This is a great book with some wonderful stories that should capture the heart of any success minded person.

I interviewed Joan Clout-Kruse on "The Inside Success Show" and discovered how success in Silicon valley is the same as it is everywhere. She shared lots of great stories that you'll love.

Here's some of what you'll learn from the book:
** Why you should learn how to believe in yourself
** What you can do right now to embrace change
** How you can 'catch' enthusiasm
** Why you simply must follow the all-important rule of life
** How you can keep failure in perspective
** And much, much more ..

Randy (Dr. Proactive) Gilbert
Author of "Success Bound" and editor of "Proactive Success" ezine

I found this book very refreshing. It is simple enough that it can sink in deeply and easily. The 10 traits are a great help to encourage and motivate. This book reminds of some of our other best simple classics.

Written by an expert on corporate management and self-actualization, Top 10 Traits Of Silicon Valley Dynamos by Joan Clout-Kruse is a collection of turbo-charged stories about the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and professionals who survived the cutthroat corporate world and achieved a dream to be rightfully proud of. Filled with activities to improve oneself and build confidence, Top 10 Traits Of Silicon Valley Dynamos is an insightful, useful, business "self-help" book, as well as an engaging journal of entrepreneurial success. An energetic and inspiring business book for the Fast World of the twenty-first century!

Six gems weigh down the Belt of Deltora. Now the three must persue the final challenge, the Valley of the Lost. They know that the great Diamond awaits them. When they arrive, many people who are little more then shadows are there, many from the city they hoped hid the heir - Tora, sister city to Del. Inside, fighting monsters is not their challenge. Instead, several mind games do. Jasmine wishes to take the Diamond by force, but Lief knows better. As they figure out the last puzzle just as their time is gone, they are given permission to take the diamond. But the Guardian had switched the diamond for a different one. They realize that the woman who had followed them and pretended to leave had stolen it. They are told to go get it, so finally the Belt is complete. The Valley of the Lost disappears, and the people within are returned to normal. Now they must find the heir.

Valley of the Lost has been the best of the Deltora Quest books, because it more than the others encourages readers to solve plot puzzles before the characters do.
For instance, when Barda, Jasmine and Leif reach the guardian's abode of the seventh and final gem, they must undergo certain trials to gain the jewel. Further, each part of answer to the challenge question is another enigma all in itself. Some puzzles I figured out before the book gave them up, others stumped me. I believe even children in junior high would find this a delicious read.
Some very important series-broad plot lines are revealed in this book about Tora's link to Del; don't miss this one!
Plus: Doom's true identity is finally revealed!

This series of books not only made my 4th grader who loves to read disappear into it's pages for days on end by also entranced my 5th grader who thinks comic books are real books. The most wonderful part of this series is it's complete lack of that boy/girl mushy stuff that quite frankly my kids don't need yet another dose of!

I think this is my favorite book I've read about South America before and after a trip there. The author introduces us to the people who live there and are his friends. We get to see how Tiawanaku looked when it was in use and learn about customs and traditions which live today. The project to re-introduce ancient agricultural practices of raised beds and irrigation, was exciting. We were kept on the edge of our seat waiting to see if a freeze killed the crop and put the population in jeopardy. A real armchair trip to Bolivia!

If you can't go to Bolivia, this is the next best thing. The archeological information about Tiawanaku is fascinating. The cultural information regarding the Aymara is great too. But, my favorite part was the project to reintroduce abandoned agricultural practices to the area. Much larger populations were supported in ancient times due to the micromanagement of climate using irrigation and raised fields. And it was dramatically demonstrated that it works in this book! Good reading!

I really enjoyed this book and have since read further volumes on South American Indian cultures because of it. Written by the primary researcher at Tiahuanaco, Alan Kolata, the text covers the origin of the earliest pre-Inca highland civilization, the Ayamara. So impressive was the legacy of this people to their successors that the Inca themselves sought to legitimize their claim to empire by seeking to place their roots at this site. I found Kolata's successful test of his economic hypothesis regarding population density and farming methods (by the reintroduction of raised bed and canal farming at altitude) especially profound. It certainly made abundantly apparent the pertinance of modern day archaeology, not only to the preservation of the world's ancient inheritance but to the material well being of modern populations as well. This book is a good place to start for anyone with an interest in ancient South American cultures and to applied archaeology.

The "great river" is the Mississippi River that provides the western border of Wisconsin. This 250 mile stretch of the river showcases spectacular scenery. Beginning in the north at Prescott, and continuing down to Potosi in the south, there is a superb highway running down along side which is called the "Great River Road". Norm Rogers and Chris Dinesen Rogers have collaborated to produce for the traveler or vacationer traveling along this highway system a highly recommended and very portable compendium of 101 suggestions of things to do and see. Designed with one specific suggestion per page, each entry also includes a specific and relevant fact. If you are planning a day-trip or an extended weekend along Wisconsin's share of the Great River Road, then begin planning your itinerary by browsing through the pages of Norm and Chris Rogers' 101 Things To Do On The Wisconsin Great River Road!

For the past several years, Chris and I have traveled the Great River Road in Wisconsin, and while doing so, looked for the perfect travel guide. Everything we found seemed to be self-serving, paid advertisements, so we decided to write our own. "101 Things To Do" is a list of fun things that can be enjoyed by the entire family. It turned out to be the best little book. Even after driving the Road a dozen times, it still keeps us busy. I would recommend this book to anyone.

A delightful travel companion with interesting suggestions and fun trivia! Definitely leads you down the "road less traveled" with great results!

I had to do a presentation on megiddo for a class. This book was the most useful and interesting one that I had at my disposal.

History is a slight of hands artist of sorts. It tends to focus ones attention on the flashy action center stage while more important events are often happening in the wings. Its spotlight brings out in high relief the massive endeavor of the pyramids, the power and grandeur of the Roman empire, the longevity of Chinese culture, or the blood rituals of the Aztecs. In doing so it tends to neglect the margins, places where cultural synthesis and mere survival of local polities brings the real issues of life during the time into sharper focus. Eric Cline is a master at redirecting ones attention to precisely these issues of history. In The Battles of Armageddon he chronicles the "life" history of a region that was for most of that history on the margins of the action in the Middle East and in the world.

The Jezreel Valley and ancient Megiddo, the Armageddon of Revelation, are brought to center stage in this well researched and thoroughly entertaining book. Here the armies of the world have fought battles deciding the course of human history, and here too it is suggested that the final battle between good and evil will be fought in the future. All tolled, some 34 major battles have been fought in this valley, often if not usually between combatants who are foreign to the area.

In documenting the drama of conflict that has played itself out on this valley floor, Professor Cline has examined a wide variety of data recording human events in the area. He discusses the records of ancient Egypt, the Biblical texts, the cuneiform documents of Anatolia, Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia, the written material of both the Moslem and the Christian participants of the Crusades, French documentation of the Napoleonic wars in the Middle East, the Allenby diaries, letters, etc. for the World War I conflict with the Ottoman Empire, and the more recent evidence for the Arab-Israeli conflicts in the area. In short, he addresses an impressive collection of data and with it constructs an absorbing "biography" of the region, and in doing so brings the history of the world itself into sharper focus.

I found Cline's willingness to entertain alternative proposals for events of the Israelite conquest of the Levant particularly impressive. He does not seem wedded to any particular theme or version of early Biblical history, a fact which gives one confidence in his critical judgment with respect to early documents, both Biblical and extra-Biblical. Where he is uncertain of the order of or veracity of events or their documentation, he is willing to say as much. There is no effort to make the evidence appear more concrete than it is. He also seems to have no preferred "side" in the Arab-Israeli conflict at least as a historian and archaeologist--whether he has one as an individual is his own business. The author also sticks to historical information and its interpretation and only introduces archaeological data where it is pertinent to the discussion. He doesn't burden the amateur enthusiast with more detail than they are willing or able to imbibe. In short he doesn't slow down the "story" of the Jezreel which makes the volume more readable.

Although I certainly found the earlier history of the Valley of interest--my degree is in ancient history--I actually found Professor Cline's treatment of the era of the Crusades more engaging because I learned more. I also enjoyed the discussion of General Allenby's possible foreknowledge of the war between Thutmose III and the Canaanites at Megiddo an excellent demonstration of good historic detective work. (It was definitely a good illustration of the value of a thorough knowledge of history.) The bibliography of The Battles of Armageddon is a veritable who's who of historical and archaeological research since the 19th century, including authors of topical works, of edited collections and encyclopedias, and of journal articles. For anyone with a specific interest this would definitely be a good starting point for the pursuit of information on tangential topics. I will probably use it to help fill in my knowledge of the Crusades. Without doubt this book would appeal to anyone with an interest in history, particularly that of the Levant or of peripheral areas in general, or in political and military history. One might even use it to teach world history, as so many of the main "players" in the events of human activity have passed through this valley and left their mark on it. Definitely a work worth reading.

For anyone interested in battles, ancient and contemporary, this book is for you. Cline invites those interested in the site of Armageddon as well as military history buffs into the world and circumstances of the Jezreel Valley. Destined to be a classic on ancient battles.

I've eaten (in the company of my wife & our 2 dachshunds) at Cafe Pongo, a joyous place with delicious food & a terrific communal feeling among staff & patrons. But even if I'd never heard of Pongo, this cookbook would have blown me away. Everything about it, the organization & layout (so very critical in cookbooks, which are, after all manuals of survival) & particularly the recipes themselves: original & imaginative & delicious. Here's a sample my wife & I have tried so far (plus a few chosen at random): Poached Eggs with Zucchinhi Fritters and Roasted Red Pepper Coulis; Chilled Sugar Snap Pea Soup with Fresh Mint; Romaine Salad with Lentil Croutons and Lemon-Tahini Vinaigrette; Beet and Shaved Fennel Salad with Clementine Vinaigrette; Potato Pancakes with Peppered Ginger Applesauce; Sesame-Crusted Shrimp; Roast Beef with Preserved Lemons, Figs and Fennel; Baked Cauliflower and Turnips (Yes! Delicious!!). There's lot's more, too. This cookbook now takes precendence over the 75 or 80 of its companions on our shelves. Thank you, Ms. Nehez!

I thought The Cafe Pongo Cookbook was extremely well written and very informative. The author's style and the book's layout made the recipes come alive. I could almost taste the various dishes as I read and couldn't wait to get into the kitchen to try them myself. I found that the directions were very easy to follow and the dishes turned out to be every bit as good as they sounded. I highly recommend this book for anybody who lives to try something just a little bit different from the 'run of the mill'. I even gave an entire dinner part based on the recipes in the book and it was a huge success! Give this book a try, I can guarantee you wont be disappointed!

Delightful cookbook with personal notes from the author which gives the feeling of shared treasures. The recipes are the product of a very inventive chef with an eclectic approach and an obvious passion for food. Also interesting were the comments about the sleepy Hudson Valley Village of Tivoli and the renaissance created in that town by the author and her former partner when they opened the doors to Santa Fe, her first restaurant.

The book Chateaux of the Loire Valley by Jean-Marie Perouse De Montclos and photographer Robert Polidori is definitely the nicest coffee table book on sale about the beautiful castles of the Loire Valley. Besides being a superb wine growing region, the Loire River south of Paris offers a unique combination of beautiful landscapes and castles, which makes it one of France's most attractive regions. You should take at least a week or ten days to do a round trip. This book gives you an excellent idea of what to expect - or you cannot make it - what you are missing!

This is a superb book and a great purchase. I was happily surprised at the excellent quality of the book itself. This chateaux collection is by Jean-Marie Perouse de Montclos author of 'Fontaineblue', which I had bought earlier and enjoyed thoroughly. Perouse de Montclos is obviously an authority in this so interesting and imposing a realm. 'Chateaux of the Loire Valley' is beautifully captured pictorially by Robert Polidori, this treat alone unfolds like some magical visual biography of France, and the world. I can't begin to tell you how much charm this book brings. The architectural relics and historical wonders are each detailed in the accompanying text. The history of Chinon, for example. There is a preface with the best chronology of the Kings of France I've ever seen. Never ending information and art photos about the castles, one better than the other. Including a profile of the unique Chenonceaux, with it's haunting echo of the fascinating Diane de Poitiers. With it's modest price this has to be one of the most satisfying books I've ever come across. You might also look up 'Fountainbleau' a literary and visual collection about the legendary French chateau by the same author.

We own this beautiful book. It is filled with high quality photographs, portraying the true beauty of the Lorie Valley. We are purchasing one more copy as a gift for a dear friend who traveled with us to Chenonceaux, and Chambord. Our personal photo's did not do justice to the true beauty of these castles.

This book will be on our coffee table, to remind us of the breathtaking experience we had, while being in the presence of such lovely architecture. I highly recommend this book!!

We have visited France in 1997, 1998, and 1999.

This book explains very well why there was so much violence in the Western scenario. If you like, it also explains the violence following the civil war in the reconstruction era. If you are used to draw a gun whenever you see a political opponent one should not be surprised about the cruelties committed by the Klan after the war.

This book also shows the problematic stand the civilized (Indian) nations were confronted with, being forced to choose between Union or Confederacy.

To all Southerners, this is a ballanced account descibing that particular period of time. Buy it.

A very well written book on the history of the Civil war west of the Mississippi. Monaghan covers many of the battles I had tried in vain to locate details on. Covered are the battles of: Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, and Westport. I especially found interesting the involvement of the Five Nations out of Oklahoma. Much is covered concerning the conflicts between Kansas and Missouri, but Texas, Arkansas and others are treated with some detail. Monaghan's writing style is excellent, giving you a good feeling for what happened. You will read and re-read this one.

Fanatical politics of the western frontier, immigrant abolitionists with loaded Spencer rifles funded by mysterious personages back East, cut-throats, gin heads and horse thieves, colorful character descriptions... This book ranks up there with Pea Ridge by Shea and The Civil War by Foote. Absoltuley a must read.

This book could only have been written by a local of the Owens Valley or a former employee of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). Kirk Mitchell portrays the exact feelings that the people of the Owens Valley have on the taking of water by the city of Los Angeles. He not only demonstrates how long this battle has been going on, but also that it is still ocurring with Los Angeles not cooperating with the Long Term Groundwater agreement it has with Inyo County (Waucoba County). The descriptions of the LA aqueduct and of the Valley itself truly depict what it looks like. The use of the characters portrays what it is like to be a local of the Owens Valley. Entwined in this history is a mystery that a lead female charcter BLM Ranger is working on involving the bombing of the LA aqueduct. An excellant book even if you are not from the Owens Valley.

I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO FIND BOTH 'DEE lEGUERRE' BOOKS. THE MAIN CHARACTER IS A BLM RANGER IN THE OWENS VALLEY AREA.DEE IS A VERY STRONG CHARACTER, OF BASQUE DESCENT, WITH A FEEL FOR THE REAL PEOPLE INVOLVED IN IN THE STORY. I HOPE THAT MR MITCHELL IS INSPIRED TO WRITE MORE BOOKS ABOUT MS.LEGUERRE. ALL FANS OF NEVADA BARR AND DANA STABENOW SHOULD LOVE THESE BOOKS. THIS BOOK IS SO FULL OF ACTION AND MYSTERY, WITH A FEELING THAT THIS STORY COULD REALLY HAPPEN.READERS WHO SHARE A DISLIKE OF THE L.A AQUADUCT WILL BE INTERESTED IN THE OUTCOME OF THE STORY. HOPE I HAVE PEAKED YOUR INTEREST.

I so enjoyed this mystery I'm trying to find the first book of the series. I certainly hope Mr. Mitchell continues on with this character. I'm an avent mystery buff and this was an exciting action packed story. The character of Dee has room to grow which makes another adventure anticipated. Advertise more.

This book tells it like it is about silicon valley. Its a very funny collection of essays from the web site. I laughed out loud reading this. If you like Dave Barry or SatireWire, you'll love "Valley of the Geeks". Includes some of the famous "banner ads we'd like to see" and fake spoof ads. Anyone who has worked in tech or knows someone who has will love this book.

This book is hilarious. I especially liked the banner ads. What a hoot. Quite a few of them had me laughing out loud. If you are in the tech business you should buy this book. In fact, buy two and pass one on.

When a book makes you laugh out loud, not once, but every chapter, you know you've found a comedic gem. Valley of the Geeks' biting satire on the state of high-tech companies in Silicon Valley is one of those books you want to read time and time again. I found myself actually quoting it so my colleagues would think I'm as witty as Zack Urlocker. It has been years since I've read a book that combined such incredible insight with intelligent humor.

The essays that roast such high-tech icons as Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, and Carly Fiorina first make you nod, then smile, and then laugh out loud.

And, the interspersed chapters of "Banner Ads We'd Like to See" are among the funniest things I've ever seen. They, alone, make Valley of the Geeks a must-have.