Beth Sherman is an intriguing writer. I loved reading a book with familiar towns like Red Bank, Asbury Park and other local towns mentioned. She also mentioned how the Fannie Farmer candy store in Red Bank is now a Starbucks coffee shop. This is the perfect beach read. Try the whole series - I know I will!

Anne Hardaway is shocked to see Tigger Mills has returned to her home town of Oceanside Heights, New Jersey. No one's seen him since the summer 20 years ago when he was accused of burning down a hotel and killing a little girl in the process. Attitudes in the town haven't changed, and Anne is one of the few people willing to talk to Tigger. When he confides that he's received a death threat, Anne thinks little of it. But the next morning, he's found floating in the surf. Teaming up with Tigger's brother Jack, she sets out to find who killed her friend. But the truth will take her into secrets she never suspected her neighbors were hiding. Can she sort through them all and learn the truth?

I thoroughly enjoyed this series debut. The resort town setting is fun and the characters are intriguing. I especially liked the two leads, and it was easy to feel sympathetic for them. What stood out most to me was the plot, however. The surprises never let up and keep you guessing. I was glued to the book, trying to figure out how everything fit together.

I will definitely be booking more time with Anne in Oceanside Heights. This series is a great way to spend a few hours relaxing at the beach, or anywhere else for that matter.

Oh, I do like Anne Hardaway! In her mid-thirties, struggling with life, trying to earn an honest living, she's everywoman, rolled into one. Shy, insecure yet tough when she needs to be, Anne lives in the small oceanside town in which she was born, and has always lived. This is both good and bad. The good part is that she knows everyone and they know her.The bad part is that she knows everyone and they know her.

Nearly twenty years earlier -- the summer Annie graduated from high school, and the country celebrated it's Bi-Centennial -- a tragedy occurred in Oceanside Heights. A little girl died in a fire that destroyed an old hotel. The town's pre-eminent 'bad boy' was suspected, but before anything could really be proved--for or against-- Tigger Mills left town, never to return. Until this year.

Drawn to him as she had been all those years earlier, Anne has a brief encounter with Tigger, and the promise of more to come -- but the promise will be unfulfilled, as Tigger drowns early the next morning. His half-brother Jack comes home from New York City to find out what happened.

Various elements of small-town life take their turn on center stage: the religious campground aura that defines Oceanside Heights; renewing acquaintances with former school-mates, some of whom would rather stay distant; getting to know Jack and his new life; and over all, families then and now, and the many secrets buried and thought dead only to have them come to life again.

I loved this book. I love Ann Hardaway as a character, and will go search out books two and three in the series. The first two that I've read have been well written, with wonderful characterization (both the goodies and the baddies are fully realized), and the setting is marvelous. Reading one of these Jersey Shore Mysteries is almost as good as a week spent on the beach. Try one for yourself--I think you'll agree!

I enjoyed the selected poems of Claude Mckay. Although in the beginning the dialouge was hard to follow, it became easier as I imagined myself as the writer...Good poetry

"Selected Poems," by Claude McKay, is a wonderful volume by this noteworthy writer. This Dover edition, which is edited by Joan R. Sherman, includes a bibliography of work by McKay as well as an index of the poems in the book.

Sherman's introduction discusses the life and career of McKay, who was born in Jamaica and came to live in the U.S. A novelist and essayist as well, he died in Chicago in 1948.

Many of the poems are written in Jamaican dialect. These dialect pieces have an energetic color and musicality. Many poems also show McKay's command of standard literary English; he writes some particularly fine sonnets.

Overall, this is a rich, diverse, and technically adept collection. There are many pointedly political poems that condemn racism and economic injustice, as well as sensuous love poems. There are poems that invoke both the rural tropics and the urban north.

These poems show McKay to be a master of meter, rhyme, and other aspects of poetry; he uses considerable variety throughout the collection. His best pieces combine a burning passion with his impressive technical prowess. Consider "A Capitalist at Dinner," a cutting political sonnet with a devastating final couplet; or "Song of the New Soldier and Worker," another political piece that uses stunning imagery and masterful audio effects.

McKay uses words as both lethal weapons against the forces of injustice and as tender instruments of passionate love. He is a poet of tremendous talent, and this collection is a real treasure.

In Claude McKay's Selected Poems, one sees the transformation of this West Indian poet's life manifested in his varied styles. McKay was born in the Jamaican countryside to an elite class, educated and given every opportunity. Then, as a young man, he came to America and felt the sting of pervasive racism and the numbness of being labeled second-class. His work shows that at times he looks down with pity at his people, only to look up with scorn at his oppressors. This duality drives many of his poems, especially those in the book's first section: Songs of Jamaica.
In "Hard Times" McKay exhibits the range of his poetic voice by ventriloquizing a Jamaican peasant. The effective use of this device brings an undeniably intimate feel to the poem and is remarkably capable of relating the sorrow of the poor farmer depicted. The modification of Jamaican vernacular on the English language is also a portrayal of the West Indian's captivity and adaptation to a strange culture.
Not to be overlooked are poems from McKay's Harlem Shadows collection. "If We Must Die" reflect his anger at an oppressive white menace that threatens to devour his culture. Interestingly enough, Winston Churchill read the same poem to British troops during WWII in a defiant call to arms. This cross-cultural application surely reflects the broader themes of McKay's work buried in the bowels of racial conflict.
All together, McKay's nation language echoes through the entire collection and relates a stirring narrative of the struggle of a West Indian exile. Each poem uses language, whether the voice of an island peasant, or an American immigrant, to engage the reader in the poet's struggle; a compelling read.

Since it does provide much of the foundation for modern societies and the applications are commonly covered with very effective disguises, mathematics is both a pillar and a whipping post. More misunderstood and hence feared than any other subject, it is the only one where it is fashionable and acceptable to profess ignorance. The only solution to this problem is to gently explain how valuable it is and let the economic realities of mathematical knowledge take control. In this book, Stein puts forward many valuable points concerning how necessary mathematics is.
While I do endorse the book, there is one negative point that must be made. The title should be different. One of the points in the book is that mathematics is much more than just number manipulation. Although this is well-known to mathematicians, it is a very common misconception. Therefore, the emphasis on numbers present in the title is unfortunate, but probably necessary for marketing purposes.
Now that the ranting is complete, it is time to praise the interior of the book. All of the points are significant and well made. Stein writes very well, explaining topics in a manner that keeps understanding within the range of the target audience, which is the intelligent layperson. His multiple explanations as to why the product of two negative numbers is positive is excellent. In my career, I have encountered several very educated people in technical fields who really did not understand why this is so. They had simply accepted it because they knew it worked, but had always been afraid of raising the question for fear of embarrassment.
Another point that cannot be emphasized enough is the sudden appearance of a "miracle"(reviewer word) number. These are numbers that are put forward to justify a point and are not subject to critical review. After that, they are accepted at a level that makes the belief in them an act of faith. Honestly, is nature so inefficient in anything that humans really use only 10% of their brains? This is an absurd number that has been repeated so many times that it is accepted as gospel. Stein does his part to help clear up some of these problems. However, it would have been better if more time had been spent in this area.
While there is some strength in numbers, the real power lies in the effective use of them, which is the realm of the underlying mathematics. This book contains many valuable lessons on why mathematics, rather than money, makes the world go round.

I can use the book to indirectly persuade youngsters, who think Math. is nothing but number and boring, to take it more seriously. It's hard for me to come up with more logical and more convincing than what already there in the book.

Professor Stein's book is an amazing read. It's humorous, insightful, and educational. A couple of those "great mysteries" from our math classes in school are solved and you will slap your forehead and say,"Well, they could have taught me THAT years ago!"

I highly recommend this book to all levels of math students AND math teachers.

You will be captivated by this compelling story of a woman who searches to unravel her family's history. A profound and fascinating look at the frailty of life and human relationships. A must read!

"A Star and a Cross" by Harriette Sherman doesn't take long to read but this short,well-constructed quest for roots deserves time for reflection. So often treated in collective, political, even statistical, language, this story shows , so beautifully, that the Holocaust, like all history, is ultimately local, individual, and personal. Although humanity's often contageous dark side is portrayed in touching scenes of group murder, rape and tragic suicide, I thank the author for her message of hope expressed throughout in delicate innuendos Can we forgive? One hopes so.

Harriette S. Sherman's A Star And A Cross is a superbly written novella about Judith Lawrence, and her search to learn about her family's disappearance. She traces their lives and fates up to the atrocity of Nazi's Final Solution during the Second World War, in this powerful tale of the quests for truth, forgiveness, and closure to a dark era in world history that touched so many personal lives. A Star And A Cross is potent, emotional, and deeply engaging reading from first page to last.

Isn't it a little bit incongruous to desire to detach yourself from society, seeking self-reliance, and then write a book about it? Just an observation...

While Thoreau is a curious individual - sort of a poor-man's G.K. Chesterton - he always seems to come up short. The Virtue of Civil Disobedience reads more like self-satire than a serious attempt at political philosophy. And while Walden is rich and fulfilling, it is ultimately just a vehicle for Thoreau to make baseless claims predicated upon his treasury of tidbits and odd knowledge.

Had Thoreau been blessed with living in the modern world, he could have just written "Living by a Pond on Your Own For Dummies" and saved himself (and us) a lot of trouble.

Instead of "Civil Disobedience," I recommend anything by Lysander Spooner (particularly "No Treason")

Instead of "Walden" I recommend "Two Years Before the Mast." It's both more relevant than Walden, and a heck of a lot Closer To Nature.

Compared to books such as "Voluntary Simplicity" by Duane Elgin and similar books, one realises that many of these ideas are nothing new when one reads Walden by Thoreau. In fact, what strikes me is that we as a Western society have not overcome many of the issues pointed out by Thoreau 150 years ago. Thoreau left Concord MA "disdainful of America's growing commercialism and industrialism", the slavish materialism of that society then. One wonders what he'll say if he would see the extend today - in the post Coca-Cola society. But then Thoreau was a man who clearly stepped to his own drum. Becuase of slavery, he refused to support the state on moral grounds. How would his views have been tolerated today?

I am not luddite, but my favourite quote from the book is this: "We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing to communicate". Does this say something about the Internet, newsmedia and our contemporary information overload, or what?

I liked the introduction and footnotes of Meyer. Just enough to provide context and explanation, but never intrusive. This book is as relevant today as it was during Thoreau's lifetime. Highly recommended.

H.D. Thoreau is the first and most important figure in U.S. Radicalism. This collection provides the essential background for the latent radicalism inherent in American politics, especially as it was vocalized in the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements of the 1960's.

Disobedience is the shorter of the texts, but probably more important. It is an attempt to justify moral anarchism and a call to act on individual judgements about justice.

Walden can be interpreted as an important treatise against consumerism and the dangers of specialization, as well as an appreciation of the natural environment. Those interested in anti-globalization/anti-free trade movements would do well to read Walden to gain an understanding of where anti-consumerism came from and an examination of its ethical implications. However, it also pays to remember that Walden is a failed experiment and, in the end, Thoreau returns to Cambridge.

Thoreau, as political philosophy, has certain problems. Moral anarchy and denial of the social contract is difficult to replace in civil society--Thoreau makes no more than the most vague references as to what could replace it, seeming to rely on the fact that his personal sense of justice is universal.

Nevertheless, Thoreau's conscience has resonance and is as relevant today as ever. His rejection of consumerism as the basis for society and its stratification also teaches important lessons.

Thoreau represents that first step in understanding the other part of American political thought--extremely different from that of the Constitution and Federalist Papers--but with profound connections to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King.

I found the book quite entertaining. It is also an answer to the critics who have condemned the Sherman Tank because of inferior armament and armor compared to the heavy Russiann and German tanks. The author confirms as Patton found that if the advantages of the tank, speed, reliability, high fire rate, off road capability and etc. are utilized that it could and did massacre its now more highly regarded counterparts.

During WW2, the United States shipped a whole lot of Lend Lease material to the Soviet Union, and included in this equipment was a total of about 5,000 tanks. Most of those shipped were diesel-powered M4A2 Sherman tanks (emchas to their Soviet crews, after an abbreviation of the Russian pronunciation of M4) and this book is the memoir of the service of an officer who rode several of these tanks from the Ukraine to Czechoslovakia, then across the Gobi Desert to Mukden. It's well-written (not always a hallmark of Soviet war memoirs) and full of wonderful anecdotes, from whiskey bottles in the gun breeches to problems with the rubber-covered tracks and the high center of gravity. Strangely, Loza has more good things to say about the Sherman tank than Belton Cooper, who wrote Death Traps (which I just read). Cooper thinks the tanks were no match for their German counterparts, Loza argues that used properly, emphasizing speed and maneuverability, they could and did stand up to the Panthers and even Tigers tolerably well. The book includes several incredible stories, the sort of thing you wouldn't believe if the author hadn't witnessed the events themselves, and concludes with a bizarre kamikaze attack by Japanese planes on the tank column. My one gripe is that at points you feel you're missing something with regards to the author's private life (at one point he mentions that he has a family now, but you hear nothing of that otherwise; mention of his wounding and the events surrounding it are very sketchy) but that doesn't really merit a drop in my rating from the highest.

As a former Armor officer I was captivated immediately. This is a story by a soldier's soldier. The stories are incredible, the action non-stop throughout. Colonel Loza is a true hero and warrior who tells a great story, albeit not in the flowing, perfect prose of the ivory tower historian, but that is what makes if all the more gut wrenching and believable. All tankers should read this one!

The Dark Prince's invasion is going flawlessly, everywhere except where it has run into a small band of sea warriors--self-styled marines. Admittedly, a few marines shouldn't be able to do much against nation-destroying hordes, but the Dark Prince doesn't believe in taking chances. He sends his magicians to spy on the marines, determine their plans, and to prepare for their complete destruction.

Spinner and Haft, guided by the immortal readings from a Marine Sergeant, have gathered a small group of refugees--troops whose nations were destroyed or who deserted before they could fight (few other than Spinner and Haft have actually survived a battle with the Dark Prince's army). But with the Dark Prince's eye on them, and with bandits, bad weather, and restless locals, the Marines are in big trouble. Still, when they have an opportunity to ambush and defeat a small band of the Prince's men, the defeated soldiers in their band start to perk up. With the help of their mage, and of a wolf who understands human speech, they develop a plan to make the Prince pay more than he wants for his victory. Of course, this assumes that their own differences, including romantic complications, don't cause the Marines to self-destruct first.

Author David Sherman delivers an action-packed tale of magic and heroism. The Marine elements give the story a bit of grounding in our own universe, and the magic system is close enough to modern technology to allow Marine doctrine to work. Sherman's writing is effective and helps compell the reader through the story. The character development and interactions helps raise the novel above a purely adventure story. RALLY POINT is an enjoyable light read.

This book was better written than the first of the series. The scenes seemed to flow smoother than in the first one. However, certain characters keep getting on my nerves (Spinner and Alyline most of all). Yet, that's a sign of excellent characterization on the author's part.

So overall, the author did a wonderful job with book 2!

Rally Point is the second novel of the Demontech series, following Onslaught. In the previous volume, Spinner and Haft have escaped from the Jokapcul invasion of New Bally and start their trek northeastward through Bostia, intending to cross Skragland and then turn south to the port of Zorba City, where they can get passage to Frangeria. After a bit of excitement over a hungry gray tabur, a large feline, they meet Silent, a Tangonine giant, who joins them in combat against a Jokapcul unit at the Skragland border. Unfortunately, one of the Jokapcul gets away, so Haft and Spinner take three of the Jokapcul horses and ride east.

After a spot of trouble at the Burnt Man Inn, Spinner and Haft depart in the company of the Golden Girl, Doli, Zweepee, and Fletcher. A few days later, Wolf starts following them and, occasionally, leading them to battle sites. They follow the path of a Zorban unit and arrive just as a Jokapcul company attacks them. Although they drive off the enemy for a short while, the Jokapcul soon return and are wearing down their small group when Silent roars into the Jokapcul rear and sends them tumbling like bowling pins. After finishing off the enemy, they add the horses to their own and continue on their way, gathering fighting men and some refugees as they travel.

In this novel, the Dark Prince demands that the Jokapcul magicians find out more about the bandits attacking their men in the north. One of the mages sends out a hive of bees to hunt for the group led by Haft and Spinner.

Meanwhile, the group has been fleeing east from the Jokapcul advance, but soon discover that they have insufficient food and water for travel across the Eastern Waste. They follow the borders of the waste south toward the Princedons. They now have enough fighting men to make up a reinforced platoon: Zorbans, Skraglanders, and a few sea soldiers who have escaped from Zorba City. They are beginning to pick off small units of Jokapcul and any bandits foolish enough to attack them. They even rescue a Skragland unit from a bandit ambush. Then they come to the town of Eikby.

While Spinner and Haft are negotiating with the town mayor, the group camps nearby and prepares a meal. Shortly thereafter, numerous bandits attack the camp, deliberately inflicting injuries to several women and children, but are driven off by the returning fighting men. The bandit gang is well known to the townsfolk and the group are warned that they will gather as many other bandit gangs as possible and return to attack them once again as retaliation for previous losses. The town mayor wants to send the newcomers away, but is overruled by the Commander of the Eikby Guard. The townsfolk start preparing for an attack by the bandits.

Then refugees from Penston brings word that the Jokapcul have taken that city and are coming up the peninsula toward Eikby.

This novel shows the development of Haft and Spinner into leaders as they accept responsibility for more and more refugees and finally for a full town. While they still have a duty to report the invasion, they can't just walk off and leave these men, women and children to their own device.

Spinner is especially conflicted by the number of people who have died under their leadership. He can't see where these losses could be prevented and assumes that his incomprehension proves his lack of competence. On the other hand, Haft still has a problem with impetuosity. He clearly sees the enemy's weaknesses, but fails to consider the consequences of accident and error. However, the fighting begins to teach him a little more about prior planning and, in particular, the value of contingency planning.

Recommended for Sherman fans and anyone else who enjoys ground combat in a fantasy setting.

I liked the optimism of this book and Dr. Silber's advocacy of an aggressive approach to treatment, but I wouldn't say this is a comprehensive book because it doesn't really address the emotional/psychological aspects of infertility and its treatment. Plus, Dr. Silber's self-aggrandizing tone was suprising and distracting in a book that is supposed to be about helping others, not self-promotion.

i read several other books on infertility and this one was my favorite. i read it front to back and totally understood it.In fact i liked it so much i decided to see him and i did and he's a wonderful doctor and he is why i'm 5 months pregnant with twins. A must have for anyone going through infertility and is considering invitro. lets you know what to expect.

This is a comprehensive reference book on the entire topic of infertility, written in an understandable and optimistic tone. The best of the doctor books available.

Fern Reiss, author of "The Infertility Diet: Get Pregnant and Prevent Miscarriage"

I will start by saying Liddel Hart is my favorite military historian/author and I own half a dozen books by him, and regard them as gospel. However I felt that Liddel Hart was not as well versed in this area as he is in European History. He lets his ingrained contrariness run away with him. He wants to create a "great captain" where there is none. He also, I believe, wants to convince the reader of the genius of the "inderect approach" which he expounds in his excellent book "Strategy". However I think considering Sherman's campaign as indirect is like calling D-Day indirect because the allies invaded Normandy as opposed to Calais. ( I must admit that I am biased because I am a Lee fan) Like every other book by Liddel hart though, it is a very quick and pleasant read. I would recommend his book on Scipio as a great intro to his work.

Sherman was both the most original genius of the Civil War, and "the typical American". His career provides lessons to the modern world and to modern warfare. It was his conscious exploitation of the economic and psychological factors of war in his "March through Georgia" which helped to end the Civil War. The long and expensive battles in Northern Virginia were replayed on the battlefields of France in the Great War.

The Union attempted to take Richmond by the shortest and most direct route; but this way was blocked with natural obstacles. If the Confederates fell back they would be closer to their reserves, supplies, and reinforcements. These facts favored the entrenched defenders.

The western campaign ended in the capture of Vicksburg and control of the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans. Liddell Hart contrasts the maneuvers here to the stalemate back east. But the conditions, or politics, did not allow a wide flanking invasion through West Virginia or North Carolina. The threat to Richmond kept Confederate troops there. Longstreet proposed an invasion of Kentucky, a far flanking attack, but was turned down by Lee.

It explains how Sherman out-maneuvered Johnston from Chattanooga to Atlanta. By threatening to outflank Johnston, the Confederates fell back. His replacement by Hood did not prevent the capture of Atlanta. This revived the hope of victory for the North, and helped to re-elect Lincoln.

Sherman then abandoned his supply and communication lines (vulnerable to attack) and marched on to Savannah and the ocean. His army lived off the land. This enabled his army to be resupplied by the Navy. He then marched north, seeming to attack other cities, but passed between and continued to destroy railroads and bridges.

The end came soon after this, as other armies invaded the South. Sherman designed an armistice and amnesty where the Confederates would be disbanded, and their arms turned over to the states. The latter would allow repression of bandits and guerillas. He was criticized for this.

Sherman was a man of modest habits. When admirers raised [money]to buy him a house, he refused to accept unless he received bonds that would pay the taxes! He lived within his means. The resisting power of a state depends more on the strength of popular will than on the strength of its armies, and this depends on economic and social security (p.429).

Liddell Hart gave preference to contemporaneous correspondence rather than Official Reports (which are written for history to justify a policy). Some of the ideas in this 72-year old book may not coincide with more recent history.

When I first began to read this book I was concerned that it might be outdated. However, I found much of the subject matter to be quite timely. Of particular interest was the impact that Sherman's successful (albeit violent) trek through Georgia had on the 1864 elections. I never realized how close the Copperhead (Peace) Democrats came to winning that election and perhaps bringing the Civil War to a far differnet conclusion . Hart bring Sherman to life. He also vividly illustrates the behind the scene politics that almost prevented Sherman (not to mention Grant) from their historic roles in the Civil War. Don't be put off by the subject matter or the age of the book. It's worth the read.

I began reading this book with the hopes of learning something, but I was disappointed. In a nutshell, the author is saying that we all have the ability to visualize and see in our mind's eye what we want. Using this power will get you anything you want. The reason I was disappointed was because it contained a lot of fluff and filler. He focuses in the beginning too much on the mystery of TNT. Get off it! Give us something we can use. Give some meaty examples and techniques for visualization, rather than the fact that a lot of people aren't using the power of visualization, blah, blah, blah.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Many years ago, I was given this book. I was just starting a career & was nervous. This book gave me a roadmap, easy to follow, which got me started and has served me for many years. I recently hit a negative period in life, so I re-read it again, with WONDERFUL results. This book gets you ON TRACK and keeps you there. I think it is not "one of", but THE BEST self-help book ever written...PERIOD.

Rare indeed, is the non-preachy and unpretentous volume that offers a better life to the readers. Well, this one is a classic. Read it and change your thoughts and subsequently, your life!!!