Palmer, Palmer, Palmer, Palmer. This book kept my attention. The book was pretty good. It was a quik read. Acording to the author, Palmer,the people of Nova Scotia rely too much on their fish. They should find differant ways of getting food.

I love reading about Canada! I'm a Canadian and can relate to how things are run when it comes to enviromental protection and government. Being a native of Robb, Alberta I know how plundering natural resources can become a problem to survival. Like the people of Flowers Cove logging has been a terrible hex on the people of Robb. I have never been to Newfoundland but I hope to see how well the author, Craig Pamer protrayed the situation by visiting there myself. I would recommend this book to any chap that wants an outside perspective to an inside problem.

Reconciliation is a key theme in Craig Smith's "Whiteman's Gospel." Pay particular attention to Chapter 3, "Christianity & Indian History." I was so moved by this chapter several years ago that it inspired me to write my own book. Very little is written about what the Church has done to Indian people. When we think of atrocities that were experienced by Native Americans, we tend to think that it was primarily the U.S. government that was responsible.

Such was not the case, for in many instances, the Church has been responsible for genocide, sexual abuse, and kidnapping. We must face up to these facts before reconciliation can begin, and Mr. Smith's book accomplishes just that.

I speak not as an outsider but as a fellow minister to Native Americans. For three years I have worked among the Omaha and Winnebago Tribes and I can tell you that "Whiteman's Gospel" is very factual, relevant, and much needed. Indian people rank at the bottom in academics, their young people commit suicide at rates 5 times higher than the general population, and medical facilites are either non-existent, or in disrepair. Clearly, these people are in distress and only the Church can meet many of their needs. Craig Smith's book makes those needs known.

If you don't know anything about Native American ministry, then "Whiteman's Gospel" is a book that you must read.

I am not Native American. I am a Christian. This is the best book I have read that deals with problems in the dominant culture's church as well as the specific issues in the Native American church.

I was convicted and moved deeply. Pastor Smith gives a messege of hope and a future that most today reject. Even though the dominant white (Anglo) church has made many grievous errors in it's past, there is till hope for the people that has been hurt, oh so deeply, by the unbiblical ways of my own forefathers.

Every non-native needs to read this book to see just how wrong the church has historically been and every Native American needs to read this book to see that there is still hope after all the damage had been done.

We can not undo the damage done. But, we can move forward as the Lord would have intended in the first place. Reader, beware. Your cultural biases will be challenged and your belief systems will change dramatically. Praise God for men like Pastor Smith. In these last days many more like him are needed if any sanity is to come out of the horrors of the past.

This is an absolute must read for ALL Christians.

I received this book yesterday, ordered by my wife from Amazon.com, and proceeded to finished it last night. It was the best and most complete book on Hog hunting I have yet read. The section on Hog habits and the hunting strategies were very helpful and I plan to use the information on a Hug hunting trip to VT in Mid-October. From a hunters standpoint, this is a helpful, readable, and useable book.

I hunt hogs all the time, but this book explained things that I never knew. The author has done a great job of producing a book that covers all aspects of wild hog hunting. Trappers and hunters and everyone in between will get something out of this book. I never knew that hogs communicated in as many complex ways as deer do. I didn't know about the mating habits and hog behavior either. Great book, a must read for anyone interested in wild hogs.

After his return from the Soviet Union, Sir Kenneth Aubrey is asked by the British Secret Service and the CIA to take care of one more mission - to oversee the defection of a high ranking East German official. Of special interest to Aubrey is the defector, Kurt Winterbach, who happens to be the only son of Brigitte, a general of the East German secret service. However, the defection goes sour and Kurt is killed. Aubrey, once again, falls from grace. Meanwhile, Aubrey's unholy trinity, his arch-enemies- Brigitte, Babbington and Kapustin- are brewing up their own little caper in Nepal. The caper is uncovered by ex-Gurkha officer Tim Gardner. Tim is discovered by the East German spies and Brigitte finds a target for her vengeance on Aubrey when she finds out that Tim is Aubrey's adopted son. Shunned by the CIA and his own service, can Aubrey find the means to blow the whistle on the trinity's plot and save Tim?

(Originally) Released in the UK as "All the Grey Cats" this book is certainly for those who have followed the spy master's adventures. Although it lacks the "techno" part of the techno-thriller that was in Firefox, Firefox Down and Sea Leopard, Thomas fans will certainly appreciate the classic spy craft and chess match struggle between Aubrey and his enemies behind the Iron Curtain. Slightly dated but it still makes for a great thriller!

Thomas uses familar characters of his to present a Cold War crisis in the Nepalese mountains that is exciting and memorable. Fans of Thomas and Clancy will enjoy this work.

My child loves this book. I might have enjoyed it more than she did

This is one book that children love. They love the pictures--especially the one where grandma's teeth fall out. I work at a public library where we do storytime. I keep this book for emergencies when a new group pops in. It is always a crowd pleaser.

This is a book written at a time when Nasdaq was very close to its pinnacle in 1999. Not from hindsight (of the index level today), but sheerly by content, the book is full of flaws in nearly every topic it covers, especially those on Technical Analysis. Facts, and pure facts were abundant. However, trading system, strategy and insight were in short supply. The authors might have been so optimisstic and carried away by the beautiful picture they painted about trading in Nasdaq that money management and discipline had rarely been mentioned, and the "real tactics for real profits anytime anywhere" on the front cover were by and large absent.

p.s. This book contains the highest number of cartoon (eight) in those trading books I ever read. Sadly, most were drawn with one single theme, that "Day Trading would annihilate the brokers". That should have implied something about the direction and quality of the book, which I had mistakenly ignored.

If you are new to the world of Day Trading, or thinking about starting, then this is absolutely the right book for you! Bob Baird and Craig McBurney did an excellent job presenting the facts on Day Trading in a way that was easy to understand for someone new to this fasinating field. Most of the articles and books I have read in the last 4 months were aimed more at experienced and seasoned investors while the written words sailed at least 25 feet over my head! "Electronic Day Trading to Win" speeks directly to the reader and explains day trading on a level that is neither condesending or vague, as I experienced from Brokers I had asked for advice. I learned more in the 2 days reading this book than I did in 4 months online and speaking to two brokerages! I read the some of the other reviews, and I'm sure there are other books out there tailored more for what they might need. And besides, if some people know so much about day trading, why then do they need to read books on the subject?

Electronic Day Trading to Win is a not only a must-read for prospective day-traders, but for anyone dealing with equity investments. The authors reveal the evils carried out daily on the floors of the NYSE and AMEX, which was a real eye-opener for me. Day traders have been given a negative image by Wall Street and the media, and the authors of this book reveal the reasons why and go on to explain how intelligent, educated day trading can actually be LESS risky than position trading or buying mutual funds. Although I doubt most people have the discipline (or the cash) to become successful day-traders, the techniques and principles the authors promote can also be applied to any type of investing. If you have the requisite capital and the nerve, I believe you can make money using this book.

When one finisheds "Casterbridge," one is immediately struck by its place in the development of the novel. Hardy came after Dickens and before James, and his style intrigues as you connect parts of it to the former, parts to the latter.

His plotting is sort of Dickens "lite." There are mysterious benefactors, sudden tragic deaths, reversals of fortune, paternity mysteries, ect. His prose is cleaner and easier to read than both Dickens and James; "Casterbridge" scans better than "Bleak House" or "The Wings of the Dove."

The story begins when a pastoral laborer, in a drunken rage, sells his wife and child one evening. When he wakes the next morning, abhorred at what he has done, he swears off liquor and decides to make something of his life. The novel truly begins eighteen years later, when his wife and daughter come back to present themselves to him. In the course of the rest of the novel, we witness the fall of the now Mayor of Casterbridge, brought about by his own character flaws and the interventions of fate.

Henchard, the main character, is a facinating combination of hot-spirited volition and turn-on-a-dime repentance. He is quick to do things which damn him but just as quick to admit his guilt. He is a wonderful character and a precursor to the later "psychological" novels of James and Forster. The satellite characters remind one of Dickens, but they are not nearly as startling and interesting, but of course, a character such as Henchard never existed in all of Dickens.

The novel proceeds to its forgone conclusion inexorably, albiet with a few melodromatic touches, yet it sustains its tone and readibility due mostly to Henchard, and the dramatic situations Hardy puts him through.

Well worth a look.

I remember having read this book in high school. I immediately fell in love with Hardy. (I was also fond of Hardy Boys at that time, so in my opinion the name Hardy acquired a special significance.) Unfortunately, though, I never liked another book by him quite so much. I've read Tess of the d'Urbvilles, Under the Greenwood Tree, Far from the Madding Crowd(which was perhaps his second best novel, as others here have affirmed), and perhaps a few others. It is strange, or perhaps significant that I remember the exact circumstance when I was reading this book. It must have been about ten in the night. I had cleared my study desk, and unlike my common practice of lying on my stomach on my bed to enjoy a book into the night, I sat down on the straight-backed chair at the desk to read it. Very soon, I was overwhelmed by the narrative of Mr. Hardy. My father came in to see what I was up to, saw the tears streaming down my face as I turned the pages of my book, and quietly went away. I have never before owned any story books- my parents told me to read out of libraries. But now I am 22, and have started earning some money of my own, and I'm going to start a little collection of my most beloved books, to pass on to my children, perhaps? And this is among my very best.

Having never read Hardy before, I picked this book at random off a list provided by my Western Civilization teacher. I can't help but attribute my choice to destiny; this is quite possibly the best book I've ever read, written by the single greatest English author in history. While some other reviewers have classified his descriptive passages as somewhat dull, I thought they were rather intoxicating; I don't know how one could not enjoy the superbly vivid style Hardy employs. It's impossible to really describe his writing to one who hasn't read it.

The plot in Mayor of Casterbridge is compelling throughout. I read somewhere that the book was originally published a few chapters at a time in a literary magazine, and this is quite evident, as every many sections seem individually complete with rising action, climax, resolution, etc. Hardy still manages to integrate these individual sections without flaw and create a wonderful composition of the life of Henchard. As everyone else has testified, the conclusion of the book is moving beyond description- without a doubt the most affective book I've ever read. Be forewarned: this is a book that will surely leave the reader in a depressed and brooding state. Going by Kafka's standard, that a book should be "like a suicide... an axe for the frozen sea within us", The Mayor of Casterbridge is surely one of just a handful of the great books in English literature.

You have probably never read a book like this before. As far as I know, never before have two scholars, one evangelical, one LDS, co-written a book that carefully examines the issues that divide the two traditions without descending into name-calling and contention. Blomberg and Robinson deserve to be commended. In a field where evangelicals usually write that Mormonism is a cult that is not even deserving of the name "Christian" and where Mormons bash "born-againers" nearly as badly, it's refreshing that two deeply devoted scholars can find common ground. When I was LDS I met several Mormons who believed in Jesus, trusted in him, and were born again by any standards evangelicals cared to name; and I'm glad that at least one Baptist, Mr. Blomberg, has come to recognize this.

On the other hand, I am only giving this book three stars for the following reasons: First, it is technical and dry in places, especially when discussing theology. Second, I have nagging doubts that Mr. Robinson is representative of Mormonism as a whole, especially the Mormonism that I was once a part of. While Mr. Robinson is beyond doubt a committed Mormon in good standing with the Church and his books are published by the Church-owned press, he is far more grace-oriented than any Mormon leader I knew of; the average bishop, stake president, or apostle is much more likely to stress works and obedience to the Church than Mr. Robinson. Finally, and most importantly, there while Blomberg and Robinson find a great deal of common ground on the issues they discussed, there were many issues that they did NOT discuss, where agreement is far less likely. For me, the central issue of Mormonism is temple works. The temple stands at the heart of Mormonism, literally and figuratively. All the rest of Mormonism is geared to getting people to go to the temple where they can receive ordinances that Mormons believe can be done nowhere else and without which it is impossible to recieve the highest reward in the afterlife. As a former Mormon who has been through the temple, I found these temple ordinances to be deeply occultic, even demonic. If the temple did not exist, it would be much easier for me to consider Mormonism as a slightly unorthodox sect of Christianity. As it stands, and acknowledging again that there are many good, even born-again people in the LDS Church, I would have to say that the the divide that separates Mormonism from the gospel of Christ is wide indeed, and I wish that Blomberg and Robinson had spent some time examining this crucial issue in their otherwise outstanding book.

Great book to see the views of LDS and Evangelicals contrasted and compared. Neither pulls punches and this has been endorsed by both Evangelicals and Mormons. In a sea of anti-LDS books which have misrepresented LDS beliefs (see previous review), this book rises above it all and allows the Evangelical and Mormon to defend their own positions and clear up these problems using reasoning and scriptures. This book does not call these two groups to agree on everything, only to get a better picture of what they actually believe without having the other put words in their mouths (see previous review). I dont think the previous reviewer even read the book by his/her comments. A must read for a scholarly view of these two groups beliefs

This book is the first of its kind in the field of Mormon studies: an honest effort by a Mormon scholar and a theologian of another religious tradition to understand each other's views. While most comparative studies of Mormonism with other religions and churches tend to emphasize the distinctive and divergent points, this studies maintains a perspective and balance that acknowledges the similarities as well as the differences. It also does a great service in identifying many points which appear divergent but which in fact have great similarity, a fact that is hidden by divergent terminology about the same concepts. Most important, it lets members of each religion explain the beliefs of his own church or tradition, rather than insisting that believers in the other church believe things which most individual members in fact do not believe. This book sets a new standard for honest and informative scholarship on the Mormons and helps place that church in the context of the American Christian tradition. It should be the first in a series that compares Mormonism with Catholic, Orthodox, and non-Evangelical Christian beliefs. One suspects that a great deal of work and time went into this study by both authors--which is probably why most books examining Mormonism are so poor in comparison, because their authors are not willing to do the heavy lifting.

There is not a book out there that is more frustrating than James Joyce's Ulysses...unless, of course, it is Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. The problem lies in the fact that this novel is such an amazing piece of art that the reader can feel like Joyce forgot all about him. It is almost impossible to read by oneself with it's seemingly garbled maze of words and phrases and madness. However, this is what makes it such a joy to read. Imagine that an author decided to do away with any and all rules concerning fiction and to write a book that was it's own entity, showing you what it wanted to show you, telling you what it wanted to tell you and acting like its own character. This is what Joyce has accomplished with Ulysses. I was fortunate enough to read this book in a class, four months of nothing but Ulysses, and I have to warn would be readers that I don't think I would have made it through without expert guidance. I would advise anyone wishing to tackle this literary giant to gather some book loving friends, and a guidebook or two for Ulysses, and to take it very slowly. Read a chapter a week and then meet up with you group to discuss and puzzle out what you have just read. I am willing to bet that your weekly conversations will be a greater work of art than any book out there, and I think that Joyce would have liked that, would have enjoyed sparking debates and conversation, its probably the main reason why anyone creates anything; for it to be enjoyed and shared. The story line is simple, you have two main characters, Stephen Dedalus, the brilliant but alienated loner. You have Leopold Bloom, a simple man who is as alienated as Stephen, but not for his mind, for his cultural background and meek manner. The entire book takes place over the course of one day in Dublin, and after the first three chapters the entire book simply follows Bloom around during a day when he knows that his wife is having a romantic meeting with her lover. It is hard to sum up such a giant book in a few sentences like this, but basically Bloom is trying to set his life back on track, trying to reconcile himself with his wife's betrayal, and trying to reach out to Stephen who he feels could use a loving family. Of course, you could read this book and not find any of what I am saying in there, but the beauty of Ulysses is that I would love to hear what it is that you found in this novel as much as I would love sharing what I found.

Ulysses is great fun. It takes a bit more work to read than most books, just as it takes a bit more work to play tennis than it does to play catch. You shouldn't feel compelled to put the work in, any more than you should feel compelled to learn an unusually difficult sport. But people who do put the work in and who have a good time doing it shouldn't be made to feel guilty about it either. It's a pleasure to follow the interweaving lines of the Sirens chapter, for instance, and anyone who does it will see that the chapter is alive in a way that almost nothing else is in literature. Joyce is a terrific comic writer and a terrific creator of vivid, complicated characters. But he requires the reader to put in some extra effort to enjoy how good he is, and I can't blame anyone who gives up after a few pages and refuses to go any further. On the other hand, I've noticed that people who don't like Joyce's approach seem to want to attack people who do. This is silly. Again, it's like hating people for playing basketball just because you prefer skateboarding. Both the Joyce lovers and the Joyce haters should lighten up a bit.

Why do people who don't like Ulysses always lambaste those who do? You have every right to like and dislike what you please, and so do I. Why the name calling? I wouldn't call myself an intellectual and I'm certainly no "literary luminary," but I love the book. For me, it's not about mythic parallels or stylistic experimentation or esoteric theories of art-it's about the richness, the absolute miracle, of human experience. Whatever else you can say about Joyce's intent, he wanted to show us life. And every time, for example, Bloom wonders whether black reflects or refracts light, I see life-the sort of life (banal, uncertain, driven by the demands of the flesh, often a joy, sometimes thankfully relieved by humor) that I live. Joyce (I think) succeeded in giving us a very simple but profound truth: every moment of life is sacred. Eternity, heaven and hell, God, the whole shebang, are right here around and within us all the time. And we spend 99% of our time distracting ourselves in one way or other.

Bring your sense of humor! (it's supposed to be a comedy), and a little patience. The more you read it, the more you get out of it.

I have to admit that I have not really given Jack London his proper due up to now. Perhaps it is because I don't by my nature like outdoor adventure type stories, or perhaps it is because I associate White Fang and "To Build a Fire" with my youth. The fact is that Jack London is a tremendously talented writer. His understanding of the basics of life matches his great knowledge of the snow-enshrouded world of the upper latitudes. The Call of the Wild, despite its relative brevity and the fact that it is (at least on its surface) a dog's story, contains as much truth and reality of man's own struggles as that which can be sifted from the life's work of many another respected author. The story London tells is starkly real; as such, it is not pretty, and it is not elevating. As an animal lover, I found parts of this story heartbreaking: Buck's removal from the civilized Southland in which he reigned supreme among his animal kindred to the brutal cold and even more brutal machinations of hard, weathered men who literally beat him and whipped him full of lashes is supremely sad and bothersome. Even sadder are the stories of the dogs that fill the sled's traces around him. Poor good-spirited Curly never has a chance, while Dave's story is made the more unbearable by his brave, undying spirit. Even the harsh taskmaster Spitz has to be pitied, despite his harsh nature, for the reader knows full well that this harsh nature was forced upon him by man and his thirst for gold. Buck's travails are long and hard, but the nobility of his spirit makes of him a hero--this despite the fact that his primitive animal instincts and urges continually come to dominate him, pushing away the memory and reality of his younger, softer days among civilized man. Buck not only conquers all--the weather, the harshness of the men who harness his powers in turn, the other dogs and wolves he comes into contact with--he thrives. This isn't a story to read when you are depressed. London's writing is beautiful, poignant, and powerful, but it is also somber, sometimes morose, infinitely real, and at times gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.

The two rivals circle the ring, probing for any point of weakness. The duel has lasted longer than either competitor had anticipated. Weakened by fatigue, the challenger feints high and goes for a crippling blow. No, this is not a boxing title match in Las Vegas. This is a life-and-death struggle of one domestic dog for survival in the cold, icy, barren regions of the Alaskan plains. This is a clash between the civilized and the primordial. This is the conflict between domestication and liberation. This is the Call of the Wild.

Jack London centers his story on a dog by the name of Buck. Buck is a big, strong dog, his father being a St. Bernard and his mother being a Scottish shepherd dog. At one hundred and forty pounds, Buck was no mere house pet. Kept physically strong with a love of rigorous swimming and constant outdoor exercise, Buck was a lean, formidable dog. Undoubtedly, his great condition was part of the reason that the gardener's helper dog-napped and sold him to dog traders, who in turn sold him to Canadian government mail couriers. The gold rush in Alaska had created a huge demand for good dogs, which eventually led to the "disappearances" of many dogs on the West Coast. Buck was no exception. He was sold into a hostile environment, which was unforgiving and harsh. Although civilization domesticated him from birth, Buck soon begins almost involuntarily to rediscover himself, revealing a "primordial urge", a natural instinct, which London refers to as the Call of the Wild.

This book is set in the Klondike, a region in Alaska that was literally stormed by thousands of men looking to get rich quick via the gold rush. Transportation was increasingly important, but horses were near useless in winter, prone to slip and fall on snow and ice. Dogs were by far the best means of transportation in Alaska at the time, somewhere near the end of the 19th century. As the demand for dogs grew, the prices for good dogs skyrocketed. This price hike inevitably created a black-market- style selling of dogs, and the gardener's helper Manuel did what many men did; they sold the dogs for a good price.

A recurring theme in London's novel is the clash between natural instinct and domesticated obedience. Soon after the dog traders captured Buck, a man broke him with a club. Buck is thoroughly humiliated, but learned an all-important truth of the wild: The law of club and fang. Kill or be killed. Survival is above all. Buck resolved to himself to give way to men with clubs. In the beginning, Buck had problems with this new restriction, but learned that when his masters' hands hold whips or clubs, he must concede. However, that did not keep Buck from doing little deeds like stealing a chunk of bacon behind his masters' backs. However, as London says, "He did not steal for joy of it, but because of the clamor of his stomach . In short, the things he did were done because it was easier to do them than not to do them." In this way Buck learns the way of the wild but also acknowledges his inferiority to men with clubs or whips. Eventually in this novel, Buck throws away his old life completely and replaces it with his natural urge, the primordial version of himself, the Call of the Wild.

Another underlying theme is the relationship between dog and master. In the beginning, Buck is acquainted with the Judge with a dignified friendship, his sons with hunting partnership, his grandsons with protective guardianship, the mail couriers Francois and Perrault with a mutual respect. Against the man with a club he despised but gave respect. However, when Buck met John Thornton, he loved his master for the first time ever. There wasn't anything Buck wouldn't do for his master. Twice Buck saved Thornton's life, and pulled a thousand pounds of weight for Thornton's sake. Even after Buck routinely left his master's camp to flirt with nature, Buck always came back to appreciate his kind master. However, even after Thornton was gone and Buck had released all memories of his former life, Buck never forgot the kind hands of his master, even after answering the Call of the Wild.

Jack London truly brings Buck to life. Using a limited 3rd person view, the reader is told of Buck's thoughts and actions. Obviously, London gave several ideal human qualities to Buck, including a sharp wit, rational reasoning, quick thinking, and grounded common sense. However, he does not over-exaggerate the humanity in Buck, which would have given an almost cartoon-like feeling for a reader. Rather, being a good observer, London saw how dogs acted and worked backwards, trying to infer what the dogs think. The result is a masterful blend of human qualities and animal instinct that is entirely believable. It is obvious that Buck's experience was similar to many other dogs' experiences.

This novelette is a chiling, gripping masterpiece of Survival lore, set in the brutal harshness of the Yukon during the Alaskan gold rush of 1897. The plot is the gradual metamorphosis of Buck--a splendid rancho dog of the warm, soft Southlands (part St.Bernanrd/part German Shepherd). From pampered pet on his master's country estate, he is kidnpaped and sold into the bondage of dogteam slavery for sheer Greed, where he endures the horrors of weather plus those of cruel and stupid men. Yet Buck ultimately carves out his own domain in the bitter wilderness, leaving a legacy of prodigious strength, cunning and ferocity. When his last master dies, he answers the growing Call to revert to his ancestors' wild state, as the alpha male of a wolf pack. Despite little dialogue, this book reads swiftly and holds your interest. Fiction made absolutely Real by the pen of a master!