Amazing book!
	What lessons, if any, do past social movements teach American citizens?  Is change feasible in today's society?  Howard Zinn attempts to answer these two questions, along with a number of others, in his book entitled 'You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times.'  A beautifully written and inspirational book, 'You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train' is quintessential Zinn-direct, yet optimistic.  Zinn's central argument is that we are all capable of participating in change, however, for change to occur, we must all experience a social and political reawakening.  Zinn's book offers the reader a more hopeful version of politics and society.  Yet, such a version is only feasible if we, as Americans, actively participate in the political process.  This involvement will fill ones soul with a sense of meaning, and in the end will create a better world for all to live in.  For those interested in the history of American society, politics, and social justice issues, 'You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train' is a marvelous book filled with inspiration


EVERY parent should read this!
	This book should be a mandatory read for every parent   parent to be.  What an eye opener!!!  This book gives you things to look for in predators...how they operate.  There are comments from real predators as well as victims.  The book can be difficult to read at times.  People are truly sick!  But it gives parents power in what to look for   how talk to your child(ren).  MUST READ!


Amazing!
	I've been a Sendak junkie since I was a kid. His books have always been among my very favorites, and I'm happy to say they're among my kids' favorites as well. I also love pop-ups, so I was really excited to learn about this book. And I must say, my expectations have been surpassed.

The story line is very simple: a young child looks for his Mommy, encountering various monsters along the way and defeating them in creative ways. There are only a few written words in the book. But the story that the pictures tell is wonderful. What child wouldn't be delighted by a book in which a kid defeats the wolfman by pantsing him? Nosferatu gets a binky! And there's a ton of detail in the pictures as well. My girls like to spend several minutes looking at each page spread.

Then there are the pop-ups. This book is really a paper engineering marvel. The pop-up bits are enormously detailed and full of movement. My favorite part is when the boy unwraps the mummy. It's an understatement to say the pop-ups are spectacular.

The only reservation at all I have about this book is that my kids will probably love it to death. Like another reviewer, I think I'm going to buy them their own copy and keep one for myself!

If you have the least interest in Sendak or pop-ups, or think you might, buy this book


Stephen King keeping alive the art of the short story
	First, a few words about each of the four different stories.

"The Man in the Black Suit" - 3 stars

This is a story about a 9-year-old boy who meets the Devil himself. It's a very scary experience for the boy, especially because his older brother died the year before and now the Devil tells him that his mother has just died in the same way.

This is the weakest of the four stories because the Devil, although being scary, doesn't really come across as a serious threat. What kind of second-rate Devil is it that can't even catch a boy who decides to run away from him?

In "Everything's Eventual" Stephen King writes that this story won a prestigious "best short story" award in 1996, much to his surprise. That surprises me too, because in my opinion this story is not that great.

"All That You Love Will Be Carried Away" - 5 stars

This is the shortest story (only 35 minutes) and one of the two best ones in this collection. Alfie Zimmer is a traveling salesman in the American Midwest. He has an amazing hobby and he's tired of life. But if he commits suicide, what will everyone think of his hobby?

What makes this story so good are the very detailed and evocative descriptions of the conditions under which a traveling salesman lives. Alfie's strange hobby is also captivating, as are the descriptions of the landscape and isolated towns in the bleak and barren Midwest.

In "Everything's Eventual" Stephen King admits that Alfie's strange hobby was actually something he did himself!

"The Death of Jack Hamilton" - 4 stars

This is a very unusual story for Stephen King. It tells a "mythical" story about the 1934 death of Jack Hamilton, member of the John Dillinger gang. Homer Van Meter, another gang member, purportedly tells the story.

John Dillinger, Jack Hamilton and Homer Van Meter were all real people. You can find a lot of interesting background information about them by doing an Internet search for John Dillinger.

Despite the fact that these were all ruthless gangsters we find ourselves sympathizing with them. Stephen King's approach to the story is that gangsters are also human beings. The slow death of Jack Hamilton and the efforts of John Dillinger to get him medical help and Dillinger's distress as Jack Hamilton's condition worsens are powerful images.

"That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French" - 5 stars

This is the best story in the collection. Carol was brought up as a strict Catholic, but then, during the first years of her marriage to Bill, she had an abortion. Now she and Bill are supposed to be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and Carol is being subjected to a horrendous punishment for what she did.

What makes the story fascinating is that it is not God who is punishing Carol. No, it is Carol, under the influence of her Catholic upbringing, who has prescribed her own punishment. And this punishment Carol is inflicting on herself is much worse than a benevolent God would come up with, even assuming that God considers what Carol did to be wrong.

In summary, two very good stories, one good one, and one that's just OK.

The four stories are read by four different professional readers. The total running time is approx. 3 hours 40 minutes, not 4 hours as specified on the packaging.

All four of these stories are included in the book "Everything's Eventual", along with 10 other short stories by Stephen King. If you want to save money or if you dislike audio books then "Everything's Eventual" is a better deal.

Rennie Peterse


Great stuff for the science-minded cook
	Fascinating exploration into the physics of cooking, written in an engaging and detailed style. Probably better for the scientist who cooks than for the cook who's into science, since the language is sometimes a little dense for the layperson. Worth working through, though, if only for the gorgeous and elegant formula for figuring out how long to boil your eggs to get them EXACTLY right.

One caveat: the author is British, and recipes, measurements, and terms are geared for the British/European cook. This means you'll find a complete explanation of sausage rolls and nothing about popcorn. Just FYI


A vital resource for leaders in any multinational business
	Written by a senior business advisor in the fields of security, commerce, and governance with a senior strategist and communications consultant, Mapping Security: The Corporate Sourcebook For Today's Global Economy outlines how companies of today and tomorrow can effectively protect themselves against threats, remain fully accountable, and stay within the rules outlined by a hedgemony of global regulations. Detailed nation-by-nation drill downs on security in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region are particularly helpful in framing what to expect and how to prepare for it. Written in plain terms, Mapping Security is a vital resource for leaders in any multinational business, especially in today's complex world inhabited customers of diverse cultural backgrounds, not to mention increasingly savvy thieves and worse.


AND THIS IS PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL!
	Every page is an eye opener.  The author has done an excellent job revealing the side of Hillary that has so long been hidden.

I think America could do better by picking a different first woman president. Someone with some morals and a love of our country. She has neither. It is an important "first" that should withstand the test of time. Historians are going to have a field day writing all the trash these two are involved in.

Her mothering skills reveal a great deal about her character. Her child was always placed last. The only time Hillary showed any family unity was when it was necessary for the media to put her in a positive light.

How did these two gain so much wealth in such a short amount of time?  They did not even own property when "they" became president.  There are still a lot of questions to be answered, and many more books to be written about this family.

8 years of these two is quite enough.


If you own a business, you need to listen to this CD - Several times,
	Period


Good Biography
	A very good and indept look at Andrew Jackson. The author was very thorough including a very good look at early 19th century American. Andrew Jackson's a contraverisal President. On the good side he defeated the British at the amazing Battle of New Orleans, help in expanding into the West, a great soldier, clearly loved his wife Rachel enough to duel to defend her, and was probably the only president who could threaten a state with military force if it tried to leave the Union and tough enough to make it happen. On the flip side his percusion of Indians, the Trail of Tears, his many duels makes him a very complex and sometimes hard to understand person. But still a great biography


The Elements of Style: A Classic with Timeless Advice
	Although the original Elements of Style was written in 1919 (or earlier), it still holds true that anyone who wants to learn how to write in a clear and concise manner will benefit from this book. After reading this book you'll know to avoid breaking elementary rules and principles that are made in writing: excessive  use of adjectives and adverbs, writing in the passive voice, using different tenses in writing, using the improper case of pronouns (example: using "who" when "whom" should be used and vice versa).

One of the most important things that the writer stands to gain from this book is an improvement in his writing style. After reading this book, you will know how to write in a way that comes naturally, write with nouns and pronouns (not superfluous adverbs and adjectives), write and then rewrite, but do not overwrite and overstate, use orthodox spelling, do not explain too much, avoid fancy words, be clear, do not inject opinions, use figures of speech sparingly, and countless other helpful techniques.

To say that this book should be required reading for all writers is an understatement. This book should be required reading for anyone that writes


Legacy not quite up to standards of EON and ETERNITY
	I have read almost all of Greg Bear's books and loved EON and ETERNITY as well as THE FORGE OF GOD  and ANVIL OF STARS. I found LEGACY a little disappointing compared to EON and ETERNITY, which preceded them. The  narrative spends a lot of time on the human interactions of the characters,  and not much time on the technological concepts of the  flaw and gate  openers, which I missed. I did finish this book and at times was quite  spellbound by it. Not Mr. Bear's best work, but a must-read if you have  read EON and ETERNITY


YOU'LL NEVER REGRET READING NO REGRETS..BY Ren Sundvall.in MN
	Someday, I would love to travel to the places that Ann Rule writes about! As she is so discriptive, I usually feel like I have known these places, and the people she writes about, although...I have never been. These cases she presents in NO REGRETS, are as REAL to me, as if I'd known them, and felt the sorrow of their loss! My personal favorite was A Very Bad Christmas..I usually like her Christmas ones, like Black Christmas in Vol.2! I have always planned to review all her books (of which I own), they are all wonderful, and Amazon has them. Just buy them, you'll be glad you did


Insightful and timely
	I've been staring at a copy of Thomas Friedman's 'From Beirut to Jerusalem' on my shelf for nearly a year now, meaning to read it but always drawn to something else.  Finally, recent events demanded that I learn more and I finally pulled it down, dusted it off, and read it.  I'm so glad I did, especially now.

The book is not the easiest read, since it delves into a lot of regional history and politics, which gets complex no matter what you do.  Friedman's writing style, however, goes a long way towards making the text quite accessible for just about anyone, and his unique perspective on the events that he witnessed and covered in his role as a journalist keeps it interesting and always relevant.

What I really appreciated about the way Friedman presents his story is that it really is HIS story.  He is obviously a man gifted with a keen sense of observation, and so he picks up on many details others might miss, such as the faces of Israeli soldiers or the opinions of Lebanese taxi drivers.  But still, the story is told mainly through events he observed directly -- he just happened to be there for many of the events that shaped the Middle East as it is today.  He tells it in both large and small terms, from some of the politicians he met and interviewed to discussions he had with neighbors and colleagues while living in the region.  The result is that you get the broad spectrum of what was going on in the region, particularly in the 1980's, a critical decade of events.

I also appreciated Friedman's fairness throughout the book. From his perspective on the Lebanese government to the Palestinian intifada to the Israeli occupation to the American involvement in the region, he deals with all of the players fairly, whether big or small, famous or unknown.  That's not to say he doesn't have criticisms -- certainly, he has plenty to say about everyone...but one is never left with the feeling that he has been too harsh on one side and lenient on the other.  Friedman's willingness to observe with an unbiased eye and ear is key to the strength of this book.

Even with the newer added chapters, dealing with the late 1980's and early 1990's, this book cannot be considered a "complete" history of the Middle East, or even of the events of the last 50 years.  However, it is not meant to be that, I think.  What Friedman has documented here is an excellent primer for anyone interested in learning more about how we got to where we are today in Lebanon and Israel and Palestine.  The book is not an end in itself, but for someone who wants to learn more about the region that is in the news almost every day, this is an excellent place to start.

The only way to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past is to learn from them. As such, 'From Beirut to Jerusalem' should be required reading today


Great collection of stories
	In "The Year of the Jackpot", a statistician graphs the points of convergence
of cyclycal events.  Overlapping his graphs, he notices that the
wavy lines are approaching extremes.  Interesting times.
The story "By His Bootstraps" is not logically sound: How did Bob Wilson
get to the other side of the Gate so that he could operate the Gate before
sending for the first version of himself?
"The Menace From Earth" tackles Earth Moon female jealousy.
"Sky Lift" details the heroism of a rocket pilot carying an antidote to the
Pluto colony.  "Goldfish Bowl" asks: What if humans were kept as pets by
disinterested intelligent beings?  "Project Nightmare" is about
Psionic humans who are able to locate nuclear devices and prevent atomic
fusion -- using psi ability.  "Water is for Washing" is about a mega
earthquake that creates a new sea between the Pacific Plate and the
North American Plate.  The Gulf of California extends to Los Angeles


48 LAWS OF POWER:  My Son's Evaluation
	My son (34) is currently incarcerated.  He asked for this book so I had it sent to him.  He holds on to it for dear life and swears, had he read this years ago, it would have changed his life for the better and he wouldn't be where he's at.  He raved so much, he insisted I order one for myself.  I did.  In summary, what I derived from the reading was one must be callous in this life and put yourself first.  Otherwise, you'll be no more than a stepping stone for others.  It's a good book but I oftentimes got lost in all its references to those that preceded us by 500-600 years.  Fellow inmates that have the book feel the same as my son.  It's a Bible to them and they refuse to part with it for others to read for fear it will never be returned to them


DNA Genealogy
	Serious genealogists hobbyists and professionals will be excited by this new resource, which thoroughly explains the new science of DNA testing and how it can be applied to family history research. Although this book is not for everyone, if you have successfully passed high school biology, you should be able to manage the information and its technology in this excellent reference. Wouldn't it be interesting for a man and his wife to go back in time to discover about when they might have had an ancestor in common? DNA testing and analysis had give you that and much more. It can even give you an idea what part of the world your pre-historical ancestors lived and migrated to. The authors practice what they preach and tell how we can do it too, with many DNA labs and companies listed and compared. We rated this book four hearts


Biting wit abounds.
	Dorothy Parker was a great writer and a great social observant who now gives us a clear window into the past. Her wit is biting and at it's best in this collection, favourite reads are for the individual to decide, however, for me, as well as cheering me up with her razor sharp observation and almost cruel wit. Parker also saddens me for her wit must have been based on the cynacism of one who viewed her life as overindulged and wasted by circumstance, as a wealthy woman and as a woman in her time. Reading her is alawys like laughing with a red hot tear in your eye, for her work is as much an insight into her soul as it is to her lifetime and lifestyle


loved loved loved!
	I rented this book from the library about a year or so ago. I LOVED it! I'm back here now b/c I'm putting it on my wishlist for Christmas! I want to read it again and again. I'd never read Erica Jong or anything about Sappho. I saw Erica on The Daily Show and they talked about this book and I ran to the library. You should buy this book! Greatness


Too short!  It demands a sequel!
	This book is like a long short story that centers around Danny and a period that he is at Yale.  He and his friends are preparing for a big party.  The book goes on to follow Danny as he tries to start a relationship with Polly (who is sometimes on sometimes off in her relationship with one of her professors) while remembering about a local girl back home named Cindy who he kind of left in the lurch after they finally went all the way.

Just before Danny is ready to go home for spring break and work on his father's mobile lunchmobile, Cindy arrives at the school with a big surprise.  This changes Danny's view on things and makes him numb to the point that he even doesn't care when some toughs try to hone in on his father's lunch route and threaten him.

Danny goes back to school after the break and after resolving his issues with Cindy to attend the big bash that his friend Matt was planning at the beginning of the book.

This book like one of his later works, Little Children, shows Perrota's talent for creating intriguing characters in such short novels.  This book like the other seems to end too prematurely and definately screams out for a sequel!

Perrota is a super talented writer and I would love to seem him develop a much larger complete novel than leave the audience hanging at the end of another short one


1776
	I read 1776 shortly sfter having read McCullough's John Adams so some of the same ground was covered but from a different perspective, I found 1776 to be an interesting and smoothly flowing read. Anyone who has enjoyed and appreciated David McCullough's other works will enjoy 1776


Funny but odd.. Buy with caution.
	Very good book but only buy it if you are looking for a book with a very strange sense of humor. In the first story he explains his job as an Elf at Santaland and describes his daily life. It is so funny, some of the things people do there are amazing and crazy at the same time.

Don't buy this book if you are looking for a nice book to read to your young kids or just sit in front of the fire reading a romantic book while it is snowing outside.

But if you are looking for something funny and odd at the same time, then by all means buy this book


A perfect "Whodunnit"...
	The twist here is that the reader knows while the characters do not.

In a matter of minutes, nine people's fates are determined by three men sitting in a jail cell. Simply playing a "game" to pass the time, each man names three people he'd like to see killed. When the first man is released, three people become a target as he follows through with the game.

The first in a trilogy, Dead Wrong gets it dead right. Mara Douglas is on one of the men's list, and it's up to Aidan Shields to protect her. While the book is decidedly light on the traditional sex part of a romantic suspense, it is implied.

I liked both characters, and Aidan avoids being the atypical surly alpha male with surprising charm and affection.

I can't wait for Dead Certain, which follows the second man as he is released from jail and takes up the gauntlet thrown down by the first man. I got this one from the library, but I certainly will buy the next two


WONDERFUL!!!!!
	Would you like to bake Portugese Egg Tarts, Middle Eastern Pizzas with Lamb and Pine Nuts, Almond Milk Bread?  Or how about Tender Potato Bread, Velvety Bean Bread, Dom's Italian Boules and Focaccia?

There's also, Sweet Potato Rolls, Cranberry-Chocolate Sweet Buns, Chelsea Buns, Truck-Stop Cinnamon Rolls, Sticky Buns, Cathead Skillet Biscuits, Bangkok Waffles with Dipping Sauce, Snowshoe Bread, Ciabatta, Irish Potato Bread, New Year's Pear Cake, Naomi's Any-Day Skillet Cake, Brazilian Bolo, Martha's Mother's Cookies, and so on.

Or, if you are ready for a trip to Tibet, Wales, Syria, Brazil, France, and/or Italy--it's here, too.  Please enjoy this wonderful book--in the kitchen for those you care for, and on the couch with a cup of coffee--and one of these finished recipes, of course


Insightful!
	This book provides an excellent guide to finding and hiring the right people for your organization.  If the procedures outlined here are learned and followed, one can be certain of consistently better hiring decisions in the future


Patterson is Tops!
	Once again John Patterson has created a master thriller in the Alex Cross series.
Character development is well done as is the plot line. One can't help but be drawn into the story and feeling the tension.
This is another winner


Reading this book at sea...
	I read "Six Frigates" sailing south down the coast of Australia from Hamilton Island in the Whitsunday group.

Keen to dodge a storm, we did a 48 hour dash down to the safety of Yepoon running a 3 hours on/3 hours off watch cycle. Problem was I didnt get any sleep. I was too deep inside Six Frigates. Back on deck, I'd update my watch on what I'd just read. They loved it. Sailing by instalments.

Ian Toll's a wonderful writer. The man is a time machine. He drops you right into the middle of the smoke-filled, blood splattered action. Patrick O'Brian fans: this is the book for you.

Toll's also a deft hand at dropping insights that get you thinking. Like the half-parargraph mention of Madison writing to Thomas Jefferson agreeing that a war with the arab states of north africa could easily be won, and in the process stop the attacks on US merchant ships but advises Jefferson that the issue will be the cost of then keeping the peace... Perhaps George W should have a read a little more history at college.

You'll taste the sweat and blood and salt on every page. Best read I've had in ages. And my shipmates agree!

cheers
Andrew Maloney
Aboard Sonne


Introduces some interesting concepts and explanations
	The author, James Surowiecki, lays out and explores a variety of general and specific cases of groups of people acting either wisely or stupidly.  The examples are all easy to relate to, and I found them to raise meaningful questions in my mind which were answered in due course in the text.

When I think of crowds, I think of unthinking masses moving together, led by tradition, habit, or an individual.  How can that be wise?  A more accurate title would be "How some groups of people can make better decisions than experts, while others act like collective idiots, and what characteristics distinguish the two types of groups", although that's hardly likely to sell as many copies. :-)

For me this really shed some light on my past experiences of participating in successful and unsuccessful teams at work.  I'd sometimes wondered why I've been on a few teams that appeared to "click" (smart people who want to work together to achieve a common goal), but our results weren't great, whereas other teams have been successful.  What was it that made a good team?  I had some of the pieces, felt I still had some real gaps in my knowledge.  This book certainly helped.

To paraphrase the basic idea that I took away from the book, teams of people can achieve superior results if:
1 Each individual on the team is well informed;
2 The work of one individual does not influence the work of another;
3 There is an objective method to aggregate individual conclusions into a group conclusion.
As simple as they sound, there are many ways to fail, and the book does a great job of exploring a variety of phenomena that cause failure.


A different fun book
	This book is fun comical book for children who want to read something mysterious. This cute book gives the reader the enthusiasm in turning the pages to see what happens of the young boy going into a creepy house focusing on the search of his mother.

Cynthia Marie Rizzo, author of "Julie and the Unicorn" and "Angela and the Princess


Leaders Are Not Born But Made--It Begins Here!!
	It's an easy read and can be applied immediately to you situation. The book brings the basics of leadership traits and principles to the reader similar to the military leadership books I've read in the USMC. So many times have I held jobs where a manager, although excellent in managing projects, through some lack of sensitity or judgement created an uproar that cause moral to fall and people to become resentful and leave. There are many stories in the press of managers and CEOs restricting "bathroom breaks", playing favorites, freezing wages and laying off employees while taking huge "bonuses" like American Airlines and ENRON. What's present here is basic but essential information for anyone in a leadership roll whether at work, church functions, or managing a family trip. This should be required reading for everyone BEFORE you find yourself in a situation as leader. The boss could be out for a whole month  tommorrow. Can you keep the team working smoothly while the boss is out or is it party time


A Must Read
	Again, Jodi Picoult is excellent. You are truly able to engolf yourself in the characters and thier emotions


MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE LOVE STORY ... I LAUGHED AND CRIED!  BITTERSWEET!
	I've read this book four times through the years since I first bought it.  The love between the two main characters, though a forbidden love, is so beautiful and magical it made me cry for Meggy and Father Ralph.

Not only is this an unforgettable love story, it's also a great education about sheep farming in Australia.  Magnificent description of a then harsh land.  The dialogue is believable, the characters so very real ...  I didn't simply read this book, I experienced it.  When the characters laughed, I laughed, and when they cried, my heart broke for them.

Poor little Meggy ... poor father Ralph.  How bittersweet and memorable.

I really can't get over the quality of this book and the sensitivity of the author.

Review by Betty Dravis, author of a new epic love story, 1106 GRAND BOULEVAR


Changed my way of seeing people!
	This book has changed my life. It is amazing how much I learned about myself. Now I understand my wife and other people, and I don't judge them anymore. My relations to others is now easear and less stressfull. Thanks


Of Paradise and Power : America and Europe in the New World Order
	Good, high-level analysis of current US vs European international relations written from a conservative perspective.   As with any book covering fluid world events this book can only provide a snapshot, circa 2000-04, of those events.  But there are two significant underlying assumption in this book:

First, as the single greatest world power, the US will project its power for decades in any region of the world it feels has long-term impact to its strategic goals, such as Europe throughout the entire Cold War, Southeast Asia in the 60's   70's and in the Middle East today.

Second, US historically has viewed itself as the proponent of the spread of liberal democracy through out the world.

Rather than focusing on the snipping back and forth between the US   Europe, the two major assumptions of this book could serve as a litmus test to observe how current US foreign policy in the Middle East plays itself out over the next few decades.  Is it merely a current political view or a historic shift in strategic focus to a different region of the world? Stay tuned.

It is a well-written, quick read with meaningful subcontextual insights.


Packs an emotional wallop
	In some ways KM Soehnlein's THE WORLD OF NORMAL BOYS reminded me of the teenage novels of Paul Zindel.  There is that same depth of feeling along with characters that can break your heart and make you laugh at the same time.  Zindel wrote specifically for adolescents.  Soehnlein does not have those restrictions and has written a brutally honest book about homosexual experimentation among post-pubescent boys and its social implications.  Although the book is written for adults, it speaks on a deep personal level to the adolescent in all of us.

THE WORLD OF NORMAL BOYS is the story of a family that falls apart when a tragic accident befalls the youngest child.  The story is seen through the eyes of the victim's 13-year-old brother as he tries to find something to hold on to while his mother drifts into alcoholism, his father goes nuts, his sister becomes a religious fanatic (and a kleptomaniac) and he finds himself smitten with two boys.  One is Todd, the athletic and arrogant brother of his girl-pal confidante who lives next door.  The other is Scott, a boy who deals drugs, cuts school and has an alcoholic father who beats him.  All the characters are vividly rendered.  If this were ever turned into a film, the actress who plays the mother would probably win an Oscar just for her final scene in the car.

This is powerful and emotional writing.  I found it very moving.  It's tempting to want to recommend this book to a wide audience, but I am reticent because there are several scenes of furtive and unacknowledged sex between teenage boys that could upset some people.

But I will never forget this book.  Five stars


A Classic
	This is a book about beauty, passion, a longing for the thing that a true artist or lover of the arts, especially music, craves and feels, the fire that burns within. A book that dares to take one, if one dares to take that step, on a journey deep into the bare souls of it's characters. The story that unfolds is not a story that has a specific plot, or develops into dramatic changes for the characters. That is not what the author wanted to convey, and one should approach this book as one would a tale of a little piece of humanity, and not expect the characters to travel actively without. The book gives us these people, the town, the surroundings. It brings us deep into the realities, the thoughts, the complexities of the human soul. The people are good, bad, ugly, beautiful, selfish, depressed, found, or lost. But from the moment the reader of this book feels the passion for music in Mick Kelly's soul, and her yearning to soar above the squalor and desperation of the small town, then the author reveals her own soul with her words, for those that pick up on what her words show. I am still amazed at the power this book has. Any other readers here who have written that they failed to understand why one should bother reading this book, should perhaps make due with fast moving action books or glossy novels about the rich and famous.
For me, this book will always be the book that made me capable of understanding how a writer weaves words together with her soul


--Powerful and Unforgettable--
	GODS AND GENERALS is an extremely well done and fascinating book.  The author, Jeff Shaara, did an excellent job of interpreting the characters. His task was a difficult one because his father's book, THE KILLER ANGELS is a classic in the chronicles of Civil War stories.  This book precedes the one written by his father.

GODS AND GENERALS takes the reader to the beginning of the Civil War and through many of the battles. The major players in the story are Winfield Scott, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Winfield Hancock and Lawrence Chamberlain.  The career biographies of these famous men were striking.  After reading of their early lives and service experiences, it gave me a better understanding of just how horrible a civil war was to all of these men who had formerly served together in the Union Army. They were an outstanding group of soldiers and the sadness that they all faced was to go to war against fellow soldiers and friends.

I listened to the unabridged books on tape version read by Dick Estell.  He brought the characters to life by his narration. This book is well worth the time and truly is an unforgettable part of our history.


This guy can write!
	I picked up this paperback because my curiosity was stimulated by watching Mystic River, the film based on another LeHane novel. Darkness, Take My Hand did not disappoint. Different characters, same setting, and identical sense of insanity and irredeemable evil. LeHane's prose is intelligent and witty without being overbearing, a welcome change from many other authors who crank out formulaic , hackneyed language and stories in the crime genre. LeHane's descriptions jump right off the page at you. His characters are so human, so intense, their dialogue so sharp, that it's almost like watching a movie in your mind. There isn't a wasted word in this book. The suspense starts to build on page 1, and never lets up, becoming more and more menacing with each subsequent chapter. This is a stay-up-late read to finish only when you're NOT alone in the night.
LeHane's other works top my summer reading list. I'd love to see what he could do in a different genre


Fills a much needed void!
	As a parent of an adolescent with Asperger Syndrome, I found this book easy to read and understand, with practical how-to instructions and guidelines for preparing my son to enter the work force.  I really liked the emphasis on developing social and communication skills that are found throughout the book.  This is one I will recommend to friends and relatives as well as my son's educators


Sandford is a mastermind.
	This book was hard to put down.Can't wait for the next book


a warning against laziness
	oblomov is a guy who never quite manages to do anything. he has great difficulties managing to do anything. finally a friend manages to convince Oblomov that he must be active, otherwise he will never escape his laziness. the psychology in the story is great. the plot is always simple, perhaps too slowly progressing. there is much humour in this book. the characters are truly believable


Delivers What It Promises
	I loved this book! The authors share technqiues from carnival barkers, magicians, and tradeshow pros who know how to grab attention and captivate any audience. While some books provide only principles, this book gives you step-by-step magic tricks, persuasion mechanisms and techniques that anyone can apply.
Written in a conversational tone, this entertaining book tells you the why and the how of persuasion.

Diane DiResta, author, Knockout Presentation


The Guinness World Records 2005
	This book is a wonderful all-color rendition which has important
factual information on the tallest man, the tripling of the
population in the past half century and the spectacular
Olympus Mons on the Marsian surface- just to mention a few of the many features contained.  The book is perfect for
student projects in science and the arts. It well worth the
price charged


Common sense and dignity
	The Concept of Mind is a great book for several reasons. The main reason to me is that Ryle clarifies the concept of being human, while he uses language in a natural way. In stead of constructing concepts based on (for  example scientific) assumptions, he shows what we already see as obvious,  just by pointing out what we mean with our ordinary language. He is far  from reductionistic; mark the subtle irony: 'Man need not be degraded to a  machine by being denied to be a ghost in a machine. He might, after all, be  a sort of animal, namely, a higher mammal. There has yet to be ventured the  hazardous leap to the hypothesis that perhaps he is a man.


fantastic horror mystery thriller
	He is a nightwalker, a Navaho vampire who because he is only half Nosferatu has the strength not to succumb to the allure of the dark side of his nature.  He is a New Mexico state police officer who is often teamed up with beautiful FBI agent Diane Lopez who not only knows what Lee Nez is but accepts him for his good heart.  Right now they are trying to infiltrate a smuggling ring made up of skinwalkers (Navaho witches) who can shape shift at night and still retain their ability to think like a human.

These smugglers known as the Silver Eagles go to Mexico in animal form, meet with their suppliers, and return with silver and turquoise for jewelry suppliers who get their products at black market prices.  The two cops seek to arrest humans who are part of the smuggling ring and kill the shapeshifters so they no longer can carry out their evil plans.  While Diane and Lee stalk the Silver Eagles, they are hunted by a vampire who wants to kill them because they murdered her nest including her husband and brother.  They remain on guard at all times because beside each other they don't know who they can trust.

Once again the Thurlos provide readers their interpretation of the vampire mythos unique to the Navaho culture.  Lee can stay in sunlight provided he uses sun block while his speed, strength and night vision make him a better police officer.  In the Thurlos world, skinwalkers are evil creatures who must be killed; a variation on the hapless victim werewolf legend.  BLOOD RETRIBUTION is a fantastic horror mystery thriller that readers of these genres will want to read.

Harriet Klausner


Remarkable work
	"By a hypnotism that defies explanation--at least by a non-German--Hitler held the allegiance and trust of this remarkable people to the last.  It was inevitable that they would follow him blindly, like dumb cattle but also with a touching faith and even an enthusiasm that raised them above the animal herd, over the precipice to the destruction of the nation."

This remarkable book is based principally on the captured German documents, the interrogations and testimony at the Nuremberg trials of German military officers and civilian officials, the diaries and memoirs which some of them have left, and on Shirer's experience in the Third Reich.  Shirer became one of the most respected journalists in wartime Europe.

The book is exhaustive and detailed with extensive notes and bibliography.  A bit of patience is needed to get through the dialect, often quoting Mein Kampf.  Shirer brings forth wonderful descriptions of the people who played a role in those troubled times.  The individual battles are not detailed, so one will need to refer to other sources for a more detailed look at these battles and horrors that ensued.  This is an important book for those interested in Germany and life in the Third Reich at this time.

The Reich rises with a quick run through of Hitler's youth and the German history, then the politics and Hitler's megalomania that led to national socialism and the rise to dictatorship.  The Treaty of Versais and the fall of the mark lead to Germany's economic fall, allowing for the people to welcome in a dictatorship, a new messiah by deceit.  The military buildup could now begin.   The coups to overthrow Hitler and the Nazis had already failed and will continue to fail throughout the war.  For the officers it was either death by Hitler or death by fighting.  The massacres of the Russians began soon after the invasion of the East.  The French and other countries were also caught up in the massacre, and William gives us the eyewitness reports.  The "Jewish cleansing" started soon after the nazis took over their first countries. The Nazis kept developing more and more efficient means of extermination and experimentation.  There is an exhaustive lead up to the start of W.W.II, the invasion of Poland.  There was freighting information discovered on what would have been in store for Britain if invaded, not to mention the world and the slaughter of Russia.  The Nazi's pinnacle arrives at about 2/3 of the way through the book where the fall begins with the Allied advance.

It took military action eventually to stop Hitler's "New world order", not the people.  The lack of doing anything to stop Hitler from walking into the Rhineland should not be forgotten.  Does not the blame fall partly on the people, Chamberlain, and the military generals?  Maybe if more would have read Mein Kampf, and not disregarded it's contents millions would not have lost their lives.  The Nazi propaganda took over the press, and soon indoctrinated the German people.  There were many opportunities to stop Hitler by France and Britain early on.  Have we not learned anything from the past?  Is there not a parallel in our country?

"The Germans imposed the Nazi tyranny on themselves."

Hegel was one of the many influences on Hitler and Marx. Hegel and Marxism is still very much alive today in humanism, nationalism, "supreme state", racism,  and mysticism


Excellent!
	After reading a book of Sandra Brown's that I horribly disliked, I was hesitant to give her another shot. I'm truly glad I did; The Witness was a first-rate thriller!

The villains in this book are greasy, sick individuals that rather turned my stomach...just what you like when you want to get a taste of Why A Person Would Run For Their Life! Sandra Brown wrote these characters (and that of Ricki Sue-who I could easily picture!) particularly well. The baby was truly the icing on the cake: this infant motivated Kendall throughout the book and, like any mother, lived for the love of her child.

I also loved the sexy, romantic element here-it was just enough that it didn't overwhelm the story...even better, it didn't change Kendall into a mindless goober (a state which many female characters in "romance" novels often achieve.)

The Witness succeeded on so many levels yet fell short of a full five-star rating. Perhaps it was the Crooks...they came off a bit cliche, but were still necessary characters.

Still, this book is an excellent, thought-provoking choice with a WOW ending. Very enjoyable


A staple item for the humor lover's bookshelf
	Since reading this book in 1994, I have used it as a reference for my life AND work. Using a warm and witty style of writing, Allen teaches us the physiological and emotional benefits of mirth.  My favorite chapter title is  quot;Strike While the Irony is Hot! quot;  So clever!! I recommend this book to friends who are facing life challenges and to everyone who attends my workshops.  On a more personal note, since embracing The Healing Power of Humor, I felt freer to add a little levity to my Aunt Alice's funeral.  My family was amazingly grateful.    Me too


Comprehensive, clear, practical
	While not written at the level of technical philosophical detail as Aquinas or Pannenberg (as another review here stresses), this text is still set apart from most general theological treatments by its philosophical clarity and coherence.  This is in addition to the virtues of its serious treatment of the range of Scriptural data concerning each topic, its apologetic engagement with differing views, and its practical counsel for life and ministry.  It is a great resource for thinking through major theological issues and positions.  I recommend it highly


A gem
	My pick for the finest book of 2005. (Ok Smith's on beauty is up there too) We know from page one that we are  in the hands of a master craftsmen! Reading Ian McGawen is like watching a great pitching performance. It might be slower paced than you'd like but God is it beautiful.
   Fraught with elegance and grace "Saturday" is a great read and the work of a true literary giant. I highly reccomend this book.


A likeable conclusion to the trilogy!
	Book number three in the Outlander trilogy, the fantasy historical romance of the time traveling Claire Fraser, has Claire re-unite with her 18th century husband, Jamie, who she left before the battle of Culloden in Dragonfly in Amber.  A time travel trip through the stones is once more necessary and Claire has to leave her beloved daughter Brianna behind.

This trip is successful and Claire is now plunged into the complicated life of Jamie, who has survived the battle but now is dealing with the post-uprising difficulties of the Scottish.  While Claire is involved with the difficulties of her re-union with Jamie, there is also a series of mysterious and violent murders in Edinborough, and the kidnapping of Jamie's nephew.  Claire and Jamie sail the high seas and encounter pirates, voodoo and slave uprisings in the Caribbean.

This colorful third installment in the series at times seems like it tries a little too hard to have Claire and Jamie caught up in every possible adventure of the time period.  Nevertheless the foundation of the solid characters created and nurtured by Gabaldan weather the slightly torrid escapades of this timeless romantic couple.  One of the new characters is a bit flimsy and caricatured; the giggling, bouncy, foot-worshipping Chinaman Mr. Willoughby.  Although he later proves to be more substantial than his intial portrayal, the appearance of this character is contrived and jarring.  A note I think the story would have been better without.

Despite its flaws, Voyager continues the thread of a passionate romance and fascinating premise.  The time travel fantasy is portrayed well--in particular the notion of what one would bring back to the 18th century if all you could carry was in your pockets.  Combining historical romance and fantasy was a genius stroke that makes this series of continuing interest.  Gabaldon's superior narrative, likeable characters and excellent research continue and keep her audience hooked.  In light of the inherent difficulty of maintaining reader interest in a character and premise over three books, this is a highly sucessful sequel.


A powerful visual impact
	Angus Konstam's HISTORY OF PIRATES  uses works from the Mariners' Museum in Virginia to provide a powerful visual impact. Piracy from ancient to modern times is surveyed in a series of maps, images, and discussions that cover specific events, regions, and pirates. Plenty of historical and political background to the events place each in perspective and provide an excellent survey of mariner events of the times. There are other pirate histories on the market - but none with the commitment to visuals of HISTORY OF PIRATES.


How do you want to interpret consciousness?
	Until very recently the subject of animal awareness has not even been approached with the correct questions. As Rogers clearly points out, most of the research on cognition has been directed at supporting the assumption that consciousness is an exclusively human phenomenon.  An inherited predisposition to preserve a human monopoly on consciousness survives only because it appeases our omnivorous behaviors.

In the early 1600's Spinoza correctly determined the existence of an emotional balance. He told us that one extreme emotion will dominate the senses until such time that an equally extreme opposite emotion brings us back to emotional center. Antonio Damasio provides a compelling case that consciousness is inextricably linked to emotion in his book "The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness". Using Damasio and Spinoza as a frame of reference it follows that each and every decision we make is based on an emotion, not a uniquely quantifiable language infused thought, as the popular human interpretation might assume. Examples of this might be choosing the color of paint, a selection from a menu, the selection of a mate or which way to turn when unsure. Animals have provided us with an exhaustive and document able list of emotional behaviors. How is it possible to arrive at the conclusion that animals are not conscious when most animals will clearly display behaviors consistent with emotional stimulus?

The last frontier of computer science is the quest for a conscious, non-human entity.
Ray Kurzweil has spent the better part of his life predicting the emergence of an exponentially accelerating form of machine augmented human consciousness. In my view,  it would be safer to assume that at some point technology will provide us with means to understand the different levels of consciousness that exist. While computers struggle to redefine consciousness by passing "Turing Tests", visionary ethologists might find ways to interpret the world through different eyes.

It is exceedingly difficult to discuss the subject of animal consciousness from the point of view of the animal and avoid emotional interpretations. Lesley Rogers has given us a glimpse of this vast subject by asking the correct questions and, providing the current objective answers from each available vantage point. At a disciplined two hundred pages the book stands out as a concise introduction to the subject of Animal Cognition.


Very useful but a little dated
	I am a professional photographer, and I was looking for a book on lighting technique - which this book supplied excellently.

Their step by step approach is easy to follow and understand, and all explainations have images attached so you can see what they are talking about.

They slowly build your general knowledge on how light works rather than supplying specific lighting diagrams, allowing (and suggesting that you do) you to adapt the knowledge to your own use. They then go into more detail with difficult lighting subjects such as metal, glass, and more, and how to deal with them.

My only complaint is that the book is starting to feel a little old, especially when they talk about colour. It is almost exclusively film based with virtually no reference to digital technology. If they were to do an updated version with more emphasis on lighting for digital, I would provide 5 stars


Very Interesting!!
	This book was so different from what I thought it was about when I ordered it.  It still was knowledgeable.  It is hard to grasp as you must actually do the experimentation.  I also thought the illustrations should be in color since that is what the book is about.  It has some examples in the beginning of the book but I hate to keep looking around in books I personally like it to appear in front of me as I read.  It was a very interesting book to say the least


Examines the nature and applications of air power
	Walter Boyne's The Influence Of Air Power Upon History is an informed and informative history which examines the nature and applications of air power from the early days of the balloon to current space warfare and jets. Air power exercised in both war and peace times survey the contributions made by people and technology of each era, drawing some important links between individual achievement and usage


Insightful and possibly life-saving
	The insights here are simple, straightforward and profound. It explains how modern society can sometimes put men into a no-win situation, resulting in a feeling of frustration, impotence, incompetence, and depression. The only socially acceptable way to express it is rage (even though rage is vilified, I can tell you that showing hurt, pain and weakness invites scorn, distain and disrespect, even from those who purport to love us).
By explaining how we get into this trap, it helps us to understand it and thus gives us a chance to find a way out. I wish I could give a copy of this book to every man and woman in the world. I see so much of it played out every day all around us, and the pain both men and women feel because of it does so much damage. Read it before you have a crisis if you can, but if you are already in crisis, make the effort to read this book even if you can't read anything else. It might even save your life. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.


Fable of Unintended Consequences
	It was a cold and snowy February day when a stranger walked to a small country inn and ordered a meal and a private room. This stranger guards his privacy and desires solitude. His luggage consists of many bottles of powders and fluids as would be used by an experimental investigator. The local general practitioner visits the stranger, and sees something he can't believe. Then someone steals money from the Reverend Bunting although he and his wife see nobody. Later Mr.   Mrs. Hall, innkeepers, see the stranger's room is empty, until the chair moves around as if possessed by spirits. When questioned by Mrs. Hall the stranger removes his nose! Then the bandages and spectacles go, and the people see no head! When the constable comes to arrest him, the man removes all his garments and disappears into thin air. The crowd tries to grab him but he escapes.

Mr. Thomas Marvel, a wandering tramp, is found by this Unseen and convinced to work for him. They return to the inn to fetch books and clothing. This sets off a commotion among the people there, and another chase. The panicked people fled from the streets and locked themselves in their homes. There was a story about "flying money" that was removed from shops and inns. At another inn Marvel seeks shelter, he has escaped from the Invisible Man. When this Unseen enters to take Marvel away, a bearded American fires at the Unseen with his revolver. Later the Unseen visits a physician for treatment of his wound (his blood can be seen). The Unseen has met Dr. Kemp at college, and is fed and clothed.

The Unseen explains the scientific principles of optical density in a general way. If the refractive index of a substance was lowered to that of air it would be invisible in most cases (Chapter XIX). The Unseen kept his work secret because of the thefts in the scientific world of science. But the Unseen acquired money by foul means which cursed his work! Griffin tells of the previous experiments that led to invisibility (Chapter XX). The next chapters gives Griffin's history. But Kemp has written to the police, and they arrive. Griffin escapes once again, and Kemp warns the police about what must be done (Chapter XXV). Griffin is mad and inhuman, "pure selfishness". His attempts to kill Kemp lead to his own destruction, and his body becomes visible after death (Chapter XXVIII).

If accurate, this story provides a snapshot of life in London and its suburbs at that time. It also tells that carrying arms was nothing unusual. H. G. Wells shows his literary skills in making believable an impossible condition. There are those who still believe that describing something in words makes it real (like "childproof guns", etc.). Readers of Wells' later works can judge how close to the truth his writings were. This fable warns against uncontrolled scientific experiments, from poison gas to atomic bombs, or the current craze for cloning or "genetic modification" The story of unseen theft of money can also be a warning against a Private Banking Cartel and its continual devaluation of the currency to help Big Business in its struggle against small businesses and working people. In this story the people unite to terminate the Unseen; this doesn't always happen in the real world.


The In The Garden Trilogy
	Nora's "In The Garden" Trilogy was great, but I must say not her best.  Her characters are so life-like and you actually feel like you're part of the story.  She's a phenomenal author and I have not come across anything of hers that I have not thoroughly enjoyed.
I also highly recommend "The Three Sisters Island Trilogy."  By far my favorite.

Happy Reading!


Swarm theory
	The new economy is a global economy favoring intangible things: ideas, information, and relationships and is intensely interlinked.   Today, the new information based sector occupies over 15% of the total US economy.  In the postindustrial society, communication has become the economy and the cultural, technological, and conceptual impacts reverberate at the roots of our lives.   The financial sector has reshaped the economy; the financial sector ownership involves only a small number of people;  the financial innovations include: mortgages, insurance, venture funding, stocks, checks, credit cards, and mutual funds; the financial sector has given rise to corporations, market capitalism, the industrial age, and has influenced how all business has been done.  Since communication is the economy, the net is the future.  The net has accelerated in usage due to the increase in silicon chips and fiber optic data transmission; the net is weaving lives, minds, and artifacts into a global scale network; the result is the swarm of information, reticulating the surface of the planet; the new economy will increasing obey the logic of the networks and understanding the network will be the key to understanding how the economy works.  In 1997, there were 6 billion non-computer chips and by 2005 the predicted usage was at 10 billion.

The network represents connectivity.  We are connection everything to everything.  The network values the dumb power of bits in the swarm; the connectivity and usage of the dumb bits or parts in the swarm yield smart results; and we don't need advanced Artificial Intelligence to make an intelligent system.   The network is a link of distributed, bottom up, data bits;   it lets things communicate among themselves and takes a decentralized approach for communication, for example, manufacturing robots scheduling their own work based on incoming requests, as they bid on work dependant on their capability.  The swarm aim is superior performance in a turbulent environment.  Consider the power of the "Wisdom of the crowds".  In one case sample, 5,000 attendees, at a computer graphics conference were give individual access to a simulator and the task on how too land a plane.  The attendee had novice knowledge about how to land the plane.   The jet responded to the average decisions of the swarm.  The group landed the jet with almost no direction.   In another case example, the group was given the task to navigate a submarine and go look for buried treasure.   The group could not initiate any movement until leadership from a loud speaker was given to "go right".  The leadership unlocked the paralysis of the swarm and the direction facilitated action.

Technology success is measured on how invisible it becomes to the end user and how effective it becomes to the long term strategy in developing products and services that can't be ignored.   The power of the network increases in value n power 2 where n is the number of members.  Therefore, networks need to increase their critical mass of members to become effective.   Innovation attracts members.  Innovation is more important than price; price is the derivative of innovation; monopolies push up price and decrease quality and create a dangerous singular source of innovation; and the network destroys monopolies through collective innovation, such as, open source.


mini version of Out of Control
	Offers 10 rules for organizations to follow to benefit from the emerging Economy. The book is really just a condensed version of Kelly's earlier book, Out of Control


A Hardboiled Gem!
	The late Ed McBain left all mystery buffs a lasting legacy with his 87th Precinct novels but a worthy addition to this legacy is The Gutter And The Grave. Written in 1958, this hardboiled gem has been all but forgotten. But thanks to Hard Case Crime, a new generation can experience this incredible early work from one of the all-time masters.

The hero, Cordell, is as tragic and harboiled as they come as he, soaked in cheap booze, wallows in the memory of an unfaithful wife. Until a favor for a friend draws him into a web of murder and deception. It seems everyone is lying and each lie twists the tail in new directions, leaving the reader's head spinning. The novel features McBain's usually excellent dialogue, the setting is well-drawn featuring the jazz scene in 1950's New York. There's humor, pathos, some great fights and enough broken dreams to fill Broadway.

This little gem of a novel has been unavailable for far too long. I give it my highest recommendation. Fantastic!


Essential to Understanding Intelligence Challenges
	Greg Treverton has written a much needed overview of the national intelligence process and correctly identified the challenges which face the US, in a post-9/11 world.  His views of the world beyond 2010 are quite revealing and his challenges to the intelligence community to assess threats to the US are precisely focused. His views on the major intelligence entities reveal urgent modifications of structure and process, if the intelligence community is going to regain relevance with national customers.  As a teacher of intelligence process, specifically as it relates to strategic warning, I believe this book is essential reading for anyone who aspires to be a true intelligence professional. This book will help even the wisest analyst understand how to maximize available sources and methods.  The quest to provide the best possible intelligence is a goal which must be achieved.


Interesting cartoon and puzzle combo
	Is this a book of New Yorker cartoons or a puzzle book?  Well, it's a little of both, and the result is a novel way to laugh and exercise your brain at the same time. Most of the 83 puzzles consist of cartoons that are missing words, captions, or picture components. By figuring out the missing elements and sometimes combining them with acrostics, crossword puzzles, or other word grids, the cartoon humor is revealed.

For the most part, the puzzles are of only moderate difficulty, although there are a few difficult ones (at least for me) that involve matching a cartoon with the decade in which it was created or matching cartoons from early and late in a cartoonist's career. Frequent puzzle solvers will recognize many of the familiar puzzle types from Games Magazine and other media that Puzzability publishes in. The foreword to the book contains a casual and loosely coupled conversation between New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff and New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz.

This is an entertaining book that you'll hate to throw away when it's been completed because of all the witty cartoons it contains. Enjoy!

Eileen Riebac


My Favorite Movie Guide, By Far...
	Videohound's Cult Flicks and Trash Pics is a book that I consult often. Not only is it informative, but it's very entertaining reading as well. This is a book that any cult movie lover should own. If the names Roger Corman, Lloyd Kaufman, Ray Dennis Steckler, David Lynch, Frank Henenlotter, Jack Hill, Herschel Gordon Lewis, Dario Argento, Paul Bartel, Russ Meyer, Terry Gilliam, Alex Cox, Edward D. Wood, Ken Russell, George Romero and John Waters mean anything to you then you need this book. In addition to reviews of hundreds and hundreds of cult films, the book has lengthy bios of many of the above filmmakers as well as actors and other important cult figures. Plus there are tons of photos, there's a big specific category index to help you find exactly what you're looking for and indexes for actors, directors and writers. One of my favorite features is that nearly every page features a quote from one of the movies featured in the book. This is a great book though it's far from complete. Lots of movie geeks will be able to look through the book and point out any number of movies that were left out. However, for every movie you know of that's not in the book there are probably five that you've never heard of. I recommend Cult Flicks and Trash Pics very highly


Have the older version.
	Used this in medical school. Excellent resource. In my time google and yahoo were not around, so this was the quick source. now that [...] is around, not as necessary, but still valuable. There is a pediatric version as well.
High yield


Worthwhile
	This is a great book for those who have interest in modern economics. Vividly, the author used a lot of nice little stories to explain complicated theories proposed in academic papers (works that received the Nobel Prize).

I'd strongly recommend this book to any undergraduate economics/business major as well


Min Cui's Review
	Narrated through the heartfelt voice of Amy Tan, the Kitchen God's Wife illustrates a compelling story of heritage and self-discovery. As a young Chinese woman, Winnie Louie, the main character and the conduit through which Tan expresses her voice, must endure an atrocious life under the abuse and torture of her wicked husband Wen Fu, a pretentious, arrogant, and egregious man who not only cheated his way up the military ladder, but also committed numerous felons including rape, murder, blackmailing, and extortion. Day after day, beating after beating, Winnie slowly begins to realize that in order to escape from Wen Fu and start a new life free from violence and marked by love, radical and immediate actions must be taken. When dealing with someone without even a modicum of human decency, someone like Wen Fu, the usual, traditional, and orthodox actions are futile. Striking a perfect chord between concision and elaboration, Tan keeps the reader constantly engaged as the dramatic story of Winnie unfolds itself. Relying mostly on authentic voice and keeping the meretricious elements to a minimum, Tan narrates the novel with surprising precision and unmatched beauty. Against the magnificent backdrops of a WWII-era China, the novel reassures the universal nature of mankind, that the problems troubling people today are experienced by all generations, regardless of race, nationality, or social status. As you read this rare gem amount literature, open the introspective window and enjoy the novel with your heart.


Hard hitting truths about the real world of work!
	Imagine you're attending a career enhancement seminar and suddenly you're doused with a giant bucket of ice cold water. In essence, "Fire Your Boss" is just that. Stephen Pollan's discourse on the stark realities of the real world of work shatter all the hyperbole and fluff of "careering" in not just corporate America but any occupational arena. It's an easy, conversational and straightforward read that IMHO should be called "Hire Your Boss". Pollan, a life coach with the style, chutzpah and hubris of a Donald Trump/Scott Adams hybrid, elaborates on the criticality of taking care of your number one customer in the microeconomic marketplace-your boss. Pollan supports the essence of this approach with references to how the economic landscape has changed over the last few decades and how it's helped to perpetuate agency activity in organizations. Simply put, managers will continue to act purely out of self-interest rather than an alignment with organizational objectives. With this in mind, what will avail those of the non-management cadre the most is looking out for the needs of supervision, with more of a "hired gun" approach rather than that of a sycophant. Many of Pollan's precepts will at first seem counterintuitive--such as "work for the money, the love will follow" or "lose your career, get a job" and may come across as trite and cynical. However when taken in context the underlying schema is this: a job is a means of providing income-no more, no less. Trying to find personal fulfillment therein is a recipe for self-destruction. The author does a fine job of using the experiences of his clients to help illustrate these key concepts and concludes by offering a seven-step roadmap to help one achieve the empowerment and independence in the modern job market.

Although Pollan drives across some salient points about the contemporary world of work he does tend to oversimplify a bit with regards to some management behavior. Furthermore, some of his coping strategies have the guise of tactics that only a New York Attorney could formulate. Wait-Pollan IS a New York Attorney. In sum, this is as an island of sanity in a sea of "Be a Star at Work" banter that perpetuates the dangling-carrot-over-the-sea-of-cubicles syndrome. Finally, when you boil this down you realize that one as an employee should consider themselves self-employed. I find it a good affirmation of what work really should be and a refreshing rebuttal to all the careering pundits whose success is predicated on the management's mystification of office life.

Not for the faint of heart!


A Jamesian Curiosity, overlong but beautifully written
	I liked this book, but I notice that all the critics seem to hate it. It did take me more than a year of picking at it on and off. I picked it up because Walter Laqueur referred to it in one of his books about terrorism. Written in 1886, it suggests that there is a pan-European anarchist underground, which the protagonist gets mixed up with. It is interesting in its depiction of liberal guilt among the wealthy, who support a political movement that would lead to their own extinction. The prose is wonderful, as is the depiction of the subtleties of the characters' personalities, if you have the taste for that sort of thing. All in all, it was worth reading and it passed the most important test for a novel: I finished it with regret. I had previously read and liked Portrait of a Lady, which is a superior novel. As much as I liked it, I would have to say do not start with Princess as an introduction to James. Incidentally, I have a theory about the omniscient narrator in James' books being a malign demiurge, but I will spare you that theorizing here


Good Intro To Crichton
	This was the book that got me to enjoy reading back in the day.  This was also my first Crichton, and I have to say I enjoyed it to the fullest.  Easy to read adventure novel


Terrific book
	I think this is Harriet Lerner's best book. I has the clearest and most helpful chapter on family secrets that I've ever read. The chapter called  quot;A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Orifice quot; is worth the price of the book. The chapter on affairs, even though controversial, should be helpful to all couples, especially if you think your partner will never cheat on you


Confusing, Hilarious, Profound
	Lost in the Funhouse can be a very bewildering and irritating collection if you aren't in the right mood for it.  If you aren't well-versed in post-modern fiction (barthelme, calvino, etc are good reference points) you might want to start somewhere else first.  Even Barth's novels are more immediately digestible.

With that said, though, this collection doesn't really operate on one consistent level.  Perhaps this is because many of these stories were written by Barth much earlier in his career.  The three stories concerning Ambrose's birth and development are very straightforward and enjoyable on a surface level until the whole series goes flying into left-field with the titular "Lost in the Funhouse" story (which Barth is probably most known for).  From that point on, most of the stories are more about the process of writing and the relationship between the reader, writer, and the characters.  Stories like "Title" and "Life-Story" work more as essays on the nature of fiction than actual works of fiction, and were (for me at least) a little tedious.  The best moments occur when Barth combines his thoughful analysis on the nature of writing and art with a really good ground-situation, typically based on Greek mythology.  The best of these are the utterly raunchy "Petitition" and the labyrinthine "Menelaiad".

Taken as a whole, though, Lost in the Funhouse is greatly satisfying, even if (like me) you really only understood about 20% of what Barth was talking about on your first read-through.  It's the sort of book I'll go back to again and again to try and delve deeper into the mystery of the funhouse while appreciating all over the hilarious bawdy humor.

Oh, and make sure to read Barth's seven additional notes at the front of the book (though maybe only after you've read the story that is being discussed in each note, so as not to ruin the initial experience)-- they really help to clarify some of Barth's intentions.  I can't even imagine appreciating a story like "Glossolalia" without having read the note concerning it


TEN STARS WOULD BE MORE ACCURATE
	I ALREADY HAVE THIS BOOK AND I AM NOW BUYING FOR FRIENDS.  IT DOES SPEAK TO ALL AGE GROUPS AND IS MAGNIFYING TO THOSE OF US GALS WHO GREW UP IN THE SAME TIME.  ANNA QUINDLIN WRITES AS IF SHE BROKE INTO MY BODY AND STOLE MY THOUGHTS, MY DREAMS AND MY MEMORIES. IF SO, I THANK HER FOR THE INTRUSION BECAUSE SHE OBVIOUSLY LOOKED AROUND. IT SOMETIMES TAKES MY BREATH AWAY, THE WAY SHE PUTS INTO WORDS EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL.  I THANK HER FOR THAT, BUT I WON'T ASK FOR ROYALTIES


Eye-Opening Book for Those Interested in Place or Language
	Though you may not immediately think that there is a connection between language and the places where you live and pass through, your sense of your surroundings and of language itself will be transformed after you read Gaston Bachelard's  quot;The Poetics of Space. quot;  Bachelard argues that language--especially poetry--can reveal hidden aspects of our experience of space, especially of our home space.  For example, he considers how common phrases such as  quot;go up to the attic quot; and  quot;go down to the basement quot; are revelatory of our typical sense that stairs to an attic are stairs one ascends, while stairs to the basement are stairs one descends--in spite of the fact that both sets of stairs must be equally ascended and descended.  As he does with other such observations, Bachelard extends his observation regarding the directionality of different staircases into a discussion of how the attic and basement hold different roles in our daily and imaginary lives.  In addition to exploring how we experience space and place, Bachelard equally attends to the way in which language can function either as a daily and common means of communication or as a site of new and creative insight; roughly speaking, he argues that poetry happens when the motions of language itself open us up to a new way of seeing or understanding something.  By reading this beautifully written and engaging book, you will likely come to understand or see anew experiences from childhood through adulthood that pertain to places where your have lived, grown up, felt comfortable or alienated, had a feeling of wonder or fear, etc.  I recommend this book to anyone interested in the experience of place or space, in language and what it can reveal to us, or in what counts as poetry rather than as common everyday language


For Women Only! Your Guide to Health Empowerment
	Thank you, Dr. Null, for holistically addressing the health concerns that are predominant in women.  The politics behind female healthcare are shocking and frightening.  You put it all into perspective within these  covers.    You also saved me from the quandary of what to buy all the women  in my family for Christmas.   You're insightful and have a wealth of  helpful information.   Bless you


I read your brother
	Vintage McCourt! This is a good one but reminiscent of A Monk Swimming by the same author. Mallachy McCourt is good, but I prefer his brother, Frank. Poor man, I wonder how many times he has heard it. But it takes nothing away from the book. What genius of a family. Poverty in childhood has turned out into prosperity for posterity. Thanks McCourt Brothers


A must-read book to know inside out about .NET CLR
	As always, Jeffrey's book is worth reading very much. I have read the first version (edition), and I read this one again. If you want to know lots of inside out about CLR, this is the one to read. This is a must-read book before you go for a job interview, because you are expected to have read it by lots of interviewers.


This Works!
	This plan actually works! In five months I've gone from a women's 2X to a 12 and I'm not finished yet! The basic plan is simple. Managing the exceptions is a bit more tricky, but of the three books I have by Michel Montignac, this one explains the exceptions the best. No counting calories! No extreme excercise! If you are looking for a balanced way of eating -- THIS IS IT


4 Set CD of Meditations from the Book
	This is a 4 CD set of meditations as a companion to The Inner Temple of WitchCraft book.  Using the background of the book, the CD's set up an easy way to work with the material in the book without having to open the book to reference it during the mediations.

Mr. Penczak's voice is perfect as far as I am concerned, it does not grate on you nor does it lull you into sleep.  The light melodic fill is just that, filler for the spaces between words and does not distract from the words.

I found the material covered to be good for meditation and it works well with the material in the book.  If you find the book to be what you are looking for, the CD's are a good addition.
I enjoyed the entire presentation, and Mr. Penczak gives us some very well based and solid material. boudic


One of Koontz's best
	A wonderful story of how even our smallest action can have great consequences that we can't even understand.  A long book with fantastic memorable characters.  My favorite of these characters were the two brothers who were fixated on Serial killers and natural disasters.  This is the only way they know how to cope with the outside world.

Overall-You will certainly get your money's worth.  Enjoy this one.


Raises some interesting questions about academic honesty
	Have you ever been tempted to write pure nonsense?  Maybe on some rainy first day of April?  I once felt like writing:

"I sure made a mistake when I told the Goddess Minerva that She couldn't square the circle.  In response, She drew a circle next to me, a truly beautiful and perfect circle.  And right in front of my panicky brown eyes, She turned pi into four!  Not just the circumference divided by the diameter, but the series expansion as an inverse tangent as well.  What would She do next, make me unwell by dropping the first letter from my first name?  i tried to apologize, but it was too late."

I was not the only one to dream of mangling pi.  In "Contact: A Novel," Carl Sagan went me one better when he had aliens send messages to each other at infinite speed by hiding them in a numerical representation of pi and then, you guessed it, changing pi everywhere!

Still, Alan Sokal went beyond even this, getting the following published in the journal "Social Text:"

"In this way the infinite-dimensional invariance group erodes the distinction between the observer and the observed; the pi of Euclid and the G of Newton, formerly thought to be constant and universal, are now perceived in their ineluctable historicity; and the putative observer becomes fatally decentered, disconnected from any epistemic link to a spacetime point that can no longer be defined by geometry alone."

Sokal put this and many more whoppers into his hoax, which defended an equally absurd thesis: that "physical 'reality,' no less than social 'reality,' is at bottom a social and linguistic construct."

While this joke may not prove much, it does raise the issue of whether a few people in academia are misusing the vocabulary of science to create absurd statements in defense of an antirationalist point of view.  This book shows that they are.

The authors show that Jacques Lacan makes completely arbitrary analogies between topology and psychoanalysis.  We then see some of the same irrelevance and superficial use of topology in the early works of Julia Kristeva.  After an interlude in which Sokal and Bricmont seriously discuss the philosophy of science, there are more examples of academic nonsense.  The next victim is Luce Irigaray, who in what I agree is about as ridiculously antifeminist a statement as one could make says:

"Science always displays certain choices, certain exclusions, and these are particularly determined by the sex of the scholars involved."

That's rich: objective truth is different depending on whether one is a Woman or a man!   I must admit that I half expected Irigaray to say that pi was different for Men and women.

After that, we see Bruno Latour's idea that Einstein's Theory of Relativity has implications for sociology.  The authors point out that this is manifest nonsense.  Were we to discover tomorrow that the ratio of the mass of a particle to its energy were slightly different from what relativity predicted, there would be a revolution in physics, but no need to alter theories of human behavior.

Later, we see Jean Baudrillard say, "It is a sign that the space of the event has become a hyperspace with multiple refractivity, and that the space of war has become definitively non-Euclidean."  And there are more, um, words, from Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, and Paul Virilio.

Sokal and Bricmont conclude that all this inanity is a threat.  That either it will lead to even more irrationalism in academia or to an academic abandonment of social critique.  And I think it's worth warning us to avoid such a future.  But I also think we simply need social journals to get scientists to review (and reject) papers that use big scientific words instead of making coherent statements


Fans of the first series, rejoice!
	Erin Hunter has once again created a captivating saga about the four clans of warrior cats...who could be living in your own backyard.

This first installment begins where the last book left off. Firestar, the protagonist of the original series, is now the leader of his Clan, and his two daughters Leafpaw and Squirrelpaw, are now the main characters, along with a great cast of new cats and some familiar faces. Along with Brambleclaw, the son of treacherous Tigerstar, Feathertail and Stormfur, the kits of Firestar's best friend Graystripe, Brambleclaw's sister Tawnypelt, and the newbie Crowpaw, Squirrelpaw embarks on a journey to save the Clans. Meanwhile, Leafpaw is left to try to decipher mysterious messages from Starclan.

This book is a great, fast-paced read for any cat lover or fan of the first series. The plot is well-developed and intriguing from the first chapter


The Great Communicator
	Peggy Noonan's Reagan has the texture of truth, unlike a recent Reagan bio by Richard Reeves that has the texture of slime.  Noonan's Reagan is not hagiography;  it's clear-eyed, clean, and palpably honest.  I feel Ms. Noonan's honesty just as I felt the incredible lightness of Reeves' shallowness.
Noonan wrote her story of a great man and the building of his character as Ronald Reagan lay dying.  Now that he's gone, Peggy Noonan is our era's great communicator.  Not every word of When Character Was King is the utterly necessary word at the absolutely necessary time -- a few of her words don't fit and an occasional fact is flubbed -- but all other words of hundreds and thousands fit perfectly into the best portrait we have of a good and great man, a description also used fittingly for Dwight Eisenhower.
Noonan, I believe, is the only biographer of President Reagan who understands the import of a first-term footnote, an episode that most of the world has learned to forget or, like Reeves, has learned to diminish.  That's the PATCO strike which, as Noonan shows, had world-historical implications.  By the force of his focus, President Reagan used PATCO to reassert free-world mastery in our twilight struggle with an Evil Empire that was evil and that was an empire.  Thank God we had Reagan at a moment of maximum danger.  Thank God he had Noonan to tell his story


A must read  for business, education and government leaders
	This book is excellent reading to inspire leadership.  Its greatest asset is the fact that Connelly selects great leaders and writing that characterizes their personal leadership styles


A must read
	The first book in NR's 'Born In' series is wonderful, you don't want to miss it!   quot;Born In Fire quot; focuses on Maggie Concannon, a tempermental and loyal woman who is also a gifted artist. Gallery owner Rogan Sweeney takes an interest in Maggie's fabulous glass creations, and soon after takes a personal interest in Maggie herself.  Maggie is a wonderful character, stubborn and flawed, yet still caring.  Nora does a fabulous job of developing Maggie, and does it in a way that she seems like a real person.  Rogan is an extremely likeable hero.  Maggie's sister, Brianna, is her complete opposite; quiet, sweet, and calm.  The relationship between the two sisters, however, is very touching and very real.  This book is full of colourful characters, some we love and some we hate.  The romance between Rogan and Maggie is wonderful.  Basically, I just can't say enough good things about this book.  You will love it


For the Vicarious Adventurer
	Cahill's writing is somewhat of an acquired taste. This is a compilation of outdoor stories which do not always seem self contained - some missing context, some missing closure. And they are not necessarily adventures in the conventional sense, as stories may focus on nature, archaeology, sociology, etc. While the book cannot be construed as an outdoor reference, there is good information (ex.  quot;wisdom quot; of cave diving). Some stories hit the vicarious adventurer's sweet spot. The author is at his best in this book when relating his experience caving in Kentucky, engaging the reader with educational content (ex. barometric effect on air flow), spectacular descriptions(ex. lightening igniting bat guano), and hair raising suspense (ex. getting lost in a maze of passages). Not all of the stories held an equal level of interest for me, but they are short enough to peruse and ponder as time permits


Read it and draw your own conclusion
	By far a very thorough and intelligent read.  I could not put it down.

The evidence that pyramids all over earth from a lost epoch of man align to specific star clusters is overwhelming in my opinion.

Doesn't take a PhD to realize that if something looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.... chances are it's a duck.

Everthing is presented via full color images and in an easy to comprehend format.  It has changed my perspective and at the same time answered many questions for me personally; and of course will raise many more!

An absolute must read


An absolute masterpiece
	"Spring Snow" is unquestionably one of the finest Japanese novels ever written, as well as being a masterpiece of world literature in its own right.  It is an eloquent, moving story with a "tale as old as time," that of star-crossed lovers who's love transcends social roles and obligations.

In another culture, with another writer, this would be a romantic, if not happy, story.  But this is Japan, and the writer is Mishima Yukio.  In his hands, the lovers Kiyoaki and Satoko transcend literary stereotypes, and become agents of their own happiness and destruction.  By the very nature of their relationship, raised together since childhood, playing a complicated cat-and-mouse game of love and sexual tension, their future is never in doubt.

It is impressive that a writer such as Mishima, known for his right-wing politics and his samurai dreams, could craft such a tender love story.  While knowing the eventual conclusion, the reader savors and hopes for each stolen moment of happiness between Kiyoaki and Satoko, and knows that even their despair is something to be treasured because it is shared.    Not that it is a clear path.  Even knowing Japanese literature, and the road it usually takes, there are surprises on the way.  Things do not turn out the way one would expect.

I was incredibly moved by "Spring Snow."  It is a novel that affects the heart of the reader, and lingers long after the last page is turned.


Rational Analysis
	I read the second edition of this book since it is enlarged with the study of the housing market. The phenomenon of bubbles and negative bubbles or collapses is described extremely well by means of statistical data of markets for over a century and a half. The raw data is adjusted to inflation to give a realistic perspective of the trends and patterns. Bubbles seem to be occurring at regular intervals typically based on the "new era" story and everyone believes at least during the heady days that good times are here to stay. But as shown by proven evidence of the past, no bubble has sustained itself permanently and good reason prevails sooner or later. When this happens, the bloated bubble collapses and the hangover is terrible. The story so far is quite simple. But what makes this book so interesting is the depth of research and the manner in which the phenomenon is studied and explained.

The combination of mass psychology and market prices is at the core of this book. For bubbles to happen, information flow is the key. Media plays a significant role in disseminating information and bubbles seem to have originated in recorded history after the advent of the print media. In recent times electronic media particularly the television and the internet play a significant role in speeding up bubble formation and also the reversals. Media needs a storyline and this story needs to be continued to retain customers on a daily basis. Stock market is the ideal place that offers an opportunity to try one's luck if a casino is far away. Backed by on-line dedicated news channels and internet trading, well, it is not surprising that we have day traders in herds. In such situations fundamentals like industry analysis and P/E ratios take a backseat as explained by the author. Historical averages are breached and a euphoria of "once in a life time opportunity" prevails. What happens to the Efficient Markets Theory in such situations?. Since this theory says that markets are perfectly priced based on all publicly available information there cannot be a situation of either under pricing or over pricing. This book perfectly challenges the efficiency and accuracy of this theory.

It is unfortunate that substantial amounts of investments meant to be otherwise risk free sources of income, pension funds for example, are getting diverted into risky markets.  Here the author has come out with a list of some sound proposals to protect hard earned life long savings of innocent citizens who are exposed to the irrationality of markets.

The bubble in the housing market is also discussed well. Housing seems to be isolated bubbles occurring in specific regions and not a global phenomenon. But nevertheless the damage can be the same. The party of low interest rate regime seems to be over and a spike in mortgage rates is sure to be the needle that will prick right through this big speculative bubble.

What goes up has to come down ! But once you start reading this book, it is difficult to put it down. Intellectually stimulating and bound to be economically rewarding.


An Excellent (and comical)  novel about family
	A Late Divorce is one of my very favorites novels.  This ordinary tale about the late divorce of a middle-aged couple, one of whom is in a mental institution, is told from the perspective of each member of the family:  children, their spouses and mates, grandson,etc.  I have rarely laughed so  much, or been touched so much, by the insightful description of the Kaminka  family and their travails over a failed marriage, real estate and conflict.   The scene with the rabbis at the mental institution is literary hilarity  at its best...A wonderful work, original, illuminating and FUNNY


Simply the best art critic
	I agree with the first reviewer: this is what art criticism, politically engaged or not, should read like.  Berger was an old-time Marxist; I am an Anglosphere conservative.  He is a man of the Left; I am of the Right.  No matter, his essays are the most wonderful introduction to art criticism, and at times philosophy, that I have read.  Incredibly perceptive, sensitive, without empty sentimentality but filled with genuine sentiment and deep empathy for the human condition, Berger can make any painting or work of art say more than even its author may have intended.  He uses history but is not a historicist, for  he lets the works reveal themselves openly.  The essay "That which is held," a philosophic vindication of romantic love through an analysis of "time" is a near masterpiece of the essay form worthy of Montaigne.  Berger  will be missed in the barren landscape of contemporary Europe.  Danto and the Americans are simply not in his league


My All Time Favorite Fantasy
	I have enjoyed all of David Gemmell's work but this one takes the prize. It contains sorrow, great sacrifice, courage, honor, and some of the best battles every written. It is easy to see the scenes and the people as you read, the characters are ones you will become attached to. If you love fantasy that involves warfare and courage with people making the best of a bad situation and with no magic items to save the day, you will love this book


level headed reading: Jesus in his own context
	in order to properly understand the Jesus of the new testament, instead of making a Jesus of our own liking, it is necessary to understand Jesus as he himself indicated.  Jesus himself, according to the new testament, made constant reference and allusion to the hebrew scriptures, ( old testament ), as he sought to explain himself, his actions, his teachings and his significance.  Understanding the old testament is therefore of paramount importance for understanding what Jesus was and is about. This means far more than knowing some of the messianic proof texts or knowing about Noahs ark or the temple and sacrificial system of the ancient hebrews.  Understanding the old testament involves knowing the overall aim and purpose of it, and how it all is held together by connected themes that form a unified whole.  Christopher Wright's book, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, is an absolute Godsend towards getting the drift of the old testament and how it carries forward to the Jesus of the new testament.  This book is a little bit technical at times, it is not a devotional work, but reading this book will educate a person to accurately understand what the old testament is about and how it flows into the person of Jesus, thereby expositing the true meaning and intent of Jesus according to the background that Jesus himself referred to.    Thanks Chris Wright for this fabulous book. Also see his forthcoming book, The Mission of God, due out in fall of 2006 by intervarsity press. It looks to be another bullseye!!  For some other great little books on Jesus that are sane and sober, see:  Jesus and His World by Peter Walker,  The Original Jesus by N.T. Wright, and for a bit of a larger work see Jesus and The Gospels by Craig Blomberg


Excellent Resource for Raw Food Nutrition
	This book provides a straight-forward approach to a raw-food diet, and the changes required to maintain the health of your pet through the process.  It also helps to have someone who can assist you in locating the ingredients locally, but Schultze provides all the requisite information that you will need.  A great resource to go to when you get a nagging question, or have a concern.  Try not to let people talk you out of trying the diet, as you WILL see changes in the health of your pet; many veterinarians that I have spoken with are not particularly supportive.  My 2 y/o Lab has a softer coat, clearer eyes, and better muscle tone since I have started him on the diet.  This diet is slightly more expensive than feeding dog chow, but the reward of having a healthy, happy pet far outweigh the associated costs.  Good luck, and enjoy your pet


An excellent introduction to critical thinking
	A comprehensive, entertaining and plainly written introduction to critical thinking.  It should be in every school and public library (preferably next to the biology books that have been stickered with pro-creationist caveats).

My only complaint is the title. Perhaps it should have been called "The Critical Thinkers' Reference" so as not to confuse those poor mites who cannot differentiate between rational thought and Cartesian Skepticism.

Of course, if your world-view is not based on rational thinking and evidence, then the knowledge contained in this book may make you feel uncomfortable.  You may even feel threatened to the point that you negatively review it.  Guys - as Robert Park once said: "Alas, to wear the mantle of Galileo it is not enough that you be persecuted by an unkind establishment, you must also be right."   Please read this book (or even read the FAQ on Carroll's website) and learn how to reason.


A Mother of a Book
	sometimes when you read a book you are expecting to read some details,but a book like this blows the lid off the mother fully. Deborah Santana doesn't hold back at all. she takes you on a journey from her childhood to her teen years with Sly Stone. then eventually with her Husband Carlos Santana. you read about a strong Woman who overcame so many obstacles was grounded strongly thrived despite some negative forces. a very powerful book that you simply can't put down. Deborah Santana is a Remarkable Soul Sister. this is a Must read book from start to finish.


When the Wind Blows
	Only my second James Patterson book, When the Wind Blows, will keep me coming back for more.  I was not disappointed and look forward to reading many more of his novels.

Frannie, a veterinarian, and Kit, an FBI agent find themselves thrown together in the hopes of saving a few very special children.  Surrounded by some mysterious deaths in the past few years, including her own husbands, Frannie now is trying to stop yet another murder.  It all begins when she thinks she sees a girl with wings in the forest near her home in Colorado.  From here we learn of genetic experiments and more heinous crimes than those.

This book was written prior to the much acclaimed and popular Lakehouse with many of the same characters.