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My boys and I listen to this in the car; they beg me to leave the car turned on "just a little longer" once we arrive at our destination so that we can finish a chapter. Jim Weise is our favorite narrarator, and we are learning all kinds of history. MUST have for all children.

I am so glad I bought this! My 7 year old daughter had a hard time paying attention to the subject matter....she prefers more pictures. She enjoys the audiobook and follows along with her book. I am free to do housework and can still enjoy the story of the world...you moms know about multitasking! I would highly recommend this. The storyteller keeps it interesting.

We really enjoy using the CDs with the books. Keep in mind, however, that the CDs don't include the illustrations that are in the books. These make a great supplement, but I wouldn't use them to REPLACE the books.

The first 100 pages are the hardest to get through, but once Collins ushers his readers and protagonist alike into the isolated gloom of Limmeridge House it becomes plain why this is one of the most celebrated mysteries ever written. The lead couple is rather bland, in particular the heroine, but that weakness is more than compensated for by the presence of such memorable characters as the clever, resourceful Marian Halcombe and the insidious Count Fosco. The tale of greed, murder, madness, revenge and conspiracy that unfolds is well worthy of being considered one of the best and most influential gothic novels of all time.

I am so glad I read this book. What a treat! The names even fit the characters. It was a wonderful book and I now look forward to reading Moonstone.

This was my first time reading Wilkie Collins. I loved it. I truly didn't expect what happened to happen. It was a great mystery and kept me very entertained.

Similar to Wilkie Collins other masterpiece, The Moonstone, various characters narrate sections of The Woman in White and the story is told as the characters look back on what has already happened. This method of building a mystery is fantastic because we, as readers, also become sleuths in the mystery that takes place. Collins ability to get into characters heads enhances the level of suspense, and gives it a sense that we are right there with them.

In The Woman in White, Walter Hartright decides to take a job as a drawing instructor at the Fairlie House, where Laura Fairlie, Miriam Holcombe, and Laura's uncle reside. Once there, Walter is enchanted with the beauty of Laura, but discovers that Laura's uncle has already arraigned a marriage between Laura and Sir Percival, a diabolical man whose interests lay mainly in greed and deception. While there, Walter has a few strange incidents, one of these being an encounter with a mysterious woman in white who appears to have run away from an asylum. Walter is a little distraught after this encounter, wondering why she appeared and what she could have wanted from him. Things get more extraordinary as this random encounter seems to propel Walter into the Fairlie family secrets, and a villainous scheme by Laura's husband Sir Percival and his accomplice, the equally ruthless Count Fosco. Walter finds himself right in the middle of Sir Percival's plan, which is to not only take the Fairlie fortune but "rid" himself of various individuals one way or another. Walter, with the aid of Laura and Miriam, tries to foil this plan.

Collins has an extraordinary method of creating plot, tying all loose ends, all the while having intricate and complex narratives and twists. Moreover, he is a suburb storyteller, and although some may not like his deeply detailed methods, I feel that these give credence to character and story depth. There is a dark Gothic kind of feel to The Woman in White; it is a perfect read for a cold, rainy, thundery night. Heroes, villains, deception, twists, turns, secrets revealed, and supernatural elements: The Woman in White is a page turner despite its daunting length.

For sheer mystery and excitement," The Woman in White ", was unmatched in the genre of 19th century literature. That is what one must keep in mind when reading this extraordinary novel. Written in 1860, nothing approaching it had ever been attempted, and if the New York Times best seller list had been in existence at the time, it would have topped the list for countless numbers of weeks. Like many authors of the period, the book was serialized, and it was followed voraciously by tens of thousands of readers. It continued to remain popular when published in book form. For those who relish an intricate plot, serendipitous chance coincidences filled with its share of villains, heroes, and fragile heroines in distress, along with a modicum of amateur detective work, then this is the novel that will entertain and satisfy those who are avid readers of the likes of Dickens, Conan Doyle, and Thackeray.

I read these books out of order: The Favoured Child first (found it disturbing, a bit soap operay, but it had a tremendous hold on me), Wildacre (liked this the best) and then read Meridon. Meridon felt like a faded photocopy of the first two. The "wandering to Widacre in a daze" storyline was not believable, and I found her pre-knowledge of Widacre just completely implausible. I was willing to suspend my disbelief for "The Favoured Child" because the book seemed to be about someone with haunting dreams, but it was overdone in "Meridon." I also found the tension in this book weaker, the characters less complex and the entire thing just much less original and shaded. With the first two books, there was dimension to the characters--love-hate relationships, lies, etc. This was a sloppy job. The entire circus part of the book was never fully concluded. If I sound especially grumpy it's because "The Other Boelyn Girl" was the first Gregory book I read and these other three seem like they were written by a much weaker, less insightful writer. I probably wouldn't be quite so critical if "The Other Boelyn Girl" hadn't blown me away...

Easily my favorite of the Wideacre books, partly because of all the horsey parts (I like horses...) Also I find Meridon to be the most likable of the Wideacre characters- and surprisingly a lot more 'normal,' despite the fact that she is descended from two sets of brother/sisters. I think this book's plot benefits from the fact that the majority of the story takes place outside of the Wideacre property. The first two seemed to stale from the lack of movement- stuck in the same environment. Even when Julia left for Bath in the Favored Child, it seemed forced. Anyway, I regress. Meridon has a lively plot, well-developed characters, and ends happily- all things I like in a book I'm reading for fun. I also don't feel that you HAVE to read the other two to necessarily enjoy this one- so if you gave up one of the others because it freaked you out, you could still enjoy this one.

I don't think I'd recommend this series - too lengthy and too unpleasant and not enough real history. Somewhat interesting but not totally satisfying. Ending OK but not great. This series is strange, but probably believable for that time period.

I loved this book! Wonderful storyline, keeps you interested until the very end. I found myself thinking about this book all the time. I had to finish it to find out what happened at the end.

You'll love it!

After finishing "The Favored Child" , I greatly anticipated Meridon and it did not dissapoint.

Meridon is the child of Julia Lacey, given away at birth to Gypsies.

She and her sister, Dandy, are sold by her stepfather to a Equestrian and Trapeze traveling show as teens. Meridon tries very hard to keep the myschevious Dandy from causing problems with this situation, but in the end, Meridon finds herself alone, going where she doesnt know. She ends up on Wideacre and is determined to be the long lost Sarah Lacey.

She struggles and torments herself awfuly by trying to fit into a society that she does not know and leave her gypsy ways behind. She is hardened, convinced she will never love and sees her land as power, regardless of the cost of the workers. A LifeChanging transformation happens and Meridon realizes what IS important.

I liked this book very much!. I did not feel an affinity immediatly to Meridon as I did for Julia in The Favored Child, but she quickly grew on me. The transformation that takes place when she is ill was really interesting and reminded me of similar instances referenced in my mythology class. A character becomes ill, deathly, and then immerges a new person. Meridon was perhaps not a new person totally, but she seemed more at peace with her feelings and able to share them and FEEL.

The end of the book was the best part,IMO. Had a similar theme to "The Other Boylen Girl" and all of Gregory's novels..women living in a time when society and their familes forced them to act a certain way and do certain things. What brave women to stand up against those people and "what was right" and say "No, this is NOT what I want, nor who I want to be."

The book's strategy offers a simple method for identification for properties, including how to approach owners AND lenders. Sending attractive offers such as short sales and how to wait out lender approval. This is a very good read for beginners wanting to enter into the foreclosure market, especially in the current situation of higher interest rates and lower consumer demand for real estate. There will be a spike of foreclosures.

-Matt
Illustrator for The Ultimate Foreclosure Kit

This book provides a very general overview of the foreclosure process, but it provides very little specific information that you would actually need. This book might be a good resource to the novice (like myself), but it does not get you all the way there. Try checking out a real estate investors blog.

This material is good basic information for anyone wanting to get started in buying potential foreclosure properties. Begins by explaining basic terms and processes - eg. mortgage foreclosures lead to Sheriff's Sales, while Deeds of Trust lead to "Trustee's Sales" and lack a redemption period (owners can buy back their property during this period, leaving you with nothing to show for your effort, though you do get your money back).

On average, foreclosure buyers have 90 days + 20 days publication time to work a deal with the homeowners. Buying from onwers prior to foreclosure also eliminates the redemption period. FHA and VA loans are much more likely to be assumable.

Buying at auction means having to contend with competitors, an inability to inspect the property prior to bidding, and all sales being final. After foreclosure one is less likely to get a good price, it is harder to inspect the property (utilities probably turned off).

Finding foreclosure properties is eased by looking in public records for "Lis Pendens" (judicial process) or the "Notice of Default" (non-judicial process); there is also the later Foreclosure Auction notice. Other sources include looking in the newspaper of record and/or the County Recorder database. Still other sources include divorce proceedings (likely problems with the lawyers involved), probate filings, FSBO listings, Internet sites (eg. foreclosure(s).com, street signs, Internet ads.

Author also recommends a full title search ($100-$350), and contracts written "Subject to" eg. inspections.

Excellent book, writer F. Orlando give's Great insight to
the whole foreclosure process and the way to approach
this business investment. Book written in Easy to read
style, with good legal issues to consider in this business.
Great Read!

i wanted to learn about investing in foreclosures so i purchased this book. it's full of resources and solid advice. it's obvious that the writer has much experience in this field. the writing is easy to read and humorous at times. highly recommended.

This book has everything from parent involvement to parent teacher conferencing to the very best history of parent education/involvement that I have EVER seen.

If you can't find any book by Kevin Swick, then get this one. Heck! Get 'em both! You can never do with enough ways to get parents involved with children during the early years.

This book is comprehensive and easy to follow. It is useful for understanding the various perspectives of both teachers and families. I think it is essential for new teachers, as well as those who may feel the need to prioritize and start putting families and communication first!

[...]

This text supplies new teachers with necessary information to understand the importance of parent involvement- "parents as partners"- in education.

ME ENCANTARIA QUE ME DIJERAN COMO PUEDO CONSEGUIR UNA COPIA DE ESTE EJEMPLAR TAN INTERESANTE. SOY ESTUDIANTE DE MAESTRIA Y SE QUE ME SERVIRA DE GRAN AYUDA EN UN CURSO QUE ESTOY TOMANDO ESTE SEMESTRE.

GRACIAS MIL, CARLOS A. SILVA-RUIZ

This is a very good book, it doesn't only focus on teachers but on parents and student as well. This book is easy to read, not heavy scientific language, and has very beautiful pictures. As a student and a mother I surely find everything I wish to read and know about "parents as partners in education". Thank you for a great book!

#1 Best Selling Price Guide is a MUST:

The official RED BOOK a guide book to United States Coins R.S.Yeoman ed. Kenneth Bressett, 61th edition, Whitman, 2009.

Best in organization, easy of use, pictures, illustrations, & data, also the most popular. Whitman's RED BOOK is an essential guide, indispensable requisite and required handbook with up-to-date numismatic information.

Best of the best in the area of numismatics have contributed to this volume, the most notable, respected, knowledgeable and distinguished numismatist were consulted for the 61th edition.

165 plus prominent coin collectors auctioneers, and museums contributed directly to the 2009 Red Book Guide, Bressett, Jeff Garrett, Tom Hallenbeck, Steve Contursi, Ira & Larry Goldberg, Bill Fivaz, David Akers, Silvano DiGenova, the Smithsonian Institution, Heritage Galleries, the ANA money museum, Stack's Rare Coins, Superior Galleries, the United States Mint, and several dozens more.

The guide has some problems, notable some errors occurred and as I mentioned earlier "All" prices guides without exception are outdated by the time is printed, mainly due to market conditions, collector interest, commodities volatility, speculators, currency value, supply & demand, among others.

Numismatics is a hobby as any other do not expect a handsome return on your investment, at least not a monetary one. Have fun. Good luck.

This is a must be coin book for U.S. coin collectors. Very informative and much improved edition compare to the previous issues. I would highly recommend this to everyone collecting U.S. coins and its territories!

This is a great book. I think the ideas here will change the world!

Excellent philosophy on the intelligence algorithm in mammals, neatly condensed into a computer-programmable structure.

My primary gripe is that the author blindly, almost pretentiously, assumes that all intelligence comes from within the brain, and that everything is contained and deterministic. I don't blame him, but he could have spent at least a sentence acknowledging the possibility of self-determinism, rather than poorly debunking it. I think there is still potential for a continuum of self-determinsim, regressing to this algorithm when fully or partially absent.

If nothing else, however, this book describes a good algorithm for the projection of true intelligence on the mechanical universe perceived by the author. Now, go make some smart robots!

This is an excellent and intriguiging book. I have been studying this topic quite a lot recently and the most interesting aspects were the realization of the internal structures of the cortex. Also, the idea that each of the senses just sends a "pattern stream" of information that can be interpreted by the brain using the same algorithm--no matter what type it is--was a revelation.
Some of his explanations of how the cortex layers, V1, V2, V4 and IT worked as a little hazy but perhaps I just dropped some connections.
For anyone wishing to learn in depth how the brain works, this book is a gotta read.

Awesome until the middle chapters give you a very convoluted and spectulaticve take on this theory. Nice Beginning and End chapters though...

First the "facts":

Jeff Hawkings is not a scientist as many reviewers accurately point out. While he reviews some of the cutting edge approaches to artificial intelligence, his goal is definitely not to educate readers on these ideas, merely to give you an idea of the general mindset of these schools of thought.

In stark contrast to the "modern science", Hawkings spends most of the book discussing a novel and more holistic idea about the basic function of the brain and how this kind of perspective would influence the creation of Artificial Intelligence. The story is simple and compelling, a very stimulating and satisfying idea. While Hawkings does dive down into some very technical science as grounding points for his approach, he spends most of the book talking suggesting very accessible human behaviors and how they would be explained in his framework.

In this regard, the book is interesting and accessible to most readers. Advanced readers will find his more technical sections insightful and interesting, but not to the detriment of the casual reader.


Now the editorial:

To put it mildly, there's a reason why the greatest scientific minds seem to explode out of nowhere. The scientific establishment has a way of deciding that a certain thing is true and then using its systematic bureaucratic power to "box out" alternative ideas. This stifles variety and forces the most brilliant people (with right answers) to find unconventional channels for their insights.

After identifying the mainstream philosophies, Hawkins offers a paradigm shift in the approach to "intelligence". Instead of getting bogged down in the micro-advances of "modern science", he says, "What if the mind worked this other way?" He then carries this theme through diverse schools of thought, identifying both strong links to human behavior and existing science. While the details of his concept may not be quite right, the general concept has a simplicity and elegance both in the science and in how it can be seen in human nature. Even more amazing is the way that his simple premise explains so many things outside his "domain", a compelling test for new theories.

In my somewhat limited exposure to the subject, I suspect that the basic idea is so powerful that it (or something like it) will shatter the modern study of intelligence. At the same time, it is such a paradigm shift that the mainstream will no doubt ignore it for quite a while.

In that respect, this book offers a compelling and promising idea that is both accessible to an average reader and worth consideration by an expert in the field. This is a MUST READ for curious minds.

If you use just one or two tips from this book (and you will) it is worth the investment in time and money. It is well written with simple concise instructions and advice. A little humor goes a long way toward making this an easy enjoyable read.

I have no read the entire book, however at a glance, I can see that there are many helpful ideas. Surely worth the $

Dobra ksiaka dla pracujacych samotnie lub dla tych, ktorych pracownicy zostawili "na lodzie". Zawiera sporo przykaldow jak dac s obie rad samemu. Autor zwraca te uwag na to, e niektóre prace powinny zostac wykonane przez podwykonawców ze wzgledu na wymagane doswiadczenie lub regulacje prawne. Polecam. Wydane pieniadze nie beda zmarnowane. Jest to dobra inwestycja.

This is a book I saw on store shelves for a while, then couldn't find it anywhere. So, I was very pleased to find it online. It is everything I was expecting, very informative. Lots of useful information for doing carpentry work, that may need a helper for a short time. A great deal of help if you don't need the helper longer than a few minutes.

If you have never done any type of construction, buy this book. Even if you have only visited a construction site once in your life this book is below your expectations. The majority of the book is showing that taking two pieces of wood nailed at 90 degrees with a triangle placed perpendicular to the joint in different jobs. I thought I would learn something new but I was wrong. I would have returned it but it would cost just as much to ship it back as it cost in the first place.

when i first read 'pictures of hollis woods', i was just starting seventh grade. i think that the main character not being able to fit in with the orphanages she goes to can also apply to teenage life, in a sense. some teens cant fit in with other classmates or friends, and they could kind of, confide, if you will, in hollis' character.
i also think its nice how the book goes from hollis' life with josie, and then to flashbacks, which help explain the book more fully.
all in all, its a good book; its worth the read.

Orphaned Hollis Woods seems destined to spend the rest of her childhood bouncing from one foster home to another. When she lands in the care of an elderly art teacher, Hollis begins to relax in the gentle and encouraging home. As Hollis's love for her new foster mother, Josie, grows, so does her awareness that Josie is losing her faculties - a fact which must be hidden from the dreaded caseworker's watchful eye. Interwined in the story of the present, Hollis reminisces through her artwork of the past that depicts another home that was dearly cherished. The pictures tell a tale of love, the hope of a family, and the shattered dream under mysterious circumstances. Will Hollis lose yet another loved one as her caretaker mentally fades? Why did Hollis leave the family she'd wished for? Will her caseworker succeed in finding Hollis a forever home? These questions will compel the reader to know the conclusions and hope for happiness for Hollis at last.

Wow, is the book over already? If you're looking for an outstanding book, I would definitely highly recommend the book called "Pictures of Hollis Woods". It is about a girl named Hollis. She is a foster child. Hollis runs away from almost every family she is brought to, even the family called Regans, who were respsecful and treated her like their real child. She is finally sent to a lady named Josie. After staying a while, she is pretty sure this is her future-to stay with Josie. This book is a book you wouldn't regret reading. Everyone would enjoy it. It's one of those books that warms your heart after reading every last word. This book is awesome. If you ever need to pick up a book and you don't know what to read, here's your answer; "Picture of Hollis Woods". See, it's only 4 words! So pick up the book and enjoy. You won't regret it!

Hollis is the girl every educator and social worker experiences frustration with. This story paints the entire picture of a troubled child's life and what it takes to "fix it." Often what kids need isn't something they can find in school. Every teacher and social worker should read this book!

Pictures of Hollis Woods is a bittersweet story that makes you take life for granted and recongize the mistkes you've made.Hollis is a feisty foster child but underneath has a sweet spot.I loved this book,and it is probably one of my favorites.