The history of the Civil War is more than recounting the movements of armies and the fighting of battles. Someone has to gather the information and send the messages that brought the armies together in the first place. That is the focus of this detailed history of staff work in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

When the war began, the Confederacy found itself having to build everything from scratch, and their army was no different. Although they borrowed heavily from the U.S. Army's way of doing things, it eventually became clear that innovations would have to be made, both to account for the maneuvering of growing armies, but also to deal with the expanded technology -- railroads, telegraphs and the use of longer and more accurate weapons -- rarely seen before by fighting men.

"Buff Facings" is a detailed account of how Lee and his generals coped. While the depth of detail may discourage the general reader, Bartholomees offers a generous selection of ancedotes that allow for bursts of humanity to show. In the middle of an account of the development of the Signal Corps, he relates how Major General Stephen Ramseur received a vitally important message just before the Battle of Cedar Creek: "The crisis is over and all is well." It announced the birth of his daughter.

If I have any criticism, it may be that the text relies a little too much on three individual staff officers- Walter Taylor, Henry Kyd Douglas, and Heros Von Borcke. I wonder if there are other memoirs out there that would expand on their accounts.

Overall an outstanding book. Very logical and readable. Fascinating treatment of a neglected topic.

In February 1778, Boone has been leading a party of 27 men from Fort Boonesboro who were captured by Shawnee Indians while making salt at the Blue Licks. Boone was adopted into the tribe and given the Shawnee name Sheltowee (Big Turtle) and spent several months living and hunting among the Indians before finally escaping back to Booneboro just in time to help fend off a siege of the isolated fort by the British and Indians. After the battle, Boone was accused of treason and complicity with the enemy by several of his enemies, especially Col. John Bowman, who served as prosecutor in the court martial proceedings against him. Boone shows that he can be as sly and sharp in the courtroom as he is in the wilderness.

Most people know only the myths and legends about Daniel Boone and this book does a great service by providing insight into the reality of the man, as well as presenting an intersting and riveting true story.

But for more emphasis on character development, this would be an excellent book. For example, we are shown that Hope is educated and well-read by the books she is seen reading, but we're not further enriched by Hope actually thinking in a way that reflects her education. Agnes is much better drawn, intuitively wise but lacking in book-learning. Her "voice" is the only unique one in the novel.

This book is satisfying, though, and certainly a pleasant way to pass an afternoon.

In this particular installment, Boone is driving back home to meet up with his friends and see the baby he thinks is his when he runs into a blizzard. While waiting for the blizzard to pass, he comes to the aid of a woman and a child who appear to be running from something that terrifies them. He goes to their aid, bringing them back with him to the ranch. And he falls in love, despite his avowal to straighten out the situation with baby Elizabeth first.

The characters in this particular installment of "Three Cowboys" are wonderful, if out of the ordinary for this genre. Boone is especially engaging -- a caring, comforting puppydog of a man with a heart as big as the rest of him. Thompson adds a lot of humor and some steamy sensuality to make this particular installment a good, entertaining, heart-warming read.

My only complaint with this book, as with the rest of the series, is that the baby Elizabeth hook, while sweet, is simply not all that believable. But if you can put any disbelief aside and transcend that, this is a wonderful, engaging book with charming characters.

For a better read on the subject, try Thomas Murphy's book on selling for introverts or one of the many books on NLP.

This book does have some great hints for trying to gradually work your way into the wide world of small-talk, business connections, parties, public speaking, etc. It also pinpointed several problems I'd had over the years with a few of my more extroverted bosses.

It's not a very concrete book, but the hints do come in handy, even if going into a room filled with people fills me with as much joy as a trip to a proctologist. And it is unique, addressing networking from a perspective that only a fellow introvert would think of. Many of the other networking books I've read haven't even attempted to consider the special concerns that an introvert has, and that alone makes it well worth the cover price.

It's very reassuring to know that you're not alone!