Here's a novel full of mystery and suspense, a fine follow-up to Shattering Glass. This slim book keeps the reader guessing. Where did the letter come from? Who is the mysterious visitor? Who did die in the fire? The ending is breathtaking.

Suspenseful, affecting, couldn't-put-it-down. Dead Girls is a fast-paced treat for everyone who loves family drama, authentic teen voice, a bit of an edge, and a puzzle. It took me a while to figure out what was going on with Sunny and Jazz, or rather not-Jazz. Maybe I'm still not sure, but there are a lot of things in life that make me wonder, question, and those are the most interesting. I'm still talking about it. And that's Giles' whole point, I think. Or at least a big part of it. How well DO any of us really know what's going on in someone else's head? An excellent choice for book groups.

Gail Giles has another winner in this powerful study of human character, family relationships, and reality vs. illusion. With characteristic wit and style, Giles draws readers deep into the heart of a dysfunctional family and leaves them wondering how far a person will go, consciously or not, in order to cope with wounds that won't heal. Good luck trying to put this one down - you can't help but finish it in one sitting. The ending is chilling and thought-provoking.

Sarah Giles has unfortunately done nothing to forward a deeper understanding of Fred Astaire - her text consists of individual names and quotes of a few sentences regarding the topic at hand. Very little was devoted to Fred Astaire's dancing, and I do not think it would be possible for one more person to mention his "perfectionism". The sole redeeming quality of this book is the exemplary collection of photographs taken of Astaire throughout his life and career. I think a interested reader would be better off pursuing a traditional Astaire biography than reading this book.

Fred Astaire's richly deserved reputation as one of the world's greatest dancer is enhanced with this book, which does a superb job of moving beyond the dance and into his personal life, his professional relationships, his Anglophile tendencies and more. Did you know that the Gershwins and Irving Berlin composed more songs for Fred Astaire than for any other single person? These men latched onto the carefree, wholly American ease projected by Astaire and made him the vehicle for some of their most memorable classics.

The quotations Giles gleans from Astaire friends, colleagues and family do the trick of supplementing the very little we know of this very private man. Ginger Rogers tartly observes, "Well, I think when you work with somebody all day long, for ten movies, you become good friends, though he was as delighted not to see me at night over dinner as I was." Then here's Liza Minnelli asking Halston to dress her like "Fred Astaire in the daytime and a movie star at night." Cary Grant apparently felt that Astaire was the pinnacle of style--after watching "Broadway Melody of 1940," Grant desparately searched everywhere for a white tuxedo identical to the one worn by Astaire in this film. Even his podiatrist is quoted herein, noting wryly that Fred sometimes had trouble with his toes because he wore his shoes a half size too small so as to convey a neater impression.

The photographs, many of which were published here for the first time, include studio glossies of Astaire with his many famous co-stars, Astaire at home with his family and dogs, and a hilarious shot of Astaire skateboarding in the late 1970s. This examination of a one-of-a-kind talent is summed up most perfectly when Rudolf Nureyev says, "We were all dancing. Fred was doing something else entirely." "Fred Astaire: His Friends Talk" is a must for any movie lover or dance lover's library.

This book is a wonderful addition to any true lover of Fred Astaire. The photographs of him, his family, his friends and his dancing are rare and a must for any real collector. Agree that the book does not give much on his life as far as a biography, but it is a great collectors item. I cherish my copy.

John Mandeville's writing of 1370 proved pivotal in the flurry of exploration that followed in the wake of 1492. His assertion that the world was a globe (flying in the face of accepted dogma) and that it was possible to travel by sea to the Far East, was THE incentive that drove the expeditions of hundreds of explorers and merchants.
Later, the book was ridiculed as hokum, but Giles Milton felt there were enough grains of truth in the manuscript to warrant more research, which he does in his usual comprehensive manner.

The result is a very readable unravelling of the mystery, shrouded as it was by the interfering pens of earlier 'editors'. Given the extent of the tinkering, we may never know the truth behind the 'Travels', but Mr milton uncovers enough evidence to show that Mandeville almost certainly DID travel to the Levant, but casts doubt on the veracity of his claims to have travelled to the Far East. The latter is understandably not well-researched, given the ambiguity of the literary data and lack of physical evidence, so only 4 stars.

However, in South America 300 years later, Drake describes strange people with almost identical characteristics to Mandeville's 'imaginary' creatures - are we being swayed by modern interpretations of medieval descriptions? We may never know, but this uncertainty and the nuggets of truth unearthed by Mr Milton's research in the Middle-East prompted me to order a copy of the 'Travels', so I could judge for myself whether Mandeville was an early Munchausen or a true visionary.

A worthwhile read to stimulate your imagination.

Giles Milton, a professional writer/journalist, sets out to retrace the voyages of the legendary fourteenth-century writer, Sir John Mandeville. His reasons for doing so are manifold: 1) to gather material for a book; 2) a personal religious experience; 3) to rehabilitate the good name of Mandeville; and 4) frankly, to enjoy himself hugely. The first and fourth can be judged successful. The second only Milton knows. The third reason is most interesting.

Just who was Sir John Mandeville? Simply put: the alleged author of one of the most famous late-middle-age/early-renaissance books. Although the book is still in print (see the reviews of the Penguin Classic, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville), it is now relative obscure. From about 1350 to 1800 it was one of the most influential books, rivaling the Bible and Euclid's Elements. Then about 1800 scholars began to question whether "Mandeville wrote Mandeville," or indeed whether there ever was such a man. Having seen similar arguments on whether Shakespeare really wrote Shakespeare, I started out viewing the Mandeville controversy with a jaundiced eye. Now I must admit the case against Mandeville is much stronger - stronger, but not conclusive either. This is where Giles Milton can be of help.

Giles Milton seems to have convinced himself that: 1) yes, Sir John Mandeville really did exist, 2) yes, he did write the book, 3) he may or may not have actually undertaken the voyages of the first part of the book, but certainly not those of the second part, and 4) Mandeville lied a lot, but it was for a most worthy cause. Are Milton's arguments for a real John Mandeville convincing? Only partially. His principal evidence is a barely legible inscription (an epitaph) in St. Albans Abbey. But here some rigorous scholarship is missing: What is the earliest mention of this epitaph? To whom is it attributed? Have other scholars noted the inscription, and at what times? What are their opinions regarding its authenticity?

Milton's book is entitled, The Riddle and The Knight. The knight is Sir John, but what is the riddle? Namely this: why the second half of the book is so different from the first? The first part is more or less believable, the second utterly fantastic. Milton's proposes that the entire Travels is an allegory on religious intolerance. The second half is intended to show that creatures, appearing to us quite monstrous, can nevertheless be pious. Conclusion: we must not judge "savages" - too harshly. Hmm...maybe, just maybe.

Gems in Milton's book are some woodcuts taken from a 1481 edition of Mandeville. (Penguin should have included these.) These by themselves make getting the bookworthwhile. But in addition there is plenty of food for thought. Read the book and form your own opinions.

This book was quite a bit different to the other two books of Milton's that I have read so far (the others being 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg', and 'Big Chief Elizabeth') - and I have to say it was rather unexpected. For this, his first book is really a travellers tale cum history. I think the surprise of this rather threw me at first. I didn't really expect or want to read a travel book - and yet as I continued reading I got to enjoy it, and then got thoroughly drawn into it - for really this is a historical mystery more than anything, and Milton knows how to hold us all in glorious suspense.

Milton traces the origins, sources and remaining evidence of Englishman Sir John Mandeville's book of travels written in the middle of the fourteenth century. Mandeville purports to have visited a great many places through the middle east on a pilgrimage (from Turkey, through Syria to Jerusalem). In the second part of his book he talks of the travels which took him further through India, China and into the Southern Asian Islands. This in an age when circumnavigation of the globe was thought impossible and only a few people had ventured as far as China. It was a phenomenal claim and Mandeville's book formed the basis for a great many of the later explorers travels - such as Sir Walter Raleigh.

Milton states many of the problems he had researching Mandeville's trip right from the start. One of the biggest of these is that Mandeville never described any of the routes he took, only the places he arrived at - and then great wodges of the descriptions he used for these places were cobbled together from other printed sources which he would have had access too at the time. So Milton set out to visit the places which Mandeville had been, to look for proof that he had been there - a hard task to undertake some 650 years later. Milton interseperses his description of the modern journey with tracts from Mandeville as well as other supporting evidence discovered in archives in Britain. It is all woven together into an incredibly compelling travel mystery.

Did John Mandeville really make these journeys?, Did he even really exist? And if he did where on earth did he die? Milton answers all these questions, and unlike Sir John Mandeville, Milton knows that the satisfaction of travel is in the journey - not just the destination.

I found it extremely hard to keep my mind on this book. I felt exactly the way the average customer feels when confronted by a high pressure used car salesman. These people were here to sell me something - and anything goes if it clinches the sale.

Having said that, there is value in the book as it demonstrates areas in which business and customers can work together to find arenas of social activity that are to their mutual advantage. It also puts forward good examples of why it is to the advantage of a company to engage in these sorts of activity and that they can turn a profit out of it as well.

The first two chapters are better forgotten. They set up the least sophisticated of the arguments against globalisation as a sort of straw man that they then tear down with decidedly simplistic and statistically dubious arguments. (It is one of the banes of this very important debate that each side presents totally 'authoritative' statistics that 'prove' the exact opposite of each other. However, these authors argue that the gap between rich and poor is not growing wider, which *really* requires some fancy definition bending.)

In the rest of the book, it is necessary to ignore the underlying theme that anybody who criticizes an aspect of business practice or the current global system is antibusiness and because some business is doing things well and responsibly all business is therefore beneficial. Neither extreme position is true. This leaves the possibility of becoming interested in the examples that they cite of good practice and thinking, with them, of how these examples could be spread and expanded. There are clearly many opportunities and it is equally clear that the authors' particular promotional skills will often be useful in identifying these opportunities and working out effective ways of getting them accepted and implemented.

Enron. WorldCom. Tyco. And the list goes on. Capitalism is practically a dirty word. Conversations in board rooms, executive suites, universities, and other environments of though wrestle with how corporations can pull themselves out of the quicksand of questionable integrity. Hilton and Gibbons have a few suggestions.

The authors are the founders (1997) of a British consulting firm that specializes in social marketing. They've built an enviable track record already working with a range of clients including Coca-Cola and Nike. Their position is that companies should start becoming the solution to the world's problems instead of being seen as the cause. By using their power for social good, they can influence environment issues, human rights, and social justice.

Seven chapters carry the message: Orthodoxy, Heresy, Responsibility, Leadership, Anatomy, Possibility, and Unity. Intrigued? Prepare to read an interesting book filled with examples and stories about how business became so unpopular, but really isn't so bad after all. The heresy chapter tells the other side of the story that is pounded at us through the media: globalization makes the poor richer, corporations are good for human rights, and we can close sweatshops and end child labor. Under Responsibility, the authors explore how corporations respond to all this criticism and how they can be truly socially responsible. Leadership is needed-real leadership, not just lip service. Commercialism, profit, and social good can all live together in harmony. The authors offer some ideas about what business could do to make a real difference and how ordinary citizens can join the movement for common good.

This is an almost conversational book that is comfortable to read. You'll gain some new perspectives and perhaps some inspiration.

Good Business by Steve Hilton and Giles Gibbons (co-founders of Britain's first social marketing company, "Good Business") has a very direct and candid message: "If you want to change the world, then do it through business. If you want to help your business, then help change the world." Written in direct response to anti-globalization protests, Good Business demonstrates how globalization can help people everywhere and make the poor richer. But only if the virtues of globalization are used in the right way; companies must take responsibility for the profits and global well-being of tomorrow, and those who champion social justice and environmental protection need to ally with business rather than make it their enemy. Highly recommended for entrepreneurial and social activists, Good Business offers a superbly argued presentation of how business and economic forces can potentially shape a better world for us all.

A good "brush-up" for those of us with some etiquette knowledge. Easy to follow format in brief sentences. Very little hard and fast rules, such as for planning a wedding or a sit down dinner, but a nice addition to the home library for quick answers or reminders.

This book has wonderful tips and ideas. What I love most about it is that they put the ideas in short "quote type sentences" so you can read just a couple and come back to it later with out missing a beat. The only downside is that some of the tips are unclear, e.g. "A lady knows when to drink through a straw.". But if you don't know when that is...not real helpful there. Other than that book is great!

This a great book for the lady who needs a few pointers on certain situations, or the older lady who isn't sure what is appropriate now as opposed to when she was younger.

This is not the book for the totally unladylike. It is somewhat limited in topics, but it was a quick read, and it's advice will stay with me. The book could be given as a gift to a family member without necessarily being considered an insult.

The book is based in old British technique and I believe more in the Italian School of Bel Canto, but the historical information, examples, tables and documents offered in the book compensate for it. The book focuses on male altos and speaks very little about higher male registers, but its a good refference book.

I feel this book has been done an injustice by the previous review. The title of the book outlines clearly what it is about - the history and technique of the counter-tenor. This is a particularly refined voice with a particularly refined technique, a fact known by the author as he is himself a counter-tenor. Therefore the book is written with great depth of insider knowledge, with informative contributions from other great exponents of the art of the counter-tenor voice. It is admittedly written from a very English point of view, but I feel this is explained satisfactorily in the book, and no further justification should be required.

I shall ignore the point about bel canto in relation to counter-tenors.

I should also point out that the book does go into detail on the subject of other high male registers, when these can be taken as an extension of the counter-tenor theme. It takes great care over the technical and anatomical details which make this book overall a particularly welcome addition to a neglected field of study.

This book has a decent collection of erotic artwork. What I would consider as art would be "expression". Unfortunately there are a couple of examples which I think would not qualify as art but as porn. For example, a photo of nothing except showing the unification of the male and female organs----that does not express anything.

This book does not show erotic art of various cultures; it shows only examples from the West. So if you are looking for oriental, Japanese or Indian, etc. examples of erotic art, you won't find it here.

On the whole, this book is reasonably good in its choice of examples and the images are clear. I would give this book a "B" grade.

...I would like to point out that any good erotic art book is NEVER meant for children.

I bought this book because I thought it would be an interesting read on an art topic that gets little honest coverage. It contains a ton of erotic pieces of art. Many of these works are beautiful and very well done, but there are several that border on straight up pornography. This book is definitely not appropriate for young children to look at. B+

To expand your view on the book, the title was also made into a film in 1970. It starred David Hemmings & Douglas Wilmer & Carolyn Seymour, Director I think David McKenzie. It was considered by some to be comparable to 'If'. It was filmed, in part, at St David's College, Llandudno, North Wales, UK where I was a 15 year old schoolboy at the time.

This is a highly original, captivating, and thought provoking radio play.

The plot concerns a class of English boys who inform their new professor that they murdered his predecessor and that he'd better follow their desires, or suffer the consequences.

This play is especially reccommended to those who are interested in existentialist and absurdist drama.

Cooper wrote the play as an attempt to challenge the view, as presented in the novel "Lord of the Flies," that mankind is inherently evil. What has emerged in this play is a very undogmatic, and entertaining, presentation of evil as contrivance.

Please read this play, don't let it be forgotten.

The entire Wilson Young saga is addictive. One cannot put these books down if you have a passion for the old southwest.

Watch out with this book. Although I like the format of the book, there are multiple typographical errors and some flat out misinformation. In double checking some of the file names and other things that will be necessary for the three exams covered in this book, I went to Microsoft's website, and they say something totally different than what this book states. I believe that this book was poorly edited and reviewed, and rushed to press to catch the market for the new MCSA.
I find myself disappointed because I purchased the new edition of All in One A+ Certification by Michael Meyers, and I credit that book with my passing the A+ exams with flying colors and in record time (15 minutes for both exams...thanks Mike!) I had hoped that this book would be just as good, but after just a few chapters...well, I don't think it will measure up.
The book also assumes that anyone who purchases it has a free computer and a copy of Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Server to install on this computer. Many of us are using older computers that would not meet the Microsoft HCL, and thus make the installation of these two OSes difficult to impossible. Also, at the purchase price of each of these operating systems...well, you get the picture. The labs in the book are impossible to do if you do not have the computer and the operating systems, so that part of the book is a waste for many people, and there are MANY labs.
I will close by saying that it is not a substitute for classroom training.

In the process of reviewing books one thing I have found is that when you try to combine several exams in one book you usually have problems trying to cover all the exams. For the most part this book does not come under that rule, however the book could be updated with more information for each exam.

In over 950 pages the 70-210, 70-215 and 70-218 exams are broken down with over 175 exercises. This book is a great self study tool but I found it to be a little difficult to adapt to a classroom environment with some of the exercises.

From installation to upgrading, configurations of both hardware and software, through management of the network and servers and great coverage of TCP/IP, these are but a few of the topics discussed in the pages.

The review questions are right in line with the exams and the book is not broken down by exam but rather it incorporates the exams together making a much better flow of material. The cdrom has the entire e-book, as well as lab simulations and 300 plus practice questions.

I found this book to be very helpful in preparing for the 215 and 218 exams (already passed 210). Having Windows 2000 Server and Professional to perform the exercises is kind of the point so I disagree with the previous review that it is a problem. You can ask Microsoft for 120 evaluation CDs if you don't own the software, which is what I did. Overall, the book proved a very good guide in helping me pass the exams.