I have read most of the new collections of Lucy Maud Montgomery's short stories with enjoyment, but you do have to take the experience with a grain of salt. Due to the way that the short stories are being grouped - stories of orphans, stories of the sea, stories of marriage and etc - it can get rather tedious to read several stories all on the same theme. The best way to read most of these books in the first place is one story at a time - pick it up, flip to a story, and read it, then put it down. Some of the collections are worse than others - Akin to Anne, for example, is one of the most difficult. However, "Against the Odds" is one of the better ones. It's not half as exasperating as some of the others, as the struggles each person faces varies. One of my favorite stories features a boy who gets locked in the attic, and has to escape and walk a long distance in a dress in order to make a debate speech he promised his teacher he'd be there for. Another chronicles the journey of two girls who face bad weather and worse in order to reach a wedding they were invited to, while another features a young girl who must find some scheme to get money to send her brother and herself off to college. You'll admire the clever, stubborn and spirited characters in this book and as usual Montgomery's story-telling style is winesome and amusing. Her short stories, which previously have been lost, are great to discover if you just like light reading before bed (many of her stories are great to read to kids at bedtime too), and imperative to have if you're a Montgomery fan. She seldom lets you down.

This book was creative yet predictable..In it you will find a few funnys a few serious and a couple heartwarming storys... I reccomend you add it to your shopping cart.

The problem with putting together a collection of stories thatshare the same theme--in this case, overcoming obstacles--is that thestories tend to blend together and very quickly seem predictable. And, let's face it, LMM does tend to reuse plot elements, making sure, like one of her own thrifty characters, that she's getting all the wear out of her material. Even under these handicaps, however, some stories manage to shine. The book opens with one of the best in the collection, "A Patent Medicine Testimonial," which is funny and stands out because of the way in which the heroine accomplishes her aim. "Where There is a Will There is a Way," despite its prissily correct tile, is my favourite of the collection. It's a very simple, very short story about a boy whose guardian won't even let him take part in a debate, much less go to college. He defies her, humiliating himself deeply in the process, and in proving his mettle, wins his guardian's approval. Typical LMM, done in her best style. The last story in the book, "The Strike at Putney," is a close second. The elders of Putney's church decide to improve on Paul and say that not only can no woman preach in church, she can't even give a missionary talk. The women thereupon strike. As one of the characters says, "if women aren't good enough to speak in church they are not good enough to work for it either." It's a humourous take on the battle of sexes that raises some good questions about women's role in the church. These three stories alone make the book worth buying, for they are sure to be read and reread.

When the thousands of Lucy Maud Montgomery fans make their pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island every year they expect to find everything in its place. Nancy Rootland, a writer from sunny California, has some insights to share about this in her illustrated book entitled Anne's World, Maud's World: The Sacred Sites of L.M. Montgomery (Nimbus). Her text slides easily from Montgomery's childhood, memorable moments and quotes from Anne of Green Gables to Rootland's own feelings as she enters these 'sacred sites' and experiences the places she has only ever read about but of which she feels so much a part. Add to this a collection of high quality photographs and you have a book that is a delight to the eye and a joy to read. Rootland delights in placing herself in scenes from both Maud and Anne's lives. Looking at herself in the china cabinet she sees the reflection of Katie Maurice. She visits the beach and watches Nate, Maud, and Amanda talking about their teenage hopes and dreams as the sun sets. She stands on the platform of Kensington Station with Maud and her grandfather waiting for the train that will take them to Prince Albert. Rootland surmises that in 1880 they did not know the future anymore than she does for herself a century later, except that she knows she will return to the sacred sites someday. Rootland experiences deja vu. Everything is where it should be, right down to Marilla's amethyst brooch on her night stand, "where it belongs", where she, and thousands like her, expect it to be, every day, every year, now and forever.

"The Sacred Sites of L.M. Montgomery" seems a pretty silly subtitle for a book unless you're a total fan of Lucy Maud. I am not one. However, to my surprise, I found this small book, titled Anne's World, Maud's World, to be readable, enjoyable - even at times - thought-provoking. How Nancy Rootland came to write it is a remarkable story in itself. "In January of 1981," she relates, "I was browing in a bookstore in Southern California when the title Anne of Green Gables caught my eye...I slid the book off the shelf and started leafing through the pages - and that was it. I could barely put it down long enough to get over to the sales desk, and while I was driving home my eyes kept wandering over to the package on the seat next to me." She finished the story in one sitting, amazed at how Anne's experiences paralleled her own. She found she shared the author's and Anne's perception of nature. That summer she read all 20 of L.M. Montgomery's novels. For 11 years, Nancy Rootland learned more about her favourite author while waiting for the time when she'd be free to make the long journey to Prince Edward Island. This book is the record of what she found there and how she reacted to the "sacred sites." She was not disappointed . A fine writer herself, Rootland knows how to convey atmosphere, feelings, the sense of past and present meeting - all that's so difficult to articulate without sounding silly. She doesn't sound silly. Here's an example. "Such is the beauty and spiritual grandeur of this enchanted isle and the remarkable sons and daughters of its history, that access to the sacred, which thrives in sites both natural and constructed, is always possible. So convinced am I of this power of place that I invite you, reading these words, to come here and find out for yourself. All you need to take with you on your journey is an open heart and a bit of imagination." No need to spell out how Anne's World, Maud's World, conveys the spirit of home. Rather I'll mention what a beautiful little (110 page) book this is. Fine, coloured photographs of the " sacred sites" alternate with Rootland's commentary, which, in turn, is studded with quotations from Montgomery. First we see Anne's World, then Maud's. Two simplified maps at the end show the relevant places of PEI and in the Cavendish area. For an Anne-lover or Montgomery-lover, this book would make a perfect present. But anyone who's wondered about the mystery of how a character can some alive enough to fill an area with his or her presence will also appreciate Anne's World, Maud's World.

Nancy Rootland's book explores environment of Montgomery and Anne. Through the writing of LM Montgomery, the world has an opportunity to look in on a beautiful rural community. A sense of home and of belonging are strong themes in the Anne books and Nancy Rootland uses this message to show us some of the places that were so dear to the author of Anne of Green Gables and places that have become sacred to readers. In Anne's World, Maud's World: The Sacred Sites of L.M Montgomery, Nancy Rootland has transported us to that place where Anne and her people live. Rootland expects to see Anne and Marilla or Matthew emerge from the fields or orchard at any time, and so do we. The photographs of the places that are so pivotal to the world of Anne and of Maud herself, will captivate the reader and invigorate the imagination of those who have read and re-read the books. The author invites the reader to experience this incredible place and uses her prose to evoke the writing style of Maud Montgomery, the pictures lead us on a journery of discovery for Anne and for our own sense of peace and tranquility. Rootland's background in teaching and as a teacher of child psychology provides some of the insights for her portrayal of the emotional story of the orphaned Anne and the lonely Maud. There is real feeling and caring for the child that Anne charaterizes and that Maud really was. Beautiful photos, and evocative text permit the reader to join Anne and Maud on the journey home.

Good book for 1992 but not the latest

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in aviation or an novice "plane-spotter". The book is set up much like (as the title says) a field guide complete with field marks for quick identification. Also a great book for getting child that is interested in airplanes. There is also a helicopter section added.

A beautiful book. Greatly enjoyed by all who have read ours. For someone who is around planes a good deal such as I am, it is great fun to have such an easily carried book that is quick and easy to find the plane being discussed or looked for. Highly recommend this book.

how to fulfil today's im

how to fulfil today's im

Excellent, very thorough coverage of the IMF

If you are looking for a more substantial treatment of demon possession than most popular booklets this may well be it; this is a selection of serious papers. But don't expect variety among the contributors - as noted "all essayists accept the reality of the demonic". This is a weakness.

One thing the conference seems to have lacked is input from Judaism to what are historically Jewish source materials (Old and New Testament). This would have been useful in considering both the Jewish demon literature (such as Tobit and Solomon traditions) which is so relevant to the NT, and also the basic contradiction between OT and NT on this subject; i.e. the papers do not address how in Exodus Moses is told by God that he causes deafness, blindness and dumbness, yet in the Synoptics deafness, blindness, and dumbness are caused by demons. This is an issue that demands historical input and more awareness of the original context of demon possession within early Jewish beliefs on medicine and suffering.

In sum, good source material, but by the very nature of symposiums the papers concentrate on details rather than basic issues.

really goo

This collection of essays stems from a symposium convened by the Christian Medical Society. It encompasses a variety of scholarly disciplines: Biblical Studies, Law, Church History, Missiology, Psychiatry, Anthropology and English Literature. The essayists are evangelical Christians affiliated with a variety of academic institutions. The essays explore the phenomena of the demonic in the Bible, in literature, on the mission field, in anthropology, legal history and psychiatric treatment. All essayists accept the reality of the demonic but they are cautious about finding a demon "under every rock". This collection will primarily be of interest to Christian readers who seek to gain an in depth and comprehensive over view of the subject.

The book gives an overview of the importance of quality management, the basics of statistics (variability, distributions, etc.), different methods of statistical process control, the use of control charts, capability analysis, design of experiments, process optimization, and sampling. I found all of the chapters informational and practical.

Montgomery does a great job of presenting the theory, giving examples, and helping the reader understand the big picture of various concepts. For example, Montgomery states that a "Pareto chart does not automatically identify the most important defects, but rather only those that occur most frequently," and then gives an example illustrating when this can be so. This is something that might have been overlooked if not pointed out to the reader.

While to book is rather current in introductory theory and practice, there are some relics from previous editions. For example, the inclusion of a random number table in the appendix is rather useless, since all modern calculators and spreadsheets have random number functions. This minor complaint aside, the book is solid and worth having.

This is a rather comprehensive book on SQC. It benefits from a good introductory treatment of Design of Experiments, a subject sorely missing from most SQC texts. The arrangement of topics in the book is logical from both pedagogical and practical points of view, and the author's stress on improvement -- rather than control -- is the right one for the readers.

This is a typical college text book which serves very well on the subject,SQC. It has provided a good coverage on SQC, in particular, as an introductory text. Each SQC subject is treated well from a newcomer perspective. If you're a beginner in the college education and looking for a book on this subject, this is IT!

After reading a review in New Scientist magazine I got excited about this book as I am currently writing Ph.D. thesis. I did not get exactly what I expected.
The book gives a good overview of the different types of writing a scientist is expected to do and gives high level advice on each area. But that's pretty much all the books seems to do. It's as if you were to sit down with someone with a lot of writing experience and they gave you some high level advice.
What the book lacks is specific advice and tips on what works. At many points it feels too vague. While it has examples where the author improves a piece of writing, the examples often fail to give you ideas on how to improve your own writing.
That said, I did get a couple of ideas from the book for my writing, but I felt it took some work to extract them from the book which at times just felt like a rambling commentary.
My recommendation is that it's not a book worth having in a personal bookcase, but it may be worth borrowing it from a library.

In the realm of scientific research, technical writing skills are necessary for effective communication of ideas and results. This book is not the typical "how-to" guide to technical writing and grammar for the novice. Instead, it is a practical book packed with useful insights from an experienced scientific writer. The numerous examples of writing styles and graphics are clear and well-illustrated. Each chapter addresses important concepts in fundamental areas, such as proposal preparation, manuscript revision, and oral presentation. This is the sort of book to buy and keep as a reference as the need arises.

every story is enlightening! it helps u stay in a good mood after reading! it teaches u about love! and yes...i like it very much!

Another one of Lucy Maud Montgomery's entertaining short-story books. Each story will have its twists and turns, and the author brings such amazing personality into each of the characters that you will not want the outcome to come in anyway that they, the characters themselves do not.

This book is an endearing collection of short stories. The first time I read the Anne series at age 10, I refused to read this book because it wasn't about Anne. However, at age 21, I have grown up and recently read it. Read this and become enmeshed in other Avonlea lives. Also, look forward to references to our favorite heroine, Anne Shirley! I promise you won't be disappointed!

This text is a brief overview of Corporate Strategy--more useful to someone who already knows the subject and needs a book to brush up on the material and "pull it all together." Concepts are not elaborated very well, forcing you to read passages twice. I also felt that sentences weren't structured in a very readable manner.

This text book is a very good guide for undergraduate level student for corporate strategy. However, it does not provide fruitful thought for doctoral student, like me.

A helpfull book for understanding the basic approach of corporate level atrategy and comprehensive undeerstanding about resource based approach in strategic management.

Although the analysis doesn't covered enough a competitive environment in emerging market such as Indonesia (I am an Indonesians), this book still represent an approach to the wildest world of competition, especially to the poeple who always deal with a decision in corporate level strategy.

If Catholics want to understand why unity is impossible, I would read this book. Protestants should read it and try to figure out how much truth should be sacrificed on the alter of unity. The most important sections was how the false claims of the papacy rose. I would suggest Calvin's Institutes as another reference. Michael Horton is also an engaging writer. Also deals with core issues such as justification and Catholic veneration of Mary.

Horton writes an excellent executive summary, if you will, of what truly continues to divide the churches of the Reformation from Rome.

Primarily as then, Rome's insistence on adding to Scripture alone as the only source of theology; of adding to grace and faith alone as the only source of salvation, continues to erect a huge, major divide between the two. As Horton correctly quotes Avery Dulles in Rome's continued holding to the anathemas of Trent as still prevailing now in Vatican II times, this is absolutely Rome's position.

My own church speaks in detail about this. See "The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in Confessional Lutheran Perspective" available at www.lcms.org/ctcr/docs/pdf/justclp.pdf, or read Robert Preus' excellent work: Justification and Rome.

The authors present a helpful picture of church unity at the end of the millenium. Far from being anti-Catholic, the authors point out differences in the core beliefs of the reformed faith and the Catholic faith. Highly recommended.