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Dine out in San Diego with no guilt!
(...) This book doesn't just list single menu items from restaurants you've never heard of, but lists several menu items from numerous well-known restaurants, such as one of my personal favorites, Acapulco. They even show you how to eat healthy at Jack-In-The-Box, which is home of the Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger, a.k.a. The Widowmaker.The coupon section alone is worth buying the book -- if you're skeptical about trying a restaurant or a menu item, you can rest easy knowing that you're not paying full price like the diners around you. And, unlike the diners around you, you know exactly what you're eating!Healthy food + discount food = A happy, healthy diner.If you're like me, and you: live in San Diego, love to eat out, and are concerned about eating healthy, do yourself a favor and BUY THIS BOOK!!! | 45 stars
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Lovely words, awful characters
This has not survived the test of time. While it's easy to see why this was a popular story from the 19th century up to the 1950s, reading it now is like listening to cat negotiating its way out of a tangled quilt cover, amusing yes, but ultimately awful and frustrating.The motivations of the two central characters are purely woeful. I won't spoil anything but you don't want anyone to get the outcomes that they desire, not the protagonists, not the antagonists, no one.I can't say don't read it as it is so very ingrained in the pop culture of today, however I can say you should read the book trying to identify any part of it that wouldn't be made better by the introduction of zombies. | 12 stars
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Excellence
Pure mastery in words revealing the essence of life. Very simply, this book speaks to everyone. It doesn't matter who you are or what you believe. It brings tears to me each time I read it, because if your mind is open, you will achieve a feeling of higher existence upon completion of your reading. I hope you will take that understanding and infuse it within all you do.I also recommend listening to Richard Harris' reading of this book, though it may be out of print these days. | 45 stars
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Don't read all 475 reviews, read these books!
__________________Oddly enough, Amazon thought I'd not reviewed this.I read these books at least five times in order when I was in my teens and reading fiction. Not only did these books create the fantasy fiction genre and popularize the sword and sorcery genre (Gor, Conan, etc), they're just wonderful to read. The dungeons and dragons people would never have got started without Tolkien, and from time to time I still haul 'em out and reread the various underground journeys in these books.The Hobbit is more of a standalone story than the others of course, but the four are a perfect fit. Those interested in the further background may enjoy the Silmarillion, which Tolkien wrote in order to provide a consistent mythos for these four books.By all means, read these books before you see the movies. I'm going to see the movies, but 90 percent of the details (at least) will have to be dumped to fit each book into a two hour format. The special effects are bound to be spectacular, but the question becomes, which scenes will be included strictly because of their visual impact, regardless of their lack of importance to the story? Which scenes will be compounded with others? | 34 stars
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Classic
I have purchased so many books lately, but I think this classic book is where the popular line, "I love you to the moon... and back" was derived. | 45 stars
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One of the most amazing books I've read.
It keeps you interested to the point that you can't put it down. It also can lead you in the wrong direction; of what is going to happen next. This also keeps your nose in the book. I would like to see more of this mystery of confusion | 45 stars
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A surprise
I received a gift in the post of this book with quite a few pictures and thought that is a book I will read to an hour or so. It took me into the main character after about 7 or eight pages. It gives encouragement to follow through with your ideas no matter how you see then conflict with another ppersons point of view. Be true to yourself and you will be surrounded by the type of people that suit you and whatever you believe comes true. | 45 stars
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A brilliant version
Paul Giamatti's reading of this book is brilliant. He captures the humor, the insanity, and the tragedy of this sad tale completely. His voice acting ability is remarkable and has spoiled the other CDs that I own of the PKDick books. It was never difficult to discern who was speaking, male or female. I highly recommend this CD for the original work and for this audio version. Mr. Giamatti please read more of PKD works for us. Please! I can also recommend the Keir Dullea readings of the short story collection, Minority Report, but Giamatti's skills are incomparable. | 45 stars
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daily inspirations
I read this book daily, first thing in the morning, and find that the words Helms uses usually lead to some good, deep thinking about how I approach life, both the good and the bad. I've sent it to several friends and like the fact that we are sharing, quietly and privately, in the same initial thoughts. | 45 stars
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As good as it gets
This is not a book for faint of heart. No one was better at invective than Mencken, and his defense of women is far more of an attack on men than a defense of the "unfair" sex, as Ambrose Bierce signified our better half. Mencken's basic argument goes something like this: women are pretty bad; men are worse; therefore, women are better than men. This is, to be sure, a gross over-simplification. Mencken's argument is really much more sophisticated and ingenious. He picked it up, he tells us elsewhere, from a madame of a bordello. It contains a great deal more truth than most people would be willing to admit. Mencken's hillarious presentation is recommended only to hardened cynics (which is to say, hardened realists). Sensitive people with "beautiful" souls are well advised to avoid this brilliant book. | 45 stars
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Look elsewhere
CHARMED is perhaps the worst anthology I have come across. Three of the stories are cures for insomnia. The one story that is entertaining contains disturbing elements better left out of romances and also defies credibility."Bridal Jitters" by Jayne Castle: This was not the story to read in order to investigate Jayne Ann Krentz's futuristic stories. I had never read them before and will not be rushing out to buy them after reading this silly bit of fluff. I never did figure out what "rez" was supposed to be and I was annoyed that not even JAK's futuristic romances are free of New Age influence. I'll stick with J. D. Robb for futuristic romances, thanks."Man In the Mirror" by Julie Beard: Nauseatingly sweet with a hero and heroine who never have a moment's tension between them. Am I the only one who noticed that Tristan never seemed to question Katie's explanation of her time-travel? If someone suddenly announced to you that she was really from a time that is a millennia-and-a-half in the future, would you just accept it right off the bat?"Tangled Dreams" by Lori Foster: This story is the only reason I am giving this book more than one star. It was consistently entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. The only major drawback was Chase's fascination with bondage and sexual domination. This definitely should have been cut from an otherwise great story. It added nothing to the plot and was creepy to boot. By the way, how exactly could Rose have hidden the directions to the treasure and the treasure itself where she did when she was deathly ill from the measles? Chase, a strong and healthy man, had trouble retrieving both items when he and Allison figured out their location."Pandora's Bottle" by Eileen Wilks: The story had great potential but never took off. Read this when the warm milk isn't doing the trick. | 12 stars
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"Canst thou by searching find out God?"
Whether from crisis-of-faith or mid-life crisis, fifty-seven-year old Ken Carpenter has reached a point in his life where he questions everything, even his fundamental belief in God. Raised as a Baptist, Ken has spent the years of marriage and family doing the expected, an insurance salesman in Lincoln, Nebraska, living in bland, middle-aged boredom. His marriage to Nancy has fallen into predictable routine, their communication predictable and ordinary. When Ken sobs his confusion one night, questioning the existence of God, Nancy stands by, confused and unable to relate to her husband's emotional torment.Unsurprisingly, the pastor is called and it is on his advice that Ken travels to London, where he had spent his time in the service. On the flight to London, Ken is propositioned by a divorced woman, a hint of the new experiences ahead. Nevertheless, Ken is a creature of his environment, lacking spontaneity or curiosity about the world-at-large. Although he is befriended by a young bartender and her sculptor flat mate, contributing financially to this odd threesome, Ken has yet to truly explore the questions that bedevil him. He does, however, derive some comfort in clumsy fledgling efforts at sculpture, suspending for a time the angst that has lately permeated his every waking hour.At home, wife Nancy and eldest daughter, Ashley, wait, Nancy increasingly pained by Ken's emotional desertion, Ashley more direct in her anger. Although he harbors no immediate plans to do so, Ken returns home on the occasion of his mother's funeral, confronted by the family he left behind. Face to face with Nancy, Ken attempts to explain his recent actions, to navigate the difficult terrain back to his wife.Letts fails to address Ken's burning issue of faith once he arrives in London, instead allowing his protagonist to slide into a more comfortable resolution, suspending thought while immersed in the relationship with his British acquaintances, dabbling in sculpture. If nothing else the scorn heaped on Ken's American naiveté and self-absorption allows him to adjust his rigid perception of himself and the world, an inkling perhaps that his problem is not nearly as serious as those faced by others: "All Americans are defensive. They can't help it."Thanks to her husband's unexpected actions, Nancy Carpenter undergoes her own transition. A traditional wife and mother, Nancy chafes at being so easily cast aside, a slow rage gradually building. Letts displays a deft touch for the minute details of family life, the small betrayals and disappointments that result in upheaval and forced change, the unhappiness surfacing after years of tranquility. Luan Gaines/ 2007. | 34 stars
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Great insight on sin
In this book, Charles Finney deals with how guilt is measured according to the light we have. He also covers God's anger, the danger of hardening the heart, and what it means to persist in sin. He covers these topics and more in a way that leaves an impression on ones mind and heart. I recommend this book to all. | 45 stars
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The best heart healthy cookbook you'll ever find!
Due to a recent heart condition my doctor told me to lose weight. I wanted to go on a low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-sugar and low-sodium diet, but I thought by doing all of that I would never eat good foods again. Boy, was I wrong! I purchased the American Heart Association's Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook and have never tasted better foods. I have not found a recipe that I don't like! Using these recipes and an excellent walking program I have lost almost 50 pounds between February and August 1999. Several of my favorite recipes from this cookbook are: Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken, Chili, Vegetable-Beef Burgers, Spicy Baked Pork Chops and (my favorite) Meat Loaf with Roasted Vegetables (mmmmmmm). My heart is now as strong as ever and I owe it all to my walking program and recipes from the American Heart Association's Low-Fat, Low Cholesterol Cookbook. One other note, two months after I strated using these recipes, my doctor took me off cholesterol medication. | 45 stars
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How to make your point with information
IF Edward Tufte might is the theoretical guru of analyzing the visual presentation of quantitative information, Gerald Jones might be the maestro of maestro of translating numbers to visuals to effectively score points against competitors.Don't be fooled by the "Lie" in the title; the tongue-in-cheek tone of book livens up the practical nature of this book, and reflects on its mission to present facts in the most convincing, but still ethical, manner. By using popular office applications to produce the charts in the book, the information is readily translatable into solutions to everyday business challenges.It's a great book for people who will be using facts, and presentation or spreadsheet applications, to influence decision makers. | 45 stars
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Don't use the book
I bought this book in September 2006 and In November, tried the Simple Microwave Fudge (page 112). Made a notation saying:"Don't make again. Kept in freezer - too soft." I wrote to David Jones, President of Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen, and he e-mailedsaying that "The softness you describe comes from the moisture in the fudge. As you microwave, you remove some of that moisture and proper firmness is achieved through executing this process the proper amount of time. Try heating 30 seconds longer and see if that makes a difference. It may require more than one trial but you will find success."Sorry, but I am not about to waste my time and costly ingredients experimenting by trial and error. Either write a book with the correct directions or don't. I didn't find success with this book, I just found that I wasted $20 on a book. | 01 star
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Herter's "Professional Fly Tying and Tackle Making Manual"
Geo. L. Herter's "Professional Fly Tying and Tackle Making Manual and Manufacturers Guide", or a similarly titled publication, was possibly used as an introduction to fly tying by more begining tyers prior to the 1960s than any other book. The book was published either by Brown Publishing Co. or by the Herter Co., depending on the year of publication. The book started as "Complete Fly Tying Instruction Book" in 1941 with 119 pages plus an inadequate index. The book is an often overlooked or ignored classic.The book was claimed to have as many as 25 editions when in reality many were simply reprints, perhaps with minor changes on pages preceding the text. Herter also produced "Revised Editions," "Special Revised Editions," and "Revised Condensed Editions." Both paperback and hardback bindings are available for a few editions.It is very important to list the full title, latest year of publication from list following title page, the edition type given on the lower right front cover, the total of numbered pages, and whether the index is included or is additional unnumbered pages, as well as paper or hard back binding.Richard L. Powell | 45 stars
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Can't believe I waited this long to read it!!
This book is amazing!! For a 1,000 page read it just zipped by....the plot was interesting, the characters very well described. I finished the book and watched the movie the same night. Neither one was a disappointment!! | 45 stars
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Forgery.
The Protocols are a scurrilous anti-Semitic tract produced by the Russian and British secret service around 1903. Of interest mainly as a piece of forgery and plagiarism, actually put on trial in Berne in 1935. Buyer beware! | 01 star
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The Kite Runner - A Modern Day View Of Afganistan
This book is a fabulous reminder of how important truth and friendship is. In Afganistan, the author guides us through his childhood and gives us a true insight on what it was like to live there before and during the Russian invasion. Apart from the history, the writer also teaches us that in the world, not everything is what it seems and the twists and turns in this book make the reader not want to put it down. Great book! | 45 stars
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Mirthless "House"
America and Europe of the 1800s were stiff, gilded, formal place, full of "old" families, rigid customs and social transgressions. Especially for women.And nobody chronicled them better than Edith Wharton, who spun exquisitely barbed novels out of the social clashes of the late nineteenth century. "The House of Mirth" is one of her darker stories, where scandals and lack of conformity trigger a tragic downward spiral for a vibrant woman.Like most not-so-rich women, Lily Bart is on the prowl for a marriage to keep her in luxury and affluent circles. What's more, she has a rapid intellect and striking looks, but she is also a habitual liar who defies society's strictures (she gambles and smokes). Her only friend is Lawrence Seldon, but she is determined not to marry for love alone.Unfortunately, her schemes and plans start to collapse -- her adoring suitors either aren't rich enough, or her independent spirit sends her off. Her desperation becomes even more intense as she finds herself in the thick of a scandal, spun up by a malicious society matron to cover up her own affair. With her reputation in ruins, Lily's life spirals down into a new life of unemployment, poverty, and the final tragedy.Edith Wharton always paid a lot of attention to a woman's restricted life in the Gilded Age, and how scandals, unconventionality and society's hypocrisy could ruin them. But "The House of Mirth" pays more attention to this than most -- it's a bleakly realistic story, unflinchingly showing Lily's slow descent into miserable loneliness.Despite that, Wharton's writing is pure flowering poetry with a knack for evocation ("Her small pale face seemed the mere setting of a pair of dark exaggerated eyes"), and has a sensual quality with all the descriptions of silks, plants, soft light and luxurious mansions. And she vividly portrays the upper echelons of New York society at the time -- affairs, gossip and gilded salons -- as well as the restricted lives of womenBut Wharton is just as capable of describing the darker, sadder world that Lily falls into ("... blurred the gaunt roof-lines, threw a mauve veil over the discouraging perspective of the side streets"). Sedoesn't pull any punches with the tragic finale, which has a distinct air of inevitability about it -- no fairy-tale last-minute save by a Prince Charming.Lily starts out the book as a glimmering satellite of society, who can be rather selfish and cruel, but who nevertheless gains some sympathy for her terrible plight. The cruel, glittering society of the time had no room for women who stood outside the lines, especially if they tried to lie at all the wrong times. And so we see poor Lily, driven into miserable poverty and drug addiction."The House of Mirth" is anything but mirthful -- it's the study of a woman's slow downfall, and the cruel society that left her friendless and disgraced. Haunting and vivid. | 45 stars
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surprisingly good
Sea Swept is the first of the Chesapeake Bay series by Nora Roberts. Cameron, Ethan and Phillip Quinn were all adopted by Ray and Stella Quinn as troubled teens. Now their widower father has died in a car accident that some suspect was suicide, leaving behind Seth, a difficult 10-year-old boy who looks remarkably like Ray, and whom he was in the process of adopting. His dying wish was that his three sons bring up Seth as their brother. Social worker Anna Spinelli is determined to realise the best outcome for Seth, but is strongly attracted to champion boat-racer Cam, extra prickly because of his suddenly curbed independence.There is plenty of humour in the situation of three men trying to bring up well a young boy, the clashes between Anna and Cam and the interactions between the brothers, but Roberts also touches on child abuse, the importance of honesty, finding your place in life and a child's need for security and love. Roberts gives us good-looking, likeable male characters with solid personalities and great dialogue between them, strong, intelligent female characters, some hot sex scenes and the mystery of Seth's parentage. This instalment is the story of Cameron Quinn and the unsolved mystery will send readers looking for Rising Tides, the story of Ethan Quinn. I had in my head that Nora Roberts was all romance, but this was very un-Mills&Boon;, and surprisingly good. | 34 stars
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Jordan Fans Need to Get Over Themselves
After reading the reviews, I was stunned at the sheer volume of positive reviews given in an intellectually stimulating fashion. I was also appauled by the negative crticism. I certainly understand people not liking a book, but it seemed the only reason anyone gave for not liking this one was " It was to much like Robert Jordan's". When I pick up a book and start reading it,. I judge it by it's own merit not based upon whether the author bears similarities to another. If I thought like that I'd never reafd a Steven King book. A dog that kills people, a cat, a car, a unch of cats, etc... The bottom line is this was another fine book from Terry. It started off feeling out the characters and before you knew what was happening you had a full fledged knock down drag out ploy erupting. I particularly think Terry does a wonderful job of breathing life into his characters. From Richard right down to Gratch the characters take on an unmistakable personality. I find myself speeding through the book to find out what happens next. In closing, if Temple of the Winds is half as good as the other 3 books have been then Terry will still have a hit on his hands. | 45 stars
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Incredibly AWE inspiring!
Mandala: Luminous Symbols for Healing, by Judith Cornell, is absolutely the most incredibly beautiful book I've ever held in my hands. Holding and looking at it, even before reading, is like a sacred experience. Is it the beauty of the lay-out and illustrations? The very real spiritual impact of the mandalas presented, both historical and contemporary? A moment of healing even in the first moment's gasp of awe while browsing its pages? One even begins to caress its binding. One of my favorite activities now is to present it to friends and watch their faces--their eyes pop open, their jaws drop in amazement--and hear the quick intake of breath as its color begins to radiate into their awareness. Beyond the first impression, reading took me to awesome depths and insights regarding ultimate reality, syntheses I'd previously long puzzled. Don't miss this dazzling yet holy experience. Look, read, and practice the simple yet brilliant art-as-at-one-ment exercises for the depth of your life. | 45 stars
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This was a great book!!!
This book was very touching and heartwrenching... the reason for it being only four stars and not five is because of Anne Jewell... her character was very possesive... I understand her need to protect her, but she was too possesive... Her traumatic experience, and her character growth saved the book... I loved Sydnam's character in here and he was very lovable... I especially love how he didn't quit painting even though he had lost his right arm... It was a great book, and I'm glad that I bought this book... I cannot wait to read Simply Magic... Susannah Osbourne's book with Lauren's relative Viscount Whitleaf... it sounds so exciting!!!! | 34 stars
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Lord of the Flies
If you are a William Golding fan, or you desire a novel jam-packed with action and excitement from cover to cover, you will love Golding's most famous novel, Lord of the Flies. In this literary masterpiece, Golding takes an imaginative look at the life of young boys in an extraordinary situation: without rules, boundaries, or a defined social system. His boundless sense of imagination, and his unparalleled creativity allow him to form a lifelike environment in which the reader can capture a sense of reality on such a seemingly bazaar topic. Set on a small deserted tropical island, thickly wooded by rain a forest, and a harsh jungle, the boys often have trouble in their fight for survival. One may ask... How did the boys find themselves on this island?During a nuclear war, at an unspecified time in future, a plane carrying British schoolboys crash-landed, the boys found themselves alone and helpless. Golding did not set a specific time period in which the story takes place. By doing this, he allows us, the reader, to put the story in the time we desire - making it more enjoyable to its variety of readers. The boys had crash-landed on their new home; and few other people would ever believe the story of this place should the boys ever return to Britain one day to tell it. The perseverance, and leadership of a few twelve year olds, kept the majority of the six to twelve year old bys occupied and leading productive lives away from the civilization they were accustom to. William Golding tells the story of the boy's interminable stay on this otherwise - despondent piece of rock. Golding stresses their trials and tribulations on this undiscovered place, and how boys become savages when culture and pressure are not present in someone's life. The boys' primitive instincts reared their ugly heads while they were living on the island - they had never lived in such a way ever before. .The novel begins with two boys, Ralph and "Piggy", who at first are alone - no other boys are present. They are looking at the destruction of the jungle caused by the rough descent of their plane. Eventually the boys begin to congregate. Showing a great sense of maturity, Ralph takes charge - and assesses their situation. The boys range from six to twelve years old, and at first it seems like there is no way to keep order. Ralph decides that they are going to run their island as a democracy - the boys vote to keep Ralph as their leader, though many of the boys stay loyal to Jack. A few of the biguns (or older boys) were fighting for control of the island. Jack, another boy of twelve, rivals Ralph for leadership throughout the novel - Jack quickly becomes the leader of the hunters. Previously, a group of choirboys, the hunters became a savage faction. They collected pigs and other forms of meat for the boys to eat in addition to their regular diets of berries.Ralph, despite Jacks competition, was able to maintain control of most of the boys for the better part of the story. His own minor digressions into savagery however, put his leadership into question - and Jack eventually took control of the island. Golding's last fifty pages, depict an island in utter chaos. His satiristic attitude of the adult world, mock the political and militaristic disputes in our world now. He shows how a small group of boys can sum up our entire society with both political rivalries, and groups battling each other for control. Lord of the Flies is a great novel! William Golding really struck gold on this one! Take a journey unlike any other - a planeload of preteens, lost on an uninhabited island. A fight of their own accompanies their fight for survival on this small-unknown isle. Will they ever get off? | 34 stars
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Desilucionada
Ordene el libro Las carpetas: persecucion politica y derechos civiles en Puerto Rico(Spanish Edition), y me enviaron un libro The Hunt for Amazing Treasures que yo nunca ordene, cuando miro la parte posterior abajo del libro recibido en el area de barras de codigo tenia un cello con el nombre que corresponde al libro deseado. Trato de hacer devolucion del mismo para asi de alguna manera obtener mi dineo o/u otro libro de mi interes pero se me hace imposible completar el procedimento debido a "error" en el sistema. uggh! que hago? :/ | 01 star
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I found this book offensive
There are two hypothetical families that the book follows throughout the course of the program. Lengthy backstories are given for both. One is a family where the wife dropped out of jr college when she married, and supported her husband financially through college, dropping her job as a secretary when she has her first child. This family lives in the midwest. The other family is ultimately a single Mom, living on the coast, who's husband leaves her because he feels emasculated by her career success. She gets the kids, since they "both know even without discussing it that they are primarily her responsibility".I'm not looking for a book that covers every type of family everywhere, and I don't need it to be totally politically correct. But enough of a backstory is given here, that we can pretty much predict how these folks vote. (I'd also venture a guess as to how the author votes.) And the stories are completely irrelevant. Other books (like Supernanny's) focus on behaviors and techniques, and family dynamics are only discussed as they pertain to the children. This book devotes too much time to guilting women back into the kitchen, IMHO. While this is a fine choice for some, there are many modern families that this doesn't work for, for whatever reason.If you're looking for a book with step-families, blended families, multi-cultural families, same-sex parents, stay-at-home-Dad's, extended families, dual-income families, or any other perfectly valid variation on Ward and June, look elsewhere. You won't find any of those in this book. You *will* find them in many parts of America. | 01 star
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Venus in Transit doesn't cast a long shadow
I read e: The Story of a Number and Trigonometric Delights from Eli Maor and found both to be well written and enjoyable. With the transit of Venus approaching, the previous experience with Eli Maor brought me to his latest book. The writing style is the same, clear, fluent, but Venus in Transit is at a different level, more superficial than any of the other two books. And a couple of statements make you wonder. On page 58 "...Venus reaches its ascending node around December 8, and its descending node around June 7, so a transit can happen only around these dates. But for a transit actually to occur, Earth, too, must cross the line of the nodes on these dates." There is an inversion here, for Earth reaches the line of nodes at the given dates, while Venus is usually elsewhere in its orbit at these dates as already pointed by another reviewer. And then on page 20 when describing Galileo's observations of the phases of Venus as the first solid proof for the heliocentric system, the author states: " Venus showed phases like the moon - a narrow crescent at the time, a gibbous shape at another, and occasionally a nearly full disk. Here was solid proof that Venus moved around the sun; for had it moved around d the earth instead, it would have shown a full disk at each opposition, when it was directly opposite to the sun [sic]." This is surprising. Venus is never at opposition with the Sun as the ancients new very well by observation. The epicycles and deferents in the geocentric system of Ptolemy had their sizes and speeds carefully adjusted to account for the maximum elongation of 47 degrees or so along the ecliptic between the Sun and Venus. And although the geocentric system could not account for a full disk because in that system Venus was always between the Earth and the Sun, the alternative system proposed by Tycho Brahe could. These two inconsistencies suggest that Eli Maor is not exactly at home when discussing planetary astronomy and perhaps this is the source of the different levels between this book and the other two dealing with mathematics. | 23 stars
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You couldn't ask for more information on this subject
Petroski is more than a little obsessive. He has the ability to collect an astounding amount of information on truly arcane topics. He is not necessarily the most riveting author, though. It comes as no surprise to see the number of engineers who rave over his books and the lack of attention from non-engineers.Personally, I dabble on the knife's edge between the technical and non-technical, so perhaps that was why I was able to read this book through. I'm almost embarassed to admit to burning curiousity about many issues associated with the pencil. Why are they yellow, why are they cedar, who was Eberhard (and does the name refer to the longevity of the point?), and why don't old men sharpen them with pocket knives any longer?This book answered all of those questions and more that I hadn't come close to anticipating. While there is certainly plenty of information to satisfy the curiousity of a pencil enthusiast, the book brings a deeper level of meaning. Performing such a a detailed examination of a common product provides insight into human character and economics. It provides understanding of why businesses flourish or fail, and how that affects the mundane details of our everyday lives.Certainly, anyone with an interest in the subject matter would be entertained by this book--it is a veritable information orgy on the subject of pencils. However, I also recommend it to anyone with an interest in the history of technology--how it develops, why product categories are made the way they are, and how society appropriates these products and adapts itelf to them. "Everyday Things" was too boring to me to complete, but I read "Pencils" cover to cover. Perhaps there is more to be learned through detailed research into one specific and common technology than there is through the broad brush approach of "Things." | 23 stars
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Dissapointing
Having read several of the series Tracy Hickman co-created with Margaret Weiss, I expected much of this new series.My expectations were not met. The writing style is bland and forced. The world is interesting enough, but the concept of several worlds linked together has already been done in a previous series of Weis and Hickman (the deathgate novels). A series that was way better and more entertaining.I disliked all the characters and was bored by the dream sequences. For some reason it was quite annoying that Galen spoke in first person.The ending was predictable yet slightly better than the rest of the book.I would expect this work from a fumbling beginning author not a great like Tracy Hickman. He should simply stick to working with Weis, cause their co-authored books rock. | 12 stars
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An adventurous, suspenseful story!
I would recommend this book to readers that like adventure books. It talks about exciting events and I would also recommend this book to readers who like suspense. Science experiments and clues are included in the story. I did not know what was going to happen until the end of the story! | 34 stars
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Excellent
I am trying to learn a bit of Spanish and from the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon this book looked an excellent quick visual reference to learn Spanish words. It definitely is, and the visual descriptions are really helpful and well-organized. For instance one can look at specific pages to learn useful words if you have to go to a bank, or you have to deal with common emergencies, or you are dealing with a contractor, or you want to go shopping for groceries etc.Overall, I am happy I purchased this book and I highly recommended it. You do want to keep two issues in mind, though. First, being a visual guide, this book teaches you very little about grammar. Second, this book is ideal if you are a Spanish-speaking person trying to learn English, while it is not designed for folks like me who are learning Spanish. Mind you, it's still a great resource, but while all words in the pictures are listed in English and Spanish, all the extra material is in English and about English (e.g. suggested conversations, the little grammar there is, useful sentences). Also, at the end of the book there is one index of the Spanish words, and one index for the English words, but only the latter indicates the pronunciation.So, if you are looking for something to learn new words in Spanish and you speak English, this book is great, but if you are looking for a book that will teach you how to form sentences in Spanish you may want to look (also or exclusively) for something else. | 45 stars
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oh my
I'm going to read it to my 6 1/2 year old now.I read this book in norwegian when I was 8, sitting in a farm house kitchen in Soknedal, Norway. I was on a one week visit witha family there. Tears streaming down my face and a totally different world opening to my young mind.My life would have looked different if I hadn't read it!My daughter, a descendant of slaves,native indians and Irish with a white,norwegian mother and a black, nigerian born, american father wants to read the book.We're going to take it slow. | 45 stars
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This is the book where the series really hits its stride
Death in a Strange Country is a richer, faster paced, and more satisfying novel than the first in the series, Death at La Fenice. It involves the investigation into the death of an unidentified man found floating in a canal in Venice. As the book progresses, we learn that the man's death was tied to a very large American military base in northern Italy, and that his death will not the only one.Unlike the first book, much of this one takes place outside of Venice. Leon's observations about the military base and what is says about American culture are well honed. She has a fine eye for detail and the right nuance of expression to make us see something familiar in unfamiliar terms.Leon continues to develop the story line of Commissario Brunetti's family. The support and comfort of family life stands out in great contrast to the corruption and miasma that seems to be omnipresent in italy. I also found many of the secondary characters developed more fully and convincingly than in the first novel.Sometimes it take a while for a writer to find her voice. Leon has scored convincingly with this fine second effort. | 45 stars
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A funny, enlightening look at cats and the web!
So this is why my on-line charges are so high!! The cat is surfing the web while I am at work!! This is a hilarious book that even non-cat people (do they really exist???) will enjoy!! You will keep finding more and more to laugh about every time you read it!! A must have for "web experts" and "newbies" alike!! ENJOY!!! | 45 stars
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In the Shadow of A Big Man
Once while visiting Alaska with my family, we saw coming out of a bar a young woman in a peasant blouse who was extremely well endowed above her waist. Later, I asked my five-year-old son what he thought about the woman. "Dad," he said, "those things were so big my little eyes couldn't even see them all."Lyndon Johnson also was so big most eyes could not see all of him. But, Marvin Watson had as close a look as anyone outside Lady Bird and the girls.But therein may be the only problem with this story -- discretion in telling all as long as Lady Bird is alive. Had I been in Watson's position, I also would not want to reveal what many would relish in a true tell all.Nevertheless, you'll get your money's worth for the time Watson faithfully served his big boss in the power center of the world. | 45 stars
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Amazing!
Frezzato is amazing at what he does. The figure studies and the expressions are emotive and beautifully done. I love to study this book for both gestural and character design reference. Thanks Frezzato for being awesome! | 45 stars
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Typical Koontz
This story primarily revolves around a Vietnamese detective story writer, the odd waitress he encounters, and the rat-like thing trying to kill them. It involves several Dean Koontz staples (California, rain, most character's names end with an "ee" sound, the dog saves the day, etc.). I liked this story for the almost nonstop action and suspense, but it contained some major flaws. The love interest for the main character, a woman named Del, was intended to be somewhere between wonderful and infuriating. I felt she landed strongly on the infuriating side; in fact, I kept wishing our hero would throttle her and move on. The other problem was the ending nearly ruined the story. It seemed to turn from horror to fairy tale and the author's explanation of some minor discrepancies was so huge it dwarfed the rest of the story, and was somewhat silly. I don't want to spoil anything, so let me just say that this time the dog saves the day in a really huge way. Overall, it was a good tale, but could be made better by dropping the final chapter altogether. | 23 stars
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THIS IS MY GUIDE FOR MAKING DECISIONS!!!!!
This rare book is the best guide for make my personal, financial and business decisions 4 years ago. I would like to haVe this excellent book before because I am sure that with it's help I made better choices. Anyway If you want to escape from the affairs of the "luck", study this book and you will find that "there is a correct time for each thing"......It works!!!!!! How do you feel, and how are your things into the last month before your Birthday??? I am sure that the answer is not very optimistic,....but it can be fixed, look into the book why. T his book contains cycles for your business, health, and much more. it is an simple and easy way to go safe by the life.Some of things I will leave for my son when I go away from this world it this book. | 45 stars
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One of the geatest books on someone's chilhood
"...and our neighbors image blurred with my sudden tears."(Lee,pg.270) Some may wonder why Scout came around with tears,but Harper Lee knew exactly what she was saying.In her book To Kill A Mockingbird she really tried to get her readers to think and this is one incident. Harper Lee is a talented writer, and if you've seen the move and didn't like it then read the book because that is far more better. The book mentions many things that the movie does not. To Kill A Mockingbird is a book that adults young and old would enjoy. I had to read the book for school and when I thought that I would turn out to hate it was then that I turned out to love it. To Kill A Mockingbird is a very great book about how a brother and sister live through their childhood, and about how they mature as time goes on. If you haven't read To Kill A Mockingbird I'd advise that you d because I know that you will love it. | 34 stars
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Exactly as it was promised!
This book came in, and I was blown away! Not ONLY is it exactly as it is photographed, but it cost less than a paperback version. The illustrations are spectacular, the cover art is exquisite, and the quality of this used copy is immaculate! I would DEFINITELY recommend this seller for anyone looking for exceptionally well priced, used, collectable books! THANK YOU! | 45 stars
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Exciting read
I thought that this book was very entertaining. I really liked the way the author posed as a model. The only thing I would have liked more of was a bit added focus on the underground scene in Europe. | 45 stars
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An interesting story, but told in a stilted manner.
While Golden has come up with an interesting story, there is much that is repetitive in this tale of a geisha's development and tribulations. I also found many of the characters lacked complexity, and the twists and turns of the story quite predictable. | 23 stars
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The Jeffrey Journey
I started reading this book with my own experience of knowing someone who had lived their life with SMA and subsequently having lost that friend to Type II of the condition. Her loss had greatly influenced my decision to get involved in doing what I could for others who are living with SMA. This venture lead me indirectly to discovering The Jeffrey Journey (through the website of the Jennifer Trust for SMA in England) and Helen Baldwin's story of their family's experiences.The story begins and reads like a biography of any other American family with two children going about their daily business. Every family has highs and lows, but the birth of Jeffrey would change their lives forever. Jeffrey was born with Type I SMA, the most severe form of the condition. Babies born with this level of SMA are not expected to live beyond their 2nd birthday, as Helen and Randy were to discover. Immediately after the first round of visits to doctor's and following the diagnosis, the book reads like a rollercoaster ride of one experience after another. Contact with doctors and specialists to determine what could be done is set against a backdrop of trying to keep a level head and a sense of routine.Helen and Randy came up against obstacles from the medical profession when trying to gain information on SMA. They eventually made contact with the Families of SMA charity. This opened up a world of information and experiences from other families. Messages were exchanged via the website and new contacts with other families made.A personal note at this point I would like to interject is that I have always admired families of someone with a neuromuscular condition. I personally draw great strength from seeing the family of the friend I lost when she was just 15. We meet for the anniversaries of her birth and death, although this is something I have come to term as the "angel" anniversary.The book contains poems written by Jeffrey's brother and sister and also contains information on the various SMA charities and causes. Helen's mother even composed a CD of music for Jeffrey. This is included when you buy the book.One overriding feature of the book however, is Helen and the family's faith in God which is tested to extreme and the number of times they turned to prayer.I won't spoil the end of the book for anyone reading this, although if you have learned anything about SMA you will know how this story and others will have ended. This is definitely a must-read for anyone interested in the stories of families like Helen and Randy Baldwin or for anyone who has an interest in neuromuscular conditions. I found it a great comfort to read of other peoples' experiences and compare them to my own. | 45 stars
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Very, very very good.....
Much else has been said. Hardy in this book describes better than anyone I have ever read, the experience of being in love. Not one sentence, not one paragraph and not one scene: It is full of the description-excellent.... Of course, this tragedy was panned by the Victorian press as pornographic and terrible.... | 45 stars
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Where The Red Fern Grows
Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls is a well written book. It is about a poor boy and his relationship with his two dogs. Billy and his two dogs go hunting and have some exciting adventures. Together they captured coons and had exciting fights. Can Billy and his two dogs win the gold cup for best hunting dogs? Where The Red Fern Grows is a suspenseful book. I am a twelve year old boy in middle school. | 45 stars
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Erratically brilliant
I have to say that this novel definitely made in an impact on me. I am not generally a reader of horror or the macabre but I made an exception in this case because of the tie in with Silence of the Lambs. Because of my lack of experience in this particular genre I am a little leery of making a judgement but I have decided to do so in order to give a certain perspective to this work.Hannibal is without a doubt one of the most troubling pieces of fiction I have read in the last few years. The actions are bizarre and shocking throughout the novel. This is not a complaint. These are the types of things I would expect in a book of this type. My problem was not with the shock value and or the gore but rather with the character and plot development.I thought that the pacing of the book was suspect. There is no doubt that Mr. Harris has a wonderful gift of describing with an understated manner the most shocking of events. Unfortunately, it sometimes seemed as if events were manufactured in this novel for not other purpose than to showcase this verbosity.The characters did not seem to follow along patterns that would be consistent with their development but rather with the predetermined events Mr. Harris had devised for them. A classic example would be the ending in its entirety. Although shocking and in some ways satisfying I found the ending to be disappointing because it did not fit together with the other 90 percent of the book.I enjoyed reading this novel but could not help but feel a strong editor's hand would have aided it mightily. | 34 stars
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A Powerful portrayal of a Native American Experience
"Love Medicine" is the lyrical tale of the Nanapush, Kashpaw and Lamartine families of Native Americans living on a reservation in the Dakotas. Each chapter peels at the layered relationships among the families and reveals how their lives intersect and extend to encompass all that is traditional and new in the Native Americans experience. Told from multiple points of view, the narrative is capable of transporting one to a place where truth, like fruit from the tree of life, hangs low for the picking. I saw myself and my culture represented in the stories of the Chippewa. "Love Medicine" is tragic and triumphant, magical and inspiring. The novel's exquisite symbolism is drawn in succinct prose that pulsates with the vibrancy of the characters and culture. This was a great read recommended by a cousin in high school who didn't quite like the story. After reading the novel I can understand my cousin's lukewarm response to the text, for our family's - the African American family's - experience seems inextricably tied to that of the Native Americans depicted in the novel. I found it particularly interesting how the effects of oppression are the same regardless of the group of people being oppressed. Having that experience rendered with such clarity and unflinching honesty can be a lot to take in when you're at the height of discovering who you are, why you are and where you belong. I'm looking forward to a lengthy discussion with my little cousin and recommend that all high schools add this to their required reading list. | 45 stars
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ANOTHER KAY SCARPETTA MYSTERY...
This is a somewhat interesting, Dr. Kay Scarpetta mystery, replete with its usual attention to forensic detail, as well as a myriad of subplots. Though not her best novel, it still manages to entertain the reader.Once again, Dr. Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner, finds herself on the hunt for a serial killer, when the body of an elderly, dismembered woman is discovered in a Virginia landfill. Moreover, a mutated, high tech, variant small pox virus appears to be on the loose, and Dr. Scarpetta finds herself receiving taunting emails from the alleged killer, signing as "deadoc". Couple all this with an overly ambitious and unscrupulous law enforcement agent named Percy Ring who arrests an obviously innocent man for the elderly woman's death, and the reader has an intriguing mystery to unravel.Homicide Detective Pete Marino is pivotol to the success of this book. His relationship and repartee with Dr. Scarpetta contribute to many of the book's highlights, and it is he who gives dimension to the book, as he is simply a wonderful, down to earth character. Dr. Scarpetta's relationship with FBI Agent Wesley Benton is less memorable, as he is on the periphery of the story, for the most part, though in the end he provides closure for the torch Dr. Scarpetta was carrying for her ex-lover, Mark.The only real fly in the ointment, however, is the continued appearance of Dr. Scarpetta's niece, Lucy, who is an obnoxious character. In the real world, Lucy would not be allowed to hold the position of responsibility that she does in the book, due to her compete immaturity. She is a loose cannon waitng to misfire at any moment. It flies in the face of her professionalism that Dr. Scarpetta seems unable to fathom this, but blood is thicker than water.The ending is somewhat surprising, though in retrospect, the clues are, in fact, there for the reader to discern the identity of the killer. The problem is that the resolution occurs almost too abruptly, as if the author had only a limited number of pages in which to wrap it all up. While the book moves somewhat slowly for the most part, the last few chapters move at lightning speed. A better editing job may have helped make this book into a more cohesive, better written mystery. Still, Kay Scarpetta fans will find something to enjoy in this offering. | 23 stars
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Compelling in parts, but not an easy read.
This took me a long time to read. I stopped and started. There are three or four brain searing scenes where the madness of the central character comes to the fore. For these, the book is worth reading. I found the rest a bit tedious - perhaps a modern translation would increase connection with the material. Also, I didn't like any of the characters enough to care about the eventual outcome, which made it more difficult to wade through the slow bits.I feel like a philistine for saying so, but losing track of the names probably didn't help either - given names, patronymics and nicknames for everyone, so sometimes I'd get halfway through a scene before connecting some of the participants to their back stories. Perhaps that wouldn't have been so bad had I finished it quicker.In the end, everyone is flawed, no-one escapes tragedy, and we define our own punishment. | 23 stars
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Light, easy reading
I have not read any other McNally novels, however, I have read other Lawrence Sanders' books. This book was a light, easy read, however, wasn't overly complicated or intriguing. The characters were enjoyable, if not eccentric. Good, but not great. | 23 stars
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Classic
One of my all time favorites. I have read this book multiple times, and I enjoy it each time that I do so. | 45 stars
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Really, you must be joking!!!
In reading the other reviews of this "Biography", I have to wonder if they all read the same book that I did. Some even went so far as to state that this is the best biography about Jimi that they have ever read! Please! No way.Perhaps I am being too harsh as it was written almost 25 five years ago, and it shows with the language that is used in the book. Alot of slang from the 60s. And I also found very wierd and disconcerting how Mr. Henderson writes as if he knew what was going through Jimi's mind when he lay dying, when he was arrested for drug possession in Toronto and when he was performing at his most famous concerts. I understand from reading something about Mr. Henderson that he knew Jimi, how well I couldn't really ascertain. He is also an African American. Now what importance you may attach to that, I don't know. I happen to believe that you don't have to be an African American to write a credible biography about Jimi because if that were the case, most of the biograhies about him would have remained unwritten. And just because Mr. Henderson is black does not give his book anymore credence than say the ones by Murray, Lawrence, Cross, Shadwick etc. I would say that Mr. Henderson wrote this book from his own perspective as a black man, but not from Jimi's. Yes they are both black but that should not mean that their experiences were the same. From what others who knew Jimi have said in other biographies, Jimi was only concenred about the colors in his music not the color of his skin or anyone else's. Not that he was unaware of racism, but that like any other problem in his life he simply believed that everything would turn out for the best. He was not militant, in fact most of his friends often noted how apolitical he was.Also many of the "facts" is this book are incorrect which indicates to me that Mr. Henderson did not research his book very well. Some of the facts about Jimi's concerts, his feelings about the JHE, his various women, his friends are not correct. I would think that even ten years after Jimi's death (which is when Mr. Henderson wrote this book) most of these facts were known. He also does not include a Bibliography listing his sources. Mr. Henderson gives nary a mention about Kathy, his girlfriend in London, but goes on and on about Devon Wilson and her relationship with Jimi as if this was the only female relationship of worth that Jimi ever had. It is true that Jimi knew Devon for at least 4-5 years, but he also knew Kathy since he went to London in 1966. Also this is just a minor detail, but the song lists of various concerts are often incorrect, such as the one for Monterrey Pop. He also noted that the Grateful Dead went on after JHE but as everyone knows they played between The Who and JHE.To me, Mr. Henderson wanted to portray Jimi as some sort of hip, antiestablishment "Superspade". This is a disservice to Jimi as he was much more than that. In fact he was such a complex, enigmatic, and original person that even the best biographies about him cannot adequately portray him.I wanted to read this biography because it was one of the very first ones ever written about Jimi, so I do not regret buying it, but there are much better biographies about Jimi out there, like ELECTRIC GYPSY, JIMI HENDRIX MUSICIAN and the ones by Sharon Lawrence, John McDermott, and Charles Murray.I will agree with one reviewer that stated Mr. Henderson should have written a novel about Jimi, but as a credible biography about Jimi Hendrix, this book just doesn't make the cut. | 12 stars
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SIMPLY FABULOUS
I LOVED THIS BOOK.THE AUTHOR DID A WONDERFUL JOB WITH THE CHARACTERS.AS ALWAYS! MS.ALERS CONTINUES TO SHINE. I HAVE NEVER READ A BOOK OF HERS THAT WASN'T INTERESTING AND OR KEPT MY ATTENTION UNTIL THE VERY END. OTHER WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM HER.I HOPE THAT SHE CONTINUES TO WRITE ABOUT THE LEGACY. I HATE TO SEE IT GO.TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE UPSET THAT I DIDN'T GO INTO DETAIL. I AM TRULY SORRY!IF I START TALKING ABOUT THE CHARACTERS I WILL GIVE THE BOOK AWAY. I WILL SAY THIS SOME OF HER OLD BOOKS (NO COMPROMISE, JUST BEFOR DAWN, AND HER BOOKS WITHIN THE HIDEAWAY SERIES ARE BETTER. I JUST REALLY STARTED READING THESE TYPES OF BOOKS.) I WOULD START IN ORDER FOR A BETTER EFFECT! THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY. | 45 stars
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Just like I remember! (Only without my crayon scribbles in them.)
The same books I read as a child. These are the classics, so of course they are old fashioned! My 2 1/2 year old loves them and asks us to read them every night. I think she loves most when we tell her these were Mommy and Daddy's favourite books when we were little. Set includes a blank book to write your own story as well. | 45 stars
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GREAT NOVEL!
When I was a teenager I collected Alan Dean Foster books. He was my favorite author at the time. I have kept all his books. But in recent years I've reread all of them, only to sadly discover they're pretty juvenile and simplistic. They are all very readable, almost impossible to put down, with exciting plots and vivid, economic descriptions of environments. But Alan Dean Foster's dialogue was plagued with cliche's and his characters completely lacking in subtlety.One disclaimer, however, I haven't read any of his novels written after 1990, so for all I know he's improved his skills.Anyway, my two favorite books of his are Icerigger, which is poorly written but has an absolutely brilliant plot (it would make a great movie),and this novel, The Man Who Used the Universe, which is, to me, his masterpiece.The brilliance of this novel lies in it's basic simplicity. It doesn't waste any time with dialogue and complex characters, Instead it just coldly and efficiently describes an enigmatic man, Kees vaan Loo-Makklin, who, simply said, conquers the universe.Kees is a mystery to everyone around him, because he hides his feelings completely, and views everyone as a tool in his ambitions.Each step of his life is described without any poetry or cleverness. He outwits everyone, and never falters. The novel, like the character, plows directly ahead, no looking back, and only when he finally conquers the universe do we find out the answer to the one question everyone keeps asking; why? the answer is simplicity itself, and I LOVED IT!This book is GREAT!!! Read it, you won't be sorry!chuck b | 34 stars
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Gritty British drama
this is a very interesting drama. It follows the genre of very raw ground level police work. It manages to tie the characters together in their personal and work lives | 34 stars
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A great followup
I really liked Kilgannon, by the same author, and wondered if the sequel would live up to the quality of the original. It did. In fact, it was even better than Kilgannon - more action, and a wrapup of all the details. Both are very suspenseful and I had to peek to see whose grave was mentioned in the prologue (I won't tell!). Some sad parts, some made me cry, but by the end I was ready to take to the seas myself. I can't wait to see what happens next in this series. I highly recommend this book and the previous one, Kilgannon, by Givens. | 45 stars
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Marcel Desaulniers has done it again!
CELEBRATE WITH CHOCOLATE is the latest addition to his collection of extraordinary, not-to-be-missed cookbooks for chocolate lovers everywhere. Is he a madman or a genius with chocolate? Probably both, but we don't care! 'Over the top' is the only way we want our chocolate! With recipes like Bob's Big-Ass Chocolate Brown Sugar and Bourbon Birthday Cake and Woozy Chocolate Brioche French Toast with Oozy Chocolate Maple Syrup, Marcel's characteristic sense of whimsy, detailed instructions, and decadent chocolate flavor shine through. This book is destined to become every chef's secret weapon when a spectacular Death by Chocolate finish is called for!--ANDREW DORNENBURG AND KAREN PAGE, James Beard Award-winning authors of BECOMING A CHEF, CULINARY ARTISTRY, DINING OUT and CHEF'S NIGHT OUT | 45 stars
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The Universal Problem. . . .
I found this book very funny and entertaining. It really kept me guessing until the end (and that's hard to say about many mysteries these days). I like the characters' dry, wry senses of humor.The story was very well-crafted up until the end, where the solution is sort of dumped on the reader with lots of side explanation to make it seem more believable. It was a bit on the far-fetched side, and in a weak sort of way. | 34 stars
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Atheistic religions of the east
Religion Without God by Ray Billington, Routledge, London, 2002,160 ff.This book, as implied by the title, focuses on the atheistic religious philosophies of the east - Buddhism and Taoism. Hinduism, which is generally regarded as a monotheistic religion, is also discussed because of its unifying monistic concepts of Brahman and Atman. The author, who has written other books on eastern religion, was formerly a Methodist minister, a calling he followed for some twenty years. His theology - and I would maintain we can still call it that even without involving any concept of the western God - is much more radical than those of Bishops John Robinson (UK) and John Shelby Spong (USA), but along the same lines. They, like many members of the British `Sea of Faith' Network, do claim to be at least nominally Christian. Billington on the other hand thinks that people can be religious - or perhaps spiritual is a more accurate description - without invoking the concept of God.The aim of the book is `to rid religion of theology, to rescue it from God, to declare God redundant.' Billington points out at the outset however that the very terms `God' and `religion' are open to so many interpretations that that they can embrace adherents from different if not actually opposite viewpoints. After the introductory chapter, the author makes exploration of these terms the subjects of his next three chapters, developing the characteristics of religion given by W.P. Alston in his Philosophy of Language. There are some faiths (e.g. Hinduism) and some theologians (e.g. Karl Barth) who regard religious dogma as an obstruction to enlightenment or communion with God. In discussing `God', Billington considers the viewpoints of deism, pantheism, animism, theism, polytheism, panentheism and dualism (as in Zoroastrianism with `gods' of good and evil).Chapter 5 on Mysticism gets to the heart of the book as to what is really essential about religion: `mysticism is a unifying element in religion', though with the qualification that it is also `an intensely personal experience' and therefore `beyond rational explanation'. Billington then goes on to explore Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. There is much in Taoism that would resonate with spiritualists, who are not discussed in this book. The aim of Taoism is to be of such mind and action in one or more earthly incarnations as to be able to achieve spiritual immortality: the spiritual guides of Taoism are the immortals (hsien) who guide us in our earthly life - a concept similar to the guardian angels or spirit guides who influence the lives of spiritualists.The remaining three chapters of the book take us into a Profane Religion, Beyond Good and Evil (to echo Nietzsche's phrase) that leads us into a numinous Substance Without Form, while harking back frequently to quotations from the TaoTe Ching. Overall, I felt that this book shared much with the philosophy of existentialism.This is a scholarly and thought-provoking but eminently readable book that will provide stimulus for any religious or spiritual adherent who is inclined to think more deeply about their faith. For those who want more specific details of eastern religious philosophies there are excellent books by Ram-Prasad and one edited by Michael Coogan. There is an Index and Bibliography of suggested further reading at the end of the book.Eastern PhilosophyEastern Religions: Hinduism, Buddism, Taoism, Confucianism, ShintoHoward Jones is the author of The Thoughtful Guide to God | 34 stars
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Ricky Ricotta
My son is a Captain Underpants fan, so we tried the Ricky Ricotta and he loved it also. | 45 stars
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Fear and War
I am a fan of stories that pertain to war and suspense, but "The Red Badge of Courage" is not a typical war story. Instead, it is an account of a youth whose battlefield is his mind. The approach which Stephen Crane, the author, took surprised me, because I had expected a story in which the main conflict was that the characters fought their physical enemy. Although the book was quite short, the content of the novel is breath-taking. The manner the author uses to describe settings, thoughts of fears going on inside of the youth's head, and battle scenes is fascinating. The story takes place during the Civil War, and Crane gives an excellent view of what soldiers might have been thinking while fighting, awaiting the day when the torture of war would end. I enjoyed this journey of a young man struggling to overcome the greatest of his fears, and I would strongly recommend "The Red Badge of Courage" to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. | 34 stars
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My Review on the Hobbit
The Hobbit was a story about a little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He goes on a faraway journey accompanied by thirteen dwarves and a wizard. The purpose of the journey is to find the lost treasure stolen by a fierce dragon named Smaug. Along their journey, Bilbo and the thirteen dwarves go up against Goblins, Trolls, Elves, and other wild beings amoung the forest. If you are into stories about journeys and make believe, you should read the Hobbit. I'm not really into these kind of books, but it was pretty good. | 23 stars
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The Only 19th Century Author to Name an NFL Team
Edgar Allan Poe of Baltimore wrote the memorable poem, "The Raven", and that poem inspired the name of Baltimore's current NFL team. But naming football teams is not all he was good at. Poe wrote science fiction, horror, mystery, and detective stories. He is credited by some with the invention of the modern detective story. It is certain that Dupin, the hero of "Murders in the Rue Morgue", served as a model for Sherlock Holmes, who in turn inspired Hercule Poirot. One of Poe's short stories, "The Murder of Marie Roget", might even be classified as true crime. Although placed in Paris, it was based upon the true-life unsolved murder in New York of Mary Rogers. Poe never went to the scene of the crime, and everything he knew about the murder he got from the newspaper. Nevertheless he wrote a story in which he solved the murder and identified the murderer. His speculation was later confirmed in all major details by two confessions.I read Poe's works as a pre-teen child, and some of the stories frightened me so badly that I can remember the details to this day. "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Premature Burial", "The Black Cat", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Tell Tale Heart". All these stories and more will keep you on the edge of your seat.Poe's longest work, "The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym", proved somewhat tedious, and his poetry isn't the best, but the short stories are great. | 45 stars
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great book...
i love the classics and iked that i learned something from this as well!!! my daughter goes around singing this and tryin to sign | 45 stars
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A must read
Once again, Marva Collins is very inspiring. This would be great to share with a faculty needing some inspiration. | 45 stars
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The Alienist
If you enjoy US History that occurs during the Age of Imperialism and the time period leading up to the Spanish-American War, then this book is a sure hit. In addition, if you really enjoy an excellent murder mystery, this is a book that has a "CSI meets the Gilded Age" sort of feel to it. I also happen to be a very big TR fan, and he too, is a solid member of this cast of characters. All in all, this was easily one of my favorite books of the summer. I loved it so well, that I also just finished the sequel to it, The Angel of Death. It too, was a delight. | 45 stars
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Great intro to ruby, ruby for rails from beginner to intermediate
chapter 13 - Ruby dynamics is worth the price by itself.This is a great reading for newcomers to ruby whether you've been programming before or not. I have about 10 years of web development experience and came to love ruby through rails.Like many people I started playing around with rails and a lot of it felt like black magic. Looking at rails source code didn't help either;(Almost 2 years later, after reading the pickaxe book, the agile rails development and developing a dozen sites, Ruby for rails still delivered.It helped me understand some ruby idioms that still felt a bit like black magic. It also invited to explore certain aspects of the programming language and to look at it from a different point of view.This is not a book about rails, this is a book about ruby idioms that will help you get the most out of rails and any other ruby-based project that you'll get involved.The book does feel at times a little slow but it's never dull. The "perceived" slowness might be avverted because by the author makes sure the reader has no doubts about a concept with plenty of code samples before moving on.For those guys that found it redundant, I say it was just a feeling, you might have either missed the point or maybe were already well to familiar with whatever concepts you found redundant.I reccomend this book to any newcomer to ruby or rails and to intermediate programmer that might not too familiar with the ruby idioms.If any of the following lines of code puzzle you, you need this bookp = lambda{|h, k| h[k] = Hash.new(&p;)}hash = Hash.new(&p;)if SAFE_CONTACT_KEY_VALUES[eval(new_detail.capitalize)]@contact_detail = contact.__send__(new_detail).new(SAFE_CONTACT_KEY_VALUES[eval(new_detail.capitalize)].call(params))endc = C.newclass << Cinclude Mp ancestors, self.inspect # do you know what is self right now?end | 45 stars
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the best of the serie
I think this book have to read for every fanatic of science fiction.Is the first of the serie and the best.Is just a classic. | 45 stars
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A good book
If you are looking for much inside info on Fagen and Becker you will not find it here ....or anywhere for that matter. You will find much technical info as to how the recordings were made and that end of the business. It gave me great insight as to how they make such perfection and grace. | 23 stars
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I loved that drama between two families
I loved that drama about the feud between two families and barrier them to fall in love. Story is very interesting to me. It is not dull, boring. It is more surprising, twisted, interesting story. | 34 stars
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classic
Great book and a must-read IMO. If you have seen the movie but not read the book, GET IT! You will find some things are different, but no less intersting. I loved the LOTR series and am so glad I finally got around to reading this book! | 45 stars
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Great Author
Stephanie Bond is a great author and I have enjoyed reading many of her books. This is one though that would rank as my least favorite of her books.The main character was unbelievably gullible and unrealistic.She has a boyfriend who disappeared and stole her car when he went missing. In a pique because her boss made disparaging comments about the missing boyfriend, Jolie quits her job. Jolie then begins working at selling shoes at Neiman Marcus. A chance encounter with the local millionaire, a new friend that crashes parties and 'borrows' clothes and shoes from Neiman Marcus, and some mystery pictures all cause Jolie to start investigating the missing boyfriend.In the end all is well and everything gets sorted out.Overall, it's a very fun book. There is no gratuitous sex, no swearing and good clean laughs. I just really wanted to shake the Miss Jolie and give her a little bit of common sense and backbone.Enjoy. | 34 stars
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Full of activities ... for hours of reading
This book is excellent. It covers all the bases--practice with numbers, letters, shapes, opposites and more while using everyday objects and favorite characters to "teach" them all. Plus, there's the fun of lifting the "flaps" to see what's behind many different objects--an activity of great interest to children. My son just loves this book (he's 18 months). He's a big fan of reading, and this certainly would be in his top 3 favorites. I just can't say enough about this book! (As a teacher, I have a great appreciation for how well this book is organized and what all it covers. Teaching and learning is a snap with materials like this!) | 45 stars
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Peters vs King
Normally I am a die hard Stephen King fan, now don't get me wrong I love him still but this past christmas my grandmother got me hooked on Elizabeth Peters "Amelia Peabody" series! I just finished "The Falcon at the Portal" today and was so entraced by this book! I love the way Peters makes the Emerson family just come to life, the outcomes are about as amusing as the problems themselves. Im going to buy the next book because I am dying to find out if Rameses gets Nefret, I hope Elizabeth Peters won't dissapoint me. | 45 stars
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Hilarious, Try One You'll Be Hooked
Hilarious sums it up. I wasn't sure what I was looking for the first time I read a Stephanie Plum book. I think the book cover looked like it might have some humor. Yea, don't judge a book by its cover. Sometimes that works. Anyway, I was tired on so, so serious murder mysteries, I need a touch of humor. I got it here, plenty of it along with some scary heart pounding moments.You must try this first one, I'm a firm believer in reading the series in order. If you like to laugh & wonder what in the real world is going to happen next, read this.Plum Boxed Set 1 (1, 2, 3): Contains One for the Money, Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly(Stephanie Plum Novels)High Five (Stephanie Plum, No. 5) | 45 stars
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The end of abortion
Fascinating book about technology's use in aiding reproduction. The author takes us down the road science is paving that is clearly absent moral consideration. One of the most fascinating aspects, though, of the future of technology in reproduction is the coming of an artificial womb that will allow transplants of embryos and fetuses. The implications of this technology on the abortion debate is likely to be staggering. According to the infamous Roe V. Wade ruling, a fetus that can live outside of the mother with the aid of technology is viable, and therefore protectable by law. Fetal transplants, using artificial wombs, will end the violence of abortion in this country. I look forward to the day! | 23 stars
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Pulls You In From The Start
This book really pulled me in right from the start. It puts this question in your head and you find youself looking for the answer through the whole book. You do finally figure it out. This book was so exciting. I really felt for the main character and how she was able to make her life work even after finding she was married to a man that was not interested in women but in her own brother! You won't regret reading this one! | 45 stars
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a classic surprise
I chose Jane Eyre because it was free and I had nothing to read. I ended up loving it and understanding why it is a well-deserved classic! | 45 stars
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Touching
It was so real, I could hardly believe it was written by a Caucasian man. I felt I was living in the Nitta okiya and going to parties along with Sayuri. Very impressive. | 45 stars
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So many themes, I don't know where to begin
After completely hating (and saying so in a previous review) Kawabata's Sound of the Mountain, I wanted to find out why he was selected for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I was not disappointed again. Snow Country is a deep, multi-themed, and ultimately satisfying novella.Kawabata tells the story of Shimamura, a married Tokyo denizen whose passion for the ballet and western dance is so strong that to actually behold a real performance would shatter the pristine dream he has imagined it to be, who travels to Japan's "snow country" and has a relationship with Komako, a young Geisha.I imagine that I'm stretching the analogy, but the Buddhist teachings of impermanence and suffering are an overarching theme of this story. Everything changes. To resist that change is to bring suffering. Yet, throughout the story, every character seeks some comfort in holding onto the past, the ideal dream. When Komako realizes she is aging and the flower of youth is passing from her, she suffers greatly. When Yoko yearns for a lost love, she goes insane. Only Shimamura, who does not seem to desire the past but is satisfied with the present seems to come through this unscathed.I'm not doing Snow Country justice by such a shallow interpretation, though.Even knowing the whole of this story from the outset would not diminish the pleasure of reading this book. 5 stars, without any reservations. | 45 stars
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INTENSE POETRY
Joseph T. Carty's book Fragile Temple contains very intense poetry. He courageously exposes himself down to his very core. Could not stop reading this book until I read from cover to cover. As I read I certainly felt his many emotions spilling out of his poetic writings (at times, almost too vividly). Emotions ranging from anger, pain, terror, confusion, love, hate..you name it, it's in there!! | 34 stars
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Great read
Great read for all. I enjoyed it as a young child and have enjoyed it very much now as an adult. | 34 stars
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You won't get bored often.
This book is more a collection of short stories. Many of them are very funny, there was only one that I found my self getting bored with. | 34 stars
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Have you actually read this book?
All the reviews that I have seen that give this book one or two stars are making the same painful mistake. They argue that Phillip Johnson is arguing _for_ creationism, and _against_ science. Unfortunately, this is most assuredly not the problem with the book.Indeed Johnson makes it excruciatingly clear that his complaint with evolution is not that the theory is untrue, or not possible. His point is that some of the vast claims of scientists are totally unscientific extrapolations. And here, it must be conceded, he has a point.Imagine examining the following statements in a college logic class: (a) `since science has never gained any evidence supporting the existence of a god then no gods must exist,' or (b) `since modification with descent has overwhelmingly been shown to occur within a given population (moths/tree color; insects/DDT; bacteria/antibiotics; dogs, plants and goldfish/selective breeding; etc.), it must also be true in its ultimate sense; that is every living thing must have evolved from a common unicellular ancestor, which in turn must have evolved from soup.'The conclusions of these arguments are not only totally unsupported, they are indeed unsupportable. They also intrude undeniably on metaphysics. In the end, Johnson's plea is for actual science to step in. He leaves unresolved the question of whether evolution, as a theory, is true. I give the book five stars. | 01 star
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One of the very finest contributions to this great series
Above all else, Patrick O'Brian is a patient writer. It is absolutely astonishing how slowly and carefully he is willing to develop his stories, amazing now when we have all of his books before us, and even more amazing when they were written, when he took years to bring plot details to fruition. Those who have not read this books would be absolutely stunned to discover their true nature. Before I had read these books, I had assumed they were nautical slugfests, thick with the smoke of battle and the stench of gunpowder. Yet in this, one of the best books in the series, there is next to no fighting, at least of the naval kind.The book is broken roughly into two parts. The first contains the final leg of what is anticipated to be the final voyage of H.M.S. Surprise before she is to be either broken up or sold by the British navy. Though still one of the finest sailing ships in the navy, she is underpowered compared to other ships of the line, and her timbers will not allow the fitting of heavier guns. She spends the last part of her career as a British ship chasing an American privateer, only just failing to capture her. The second half of the novel takes place upon the return of Jack and Stephen to England. Jack hopes to buy the Surprise, and after receiving a stock tip by a mysterious individual who offers him a ride to London upon his arrival in England, he firmly believes that he is about to come into a very great deal of money, and being the generous soul that he is, he quickly shares the stock tip with all of his friends. But he soon discovers that the tip was actually a ploy by the political enemies of his Radical father, and he finds himself hauled before the law for stock market fraud.Meanwhile, Stephen is, with one exception, hardly faring better. He returns to London to discover that his wife Diana has left him and that his lodgings have burned down to the ground. Furthermore, the secret service that he loves and serves is being undermined by nefarious undertakings, and perhaps even by treason that extends as high as the cabinet. And despite his most ardent exertions, he is unable to prevent Jack from being found guilty before the law and sentenced to a stiff fine and being pilloried, though the latter provides the occasion for one of the most remarkable scenes in the entire series, as Jack's fellow seamen and officers congregate en masse at the scene of his shame, preventing others from pelting him or even getting a good look at him, while cheering him.The novel ends with Jack being removed from the active list of serving commanders, suffering the horrendous shame of being booted from the navy he so dearly loves. All would be despair except for one result of the lone big of good fortune that Stephen experienced: his exceedingly wealthy Spanish patron died and left the bulk of his enormous estate to Stephen. With his newfound riches, Stepehen buys the Surprise and outfits her with a Letter of Marque, installing his friend Jack as commander. With a secret mission assigned him by the foreign office, he will now attempt his particular friend Jack to rebuild his life and his fortune.Like the other Aubrey-Maturin novels, this one is made exceptional by O'Brian's significant virtues as a writer. His patience as the developer of narrative I have already alluded to. He also stands out as both a very solid historian and an absolutely first rate teacher. I have never been much in the way of a student of the Royal Navy, but I find as a result of having read these novels (as well as a few other books that they inspired me to read) I have a surprising understanding of the intricacies of naval warfare of the period. O'Brian is a master of the subtlties, and he is never content with his reader gaining a rough grasp of the nature of naval warfare. He is continually wanting to expand and deepen his readers' understanding. But even more than all this, he is a superb writer from a purely literary point of view. Indeed, what made me finally decided to read O'Brian was the glowing testimony of major literary figures such as Iris Murdoch, Jean Rhys, and Eudora Welty (notice that I've just named three women, which utterly debunks any notion that he is a "guy's" writer). In fact, I can't imagine many potential readers who can find a great deal in O'Brian to savor. He will capture those who love fine literature as easily as those who want a good adventure yarn, and those who love historical fiction as easily as those who love military history. O'Brian truly is one of the most unique writers produced in the past half century.As fine as this novel is, it simply must be read as part of the series as a whole. Though some might be tempted to dip in at some point other than the very beginning, the temptation must be resisted. Nor will anyone starting with the first novel either want to skip any of the individual novels, nor cease reading at any point. The reader's only regret at the end will be that O'Brian only lived to write twenty novels (with a portion of a twenty-first) in the series. | 45 stars
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Just Another Teen Romance
Have you ever dreamed of being heir to a throne? Mia hadn't, but suddenly finds herself with a kingdom to rule. If you expect the book Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot to resemble the movie, to actually show her dealing with being a princess, think again. This is just another teen romance, and not a very good one at that, and should stay on the shelves.True, I admit that I saw the movie first and so came to the book with certain expectations. For example, I envisioned reading about how tough becoming a princess can be for us average people but how sweet Mia overcomes the challenge with awkwardness and humor. I also anticipated reading pages upon pages about how Mia is trained in all the proper royal etiquette such as how to sit, walk, dance, dress, and talk. Next, despite how cliche the plotline sounds, I expected Mia to eventually endear herself to her the royal staff, incite the jealousy of popular students, and develop closer bonds with true friends. I wanted the story I saw on screen.Yet sometimes a book is better than the movie. And so I think I could have lived with a different book, if not for all its flaws. From page one until the end, Mia complains about her life. In this way Mia is like the girl we see on the screen, except in the book she also swears, lies about most everything, and basically just seems more crude. She also struggles in school, frequently copies her homework off others, and disdains most of her teachers. She likes to shop, wants to be popular, and does not have any interest in doing anything with her life except to date. While these may be on the top of the list for many girls, the emphasis on them in the book makes it difficult for me to believe that she would have the ability to be a princess.Even at this point, I probably could have forgiven the book except for one major drawback. The whole premise of the book is that Mia learns she is heir to the royal throne. This could have made for a worthy twist, except we rarely see Mia being trained to be a princess. Remove a few lines here and there that refer to her royal family or obligations and you wouldn't even know that Mia was training to become a princess. Minus its gimmick, this book is just another teen romance. As such, it disappointed me. | 12 stars
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One Super Fantastic Book
While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has a slow beginning (perhaps an attempt by Kesey to explain to his reader the maddening monotony of a mental ward,) it quickly picks up an intriguing plot centered around the observant Chief Bromden and the boisterous R.P McMurphy. When McMurphy bursts into the lives of his fellow patients, his presence forces the others to reclaim the manhood they have given up upon entering the ward. Though his influence is short when compared with the amount of time the men have spent apart from society, his rebellious ideas change their outlook on their lives and situation in a drastic way. Thick with irony and the traditional themes of literature, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is by no means a common or ordinary read. By employing the escalating presence of power struggles, Kesey reminds his audience of the importance of inner strength and always making an attempt, even when a goal appears impossible and makes his work one to remember. | 45 stars
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To Walk by the Seas of Mars
Remember back to the scenes in RED MARS; the struggles to maintain a habitat at minimum for human survival. Here in BLUE MARS, we wind up maintaining old Mars ecology in domes. The world has come to Mars, Mars has become the world. The never ending pot of politics and greed is as strong as ever. The sabotage and intrigue among the competing groups of the First Hundred and Their offspring and followers is unflagging.The difference here is in the way we see the landscape of this emerging work of man-which in truth has always been the star of the show. From the great manmade scars of the cablefall to the emerging grasslands and seas, the freezings and the floods. These books are about a far away planet that captures our imagination like no other. There is very little we can do to convince ouselves that WE will change, but that is not the issue. Its interesting to see how little we do change; Robinson tells it like it is. The imagery of the changing of another world at the hands of our species is what we all want to peek in on. I enjoyed all the Mars books. I can say "Read Them ALL" Thanks KSR, good work. | 34 stars
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Great imagination and good for kids over 4 years old
I liked the creativity of the story. It had good reviews so I read it to my 3 year old son, however, he lost interest halfway through the book. I will continue reading it as I think he is interested, except the length of the book may be too long to hold his attention.This is better for older children, maybe above 4 years old. | 34 stars
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Didn't know what to expect but loved what I got
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John le CarreCoward-McCann, Inc, 1963256 pagesThriller; Spy novel4.5/5 starsSource: LibraryI'd always heard about John le Carre's spy novels but I had never read one so I picked up what is probably his most famous to give it a try.This book is set in about 1962/63, sometime after the construction of the Berlin Wall when tensions between Great Britain and East Germany are high. Leamas is in charge of a West Berlin spy division but all of his agents are being killed by East Germans under the direction of Mundt. He returns to England where a plot is hatched to make it appear as if he is disgraced so that he can seem to defect and implicate Mundt as a British agent. A complication arises when he becomes involved with Liz Gold, a British Communist Party member, but the plot seems to be working.I was so caught up in this story! I kept trying to figure out what would happen next and what the ultimate outcome would be (I was not even close) as the layers of intrigue and betrayal unraveled. The ending was completely unexpected to me and while not what I wanted, entirely fitting with the story. I'm used to the more glamorous pictures of spying such as in James Bond but this is altogether different. It's dirty, often crude, and certainly unglamorous. As presented, there are no clear-cut "good" and "bad" guys in the Cold War battle as both the British and the East Germans use the same methods and motivations without the guidance of morals.Leamas is painted as largely fed up with the spy game as bloody and cruel; he claims no specific ideology, whether to Communism or capitalism or something else. It's just what he has to do and what has to be done. Liz is a sweet girl, loyal to Leamas, but baffled by spying and the dark side that the public doesn't usually hear about. Mundt is a great villain; he became a Communist because they were the ones in power but as a former Nazi, his main belief seems to be antisemitism. He is cold and ruthless.Overall: An intriguing look at Cold War tensions and spying. | 45 stars
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A most have
I purchased other books on Catfhishing in the past but nothing like this one,it is much more then I had expected from that book,the author is telling the true story about catching Cats,I can tell he's being there before!I'm on my third reading now and still find it exciting to read,I have been catching more cats now and kept them on the hook as well.Happy fishing | 45 stars
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A wonderful book
I'm 8, and my mom is typing my review. I think The Magician's Nephew is very heavy on the story of Adam and Eve. Like when Digory was tempted to eat the apple. But you don't have to be a Christian to enjoy this book. The Magician's Nephew has a lot of imagination in it. Like the Lion singing a birth of living creatures. Just like spring. And a horse that became a horse with wings in seconds.I think this book is in the same category as The Hobbit, The Lord of Rings, and Harry Potter. But people think this book can't be enjoyed by adults because the main characters are kids. But that's wrong. | 45 stars
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Must Read
Am reading "the Mommy Myth- the idealization of motherhood and how it has undermined all women." BEST feminist book I have read in years! They hit the nail right on the head in this one, and do it with humor, too. I think it's a must read for mothers and non-mothers as well. They do an excellent job showing (among other things) how over the last 20 years (right on the heels of the first successes the feminist movement in the 60's and 70s -title nine, family and medical leave act, roe v. wade, etc.- our culture and media has idealized being a stay at home mother, and how this is subversive to feminism, and has allowed the government to prevent any more progress being made on feminist initiatives that support mothers working outside the home.The introductory pages and the last chapter are especially hilarious and well done. I had my husband read these and he got a good chuckle as well as possibly a good consciousness raising about the expectations placed on us as females in our culture.It would be worth getting this book just for the chapter reviewing the history of feminism (and the revisions of that history)in the U.S.By the way, you don't have to hate your kids or hate being a parent in order to appreciate this book - just the opposite- if you have children you'll appreciate the arguments that the U.S. makes this job even harder than it has to be with its lack of governmental support. If you are a woman without kids you may appreciate the thoroughness with which the book exposes the immense subliminal cultural pressure to become a mom.Read this book! | 45 stars
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Good things DO NOT come in small packages
I was very disapointed in the book. Although the book contains many quality pictures, the actual size of the book was very disapointing. The book measures approximately 6" X 6" in total size, not what I was expecting. | 12 stars
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Intelligent read but no mystery
Dorothy L. Sayers' "Gaudy Night" was a fun and intelligent read. The author's writing was exceptional, she creates strong descriptive atmosphere, and her character images are on par excellence. Nevertheless, many of the clues did not lead up to what I believe would classify this book as a mystery; even a quasi mystery.Overall, I liked being introduced to Lord Peter Wimsey, even though he did not show up until I was three thirds through the novel. Moreover, each of the plethora of characters had a story in their own right. The book remained me of the mysteries on PBS that I love so much.So why did I rate this four stars instead of five. Even though I found "Gaudy Night," something I could not put down, it did meander a bit. I believe the author could have cut some of the superficial dialogue which would have pruned the book by 100 pages. In addition, the conclusion to the supposed mystery was presented too quickly and was quite unsatisfying. However, if you like well-written novels, read this book. You may be lost on why it has been classified as a mystery but Sayers writing will make you one of her fans. I look forward to reading her "Busman's Honeymoon." | 34 stars
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Absolute Garbage.
What a trashy read. I thought this book would be somewhat like The Nanny Diaries, which was a fun book. This book skewers a certain kind of woman found on the Upper East Side whose only ambition is to preside over benefit dinners, and to have her tiny, shiny-face photograph appear in the party pages of any magazine.Amid this thicket of gossips, snobs and nasties lives Melanie Korn, a former stewardess who's married to "life transition" mogul Arthur Korn. That means he's made tons of money on caskets, funeral homes and retirement homes. But it will take more than Arthur's megamillions for her to succeed in ingratiating herself to the wicked witches of the Upper East Side.The Right Address could have been an amusing, albeit extreme, expose of the lives of the rich. However, the absence of any real human emotion, turn this effort into simply one nasty gossip session after another. The reader never feels invested in any of the many characters, and even when our heroine comes to her senses, there's no real sense of relief or delight. So while the tell-all nature of the book may make it hard to put down, the only real joy lies in the fact it ends quickly | 12 stars
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EXCELLENT!
ThIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK AND MOST WOMEN SHOULD HAVE THIS VERY CLOSE TO THEM. BECAUSE IT DOES MIRACLES AND IT'S VERY GOOD. | 45 stars
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