Product Description
This entertaining follow-up to DK's popular Go Figure!, Why Pi? presents even more mind-bending ways to think about numbers. This time, author Johnny Ball focuses on how people have used numbers to measure things through the ages, from the ways the ancient Egyptians measured the pyramids to how modern scientists measure time and space.
Johnny Ball has hosted more than 20 UK children's television series about math and science. He is known for making math not just easy to understand, but genuinely fun and fascinating. His shows and videos earned him a New York international EMMY nomination, a BAFTA, and 10 other awards. He has written five children's books, including DK's Go Figure!, and an educational musical. His academic credentials include three honorary science doctorates and fellowship of the British Mathematical Association. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great for curious minds
I picked this up through Scholastic ordering at my childs school.He's an advanced first grader, and loves this book.It's written in bite-sized paragraphs (perfect for short attention spans!) full of interesting information.It's made to be able to be read for a page or two and picked up again later if needed...or make it one long sitting and re-read as needed.Bright colors and interesting pictures help fill out information ranging from ancient measurement techniques, discoveries by Copernicus, Galileo and Newton (to mention a few), measuring temperature, energy, electricity, light, pressure and sound.Lot's of good stuff here, and I'm only touching the surface.It's a good place to get your kids feet wet in why math and science are interesting.It's been good for the whole family to browse.

Great for Kids and Adults
This book introduces many mathematical concepts while giving you the history of these concepts.The ideas are clearly presented in an entertaining way that makes it hard to stop reading.I found it to be educational and engaging.My wife and I are reading this at the same time as our kids, the book keeps moving around our house as each person takes off with it when it is left unattended. ... Read more

Product Description

A reputable dentist from a venerable medical family, Shane Howard wants Loy to find his lost daughter after receiving a set of photographs featuring nineteen-year-old Emily in provocative poses. But a simple missing persons case rapidly devolves into something even more sordid and grisly when two of the players are savagely slain. And it's only the beginning.

Customer Reviews (11)

An Irish Ross McDonald
Read this, the first in the series, and promptly ordered all the others. Felt the same way I did the summer I discovered Ross McDonald. Sometimes the hero's pain is pretty brutal to bear. I like a detective on the edge, one not entirely convinced he wants to go on living, or that anyone is worth saving-- makes for the least predicable outcomes.

The second Dublin thriller featuring Ed Loy, P. I.
Well, I've just finished this second Declan Hughes Ed Loy crime thriller and have to disagree with another reviewer--it's not as good as THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD, the debut novel.
Sure, there's that intriguing and clever opening first sentence that ropes you into the book.And there's that shocking conclusion that's really shocking.I was intrigued by the first sentence and shocked by the conclusion in both books!
I titled my review of the first Ed Loy "An Irish Ross MacDonald" and compared the book to MacDonald's "The Drowning Pool," the second Lew Archer crime novel.Family blood and betrayal in both, I declared.
After I finished THE COLOR OF BLOOD, I added another word. COLOR is about a hunt for a prominent Dublin dentist's daughter.Secrets are revealed. Hughes writes about family blood, betrayal and secrets.

Tim Ruttan of the Los Angeles Times quoted an interview with Declan Hughes in his review April 14, 2010 of Ed Loy #5 just published. Hughes talks about the Holy Trinity of hard-boiled crime novelists:

"I think it's Ross Macdonald I'm most influenced by. If Hammett took murder out of the rose garden and put it back in the alley where it belongs, Macdonald told you about the kid who'd been dumped in the alley, found out that he was from a family with more than a little loot, and then took you into their house to leaf through the family album... That `family gothic' spoke to me, because Irish society is still pretty tribal, and because, despite the impression Irish people give that we're open and friendly and candid, there's a lot we don't want to tell you -- a lot of skeletons in our closets."

But don't miss this second Ed Loy!It's a confusing but geniune Irish "family gothic" tale.

DNF - Not for me
First Sentence:The last case I worked, I found a sixteen-year-old girl for her father; when she told me what he had done to her, I let her stay lost.

PI Ed Loy has been hired to find a dentist's teenaged daughter.The girl's porn filmmaker ex-boyfriend turns up dead and the family seems to no longer care what has happened to the girl.With plenty of suspects from whom to chose, Ed is on his own in sorting this case.

I tried three times to get into this book and just couldn't get past the portents and the stereotypical characters.There were too many characters, none of them likeable or well developed.

The plot was hackneyed and bordered on silly.It just was not interesting to me.I found it a trial to get as far into it as I did.

Mr. Hughes and I are just not made for each other.

Over the Top
This is the second installment of the Ed Loy series - Ed is a Dublin PI, transplanted to LA and now back in Ireland. He's hired to find the daughter - who may or may not be involved in the world of pornography - of a somewhat reputable family and very quickly finds himself thrashing around in a family closet full of skeletons. The Color of Blood is a roller coaster ride from start to finish - murders, fires, sex, kidnappings - poor Ed doesn't sleep, rarely eats and is fueled by alcohol. A lot of spaghetti is thrown at the wall and though some of it sticks this reads like a Raymond Chandler meets Hunter S. Thompson meets Emeril hybrid - Plot development is accomplished by simply "Kicking it up a notch" with one spectacular event/revelation after another. So although this book is entertaining, at times it borders on incoherent with far too many twists and turns, red herrings, shootings, beatings and characters, leaving this reader sometimes confused and often incredulous.

Stealth Stinker
This book had the feel of a good read at first. But when I couldn't keep track of the characters, I realized that they were poorly-drawn and cliched. And speaking of cliches, the plot twists are out of a bad soap opera. "His REAL father is...", and characters shooting each other as they die. Phew! ... Read more

Product Description
In the 4,000-year history of research into pi, results have never been as prolific as at present. This book describes, in easy-to-understand language, the latest and most fascinating findings of mathematicians and computer scientists in the field of pi. Attention is focused on new methods of high-speed computation. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the source code of all programs described, algorithms for pi computation, instructions for testing hardware with programs for pi computation, and complete high-precision libraries.

System requirements: HTML document in a standard CD-ROM file system (ISO 9660), platform-independent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good introduction to pi
This book, together with the accompanying CD, is directed towards the decimal expansion of the number pi.The authors' account of the history of the development of this topic is illuminating.They discuss the recent results of Kanada's and Borweins', and Ramanujan's.Their exhaustive list of mathematical formulas of pi is helpful.However, if the reader is mathematically oriented, be warned that very few proofs are provided for these formulas.

Indispensable for the Pursuits on Contemporary Pi Calculation
"PI Unleashed" of Jorg Arndt and Christoph Haenel's has seventeen chapters, one appendix, and one CDROM. The first chapter presents a brief history on pi calculation. Generally speaking, we are in the 3rd era of pi calculation, which began around 1980. This era has three major developments. They are the development of high speed: (1) multiplications of large numbers, (2) algorithms on calculating pi, and (3) computers. Since 1980, the number of known pi digits grows twice (200%) per year. The new goal now is to calculate individual digits at the far end of pi. By BBP algorithm, one is able to calculate any digits of pi without calculating any prior digits. The 2nd era began around 1650. Since then the arc tan method dominated the pi calculation until 1980. The method of the 1st era (250BC-1650) is to calculate the circumferences of the two regular polygons placed inside and outside of a circle.

The methods on high speed multiplication for large numbers are introduced on chapter 11. They are the Fast Fourier Transform and Karatsuba multiplication. Chapter 6 through 10 introduces the algorithms. They are the spigot algorithm, Gauss AGM algorithm (a popular algorithm), Ramanujan's algorithm (50 correct decimal places per term), Borweins' algorithms (every iteration generates four to five times more digits than the previous iteration), and the BBP algorithm. Other than supercomputer, the Internet is a valuable computing resource. The binsplit algorithm enables pi to be distribute computed by the computers on the Internet.

The CDROM comes with a few extreme precision library packages. One of them is hfloat. The author of hfloat is Jorg Arndt, which is also one of the authors of the book. The appendix of the book documents the hfloat library. By utilizing the library and the provided algorithms, one is able to calculate pi up to million of digits with ease. The high precision arithmetic is generally the most difficult and the most challenging part of a pi program. The CDROM also comes with a tutorial on how to write a C program on calculating pi without using somebody else high precision library. In such a scenario, one has to write his own high precision function on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root. Other tutorial includes fast Fourier transform.

One may wonder the motivations on calculating trillion of digits of pi. Other than the world record, the digits can be used to test computer system and as a source of new discoveries. In addition, pi appears in many branches of mathematics.

One of many recent pieces on pi
Why the flood of books on pi (do a search, you'll see)? And why calculate its decimal expansion to enormous numbers of places? Is number mysticism having a revival?

Certainly there are many fascinating theorems involving pi, which is one of the two most important transcendental numbers (the other being e) and which shows up unexpectedly in many different branches of mathematics. These books are well worth reading to learn those theorems, those lovely, unexpected formulas, and the interesting history.

If you are a trained mathematician, the best of these books by far is the recent one by Eymard and Lafon, but it is very difficult.

My complaint about all these books is that not one of them proves that pi exists! I meanpi is defined as the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of any circle; in order for that definition to make sense, one must prove that ratio to be constant. But that ratio is only constant in Euclidean geometry, not hyperbolic or elliptic geometries, so the proof depends on the Euclidean parallel postulate and is not at all obvious.

There is a proof in the book by Moise "Elementary Geometry from an Advanced Viewpoint."

This book is a good one, its main competition being the good one by Posamentier and Lehmann.

Have your pi and eat it too
A must have for the pi gourmet. Ever since reading Beckman's "History of Pi" years ago, I have had a love for pi. Finding Blatner's "The Joy of Pi" only added to it. With "Pi-Unleashed", Arndt and Haenel help to sate the appetite for more pi left by the first two books. While Beckman weaves the tale of pi as only he can in his book, and Blatner does indeed bring joy to the pi lover in the way he pulls together so many aspects of pi, Arndt and Haenel help to satisfy the number junkie who likes to experience pi, not just read about it. This book was so good that after giving it a good sniffing, I just had to roll all over in it to get its scent all over me. The book covers the many roads to pi, from the oldest arctangent series and product series to the latest series used for calculating hundreds of billions of digits. For the algorithm junkie, it has 17 whole pages of nothing but pi formulas, followed by thousands of digits of pi in decimal and hexadecimal as well as continued fraction format. The mathematics is deeper than Beckman or Blatner, but nothing beyond college level. The CD that comes with the book contains 400 million digits of pi along with a whole slew of programs on pi or high precision numbers that I just had to dig into. I know I will be spending many weeks chewing on all the wonderful new bones offered in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Winner of the Best Director Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.

A phenomenon since it opened in New York in the summer of 1998, and on its way to becoming a cult classic, Pi is a work of dazzling originality-a science fiction thriller about the haunting journey into the genius mind of a renegade visionary.A brilliant and troubled man, Max Cohen is on the verge of the most important discovery of his life. For the past ten years he has been attempting to decode the numerical pattern beneath the ultimate system of ordered chaos-the stock market. As Max verges on a solution, chaos is swallowing the world around him. He is pursued by an aggressive Wall Street firm set on financial domination as well as by a Kabbalah sect intent on unlocking the secrets behind its ancient holy texts. Max races to crack the code, hoping to defy the madness that looms before him. In succeeding, he uncovers a secret everyone is willing to kill for.Also included with the screenplay is a full journal of how Darren Aronofsky made this award-winning film on a minuscule budget of $60,000, providing practical advice and inspiration to film students and offering film buffs rare insight into how an independent film is made.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Joy of Filming: Guerilla Style!
Go see the FILM FIRST before you read this...it's a guide to fellow screenwriters as well as an enjoyable journal of guerilla style filmmaking.I just wished it would cover the dates and stories of what happened AFTERthe sundance awards.It's covers alot of personal tribulations but notenough on the financial side of making an independent film.A cute littlesmooth cover but a bit overpriced, i thought.

Two Words:GREAT BOOK
Not only does this book have the screenplay for the movie, but it also has the journal entries form the director to show you what he had to go through to make this a perfect film.Very interestingly written, you can makevisuals in your head just by the details the writer/director goes into.Iwould recommend this book to any one with an open mind.And when your donereading this book go out to the video store and see the movie for yourself.Remember: Keep an open mind! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

The Fourth and the Final
Lori G. Armstrong weaves a tale of elder abuse seemlessly with the dangerous world of the Hombres in this fourth and sadly final tale in the Julie Collins Series. Well written and plotted the ever fearless Julie faces mortality and the mine field that is her relatiosnhip with Hombres El Presidente Tony Martinez head on. She continues her pursuit of the truth, with her now recognizable bravado that is sure to have mystery fans cheering her and her ever present cast of secondary characters on as they uncover the truth, whatever the cost.

SNOW BLIND is a page turning and somewhat eye opening tale of mystery, deceit and is proof that even the most clever and cunning of PI's can be lead astray by a pretty face.

A fitting end to an exceptional series. Bravo Ms. Armstrong, Julie Collins and SNOW BLIND are a perect 10!

Snow Blind by Lori Armstrong
As usual, Lori Armstrong has written yet another "page turner" to keep you on the edge of your seat. The language is a bit rough at times, but that is keeping with the "Julie" character. Armstrong never fails to entertain and carry you through each investigation she persues. Due to this story, my eyes have been opened to how frequently the innocent are taken advantage. Hats off to our hometown-girl. Great read! When is the next one coming out?

This is a jam packed book!
This latest installment actually felt like three books wrapped in one.There was so much going on but it was a real page turner.****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT***The book summary makes it seem like the time she was with her father was a large part of the book, but it really wasn't.I was actually dreading that part, based on her past history with her father, but it wasn't a large part of the book at all.***END SPOILER ALERT***All in all this was such a jam packed book with so many twists and turns that it kept me reading well into the night.I hope this isn't the last installment in the series, there are still so many directions for Julie and Kevin.I highly recommend this book and the other installments also.

Don't miss this one
Can Julie Collins survive a brutal Bear Butte County winter? What's going to happen with her dangerous boyfriend? Do Not Miss This One!!

Another worthy entry from Armstrong
Snow Blind, the fourth and perhaps final Julie Collins mystery, is every bit as satisfying as the first three.

Julie Collins is not always a likable character. In fact, all of the central characters in the Armstrong series are flawed, some very much so. Julie is no exception, smoking and drinking, outwardly defiant to cover the wounds of abuse and rape in her past. Her relationship with Tony Martinez is still on shaky ground, her partner is acting completely unlike himself, and Julie must come to grips for once and for all with her father, stepmother, and step sister as she struggles to find the internal strength to match her external toughness.

The weather is the unifying factor in Snow Blind, the bitter cold of a South Dakota winter overshadowing all and moving the pieces around the game. Armstrong's evocative writing made me feel the crunch and creak of snow underfoot on a deeply cold night.

I won't give away any of the plot but I highly recommend Snow Blind and the rest of this series. Buy them. All of them. They will be on your keeper shelf. ... Read more

Product Description
Vampires from around the globe are gathering in New York City to attend meetings of their worldwide Grand Council. Unfortunately someone is methodically hunting the delegates and killing them. The undead community has given their host, Tortego, an ultimatum. Find the killer and stop the deaths or face a loss of his power. Despite putting his best vampires on the matter, all efforts have so far failed. In desperation the panicked vampire chief turns once more to Mark Julian for help. But this time that may not solve the problem. Since his last encounter with New York City's Detective Vinnie Pasquale, Mark Julian had become a drunken recluse who had closed up his private eye offices. When Tortego approaches the newly sober Julian the P.I. agrees to seek out the deadly vampire hunter. The search is on but Jaime, his sex demon secretary, fears that the recently despondent Mark may not be fully up to the task and may wind up as the hunter's next victim. In the face of Mark's possible suicide mission will she step in with her fiancé's reluctant assistance? Will she call on Detective Vincent Pasquale to aid her in saving Mark Julian from a possible death? More importantly, how will he respond to her request? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Another great story for the vampire murder/mystery Lover
I loved the story!

Kyle Cicero delivered the goods in his wonderful characters of the vampire Tortega (from the Spanish Inquistion), Jaime the very hot sex-changing demon who dresses in the style of clothes from the '40's, her uber-sexy fiance a werewolf called Jean-Claude and Vinnie. The boyfriend and lover of Mark who is a broken man (can't give away the plot!)

I love the many characters that Cicero brings in as vampires from different parts of history. They are all interesting and make the story come alive and add to the storyline, far as I am concerned.

There are many threads laid out in this story that will take the reader happily to the next book which I am looking forward to reading!Murdering vampires by other vampires is never taken lightly. Two powerful leaders are now in New York in a game of 'who can spit farther!'

Mark has demons to kill on the outside and Vinnie has demons on the inside.

There is never a dull moment in his wonderful series!

I recommend this series to anyone who is interested in a good vampire series with lots of interesting characters, plots and all laid out in New York City.

Something wicked this way comes
Well, Kyle Cicero does NOT like love, not the way he keeps messing with it.And that's half the fun of the latest installment of his "Mark Julian..." series.This one is set around a critter convention, where vampires are suddenly being hunted down and slaughtered by someone who does NOT have the world's best interest at heart.It's also hurting the standing of top precinct captain, Tortego...I mean, head of the clans in New York City...so he calls Mark in to find out who's doing the murders and stop them by any means necessary.Problem is, Vinnie and Mark are on the outs and Mark's not in the best shape to do an investigation, so it's up to the intrepid Jaime and her stud werewolf prince, Jean-Claude, to kick his rear into gear.

This story holds the usual blend of fun and fear Kyle Cicero's put in the other tales, but I'm a bit let down by one aspect of it.At the end of the third book, we caught a glimpse of Mark Julian's true vampire nature and...well, me being the kind of guy who lives for his characters having both black and white souls...it held some major promise, but Kyle Cicero dumped on it with little more than a one-sentence reference to what didn't happen and I felt a bit cheated.Of course, when I was watching "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" religiously on TV, I kept shrugging off Angel as a goody-goody until he shifted back to what he truly was -- a killing machine without heart or soul -- and only THEN did that bad boy get interesting to me, and his and Buffy's struggles from that point were brilliant...right up to the point where she had to kill him and send him to hell.Maybe I was hoping for a repeat with Mark...oh, not the sending to hell part, just the struggles.Especially since he's got the hots for the very hetero Jean-Claude (and who could blame him?).Oh well.

Still fun and an easy read.And obviously something wicked in en route in the next story.Looking forward to it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Missing paragraphs
Unfortunately my copy (bought for daughter in last year of school - book mandatory for advanced English studies) was missing 7 chapters.

Unfortunately again - the 7 chapters missing form the book are of course the ones that the students are discussing and reviewing.

Unfortunately - and what a pain in the neck - I need to go and buy another copy of this book - one with the 7 chapters included.

I'll buy it in a real book store so I can check that the chapters are included.

Daughter (17 yrs) said the book was a pretty good read even if a chunk of it was missing. She really didn't understand the ending though - not until it was discussed at school.

My advice is to buy this book from another publisher.

Faith Life
Several interesting themes are explored in Yann Martel's novel, The Life of Pi.The thread that connects them all is the realization of faith.Whether people are faced with the uncertainty of fact or fiction, social inclusion or isolation, danger or peace, they must take an existential stand.The position can be simple relying heavily on a submissive belief in a deity.Life's large and small inconsistencies then are rationalized as God's will.The philosophical positions of many people include varying levels of complexity with or without a deity.For example, science can be the foundation of faith on which people build the temples of their lives.The complexity is the relative importance in the individual's unifying philosophy of faith and reason.

In the novel, Pi's life experiences cause him to travel from a simple to a complex view of the universe at an earlier age than most of us. His adventures illustrate the difficulty of counting on simple explanations of life with the illusion of a stable existence.The illusion is fostered by a distorted view of time and territory.Most of our lives we are time incompetent, lingering too long in the past and flying forward to the future. Inevitably something unexpected and unfamiliar enters our area of entitlement.Then time shrinks to the immediate and so does our zone of comfort.The ways that we respond to these unpredictable invasions determine the clarity of our faith.Rather than remaining narrow in our beliefs, at these times we can benefit from being ecumenical in our faith and human in our reactions.

Pi shows us many examples of the ways events initiate true integration of faith, reason, and behavior.The result of his insight into these happenings as a boy allow Pi the man to look at his current life with faithful acceptance of the largely inexplicable and irrational (3.14...) universe.

Closure?!
I enjoyed this book, although it was disturbing and truly haunted me. What was most haunting was the lack of closure, which was intended by the author (I can imagine), but without the closure that I typically get form a novel it was unexpected (in a bad way....)

Pi
This book was for a small local discussion group.

The read was engaging and our subsequent group discussion went in many intriguing directions:religion/spirituality vs. dogma, imagination, willingness to suspend belief, storytelling."The Life of Pi" is worth reading as it certainly is a well-told story.

If anyone can explain "the island", my book group would really appreciate some closure there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Sorority Life
Hayden Grant is starting her sophomore year and has one major goal in mind - to become a member of Beta Gamma Pi sorority. Ever since her mother pledged, she has wanted to become a member, and redeem her mom for pledging "paper" rather than go through the undergraduate process, while also becoming a part of a sisterhood. Hayden is surprised to find her friends no longer plan to pledge with her and she has to go at it alone, but she is not deterred.

Soon, Hayden finds herself in the midst of a pledge process and making decisions she never thought she would. In the midst of the drama, her leadership characteristics surface, but there's another side of her that takes over as well. Every one around her seems to notice but her, which causes even more problems. And if the drama with sorority life isn't enough, Hayden's new boyfriend also brings challenges and questions to her life. Before it's over, Hayden must learn several important lessons in order to succeed and be the woman she is trying to become.

WORK WHAT YOU GOT is the first novel in Stephanie Perry Moore's new inspirational teen series, Betta Gamma Pi.The first installment is full of drama teens, even those who aren't pledging a sorority, can relate to. She offers real-life situations with real life solutions without the preachy tone found in some inspirational novels. Moore also does a good job developing her plot and her characters. I may not be a teen, but I'm already looking forward to what will happen in the next installment. Check this one out and I suspect you will be too.

Reviewed by Criss Coles
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Different Angle
In Work What You Got, Hayden Grant is entering her sophomore year in college and is ready to pledge Beta Gamma Pi, her mom's sorority. Freshman year, she and her roommates were at every single function hosted by the Beta's, so it's a given that they are all going to be on line together. However, when Hayden returns to school, she learns that her friends may have other plans.

While Hayden is trying to pledge, maintain her grades, and keep the peace at home, her former study partner Creed makes his intentions known. With both of them pledging, they believe that they can juggle all of the craziness. Will that hold true when Beta Gamma Pi consumes Hayden's entire life?

Appealing was the history related to the sororities as well as God's presence and how when they were down someone suggested prayer. Regrettably, everything else was strained and discomfited. I had a very difficult time accepting the authenticity of the story and characters. While Work What You Got does have plenty of drama, I'm eager for an easier flow and tremendous growth in book two.

Reviewed by Nardsbaby
for Urban Reviews

Good Read
Hayden Grant, a sophomore in college, wanted to follow in her mom's footsteps and become a member of Beta Gamma Pi. She was sure her friends Myra, Bridget and Chandra were also going to pledge Beta, but they each made a different choice. Bridget wanted to make the Mu Eta Mu line, Myra wanted to pledge Rho Tau Nu and Chandra didn't care much for sororities.
Hayden wasn't sure she wanted to pledge Beta without Myra, Bridget and Chandra, but becoming a Beta meant a lot to her so she pledged alone. It wasn't long before she and her long-time friends drifted apart, but she found friends in her sorority sisters. She also found that Greek organizations didn't always live up to their founders (those who formed these organizations to make a difference in the community, stand on God's Word, lift each other up and get a good education) standards. Hayden wasn't sure she was strong enough to make it when the hazing started, but she was sure she could call on God in times of need.
There was quite a bit of drama in this one - boyfriend drama, ex-boyfriend drama, sorority sisters drama, family drama! And Soror Keisha (aka Big Sister Mean Machine), this girl had serious issues. As I turned the pages, I wasn't eager to find out what was going to happen next, but the story was interesting.

interesting young adult inspirational relationship drama
Western Smith College sophomore Hayden Grant looks forward to pledging for the Beta Gamma Pi sorority along with her BFFs.However she is taken aback when Myra, Bridget, and Chandra decide not to join her at Beta Gamma Pi; the four roommates seem to be drifting apart.Although she has issues with the hazing, Hayden goes along with the herd mentality saying nothing.She regrets not voicing her reservations when a pledge nearly dies from a particularly nasty assault led by Keisha the Betas Big Sister Mean Machine.

Many of the sisters are expelled leaving Hayden to become the local chapter president; a position she did not want at least at this time.She also deals with her attraction to Creed who is pledging to a fraternity in which Hayden's ex-boyfriend Butch is president. She does not want to cause Creed any problems.As she works on clearing the name of her sorority, and tries to resolve her relationship with Creed and her three BFFs, Hayden depends on her Christian faith to guide her to do what is ethically right.

This is an interesting young adult relationship drama that encourages readers to not just join the line if it feels wrong.Hayden who tells the tale is a solid lead character as she regrets not speaking out against hazing.Her friend Penelope is one of the Betas kicked out though she did not participate in the hazing; standing silently on the sidelines doing nothing is almost as bad as performing the abusive deeds. Although the use of Ebonics especially by professionals like Hayden's uncle who is the college president is a detractor (personally prefer professionals sound educated like Obama does), fans will enjoy the first Beta Gamma Pi inspirational tale.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Product Description
Kennedy Kingston is a Private Investigator. Her agency specializes in spousal infidelity. Marquise is wealthy and married to Travis Sheldon. To prove her suspicions, Marquise hires Kennedy to catch her cheating husband. Using her feminine wiles, Kennedy follows Travis and finally catches him in the act of adultery. While on assignment, a British stud, Julian Fredricks, has also captured her attention. He's mysterious, and incredibly sensuous. Although Kennedy is having a blast with Julian, everything she's told him is a lie. What happens when the truth finally seeps out? Will Julian still pursue her? Perhaps, he has a few secrets of his own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Sensual and Sweet
Miss Pussy is a trip!I also love the malted balls and Kennedy's and Julian's exchanges.So sensual and sweet!I also like the fact that Julian is a man's man.That's a big turn on for me.Empress LaBlaQue did good with this one.Thanks for such a wonderfully, sensual treat! ... Read more

Product Description
Two men engage in an altercation in a movie lobby. Later one of the men turns up dead in a New York City alley. But this is no ordinary murder. The dead man is a sex demon and his fellow combatant was Jean-Claude Roué. Now the werewolf is accused of his murder and faces a trial by before a supernatural tribunal. If Jean-Claude is convicted it will mean his execution. Mark Julian is away on a personal investigation in Kenya so Tortego, the crafty vampire chief, goes to an unusual source for help. Using his powers as head of New York City's supernatural community he appoints Mark's human partner, Detective Vincent Pasquale, to be one of the three judges for Jean-Claude's trial. Now Vinnie must not only fight to clear his friend he must deal with his supernatural co-jurists: the werewolf Viola Lupa and the sex demon J. Dale Carter. Both of his companion judges are on record as sworn enemies of "any mixed supernatural mating." Throw in a shifty shape shifter named Andelan Clarke, Ja-ne the original Oracle of Delphi and, a sexy TV newsman from the island of Guernsey who appears to be more interested in Vinnie than any story and it truly becomes "The Case No One Foretold"! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

For those who can't get enough vampires, werewolves....read this series.
In our continuing series of Mark Julian, P.I., the author continues to give us the wonderful characters of Jean-Claude, the uber-hunky head of the werewolf clan and his fiance Jaime, a very hot sex-demon who dresses in the style of the fourties(one of my favourite time periods for clothing too!). Vinnie, Mark's soon-to-be-husband isback working after his horrific experience fighting the undead.

But new problems rear their ugly heads. There is hatred between the female werewolf who feels she should be Jean-claude's mate and the sex-demon clan who condemn Jaime for marrying a werewolf.Our werewolf is set up in a murder. Tortego, the vampire from the Spanish Inquistion appoints Vinne to sit as a judge on the case.

Tortego has his own problems with Quan the head of the vampires world wide. One slip and he is out.

Mark has gone to Africa to find Collin and to find answers as to who is involved in the killing of vampires in New York City.

Does it sound complicated? Not the way Kyle Cicero tells it! The ending is excellent with many leads (can't tell) to take usinto another book soon.
There is a surprises waiting for Mark and we see that there are many nefarious schemes afoot to bring down Tortgo, Mark and cause general mayhem among the vampire community.

I recommend this wonderful vampire/werewolf/sex-demon series to any vampire lover who wants MORE, MORE MORE of the undead.

Sneaky little beasties
Another fun episode in the trials and tribulations of Mark, Vinnie, Jaime and the elegant Jean-Claude, caught in the middle of a growing conspiracy of vengeance and duplicity and scheming and -- oh, just consider everything including the kitchen sink as regards mysteries, but with a LOT more wit than Agatha Christie or even Patricia Cromwell.

I've been following the series since its beginning and obviously it's one of my guilty pleasures.Just because my favorite book is "War & Peace" (it IS and I also read "Anna Karinina" and think the chapter of Levin reaping his fields with the peasants is poetry...but I digress), anyway, that doesn't mean I can't have some good mindless fun -- and Kyle Cicero delivers that, in spades.This time we get a long lovely trip to Kenya and memories of another trip there so many years ago.And we get chaos in the courtroom, with judges being manipulated and a guilty verdict against an innocent 99% certain (yeah, that NEVER happens in this country).We get secretive scum who think they're smart but keep finding out they ain't so tough (borrowed that from Cagney in "Public Enemy").We also get the usual assortment of denizens of the underworld doing their thing.It's a blast.

I will say this -- start from the beginning and roll your way through this set...because it is turning out to be a story that builds from one volume to the next and it helps to know what's come before.Thinking about it, the story thus far is only as long as your usual Steven King novel (talk about a man who loves the sound of his own keyboard clicking) and a lot faster paced; it could easily fit into one large volume.Until that happens, grab them all and enjoy every one of these sneaky little beasties.It's a side trip from life's brutal dullness that is well worth taking. ... Read more

Product Description
There are some topics or problems that have captured the interest of mathematicians for ages. Calculating pi is one of them. Although students often encounter pi in the mathematics classroom when applying various formulas, rarely do they use or explore pi in other contexts. This marvelous infinite number we know as pi shows up in many fascinating and mysterious ways. It can be found everywhere, from astronomy and probability, to the physics of sound and light. It is one of the most important numbers that exists.

Help your students discover the number that has intrigued mathematicians for centuries. Learn different ways pi has been calculated through the ages, use pi to figure your hat size, perform a variety of experiments to estimate the value of pi, or relate pi to the alphabet. These interesting and exciting activities encourage higher order thinking and offer a complete overview of this important number while giving students practice in important math skills.

This guide includes detailed lesson plans (referenced to NCTM standards) and reproducible student worksheets. Use them for Pi Day (March 14), as an enrichment or extension to your existing curriculum, or to challenge your most able math students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

great book
I really like to variety of activities in this book.We use it every year on pi day.Activities are layed out in an easy to follow manner.Great student worksheets and teacher guide with answer key.
I highly recommend this book!

Great Activities for homeschool kids
I homeschool my children and am always looking for great math materials to expose my children to.Piece of Pi offers many interesting and challenging activities for kids to explore.My kids love the activities and I love the teacher's easy to follow lesson guide.This book is a must to complement any math curriculum.

great ideas for homeschool kids
I homeschool my children and am always looking for varied intersting math materials for my bright children.My children love the activities, and the teacher directions are wonderful for me to follow.This is a great addition to any mathematics currivulum.

piece of pi
This is a great book for anyone trying to discover the mysterious connections of pi to various things in the world.The book is well-written, has great step-by-step instructions and includes an answer key.This book is a wonderful way to motivate students (and adults)to discover pi in intriguing ways. I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description
Take your understanding of Life of Pi to a whole new level, anywhere you go: on a plane, on a mountain, in a canoe, under a tree.Or grab a flashlight and read Shmoop under the covers.Shmoop's award-winning website is now available on your Kindle. Shmoop on the Kindle is like having a trusted, fun, chatty, expert literature-tour-guide always by your side, no matter where you are (or how late it is at night).You’ll find thought-provoking character analyses, quotes, summaries, themes, symbols, trivia, and lots of insightful commentary in Shmoop's literature guides.Teachers and experts from top universities, including Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, and Columbia, have written content designed to engage you and to get your brain bubbling. Shmoop is here to make you a better lover of literature and to help you discover connections to other works of literature, history, current events, and pop culture. These interactive study guides will help you discover and rediscover some of the greatest works of all time. For more information, check out http://www.shmoop.com/kindle ... Read more

Product Description
Pi Steely's life is a circus. Literally. As business manager for the Steely Family Circus, sensible Pi steers her madcap troupe through the perils of life on a daily basis. Things progress from muddled to madness when her soul mate accidentally turns up married and a body is discovered on circus grounds. Aided and abetted by a zany young man with a tarantula tattooed on his forehead, and her pet chicken, Rhonda Sue, the smart and sassy Pi must fight the odds to save her circus family, reunite with Reuben, the slightly married love of her life, and manage to mollify an international cast of flamboyant, one-of-a-kind characters, one of whom could be a murderer. It's going to take a brilliant performance and a whole lot of heavenly intervention to keep the show on the road. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Romance, Mystery and loads of Humor
This is one of those books that you hesitate to read in a public place for fear that someone will call the men in the little white coats when they see you sitting by yourself and laughing hysterically.Yes, it really is that funny.It is also filled with wonderfully developed, unique characters that you truly come to care about.While there is a Christian viewpoint, the characters are much more flawed and alas, much more like myself than the characters often found in Christian romance.So even though they are all part of a traveling circus troupe and I am just an ordinary Mom and librarian I could really relate to them.The relationship between Pi and Reuben is sowonderful.The trend in romance is hot, hot, and hotter but the way Reuben just takes Pi into his arms and holds her as if she's a very precious treasure melts my heart.Better than a steamy sex scene.

Great read!
The author does a wonderful job of character development in this entertaining story.This wacky circus family takes you on a fun trip
through the circus world which is rocked by a mystery that turns their
lives upside down.There is one surprise (and laugh) after another as Pi
struggles to find answers.Dana Mentink's first book will leave you
waiting for her next. ... Read more

Product Description
A heartwarming story about a small panda whose home is threatened by the encroachment of humans.

On the slopes of Misty Mountain, a mother panda cuddles her baby.His name is Pi-shu, and when he was born he was no bigger than one of the patches around his mother’s eyes.Pi-shu the little panda loves to explore the slopes of the mountain where he lives with his mother Fei-Fei.One day when Pi-shu ventures farther down the mountainside, he encounters people for the first time.They are clearing more and more trees from the forest.It is no longer safe to stay, so Pi-shu and Fei-Fei set out on an arduous journey across the mountains in search of a new home. John Butler’s compelling words and his exquisite, lifelike paintings help young readers understand the joy and tenderness of giant panda families.A Panda Facts page at the end of the book invites readers to learn more about this endangered species. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Beautifully illustrated -
Fabulous illustrations will enchant young readers in this sweet story of a young panda.While the illustrations speak for themselves, the text in this book, unfortunately is not as strong.I am much fonder of John Butler's book Hush, Little Ones, which he wrote a year after this book.

~DeeDee Fox, Author and Illustrator, The Ruby Red Slippers

Adorable, but odd
The book is adorable.I loved the illustrations and the general storyline... but it seems to be aimed at older children.I wish the description would have more accurately described a higher age level before I bought it.I might have still bought it, just when my baby was a bit older.

Lovely Panda Book
This book has a message to its story -- baby panda is born, lives in idyllic bamboo forest with mother, encounters noisy lumberjacks, must leave forest for new, unpolluted home -- but the illustrations are lyrical and lovely and the message so understated that it doesn't feel heavy-handed at all. It was a big hit with my 5 year old.

Darling!
I love pandas *points to nickname* but this book will make all avid fans for the wonderful animals. Beautifully illustrated, it's about a panda cub must move to another region of China because its home is being disturbed by tree-cutters. This is a real problem for pandas. Hunting has been prohibited, but what about hunting of their habitats? This picture book is not meant for facts, but gives one a general idea of the wildlife that inhabits the Himalayan Mountains. You will also see pictures of baby Yaks and monkeys, all coloured and drawn with such talent that you can't keep from staring at them. If I had to sum up this book it one word it would be cutecutecutecutecutecutecuteCUTE!!!!

Amazing New Children's Book
Pi-Shu the little panda adores exploring the slippery slopes of Misty Mountain, where he shares a home with his beloved Mother, Fei-Fei. However, one day, as young Pi-Shu is exploring the mountainside, he encounters humans. Humans who are cutting down the forest, and destroying the homes of the many animals around. Realizing that it is no longer safe, Pi-Shu and Fei-Fei set out on a journey to find a new home, where humans do not roam.

I am a huge fan of John Butler, as well as pandas, so I was ecstatic to read PI-SHU THE LITTLE PANDA. Butler's wonderful prose, alongside his gorgeous illustrations make PI-SHU THE LITTLE PANDA an absolute must-have!

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

nteresting young-adult drama
Attending Western Smith College, Cassidy Cross wants to become a Beta Gamma Pi sister as she knows they are the top sorority on the campus.However she has a reputation for guy hopping, but maturity has changed her though the players keep hitting on her.Instead Cassidy, the dance squad captain, wants to Al Dutch's girlfriend.

Al reciprocates reality is nowhere near the dream as it turns into a nightmare after they go further than she is ready for and turns worse when he reveals his secret to her .Her pledge sister Isha encourages Cassidy to get professional help and to turn to her faith to guide her.

This is an interesting entry in the Beta Gamma Pi young-adult series as the focus is on premarital sex, illness and much more as Stephanie Perry Moore takes a profound look at sexually active young adults.That much more is the problem as Cassidy seems more like a college coed Job so much are her woes which can overwhelm the reader especially when other BTI sisters have issues too.Fans of the saga will initially not like the heroine's brash yet aloof escapades but will root for her when she begins to look within her heart and soul for solace.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Product Description
An interpretation of earth energies, planetary energies, how they interrelate and how they were harnessed by Stone Age Man. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very interesting, hard to swallow
I found this book very interesting and loaded with information - but I couldn't take it all in one sitting, and I had to suspend my disbelief to take it all in.
If you have an interest in ancient pre-Celt and early Celt history, energy fields of the Earth, and some eye-opening theories by someone who has personally researched a field deeply (and literally, in the fields)- then this is for you.
If you are into debunking, this will also give you grist for the mill, however.
I only recommend this book for those with an openness to alternate views of physics/metaphysics.

In a word: Wonderful!
After 50 years of wondering about stone circles and earth energies, I have finally found answers in this book.
Liked it enough to buy 7 copies for distribution to friends who also loved it and talked about it for years.

Eyes Pi
This Book by Michael Poynder is very deep and obviously the product of many years of study and research.In parts, it is very difficult to take in all the information given and needs to be read thoughtfully andthoroughly to get the best from it.

Once digested, Michael Poyndergives us a new way to look at the world we live in and shows us how ourancestors were able to work with the natural forces coursing through theplanet.

The geometry and graphics are fascinating and this book should beread by all who search for the inner meaning of life in the world around usand the artefacts left for us by ancient man. ... Read more

Product Description
Brand new from Tim Myers, this is NOT A COZY so be warned if you like my lighter mysteries!

Trask is a werewolf living in Dogtown, a slum where known werewolves are banished so they can be contained and isolated.Trask makes his living as a private investigator, helping others who have no where else to turn.There’s a tough barricade surrounding Dogtown, but when a Norm slips through to experience life on the dog side, Trask is hired by the Norm's family to track him down and return him safely.As Trask hunts for the missing man, he risks his life with the worst werewolves of Dogtown. ... Read more

Product Description
As the core middleware in your system landscape, SAP NetWeaver PI plays an enterprise-critical role. But how can you ensure smooth operation? This book answers your questions. Using a highly detailed scenario as an example, the authors guide you through all administration tasks and provide useful tips for your daily work.

Basic Configuration
Learn which of the numerous parameters are relevant for the configuration of SAP NetWeaver PI and Application Server, and what the recommended settings are.

SLD and Enterprise Services Repository
Get to know the two most important tools for the administration of your system landscape: creating and managing software components, SLD bridge, service modeling and publishing, and much more.

Authorizations, Performance, and Monitoring
Master the core administration tasks: Define who is supposed to have which authorizations, ensure fast message processing, and use the options for focused monitoring.

Concrete Instructions with Numerous Screenshots
Learn step-by-step how to perform each key task. Detailed menu descriptions and various figures guide the way.

Expert Tips for Real Life
Benefit from the authors' experience with customer projects. Practice-oriented descriptions focused on practical implementation, designed to help you achieve fast results.

Highlights:

• Parameterization of PI and Application Server
• Import of Business Content
• Configuration of the System Landscape Directory
• Setup of Change Management Service and CTS+
• Roles, Authorizations, and Single Sign-On
• Performance Optimization and Monitoring
• Working with the Enterprise Services Repository

Product Description

Dublin PI Ed Loy tackles a case that takes him back to Los Angeles -- his home of twenty years -- and a past he'd rather forget in this gripping new novel in the Edgar Award-nominated and Shamus Award-winning series.

Customer Reviews (10)

Loy Is Out of His Element
Private Investigator Ed Loy is as hard boiled as detectives come. And it's his skill at getting to the bottom of what other people don't want him to know that brings Hollywood hotshot director Jack Donovan calling. When an actress goes missing from his film set and her disappearance is quickly followed by another, both Donovan and Loy recall disappearances under similar circumstances in Los Angeles, in the heady early days of Donovan's career. Hired to catch the killer--for that is truly what the kidnapper is--Loy has no choice but to suspect his old friend and all those who surround him.

Those new to Declan Hughes' series centered around Ed Loy might not miss much in this fifth installment. But anyone familiar with Loy will undoubtedly wish that Hughes had kept his usually enthralling main character a little closer to home, Ireland, in this case. Loy is at his best when skulking around the streets of Dublin, and //City of Lost Girls// takes him back to L.A., not just out of Loy's element, but out of Hughes' element as well. Let's hope the sixth book makes up for the extended vacation.

Reviewed by Amanda Mitchell

Couldn't finish it
It's been a long time since I bought a book I couldn't finish, but in this case that's true. I have read a previous book by this author that was OK. Therefore, I forced myself thru 126 pages thinking it would improve, but it never did. i think Hughes must have been on something when he wrote this and I don't know what happened with his editors and publisher. I'd give it zero stars if that was possible.

A Lot of Heart, Soul and Class
Dublin private investigator Ed Loy is good at his job. While his line of work might not make him wealthy, he has the satisfaction of knowing he is doing what he enjoys in an honorable way. That wasn't always the case. Not when he worked for Irish film director Jack Donovan, "a carouser extraordinaire, professional Irishman, the life and soul of the all-night party...howling at the moon, raging once more against the dying of the light..."

Decades ago, Ed and Jack had been friends in Los Angeles, where Jack and his gang of four were making films. Ed had a small role in one of Jack's movies, and he also tied up loose ends off camera for Jack. One day, after once again dispatched to gently dismiss another of Jack's young lovers, Ed stopped being Jack's friend and eventually returned to his Irish home.

Over the past 20 years, Ed has tried to distance himself from his past with Jack, but he realizes, "The past is always out there, a land mine buried and forgotten about, ready to blow the present apart at any moment." So, when Jack contacts him with a desperate plea to find out who is behind the threatening letters he has received while filming in Dublin, Ed reluctantly takes the case. The source of the letters could be anyone --- including the gang of four --- even Jack himself.

In the famous Irish filmmaking gang of four, Jack gets top billing. The four men are a group of friends who started making no-budget movies almost 20 years earlier. Mark Cassidy is Jack's director of photography. Producer Maurice Faye is Jack's "diplomat, scammer, fixer extraordinaire." Connor Rowan, Jack's first AD, is charged with "waging total war for the good of the group."

Shortly after the threatening letters arrive, lovely young women Jack has hired as extras vanish. Their disappearance reminds Ed of an alarmingly similar case that occurred two decades ago. Three beautiful extras working on one of Jack's films in Los Angeles also vanished. To solve the case of the missing women in Ireland, Ed must travel to LA and dig into the past. But while he's out of the country, he puts his loved ones at risk.

Award-winning writer Declan Hughes's latest work is an intelligent mystery with a lot of heart, soul and class. Ed Loy is a clever, warm and determined private investigator troubled by his shaky past and trying to build a solid future. In addition to the intriguing story, engaging characters and haunting voice, the novel is rounded out with its lively Irish setting and persona, complete with Irish-Catholic guilt, fierce political rants, sexual repression and abuse, and singing and drinking in pubs.

Lovers of literary mysteries, readers fascinated by the Irish people and their culture, or anyone with a curiosity about the film industry should enjoy CITY OF LOST GIRLS.

Movie Sequels
After ten years when Ed Loy got disgusted and broke off his close friendship with larger-than-life Irish-born movie director Jack Donovan, they meet again in Dublin, where Ed is plying his PI trade and Jack is now making a movie.It appears Jack has received several threatening letters, and he asks Ed to determine the sender.Despite his misgivings, Ed undertakes the assignment.

Meanwhile, three pretty young women extras go missing, and Ed remembers his time in Los Angeles when three young starlets had also gone missing.The similarity is uncanny, since the common denominator is that they all initially appeared in a Donovan movie.The potential culprit for what may turn out to be a serial killer includes Donovan and three close associates, the "Gang of Four," who participate in each movie.

Hughes writes suspenseful crime/noir novels.His Dublin settings lend themselves to a bleaker side of the human race.In this novel we are treated to a lighter side of Ed Loy, which raises the question of whether he is growing in character, or just going through a phase.It will be interesting to find out in future installments.

Recommended.

Page Turner
Hughes' fifth novel to feature Dublin PI Ed Loy is and excellent addition to this series. I, for one, am glad I picked up a copy.It did not disappoint.The author has a way with words and he developed the characters and plot well.It was a compelling novel that kept me reading far into the night. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best of Improvisation Books
This is one of the finest books on Jazz improvisation I have ever read. It is thorough and not overly complex. You are taken step by step in a logical fashion from beginning to end. I would recommend it to anyone wishing toimprove or learn Jazz Improvisation ... Read more