Sookie Stackhouse is the main character in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of eight books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris. So many people have become aware of these books as a result of the TV series, a word about the differences between the two is in order. There are both definite similarities and some sharp differences between the two. The books focus much more on Sookie and less on the lives of the supporting characters, not surprising given that Sookie is the narrator in the novels. Sookie’s narrative voice is one of the joys of the books. The books are also far less sexual than the series, though there are several sex scenes (though it never descends to the pure porn found in the Anita Blake books).

The series differs sharply from the books when it deals with characters other than Sookie. For instance, Tara in the books is a minor (and white) character. Jason plays a far smaller role. Just about everything touching Tara and Jason cannot be found in the novels. Sam and Tara are not involved. Without giving spoilers, Lafayette cannot be regarded as an important character in the books. On the other hand, Eric is as important as the other three main characters in the books, Sookie, Bill, and Sam. Still, based on all but the last 2 or 3 episodes of Season One of the TV show, Sookie’s story there is pretty close to that is the first novel in the sequence. Read the rest of this entry »

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn capture the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This stunning set, complete with all four hardcover books as well as four collectible prints, makes the perfect gift for fans of the bestselling vampire love story. The books themselves are exactly likes the ones you find at any bookstore, in hardcover. The case it comes in has all the book covers displayed on each side minus the names of each book.

What is included that you couldn’t normally get by buying each one individually elsewhere are 4 5×7-ish cards that have the cover picture on one side, then quotes from the corresponding book written on the other. for example: one 5×7 has a picture of the twilight cover, hands holding a red apple. This is a value buy for those who are contemplating sinking their teeth [pun intended] into Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight series as it not only offers all four books, i.e. Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn for a great price.
Well, for those who are new to the series, the books are in the following order:
Twilight – Bella Swan moves to a small town near Seattle called Forks and meets Edward Cullen, an enigmatic student at her high school who turns out to be a vampire and lives with his clan in a magnificent mansion. As the romance between Bella and Edward blossom, they have to face obstacles such as the physical ‘constraints’ of being in a mortal-vampire relationship, facing objections from their respective families, and threats from other more vicious vampires. Read the rest of this entry »

In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.

Don Miguel Ruiz is known as a nagual, or shaman, of the Toltec tradition. The Toltecs were an ancient group of scientists and artists that was formed to explore and preserve the practices and spiritual knowledge of the ancient ones. It is not a religion, but a way of life that embraces spirit and honors all the spiritual masters who have taught on the earth. Toltec wisdom arises from the same essential unity of truth as other sacred esoteric traditions that are found all over the world.

The Four Agreements are very simple, but very profound. To embrace and live each of the Four Agreements is to find yourself experiencing personal freedom–possibly as never before. The Four Agreements are:

Be Impeccable With Your Words
Don’t Take Anything Personally
Don’t Make Assumptions
Always Do Your Best Read the rest of this entry »

This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world – and did. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators? Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, but against those who needed him most, and his hardest battle against the woman he loved? What is the world’s motor – and the motive power of every man? You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the characters in this story. Tremendous in its scope, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life – from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy – to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction – to the philosopher who becomes a pirate – to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his triumph – to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad – to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels. This is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder – and rebirth – of man’s spirit. It is a philosophical revolution, told in the form of an action thriller of violent events.

Atlas Shrugged is a fountainhead of skilled dialogue and monologue. Francisco’s speech on “money” is insightful, and honest. Some prosaic passages, like Galt’s enormous speech near the novel’s end, could have used some editing. Nonetheless, such passages are meant to (and succeed in) conveying a rather thorough philosophy. Also adept at employing dialogue, Rand leaves cutting snippets and short verbal gems throughout the book. She distinguishes perceptively between ‘what people commonly say’ and ‘what those words often covertly are intended to mean.’ This making-bare is done through the frankness of her protagonists, some of which mere foils to reveal more probing insights. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a clearly written and accessible addition to the growing field of behavioral economics. Instead of primary research, though, this book takes Adam’ Smith’s pure model of economics, examines Keynes’s moderating update, and applies behavioral economics to our times of upheaval. The global financial crisis has made it painfully clear that powerful psychological forces are imperiling the wealth of nations today. From blind faith in ever-rising housing prices to plummeting confidence in capital markets, “animal spirits” are driving financial events worldwide. In this book, acclaimed economists George Akerlof and Robert Shiller challenge the economic wisdom that got us into this mess, and put forward a bold new vision that will transform economics and restore prosperity.

Akerlof and Shiller reassert the necessity of an active government role in economic policy making by recovering the idea of animal spirits, a term John Maynard Keynes used to describe the gloom and despondence that led to the Great Depression and the changing psychology that accompanied recovery. Like Keynes, Akerlof and Shiller know that managing these animal spirits requires the steady hand of government–simply allowing markets to work won’t do it. In rebuilding the case for a more robust, behaviorally informed Keynesianism, they detail the most pervasive effects of animal spirits in contemporary economic life–such as confidence and fear, bad faith, corruption, a concern for fairness, and the stories. Read the rest of this entry »

Kaplan Nursing and Kaplan University School of Nursing offer a wide variety of programs for pre-licensure and post-licensure nurses. Kaplan Nursing is the world’s largest provider of preparation courses for the NCLEX-RN® exam, and offers classroom and online courses to graduates of U.S. nursing schools and nurses educated abroad. Its partnership with Lippincott Williams & Wilkins also provides nursing schools with a program of Integrated Testing that evaluates students’ level of nursing knowledge and remediates knowledge deficits.

Kaplan University School of Nursing offers a dynamic educational experience through on-line learning, including a BSN Completion degree, a Master’s Degree in Nursing Science, a Master’s Degree in Nursing, and much more. Its faculty members are highly qualified nurse leaders who have a keen appreciation of the issues faced by working adults.

Kaplan’s strategy guide to the NCLEX-RN exam includes:
*2 practice tests—1 in the book and 1 on the CD-ROM
*Detailed answer explanations
*The latest information on exam content and structure
*Review of alternate questions
*Analysis of all question types
*Exclusive strategies for exam success
*Free preview of Kaplan’s online NCLEX-RN[r] Question Bank with more exam-style questions. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a reason the new edition of Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX–RN® Examination has been called “the best NCLEX review book ever.” Essentially, you’ll find everything you need to review for the NCLEX® exam under one cover – complete content review and over 4,200 NCLEX-style questions in the book and on the free companion CD. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the quality of the questions is the same in all NCLEX review books, because only Silvestri’s Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX–RN® Examination includes the kind of questions that consistently test the critical thinking skills necessary to pass today’s NCLEX exam.

And, what’s even better is that ALL answers include detailed rationales to help you learn from your answer choices, along with test taking strategies that provide tips for how to best approach each question. It’s easy to see why Silvestri is THE book of choice for NCLEX review.

New to this edition:

• The review is based on the new NCLEX–RN test plan, effective April 2007.
• Now in full color – with over 100 illustrations to enhance important nursing content.
• 200 more questions have been added, for a total of 4,210.
• Includes the new chart/exhibit alternate item format, in addition to questions with audio components.
• Companion CD-ROM uses a pre-diagnostic exam to generate an individualized study plan. Read the rest of this entry »

This annually updated collection of the most frequently. tested high-yield facts and mnemonics. delivers everything you need to pass the most anxiety-provoking exam of your career. Written by students who just passed the boards, this is the undisputed “bible” of USMLE Step 1 preparation — used by more than half-a-million students.

* 1100+ must-know facts and mnemonics organized by organ systems and general principles.
* Hundreds of high-yield clinical images you need to know before the exam — including 24 pages of full-color photos.
* Rapid review section for last minute cramming.
* Ratings of 300+ top products based on the authors’ annual survey of US Medical students.
* Updated test-taking advice from USMLE veterans.
* Strategies that maximize your study time and deliver real results. Read the rest of this entry »

CCNP Portable Command Guide Library is a set of four condensed, portable reference guides covering all the commands in the four CCNP® exams: BSCI, BCMSN, ISCW, and ONT. Each book is filled with valuable, easy-to-access information to quickly refresh your memory and each guide is portable enough for use whether you are in the server room or the equipment closet. For anyone preparing for the CCNP certification, this condensed, portable resource is filled with valuable, easy-to-access information on CCNP-level commands for the ISCW exam (642-825).

These CCNP command guides are written by certified Cisco® instructors, bringing years of teaching and industry experience together in an ideal quick-study format. The authors have designed each guide to summarize all CCNP certification-level Cisco IOS® Software commands, keywords, command arguments, and associated prompts, providing you with tips and examples of how to apply the commands to real-world scenarios. Configuration examples throughout the books provide you with a better understanding of how these commands are used in simple network designs. Read the rest of this entry »

CCNP BSCI Official Exam Certification Guide, Fourth Edition, is a best of breed Cisco® exam study guide that focuses specifically on the objectives for the BSCI exam. Successfully passing the BSCI 642-901 exam certifies that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to use advanced IP addressing and routing in implementing scalability for Cisco integrated services routers (ISR) connected to LANs and WANs.

CCNP BSCI Official Exam Certification Guide, Fourth Edition, follows a logical organization of the CCNP® BSCI exam objectives. Material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing readers’ retention and recall of exam topics. “Do I Know This Already?” quizzes open each chapter and allow you to determine how much time you need to spend on each section. Exam topic lists and Foundation Summary tables make referencing easy and give you a quick refresher whenever you need it. Scenario-based exercises help you think about exam objectives in real-world situations, thus increasing recall during exam time. Challenging chapter-ending review questions help you assess your knowledge and reinforce key concepts. Read the rest of this entry »