FO Books

this book was really good and it came a day or two after i ordered it. I was very happy with the over all experience.

The fun of this mystery is that everyone's got a theory about whodunit. Everyone has figured out who did what to whom, and why. The cops have several theories. A mystery writer named, strangely enough, Ian Ludlow bristles with theories. Mr. Monk's two assistants not only have theories but are suspects. There are so many theories floating around that the reader needs theory detox until the odd and remarkable Mr. Monk cuts through the rubbish, and nails a particularly heinous criminal. This is a particularly entertaining Monk novel that brilliantly catches the pathos and humor of the compulsive obsessive detective.

I'm a big fan of the monk Series and have read all the novels to date... but found some of the charaterizations of Monks behavior a bit over the top in this book.. anyway.. it was nice to see that Natalie is given a "life" in this book and the inter-play between Sharona, Natalie amd Monk was the highlight of the story.. something you wouldn't get from the TV show..
on the Mystery... a bit convoluted and not I feel up to the standard.

I give 5 stars on the fine job done on the story lines outside the mystery.. as I said the interplay between The girls and monk, Sharona and her husband, Natalie and her "boyfriend", even Juile get into the act... but the mystery and the over the top characterization of monks phobias drags the overall score to 4 stars...

If your a fan you will still like it..

I am a huge fan on the Monk TV show and was suprised to see these books in the store. I don't usually buy books that are "based" on TV or movies but this one peaked my curiousity. Surprisingly they were very entertaining. Maybe because I have watched so much Monk I found that when reading them it was almost like watching the show in my head. It helps that I already knew what most of the characters look like but the writing is very descriptive as well. On paper Monk comes off a lot more stilted, rigid and more disturbed than on the show but the story lines were pretty well done.

In this book there is a lot of inner dialogue in Natalie's head that sometimes get annoying (mainly because she tends to whine) but I enjoyed how the author played Natalie and Sharona off each other and it's always nice to see Sharona back in the mix.

The books would probably be more interesting and entertaining if you are a fan of the show but it's possible that reading the books could turn someone into a fan!

What a nice surprise to have Sharona back! I'm almost at the end of this book and I'll be sad to finish, it's so much fun to read. I'm not able to watch Monk on USA Network so I either watch the few released to the "regular" networks or rent the DVD's. Reading the books is even better than watching the hour episodes!

Thanks Lee Goldberg for such great writing books that capture Monk so well and I'm constantly amazed at the funny ideas Mr. Goldberg comes up with.

It was not clear when I selected this book on line that it was the shorter version of the 5th edition. Since I am using this for assigned readings in a poetry course, none of the assigned pages are relevant and about 20% of the assigned poems are not in the shorter version, both of which shortcomings handicap my use of the book.

The only index for this book that is viewable online is the index of a previous edition. Maybe the indexs are the same, but I bought the wrong edition because of the index confusion.

Chances are you're buying this book for a class. So what. READ IT. ENJOY IT. The editors of Norton have done the hard work for you--they've sifted through thousands and thousands and thousands of poems and found the ones that are the most moving, profound, revolutionary, intelligent, touching, startling, unique, and ground-breaking. All you have to do is READ THEM.
And let's say that you fancy yourself as someone who "just doesn't get poetry." Fear not, once you've gone through this book you will "get" poetry. It will be under your skin, in your heart, in your mind. Relax.

Just what I needed for my poetry class. Great notes on each page and at the back of the book.

I got my book dirt cheap and fast and in excellent condition. Can't want more than that!!!!!

these are always good reference materials to have on hand, have used this many times to recall something i rarely use or never tried.

I would recommend this book for current Flash Developers and anyone new to the field. This however is not a good 'quickstart' book. Being a veteran Flash Developer/Programmer myself, I still managed to find enough fresh information in this book to make it worth the purchase. This book leaves no stone unturned in explaining all the nuances of Flash that other books avoid. After you are already programming in Flash, I would recommend this to take the last step to becoming a complete master of the program. Although some parts seem to ramble on theory for awhile, all concepts are things that should be taken into consideration.

Book is full of good information, deep analysis of problems.
But the VERY BAD INDEXING and organization of "how to get the information" is making it a chore to use it. It's ok the fact that much of the material is on the CD, but giving a clean way of reaching it would be a NECESSARY help. Too many words, too little code and examples and too basic FLA files obliged me to seek more advanced help in other books.
Still good as a reference though (if you can find what you need ...)

I consider myself an extreme newbie when it comes to Flash, so after reading most of the reviews for "The Flash MX Bible" I decided to shell out the cash. God what a mistake that was.
The only pro the book has, is it's size. Yes is does contain a lot of information, but the manner it presents it, is the biggest problem. It's boring, dry, unimaginative stuff. Not something you'd expect when dealing with a program that has a firm foundation in art, and creativity.
The thing reads similar to my Lightwave 6.5/7.0 college text book only with a worse format.
So if you're an intermediate, or professional flash user this is might be what you're looking for, but if you're an amatuer or total beginner don't touch this book unless you want bore yourself away from Flash MX before you even get your feet wet.

... There's also lots of useless filler material about non-flash related programs and topics. The examples are geared towards drawing and animation rather than creating an actual web document.

I bought the "After Effects Bible" and loved it but this book is a roundabout, unfocused exercise in frustration. If you are very familiar with Flash already, maybe you can get something out of this. If you want to learn from the ground up, buy something else...

isaacs bypasses the front row seats and drops you into the story beside rosie. her delicious details create a dimension in which you stumble over a body in the kitchen and shiver in the autumn chill of central park shadows. perfect.

Book was as represented and arrived within an appropriate length of time. Would buy from this seller again.

Susan Isaacs does a wonderful job in 'After All These Years'.
Shortly after her anniversary celebration, Rosie Meyers finds herself alone after her husband leaves her for another(much younger) woman. Spending another evening alone, she decides to binge on junk food. But she soon loses her appetite when she finds her soon-to-be-ex-husband dead in the house. And the prime suspect? Rosie.
The book follow Rosie around, as she narrates in a want-to-be-private-eye style(caused by to many mystery books and old private-eye movies), trying to find the REAL killer behind her husbands murder. Can she find a way to clear her name and get her life back together? Or is she doomed to a life behind bars? Read the book to find out!

Rich people misbehaving on Long Island. Who cares? Could have been written by Dominick Dunne, although he would have done a better job of it. Susan Isaacs does turn a nice phrase now and then, but the emphasis on wealth, which is mentioned in one way or another on nearly every page, is shallow and boring. I struggled through about half the book and then skipped to the end to see the outcome.

This was a good book. I didn't expect to read the greatest book I'd ever read; what I'd expected was a story gripping enough to make me turn away from the computer and just want to read. That's what I got out of "After All These Years," which I think to be a terrible title for what is, really, quite a fun read.

"After All These Years" is based around solving the crime that middle-aged English teacher (but extremely wealthy by marriage) Rosie Meyers stands accused. I love a good murder mystery, and this one held my interest, despite the fact that stories surrounded by disgusting amounts of wealth ordinarily make me cringe. However, Rosie was a down-to-earth yet fallible woman, who mostly held true to the character Ms. Isaacs had created for her (a small flaw being that Rosie was a little too sexually promiscuous to me, considering how she acted in all other situations).

I figured out who had done it about three-quarters of the way through the story...and I'm not the world's best sleuth. So mystery fans may be disappointed by the easy answer. However, there were lots of twists and turns in this story that kept me turning pages right up until the end.

In comparing "After All These Years" to the other Susan Isaacs story I have read -- "Lily White" -- I liked "After All These Years" better. "Lily White" was an intriguing book, but based less on mystery and more a character study. Also, "Lily White" danced between first- and third-person narratives, which became confusing at most and took a lot of my concentration to follow at least. "After All These Years," on the other hand, was told completely from Rosie's point-of-view and in chronological order.

Plus...who wouldn't want to be in (or out) of Rosie's shoes as she, a middle-aged English teacher, scampers about New York on the run from the law, evading the cops and manipulating the enemy into handing over information. She'll clear her own name and lament over her jerk of an ex-husband, then play footsies with men half her age, all in the same day. For me, this was quite an escape into a world I am not (or hope not to be) a part.

And once in a while, Rosie will make you smile, if she doesn't make you laugh out loud. Recommended "beach" reading.

This was my first Higgins book and I will certainly read more. That alone is a solid recommendation. But it's what I call a medium flight book, something you take on a cross country flight. You can put it aside at any point and rejoin it later without missing a beat. But if you leave it behind in your passenger seat only partially read, you won't lie awake worrying about what happened. I liked many parts as Higgins maintains a good pace, lots of action, and colorful characters. What more could you want on a boring flight?

There are many parts that make you want to scream. Have you ever watched a movie and wanted to yell, "Hey stupid, call the police!"

This book has many such scenes. It's already been mentioned on this thread, but one part is so overwhelmingly dumb that it rates another notation. The bad guys will stop at nothing to get hold of this valuable aluminum case. They have killed and maimed and threatened everyone that stands in the way. They also have uncanny information that tells them everything about the good guys, where they are, what they are doing, even what they plan next.

The case contains information so incredibly valuable that it could topple the British Empire and many other distasteful results. Really important stuff.

So, the good guys walk boldly in broad daylight carrying this mysterious aluminum case to a rinky-dink hotel room in plan view of the bad guys. Duh, they have followed the good guy everywhere, so they just happen to be watching.

Now, the good guys leave a 70-year-old man alone in this rinky-dink hotel room while they leave to rescue the female. [Sound like a B movie?] The old guy checks the lock of his plastic room door in this rinky-dink hotel, then places this overwhelmingly valuable case on a table and takes a shower.

At this point, I wanted to scream, but it was only another 40 pages so why not.

Sounds like I hated the book, but on the contrary, it was enjoyable, except when I wanted to throw it across the room.

Higgins is very good, but I think he had a tough deadline on this one and he was running late.

Jack Higgins is one of the best writers of this kind of action fiction. He rarely disappoints. _The Eagle Has Landed_ is probably one of the best of its kind ever written.

Thunder Point concerns a sunken UBoat from World War II with some documents that detail Nazi sympathizers. In the wrong hands, they would be very damaging to the British Royal Family and many others. Sean Dillion is enlisted to find the sub and the documents.

Now I was disappointed in some of the plot elements. The heroes kept doing the dumbest things and then getting into trouble because of their inability to think ahead. For example, if you had something incredibly valuable, would you send off your friends elsewhere, not bother to lock your patio door and then take a shower? It almost seemed as if Higgins was rushing through the story. There were no really complicated plot elements that would make you say to yourself: "Now that's something I never would have thought of!"

Despite some of the reviews, this was not one of Higgins' better novels in my opinion, but reading it was still a pleasant way to pass the time.

Jack Higgins is one of the smoothest & coolest thriller writers of our times. His books are actually not thrillers, they are more of a joy ride, taking the reader at a swift pace through an adventure, and even before we realise, its nearing the climax and its over.

Sean Dillon, the most legendary character ever created in a series of books, makes his second appearance after the Eye of the Storm, this time on the side of the British, once his sworn enemies. I won't reveal much about the story, but its a great book, no doubt.

Dillon's transformation and his one-liners with Fergusson make for most of the 1st half, alongwith some exciting fun in the Carribean islands forms the next half. For once, Dillon is shown vulnerable in front of a woman, interesting! However, the characters having different forms of liquor on almost every 2nd page of the book can be a bit bugging at times.

All in all, I think Sean Dillon on every page of this book is just a treat. His ways, demeanour, suave persona do the trick & makes the reader feel reassured whenever he's around. After Jason Bourne, Sean Dillon is the next super spy in the same league, although a tad less intense than Bourne makes reading about him more fun and exciting! Pick this one up, you will finish it in no time!

version. I've read a few of the Higgins' books, and listened to more. THUNDER POINT brings Sean Dillion into the Fergueson's fold, and the book is a quick read; however, if you are into the audio versions, you might want to avoid the Roger Moore version. His diction is rather (SURPRISE!) wooden. There's a new audio, unabridged at that, coming out in June 2003. I'm hoping that it is better. Too bad Patrick Macnee didn't read this one, too.

This is another show of Jack Higgins excelent writing ability. This is a page turner for sure, on the edge of your seat action.

Like her other books, this one is a favorite of mine too. Truly one of the best. Too bad she has retired from writing.

This is a very moving story about a woman,who is loved by two men and in turn she loves them both but the passion she can share with one, she can't with other. Sadly it is her husband she can't share her passion with. I can identify with her feelings because she not the first woman married to a man she can't feel carnal desire for. Not only now after seven years of marriage but she never had from the beginning of her marriage.
But the man who can give her what her husband could not is her own brother in law, that's a twist and complication too good to read about. surely Lavyrle spencer does justice to the story to make it believable. If only the ending had a been a bit different. It was too Easy. I mean their situation is so complicated. This ending doesn't do it justice....
But still a very enjoyable romance from my favourite romance writer.

I really didn't like this book. The entire premise, to me, was reprehensible and beyond fake.

Aaron Gray shares a home with his brother Jonathan and Jon's wife Mary. Mary has always wanted children, but she and Jonathan have never been blessed with babies, even after eight years of marriage. Jonathan gets it into his head that Aaron can father a baby for him, and encourages him to do so.

Until this point in the story, Aaron and Mary have never looked twice at each other, but all of a sudden, with Jonathan's suggestion, they fall madly in love with each other and as soon as Jonathan's out of town, they hop into bed together. Of course, Mary ends up pregnant, and Jonathan is thrilled. So how does this story get its happy ending?

Deus ex machina: favorite plot device of mediocre authors everywhere. Jonathan has to die somehow (since this is in colonial times where divorce was a major stigma), of course, and then the way is clear for Aaron and Mary to be together, once she is able to get over the guilt of it. It's hardly a spoiler, since this is the ONLY way a happy ending can be achieved.

Seriously, WHO on earth thought this story would be convincing as a genuine romance? They never had the slightest attraction to each other until the man between them suggested they make babies together, and suddenly they can't keep their hands off each other? It's the most ridiculous premise I've ever forced myself to finish reading, and I wouldn't waste the money on the book.

I've never read anything else by LaVyrle Spencer, but after this weak effort, I'm not even tempted to try.

My heart still aches over this one! I saw the made for TV movie that this book was based upon before reading it, and the movie DID NOT do it justice! Oh, this book was so good. Don't read LaVyrle if you are looking for tawdy bodice rippers. She writes tender and softly moving stories that will stay with you for months, if not years.

I unfortunately picked up this book at a local used book store and it was a waste of 75 cents. Don't get me wrong: I love and absolutely adore LaVryle Spencer and her work (i.e. Hummingbird, Vows, Twice Loved). But what was she thinking??
***Because I received a few hateful emails and comments from those who object to my posting of my personal synopsis of the book, I have removed the rest of my comment. Some people can't read a book for themselves and form their own opinions. And that's very sad.***

This is not the type of book I would have picked up on my own to read. But when you are in you mother-in-laws house and she states that you HAVE to read it... you sit there and read it. And no matter what you think, you tell her that it was great.

I was surprised that it wasn't all that bad. As far as my political persuasion, I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat, and have the annoying ability to see both sides of most issues. I know very little about Newt other than his position and the fact that he was a Republican. This book is a fairly good breakdown of what is wrong with our country today, from the educational system, to welfare, to the "war on drugs." There is extensive coverage of the "Contract with America" that the Republicans pushed back in the Clinton years. In this book he claims that it was a success, but with it currently being 2008, I'm not sure what exactly it did for our country.

As far as the politics in this book, he is very conservative, but logical. That's the thing with this book, if you brush away the political spin, this is pure slap yourself on the forehead logic "DUH!" kind of material. If anyone reads this and claims that it is brilliant, enlightening, or world changing... then they must have been hiding in a box somewhere for the last 20 years. There is nothing here that you haven't heard in your high school government class. This book would be very good reading for a high school student to spark debate and thoughtful conversation, but as far as revolutionary... there really isn't much here to cling to. Thank you for pointing out the problems Newt, we already know them... now will someone come up with some solutions!

It is regretful that Newt Gingrich had to become a casualty in the political battles of the 90's. He has an outstanding mind for the future and strongly argues for our leading the way in so many issues. I highly recommend this book. Even though some of it's content may be dated, the message for moving towards the future, not fighting it by continuing down paths that have proven to be bumpy at best, will give you a sense of hope for what has been accomplished and just how much more we are capable of. Bottom line, give Newt a look, you just may be suprised.

The ideas in this book are the reason, along with the premise of the Contract with America, why we in America enjoy a superb economy, lower crime, a balanced budget, and unparalleled freedom. These were the ideas Gingrich brought to Congress; a Congress which hadn't had any kind of new ideas for almost five decades.

The major themes of this book are about implementing limited, common sense government, having faith in the local community to make decisions and solve problems, using personal responsibility, and shifting power from the federal government to the people.

To my surprise, Gingrich talks of his love of animals and the environment with great detail in this book. To listen to the media and left-wing journalists, one would think Gingrich only cared about drilling for oil in Yellowstone national park. Read his book and you'll see it's not true.

The ideas contained in this book led to the 1994 GOP Congressional victories. Newt has a tremendous historical background (his Ph.D. is in history) and it shows in this book. Gingrich provides a nice balance of policy-making and political strategy; it makes you realize the challenges faced by politicians in getting their ideas into law. Great read!

An elaborate explanation of the 1994 Contract With America, implemented by House Republicans subsequent to a victorious campaign to win both houses of U.S. Congress. Gingrich enlightens readers about House Republican's aspirations for a better and "Renewed America," and delves into issues such as, fiscal responsibility, technological advancement, personal achievement, and welfare reform. Mr. Speaker attempts to drive readers to a new perspective on American Politics.

He begins the treatise with a terse description of his childhood years in Orleans, France. Living in Orleans while his father worked with American Communications Forces, Newt familiarized himself with the Fourth Republic's post-war social and governmental affairs. He recounts the events which led to his early interest in military history, politics, and the fate of civilizations; as well as detailing what books transformed much of his outlook on the developing world.

Written with style, clarity, and candor, the Former Speaker of the House addresses virtually every issue confronting the American taxpayer. Similar to other treatises of 21st century American government, "To Renew America" is destined to reshape the conventional views of many Americans about Government structure and efficiency.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot compared to the other Flash books I've read. If you are trying to make Flash games and don't know where to start this might be the book you should buy! :)

I bought this book hoping to take steps from mid-level ActionScripter to a more advanced coder. In a world of how-to books that just regurgitate the same ol' techniques this one not only met, but it exceeded my expectations. I was hoping to improve my techniques for interactivity and thought a book on ActionScript gaming would be the quickest, most thorough and most fun way to do it and this book came through big time. Great examples, and good explanations of every step taken. Sometimes I needed more of an explanation but I think that's a trade-off of having more examples. So not really a complaint since I can find explanations online, but good examples are far more scarce. An absolute must-have...as someone said even if you are not into gaming. I'll also add that its still a must-have despite ActionScript 3 being out...but hopefully they put out a new edition covering that.

To respond to the negative reviews: 1. Want to see classes and OOP...that would be an issue if this book claimed to be an AS3 book, but considering it is AS2, when OOP and classes weren't as en vogue, I don't think that is a valid complaint. 99% of Flash CS2 books hardly mentioned classes and didnt code that way. 2. Bad habits/naming conventions...I didn't think so but I think that is a preference and if you don't like his "style" no one is forcing you to continue coding that way after you finish the book. Every author has their own style, and I didn't think his coding broke any conventions. 3. Nothing you can't learn yourself...just not true. I've found a lot of great stuff online, but it was a big help and hugely time-saving to have this wealth of info in one place AND with great instruction...and a bonus general ActionScript chapter that is better than many Flash books out there!

The book provides several examples that progress the reader through the programming of gradually more complex games. The reader should have a basic knowledge of Flash and Actionscript, as the book brushes over beginner-level concepts. At the time, the book is fairly up to date, however there is supposedly quite a jump between Flash 8 and Flash CS3, which uses Actionscript 3.0. Nonetheless, the concepts taught in the book are universally applicable regardless of what Flash version you are using. The inclusion of a CD-ROM is an added bonus and a must with this kind of book.

I found the book easy to read and very practical. The use of examples to explain things is great. And of course, examples that do work is great also!!!

It's the right book for those that already know something about flash and actionscript (doesn't need to be an expert), and want to learn to develop some games in flash, and perhaps aplly those technics on other apllications.

The book is great fun!!!

As a physicist, I looked at the chapter on "Physics for Games". It's very introductory Newtonian mechanics. Applying these in time-discrete form for moving objects in the game. Gravity is considered for vertical motion, and wind is incorporated to affect horizontal motion. Freshman level stuff. If you are developing a game where you need to seriously incorporate physics, there are entire books devoted to it, like Physics for Game Developers.

Though to be fair, the book is about learning Flash and its effects. Other chapters offer code fragments. Of necessity, these are all elementary, from a programming complexity standpoint. But they help explain how to apply Flash.

The most intricate part of the book seems to be when you model a 3d world. Nice rendering examples. Doesn't go very deeply here. Flash almost certainly has more advanced functionality.

This book was in decent condition, not as well as i expected, but still good. It shipped fast and overall I am happy.

This book was dry and boring. Nothing that I read stuck to me. The straight memorization of the BRS anatomy was much more useful than this book. However, this book does have some clinical examples that were used on my exams. It wasn't worth the money.

I strongly recommend this book over the big book by Moore. This book (Essentials) contains all the most important information you need to know about the systems. It is thorough and straight to the point.

This book seemed like a nice quick read, but I found it rather insufficient for my anatomy course. The big Moore is much more elaborate and better suited for medical student. I ended up buying the the big Moore instead, which was great for thorax, abdomen, and pelvis. I wouldn't recommend it for head and neck or limbs--Snell's Clinical Anatomy for Medical Students is much better for that. Having both Moore and Snell is a lot of books, but it was well worth it for me.

This text provides basically the same info as the big Moore book but is much easier to carry around and read through.

As long as you have the time, sitting down and studying this book is a great way to learn introductory or refresher information on respiratory care. I would recommned this book.

Fundamentals is not a kidding term. This is an in-depth look into most all spectrums of Respiratory Therapy and the workbook keeps one in check, to make sure you understand the material.

I had to buy Egan's when I was in respiratory school. I barely cracked the book and it mostly sat around my apartment collecting dust. That said, I passed both of my exams (CRT and RRT) with no problems on my first attempts. This was such a waste of money. Everytime I tried to read it I fell asleep. It is drier than dust.

Egan's has always had a lot of information in it on respiratory care, but it's very hard to understand for someone just coming into the respiratory field. When I can't find something somewhere else, I go to Egan's. The only problem is that I have to translate it into normal English before I fully understand.

If you were to add a chapter on anything that may be perceived as missing, you will turn this already massive chunk of wood into something the size of a CPU. I already hate lugging it around. The only way to improve on the size is to split the material into sections sell it as a similarly priced hard or soft cover set. Then we can add the chapter on TB, sure. Knowing my instructors they'd all be coming to class every day anyways. My only complaint is the weight.

The content is direct, concise, not overly boring, understandable even when this was new and after a couple of years, I'm glad I have the reference still. The order and organization is not what I would have chosen. I knew people who cut the thing up in sections and carried chapters/sections around in report folders... It is BIG. But it is the best. The only other basic reference/text on the subject out there that even compares is Kacmarek's Essentials, it's smaller... LOL. Kacmarek is actually co-writer of the new 2008 Egans.

I would definitely be interested in any new publications by these authors solely on manifestation/process of respiratory disease. That has potential!

Thanks for reading my review!