Enterprise Books

The book got to me in a timely manner. I'm very pleased and hope to do well on the exam.

This certification study-resource from Author Amit Kalani, served as a rather indispensable part of the revision portfolio for Exam 70-320 (XML Web Services and Server Components with C# .NET ).

Simply put, it is a very useful & sound comprehensive reference for Exam 70-320. It served me greatly in gaining both an overview of all the elements that would appear on the 320 exam, but also served well in my overall review and revision endeavours for the 70-320 Exam.

using this resource got me to the place where i felt i had covered the core objectives for the exam and was ready to move on to the next phase ie: having a go at tackling past question scenarios.

i was glad i bought it.

what i liked about this book :
- it is a comprehensive read at 344 pages -(ie: the 2 Testing chapters non factored)
- there are exam questions after every chapter, relating to that chapter and the exam objectives the chapter tackles
- Answers with explanations are provided with every question featured in the book.
- there is a CD with questions set in an application that simulates the exam room scenario
- The CD also comes with a .pdf, e-version of the book.

I purchased the book in question as a pair with the companion Exam Training guide -(equally written by the same authors: Amit Kalani + Priti Kalani) from Que press ISBN: 0789728249; and i basically have'nt looked back one second since taking that decison.

the two books complement each other very well and provide a very fine balance between the need to train & equip the reader with the strong hands-on .NET XML Web-services development skills he/she will require in order to thrive as a C#.NET web developper; whilst at the same time fully framing these necessary hands-on expertise , in the context & framework of the exam the reader probably seeks to take at the end of working/ploughing his/her way through the book.

Amit Kalani is a very good author. he is well known in the C#.NET world. and he has a way of making a typically difficult material to teach, clearly explained, and he reinforces this with ample examples and practise, so it sinks in and becomes proper knowledge. So for those starting out on C#.NET or others looking for a place to start the preparation for the MCAD.NET with C# or 70-320 exam, these Books could easily serve as the spot to take it from.

However, i would add but the small proviso that depending on where you are along the previous "C#" programming-experience scale, i'd say you'd do well to buy yourself a good companion C# programming language text to accompany you on your journey.

There are lots of books on Amazon that would serve you well in this function/capacity . the text i used to give me a helping hand is called the: "C# Bible" by author: jeff ferguson (et al); it has for ISBN:0764548344.i found this easy to read and got through the first 20 chapters of concise, easy to follow, C# language basics, with relative ease.

After working through the 70-320 ExamCram resource in question and using the Training guide counterpart to acquire deeper hands-on practise to cement the interface between :( knowledge of the .Net Framework1.0 XML Web-services development concepts as treated in the books), with that of proper programming competence;(ie:knowing your stuff); I was ready for the next phase ie: going on to tackle past exam questions

using Transcender and the Testking more than sufficed to ensure & assure success at the exam;

Take & Ace the exam with ease: 150minutes & 43 questions.

Success at the exam-level is assured by appropriate preparation; ie: tackling past questions regarding .NET programming & C# XML Web-services development related problem scenarios in order to sharpen your wits about choosing the right solution in any given problem scenario. this is the crunch of it. do that ,and u pass.

End of.

The passing mark is 700 ie: 70%. i sat the exam on Tuesday (31st October 2006); scored 98% ie: 984.

MCAD.NET requirements accomplished!

Good luck.

cheers :-)

I used this book together with the corresponding Training Guide, by the same authors (this was redundant because the two books essentially repeat each other - I could have just used the Training Guide.) I think these authors are amazing - they have ability to present everything in such an easy understandable way, that I didn't just memorize the stuff for the exam but actually understood it. Now my next one is 70-229 - SQL server exam, I wish Kalani had a book for that one as well...

This book is pretty good at explaining the needed topics. I only used this book to pass the exam and found it compact and accurate.

Two bad notes are since coriolis was bought out it is tough to get errata for this book and there are a few problems. The securit section is a bit weak so read some online stuff to fill it in.

Good luck ZoOnI

I skipped reviewing the Microsoft study guide and used this book as my primary reference in passing the exam. Each component on this exam (web services, windows services, enterprise services) has its own architecture and interface. This book did a great job of distilling that information in a way that was easy to understand. I especially liked how the chapters were organized to introduce a concept, and then show you the code for implementing it. I simply wrote my own example for each chapter and did well on the exam. I didn't get much use out of the study guide or CD, but the practice tests in the book are very useful.

I picked this book up as a curiosity, because like everyone else, I've seen new gadgets, shops and web sites that I had casually considered previously. This book is a great read for anyone who has had the same notion, but thought the process is probably too difficult - I've learned it's not! The author presents a step-by-step method for getting involved with the innovation process on several different levels, depending on the amount of available time and level of commitment. Written very clearly with lots of examples, hints and sources.

Just finished reading Mike Collin's book and have to say he did a great job! I wish it had been available when I first started inventing. It would have saved me a lot of hardship and time. It is filled with great insight and common sense tools that every Inventor can use.
I have read a number of other Inventor help type books and always felt that they just didn't give the reader any useful information. Mike's hit the nail on the head with great information and personal experiences, not only by himself, but other Inventors. This book is a winner!

This book provides a practical roadmap for everyday inventors seeking to cash in on their ideas. It has just the right combination of helpful information, business strategy, real life stories and inspiration to get that idea off the shelf and moving toward making you money.

Mike Collins shares numerous, invaluable experiences that illustrate the path from "an idea", which is inherent, to creating something tangible and realistic that has an apparent market value. This book will encourage and engage the passion of anyone considering moving forward with an innovative venture.

My introduction title says it all. Never have I read a book with as much hands on, useable information as I've read in this book. Other enterpreneural books are laden with too much "pop psychology speaking optimism, keeping your chin up, never taking no for an answer". This is the first book I've read that contained information that I could acutally use, nearly on every page. Great job Mike. Please put out another one. I'll be the first at the bookstore.

This book is by far more than just a comprehensive collection of facts and figures. The author, having a no fear approach to technology, never looses sight of the business aspects. His understanding of mobility manifests itself not only in the awareness of tools, but rather in his holistic approach to make mobile technology work for you and your enterprise without having to reengineer your business processes.
Hence, anyone who feels the urge to implement mobile solutions in their business should first consult this book... or just spend a few thousand on consultancy. Your choice.

If you want to increase the effectiveness of your workforce, this is a must read book. The concepts are clearly laid out and it is written in an easy to understand language, explaining all the mobility buzzwords in laymans terms.

After reading this book I feel confident about talking to the vendors and consultants with all the latest solutions. A worthwhile investment for any manager with responsibility for field based sales people or service engineers.

Though the author uses mobilizing an enterprise in his title, he really means applying wireless technology to an already mobile enterprise. Many of the issues presented applies to standardizing mobile accessibility across the enterprise. The book starts off with an excellent analogy for untested technology - Magic, unknown, uncertain, untested, and unproven. This leverages his book for a thematic value throughout to make for an interesting development of current day technology.

To be fair, I did not read the entire book, only sections that I found interesting. However, the portions I did read, chpts 1-4, 10-12 were fascinating and on target in many respects.

The author lays out the framework for an elegant model categorizing technology providers and the corporate structure. As corporations begin aligning themselves into the categories mentioned, I was wondering where hybrid companies that have created versatile new concepts, especially outside of the US, would fit in his model.

Companies such as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that aren't quite NOs, but have some of the skills and capabilities of WAGs or SIs since their main competency is in enabling the mobilization and reselling it and just renting space from NOs would fit.

Chapter 11 was extremely informative, but I am still perplexed by "wireless technology skills" and the author's definition of this, specifically in his SWOT analyses. Saying that an enterprise application vendor doesn't have these skills is unclear, especially as many of these enterprise app vendors are WAG vendors or Platform vendors. Companies such as Oracle or IBM are perfect examples where they do not suffer the same weaknesses. Does this present a major competitive advantage in the market?

A second point with respect to this very notion is that, in general, "wireless technology skills" can be easily emulated, learned, and implemented as many small companies are crowding the space and popping up regularly. This suggests that the real commoditization will be in the value of wireless technology skills rather than other segments rather than network operations (although there is always the possibility of both being commoditized)

The author suggests that there may be a convergence of enterprise app vendors and WAG vendors, the former gobbling up the latter. I think this is already in progress and will no doubt become a reality unless the smaller WAG vendors either become enterprise app vendors or can find specific niches where enterprise app vendors are unwilling to enter.

The book as a whole provided a business perspective to what seems to be a technical issue. It was clear in many respects, and filled with useful information to better understand what it means to manage a mobile system. Although there was some bias in selecting companies for case discussion, these are considered the norm in any competitive industry. The terse, crispness of the book with a solid, social element provides for good reading and highly informative review of the wireless industry today and tommorrow.

Pat Brans has done a masterful job of taking a complex subject such as mobility and wireless and boiling it down to its most important components. Besides his ability to explain wireless technology in simplistic terms, Brans delivers a compelling guide for business executives grappling with difficult decisions regarding why/when/how should I deploy mobility and what can our company expect to gain from a revenue generation/cost savings/customer satisfaction perpspective? Finally, the best part of this book is the abundant use of practical, real-world examples (such as the business process diagrams in Chapter 10 involving pharmaceutical sales reps) to help the reader clearly understand the benefits of mobility and wireless technology as applied to a business challenge.

Mr. Brans does a superb job of presenting much of what is going on in the wireless world today.

To be fair, I did not read the entire book, only sections that I found interesting. However, the portions I did read, chpts 1-4, 10-12 were fascinating and on target in many respects.

As corporations begin aligning themselves into the categories mentioned, I was wondering where hybrid companies that have created versatile new concepts, especially outside of the US, would fit in the model. Where would companies such as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that aren't quite NOs but have some of the capabilities of (Wireless Application Gateway providers) WAGs or (System Integrators) SIs in enabling mobilization and reselling it -just renting space from NOs- fit in the author's model? There seemed to be a few missing gaps, but covered the US market fairly thoroughly.

Chapter 11 was extremely informative, but I am still perplexed by "wireless technology skills" and the author's definition of this, specifically in his SWOT analyses. Saying that an enterprise application vendor doesn't have wireless skills is unclear, especially as many of these enterprise app vendors are also WAG vendors or Platform vendors. Companies such as Oracle or IBM are perfect examples where they do not suffer the same weaknesses. Does this present a major competitive advantage in the market?

A second point with respect to this very notion is that, in general, "wireless technology skills" can be easily emulated, learned, and implemented as many small companies are crowding the space and popping up regularly. This suggests that the real commoditization will be in the value of wireless technology skills rather than other segments as the author suggests.

The book was exceptional in most other respects, containing detailed facts on the wireless markets, their evolution, and even an excellent resource base to acquire further knowledge. Even with the biased focus on a few select companies, the book covers the market's underlying agenda.

The author presented information with a terse crispness but added a social element in terms of context and example to make it readable. A great primer if you are an executive, a CIO, or someone making a decision to commit resources in mobile technology. Comparable to Wireless Crash Course by Bedell in quality, with more of a business perspective.

It gives children the chance to speak out without the noise while driving. It's a safe interactive program for wireless acess. Home networking and studying tips for children is awesome. My children love to be creative and has submitted request in childrens magazine that offers this type of program. It is good for mom's on the road.

Thank you,
Latamra Williams
Independant Beauty Consultant
Carson, Ca.

Mompreneurs Online is a great book for those who want to work from home but just don't know where to start and what to do. It is full of resources and success stories! A definite must-have if you want to join the Mompreneur industry!

Mompreneurs is a MUST HAVE resource for anyone wanting a home-based business. Everyone from start-ups to savvy entrepreneurs will benefit from their practical advice on working from home. It covers everything from discovering your passion, finding the right business, telecommuting, marketing, and work-from-home survival tips. Their "slice of life" interviews with real work at home moms offer valuable insight into conquering the challenges of working from home. Keep this one on your desktop for handy reference - you'll use it often!

I purchased this book because I wanted to add an online component to my home decorating business (and I am a mom of two great boys). This book has been very useful. Now that my online business is flourishing, I continue to look through the book for more ideas. It is the kind of book that the first read through you get the plans to implement, then you read it again and get different ideas to use. Because the publish date was 2001 and the Internet evolves ultra fast, some of the information is a little old but that is only for a small portion of the book. This book is also useful for moms trying to decide if an online business is right for them and what it really means to work from home, (like we don't work already). I also keep this book handy for the inspirational stories of moms like me.

Although this book has a lot of good information in it, this type of book should be updated frequently in order to keep up with the times. Most web sites are no longer in exsistance, and a lot of them are not legitimate either. The book tells you never to pay for information or in order to gain employment, however, most sites or potential employers listed require just that.

... I've discovered after reading five books that covered this topic for my book, SmartPartnering.

The authors' extensive experience in publishing, and in running niche-based businesses shows. Their writing is practical, conversational and - most importantly - specific (no fluff).

Niche and Grow Rich is helpful for both those fleeing corporate life and the seasoned business owners who are seeking higher profitability.

Every boomer looking for more independence, money and satisfaction with their work in this next chapter of their life should get this book to smooth their way: matching their interests and experience with the kind of market they will be adept at and happy to serve.

I've recommended this book from the platform at 48 conferences so far and have received only raving emails from those who bought it.
- Kare Anderson, author SmartPartnering, Walk Your Talk, Getting What You Want, Resolving Conflict Sooner, Beauty Inside Out, etc.(sayitbetter.com)

The title confuses me a little. I keep thinking of Think and Grow Rich, or Speak and Grow Rich. I think the title would have been better if it had not included the word "niche." In fact, I kind of liked the tag line to the title better: Practical Ways to Turn Your Ideas into a Business.

I enjoyed reading this book which appears to have been written for novice entrepreneurs. My SCORE clients will probably get something out of it. It's practical, conversational, and very basic.

I think if you read this book as advising you to DIFFERENTIATE your business idea from your competition, then you will get a lot more out of it. Creating a true niche business is very difficult, and usually costly, to do. And anyone starting a new business has enough trouble trying to fit into an already established market rather than trying to invent a new one. My understanding of a niche is having your own market.

The material covered in this book can be very helpful to anyone who has to analyze their business idea and figure out a way to turn it into a profitable business. It won't act as a blue print to success, but it will be an educational read providing a general overview of what one should think about when trying to be successful as an entrepreneur.

The online Table of Contents for this book is very detailed. By giving it a quick look on Amazon you can see for yourself what is covered and determine whether the book will discuss things that might interest you in your research on how to start your business. I recommend it. 4 stars!

I only gave this book 5 stars for those who are new to business and marketing. If you have no background in neither this would be a good general overview book. For those who are at least knowlegable of the subjects mentioned this book would not be a good read, it is very basic in content. It appears to be an updated edtion with of course the added chapter on "web marketing",this seems to be popular with authors these days with tring to get additional sales of there old outdated books. DO not read this book if you are already into business or have an understanding of the marketing process. I'm giving my copy away free, Anyone want it?

A niche business is one that serves a small geographic area or a small portion of a big market where the needs of the customers are more specific, more specialized. The main advantage of a niche business is the lack of direct competition.

I was first introduced to this concept reading J.J. Luna's books. One of J.J. Luna's own experiences of niche businesses is the alarm company he established in Canary Islands in 1960's. There was virtually no crime in Canary Islands until there was an increase in international trade and the seamen from foreign ships started breaking into jewelry shops and stealing the goods just before their ship left the harbor for high sees. In response to the new need, J.J. Luna ordered some alarm systems from the U.S., analyzed them and developed a system of his own. His company was the only company which can address a specific need.

This excellent book by Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander is about the same concept of niche business. It starts with a section describing what niche is and goes on to other chapters about how to discover such a niche idea; how to evaluate if your idea is a good, feasible one. In order to better clarify the meaning of the concept, perhaps it is a good idea to give examples of niche businesses from the book.

One of them is the mother who had children with milk allergies. She experimented baking with different ingredients and ended up with a number of recipes which tasted excellent and children with such allergies could eat. When she discovered that there is an interest coming from other people with the same problem, she started a bakery specializing in allergy-safe products. She was, and continuous to be, the only one serving a small section of the public.

Another one is the gentleman who wanted to get back to his teenage hobby of riding a unicycle. He discovered that there was nobody around who sells unicycles and it was difficult even to get them through mail order, and there wasn't a large selection. He launched unicyle.com as a side business but in a short time, his business grew big enough to convince him to quit his job at IBM after 23 years. It turns out there was a good number of people who are interested in unicycles, who had the same problems as this gentlemen in finding them. He had discovered a niche market.

"Niche and Grow Rich" goes beyond just describing what a niche business is and how to discover one of your own and evaluating if your idea is a good one. In later chapters, it examines related topics about establishing your company, protecting your idea with trademark laws, considering going online, getting recognition, etc. Many enthusiastic would-be internet entepreneurs might find the "taking your niche online" chapter interesting. Generally, the book suggests caution and a resistance to the temptation to going online under the assumption that any new idea is sure to make a lot of money on the internet. In fact, it says that internet serves only as a brochure for many businesses and nothing more. In the case of unicycle.com it worked because the needs of unicyclist can't be efficiently served through traditional channels. There simply aren't enough riders for a small bicycle store owner to justify stocking more than one model, if they stock any at all.

Overall, this is an excellent book which I can wholeheartedly recommend to anybody.

This book was mentioned in Black Enterprise (February or March 2006) magazine article featuring successful niche businesses. The book does not disappoint. You can find your niche and dominating it with this book.

This is like the handbook version of the Being and Doing book by the same author. Something like a fist-aid kit in case of an "emergency" on stage or during a take. Break glass before storming off the set in disgust.

This is one the of the best approached to acting. It makes everything clear.
Also an easy read.

I'll admit that at first glance Eric Morris's System can seem scary and misaligned. But I believe it to be a very misunderstood system.

I too was skeptical in the beginning, but after studying this technique (with Eric, but mostly with Anthony Vincent Bova in NYC, Eric's protégé), and after seeing the difference from "acting" and what this Work creates, there's no way I'd ever go back to the "acting" form.

Eric Morris teaches the actor how to react honestly and in the moment, including everything that's going on inside and out-the other actor, the props, the imagined objects that one might be working for-that impels you to "do" whatever the character is required to "do", but out of a real reaction, not just because you're doing it.

I've studied Adler, Strasberg, Meisner, and with Robert Lewis. I've hashed through the process of verbs, actions, objectives, obstacles, and onward; and they're all good and dandy for figuring out what's going on in a script, what the characters are doing and why; but other than that, these techniques never helped me figure out HOW to make it real to ME... How to get to a place where I'm actually functioning from a real, organic, truthful state ... How to get to the point where I am "doing" all the script tells me to do, fulfilling the "actions," out of an honest REACTION to what's going on.... Not just "playing" as if I am; how, in essence, creating the realities of the character....

No matter where you go, all the great teachers (and actors) say the same thing, "Acting is reacting." Even the most used and cherished word in the actor's language, LISTENING, is about focusing outside of yourself and REACTING to what is there. This Work trains the actor to create the stimuli that will fulfill the demands of the piece, specifically, wholly, and with Truth.

For the most part, plays and movies are imagined circumstances, and we as actors, have to create stimuli to react from, so we're not just faking, or indicating our performance. I'd rather watch two people have a relationship on film or on stage, than two actors reciting words, no matter how well they "act" it. If they don't believe it, I won't. This System trains you to create those stimuli and REACT to them honestly, fully and truthfully.

A crucial part of Eric's System is based on Instrumental Work, which is the process of identifying blocks and fears and tensions to expression and, one-by-one, through the use of hundreds of exercises, eliminating them. It's really about self-awareness-learning about yourself and how you function, so you can "get out of your way" and function truthfully on stage or film and get to where you need to get to in a scene. I think this is the aim of every method, but I feel that this System is the only one to address the issues of the actor on a personal level. If I'm tense and depressed (in real life; me the actor), I'm not going to be able to REACT truthfully in a scene where the character has just won the lottery and is jumping with joy. If I push for the emotion, I'll be faking and will "act" that I'm joyful. If this is enough for you, then Eric's work is definitely not your thing. But if you're looking for creating reality and REACTING with truth, nothing surpasses this Work.

I know that Meryl Streep, Brando, Ed Norton, Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and a handful of other amazing actors don't fake it, don't just indicate the realities of the character and the circumstances. They create them. Be it imagined stimuli they are creating, or through the available stimulus around them, they open themselves up and REACT truthfully to everything -the other actors, the set, the space, the props, the object or person via Sense Memory, etc. I KNOW they do this for a fact! They've talked about it for years.

Eric helps you get to the place that they do-where you can function truthfully, where your instrument is accessible and available, where you are open and are willing to go where the character needs to go, emotionally, psychologically, and physically.

My advice is read Eric's books. If they pique any interest in you, if they strike a cord, study with Eric or Anthony, or at least contact them for further information about the system. I think you'll be quite surprised and utterly amazed at the tools this Work can provide you as an actor.

I give this book a fairly high rating because all acting technique is personal. An actor's job in receiving training is to simply find the approach that works best for the individual. Method acting simply means to find one's own method. While responses to acting texts, approaches and classes are always subjective, one should always remain open for new ideas.

That said I reject Eric Morris' approach to acting on a personal and professional level.

As every actor knows (or at least should know), his/her job is "to do nothing more than to be believable while telling the best possible story that serves the script" (Bruce Morris). Or as Stanislavski defines acting: "Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances". The root of an actor's technique must always be action. Again with Stanislavski: "while on stage, an actor must always be enacting something". Action verbs are the basis of all acting/storytelling craft. An audience does not pay precious money to watch an actor have an emotional moment, but rather to have the moment themselves.

All the great acting teachers, building upon the work of Stanislavski, have stressed the importance of finding and playing an action as opposed to an emotion. Robert Lewis, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, Michael Checkov and even Lee Strassberg (although he ventured too far into the emotional realm) all taught students to find the appropriate action and embrace that reality as the basis for their storytelling craft. Emotions are the by product of a person engaging in an action and either failing or succeeding in the quest to fulfill that action.

Eric Morris' approach, centers on "Being" exercises. He asks his students to simply get up in front of a group of people and simply "Be". As related in this book, he proceeds to grill them about their day and call them on the carpet for any false emotion as he dredges for some emotional moment. Morris' approach, at least to this reader, comes off as simply another example of acting teacher "power tripping" as well as pseudo-therapy hidden in the guise of acting. This approach simply leads to the teacher holding such power over his/her students as they become obsessed with pleasing the teacher as opposed to truly pleasing the audience.

This approach leads to emotionally crippling an actor. Actor's become obsessed with evaluating their acting on the basis of whether or not they "felt" the scene. If an actor finds they cannot reach the emotion, they immediately fill themselves with a great sense of guilt and personal disgust at their inability to produce an emotion. Acting should ultimately be a freeing experience as well as a fun and celebratory bit of life. Many acting teachers and actors, bowing under the weight of thousands of years of social stigma feel that they must deny the "fun" factor of acting and make it a painful and serious affair.

As any director or acting teacher can attest, when one simply asks an actor to "be" on stage, one will watch an actor squirm, blink and fold inside him/her self. Put an actor on stage and ask him/her to push a giant stone up a mountain, one will watch a fantastic story filled with all the emotional truth an audience could ever hope to find.

The key to acting is not "being" it is in fact "doing". Apparently Morris has a workbook that combines the two concepts. I will certainly read that as well- again the justification for the high rating. I am still learning my craft and I pray I will always continue to do so.

NO ACTING PLEASE is certainly worth reading and worth trying though so that one can form their own opinion. After trying Morris' approach, this review is simply my opinion. Proceed with caution.

I am personally an Eric Morris actor. I live in Los Angeles and I attend his workshop weekly. Having actually experienced his Craft personally and by watching hundreds of others come and go, and succeed and fail: it has become strikingly obvious to me that his Work works. One of the elements of this uniquely personal Craft is that it can be very overwhelming and emotionally draining. Through my two plus years of experience in the Work, I have found that very few Eric Morris actors actually uses the Craft exactly as it is intended. I believe as do many of my contemporaries that the Craft provides the actor with a limitless supply of "acting" tools, which encourage the actor to experience truthfully. It is painfully obvious that "truth" or an organic expression of impulses and emotions is severely lacking in theatre, television and on screen. There is not one person who has come to class and gone on stage who has not gone through a substantial growth. Being a student of acting my entire life, on a constant pursuit of truth in my work, and having over 25 teachers since first grade: I have found the one teacher on the planet who can answer all of the difficult questions actors ask about the mysterious art of acting. If you have a thirst for truth in your acting and in how you live your life, you foolish to remain ignorant of Eric Morris.

I came across this book in one of my many sessions of surfing for books on Amazon. This book is worth more then 5 stars! It is an easy read and the ladies give you so much information in a simple format. If you have any spiritual leanings and know anything about the law of attraction I suggest getting this book in conjunction with "Attracting Perfect Customers." This second book helps you really flesh out a mission/vision statement for your business and is also written by women.

Don't let the title deceive you because it really should have been called "Entrepreneurship for Dummies." It explains everything you need to know about launching a company but didn't even know to ask. A must read before you start writing your business plan.

Ok..Close your eyes. What would the world look like if women had access to capital markets and economic empowerment? It would look far different and we know it. Now close your eyes and cultivate that business concept that stops you working for a paycheck and gets you into that morphic, entrepreneurial state. Please feel free to move forward and change the world with confidence. Why? Because these authors, these mentors, these thoughtful women have shown up and delivered a superior "play by play" manual. This manual includes all the tools and examples you will need to get started, stay strong, and finish first. Make no mistake, these women are out to change the economic environment for all women. What legacy will you leave the women in your life? Buy the book, and cultivate your dream to life!

This book is jam packed with advice on every page. The inspirational stories give insight on "how it is done" as well as showcase highly successful women entrepreneurs; the tool kit provides a useful blueprint to follow right down to sample legal forms; and the down to earth style makes it easy for women just starting a business to easily follow along. That is not to say seasoned women business owners will not benefit from reading the book to take their business to the next level with the "how to's" spelled out for you.

Don't be fooled by the title of this book. This is not another "networking" book or a simple "how to start a small business" book. It is also not a feminist propaganda disguised within a business development manual. If you are serious about starting, expanding, or reinventing your business consider reading this book. If you are a woman, definitely read this book!

From page one, the angels (read the book to understand why I refer to them as angels) who wrote this book make some basic assumptions: the reader is interested in paving a way in the business world, the reader has the drive to make their dreams come true, and the reader has passion, vision, a pioneering spirit, and the tenacity to make it happen.

But be prepared for lots of hard work. This isn't a read me and set me on the bookshelf type of book. The toolkit provided in the appendix (58 pages) includes checklists, to dos, and touch questions that need to be addressed. The Digging Deeper sections in each chapter provide expanded definitions of important concepts and the Summaries at the end of each chapter provide an easy way to review the important points.

Thanks to all that made this book a reality! It has a permanent place on my desk as I move my business to the next step and is already highlighted and dog-eared.

This book is clearly written and user friendly. Biafore gives links to information sources, making it easy for the reader to get more information on each of the hacks. These links alone are worth the price of the book.

I've been trading for over twenty years, including a period as a floor trader on the Chicago Board of Trade. Even with that experience there are tips and tricks in this book I found useful to the point where I employ them daily. To be complete as a reviewer I will say there is a lot of pretty basic stuff from my point of view, but still well worth reviewing since some of it I had forgotten.

Well written, easy reading, well organized

Online Investing Hacks is an excellent introduction to the world of investment. Though the title does contain the word 'Online', I would say that the general information the book provides on investing is not limited to the online realm.

Overall, I was very happy with the book, and found it incredibly useful. Though I do have several investments (401K, some stock, mutual funds etc) I would hardly consider myself an authority on the subject. This book provided very detailed explanations and tips on various forms of investment, from CD's to Index funds, and everything in between. While the experienced investor might not glean much from reading this book, anyone just getting started will find it an excellent reference, and resource.

The format of the book is similar to the other books in the 100 * Hacks series published by O'Reilly. There are exactly 100 hacks, or topics, which are spread across 9 chapters. Each one is an individual entity and can be read and understood without reliance on any of the other hacks.

One minor annoyance I had with the book is that it is geared toward those of you who, for some reason or another, run Microsoft's Windows OS, or have access to Microsoft Excel. Luckily, of the Excel examples that I played with, Open Office's Calc program handled them with minimal tweaking.

I can easily recommend this book to anyone who wants to invest, but is unsure of what to invest in, or needs some tips on making the most of preexisting investments. Those of you who enjoy research and building your own stats and graphs will also find parts of this book rather intriguing, as it covers data acquisition and manipulation with Excel in great detail. It will make an excellent addition to my reference shelf, and I have a feeling it will be well thumbed through in a very short time.

It seems like everyone is involved in investing in some form or another. While I always felt like I should be investing too, it was never clear to me how to begin this process. After all, it's my money. How can I be sure I'm investing in something that will provide some sort of reasonable return? This book is an excellent resource in answering some of those questions and putting the new investor on the right track.

This book is written in the same format as the other "hacks" series by O'Reilly. This format is very easy to read, and the format makes it very easy to find answers. Rather then having to read the book from cover to cover, the reader can pick out topics they are dealing with, read the answer, and move on. Since many of the people interesting in a book of this nature will likely have little time, the book's format works to its advantage.

The book begins with some basic introduction to the stock market and tips for selecting appropriate stocks or mutual funds. The whole middle section of the book deals with data analysis. The author discusses how to understand a company's balance sheet (e.g. what that P/E ratio means), how to spot companies in financial trouble, how to pick a good stock, and even how to trade. There is also a good discussion on minimizing the effect of taxes on your little return on investment.

The author even goes further and gets into a discussion on financial planning. In addition to discussing debt reduction, the author also talks about IRA plans and different strategies for saving for your child's education expenses. I think my favorite part of this book was the discussion on different education savings plans. The author discusses the ins and outs (as well as tax consequences) of each of the plans, and provides some examples illustrating the fact that it's better to start saving earlier than later.

This is an excellent book, not just for its investing advice, but also for its sound financial planning. This is a great book for anyone who is interested in increasing their wealth, saving for a rainy day, or simply saving for future financial goals.

Online Investing Hacks by Bonnie Biafore (O'Reilly) is one of those books that can pay for itself in short order, as well as over and over.

Chapter list: Screening Investments; Hacking Excel for Financial Analysis; Collecting Financial Data; Analyzing Company Fundamentals; Technical Analysis; Executing Trades; Investing in Mutual Funds; Managing Your Portfolio; Financial Planning; Index

I worked at Enron from 1998 through 2001, and spent plenty of time during that dot.com era following my stock portfolio. I watched my Enron stock value go from incredible value to a point where it cost more to sell the stock than it was worth. I won a few bets (face it, that's what they were) on a few dot.coms and lost many more. What could have been an incredible nest egg, isn't. This book would have been a lifesaver if I had read and paid attention to it a few years ago. Biafore shows you how you can analyze and invest wisely using a variety of tools available to everyone.

If you're an Excel user, you'll find it an invaluable tool for analysis. She'll show you how you can use it to create financial charts (#13), calculate compound annual rates of growth (#26), and use rational values to buy and sell wisely (#36). #39 - Spot Hanky Panky with Cash Flow Analysis (using Enron as an example) would have literally saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars had I known about it. Even if you don't care about the investing tips, the hack on downloading data via Excel web queries (#7) was something I didn't know how to do (or that you could even do it!). The book has a little something for everyone.

As with all Hacks titles, you probably won't be interested in every single item. Some may not be applicable to your situation or may be too complex for what you care to handle. But all it would take is one hack to work out and change your investing for this book to pay huge dividends. If you do your own investing, you owe it to yourself to get this book.

Jerome Wilson's stories are magical. They illumine a world we believe has gone but is still with us. He creates his characters in an objective, mature yet loving voice, letting them live a life of their own. Wanting to prolong the reading pleasure, I barely managed to restricted myself to one story a day.

Like Chekhov and Raymond Carver before him, Jerome Wilson presses his paper against his subject, and rubs it with charcoal, shading it in, letting the texture of the object supply the texture of the work.

What emerges bursts full form in the head of the reader, producing images that begin when the story ends, that remain indelibly pressed upon you, a pressed flower in your head, and yours to keep.

Jerome Wilson's debut collection fulfills a promise that was apparent when the title story was published in Ploughshares over a decade ago. His skillfully woven characters, such as Sonny Buck, Jessie Leigh and Tammy Faye Lovejoy, draw the reader in, not only by the stories they tell, but through their neighbors' stories, the towns the live in and the people they encounter.

Paper Garden takes a trip down south that is sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, but always engaging. By the end of the last story, the reader has been taken on as much as an emotional ride as Sonny Buck on the ferris wheel. Paper Garden is well worth the purchase. I hope we see more from this writer in the future.

Paper Garden by Jerome Wilson, is a collection of short stories. In each story the characters come to life as Wilson takes his readers from the household of Sony Buck, a precarious little boy, to Jessie Leigh, a sweet yet not too bright little girl, to Mr. Pruitt, a spunky old man with a sharp mind.

This book was a delightful read. Jerome Wilson has a gift for grabbing his readers and forcing them to pay close attention to what his characters have to say. Each character was well-developed with a personality all of their own. Oftentimes, I found myself strolling down memory lane while laughing out loud at some of the antics depicted on the pages of Paper Garden and Other Stories.

If you like short stories, I suggest you grab a copy of this book; you'll be glad you did.

T. RHYTHM KNIGHT
APOOO BookClub

I fervently hope that Jerome Wilson's anthology is but the first installment of an insightful and compelling chronicle of his South.

Paper Garden and Other Stories is a vibrant gathering of short stories that are reminiscent of William Faulkner and Eudora Welty. Wilson, however, is not a copy of these literary precursors. I like these short stories because apparently Wilson speaks of his experiences from his perspective -- a perspective covering both urban and rural settings. "The Croquet Players" frolic through a picnic in an urban park and "The Witness Tree" laments the death of a towering grandmother on a rural homeplace.

I also like this writer's terse style that reflects the fluid rhythms -- sometimes calm, sometimes strident -- through which his characters live out their lives. The dialog of Wilson's characters also trumpets reality without being burdensome.

Passion's bedtime stories is the best collection of black erotica that I have ever read. With its classy not trashy stories, this book is definitely a must have and a keeper to be read over and over again. Can't wait until the sequel.

Engrossing and entertaining....Brianna Nichole brings reality of passion to life! These ethnic stories are written so well that readers will be wrapped up in each story and don't want to leave! Definitely a book to recommend!

African Nights is a beautifully written story that exudes not only love and passion but a mutual respect between two young lovers who only have eyes for each other. Every woman wants a young lover who will not only love,honor and protect her, but one who will also respect her for the African queen that she is. Although I enjoyed the entire collection of short stories, African Nights is by far my favorite!

THIS BOOK IS A KEEP, IT WAS HARD TO PUT DOWN. I LOOK FORWARD FOR THINGS FROM HER IN THE FUTURE. HI BRIANNA

Each of the stories were so vivid. By this, I mean that you could see/imagine yourself in each situation. Not only were the story lines easy to follow, but they always left you wanting more...the story ended too soon! I could only imagine the ending to the story of the African Newlyweds. The story of the couple meeting at the club for dinner definately ended too soon. What about another date? I guess I am trying to say that Brianna Nichole is a wonderful writer and I hope she has another part to Passion's Bedtime Stories!