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It's surprising to see a relatively serious novel like "Brideshead Revisited" from Evelyn Waugh, whose reputation as a writer was built on humor. It confronts a difficult theme -- the disintegration of a once-noble British family by two world wars and changes in the social and moral fabric of the first half of the twentieth century. But Waugh handles the material with the aplomb of a natural storyteller and the objectivity of an observer who is wise enough never to become too symphathetic with his characters."Brideshead Revisited" is narrated in flashback through the voice of a British Army captain named Charles Ryder, who one day in 1943 inadvertently finds himself near an estate called Brideshead which he recognizes as a place he'd first seen twenty years before. His memories take us directly back to 1923 when he was a freshman at Oxford and befriended a fellow student named Lord Sebastian Flyte. Sebastian is pampered, effeminate, and abnormally juvenile; he spends more time drinking than studying and owns a teddy bear. Now, I realize that it's not absurd for a grown man to own a teddy bear, but it is when he frequently refers to the bear by its christened name, treats it as a confidant, and brings it with him on outings. With Sebastian, Charles finds himself moving in a new social circle, illuminated by the even more flamboyantly effeminate and sexually ambiguous Anthony Blanche.Sebastian is secretive about his family but nevertheless takes Charles to visit the family house at Brideshead. Eventually Charles does get to meet Sebastian's sisters Julia and Cordelia, his older brother the Earl of Brideshead, and his (separated) parents, Lord and Lady Marchmain. It's apparent that Sebastian dislikes his family, especially his pious Catholic mother; his excessive drinking is a means to escape his unhappiness. Charles, meanwhile, sort of adopts this family as his own and becomes intimately involved in their affairs; his own father -- his only close living relative -- is somewhat of a doddering old fool and not much good company.Over the following years, the characters grow and develop as all good characters should. Julia marries a budding politician named Rex Mottram, who makes a comically clumsy attempt at conversion to Catholicism before the wedding; Charles becomes an artist and starts an affair with Julia during a stormy Atlantic crossing; the Earl collects matchboxes; Cordelia, the most conscientious of the Flytes, becomes a humanitarian aid worker. Sebastian, who is so central early in the novel, gradually falls out of the picture; years of idleness, apathy, irresponsibility, and debauchery lead him to a miserable existence in northern Africa.There is significance in Charles's chosen profession -- that of an artist who paints architectural portraits of ancient English manors -- because it parallels his role as historian and chronicler of the decadent Flyte family; he gives the impression of a curator proudly showing a portrait of a stately old house or family and saying, "This was once a great monument of England." "Brideshead Revisited" is not an outright funny novel like "Scoop" (although there is an amusing cross-reference to the Beast, the newspaper from "Scoop"), but it is still filled with Waugh's wry charm and his effortlessly mellifluous prose. | 1positive
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dumbest book i ever read. he's a one hit wonder who should have stopped with 'tuesdays'. | 0negative
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I am not a particularly devoted fan of the Three Stooges, but I am a big collector of Hollywood histories and Broadway biographies in general. I recently received this book as a gift, and admittedly was somewhat underwhelmed. But once I started reading it, I literally could not put this book down!Surprisingly, The Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of The Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time (Donaldson Books) is one of the best entertainment biographies I have ever read. In their fifth and latest release about what could be this country's all-time favorite comedy team, the Forrester brothers have successfully integrated their in-depth research skills, captivating photographic image collection and "just-the-facts-ma'am" journalistic writing style into a topnotch expose on Curly, Moe and Larry -- as well as the 15 other men who made up the Three Stooges. The birth and the death of a comedy team (and everything else in between) is carefully outlined andpainstakingly detailed by the authors in this fact-filled, fun and intimate look at the rather complicated story of all 18 men who became a Stooge for the act's creator, and long-forgotten funnyman, Ted Healy. The Three Stooges are the only classic comedians who have successfully moved from the early days of vaudeville to virtual reality and beyond while becoming more popular with each passing year.Undoubtedly the Three Stooges were comedic geniuses and are finally being recognized as America's Sultans of Slapstick, and this book documents every step of their triumphant, and sometimes tragic, rise to superstardom. Beside being a compelling read, the huge collection of hundreds of vintage visuals and candid Stooge photos included throughout the text makes this book well worth the purchase price.I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys entertainment and to everyone who could use a good laugh or even a good cry. Stooge fan or not you'd have to be some kind of Knucklehead to pass up your chance to read this great new book! | 1positive
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I am a big fan of Giles' books. We have most of them! Our favorites.. Giraffes Can't Dance and Rumble in the Jungle. But this one did not meet our expectations. First of all, the mother sends Leo away! What mother would ever send her child away? It doesn't make sense. Also, I don't like all of the references to death. And "biting through the skin" of the zebra. It's definitely not good for young children. | 0negative
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The second anthology from gay fetish author Tim Brough follows the same format as his first, "Black Gloves, White Magic." "Sgt. Vlengles' Revenge" contains a dozen stories written for various magazines and websites over a ten year period, and cover a great deal of topics. But the difference is in that, this time, the stories are frequently darker and lengthier. The subtitle "And Other Abuses of Power" is not mere hyperbole.The title story, for instance, twists and turns as Sgt. Vlengles meets up with a cadet whom, 18 years ago, managed to get him dismissed from his post as a State Police Academy superintendent. In a session that goes horribly wrong, the participants each discover that revenge may not be so sweet. This kind of psychological bending goes on through the Truth or Dare challenge of "I Remember The Air Raid Sirens." The characters are more inclined to be authority figures than before, and the power exchanges described lean toward the way men exercise that kind of authority.Not like everything in "Sgt. Vlengles' Revenge" is enveloped in darkness. As the author describes in a brief explanation before one the pieces, a satirical article written for the Sandmutopian Guardian magazine, that "the best leather jackets are carved from the sacred cow." The following piece, "There's No Such Thing As A Pushy Bottom," takes the wind out some of the biggest sails in the community and -- again as Tim puts it -- makes the story a "true abuse of power."There are also two stories that get at many of the deeper issues involved in relationships, they are "The Butch God Trilogy" and "To Explode In Beauty," where the characters explore what exactly draws them to these encounters and, most importantly, what makes them feel complete about being there. For both "Black Gloves, White Magic" and "Sgt. Vlengles' Revenge," it is the author's understanding of those who participate that make many of his stories such satisfying reads. | 1positive
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I am a Robin Cook fan. But - - - This story started out slow and didn't pick up any speed. I got bored and put it down once, and had to pick it back up later and start over. It was work. The plot doesn't seem to have focus. Too many elements: Mafia, prehisoric man, cloning, transplant manufacturing, greedy doctors, etc. | 0negative
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I must admit I was rather disappointed with the first 200 pages. Lots of boring court details with Elayne, a brief part with Perrin, and a lack of "moving on with it" in general. WoT has been a truely awesome series but i'm wishing a conclusion would be nearer on the horizon.However, after the first 200 the book really picks up. We finally find out what happened with Mat Cauthon and Rand participates in several GOOD combat scenes. The finale here was arguably the best in the series, even topping the Horn of Valere ending the second book had.Winter's Heart has a rocky start but continues the series in Jordan's winning style. Definetly worth reading, the last hundred pages or so will have you dancing with excitement (difficult while sitting). | 1positive
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Essays of varied worth to celebrate the genius of O'Connor. Several are excellent. A few are self-serving and weaken the power of the book. | 1positive
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If you are new to the series don't bother reading since you really need to have the background from some of the other books to understand all the things that are going ontIf you are into tough women who know how to deal with violence then this won't be for you because Anita softens up and crosses alot of the lines we didn't think she would ever cross.If you enjoy Anita relationship crab and angst about sleeping with the monsters then this is the book for you.Anita books come with multiple layers, her growing magical powers, the complication of her relationships, and solving a crime, killing the bad guys and big one touch b&itch.; I have loved all the books up to NC, after the ardeur was introduces I wasn't interested.I think this book was to help kick Anita out of her comfort zone at the end of every other book everything has a pretty nice neat bow on it and in between books she has resolved some issues. In this book we are in the middle of dealing with the issue, rather than the little paragraph we get at the beginning. This is THE ANITA relationship book. One of the ways to kick out her of the comfort zone is sex the one thing Anita doesn't not have a power to fight off or can calm down to that killing calm....so it is almost used against her as a weapon till by the end of the book she has adjusted to who she is and what her life has brought her.Since it is an ANITA BLAKE Vampire Hunter Book it has to have a mysterty be solved, but after 400 pages of sex and emotional crap there wasn't much room left. She also left out alof of support charcters (Edwards does not need to be in every book no matter how much we all enjoy it)Because I like the anita charcter I will stick with it (I liked seeing another side of Nathaneil), but I won't rush out and by the hard cover again until the arduer (anita relationship angst) has taken a backseat to a real story, rather than the other way around | 0negative
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This book has Incantations for winning money that is completely ridiculous and has nothing to do with numerology! This is without a doubt the worst numerology book I have purchased. There is nothing complete or useful about it. There are several stories of other people which i skipped over, i do not care about stories. The book hinted on tea leaves, there were several chapters about winning/lucky numbers which might not be accurate since nothing about my personality was accurate. A hideous compilation of JUNK!There are much better numerology books out there with tons of useful info! I would not recommend this book to anyone. | 0negative
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Ben Mezrich won the lottery with this story, and he was at least smart enough to not tear up the ticket.The story is nothing shy of fascinating, and Mezrich was just talented enough to not mess it up. Oh but he tried. His overuse of Creative Writing 101 literary techniques and his fascination with the italics button bordered on distracting. He also managed to contradict himself in a span of two paragraphs. How the heck did he publish several other novels is beyond me.Contrary to the theme of the novel, sometimes it IS better to be lucky than good. Look no further than Mezrich's good fortune in having this story dropped in his lap for proof of that axiom. | 1positive
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"McTeague" by Frank Norris, an author who had a prolific career considering his short life, is highly regarded as a work of realism. And on that premise, it delivers, with characters full of flaws and a story that examines the darkest sides of human nature. Set in San Francisco at the turn of the twentieth century, its horror and brutality are still shocking in today's world.The story begins with a portrait of McTeague, a large, somewhat bumbling dumb giant of a man who works as a dentist and finds no greater pleasure than drinking steam beer and playing on his concertina. His only aspiration for success is to one day hang a gilded tooth outside of his window as a sign of his profession. But his bachelor ways are changed when Trina Sieppe enters his life, the cousin of his one and only friend, and McTeague suddenly finds himself in love. Through sheer force rather than any ordinary type of courtship, McTeague persuades Trina to marry him, and she is lucky enough to win five thousand dollars in the lottery. They begin a life of success after success, but Trina refuses to touch the money she has won, becoming greedier as their marriage goes on, which begins to cause problems, especially when their luck takes a turn for the worse. McTeague deserts Trina, intent on seeking revenge for her loving money over him, and the ending of the novel is dark, tragic, yet fitting for what Norris has crafted.There are various subplots in "McTeague" all of which seem to revolve around the negative impact that the desire for wealth can have on people. It is a dark tale, as one could guess with a subtitle like "The Brute" - full of unscrupulous characters who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Norris' writing is somewhat stilted at times, he is often repetitive, and the Swedish accents of Trina's family are a chore to read through. However, Norris embellished his story with a wide array of symbolism that ties the main plot and subplots together, making the bleak ending a fitting coda to the story that he has painted of real life. | 1positive
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It's been a while since King has put out a collection of short stories, and usually when he does they are more like short novels than short stories. I've said before that I feel King's strong points aren't in his short stories, that he needs a couple hundred pages, at least, to really get a good story going. But this collection of 14 stories was astonishingly good. Maybe even some of his best work. It starts with a short introduction in which King pretty much just defends his e-publishing and other "gimmicky" ventures. The first story, "Autopsy Room Four" is the standard `I'm not dead, though everyone thinks I am' story, almost straight out of Twilight Zone, with an interesting King twist on the end. Nothing spectacular, but not bad. "The Man in the Black Suit" is his O. Henry award winning story (first place), and yeah, it's a good story (though I think others in this collection are much better) about a child meeting the devil. Very Hawthorne-ish. Next is one of the best stories in this collection, "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away," which I first read in The New Yorker. Not a typical King story, and proof that he can write outside his genre. And do it well. It's a story about a man who is unhappy with the choices he made in life and ready to kill himself. And King keeps the ending very ambiguous (which he does quite often in this collection), and that may be what really tops the story off. "The Death of Jack Hamilton" is another story I first read in The New Yorker. This one reminds me somewhat of "The Body" in that it isn't horror and surprises you that Stephen King wrote it. It's a about John Dillinger. "In the Deathroom" is a story of torture in Central America (very good). "The Little Sisters of Eluria" is the capstone of the collection. It is a story about the Gunslinger that takes place before any of the books and early in his quest for the Dark Tower. It deals with the Little Sisters that appeared in Black House and is a bit of a love story. By far the best in the collection. Next is "Everything's Eventual" that almost takes us back to Firestarter with it's secret government agencies. It's a story about self-esteem and moral choices made in life. "L.T.'s Theory of Pets" is a wonderfully touching story with a horrorfying ending. The reality of this story makes it what might be one of King's most chilling pieces. The humor of the story doesn't prepare you for what comes at the end. Previously, King released this as an audiobook, and I think it might be interesting to hear him read it. "The Road Virus Heads North" is a typical King short story. Nothing great about it, nothing spectacular, very mediocre. "Lunch at the Gotham Café" is about a divorcing couple (that just happens to get put into a bad circumstance). It's entertaining. A little funny. And a good story. "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French" is King's existentialist story about hell. One that you almost wish he hadn't wrote. Could be the worst in the collection. It's too repetitive, which I know was the point, but it doesn't carry well. "1408" is a ghost story of sorts. The haunted hotel story. It started off in a way that made me think I wouldn't like the story too much, and even though it never reached the level of the best stories here, it turned out to be a good read. "Riding the Bullet" is King's e-book. (And shows that a little patience pays off, for those of us who waited and didn't download the story) It's an excellent story about love, guilt, and choices wrapped in King's mean little world. I'm not sure if the point to the story was ever made, at least not the way he intended it, but this story makes you think about the choices you would make if you were in the same situation. At what point does your life become more or less valuable than your mother's? The final story is "Lucky Quarter" which is really a touching little story. No horror, just a lot of feel-good. This collection contains both of King's audiobooks (Blood & Smoke; L.T.'s Theory of Pets) his e-book (not The Plant, but then he never finished that for us), the story from his computer program F-13 and stories he's published elsewhere (everyone here has appeared somewhere else before). It's a solid collection. Every King fan will own it, and even those who aren't fans of King or his genre will find that at least half of the stories will be to their liking. This collection shows King's skill and maturity as a writer and should further add to the literary respect that is finally coming his way. | 1positive
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My husband and I discovered Terry Pratchett accidentally quite a few years ago when he picked up a paperback book of stories while traveling. One of them was an abridged version of "The Wyrd Sisters" and it had him laughing out loud. Naturally I had to read it after he got done and we have been hooked on Pratchett and his Disc World series ever since. "Thud" is another excellent story involving characters of the Disc World and is a througoughly enjoyable read. | 1positive
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Patricia Cornwell has been on my to-read list for some time now, but the last two books I've read from her Scarpetta series are making me doubt my steadfastness! This one especially goes to prove the point that Ms Cornwell doesn't have the gift of consistency, as I'd expected from such a writer, some of whose works are unarguably brilliant and remarkable, very nearly landmark. This, however, most certainly doesn't come in that category.The story is badly written, the plot very flimsy, the premise kind of hard to believe, and as someone else has mentioned in their comments here, Ms. Scarpetta is shown to be a know-it-all in everything she comes across. IMHO, this is the most unbelievable aspect of this book, which takes away any credit that might have come to this book otherwise.Not worth a read, unless you (expect to) have difficulty NOT reading it!Any average reader could see through the clutter and guess the plot less than halfway into the book, and it is painful to see the usual retinue of Ms. Scarpetta - her prodigal niece Lucy, the ever-resourceful Wesley and Marino - wasted on this sub-quality, ridiculous plot!Overall: 1 / 5 | 0negative
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I wanted to read this book to see if there was some confirmation regarding the theory of evolution. There has yet to be the evidence to prove what Darwin said would be needed to prove his theory. He wrote in the chapter on difficulties that if there wasn't proof to back up what he had written, that it would lead to unresolved issues.I always wondered how there could be fully preserved fossils which are said to be very old as typical bodies decompose in just a few hundred years. I also was wondering how there are marine fossils on the top of mountains and the book couldn't explain why.I had to conclude that the theory of evolution doesn't have proof Darwin said was needed to back up what is taught in schools as he had predicted.I will now have to look for another answer to my questions. | 0negative
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While it's scary to read a first hand account of incredibly unjust actions by people supposedly working for an independent and unbiased government organization (i.e. Ken Starr and the OIC), this is nevertheless a fascinating and uplifing story. Susan McDougal's story is simply amazing. And I can't help but feel so happy for her that she persevered through one nightmare after another and came out a stronger, wiser and better person for it. A terrific book! | 1positive
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Entertaining? You bet. A quick read? Check. A five star book? Come on! A quick description of the women in this book; Rachel, so good looking that when a naked picture of her shows up both men and women are drooling. Serena, stunningly beautiful cop that people stop to gawk at,hasn't had sex in years and doesn't trust men(except our married hero of course because she immediately sleeps with him). Maggie, Stride's partner, again beautiful(where do all of these hot cops live?), also in love with our hero. Lavender, stripper, so gorgeous that again, people stop and stare, of course she also immediately has sex with a cop(they are just so damn hot!). Andrea, attractive but is growing a little soft in the body(warning! unattractive = problems), sleeps with our hero immediately.Mr. Freeman falls into the Cornwell, Coben, Patterson problem of everyone being extremely good looking and heroic or fat and untrustworthy. Who can forget Coben's WNBA superstar/model/pediatrician in the Myron Bolitar novels. That said I would read another one of Mr. Freeman's books because if there was ever a true beach read, this is it. | 0negative
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I was quite disappointed with this. For $6 dollars, it was less than 1,000 words and rather than discussing the piece itself, Mr.Hubbard uses several general fillers like, kids can color the piece or "One very obvious way to arrive at an understanding of Picasso's ever-changing creativity is to collect reproductions (or photocopies) of Picasso's work made throughout his lifetime, and arrange them in the order they were created."The essay does not explore enough about the actual artwork, "Weeping Woman," which is quite fascinating. Perhaps my expectations were wrong, and this might suffice for an elementary classroom teacher who wants to to expose students to modern art. I think it might help to show what grade or audience this is targeted to. | 0negative
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I really wish the fascinating topic had been tackled by a better writer. The syntax is convoluted and frequently garbled, so any understanding can be gained only with a great deal of rereading and inference. The Hobbesian and Rawlsian interjections seemed like a lot of intellectual masturbation.Hopefully someone else will tackle the subject in a more coherent fashion. | 0negative
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I, like almost every other kid I know, grew up with the Disney movie. Although a rather accurate depiction of Wonderland, it cannot compare to the book (plus it muddled things together, mixing Alice in Wonderland with things originally in Through the Looking Glass). I never really took much attention to this very strange movie, but one day decided to read the book.Enter Wonderland.Absolutely no plot, no direction, no point. Lot's of silly nonsense but in spite of, or maybe because of this, it is very enjoyable. You literally never know what's going to happen next. After reading this book, I realized just how much my own dreams... Unforgettable characters, who can ever forget the cheshire cat or the caterpillar, jokes, interesting supplementary drawings, and puns keep you on your toes.This is really not for kiddies. Sure they can read it and maybe even enjoy it, but cannot fully appreciate it. A masterpiece, a classic, but more importantly, an enjoyable experience.Don't forget to read Through the Looking Glass! Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and "Jabberwocky" don't pop up in Alice in Wonderland but Through the Looking Glass. Although "Jabberwocky" didn't appear in the movie, it's still a classic. Finally, an explanation of this ever-puzzling poem! And of course, "I am the Walrus" is one of my favorite all-time songs...One of those books that you can read over and over again and find something new each time. Definitely an essential. The most fun I have ever had with a book. If you've ever been cursed enough to watch the movie but never read the book, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! (and for those of you who have read it, READ IT AGAIN! ) | 1positive
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This book covers so many aspects of sculpture from start to finish. You are never left with unanswered questions or uncertainty to any of the processes. The color section on patinas is marvolous. I love this book and have enjoyed reading it. Highly recommended! | 1positive
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The Soul of Sex is a wonderful follow up to Soul Mates. I am constantly amazed by Moore. How does a Catholic Priest have such good insight into the Inner Sanctum of relationships, when his own faith appears to distance itself from that? Whatever way he does it, Moore succeeds yet again.This is not light reading but it does touch the parts that most other authors fail to reach. In this category I exclude the inspiring "THE Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth..." by Richard Patton. Both these authors deal with taboo religious subjects in a seemingly unbiased fashion that illuminates without emotional persuasion (the touch-stone of many a great writer). It appears that Moore has `discovered' Tantra which Patton has already gone into in some considerable depth. Am I wrong or are there more writers today dealing with profound paradox's? Where were the Deepak Chopra's and Richard Patton's twenty years ago? Moore works from within the `system' yet clearly wants us to question it. I loved this book and would love to see the look on Moore's ecclesiastical colleagues when they see it. This is a great book for those times when you KNOW you are not going to be interrupted. It needs concentration but the journey is well worth it. | 1positive
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The book is shorter than the original, and also updated for gender-neutral language. That's good, just different. I knew before buying that it would be slightly different. | 1positive
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Middlemarch by George Eliot. Highly recommended.It seems that it's nearly impossible to talk about Middlemarch without mentioning its breadth and scope. The irony is that the entire novel takes place within the confines of this small community and within the sometimes-small minds of its various citizens.Although a vast number of characters populate Middlemarch and its environs, each who speaks has a distinctive voice, yet does not fall into being mere type only. The horse dealer sounds like a horse dealer-but one with a particular background and perspective. The setting itself represents every type of town, suburb, village, or neighborhood where you'll find the complacent, the critical, the aspiring, the intellectual, the earthy, the wealthy, the poor, and the worker in between. As with many English novels, the setting, in this case Middlemarch, becomes as much a central character as any other, whether it's Dorothea or Lydgate.The tapestry Eliot weaves is complex; one character's actions can affect the lives of others he or she may rarely meet, while the unknown behavior and works of Bulstrode in his youth decades ago eventually touch nearly all.How the characters come together is sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle. Dorothy's interest in Causabon, although a puzzle to her friends and family, is painted in broad strokes to the reader; her later interest in Will Ladislaw, grows somewhat more delicately if based in the same altruistic roots. Mary Garth and Fred Vincy have, in their way, come together in their childhoods; they are still struggling with mutually agreeable terms that will allow both to acknowledge the love and affection that are already there. Lydgate and Rosamond are both more of a puzzle and less of one-a case of two opposed personalities with opposing views, opposing goals, and opposing personalities drawn together by that most capricious of matchmakers, proximity and circumstance, to form a union that will frustrate both and satisfy neither.Against the background of these four sometimes difficult relationships (Dorothea and Causabon with its lack of love or eros, Dorothea and Will with the barriers set by Causabon's will and that of the Middlemarch society who frown on Will and Dorothea's association with him, Fred and Mary with her imposed restrictions to set him on the correct course in life before she can make a commitment to him, and Lydgate and Rosamond with their diametrical oppositions) is the long, happy marriage of Nicholas Bulstrode and his Vincy wife Harriet. Unlike the others, there are no visible barriers to their happiness, and they are happy as a couple-except for the events in Bulstrode's past that haunt him in the back of his mind and then at the front with the appearance of Raffles. The marriage survives the ensuing scandal, but the individuals-Nicholas and Harriet-become poor shadow of their former selves.It is in a town like Middlemarch that a woman like Dorothea will find it impossible to find approbation for her plans and Bulstrode will find the antagonism of those who have come to terms with their own worldly desires. It is in a town like Middlemarch that merely the raving words of a delirium tremens-afflicted Raffles can upset the respectable work of a respectable lifetime. The downfall of Bulstrode validates the town and its modernizing secular culture.Middlemarch is a novel of insight into personality, motivations, social behaviours, and history. In the end, even the happiest characters have failed at most if not all of their youthful aspirations and have become variations on the Middlemarch theme-husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, day-to-day toilers rather than dreamers and achievers. Middlemarch is Everytown, where you will find an example or two of Everyone-and their dreams or lack thereof.If you intend to glean the utmost from it, begin with an annotated, critical edition; while Eliot enjoyed a high enough level of erudition to reference the current events of 1830s England along with mythology, religion, quotations, and developments in science and medicine, most of us today cannot begin to follow them without assistance. Knowledge of these references will enrich the rich text of a rich mind.Diane L. Schirf, 1 September 2002. | 1positive
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Nathaniel Hawthorne is probably much more well-known for his classic book "The Scarlet Letter". As good as that book is, this book is as good in it's own right. It is probably one of the best ghost stories I have ever read! It is also a story about love and loss, curses that live through the years, The most profound truth that Hawthorne focuses on in this book is that the sins of the father are felt by children through many generations. The setting for the book is a brooding, old New England house. This house used to be the home of a proud family, but it had been haunted for generations by an ancient blood curse. At the beginning of the book, Judge Pyncheon dies in his family home in his great oak chair. The strange thing is that though alone, his shirtfront is stained scarlet. And to make matters worse, his body is not discovered for some time. This strange death is somehow traced back to the old family curse, and the reader is treated to what the Judge saw in his last hours. But the story is also a love story. It is in fact the love of two young people that appears to break the curse of the house. The book is a gothic romance, but it is much more than that. I can't really say enough about this book. I read it sometime ago, and it has stuck with me for a long time. It's a great one! | 1positive
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I could hardly put the book down and I was sorry it ended! All the characters came to life on the pages and I loved Viola...she made me realize you have to live life to the fullest and she also made me realize to not feel guilty when you have to tell your kids what they are doing wrong and also praise them when they do good. (even if they are in their 30's) Terry McMillian is a wonderful writer and I enjoy all her books....can't wait for the next one??? | 1positive
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I was delighted and excited to see this book sitting on the shelf, but when I opened it I was just as disappointed. It portrays this wonderful breed in every unattractive stereotypical manner imaginable (except for actual dog fights). One comes away with the distinct impression that the ONLY people who own this dog are those with rap sheets, scary dental work, multiplicitous tattoos, and Chateau du Trailer Park addresses. This book would merit only ONE star if it were not for the fine photography. | 0negative
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I feel compelled to write this review as a counter voice to the two pervious reviews of the text. The previous reviewers are both honest about the content of the book, but they seem to be confused about the purpose of the book. It seems that the previous reviewers were looking for a book that would give lay people a general overview of the history and context of the Lutheran liturgy. The Manual on the Liturgy is not intended to be that text however, the Manual on the Liturgy was written for a very specific purpose, with a very narrow readership in mind. The Manuel on the liturgy is intended to be an instructional, companion volume to the Lutheran Book of Worship and it's associated missal. The text is intended to teach Lutheran clergy the proper manner in which to conduct the various services found in the Lutheran Book of Worship. It does that task with aplomb.One reviewer implies that the Lutheran liturgy is generally performed poorly (I agree) after stating that a good portion of the Lutheran clergy are not familiar with this text (I again agree - sadly). I cannot be the only one who appreciates the irony of this.I personally love this text. But then again, I am Lutheran Seminary student and big fan of worship. If you are not a Lutheran seminary student, or you never were one, you probably have no reason to own or even open this book. IF you HAVE ever been a Lutheran seminary student - you have no excuse for not both owning and reading this text - and not just to satisfy your parish worship professor either - to serve your congregations by faithfully, and beautifully administering the sacraments in a manner befitting them. Take your office seriously. | 1positive
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I am using three books and the free test prep software from [...]. While Princeton Review's book accurately simulates the computer version of the test through its website, Barrons has a horrible CD that does not tally your score or administer the test correctly. For example, reading comprehension questions were jumbled throughout. Also, some of the math questions simply were incomprehensible. While I scored an 88% on the Princeton Review CAT, I got a 68% on the Barrons' version. (I can't verify if one is more accurate than the other alone, but from the general skepticism of others I thought it was clear that Barrons left many with a similar experience.)Spend the money for the Princeton Review book that gives you access to 4 online CAT's - that's the best way to actually know how you will do I think. | 0negative
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Unfortunately, before I bought the book there werent't many honest reviews about this book. I should never have bought it. I have morals and it disgusted me when Nova got involded with a married man. It was going well until I got to the part where they sleept together. I burned the book. The back cover doesn't even tell you much either which I think was deceitfull. I love woman in action. I love romance book. This book. . . total dissapointment. . . | 0negative
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I'm hooked on the books. The show is nice to offer up the imagery, but the scale described in the books is immense and the thoughts of the characters provides detailed insights. | 1positive
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The admirers of this book form a cult, as I think even they would admit. Like any other cult, they hold certain beliefs that make perfect sense to them, yet strike the uninitiated as, shall we say, nuts.The author, Marguerite Young, was the subject of an issue of the Review of Contemporary Fiction a good number of years ago. A respectful interviewer asked her why the character of Miss Macintosh was missing her hair, a limb, and several other useful things. Ms. Young replied, "Because everything is lost."If this strikes you as a pearl of Zarathustrian wisdom, I suppose these 1,200 pages of "oceanic" prose, ebbing and flowing away with a charmingly feminine disregard for such stodgy concerns as structure and narrative momentum, just might be your meat. If it seems instead the self-caressing delusion of a profoundly second-rate word-spiller, you might want to pass by the brightly-clad strangers shaking their tambourines in your face and make your way to a church with a more substantial following. | 0negative
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Note to parents: Theresa Dunn is not a role model for your daughter. She spends her evenings trolling bars, looking for any man who will abuse her physically, verbally or emotionally, so she can have sex with them. When she finally meets a man who truly values her, she rejects him and his love for her, because she can't believe that he would love a woman with such low self-esteem (neither can I, really). Ultimately, she has sex with the wrong abusive psycho and is murdered.All that being sa...more Note to parents: Theresa Dunn is not a role model for your daughter. She spends her evenings trolling bars, looking for any man who will abuse her physically, verbally or emotionally, so she can have sex with them. When she finally meets a man who truly values her, she rejects him and his love for her, because she can't believe that he would love a woman with such low self-esteem (neither can I, really). Ultimately, she has sex with the wrong abusive psycho and is murdered.All that being said, it is a very entertaining read. I didn't like Theresa, but her "descent into hell," as the blurb on my copy put it, is fascinating enough to keep you reading and it moves quickly. A good book for the beach or a long plane trip. | 0negative
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I am an avid reader. This story definitely reflects the "True Myth"(see [...])It is one of the best redemption stories. If you had told me what the character was and what he would become, I would think it was going to be a lame, unbelievable story. Don't miss this one! | 1positive
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Every paper money collector must have this book, whether a novice or old hat. This book is one of the three reference books every serious collector and dealer must have. Note: all dealers and paper money organizations reference these numbers as "P-" also known as Pick #'s. | 1positive
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Hello! I am a " Friend " of B's. I met him after the suicide of our friend. B, I haven't read your book yet but, I am going to get it. I really have to say I am so proud of you bro! All the things I have heard about the book really impresses me that one of our friends could do such a thing! I really look forward to reading this book I could only imagine! Look forward to hearing from you too! Lacy's Sis | 1positive
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christian audience will rush to buy any book that claims to be biblically grounded. This book is hollywood grounded, not biblically grounded. | 0negative
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Ramona is kind a brat I really don't like her but this is really good characters and you should read it | 0negative
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This is one of the most annoying and disappointing novels I've ever read. At first, I found it mildly intriguing. Then as I read on, the main character became more disconnected from people and more disgusting. At one point, later on, he loves his wife's fear of flying, apparently because it makes her dependent on him. Yuck.In the middle, I was convinced that the author didn't know how to write a novel. The story lacks all the things I want in a novel: an interesting through-line and an intriguing premise, a compelling main character and a mesmerizing central conflict, some depth of theme and revelation of human nature, a structure that moves forward.Most of the time, I hated it, yet I did like a brief back-story sequence in the middle. Then, as I approached the end, the narrative became more and more absurd. Now, after I've finished it, I understand what the writer was trying to do. I guess he succeeded, but it didn't work for me. I wouldn't recommend it. | 0negative
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when I was given this book, I thought it would be a laborious read; I was wrong! Daniel Mannix has done an excellent job of bringing dimension & depth to a subject that few of us really understand. It's a real pity that this piece of literature is now out of print because every student of history should have this narrative in their personal library. I now watch 'SPARTACUS' from a totally different perspective! | 1positive
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I would like you to read this book. Could you look at the pictures at least? I like the end could this be a book you will like. I want you to look at the book. Please do.I love the end, middle, and beginning. The wolf is the funniest character. This is the best book ever. It is about a little girl named red ridding hood. You want to hear the end buy the book. ooh look at that. | 1positive
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I just read the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I wouldn't recomend this to a student who does not enjoy reading. This book is not very catchy and doesn't really keep the reader interested. I think that is a big part of writing a book. The parts of a book that would make it interested dont really stand out. I Would not recomend this book. | 0negative
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I just gave you the formula in the subject title.This is NOT a book on illusionary metaphysics and wishful thinking.This encouraging book speaks of creating your own luck by recognizing opportunities around you and your local area, working to make a person-to-person CONNECTION with a key decision-maker in the field of your dreams. You must then make the first approach, be persistent in your efforts, work hard and earn your own keep. Luck is not necessarily defined as the accumulation of wealth, but being able to recognise opportunities around you. This book is good REMINDER on how to re-organise your thought processes and to start working at tasks diligently.I hope this book will work beyond the American consumer market. Far too many books only have the American consumer in mind. Outside the American market, most of those money-making works don't work because consumer markets overseas do NOT behave in the same manner as the American market.I intend to place myself as a test subject in a social experiment and use the principles outlined in this book. Hopefully, I'll remember to update this review once I've made my first achievement. | 1positive
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Whilst this book has a few cute and practical patterns there are many that aren't really usable at all. Some have no cuffs and would fall off before you can blink, others would be very fiddly to put on a kicking baby.A great book if you're knitting for full sized baby dolls but if not give it a miss. | 0negative
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a kindergartner could write better | 0negative
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Must have if you were in the U.S.M.C. the compleat set is a cover to cover, non put down all night, lost in your own little world. | 1positive
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...as to why seemingly everyone claims that Delillo is a master of prose. I started this book really expecting and hoping to like it. After 100 pages, I did something I had never done before-- abandoned ship! I put it down and haven't looked back, something I thought would be hard but in this case was disconcertingly easy... My problem with this book (I've never read Delillo before) was not only the uninteresting assembly of scenes and characters, but the over-worked almost ridiculous prose. The scene at the Dodger's game with Frank Sinatra etc. in the audience had great potential, and there were a few spectacular moments, but sentence after sentence of sophmoric over-achieving prose just turned me off. I was particularly the dialogue of the black boy (who catches the ball) and his family-- horribly stereotypic and unrealistic, almost offensive. I couldn't stand it.Don't mistake me for someone who gives up easily-- Ulysses is my favorite book and I'm almost finished with the *fantastic* Infinite Jest. Incidentally, David Foster Wallace once mentioned in an interview that he thinks Don Delillo's prose is some of the best around. I'm flabbergasted.... | 0negative
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Its really depressing to see what acclaim books like these seem to get these days. Don't get me wrong, I've read to of them (I am the book reviewer for my school newspaper), but I find the characters to be shallow, and without redeeming qualities. There never is a driving need, or quest, the main character merely deals with events as they come. The villians are fake and utterly unbelieveable, and now that publishers are seeing how successful Harry Potter has become, they are demanding that more books are written in its image and thus depriving the world of well written fantasy books. The 'dumbing' down of a genre, from the 'dumbing' down of a society. And I'm not even going to remark upon the rampant commercialism associated with this book. Harry Potter toothbrushes and shower curtains? Oh please. | 0negative
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I loved this book when I was a kid, and my children now love it. My 5 year old reads it to us almost every night. It's in the prime spot on the bookshelf as its the one the currently want to read most often. The illustrations are absolutely scrumptious. | 1positive
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A boring book about lonely people and the things lonely people do (nothing). The photo on the cover of the book is perfect, and sums up the feeling through the entire book. | 0negative
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I loved the cover for this book, it was one of those covers that just grab you. Anyway, I really liked the sense of unease that Caroline B Cooney set up through the book. Lannie's presence whenever she was around scared me, and I have to admit I was pretty annoyed at the ending. But, I understand the message that Cooney is sending, I just didn't like Lannie. | 1positive
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I bought this book several years ago at the airport and it was very hard to get into. Basically this is a notorious Hostage Rescue Team guy from the FBI who goes out on a raid and then. . . he freezes and his team gets killed by a drug lord. The characters seemed very wooden and lifeless, boring, and unappealing, and the hero, Web London, seemed like an automaton with his superhuman Type A personality. . . well, the main character was as boring as could be. The more I forced myself to read, the more preposterous the plot became as Web deals with the aftereffects of the shooting, the blame placed on him, investigating the totally stereotypical drug lord, and attending counseling sessions with his therapist (spoiler alert-but it was not that hard to figure out).I continued to read because I thought the tempo would pick up at some point and grab me but they never did. I was about 1/3 of the way through the novel when somebody on the plane saw what I was reading and told me he could never really get into that book. I told him, "Yes, it is a pretty tough read."The writing style was plodding, slow, and methodical and the characters were all typical. I think Baldacci may also write too much in past-tense, which I also found in a Vince Flynn novel I hated where Flynn's writing was all past-tense (should have been, could have, has taken, etc.). Write to grab our attention like Nelson DeMille's action thriller "By The Rivers Of Babylon" and another novel like "The Kite Runner" that grabbed the theme of, "There is a way to be good again." And you knew you could not put this down."Last Man Standing" was not an enjoyable reading experience. | 0negative
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Starts as a story of a Slammer unit composed of misfits, burn-outs and slackers, defending a much larger force that despises them as usual. However, the sneak attack by the enemy, is only the start of this unit's troubles. Forced to fight their way to the capital to prevent the government from falling, they must battle both the enemy and their treachous allies, all the time falling prey to their various weaknesses. However, once again, the Slammers prove that sick, weak and with little equipment, they're still the equal of any other force in known space! | 1positive
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In this book, Ms. Coulter has once again shown herself to be a clueless and crass political pundit; it's all over the top accusations and bashing of liberals and blaming them for all our problems...Anyway, it'd be interesting to know if she ever went to college, or rather spent her tuition money on plastic surgery. | 0negative
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A thought provoking allegory that provided discussion for the first selection of our newly formed book clubDefinitely worth reading again for its complex,yet simple, message | 1positive
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Way too much hunting. Some lovely descriptions but writing generally wooden. Unconvincing ending. Last but not least -- painful to read for anyone who loves dogs. | 0negative
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I had a hard time liking this book. It started off promising enough, but it went down-hill fast. The author makes it clear from the start that she has a Ph.D. and is over-qualified for the work she is doing. Moreover, she expects us to be impressed by her abilities to do what millions of people do everyday (ie, go to work and try to live within one's paycheck). The problem is, she barely skims the surface.Her jobs last three to four weeks, at most. Not years, like the people whose lives she is attempting to emulate. Moreover, she leaves all her jobs on a whim. This struck me as extremely irresponsible and insulting. The people who are in her book took their jobs seriously. Her usual method of quitting involved letting her co-workers know about her Ph.D. (don't forget that she has a Ph.D!) and walking out or not showing up for work (leaving her co-workers, presummably, to pick up her slack).The author never delved deep enough into the day-to-day lives of these workers. The book is at its best when the author goes through her day and whines about the work (gasp!) that she has to do. It's a good reminder of how hard low wage earners really work for their meager pay. Anyone who has lived paycheck to paycheck can relate.The problem with this book is the loss of objectivity. The author doesn't merely report her day, she injects criticisms of anyone she meets to happens to be in any managerial position. Her black and white view of worker=good/manager=bad really tries the reader's patience.If anything, this book puts a more human face on the people that perform these occupations. That is its only salvation. | 0negative
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When building a professional reference library, you have to start from the ground up. How to Win Friends and Influence people is the definitive work on forming beneficial business relationships - and treating people with respect in the process. I own the paperback and audio version. Audio is a better format for those of us with time management issues because it allows for listening in the car or plane. No matter your profession, if you work in a professional setting, you should own this book.The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleis another essential and should be in every professional's library along with a good business and social etiquette book likeBusiness Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work,Essential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 1: Dining Etiquette, andEssential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 2: Wine Selection & Etiquette. These cover well the fundamentals of social and professional interaction. | 1positive
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This is a great book to have a available for the beginner real estate agent. This book was essential in assistaing me in passing the Real Estate License Exam the first time. It allowed me access to tons of terms which aren't readily available in other books. Now that i am just getting started in selling real estate it has become a life saver when I run across terms I don't know. Sure, it's not something you would read next to the fireplace, but it's a nice reference to have sitting in the office! | 1positive
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this product came very quickly and was in good condition! i'm very happy with my purchase! | 1positive
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One of my favorite books of all time. Set in the period following the French revolution and war with Britain, the main character is an old salt "Peyrol" who brings home a prize ship and retires from the sea. There are hints that Peyrol's experiences at sea were more than just as a sailor but that he was a "brother of the barbary coast". The story is about Peyrol's search for place and love, something he had not experienced in his many years of roaming the seas. The book goes to the heart and is not your typical sea story but one once read will be remembered. | 1positive
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Most people first impression of The Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy is that it is just another submarine story. But it is just the opposite of that. it is an exiting epic full of adventure and suspense.Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst, discovers that a new stealth soviet missile submarine is missing. Jack needs to figure out where the submarine is and why the entire soviet fleet has been deployed to look for it. But while Jack tries to figure out where the submarine is and why his family life suffers.One night when Jack gets home for work he smells food. he walks into the kitchen and finds a plate of food, burnt out candles and his wife asleep on the couch. Jack remembers that he broke his promise. Cathy plays a significant part in the story but is not near as important to the story as Jack Ryan.Along with Jacks point of view you get the story from the leader of the Soviet intelligence agency the KGB. You get to learn why the Soviets are hunting ther own submarine and why.One night when Jack was in the office late the DDI Admiral Greer, walks in and hands jack a cassette tape. Jack listens to 3 or four times. on his fourth time listening to it he hears a faint swishing sound. He decided it sounded like it was water going through a pump.Could this be the Soviet missile submarine? How does it move so silently? Why is it so close to the American mainland? You are going to have to read the book to find out.The Hunt for Red October will keep anyone that reads it occupied for hours. It is a thriller that you do not want to put down. | 1positive
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This is one of two books I must say sorry to. I hope readers may find my words helpful. I must say this is a poor book, although I feel the authors did put efforts to make it nice.There are a lot of classical and excellent books on this subject. But here's the reason my department chose it as our textbook: Because the other books are relatively hard and deep for the students.But here is the response from the studnets at the end of the semester, no matter it is an A student or C student: They hate this book, since they can not get much information after spending hours and hours on it. And they eventually found those "harder" books in lib, and loved them. The key reason is, those books explained everything clearly. (In almost the same number of pages.)The key problem as I see is, the authors just understood the materials in a certain way, but not thoroughly, and not able to explain it in a clear way. Only a person who has already know all the stuff can figure out what are the authors talking about in some part of the book.Now I believe, in order to write a good textbook for students, at least you should be a master in this area.If some of my words hurts, I am sorry. But I am talking about my feeling and most students' feeling. | 0negative
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I have to admit, the book lost me on page one with the sickening "According to Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, style is " a convention with respect..." blah blah. Is that the best of your collective efforts?So, with that grabber of an opener, the reader is treated to an oddly reverent discussion on APA style. As the other reviewers stated, it isn't a reference in any form. I suppose, if one were really, really committed to the APA style they could wade through this book and learn the in's and out's of the style. Outside of a class specifically on that topic, I can't imagine anyone spending the time to complete the lessons.So, I will purchase a reference book and learn an important lesson on reading the book description carefully. | 0negative
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In the book, five homeless women show us what real courage is. Though they were victimized in some ways through abuse, addictions, neglect or serious illnesses, which caused them to slip into homeless piece by piece, with their remarkable courage, they realized and solved all the problems, and began their new lives. Although some women's stories were kind of similar, i still recommend it becasue their courage. | 1positive
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Robert Louis Stevenson portrays every man's double character and how one chooses who he is in this mysterious and full of suspense story in which we see enfold the urge to know who Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are. We see the whole mishaps through the mind and point of view of Mr. Utterson, who is a lawyer and respected friend of Jekyll. His curiosity leads into getting himself involved on the strange transformation his good friend is suffering of, and after a murder, the itch to know intensifies as Utterson decides to end all the mystery for once and for all. To do this, he counts with the help of Dr. Lanyon, another of Jekyll's good friends and Mr. Poole, Jekyll's butler.Set in London, England, around the 1870's, Stevenson describes the city, buildings and people as if they were real and the reader becomes Mr. Utterson and can actually see all the things he sees as the reader becomes another character in the story, following the prying of men to know everything.Stevenson writes in a captivating matter and is always up to the idea of describing thoroughly the environment in which the plot unfolds right at the most anticipated moments of the story.The characters were real and credible, some may even be compared to people on our own lives, but I found that the whole plot was a slow going at the beginning and came as an intense rush towards the end.On the other hand, there seemed too much suspense on the story for such a short and simple explanation. Since this story is very old and famous, the book cannot be much appreciated since almost everyone knows what is known to happen to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by either word of mouth, by watching movies or by others that also refer to this book and situation which lowers the reader's itch to know the solution to the plot.A double personality everyone has, in which one should be chosen over the other. This seems as looking everything in black and white, when most of the things and people are grey. There is always the constant struggle of choosing whether the good or bad option which we know clearly, but a bad one amidst a million good does not convert you into your evil self. The book also portrays that once you turn evil; you cannot go back, which in a way I agree on since the guilt of the malicious things done would be a too great burden for an innocent person to live with. Still, being positive minded, I'd like to believe it's never too late to change, and that without the need of potions, only through determination, Jekyll could have found an inner strength to suppress his evil side and transform back into himself, which is what many people have proven to be able to do these days.Jekyll is a wealthy man from a respectable family. He finds the need to divide himself into two sides to be able to do the things he wishes to do without damaging or ruining his reputation. To do this, he uses a potion he created that divides his evil and good side and created Mr. Edwards Hyde, whose name could be a symbol to J's living style in which he feels suppressed and hidden. To do all this he does take precautions such as selecting Hyde as his inheritor, letting his household keepers that Hyde is allowed, writing a letter explaining all, being all secretive... but he did not expect his supplies to run over or his "evil side" to overrule him, which later results in Hyde killing himself. I believed the story had a greater potential and could have been more developed. | 0negative
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Disappointed didnt receive the item at all and the transaction said it was successful even got an email confirmation saying my order was successful | 0negative
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I find it humorous to read all of these reviews and decided to add my tid bit of info. I find Baldwins work in Go Tell It on the Mountain totally directed toward the Christian. Unless you have a superior understanding of his literature, this book is frankly boring. | 0negative
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Michener, in his usual style, created a masterpiece of well-researched historical fiction in this novel. The book begins in the 1960's (the present at the time the book was written) on an archeological site. As the scientists dig through time from top to bottom, Michener starts from the beginning, the bottom layer of the site. The location of the dig, a site in the then newly-founded Israel, makes the stories of the city which once stood there hugely important to the history of the world. The interesting thing about this book is that the stories are still important today. Take one quote from the book..."...they had been promised certain heaven if they killed an infidel." Sounds familiar, right? But this quote is in a different context than you might think. It was the Thirteenth Century then, the ones promised heaven were Christian Crusaders, and the infedels were Muslims. The cyclical events of the area around the archeological cite, where the three major religions of the world were birthed, are told in great detail in this book. The inability of people to learn from history also is told. "When men ignite in their hearts a religious fury, they inflict at the same time a blindness upon their eyes," says the Muslim character in the book. One of the Jewish characters says,"...all of us, Catholics, Arabs, Jews, have got to work out some sensible pattern of life for the world..." This forty year old book has several insights to offer the modern reader. First, it shows us the world as it was when man differentiated himself from the animals. Then, it shows us as it was when man decided to serve one God. Finally, it shows us how it is now that we serve one God in many different ways. You must read this book if you have interest in the history of Israel and the Jewish people (which you should if you live in America). After all, as Michener described one of his characters, "...this reasonably intelligent professor was aware that those who worked in Israel lived under the hammers of history, under the constant threat of annigilation, but he seemed not to be aware of the parallel fact that he in New York and his brother in Washington lived under precisely the same threat." Hopefully, this time, we learn the lessons. | 1positive
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Oliver Twist was orphaned at birth by an anonymous woman. Oliver grew up in an orphanage where the children were starved, and mistreated. At the age of nine he was sent to a workhouse with many other hungry children. One day Oliver asked for extra food, so he was sent away to be an apprentice to Mr. Sowerberry. Oliver didn't like Mr. Sowerberry, so he ran away to London. Which was when he got into the wrong crowd called Fagin, who got him to pick a pocket or two. There a nice man took him in where he was happy, until Fagin comes, kidnaps him, and forces him to break into a house, but he gets shot and is left in a ditch. Mrs. Maylie the servant who shot him finds him, and decides to nurse him back to heath with the help of her niece Rose. Fagin hasn't given up yet, Oliver wakes up to see then staring through his window, so he raises the alarm but they get away. A girl named Nancy visit Oliver and explains to Oliver why Fagin is after him. London is now in an uproar and is after the gang. In the end Oliver finally escapes the clutches of the gang and lives in the country with the Maylies. | 1positive
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If you are very naive/idealistic you may like this book and its simplistic message. "Do what you really want to do and the world will conspire to help you achieve it." That's a pathetic message.It doesn't matter how much you want something, what matters is how hard you work for it. The world does not conspire to hand you things because you feel they are your destiny. The only way you achieve your dreams is through hard work. This book's message encourages you to stumble along toward your dream and it will magically happen for you. | 0negative
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This is one of the best written books for all ages! If you are 13 or 83 you will fall in love with the characters and not be able to put this book down. Robin McKinley is one of the best authors out there and this is by far one of her best books. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Buy it, you'll love it! | 1positive
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This is the first Zola novel I have read and I could not put it down. Though in many instances the author gives very lengthy and detailed descriptions that slow the flow of the novel, the plight of the main characters finds a way to captivate the audience and keep them reading. This book, written in the late 19th century, has all the elements that current suspense fiction is famous for. Murder, cover up, suspicion, adultry, jealousy, revenge; the list goes on and on. | 1positive
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Mr. Spenser you are wrong. Look up the Quran on the internet, Google it if you have time and you will see passages and quotes that to be a true muslim is to be respectful and a BELIEVER in all monolithic Abrahimic religions ( Jews and christians). There is a chapter dedicated to the virgin Mary. Idiots use religion sometimes to justify their criminal motivation in order to gain support. Do not take my word LOOK it up.Mr spenser, shame on you for spewing more ignorance and hate, we had ENOUGH. Where is this going to get us?. But like your other less virtuouscolleagues (Pat Roberts,Rush.L) unfortunately your convictions have been sold to the highest bidder. How many more repetitious books on the same subject are you planning to poison naive minds?. Look up whom Robert Spenser works for, and things will make more sense; A sad addition to journalism.Move over Chomsky and your boring factual rants, the stage belongs now to Ann culter, Rush limbaugh, rupert murdoch and robert spenser. | 0negative
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There certainly are passages in the CPR that are difficult to reconcile with Langton's overall reading (I am thinking of passages like the subjectivist ones of the Paralogisms). However, she defends her reading with superb philosophical firepower. This book is required reading for any Kant student, especially those who identify with the 'analytic' strand of academic philosophy | 1positive
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In a perfect world, on the day you started working with J2EE you would be handed a book that contained everything you needed to know about the subject. This is very close to being that book. This book is for experienced Java developers who are working with Java enterprise technologies. That does not mean servlets and JSPs, although those topics are covered. This book covers much more than just the basics of J2EE. Naming services, directory services, messaging services, transaction services, DCOM, RMI, CORBA, XML are all covered in some depth. You might think that a book covering so much would need to cover each topic only briefly. In this case, you would be wrong. CORBA has more that 150 pages, JDBC has 120 pages, RMI has 100 pages, XML has 60 pages and so on. Other topics which are often skimmed over in other books (security, cryptography, network communications) are given good coverage here. A case study is covered throughout the book showing how each technology could be used in a single application. The end result is a book that is huge with over 1400 pages. However, the book does have some weaknesses. It is light on the most popular topics of servlets and JSPs. It is also light on helping the developer to determine when to use one technology instead of another. If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to J2EE beyond servlets and JSPs, then this book may be the resource you need. | 1positive
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I didn't get to finish the book... I didn't want to finish it because it's kind of boring... Well, it really is... I wouldn't read it if we were not required to do so... | 0negative
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This book was boring. It's as if Maeve introduced the characters, but then decided against writing the story. It's very much like Minding Frankie in that there really isn't any story, just a few outlines of characters who have something in common, in this case, riding home from Dublin every Friday night.I miss the days where Maeve's books had actual stories, and while I loved the fact her characters were intertwined, and often appeared in more than one book, there was an actual plot. | 0negative
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I have to confess that I seem to be about the only person on the face of the planet who's not a big Mark Twain fan. But after the Enron debacle, and in light of the affluenza sweeping our consumerist society, I recently went back to reread *The Gilded Age*. The more things change, the more they stay the same! Twain's dissection of unscrupulous tycoons wanting to get richer, corrupt senators jumping in bed with the tycoons by cutting them sweet political deals, and get-rich crazy middle class types who kiss up for their cut of the pie could've all been taken from last night's news. A brilliant and occasionally hilarious portrait of what happens to individuals in a souless age mesmerized by the almighty buck. A good warning to us today. I wish it could be required reading for everybody coming of age in these fast-paced times. (It's probably too late to do much good for Enron-type execs.)One of the bonuses of this Library of America edition is that it includes *The American Claimnant,* a sequel to *Gilded Age*. I'd never heard of it before, and in all honesty didn't enjoy it as much as *Gilded*. But it's a good read for anybody with an afternoon of leisure time. | 1positive
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As far as the poem, it is exactly that. However there are many typos, including double capital letters at the beginning of nearly every sentence. The spacing between paragraphs is large and leaves one and a half paragraphs on every page. Looks like someone took a classic and tried to quickly format it for a kindle trying to make a quick buck for the holidays. Save your time and money, there are good copies to be had. | 0negative
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This book, written by Harper Lee, is some-what interesting. I don't like it that much, becuase there is to much drama. The main reason I read it is because my teacher made our class read it for a grade and I really do not need a F on my report card. It's full of rasism, and takes place a Long time ago in a small town in Alabama. I would recommend it to people who are addicted to drama. | 0negative
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What a really stupid book. For me anyway, it is very unrealistic. I mean like, how did the Little Prince travel from planet to planet with a flock of birds? Hey give me a break. When he entered earth, how come he didn't burn in the atmosphere? This book is just some sort of fairy tale. I know this book has some values to teach but the values are not taught in hte right way. How come it cannot just be said in a straightforward manner? This is supposed to be a kid's book. There are so many underlying meaning hidden within the lines which most of the readers don't even understand. Or, when they do, hey we know those things that this book is trying to teach already. Get to the point! | 0negative
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This book was beautifully written and I would and will highly recommend it to many people. This is now one of my favorite books. | 1positive
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Dickey doesn't loose his fire with this one. Just as good as all of his previous novels...which are all excellent. Make sure you check out all of his books. You will not be disappointed. | 1positive
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I recently purchased this book and have tried a number of recipes in it. I realize lots of people have different palates. After the first few, I figured perhaps it was just me, but after a number of them, now I'm disappointed.I expected tastier food than is prepared if I follow the recipes the way they're written.MAC | 0negative
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This book was in excellent condition. I also like have the opportunity to use prime. | 1positive
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The Complete Tales of Alexandr Sergeyevitch PushkinFor me who reads Pushkin in English and my Russian friends reading the originals alike, the uniqueness of Pushkin is in a rare combination of deepest philosophy (amazing in such a very young person) with brilliant, sparkling lightness and tempo. The book you so arrogantly pushed aside is just a playful little thing, but so delicate, tasteful, and humble (I suspect also a game for Pushkin, the humbleness, which he in fact did no possess).Without knowing Evgenij Onegin, Little Tragedies, and early poems, one has no right to talk about Pushkin down his long nose. I pity you Bruce David Wilner! | 1positive
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While this book deserves some place in history for being an early work of American fiction and it's rich descriptions of early American geography, it is intensely hard to enjoy. The basic plotline is interesting, but the execution and character development is just plain awful. At many points in the book, Cooper just glosses over action leaving a confused reader wondering just what the hell happened and how. The real killer though is the character development. The unidimensional and shallow characters are stereotypes at best, and the women in the novel are written so thin they practically disappear. One might think that Cooper had never actually met a woman before given his portrayal. The book does have points to recommend it from a historical or geographical basis, but if anyone is actually looking for a good book to read, look elsewhere. | 0negative
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I don't mean the book is boring, I mean the character Jane. So she's a governess, whoopie! Nah, the job outlook of this great classic is one that we can leave out of prints, but her relationships with that brash flirtatious old man is one I have always enjoyed. If you like classic romances, that aren't full of all that Sandra Brown lust junk, read Jane Eyre, it's a very classy and elegant read. Looks impressive to read in public too! | 1positive
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Charlotte's Web is a wonderful book for all readers, young and old. This touching tale teaches about the importance and values of friendship, as well as the pain of losing a loved one. The reality behind the events that occur allow the audience to relate to the plot. The sense of loneliness and being without friends and even the event of losing someone that is close to you are all very real events that can occur in any person's life. I recommend this story as a read aloud story or as one to read on your own. I plan to read more stories by this author since I love this one so much! | 1positive
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You might as well ask your mother in law for advice, because the ladies who wrote this book are sure that they know it all too- and that you just might be too stupid to understand it. I think the last straw was when I looked up nosebleeds occuring during pregnancy and they said something like this "blowing ones nose correctly is an art, one that you would do well to master..." Hey! I thought I was the mommy here!If you must buy it, buy it used, enough people want to get rid of this book and you will get a good deal. | 0negative
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This is the only fantasy book I own in which the story does not follow the main characters. As I was reading it, I kept on thinking "ok, next chapter they'll get to Richard and Kahlan." They don't until almost the very end of the book. This is Goodkind's worst book of the series, in my opinion. | 0negative
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I ordered the Penguin Classics version of this book, and the seller shipped me the Signet Classics version. | 0negative
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Lust for Life has been and remains my favorite book.A fictional biography of Van Gogh, the great artist who 'cut his ear off', is not only well written, but a great motivator.Stone's sensitive and entertaining of Van Gogh's life helps provide some anchors in a search for meaning. What is truly impressive is that Van Gogh, despite his near 'silver spoon' origins and strong family connections with the art World, persisted in doing his own thing. He used to starve, while using his allowance for canvas and paints. And that too without knowing that he will be one of the Masters. This belief in self was truly insane.I am not courageous enough to follow such a path, nor have a comparable passion (or talent) to focus on. But this book helps in defining what life can be aimed at, and hence provides a meaning to life. | 1positive
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after searching the net to see if it can be installed on xp I found a patch. it's not the patch on the legomindstorm site that says it stops from RIS from popping up whenever u start the computer. It is a different patch that accutally does something useful!(...) | 1positive
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This book and others by the author and his memories were what our Western Movies were based on. It is a true history of our country, told by the one who lived it. Should be required reading for all students. It tells how people lived in the 1800's. I really enjoyed it, as did my teenage grandchildren. | 1positive
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It is extremely important to realize that essentially all evidence of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) comes from memories created during Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT). RMT has been shown to generate mostly false images: images that feel like real memories, but which are of events that never happened. It is also important to realize that Multiple Personality Disorder has now been rejected by almost all therapists. This book feeds into the victim culture of the 1980s and 1990s. It is thus dangerous to victims of recovered memory therapy and will probably delay their recovery. There are many books available that contain a realistic assessment of ritual abuse: K. Letcham & E. Loftus, "The Myth of Repressed Memory."R. Ofshe & E. Watters, "Making Monsters."M. Pendergrast, "Victims of Memory." | 0negative
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The Classic. I read it at least once a year. Dale's rules, along with the 10 commandments, are all you need for success in life. | 1positive
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Over 20 years ago I served on the working board of a project on Mexican Americans sponsored by a big metropolitan library. Among the things I did was suggest titles for their Chicano collection. One day our link librarian spoke of a "new exciting book"(Hunger of Memory). I purchased it. I am a Cuban who immersed herself in Mexican American culture and literature, both as an educator and a journalist. I hated the book. How dare this character look down on his roots, his language at a time when great people from his ethnic background were instilling pride in their communities. Hinojosa, Anaya, Oscar Zeta Acosta, Tomas Rivera, to name a few.To put it in perspective, this book came out after ROOTS, a book that made ethnicity popular and acceptable. Rodriguez, a product of affirmative action decries the policy that opened new doors for him. He hates what he sees in the mirror. He comments that when he walks into a London hotel people should assume that his dark skin is not a racial trait, but the result of skiing in the Alps. As an old woman, retired from Academia after 35 years of teaching, having raised children and grandchildren, having spent a number or years at a historically Black university, I hope that my legacy to the youth of this, my adopted country, is to have pride in their roots, respect and feel proud of the deprivations and adversities their forefathers endured and overcame, and rejoice in the diversity of our people. After wo years I still see Richard Rodriguez as a pathetic figure. | 0negative
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