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GREAT EXPECTATIONS!!
I liked this book even though sometimes I couldn't understand it. Charles Dickens used a lot of words he didn't need to, and he used a lot of big words that needed to be looked up. There was a lot of parts that I did not understand. Otherwise it was a pretty good story when I knew what was going on. I would recommend this book to other people because you learn about the lifestyles back then. | 1positive
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Wow! I love it!
I am usually indecisive when it comes to spending more than even $100, but there is no buyer's remorse here! I love my Kindle!!!The 'white-paper' screen is easy on the eyes and the EV-DO wireless technology is great - no need for hotspots, no monthly service fee - shop anytime without a computer.I found a great booklight on Amazon for $10.99 that clips on to the Kindle cover, for reading in low light conditions.Fulcrum Multi Flex LED Book Light, Silver | 1positive
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It's Okay
11/7/02 The substance of the novel"Evening Class" by Maeve Binchy on the book jacket (hardback book cost ...)was what prompted me to borrow it..I wondered on the 1st couple of pages how could the jacket be so good and the actual book not be so..however on page 3 ,as the main character Aidan Dune begins to interact with his wife,his employer ,his daughters,than his thoughts and responses become more interesting(he takes it personally that they have expanded to life outside the family and even the wallpaper that he put in the bathroom of Venice's scenes have been replaced in importance by his daughter choosing the mirror as the more important object on the bathroom wall...,hope is always for the hero and /or heroine in can they solve the problems that face them ....however the plot did not thicken for me when his daughter's 'secret friend' whom he still does not know the identity of,gets the principalship job,convinces him that he can help him do all the things he would want to do better[gives him a chance to start an 'Evening School,so he will stay a teacher there],since his victor /foe Tony O'Brien tells him he's a 'meaner'(and more meaningful guy),an administrator type not a teacher type...in other words in my opinion the book said it all in less than a 1/5 of its 420 pages...it's not really a solution novel...he's a man who's best memories are when his wife and daughters respected him and found him interesting....a negative reflection as well is given to(what most teachers are proud of) his ability to remember the faces of children and their names..(a really sorry image for 'the good guy') it really says;incapable of solving his problems where he is..he must go to a new life and begin afresh...life's a tredmill to make one appear to be more interesting..no agendae for agenda sake.."it's all about oneself"..his competition for the principal job was the peer his age,who drank 1 1/2 pints of beer on his lunch break on 'school days'...The sympathies of the book are atypical of the thought process for boys and men...'life's suppose to be considered just one big boor/bore,unless they're playing soap opera or war. | 0negative
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Can You Rate a Book Half a Star?
...because if you could, this tome would get it. As voiced so well by other readers, it is a vapid, self-centered, incoherent narrative.The author should have her medication adjusted. | 0negative
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Ian Myles Slater on: A Modern Classic, Not Yet Out-Moded
I suppose I should be of two minds about Marc Bloch's "Feudal Society," a French work from the late 1930s which became available in English in the early 1960s, and was still fresh and exciting back when I was taking a freshman course on "Western Civilization." In theory, the book (and it is one book, although published in paperback in two volumes) has two major drawbacks. In practice, I find it solid, admirable, and well worth reading.One drawback is the author's romantic glorification of the medieval peasant -- Norman Cantor has called attention to this in his "Inventing the Middle Ages," pointing out that Bloch gave it Marxist trappings. I call it romantic because I suspect that Bloch owed at least as much to Jules Michelet's nineteenth-century historiography, initially with a veneer of "science" added. Of course, Bloch actually went out and did fundamental work in the archives, and tried to get a real picture of how, in the long term, life had been lived by ordinary people, instead of relying on Michelet-style suppositions. (Yes, Bloch's "Annales" school is supposed to be the antithesis of the enthusiastic Michelet; but, while Bloch established its methodology in reaction to existing approaches, in Bloch's last book "The Historian's Craft," Michelet is still among "our great forebears.")The second is the concept of "Feudalism" itself, which these days makes anyone with a serious background in medieval studies very uncomfortable. A very good case can be made that "Feudalism" is largely a set of modern constructs, re-invented several times since the sixteenth century to suit different legal, political, and social purposes, and presented as an "Historic Fact" alongside contemporary and later "discoveries" such as "Anglo-Saxon Liberty," "The Norman Yoke," and "Our Ancestors the Gauls." (A short, pointed, introduction to one aspect of the problem is J.G.A. Pocock's "The Ancient Constitution and the Feudal Law: A Study of English Historical Thought in the Seventeenth Century.")If it means anything for modern-day historians, the term applies to how control of land, and its revenue, was linked to social status, political authority, judicial functions, and reciprocal military obligations -- a large, messy, topic. So the feeling is growing that the word is best avoided, as carrying too much baggage, and too likely to be invoked as a substitute for thought.Indeed, as picked up by Karl Marx, Feudalism, equated largely with landlord-tenant agriculture instead of sub-divided political and judicial authority, became a theoretical concept to be applied to a variety of extra-European societies, as a stage in an inevitable social evolution. In this role, it produced, or at least became a part of, bitter, and literally murderous, disputes over the nature of Russian and Chinese society, among others.Even with all this in mind, and many years after first reading it, I find Bloch's emphasis on the material basis of medieval society refreshing, and think that he carried it out with reasonable consistency. Whatever his agenda, he went looking for real data, and adjusted theory to match it, which is where he parts company with both Michelet and Marx. That later work has revealed a more complex, and in some ways different, picture does not discredit his effort. And having the hardworking peasant as a sort of collective hero helps hold together discussions of things like field rotation, strip cultivation, and plough-teams, which most readers will not find all that gripping on their own.More important, in some ways, Bloch presented feudal *society* -- not some imaginary entity called "Feudalism" or "The Feudal System" -- as a whole set of ways of ordering people and institutions, and making resources available to various parts of a diversified ruling class. The unsystematic nature of actuality is not denied, but it is classified in terms of common elements.This getting down to practical realities may not sound so impressive, but a couple of generations of scholars had been smacking each other over the head (in this case, figuratively) in an argument of whether "Feudalism" was *really* Roman or Germanic, with partisan sub-divisions on whether either origin was a Good Thing or a Bad Thing. Somehow, figuring out how it worked had seemed less important than what Mircea Eliade called "The Prestige of Origins" -- a form of mythical thought as much as a topic of historical research.So instead of a broad theory of a single "origin," we get "The Growth of Ties of Dependence" (volume one of the paperback edition), followed by "Social Classes and Political Organization," showing the extent to which the pattern of rural hierarchies did, or did not, carry over into "higher" or "more advanced" developments.Although probably much more accurate for France than for other parts of Europe, and for some centuries more than others, the book does manage to present a (by and large) convincing picture of how Europe re-organized itself between the collapse of Rome and the High Middle Ages. A reminder of the people who made it all possible, but were usually left out of the chronicles, and certainly are missing from most of the chansons de geste and romances, is not a bad basis for a book.Still, largely for reasons of documentation, Bloch is sometimes rather better at explaining how the military aristocracy was supported, than at presenting the daily lives of the people who were doing the work. His analysis of how some knights and officials had "fiefs" which were simply stipends, or even what we might consider cafeteria privileges, is an interesting sidelight to "life on a medieval manor" approaches. It also reveals that methods of supporting the clergy and the nobility were not all that different, which shouldn't be a big surprise, given the limited options available.So I continue to think of Bloch's "Feudal Society" as a valuable contribution, to be read and pondered, although not taken at face value, by anyone seriously interested in medieval European society, or supposedly comparable systems elsewhere. Since it has also generated a half-century of follow-ups, attacks, and defenses, it is also a good book to have read as part of getting acquainted with a wider literature. | 1positive
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Wish I Hadn't Read It
It seems that I'm very much out of the majority in my opinion of this novel. It came recommended, and I had high hopes. This was also my first McCarthy novel, and it will be my last.The Road is short, which is why I finished it despite my many misgivings. Even to those who adore it, is one long black trudge through a devastated world. We never know why all the animals and plants have died, only that the unnamed boy and unnamed man are traveling through what had once been North America.This is the darkest book I have ever read. I usually reserve such exposure to bleakness in my non-fiction reading. Why would I subject myself to it in novel form, when it simply comes from the mind of one author? It is rife with cannibalism, including such an awful scene toward the end that I wish I could unread (I won't even describe it here, it was that disturbing to me). I don't know why this novel was written, nor why it is so beloved.While I do appreciate some of the writing style, much of it was distracting. How can McCarthy be lauded for his 'sparse prose,' and yet deliver a quote like this:"Ten thousand dreams ensepulchred within their crozzled hearts."That's prose, but it is anything but sparse.I wish I hadn't read this book, and I would never recommend it. | 0negative
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Good, but very basic
I bought this book since a University offered me a Molecular Medicine postgraduate class. The truth is I find the book too basic, but I gave it four stars because even though It's simple, It has a very good order and few but very well searched examples. It is a very good choice for somebody willing to have a first approximation with molecular medicine; for somebody with background in the subject I don't recommend it. | 1positive
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Love my Kindle
I buy the Kindle books for less then the printed ones now, I save on gas to go buy books, I don't need to carry books when I travel. Worth the price. | 1positive
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Fabulous!
Le Monde is one reason I think the Kindle is such an ingenious device. Whenever I get the urge to read the day's edition of Le Monde, I can order it with my Kindle and, voila!, there it is, in under a minute. I don't know any store in my immediate area I could drive to for purchasing Le Monde, and I'm not a fan of reading newspapers online. Since I don't read the paper every day, I only purchase when I'm in the mood; the subscription is a bit pricey if you don't intend to read it most days, but the daily editions are amazingly inexpensive, and Le Monde always has interesting content. Thank you Amazon!Now if only the Kindle store offered a decent French-English dictionary. | 1positive
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Great device.
If you like to read, you will love the Kindle. Yes there are a few design problems, it does not stay securely in the case, velcro fixes that. It takes a little getting use to, to handle the device. It is a fast download any where a cell phone works. I love it! | 1positive
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Find Me
I am a huge fan of the Mallory books, but this story became a little obscure at times.Still, as always, a good read | 1positive
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Bad guy finally becomes the good guy
I've read all the MacLean Novels leading up to this story "Portrait of a Lover" and so far this one has been my favorite of all of them. This is probably because I am already invested in all the characters due to the previous novels, which were all good reads ( 1 - To Marry a Duke 2 - An Affair Most Wicked 3 - My Own Private Hero and 4 - Love According to Lily). I just love it when a previously tarnished/bad guy turns it around to become the good guy. Even if you did not read the previous titles, I believe this story is a great read as a stand alone. The characters had depth, the story line was compelling and it was entertaining as any good book should be. FYI - I'm not a fan of the book after this one titled Surrender to a Scoundrel. Skip that one and give this one a try instead. | 1positive
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Packed with thought provoking information
The author describes how women who are addicted are viewed by society, and how the laws governing drug policy have been shaped by society's expectations. The author believes female addicts are judged more harshly because the stray from what society expects from them as women. The book describes how media often misrepresent women who are addicted for the sake of sensationalization.anyone interested in the history of addiction and its treatment in the U.S. will like this book. | 1positive
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It's the best!
I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said, but I LOVE my Kindle! I wanted one from the moment I saw it, so I asked for gift certificates from Amazon for my birthday. I have been in love with it since I got it!The book choices are growing by leaps and bounds...there literally must be something for everyone. The memory holds quite a bit - I can't imagine what it would be like to have the whole thing filled up! It is light, easy to use, and the screen is excellent.I rave about it to anyone who asks (and some who don't ;) and have never regretted spending the money. I look forward to many more wonderful nights of reading in bed without the awkward positioning common with books...particularly the big books I tend to read.I still read regular books as well (mostly those I share with my husband), but my primary method is now the Kindle. I am even willing to wait for books to come out on the Kindle in many cases - saving the $$ I otherwise would have spent.The Kindle has changed the face of electronic books, and for the better. I've tried other e-book readers and they just didn't click with me. And reading on the iPhone is too cumbersome...I am pleased with my Kindle and look forward to many happy years together! | 1positive
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A great addition to the series
I have so enjoyed this series and eagerly await the next installment. The plot here, gives you more information about Eve's husband Roarke and builds on your understanding of their developing relationship. It's nice to read about married people who have great sex and are working at a continually evolving relationship. I don't know how Nora Roberts does it but I hope she keeps it up. | 1positive
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Awful.
I didn't think it was possible for a book filled with such clichés and ridiculous plot lines to actually be published. The over-verbalization of every sentence is painful to read and distracting from the story itself. Example: "Lust jitterbugged in her gusset". Seriously, what? When I first picked it up, I thought it had actually potential. Admittedly it had a few laugh out loud lines but generally that was ruined by the unrealistic interaction between the characters and the storyline that even the writers from Passions would scoff at. The ending itself caused me to throw the book across the room in utter astonishment that someone had taken the time to edit, publish and market. This is possibly the worst book I have ever read. | 0negative
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There is plenty wrong --- but
I work in healthcare. I know there are many wrongs. The key to correcting them, however, is not factless raving. There is very little factual data, and flat out mis-statements and mis-leading galore. This is a feel-good book for those who have already come to pre-concieved conclusions about how evil our system is--and I agree that there are numerous wrongs--but books like this, that don;t bother to learn about all sides of an issue and prints half-truths?? this harms more than helps | 0negative
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Blink
Classic Malcolm Gladwell which is always fascinating. A look at judgment, and when we should trust our instincts over our more considered thinking and when we should not. | 1positive
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What does GenMe see when it looks in the mirror?
Jean Twenge's mouthful of a subtitle says it all--after taking a look at her generation and its issues, she finds reams of data to support her assumptions. According to Twenge, ". . . this generation has never known a world that puts duty before self." This is an astonishing statement given the number of young Americans who have found their way to Iraq and Afghanistan or whose origins lie in cultures where duty remains an accepted obligation, as well as the response to the 9/11/2001 attack on the United States and the natural disasters of the past couple of decades. What Twenge dubs "Generation Me" ("GenMe") seems to have responded to these crises nearly as enthusiastically and generously as their parents and grandparents.Perhaps every generation likes to think life is tough compared to that of its predecessors. The Silent Generation endured the Great Depression, World War II, and the Korean conflict, while the Baby Boomers lived through the Cold War, assassinations, Vietnam, and Nixon (not to mention the horrors of disco and leisure suits). According to Twenge, GenMe is plagued by the high self-esteem uncorrelated to merit inflicted on them by their elders combined with the concomitant high expectations and the harsh realities of a world in which good jobs are scarce and higher education, housing, and child care costs are high. GenMe, says Twenge, has been taught to think it can do and have anything, but is discovering that getting into and attending college is competitive and expensive; that a typical career path begins with an unsatisfying, low-paying job; and that achieving the lifestyle their parents have--the suburban home with two-car garage and two cars--takes time and lies at some indefinable point in the future.Twenge and her associates have pored through countless surveys to see how this generation's expectations, attitudes, and mores compare to those of its predecessors. Because most of these data are from the Baby Boomers, the "Than Ever Before" of the subtitle is debatable. If we had data for each generation of Americans from the entire history of our nation, we might be surprised by how attitudes have not only evolved, but sometimes reverted to a previous state. We tend to stereotype eras, too. When you mention the 1950s, most people envision the nuclear family, Leave It to Beaver, and innocent pleasures such as the Hula Hoop and roller skating. In reality, sex was hot (think Marilyn Monroe and From Here to Eternity); censorship was losing its influence to the changing mores of the masses, especially those of the young; and sexy, antiestablishment rebels like Marlon Brando and James Dean were redefining antiauthoritarianism as "cool." Note that Monroe, Brando, and Dean would belong to what Twenge calls "Generation Prude" (with GenMe in the role of "Generation Crude").Twenge peppers her selected statistics with a generous number of illustrative quotations and anecdotes. While these are entertaining, they're also meaningless; anyone could find quotations and anecdotes that support a contradictory point of view. Indeed, Twenge contradicts herself on occasion. After asserting that GenMe is more tolerant of gays, she mentions a teenage boy who is afraid of what his classmates would do to him if they knew of his orientation. That doesn't sound "more tolerant" to me.Undoubtedly Twenge cherry picks the data, and there's no way for a reader to know how valid the studies and surveys are. She also doesn't take into account regional and socioeconomic factors. My guess is that, for example, students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, living and studying in an urban, multicultural setting, are more tolerant than either the parents or teens of the Itawamba County school district in northern Mississippi, now infamous for their treatment of a lesbian classmate who wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom. Like other generations, GenMe isn't a uniform mass.The world and the workplace don't operate optimally for GenMe, so Twenge devotes "Applying Our Knowledge" to her solutions. For example, under "For Employers," she says, ". . . realize that younger employees may have a very different outlook in life . . . the times that shaped GenMe'ers as children are very different from those experienced by older generations." Surely she knows that for millennia each generation or two has had a different outlook and that the solution isn't for the older to adapt to the younger, but for society to evolve as views and values blend and evolve, then change.At this point, Twenge becomes a self-parody. While deploring the self-centeredness she has tried to document, she exemplifies it by suggesting solutions that require catering to the expectations of GenMe. There is no meeting halfway. Because GenMe doesn't accept authority automatically (does youth ever?), it's up to you to earn their respect. And they expect praise, so Twenge says, so you'd better be prepared to deliver it. Note what's missing--what GenMe, whose members take great pride in their critical thinking skills, can expect and how they can adapt to meet their employers halfway. It's our way or the highway, it seems.I've seen some of the attitudes and behaviors Twenge outlines and been among the first to shake my head over them. On the whole, however, when GenMe enters the sphere of work, relationships, and family, they do what everyone does--they grow up. They alter what they can, for example, life/work balance, and adapt to what they can't. In every generation, youthful idealism succumbs to adult pragmatism. In the end, Twenge makes only the case that GenMe is different from the Baby Boomers, who were different from their parents. That they are different, and the ways in which they are different, is hardly a revelation, and that they are "more miserable than ever before" remains to be proven. Twenge's information and her interpretations are interesting, and some of her concerns may be valid, but don't be surprised if in 20 years someone is writing about how "prudish," uptight, and intolerant GenMe is. | 0negative
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Romm is one of the Best
Joe Romm is a highly respected Physicist and climate hawk advocate. His blog climateprogress.org is one of the most influential on the internet.His ability to interpret data from the most respected scientific sources is nearly infallible.Romm is an optimist for the future, but realizes that time is about out for us to undue the coming huge problems we have ahead, if we do not begin to quickly reduce C02 emissions. | 1positive
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Outstanding
This is truly an exceptional book. It is even more amazing in that it is the first novel from Richard Clarke. The prose is fast paced and intriguing, and the plot is exciting, and well thought out. I hope he continues to write and I look forward to his next offering. | 1positive
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Not as great as I was expecting
I was assigned to read this book for my English class and I have never read a more stupendously boring book.It's almost 500 pages long and has a story that could be told in half that.A poor, young orphan has aspirations to one day be a respectable gentleman.Big deal. GE is a revered book but it lacks everything that makes a book truly great.There is very little theme or characterisation and the plot is virtually non existant.THe chapters are so long and meandering you have to force yourself to read them.You keep reading waiting for something,anything to happen. The characters are unlikable.Pip comes across as a snob who thinks he's he's better then those around simply because he has higher aspirations then they do.Ms.Havisham,a recluse who wears her old wedding dress and keeps her decayed,untouched wedding cake,is a weird,unappealing freak.And Estella is the dictionary definition of bitchy. Why do English students have to suffer by being made read thisboring,incomprehensible,overrated 'novel'.I'd rather watch paint dry then read this book again. Still,any insomniacs looking for a cure.This book's for you. | 0negative
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A Veteran of New Thought Says This is SILLINESS AMOK
I am 45 years old and grew up with a mom who had been part of the New Thought Movement since the late 1940s. Not only was she an adherent, she was a teacher and a lifelong student. Even she lost faith at the end of her life until I pointed out that she'd manifested exactly what she'd always wanted... someone waiting on her hand and foot, 24/7, paid for, with all her needs met. Granted, it turned out to be in a nursing home paid for by Medicaid and Medicare, but her care was excellent and it was truly a great facility.And that's how it REALLY works. She spent her life dreaming these big "The Secret" style dreams... and putting her focus on the positive... and life dealt her some pretty crappy stuff anyway. She was so positive, in fact, I'd have to say she was in her own world most of the time. In the end, I was glad for that.The Secret is a book of stolen ideas and compiled simplicities. New Thought, by itself, has some very valuable things to teach us about managing our minds and creating a sense of union with the Divine, however one defines it. What New Thought does NOT teach is that one should just sit around, thinking happy thoughts, and wait for the money (or whatever) to land in our laps. One can interpret it that way, but that's a very immature way to see it. What New Thought teaches is that by working to more closely align ourselves with the Divine, and allow ourselves to be an expression of that Divine, we will necessarily have a better life. Managing one's mind is the key, not wishing for things.Like other reviewers, I am alarmed by the focus on "act like you're rich and you'll be rich". NO, you will be in debt up to your eyeballs and your friends and associates will view you as a snob with no grip on reality. The author would undoubtedly say that I just don't get it. Really? I was raised in New Thought... I did not find a book, or collect a group of "experts" that include Feng Shui (totally unrelated to New Thought) and money making seminar leaders.This book illustrates the real danger in New Thought. It is very easy for a newcomer to take only the surface level idea of "improve your life" and turn it into something like "The Secret" - a shallow compendium of "get rich quick" thinking. The section on health is equally alarming. People get old. People get sick. People die. This is part of life. Does that mean we have to necessarily suffer greatly while doing these things? Not today -medical science has many options for making these realities easier for us to navigate. But the idea that aging is all in your head is patently absurd. Nature does what nature does. It is important to align oneself in a healthy way with what's real... some of what's real is the idea that yes, our thoughts have a profound effect on our lives (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, anyone?). But it is so much more complex than what this book asserts.The author also does a tremendous disservice by never mentioning Ernest Holmes, the father of Science of Mind. Come to think of it, it's actually better... he probably would not want to see his work associated with such simplistic nonsense. She does, however, mention Charles Fillmore (who I met as a child at Unity Village, MO...) and Catherine Ponder (whose works my mother read a great deal... and which I have also read several times). Fillmore was a delightful man who walked in light and was a lovely poet... I am unconvinced he'd be happy about being mentioned in this book. Ditto Ponder, whose prosperity books talk a lot about God... not about wishes.My point is this: Real New Thought is WORK. Doing it right is WORK. It is good work, and meaningful, helpful work to improve your PERSON-NESS. The problem with The Secret is the utterly silly way things are presented. Wish for it and it will be TRUE!!! Wonderful. I wish I was in Jamaica. I wish really hard... but here I sit in ice cold Colorado. I didn't want it badly enough? Of course... when it doesn't work, it's the fault of the wisher... when it does work, the author is a genius. Nonsense.If you are actually interested in New Thought, start with The Science of Mind, by Ernest Holmes... the BIG book. Investigate Religious Science - preferably a group that is dedicated to old-school Holmes material. Read Mary Baker Eddy, though I don't recommend becoming a full blown Christian Scientist (though my grandmother was one and lived to her mid-90s quite healthy...). There are so many other options for getting at what the "secret" really is... that you are a child of Light, that you are manifest divinity... and the more often you awaken yourself to that reality, the better your life will become. It can't help itself...In the end, my mom, after a lifetime of immersion in New Thought, was dismayed by the turn it took overall to embrace "New Age" silliness. She understood what was happening... and this book is a testament to the watering down and oversimplification of concepts she held dear and spent a lifetime studying. But in the end, she died well, in the manner she had wanted - cared for, peaceful, and surrounded by love. How dare this author contend that getting old is all in your head. It's very real, and if we are LUCKY, we will grow very old, surrounded by our families and loved ones. THAT is how you can tell a life was well-lived.I am sorry to see that this book was so successful when it is little more than a get-rich-quick scheme for the author and her helpers. Great scheme... but bad medicine overall. Seek real New Thought, and you shall find it. As Richard Bach says, "You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it come true. YOU MAY HAVE TO WORK FOR IT, HOWEVER..." | 0negative
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The Kindle as an Educational Tool
I own a Kindle and my favorite features of this device have to do with the "added value" it gives to the contents of the books I read - all built in to the Kindle itself. If I am reading along and see a word I'm not familiar with, I can look it up in the built-in dictionary and be back to my reading in a flash. If I want to know more about a word or subject I'm reading about, the Kindle will look it up in the Wikipedia, on the Web, or in the Kindle store. I can also take notes on what I'm reading, bookmark and high-light content, and - using the Now-Now feature - I can even have questions that occur to me when reading answered right on the device.I love the cover that comes with the Kindle and have learned to read with the cover on. Yes, the huge next page buttons are a problem during the first half hour you use the device, but soon you learn to avoid pushing them by mistake. If you buy a Kindle, read the manual for useful tips on using it. I would also recommend the KindleKorner user group (a Yahoo group) for additional information and a lot of useful Kindle files and links. | 1positive
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Waste of time
I suffered through this book to the end hoping it would improve -- it didn't. Don't waste your time with this one. Characters are one dimensional and writing seems canned. Main characters are uninteresting and plot is over the top -- and not in a good way. | 0negative
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Excellent single volume bio of Jackson
Andrew Jackson is a difficult subject, who lived during a difficult time and dealt with difficult issues in a difficult manner. I don't mean to be glib here but if one looks at the issues facing America from the Revolution to the Civil War, Andrew Jackson was seemingly directly or indirectly involved. This author does an excellent job in helping us understand those times, those issues, this man and his decisions. Does Remini's three volume bio of Jackson give us more information on such issues as the elections of 1824, 1828, 1832 & '36? Jackson's battles with Biddle? and the Whigs? the members of the Kitchen Cabinet? Attorney General/Chief Justice Tawney? Yes. On the other hand I got a much clearer understanding of Jackson, the human, from this book - his becoming an orphan, his marriage and its issues, dueling, leading men in war, slavery, the American Indians, his health issues - than I have from the others I have read. And no - a lot of it is not pretty - but it's coherent and understandable, in this author's presentation. I find Brand's writing in this book, and his past books, engaging and exciting - yeah, exciting - for a non-fiction book. The fault in this book is the thin coverage of Andrew Jackson - politician - and especially AJ - President. Unclear if the threat of a second volume was an issue here or not. If past history is any indicator, this author has a knack in leading/defining "trends" in biographies/history,so more info on Pres. Jackson could be good news.As an aside - check the bibliography - secondary sources - for some "pithy" reviews/recommendations on books covering this era. | 1positive
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Great device with minor flaws
The packing job Amazon has here is custom designed for the Kindle. You get your standard Amazon brown box of course, but inside is a snug fitting brown cardboard outer shell that safely protects the kindle like a double box packing job.Once you remove the outer shell, inside you are met with a rather large white box that splits in the middle, akin to opening a book, that houses the Kindle in a custom fitting 'page' on one side and a custom fitting page for the power cord, USB cable, 'book cover' and manuals.Once you've unwrapped everything you get a real feel for the size and weight of the Kindle. Weight is a non issue as it weighs roughly what a paperback book would and any read avid or otherwise, should be able to easily hold this without strain. Size is just right with the Kindle being about the size of an over sized paperback book. The screen is about the size of a normal paperback book page as 1/4 of the Kindle's face is the keyboard for buying Kindle books from Amazon, searching text, adding notes to books or for browsing the Internet.On the right hand side of the device is a "Next Page" button that takes up the full size of the Kindle screen. Just below that is a "Back" button, which is a little confusing in usage at first. If you hit "Back" you don't go to the previous page, you return to the previous menu. This takes a couple seconds to get used to and once you program yourself to use the "Prev(ious) Page" button on the left side of the device it is no longer an issue. Having a "Prev(ious)" page on the right hand side would be a nice feature to have included. On the left hand side of the device is a "Prev Page" button which as I just explained is actually a button for Previous Page. This button is about 3/4 the size of the Kindle screen. The remainder of the 1/4 of the screen size is for a "Next Page" button which makes it convenient device for left handers or right handers.The keyboard is setup like a standard PC "QWERTY" keyboard. Some added buttons are the Home button (the shape on the button is a house) that returns you to the main Kindle menu, the Search button that allows you to search through ANY book in your current Kindle library and a font size button that has a small A followed by a larger A. This last button obviously changes the size of the font, up to 20 pt.On the bottom of the device is a headphone jack for headphone use, the USB 2.0 smaller interface for connecting to a computer, the interface for the power adapter and a battery charge indicator. Towards the middle of the bottom of the device are volume buttons for controlling volume of the device.On the back of the Kindle is a rubber piece designed for anti slippage on smooth surfaces. This piece actually is removable so that you can insert an SD memory card, change your battery or reset or device. It is easily removed and easily replaced.Also on the back of the device are 2 slider switches to power on/off the Kindle and to also turn on and off the wireless antenna. You get longer battery life with the antenna turned off, however if you turn the antenna off your automatically delivered content can't be delivered until you enable the antenna obviously.Since I mentioned the SD card slot, I'll take the opportunity to mention that the Kindle has 200 MB of built in storage. This should be able to hold 50-200 books and documents, dependent upon the file sizes. You may then ask "what happens if I buy more books than can be stored on my Kindle?" There are 2 answers to this question. The first is to purchase an SD memory card and install it. The other answer is to delete some of the content from the Kindle. Don't worry, you don't lose access to the content you've purchased, instead it is stored in your "digital locker" on Amazon and anything you've purchased can be sent to your Kindle at any point you wish it to be as long as you have access to your Amazon account. I'm going to opt for buying the extra memory card as SD cards are pretty inexpensive these days.The screen, using eInk technology, looks just like the text on printed book. The color of the screen is meant to replicate the color of a printed paper back page; off white/grayish. The text is legible from nearly any angle, though given this is a digital screen you are susceptible to some glare. This is also a non issue if you are reading instead of trying to find the angles where glare is apparent, as generally if the Kindle is in a position for reading there is no glare.One of the things that you need to get used to is the screen flashing black when you hit the Next Page or Previous Page button, or when browsing through and selecting menus, books or options. Because of the way eInk works, it writes the page once and stops consuming power. Supposedly the "page" on display could be displayed indefinitely with little to no power consumption from the battery. Because of this "write once" technology, turning black is required to "reset" the page for the next to be "written." This is akin to turning the page in terms of the length of time it takes to transition between pages. The only problem is that you must "turn" twice as many pages because the Kindle is a single page book instead of being the double page printed books use.One more question on people's minds is "how do I get content to my Kindle?" There are two answers to this particular question as well. The first option is to purchase the content from Amazon.com. You then use the USB cable supplied and connect the Kindle to your computer. Enter your Amazon account and then your library. From here click on the desired book, blog or newspaper you wish to add to your Kindle. Click the button that says "download to computer." Keep track of where you download the file to or save it directly to the Kindle. On Windows PCs the Kindle appears just like a USB memory stick, memory card or other removable storage device; as a drive. On the Mac it appears in the Finder as a drive as well. Simply copy and paste from the location you saved the file to and you're ready to read.The other option for copying data to the device is Amazon's "Whispernet." Whispernet is the wireless capability, using Spints VDO cellular service, not WI-FI, to send the books to your registered Kindle. Turn wireless on using the switch on the back of the device and you're ready to receive. Enter your Amazon library, select the title you wish to load onto the Kindle and instead of choosing "download to computer" choose "Send wirelessly to Kindle." In a few seconds, assuming you have service in your area for Sprint, your book is loaded and again, you're ready to read. Painless.When you purchase content for the Kindle it is automatically sent to the device the next time you power it on, unless you turn off the antenna. If you don't want to use wireless for loading your Kindle, just leave the antenna turned off and load content manually.Copying your own content is as easy as copying it to the device from Amazon's store and it can be read just like the Kindle content purchased from Amazon. The stipulation is that it has to be one of a few formats. This is what the Kindle supports:Kindle (.azw), text (.txt), Mobi (.mobi*, .prc*) (reading)MP3 music format (.mp3) (listening)Audible.com (.aa) (audio books) (listening)You can also have Amazon convert your files from other formats and sent either to your Kindle using Whispernet or back to your PC. The formats they can convert are:Microsoft Word (.DOC)Structured HTML (.HTML, .HTM)JPEG (.JPEG, .JPG)GIF (.GIF)PNG (.PNG)BMP (.BMP)You can also experimentally convert PDFs to Kindle formats; the Kindle doesn't support PDF natively. The disclaimer is that PDFs with complex layouts may not convert very well for the Kindle and this option is experimental. If your PDF is mainly text though, my guess is you will be just fine converting it to a Kindle compatible file format.The way to get your own documents converted to Kindle format is to email them to your Kindle (you can setup your own Kindle address name, such as johndoe@kindle.com) and Amazon handles the conversion process for you and sends them via Whispernet. If your file format is already supported or you manually convert to a supported format, you can copy the file just like you would if you downloaded the content from Amazon's store to your PC. This service costs $.10 a document so if you can convert the files yourself and have a lot of documents to convert, doing it yourself may be more economical.One thing a potential buyer also needs to be concerned about is content. Sure the Kindle is an amazingly cool device, but if the content you want to read isn't available for it, why would you want it? Browse the Kindle book, blog and newspaper store for content you want BEFORE buying the device. Amazon has stated they want to get "every book ever published" available; considering there are likely billions of books in print, it could take a long time for the content you really want to appear if it ever appears at all. I checked the available content prior to buying and found some PDFs of Public Domain works that I'd love to read so for me it was an easy decision to pay the money for the Kindle. Other people's mileage may vary; know what you're getting into before jumping in head first.Something else that needs to be remembered is that content you purchase is covered by DRM (digital rights management). This means in the unlikely event Amazon discontinues content for the Kindle you may be left having spend a lot of money for content you will only be able to read so long as your Kindle is alive. For some this isn't an issue as you may not re-read anything in your library anyway or do so infrequently enough for it not to matter. For frequent re-readers this may be a major issue. Amazon currently seems to be behind the Kindle 110% but in the consumer electronics business we all know how quickly a company can about face. If such a thing occurred, I would like to think the Amazon would at least offer some kind of reader software for the PC/Mac at the very least or offer the ability to convert to a format readable by computer. It's not as fun reading on a computer display and can be more straining, but at least you wouldn't lose access to your digital library.Another downside for some is the lack of color. Essentially this is a black and white device. If there are color illustrations you MUST have in a book, then the Kindle will not be for you. Perhaps a color Kindle could be in the works, but as I understand it right now there is no color eInk device or display in the works. eInk is what makes the Kindle legible in nearly any conditions and abandoning this format for something with more glare possible or any other downside to laptop style displays would ruin the reading experience.So if you have Sprint cellular access in your area, assuming you want to wirelessly send and receive content (the Kindle works really well without Sprint access as well), there is content you want now and don't mind the threat of possibly losing access to all your content in the future, then buy an Amazon Kindle. I have mine and couldn't be happier. | 1positive
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Least Favorite, Most Useful
Oddly, my least favorite read of the Gladwell social-science trilogy has proven to be the most enlightening.It's been valuable to consciously note (though, not always act on) my initial reaction to any person or scenario upon first contact. I've begun recommending it to my people as well.Beyond the direct scope of the book, there's plenty to explore from the "other side of the Blink" that is - how to be aware of, and subsequently direct, others' Blinks of you. Combine Blink with Nick Boothman's '90 Seconds or Less' layover duo, (How to Connect in Business...&How to Make People Like You...), and you'll be on top of your cocktail game in no time.TW | 1positive
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iGo Everywhere PS0025
Don't buy this product....It does not come with a tip ...So, it won't work on your Kindle...And forget trying to purchase one at any of the local electronic stores.... | 0negative
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An Invaluable Resource
I read "Emotional Intelligence" by the same author and I learned and enjoyed the important insights on emotional intelligence that it provided. This motivated me to get the second book, "Working with Emotional Intelligence". This is a classic sequel that focuses on how emotional intelligence is applied in the workplace. The book is more practical than "Emotional Intelligence" and one need not have read the prior work to get the most from the book. However, the previous book has important concepts about emotional intelligence which will be very useful to those who wish to study the subject further.The book is based on interviews and studies with business leaders and organizations and it explains what sets star performers apart and how emotional intelligence is critical for success. This book however is not quite practical. Emotional intelligence cannot be learned just by reading a book but rather requires a lot of practice and behavioural change to acquire the appropriate habits. The various examples and situations depicted in the book are very helpful to assist readers to readily identify and relate to similar situations in our lives. Hence you will benefit a lot by becoming more self-aware, an important first step in enhanced emotional intelligence. The book could, however, have been condensed significantly without diluting the message.The author highlights aspects of personalities in the workplace that can adversely affect morale. The book discusses things that seem like common sense and common courtesy but which many people tend to forget. The bottom line is that we need to be mature, professional, and treat others with respect.The book will benefit a wide readership including managers and workers at all levels as well as the home. For example, for a senior manager, it is vital to appreciate that success is not just about great strategies and working practices but knowing how to deal with the people's emotions and feelings about things. Mere skill or academic achievement, on their own, does not translate into professional success. This well written and insightful book cogently describes the missing link, that is to have high emotional intelligence to complement the rational and analytical skills captured by the intelligence quotient. | 1positive
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A wonderful addition to my life.
I recently returned from a River Cruise on the Rhine. My Kindle was my constant companion. I loved reading the classics while looking at the Alps, vineyards on the Rhine, and drinking the wine from the wineries that produced it. Thank you for the great addition. FPS NJ | 1positive
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Kindle
I love it! The only reason it received 4 instead of 5 stars from me is that there are a few design elements that I believe could be improved. The on/off switch is in the back; front would be easier. Often I unintentionally push the "next page" bar just because I am holding it along the right side; a smaller bar located higher on the right side would be better. The "next page" bar on the left is redundant; since we are learning to use a new item, we could learn to use the right-hand bar exclusively. I would like a bit more contrast on the keyboard. And the cover, although comfortable to hold and use, should hold the Kindle a bit tighter and more securely.The reading, downloading and menu are fine. I took the Kindle with me on a trip that would normally have required 5 or 6 books, to be sure I had exactly what I wanted to read when I wanted to read it. I read three of the books that I had downloaded, am now on the 4th--perfect! And I have been able to sample two books that were mentioned to me while I was trabelling in the car. Heaven! | 1positive
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Beautiful and big hearted
I didn't think I would like this book, as I'm really not one for fairy tales, but it came recommended so I took a chance. It sat on my coffee table for a week before I picked it up and was immediately enthralled by the stories within stories within stories that Valente weaves together with a lush garden of prose full of fruits and flowers. She packs every story full of sensations, mingling together colors, scent and flavors in a way that may be too much for some readers, but I drunk it in with delight. Here is the antidote to the antiseptic "transparent prose" that dominates modern fiction, but don't think for a minute that it is all pretty with no substance. Quite the opposite. With a sly feminist wit reminiscent of Angela Carter's, Valente reveals the true purpose of "fairy tales":"Well, little girls must learn to do things they don't wish to do. It is the way of the world," the wizard said comfortingly, and opened the latch of the gray collar, fastening it around her neck.Likewise, a witch admonishes:"Never put your faith in a Prince. When you require a miracle, trust in a Witch."..."But without my beauty, what am I? ...This is all I am, a maiden in a tower, and for that sad race there is no salve but a Prince, hung around their necks like an anchor in epaulets. What else is there for me?"What else indeed! This is a book where the maidens and monsters are heroes, and it is also a book with a very big heart. | 1positive
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Alien taste- tomorrow is stranger than you think
What struck me first about Wen Spencer's _Alien Taste_ was a sense of familiarity. Set in Pittsburgh, protagonist Ukiah Oregon is a private investigator who lives in a world as close as tomorrow, as familiar as your home town. I've lived in Pittsburgh, and Spencer has captured the feel as well as the geography of the city. This familiarity makes the insidious journey into strangeness that much more believable. There are strange forces at work in this book, for good and bad. Ukiah is one of a number of complex, fascinating characters caught up in things they don't, at first, comprehend. He and his partner, his family, and a well-realized love interest are struggling to put together a puzzle with ever increasing stakes. This book is adventure, character development, mystery and near-future science fiction in one. The pacing is fast and even, the characters real, the prose beautiful but never intrusive. The climax is shocking, and the ending...well, let's say it lives up to the rest of the book. If you liked the movie Aliens, like mysteries, or enjoy science fiction, you should love this book. | 1positive
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Love it!
Wow. This is the closest thing to magic I've seen in a long time. The photos don't do it justice and the praise that has already been written doesn't come close to describing how cool this is. The design feels right to me, starting with the box it shipped in. I was using it effectively within two minutes, and I had already sampled a book and bought today's New York Times (75 cents) within five minutes. It just works.It was shipped to me already connected to my amazon.com account, and it came loaded with a letter from Jeff Bezos addressed to "Terry" which was a nice bit of personalization. The wireless just worked. No setup, not searching for a hot-spot, it just worked. The display is amazing. It looks like paper. I did not realize that the electronic paper technology was here but apparently it is. Even with it asleep, it displays a nice picture that reminds me of an old book. This going to be big. Really big.It seem to me that most of the critics haven't tried one, or they are commenting on the idea of reading a book on an electroni device. You just have to try it to see why the Kindle makes sense. I love it! | 1positive
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A Different Side of Robin Cook
I began reading Robin Cook books when I was in junior high, and have since been addicted to them. I was looking for something I hadn't read to take with me on vacation, and picked up Abduction. Because I'm a Robin Cook fan, I was hesitant to read something other than a medical murder mystery, but I was definitely taken in by Abduction.The opening of the book takes you out to the sea, where scientists are drilling through the earth's core. All of a sudden there is a halt in the drilling due to a bit breaking, and the scientists and divers are forced to go deep below the ocean to examine the problem.As the plot evolves, the divers and scientists are "abducted" by a mysterious force; they find themselves in a cave (below or above the earth? you'll find out!), only to come a huge metalic door. They open it, and are put through a series of purification processes that appear outer-wordly and completely advanced.They soon learn that they have been taken by a society living underneath the earth's core, a utopian world not unlike Eden where everything seems possible. Everything, however, seems too perfect. The sci-fi thriller ends with a surprising, though somewhat predictable, conclusion.Although I agree that the characters are pretty stereotypical (and even a bit prejudice if you ask me), this book has a good moral to it. If you're looking for a quick beach-side read, this is for you. If you're a huge Robin Cook fan, this is for you. If you're looking to read a good Robin Cook novel, don't start with Abduction (try Coma). | 1positive
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Love it, but next generation needs some tweaking
I read the review written by Steve Gibson, which is an excellent review, and quite thorough, which is what prompted me to take the plunge. And I'm glad I did.I won't cover the same ground as Steve did, as he did an excellent job of highlighting the features. But there are a couple of design flaws in both the kindle, and the kindle software (for both the shop and the device)...I'm hoping that Amazon reads this and takes these observations to heart...as my husband has already decided he needs his own. But we want to wait for the next version.The biggest issue that both my husband and I have is one of ergonomics. The next page button is so large, and sits on both sides of the unit, that it's VERY hard to hold it and avoid hitting the next page. If they had just a small button on each side (like the back button), it would give your fingers a place to hold it with out changing pages.Also, when it's time to turn it on or off, you have to flip it over. Not a big deal, but again, with those next page buttons, you are almost always going to change the pages.Finally, the software. On the device, I find that I have a hard time correlating the location reference number to pages. I didn't realize it, but when I read a book, I keep track of where I am in relation to the end of the chapter and end of the book. I.e. do I read on for 5 more minutes to get to a logical stop point? Do I kick it in for 20 more minutes since I'm close to the end? I find not knowing where I'm at a little dis-orienting.The store software. I like to read books in order. With some of the series, you can't tell which is first, second, etc, and that info isn't available on the kindle. I find myself running to my computer to go into amazon to look the book up and find out what number it is in the series.I do love the search feature tho. I was reading a murder mystery when they referenced a character. I couldn't remember who he was. Search brought up every reference! Made it easy to track these kinds of details.And I like being able to annotate things in the non-fiction stuff I read.The other thing I really love is downloading samples. Too many times I bought a book based on a 2 minute look at it in the store. This way, I can really look at and see if I'm interested before I pay for it. This is going to save me a lot of money.And I love being able to download either the book or a sample wherever I'm at. I never run out of things to read!!So I'm not sorry I bought it. I look forward to the next version. | 1positive
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kindle reader
Bought the Kindle as a gift and have had nothing but rave reviews from the person it was purchased for.Most of the reviews that you currently are showing have negative comments about where the next page, previous page, and back bars are located as well as statements that the cover must have been an afterthought. Comments from my friend indicate that this is just not so. If the cover is used it makes it easier to hold (like a hard cover book) and your left hand away from the left bars. Your right hand can be used to hold the unit by placing it on the back of the cover and using your right thumb or index finger to press the advance page bar. Legibility is very clear and, once used to all of the features, the Kindle is easy to operate. Wireless downloading takes 1 minute or less!This device is well worth the money and, if you want to save a significant amount of money on just published hard cover books and hundreds of trees that are lost to provide paper for them, this is the way to go. It will pay for itself very quickly --(using $25.00 as an average hardcover price + tax and $10.00 as the cost through Amazon -no tax in most states - for the Kindle download, a savings of $15+ per book.)For the technos out there, you will always find something lacking in any device that you purchase -- evidenced by some of your reviews. For the average reader this is the best device available today, so for heaven's sake if you can afford it -- buy one! You won't regret it! | 1positive
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A "Full-On" Writer
In Tim Winton's latest gift to the reading public-- and what a gift it is-- he includes 17 stories, at least half of which are printed here for the first time. There are similarities in many of them. They are often set in the same place, and some of the characters reappear in different stories. They are often poor, eking out a living from fishing. They seldom leave the little towns they grew up in-- unless they are a father-- and sometimes a mother-- who simply one day walks out, never to return. They are often driven to drink and sometimes fundamentalist religion and may be overwhelmed by what Rick Bragg would call the train wreck in their lives. Some suffer from "closed-down resignation." One mother says that "they all leave you in the end." Their fragile, damaged lives, however, are often tempered by love. One character ("Commission") who has not seen his run-away father in 27 years and has every reason to feel differently, when he sees him again is "sick with love. . . at the very sight of him." Almost to a person, these characters work with the hand they have been dealt, often with little complaining.Fictional characters usually grab us in one of two ways, assuming of course that they are real life flesh and blood to begin with, as Winton's always are. They are either exotic and not like anyone we have ever known-- anyone Tolstoy wrote about, for example, or, like Winton's, they remind us of many people we either now know or have known. Even though these characters inhabit Australia, about as far from the Southern United States as one can go, I recognized many of them. They could have stepped out of the novels of many Southern writers. Harry Crews, for example, in his memoirs published several years ago, remarked that it was not unusual for people he knew as a child growing up in South Georgia to have a missing finger. My paternal grandfather as a young man lost a finger from a horse bite. Much is made in one of Winton's stories of a young woman's missing finger ("Abbreviation"). Another girl has a huge facial birthmark. Others are imperfect in other ways.While all theses stories are exceptional, the best story by far-- and one of the best I have read in a very long time-- is "Small Mercies." This scalding story is so powerful and the characters so haunting that you will not be able to read another one right away. How Mr. Winton can pack so much sorrow, raw pain and passion into about 30 pages is beyond me, but he does it. The first line, "Peter Dyson came home one day to find his wife dead in the garage" sets the tone for this intense story; and the writer does not let up. Dyson, unlike many of these characters who cannot wait to get out of the restrictive towns they grew up in, takes his six-year-old son Ricky and goes back to the house where he was raised in an attempt to put the pieces of his shattered life back together. He runs into Marjorie and Don Keenan, whom he describes as "full-on people," and ultimately their daughter Faye with whom he had-- at least according to him-- a very unhealthy sexual relationship throughout high school. Faye is also recently back in town, just free from drugs but teetering on a relapse. She would like to see her daughter more (who now lives with the grandparents) and would like to become friends again with Peter and rekindle whatever they had going in the past. She is both sad and manipulative-- and as human as your Aunt Edith. It does not seem fair to the rest of us mortals that anyone could write a short story this fine. But as President Jimmy Carter said-- and these characters to a person would agree-- life is not fair.For the strong-hearted, these stories are not to be missed. | 1positive
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Disappointed with Kindle
The Kindle was a Christmas present. I am an avid reader and a librarian. I am extremely disappointed with the Kindle because the prices of the books are almost equal to what you will pay for a printed copy. I cannot understand why we paid $259 for a digital player and would not receive a greater discount on the materials purchased for the player. I am not even able to use it to download digital content at libraries as other products like the Sony Reader allow you to do. What I thought would be a great purchase is really a waste of money. | 0negative
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Anti-marriage/anti-family/anti-men book
Where this book falls short is in helping to preserve marriages and there is plenty of good reasons to be interested in this. While I agree with many of the social patterns embraced in this book, the conclusions drawn are far from healthy. It takes both partners to engage in an unhealthy relationship and if women find themselves becoming subservient to men in a marriage relationship, the healthy response in dealing with it is to counsel women to learn to enforce healthy boundaries in their marriages.Unfortunately, the book places blame squarely on men alone, giving women a license for irreconcilable resentment and denying them the opportunity to understand their responsibility and role in a failing relationship. I presume the author's motives in writing this book are to encourage women to abandon their relationships without guilt because men as a whole are just not worth it and as the title suggests, you'd be better off leaving him.If you want to invest in healthier reading, I recommend Boundaries by Henry Cloud. Even if a marriage is, in fact, irreconcilable, this book discusses in a healthier context, the ways in which women can learn and grow so that a future relationship is far more likely to be a successful one.A review of the author's background shows that she divorced after an 11 year marriage and is now living her life with her female partner. Her militantly anti-male agenda is pervasive throughout this book, subtly, if not overtly promoting a lesbian lifestyle for any woman who has gone through a divorce. An unhealthy response to a traumatic life situation is by no means a basis for a 'self=help' book. She is a board memeber of a lobbying and advocacy group called "Alternatives to Marriage". Her liberal 'anti-family' activism and liberal political social agenda is the basis for this book. I predict Ms. Applewhite's next book will outline how stemcell research can create sperm banks genetically engineered to eliminate the Y chromosome from existence negating the need for men altogether. If you're a woman going through a divorce or thinking about it and you want to fuel your anger and self-righteousness without regard or interest for personal responsibility or growth, buy this book. You'll stay as screwed up as the author for years to come. | 0negative
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Awful, just Awful.....
DeMille has really laid an egg with this book. Anyone who gives this sophmoric clap trap more than two stars is as stupid as the characters in this poorly written tome. Why would DeMille allow this kind of junk to be published...to make money that's why. I sold my copy on Amazon and I want to publicly apologize to the poor schmuck who purchased it. I am truly sorry. | 0negative
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Seeking a Common Ground
This is a fascinating book that takes you on a journey into what it means to be Latino. While pointing out the many differences between Latinos and long-standing conflicts, Morales offers hope about the possibility of finding common ground. The book empowers Latinos by alllowing us to see how, historically, we have taken advantage of our mixed-race background, while painting a detailed picture about our presence in America for non-Latinos. The writing is first-rate--I highly recommend this book. | 1positive
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Slow and Predictable
I guess I'm going against the grain though I feel like I'm being generous with a two-star rating. Based on the other ratings I was expecting a lot more. Why two-stars? The story was incredibly predictable. I like at least a couple of twists and turns, and was hoping for a surprise ending, and..... nothing. The story was slow, way too much time on an incredibly predictable love story, (gee - tough, poor good-girl cop with a history gets incredibly wealthy, elusive, handsome guy who just can't seem to resist her - who woulda thought?!), unrealistic conversations, and not in a good fiction book way, the person who you think is the bad guy turns out to be, oh, the bad guy, too little action. I regretted the time I spent reading it and not just putting it down and instead waiting for at least a good ending. Sorry J.D., my first and only ever read of one of your books. | 0negative
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Borrow don't buy this book
This purported economist cherry picks his stats (a common historical comparison of his hodgepodge of stats would provide greater credence) in order to substantiate his position that Americans are infected with a consumption fever. Although his overall contention about the increased consumption of "luxury goods" is true, his patent moralizing discredits what should otherwise be his nonbiased academic standing and casts doubts about his recommendations. What is even more offensive is his implicit assumption that Americans are weak & stupid because of things such as the proliferation of credit cards "causes" them to spend beyond their means. This assumption is akin to overweight Americans blaming McDonald's for their obesity.This book is for you if you believe that government officials (i.e. Big Brother) should be the arbiters of your behavior and that the individual is never to blame or to take the consequences of his/her actions.I recommend reading "Living It Up" by Twitchell instead. | 0negative
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A new fan of Greg Iles!! Wow....Fantastic Reading!!!
This was only the 2nd book that I had read from Greg Iles and I have to say that I am now a huge fan! I am very picky when it comes to my murder mystery books.....because I do read alot of them and I know usually within the first two chapters whether or not I am going to like it because if it hasn't gotten my attention by that point, then I am not interested in reading more.So...when I started reading Greg Iles I was pleasently surprised at how fast he was able to capture my attention and keep it until the very end of the book! Well written, original story line and a kick butt page turner! | 1positive
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Great gift for the elderly
I bought this for my elderly mother (86) who loves to read and doesn't have the ability to get out often to buy new books. While she has been challenged in the past operating electronic items, she didn't have that issue with the Kindle because they have made it so simple to learn and use. The ability to adjust the font on the books to a variety of sizes is definitly a plus for older indivuals. Additionally, while she has been hesitant to purchase items online in the past, because I was able to set up the Kindle through my email and credit card account, she just loves shopping the Kindle store for new books and they take literally a minute to download :-). She also purchased a book by mistake but the Kindle provides you with the opportunity to click on a "I purchased this by mistake" option and the credit was processed and applied within minutes. The only downside to this device is that it could really use a backlight, but as long as you are sitting in daylight or sitting by a lamp it is very easy to read. We have purchased the Kindle booklight so hopefully that will resolve the issue. The Kindle is so light weight (MUCH less than the Sony) which we considered. Although the Kindle was backordered and we were told not to expect it before February, it arrived two days before Christmas. Thank you Amazon!! | 1positive
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Great Summer Read
I enjoyed this book very much. I've recommended it to others and plan to read it again. When you finish this book you feel great! | 1positive
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An Unwelcome Mystery
Okay I was fooled into getting this book by a person I know and it wasnt what I expected. For people who have read her other series please do not think that this book follows the sames lines or even the humor in this series. If you like mystery with a touch of suspense than this for you. Harper has powers that allows her to see death seeing as she was hit by lightening when she was younger. All in all it has good characters and a solid plot but for those as I said looking for another Sookie go elsewhere this series is for the mystery at heart readers. | 1positive
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Trashed it after reading half.
I read the first 300 pages, then threw the book away. Somehow, I'd been able to put up with all the typos, but then the plot got so silly and cliche that I just couldn't take it anymore. When the bad guys tied the heroes to heavy anchors, then left them alone to drown as the tide slowly began to rise, that was the last straw. Life is too short to read 600 pages of this. Frankly, I wouldn't have been surprised if the next scene had a pretty damsel tied to the railroad tracks. And this is not to minimize the annoying effect of the typos everywhere. Did anyone--especially the authors--proofread this book? For example, the bad guys repeatedly brandish "AK-74s" instead of "AK-47s." The book centers around submarines "I-411" and "I-403", but one illustration depicts the heroes diving on "I-413", which never appears in the book. Mistakes that a spellchecker can't find (like replacing "to" with "too") are frequent. Overall, this seems a very lazy effort. The Cusslers should consider themselves very lucky to get rich writing stuff like this. | 0negative
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I love mine
I dont know what the problem is with people. The Kindle is an amazing device. The only problem is that the internet is a little slow, but its free internet access so I really can't complain. | 1positive
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Shall I Compare It To a Summer's Day? Truly Wonderful
While the beginning is a tad slow, the growing sexually zapped relationship of Rosalind and Griff keeps you glued to the pages. Rosalind is a robust, intellectual, witty, and theatrical woman who is as keen as they come. Rosalind is not one to be reckoned with. Griff is a man whose determination has gotten him far in life, and that determined nature has led him to prove, once and for all to the world, that he is legitimate- proof, he believes, lies in his cousin's house that he is the heir to. Though he will inherit the place, he is determined to prove himself the rightful heir. To roam freely, he delegates his man of affairs, Daniel, the bastard son of a highway man with an easy charm, to act as himself, Mr.Knighton, the cousin of the Swanlea Spinsters in whose house he believes holds the papers to his legitimacy and to which he is supposed to enter into marriage with the one of his choosing. He has no intentions of marrying any of the them. But, his plans go awry when Rosalind catches him snooping and refuses to let him from her sight. When love gets mixed up in all the lies, how is Griff to sort it all out and get the woman who made him believe in love? With sizzling sexual tension and verbal sparring with lines quoted from Shakespeare, the novel is a delectable read. Any lover of romance simply MUST READ! | 1positive
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Bad in almost every respect
Maybe the bus on the cover should be a clue. That ain't THE bus, the one you were either on or not.Stone's recollections are pretty sketchy. If you're interested in finding out more about what Kesey, Cassady, or other colorful Sixties characters were like, you won't find it here. You also won't find out what formative experiences Stone had, which might have inspired his writing of his first book, which was written and published during the 1958 to 1971 time frame recounted in the book. You won't learn what he learned from Wallace Stegner, nor what authors he read during this time period. You will find some rather misanthropic comments about certain events, without much exposition on why he thinks that way. Most of these pronouncements will only exasperate the reader. He talks about how his group of friends were snobbish about drug-taking; he still seems snobbish as he again and again talks about how they blazed this trail for all the lesser beings who would come later. A basic lack of generosity informs this book. It comes off as slightly cranky and bitter. Do we need another cranky 50s-60s self-described "bohemian" to set us straight? Well, he doesn't even seem to have the energy to really do that, even. It seems like a book designed (cynically, and it's hard not to come away thinking, "Geez, this guy is cynical!") to make a buck, to cash in on all the seemingly more interesting people Stone hung out with back in the day, populating the book with some pretty tiresome namedropping (did he mention that he knew Winona Ryder's father? Well, yes, more than once) and anecdotes without a shred of illuminating commentary. And there's really nothing about why they took so many drugs, and how they affected their lives.But as someone who sweated out the draft in 1972 (yes, I knew people in that last lottery whose lives were affected), I was only puzzled by his statement upon arriving in Vietnam in 1971 that "it was over." Well, not quite. Tell that to the parents of the more than 4000 G.I.'s yet to die (source: National Archives), or even more dramatically, the vast numbers of Vietnamese who would be on the receiving end of massive B-52 raids over North Vietnam in 1972.I haven't read Stone's fiction, which is purportedly dark and pessimistic. Having read this book, I'm unlikely to. | 0negative
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A Modest Success
Shipley and Schwalbe focus on tone. They remind us that communication in person, and to a lesser degree on the telephone, carries with it far more information than words on a screen. Tedious volumes have been written on nuance conveyed by the angle of the speaker's eyebrows, and most people seem to have picked up the concept somewhere. To counteract email's lack of tone, though, Shipley recommends inserting emoticons, those annoying little graphics meant to suggest smiley faces or winks.Perhaps more helpful are the suggestions to stop, read, and think before hitting the "Send" command: Check your spelling, punctuation and word choice - is your meaning clear? Cut the fluff. Consider your position in relation to the recipient. Avoid frivolous requests or demands. Understand that everything you write can be permanently saved, searched, and sent to others. Learn how to clean up your hard drive, but understand that corporate backups retain copies of every document and porno pic you've ever sent or received -- except for that one essential document you need.S & S give much attention to the "To," "Cc" and "Bcc" lines. Here's a helpful suggestion: "Never forward anything without permission, and assume everything you write will be forwarded." When responding to an email addressed and/or copied to a group, should you "Reply" or "Reply all"? The social and political ramifications of such questions get quite a few pages.The emotional content of email gets some ink too. Flame wars are discussed, as well as the wisdom of using email to fire employees or initiate divorce proceedings. The authors argue convincingly that some messages are best delivered in person, despite the personal risk.They touch less convincingly on security: An "independent" business leader, subpoened to offer Congressional testimony, was discovered through Word tracking in a document file to have permitted a Bush official to edit his statement. When confronted with the truth, he said, "The real scandal here is that after 15 years of using Microsoft Word, I don't know how to turn off 'Track Changes.' " Scandalous indeed. Unfortunately, S & S go on to instruct their reader on how to turn off tracking and they get it wrong.The book does discuss some interesting issues. Trouble is, the issues have been endlessly discussed, published, flamed and forwarded online for the past 20 years. Most corporations publish their own email guidelines, often reflecting their distinct corporate culture. I've been using email since it was first available to civilians-1980 I think it was -and for as many years have shared in the online debate. My teenaged daughter, when I asked her about email, said, "I don't know much of a world without email." I reminded her that, as a Waldorf student, she had in fact been protected from the evil influence of computers almost until high school.She came back with a story published in Reed College's student newspaper, "The Quest": A San Francisco high school, trying to take the edge off college rejections, offered prizes to students with the most rejection letters and the worst letter. Harvard was honored with "most obsequious," Cornell with "most emphatic," but it was an email from Reed College that took "worst overall." The winner had emailed Reed's admissions office to check that all his documentation had been received. In response he got a misdirected interoffice memo that said, "He's a Deny."So there's no doubt that Shipley and Schwalbe's recommendations remain valuable. As a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and a book that received critical attention from heavy-hitters like Dave Barry, "Send" will find its way to many hands. I bristle at the suggestion that it equals the stature and grace of Strunk and White's "Elements of Style," which will occupy space on my bookshelf till my demise and beyond. But "Send" promises to reach an audience that doesn't know Usenet from fishnet. And that's a good thing. | 0negative
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In Conspiracy in Death, JD Robb adds another layer to Eve
while she solves yet another mystery. The In Death series is a delight. The eight novels and one novella allows the reader to learn about Eve and Roarke's past and watch their characters develop in the midst of Eve's job, standing for the dead. Whether she writes as Nora Roberts, or as JD Robb, this talented author is on my must-buy list! | 1positive
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not up to hype
If you think it it will come... just a bit simplistic- Norman Vincent Peale did a much more inspiring job many many years ago. This book sucks | 0negative
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Revolutionary- but still not good enough?
Amazon's Kindle is easily the best of the ebooks that are available (with the exception of the price). It's light-weight and more importantly, the text is extremely readable. Even so, I suspect (hopefully) it'll look primitive and ridiculously expensive within 5 years.The time for e-books has arrived: Consider how much paper is wasted on books, magazines, and newspapers and in transportation costs. Also consider the amount of pollution involved. And yet, some people dislike them intensely because you can't "curl up" with an e-book like you can with a regular book.Perhaps a compromise is a new kind of e-book: imagine an e-book with actual "pages" that you could turn, but that could still be reprogrammed into another book. Even better, why not allow people to "write" on these e-pages (like students do on textbooks), and then save the changes before opening another book. Then students would only have to carry one textbook at a time. (Such e-books could be sold in newspaper, magazine, textbook or paperback, etc sizes since one form-factor wouldn't suit all purposes.) Unfortunately, e-paper is still in its infancy so it'll be years before it's technically feasible and affordable to do this.Honestly, the ability to flip through a book's pages (or at least view 2 pages at a time) is something few of us are willing to give up. | 1positive
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A great read!
This book is a classic! It is strong drama that captures your attention. It is worth reading. | 1positive
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Not too shabby
I mainly appreciated this version of the play in audio format because of its length. It runs just under 2hrs as compared to one of the other ones that is almost 40 minutes longer. I was having to read the play again (I've read it several times for different theatre classes), and it was a great way to refresh myself with the text and to shine new light on some of the ideas. I enjoyed Lady Bracknell and Jack's performances more than the rest of the company, but overall, I feel it was true to the text of the play itself. | 1positive
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Kindle Review
So far, my husband and I have downloaded three books to our Kindle. We love it except for one major thing.......The only problem we have experienced is that there is not a good way to hold the device. You can't hold the sides because the page turning buttons cover the entire both sides of the Kindle. If barely touched (by accident), the page will turn. (recomendation: There should be a way to lock one side or the other so that you can at least hold it on one of the sides). There is nowhere on the bottom to hold it because of the keyboard and if you accidently hit a key there, it will cause an interruption in your reading. Also, if you put it in the leather bokkholder, then the corner of it touches the side buttons as well.Any suggestions on how to hold it properly and comfortably? | 1positive
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Ramble, ramble, ramble.......
This book is OK until you get about halfway through than it is simply miserable.....I got so bored with her rambling while in India I couldn't even finish the book. I'm glad I borrowed this book and didn't actually pay to have this women bore me into a stuper. Great title - and that's as far as it goes. | 0negative
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Writer's stumbling block
Harlan Coben is actually one of my favored authors, however, this book was a complete and utter let-down. Just the cover alone becomes annoying with the cutaway partial cover. The story itself was subpar after his past efforts. The characters are not interesting for the most part and everyone in the area seemed to be involved in the storyline. Eric Wu, the torturing villian, is a revisited character from one of his past books. Grace Lawson is your heroine with the character flaw of having a bad leg. Carl Vespa and Cran are the most underdeveloped supporting/main characters in the book (Coben would ramble on about other people's backgrounds but left these two virtually without a history). Cora, the best friend, is unimaginative as a supporting character. The plot is so convoluted and messy as to be nearly unacceptable. The diversions of guilt were poor, and the police investigators linked everything together too easily. The whole background on the photo, which is the focus of the plot, left the ending stagnant. I felt there were so many problems with this book, that I can't recommend it to anyone, which is sad because Coben is a splendid author and normally has some very interesting stories. "Just One Look" should be as hidden as the ridiculous plot of the book. | 0negative
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Great Fantasy Book!
I loved the Magician's Guild series so I gave this one a try, not quite sure what to expect. I was happily surprised by the book it's just as addictive reading as the Magicians Guild series, if not more so!Priests and priestesses with immortaily, magical powers and gods who drop by for a chat, not to mention the underwater people and the bird people, plus an array of magical creatures and kinds of magic.Highly addictive reading for anyone who enjoys magical realms and magical stories. | 1positive
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What will it be Michael, humor or facts?
Moore wants his writings to be regarded as facts, but continues to tell critics that they have no case -- since he is writing humor.Do yourself a favor and read this book for humor, and not any factual content (because there isn't any). | 0negative
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The Road-long & dull
This book is way over hyped. I had been hearing about how great it was for months. Well being deployed overseas to Afghanistan one finds the time to catch up on reading. One of my co-workers happened to have a copy of "The Road" so I took it and began reading. With each chapter you'll be wishing for excitement, danger, and climax. Well you can forget it! What you will get is long drawn out go nowhere plot. About all you will get is, The man loved the boy, they continued to walk, they ate pears, or fruit cocktail one night, they had to keep moving, it was cold, the boy was crying. Yeah, there you have it; I just saved you a few hours wasted on this novel. Being that it was on Oprah's book list should've tipped me off from the beginning. I can only hope they figure out a way to make the movie exciting because the book is a huge disappointment. | 0negative
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she loves it
i bought this as a gift for my wife who is constantly reading. we have book shelves in almost every room of the house. the kindle was the perfect gift. no chopping down trees, and no more bookshelves. | 1positive
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Great idea, but a few minor problems with the execution
I find the concept of an electronic reading device very exciting. Kindle is not a replacement for paper books, but rather digital technology extending what's possible to do with traditional printed products. Convenience of not having to carry around books and newspapers is the biggest reason to switch to Kindle, but there are many others, such as search ability, electronic dictionary, wireless delivery of newspapers every morning, etc.In the long term, I think e-reading devices may bring video and audio capabilities to reading (Kindle already doing that with its support for audio books) and will make reading process much more interactive.People, who like reading in several languages should note that Kindle only supports roman encoding. Cyrillic, Greek and other alphabets will not work (unless you convert text into images, but it is difficult to do for large documents).Some feedback for Amazon:- Add foreign language support, it will open Kindle to many more users, markets and applications- Add email access, it is very annoying reading news articles and being unable to send links to them to other people. Simple tools like email and basic web access are the key to getting community of readers formed around Kindle- Add a good web browser. Offer option to subscribe to web access for people who want it- Use touch screen in the next generation devices. Come on Amazon, this is such an obvious idea. Touch screen can increase screen size without making the whole device larger and it is much, much more natural way to interact with the device then current awkward scrolling wheel!- Add more newspapers and magazines. It is so convenient to have wireless delivery of the newspapers and magazines and so many people read them. I would love to have more specialized magazines featuring topics, such as photography, computers, outdoors, etc.- Add pdf support please! Everyone talks about it, you should listen. Potential uses of Kindle will go up several times with pdf support. Think about all possible applications in education, business, technology and other areas.- Offer audio support for regular text. It would essentially create an audio book out of every book or newspaper.Finally, for those still waiting for your Kindle, I ordered mine on February 7th and it was shipped on March 10th | 1positive
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excellent read
The story of Richard Rodriguez is truly memorable. I highly recommend this book. | 1positive
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Undead and underwhelming
I was just looking for something light and entertaining to read. The story isn't bad but the writing is painful. The heroine is supposed to be twenty something but she talks and acts like she's thirteen. It was so painful I had to force myself to finish it. It was like Twilight all over. If you like Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey then you might like like the writing in this book. I feel dumber having read it. | 0negative
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Worst Book I Have Ever Read!!!!!
It's too bad i cannot give Zero stars, because frankly this book deserves that poor of a rating. Let me start off by saying this is my first "Cat" book. THis will also be my last "Cat" book. THe main charecter was a likeable guy and the setting seemed good in a small town.HOwever, im still wondering what the hell is this book about?It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when they are pitching their Pilot to NBC. "It's a show about nothing." This is a book about nothing.I thought the book was going to be good because it starts off fast w/ a missing hiker who ends up getting buried close by Qwill. However, we never learn how this kid ends up there, what was the cause of death was.This book was 287 pages of Qwill running errands. Stopping by here, getting that. It's like the story was based around Qwill's projects (nothing that was interesting or related to the so-called "mystery").Please avoid this book like the plague. However, if you like to read Mysteries that involve 284 pages of the main charecter getting Nails for mounting something on his wall, and 3 pages of the mystery being revealed then this book is for you. | 0negative
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Beyond fascinating.
Would give six stars if possible. If you don't give this 5 stars, or even 4, you're just not very bright! | 1positive
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Dwelling in Ghostly New Orleans
Some little while ago, I went searching far and wide for an atmospheric read - had been thirsting (veritably parched, indeed!), for something mysterious and ethereal- ideally set, naturally, somewhere as beloved to me as New Orleans...I inevitably found this novel on the discount shelves at my favorite, old hat, bricks & mortar bookstore- then took it home to savour overnight. -And now I must say - (and say it here, for truly it's an admission that doesn't normally go down so easily on one such as me, but...) Yes, I liked it: I liked it very well indeed, actually!This lush & lively story intertwines the distant past and the ever present for a love story that is a force all its own. There's an old tale: set at the turn of the century on a magnificent mansion on the bayous in the outskirts of New Orleans, between the estate's heir and the Cajun servant girl he'd married -- a tale that had turned tragic, and then poignantly tenacious with the passing of about a hundred years....Weaved through is the main, present-day love story- that being between Declan: a wealthy up & rising lawyer from Boston who chucks his job, his engagement, and all the ties that bind, to fix up that same old bayou mansion, which he had once felt strongly connected to in his youth -- and Angelina, a native of the New Orleans Bayou, whose blood happens to be intimately connected with the bayou's history, whether she likes it or not.I must say, though, that the setting had just about all to do with my enjoyment of this book - anyone who can capture the true, bare essence of New Orleans in their writing can likely conjure glorious "Atmosphere" without any effort. -And for someone like Nora Roberts, who has had the privilege of having been published of well over a hundred books, this really was no problem.In the end, it was the poignancy of place that overcame even the all-too-predictable, formulaic modern-day love story. And really, even its classification as a "Romance", its author being widely acclaimed as an unabashed mainstream assembly-line storyteller, could not hurt it either, I don't believe.MIDNIGHT BAYOU is nothing if not a sinful, superfluous pleasure. Ever since reading it, I've been able to find in myself a weird, albeit endearingly decadent quality, which deigns to seek, and often finds (in about a dozen more NR books since, no less!) a vast amount of pleasure in reading these light, entertaining romances by a renown romance writer who can just as adeptly punch out a very good yarn as fill it through and through with the most excellently written sex (such glorious smut!) -& all by rote!Because of its setting and atmosphere, I'll always consider MIDNIGHT BAYOU my far & away favorite Nora Roberts book. Yet since it shall be the one and only title of hers that I'll ever review (a Vampire must at least make some attempt, however feeble, to maintain its reputation) - I'll then sum this up with my rating of all her amusingly scandalous reads together: ~4 Stars~ | 1positive
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Another strong showing for McDevitt
Finally, a book in the "Hutch" series that doesn't lean heavily on drawn out rescue after drawn out rescue. In this case, the entire book is a drawn out rescue ... and it works.In "Omega", a massive, moving cloud in space is threatening to wipe out a newly discovered civilization on a distant planet. The peaceful, quaint alien race must be saved - but without being aware that humans have intervened. What follows is an extended exploration of the alien civilization and a desperate attempt to save them without them being aware that they've been saved."Omega" may be one of the best Jack McDevitts I've read so far. He stopped relying on tense-jam-everyone-must-get-out-of after tense-jam-everyone-must-get-out-of and started delving into ideas with more focus than he's shown in this series since the first novel, "The Engines of God". He raises some interesting questions about religion and human nature without beating you over the head with a message, and wraps it up in a pretty good yarn with some fine moments. Some aspects of the alien society he creates are a little difficult to swallow in that they're way too human - but in some ways, that's kind of the point. The civilization presented here are an innocent, almost idealized version of what we could be if we abandoned war and the like.All in all, a solid book with some good ideas, strong characters and enjoyable 'puzzles' for those characters to solve. It's not a fast-paced book, but in the context of "Omega" that works just fine. McDevitt continues to prove he's one of the best idea men in science fiction today. | 1positive
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An Achievable Security Rule Remediation Plan Road Map
For all the people out there looking for a comprehensive and thorough, plain-language explanation of the HIPAA security rule, who then complain about not having a clue about what next steps should be taken, the complaints should cease and the excuses should disappear after reading this book. "The Practical Guide to HIPAA Privacy and Security Compliance" not only "talks the talk" but the authors allow the reader to "walk the talk" as well, The appendices are invaluable resource. As a healthcare compliance consultant, I definitely will be recommending this book to my clients as well as apply some of the implemmentation suggestions with my clients during my own engagements.Well done Beaver and Herold!!! | 1positive
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What awful people
I thought this book was a disappointment. A really stupid 'wager' results when Emma refuses to pay her rent increase because the land-owner has a rich nephew, the Duke of Wycliffe, and he can afford to support them for free. Throughout the book all the characters say how arrogant he is (including all his friends), but its never pointed out that she's as arrogant if not more so than he...certain that she literally knows everything better than anyone else. Everyone over 18 in this book is shallow and selfish. Grey wants everyone to do things his way, she wants the same thing, his guests are leeches, his uncle is an idiot, Freddie is evil, Tristan is plotting against his 'friend' for a lark. Its definitely not the worst book I've every read, but I found the plot and characters very unengaging. | 0negative
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Great Read
I bought it because it was mentiones so much in Fifty shades of gray, that I had to know Tess! Great book, very refreshing! The characters are so lovable! | 1positive
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Not Reliable
The first few days were great. Updated throughout the day, offered concise sports news, and updated scores. Then it just stopped and hasn't updated in over a week. | 0negative
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Wow, a real kicker!
Just One Look catches you on the first page and never lets go! I am relatively new to Coben- having read about 4 of his books now and am impressed. This one in particular is a real roller coaster ride! It starts on the first page and by page 5, the reader may decide this is going to be a l-o-n-g night!I read it in a day and a half! I was impressed with the many turns and twists Coben creates to keep the reader engaged. I was not as impressed by "Caught", however, the author did his homework in this one!If you are looking for something that is engaging and does not let go until you read the very last words, this book is for you! | 1positive
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Disappointment
As a major Diana Palmer fan, I looked forward to this new book (instead of a reprint) but I was so disappointed! This book is the worst of all the other books (abused as a child, orphan, cruel man, no interest- then an engagement, etc.) strung together into one book- I actually said "yuck" when I finished it. I agree with the reviewer who said that they have "outgrown" Diana. I have kept some of my favorite Diana Palmer books and do reread them. This is not one that I will keep. | 0negative
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Excellent
This book was one of the best books i have ever read Charles Moose had alot of really good ethics and morals from my opionion i don't think that he was a self serving paper pushing punk i think we need alot more police chiefs like hime I really liked his leadership qualties because he took control when nobody else wanted to. I think his childhood backround helped him to be the most succseful police Chiefs in history. I think his leadership helped capture the unstoppable D.C snipers. | 1positive
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DO YOUR HOMEWORK RAYMOND!
At the end of this book, the author must list at least 25 people who helped him in the creation of 'The Last Templar'. Too bad none of them, including the author, ever set foot inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Had they done so, they would have realized if four horsemen galloped into the Great Hall and started smashing display cases, the only 'treasures' they would have recovered were reproduction items from the Museum Store. NO - there are no exhibitions in the lobby -- in fact, important special exhibitions are NEVER held anywhere near the Great Hall. His knowledge of the museum was to say the least appauling and cheated his readers given the incident was so central in his story. Nope, no way, didn't happen. From that point on, I knew I was just reading another "The Historian" - a trash novel with a lot of media hype put out by a publisher with the ultimate end being selling the movie rights to Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard for mega bucks. Note the author already has himself a William Morris agent and the Sunday Express (whatever THAT is) refers to it as "highly cinematic". Yeah - for the direct to video market - MAYBE. Similarly the author's knowledge of the FBI and the US justice system in general was absolutely pathetic. NO way an FBI agent is flashing a badge at JFK and boarding an international flight to Turkey at the last minute without a ticket or a passport or even a warrant for anybody's arrest. Maybe in La La Land, but NOT in the real world. This is post 9/11 New York, Raymond, give us a little credit for at least having SOME security measures in place at our airports! It's huge gaps in basic research that make this book total schlock. Is there anyone in the world who read this book and didnt know on page 2 that it would end with the truth about Jesus being accidently lost to the world forever?? I seriously doubt it. Is there anyone who read this book who didnt think our hero Reilly was going to be whisked to the Vatican for a serious heart to heart with one of the "big guys"? Is there anyone who didn't know the guy would get the girl? I doubt that, too ... The characters were wooden and lifeless, the dialogue dull and predictable. Add all the schlock stock plots and poor research to the author's horrendous grammar (there were sentences in which I counted the word THAT used FOUR TIMES!) and terrible misuse of tense (did anyone actually EDIT this book?) and it spells disaster with a $25 doller price tag. Basically this book is improperly catagorized. It should be considered a romance novel with some fantasy intrigue tossed in on the side. Put Fabio as Reilly on the cover and you got it made. The review from the Sunday Express states this book is for 'those for whom Dan Brown was the start but not the finish'. Personally I would advise such people to wait for that ridiculous trial in London to end and let Dan Brown finish it himself - he could do a MUCH better job. In the meantime, spend your $24.95 on a Harry Potter book - MUCH more realistic. I reluctantly give this book one star because Amazon doesnt have any way of awarding negative stars. My true rating is about negative three stars - and that only if the author sent me a check for a full refund. Since that's about as likely to happen as the falcon head washing ashore on my front yard, it will make a lovely doorstop. If you want to read about Falcon heads == try Dashell Hammitt. | 0negative
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Is everyone kidding?
I have read Blood Meridian and No Country For Old Men, and enjoyed them both. But The Road? I wondered about halfway through if someone had a played a joke on me. Like maybe McCarthy said, you know what, screw it. I've been writing books for years with very little recognition, so I'm going to throw out this piece of [...] and see if I can fool them. And he did. Nothing happens, but it happens over and over. It was snowing. It was dark. They built a fire. They ate a tin of peaches. It began to snow again. It reminds me of when Faulkner finally wrote a crappy novel and won a Pulitzer for it. The world never ceases to amaze me. | 0negative
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perfect gift
Had to give a book to n avid reader and she had not heard of this one. I received it late...mainly due to holidays. | 1positive
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he's not a marine - and she's not a chef
This is the first (and last) book I've read from this author. The story itself could have been okay but the details and characters were all wrong.If you need a male lead who will not notice that he's being followed up the entire West Coast - even when the tail is someone he has trouble with before and is getting gas at the same pump, will neglect to inform his backup of the danger and will then forget all about the danger when an unrelated problem is cleared up... DON'T try to say he is a Master Sereant with the USMC with 18 years experience as a "point man on numberous recon missions involving kidnap victims".If your female lead really is a highly trained chef, cooking on a corporate yacht and earning a paycheck with "all those zeros", she won't be preoccupied with the hot rollers, tons of jewelry & makeup and wobbling around on high "needle heeled" shoes all the time. She only owns one pair of flat shoes and those are sandles? This is not a chef - never mind all the other details (no high end chef would garnish any plate with a twist of orange slice on each side of the plate - let alone their own. This belongs at Denny's, not a corporate yacht). I know these shound like little picky details, but there are constant inconsistancies like this. If this is the character the author wanted - fine, just don't try to say she's a chef.How many times can you use the word "jiggle" in a book? I got so tired of reading about her wiggling, jiggling body, little high heeled steps, cotton candy mouth and and lemon cookie scent...all of the make up, lotions, gold chain belts, Marilyn Monroe hair (complete with the confirmation that she's a bleached blond)... this is not an "ultra-feminine" woman, this is a bimbo. I don't care if she is able to balance a checkbook -if it walks like a bimbo and talks like a bimbo... sure, she is nice (to everyone but Zach) but please, just because the author continues to say she's not a bimbo doesn't make it true.Basically I found Lily annoying and unlikable (the whole campground scene put me off the book for a week), Zach was a jerk at first but at least he had a reason. The plot was weak (the low-key mystery was obvious a short while after the kidnapping). I didn't bother finishing the book and only got as far as I did because it was the only unread book I had when I went to take a bath.Don't waste your time or money. | 0negative
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Top notch service
First off we 'love' our Kindle - and it's great to 'share' so my wife and I can both read separate books without trying to find where we each left off - the Kindle does it automatically. Second - we had a technical problem in month 8 and Amazon 'instantly' replaced the entire unit without question. Thanks! | 1positive
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boring
I think this series has run its course. The story line for this one is very tired. The main characters go through the same motions. I could not work up any interest or empathy for any of the 'victims.' Everything seems to happen off stage.His son's new novel is better. | 0negative
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Eat, Pray, Love. - Fun, OK, Boring
This book was a nice idea, a woman coming out of a divorce travels to find herself and learn to be alone. A pretty typical plot and idea, nothing original. In the first third of the book she goes to italy, makes friends, learns the language, eats good food and has some fun. This part of the book is light and fun to read and you are happy for her finding happiness. Next she goes to india where she prays and lives modestly, meets some people and talks about the way of chanting and her reactions to meditation. Some of this part is interesting but she prattles on many times about unimportant contrasts or side stories that make you flip a few pages ahead to shut her up. The third part 'Love' was a magician trying to pull a rabbit out of their hat but you already know its there waiting for him to grab it. You know she'll find some guy and end up happy, if only because she wants the book to sell. I find the fact that she does this also kind of annoying. I thought the book was supposed to be about a woman who wants to find happiness in being alone and independent? And yet she ends her book triumphantly with being tethered to another man, moving for him and uprooting her whole existance to be with him. Nice independence huh? It just feels hypocritical, I wish she could have learned to be happy alone, rather than having to find another guy to end the book on a positive note. Other than the man she falls for, the 'Love' part is mostly boring, she has a few fun experiences with a medicine man and meets some friends but it is nothing special. And it teaches us nothing about love, as she doesn't examine it to talk about the history or do any of the 'fact' type comparisons that she does in the other parts of her book.Overall the book starts out strong and dwindles into nothing towards the end. I wish the writer had tried a little harder to make the idea of this book into a reality and each part of the book link into a cohesive whole. This book could have been much better. | 0negative
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In the Blink of a Thought
In "Blink," author Malcolm Gladwell explores "post-modern" decision-making. In modernism, we decided based upon logic: the analysis of factual data, as much of it as we could gather. In post-modernism, we decide based upon the synthesis of sensed experience, as small a slice as we can focus upon.Fortunately, Gladwell does not lean exclusively toward an either/or approach. That is, he recognizes the necessity of facts, while emphasizing the way the brain works to process information.What Gladwell writes in pithy narrative, psychologists have discussed for decades in what is known as HIPT: Human Information Processing Theory. Their model overlaps with Gladwell's main focus: to make wise decision we need the ability to think holistically-to envision seemingly disconnected puzzle pieces as a beautiful mosaic.I've applied his thinking to areas as diverse as a fantasy baseball auction draft, to a counseling session. In fantasy baseball, I've always been the most informed participant in our group of 14 grown-men who spend a day in April acting like boys. However, Gladwell helped me to detect my "information overload." I had all the facts, ALL the facts, but not enough of the feel. Not enough of the intuitive sense that gathered the data, related it to our group, and adjusted quickly to changing scenarios.As a professional counselor and counselor educator, I've always practiced and taught that we must add relational competence to our theoretical understanding. We must skillfully intuit what is happening in me, in my counselee, and in our relationship. In essence, this is counseling by "blink."For those who desire more (and in some cases more accurate) information on how the brain functions and how we can discipline our minds and emotions so that we relate well and think with discernment, I would recommend Daniel Goleman's now classic work, "Emotional Intelligence." Use it hand-in-hand with "Blink" and you just might win your fantasy baseball league!Reviewer: Dr. Bob Kellemen, author of "Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction" and "Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction." | 1positive
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I, Clone Trooper
Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto are dispatched to the planet Cestus in an attempt to gain the planet's allegiance to the Republic. Their mission is urgent because the a new line of droids, commonly referred to as Jedi Killers because of their JK designation and lethal abilities, threatens to fall to the seperatists. Their instructions are to use diplomacy, but if that fails, they are to sabotage the production line.As support for their mission, the two Jedi bring along a small squad of clone troopers, including an ARC trooper designated A-98, also known as 'Nate' to his clone brothers. The clones' primary responsibility is to prepare a resistance movement on Cestus. However, when a smuggler that has a past with Jango Fett, the clones' source of DNA, shows up, Nate's world turns upside down...Overall, this is a good story. Obi-wan is featured, and that alone helps this 'Clone Wars' novel stand above many others. He and Kit get a light saber duel with the dark force user/assassin Asajj Ventress, which was pleasant to see.The best part of the novel though is getting inside the minds of the clone troopers. This story does an excellent job describing what it must have been like to be a clone during the war a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. 'Programmed' to follow orders and fight battles, many don't consider clones much better than droids. Unalbe to find solace in much of the galaxy, the troopers take comfort in their own comraderie and in the knowledge that although they may die in battle, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) is bigger than them all and will fight on. Nate's interaction with Sheeka Tull is truly the best exploration of what it meant to be a clone.As for the negatives, there were some definite lulls in the action. The diplomacy was often murky and uninteresting. This novel also suffers from the same problem that 'Shatterpoint' did, it lacked the war. With 'A Clone Wars Novel' stamped on the front of the jacket, it'd be nice to see larger battles in some of these novels. Also, the major villains (Nute Gunray and the Trade Federation, Count Dooku, General Greivous, and Darth Sidious) are noticeably absent. Essentially, the novel takes elements out of the Clone Wars and talks about them.I would recommend this book primarily to Star Wars fans. I really enjoyed it. Seeing, or reading, Kit Fisto in action was a plus to the novel. I'd like to see more of him in other novels. This novel doesn't require much knowledge of the other novels in the Star Wars extended universe, although a few events from other sources are mentioned in a few places. Its a decent read, but there are other Star Wars novels that are better out there.Overall: 3.75 stars. | 1positive
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Definitely worthy of the title "classic", but confusing
In such situations, it is customary to start out with a "good and the bad" scenario. So here goes.The good: This book has a complex plot that keeps you interested for the most part. The characters are believable (if somewhat twisted), and the setting is appropriate: a creepy old house in the Moors of England. Heathcliff is a maniac with a likeable streak (mostly it's just sympathy). Catherine is unbridled, wild and cruel. But it seems the narrator (Nelly) is a bit too perfect.The bad: The plot can be a little too complex at times, and it's hard to follow. And the first four chapters... don't even get me started.I'm still giving it five stars because, in the end, it was worth the sometimes boring reading and slow pace. This book is definitely a classic that everyone should read. | 1positive
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WISH I HAD NEVER BOUGHT THIS KINDLE - PASS THE WORD ABOUT AMAZON
Amazon now bills itself as "building the earth's most customer-centric company". Please don't believe it.Amazon clearly does not value its Kindle customers. I ordered a $259.00 Kindle for my daughter's graduation in late May. Because the price decrease to $189.00 on July 1 happened just outside Amazon's 30 day return limit, I ended up paying an extra $70 only to have the Kindle for roughly one extra month.I sent Amazon an email respectfully asking for a $70 credit, and all I got was an impersonal cookie-cutter email telling me no. One would think that surely Amazon could have at least offered one or two free eBooks to make things right. Unfortunately, customer service does not appear to be among Amazon's priorities. I suppose they were just after my $70.In retrospect, what really upsets me are the email ads Amazon kept sending me for the $259.00 Kindle right up until July 1. I am so disappointed in Amazon. I feel cheated.And now we are stuck buying my eBooks through Amazon from here on out. It is a very unpleasant thought knowing we will have to continue dealing with a company who is just after our money and cares nothing about customer loyalty.With eReader products, it is not just about the device. It is just as much about the company and its policies. Do yourself a favor and do not repeat my mistake in trusting Amazon. Buy a Nook. | 0negative
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A TREASURE TROVE OF MEMORIES!
Little Heathens consists of the memories of the early life of Mildred, who as a young girl during the Great Depression lived along with her siblings and mother on a farm in rural Iowa with her strict but loving grandparents. And what a colorful life it was! My grandmother recently passed away and hearing these stories reminded me of the stories she used to tell me of her childhood during this time. I now know how very important it is to keep a record of one's memories. It gentley seals the people you love in time. It is our legacy, our history. The events in this book, the recipes, the words of wisdom are all priceless. Mildred pulls us into the 1930's with her and weaves a magical journey of self-discovery while teaching us the values of family and self-reliance. A facsinating and unforgettable read. | 1positive
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Hardest book I have ever read.
From the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, Western and central Europe put forth several major works of literature that examined the relationship between men, and between men and society. These include On Liberty by J. S. Mill, Leviathan by T. Hobbes, Capital by K. Marx, and The Social Contract by Frenchman Jean Jacques Rousseau. This book examines the origins, nature, logic, and inner workings of relationships between three entities. These entities are man the individual, men as in a collection of individuals, and the state, where the state includes laws, government, and other institutions. I first read this book in a high school class. I tried to read it later when in college. I could not finish this book either time; this is the most difficult book I have ever read. Unlike other discourses on politics, this book is heavily influenced by philosophy, and written like a text in philosophy. I would not recommend it for any but the most determined reader. | 0negative
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One of the greatest books written
Think that sex,,violence, and scandal are only a modern invention? MOLL FLANDERS, written by Daniel Defoe in 1722, will prove you wrong. Incest, adultery, bigamy, prostitution, and thievery stain her background as she tries to rise above her birth and gain wealth in 18th century England.Moll Flander's tale is told so lightly and humorously that the reader tends to forget about the seriousness and the sadness of her situations. It gives and accurate and clear picture of English life in the 1700's. The language Defoe uses is 18th century English, yet readers shouldn't get scared away. The reading becomes easier after the first couple of chapters.So, if you are looking for a good book to curl up by the fire with, read MOLL FLANDERS | 1positive
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I was bored
did not finish the book .that said there isn't much more to write about it .I won't be reading any more of Mulford's books | 0negative
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A Somewhat Disturbing But Interesting Suspense -- Not Everybody's Cup Of Tea
Let me start off by saying that the ratings on this book says something. I've seen items where the five stars and four stars well outweigh the lower rankings. On controversial books, the sign of it being effective is a lot of five stars and a lot of one stars, with little in between. While I'm in the largest group (I'm #22 of the five stars), the smallest group (the two stars) has a respectable number.What does this mean? If you are one who relies on reviews to decide whether to get this book, read ALL the reviews. Don't base your decision on just mine unless you happen to be a fan of my reviews and consistently trust my opinion.This is the third Catherine Coulter FBI thriller I've read. It is not Pullitzer prize writing, but it keeps my interest. I like the characters in her books, though for some reason I picture the leading men (Judge Ramsey Hunt here, James Quinlan from "The Cove", and Miles Kettering from "Blindside") as all looking the same, and I just realized I see them all looking like Barry Van Dyke (Dick's son) from Diagnosis Murder.This book is more disturbing than the other two I read because of its child molestation story-line. Also, one thing I'll give away is that the molester is a former priest. This is the first Coulter novel I read that does not have a protestant minister as one of the bad guys -- this time it's a former Catholic minister. (I wonder if Coulter has any books where a minister is a good guy, or at least, where none of the villains are connected with Christianity.) Maybe the preachers she knows are all child molesters and child kidnappers and murderers, but most real preachers are nothing like that.Also, this book does have some erotica which I skimmed over, and which is not necessary. Also, there is some cussing which I never consider a positive, though I'll add that it is not pervasive in this book.One thing that cracks me up is the long distance mob battle between Mason Lord and Rule Shaker. With names like that, I wonder if Coulter read Dick Tracy comics or watched James Bond movies for research.In her plot description, she promised a twist at the end that even the best mystery solvers would not expect. I don't consider myself great at solving mysteries, but I successfully guessed what that twist was. Maybe I would have been surprised if she didn't warn me of the twist.This is not a perfect book. Many have pointed out the illogical way the judge acts in the situation, though if he did what he was supposed to there wouldn't have been a story. Having completed a novel, I noticed that Coulter is not always consistent with the point of view. But if you want to entertain yourself, this would work.One other note. The other two books I've read in the series (and I'll add Hemlock Bay, which I started and decided to read later, maybe) had two different stories going on ("Blindside" had a third little situation unrelated to the other two); this one focuses on the main story.I will conclude by saying that I do like the way the book ends. | 1positive
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10 conversations you need to have with your children
It does not matter what faith you prescribe to - this book defines what we as parents should be focusing on in raising our children - "who" are children are not "what" they are! | 1positive
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Blink Review From a Student
Blink is an intriguing essay that dives into the human mind and explorers the power of the unconcious mind. Gladwell catches the reader right from the start and tries to get the reader to come to become more self-aware of his or her unconcious mind through reading the book. Gladwell makes it very clear from the beginning of the book what he is trying to prove. First, he wants to prove that the decisions made instinctly (snap-judgments) are just as valid and sometimes even more valid than decisions made through concious analysis and rationalization. Gladwell provides a plethora of examples to aid this argument, and although quite interesting, he only proves that snap judgments are worthy of more attention than they currently receive. However, Gladwell is unsuccessful in proving that snap judgments are just as valid as a concious, rationalized thought process. He provided many examples; however, at times he is "blind" to the comfort and logic through a concious thought process. If he were to give more credit to the importance of the concious mind, his argument regarding snap judgments would have been more effective. Gladwell's second task was to prove that we should trust our instincts. Again, he provides plenty of examples to support this, and offers detailed analysis, but the argument is nothing more than an intriuging theory. Gladwell's third task is to prove that snap judgments can be educated and controlled, and he is very succesfful with his argument. Through his examples of the IAT Tests and War Games in chapters 3 and 4, Gladwell proves that snap judgments can be trained, and that the snap judgments of experts in certain areas are more valid than that of the "Average Joe". In conclusion, Gladwell's overall argument isthat if snap judgments are seen as valid and trustworthy and if snap judgments are educated, the world would be a different and better place. Gladwell is not directly effective in proving this to the reader. He provides few strong examples, such as the Diallo case, and he is unable to substaniate that very large claim. However, indirectly, I feel that Gladwell is successful in his purpose. I feel that Gladwell targets this book at more of a younger audience with the idea that although we will not take direct action to train our snap judgments, we will unconciously begin to question our actions and motives after reading the book. Although Gladwell is not able to get his readers to go out and speak up, he is able to indirectly and unconciously make an impression on the readers' frame of thinking towards the world around them. After reading Blink, go to a public location where there are a lot of people. See if you act differently than from how you would before you read Gladwell's book. You'll begin to notice a slight change in the way you think.Overall, Blink is an excellent book that is most intriguing to younger audiences but still has something in it for everyone. Next time you meet somebody new, size them up in a second...in the blink of an eye. Do not forget your intial impression of them. Then, after you've known the person for a while, compare your intial impression to your impression after knowing them for a long time. Where you right? Where you off? Why? Did something in your mind cause your intial impression? Did a false intial impression prove to be harmful to your relationship with the person? Blink investigates these questions, and surfaces their disastrous outcomes, yet promising potential. | 1positive
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"Thunder Keeper" is a Real Keeper!
Author Margaret Coel launches "The Thunder Keeper," seventh in the line of a classic mystery series set on the Arapaho's Wind River reservation, with the classic hook of a man alone high on a ledge who soon plummets to his death. The police learn the dead man has been on an Arapaho spirit quest and label the death a suicide. But, a few pages later, a mysterious stranger confesses to a priest that soon more people will be murdered.Coel's stories feature two amateur sleuths: St. Francis Mission Priest, Father John O'Malley, (history scholar and recovering alcoholic,) who has been exiled to the Arapaho reservation mission in Wyoming, and Vicky Holden, an Arapaho attorney who carries the baggage of a mean ex-husband, sometimes unhappy son (and a reciprocated inappropriate attraction for Father O'Malley.)Father O'Malley knows he is bound by his vows to keep the confession secret. He decides to investigate the death of the man on a spirit quest himself.Meanwhile, attorney Vicky Holden witnesses the horrific hit-and-run slaughter of Vince Lewis, a man who had valuable information he was about to tell her in reference to an urgent matter regarding the Wind River Reservation. Are the two deaths connected? If so, what ties them together? What is the secret worth killing for on Arapaho land?The freshness of Coel's writing, the voice and clarity of the story, as well as her love and passion for the West shine in phrases like these: "The mountains rose jagged and blue in the orange-tinged dusk. Northwest, where the mountains dropped into a gully that allowed the sky to flow through, was Bear Lake," and "The thunder sounded like tanks rumbling through the sky. Lightning turned the air white and sent a charge through the earth that he could feel reverberating inside him....when the lightning flashed again he saw the petroglyph shining on the cliff above-human looking, eyes all-seeing, hands raised in benediction. He was not alone. The spirits were here, the messengers of the Creator."Coel's skill crafting this series is a pleasure to watch. Read "The Thunder Keeper" for pure enjoyment. | 1positive
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Civil war story from the inside.
I have read a lot of civil war books. These add to the understanding with a little different perspective. His books are a good read. | 1positive
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