This book compiles both "The Book of Chantries" and "Digital Web", older books for Mage: the Ascension, into a single volume. At the time it was released, this book was an excellent deal. Now, it's more for the collector. Digital Web has been revised, and Book of Chantries is good as source material, though you will have to adapt it to the new Revised Edtition ruleset. It's a good book, but you'll have to do some work to make use of it.

This is a compilation of two early Mage supplements. The Book of Chantries is about the guild houses of the Awakened and the Digital Web is about the virtual reality realm of the Virtual Adepts and the Technocrats. Overall, this is a good bundle for players and storytellers interested in exploring and creating settings for their games.

The Book of Chantries was about a handful of Tradition, Technocracy, Nephandi, and miscellaneous strongholds. This was a very old book that still painted the Technocracy as a repressive and antagonistic group. Over looking this, the chantries detailed were very interesting for all of the factions. The section on how to create your own chantry should be especially useful for players and storytellers. The sample story was not bad but didn't really show how life in a guild house was like. The Book of Chantries may be old and outdated, but it's rules can be easily updated for Mage 2nd Edition and Revised.

The Digital Web (1.0) was another setting book like the Book of Chantries but it was about virtual reality. Considering the fact that this book was released in the early/mid-1990s, it's still quite good for modern games. It introduced an entirely new playing field for technomancers and traditionalists alike. There were rules on formatting sectors and how to use magick in virtual reality. The overall feel of the realm was similar to those described by William Gibson in his cyberpunk novels. Instead of the Internet, cable modems, high-speed network connections, the book talked about BBSs and modem dial-ups. This was understandable considering those were the cutting-edge fascinations of computer users at the time. The information on the Spy's Demise and the two sample stories were interesting. Overall, the Digital Web was a fun read with many neat ideas. It must have been revolutionary for Mage the Ascension back in early days of the game. This book has since been revised and released as the Digital Web 2.0.

While this collection seemed to skimp on details in a few places, it was a nice read for someone still wanting more Sandman stories. However, the art is very nice, and appropriate for such a dark tale.

Written by Alisa Kwitney, this book is beautifully painted by, Kent Williams, the cover art and framing sequence artist, Michael Zulli in part one, Scott Hampton in part two and Revecca Guay in part three. This time, Kent renders his works mainly with pencils and watercolor washes.

ok well first of all it was a little to different. for example: she lived in the freaking walls people!!!i mean comeon! it was interesting but like very unreal like. how can she live in the walls??...

I read this book when I was fourteen when it caught my eye at a library with a painfully small teen section. I think that the book was very interesting in the way that it showed the girl treating her family, and the way that her family in turn responded to her. I also think that the ending was beautiful. It is a book that I wish that I could read again.

I had expected the author-resident of this book to reveal much more about the Hamptons rather than just a compiliation of names and addresses. In my estimation the book doesn't reveal much insight or short-cuts as the name ("Short-cuts") might infer.

Is does give you a shortened version of the yellow pages.

Jodi's Shortcuts is an excellent guidebook to the Hamptons. It has great reviews of all of the latest restaurants (including new ones that do not appear in other guidebooks), it has a great calendar of events that I could not find anywhere else, and it is chock full of every other service and listing you could ever want, plus lots of secrets, backroad maps, etc.I keep one in the car and one by the phone in the house at all times - it's the perfect resource! It's also got great tips from many famous people - their favorite restaurants and things to do. I loved it, and would highly recommend it to anyone! I hope they do guidebooks to other areas in the future!

Though published in 1995, this book reads like it was written 20 years prior. The core chapters are each devoted to a different class of network models (relational networks, structural networks, threshold models, critcal mass models, and a chapter for 'others') and the author compares predictions made by each type to classic historical data regarding farmers in Brazil, birth control in Korea, and antibiotics among doctors. However, not a mention is made of the 'Santa Fe' school of innovation diffusion research and references to the wealth of recent research is scant (A survey of 2 randomly selected pages from the References show that, of the 35 works that appear on the pages, only 8 were less than 5 years old while 13 were from more than 20 years prior to the book's publication).

Further, the book doesn't seem to be well-suited to any particular kind of reader: because it lacks end of chapter exercises, it would not make a good textbook; it is extraordinarily light on mathematics (considering the subject matter) to be helpful to the serious scholar; and it doesn't cover the topics discussed nearly as well as, say, Everett Rogers' _Diffusion of Innovations_ or Duncan Watts' _Small Worlds_ to be interesting to the average reader. The body of innovation diffusion research is too rich to waste time reading this book, unless it's just for reference purposes.

This book is an excellent review of the applications of social network analysis to health communication research. Tom Valente is an internationally-recognized scholar in social network analysis and health communication. In this book, he offers a very readable description of how social networks can be used to understand the transmission of new ideas through society. This knowledge is particularly important for the design of media-based education and advertising campaigns, because it explains how information is passed from person to person within a social network. Despite the rigorous mathematics underlying social network analysis, Dr. Valente presents the information in a way that can be understood by most applied social scientists. A must-read for social scientists who are interested in social networks!

I would not buy this book because the Monitor fought a Confederate Ironclad called the C.S.S. Virginia. The Virginia was built upon the salvaged hull of a union ship called the Merrimack (with a "k"). There was another ship built by the union, called the Merrimac (without a "k") but it was a paddle wheel boat and it never fought the Monitor.

This is a very well-put-togther, informative book about the ironside USS Monitor and its Confederate counterpart, the CSS Virginia. The title of the book was obviously off-putting to one reader, since it referred to the Merrimac (the name of the Virginia before it was re-fitted and re-christened by the Confederacy), but don't let that stop you!. This book delves into a fascinating part of American military history. The battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac changed the course of naval history, and had repercussions all over the world. This book is a great introduction into that period in history.
For those who are still concerned about the use of Merrimac as opposed to Virginia: 1) the US gov't never formally recognized the Confederacy as a sovereign state, therefore the Confederacy would have had no authority to re-christen the ship (ergo, the original designation of Merrimac is, in fact, correct); 2) even during the Civil War, in both the North and the South, the name Merrimac was still widely used to describe the ship -- and remains the more widely recognized and acceptable of the two.

The story of these two ironclads is one of the most famous incidents in naval history. As stated in the Ken Burns Civil War Series, "for a moment, every other navy in the world stood obsolete." This book is very effective in chronicling the story of these ironclads, and should be viewed as such, instead of focusing on petty details.

I admit that I am an avid and often satisfied reader of James Patterson's books. Long before he became famous for his Alex Cross series I read and enjoyed Patterson's earliest titles such as The Midnight Club and Season of the Machete. In recent years, in addition to loving the Alex Cross books I have also enjoyed some of this author's stand alone books like Cradle Will Fall. Now that I've read The Beach House by James Patterson and Alex DeJonge (the co-author of the previous Patterson title, Miracle on the 17th Green), I do wonder why Patterson wrote this book, why it required two authors and what went wrong.

The Beach House tells the story of the "accidental" drowning of a young part time waiter during a gala party in the Hamptons. While many of the residents are "summer people," this young man is a high school dropout and what we call a townie. To Peter's family it seems unlikely he would be at the beach at this hour let alone drown since he was a strong swimmer. And despite the police's initial investigation his law school brother Jack and father decide to do a little investigating on their own. They both feel that Peter was lured to the beach on some pretext but they can't figure out why. Their first attempts meet with icy glares and then threats as it becomes apparent that the ultra wealthy couple, the Campions had something to do with it. And it doesn't help matters that this couple's daughter is Jack's former girlfriend. What follows next is a roller coaster ride of a book, which includes drugs, pornography, large sums of manner in unknown bank accounts, a bit of romance and surprising facts about the lifestyles of some of the characters.

Sounds like it would make a good book, right? But it didn't. The book becomes mired in same old, same old and while it only takes a few hours to read, Patterson does favor short paragraphs, it really has no pleasant after taste. And the writing is so simplistic that one wonders why Patterson wrote this book. One would think with his fame and fortune Patterson might slow down a bit and take more time to pen a well-written book. Either that or people are left to wonder why two authors aren't better than one.

The dust jacket leads off with the claim that the authors have "written THE beach read of the season...", so let's start by acknowledging this is an entry in fun summertime reading, not classic literature. That said, Patterson and de Jonge have collaborated to amuse and entertain for a most pleasant afternoon read. Take out the blank and half-blank pages, and what's left barely extends beyond page 200, so it is a fast run through. The short (typically 3-page) chapters add to the hustle of the pace; and the story per se kept our attention to the very last page. So you should find your pages turning in a pretty big hurry.

The plot is essentially a mystery, though not one about who got killed (Peter Mullen, a likable 20-year old who spends much of his time in bed, with company); nor who did it (we find that out pretty quickly); nor will the police catch the bad guys. Rather, it's almost a morality tale where the older brother, Jack Mullen, a recent law school graduate, devotes a year or so to solving the whole crime, proving the finding of the original coroner's inquest to be faulty (bought and paid for); and then pursuing justice as best he can with a little help from his friends and relatives. A little romance along the way just helps our feet curl up more sand.

We find as good a plot as Patterson has dreamed up in a little while, and before it's all over, we get bowls full of corruption, greed, big money parties and mansions, lust and illicit sex, romance, justice and injustice. The ending should satisfy just about everybody's idea of what's fair, but the suspense that leads us there makes the book tough to put down.

What more can one ask for fun at the seashore?!?!

This is the fourth book of JP's I've read this summer...okay, I was late to join his fan club and have a lot of catching up to do.

Having read so many of his books in such a short span of time I can tell you what draws me to want to read the rest of what he's written.

1) He's the master of suspense. He knows how to construct a plot that keeps you turning the pages.

2) He creates characters you really care about. You find yourself cheering for them, whether it's Alex Cross or one of his "one-off" characters in his stand alone novels.

3) He's very kind to other authors and is constantly plugging other books he likes within his own novels.....I find this very generous.

4) He seems like a really nice guy.....last night I finished "Cradle and All" and was impressed by his sympathy for others. He's the kind of guy you wish there were more of in the world....especially single guys! (yes, I know he's married.) But he's the type you'd love to invite to a dinner party, he comes off as smart, entertaining, and compassionate towards those around him.

5) And finally, he writes really fun, fast-paced novels. They are an absolute pleasure to read!

Bottom line.....I recommend all of his books!

How did this book ever get published? It was the most boring thing that I've read this year. The entire book is about 474 pages. Just imagine wasting all that time for nothing. I believe that this novel should be considered general fiction and nothing more. There was some romance in it, but hardly any suspense. It just went on and on. The main characters went to about a thousand dinner parties and banquets. That took up about 75 pages in all! Nothing exciting happened at all until about page 250. But don't get me wrong, Laura Van Wormer is a good writer, because I'm reading "Talk" and loving it! Just trust me, save your money on "Just For The Summer."

Brad Stonecipher

I don't expect much in summer paperbacks, but I could not believe how this one dragged. How can someone take a story about murder, rich movie stars on vacation, and romance and end up with something so predictable, trite and boring? None of the characters were interesting or even distinguishable. Worse of all, the writing style was so dully flat that I felt like the author was whacking me on the head with each sentence. There is such a thing as excellent, entertaining trash that evokes emotion - Nora Roberts, Olivia Goldsmith, etc. The only reponse this book evoked was the realization that I wasted an afternoon.

I actually laughed in places when I read her stiff attempts at pretending to be of this century. I don't need a lot of sexy stuff to keep me hooked, just a decently plotted story (no go) and a main character I can care about. I would kill this girl if she were my houseguest. It's almost worth the slow read to see the word "golly" written about a gay liason and "down there" referencing, well...you know.

Beware those Adobe-endorsed books. While there are some useful examples herein, most of this is just one long diatribe on the virtues of Adobe and their pivotal place in developing web content. If you're looking to this book to discover how to publish for the web, there are precious few really useful pointers. While the Adobe Classroom in a Book series is instructive, their other titles are of very limitted usefulness (and often very expensive). This book is no exception. Lacks any real discussion of the intricacies of web design. Say nay. Docked a notch for being so expensive.

It's true, this book focuses exclusively on Adobe software, but it IS called Adobe Web Design & Publishing. The warning is right there in the title. That said, it's a tome of useful tips on using Adobe software to create professional quality web sites and graphics. If you use Adobe software to create web sites, consider buying this book. One caveat: Adobe Web Design & Publishing does not cover Adobe's latest and greatest web site design software, Go Live. Hopefully the next version will.

This book consists of page after page of uninteresting blabber, a jumble of words that say nothing and mean nothing. The author changes topics in mid sentence, I had no idea what he was talking about most of the time nor did I care to try and make sense of it. I put the book down a quarter of the way through it so I couldn't tell you if the author ever gets around to telling a story.

It was with eager anticipation that I picked up James Brady's new book "A Hamptons Christmas." However, I soon found that neither the story nor the narrative was especially satisfying. To me, there was no story, and I found myself in the peculiar position of not rooting for the protagonists. The writing seemed to be extremely simplistic and dull at times and tried to be sophisticated at other times. Neither style impressed this reviewer.

When Beecher Stowe returns to the family home in the Hamptons to celebrate Christmas, little does he know his life will be turned upside down. It's not the arrival of his on-again, off-again lover Lady Alix Dunraven, nor the realization that his father, the Admiral, is beginning to slip just a wee bit....it is the small girl who arrives alone, and who captures his attention at the local bar. Young "Susannah" (one of her many names) arrives with a purse full of money, a platinum charge card, no visible adults to care for her, and the hope to enjoy a real Christmas, just like the one she has seen in Martha Stewart's magazine. The is also another purpose for her visit, one that has close ties with the Hampton community. Beecherand his family, various townspeople, and an assorted cast of characters set out to provide this 10 year old girl with a real Christmas, in spite of the fierce divorce being waged by her jet-set parents and their underhanded way of dealing with their only child. In the end, this young girl helps enrich the lives of the locals of the Hamptons {there is much disdain expressed for the come-lately new money, such as Puff Daddy, and the Perlmans}and mend a misunderstanding that threatens to tear the town apart. James Brady has managed to weave an engaging tale that combines the present, the names we all associate with the high life of the Hamptons, and the whimsy of a young girl discovering Christmas. A real christmas treat.