I got this for my 4 year old daughter. I would suggest waiting a year or two longer. Some of the stories are long and overly complex and minimally illustrated. The short ones are often hard to interpret to a young child (the story of the two monks carrying the young woman across the water for example, my child is a little young to get much out of a story who's moral is something along the lines of 'obey the spirit of the rule, not the rule').

The book includes 13 Zen parables and folktales from Japan, India, China, Tibet and Burma. It is interesting but the length and complexity vary a lot from story to story. Smaller children (4-6 years old) may be ready for the shorter ones while this book needs more illustration to attract their attention. A good book overall.

This is a great book for children and adults! The stories are well written and well illustrated - I bought it for a child but kept it for myself! Buy it - the stories are very meaningful .......

I was initially drawn to this book because of its subject matter... a cat! (I love cats). A cat goes missing. Filthy rich owner offers an outrageous reward for the return of the cat. City becomes a rabid, raging mob of cat hunters... violence and mayhem ensue...
It's actually a great idea, and I am sure something LIKE this would, in fact, happen... it's quite believable. Think of it... two million bucks to whoever can find this cat! I would be out there too, ramming my pauper's cranium right into recycle bins and garbage cans... CITYWIDE! And clobbering anyone who got in my way!
At times this book is captivating, I will say that much. But I should have paid more attention to the dustjacket blurb that said it is a "dark and mischievous satire" before I tore into the story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I came at it with a full awareness that the author is not trying to write a realistic story. The things that go on in Cat's Crossing are so absolutely far-fetched (co-incidence wise, and otherwise)... that it lost me. It lost its credibilty for me.
If the author ever reads this review, please Mr. Cameron, send me an email and chastise me.... correctify me, and I swear, I will recant and show my sincerity by deleting this review.
I hate to give a book with such a good IDEA... two stars.
But seriously, am I supposed to BELIEVE this story?

Firstly, this cat (Jones)... he thinks like a person. Feline Anthropomorphism has escaped and is running amok! His initial escape from the house is so that he can seek out a healing herb for his injured hip! Later, when he finds himself in a certain home, he drowns another cat by repeatedly dunking its head under water... there are no sounds or seeming counter-attack from the other cat... the occupant of the house does not even hear any kafuffle going on. Now, if this were really taking place... even the neighbours would hear it! But what is with this methodical human-like homicide (caticide?) in the first place... does any cat really think his crime through like this?
Jones seemed to stop just short of smoking cigars behind the barn!

Secondly, this unnamed city is supposed to have a population of three million people... but from the co-incidental wanderings of this cat... you would swear that this city could not possibly contain more than twenty or thirty homes. I mean, the cat goes straight to places where this person knows that person who is related to that other person etc., etc.

But thirdly, and probably most annoying is the fact that the characters (all of them) do things that are so inconsistent with who they were two chapters earlier... that it is truly disturbing. I would give examples, but it would ruin the story yet worse for those who have not dived into it yet.

I want to give the thing the benefit of the doubt... maybe I just read it in the complete wrong frame of mind? When I read a book I sort of like to be saying to myself "Yes... it would be just like that" but I found that I seldom, if ever, said those words to myself as I read this one. So, if you like "stark realism" too... this book will not do it for you.
It was disappointing... like a colander with holes so big that the pasta noodles fall right out into the sink!

As someone who loved this book (I've read it twice, and the first time I read it all in one night) I feel I have to defend it. The first reviewer is right when she (?) says she was not in the "right frame of mind" when she read this book. Sadly this book may be misinterpreted by cat lovers as "the wacky adventures of a gosh-darned cute cat!" This could not be further from the truth. Jones the cat in Cat's Crossing is a REAL cat, not a Disney one -- pure animal instinct.

I'm going to address some of the points the previous reviewer made:

"But seriously, am I supposed to BELIEVE this story?"

You're onto something here. This is a SATIRE, and a dark one too.

"Firstly, this cat (Jones)... he thinks like a person. Feline Anthropomorphism has escaped and is running amok!"

I have to disagree. I think the author, as I said above, is capturing a cat's natural instincts. Cats are stealthy killers, and clever when they hunt.

"Secondly, this unnamed city is supposed to have a population of three million people... but from the co-incidental wanderings of this cat... you would swear that this city could not possibly contain more than twenty or thirty homes. I mean, the cat goes straight to places where this person knows that person who is related to that other person etc., etc."

You'll have to use your suspention of disbelief, as you have to in many great books. The extreme coincidences that occur here are part of what makes the book so fun to read. If the cat was just wandering from random house to random house with no order, the book would be quite pointless and boring.

My take: for those who enjoy their satire, this book will be quite a fun, enjoyable read. This is definitely black comedy, all the way. That's not to say there aren't moments of great sensitivity intertwined with the cruelty. If you're the type who laughs at the Jerry Springer Show, you'll enjoy this book, because it's basically a much more intelligent version. The author satirizes our society (esp. the media and the rich) by showing it almost completely dissolving into chaos over the actions of one cat, and a city of low-lifes chasing after it. Surely a book featuring a murderous television reporter and gangs of dogs, poisoned by tainted drinking water, forming rabid, killer hunting packs is not meant to be taken at face value.

For those of you with a dark sense of humour: I guarantee you'll love this book!

I read Judd's other book (Boone)about early frontiersman Daniel Boone and liked it so much i ran out and grabbed a copy of Crockett as soon as i could get my hands on it. I expected a similar tale of long hunting and trapping excursions, encounters with Indians, and an overall historical/fiction representation of this great outdoorsman's life. Unfortunately, as I read on, the main emphasis was more on Crockett's political ties and town life.

Might have been a good history lesson for some but sure wasn't what I was looking for. I had to put it down. Get Boone if you can find it. It's a much better book.

Since we homeschool this book fit right into our curriculum for daily story time...the kids couldn't wait to hear what would happen next... I found myself sitting up late at night just to read on, as each chapter unfolded to provide dramatic insights about what the life of Davy Crockett may have been like...This book has creatively woven historical FACT with creative insight into the thoughts and life of this almost mythical man...After reading this, we had the opportunity to visit Crockett Tavern near Morristown,TN, and it really re-inforced the history that my children absorbed from this book. We had hoped to read "Boone, a Novel" also by Cameron Judd, but were disappointed to find that it was no longer in print...

Woolf's only play is a farce about her great-aunt, Julia Cameron, a famous Victorian photographer. The edition with drawings by Edward Gorey is marvelous and succinct. I am not sure I got all the references nor the inside humor (and it all seems like one big private joke [this play was intended for private enjoyment after all]), so I am not as moved as I usually am by Woolf's work, and yet it has a sort of magic and wit. Overall it's a welcome addition to one's collection of Woolf or Gorey, even if it is nearly inaccessible to the layman.

I stumbled upon this book while looking for Edward Gorey illustrations and have since bought two to give as gifts! Freshwater gives the reader insight into Virginia's life, humor, times, and friends. An amusing, quick read that makes you want to get a group of people together to act it out.

The big art work of Mona Hatoum really don't are able to be close between to cover. Like her performance, her installation and sculpture are ugly and mute in a static and not-so-well-printed photografy book. Good is the intro, and the index of exibitions

This is a good introduction to the art of Mona Hatoum. The book has several well written texts, an interesting interview, and very good photos. Of course, the kind of work Hatoum makes does not lend itself easily to photography, and inevitably some of the impact is lost (but then again, this could be said for any book on art...). Oh, and it is a very good-looking book.

This over-sized deck has a child-like tone. It is highly personalized. The backs of the cards have the number "56" on them, which the author explains as "my chosen number". The cards themselves are equally idiosyncratic. The figures on the cards are like dolls, or puppets; their surrounds are simple and whimsical. Another unique feature is a jigsaw puzzle piece on various cards to show whether the influence of the card is masculine, feminine, or both. The designer must have had a great time doing these cards, but the statements they make are far too personal for me to make an archetypal tarot-type connection with. People involved with the theatre, or puppetry, might appreciate them more than I do.

The Phantasmagoric Theatre tarot encourages us to think of our lives as a stage play. We are all actors, and the scenes have been carefully designed before we enter, stage left. However, as in real theatre, sometimes things don't go right: we flub our lines, we don't like our costumes, or the lights malfunction. These things very subtly change the play itself and can even change the very outcome. However, as Mr. Cameron suggests, "as a tarot reader, however, you can connect yourself through a psychic process back to the original script, and become informed of deviations you may have made to the performance that is your life, helping you to avoid any unnecessary disasters."

Mr. Cameron has produced an astonishing tarot deck as laden with heavy symbolism as any tarot I've yet worked with. Dice, question marks and puzzle pieces can be found in most (if not all) of his cards, and each has a special significance for him. Dice represent entropy or chance in our lives: we may WANT the roll of the dice to turn out a certain way, but often they don't. Like puzzle pieces, we are all interconnected and interlocked to each other in complicated matters. As far as questions, well, I certainly don't have many of mine answered, tarot cards or not!!

The characters in the deck hover in an odd realm somewhere between childlike and sinister. Many look like dolls with button eyes and happy smiles. Some are glowering in a powerful "I know something you DON'T..." sort of way that is almost eerie. When pressed to describe this deck, I often say it resembles something of a cross between the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Still, this analogy doesn't do the deck justice-there is far, far much more to see.

Many of the cards are modeled after what may be the most well known tarot deck, the Rider-Waite. Since most people start with the Rider-Waite (it's the deck most books use to illustrate the tarot) this will certainly help the reader gain fluency with these cards. However, be aware that the resemblance quickly stops-this is not like any other deck you are likely to run into. Two very short examples of how these cards are different are the card of the Grand Master, a sort of levitating, psychedelic visionary that stands in the place of the card of the Hierophant in most other decks, and the Ace of Cups, which is something of a coffee mug.

The cards themselves are oversized, weighing in at about 5.5" x 3.5". While this makes them easier to see and meditate on their meanings, bear in mind that they're slightly more difficult to shuffle and they won't fit in a standard-sized tarot box. The instruction booklet that accompanies the deck is written in a more poetical fashion than most other decks as well. Each card's astrological alignment is noted, as well as a 1 or 2 word description-- "The Fool (Inner Child)" for example. Quite a few cards' characters actually have names, which, for me, add a more personal dimension to them. As an example, here an excerpt from the Queen of Cups: "Say hello to Fizzy, the Queen of Cups. She represents sensitivity in a woman. Fizzy is happy and content. She represents our ability to enjoy all emotions."

As another reviewer noted, the deck IS very personal, as are all tarot decks, and it may not resonate with everyone. Someone once said that choosing a tarot deck is the same as choosing a lover. While I don't find it to be THAT extreme, I do believe that the cards must speak to a person to be of any use to them. For example, I can appreciate the artwork in the new Vampire Tarot, but the deck has no resonance with me as a person so I don't use those cards. Beginners probably would be best advised to stick to the Rider-Waite, but as you grow more proficient at reading the card's symbols, those with a particular affinity to the surreal or bizarre may wish to add these cards to their collection.

I was very disappointed by this book. I had come to expect more from the author. The two characters were pushed together clumsily and left me not able to root for them as a couple. Even the mystery, which is usually my favorite part of her books, was pretty lame, and very easily solvable, unlike "True Bliss" and "Guilty Pleasures" where I kept guessing until the end. Both of her books on the Mira label ("Moontide is the other) disappointed me- I usually buy her books just on her name alone, but not anymore.

However, I also picked up her historical romance ("More and More"), and it is as good as ever.

I am a longtime fan of Stella Cameron, and Undercurrents is up there with her best. Susan Ackroyd and Mike Kinnear are both real and irresistible characters that I rooted for throughout the entire story. The plot has Cameron's usual intricate texture with a cast of characters ranging from quirky and likable to slimy and hateful. Set mostly in Washington's San Juan Islands, there is a real feel for a slower and more isolated existence. When the setting shifts to Hawaii the heaviness of the humid air is palpable. If you are trying to find a gripping story I highly recommend Undercurrents. True to the title, there is a lot going on beneath the surface. Susan owns a hair salon and desperately wants to adopt a baby. Divorced, her ex-husband never satisfied her emotionally or sexually. Mike is in the business of renovating boats, generally large ones for rich clients. He is very protective of his daughter, Anne. Susan and Mike are instantly attracted to one another, but when Susan's sister and brother-in-law come to town, sinister and deadly events interfere and make it questionable that these two will ever find happiness together. Once you pick up this book you won't want to put it down. I didn't.

Sonnie Keith Giacano didn't remember much of the accident that killed her unborn daughter and put her in the hospital, only what people told her. And what she dreamed or imagined. According to her overbearing half-sister, Billy, she needs help. Her brother-in-law, Romano Giacano has also hinted that Sonnie would be better off with him. All Sonnie knows is that her husband was supposedly kidnapped eight months earlier, causing Sonnie to drive her car at high speeds, hitting a wall on the beach road. No ransom was ever received. Desperate to find out the truth, Sonnie returns to Key West and demands the assistance of burned-out ex-cop Christ Talon. As danger mounts, so does the sexual tension between Chris and Sonnie.

Cameron has crafted an enthralling read that keeps you guessing to the very last chapters. Not about the enemies Sonnie has, but about her mental state, about the cause of her near fatal accident, and about her missing husband. And, despite the reviewers who would prefer to miss the mushy stuff, the romantic suspense is an important part of the story.

The publisher of this novel markets it as "Romantic/Suspense, although there is some romance (this can easily be ignored without disturbing the plot), the main theme is suspense.

Sonnie Giancano has settled in Key West to try and put her life back together. Eight months earlier her husband was kidnapped and she was in a horrible accident, injuring herself and killing her unborn child. Sonnie can't remember much about the accident, but she is plagued with nightmares of the incident. When she begins hearing and seeing things, she begs for the help of Chris Talon, an ex NYC cop. At first Chris refuses to help (for reasons that become clear as the story unfolds), after spending some time with Sonnie, he agrees.

As the two main characters investigate what happened, they realize Sonnie's life was built on lies and deception, and the accident was actually a carefully thought out plan.

Stella Cameron keeps the pace fast and the storyline moving.

Anyone looking for entertainment (ignore the sappy love scenes) will enjoy this book.

Stella Cameron has always had a talent for bringing a place and time alive. Whether you are reading one of her historical novels set in Regency England or a contemporary, Cameron can make you feel like you are there. However, in Key West Cameron perfects, if it is even possible, something I first noticed in her French Quarter. The location becomes a third main character. I have never been to Key West but in this book I was there. It breathed and had substance that permeated the book. I was blown away. The Key West chamber of commerce should make this book required reading for its members and sell it in every bar as well as every bookstore. Sonnie Giacano and Chris Talon, the heroine and hero respectively, are running in different directions. Sonnie is running to try and capture her past. Chris is running away from his. These runners collide in Key West. Eight months ago Sonnie lost her husband, her unborn child and her memory of how it all happened. Friends and family tell her to leave the past buried and move on. She cannot. Voices invade her mind and provide mere suggestions of a horror so profound it may push Sonnie over the edge. When she starts seeing things she cannot possibly see Sonnie wonders if maybe she has already lost her mind. Still, she wants to discover what really happened that night eight months in the past. Will the reluctant Chris Talon help her? Chris is a former police detective who suddenly retired at age 36 and is hiding out in his brother's bar in Key West. Unlike Sonnie, he does not want to face his demons. He also does not want to help her. He cannot help himself. Something about Sonnie draws him to her. He is not sure that he can both keep his past in the past and assist the troubled woman who is so desperate for that assistance. As he is inevitably drawn to Sonnie's side he discovers not only a strength he thought he had lost but also a nightmare with which he hopes Sonnie can cope. Make sure you have a fan and plenty of ice at the ready when you sit down to read this book. No matter where you are, you will be in Key West.

Most of the reviews that I've read here have rated this book with 1 star. I can understand their dismay, but I have given this book 3 stars because it did contain some useful info. But I agree with most of the reviewers here. I found the technical and grammatical errors hard to ignore. It is clearly evident that the editors failed to proofread this book. The technical errors were also blatant and can only be blamed on the author although the credits did list technical editors. Brandon is also quick to tell the reader to memorize tables (subnetting section) which does not work for me. It would have been better to give the reader the necessary info to be able to create the table. There is a formula that allows you to calculate the numbers in the table, but Brandon doesn't even mention it. I found this info elsewhere. There is also a lot of "the exam does not cover this so I won't cover this..." Is this really true? I hope so. I know this book was written "for Dummies" but how dumb does Brandon think his readers are?

In the beginning i doubt about this book ...then i need a reference due to short period of preparation so it leaves me no choice but to get this book.. I solely used this book for about 1 & 1/2 months plus the trancender and pass the MCSE test on my first try "with flying colours"....it makes understanding the TCP/IP easier and applicable. DONT JUDGE THE BOOK BY IT"S COVER

my next move is to get the Exchange Server 5.5 ...of course by DUMMIES...

DUMMIES is my first choice...why did'nt i thought of that before..

This is one of the best test prep books that I could have read about TCP/IP. I read it front to back, practiced with the Transcender tests, and passed handily.

I had the official Microsoft curriculum by my side, and had read it half a year ago and didn't want to do that again! Sometimes the official Microsoft press material can be too detailed (but I think you should always read them). I felt that Brandon Cameron was both an experienced engineer, and an excellent teacher. He anticipates what you might not understand, and he repeats what's important several times, in several ways. I agree with several of the reviewers that this is an incomplete treatment of TCP/IP in the Microsoft environment. Of course it is! But this is excellent, and accurate test prep coaching. I enjoyed reading it.

While I truly enjoy the WoT books, I have to say this was a "Show me the money" book by TOR. The information in the book was primarlily a rehash of things readers discover or can infer through reading the series. In other words, for those that have read the complete series up to the date of this book there was not a whole lot of new information. For those that are just starting the WoT series, this book could spoil a lot of the suprises. I also have to admit that I thought the art was terrible and question wheter the artist even read the series.

On the plus side, the Guide provides a handy reference for hard core WoT fans. It also provides a number of maps that the books have lacked.

I would suggest buying this only after you have completed reading the series up to book 8 and have read the short story in "Legends." This is a good reference book to have if your re-reading the series or just trying to pass the time until the next book is out.

For all of the Jordan fans who are having trouble waiting for the '98 release of 'The Path of Daggers' (Book 8 in The Wheel of Time), this book may have been thought to be something that would hold you're attention. Put simply, it won't. If you're a big Jordan fan, you'll have to buy it, simply to say that you have the complete collection, but it will be a case of reading it once and then storing it on the shelf for ever more, for there is little that hasn't either been mentioned before or alluded to. Highlights of the book are the maps from the previous seven novels reproduced in large scale on glossy art paper, and the seven double page spreads of Darrell Sweet's artwork from the novels. I kid you not, after seeing the rest of the artwork in this book, you will never complain about Darrell's covers again - in fact, you will most likely wish that they had asked him to do all the artwork for the book. On the text side, the section on the Second Dragon and the rise of Artur Hawkwing is the highlight of the book, for there is little else that won't leave you feeling cheated, as in some instances, the author's have even omitted things already revealed in the books. They have even ignored the opportunity in include the short piece 'The Strike at Shayol Ghul' in this book, instead leaving it available to the few who visit the Publisher's web site. It would seem what the publishers have done is basically taken whatever background notes Jordan has been writing as he creates, try to update then to allow for some of the things that have been revealed, make it sound like this is some unknown historian from Rand Al'Thor's time that is writing it (and incidently, at the time this historian wrote this book, Illian was still under the control of the Forsaken Sammael), and jammed it all in a quick book designed to do little more than cash in on the series popularity. About the only really interesting clue I found in the book (relating to the yet unreleased Book 8) is the quote at the very start of the chapter on the Seanchan, which to my mind alludes to the title of the new book fairly implicitly. On the whole, I WOULD recommend this book to anyone who asked, but I'd qualify that by telling them not to get their hopes up or to expect any surprise revelations

I must say, being a fan of Robert Jordan, that the information in this book was invaluable as well as enlightening. It contained more detailed information on such things as the Age of Legends than was in the actual series, and gave background on many otherwise bleak details. However, I would not recommend buying this book for the art it contains, of which I had high expectations and was fairly disappointed in. Granted that the artists idea of such creatures as mydraal and ogier, for example, will conflict with my own ideas. I do regret to say that the actual quality of the art was lacking. It looked to have been done quite quickly and with haste. Overall, however, the book was very well done and deserves 5+ stars for its content, and 3 stars for the artwork. It is definitely something to buy if you can just get past the art.