Scott Reviews

I still remember the winter night (1974) I was Christmas shopping for my little girl, Nicole, and fell in love with the book at the Sears store in Albany NY. It was late and crowded at the store, but I talked my friend Erin into waiting while I stood in line to buy it. We had time to look at it more in line and Erin bought two for gifts and so did a Dad in line with us. (Oh my, where are those three books now!) It was spectacular. My son, Michael, found the imaginative tree homes and adventures just as enthralling 10 years later for yet another ten years. Child and parent alike can envision continuing stories of the bears after they are nestled in their respective tree homes after a slippery and slidey trip to the pond in winter. It brought memories to me of a trip to a remote summer cabin and a swimming hole from the '50s in the foothills of Virginia. I could smell the mud and feel the sun. The illustrations carry such color & detail neither child nor adult tire of this book and the adventures of the bears. My son is 15 and misses our now lost copy, and my daughter searches from Boston for a copy of her own. What a tribute to Evelyn Scott! How does one get a publisher to reprint such a wonderful book as this? There is no question. It must be done.

I have to agree with the other reviews I read on this book. The Fourteen Bears is a wonderful children's story. When I was little it was my favorite book and I remember spending hours gazing at the pages and imagining that I lived in one of the hollow trees. I am lucky that my mother save this book for me and I am now able to read it to my daugthers. I went online tonight because I had hoped to puchase a new copy as mine is yellowed and torn. I hope Golden Books republishes this book in the near future.

This was my favorite childhood book also and when I graduated from college my sister attempted to purchase a copy for me only to find out it wasn't really within reasonable price guidelines. I sincerely hope that this book is reprinted so that I can see it again. Images from the book remain in my head although I haven't seen my old copy for probably 20 years. Please, Random House! We promise to buy it!!

From beginning to end this book is packed with information that is IMMEDIATELY applicable. For example "Always declare destructors to be virtual" otherwise you may end leaking memory when subclasses are deleted. Or hiding the implementation of a class in an "Impl" that your class just passes through to. That way, if the implementation changes, the clients of the class are protected from recompilation.

Beyond the wealth of just downright practical information the oragization is fabulous. The only other technical book that has organization as good as this one is "Design Patterns" There are several chapters such as "Memory Management" that have "Items" and each item has a few paragraphs describing the motivation for why you should believe Meyers with examples to prove it. Then there are solid examples that show the implemantation of an example usage.

My company gave this book out with "Design Patterns" to EVERY developer in the company, and it was probably the smartest thing I've ever seen a company do.

Read it and learn a TON.

...this book is for you. Both "50 Specific Ways" and his second book "35 More Ways" have helped me bring my C++ programming up to the next level of understanding. After using C for more than 10 years and C++ for all but the first few of those years, there were still many small things that used to bug me. Problems with some of my constructors, strange constructs I'd discovered over the years but never 100% understood... Scott's books have not only cleared the field, but have brought to my attention many new things about objects and C++ I'd never previously considered.

One warning: I found that some items were too far above me when I first read through the books -- especially his second book, "35 more ways..." However, once I'd finished reading the book, I started again right back at page 1, and my second (and 3rd, 4th...) reading made much more sense. There is a *lot* of helpful information packed into Scott's 85 items.

I recommend picking up both books at once, or, I believe a special edition is available with both books condensed into 1 volume.

Everything has been said about this book. It's simple, well structured, and probably the best thing it has is that it doesn't teach you how to code in C++ (that's up to you); it goes through the common mistakes everyone makes (specially professionals), and tells you how to avoid them. I've been using C++ for over 15 years now, and I still go through this book once in a while. I, like others, distrust colleagues that don't know about this book/author. In fact, every time I interview candidates for jobs I ask for a must-have list of books; not knowing about this one is a definite no. As the title of my review says, if you can only buy one C++ book (apart from Stroustrup's), get this one.

At one point in "Premonition" the heroine wishes that 1st Century Christianity were more Christian and less completely Jewish. By having Riva make this comment, the author is, in a sense, defending the style decisions he made in his writing.

Every possible effort is made to use modern Jewish terms instead of English equivalents. All of the names in Premonition are changed into their modern Jewish counterpart -- for example, James is turned into Yakov. The word "God" is never used, instead the Hebrew usage of saying "Hashem" or "The Name" is followed. Also, the role of the Church is minimized and portrayed as an informal group of people who pray together in the temple each day.

Unfortunately, this trend distances the reader from the main characters and makes them more difficult to identify with. Frankly, I don't like anyone in the book, including the Apostle Paul. If I had to choose which religious group in the book that I would like to have joined, I would choose the Romans.

In deciding to emphasize the Jewishness of the early church, the author is following the trend of most modern authors. I realize that many recent historians are also pushing this particular interpretation of history, but I am not certain that they consider all the evidence. The New Testament does not read as if it were written by modern Orthodox Jews.

I would be less critical of this author's use of historical distancing techniques if the New Testament also followed Jewish customs. But Jesus said "God so loved the world." not "Hashem loves all."

I enjoyed the plot of the book, but the tone and style were off-putting.

I loved the book Transgression, his time-travel novel that finds Rivka and Ari in ancient Jerusalem. This book picks up where the last one left off, but stands firmly on its own.

Ingermanson uses both fictional and real historic characters, and I felt I was actually walking through the streets of Jerusalem as I read. I gained insight into 1st century Christianity and the Jewish culture. Very gripping, entertaining and educational!

Premonition is the story of Rivka Myers and her new husband Ari Kazan. Through a terrible accident they have been trapped in 1st century Jerusalem. While Ari struggles inwardly over his heritage, Rivka tries to make a place for herself in a world that demands a woman's place is in her home. Using her vast knowledge of history Rivka tries to warn the early church of coming disaster. But a prediction gone wrong earns her the reputation of false prophet and possibly makes things worse.

The story started quickly, introducing me to a time and place that wasn't very safe. But while there's a lot of action, there's a deeper story line about Rivka's struggles to be more than "Ari's woman." I was enthralled as people I have heard about from the Bible lived and breathed for me on the pages. I couldn't stop reading until the end.

As a side note, this is Book 2 of the City of God series. I never had the opportunity to read "Transgression", the first book in the series, and didn't feel lost at all. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story, not just those interested in early church history.

I enjoyed the book, in fact, contributed to a tiny bit of it. My wife and her friends raved about it. And I am happy for the writer's great success. She worked hard in drawing together all aspects of this story. In the main she did splendidly.
One thing must be said: War admiral was a TINY colt. He was 15.2 hands NOT 18 hands as they said in the movie in order to hype the drama. I'm sure Ms. Hillenbrand was not responsible for that ridiculous, disengenuous spot of Hollywood legerdemain. Also thoroughbreds can run close to 40 mph, but not 55 as Hillenbrand suggests.
Still, the book was a boon to thoroughbred racing and for those of us who have spent years trying to teach today's star struck Secretariat/Cigar generations of the heroics of past thoroughbred champions like Round Table, Swaps, Dr. Fager, Armed, etc., etc.
Kudos, Lauren.

I love books that give you a lift AND a life message! And Seabiscuit is one of the best! It shows you what is possible if you have a dream, perserverance, and the drive to beat the odds against you. This is a recipe that can make a winner out of anyone. Another great book and just as inspiring is the newly released book "Riding Into The Wind: On Horseback Out of Patagonia, A Life Journey." It is about a young couple's amazing horseback odyssey from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, all the way to northern Canada, some 22,000 miles! It is jam-packed with their tales of both triumph and tragedy, of personal crisis and self discovery. An extremely intense read! As Ghandi said about himself: "My life is my message." This couple's life is quite a message!

You don't have to know a thing about horse racing or even care about horses to love this book. Laura Hillenbrand has written a book so good that it sets the gold standard for all racing histories and simultaneously transcends its subject and becomes a classic portrait of early 20th century America. This is the story of the miraculous meeting of 4 uniquely self-made men - the exuberant owner, the mystical trainer and two colorful jockeys - and one less than promising racehorse. Together they lived the greatest adventure in racing history. Hillenbrand makes the technical minutia of racing interesting to the layman through wonderful anecdotes. Not only will you learn the physical feats and tactical strategy a jockey must employ during a race, but you will also enjoy Hillenbrand's vivid description of the jockey's journeyman life. The tale of Seabiscuit's rise from obscurity is filled with so many twists and turns that I don't want say to much about it, but suffice to say, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. Be sure to read Hillenbrand's "Acknowledgements" at the end of the book. The story of how she researched the book and the interviews she conducted is fascinating. I don't care what Hillenbrand's next book is about - judging from how good this one was, I'll buy it sight unseen.

Roger Zelazny did well on creating a story with a intresting twist. The first book in the ten book series, Nine Princes in Amber, starts off with a freak auto accident that put the hero of the story(Corwin of Amber) in the hospital. Nine Princes in Amber tells the tale of Corwins Recovery of Amnesia, witch he sufferd from a cuncossion, and his adventures thereafter. He learns of his family members,and their....special qualities. He finds out that the place called Amber, is his birth place, and the one true existence. Earth, and all other things, are merly shadows of Amber. Roger Zelazny wrote the book in a exiting, humoris manor, that puts you right into the story. There are ten books in the Amber series, all of witch I've read, spending more than 23 hours consuming there marvelous complicity. If you buy Nine Princes in Amber, you won't be able to resist the other books also.

This is the lead off in simply one of the greatest, most imaginative, and mind-blowing fantasy series ever written. (What was the late great Roger Zelazny smoking when he released this novel back in 1970?) "Nine Princes in Amber" is the first in a series of ten books chronicling the ever-feuding bloodlines of the House of Amber -- the true kingdom of Order in the Universe -- and the struggle with its eternal nemesis: the Courts of Chaos. The protagonist, Prince Corwin, is both noble & just and wise-cracking & street smart. Zelazny has created a universe so original, and dozens of characters so rich that it truly boggles the mind. And instead of whisking us off to some remote fairyland, he combines modern day Earth (a mere shadow world) with his infinitely rich universe. Where else are you going to find MIB's (Men in Black), a fast food chain called "Kentucky Fried Lizzard Partes" and swordfights all in the same book! Roger, we will sorely miss you.

Roger Zelazny is a superb writer who draws you in from the begining when you find Corwin in the hospital. I read this series over and over again and it still has not lost the magic that starts the moment you open the book. I recommend this to anyone who wants to encounter the magic and enchantment that Roger Zelanzy weaves into all his books.

"Eddie's Bastard" was the first audio book my husband or I ever listened to. It made a very long drive VERY enjoyable. It is rare that we like the same stories, but "Eddie's Bastard" is very much like real life and hard not to like. It was sometimes funny, sometimes ironic, sometimes sad. As a life long resident of Western Pennsylvania, I found his depiction of life in the rural parts of this state extremely accurate and believable. The story puts me in mind of "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption" for reasons I can't articulate, it's in the overall feel of the story. The ending was not what I predicted at all, it was not the contrived "and they all lived happily ever after." It was a mature ending even though the character is still quite young. We would definately read or listen to more Kowalski stories in the future!

It is difficult to believe this is a first novel. That William Kowalski is a gifted novelist is simply a given. He is a fine story teller, able to weave threads of pulsing narrative toward a nourishing conclusion. He creates characters who are not only credible but about whom we care. Too many descriptive phrases might get in the way to the individual response to this rich novel.... Suffice it to say that the title EDDIE'S BASTARD is more than a label. A Bastard is one without parents and therefore without knowledge of history - genetic, philosophical, time sequence. This beautifully crafted book reveals the detective work involved in the main character's quest for self discovery. His journey is at once interesting, touching, warm, and curative. As he reads excerpts from his great grandfather's diary - sophisticated, elegant prose set off in italics which if separated from the novel would still provide a cogent guide to knowing ourselves through understanding our history - Eddie gains insight into his place in the world, his questions about his responses to that world, and eventually an understanding about where he fits in in a world that has seemed alien.

Read this novel - for entertainment, for fresh words, for disarmingly beautiful story, and for restoration in the faith that we are a meaningful part of what was and, therefore, what will be.

One of the best books I've ever read. This is so good on so many levels. I love it!! Great prose, very powerful, very stylish. I love it!!!

i bought this book from amazon.com probably a year ago, and it really changed my life! i think every girl should read this! any female aged 13 and up will love these stories. words cannot even describe the wealth of emotions that will spew out of you while you read this book. it is one of those books you can read over and over again. Francesca Lia Block gives the reader nine stories that go in no particular order. Of course everyone will have their favorite stories but the ones that touched me the most were the ones about raven, the beautiful groupie; la, who tries to cope with life, aided by her friend blue; and tweety pie and her sister; tuck budd and her lesbian parents--heck, every story is my favorite....GO OUT AND BUY THIS BOOK! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT BECAUSE IT IS ABSOLUETELY BRILLIANT! :)

Girl Goddess # 9 is a book by Francesca Lia Block. This book contains nine short stories about girls and how in every girl there is a goddess. They are all breathtakingly descriptive. It didn't take me long to finish this masterpiece!

I'm a huge fan of Block's writing style and this book was one that takes you into its world from the beginning and doesn't let you out until the last page has been read and you're left with the aftertaste of Block's stories.

The first story Tweetie Sweet Pea, is about being young and innocense. It's a great opener for this book. Blue was one of my personal favorites. When La looses her mother (her mother took her own life) she hides all her feelings in and has no friends. Until she meets an odd character from her closet who is blue.

Dragons in Manhattan is one of the best short stories I've read. It's about a girl with two mothers who are lovers and she goes on a search to find her father. Rave is narrated by a boy who talks of a highschool love named Rave.

Winnie and Cubby is about two highschool lovers one who a shocking secret revealed later in the story.

Other stories include Girl Goddess # 9, The Canyon, Pixie and Pony, and Orpheus.

This book is not to be missed!

I look back now, and I realize that Girl Goddess #9 was a big part of my formative years. It was the first FLB book, and it still one of my favorites.

When I read the title story, I remember thinking, "Well,I like Sarah McLachlan, maybe I should give Tori Amos a try." (If you don't know how that story ended, well, know that I think nothing of driving ten hours to go to a Tori concert.) And, a year or so later, I re-read the story and thought, "Hey, I like Sarah and Tori, maybe I should try the Cocteau Twins." Thus began another addiction which annually saps me about fifty bucks.

I was going through major issues with a very dear friend as I read "Pixie and Pony," and for years now, those words have stayed with me: "Best friends? We are sisters." After my mother's injury, I struggled to reconcile the reality of her new self with the way she had once been. The story "La" was of enormous help.

GG#9 is every girl's diary. It is all of our fears and hopes and drems. It is everything we've questioned about life, our futures, our parents, our sexuality, and love. Each girl is perfectly unique, very mysterious, and yet completely familiar. Each of these girls is like a little facet of each other, and of ourselves.

You don't have to be a liturgist or a professional scripture scholar: This book is for any Catholic who wants to better participate at Mass and/or see the real point behind the strangest book in the Bible.

This is an excellent review of the history of the Liturgies of the Mass (Roman, Eastern, Tridentine and Novus Ordo all represented). It concentrates on the Scriptural basis of the Mass, pointing out quotations and allusion to various OT and NT Books, the Psalms, but especially to the Book of Revelation -- The latter is not a link perhaps most Catholics expect, but one that, having been pointed out, becomes really fascinating. And for those who wish to dive-in even deeper, the book has a truly excellent end-notes section. The style is readable, and the author's sense of humour is most engaging.

My only criticism, and it is a relatively minor one, is that the book does not really describe the nature and history of the "Todah" in enough detail. Because of this, the relationship between the Todah and the Mass was not made quite as clearly in my mind as what Prof. Hahn surely intended.

This book is a must read for Christians in general, but most importantly for Catholic lay people like myself. Before entering into the heart of his work, Dr. Hahn presents a Biblical perspective on the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist that every Catholic should read and understand. But the most significant contribution of this book is the way in which it exposes the relationship between St. John's Revelation and the Church's celebration of the Liturgy. While Hahn claims that these truths have been held by the Church since the beginning of Christianity, almost all of this information was new to me as a cradle Catholic. This book has truly transformed the way in which I approach every Mass. With the possible exception of some poorly chosen subtitles, The Lamb's Supper is nothing less than 5 stars!

I enjoyed Dr. Hahn's insights as he related the Lambs supper to so much of the book of Revelation. Silent Witnesses in the Gosples by Allan F. Wright is also recommended for those interested in Scripture insights.

This book has an abundance of profound observations of both praise and constructive criticism of the American political system, delivered in a richly eloquent and distinctly objective manner by a young Nineteenth Century French aristocrat/lawyer with a very impressive grasp of enduring political reality. The heart of Tocqueville's message is twofold: (1) his praise of Americans' voluntary associations as prime examples of what results from individuals pursuing enlightened self-interest, and (2) his warning that American democracy has the potential to devolve into pervasive majoritarian tyranny by an all-powerful central government covering the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules and treating citizens like children or timid and industrious animals, in perpetuity. In other words, he accurately predicted the out-of-control bureaucracy and rule by opinion poll which is now inflicting its hypnotic popular tyranny upon us. END

Toqueville's work unquestionably will last for as long as human nature remains the same. Certainly, it is diverting to read accounts about the topography and anachronistically idiosyncratic habits of the inhabitants of America over a century ago; the fundamental value of his work, however, lies in his acute understanding of human nature that does not change throughout time. I must, however, qualify this statement, since there is only one Book, the author of which I am in utter agreement. One part of his book I disagree with concerns the ways of ending slavery. It was not nearly as dangerously problematic as he thinks, since most Western nations that had had slavery peacefully eradicated it, and America could have done so by several means. (One way, although a distinct compromise, could have been for philanthropists, abolitionists, and/ or government to requite the slave owners their money and thereby instantly free those enslaved.) Having said that, I wholeheartedly agree with much of the work, and think that more than most writers on the American polity, he truly perceives how certain tendencies of human nature are revealed in this particular society founded upon practical wisdom, personal responsibility, self-reliance, and faith. Many of his disquisitions on these tendencies that could be accentuated in American democracy are now more thought-provoking than ever. One prominent example is his understanding of an issue fundamental to Americans. He famously shows how they are pragmatically intent upon getting things done by combining in 'societies.' A problem could occur if ever the citizens in general become selfish and much less self-reliant: 'individualism' could arise. He articulates a bleak portrait of a society in which none care to take personal responsibility, but are willing to sacrifice freedom for temporary security. This is disquieting for modern society, and it would be well were more people to read his work and learn from it.

well this book to me seem to talk about how are system flows and the times have completly changed over the pass years. The author Tocqueville was very inspiring and very cunning in the ways he gather knowledge on this great nation I was very fascinated to read the words and see the fact and read the opinion of this very brilliant author. The book shows what pass democracy look like and showed what path he expected it to go. The times were he compares the government with the rest of other nations show how here we have organization and structure. How all the power is not under one rule but split with in different parts no one man is contrrolling everything. Well I am very impress with the book it shows and gives true meaning.

Who is 4 feet tall, 1 foot wide, and a 1/2 a inch thick?
Stanley Lambchop is!!
Stanley Lambchop is an average boy. He leads an ordinary life... Until one night an enormous bulletin board falls on him and suddenly makes him flat. Stanley being flat had turned into an adventure for him. He gets to stop crime, gets to be mailed, gets to be flown like a kite, and many more things. But there is only one bad thing about being flat for Stanley. It is... Will he ever return to his normal size and have his normal life again? Well you will find out when you read this book Flat Stanley!!
Katie

Finally I've found Flat Stanley!! I read this wonderful book when I was a small child and was thrilled by Stanley's situation. In fact, it is one of the only stories I can still vividly recall from my TV-infested childhood. (And it still affects me-- to this day I have NEVER put a bulletin board above my bed or anything big for that matter!!!). As I grew older, I lost track of my copy of the book-- but would always ask friends if they remembered it when the converstation turned to children's literature. Surprisingly, not many people had heard of the story-- which, of course, inspired me to find the book and bring back a classic to my friends, nieces and nephews. So, I scoured bookstores old and new to find it. And I was without luck-- until now. With the help of my computer and Amazon.com I have, again, found Flat Stanley. So, I'm ordering a bunch of copies-- for myself and my family-- and I'm thrilled that Stanley will find a place once again on my bookshelf -- and will hopefully remain there for years to come. I can't wait for him to get here!!!

This is the cute story of a little boy named Stanley. He wakes up one morning flat. He was flattened by a bulletin board that fell on him. Stanley finds many advantages to being flat- he is able to catch art robbers and be flown as a kite. He also finds many disadvantages to being flat.

This book is a great book for opening discussion with your child-What are the advantages of being you? What do you wish you could change? How can you change? and so on.

This is also a great book for letting your child make his own flat stanley and send it off to friends for an adventure. Many schools are doing this now. A great way to teach geography. There is a website based on this type of activity a search for flat travelers should bring it up.

Well worth the money.
Enjoy.