It's amazing to see how many Pierce fans have popped up over the past six or seven years. I remember when she barely wrote a book-- when the Immortals suddenly appeared so many years after Alanna, my private school practically had a festival. Tamora is a talented writer; in the Circle, she's created spectacular characters, realistic personalities. Like most Pierce fanatics, I'm a sucker for her way of dealing with swashbuckling romance-- and I must say that I haven't held any of her villians as dear as I did Roger (I'm also a sucker for bad guys). It's hard to expect that from the Circle, which is a charming read about the science of magic, not the overzealous use of it against the bad guy. These kids are against the odds of nature-- and realistic aspects of life. Reading the books are like going on vacation; Winding Circle sounds like the Mediterranean (spelling?) to me. Everything seems bright. I still have to find out what happens to Briar, but so far Daja's story, I think, is the best of the series. She makes very powerful desisions within it. But the plot is slow in this series; almost everything is taken day by day, and the parts in Daine's books where she mediated (and I almost snoozed) well, sorry, Tamora, but pretty much half the Circle is written like that. I can't really explain it. But here's a toast, for an otherwise well done young adult book.

This really is shaping up to become a great series! Definitelly improving over the last two as far as plot and exciting things going on, this one also builds on each of the characters, while Daja takes center stage. This book picks up with the four kids (with their respective teachers) on a journey to Goldridge Valley, where severe drought has caused rampant wildfires and many other problems. While practicing her metelwork, Daja (with accidental help from Sandry, Tris, and Briar) creates a bizarre vine, made of 'living metel' that only pure magic can shape properly. Daja's former people, the Traders, try to buy it from her, even though now they consider her Trangshi, a person so full of bad luck that no decent person can ever speak to her or deal with her. Even so, being around them again reminds Daja of the family she lost, and makes her long for the way things used to be, and soon she'll have to make a choice; return with the Traders and give up the metelworking she loves, or remain with her beloved teacher and friends, and dispare of ever being a true Trader again. Anyway, this book has charm, humour, warmth, and excitement. For anyone looking for a great fantasy read, this book is the answer.

I have read all of the Circle of Magic books, but Briar's. Daja wasn't my favorite character in the Circle of Magic books. It's exciting to try to find out what happens to their magic after Sandry weaved Tris, Briar, Daja, and her's together in Sandry's Book. When the fire is out of hand and Daja is with the Traders, Daja doesn't know if she should save them after they kicked her out and marked her a trangshi when she was found after a ship wreaked with her family on it. I liked the end when some kind of metal was melted on her hand and was almost like her skin. I also like when Daja made a living metal plant that contains everyone's magic because Daja and her friends magic are combind together and they just found out how and why their magic are changing.

Having bought this book at far more than its going price, I was determined not to find it a disappointment, as some of my friends seemed to have done. And you know what? I didn't.
I LOVED it. This wonderful final installment is a must-read for all Tammy fans.
Lady Knight proves that Kel is in her element as a commander as she takes charge at a refugee camp. She does well, but is restless, knowing that she needs to carry out the task that the Chamber of the Ordeal has set her. But when something goes terribly wrong, she knows that she has to take things into her own hands.
The book rarely focuses on Kel's personal life, which I missed a little, but she's a knight, her country's at war, and she has other things on her mind, so I can't blame her. If you're looking for romance, this isn't the book you'll find it.
The book doesn't answer all your questions- especially about Kel's relationship with a certain King's Own sergeant (hint hint!)- but if it did, it wouldn't be half as much fun. The return of Neal, Owen, and other characters that were missed in Squire is a definite plus.
Read it!

A lot of the reviews I've read of this book seem to dislike it. I really enjoyed it! Kel is a wonderful character. I love the vivid way Tamora Pierce describes everything. I think I will remember the configuration of Haven for the rest of my life, kind of like Middle-Earth. I really don't think it matters that there wasn't much romance in this book. I think it is great that Tamora Pierce wrote a book where the main character doesn't need to be romantically involved (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE George). It's nice with so many old characters returning. I was very happy that Numair was in this book more. We talked to Daine in the other Protector of the small books but Numair was always a distant figure. Alanna wasn't in this book as much as I would have liked, but we do have to move on, I suppose. Neal was in this book, which made me really happy because Neal was always one of my favorite characters. I hope Tamora Pierce writes another quartet about anybody in Tortall as long as they talk to Kel so I can find out how Kel and Dom are doing as well as everyone else. I was also glad Dom was in this book. He was another one of my favorite characters. One of my favorite parts of this book has to be when everyone, separately without speaking to each other follow Kel as she disobeys orders and follows the people of her fort. I thought this book was an amazing conclusion to the Protector of the Small quartet.

LADY KNIGHT is the best book I've read in a long time; I was never bored while reading it. Pierce has the ability to create what many authors have forgotten how to do: real characters. Kel works diligently for her title as "Lady Knight" as she experiences both losses and triumphs. (She even gets a cold!) It was a wonderful experience to read a book that shows the passion of the human spirit and the courage that lies within each of us. I would definitley recommend this book to anyone who loves action, adventure, (even a little bit of magic) and stories about finding your place in the world. I have not yet read the other three books in the PROTECTOR OF THE SMALL series, but I am very anxious to do so!

ok, like i've read all the three books in the dark angel trilogy in three dayz and was ssooooooooooooo dissapointed with the ending of the last book...oh my god! i cried and cried and cried some more. when you think of it im crying over a book...im wasting my tears...im sending sorrow to my heart. i would have rated this book 5 star but i didnt cuz of the ending...the ending upset me so i would've just rated it a 1 star...i hope ms. pierce comes to her senses and realizes how unhappy the readers were at the end and makes a fourth book to the trilogy!

This story was in many ways an anti-climax to the previous two, however, I don't feel anything lacking in the trilogy, even in this book. It couldn't have ended any other way, or it would have dimmed the love Aeriel and Irrylath had for one another. Ms. Pierce captured the most poignant kind of love, the dark-edged, deep kind that a person can barely admit to oneself. Poetic, flowing, tragic, painfully lovely, a tale of the immortal quality of love between a man and a woman.

A surprise ending climaxes a battle where all of the characters from "The Darkangel" and "A Gathering of Gargoyles" are brought together and rewarded or thumped, according to their allegiance or past misdeeds. As in her two previous chronicles of a terraformed Moon, Meredith Ann Pierce continues the story of her heroine, Aeriel with clarity and imagination. 'Pearl' contains a bit more future science than its predecessors, but not enough to disturb those who prefer their fantasies undiluted.

Aerial, fourteenth bride of the redeemed darkangel, Irrylath (they literally exchanged hearts in volume I) continues her quest to save the dying Moon. All of her world's wisdom and magic (read 'advanced science') reside within the luminous heart of a pearl (read 'very powerful computer'). First though, Aerial must remember who she is and what she is trying to save. We learn through flashbacks that a minion of the evil White Witch inserted a silver pin into Aerial's head, and caused her to lose all knowledge of herself.

Normally, I don't care for the 'amnesia' plot device, but it works well in 'Pearl.' The dedicated reader will know who Aerial is, even though the book begins:

"She had no idea where she was---only that she was in a cave, the walls pressing close about her, all of white stone. Light came from somewhere, dim and diffuse, and the air was old: musty and bone-dry...She gazed at the featureless walls of the cave. She had been lost for a long time."

Aerial stumbles across a trio of unlikely allies while lost in the caverns of the Moon. The duaroughs (dwarves), after many adventures in the caves, help Aerial find the ancient Ravenna---one of the original humans who terraformed the Moon. Ravenna heals Aerial from the effects of the silver pin, but at a very high cost. Aerial regains her memory and her resolve to defeat the White Witch, but doesn't learn the price of Ravenna's healing until book's end.

'Pearl' enriches and deepens the entire darkangel trilogy. It is well worth reading, even though some of its more romantic readers may shed a few tears as it ends.

This book is broken down really well as far as dividing information into 'digestable' portions for the beginning Perl programmer. It also seems pitched towards someone with little to no programming background. Having come from just BASIC programming myself, I found it very easy to follow along with and keep up with, without being the slightest bit dry. The book also provides many examples, and small quizzes and projects at the end of most chapters. And, of course, the price couldn't be beat.

HOWEVER... And this is a big however, I marked the book's rating down because the book (particularly the examples) needed a fine tooth comb getting those typos out. There are many examples where I thought to myself 'Wait, that doesn't seem right...', did it their way and had the program fail, and realized it was a mistake on their part. Just realize that what you see in those examples isn't gospel, and if you decide to buy the book anyway, use it as a chance to practice debugging little programs.

To be marketable in the IT world, you must be versatile. I recently spent a great deal of time interacting with HR people from several local companies as part of a new program in accelerated training at a local community college. In our talks, one theme was nearly universal, in that a generalized skill set and an ability to learn quickly was preferred over expertise in one particular area. Achieving this versatility is not easy and requires quality resources.
Recently, it was necessary for me to learn the Perl programming language in a hurry, and this is the book that I used. In less than a week, I was able to understand and teach the basics of how to write Perl programs as part of web page design. The lessons here are all short and to the point, ideal for experienced programmers who are time challenged. Over the years, I had looked at Perl from time to time, but never felt the urge or need to learn it. As a C/C++ programmer, the syntax was odd (different) enough to keep me away. That was a problem when going through this book, old habits do indeed die hard, but not enough to significantly slow me down. The clarity and brevity of the examples was enough to overcome this not insignificant hurdle.
A CD containing a recent implementation of Perl, the source code for the examples and other Perl tools is included. This allows you to get started right out of the shrink wrap without spending any additional money. It may not seem like much, but I always prefer having the source code on a CD rather than having to go to a web site to get it. The extra convenience really appears out of proportion to what it is.
Perl is a language that is powerful and seems to be growing in use. Much of that is due to the explosive nature of the Internet and business on the web. However, some of the change is also a consequence of the growing realization among employers that one language does not do it all, that solutions can often be coded much quicker in another language. Furthermore, a diverse skill set is now being recognized by more employers as their most valuable asset. If you are one who needs to make that improvement, then this book will work for you.

There was a time when all you needed to know was C and Cobol. However since I last played with either of these languages, countless more have been introduced, CGI, Java, Perl C++, J++ etc etc.. I have tried to learn them but hate manuals and rarely read them. I find most are badly written and I lose interest VERY quickly. However, up until now I have avoided needing to learn any new languages.

That has changed recently and I have had no choice but to pick up a Perl book and learn it. So I was surprised when after an hour in B&N reading all the perl books that I came across this one. It actually 'talked' to me in a way I liked and more importantly, kept me interested.

For a beginner, it is an excellant book and I would have no problems recommending it to anyone. It does come with it own CD which has the Perl language. Also all the code and examples are on the CD.

If you are a beginner, don't buy the impressive looking 1200 page book, it will just gather dust.

Well, after reading the entire series over 100 times, I discovered that this book isn't the worst... it isn't the best, either! I have to say that Alanna dissapointed me. She was everything BUT a girl who would let others push her around because of who she was, in the first and second books. In the third book, all she was, was a depressed person who cried over the smallest things. I guess she was just trying to figure out where she stood, and tried to discover herself, but she could have done better, to say the least. And then there's Jon. How dissapointing the fight was! But some people, in my opinion, have it all wrong. It wasn't his fault, entirely. He loved her, but Alanna was being a bit stubborn. He didn't want to exactly FORCE her into marrying him. His bringing George into the conversation was just proving that he was jealous of him. He was what, 21 in the story? He just did something that any typical 21 year old man would have done; his status as a prince has nothing to do with it, although he is a bit spoiled. But is there a prince who isn't? I still wish he and Alanna could have gotten back together! The Bazhir were a bit boring, but I'm sure Ms. Pierce had a reason for bringing them into the story. There was really no big antagonist. There's a little Myles here, some George there, and Alanna all-around. Any story with Alanna in it is fine, but I hope that Ms. Pierce doesn't do anything like this in any of her stories!

This is a fantabulous book, 3rd of the Song of the Lioness series. I found that this was though not as good as the rest, a still excellent book. Alanna goes into the desert and lives with the Bazhir. She has to earn her way into society and ends up training three young gifted ones. This book contains some of the old characters, Coram, Jon, George but also introduces Claw-a rival to the King of Thieves(george). I liked this book because I felt it was great that Alanna didn't stand nonsense from anyone, not even Prince Jon. This was a great book, highly recommended!

Tamora Pierce's writing is a gift to readers everywhere. Her books would appeal most to the female child-teen populus. This could be an age range anywhere from five years of age to twenty years of age. Though it would be enjoyable for people of all ages! The entire lioness quartet includes Pierce's talent of creating realtable characters. Her characters posses a certain quality that makes them seem as if they are alive. Alanna, the brave-hearted featured character in the quartet, has flaws that give her a life-like quality. These flaws include stubborn behavior, a hot temper, and a love for life and adventure. She's
not a picture perfect hero, but human like the rest of us. Alanna's accomplishments are inspiring and encourage the reader to fufill some of his/her own life goals. The content is easy-going giving the story a flow. It's pace is so well-crafted, that it feels as if the reader is watching a very good and very detailed movie. Upon finishing one of her books, I feel as though I'm saying goodbye to a bunch of good friends- the characters that I've gotten to know through the stroy. The reader's become Alanna and feel the emotions that she does. It even came to the point where I was predicting Alanna's behavior: "Oh she's not going to like that!" Or "Now Alanna is going to pretend that she isn't in love." This book, although simple in word content, is one of the best and most enjoyable books I have ever read.

Imagine, having flowers grow in your hair, talking to animals and being able to understand what they say in return, and being on a mission to find your true identity. These things all happen to Hannah, the main character in the creative but strange book, Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood.
The story begins in a small town near the Tanglewood, where Hannah is the healer. Every month she must pull the flowers from her hair and brew them into a tea for the wizard of the wood, who she believes to be her father. But soon, Hannah becomes suspicious of the wizard. She hears the villagers talk about a boar that lives in the forest. Then, she meets a knight searching for treasure in the wood and falls in love with him. When the wizard turns the knight into a fox, she leaves the Tanglewood to find a sorceress who can change him back to a human, and to find out who she really is. Along with her come her good animal friends, Magpie, Badger, and some fox pups.
The book begins to slow down during her journey. It seemed to be dragging on without much of a plot. Also, it becomes very predictable. It takes the entire story or Hannah to figure out who she is, but I could tell at about the middle of the book. The end consists of a long story of Hannah's identity and the wizard's history, and becomes very confusing.
This book has a wonderful beginning and a lot of originality, but overall, I wouldn't recommend it.

Ashley Avis
*****
This book is called Treasure at The heart of Tangle Wood. A few things about this book are that it is a fantasy book but it doesn't have too many magical things. Almost believable but once you read on it has things that add up and you end up realizing that it's not all realistic. I advise all twelve year olds and up to read this book because if you like things happening all of a sudden then this is your book.
The main character is Brown Hannah. She is around the age of sixteen and grows an exotic herb garden in her hair, which is unlike normal girls. The reason she is called Brown Hannah is because her clothes are brown her skin is brown and her hair and eyes are the same color. But eventually she turns into a golden angel colored and then Hannah is called Golden Hannah!
The problem in this story is that she has been living in The Wood and she has been worshipping a selfish wizard. She doesn't live with any family members but she has a couple interesting friends which I am not going to describe I'm going to let you try to think what these friends could be. It ends up that she As in Hannah finds her true love and has to try to find his Queen. The wizard turned her true love into an oddball creature. So then she goes on an adventure to find his Queen and Golden Hannah speaks and meets many unique people on the way.

The Enchanted Trees!!!!
*****
This book is called Treasure at The heart of The Tangle Wood. A few things about this book are that it is a fantasy book but it doesn't have too many magical things. Almost believable but once you read on it has things that add up and you end up realizing that it's not all realistic. I advise all twelve year olds and up to read this book because if you like things happening all of a sudden then this is your book.
The main character is Brown Hannah. She is around the age of sixteen and grows an exotic herb garden in her hair, which is unlike normal girls. The reason she is called Brown Hannah is because her clothes are brown her skin is brown and her hair and eyes are the same color. But eventually she turns into a golden angel colored and then Hannah is called Golden Hannah!
The problem in this story is that she has been living in The Wood and she has been worshipping a selfish wizard. She doesn't live with any family members but she has a couple interesting friends which I am not going to describe I'm going to let you try to think what these friends could be. It ends up that she As in Hannah finds her true love and has to try to find his Queen. The wizard turned her true love into an oddball creature. So then she goes on an adventure to find his Queen and Golden Hannah speaks and meets many unique people on the way.

Yes this book has it all, Action great writing super heroes like captain america thunderbolts and others. If you like the comics of either of these two teams then you have to get this book no Q's about it as this is just like a well wrote comic book but i think it will even get non comic fans to read it. To finish i just have to say that this is a must for any fan of the avengers!

This book did a fabulous job of transferring what we see in the comics we buy each week into words only and getting it just right. I was very pleased with the author's handling of the character of Thor in particular, as he is my personal favorite, but all the characters were well handled and well written. The story was excellent overall. Marvel, give us more of THIS!!!!

This book was action packed. This the best team up since the Time Arrow Trilogy, with the X-Men and Spider Man. A must have for all Marvel readers.

The book is clear and describes a lot of interesting exercises but doesn't translate into a realistic program.

For instance, in the chapter on "Backpacking, Hiking and Snowshoeing" you are supposed to work up to a routine of 23 exercises. Since most of these are for 2-3 sets of 12+ reps, if you take six seconds per rep, this works out to 55 minutes of actual exercise time--not including any rest intervals or time to switch weights, etc. Seems like a lot of time to train for, well, walking.

A good book for choosing rehab & injury prevention exercises, but I wouldn't base a whole fitness routine on it.

John

Love the book and it's advice but yes, it IS technical and there is alot to go through. Great for general guidelines and specific advice on particular sports and exercises. Plenty of stuff you can do at home if you don't have access to a gym. I'd recommend it to anyone in training!

The word "comprehensive" seems very fitting for "Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness" because the volume packs in a lot of background information on physiology as well as specific training regimens for particular outdoor sports. I particularly value the icons for different sports used to identify exercises that are particularly valuable for the sport you are preparing for. The final chapters provide focused training regimens for specific sports, which are cross-referenced to the exercise descriptions found in other parts of the book. The book also provides valuable tips on functional exercises that focus on combinations of muscle groups to achieve more practical training than the muscle isolation process used in many weight training machines. All in all, this is one of the very best I've seen for sport-focused training.

I was excited when I saw the title of this book. For years I had been disappointed to see that the mass media never seemed to take into account that a person who is coming out in a marriage could be bisexual. I hoped this book would be different, but it was not. If there was a reference to bisexuality in this book, I could not find it. I certainly hope that someone can prove me wrong. The message I read, however, was "wives, don't event attempt to save your marraige. It is over, there is no way your husband will ever be interested in you." This book leaves absolutely no possibility that a man might actually love and sexually desire his wife, but still struggle with being attracted to other men. I have heard others who have reported having the same reaction to reading this book - it lacks a true bisexual perspective. I would look forward to another book by Ms. Pierce Buxton on this subject that allows for the possibility that the person coming out might be bisexual.

As a child of a gay father, this is the only book that helped me understand my mixed feelings. I could see, in the the numerous case studies, how people reacted. I saw the positive possibilities (as well as the negative outcomes). It also helped me understand my mother's feelings as well.

A very valuable book for a subject that has very little written on it.

This book concentrates on how the coming out process affects the straight spouse, which is often forgotten when the homosexual partner is going through the trauma of the coming out process. If you are in this situation you will be shocked at how similar the stories in the book are to your own story! It deals with moral issues, parental issues, self-confidence issues, sexuality issues, and much more. If you are married to (or suspect you are married to) a homosexual person of either sex, this is a must read, whether or not you decide to stay in the marriage. Thank you Dr. Buxton for writing this book!