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Fabulous for my 2 1/2 month old son
I have a son that has some delays with speech and behavior. I have read many books (for his particular condition) on helping parent a child with the type of challenges my son presents, this has been my saving grace. | 45 stars
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A good read
Rich with detail, a great story. | 34 stars
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sorely disappointed
I am a die hard fan of the Anita series, or was until I painfully finished this last book. There is no police work, no 'Executioner' work, no cool magic stuff, nothing about the old Anita until the very end. And once Hamilton finally gets there, she leaves you hanging. Ya, Anita doesn't even get the bad guys. She's too busy have sex with at least four new guys, not including the boyfriends. Don't get me wrong, I'm always up for the good sex scenes...a little pickle tickle here, a little pickle tickle there...but the book was full of it and I just wanted to see Anita kick ass the way she always does. This book good have easily been told in 200 pages, and I'm beeing generous. Edward does not even make an appearance. Also, Hamilton does not even mention anything about the Mother of Darkness, where she left the last book, Cerulean Sins, hanging. This book was extremely frustrating and disappointing and not worth the time and or money. All you need to know is that Anita's powers have grown and expanded, as has the triumvirate. | 01 star
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A fantasy with deep life lessons.
Narnia entertains and teaches at the same time. These wonderful trips into fantasy work on many levels. I have read the whole series 3 times, twice to my children. They loved the magical lands. As teens they enjoyed the endearing characters and talking animals. Adults often find hidden messages. We all have our favorite stories and characters. I love Lucy. My favorite book is The Magician's Nephew in which Aslan creates Narnia right before your eyes. Narnia has replaced Middle Earth as my favorite vacation escape. | 45 stars
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An engrossing read
To give a brief, bare-bones summary, Marie Du Gard was engaged to Sebastien de Saint Vallier's ether-inhaling brother, Nardi. She left Nardi at the altar in her single act of disobediance, and also her autocratic father in a sense, had a brief coupling with Sebastien, and went to America. Three years later, she returned with a trunk full of film and cameras, intended to be (in the manner of the Lumiere brothers) a filmmaker. In the turn-of-century Paris, this is unheard of, and the rest of the story develops the lingering attraction and budding romance between Sebastien and Marie (despite their differences.)"Sebastien knew Marie Du Gard slightly better than her father realized... It had been a fleeting, feverish encounter on a rainy August afternoon that had made no sense then and made even less now. He remembered that afternoon three years ago as a kind of a blurred, hysterical dot on the continuum of his otherwise orderly life, a little moment hat was easier to pretend had never happened than to explain in the context of his normally sound, exemplary conduct."I am not giving anything away, as this is the very first paragraph. To risk sounding like my English teacher, do you see how Ms. Cuevas use certain syntax and diction to describe the breathless haziness of the moment, and also establish Sebastien's staid and formal character? It could have been written as, "Sebastien slept with Marie once and it was a bad, bad disruption in his life." But it wasn't, and that's what makes Dance such a wonderful experience. It's not a light, fluffy beach read as I had thought; the words are beautiful and flowing, and while I slowly roasted on my beach blanket I devoured half of it in two hours. Ms. Cuevas has been compared to Jane Austen and to Henry James; indeed, she has the old-fashioned, highbrow fluid style that is sometimes alternately teasing and erotic. Escape with Dance into 1900 Paris and you'll discover a hauntingly beautiful experience. | 45 stars
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The water is deep, but not so much the book
I would most certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys journey tales and likes to dabble in philosophy and theology. The Life of Pi is a convincing and wonderfully written tale that follows the main character (Pi) accross the Pacific in search of land and himself. But just be careful not to go too deep with him or you mind find yourself at the bottom of the ocean with no life preserver! But do judge for yourself. I have recommended this book to a few people and they have enjoyed it very much, and we have had lengthy conversations about it. So go ahead, read it. | 34 stars
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Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes
Michio Kaku is a new author for me. I'm glad to have had a chance to preview 30 pages of this book. From what I've read, I'm definitely hooked and can't wait to get the book. Kaku's taken a complex subject matter like parallel universes, dimensionality and the forces of nature and has woven it into a context that is easily understood, exquisitely expressed and mind bending. His work helps to provide a foundation for those of us interested in taking that journey beyond 3-D but don't have a background in theoretical physics. | 45 stars
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He didn't get it.
Don't buy this book. It wasn't John Sears.We know now that it was W. Mark Felt, the No. 2 man at the FBI who was the source. | 01 star
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This book has changed my whole life.
I have really tried the techniques in this book and they really work. I have photo copied key points i wanted to remember and I carry them in my car and browse through them all the time, I even made more copies to give to friends and family. | 45 stars
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Useless Information
The author has writen a very general book full of a lot of useless information on the Small Business Administration programs - much of it is out of date according to my CPA. | 01 star
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Fascinating details about monumental scientists and discoveries
Weisskopf gives "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman" a run for it's money! He has a more mature view of physics during WWII and many interesting depictions of textbook physicists such as Heisenberg, Planck, Fermi, and Bohr. | 34 stars
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Michener's third best book.
This is one of James Michener's finest novels. It is surpassed by Chesapeake and Hawaii, but it is still nothing short of outstanding. A professor is given an assignment to research an area of Colorado, and he digs deep into the history of this fictional town with fascinating results. The American West comes alive in this story, and you'll love everything about it except for the ending. The ending? There is none! The story just stops. Still A+++. | 45 stars
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all contents
i want a overview of each content in 5 lines each of the boo | 45 stars
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Simply the best investment money management book out there
I bought this book about 4 years ago and put it on the shelf for later reading (I collect books in this subject area). I sure wish I read it thoroughly at an earlier date. Concerning the area of money management as related to investing, this is simply the best book I have ever seen, and like I said, I collect books dealing with this subject. While this book at first seems oriented towards the futures markets, its principles may be applied to any market. Personally, I invest in stocks, not futures. Just this weekend, using the theory discussed in this book, I set up a spreadsheet that I feel confident will greatly improve my trading returns in the future. Highly recommended. The material is explained very well and very thoroughly and is very convincing. | 45 stars
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Very amusing comments on one of the all-time champs
It's rather amusing to read some of the comments -- obviously written by people (i.e. teenagers) forced to read it for sophomore English class. Hating "Great Expectations" is kind of like hating Beethoven, Shakespeare, or Monet: O.K., it's not your taste, but it's really a waste of time to say "IT SUCKED."Dickens's novel is one of the all-time champs. Unforgettable characters, beautiful writing, and a depth of understanding of human nature rarely equaled in English or American fiction. As they say in theory class, it works on many different levels. If you hated "G.E.," well, then, you probably wandered into the Literature aisle by mistake. You probably also don't like "Wuthering Heights," "Jane Eyre," "David Copperfield," or anything by Hardy or Austen, if you've bothered.Otherwise, if you love literature and haven't read "Great Expectations," consider your education incomplete. | 45 stars
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The Amazing Laws of Cosmic Mind Power
I highly recommend all of Dr. Joseph Murphy's books. They are great food for the mind. I especially recommend The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. This book is absolutely wonderful at explaining the difference between our conscious mind and our subconscious mind and how we can take charge of our lives by better understanding how these two aspects of our mind work. Enjoy! | 45 stars
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No Cain Mutuny but close
This is an excellent read. If you happened to have served on a DD or DE type vessel, that's icing on the cake. The skipper was a jerk and many of us have encountered this type. The only difference is that this time the Navy did something about it, they removed the jerk. Since Capt. Arnheiter, like many insecure men, couldn't admit he was a jerk, he fought it, which caused the Navy some embarassment. I enjoyed the book and as a former enlisted man, was glad to see that the Navy will actually remove the really bad skippers when necessary. Go Navy. | 45 stars
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The Logical Man
This is one of the great autobiographies of all time, for its clarity and candor, for its amazing scope, for its cast of interesting characters. Russell was driven by logic. He could see the illogic, the absurdities, in the way the world operated. His refusal to compromise with those absurdities made him conspicuous, made him a great man. He believed that human suffering could best be relieved by putting the world on a logical, a rational, basis. But the world did not understand, still does not understand. Like most people ahead of their time, he was punished for his efforts.My notebooks are rich with quotations from these three volumes. Whether your interest is psychology, education, war and peace, history, literature, whatever, you will find much food for thought in these books. | 45 stars
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The best book ever!
This book is the best book anyone can ever read. I recommend everyone to read it. When you finish you will recgonize that even little things can make a tremendous effort. This book is about a little rat changig into a human and he wanted his sister to turn into a human too and he realized after having his sister bark like a dog and turned into a human being, that being a rat is fine with him and he turned bakc into his normal. | 45 stars
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Promises more than it delivers
I was looking forward to this edition of Gopi Krishna's autobiography.As an autobiography it is a let down.He writes a fair amount about his childhood, but gives few details about his adult life.You don't get inside his life to see what he was like as a person.Maybe he was too spaced out with his kundalini experiences to worry about everyday matters.The book says very little on his techniques to get kundalini. He just says he meditated , for hours at a time, from age seventeen to thirty four.Then, when meditating on a lotus at crown of his head, he had his first kundalini experience.He doesn't paint a very good picture of his experiences.He had severe mood swings, from high elation to deep depression. Perhaps he was not properly prepared for the experiences.A physical experience in itself does not constitute spiritual development.Much of the book consists of very basic New Age ramblings.I am currently reading two other books on kundalini. They are 'Theories of the Chakras' by Hiroshi Motoyama, and 'Layayoga, an Advanced Method of Concentration' by Shyam Sundar Goswami.Unlike Gopi Krishna, they both give very detailed instructions on opening the chakras. | 23 stars
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Not recommended
After recently losing my twin boys @ 16weeks, I was looking for a book from someone who had been through the loss of an unborn child in a HEALTHY way. This author is NOT emotionally healthy. It has been four YEARS since she lost her baby, she states, and the nursery is still totally in tact, waiting for her baby...?? That's not where I hope to be in four years. I wish I hadn't have purchased the book. I'll keep looking for an author who can actually help- | 12 stars
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This Is A Perfect Book
This book is comes as close to capturing ecsasty as any book possibly could. It is as if Hemingway cut a physical chunk out of his life--all the passion and love and pain--and handed it to you on a tray. This book is a litmus test. Anyone who relates to it knows feelings of over-extension, failure, and desperateness. But, like the title says, the sun also rises: these characters, far from at peace with themselves, revel in what they do have. It is my favorite book and the most complete, revealing, book into a man's life ever written. | 45 stars
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Songs in Ordinary Time is a waste of time
The author tries to explore too many characters indepth and it doesn't work for her readers, or maybe it just doesn't work for me. I found the plot to be tedious, the characters too predictable, and the novel itself too long. She could have have a good novel if she hadn't tried to include the whole town's point of view! | 12 stars
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Last Laurell Hamilton book I'll be reading
So, the title says it. I'm done with Laurell Hamilton. Honestly, I did not even finish this book. I stopped with about 100 pages left. I'm sick of the author's fixation on sexual assault. In most of the books she's either had someone get raped, or attempted to be, or put in a porn film against their will. I was well aware that there was some sexually explicit content in these books, but there has been to this point, so little actual consensual sex. So I'm finished.Other gripes about the book: the werewolf politics yet again. "You came in to my territory without paying me tribute" *snoooooze*As a medical professional: When Anita was injured in the hospital and hurt, they said her blood pressure was 60/80. Not possible. The numbers can potentially be equal, but the second number cannot be higher than the first. Maybe I'm just nitpicking here, but that's how it goes.Also irked by one of her lines when Anita was referencing women's weight: "Anything under size 5 isn't a woman, it's a boy with breasts"Wow. Pretty insulting to your female readers who happen to be petite. Just like,oh your own main character endlessly is described as being so. That's a very catty line and I found it very insulting.So enough Hamilton for me.I'd rather read an author with either less sex or more HEALTHY sex than this endless victimization of her characters. I'm just glad that this book was borrowed and I've never paid a dime for one of Hamilton's novels. | 01 star
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Boring
I found this book very very boring. It goes on about too much insignificant stuff and does not grab me anywhere along the way, disappointed thought it would be more interesting. Don't bother. | 12 stars
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Ech!
Terry Goodkind is fantastic author, I've loved ALL of his books. But Pillars of Creation was HIGHLY disappointing, I've grown accustomed or spoiled from all his previous books and this time he just let me down. The publisher printed out their "synopsis" of the book, saying how he returns us to all the characters we know and love...he does?!?!?! Maybe I should read the book again, but i felt like I was reading entirely different story, almost like we started a new series somewhere...I like Goodkind's characters he's created, if Goodkind wanted to go with another "point of view", he should have gone with someone that we've already been introduced too and grown to love, instead we're left WANTING for him to talk about the characters we know, but stuck with these new (but very intriguing) characters...albeit I liked the whole idea and Goodkind displays some cleverness and ingenuity in how he's tied alot of stories together, I just wish he could have alternated chapters with more characters, like he's done in the past...read it, but you'll be disappointed | 23 stars
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Was completely satisfied
The order came in quickly and I was completely satisfied with the prompt service and the condition of the book was very good. | 45 stars
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Great book, more about the man than baseball
Five stars.In this memoir, Jackie Robinson touches on a lot of his life unrelated to baseball, including his family, time in the military, activism, and life after baseball. Each portion of the book is interesting for different reasons, but to a baseball fan the portions where he was first breaking into the league were absolutely fascinating, especially his relationship with Branch Rickey and the little strategies they had to make his introduction into the league as safe as possible.Outside of baseball, his personal life was replete with well-known discrimination and activism, but even inside of his family there were serious issues that were a surprise to me, including some heart-wrenching portions about substance abuse.My favorite thing about this memoir is that he candidly explains some *bad* decisions that he made which seemed like the right thing at the time (like, say, backing Nixon), owns up to them, and explains why he did the things he did. I came out with a deep respect for the guy, who weathered absolutely horrific prejudice like a nobleman. Totally recommended. | 45 stars
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This Book Could Help Your Child Develop a Taste for Bondage
I borrowed this book from the library as a young child numerous times, but I never owned a copy. I recently came across it in a bookstore and was both disappointed in some of the blatant sexism it contains and disturbed by the inappropriateness of the spanking scene. As I reviewed the photo of Edith being spanked (always one of my favorite parts as a child), I felt a little thrill and realized that this scene planted an early seed that led to me developing certain sexual tastes as an adult. I'm not blaming the book, I'm just saying it isn't as innocent as some would argue and I would not share this book with my children. (Do a little research into the author and you'll see that she was a tad creepy.)I also think the spanking scene sends a questionable message to those children whose parents are trying to teach them that no one has the right to use violence against them. Ever. | 23 stars
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Bring back Neil Hamel!
Whatever happened to that dynamo, Neil Hamel? Judith Van Gieson can write, but you wouldn't know it in this utterly bland, totally boring mystery with one of the most colorless heroines in history. Don't know what must have happened to Van Gieson, whose Neil Hamel is greatly missed | 01 star
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I'm Speechless
Cross-posted from [...]---Post-DARKFEVER HazeReview coming. Soon. Seriously. Like, wow.---Later That Day, After My Brain Has Had Time to RecuperateSee the "Seriously. Like, wow" comment above, in the first section? Yeah. That's what this book was like. The book was a constant action-and-drama-fest. People rip on MacKayla "Lane" all the time, but I don't see what's so wrong with her. I mean, besides all the Barbie-type mannerisms and hair flips and unwillingness to use dye, she's actually quite a kick-ass chick. (Please pardon my French.) For me, she's totally likeable and non-stereotypical (I mean, maybe I'm biased, since I played with Barbies when I was five. [Yeah. Deal with it.]), and I loved her heroism and the immediate revenge-factor after her sister's mysterious and cryptic death. All of the characters were likeable, really, including the Mr. Mysterious Jericho Barrons (whom I adored, really, but didn't see the OMG-death-from-attraction factor). I was a little thrown off by how seemingly important V'lane was in the summary, but in the book, he only showed up twice (or maybe three times; the middle-ish of the book is a little hazy).The Ireland setting was described well, as was her hometown (her backyard, especially), and I felt like her sister would've been a great person if I'd have known her while she was alive. Maybe a lot like Mac, but still a good person.(And, seriously. The name. Mac? I'd personally go by Kayla if MacKayla was my name. Hearing 'Mac' reminds me of the Disney movie CARS.)On to BLOODFEVER. | 45 stars
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laughing my way through microeconomics
I would have never believed I would be laughing while learning microeconmics, but I did with this book. It is written with humor to help you grasp the subject. I am taking classes for my MBA and never had an economics class, but finished with a grade of 96 with the help of this book. I would seriously recommend this book to anyone studying microeconomics. | 45 stars
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A Classic from the First Word to the Last
This is the kind of book you read, and then pass along to the next generation, and then the next. James Allen's words of wisdom are priceless, and timeless.This is always a great little book to pick up again as the years pass by, just to refresh your memory when things seem tough. It always gives a great perspective that's refreshing. | 45 stars
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Inspirational
CABIN FEVER is great if you want to simply look at pictures and get inspired. I bought a copy, and I have enjoyed it. But that's as far as this book goes.However, I also bought a book called SECOND HOME, which I found on Amazon.com, and that has become our favorite getaway book. SECOND HOME inspires me with its lush photography of homes (and settings) around the country, but Second Home is equally valuable because it has so much information that keeps guiding us as we work toward turning out dreams into reality. (Second Home talks about how to shop for real estate, how to evaluate a small town or a region, etc. We liked the chapter that is a series of quizzes with dozens of photos to help you decide what kind of home or setting or view or climate you want. That was interesting to go through.) | 23 stars
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beware of james
noone could evre make as much out of the traditional ghost story than MRJ. angles, details, objects. by changing one thing, focusing on something else, etc., james shows the potential in the classic elements. he doesn't stretch it too far, and he doesn't have to. he plays around with subtle changes, but his writing is serious. great descriptions, excellent at details, james is considered the ghost story master by a great many. check out how he carries out the details in Canon Alberic with the mysterios book, the descroptions in Ash-tree, the mysterious lurking fear in Count Magnus, or the plot in Oh whistle..... | 45 stars
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Warriors: Rising Storm
The Warriors Series is a fantasy series. The story tells you about the young deputy of Thunderclan, Fireheart. What I like about this book is the amazing detail; you can picture everything that is going on in the book. The plot has a lot of fighting and betrayal. The names of the characters go in a pattern; if the cat is a kitten their name will have the word kit at the end of it like Thornkit. If the cat is a warrior their name can be anything as long as it's two words like Sandstorm or Fireheart. And if the leaders of the four clans must have the word star at the end like Bluestar the leader of Thunderclan, Tallstar the leader of Windclan, Nightstar the of Shadowclan, and Lepardstar the leader of Riverclan.Many kids in middle school would like this book. Written by Erin Hunter this series is one to recommend. | 45 stars
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ok
i thought this book was a ok one but why did anikin solo have to die and why didt they tells us what happened to jacen and verege(i think verege was the jedi knight obiwan and anikin were sent to find in rouge planet | 23 stars
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A taste of living water in the drought of modern-day Christianity
My hairdresser recommended this book to me. The relationship one has with one's hairdresser means that you often end up talking about quite deep things and my hairdresser and I, both Christians, have done a lot of talking over the last ten years. He was obviously pretty much in tune with where my thoughts were as he told me about a book I had to read, told me its name and I went out and bought it."A New Kind Of Christian" is that book. And my hairdresser was right - I really did have to read this book. Why? Mainly because it has given me fresh hope in Christianity in the 21st century when I had pretty much given up hope. Look around you at the people you work with, you travel on the train with. If you stopped and asked one of them randomly to describe what they thought a Christian was they would probably say something like "a nice person, a good person, but also very judgemental, bigoted, brainwashed and a hyprocrite." And I would agree with them. Most Christians I know - well, almost all of them - are really nice people. They can be very hospitable, wonderfully generous, they give up no end of time and money to the Church, they want to invite non-Christians to as many events as possible to convert them (for their own good, of course) and they want to live a faithful, good, nuclear family kind of life. However, this worldview seems so out of touch with the real world - not because any of those things are necessarily wrong (most of them are very good) but because it misses out on a lot of what else is going on in today's culture. Issues of sexuality, scientific study, congruence with the postmodern society that we live in - these are issues that the secular world has a position on and the church is usually far behind. Christians often seem to have an inability to think for themselves but only seem able to parrot the latest words of the pastor/leader, no matter how unloving it may seem to the modern gay person (for example), let alone often requiring belief in things that really shouldn't matter to be a `real' Christian (such as 7-day creation). Young people are often turned off because they feel the church isn't really connecting with them; others are so `into' the church that they don't actually have any real understanding of life outside it, of culture outside it (yes, there is some!) and of issues that affect people deeply every day that they can blithely categorise as `wrong' or `sin'.Brian MacLaren's book meets these issues head on. Rather than writing a treatise or theology of what he believes he instead presents his views in the form of a conversation between two people - a Pastor who is beginning to wonder if he should become a school teacher instead as he can no longer preach with the certainty that he used to, and Neo, a school teacher who used to be a pastor. Within the conversations between these two men we read a sermon by Neo, hear of conversations between the pastor and his wife and get a little bit of an idea what it might be like for that pastor who is worried about his calling. And every page of this book just drips wisdom - I found myself constantly thinking "yes, that's exactly it!" and was generally able to only read a couple of chapters at a time as there was so much in them I had to go away and think about what I had read before consuming more.Brian MacLaren puts his case for a new kind of Christian very strongly. The first half of the book is setting the groundwork to his idea - that the Church is "modern" but the world is "postmodern". So much of what the church does we think is vital to Christianity and yet it's far more of a response to the world we have lived in since mediaeval times. The church needs to respond to the way that the world has moved on in terms of communication, global perspectives on individuals' lives and a right understanding of what Jesus started in his church. The second part of the book looks more at what "a new kind of Christian" would be like - how they might evangelise, how they might live there lives (with a strong focus on generosity of financial giving) and how they might live lives as Jesus commanded rather than turning into the narrow pharisaism of so many Christians.I was really struck by a small thing in the middle of this book, where Neo quotes from 1 John 1 about heaven, referring to Jesus and saying "We shall be like him". I had been going around for weeks saying to people "if being a Christian means being like these people" - referring to Christians in the media, Christians I have come across in my daily life, who spout bigoted and unloving opinions at the drop of a hat and come across as very judgemental - "I would rather not be a Christian". I found it shockingly easy to say those words because I have become so horrified by the state of Christianity that I have experienced in the UK and US. And yet I was reminded that in heaven we would be like Jesus and I want that, very much. I am very happy to be like Jesus, he is the ultimate model of what a Christian should be like, and this huge difference between thinking about being like Jesus and being like other Christians has highlighted for me where Christianity has gone wrong for me - not in the essence of the faith but in its expression by people around me. It doesn't have to be like that, and Brian MacLaren's book shows a way in which we might become more like Jesus in today's postmodern world - this is a brilliant book and I strongly recommend it to anyone who despairs of modern-day Christianity, who fears they may be losing their faith, who finds it difficult to reconcile their God-given intelligence with the strange stuff being fed to them from the pulpit. It gives hope again to the message of Jesus, as relevant today as it has always been. | 45 stars
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A decent intro to Mathmatica
This is typical of the Schaum's outline series: a decent, no-frills introduction to Mathematica at a reasonable price. When you look at the other books on the subject, they cost 8 to 10 times as much. Get this one, work hard and save some long bucks. The others may be pretty but are they really worth it? | 23 stars
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Excellent and interesting travels
I thought it was very generous of Mr. Crichton to share his inner and outer travels with his readers. He is a very intelligent, interesting person who has accomplished a lot in life. However, reading this book, will give you an insight of his life as a regular person who has his ups and downs and other struggles in life and personal relationships. He is also very honest in expressing his thoughts and feelings in this book.I don't believe in paranormal, palmreading and stuff, but I appreciate his thoughts and personal experiences related to those.This is one of the books I could read over and over again, over periods of time. I definitely recommend this book. | 45 stars
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Hackneyed Liberal drivel
I bought this book as it was recommended by the Economist which is one of the few sources I trust for book reviews. I was pretty disappointed. The first thing the author does is go overboard to establish is liberal and open minded bona fides, doing this by assuring the reading audience hes going to base his finding on reasoned and balanced treatment; devoid of racial bias or supposition. He then sets up classic straw man arguments promising his theories are more advanced then those numerous evolutionary psychologists and evil anthropologists that dare to foolishly use race as a criteria for judging human societal development. Diamond, then guiltily, bemoaning these ills and the numerous bogeyman that fill academia (preaching racial differences as if anyone looking to retain their career or University job would dear, i.e "The Bell Curve").After all this and more pretense Diamond then goes on to say he finds primitive tribesman more intelligent on average then whites. Its hard at this point to determine which is more ridiculous: that the author just spent 20 pages bemoaning the insufferable inference that some racist fools may make against racial intelligence difference and its relation to societal development and then the author hypocritically doing exactly that himself. Or Diamonds specious and vapid analysis of why the primitive island natives are smarter then western whites. Appearantly inteligence counts for nothing in evolutionary biology in developed western societes compared to primitive ones, and putatively it takes more brain power to survive dieases in a primitive culture then a developed one. O'Really? I wouldnt be adversie to his premise if it wasnt based on the most feeble of analysis. He also throws out the old lib standard country natural resource argument which I thought was beyond mentioning since they have been so thoroughly discredited.All this nonsense occured within the first 30 pages which proved two things for me:1. The author is a huge liberal with the typical white guilty conscious and any analysis will be the poisoned pathological fruit of his inner guilt.2. Diamonds analysis skills are suspect even if you accepted his premise.Given these two points the statistical chance of this book being worth finishing when I had a full list of more thoughtful and well reasoned reads was greatly diminished. I decided to shelf Diamonds book. I have heard he has authored a even more biased and poorly reasoned environmental book which im sure blames white people for all the worlds ills but I'm not buying that one after wasting my time on this juvenile and silly book. | 01 star
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PURE ESCAPISM
Joan Collins can put novelist to her resume now with this page-turner of the rich and rotten. Her brochette of characters are a likable bunch, as they suffer and suffer during the making of a nightime soap opera. And bubbles sure do float in this glossy, effective novel. Collins's prose is sharp, witty and wicked, with a fast-moving plot and glamorous descriptions of clothing, sexual escapades, champagne and caviar parties--all the right ingredients for making PRIME TIME a one sitting read. Yes, glitter is her game, but can you really expect anything else from the queen of television's melodrama herself ?-----Martin Boucher | 45 stars
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Great book, artwork, and information
I bought Nancy's book because I enjoy her artwork and was pleased at how it helped me understand her artwork as well as providing a great approach to deal with patients on their issues using a variety of art forms and mediums. Nice examples, and a generally great book! | 45 stars
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very moving
My favorite Archer book. The first two chapters were boring but after reading these reviews, I continued and was well rewarded | 34 stars
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Another laundry list of dangerous books.
What was I expecting when I picked up this book? Nothing much really and that is exactly what I got. In that light this book lived up to its expectations fully.These kind of books by racist authors are emblematic of the sad truth in the world we now find ourselves in.Under the guise of "terrorism" anyone with the most racist of viewpoints can disguise his anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, anti-progressive, anti-justice views with ease without the slightest of criticism because as the rightwing justification goes "now its not a time for being politically correct, we are in war."Thus war becomes this ultimate catch phrase under whose umbrella a racist can find refuge and the non-partisan independent is confused and silenced."War on drugs" "War on terror" "War on fascists" "War on freedom" what does it all mean? To a conservative: simply survival! (a do or die, apocalyptic clash that is the ultimate fear inducer of the populace to win them over. A dangerously clever PR strategy.)What would be normally considered morally repugnant now becomes socially acceptable and racist authors like Robert Spencer, David Horowitz, Daniel Pipes, Jamie Glazov, and their neocon ilk such as FrontPage, National Review take full advantage of that fear induced populace to further their selfish ratings and venomous viewpoint.Venomous considering if everytime we switch "Arab" and "Muslims" preceding the oft-derided term radical, fundamentalist, fascist, with Jewish fascist, radical, fundamentalist; their views would immediately are rightfully barked down as anti-Semitic.But that is not the case with these neocons and their Islamophobic books. Their goal in this book seems clear.To slowly and deliberately brainwash the populace and get them ready for a "culture clash" whose fruits we are seeing unfold in Iraq, then it'll be Iran (with the exaggerated threat), then Syria.The exploitation of terrorism by an ignorant populace goes a long way, as the GOP found out in the '02 and '04 elections.Therefore don't be surprised that with every terrorism 'plot' (which is cropping up due to Iraq and the Israeli war in Lebanon) more seeds of neocon self-rigteousness of "told you so" is being planted to furthering their own political agenda not unlike the Nazi's own political hate campaign against Jews.If we are caught sleeping at the switch, don't be surprised if America is dragged into another invasion of Iran for the sake of neoconservative's darling Israel. The same arguments are being recycled, "Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism as Saddam was," "Iran is supposedly building nukes" (while ignoring Israel's nukes) "Iran is a threat to its neighbors," (Iran hasn't invaded any of its neighbors since 1600s) "Iran's President Ahmedinejad is Hitler as Saddam was who wants to wipe Israel off the map" (a country who has enough PROVEN nukes to wipe out the entire Middle East and IS a threat to its neighbors as we saw in Lebanon).If enough people buy the militant, right-wing neocons hate discourse and attack Iran, we will then have only ourselves to blame for letting McCarthyite fear and hatemongers like Glazov, Spencer, FoxNews get the better of American foreign policy.Iran will make Iraq seem like cakewalk. And for what? For Israel's sake?It's time to wake up and throw out the Republican hatemongers in the upcoming election to whom war, confrontation, and 'fear therefore secure' is their Modus Operandi. For the sake of our children and our collective future as a prosperous nation currently drowning in trillion of debt. | 01 star
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Not quite a Bible, but definitely a worthy addition
The truncated version of my full review (space prohibits the whole thing, full version lives [on the web]):What's Bad?Zope Bible is a misnomer. There is a lot of great information here, but many sections are to shallow to be of any use. A more appropriate title would be Python for Zope or Advanced Zope Development with Python or some such. It claims to be beginner to advanced, but it is not organized in a manner that will be useful to Zope newbies and the things a beginner needs to know most often are missing or covered in such little detail as to be as good as missing. They could have dropped the first 3 chapters and used that space to flesh out some of the later chapters and perhaps do a second case study.What's Good?The sections that are good are very good. It's well written, they obviously have a deep understanding of Zope, and I didn't catch any technical errors. The writing is clear and effective. If you're already familiar with Zope and already have The Zope Book and The Book of Zope, then this would be a great next book for getting more into the Python parts of Zope. I particularly liked that they built an actual useful product from end to end in the course of several chapters explaining how different features of Zope can be used. The reference sections on CM and DBM are great. It's nice to see some aspects of Zope that are woefully underdocumented get addressed (Templates, DB integration, Security, Searching) even if some of them aren't in as much detail as I'd like. | 34 stars
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Not-so-subtle Rand
Orwell used wit and a highly individualized writing style to argue against repression. Rand's Anthem, however, is witless and styleless. This overbearing book might just have finally made the convincing argument for the need of people to cooperate in its own blind, foolish rush to categorize any group of people as stupid. But she undermines her own argument because the Science officials, who do not pay heed to Equality's invention of the light bulb, are obviously not looking out for the best of everyone, so she really doesn't argue against utilitarianism. Why did she write a book when she could have simply written "I"? | 01 star
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I'm a military girlfriend and it didn't help much.
I'm a military girlfriend who's boyfriend is currently deployed to Iraq. This book looked interesting and seemed like a helpful tool for me while he is away. I started reading it. I got to about the fourth page and decided it wasn't the best for me. It's more for a military spouse with children. The jargon available was helpful, but I was extremely disappointed in the overall quality of information provided. If you're looking for a good read, Separated by Duty, United in Love is an absolutely phenomenal read. THAT is a good book with a lot of advice-written so we civilians can understand the life and duties of servicemembers and it's written by a woman who's been there and seen all of it as a veteran AND as a spouse. | 12 stars
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A necessary precursor to the Lord of the Rings.
You must read this book if you are thinking about reading the Lord of the Rings. More things will make sense, and the reading will flow better. The Hobbit may not be as exciting but it is just as wonderfully written and is a great book!! I definitely recommend it. | 45 stars
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An absolute must have for Elizabethan reenactors!
This book is THE costume bible for Elizabethan clothing. It has more information in it than I have found in 10 other books. Lots of illustrations provide valuable ideas for those just starting out, and the instructions for constructing the costume pieces are very simple and easy to understand. My poor copy is very worn out from use - I may need to get another soon! | 45 stars
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The Schwa
Calvin Schwa, known by everyone around him as "the Schwa," somehow seems go unnoticed by people, but one day he meets Anthony Bonano, a.k.a. Antsy, and his friends Howie and Ira, who will soon help the Schwa solve the mystery of his mother's sudden disappearance. The author of this book, Neal Shusterman, concocts a suspenseful plot and interesting characters to create a magnificent and exciting book.Some of the characters included are Lexie Crawley and Mr. Crawley, two manipulative relatives. Lexie is blind and has a seeing-eye dog named Moxie, but she is smart and witty and shows this in the book. Mr. Crawley is old and cranky, but he has lots of power and intends to use it. Antsy and the Schwa, two other characters, team up and create the "Schwa Effect." The Schwa Effect is a series of experiments, in which the two boys test the Schwa's "observationally challenged", or "functionally invisible" powers."It's like he's functionally invisible.""The proper term is observationally challenged," Howie says.The plot was another great part of this book because of its suspense. For instance, when I was reading the book, there was a part about his father getting fired. In my head, I looked back upon the earlier information which led me to believe that Mr. Crawley was the one who caused this. I sat there staring at the book with my mouth wide open.As you can see, this book has exciting characters and a great plot, which is why I recommend you read this book. | 45 stars
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I like it, but it's no Tim Robbins
I would firstly like to say that this book was not written of Tim Robbins hand. With that said, it's a fairly interesting plot, with an egomaniacal protagonist and a deranged antagonist. What a read! The character the book focuses on is less than riveting (at least if you aren't the antagonist). Needless to say, but to be said anyway is that the book is really a story of what is supposed to be a normal woman, who lives in a her own world dominated by nothing but money and her own self-awareness. Along the way a cast of characters is introduced, most of whom the protagonist sees's as half baked nitwits that are obstacles to a perfect materialistic life. People go missing along the way, art is invited into the story, stuff gets shoved where the sun don't shine, and people woof. If that doesn't seem interesting enough, what do you get when you combine a monkey, two love interests, a fat psychic, and frogs from outer space? You're just going to have to read this book to find out. | 34 stars
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Best book ever
This is one of the most touching books I've ever read. Agee has the greatest knack of talking in the language of the character under examination. His attention to minute detail brings the picture of what the characters see and do and feel in a way that I find rather profound. The language is never coarse or overly broad. You never have to guess what a sentence is conveying, it is so literate yet to the point. For instance, Agee names all the mourners, just the way a child would who was watching them pass by one by one, and creates an atmosphere of the burden of sadness but not understanding why the burden is put forth.Young Rufus' character and personality come across as the most touching of all. He is a young boy starting to mature but still captured in childhood, and trying to understand people and their behaviors toward him, trying to trust but knowing and feeling puzzled by the things people do to him to destroy that trust. And learning he can't trust himself either. Everyone can relate to his trials in this regard. All the folks who populate this book are folks you'd want to know more about. But the most touching aspect of all is the way Agee lets you know just how the death of one impacts so many, so very many others; how it hurts, how it forces growth, how much sadness it generates. I couldn't put it down. And my tears still flow thinking about it. | 45 stars
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Hope...
Saludos. Me interesa saber el costo del producto, franqueo (S&H;), y modo de envío.Es muy importante observar y verificar la dirección postal y/o residencial para que el envío correcto sea por correo postal (USPS) o mediante (UPS).Gracias.Roberto Cruz | 45 stars
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Gone for Soldiers: A novel of the Mexican War
Good plot and it kept me interestred. I was also fascinated how many of the characters go on to subsequently play important roles in the US Civil war and politics. | 23 stars
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Another blot on China's human rights record
Ani Panchen, the only daughter of a Tibetan Cheiftan was looking forward to a life of contemplation after narrowly escaping an arranged marriage. However, after the invasion of Chinese Communist forces & the death of her father, Ani is compelled to carry on the wishes of her father & help lead rebel Tibetans defending their homeland.For her involvement in the resistance, Ani spends the next 21 years of her life in prison. Living from day to day with the hope that in time she will meet with his Holiness the Dalai Lama. Her courage & spirit to fight & survive are astounding. This is her testimony for all the thousands of political prisoners still being held in Chinese prisons for 'crimes' such as 'waving a Tibetan flag' or shouting for independence.This book is another blot on China's human rights record. For similar reading try 'Fire under the Snow' by Palden Gyatso. | 45 stars
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Dinner with Jesus
Great Book. Interesting if you really know the bible and also interesting if you do not. Will read it again | 45 stars
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This Story will stay with you forever
I read the power of one when I was 16, and now at 23, I have read it again. What an extraordinary story. By far the best novel my eyes have read. Bruce Courtney magically leads the reader into a young boys world that is filled with so much vivid detail that all emotions are flying at high speed. You wont be able to put this book down. Its story will leave you inspired and emotionally exausted. Peekay, the protagonist of the story, leaves you with an array of assurance that anything is possible. | 45 stars
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It's very helpful to view drugs in ecological terms. Great book.
Matters of Substance is the most insightful book I've ever read on drugs. Edwards never inflames, and never understates. He looks far and wide at many cultures and countries, and never lets popular myths or received attitudes dictate his opinions.On cannabis, for instance, he stands resolutely against the libertarian stream and points out hypocrisy on the left between nicotine and cannabis attitudes. With cocaine, on the other hand, he lays much of the blame for the epidemic of the 1980s on the medical community, who over-prescribed the drug in powder form in the 50s, creating an environment ready for a designer drug. | 45 stars
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Excellent history of Hitler's reign
Everyone should read the Rise and fall of the third Reich. The 1200 pp were perhaps too detailed however accurately took the reader through 1936-1945. It is a lesson of how efficient a dictator can be contrasted to a naieve and complacent democracy. An evil leader can find sufficient evil followers to eliminate the opposition having no moral conscience as to how it is done. It is also a picture of the power of speech. Hitler had no accomplishment in life however he could excite a mass audience with speech. Mob rule quickly becomes a powerful tool. The book is important alerting us to evil people using propaganda methods to remove freedom. Germany was suffering from the results of World War One and quickly caved in to promises even while watching millions being slain, mostly Jews. Lynn in Jacksonvile OR | 45 stars
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Best
This is the best, most helpful, simplest, most profound book I ever read on prayer. I make it a point to read something on prayer daily and have read many, many books on the subject. This one is the best. If you only plan to read one book on prayer, make it this one. If anyone who reads this can recommend one better, I'd love to hear about it. | 45 stars
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Excellent primer into theory on strategic management
Are you a MBA student? Management scholar? If yes, then this book is definitely for you. The book is not meant for everyday management decision makers because it lacks practical insight. But the theory side is excellent. The author of renown "80/20 principles" has written a good outline of strategic management theories through decades as well as about the latest developments in this area. In the introductory part he gives an overview about overall theoretical background of the subject starting from the teachings of Igor Ansoff. In the first part of the analysis goes mainly around book business unit strategy drawing parallels to BCS-s and Porter's positioning methodology. In the second part the attention is given to various possibilities of corporate strategy. The third part gives an alphabetic overview of all the main strategic thinkers. The fourth part speaks about main concepts, methodologies and techniques used in strategic planning process. The final fifth chapter tries to predict the future of the strategic planning by analysing the latest developments in this area. | 45 stars
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Excellent
Deep, profound, complicated and eventually simple, like all truths....I have had this book for several years, I have read parts of many times and I am just about to delve into it yet again. A book to read and digest slowly. The information is so profound it takes time to assimilate and a certain level of previous understanding of metaphysical concepts to grasp at all. Not for the beginner on the path, just as a doctorate level physics text is not enjoyable for someone in secondary school. It takes some patience and dedication but is very much worth the effort. Profound. | 45 stars
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I absolutely love this book-both as an adult and as a child
I just love this book. It, along with GOODNIGHT MOON, was my favorite childhood story. In fact, I even named my son Max, after the main character. Although he is only 5 weeks old, I have already read it to hime several times. | 45 stars
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Hot!
This is the book I've been waiting for. What took so long? Is it so hard to conceive a sophisticated Latin lifestyle book? While it's filled with so many traditional and nuevolatino recipes, great cocktails, and decor ideas I love how it adds other elements of Latin lifestyle--namely travel and cultural customs. I looooove this book. Most of the food is pretty simple to prepare. The beautiful pictures really inspire you!These sexy authors need their own Spanish and English language show on Food Network!! | 45 stars
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Taking the Next Step
I have an extensive aikido and martial arts library so I wasn't exactly sure what I would be getting when I'd ordered this book. Generally, books tend to be either technique-based or philosophy-based. This was more along the latter however, it managed to make the connection between technique and the philosophy/principles quite well. It was advertised for advanced students and I definitely agree since I know that I would not have been ready for this if I was just a beginner. Having said that, its messages are timely and appropriate for advanced students who, I believe more often than not have reached a plateau in their training and need a challenge to their egos and their previously accepted way of thinking. Specifically, the Eight Pillars of Aikido Wisdom is an excellent approach where the reader can weigh and consider the topic easily in the dialog writing method. | 45 stars
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The Length May Be The Best Thing
I read the book first when I was fourteen and surprise surprise, I identified with it. Now several years older, I don't think exactly like Holden does, but it doesn't prevent me from seeing how sincere and sensitive this character is.Although I admit I was sad when the book was finished (and each time I read it, I experience the same regret) but I still think, as I thought then and as I think of all books that leave me feeling like that, the length of the book may be the best thing about it. Many readers wished it had gone on longer and I know what they mean--Holden's charm is very quick to communicate itself--but Salinger knows his stuff. He gave us enough and not too much--the best things in life are best just tasted, not devoured whole.The Catcher in the Rye (for those who might be interested: I couldn't beat Holden's job title; my own is "Professional Human," you may laugh all you like!) offers a fresh perspective; anyone who has a fresh mind, an open mind, an empathetic mind and a good heart--because hearts aren't underrated in Holden's world, even if they are denied in our self-consciously cynical world--should read this book. It will be an experience of a life time. In Forster's words, Only Connect--this book will show you how. | 45 stars
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Fantastic!
If you, having survived high school or other academia, never ever want to read another science book again in your life -- READ THIS ONE!It's informative, it's humerous, and it is dazzling! | 45 stars
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Another fantastic job by Ariana Overton
When you open this book be prepared not to be able to put this book down until the very last page is turned. The author has done a fantastic job capturing the flavors of different genres and weaving them in to a work of art. TAPESTRY pulls you in and wraps you into its threads of suspense and romance, fantasy and murder.Katherine (Kat) Hurston, a 48 year old Professional Computer Consultant, is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Chuck and Callie Barnes have been friends of Kats for 16 years. Callie tries to warn Kat that the relationship between Kat and Steve Davis would end so she could prepare herself for it. Dr. Max Martin is a college buddy of Chucks who specializes in Paranormal Psychology. Max has just moved there to Silicon Valley, California to head a project for Ancorp to research the possibility of people traveling from this reality to another.During this research, they discover that Kat can travel through time to a different reality. Max's boss, Nick Kharija, CEO and owner of Ancorp, finds out about the discovery and pleads with them to find the lost Scrolls of Egypt as they contain a cure for his daughters' rare illness. Dr. Michael Renner found the Scrolls, but was killed last year and his murder remains unsolved and the Scrolls undiscovered. Max tells them that Michael was his half brother. Suddenly, the four friends are in a race against time and Kat has some hard choices to make. Should she try to change her past to get what she wants in the present? Or does she search for the lost Egyptian Scrolls so a cure can be found? Should she search for Michael's killer to help ease Max's pain?As their search continues, more questions are found than answers. Why was Michael killed? Who is Mr. Analda? Is Nick Kharija really on the level? And now Kat has yet another problem, to figure out what is going on between her and Max.This is an excellent book from beginning to end. Definitely a must read for mystery readers to romance readers alike. You won't be left disappointed at this books end. | 45 stars
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A good read
If you love fantasy this is a great book for you. Tolkien is brilliant in depicting Middle Earth settings with both characters and places. | 45 stars
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A Classic (is it outdated?)
This book was published in October 2003. It is now late in 2010. It is a great book, but can it really be 5 stars after 7 years?I've owned the book since 2005, and any time I have a spidering question, I still turn to it, and am rarely disappointed. My copy is thoroughly dogeared. But how much of my work could actually be shortcutted if I was using the most recent Perl modules? | 34 stars
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Could be Better
This book I needed for my college statistics class. It does not offer many examples, and the ones it does offer do not go into great detail. It was useful in addition to my class, but would not have been useful just by itself. | 23 stars
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Light entertainment but won't keep your attention
I read this book by the poolside during a vacation and it was ok material for that scenario, but I've read better. There's a lot of good fluff vacation reading and this would not be in that category. I didn't become involved in any of the characters enough to care what happened to them. Their personalities kept changing and it just felt like a mishmash of ideas of the writer rather than well developed fluff. I recommened The Devil Wears Prada over this book. | 12 stars
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The Book of Honor, it is an honor to read it.
This book rules! Please read it if you have any interest in the intellegence community. It is a fascinating set of accounts of the lives of men and women who died in the service of this great nation. Additionally, it is not the sort of book one reads all at once. It is best for long rides on the subway, airplane rides, long trips, and it is perfect for carrying around with you when you are sure you'll have time to read. I carry it where ever I go. PLEASE READ IT NOW! | 45 stars
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Size does matter
One reviewer favorably referred to the "unique size" of this book, but that's what I find its greatest fault. The dimensions of the book are 10.52 x 6.58, resulting in photo after photo being divided at the spine; I found it extremely frustrating to see so many gorgeous faces and bodies compromised, so to speak, in this manner. Also, because of the book's dimensions, many photos are reduced to tiny inserts on the page.All that said, there are too many fabulous photos here to write the book off. The pictures of Tab Hunter and Mark Damon alone are worth the price of admission. If only...I would be willing to pay much much more for a larger, coffee table edition of Shirtless. As it stands, I'll still keep this horizontally-challenged offering on hand for anytime I feel like drooling. | 23 stars
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Mase's book review
I thought The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a decent book. I feel that most people who read this book will enjoy and have a great time. This book contains many twists and turns that left me begging for more. Huckleberry Finn is a great character for all young boys to relate too. He is full of adventure and loves to cause trouble.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was overall a very fun and exciting book. The drama was always high and had my blood pulsing. From having an abusive and alcoholic father, to running away from his hometown, and then being captured by the duke and the dauphin, it did not seem like Huck ever got a break nor did he want one. The plot was great because it was always changing from one dramatic experience to the next. Huck never stayed in one place and was always ditching his father or Miss Watson (the widow taking care of him). While both of them care about Huck in a completely different way, he really didn't want to have anything to do with them. Most of the characters were great in the book. Each one had an important part that lead to the next catastrophe. At the end all of the characters seemed to come together and it was interesting how basically everyone met each other. Jim, a slave child, was a very important character. He became a true friend and accomplice throughout the entire book. While most of the characters played an important part, some pieces just didn't fit however and lead to boredom.Although this book was basically very good, I got confused during certain parts. The whole deal with the duke and the dauphin was stupid in my opinion. I feel that they just made the book more puzzling. They were from one town to the next tricking people and using fake names, eventually it got old. Around this time the book started to drag on and the development didn't really go anywhere; it stayed pretty dull. Also the whole deal with Huck's abusive father really didn't have a huge affect in the long run. Huck still ended up with Miss Watson and besides the beginning Huck didn't have to deal with his father.Overall I was very pleased with this book. I am the kind of kid who loves drama and adventure. Even though parts were slow and boring, they picked up. The action is intense and the humor goes very well with it. No matter what type of situation, Huck always seems to make it enjoyable. I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a fun book about mischief and who enjoys good laugh. | 34 stars
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Wonderful Story
I love all the Nora Roberts books, and this story is excellent, it has romance intertwined with rejuvenating an old mansion, while an old murder mystery comes to life to be solved. I love when Nora puts paranormal and ghosts/haunted houses etc. into her stories, it makes them so much fun to read..and pulls you into the story and the characters. I'd highly recommend this book. | 45 stars
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For the Spiritually Minded
I actually read the comments from the other readers before purchasing this book myself and the "he" / "she" reference which most of the reviewers mentioned didn't really get in the way of the content of the book itself. (Who knows, that may not have been the writer, but rather the publishing company, like so many other typos in books). I liked the way Scott Shaw intermingles spirituality with the martial arts; it reminds you of how the old Chinese practitioners see the martial arts - as an art and not just for fighting. I learned interesting tid-bits from this book and recommend it for anyone who is spiritually-minded. | 45 stars
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Perfect?
Suzanne Berne, who won the 1999 Orange Prize for Fiction for her first novel `A Crime in the Neighbourhood', tells the story of two parents juggling their family commitments with their professional careers. A tale of our times, with a difference, for Randi, the new nanny, enters their lives. She specialises in home cooking, gives quality time to the children, surely this is an ideal arrangement? The clues are there as we see the marriage begin to flounder and the children turn increasingly to this new, not entirely benign influence in their lives.This is not a cosy Mrs Doubtfire book, it made me think deeply about the influences on the lives of children when their formative years are shaped by other than their parents. The stress of modern life in New England is not so different from any British suburb and we can empathise with the dilemmas facing a couple who must sacrifice some of their dreams for a not-so-perfect reality. The writing is reminiscent of Anne Tyler and shows perspicacity and a touch of humour. Parts of it were a little tedious, I found that the amount of trivia of everyday life with its accompanying stress made this less than a wholeheartedly good read for me. It would possibly interest a reading group although, in my opinion, it is not a book which would appeal to many men. | 34 stars
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Excellant Book about the American Revolution
Mr. Fleming skillfully disects a significant year in US history, providing a detailed and fascinating tableau of the events that occured. As an American history buff, I was very surprised to realize how much I did not know about 1776. When I finished, I found myself hoping that the author would do the same for the other years of the American Revolution. I ran across this book and took a chance on it, despite not knowing about the writer. I was very surprised at how much I liked it and highly recommend the book. | 45 stars
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The Best Book Ever!
100 Years of Solitude is the BEST book I've EVER read. But it's not for everyone: you either love it, can't put it down and can't wait to read it AGAIN, or you can't go beyond the first 10 pages. Another reviewer said the book is not easy, I have to disagree: it's pure magic and a pleasure. I guess it doesn't work for those who are too rational, it's not a book to be read but that reads to you. One way or the other, a little advice: don't try to memorize names or understand the family tree. It's NOT important. It will flow and make sense, beautifully, I promise! | 45 stars
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one of the best non fiction i have read
if you like storys that are true to life w/ a little bit of humor and alot of humanity david hunter is one of the best authors around. if you like this one get trailer trash from tn. or there was blood on the snow i hope to see more of his work | 45 stars
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Best guide in simple english
I love this book because it helps you to set classes. It is very basic but is a perfect complement to run a acting class and let children enjoy. I will recommend you to buy it and keep it as part of your collection. Very easy to read and follow. | 45 stars
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It's a classic for a reason
I've always enjoyed Alice in Wonderland. To get it for free is even better. Brings back childhood memories of fantastical realms. | 23 stars
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When will it end?
Upon purchasing Main Street, I was enticed by the summary on the back cover. It talked of a woman striving to be proactive in a small town. She, however, finds the town to be closed-minded and petty and therefore has to first overcome their prejudices in order to turn the town into what she thinks it should be. By that account, it seemed the book would be easy to relate to and plunge into. Sinclair Lewis, in his many and repetitious descriptions of the setting of Gopher Prairie as a hideous and shallow town that sees nothing wrong with monotony and lack of life, first feeds the knowledge to the reader that small towns aren't as pure and wonderful as is thought. Eventually, though, he ends up shoving the ugliness and awfulness down the reader's throat, consequently choking him or her with the monotony of his own words. To say the least, it is a tedious book. It is not the kind of book that you can't wait to read at the end of the day. Instead, it is the type of novel that you would expect to be assigned in a high school English class. There is no suspense in the plot to carry you from one page to the next with the anticipation of greatness. Your fingers must turn each heavily satirical page of this horrendously long book while your eyes find that this new page is the same as the last--flat, shallow characters living on flat, open land. In this lengthy book (that apparently already had 20,000 words cut out of it), the characters, no matter how good they were supposed to be, are too easily hated by the reader because of their stagnance. The people in this book don't change. Their daily routines remain the same--get up, get ready for the day, spy on anyone who dares to be different, and gossip all day long. Carol, the book's so called 'heroine', frequently thinks of escaping from the small town and leaving her husband. She mentions it so profusely that you simply want to scream, "Then go already and get it over with!" This sensation, of course, is dragged out until the end, making the question of whether she will go or not one of the only uncertainties pondered while you read it. The other questions you may think over include the one that asks how Lewis feels about small towns. Generally speaking, throughout the novel he ridicules Gopher Prairie and its populace for their lack of culture. However, he ultimately contradicts himself by making the city woman, Carol, seem just as shallow, closed-minded, and unlikable as they are. To sum it up, don't judge a book by its cover--not even the back cover. | 12 stars
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Literary genius? Yes. Boris Karloff�?
I'm a long time fan of classic creature features. I grew up on the stuff. Saturday Monster Theater, my hometown station called it. Every Saturday afternoon at 2pm you could find me rooted two feet from the television, rods and cones soaking in the black and white flickering images of mummies and werewolves and monsters and creatures from boggy swamps. It was a genuine passion that resulted in many nightmares and a heightened imagination (and, I like to think, a warped sense of humor). One of my favorites was Frankenstein. The creature embodied the spirit of the boogey man that strode leisurely through my dreams while I ran against Jupiter's gravity. I watched it every time it played. I was around six before my dad told me that Frankenstein wasn't the monster's name. That is not truly the case in Shelley's novel - the monster moniker fits well on several characters. Hers is not the kind of gritty fright you get from The Evil Dead or the kind of nerve-fraying suspense Scream offered. In fact, it is a novel in the truest sense. It was written nearly 200 years ago in a time when it took writers years to perfect a masterpiece. It was crafted in an age when stories were told around campfires and not on the brain-sucking portal to the mindless world of programming directors and slathering yes-men. It is not concise and if you're looking for a relaxing, fast paced read to pass an afternoon, then you can stop reading now because this tome has meat. I do not believe in revealing plot in a review, so suffice it to say that this is a novel of love, obsession, vengeance and ignorance. It burrows into the psychology of a man and a "wretched creature" and you'll be surprised at what turns up. Though the most common school of thought seems to be that this novel is a twisted analogy of God and man, creator and creation, I believe it is almost a testimony against prejudice. I'm not a Shelley scholar, but this screams from the pages louder than Mae Clark from our Zenith console twenty-five years ago. A slighter lesson is that, if we confront our demons too late, we hurt the ones we love. But it is truly the story and not any theme or correlating allegory that makes this a novel worth reading. For me, it's always the story. And I will reveal none of this one here. I will say that there is no Boris Karloff lurking behind a tree within Shelley's romantically articulated pages. If you're looking for a literary companion to your childhood memories of the black and white horror staples, you won't find it here. But you're apt to find a lot more. | 34 stars
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Whittington
Purchased this book for the library at my school. A student who is a cat lover showed me the book review in a magazine. Pleased with book. | 45 stars
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The Lost Continent:Travels in Small Town America
Bill Bryson is like good therapy. I dare you not to laugh out loud. I would read this book every year to remember how good it is. I love his wit and ability to describe a situation. Just read it! | 45 stars
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Great Reading for Newbes and Struggling Old Timers in MLM
I am recommending this book for all who are starting with MLM and network marketing. Yernells discus all the pitfalls and various situations that a new person will encounter when starting to build their MLM business. Good thing is that they don't leave you out in a cold and give some sound advise as to what to do in order to be a success in network marketing, regardless of the company a person choosed to work with. | 45 stars
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The Devil Is in the Denoument
If I only had the first half of this book to read, it would earn an easy five stars. The descriptions are familiar, the despair understandable, the topsy-turvy heirarchy both funny and poingnant. I laughed, cried, and cursed in the early parts of this book, in sympathy, empathy, delight and disgust... But then the book got silly. It wasn't just about Nelson's power, it became something past parody to utter stupidity. The last third of the book is not only unconvincing, but also bizarre. It lacks the robustness and reference that the first part of the book has. I'm sure someone could make a parallel to an academic life, but I was turned off by the time the library was burning down. I suppose this book is worth reading, but the first part was an absolute joy, the last part a chore. | 12 stars
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The border meets the razor's edge
Miles Harvey has succeeded in telling a story that not only involves the history of cartography and one man's attempt to profit from stealing the past, but also a personal journey of his own in interpreting the map of the life of thief Gilbert Bland. The journey takes many turns, not too many as to obscure the original destination, but enough well-researched avenues to enhance the experience for the educated reader.It's like the PBS series "Connections" meets "America's Most Wanted"; Harvey turns ordinary library books into victims of malice aforethought as he traces the crimes and tries on the mind of the criminal.Finishing this book, I know I'll want to read it again; like an Umberto Eco book, I'll get something new out of it with each read. | 45 stars
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amazing!!!
this book is THE GREATEST BOOK EVER! I'M SO SERIOUS! i loved that it was scary yet funny ans sweet at the same time, and once claudia found out who was behind that phone she..well i think i'll leave that part up to you,. | 45 stars
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A Companion to Your Bible
If you are a serious student (or believer who wants to drill deeper into the Word) of Christianity this is the book for you. As someone who is never shy about discussing his faith, I often hear comments that I am unable to answer as well as I would like. Such as, "I like Christ as a teacher, but I don't believe he is God." Or, "Christianity?---don't need it. I try to be a good person."And of course, "Don't judge me!"But there is more to it than that. His discussion of Good and Evil and interpretation of Bible verses will light you up. Sometimes, however, reading Mere Christianity you'll feel that you fall short of the Christian ideal. No need to despair.Paul himself reminds us to spend our time thinking beautiful thoughts: reading the Word. Singing hymns. Mere Christianity is just that---keeping our souls focused on a track of continued spiritual enlightenment. A must read and a permanent part of your library. | 45 stars
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a low key, well done book.
a very enjoyable book. it reminded me of Rudyard Kipling, c.s. lewis and a bit A.A. Milne minus the fantastic and adventure. Yet somehow without those things that so often make a good read, it was very enjoyable. Mostly because it was well written. The book shines as an example of lightheartedness and childhood imagination. I wouldn't recommend it to kids used to short, fast paced material, but rather the more patient young reader. | 45 stars
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good but kind of slow
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights is a pretty good book. I would recommend the book. However, its not perfect. the story is slow-placed at times, and some parts of the story aren't explained, leaving a few plot-holes. but other than that it is good. | 23 stars
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My Review on Cry, The Beloved Country
Cry, The Beloved Country, by Alan Paton is truly a compelling novel. It is brilliantly written and had me intrigued throughout the entire novel. The rich text captures the moments and allows me to feel and be a part of all the chaotic activity.It made me think about how fortunate we are today to have diversity in our neighborhoods and in schools. We really don't think about it until we are forced to; whether it is by coincidence or by intention. It made me sad to think about how we concentrate on little bothers and miss out on the huge issues like the ones in the novel, including racial discrimination and the struggles between justice and the law.The way Paton has formatted his text gives a stronger feel to it. It's excellent how he puts a great deal of emotion and detail throughout the entire novel. Some examples of this are when he writes about the great valley of the Umkomaas. He describes it by saying, "the soil is sick, almost beyond healing." It gives you a clearer picture of how the soil really was. Another example is when John Kumalo speaks about raising the wages in the mines. Paton wrote, "The crowd stirs as though a great wind were blowing through it. Here is the moment, John Kumalo, for the great voice to reach even to the gates of Heaven." He states the point but adds a little kick to it and makes the statement more understandable. By putting emotions and details into his novel it drew me more into it.The intensity in the events was so great that it took me to places I've never been before. Like whenever Paton raised the intensity, it felt like I was right there with his characters. Almost like I was Mr. Kumalo going through all of those troubles. It was very powerful to me. My mind has opened up to new ideas that I would've never thought of before. Such as maybe white people weren't always racist against blacks. That blacks and whites sat in the same churches. Also that by one man's doing, a whole world can change. Like when Jarvis helped out Kumalo's land, by giving those supplies that were desperately needed.I would definitely recommend this book to whoever likes intensity and purity in a novel. | 34 stars
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sculpture book
i found it interesting to look through. it even has pictures to guide a person step by step in doing the projects. | 45 stars
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Cybill Does Hollywood
Since this book was published in 2000 and there are 70 reviews before mine, I have that "dead last" feeling, but the book is worth a review regardless of the timing.I enjoyed Cybill in "The Last Picture Show", "Taxi Driver" and "The Heartbreak Kid" and if she could have maintained that level of film art, she could have been an all time great. Unfortunately, three good films does not add-up to a distinguished career, unless you're James Dean.I never watch episodic television shows, so I have never seen the shows"Moonlighting" or "Cybill", so I didn't find that last portion of the book that interesting, but I was amused and stunned by all the big egos and pathos in the television business. I'd never want to work there.About the book itself: I am a fan of biographies and autobiographies, and most seem to be pretty well researched, with a lot of specifics and detail. Cybill's book is done in a much more light and breezy style, as if she were talking directly to the reader in a conversational manner. That's fine, but personally I prefer a book that has an appendix in the back with more factual insight. For instance, Cybill talks about a potential or possible fling with Robert DeNiro while making "Taxi Driver", but there is no mention in the book, that he was either married to or already involved with Diahnne Abbott who played the concession girl in "Taxi Driver". That would have provided new information to most people and would have rounded-out the story.And that sums up my impression of the book: What is there is fine, but I wish there had been more substance and information to go along with the hi-jinks. | 23 stars
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GA. Read
I had seen some old movies with Gere Tierney and even purchased some from Amazon. While brousing the TV channels I came across a biography of Gene. This left some unanswered questions so I ordered the book. It was a great read and very informative. I did not know that the Agatha Christy novel "The Mirrow Cracked" was based on Gene Tierneys life. | 45 stars
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Fantasy NOT Sci-fi
The writing in "The Burning City" is quite good and almost up to the standards I expect from a Niven/Pournelle collaboration, but frankly not quite there.If you like Fantasy as opposed to Sci-fi you'll probably like this book, but if you're looking for straight sci-fi pass it by. All this talk of wizards, magic, and "wild gold" stretches reality too far for me. I'll finish the last 50 pages because I always finish a book I start, but it really isn't bringing me a lot of pleasure.To give you a context for my review I think Niven and Pournelles best collaboration was "Lucifer's Hammer" which I think would also be their most reality based work. | 23 stars
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