I enjoyed reading this book. Teresa Browning writes in an easy to read style. Once into the story, this is a difficult book to put down. Ms. Browning's graphic depiction of the main character Rhonda, is sometimes shocking and takes the reader along on Rhonda's journey of shocking misfortunes, painfully foolish choices, and often brutal consequences throughout her young adult life. This is not a fairy tale read. A true to life book from beginning to ending. An educational read for young women.

This book was the best book i ever read outside the bible.I cried,laugh I got mad and so many more feelings came out of me while reading it.I think the author went through things that showed me their is hope for me because some of the same things she went through i also have gone through and if she was strong enough to get through what she went through and write about it .The small things in my life,After reading this book let me know their is hope for me and others like me.Thank you Mrs.Browing for writing this book i hope there is another Giant to follow.Most of my life i would only read the bible but a friend told me about this book and how much she like reading it so i had to buy it because she would not let me read hers because it was so easy to read she is now reading it for the third time.I said this can't be true,but was i wrong i started reading it and could not put it down it's all she said it was and more.I say to anyone that have not read this book is missing out on the Giant in books.But it should have a warning on it.don't plan anything before reading it because when you start it will lock you in for hours.Mrs.Browning don't leave us hanging tell us more.The next thing i would like to see it as a Brodway play about this book.I would like to some day meet you.Thank God for grandmothers like yours.

MG

I read this book in a day and a half, once I started I could not put it down. This book is a true example of the old saying, "you never miss what you have until it's gone." Ryan thought that he could speak to Ronda in a negative manner and she would accept it, I am glad Ronda realized she deserved better. The author did an excellent job of explaining why Ronda did the things she did as a mother first and a woman second. A lot of women would say I wouldn't take that off of him but you can never say what you would or wouldn't do, until you are in the situation. I was glad that Ronda was strong enough to leave Ryan and not go back. I am looking forward to a sequel. Ronda was indeed a srong woman.

This is simply the best Hold'em book ever written.

The first half of the book follows a traditional style. The authors cover opening hands, position, the "if you're checking a lot, you're a [bad] player" philosophy, calculating basic pot odds, and a variety of other topics essential to your game. This half of the book should be memorized. Don't kid yourself; if you don't know how to play a suited jack/nine from the fifth position, you will not win consistently playing Hold'em. Calculating pot odds separates the men from the boys, but you will need to get a copy of the Theory of Poker to truly cover that topic.

The second half of the book is a wealth of short essays covering topics ranging from how to play especially difficult hands to more general topics such a slow-play and the semi-bluff. I can't tell you how helpful this part of the book is. For a newbie, there is too much information here to absorb, but just reading the text will help you recognize when players are using these techniques against you. With time, you will learn how to use these techniques yourself.

The second part of the book also is an excellent reference for those times in a game when you just were not sure what the correct play was. Make a mental note when that happens and bust out this book when you get home. More than likely, you will find the information you need to make the correct play the next time. Keep in mind that when you're not sure how to play out a hand, your opponent likely has the same problems. If you learn from these difficult, often misplayed hands, you can gain a significant advantage over your fellow-players.

Bottom line: Read this book over and over again until you can recall it line by line while sitting at the table. There is not a better way to spend your time than reading this book if you want to increase your hourly take at the Hold'em table.

Five Enthusiastic Stars - HawkeyeGK

This review is a direct response to the review written by Gamboler. It is clear that Gamboler has little knowledge of expert play and is most likely a member of the huge army of loosing players! I have read Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players so many times I have wore out the pages and the cover. And let me say that I beat my game for two big bets an hour using the concepts in this book. This is the best book ever written on Hold'em, cosequently, and serious player or potential serious player really need to read this book.

I have most of their titles-the best poker advice backed up with easy to understand examples. contains the least amount of dubious advice of any poker text. this book will make a difference to your bankroll. No matter how good a player you are you are a clueless newbie until you read this text. Once caveat: Keep in mind that in general their advice is directed towards your playing in a game with tight aggressive skilled players. These authors no longer play in low limit games and to some extent have lost touch with the type of player the low limit playing reader faces.You should find another title to read that addresses games with loose bad players in it so as to obtain a proper strategic approach to all situations. A good poker book teaches you how to think about situations more so than what to do in specific situation.Any text by the team of skylansky malmouth is worth it's weight in gold. Look for a revision of some of their classic texts, subtitled- "year 2000 or 20c. update"?

If you're brand new to Charlotte Mason and looking for a quick reference of the practical how-to's of Mason's educational methods, then this is the book for you! I believe that this book successfully accomplishes what it was written for--to present the reader with a step-by-step, topic-by-topic introduction to Miss Mason's methods. This book isn't an in-depth treatment of Charlotte Mason's entire philosophy of education, and I don't believe it was meant to cover anything more than just the practical how-to's. If you're looking at your home educational efforts and thinking something like, "How can I quickly and easily add art appreciation and poetry to our curriculum?", then you'll find the answers here. I find this to be one of the easiest to use, most helpful home education books on my shelf. I refer back to it often (ie: "I need more ideas for Nature study. I'll go back and see what Levison recommends"). The book is short, to the point, and written from the wisdom of a long-time homeschooling parent who spent several years digging through Charlotte Mason's original books and many out-of-print resources to distill Mason's vast writings on the philosophy of education into the practical nuts and bolts of how to do it at home. Presented in a manageable and readable format.

Contrary to some opinions, Levison's second book, More Charlotte Mason Education, definitely isn't a rewrite of this first book. More Charlotte Mason Education does go into greater depth on things like the life of Charlotte Mason, but none of the practical how-to's are repeated from one book to the next. Please don't start with Book Two unless you're already using CM methods almost exclusively in your home school, or I think you'll probably find yourself wondering why the author didn't talk about most educational topics that need to be covered in your homeschool (the first book gives the most information about what to do and how). I think it's probably best if someone buys both books. They're definitely a set that compliments and completes one another.

As a homeschooling parent I want to give my two children a great education. They are young, both in first grade. I was feeling so frustrated with my young daughter. She was not listening to me (tuning me out)and I was not sure how to deal with her. She would play around, not finish her lessons. A friend suggested the Charlotte Mason approach. I purchased Catherine Levison's book and read it through. Wow, it was wonderful. Right away I told the children there would be some changes at school. I reset our school classes. We read our Bible lessons 3 mornings a week, and classic literature 2 mornings a week. I started timing our classroom work, allowing only 20 minutes for each subject or paperwork. I told them that they each had 20 minutes for each subject, such as math, history, ect.. If they did not finish the paper that they would then stay behind and do their schoolwork "during their recess/play time". When Sarah had to stay in her seat and finish up during her recess/playtime she was not too happy. It only took two times for her to realize that mom was serious. I did not nag her. I just quietly reminded her once of the new rules. She is now listening better, finishing her work ahead of the time allowed on many days. Mom has been happier and our school days are so much more pleasant.
We went shopping for some whole,living books. We chose Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little,also Aesop's Fables to read during school time. We all three read together out loud. Then I have each child tell me what they read. I was amazed (embarassed too) when I read the list of great literature for suggested reading, in Catherine's book. Here I was a mom, and I as a child had never read any of the books listed. I soon purchased "Little Women, also Anne of Green Gables" for myself to start with. My husband gave me "Jane Eyre" for Christmas. I keep wondering why, when I was a child, that my teachers did not have us read whole books. It seemed so much of what we learned in public school was boring or I have forgotten it. My prayer is as a home school mom to give my children a better education than I received. To keep them excited about what we are learning. together.

Catherine Levison has taken Charlotte Mason's six-volume set and several out-of-print works, and condensed the practical applications into one easy to use book. The chapters are a subject-by-subject treatment of Charlotte Mason's philosophies and methods. I can't recommend this book highly enough for those home school parents attempting to implement these principles into their home schooling experience. For more information about Charlotte Mason, her methods, and this book, visit the Charlotte Mason Education home page: http://members.aol.com/beeme1/index.htm

This book is a must for those wanting to fully exploit the power of OpenGL. In this 3rd Edition, the authors have included the newest features of OpenGL, Version 1.2. In particular, the discussion about multitexturing and imaging subset deserves a special mention, since they represent the latest rendering techniques available in form of a standard library.

Although all features, from the most basic to the most advanced technique, are covered in this book, it is not an introductory graphics text book. Readers should have a basic knowledge about computer graphics in order to benefit from this book. Also, it is useful to be familiar with 2D/3D geometry and other graphics libraries. As code fragments and samples are written in C, experience with this programming language is also required.

I recommend this book for any serious OpenGL programmer, perhaps complemented with the "OpenGL Reference Manual" and "Programming OpenGL for the X Window System" by Mark Kilgard.

I'm new to graphics programming. I started out by programming in DirectX, using LaMothe's "Windows Game Programming for Dummies". The book was OK, but due to the extreme confusion of DirectX, I wasn't able to understand past chapter 3.

So, if you're confused about DirectX and really need to program in OpenGL, that's the best book to buy. The book takes you step by step from scratch to building up your program. Tons of coding examples are included in the book, and are very well documented. What's good about this book is all the coding examples are based on the C language. So, if you're not a good C++ programmer, or a better C than a C++ programmer, then this is the book to get.

One drawback about the book, is it doesn't include a CD. So, you have to write all the code yourself. That gives you a hands-on experience. The book also doesn't include the GLUT library, and most of the examples in the book use it. So you have to download it. ...

The Opengl Programming Guide has become a standard to which other 3D programming books are compared. It serves two basic functions: a tutorial of topical 3D concepts inherent in todays 3D graphics hardware/software and an instructional manual offering a precise explanation of the functional calls with supporting attributes/arguments defined by the OpenGL Application Programming Interface. The book is extremely well organized and allows readers to focus on specific topics while still maintaining perspective of the entire rendering pipeline. It is comprehensive, up-to-date and easy to read making it my first choice for clarifying all 3D technical issues. I cannot imagine a serious 3D programmer or software architect not having this book included in their personal library.

I wasn't originally sure if I was going to read this book, since I don't usually like books based on tv shows. However, I really like Alias, so I thought I'd try this out. It was an incredibly quick read for me and, for the most part, enjoyable, even if nothing much happened. The first half of the book consisted of Sydney being shy, wanting a job, and wanting a boyfriend. It isn't until the second half of the book that she actually becomes part of what she thinks is the CIA, and only in the last quarter of the book is there any action. It was interesting to see the shyer and more insecure side of Sydney, but I got a little tired of it after a while. There's only so much "I'm not really all that special" and "That guy is cute but I'm too shy to talk to him" that I can stand. I found myself wishing that this book had either been written as something meant for adults, or even that it had been written under the assumption that the intended audience (young adults, which seems, to me, to cover a huge range of ages) is capable ofcontinuing to read a book with a more complex plot and less heavy-handed characterization.

Alias Recruited is an excellent beginning for the Alias series. This book gives insight into the life of Sydney Bristow before she finds out the truth about SD-6 and joins the CIA as a double agent. In the book, Sydney is a college student studying to be a teacher like her late mother. She is smart and studious, but is shy and doesn't have any luck on the dating scene. Her only close friend is her outgoing roommate Francie. Her father has always been distant. She feels like she doesn't belong and she can't do anything right. That soon changes when she is recruited by an organization that says they are the CIA. She finally excels at something and finds a place where she belongs. This book focuses on her life in college, her recruitment into SD-6, and her first 6 months in SD-6. It also introduces the characters of Francie, Noah Hicks, Sloane, and Jack Bristow. It is a must read for any fan of Alias.

The book Alias: Recruited is just as enjoyable as watching the TV series that the book is based on. The book is about a college student named Sydney Bristow, a freshman at UCLA. College was suppose to be a new beginning for Sydney, a chance to begin a new life of her own. Sydney finds that college life is not at all what she thought it would be its even BETTER......

I found the book was better than expected because it had small changes from that of the TV series. By making these changes the fans of the show will be turning the pages to find out what happens next. This is a must read for those who enjoy reading books with action, drama and spies. And for those who never seen the TV series will start to watch after reading this book!

I thought this book was a nice, relaxing read. It is about Drake, a young boy who falls in love with a young game-playing girl whose younger sister, Raven, is secretly in love with him. He plans to elope with Raven's sister, but the girl's father finds out and stops them from eloping. Drake blames Raven, ignoring her pleas of innocence and he is banned from the town. 12 years later, he is back, as a powerful knight, ready to fight for money. And that is where he finds Raven, all grown up and beautiful, betrothed to his hateful and viscious enemy. I cannot tell you anything else. I thought this book was an adventurous read, once in awhile causing you to hold your breath. The chracters are radiant, even the loyal friends of Drake light up the pages. This was my first Connie Mason book, and I was not disappointed.

Betrayed by the sister of the woman he loved, Drake has spent years hardening his heart against women like Raven of Chirk. But now, known far and wide as The Black Knight, Drake has returned to Castle Chirk to compete in a tournament. Little did he know the tournament was in honor of the impending wedding of Raven and Drake's half-brother, Waldo.

Still burning from Raven's childhood betrayal, Drake refuses to help Raven escape her unwanted marriage to Waldo. But Drake's revenge upon Waldo puts him and Raven on the run together. As the danger grows, so too does their passion. Can Drake risk his heart to the woman who betrayed him all those years ago? How could Drake possibly have a future with Raven when she is legally wed to another man? And will Drake and Raven live long enough to see the face of their unborn child?

Connie Mason's "The Black Knight" is one terrific read! Her characters are richly drawn with real motivations and weaknesses and her writing is captivating. "The Black Knight" is worth staying up all night to read! One for the keeper shelf.

This is the first book I've purchased and read by Connie Mason. I must say I was immediately drawn into the story. As my first love is historical romance, and what a tale Ms. Mason wove.

The plot was exiciting and kept me on edge, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. The character's made you feel as if you were living each moment with them. What I wouldn't give to have a "Black Knight", rescue me.

Oh, and the villian, did I love to hate him? I found myself talking to victim's trying to warn them. Once I picked this book up, I couldn' put it down. Ms. Mason is right up there with my all time favorite writer's: Bertice Small, Virginia Henley, & Julie Garwood.

When you have writer's that can bring the past to life and make you feel as if your right there, then you've given the reader a gift. Also not to mention all the history you learn. "God bless each and everyone of these writer's".

Lilian Jackson Braun's books always keep my attention. Despite the fact that I am a cat lover and enjoy reading about Koko and Yum Yum, I also enjoy the quality of the book. I enjoy her book's lack of profanity, as well as the way she can turn a simple event in Moose county into the talk of the town. Also her ability to turn Koko and Yum Yum into new and interesting investigators in every book without sounding old. I would reccomend her books to anyone who likes good, clean, mysteries

I had seen this cat series around, but never read it, because I (wrongly) assumed that cats talked in the books, and that just wasn't my cup of tea. I was extrememly pleasantly surprised when I read this newest entry and found myself enjoying a very entertaining murder mystery. The cats are pets, and their owner talks to them, but the cats DEFINITELY don't carry on a conversation. it's kind of what you think your own pets might be thinking--he ascribes them with the insight of dropping clues to the mystery. I found myself trying to figure out what town in Michigan this series takes place, and that is another entertaining part of the book. All in all a fun, entertaining read--I've since read three more books in the series. They are somewhat addictive

This was, by far, a very good book, maybe the best in the series! I compliment Lilian Jackson Braun on her great work with not just this book, but the whole series. Some people have said that this book lacks humor, the cats, and other stuff, but it's exactly the opposite. There is lots of humor, especially when Koko starts the riot at the cheese tasting and tries to eat all the cheese :) If you haven't read this, you don't know what you're missing.

I have loved the Cat Who...series ever since I picked up my first one over ten years ago, and I still look forward to each new one coming out. I love following along and keeping up with the lives of Qwill, Koko, and Yum-Yum and all their friends. I persuaded my husband, whose favorite reading material is the sports papers and comic books, to read one, and now he's hooked, too. I hope Ms. Braun keeps writing them for many years to come.

Lilian Jackson Braun is my favorite mystery writer. She always keeps gross and explicit things out of her books and trails the adventures of Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese Ka'o Ko Kung (Uh, Koko for short), the male cat, and Yum Yum, the female. In this particular book, Qwill is in for many surprises and Mrs. Braun did a great job. The suspense builds until the last couple of chapter where the climax and falling action leave you too ecited to put the book down. An elaborate plan by a criminal and his kleptomaniac "wife" leave Moose County in a swirl of confusion until Qwill reveals the real intentions of the dashing decorater. A must read!

This is the 19th of the series. I do agree with some others that there weren't quite as many surprises in this one but it was still good. Braun's specialty (in my opinion) is character development, and as a couple of other reviewers have mentioned, the characters are written in so much detail that after reading the books we come to feel they are real people! I especially enjoyed getting to know Wetherby Goode, who has previously been something of a joke. Also I liked the cat naming information and the "tales" Qwill was collecting. I wish that the first death in the book had been investigated more, and I wish that the second death hadn't occurred at all. (That is one thing I don't like - Ms. Braun occasionally kills off a character that I have come to like!) P.S. If you haven't read any of these books, start at the beginning and read them in order. The character development will be much more evident. First is The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. P.S.2 - Please, no Sean Connery playing Qwill. Maybe Sam Elliot - but perhaps someone a little more substantial physically? Why haven't these been made into movies by now?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. There was excitement, danger, lust and love. It kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. I enjoyed how Zara was a powerful woman and not a bubble-headed heroin. She was strong in her convictions and did not sway in her loyalties to her people. Sheik Jamal was a brave fighter with a sensitive side that just made me want to be able to reach out and console him during the more stressful moments in the book. Oh, who am I kidding! I wanted to reach out and touch him throughout the entire book. I found the sex scenes to be very erotic but not overdone. I have never read a Connie Mason book before but I will be looking for her other books. I enjoyed the follow-through and cohesiveness of her story telling. I also enjoyed the historical information provided in the book not to mention the nice glossary of terms in the back. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good love story.

A classic love story between two people who were born of very different worlds and are thrown together and then torn apart.
A Princess and a Sheik.

Morocco 1673,
Raised a Berber warrior to fight at her father's side, Princess Zara was taught to fight the blood thirsty Arabs who stole her people's land.
In a simple, but effective raid one night in the desert, Zara was taken prisoner to be used as a bargaining chip against her father, the cadi of the tribe. Her captor? Sheik Jamal abd Thabit; the sultan's favorite warrior.
Sent to destroy the 'blue men' as they were called, the wandering desert nomads who struck fear into the hearts of many Arabs eluded the powerful sultan for too long. Jamal was determined to catch them, but failed he did, until he caught the princess and vowed to deliver her instead to the sultan. He didn't wager he'd fall in love with the headstrong woman or that he risk everything including his life for her either.
A richly told tale of love, power and desperation that only Ms Mason can tell. Through the burning sands of Morocco to the marketplaces of a distant time and place, love finds a way.

Tracy Talley~@

Right from the time I saw the front cover. Ok, someone was reading the story sitting by the pool and I fell for the picture.

One thing I enjoyed about this book is that Ms. Mason is not an average romance writer. I have read several of her books, like Bold Land, Bold Love and was pleasantly surprised with Sheik and the other because the females in these books were headstrong.

I actually expected Zara to inflict more harm on her master than just injure his pride emotionally. Hey, the woman had plans, you can't fault her for that!In order to gain what she desired, she had to "bargain" with the man who held her fate in his hands. As a Berber and a female, she was underestimated by Jamaal. I enjoyed it when they sparred with each other. Of course, the almond milk scene was funny too.

Jamaal was playing with fire. He knew that he should turn the troublesome Berber leader and his beautiful daughter, Zara, over to the Sultan to stay in his good graces. Irrational behavior and thought seized him when he saw her curves, and felt the softness of her skin under the blue robes.

This book has many interesting twists and turns, which also made Sheik a wonderful read. Be prepared to get swept away by the words on the books pages!

As an advid fan of the romance genre, and having read over 270+ romance books I can honestly say you learn the writing skills of many authors. These four, which I have read all of their published work, still remain as some of the best writers in their field. Even in an anthology, which are short stories at that, they still maintain to hold your interest. Well, Rochelle, Donna, Francis and Felicia, you did it once again, came back after Rosie's Curl and Weaves to give us another winner. Congratulations to all of you!

All four stories were outstanding: Donna Hill who presents us with a story about the owner and the tax man..WOW I enjoyed this one. The plot itself, about the taxes, well that is a story that leaves you wondering about the IRS? Read it and when you finish you'll see what I mean.

Francis Ray - well, I loved it! For those who read Francis's story in Rosie, you'll see some folks you remember from before. The story ended making me wonder, is Shelton next?

Rochelle Alers - this author put me on notice it had to do with a widow and being one myself, this was my favorite story. I truly loved the development of the relationship between Maria and Cameron. The story touched me as it was eloquently done so well. Thanks Rochelle!

Felicia Mason - Enjoyed this one likewise, and the message it offers to us. You defintely have no control over who you fall in love with and in this case the story was done so well showing us.

Well ladies, we look forward to many more anthologies by all of you! Thanks again for Della's House of Style.

Four very talented and well know authors come to us again in the follow-up to Rosie's Curl & Weave.

Della's House of Style was a great treat. The four stories were well written.

Donna Hill's It Could Happen to You was excellent. I really liked Della finding a Love of Her Own. I was glad to see a soft side to the hero in this story. Della just seemed to bring out the best in him. Ms. Hill is a thorough writer and gave us a wonderful story.

Francis Ray's story A Matter of Trust was warm and very sincere. I liked the characters of Hope and Sebastian. Hope's son and landlord really rounded out the story.

Rochelle Alers' story Sweet Surrender was touching. Maria Parker a very young widow was afraid to love. She meets Mr. Cameron King, a man that looks tough on the outside, but is a sweet person once you get to know him.

Felicia Mason's story Truly, Honestly was great also. I think it shows you don't always choose who you fall in love with, sometimes it just happens. No matter where you come from and what you do in life, love should be the most important.

Each story held its own, but together they made a wonderful novel all surrounding Della's House of Style. Great job ladies!

They couldn't have made this book any better.