The Wealth of Choices is a very entertaining, highly readable introduction to how the internet will impact individual's lives. I would recommend this book if your have not read on this topic previously and would like to get your feet wet. The clear message that Murray delivers is that, for better or worse, your number of choices and responsibilities is going to explode in the future. He does this through numerous anecdotes in areas ranging from choosing your electricity supplier to choosing your hospital to choosing how to manage your retirement savings. Refreshingly, Murray notes not only the positive aspects of this increase in choices and responsibilities but also the downside (do you really want to spend a day figuring out who is lowest cost electricity provider?).

However, what this book does not provide is up-to-date practical advice for how to deal with the increase in choices. For example, the section on internet shopping is particularly dated, and fails to discuss tools such as price comparison shopping bots. Similarly, I would not base any financial decisions on the chapter on investing in the new economy. Much more thorough information on investing for the novice can be found in sources such as W.J. Bernstein's The Intelligent Asset Allocator, Siegel and Bernstein's Stocks for the Long Run, J. Bogle's Common Sense on Mutual Funds : New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor or even online.......... This is probably the biggest flaw in The Wealth of Choices-there is no major listing of additional references to get more detailed information on any of the topics.

In short, borrow The Wealth of Choices from the library, get some ideas, but spend your money on more thorough books for a reference that you will return to over and over.

Alan S. Murray's book delves into the well-worn themes of globalization and digitization, but manages to differentiate itself from the rest of the New Economy flotilla by offering up specific, practical suggestions on how consumers and business owners can cope. Many of Murray's major points have been presented more effectively in other books, such as Tom Friedman's The Lexus and the Olive Tree. That said, his advice on health care, education and career advancement in the New Economy is useful and easy to understand. So we at getAbstract recommend this book less for its broad overview of the Internet Economy and more for its common-sense wisdom for daily life in a dotcom world. (One caveat: as a result of the recent technology slump, some of Murray's analysis is already somewhat dated.)

"It's a great moment to be alive. Make the most of it."

The book's basic premise is that the economy has changed so much that you have to change your assumptions in order to prosper in terms of your health and money.

The first chapter, Not My Father's Economy, sets this up by sharing the advice his father always gave him and suggesting that these rules no longer apply.

The second chapter is a quiz that lets you test how well you have adapted to the new economic realities. The quiz is on the main points in the rest of the book, so if you do well in any part of that section, you can skip the material on that subject when you get to it later on. A strength of this structure is that it customizes the book for each reader, regardless of how savvy or out of it they are about the new economy.

Then, he shares hiw own experiences in how the new economy has changed for him in chapter 3. You will meet many famous and fascinating figures, such as the Gardner brothers of Motley Fool fame.

Chapters 4-12 are devoted to shopping, health care, education, work, how to spend your time and attention, investing, starting a business, retirement, and privacy (one per chapter). In these chapters, he gives you tips for each area, on-line sources you can access to keep up-to-date, and suggests key operating principles.

Here's a summary of his perspective on the economy: "Today, the basic market principles of competition and choice have swept into every aspect of American life." "The world has gotten smaller; competition has gotten more intense; choices have become more plentiful." "Globalization, deregulation, and digitalization are turning the entire world into a modern version of the Istanbul bazaar." " . . . The power balance, for the first time in the history of capitalism, has shifted in the consumer's favor." He has trouble defining the new economy, and does so with a series of negatives. It isn't very effective, but a definition probably isn't very important for achieving the book's purposes.

For those who like their economics in a qualitative form and in an abbreviated journalistic style, this book will be an excellent source of why the economy has and is changing.

For those who want to know how to get the best deal, this book is invaluable. While all of the other books about the Internet primarily focus on building a business or investing, this one shows how to use the Internet for everyday benefits for everyone. I am sure that many books will follow in this vein, but this is the first one I have seen done from this perspective. He also offers a web site where you can keep up-to-date on on-line sources.

But the real benefit is in helping you see where you may have stalled thinking about what you should be focusing on. The book is highly effective in showing you where to look and what questions to ask. For example, if 88 percent of mutual funds underperform the market averages, why do you own one that is not an index fund? I would give the book more than five stars if I could for this aspect.

The book's main weakness is that you cannot teach someone everything they need to know in each of the areas in a few pages. His reach exceeds his grasp in areas like investing, starting a business, privacy and retiring. Each subject area requires many books to fully understand. You should go find those books and study them. Don't take the advice here too literally.

I also thought that he misunderstands about education. He suggests going for the 'best' education, but seems to automatically equate that with 'brand name' education. Be a little more skeptical than that about the 'brand names' in education. Their product is not what it once was.

After you have read and absorbed the book's lessons, ask yourself how much of your time you really want to spend on making all of these new choices. Then decide which areas you will spend that time on. Even with the tips in this book, you will still find that you will have to ration your attention. I suggest you focus on health care, education, work (or business), and use whatever is left for shopping. But you should decide for yourself!

Only in recent years have I gotten back into the Marvel novels, and even back then I was reading comic books (late 70's & early 80's) I was selective on which ones I've read. So, I really don't remember reading about Nick Fury. So these novels has introduced me to Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. The storyline was highly enjoyable and the cast of characters that were easy to understand and were likeable. I truely enjoyed Will Murray's writing style and sense of humor in which he intregated into the book was excellent. Highly recommend this book to all the fans of Col Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.

I recently uncovered a taped copy of Fox's Tuesday Night Movie, Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD (1996) starring David Hasselhof as Colonel Nicholas J. Fury, and that started an obession about all the SHIELD characters. After doing a little research on the web I went back to the comic book shop and purchased dozens of old (and expensive) copies of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes, a war mag featuring Saint Nick before he lost an eye (one of the comics actually explained how it happened). I then went out looking for copies of Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD comic books and found this novel, EMPYRE. I immediatly grabbed and it and bought it. The cover was good, showing Nick and Contessa and Dum Dum Dugan, a LMD (Life Model Decoy) and the Helicarrier and Hydra Viper (played by Sandra Hess in the TV movie with a bad German accent). The novel itself was not like the cover. The story revolves around a plot by some Middle Eastern madman planning to bomb major world cities (including some right here in the good ol' US of A) using passenger jets rigged with Inferno 16 or some such. Nick Fury and his strong man sidekick Timothy Aloysius "Dum Dum" Dugan enlist the help of SHIELD's para-psych devision's head Starla Spacek to predict the whereabout of the these planes using remote viewing (check out the novel PSYCHIC WARRIOR by David Morehouse). Now the author of this novel is a known psychic and I think he tries too hard to intregrate his comic book novel writing (Doc Savage and the Destroyer) with his mind-reading job. But the main character, Starla Spacek, is very well written throughout the novel. It also helps that Starla Spacek resembles the character Kate Neville in the TV movie. If you want a straight Nick Fury story stay with the comics but if you want a story has Nick Fury in it but does not revolve around him, EMPYRE is the best bet. Also check out Christopher Golden's novel CODENAME WOLVERINE for a very good Nick Fury and SHIELD appearence.

For those who don't know, Nick Fury was a comic book character known to many of us thirtysomethings as Sgt. Fury of the Howling Commandos, a forward-looking comic book series if ever there was one. (It presented issues of diversity years before the Civil Rights Amendment, for example.) While you don't have to have been a Sgt. Fury aficionado to like this book, it sure doesn't hurt.

As long as you're willing to accept a little superhero-genre reality fudging, there's a lot to like about this story. Fury and Dum Dum Dugan (his perennial sidekick) are faithfully presented, but are not the main protagonists--that honour goes to a part-Native psi specialist who is well developed over the course of the book, earning the respect of the reader.

It ain't going to make Oprah's book list, as Nick Fury might say, but it's a fun read. Recommended to any fan of Fury or pseudorealistic superhero adventure with an interest in psi-phenomena.

Science fiction? Hardly...more like sexual fiction. Would have been fine if I was looking in the adult fantasy section. Didn't find a single thing in this book that grabbed me - except boredom. Forget about continuity or connected segments.

Save your money (. . .)

I normally don't give such a poor rating on anything, but there always has to be a first time. I think the author of this book needs some serious mental therapy. He promotes man as being future gods, there is too much explicit sex and he goes off on wild tangents. I think he and Carlos Castenega would hit it off real well, they could swap notes. I would have to sum this book up with a simple sentence: "Don't waste your money, like I did."

One of the books that opened my perceptions to wonder when I first read it some 20 years ago. Silverberg at his most psychedically powerful stride. Along with "Nightwings" this is a must read for any fan of the Sci-Fi genre.

A terrible pitty that it is not available for my Macintosh or Palm.

ordered this by mistake!

anyone want it? I am not capable of getting interested in gang life...so many other topics.

although it is an integral part of the mexican history...it is not interesting enough for me to read about.

i feel for anyone who is in a gang or who is influenced by gang presence in their neighborhoods.

This novel does not depict the reality of the mean streets. What was Murray thinking when she wrote this in a first person voice? Murray herself states that she had no real experience of the gangster life. She wrote what she imagined was a girl's life as a gangster. How much research did she do before she wrote this novel?! None, if you ask me. Her attempts to present the daily life of someone caught up in this world are cute.

This book told a wonderful story of what it's really like for girls who live in the barrio and how they face problems. It realistically shows what two different girls choose to do and where they end up. This book gives you a palette of emotions changing throughout the story. It also gives you a lot to think about at the end. "Locas" changed my life by giving me a rude awakening of where I might end up if I continued with my gang activity.

Hucksters of prophecies usually make their sales by scaring what wits their customers still have entirely out of them. So, this book stands out from the rest by stroking the terrified reader with reassurances that all is not so bad as it might seem. Of course, this is the usual thing with the Biblical and other religious crowds, who all hope to make it past the fiery Millenium, but freaked out New Agers may want to hear some good tidings, too.
A bonus is the book's inclusion of several, not just one, traditions of hocus-pocus. So several word-of-mouth and late-night-television groups may be drawn to this title.
I'd recommend it for the paranormal collection in high schools, public libraries or podunk colleges, where stuff like this gets checked out permanently or ripped off all the time and the staff need to keep something on the shelf.

Having never read any of Elizabeth's books before, and being relatively aware of St Germaine and his wondrous work on this planet, this book jumped out at me. Yes, I agree with the other reviewees, that it is a helpful book to enable us to 'relax' somewhat and know that all is indeed not doom and gloom. Power to the people could never be as important at this time that we are presently in. However, there is a group of chapters which I would have to whole heartedly disagree with and if I didn't know any better, they appear to have an agenda behind them.The Child's Perspective and a few of the following chapters from this one I personally found quite alarming in their content. There is no greater truth than your own, so take care when reading some of this, because at the end of the day it is only an opinion. Don't be afraid to feel and if all of her words ring true for you fantastic, but if they don't this is because this is Elizabeth's truth and not your own.

This is a very well-written and well-researched book, but most importantly, it gives us a very profound sense of hope by saying that prophecy is just a warning, it's not intended to panick people and make them buy tons of supply and just wait for the world to crumble down, but we actually can overcome it and make our destiny what we want it to be.

Legal thrillers are my favorite genre of books; however, Attorney Nizer either assumes his readers are not paying attention or stupid. I was very tired of the repetition which caused me to put down this book several times. It is a riveting story which makes this book worth while, but be prepared to be annoyed at the author's technique. It might work well with a jury, it doesn't work well with an educated reader.

This book shows one of our greatest legal minds, a close relative of mine, at work. Very few people know that in addition to being a star attorney, Louis Nizer (the author of the book, not myself) was an all- star baseball player in the ill-fated Norewigan pro- baseball leage. This book unpacks both, and Nizers love of felines. A smash hit!

As the story unfolds the tension mounts. It left no doubt in my mind that this was truly an unjustly accused and convicted man. I was also greatly impressed with the dedication and compassion of defense attorneys.

I really enjoyed Ms. Murray's first book, *Larger Than Death,* and was looking forward to reading this one. But this book could be an example of "What Not To Do" in Fiction Writing 101 - if there is such a class (?). Within the first few pages, the author keeps adding more and more characters into the mix without giving much "fleshing out." Indeed, she might as well be just listing them, as on a playbill. I can make a passable family tree for intestate succession purposes, and that's what I had to do - start a family tree/character chart at the beginning. But then I just gave up as she continued to pile on the list of people. I've got enough challenges in my life without having to "work at" leisure time reading. My advice is to pass this one up.
reviewed by mbmlaw

I liked this book a lot more than its prequel, "Larger Than Death," and I'm hopeful that the next title will be even better. Jo Fuller, the plus-sized heroine, has all the makings of a wonderful series sleuth, but her potential is not yet realized in this over plotted yet under-developed mystery.

Still reeling from the unexpected death of her best friend, Jo returns to work investigating and recommending grant recipients for her wealthy employer, Alicia Madrone. This time, however, Mrs. Madrone asks Jo to investigate the estranged daughter of an old family friend, Sally Rhymer. Sally is fearful that her daughter has fallen in with people who will take advantage of her (a "new age" group that provides grief counseling). Jo's investigation becomes complicated when Sally's ex-husband, the Admiral, is kidnapped.

A lot goes on in this book, and most of it holds together pretty well. A side plot involving a previous employee of Mrs. Madrone's is simply extraneous. The main problem is that the vast majority of the characters are under-developed stereotypes that border on campy. Mrs. Madrone is aged, eccentric, and in a wheelchair. Her devoted servant Ambrose is fastidious, red-haired, and gay. All the military characters (and there's a lot of them; the story is set in San Diego) are dangerous or sexist (or both). There's a foreign, lesbian artist habitually panting in her lover's ear. Even Jo, although confident and witty, seems sketchily drawn. Murray inadvertently makes Jo's weight her defining characteristic, even though the character herself would hate to be so defined.

Two things kept me from enjoying this book more. (1) As in the previous novel, Jo remains romantically involved with her dead best friend's lover (granted, he seems pretty conflicted about this). I think the point of their relationship is supposed to be that large people can be overtly sexual, but I find the relationship to be off-putting. The friend has been dead only one month. (2) Murray is unnecessarily disdainful of the "new age" group without providing sufficient cause. San Diego abounds with such groups, and it misrepresents the city to make them seem sneaky and shady for no good reason (i.e., a reason that has to do with the plot of the book).

Nevertheless, I enjoy reading mystery authors who are learning their craft and getting better all the time, as is Lynne Murray. I look forward to the next entry in this series.

I read Larger Than Death and immediately got my hands on Large Target - I wasn't disappointed. I'm eagerly awaiting more books about Jo Fuller!

I think these are the first books I've ever read featuring a character who is into size acceptance, and the dialogue between the Jo and those pushing diets at her really rang true for me.

The books are certainly of interest to any mystery fan, not just those of us who are fat - they're good stories and very entertaining for anyone.

During the section on Nei gung, the illustration shows the ming men point in the wrong place (way too high-opposite the heart.)
In his Tui Na section it is correct. This could lead to problems for the beginner. Enjoyed the rest of it though, and will keep it in my library.

This book presents several methods of external-internal energy generation and circulation training. Meditation training used in martial arts such as t'ai ch'i chu'an is explained in detail. The emphasis of the text is that investment of time and effort in practice of these exercises gains enhanced health and vitality. It is a good description of the practical and theoretical base of chi kung.

This book is not going to be the only Quigong book in your library. However, it is a useful one.

Simply, it's an introduction to Quigong in various forms, from exercises to medicine to martial arts. It's not the most consistent book, and there are times where one may wish for more detail or less. However, there's also enough good material on breathing, exercises, history, and what to expect when you get deeper into Quigong that it's worth the price.

If you're an experienced practicioner, it's probably not worth your time, though it may be good for helping others start out.

Every class has only so much time to give you examples on how to work the different theories of calculus. This book, from the Schaum's Outline series, provides you with additional examples to supplement your classroom time. Each problem is worked out for you, so you can see exactly how the answer is reached.

The outline series also explains some of the concepts, like partial derivatives and Fourier series. At the end of each chapter are some supplementary problems to test your knowledge. Unfortunately, not all of them have the answer printed. It is still a helpful reference to help you master the concepts of calculus.

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In my opinion, "Schaum's Outlines of Advanced Calculus" is the most accessible and most usefull advanced calculus text in print. Combining the precision of Professor David Widder's "Advanced Calculus", the accessibility of "How to Ace the Rest of Calculus", and the problem solving skills of REA's problem solvers, this book deserves to be the favorite advanced calculus text of anyone studying the subject. Of course, in advanced mathematics there is no panacea, but this book makes the job of learning mathematics much easier than is popularly imagined.