Have you ever met someone from a different country and you make a new friend? Well,a boy named Mike meets a new boy from Russia and his name is Yuri. Mike and Yuri are on the same baseball team. The team they're are on is the Checkmates. Don,who is on the team doesn't like Yuri and quits the team. Will Don ever come back to the team? Read "Look Who's Playing First Base" to find out what happens next.

My review
Reviewer: A 10-year old reader from Hill AFB UT. USA
The book I read was "Look whose playing first base". Have you ever moved from another country to the USA? Yuri has. Yuri is a boy from Russia who comes to America and meets a boy named Mike. When Mike met Yuri, he was tossing a ball against a wall and Mike said hey what sup and asked Yuri if he would like to play first base man on there team. Because their last first base man moved away. Their teams name is the checkmates. Yuri was left-handed and left-handed players are best at first base. Yuri was not a very good player at first. The only reason he got to stay on the team is because of his bat and he always hits home runs. Don the teams catcher threatened to quit and so he did but if you want find out if he comes back and if they win their last game.
Something special. This book teaches you about sportsmanship and that winning is not everything also that you should never leave your real friends for dumb reasons
I think you should read this book because of the voluble lessons within the book. There are a lot of the other matt Christopher books to read that are full of exiting and touching stories.

The book I did was Look whos playing first base. Have ever moved from another country to the USA? Yuri has. Yuri is a boy from Russiu and ther he meets a boy named Mike and when he met Yuri he was tossing a ball against a wall and Mike said hey whatsup and asked yuri if he would like to play first base man on there team couse the last first base man moved away. There teams name is the checkmates.and Yuri was left handed and left handes are best at first base.And then yuri turned out to benot to good.
The only reason he got to stay on the team is becouse of his bat and he always hits home runs. and Don the teams catcher threatend to quit and so he did but if you want find out if he comes back and if they win there last game.

Something speciel is that it teaches you about sportsmanship and that winning is not everything also that you should never leave your real frends.

You sould read this book and alot of the other matt christofer books couase they are exiting and touching.

As a member of the Kidder,Peabody Diaspora I received a special case of whiplash from being yanked back to the time and events that Joe Jett describes in his book. It might take one or two more books on this subject by other authors, but eventually everyone will realize that, because the securities industry is essentially a cartel, it is able to tolerate incredibly mediocre people in senior management positions... people like Mel Mullin, Ed Cerullo and Mike Carpenter, or the general counsel of Morgan Stanley. For the dumb cartel members there is very little upside in pursuing excellence. The smart ones, however, need the dumb ones in order to fill out the ranks and help maintain the status quo. I think one reason why Jack Welch disliked Kidder so much is that he had very little personal respect for its managers.

Most readers will probably be convinced that Jett's management new about his trading activity, and that the firm's accusations were an attempt to save Carpenter's and also Jack Welch's reputation. (By the way, the whole Jett episode has echoes of GE's industrial diamond price-fixing scandal which preceded it.)If these men's credibility couldn't be maintained, then that of the cartel as a whole (and thus the credibility of the regulators) was at stake.

I think the real phantom trade was the cost of Ed Cerullo's deferred compensation, along with Joe Jett's career and that of several others in exchange for the status quo.

I had forgotten about the Kidder Peabody debacle until I saw Jett recently on C-SPAN. He is quite a speaker. I found his comments on business, corporate politics, and the failings of the black church to be dead on. Jett realized that power and politics matter more than race and it is very refreshing that someone has the courage to admit it.

I bought the book the following day and read it straight through. I manage a racially diverse professional workforce and have dealt with complaints of perceived discrimination for the last two years. After reading Jett's book I was able to have a heart to heart with a black direct report. He had not read the book so I lent him my copy. Somethings were simple: I no longer ask him or any minority to high-five me in greeting and he no longer says that being tardy is a black thing that I just don't understand. Otherthings will take longer. But the book was a real eyeopener for me and I believe 40% of my workforce has now read it.

I have sent it to my son, a business major at Duke and told him to bring it to the attention of his professors and classmates.

The book, from a general perspective, is interesting reading, as I feel about most biographies. I'm glad I got a chance to really know Joseph Jett from Joseph Jett's perspective. I don't believe he was entirely innocent as he neatly proclaims. For Wall Street to put this all on him, is almost saying that blacks are a lot smarter than they ever gave them credit for being. I guess many compliments are based on convenience... Like most other readers, I think Jett is arrogant, self-serving, and even pitiful. He makes it clear that he has a problem with being black. Honestly, I think his problem initially stemmed from the rejection he received from the black girl as a young boy (the "ditch digging" story). He'd like to blame his insecurities and personal anti-affirmative action stance on his father. The truth is, his father married a black woman who went to an HBCU. Jett seriously misinterpreted his father's leadership. He consistently denied himself the wholesomeness that connecting with one's race can offer. As such, when he needed the connection, it wasn't there for him. Like I said, the bigger they are, the harder they fall....

I like the dummies books -- they help you get your foot in the door quickly, usually in an afternoon. I didn't find the book as bad as many other people here have, but many of the problems mentioned here (ie., especially those with the cd) are real and significant.

Before anyone buys this book, I'd strongly suggest they download the demo copy of Drumbeat if at all possible, and look at the docs that come with it. It's a big download (60MB), so that might not be possible for everyone. But the demo product comes with a quick start guide and a full manual, and both of them are very well done. I think they're much better than the Dummies book, they're official, and they're free. In any event, I've gotten more use from them than I have from this book.

If you compare the value of your time to the cost of these books, you'll find that you don't need much value from a book to make it worthwhile. So my feeling is that if you want to master Drumbeat, you might as well buy this book, even if it is flawed, since it's the only one out there, and another perspective on the subject is helpful. But I don't think it's the best way to learn the product from scratch.

MacroMedia's tech support has been less than enthusiastic and the eStore Drumbeat manuals are littered with costly typos. Given that, although this book does not cover the eStore version, it is still somewhat useful to have. It's typical Dummies series stuff--so you can skip the first 1/3 of it, it's way too basic. The rest is just rewording of the product manual but I still gleaned a few new tricks from it.

If your learning curve for this software has been lengthy, you may want to check it out. Otherwise, save your money and reread the manual.

MACROMEDIA HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW SOFTWARE RELEASE. DRUMBEAT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. THE NEW SOFTWARE CALLED DREAMWEAVER ULTRADEV, COMBINES DREAMWEAVER AND DRUMBEAT. SO THIS BOOK CAN GIVE YOU A GOOD IDEA BUT NOT ALL THE NECESSARY NOW.

Hi, we are going to Hong Kong next year, and I bought this book to help me decide where to stay and pick a few highlights that I will want to plan on seeing.

This book is really, really helpful when it comes to listing hotels and restaurants according to regions of the city. There are also quite a few maps that are fairly easy to read and they have laid out the book so that you could take it along on a walking tour of Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, etc. and refer to it very easily. They also include information on public transportation i.e. buses, the subway, etc., how to get to and from the airport, etc. The book is a convenient size to put in a small backpack as well.

The only thing that I would do to improve this book is to add more pictures of some of the things described!

This book also includes lots of useful information on side trips to both Macau and Guangzhou, which are both easy day trips from Hong Kong.

As a native who grew up and used to live in Hong Kong, it is always fun and entertaining to read about these wonderful and exciting accounts about the city from the eyes of foreigners.

A restless and vibrant city with more than 6.5 million inhabited on 1071 square miles, Hong Kong is the center of the Far East, dubbed "Pearl of the Orient". A tour-guide of 200 or so pages probably can't portrait the exciting lifestyles led by locals and all the fun this island has to offer.

Yet Fodor has done quite an awesome job.

In addition to the usual tidbits on "how to get there" and the A-Z guide, Fodor team really does the homework and presents the city with unusual details and point-of-interests that are not commonly known to foreigners. A city made up of the Kowloon peninsula, the Hong Kong Island (where major financial and business center locates), and 235 outer islands, one would have to explore the outlying islands, whether inhabited or not, in order to complete travel experience in Hong Kong. Fodor delivers vivid and lucid photos of the islands as well as shopping guidelines, food and drinks, and destivals and seasonal events.

There is no best time to visit in Hong Kong. You might want to avoid the summer months of hot and humid weather. A stroll around the Central District will expose you to the heart of the city - financial district. You will also find historical monuments left by the British empire, which once ruled over this colony for 150 years. A walk up the mid-level from Central introduced dozens of specialty restaurants which serve from bagels to cajun chicken to pita bread.

Be sure to Fodor with you on your next vacation to Hong Kong. Read and study it and you will find your travel experience rewarding and exciting. Like many tour guides published, local cultures and hang-outs are never sufficient and infact, visitors are usually advised to stay away from "local" areas; yet I recommend you walking through the local neighborhoods i Hong Kong, which are relatively welcoming and safe. You will find surprised delights like roasted goose, exotic Chinese pastries, and hand-made crafts.

I bought this book before I left on a 4 month international exchange w/ my university. While there, I got to see and use the other brands of HK travel guides used by the other exchange students, including Lonely Planet. The Fodor's edition, by far, has the most detailed "key" information than any of the other guides. It's simple to use, I highly recommend it.

Fodor's Cuba is billed on the back cover as providing "simply perfect trips." In truth this is a VERY basic simple guide that needs much improvement to compete in the Cuban travel guide race.

I found this guide far too barren and difficult to use. The entire history of Cuba for the last fifty years gets only eight scant paragraphs in a section call "The Way to Revolution" and "Today and Tomorrow!" The index DID NOT list hotels or restaurants and this required that I to flip through the sections until I found the listing I wanted information on (especially a hassle in Havana). There were only 11 maps and they need improvement.

Also, instead of giving the general price of lodging or restaurant meals along with the listing, they give a code (listed in the front of the book) next to the site description ($$$ which = $100 to $150) but, then, that is for a double occupancy in high season. The guide listed my hotel, Ambos Mundos, as $$$ when I paid only $65 for a single in high season, thus the guide was not much help to me on this regard either. There were no email or Internet addresses (especially for the hotels) to speak of, even though the date of publication is 2000. Yet when I checked, almost every hotel had email whereby you could make reservations and get additional information and some had there own web page. Finally, another irritant, which has become common in Fodor's guides, is the intrusive color pages of paid advertisements for various products or service, which I immediately tore out and tossed. I am under the conviction that I have already paid once for the book and this is double indemnity.

On the positive side I found the Havana Dining and Lodging Map very useful; as I did the short list of "must experience" while in Cuba, called 'Fodor's Choice'. If you want just a quick digest that gives you a capsule run down on Cuba, a few basic maps, then this guide will be adequate. However, there are significantly better guides that I recommend you consider first. Conditionally recommended

Strongly recommend this book as a basic travel guide to Cuba. This is the book to take with you because it is compact, offers well-referenced maps numbered to the attractions in the text and has all of the essential information. Yes, "Cuba Handbook," is more comprehensive, and I read all 600+ pages of that lengthy tome. But I found that Fodor's had all of the essential information, skipping only the trivial. Included are great tips about U.S. and Cuban Customs regulations, roads in Cuba and accurate and believable lodging information. I did everything in Cuba and can attest that all of the best things to do are included in this guide. Fodor's even gives you a rave about Remedios and its nearby beaches, which are far away from the tourist trail. I also visited all of their hotel choices in Old Havana, as well as staying in two of them (Ambos Mundos and Hostal Florida), and all are truly wonderful hotels. If you want more about politics, flaura and fauna, buy a more comprehensive book and do your reading before you travel. But for a book that is portable and lists all of the essential information, this Fodor's guide cannot be beat.

why not give a more careful (more direct) translation of this great work? This version is certainly a much better reading than the disastrous attempt by Anita Barrows. But why rewrite and interpret what is clear. Some examples from the first page: the beautiful passage, "I live my life in expanding (growing) circles" has a phrase "Ich weiss noch nicht" very easy to translate as "I know not yet" or "I don't yet know" here it is translated as "yet unclear of my role" (which is interpretation, which the reader would have seen, and it misses the direct beauty of Rilke's style). And "um den uralten Turm" is translated "around the tower of old", which is not bad but isn't "around the ancient tower." more direct and poetic? And the wonderous conclusion of the passage is "bin ich ein Falke, ein Sturm oder ein grosser Gesang" which is translated as "be it falcon or storm or another (?) magnificent song" instead of the direct "am I a falcon, a storm, or a great song".

Another example in this paragraph is "Ich kreise um Gott....und ich kreise jahrtausendelang" this passage poetically uses the word "kreise" twice to create a symmetry "I circle around God.... and I circle (for) thousands of years" instead it is translated "I circle around God... and I spin amidst thousands of years"
So for the paragraph we have "I circle around God, around the tower of old, and I spin amidst thousands of years; yet unclear of my role, be it falcon or storm or another magnificent song." instead of "I circle around God, around the ancient tower, and I circle for thousands of years; and I know not yet, am I a falcon, a storm, or a great song." What do you think? Well in any case, I do recommend this translation as the best available, but hope another will appear in the near future or this one will be revised. OK, maybe 3.5 stars.

I THINK THIS BOOK WAS REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT FOOTBALL

This was very good book, and as a football player I realy enjoyed reading this because in some of the game scenes in the book it made me feel like i was realy playing in the game. Some faults in the book i thought came when the writer took like two chapters to describe a game. If he would of shortened it up a little it would have been a little more enjoy able and i would have rated it a perfect 5 stars.
Sincerly,
Kyle

The kid kept trying until it happened I liked i