Despite the age reccomendations on this book (9 to 12), McKillip's story is a wonderful fairy tale for any reader, as are all of her other works.
The Changling Sea is an excellent combination of fantasy and reality - the balance of hard working villagers and magical beings from another world make this story not only enchanting, but lovely in its realism.
Fans of McKillip will of course love this story. For children and adults who have never read her: this is a great place to start.

Patricia McKillip's The Book of Atrix Wolfe was the first fantasy book I ever read (in French). Years after that, I am still hooked on her books.
The Changeling Sea is at heart a fairy tale: two princes gets swapped at birth and none of them is happy with the situation, until a young girl starts meddling. It displays all of McKillip's strengths: strong characterization (every character from Carey and Mare at the inn to the sea-woman herself are wonderfully drawn, and behave convincingly), a plot that, while being vaguely familiar, is still fresh enough to make you read on, and finally, McKillip's hallmark, her style, as ethereal and beautiful as the sea itself.
Buy it, read it, and then go and buy all of McKillip's other books.

A magical, moving, and completely original story, peopled with quirkily charming characters. Unlike most fantasy novels, this isn't about wielding swords and spells to save the world, but about the power and wonder of both magic and human relationships. Peri is a likable, offbeat heroine, and the choice she makes regarding the three men who come into her life, the magician, the prince, and the sea dragon, is believable and heartwarming. All the characters, even the most minor ones, have their own lives and agendas, bringing to life the vividly imagined setting of a fishing village on the edge of enchantment. Dialogue is sometimes poetic, sometimes funny, but always well-phrased. The balance in this book between the little moments of daily life and the beauty of magic and feeling reminded me of movies like The Secret Garden and John Sayles' The Secret of Roan Inish.

I recently watched both "The Shawshank Redemption" (with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) and "Stand By Me" (with River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman) and this prompted me to dig out my old copy of Different Seasons. Most people are surprised when they learn that those movies were based on novellas by horror master, Stephen King, but he shows that he's not just into scaring the heck out of you.

The story cycle bases one novella per season, and each follows characters on a journey, whether it's one of hope, descent into corruption, coming of age, or life through offspring.

"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" takes place over decades, as a prison inmate retains his spirit and soul, while breathing life into a dark institution, and whose patient nature finally leads him to freedom. The story is told in first person from the point of view of old Red, the guy who can get you things, about Andy Dufresne, a young banker jailed for the murder of his wife and her lover.

One of King's great strengths is creating a believable voice for his characters, and as you read this tale, it is like Red is talking to you. Other King strengths are providing back story and creating a world in which these characters live, one with a past, present and future, and it makes them three dimensional. One of King's flaws is going off on tangents and digressions a bit too often, but he always comes back to the story.

'The Body' (basis for 'Stand By Me') is a coming of age story about four small town boys on the cusp of entering Junior High School. On the Friday before Labor Day, they set off to find the body of a missing boy. One of the four boys, Vern Tessio, overheard his brother talking to a friend about the dead body.

The characters fall into several categories: Gordon LaChance, who narrates the story as an adult, is the dreamer/writer whose older brother died earlier that year. Chris Chambers is athletic, tough but smart. wise beyond his years and the white sheep in a family of black sheep. Teddy Duchamp is the psycho wiseguy who wears thick glasses and hearing aids as the result of his war veteran father putting his head to a stove. Vern Tessio is the least intelligent, but plays a key symbolic part as the one tells the others about the body and also is the first to spot it.

Along their journey, the boys encounter adventures, such as Milo Pressman the junkyard operator and his dog, Chopper. There is a run across a high trestle as a train bears down on them, a swim in a culvert full of leeches, and a night in the dark woods with screaming wild animals. When they eventually reach the boys, they have a run in with a group of teenage hoods from their town. A major difference from the movie, is that this story details the aftermath of the confrontation after the boys return to town.

King does a nice balancing act with his adult narrative and pre-adolescent dialogue, making each voice unique and fleshing out each boy's character to make them multi-dimensional. All four experience growth, but Gordon and Chris take this growth with them as they get older. Don't let people drag you down. There's a lot more to this story than just kids looking for a dead body.
My bumps here are again that King goes off on tangents and digressions, some to fill in background and history for the characters, but sometimes really straying far from the course. At one point he takes nearly a page to say that someone is dead, where 'The kid was dead. The kid wasn't sick, the kid wasn't sleeping.' Would probably have sufficed.

I won't go into a lot of detail about the other two stories. 'Apt Pupil' is about a boy who discovers a Nazi war criminal living in his town, and blackmails the old man into telling him stories about the war in exchange for not blowing the whistle on him. The stories the boy hears slowly lead him into senseless acts of violence. In 'The Breathing Woman' a 'disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death.'

These four stories combine to make an interesting cycle, and demonstrate that Stephen King has writing talents that stretch beyond his horror work.

Reta hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, was a great short story by stephen king. I enjoyed reading this book and even watching the movie. I was suprised how much the book grabed my attention and how I didn't ever put it down.

I just love Stephen King's books, okay? I've read them all, except RIDING THE BULLET, because I'm on the computer enough already, and I personally like to have a book with paper pages to pour over while I'm on a plane or a couch or a beach.

So I have read King--in hardback--for years. I always buy his books as soon as they are published. Then I buy them in paperback for tote-ability. They don't weigh as much, and therefore don't load me down when I'm walking mile-long concourses, nor hurt my stomach when I am (re)-reading them on the beach.

To me, all of his books are marvelous. But SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is his best story EVER.

This story is actually one of four in King's book, DIFFERENT SEASONS. And it is actually entitled "HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL RITA HAYWORTH AND THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION." Preceding the story, there is a single page with a single sentence which says, "It is in the tale, not he who tells it." Oh, and this tale does tell itself, but if King had not put it down for us, (pen to paper, so to speak) we would never have had the gift of this masterpiece to even consider.

When you realize the King of Horror has written a work that would catapult most authors into the galaxy of writers' stardom, and that it is just one of his many, many works, you just have to appreciate what a great WRITER King is. Sound silly? Well, as we all know, there are best-selling authors out there who are not particularly good writers. King sets this story down with a writing skill so superior that it is difficult to imagine something more perfectly written.

Of course I saw the movie, and it was fairly true to the book. But not until you let the actual words of this story envelope you and enthrall you do you get the full-tilt emotional fulfillment of reading a thoroughly engrossing story.

King does a beautiful job of giving us the substance of the characters, both in the realm of the facade a prisoner must maintain to survive, and of the inner anguish a prisoner struggles against to stay whole. We get to know the two main characters -- Andy and Red -- inside and out, and this is what makes the book so very compelling.

And I have never, ever, read a story in which the last sentence takes my breath away, causes my heart to beat faster, and makes my eyes tear, as this story does.

Some of the scenes are hard to take--particularly the prison rape scenes--but they are necessary for us to understand just what makes the wrongly-incarcerated Andy Dufresne so unique. And if he were not so unique, if his character were not so brilliantly disected in King's writing, there would be no story at all. Events happen around Andy, but what happens inside Andy is what gives this story wings.

I hope you will read this tale. I hope you will be inspired by it. I hope you will be as enthralled by the writing as I am. I hope you will love it, for your own sake.

As a story, this is cute and enjoyable. As a potty-training helper, not very effective.

The princess won't use any of the special royal potties until she is tempted by a pair of pantalettes. Maybe that's a good reminder to us parents to be patient, but it doesn't encourage potty usage for my child.

The book discusses using the potty in very generic terms, nothing specific. No potty words (like pee or poop) are used. I view it as another book in the bookcase, which is OK.

My daughter likes for me to read this book to her, and enjoys calling her diaper "the royal diaper". Sometimes she likes to discuss pantalettes, but she has not expressed any interest in using the "royal potty".

I prefer "The Potty Book For Girls" as a potty-learning tool.

As I began reading this book about a little girl whose royal parents buy her every color and pattern potty imaginable to get her to potty train, I was a bit worried my child would begin demanding her own 'pink potty'. However, as you read you discover none of these bribes work with the little girl-she simply doesn't want to (sound familiar? It did for me). Anyway, only the thought of soiling the princess' pretty, new undies gives her the desire to run to the potty in the end. And it is then that she discovers she doesn't need any of those fancy potties, the closest potty will do(which is the plain, old potty)! Now, my daughter couldn't care less about pretty panties when we began to suggest potty training. ... This was her favorite book and it is so cute she actually continued choosing it in her nightly read selections for some time after potty training. ... Anyway, would reccomend this Princess and the Potty to keep the task at hand foremost in their little minds and then one other for more specific step-by-step instructional which can tend to be not as attractive for them to want to read. Good luck! If you stick to it and let them feel the few messes and help clean up, you'll succeed!

I read this book many times over at a camp where I worked with children with disabilities. A goal of one child was for them to become independently potty trained and she was my "kid" for the summer. She was struggling a lot with the independence of it and we had just gotten her a new specialized toilet which coincided with the one she now had at home. She would not even sit on it at first. The Princess and the Potty became routine for her to listen to. I think this book models independence, yet also stresses the idea that the child knows when they are ready.

No other book about Baja California has ever eaten into my soul as Gene Kira's "King of the Moon." I have known and traveled throughout Baja for many, many years. I saw these people. I spoke to them. Through this book, Kira has brought composites of all of the people of this remarkable Mexican peninsula.

What a find! King of the Moon is that rare book with the power to change lives. This haunting and often harrowing story of life in a Baja fishing village is packed with intense imagery and colorful characters. This book is so satisfying I didn't want it to end. (I struggled to pace my reading to make the experience last longer.) It's a beautiful and bittersweet story written with consummate skill and filled with profound insight into the human condition. A treasure.

Gene Kira's "King of the Moon" is one of the best fictional books on Baja to be published in my lifetime. The characters jump off the page to give you a vivid feel for the country and its people as they accept what the land and life gives them and struggle to make the best of what they are given. You will begin to understand why there are people like myself who have come to love the country and its stoic, warm-hearted people. For a real insight into Baja, try "King of the Moon".....Gary Graham, Baja on the Fly.

Required to read Henry for my AP English Language class, I came into the play with a bias. I honestly felt that it would be a boring political play. I was utterly wrong! A huge fan of Shakespeare, I found Henry V to be a formidable match for the Bard's more critically acclaimed plays, such as Hamlet and Macbeth. Henry has it all! Shakespeare's attitude toward Henry the King is certainly one of admiration. By communicating the fact that an effective monarch must have a complete understanding of the common subjects (Pistol and Bardolph and Quickly), Shakespeare sets up Henry to be the ideal Christian king. The controlled language of Henry's speeches, particularly his response to the Dauphin's idiotic insult, also glorifies Henry. I certainly recommend this play to anyone, fan of Shakespeare or not.

I looked long and hard (and asked many a scholar) for the "perfect" Shakespeare publication that I might purchase to study "King Henry V" (for a experiential education requirement, I had undertaken the translation of Henry V into American Sign Language). The Arden Shakespeare came highly recommended by everyone, and has lived up entirely to all its rave reviews.

I will never buy Shakespeare from another publisher. While these books may be slightly more expensive than a "mass market" edition, I believe that if you are going to take the time to read and understand Shakespeare, it is well worth the extra dollar or two. The Introduction, the images, and plethora of footnotes are irreplaceable and nearly neccessary for a full understanding of the play (for those of us who are not scholars already). The photocopy of the original Quatro text in the appendix is also very interesting.

All in all, well worth it! I recommend that you buy ALL of Shakespeare's work from Arden's critical editions.

Written by Shakespeare for Queen Elizabeth I amidst a time of Irish rebellion, Henry V more than adequately serves its intended purpose of galvanizing nationalistic fervor. It proved itself to be an unwavering and unfaltering impetus of patriotism in Shakespeare's day, during WWII, and still today it continues to resonate and reverberate this provocatively telling tale of the most gloriously revered monarch in English history.

Henry V's stirring orations prior to the victorious battles of Harfleur("Once more unto the breach") and Agincourt("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers") astonish and inspire me every time I read them. Simply amazing. Having read Henry IV Parts I&II beforehand, I was surprised Shakespeare failed to live up to his word in the Epilogue of Part II in which he promised to "continue the story, with Sir John in it." The continuing follies of the conniving Bardolph, Nym, & Pistol and their ignominious thieving prove to be somewhat of a depricating underplot which nevertheless proves to act as a succinct metaphor for King Harry's "taking" of France.

Powerful and vibrant, the character of Henry V evokes passion and unadulterated admiration through his incredible valor & strength of conviction in a time of utter despondency. It is this conviction and passion which transcends time, and moreover, the very pages that Shakespeare's words are written upon. I find it impossible to overstate the absolute and impregnable puissance of Henry V, a play which I undoubtedly rate as the obligatory cream of the crop of Shakespeare's Histories. I recommend reading Henry IV I&II prior to Henry V as well as viewing Kenneth Branagh's masterpiece film subsequent to reading the equally moving work.

Excellent Work, another Master piece from Prof.King. It is really useful guide like a instructor for the people who wants to become a Java programmer. Each aspect of the java programming has been explained so well and provides lot of clarity for Object Oriented Programming. Having read this book from begining to end, I have confidently moving with the journey to java programming.

I came to this book with almost no programming experience but good analytical abilities. I wanted to learn the equivalent of what is covered by a CS1 course, and this book fit my needs exactly. This book is an interesting read, clearly introduces topics, and avoids unnecessary wordiness. The exercises and programming projects are thorough. There are always one or two more lengthy projects included in each chapter for those who want the challenge. I used this book to learn Java on my own, and I found myself eager to open it each day. I agree that there is no coverage of Swing, but there are other books devoted to that topic which one could move on to. I highly recommend this for those who are new to object-oriented programming and want their first taste of what this field is about.

Once again K.N. King produced a masterpiece. This book is the best book that I have ever read for students with no prior programming experience. In addition I believe that professional non-Java programmers can gain unique insight and a bottom up understanding of the Java language and of object oriented concepts by reading this book. The text is clear, thorough, and chock full of great examples and projects. If you want to learn Java this book will take you there. You will not learn applets, servlets, EJB, etc. However when you finish you will have a deep understanding of the language and will be more ready then most people to tackle the other technologies.

I am in third grade. My teacher read my class this book and the one before it to. Every time when my teacher would stop reading the whole class would beg her to read more. the author does a great job of stoping the chapter right at the really exciting parts.I LOVED it!!!!!!!!! Normally I don't like books about castles but this one I really liked!

This is a great sequel!!! I loved it! There is no return of Alastor but there is a very evil gang lurking about. Not only dose William go to Sir Simon's castle, but Jason comes too!!!
There is also 1 new character: But you'll have to read the book to find out who he/she is! ;)

I read this book when I was in 5th grade and I would suggest this book and the first one called The Castle in the Attic.

King Arthur Flour Bakery is right up the road from me. The flour has been a staple in my home for years, and it is suggested for use by all the best cooks and chefs. The King Arthur Flour cookbook has all of the recipes you would ever need for breads-yeast and easy breads, muffins, desserts of all types- directions for baking the best products and an area that directs you to buying best products. My favorite recipe is the blueberry muffins, and by all accounts from everyone who has ever tasted them, this is the best recipe ever created- look no further you have found it. I would imagine any recipe that you might try from this cookbook will fulfill your dreams- buy it and start baking right away- your family and friends will love the results.prisrob

The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook is perfect for the cook who's ready to branch out a little. The chapters begin with some basic recipes and explanations, then variations and improvisations. Directions are generally very clear and precise, and always include the reasoning behind the techniques. I especially enjoy baking variations on the basic scone recipe. This book has been a great confidence-builder; I know that as long as I follow Brinna Sands' basic proportions and techniques everything will turn out fine!

I went to a large (un-named) bookstore determined to find a book on baking that would be significantly different. I have been baking for fifty years, since I was a little girl. I wanted easy recipes for my grandchildren, and healthy ones. This is it! I wish there was someway to emphasize how much better this cookbook is than any other on the market. This is my first on-line review, so I am trying to spread the word. I am also buying two more copies. Hopefully it will never go out of print, because I intend to keep on giving them as gifts!

Florence King and Molly Ivins are the two funniest contemporary American writers. Miss King writes for the _National Review_, and Ms. Ivins for _The Progressive_.

When I moved to the South to attend graduate school, I dutifully read _The Mind of the South_, to ready myself. I was utterly unprepared nevertheless. I simply had never met people who talked about their ancestors, or didn't know the price of a movie ticket because: "Mah escort always buys the tickets!"

Then, a kind soul told me to read _Southern Ladies and Gentleman_. After reading it, nothing Southern surprised me. Thanks to Miss King, I knew about the tombstone twitch, i.e. geneaologists who desperately wanted to prove they had royal blood, self-rejuvenating virgins, why you never, ever cross
a Dowager, Rock or a Dear Old Thing--three varieties of southern old ladies, and the Pert Plague, that is the tendency of some southern women to shriek loudly and at length about the strangest things. This behavior will greatly puzzle anyone who is a stranger to the south. If you read _Southern Ladies and Gentlemen_, gentle reader, you will UNDERSTAND.

So, if you are about to spend substantial amounts of time south of the Mason-Dixon line, spare yourself much anxiety, and read this book. I predict that once you have read this title, you will immediately want to read everything Miss King has written.

It's a comical examination of the south, written with a stilleto rather than a pen. And yet, that stilleto is an elegant instrument. Florence King is a wonderful writer.

Miss King, I beg of you, write another book, please. Soon.

Southern Ladies and Gentlemen was the first book by Miss King that I read. Since that time several years ago I have read every title I could find. S L&G is a laugh out loud, wipe the tears from your eyes look at a group of people that I have always thought to be just a little boring. How wrong I was. After looking at them through Miss King's eyes and with the help of her biting humor and mastery of the language, I always look forward to my travels in the south. It seems I can almost point out the folks in Miss King's book and I find myself trying to classify them according to her "system". I'm a professional pilot and although I usually have one of Miss King's books with me to read on layovers, I don't dare peek at one when I'm on the flight deck. Belly laughs aren't appreciated there.

Just like everyone else, I've read and re-read this book until I'm forced to buy another copy - it's the funniest, most accurate depiction of life in the South! Born a Texan and raised in Alabama, I went to school with Good Good Ol' Boys and Self-Rejuvinating virgins (Muffy, are you reading this! ) And I swear, I really did have this devastingly handsome Good Ol' Boy whisper, in the height of passion, that he'd kill for me. Honest.

This book was pretty good,... I felt that this novel was very choppy. Years would pass all of a sudden, leaving you to wonder what happened during that period of time. I'd lose interest sometimes, leaving the book to sit for weeks before picking it back up again. Despite these faults, I really liked the concept of the "Alliance" of races, and I thought the battles were well written. I'm glad Yavamaya finally got some attention as well. Hopefully Bloodlines will keep my attention better.

After we were pretty discouraged from reading Planeswalker, J. Robert King knew he had to create a novel to recover the greatness of the Magic the Gathering "Artifacts Cycle" after Lynn Abbey wrote his book that barely reaches average. In Time Streams, the famous Tolaria is one of the main places were the story takes place. Tolaria is the place where Urza gathers the greatest minds in Dominaria to study at his academy (no, I didn't get this from the back cover, mind you). They include Malzra, Barrin, and the mischivous Teferi (to a huge extent he frequently calls Karn "Arty Shovelhead") . In the end of every chapter, there is a very intelegent monologue written by Barrin, Mage Master of Tolaria (it's fiction, J. Robert King wrote everything). In the prologue, it is only a monologue but it quickly addicts you to the story ( use thehandy tool on this page to look inside books and read the prologue, you'll know what I mean). Tolaria get's destroyed and many scholars killed by a Phyrexian threat, war becomes at hand. Ten years after the battle, Urza, Teferi, Karn, Barrin, Malzra, and the others return to the wreckage of former Tolaria and build a new academy called "New Tolaria". More battle comes and some may be tired out of battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, war, war, war, war, war, but I haven't read such an action-packed book since Apocalypse (Invasion Cycle, book III). Hopefully, you'll make a wise desicion and buy Time Streams. Ya'll love it.

Alex

Time Streams continues the tale of the continuing of Urza's striving goal to eliminate the Phyrexians from the world of Dominaria. Introducing the characters of Karn and Jhoira, great thinkers as well as good friends to Urza, they make an alliance with the Viashino and Goblins of Shiv, and the nature spirit Multani to bring the end of Phyrexia and later, the minions of Phyrexia hanging out in Serra's Realm. A great story for those fans of Magic and others.

If you haven't read The Brother's War (Jeff Grubb) or Planeswalker (Lynn Abbey), I encourage you to read these two books before reading Time Streams for better understanding of this book. Fans of the Artifacts Cycle series of books for Magic the Gathering should look for Bloodlines (Loren Coleman) in August, and Mercadian Masques (Lynn Abbey, Francis LeBaron) in September.